“The Lost Dreamer” Review

“The Lost Dreamer” by Lizz Huerta

Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end—an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent change shakes Indir’s world to its core, she is forced to make an impossible choice: fight for her home or fight to survive.

Saya is a seer, but not a Dreamer—she has never been formally trained. Her mother exploits her daughter’s gift, passing it off as her own as they travel from village to village, never staying in one place too long. Almost as if they’re running from something. Almost as if they’re being hunted. When Saya loses the necklace she’s worn since birth, she discovers that seeing isn’t her only gift—and begins to suspect that everything she knows about her life has been a carefully-constructed lie. As she comes to distrust the only family she’s ever known, Saya will do what she’s never done before, go where she’s never been, and risk it all in the search of answers.

With a detailed, supernaturally-charged setting and topical themes of patriarchal power and female strength, Lizz Huerta’s The Lost Dreamer brings an ancient world to life, mirroring the challenges of our modern one.

Review

This was a really good book. I really liked learning the stories of the two characters and finding out how they intersect. I don’t want to spoil anything but I did think the reveal of what was going on worked well. Saya’s story was a bit more interesting but only because of what she needs to learn about who she actually is. The last couple chapters did feel a little rushed but it made sense given the context and the explanation of things. It also sets up the plot of the next book rather nicely. I’m looking forward to reading it when it comes out.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Lost Dreamer”.

Book Details

The cover has an image of a young woman with light brown skin and long black hair wearing a head band across her forehead in red and blue and a beaded necklace  with multiple rows of beads in several different colors. There is a hummingbird on the cover along with flowers and other mostly transparent shapes over the woman's chest. The title is written on the top and the author's name on the bottom.

Author’s Website
Lizz Huerta
Publisher / Date
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), March 2022
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
384
Completion Date
January 31, 2024

“A Snake Falls To Earth” Review

“A Snake Falls To Earth” by Darcie Little Badger

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.

Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He’s found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.

Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli’s best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries.

And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.

Review

This was an interesting read, though the description of the book is a bit misleading, as the meeting of the characters doesn’t take place until a little more than halfway through the book. They also know about the existence of each other’s worlds; they just don’t know who’s in each world. In any case, the characters are great, and I had a good time reading their separate stories and then their eventual meeting. I did end up feeling as though the resolution was a little rushed, but it did make sense and worked for the story as it was.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “A Snake Falls To Earth”.

Book Details

The green book cover has a drawing of a young brown-skinned woman with black hair wearing yellow headphones, a yellow tank top and long dark red skirt. She's holding a book in one had and a player of some sort in the other. At her feet is a black snake. The title of the book is in her skirt and the authors name is at the bottom.

Author’s Website
Darcie Little Badger
Publisher / Date
Levine Querido, August 2021
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
352
Completion Date
December 7, 2023

“The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will” Review

“The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will” by Maya MacGregor

Will is a 17-year-old on the cusp of freedom: freedom from providing and caring for their abusive, addicted mother, freedom from their small town with an even smaller mindset, and the freedom from having to hide who they truly are. When their drug dealer mother dies months before their 18th birthday, Will is granted their freedom earlier than expected. But their mother’s last words haunt Will: She cursed them with her dying breath, claiming her death was their fault. Soon their mother’s drug-dealing past threatens Will’s new shiny future, leaving Will scrambling to find their beloved former foster mother Raz before Child Protective Services or local drug dealers find them first. But how do you reconnect with family and embark on a new love when you’re convinced you destroy everything you touch?

Review

This was a great read. I really enjoyed reading about Will slowly being able to take control of their own life and figuring out how to deal with everything that was happening. The book is written in second person and is almost entirely stream of consciousness but it was fairly easy to read. I think perhaps some of the chapter endings and beginnings could have been different but for the most part the story worked well. I liked the differences in all the other characters that Will interacted with. Their best friend has a lot of privileges and I liked the conflict there with her realizing that fact later on in the book. I also liked the resolution of the entire station. It all worked out well in the end.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will”.

Book Details

The pink/purple cover has the face of a person half covered with flowers of various types and colors. Their hair and one blue eye is visible along with their lips and cheek. The author's name and book title are written at the top of the cover.

Author’s Website
Maya MacGregor
Publisher / Date
Astra Books for Young Readers, July 2023
Genre
General Fiction, Young Adult
Page Count
264 pages
Completion Date
November 25, 2023

“Redemptor” Review

“Redemptor” (Raybearer No. 2) by Jordan Ifueko

For the first time, an Empress Redemptor sits on Aritsar’s throne. To appease the sinister spirits of the dead, Tarisai must now anoint a council of her own, coming into her full power as a Raybearer. She must then descend into the Underworld, a sacrifice to end all future atrocities.

Tarisai is determined to survive. Or at least, that’s what she tells her increasingly distant circle of friends. Months into her shaky reign as empress, child spirits haunt her, demanding that she pay for past sins of the empire.

With the lives of her loved ones on the line, assassination attempts from unknown quarters, and a handsome new stranger she can’t quite trust . . . Tarisai fears the pressure may consume her. But in this finale to the Raybearer duology, Tarisai must learn whether to die for justice . . . or to live for it.

Review

This was a great conclusion to the first story! I really enjoyed everything about Tarisai’s journey and her relationships with the various character. As with the previous book I do wish there had been more development of all of the council members. It would have made the book longer obviously, but we hardly got to know any of them besides a small core group. The way everything ends up being resolved is great.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Redemptor”.

Book Details

A head shot of a young woman is shown in the center of the cover wearing a head band that is silver and her hair spread out behind her. Her head is turned slightly to the right so that more her cheek is showing with dots of white paint lining her cheeks and a thick necklace. The rest of the cover is purple with different shapes around it. The title and authors name are at the top and bottom of the cover.

Author’s Website
Jordan Ifueko
Publisher / Date
Harry N. Abrams, August 2021
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
336
Completion Date
October 24, 2023

“Raybearer” Review

“Raybearer” (Raybearer No. 1) by Jordan Ifueko

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood.

That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?

Review

This was really fun to read. I loved all the characters and their stories. Especially Tarisai figuring out how to overcome everything that she had been forced into. There’s a time jump in the story that I wish had been a little clearer as I almost missed that it happened. Also I wish we’d gotten to know more about the other council members instead of just the few we did but it would have made the story even longer. It’s still a great story though and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel which finishes the story.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Raybearer”.

Book Details

A head shot of a young woman is shown in the center of the cover wearing a head covering that is gold and her hair spread out behind her. She dots of white paint lining her cheeks and forhead and a thick gold necklace. The rest of the cover shows various cylinders displayed in rays around the image. The title and authors name are at the top and bottom of the cover.

Author’s Website
Jordan Ifueko
Publisher / Date
Amulet Books, August 2020
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
400
Completion Date
October 15, 2023

“Children of Virtue and Vengeance” Review

“Children of Virtue and Vengeance” (Legacy of Orïsha No. 2) by Tomi Adeyemi

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari’s right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy’s wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

Review

I enjoyed this one for the most part – same great characters and everything. Still it does have the problem of being the middle story in a trilogy! Things aren’t resolved completely and the ending is a cliffhanger! A really abrupt one at that. I also had to remind myself that Zélie, Amari and other characters are in fact teenagers and are reacting accordingly. Even given their history they’re still reacting like teenagers to the situations. It’s still a good story and I’m looking forward to the final book when it comes out next June.

Warnings and additional reviews are available on the StoryGraph page for “Children of Virtue and Vengeance”.

Book Details

A young black woman is on the cover looking backwards slightly her white hair is spread out behind her across the cover. She is wearing a red and blue head covering with a blue jewel in the center. The title is shown at the bottom of the cover and the author's name at the top.

Author’s Website
Tomi Adeyemi
Publisher / Date
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2019
Genre
Fantasy, Young Adult
Page Count
404
Completion Date
September 30, 2023