Tag: young adult fantasy

ARC/ALC Book Review: If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 448 pages
Author: Julie Berry
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: Septemer 16th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nailbiter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. A defiant love song to sisterhood, a survivors’ battle cry, and a romantic literary tour de force laced with humor.

It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one Jack.

And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.

Thank you to Simon Teen for the ARC and Simon Audio for the audiobook (gifted).

WELL.

I feel like my thoughts are kind of scattered on this book y’all. The Lovely War is one of my all time favorite historical fantasies and I was ecstatic to get my hands on Julie Berry’s next book, but this one left me wanting on some fronts.

The feminist rage was a heavy theme throughout. And while I often don’t mind it I think it lacked some balance. I do remember some really great sentiments surrounding being a survivor, where does religion fit in, and helping friends through dark places. There was an interesting crossing of multiple topics that did start to make sense as the story went on.

I wish the romance had been a bit more prominent. I don’t mind no romance/low romance stories because when it works, it works. If Looks Could Kill felt like it needed a little more depth to that plot line rather than it feeling wayward. I did enjoy Tabitha’s romance, just gimme mooooore.

The multiple POV’s lent to seeing many different sides of the characters actions, thoughts and various story lines. I loved seeing each of them. The darkness, suffering and revival allowed each character to land where they should be. I liked the ending and appreciated the closure it gave to the main characters. The Medusa x Jack the Ripper combination was very unique and the clear research and dedication that went into crafting this novel was amazing as always from Julie Berry.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: flirting (maybe a kiss?)
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: religious bigotry, racism, death, sexual assault and r*pe, drug and alcohol use

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Book Review: The Maid and the Crocodile (Raybearer) by Jordan Ifueko

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Jordan Ifueko
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Release Date: August 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The smallest spark can bind two hearts . . . or start a revolution.

In the magic-soaked capital city of Oluwan, country bumpkin Small Sade needs a job—preferably as a maid, with employers who don’t mind her unique appearance and unlucky foot. But before she can be hired, she accidentally binds herself to a powerful god known only as the Crocodile, who is rumored to devour pretty girls. Small Sade entrances the Crocodile with her secret: she is a Curse Eater, gifted with the ability to alter people’s fates by cleaning their houses.

The handsome god warns that their fates are bound, but Small Sade evades him, launching herself into a new career as the Curse Eater of a swanky inn. She is determined to impress the wealthy inhabitants and earn her place in Oluwan City . . . assuming her secret-filled past—and the revolutionary ambitions of the Crocodile God—don’t catch up with her.

But maybe there is more to Small Sade. And maybe everyone in Oluwan City deserves more, too, from the maids all the way to the Anointed Ones.

Fans of the Raybearer series, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Beauty and the Beast will enjoy The Maid and the Crocodile–no prior knowledge of the Raybearer series necessary.

GREAT AUDIO.

I loved being back in this world and getting this spin-off story. It has the aura of a folk tale and listening to it as an audiobook really brought everything to life. I loved had strong Sade was and the journey she undertook. I love a non-linear path and seeing all of the pathways taken to forge your own way when the world feels like it wasn’t made for you.

You don’t have to read the previous two books but I do think it will spoil some key aspects of that story and you won’t have as much background knowledge to the world and magic system already in place.

The subtle romance was really sweet and I loved the curse aspects to it. I loved the way they came together and the slow and tenuous interactions between them. It’s a great read and if you enjoyed the Raybearer duology you should absolutely pick this one up too.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: self-harm, ableism,

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Book Review: The Floating World (The Floating World #1) by Axie Oh

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Author: Axie Oh
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: April 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

WAS IT JUST ME?

I don’t know if it was just me & my mood or if other’s kind of struggled with this one? I’ve read many Axie Oh books and this one fell a bit flat for me. It mostly felt like it went in one ear and out the other. Nothing was compelling enough to glue me to the story. I think that having dual POV but not two narrators made the audiobook hard too because I had a hard time knowing who’s POV I was in sometimes. I might need to eyeball read for the next book.

The whole concept of a floating city was cool and I did like the world building. It kind of reminded me of Our Violent Delights (of which I loooove) with the medical/demon moments. The romance is more on the subtle side but I did like both of the main characters.

I will read book two because I do want to see where things will go. I’m hopeful for the sequel.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: blood/gore depiction, human medical experimentation

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: August 2025

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IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON. But also, here are all the books I read in August! I’m still on track to hit 400, just need to stay focused.

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  • [ARC/ALC] For the Record by Emma Lord
  • [ARC] The Legacy of Ophelia (The Curse of Ophelia #5) by Nicole Platania
  • The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam (Hart and Mercy #3) by Megan Bannen
  • In the Veins of Drowning (The Siren Mage #1) by Kalie Cassidy
  • The Americana Playbook by Cathryn Carter
  • [Novella] Devotion of the Heart by Nichole Van
  • Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love #2) by Ali Hazelwood
  • Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
  • [ARC] You & Me, For Real by Hayley Elliot
  • [ARC] A Sea View Christmas (On Devonshire Shores #3.5) by Julie Klassen
  • The Jasad Crown (The Scorched Throne #2) by Sara Hashem
  • Isles of the Emberdark (Cosmere) by Brandon Sanderson
  • A Promise So Bold and Broken (Compelling Fates Saga #2) by Sophia St. Germain
  • Glorious Rivals (The Grandest Game #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • A Summer Without You by Caitlin Moss
  • Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #3) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
  • Between These Broken Hearts (These Hollow Vows #4) by Lexi Ryan
  • Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer
  • Deadwood (Secrets of the Serpentine #1) by Karley Brenna
  • Wrath of the Dragons (Fear the Flames #2) by Olivia Rose Darling
  • A Beguiled Gentleman (The Bradley Brothers #1) by Audra Wells
  • Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1) by I.V. Marie
  • One More Made Up Love Song (Midnight Rush #2) by Jenny Proctor
  • [ARC/ALC] Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson
  • [ARC/ALC] If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry
  • The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold (Blonde Identity #2) by Ally Carter
  • [ARC] Darkness Births the Stars by Sarah Lee Wohn
  • [ARC/ALC] Wild Reverence (Letters of Enchantment #0) by Rebecca Ross
  • [ARC] Stuck With You (Cal’s Garage #1) by Stacy Williams
  • The Dragon Wakes with Thunder (The Night Ends with Fire #2) by K.X. Song
  • Love is a War Song by Danica Nava
  • A Love Most Fatal (Morelli Family #1) by Kath Richards
  • [Novella] A Churn in the Virtual Society (Into the Churn #3.5) by Hayley Reese Chow
  • [ARC] What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller