Tag: young adult historical fiction

ARC Book Review: The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Lydia Gregovic
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 3rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An atmospheric, haunting, romantasy inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, set in a Regency England about two sisters fighting to hold on to their manor while deadly monsters prowl along its perimeters—perfect for fans of House of Salt and Sorrows and Anatomy: A Love Story.

Merrick Darling’s life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most. Unlike the commoners, she is immune to the toxic fog that encroached on England generations earlier. She will never become a Phantom—one of the monstrous creatures that stalk her province’s borders—and as long as the fires burn to hold them back, her safety is ensured. She wants for nothing, yet she will never inherit her family’s Manor. She must marry smartly or live at the kindness of her elder sister, Essie.

Everything is turned on its head, though, when Merrick’s father dies suddenly. Torn from her New London society life of ball gowns and parties, Merrick must travel back to her childhood home, the Darling estate of Norland House, and what she finds there is bewildering. Once strong and capable, Essie is withdrawn and frightened—and with good cause. A recent string of attacks along the province’s borders has turned their formerly bucolic countryside into a terrifying and unpredictable landscape. The fog is closing in and the fires aren’t holding, which makes Merrick and Essie vulnerable in more ways than one. Because the Phantoms are far from the only monsters in Merrick’s world, and the other eleven Manor Lords are always watching for weakness.

Revealing her and her sister’s current state to the rest of the Manors is out of the question, but when Essie goes missing, it’s clear that Merrick needs help. Only, who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like it’s slipping right out of her grasp?

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted ARC.

I’LL READ THE SEQUEL.

I was sucked in by an amazing cover and an interesting synopsis. And I liked it! I loved the combination of my favorite regency time period with some fantasy/paranormal aspects. The phantoms were creepy and brought in that haunted atmosphere well.

Merrick was a FMC I slowly learned to love. I liked that she had strong loyalty and was brave and kind. I wish some of the romantic aspects had been built out a little better. With so much focus on other pieces of the plot the romance got lost in the shuffle and was a tad predictable rather than swoony. BUT I do genuinely think this will be remedied in how book two has been set-up.

The politicking and betrayals were a great enigma and if you’re a fan of purple prose, this is definitely one to try out. I enjoyed it enough that I have plans to see this through and know where the next book is going.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Paranormal Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: loss of a parent, murder, blood/gore depiction, creature attacks

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Book Review: One for All by Lillie Lainoff

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fiction
Length: 389 pages
Author: Lillie Lainoff
Publisher: Straus and Giroux
Release Date: March 8th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An OwnVoices, gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love.

Tania de Batz is most herself with a sword in her hand. Everyone in town thinks her near-constant dizziness makes her weak, nothing but “a sick girl”; even her mother is desperate to marry her off for security. But Tania wants to be strong, independent, a fencer like her father—a former Musketeer and her greatest champion.

Then Papa is brutally, mysteriously murdered. His dying wish? For Tania to attend finishing school. But L’Académie des Mariées, Tania realizes, is no finishing school. It’s a secret training ground for a new kind of Musketeer: women who are socialites on the surface, but strap daggers under their skirts, seduce men into giving up dangerous secrets, and protect France from downfall. And they don’t shy away from a swordfight.

With her newfound sisters at her side, Tania feels for the first time like she has a purpose, like she belongs. But then she meets Étienne, her first target in uncovering a potential assassination plot. He’s kind, charming, and breathlessly attractive—and he might have information about what really happened to her father. Torn between duty and dizzying emotion, Tania will have to lean on her friends, listen to her own body, and decide where her loyalties lie…or risk losing everything she’s ever wanted.

This debut novel is a fierce, whirlwind adventure about the depth of found family, the strength that goes beyond the body, and the determination it takes to fight for what you love.

AMAZING DEBUT.

I adored this read. It was a fantastic debut and I was completely wrapped up in this young adult historical fiction.

There were many things I loved including: the chronic illness rep, found family, and women supporting women. Those were the biggest highlights and made this story. The audiobook was wonderful too and I would definitely recommend that avenue as well.

I loved the growth Tania showed throughout the book. She constantly showed a deep well of strength and perseverance. To love who she is, and to find a balance within her life. Her new found friends were great side characters and really enhanced the plot. I liked the conversations and dialogue throughout.

There’s even a tiny dash of romance which is always a plus for me. I thought originally this was a fantasy (because I rarely read summaries), but I like that there actually wasn’t any magic. It was a unique historical setting, especially with the gender-bend on the Three Musketeers. I can’t wait to see what other books this author will write!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fiction
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: medium (present, but not intensely bloody/gory)
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: chronic illness, bullying, kidnapping, near death experiences, loss of a parent, implied sexual assault, ableism and internalized ableism

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Book Review: Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2) by Chloe Gong

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Historical Fiction / Fantasy
Length: 494 pages
Author: Chloe Gong
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: November 16th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.

THIS WAS SPECTACULAR.

I can’t think of one bad thing to say about this book. I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

One of the few things I needed from book one was more romance, AND THIS DELIVERED. ROMA & JULIETTE FOREVER. I loooooooooved the development of their relationship in this one. Enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers. Oh it was the ultimate romance for me. It had everything I could ask for. I was even loving on all of the side character romances too. IT WAS ALL GOOD.

What also was amazing was just this entire storyline. The plot had a bit of everything. Politicking and action, gun-slinging and monsters, romance and swoooooon passionate confessions of love. The rotation of these throughout the multi-POV was executed so well.

The audio book was stellar and I think really sold this book for me. I couldn’t get enough and devoured it as quickly as possible. Not to mention that epilogue was *chef’s kiss*. The ending and everything after was exactly as it should be. I loved the turns on Romeo & Juliette and this duology is one of the top ones I’ve read in a long time.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: heavy on violence/gore, physical altercations and weapons use
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, loss of loved ones

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ARC Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fiction
Length: 336 pages
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: PenguinTeen
Release Date: February 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

Thank you to publisher, PenguinTeen for an eARC.

A UNIQUE & INFORMATIVE SETTING.

One of my favorite things about Sepetys as a writer is her clear effort in researching the history of whatever book she’s writing. I also love that most of her books are from more niche areas of history that I don’t know a lot about. They continually inspire me to look up more information and learn even more about the subject.

A bit slow paced in the first half as we watched Cristian go through the day-to-day life of what it was like in communist Romania. The visceral depictions of fear and oppression was at times hard to read. The short chapters kept the book moving steadily as the tension increased on a country tired of being held back.

I liked Cristian as a main character and his heartfelt desire to do right by his family and also do right by himself. His touching inner monologue of wanting more and suffering because of it, but then finally being able to reach a path that would lead to hope. I would have loved a bit more character development for everyone to really feel attached to them.

The intensity of the second half unleashed the betrayals, the riots and moments of clarity. While I didn’t love how the book ended, once reading the author’s note and history in the back of the book (don’t forget to do that!!) it all made sense as the type of writing choice I Must Betray You needed. Another great and informative historical fiction for Sepetys!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fiction
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: depictions of poverty, a loved one beaten to death (aftermath is witnessed), murder, riots, mass loss of life, gun violence, near death experiences

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