YA books

Review: The Girls from Hush Cabin by Marie Hoy-Kenny

~ megs14malloy

The Girls from Hush CabinThe Girls from Hush Cabin by Marie Hoy-Kenny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The moment I heard about this YA Thriller involving a sleepaway camp and featuring a gorgeously ominous cover, I knew that I needed to read it ASAP.

A bonus for me was that The Girls from Hush Cabin is a debut for Marie Hoy-Kenny and we all know, I love checking out author debuts. It’s such an exciting moment!

In this story we meet a group of four teens, Holly, Zoe, Denise and Calista, who have been friends since they used to bunk together at Camp Bellwood Lake. Unfortunately, after the closure of the camp, the girls drifted apart a bit.

They’re brought together again unexpectedly after the tragic death of their beloved counselor, Violet. They all want to attend her services to pay their respects, so they decide it would be best to go together.

Since Zoe lives in the same town that Violet did, the other girls travel to Zoe’s to stay for the duration of events.

The girls have definitely changed over the years, but if there is one thing they can agree on it’s that Violet’s death is suspicious as heck.

They believe she could have been murdered and that her death could be related to the incident that caused the closing of the camp. The thing is, each one of the girls is keeping her own secrets about that particular summer and may know more about the incident than they’re letting on.

If someone was willing to kill Violet over it, could they all be in danger too?

The girls want to uncover the truth, whatever the risks. They feel like they owe it to Violet, even if it means exposing some hurtful truths of their own.

I had so much fun with this. I don’t care what anyone says, this is a dramatic, OTT page-turner. Hoy-Kenny delivered exactly what I wanted and expected.

I thought the story was well told. I liked the structure of it, starting with how we met each of the girls and then also, that we got all of their perspectives.

As mentioned, they each had their own secrets, memories and experiences with Violet and learning all that stuff helped to build out the substance of the story.

This is super dramatic. The girls make every scene a dramatic scene, but they’re teens who just lost a good friend. Only one of them had really ever experienced that kind of loss before, so this is a whole new experience for them.

I think for characters this age, it all made sense. Not only was there external drama, there was also a lot of drama just amongst the four girls.

Ultimately though, I liked how they worked together and ended up evolving through a lot of their disputes. Some of the things, I personally would have found hard to forgive, so good on them.

There were also some side characters bringing a lot of intrigue and dramatic flair as well. Violet’s Mom, Mrs. Williams, was a particular favorite of mine.

If you read this, you’ll easily understand why. All I could picture while reading her was Jennifer Coolidge, who I absolutely adore.

As this gets closer to the conclusion, things really amp up. This definitely went places I wasn’t expecting. My jaw dropped more than once; such a thrill ride.

Overall, I just think this is a fun time. It might not make my top 10 list, out of the 100s of books I read this year, but I still think it is a great freaking debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I think Marie Hoy-Kenny is a great addition to the YA Thriller space. I’m looking forward to her next release!

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Review: Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight, Editors — Shelly Page and Alex Brown

~ megs14malloy

Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & DelightNight of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight by Shelly Page
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight is a fun, spooky-time YA-Anthology full of great representation and diverse stories.

This is the perfect collection to get you in the mood for Fall!!

Editors, Shelly Page and Alex Brown, did an incredible job bringing together a great assortment of authors to contribute to this collection.

I loved how each story takes place on Halloween night, when there is a rare Blue Supermoon. It’s thought this special occasion could open up our world more easily to all sorts of supernatural and creepy occurrences.

It was fun to see how each of these authors took that prompt, that setting, if you will, and created something unique and engaging, all of their very own.

Anthologies can be tough sometimes, because it’s rare to connect with each and every story equally, but for me, this was well-rounded and exciting enough to keep me hooked throughout.

Of course some stories fit my personal tastes more than others, but I can absolutely see how every single Reader will be able to find something within this collection to enjoy and connect to.

I really enjoyed so many of these of stories and cherished how different they all were from each other. It never felt repetitive, or overdone.

Some of the standouts for me were: The Visitor by Kalynn Bayron, A Brief Intermission by Sara Farizan, The Three Phases of Ghost Hunting by Alex Brown and Nine Stops by Trang Thanh Tran.

My favorite story overall was Anna by Shelly Page. This one just had everything I love to get myself geared up for a solid spooky season. It had a babysitter, twins, a ouija board, an attic and a ghost. I mean, what is not to love about that!?

Finally, I will just say how much I appreciate the thought and care these editors and authors put into this collection. The vast and inclusive representation is so important and I feel like they all did a great job creating super fun and creepy stories, while also being mindful of the original intent of the collection.

I would absolutely recommend this anthology as a way to get yourself in the mood for the Spooky Season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year and books that showcase that are my favorite kinds!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d love to read more from every one of these authors!

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Review: House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt #2) by Erin A. Craig

~ megs14malloy

House of Roots and Ruin (Sisters of the Salt, #2)House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀🌾🥀

House of Roots and Ruin is the second book in Erin A. Craig’s tremendous YA-Fantasy series, Sisters of the Salt.

I looooooooved the first book, House of Salt and Sorrows, so much and I couldn’t wait to return to this beautifully-eerie world. It was one of my most anticipated YA-releases of 2023 and it did not disappoint.

This story takes place years after the conclusion of the first story. In this one, we’re following Verity, who I believe is the youngest of the remaining Thaumas sisters.

Verity is 17-years old and has spent her whole life living at the family estate, Highmoor, now run by her older sister, Camille. The rest of the remaining sisters are all all living in various places around Arcannia.

While Verity loves Camille and loves Highmoor, she’s beginning to feel stifled. She wants more.

Any time she broaches the subject of leaving the estate with Camille, however, her hopes are quickly dashed. It seems her sister wants to keep her trapped there, but why?

It’s as Verity is struggling with this issue that she receives word from her sister, Mercy, that the Duchess of Bloem is interested in hiring Verity to paint a portrait of of her son.

Verity is more than intrigued. This sounds like exactly the kind of opportunity she needs and the son, Alexander, is a young man just her age. This could be just what she needs, but how will she ever convince Camille to let her go?

As the sisters battle it out, the truth about why Camille wants to keep Verity at Highmoor is revealed, leaving Verity more confused than ever and more determined.

Verity decides she can’t wait any longer. Under the cover of darkness she flees, making her way to Bloem.

Once there, she’s entranced and impressed with her new surroundings. Bloem is stunning. The Duke is a celebrated botanist and the entire estate is replete with vibrant gardens and active greenhouses.

Additionally, Verity is smitten with Alexander. He’s handsome and charming. Their days together fill her with a sense of happiness she has never felt before.

Unfortunately, before long, Verity begins to be plagued by nightmares and dark feelings. Is her past catching up to her, or is something more going on in Bloem?

Reading House of Roots and Ruin was such a beautiful journey. It’s different than the first book, because of the setting. We’re now removed from the sea and thrust into a more botanical scene, but I still really enjoyed it.

In my opinion, Craig’s brand of gothically-infused horror imagery is unmatched in the YA genre. She brings such a rich atmosphere and the spooky imagery is A++.

The romance between Verity and Alexander was so pure and it was sweet watching it evolve. Verity has never had any sort of relationship like this, so she struggled a bit fitting her experiences with her expectations.

I thought that felt very real for a young woman and I enjoyed how Craig let her work through that versus just following a standard romance format.

I also enjoyed very much the complexity of the familial relationships, both Verity’s and Alexander’s. While the atmosphere was the highlight for me, I think the character work and the way the relationships played out deserve top marks as well.

We know a lot of Verity’s family history from the first book, and we do get a bit more here, but learning about Alex’s family, the Laurents, was so intriguing. Without giving too much away, I sort of feel like their last name should have been Moreau…

Craig did a great job of steadily building intensity. There is also an overriding mystery that kept me on my toes.

As the end approaches, everything begins to move at warp speed. I couldn’t put it down until I got to the end. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out and there were some twists getting there that I definitely didn’t see coming.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a darker Fantasy story, particularly if you enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows. While I could see people enjoying this as a standalone novel, I think it would be most impactful if you read the first book prior to this one.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m not sure if there are going to be more books in this world, but if there are, I will absolutely be picking them up!!

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Review: Two Truths and Lie by April Henry

~ megs14malloy

Two Truths and a LieTwo Truths and a Lie by April Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

One of my reading challenges for this month, June 2023, was to give an author a second chance. After careful thought, I decided to give April Henry my second try.

I’ve only read from Henry once before, her 2019-release The Lonely Dead. I gave it 2-stars and upon completion, really had no desire to read more. It wasn’t a great experience.

Henry writes a lot of books and since The Lonely Dead was released she’s had quite a few that do sound interesting to me. This book is one of them.

I am so glad that I picked this up. It’s not perfect, but it was so quick, fun and easy. I had a great time with it!

In this story we follow Nell, a high school girl who is traveling with her acting troupe to a competition when they get stuck in a blizzard. Seeking shelter from the storm, their troupe coach, and only chaperone, finds an aging motel for them to stay at.

She warns the kids to be good and then she retires to her room. The driving was stressful and she needs rest. How much trouble can they get in anyway?

As the kids settle in and begin to explore the motel, they discover they aren’t the only travelers caught there. Amongst the other guests are a robotics team from another school.

The teens gather together in the common room and decide to play a game to pass the time: two truths and lie. The perfect way to get to know one another.

As the game escalates, it seems their night of harmless fun has turned into something much more sinister, even deadly.

It appears a murderer hides in their midst. Will they all be able to make it through the night alive?

I enjoyed Nell a lot as a main character. Also, I listened to the audiobook and the narration was fantastic. The narrator, Christine Lakin, was Nell to me.

This had a lot of tropes I enjoy. Examples being, the team getting stranded at a creepy motel due to inclement weather; I always love that sort of set-up. The strangers they meet being a little odd and possibly dangerous. The motel having a dark and brutal history and the gaming element.

I felt the whole package was incredibly intriguing.

There were some directions it took with the plot that I wasn’t as crazy about, but I feel like overall, it is an engaging and entertaining YA Thriller.

I walk away a happy girl. I’m so glad that I gave this a shot and had such an enjoyable experience with it. I am going to be comfortable now sifting through Henry’s backlist and picking up more of her work.

This is a perfect example of why you should always give authors another chance. Especially if they have only had one book that didn’t work for you. We all deserve a second chance, don’t we?

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Review: Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith

~ megs14malloy

Those We DrownThose We Drown by Amy Goldsmith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

During the Summer months I love reading campy-feeling, trope-filled Horror and Thriller stories. I call them Summer Screams, Summer Scares or Summer Chillers.

I’m sure you get what I mean by that type of story. It’s a vibe. A bonus is a setting near, in, or around a body of water.

With this in mind, you can probably guess my excitement level when I first hear about Those We Drown. All I needed to read was the first sentence of the synopsis, an ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut, and I was sold.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I wanted to love and connect with this story, it didn’t work for me at all.

In this one we follow Liv, who is setting out with her somewhat estranged-best friend, Will, for a semester-at-sea aboard a luxury cruise ship, the Eos.

Liv is in attendance after being awarded a scholarship. She didn’t think much about that at first, but once she arrives at the ship, it’s clear that the other students in the program are all very, very wealthy. Of particular note are a trio of stunning influencers. Basically, the Plastics of the sea.

Liv feels self-conscious now about her scholarship. She feels like she stands out because of it; like everyone knows her financial situation and is talking about it.

At least she has Will though. He doesn’t care about such things. That is until they have a big blowout fight in front of everyone opening night. How embarrassing!

The next day, after several attempts to reach Will, Liv finds out he has taken ill and is now in quarantine. She tries desperately to get the powers-that-be to let her see him, but she gets shot down at every try.

From there we follow Liv as she tries to figure out what has really happened to Will. Is he actually sick, or is something more sinister going on?

After reading 400-pages of Liv, perhaps he is just hiding from her? Something to think about…

I actually feel very similarly to this as I did to They’re Watching You earlier this year. I could almost cut and paste that review, but I won’t.

This started out slow and in my opinion, stayed that way. It never took off. It went from nothing happening, to the MC floundering around repeating the same concerns over and over for 300-pages.

As a main character, I found Liv to be, honestly, really annoying. Her whole character was one note, desperation, but not in a way that made you feel desperate too. More in a way that you just wanted to get away from her.

Additionally, I am an atmosphere-girlie. You could give me nothing else, but if a book has a dark, eerie, ominous atmosphere, I am going to like it. I don’t need to like characters, I don’t need to believe your plot, but I need to have a strong atmosphere.

Sadly, I did not get what I was looking for here in that regard. They could have been anywhere. I never felt that eerie sort of vibe I wanted. It just wasn’t there.

Overall, the story felt very repetitive and I didn’t enjoy the direction the plot went, as far as the reveals and the truth behind the Eos. It didn’t hit like I expected.

With all of this being said, this is 100% my personal opinion. I am by no means the end-all, know-all of YA Horror novels. If this synopsis sounds intriguing to you, absolutely give it a go. Just because I didn’t enjoy it, doesn’t mean you won’t.

There’s a Reader for every book and a book for every Reader. If you do read it and love it, feel free to stop back by and let me know. I would love to hear your opinion!

Even though this one didn’t quite fit my tastes, I am glad I picked it up and I would consider reading future work from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know a lot of Readers will have fun with this.

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Review: Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills

~ megs14malloy

Something Close to MagicSomething Close to Magic by Emma Mills
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Super cute, funny and comforting, reading Something Close to Magic feels like a warm hug. Mills has done well with her debut into the YA Cozy Fantasy space.

I’ve loved some of Emma Mills’ YA Contemporary stories and was so excited to see her explore YA Fantasy. Unsurprisingly, she was able to deliver her same heart-warming and humorous writing style to this tale.

In this story we follow 17-year old Aurelie, an overworked and underappreciated baker’s apprentice at Basil’s Bakery.

Nevertheless, Aurelie persists. She keeps her head down and does her work, trying not to attract the attention of the grouchy and miserable bakery owner.

Aurelie’s life is up-ended one day when a determined bounty hunter, Iliana, enters the bakery and asks Aurelie to assist her on a quest in the dangerous Underwood.

Iliana has Seeking Stones she would like Aurelie to use to help her to find a kidnapped Prince and she’s not taking no for an answer.

Seeking is a magical skill that Aurelie has, but it’s not one she utilizes often. Eventually though, Aurelie caves. Iliana is persuasive and as it turns out, she’s got some time off of work anyway, and oh yeah, thanks to her miserable boss, no place to stay during her break.

Might as well go on an adventure!

They set out on their quest, they make friends, they find the hapless Prince, aptly named Prince Hapless and charming hijinks and character growth ensues.

Mills nailed her transition to Fantasy. She delivered her signature witty banter, cutsey romance, cozy vibes, light magic, court intrigue and sweetly-charming characters.

The perfect potion for a fun story!

I would absolutely recommend this to Readers who have enjoyed Mills’ work in the past, or any Cozy Fantasy Readers in general, YA or Adult.

For example, if you loved My Lady Jane, A Far Wilder Magic, or Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, you should definitely check this one out.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I adored my time with this story and really hope Mills continues on in this space.

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Review: Where Echoes Die by Courtney Gould

~ megs14malloy

Where Echoes DieWhere Echoes Die by Courtney Gould
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

After their mother’s death, 17-year old, Beck, and her 15-year old sister, Riley, are supposed to go live with their Dad and his new partner in Texas. Before they go, Beck has something she needs to do.

Concocting a story of staying with a friend and her Grandmother for a bit of a vacation, Beck and Riley are free to take some time and travel where they want. Beck’s plan is to go to the town of Backravel, Arizona, to find some answers about her Mom’s mysterious final months of life.

Their Mom was an investigative reporter who became obsessed with Backravel. She traveled there frequently. At times it felt like she was choosing Backravel over them.

Beck is determined to find out why.

As they arrive in Backravel, it’s clear that something is up with this town. The people are strange and treating them even more strangely. They’re strongly urged not to take their car to town and there’s no cemeteries or churches.

The girls settle in to their rented trailer, a place where their Mom had stayed previously, and Beck digs into her investigation. She’s keeping her true goals from her sister, so in a way is continuing in the path of her Mom before her.

The town has a charismatic leader, Ricky, who runs a treatment center everyone seems to attend. Beck sets her sights on getting to the bottom of this center, these treatments and Ricky himself.

Beck befriends Ricky’s daughter, Avery, and gains a lot of new information that way. In the meantime, she also ends up falling for Avery and confiding in her in unexpected ways.

This was an interesting story. I liked the set-up and the vibe of this creepy little town. The concept made me think of a few other things. For example, it reminded me of A History of Wild Places, mostly because of the remote town that felt like a cult, or commune. I did like the mystery of that.

Also, the treatments that were talked about that Ricky performs for the citizens, it made me think of Scientology, like auditing that is performed on members. I was super interested in figuring out what was happening there.

Eventually though, I started to get bored with it and then it went in a direction that I just didn’t really care for; the twists. Put another way, while I enjoyed the mystery, I didn’t enjoy what the answer ended up being.

However, that is 100% a personal taste issue. Gould’s writing is great. The sense of place and, as I mentioned, overall mystery were well done. I did really enjoy The Dead and the Dark by this author, so I think this is just a case of this one not really matching my preferences as far as tropes go.

I did listen to the audiobook and would recommend that as a format choice. The narration is excellent. I felt it fit the tone of the story very well.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I’m glad I had the chance to read this one and will definitely be continuing to pick up Gould’s work!

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Review: Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler

~ megs14malloy

Going BicoastalGoing Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Going Bicoastal is the must-read Queer YA Contemporary Romance of the summer! It made me giddy. I loved it!

That may seem like a bold proclamation, but I mean it from the depths of my soul. I absolutely adored it, from the first chapter to the last.

In this story, our main character is Natalya, a bi Jewish girl, who lives with her Dad, a mathematics Professor in NYC. Her estranged Mom works in advertising and lives in L.A.

With summer approaching, Natalya needs to make a big decision. Her Mom wants her to go to L.A. to live with her for the summer.

They’ve barely spoken in years and going to stay with her Mom, means leaving everything she knows and loves behind; including her Dad and the red-headed girl she’s been crushing on.

Natalya can see the other side too though. It could be a chance to repair her relationship with her Mom. Does she want that? And the opportunity to explore new interests and opportunities; to get out of her comfort zone.

It’s such an important choice. How will she ever be able to make it? She has a tough time making regular impact choices on a regular day…

She can’t choose. So then, in the best use of the Sliding Doors plot device since, well, Sliding Doors, we the Reader, get to watch both choices playing out parallel to one another via alternating chapters.

We see Tal in NYC, breaking out of her shell, talking to the girl, taking on new interests and potentially healing things with her Mom through a long-distance option.

We see Nat in L.A., living with her Mom for the first time in years, working at her Mom’s business, meeting an interesting boy who also is working as an intern at her Mom’s office, and befriending others in the L.A. Queer and Foodie communities.

Natalya’s learning so much about herself and the plethora of new experiences are helping her understand what she may want for herself in the future.

Y’all, Adler absolutely crushed the construction of this story. While it may sound confusing, it is so seamless, it makes perfect sense as it’s unfolding.

I never found myself scratching my head or feeling like I was missing something. It’s easy in the moment to just coast along with Natalya on her journey.

It’s also fun developing opinions on which situation you would prefer. I was Team NYC from the start, and pretty much stayed that way throughout, although the LA scene definitely grew on me due to the all the delicious sounding food and super friendly people.

The writing is engaging and keeps you wanting to know more. I desperately wanted to know what was going to ultimately happen. As I got closer to the end, I wondered how Adler was going to be able to wrap it up.

I loved the ending. It was such a great choice in my opinion. I feel like this might not be for everyone, but I fully support the direction Adler went with it. My heart fills with joy even thinking about it.

Honestly, I appreciated so much how unapologetically sweet and hopeful this story is. Everyone deserves a happy ending, and I think everyone can find one here.

I definitely recommend this to YA Romance Readers, or anyone looking for a fun and unique Queer story. Be prepared to smile.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. 10-out-of-10 recommend!

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Review: The Last One to Fall by Gabriella Lepore

~ megs14malloy

The Last One to FallThe Last One to Fall by Gabriella Lepore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Last One to Fall is the second novel I have read from Gabriella Lepore. I read This Is Why We Lie in 2021 and had a lot of fun with it.

When I heard Lepore was releasing another YA Mystery-Thriller this year, I was excited to get to it.

This story is set in a small coastal town and it follows six friends after one of them plunges from a warehouse building to their death.

At the very beginning of the story, you know someone has died, but nothing about the incident is clear, not even who the victim is, or if foul play was involved.

Through a couple of different perspectives, as well as some great mixed media usage, the night of the fatal incident is slowly pieced together, until the truth is revealed.

I had fun with this. It’s a good, solid story, full of drama, back-stabbing, secrets and lies. Frankly, we live for that.

I did struggle with my rating. I decided on a 3.5, because I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as This is Why We Lie, which I rated 3.5-stars and rounded up to 4.

I think that’s fair. I feel like, for me, this narrative was a bit of an uneven experience.

My level of commitment to the story got stronger in the second half. The beginning was slow-going and it also had some parental drama effecting the kids and their friendships. I’m not down for that IRL, or on the page.

With this being said, there is quite a bit of family drama, which I do enjoy. Stuff does go down in families, with many barely holding it together. I get it. It’s when parents choose romance, flings, drugs, etc., over their kids well-being that starts to ruffle my feathers.

That is a tiny part of this novel though, I am just using it as an example of why I didn’t enjoy this quite as much. Also, I did find the first half, the relationship dynamics, a little difficult to follow.

In the later part of the novel though, once I had more of a handle of who everyone was and what their role was in the friendship group, I couldn’t put it down. I needed answers. I had no clue what the truth was and it did surprise me.

I did really enjoy the mixed media aspect of this as well. I felt like it added intrigue to the story, as each time it was used it left me with more questions than answers.

Overall, I had fun reading this one. While it probably won’t stick in my mind as a new favorite for 2023, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a solid YA Mystery-Thriller.

Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a great time trying to figure this one out and will definitely pick up whatever Lepore writes next!

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Review: To Shape a Dragon’s Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1) by Moniquill Blackgoose

~ megs14malloy

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1)To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is an exceptional start to a new YA Fantasy series. The world-building was great and I loved the protagonist, Anequs, and the setting of the Academy.

Also, DRAGONS!!!

This story follows Anequs, a teen girl, who lives on the remote island of Masquapaug, with her family and peoples.

After Anequs finds an abandoned dragon egg, she brings it back to her village and they guard over it, keeping it safe. Once the baby dragon hatches, it chooses Anequs and they are bonded.

The people of the village are delighted. In a previous time, their society had many dragons and those prosperous times are still remembered well in song and story.

After the baby dragon chooses Anequs, She becomes their only Nampeshiweisit; a person with a special relationship with dragons.

Unfortunately, there is no one left alive who remembers the old ways and can teach Anequs what she needs to know to safely raise and train the dragon.

For that and other reasons, Anequs needs to enroll in a private academy, far away on the mainland, where she will be registered as, and learn to become, a dragoneer.

We follow Anequs as she and her dragon, Kasaqua, travel to the city and enroll in the Academy. It’s Anequs first time living amongst the Anglish and it’s jarring; definitely not the easiest transition for her.

We get to meet the other students, as well as the Professors and get a front row seat to their classes and the inherent racism found there.

This story takes us through Anequs entire first year and leaves off in a great spot for the continuation of the story. I’m excited about the possibilities of the second book.

Blackgoose developed a lush and detailed world with this book. There was a lot of information given to the Reader involving the magic system, history and society’s relationship to the dragons.

I tried not to get too bogged down in the details, because I could see how trying to remember every single thing could ruin this experience for some Readers. I trusted Blackgoose to be able to weave an impactful tale without me having to take notes while Anequs was at class.

For me, it worked and I can see, as the series, continues, how things that seem foreign at the start as concepts, will just become old hat, the more you read in this world.

I was torn at the end on how to rate this one. It is very impressive in the scope and the world-building. Also, I enjoyed very much the intrigue as Anequs’s presence at the Academy has the potential to shake up the social order.

I also very much enjoyed the growth we see in Anequs as a character. She literally grew leaps and bounds over the course of this story.

However, it did have some pitfalls for me as well. For one, I felt it was a little too long and perhaps there were a few too many details, as far as the content of her classes went, etc.

The pace was slow, particularly around the middle of the story and some of the social circumstances bordered on repetitive. I waxed and waned and ultimately decided, as recently as this morning, to give it a solid 4-star rating.

I did enjoy this one very much and I am definitely going to be picking up the next book. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a lush YA Fantasy, with strong cultural influences and important social commentary.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This is a grand debut and I look forward to reading more from Moniquill Blackgoose!

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