From monstrous Daeva to beautiful, fierce Asha, the world of the Bone Witch teems with myth and magic. Tea is a Dark Asha, a Bone Witch, the rarest and most reviled of all the witch-women known as Asha. Born in the village of Knightcross to a family with two low-level witch daughters, Tea was expected to follow in her sister’s footsteps and spend her life helping the village with whatever power she inherited. But when her brother Fox is killed by a monster called a Daeva, everything changed. At his funeral, Tea accidentally raised her brother from the dead, almost killing herself in the process.
Labeled as a Bone Witch, Tea (and Fox) are taken by the Lady Mykaela, one of the last Dark Asha, to the city of Ankyo to begin her training. In Ankyo, Tea will learn to control and use her gift, to sing and dance, and most importantly, how to fight and draw the runes that give an Asha her power. But while the life of an Asha is one filled with beautiful parties, powerful people, and amazing magic, danger lurks in the dark corners of the kingdom. A faction of powerful magic-wielders known as the Faceless hide amongst the normal people, waiting to tear the kingdoms apart; and Daeva rise from their graves only to be slain again by the Dark Asha. But the numbers of the Bone Witches dwindle, and soon Tea must find a way to change the way Dark Asha have lived for thousands of years, lest she lose her own life to it— and drag everyone else down with her.
In this dark and bewitching book, Rin Chupeco weaves a masterful tale of magic and monsters, friendship and betrayal, love and loss. Split between two times and places, Tea’s story is broken at intervals by short glimpses into her future, moments when we see not only who she was, but what she will become. The Bone Witch will draw you deeper into the story with every page, and leave you eager for the sequel.
Category Archives: Reviews
Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi
Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card is an informative yet fun book about being an illegal immigrant in the United States. Sara Saedi writes a memoir about being in the country illegally, while also struggling with your average teenager problems. It tells the story of her life through the years, with real excerpts from her childhood diary. Each chapter is a well written tangent about an experience in her life. Saedi shares her story full of ups and downs on her journey to get a green card.
This book is perfect for anyone who knows about the Iranian culture, or is part of an Iranian family. It’s relatable for Persians, but everything is also very clearly explained if you aren’t. Americanized is funny and sad, from prom and boys to living illegally in America. Saedi explains all the rules and warnings and of being an illegal immigrant in America. I learned a lot while also being thoroughly entertained. I loved how she included “Frequently Asked Questions”, usually about being an immigrant or an Iranian stereotype. Her life is interesting to read about. Her and her family go through so many adventures, some good and some bad. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a link to the Iranian style of life, and/or wants to learn more about the process and struggles of illegal immigrants. Saedi perfectly sums up breaking the law while just wanting a boyfriend and nice eyebrows.
York: The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby
Laura Ruby delivers a fantastic adventure in York: The Shadow Cipher. This is the first book in the series. It tells the story of a peculiar world ruled by two famous twins, Theodore and Theresa Morningstarr. Back in the 1800’s, these twins were amazing inventors of all sorts of machines and buildings set to use in New York, including the Morningstarr Tower. Right before the two disappeared, they left the ‘Old York Cipher’ in their wake, a series of ciphers and puzzles in the newspaper left for the citizens of New York to solve.
Back in modern day New York, another set of twins, Theo and Tessa (their grandpa was obsessed with the Morningstarrs and their cipher), along with their friend Jaime are being ripped away from their home. They live in one of the original Morningstarr buildings, which are all being demolished by a billionaire real estate developer. Their building, their home, was getting taken away. The kids realize the only way to save their building is to solve the impossible Old York Cipher. Their grandpa had said, while you’re trying to solve the cipher, it’s trying to solve you.
This book is written with so many twisters, you can never expect what comes next. From the moment I started this book, I could not put it down. It is an excellent read for anyone who likes “alternate-history adventure” with mystery and puzzles. There is so much adventure in this high-tech, unimaginable world. I can’t wait for the next book.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera is a heartbreaking, but heartwarming book. It tells the story of two teenagers nearing the end of their life. They live in a world where everyone gets told the day they’re going to die on their phone by a company called ‘Death-Cast’. They usually call around midnight so you can have as much time to say goodbyes and experience all your dreams as soon as possible. People dying are called Deckers. Death-Cast calls Mateo and Rufus today because they’re dying, but not before one more huge adventurous day.
Mateo and Rufus find each other because of an app called ‘Last Friend’, which is meant for Decker strangers to meet up and create a last friend on their End Day. The two boys face the world together, learning everything about each other and facing the fear of death. A violent Rufus and a cautious Mateo turn into the best of friends during their End Day.
Adam Silvera writes an original story, like no plot you’ve ever read. This book will keep you reading, wanting to discover every inch of Rufus and Mateo’s friendship.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
Love YA fantasy? Subtle romance? A dark and twisting tale that defies all clichés and expectations? How about brilliant retellings of your favorite fairytales? If so, Girls Made of Snow and Glass is perfect for you.
Mina is a queen. She has wealth, power, a crown, and control over half a kingdom. Everything she could ever want, except one thing: love. Mina’s magician father cut out her dying heart and replaced it with one of glass when she was a child. But Mina’s new heart was made to function, not feel, so she cannot truly love or be loved.
Lynet is a princess who looks exactly like her dead mother, Queen Emilia, a beautiful, delicate, soft-spoken woman who was too frail to survive Lynet’s birth. The young princess has always been told that when she grows up she will be exactly like her mother, but Lynet isn’t so sure. She prefers scaling the castle walls to playing the harp or dancing; and she would much rather spend her time talking with Nadia, the intriguing new female surgeon, than listening to the Pigeons (a gaggle of gossipy old ladies) jabber on about how like her mother Lynet is. But Lynet doesn’t want to be like the dead queen, she doesn’t want to be delicate. She would rather emulate Mina, her fierce and beautiful stepmother, than the mother she never met.
But as Lynet grows older, her father seeks to force his daughter into her mother’s place and in doing so force Mina out. As Lynet is slowly given more of the queen’s power, stepmother and daughter grow farther apart, and Lynet must fight to keep the only mother she has ever known. But there can only be one queen, and when Lynet learns a shocking secret about the circumstances surounding her birth, the princess is forced to reexamine everything she thought she knew about her family, her home, and most of all — herself.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a lovely and haunting tale of love and loss, adventure and politics, and most of all: family. In this beautiful, heartbreaking story, Bashardoust reimagines the fairytale Snow White, to create a vivid and powerful cast of characters to populate the fantastical world that she has conjured into existance on the page. If Girls Made of Snow and Glass isn’t yet on your reading list, add it now, for this is an incredible book that will stick with you for a long time to come.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeymi
Magic is entrenched deep in the heart of Orïsha. For centuries the silver-haired Maji lived alongside humans, passing their magic down through the generations of their bloodlines. With the help of their patron gods and goddesses they call fire and storms, tame wild beasts, craft great structures out of metal and stone, and even summon the souls of the dead.
But eleven years ago magic disappeared. The defenseless Maji were captured and killed by the soldiers of a ruthless king, sparing only the smallest of their white-haired children. Now those children live in fear, as the lowest caste of the Orïshan society.
Zélie Adebola is a divîner, the daughter of a Maji mother, and was born with the white hair that signals a potential for magic. When Zélie meets Amari, a rogue princess in possession of a stolen magical scroll, everything changes. Chased by the king’s soldiers and Amari’s own brother, the new friends set off on a quest to bring back magic, before it is gone forever. But even with Zélie’s newfound powers, the road will be difficult and dangerous, and soon Zélie finds herself fighting not only the monarchy, but her own treacherous heart.
In this vibrant and beautiful book Tomi Adeymi weaves a story filled with myth and mystery, adventures and romance, and of course- magic. Told from the point of view of three different people, the world of Orïsha, the characters, and the story itself grows deeper and richer with every page. The story will grab you from the first paragraph, and draw you deeper with every page. Children of Blood and Bone is undoubtedly one of those all-too-rare books that worms it’s way into your heart, and stays there forever.
Love, Hate, & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
In her debut novel Love, Hate, and Other Filters; Samira Ahmed weaves a story that is bittersweet and beautiful. In Ahmed’s tale we can easily see the similarities and differences that both create and bridge the gaps between us. The story follows Maya Aziz, an Indian Muslim girl growing up in modern day America and the challenges she faces at home and at school after a terrorist attack whose main suspect is a Muslim.
After the attack Maya faces bullying and prejudice at school and work. As the only Muslim family in town- one with the same last name as the suspect, Maya’s family receives threats and hate from the people around them. As their fear grows, Maya’s parents begin to tighten their grip on Maya’s life, making her dreams harder to follow, and her future seem more full of fear than hope. As Maya does her best to walk the line between her parents wishes and expectations for her, and her own dreams, she encounters a wide cast of characters, both friend and foe.
These will help her find her way as Maya navigates the treacherous waters of high school and college. Love, Hate, and Other Filters is a timely novel that many people would benefit from reading. Not only does the story address racism and prejudice, but also manages to capture the essence of what it is to be a teenager.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
The city of Kos is a place of divisions. From the dust of the city commons, the Forum, to the gold and marble halls of the royal palace, the line between the lives of the rich and poor is clear and unbroken. But perhaps even more pronounced is the line between the normal people, and those with gifts: the mages, and the Aki.
Mages have the power to draw a person’s sins from their hearts, forcing them to take the form of great beasts made of shadow, the inisisa. Taj is an Aki, a sin-eater. He and his kind kill and absorb the insisa that the mages conjure. But despite what they do for them, Aki are despised by the people of Kos, shunned for the “sin spots” that mar their skin. But Taj is special, his sin spots don’t fade like others do, and more importantly, he can command the insisa. But as Taj’s gift grants him privilege and prestige in the palace, Taj is drawn into a web of conspiracy and deception. With traitors in their midst and rebellions on the rise, Taj must find a way to keep himself– and the beautiful princess Karima– safe, and the city of Kos standing.
City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson
Christina Masika doesn’t exist. For four years she’s been a ghost, a shadow. It’s been four years since she’s been a girl with a family and a home. Four years since her mother was found dead in her employer’s office. Now living with the Goondas (Sangui City’s local gang), Tina is out for revenge. It is with the Goondas that she finally finds a way to strike back at the man who murdered her mother and destroyed her life.
But with the reappearance of a familiar face everything Tina thought she knew is called into question. With the help of Michael (her childhood playmate), and Boyboy (a tech genius from her time with the Goondas), she travels to her birthplace for answers. But some secrets are better forgotten and the more Tina uncovers about her mother’s past– and her own– the deeper she is pulled into a world of corruption, violence and danger.
All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
In the book All the Crooked Saints, by Maggie Stiefvater, the Soria family lives with many secrets from the past, and many to come. The Sorias live in the town of Bicho Raro, located in the Colorado desert. The large family lives with pilgrims occupying the rest of their empty rooms. The Sorias fall in between the line of magic and faith. They have a designated person called the Saint, who can perform miracles to whoever passerby has searched for the famous miracle desert town and wants to be healed. The miracles happen by the Saint bringing out whatever darkness is in the person. These miracles are done in two parts. The Saint performs the first part, and the pilgrim themselves have to finish the second part. The first part is where the pilgrim’s darkness is brought out, usually in weird physical forms that make them abnormal. The second part is the pilgrim realizing what their darkness is, and solving it so they return to normal. Some of these crazy first miracles end up with pilgrims growing to be twenty feet tall, or gaining the head of a coyote. However, the Soria family cannot interfere with the pilgrims on their journey to the second miracle, or the Sorias themselves will end up with their own even greater darkness. Lately, the pilgrims haven’t been completing their second miracles though. Our three protagonists, Beatriz, Daniel, and Joaquin, run a pirate radio station on the side with none of their family in on the secret. Soon, they realize they can somehow help the pilgrims finish their second miracles with the help of their radio, as long as they are cautious about the long-known taboo and extreme darkness.
All the Crooked Saints presents a new take on family values, and coming together after years of drifting apart. This story is different from everything else you can imagine. Reading this fills you with hope and a newfound sense of miracles. Stiefvater writes with a description so real, the feelings of the characters come alive. This book is great for anyone who believes in miracles, or who believes family and friendship is a huge part in one’s life. Or with a taste for magical adventure. Magic is presented in a new way in All the Crooked Saints.