A Game of Cones by Abby Collette

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! It's been a few months since I've read a cozy mystery and there's just something so comforting about them. I remember jumping into reading them heavily when I was getting back into reading. If you're a long time follower you may recall me reviewing the first book in this series A Deadly Inside Scoop. Why does that feel like forever ago even though it wasn't even a full year? 

So we revisit the small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Which I found out is actually a real place that has cute little shops just like in this book. Feel free to Google for visuals. I found a picture of a popular shop there. Business has picked up for Browyn "Win" Crewse and she's experimenting with some really cool new flavors. But while she's found her stride some of the other shop owners around town are finding their livelihood threatened by plans to build a new mall. Is it revitalization of the area or is it gentrification? And is Browyn and her fancy ice cream shoppe with it's non traditional flavors part of the problem? 

After a town hall meeting with various shop owners a man working for the development company turns up dead. Her friend Maisie has been itching for another case to solve since the last and after Detective Beverly visits them she's convinced he was asking them to solve it. 

I enjoyed the first book in this series so I was looking forward to this one. This one was a little all over the place for me by the halfway mark. While there needs to be multiple characters as suspects I felt like this story had too many characters. And they would be introduced and then disappear. Plus there was a side plot with Aunt Jack returning to town and trying to stake her claim in the show but that plot kept stopping and starting so you couldn't feel the full impact of her threat. 

Win's friend Rory is also in town and her old coworker is trying to convince her to move back to NYC. And Rory is acting strange and stumbling over lies from the time we meet her. No surprise that she becomes a suspect in the murder case.

Maisie was way too hyper to the point where it just got annoying. She needed to be dialed back as she was too rash with accusing anyone and everyone of committing the murder and often derailing the investigation. For someone who watches a lot of crime mysteries she should know visiting someone and then openly accusing them of murder right away gets no results.

I enjoyed the ice cream making scenes and how Win mixes different unique flavors together. And I liked that during the gentrification talk she pondered if she was part of the problem too. Even though her shop is a long time owned family business it can be seen as more trendy with the recent revamps. Especially since business is booming so much she's expanding to a food truck.

But by the time the book ended and we found out who the murder was I just didn't care. Especially since I had guessed the person early on despite the red herring being thrown in at the end. 

I still think this a good series Abby Collette just needs to tone Maisie all the way down in future installments. And don't overload with so many elements to the point where it gets confusing and uninteresting. 

Muted by Tami Charles

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! So I listened to this audiobook yesterday as it's a fairly short audiobook and I don't have a lot of experience with novels in verse so I wanted to try another one. Plus one of the unique things this audiobook boasted was original music. I have previously read a Tami Charles book and while this is much different from that one I was looking forward to it. Especially since she narrates the audiobook.

Muted  follows the journey of seventeen-year-old Denver who is ready for R&B stardom and gets the chance to join Sean "Mercury" Ellis on tour and become his protégé. While Denver and her friend Dali are instantly entranced by the studio time and wild parties, their friend Shak finds Merc creepy and is suspicious. Denver and Dali soon run off despite their parent's skepticism and soon find that Merc's world isn't all glitz and glamor. It also is rigorous fitness routines, strict diets, creating a certain image, blatant favoritism, and abuse.

The narration is a strong point that made it easy for me to listen to this story in one day. Tami Charles brings enough flavor that I can easily picture these girls. As far as the original songs while Tami Charles' has a good voice the audio in those sections sounds rough especially compared to the rest of her narration. It kind of sounded like those pieces were done on an old recorder. The production team dropped the ball in those parts.

This story is so fast-paced that I find you don't really get the chance to reflect about what is going on with Denver and these girls.  Like something majorly scary would happen and then we'd be right back to talk about Denver's diet which basically consists of water and air towards the end. And I think that takes away some of the impact and connection for me. And since this audiobook is split into 4 parts instead of chapters it's not easy for me to just go back listen to a section. 

I also don't feel like we had enough background about her family life to understand how she got sucked into this environment. The main conflict between Denver and her parents seems to be that they're strict Haitians that want her to go to college. Plenty of Caribbean parents are like that. I don't think that only makes girls go run to predators. Sure she had some body images issues as well but it's not like he was telling her that he was giving her a self-esteem boost either.

Also this will be inevitably compared to Grown by Tiffany D Jackson which released last year due to the similar premises. Which while it's important to tell these stories about predators this was way too ripped from the headlines. To the point where I'm like this is just the R Kelly story so I should just go finishing watching Surviving R Kelly instead. Plus that story is still so fresh. I recall just a few years ago when the stories about R Kelly and those girls he was holding hostage were in the headlines on almost a daily basis and people were trying to make excuses about how those were consenting young women because they refused to see past the music.

The only thing that really surprised me was the ending but even that was rushed and didn't have the full impact it could've. Overall it was a little too much like a simplified version of a known story to be impactful. 

Interview with Louisa Onome

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! It is release day for Like Home by Louisa Onome and I'm excited to bring you an interview with the author herself. 

Where did you find the inspiration for Like Home?

Like Home was inspired by a collection of things, namely my own upbringing just west of Toronto, where I lived amongst friends who were like family. I loved that experience so much because, as a child of immigrants, you learn so much about yourself and the world that way. I had been wanting to write a book about a strong community and family aspect for awhile, but the true catalyst was watching this Korean drama ‘Reply 1988’ and really falling in love with the friends-as-family dynamic there. It was done so well!

Was it important to specifically set this story in Toronto or did you ever feel like you had to set it in the US?

 It was originally set in Toronto, then the US, then back to Toronto. Just like, for many writers of colour, it was a journey to writing a Black main character or main characters of colour, it was a journey for me to keep my setting the way I intended it to. While I was originally querying this book, I received a bit of pushback on the setting and it made me quickly change it to the US because I falsely assumed that would make it more universal. After I got signed, I was encouraged to change it back to Toronto, and I’m really happy I did. There’s so much vibrancy in Toronto and its surrounding areas, and it was important for me to showcase that to a wider audience. I can’t say for sure what people think of when they think of Toronto or Canada, but I’m sure whatever it is isn’t the Toronto that I know. I wanted to introduce my audience to that.

How important was it to write a story that teens can relate too?

So important! Even though young adult fiction has many adult fans (hello), at the end of the day, these are books for teens, so I was really mindful of that audience. I wanted to write in the tone and the slang that is most popular amongst the youth in my city, because that’s who I wanted to represent. 

Do you see pieces of yourself in your protagonist, Nelo? 

 I do! A lot of her qualities are how I imagined myself to be when I was her age, but she’s definitely bolder than I was. 

What was it like growing up in a Nigerian family in Canada? 

Too much fun, honestly. I have a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles, the majority of whom I’m not blood related to but are still my family, and I saw them several times a year for birthdays, holidays, breaks, anything. It’s really given me a broader perspective on what family can look like. 

Are there any books by Black Canadian authors that have left an impression on you?

I remember being in Edmonton and going out the day Téa Mutonji’s short story collection “Shut Up You’re Pretty” came out, and I devoured that in two days. It would’ve been faster but I was trying to pace myself! I just loved reading this human portrayal of a Black girl and her shortcomings and inner thoughts. It’s such a grounding read.

Did you always want to be a writer and did your family encourage that dream?

I did always want to be a writer, and I had always written in various forms growing up, but it wasn’t until I was 23 that I decided to start writing towards publication. My parents are Nigerian immigrants: they were as encouraging as they could have been while maintaining that I should focus on something lucrative. So, not always! But they never actively told me to stop writing. 

What has it been like preparing to debut during the pandemic?

It’s been stressful, I can’t lie to you! The debut experience is exciting and fun and scary and nerve-wracking all at the same time. It’s all been heightened because of the pandemic. Honestly, I’m still not sure I know what I’m doing. So far I’ve been trying to take things one day at a time and only focus on things that I find fun. I think it’s been helping! I do miss seeing people in-person, though, and I hope to one day be invited to a conference or a festival where I can hug people. I don’t even need to be on a panel. I can vibe in the back. Just wanna have in-person conversations.

Are there any shows or movies you’ve been watching during quarantine? And is there anything you’re excited about?

I really enjoyed Bridgerton and Bling Empire, and I’m slowly making my way through WandaVision. I’ve been watching a lot of anime too. I figure if I have unlimited time, I might as well catch up on some shows or pick up new ones. I feel like the pandemic has stolen my ability to think or plan ahead, so my excitement operates on a week-by-week basis! As of now, I’m only excited for the last season of Insecure airing this year. Excited, and a bit sad, but also comfortable in knowing the show is ending on its own terms!

Can you give us two truths and a lie about you?

I can swim, I’ve met Harry Styles twice, and I have a debilitating fear of werewolves.

Other than your own are there any books by a Black author you would love to see adapted for a movie or tv show?

I’m going to shamelessly say Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, even though I haven’t read it in full yet. The aesthetic is everything I love for an edgy TV show and it’d be so much fun to watch.

You’re also working on a new story Model Minority. What has that experience been like and how do you keep on track with writing with everything going on in the world?

It’s been a lot of fun! I tend to draft fast and then spend a lot of time revising, and I enjoy being in both stages. Drafting is my make-believe phase, so I can come up with things fast and throw them in, waiting to see what sticks. Revising is my fanfiction phase, where I usually approach it like I’m tweaking the source material. I’m usually not one to take breaks, but since the pandemic, I’ve been better at taking a day or a week off, and that’s really helped me stay on track.

You can follow her at @louisaonome_ on Twitter

Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I decided to pick up another romance and this one is a little out my comfort zone. It's still contemporary romance but the heroine has an unconventional job and it's Asian woman/Black man romance. I've been calling this the sex toy and soul food romance. I received an arc from Avon Romance in exchange for review.

Trixie Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American sex toy therapist who hails from New Orleans. After a messy breakup she moved to DC for a fresh start. Determined to prove her parents wrong she has a 5 yr plan which includes becoming a top seller. She's found a group of close friends, does volunteer work she enjoys, and is overall a more confident woman. 

Andre Walker took over his momma's soul food restaurant after she died but it hasn't been doing well. 2 years ago he left his girlfriend by breaking up via a note and moved out of New Orleans.  So of course he's surprised when she shows up at his restaurant and he discovers she's friends with his sister. The last thing he wants is to defile the image of his mother's restaurant with pop up sex toy events especially with his ex as the host.  But what other options do they have to easily bring in business right now?

I really appreciated the sex positivity in this story. Trixie tries to educate both young and older women about sex and help them be comfortable in their own bodies. 

The sex scenes were hot and there was even some inclusion of toys which I've never read in a contemporary romance. Trixie and Andre had no problems in that regard.

This book also touches upon gentrification as the neighborhood surrounding Mama Hazel's restaurant has had significant rent increases over the years and an influx of hipsters. The restaurant is one of the few neighborhood staples left.

While I understood Andre was still dealing with his grief he was a hard character to root for at times. He harbors the weight of everything on his shoulders despite friends and family constantly begging him to let them help. He need to dal with his control issues when it came to both his sister and Trixie.

I think there was a lot of family drama to get over and that was too quickly resolved without much effort. I think more time needed to be spent on resolving those issues since the book was already in women's fiction territory. And those larger issues made it hard to enjoy Trixie and Andre as a couple outside of the bedroom. Overall this is a fast paced read worth checking out at least to get a little variation from your usual contemporary.

Sweethand by N.G. Peltier

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! There's something so comforting about contemporary romance. I was excited when I heard about Sweethand because of the fun premise, it's a Black romance and it being by a Trinidadian author. Plus who can resist that gorgeous cover? So I was excited when I received an arc in exchange for review. And I'm a little biased because of the cultural connection I have to this story. And I know the author through the reviewer community. 

This is a dual pov story that follows Cherisse "Cherry", a pastry chef running her own catering business and Keiran, a local music producer. They've know each other since they were kids but never gotten along despite having the same friend group. With Cherry being the maid of honor in her sister's wedding and Scott being the best man they're forced to spend time together to help with planning. Cherry has sworn off dating men in the music industry after a bad breakup and very public meltdown with an ex but that doesn't mean she's against being friends with benefits.

I really enjoyed this one. Keiran and Cherry have a very easy chemistry and it helped that we see them building a genuine friendship first before acting on their attraction.  They're both also very passionate about their respective careers.  I also like that Keiran is very sensitive because you don't often see Black men written like this and within the culture it's expected for men to put up a tough front at all times. I'm very used to the man being more hesitant about his feelings but he was very sure of how he felt and there was more of a concern that Cherry would break his heart. 

The story takes place in Trinidad and Tobago and N.G. Peltier doesn't water down her characters identifies or overexplain phrases or terms that the non Trinidadian audience may not be familiar with. There's also plenty of mentions of good food that had my tummy rumbling. 

I enjoyed the group dynamic as well and I'm curious to see who the next book will be about. And as a small town romance lover it was giving me those vibes. This funny and steamy read was perfect snowy afternoon read.

Black Romance Readers Enjoy Cute and Cozy Romance Too

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Valentine's Day has come and gone but those lovey feelings are still in the air. As people gush over their favorite rom coms and romance books I'm seeing the same question, "Why can't Black women be the love interest?" And I've talked about this before but I'd like to talk about it again because it seems like we can never have this conversation without people getting offended or talking around the issue. I'm not romance expert and my tastes have been leaning more fantasy lately but I love to read romance in between.

How many romance readers can list a highly anticipated Black romance release this year from a traditional publisher? 

There's Black romance out there. I have books on my Kindle and my physical shelf that have been published in the past few years. But if you're not already consistently reading these stories you have to go searching.

Everyone is raving over Bridgerton where they cast a biracial leading male as a character who was white in the books and pretend race doesn't exist. And we are supposed to accept that as our representation in historical romance? When you peruse the shelves in bookstores or online you'll be hard pressed to find historical romance with even one Black lead let alone two. The only one consistently releasing those stories is Beverly Jenkins. Why is she the only one? Why is there an unwritten rule that historical romance must be Regency, Tudor, or Victorian about white dukes? Last I checked Black folks fell in love before, during, and after slavery and colonization.

I've been leaning more into fantasy lately but when I want something quick and comforting I love to pick up a contemporary romance. Especially if it's small town romance. Small primarily Black towns exist with close knit neighborhoods. Give me all the festivals, dates at the local bar, non corporate jobs. Where's our couple snuggling by the fire drinking hot cocoa as the snow falls outside? Hanging out at the diner where all the patrons know each other? Those picnic in the park dates? That uptick in Black led Christmas movies in the past few years reminded people we celebrate the holidays too and are worthy of falling in love at Christmas time.

The market is out there for those stories but somehow publishing is always trying to convince us that those stories won't sell. And indie romance is keeping Black romance afloat. Which is great especially for us e-readers. But some people want to be able to just walk into the book store or book aisles and grab something off the shelf.

Statistically Black women are more likely to date/marry Black men. So why don't we see more Black romance on the shelves? Why are people constantly trying to change what Black love means?  A white romance written by a Black author is not Black romance. A romance where only the woman is Black but her love interest is not is also not Black romance.

Someone asked me the other day if sometimes these romance stories set unrealistic expectations. Sure it's escapism and we all want that fantasy guy who is strong and sensitive while catering to our needs. But there's also been cases where the line is crossed into glorifying or fetishizing. Ever notice how many interracial romances go out of their way to really avoid mentioning race related issues despite being set in the real world? The leading heroine could be dealing with struggles related to being a Black woman and trying to establish herself however that aspect is missing. I've even seen books where the rival is a "Karen" or the Black ex boyfriend was a no good dog but still the acknowledgement of the couple being two different races is completely avoided.

Black people are not a monolith though there are certain shared experiences across the diaspora. There's a particular mold we often get put into. Career wise it's very popular to have Black woman working corporate jobs. And trust there is something wonderful about a Black woman who can handle her own in the boardroom. But that's not all we can do. Just like every Black male doesn't have to be a business man and former athlete. We can be the booksellers, caterers, coffee shop owners, inn keepers, crafters and photographers. And those stories are out there but they're sometimes buried or called a different name.

It's hard for me to imagine but some Black people have never seen positive representations of Black love in their every day lives. And some people have it in their head that Black love is synonymous with struggle and oppression. And that's another reason why portraying Black romance is so important.  Black people fall in love like everyone else and we have a variety of love stories waiting to be explored.  After years of being devalued and dehumanized because of our race these images matter. And it's important to have our representation unfiltered through the white gaze.

   

Reaper of Souls by Rena Barron

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Kingdom of Souls was a whirlwind of a book and I was excited to jump back into this world. I've said it before and I'll say it again that this book is what I wanted from Children of Blood and Bone. Thanks to Harper Teen I was able to read this one in advance in exchange for an honest review. And for a sequel it was surprisingly easy to jump back in and have the book flow without needing an extensive recap.  

One thing I love about this series is that the world is lush. I love when a fantasy paints a clear picture of it's setting. I think one of Rena Barron's strengths is creating the atmosphere with food, clothes, the hustle of the market place. The magic system is well thought out and it's fascinating reading about how it formed. It's not oversimplified nor overly complex. 

This time the story splits the narrative between Arrah and Rudjek's POV's with flashback's that give the orisha Dimma's memories. I thought this format was much better because it allows us to become familiar with Rudjek. While I still wasn't fully convinced of his love story with Arrah; I felt more of a contention to him. He like Arrah was also discovering his powers. Rudjek's anti-magic powers prevent him and Arrah from touching and being around each other long. How can their love survive when they can't touch? Then the changes in the Kingdom and Rudjek's family coming in to power provide another obstacle against them. Arrah sets off to explore the tribal lands to look for survivors after hearing that some may have escaped. While Rudjek is hunting down a demon army. 

I liked Dimma's memories because she had a relationship with the Demon King who is the big antagonist in this story. Arrah and her friends have an image of him based off the stories told to them however she shows the loving and vulnerable side of him. 

Every time I was infuriated at this book and wanted to scream, "Why is this happening?!" it turned out that what was happening was truly a bigger part of the overall plot and not just some meaningless plot point to be forgotten. Just like the last story this was full of twists and red herrings. Every time I thought I knew what was going on I realized I had no idea. I love when a fantasy can keep me fully engaged throughout. This story did a very good job of balancing action and emotional beats. Neither side is completely good or bad in this story. This is a phenomenal follow up and I look forward to book 3. 

Passionfruit: A Prompt-Based Journal for the Self Reflective Black Woman

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Every so often someone sends me something unexpected that I enjoy.  This indie published journal by Mimi Oseni was one of those things. I'm not normally someone who journals. I usually have a hard time keeping up with that. I tried book journaling last year and was horrible at it. But I have alot of time to reflect lately and I'm at a stage recently where I am reflecting on my life. 

It has great prompts like "Create a playlist by listing ten songs that help you cultivate and maintain the feeling of joy" and , "What about being a Black woman brings you the most joy?" Mainly of the prompts weren't things I normally think about. Looking through it a common theme is, "What makes you happy? Or how do you plan to bring happiness into your life?" Throughout their are positive affirmations and quotes from famous Black women.

Black Buck

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!  I got into listening to audiobooks last year after a little bit of a learning curve. I find what makes or breaks an audiobook is not only the subject matter of the story but how great the narrator is.  A good narrator will have you following through even if the book has you losing interest. I am not someone who normally reads satire. When I first read a preview of Black Buck I thought it sounded interesting but I couldn't quite get into the writing style so I passed. I passed over the opportunity to read an arc of this twice but then Libro FM gave me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. If you're interested in checking out the audiobook with Libro FM feel free to click here.

 

Black Buck sucked me in from the beginning. We follow Darren, a young man living in NYC working at a Starbucks with no ambitions. After an encounter with the CEO of  tech startup he ends up joining their team and reimagining himself as Buck. Yes, the Buck is because they know him as the guy who works the Starbucks in the Lobby. Yes, his white coworkers are racist as hell.  Right away there's a recurring bit about them constantly saying he looks like a random famous Black men. And of course none of those men look alike or anything like Darren. The novel is an interesting cross between a sales manual and a memoir.

Slowly you see him change and he grows distant from his family, friends, and girlfriend. And once he starts making that good money he has to let a lot of micro and macro aggressions slide. And I think it's a very familiar story. You want someone to do better but as they improve themselves it tears them away from you and they morph into something unrecognizable. 

After a major loss, hitting his rock bottom, and receiving some sound advice he decides to help people like him become better salesman. That's when I felt the book was trying to throw too many messages at the reader at once and it felt lengthy and started to drag a bit.

To be fair Darren gave multiple warnings that his story was unbelievable and the end it veered into ridiculousness.  I suggest getting the audiobook because the narrator does a great job. It reads like a movie. Though when parts lagged they truly lagged. It got a little rough in the middle before the train completely when off track. The ending was insane and I'm still trying to process it. 

My Most Anticipated Adult Releases for 2021

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! 2021 is going by fast already. I don't hear enough talk about the adult releases by Black authors this year and there are some really good ones coming out. Many you'll see reviews of on this blog. So I wanted to talk about my most anticipated adult releases this year.

Wild Women and the Blues: A Novel

1925: Chicago is the jazz capital of the world, and the Dreamland Café is the ritziest black-and-tan club in town. Honoree Dalcour is a sharecropper's daughter, willing to work hard and dance every night on her way to the top. Dreamland offers a path to the good life, socializing with celebrities like Louis Armstrong and filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But Chicago is also awash in bootleg whiskey, gambling, and gangsters. And a young woman driven by ambition might risk more than she can stand to lose.

2015: Film student Sawyer Hayes arrives at the bedside of 110-year-old Honoree Dalcour, still reeling from a devastating loss that has taken him right to the brink. Sawyer has rested all his hope on this frail but formidable woman, the only living link to the legendary Oscar Micheaux. If he's right--if she can fill in the blanks in his research, perhaps he can complete his thesis and begin a new chapter in his life. But the links Honoree makes are not ones he's expecting...

Piece by piece, Honoree reveals her past and her secrets, while Sawyer fights tooth and nail to keep his. It's a story of courage and ambition, hot jazz and illicit passions. And as past meets present, for Honoree, it's a final chance to be truly heard and seen before it's too late. No matter the cost...

The Conductors (A Murder & Magic Novel)

As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Hetty Rhodes helped usher dozens of people north with her wits and magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband, Benjy, have settled in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. When they find one of their friends slain in an alley, Hetty and Benjy bury the body and set off to find answers. But the secrets and intricate lies of the elites of Black Philadelphia only serve to dredge up more questions. To solve this mystery, they will have to face ugly truths all around them, including the ones about each other.

A Master of Djinn: a novel

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world forty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city―or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

When the Reckoning Comes: A Novel

More than a decade ago, Mira fled her small, segregated hometown in the south to forget. With every mile she traveled, she distanced herself from her past: from her best friend Celine, mocked by their town as the only white girl with black friends; from her old neighborhood; from the eerie Woodsman plantation rumored to be haunted by the spirits of slaves; from the terrifying memory of a ghost she saw that terrible day when a dare-gone-wrong almost got Jesse—the boy she secretly loved—arrested for murder.

But now Mira is back in Kipsen to attend Celine’s wedding at the plantation, which has been transformed into a lush vacation resort. Mira hopes to reconnect with her friends, and especially, Jesse, to finally tell him the truth about her feelings and the events of that devastating long-ago day.

But for all its fancy renovations, the Woodsman remains a monument to its oppressive racist history. The bar serves antebellum drinks, entertainments include horrifying reenactments, and the service staff is nearly all black. Yet the darkest elements of the plantation’s past have been carefully erased—rumors that slaves were tortured mercilessly and that ghosts roam the lands, seeking vengeance on the descendants of those who tormented them, which includes most of the wedding guests. 

As the weekend unfolds, Mira, Jesse, and Celine are forced to acknowledge their history together, and to save themselves from what is to come.

Sweethand

After a public meltdown over her breakup from her cheating musician boyfriend, Cherisse swore off guys in the music industry, and dating in general for a while, preferring to focus on growing her pastry chef business.

When Cherisse’s younger sister reveals she’s getting married in a few months, Cherisse hopes that will distract her mother enough to quit harassing her about finding a guy, settling down and having kids. But her mother’s matchmaking keeps intensifying.

Cherisse tries to humour her mother, hoping if she feigns interest in the eligible bachelors she keeps tossing her way, she’ll be off the hook, but things don’t quite go as planned. Turns out for the first time in ages, she and Keiran King, the most annoying man ever, are on the island at the same time. Avoiding him is impossible, especially when Keiran’s close friend is the one marrying her sister, and he’s the best man to her maid of honour.

Keiran doesn’t know what to make of Cherisse now. They’ve always butted heads. To him she’s always been a stuck-up brat who seeks attention, even while he secretly harbored a crush on her. Now with Cherisse’s sister marrying one of his good friends he can’t escape her as the wedding activities keep throwing them together.

When things turn heated after a rainy night of bedroom fun, they both have to figure out if they can survive the countdown to wedding day, without this turning into a recipe for disaster.

Bacchanal

Abandoned by her family, alone on the wrong side of the color line with little to call her own, Eliza Meeks is coming to terms with what she does have. It’s a gift for communicating with animals. To some, she’s a magical tender. To others, a she-devil. To a talent prospector, she’s a crowd-drawing oddity. And the Bacchanal Carnival is Eliza’s ticket out of the swamp trap of Baton Rouge.

Among fortune-tellers, carnies, barkers, and folks even stranger than herself, Eliza finds a new home. But the Bacchanal is no ordinary carnival. An ancient demon has a home there too. She hides behind an iridescent disguise. She feeds on innocent souls. And she’s met her match in Eliza, who’s only beginning to understand the purpose of her own burgeoning powers.

Only then can Eliza save her friends, find her family, and fight the sway of a primordial demon preying upon the human world. Rolling across a consuming dust bowl landscape, Eliza may have found her destiny.

The Other Black Girl: A Novel

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

Dead Dead Girls

Harlem, 1926. Young black women like Louise Lloyd are ending up dead.

Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She’s succeeding, too. She spends her days working at Maggie’s Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Harlem’s hottest speakeasy. Louise’s friends, especially her girlfriend, Rosa Maria Moreno, might say she’s running from her past and the notoriety that still stalks her, but don’t tell her that.

When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she’s been trying to ignore—two other local black girls have been murdered in the past few weeks. After an altercation with a police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or wind up in a jail cell. Louise has no choice but to investigate and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind hell-bent on taking more lives, maybe even her own....

Revival Season: A Novel

Every summer, fifteen-year-old Miriam Horton and her family pack themselves tight in their old minivan and travel through small southern towns for revival season: the time when Miriam’s father—one of the South’s most famous preachers—holds massive healing services for people desperate to be cured of ailments and disease. This summer, the revival season doesn’t go as planned, and after one service in which Reverend Horton’s healing powers are tested like never before, Miriam witnesses a shocking act of violence that shakes her belief in her father—and in her faith.

When the Hortons return home, Miriam’s confusion only grows as she discovers she might have the power to heal—even though her father and the church have always made it clear that such power is denied to women. Over the course of the next year, Miriam must decide between her faith, her family, and her newfound power that might be able to save others, but, if discovered by her father, could destroy Miriam.

Fumbled by Alexa Martin

 

Welcome Back Booklovers! I was in such a rut I needed a palette cleanser before jumping into my next fantasy read. I had previously read Intercepted by Alexa Martin and it was Superbowl Weekend so I figured I'd try another book. Plus I heard Alexa Martin say male lead TK was inspired by Travis Kelce so it felt extra relevant. I'm not a football fan but I'll read a sports romance. Plus these types of romances are quick and easy to read.

Why was this a retread of Intercepted but with less wit and without the fresh heroine? The reviews were so high for this one too! But I'm like this is Marlee's story without the fresh voice and wit. Similarities are one thing but it was like she said, "Copy, Paste"! It even takes place in the same city. Although if you wanted Intercepted without the hashtags this might be the one for you.

Poppy Patterson is a 27 year old single mother just trying to make ends meet as a waitress at some step above a strip club style club. One night while working VIP she runs into her ex boyfriend football player TK Moore. TK previously appeared in Intercepted but we didn't hear too much about him. He was just a loveable guy who was rooting for Marlee. Chris and Gavin were the elites in that story and fan favorites. Extremely popular and supposedly well loved with women falling all over themselves for a taste. Did he have some kind of surge in popularity after Gavin left? Like one beloved white footballer left and a new one pushed through. 

Anyway despite about 10 years having passed TK is still very hung up on Poppy and I just didn't see why. Yes, she was his high school sweetheart but he's had his share of women since then. It was hard to believe he never found a real relationship. For her it was a little more believable to still not be over him since she had his baby and has been keeping it secret for years. Though I don't understand how she kept it a secret. Who tells their partner that they're pregnant over text? Why just take his nasty mother's rejection without talking to him directly? I hate secret kids second chance romance! Why does no one write it well?

After Poppy tells him her son Ace is his (she named her son after her old nickname for him) he flips out and verbally tears her to shreds. We're supposed to see it as out of character for him because he's known for his calm demeanor. Later in the story it's alluded to as an early sign of CTE. I just figured for once we were getting a man being rightfully mad about his ex keeping a huge secret from him and causing him to miss out on years of his son's development.

Everything came very easily for this couple. Nothing felt hard or like it was ever actually pulling them apart. They were able to easily fall back into a relationship alongside their son. Poppy acts way too childish for someone who had to grow up fast to raise her son. Even the whole reveal never stirred up any media drama. The blogs never even caught on to it.

I never felt like I really got to know these characters either. In Intercepted Marlee and Gavin were more fleshed out with actual goals. Poppy had no drive and was content with just struggling to get by. I never felt like I really got to know who TK was. He just kind of was a nice guy who played football. No depth outside of it.

All in all Fumbled is a quick read you can get through in a day to keep you slightly entertained. 

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Some of you who have been following me for awhile probably remember me talking about this a year ago. I also interviewed Namina Forna for my author interview series last year.  So I came into this book knowing it would deal with some trauma and with all the initial hype I had high expectations. 

Writing wise it definitely reads different than most YA fantasies I've read before. It starts off strong with eerie details of a purity ceremony where protagonist Deka is discovered to cursed blood. Those who have cursed blood are put to death. During her ceremony monsters called deathshrieks also attack causing chaos and death. Believing she brought this plague upon them, she is sentenced to death. However despite how many times they kill Deka she doesn't stay dead. She is then finally given a choice to leave and fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her.

I thought this book did a great job portraying the PTSD Deka is feeling from her trauma. There are a lot of violent and gory scenes in this book that are described with just the right amount of detail. I also felt the closeness of the girls and knowing Namina is an AKA and Spelman grad I could see where she used her personal experiences to shape the sisterhood between the girls. 

The world in this was just not very fleshed out for me to fully be immersed. I really couldn't picture the setting well. In an epic fantasy I love the little details about the food and terrain and I feel like this had the page count to describe those things. The way ethnicities are coded in this world reminded me of other books I've read this past year. For much of the middle we saw the girls training with their male partners however I didn't find the training scenes descriptive enough. And we moved from event to event at a rapid pace but at the same time it felt like we were trudging along. The tell more than show style writing just didn't work for me.

I received an arc from Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. 

White Writers and Using Minorities to Shape Fantasy

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! This is a topic that has been on my mind since earlier in the month when I read City of Villains by Estelle Laure. While I hadn't read much fantasy lately by white authors it was interesting to see how white a world could feel while simultaneously borrowing history from people of color. For a little backstory, City of Villains is an urban fantasy about the origin stories of Disney villains. It at times feels like Descendants meets Gotham. And like the Descendants franchise it does that thing I don't like where it uses real life issues POC deal with to give the story depth.

In Descendants 3 there's this parallel to immigration in the US which I couldn't gel with since many of the characters being compared to immigrants were white and those are not the immigrants facing struggles in real life. I just disagreed with making a blonde haired, green eyed white girl the face of immigration reform. 

With City of Villains the story is contemporary and set in the US instead of a complete fantasy world. Throughout the book their a little parallels to the Legacies that mirror Black history in the US.  So the villain group called Legacies(those born of magic descent) live in an area of the city that was once beautiful but has since been run down and is in the process of being gentrified by the Narrows(those of non magic descent). Narrows often try to copy their style of dress. There's a politician character whose slogan is "Make Monarch great again!", references to a march that draws parallels to the Black Lives Matters protests, and mentions of police brutality. I can't recall one character even being described as brown on the rare occasion we got descriptions of character's features. 

One could make an argument about white groups like the Irish being treated badly in the US but it would be a pretty weak argument. The Irish were stereotype but not oppressed. They were never slaves and they never experienced racism. They were not targets of extreme violence nor did they have to march for their rights. 

Why is it that a white author can use the struggles of POC in fantasy to inspire their stories without including POC in their story? People don't want to read about Black pain but will read that same Black pain if it is used for a fantasy character who comes off as white. How is it they can understand racism when it involves a vampire and a human but act oblivious when it involves two people of different races? 

Why do people praise authors like Rick Riordan and Casandra Clare for serving bare minimum diversity? Granted in Riordan's case his imprint does publish much needed diverse fantasies for a Middle Grade audience. Why do authors get praised for having biracial characters or token bipoc who are undeveloped set amid their lily white worlds?  One thing we need to acknowledge in the book community is that having a bunch of  diverse side characters with no actual characterization is not diversity. 

Then vs Now: Reflecting on the Books I Read as a Teen

Welcome Back, Booklovers! If you know me then you've probably heard me talk about this before but it never hurts to give people a reminder. Books for Black teens existed prior to 2015! And they were written by Black authors too! 

I understand some authors and readers may feel like these books never existed because they never encountered Black stories during their teen years but that doesn't mean we should pretend that's the truth. As a lifelong reader I can say at it's core that The Hate U Give was not the first book of it's kind. It was the first one white publishers decided to give a proper marketing budget to and pay the author their worth. However stories for Black teens have always existed. It's important to acknowledge the Black authors that paved the way so that the Angie Thomases, Nic Stones, Nicola Yoons, etc could be published. The authors who were writing when the bookstores didn't want to put their books on the regular shelves or didn't stock their books at all. The authors who pushed for publishers to create a space for Black teens. The writers I discovered through my local library as a teen and preteen when I was looking for books about people who look like me. Sharon Flake, Felicia Pride, Earl Sewell, Celeste O. Norfleet, L Divine, Debbie Rigaud, Tia Williams. I could go on for awhile listing names. 

Sometimes I think about the books I read as a teen before YA as the category we know it as existed. Back when I used to take trips to the library a couple of times I month and rake through the shelves.  From 2007 to 2014 Harlequin had an imprint called Kimani Tru that released books for Black teens and that imprint was pivotal in keeping me a reader. Kensington Teen/Dafina also was a source for teen readers to find stories that depict them. Most of those books are now out of print though some can be found available as ebooks still. These were stories about Black teens living life whether that life included navigating a tough neighborhood or living a life more fabulous than many of us can imagine. The goal of these stories were to give Black readers the same thing white readers had which is seeing themselves in all facets of life on page. Most were set in Black neighborhoods with Black schools and had references to Black music and movies. One thing I did wish for were more awkward girls who loved to read who were navigating their Blackness in a non Black environment.

 

I've also noticed that many of the books being heavily promoted by publishers that I often see praised in the book community while they do have more Black girls navigating their Blackness they are also full of teachable moments for white people. They're things Black teens fully understand because they live through it every day but still the text feels the need to give explanations. I like when a book can talk about slavery, racism, gentrification, etc without filtering it as easy to understand for white people. So I'm seeing more visibility for Black books with teens leads now but many of the contemporary stories I'm seeing lack a lot of the community aspect. Where are the aunties, uncles, cousins? Where are the people from the neighborhood who are like family?

And where are the Black friends and love interests? There will be nothing in the text indicating that they're from an area where there's a lack of Black people. And as someone who grew up going to predominant white schools I didn't always have a steady set of Black friends but one thing we Black kids did in high school and college was band together. At a minimum we all need to have someone we can talk to who looks like us who experiences what we go through. So it's always odd to me when I pick up a young adult book the lead doesn't even have one close Black friend or even Black classmate they can talk to. Or if they're in an interracial relationship and everyone is just easily accepting of it on both Black and white sides. 

There's a way to show Black people moving through these white spaces while still interacting with their own people as well. It's a little ironic I'm seeing more respectability politics in Black books that are supposed to be for teens now then when I was a teen. Where we needed more balance it seems instead the scales tipped towards the opposite end. 

There are a lot of great stories being published right now. Stories like I've never seen before. Stories that show Black teens are not a monolith. There wasn't all this Black fantasy for children and teens when I was growing up. Publishers didn't acknowledge that Black children can be literal magic. There have been books that made cry and books that made me think about examine how I think about certain topics.

But I've noticed there are certain types of Black books being pushed by publishing right now by the big 4 and books over others. Why are these important books for young Black men written by women and about Black boys being shot by the police? Why is it when the teen live in the inner city and speak aave that the story always features them fighting to survive? That's some people's reality but it's not all inner city kids reality and it's important to show characters beyond the common stereotypes. Teens from the inner city who speak aave who aren't into starting a revolution and social justice might actually have to go back and look towards books from the early 2000s to find representation. Where are the stories about prom, preparing for college, attending summer camp? It really shouldn't be this or that. Every book does not to be heavy. Every book does not have to feature a teen who is "not like other Black teens". There's room on the market to represent all types of teens. 

I like to read the marketing plans and the key selling points for advanced reader copies I request and ask myself, "Who is this book for?" Is this book for white people to feel comfortable reading a diverse book? Is the author writing the story they wished they had as a teen? Will this story actually appeal to modern teens? Is this book aimed more at the 18+ crowd vs the 12+ crowd?  What type of teen would I recommend it to? Does it read similarly to any other popular books? Does this story in any way center white people?

While important to continue to push for more representation it's important to also acknowledge the ones who came before and laid down the foundation. And there's always something you can learn from those before you. And if you can add some melanin to your shelves from before 2015. Even if it's just your digital shelves.

The Year I Flew Away by Marie Arnold

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers!  It's Black History Month and there's so many great releases over the course of February and March. The Year I Flew Away is a middle grade novel by Marie Arnold that takes place in 80s Brooklyn and just what I needed after a rough read. 

Gabrielle is a 10 year old girl who gets the opportunity to move from Haiti to the US. It's what many kids in her village dream of. And though she'll be far from her parents she's excited all the same. She's heard so many great things about America from the streets being lined with coins and everyone having so much no one needs to pick them up. When she arrives in New York she's shocked and not just by the coldest weather she's ever experienced. Life outside of Haiti isn't as magical as she thought. She can't speak the language and the kids make fun of her. She also finds out money isn't as free flowing in America as she thought. Her aunt and uncle both work three jobs to provide for the family and it seems like the phone never stops ringing with calls to send money back home. And there are people who don't like her family just because they're themselves. If only she could be the perfect American girl.

Just wanting to fit in Gabrielle makes a deal with a witch for 3 wishes in exchange for giving up part of herself each time she makes the wish. And soon Gabrielle finds out the parts of her she looses are the very essence of what makes her. 

I think children in 3rd and 4th grade will enjoy this as it's easy to read and Gabrielle's narrative voice flows as if she is telling a friend a story.  It's a fast paced and easy to read story for them and the magic elements will help keep them engaged. I did wish the author would've used Gabrielle's special gift a little more as it has a big presence in the beginning of the story but not throughout. There's plenty of immigrant representation in this story not only from Haiti but other parts of the world. Being set in 1985 makes for fun pop culture references but this story just as easily could've been set in present day and nothing would change. Reading this in some ways took me back to navigating childhood as the daughter of immigrants. 

I received an advance reader copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group in exchange for an honest review.