Zo and the Forest of Secrets by Alake Pilgrim

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I can't even remember how I heard about this book. I know it was via Twitter where I follow quite a few Black British authors who write young adult and middle grade. Alake Pilgrim and I ended up connecting and she offered me a copy of her book which made me ecstatic! I had never read a Trinidadian set fantasy before. I have read and adored The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste which is inspired by Trinidadian folklore so it's nice to see more stories out there.

Zo is a young Trinidadian girl who has recently moved from Port of Spain to Samaan Bay with her mother, stepfather, and baby brother. She misses the big city and more importantly she misses when her parents were together. So she decides to run away as a part of a ploy to have her dad who is away on business return to the island to search for her. Her hope is that her parents reunite. But as Zo gets deeper into the forest she discovers things aren't as they appear. She meets a lost boy named Adri and they find themselves on the run from strange creatures.

This story reminded me a little bit of Hatchet mostly because of the surviving the forest alone aspect and having divorced parents. Though unlike in Hachet, Zo already has the survival skills she needs because of her Da. Using information she learned previously about the landscape, Zo alongside Adri attempts to find her way out of the forest. The forest is a character of itself, with vivid descriptions.

Alake Pilgrim's love language must be food like mine and all of it made my mouth water. While she touches on popular local dishes, she also teaches readers about the vegetation within the forest. And she has an important discussion on human impact on the forest with the looming enemies from "The Zoo" present throughout. 

This story also addresses the issue of blending families with ease. Zo has experience a lot of change that she's struggling to cope with but she starts to understand that her mother's happiness also matters. And she slowly comes to realize her stepfather does want what's best for her.

Zo and the Forest of Secrets uniquely blends science, fantasy, and Caribbean mythology for an action packed adventure tale that will have you anticipating book 2.

How to Be A Better Adult by Jacque Aye

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm sure we've all wished at one point there was a magical guide to being an adult especially when things get tough. I wasn't sure what to expect with How to Be a Better Adult but after following Jacque Aye I was intrigued and when she offered me a copy in exchange for review.

Hope Obiako is a young Nigerian American woman who is unsure of where she's headed in life. Her father sees her as someone who should be doing better. It feels like everyone else her age is successful in life while she's working at a job she hates. She's eager to prove her worth to the company and move up the corporate ladder. One day she receives what she thinks is a guidebook on adulthood that ends up taking her on a journey of discovery.

So this book reads like a manga which was a little bit of an adjustment for me at some parts. At some parts I found myself wishing it was one because I think the more outlandish parts like Hope jumping into the ring to literally fight "The Fear" would've been a better fit. But despite the light tone and sometimes absurd scenarios it does touch on some very real feelings surrounding dealing with depression. And it does so in a very relatable way that shows how it manifests in different ways and doesn't feel like therapist speak. I liked the friendship in this book and the spark of potential romance. I thought Hope's child of immigrants experience was very relatable.

Hope makes questionable decisions but at the same time there were moments in this story that reminded me of my own journey in the workplace. Anyone who has worked in an office environment with multiple people has come across a coworker like Alex who will do anything to get that promotion. There were a lot of funny moments sprinkled throughout.

Two Rivals, One Bed by Zuri Day

Welcome Back, Booklovers! We've been getting some colder weather as we get down to the last days of winter. And there's just something about cozying up with a big blanket, warm cup of tea, and a romance book. Between the title and the cover I was ready for some light corporate rivalry.

Maeve Eddington is defending her family's corporation against a major lawsuit by one of their former clients who is accusing them of stealing funds from their accounts. She's surprised when she discovers their lawyer is her former Harvard classmate Victor Cortez. They had mutual friends but didn't exactly run in the same circles. The sexy Costa Rican is getting under Maeve's skin and she's finding it hard to resist fraternizing with the enemy. 

While it took a little bit of time to get to the snowed in and one bed part, Maeve and Victor had great chemistry. I loved the fun banter between them and that push/pull of it being wrong to get involved together. I also like my wealthy characters to feel wealthy and readers get that her. The Eddington's have a huge family estate with multiple properties on it in Chicago and they throw fancy dinners and events. But Victor is also wealthy and invites Maeve to his mansion in the mountains in Costa Rica. 

One of the nice things about these category romances is that the family is always usually present. Here Maeve's siblings making an appearance. While each of her siblings has their own book within this series I'm most intrigued by younger sister Reign.

I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I don't always read YA Thriller but something about I Will Find You Again intrigued me. Simon & Schuster reached out to me asking me if I wanted to cover it for WOC Read and I agreed unsure of what to expect. 

In the Long Island town of Meadowlark lives Chase Ohara, a young Asian girl at the top of her class, destined for big things. But behind the perfect façade of the model minority in a very white Long Island town, is a girl who is popping pills to deal with the pressure.

This book is pitched as a thriller but to me it was more of a contemporary drama dealing with a young woman who is slowly unraveling after the loss of her best friend/girlfriend Lia. I assumed this would be the story of searching for a missing girl but we already know what happened to Lia. Instead Chase is trying to retrace her steps and piece together the memories of the last few months to figure out what caused Lia's death. Was Lia secretly struggling in silence? Was it an accident? Was one of her classmates responsible for Lia's death?

This story really examined the pressure to be a a success and what success looks like. I didn't expect Chase to example her own family dynamics from her relationship with her father and his relationship with his own father. And she stops to think about her parent's broken marriage, how her mother had to dim her shine to appease her father. She's not just searching for the truth about Lia she's searching for the truth about herself. There was also some conversation about mental health that was done here in a very realistic way. A fast-paced story with many moving parts, this kept me engaged from start to finish. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was perfect for this book.

Interview with Author Sarah Lyu

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Today I'm coming at you with an interview with Sarah Lyu whose YA thriller I Will Find You is out this month. So get to know a little bit about the author behind the book and how she crafts a thriller.

What was the inspiration for I Will Find You Again?

Set in an affluent Long Island commuter town, I Will Find You Again is the story of Chase Ohara and Lia Vestiano, two childhood best friends who fall in love before falling apart, and when Lia goes missing nearly six months later, Chase tries to uncover what happened in the weeks leading to Lia’s disappearance. As she begins to put the pieces together, she discovers secrets about their relationship that shock her. Not everything was as it seemed, but one thing is certain: if she can’t make sense of the past, she might not get a future. 

I was inspired by so many things—the films Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Better Luck Tomorrow, the personal history I have with depression and anxiety—but I was most inspired by the question of how to feel enough in a world that often tells us we can never be enough. By the idea of sacrificing happiness for the idea of mainstream success. The novel explores these ideas and how they manifest not only for Chase, the main character, but for Lia and all the secondary characters.

Were there any parts of I Will Find You Again where you drew on real life experiences?

Lia’s struggles with depression drew from my own history. One experience I lent her was my in-patient treatment at a psychiatric hospital. It was one of most difficult times in my life and slipping it off like a jacket and giving it to a fictional character was a way for me to process what had happened. This is what I love so much about fiction, both writing and reading it. It’s a way to safely explore painful and traumatic moments, to use imagination to understand ourselves and others. 

Both I Will Find You Again and The Best Lies have unreliable narrators. What do you enjoy about writing unreliable narrators?

I promise I didn’t set out to only write unreliable narrators! While Remy from The Best Lies and Chase from I Will Find You Again are classic unreliable narrators, I do think we’re all unreliable narrators in subtle ways. The lives we live depend so heavily on the story we tell ourselves about everything that happens and the older we get, the more our past colors the lens through which we see the present. Maybe what I love most about writing unreliable narrators is how honest they are in their deception, how close we stick to their point of view that we’re with them every step of the way as they uncover the innermost truth about themselves. 

How has the publishing experience for book 2 been different than book 1?

It’s so fun being a debut where everything is new and shiny, but it’s also been really amazing coming out with a second book and having readers who already love your first book. Hearing from readers is always the biggest highlight of any publishing experience, and I just genuinely feel so lucky that I get to tell stories.

How do you get in the creative headspace to sit down and draft a story?

This can be tricky, and I love Liz Gilbert’s TED talk, “Your elusive creative genius,” as a starting point for creative work. For me personally, it means nurturing a healthy body and healthy mind first and foremost, almost treating writing as a form of exercise (but without the intensity of athletic competition). Then I try to show up even if I’m not feeling very creative. Sometimes that means I sit there staring at the blinking cursor and sometimes that means I get words down on the page, but it means I’m not avoiding it and I’m here if inspiration answers my call. The last thing is to encourage my mind to wander and think about the story and characters in all hours. I get some of my best breakthroughs on the road, before bed, in the shower. The immersion in a story is crucial for me and often I’m thinking and daydreaming about a story for months and months before I start drafting. But maybe the most important of all is understanding that every book is different and what worked for one may not work for another—be open to the process and let it carry you through instead of fighting against it. Much easier to say than do, of course!

When you’re writing do you have a clear picture in your head of what the characters look like?

I’m almost afraid to admit it, but I have no idea what the characters look like. I almost never describe facial features or hair or clothes unless it feels essential. Despite being a visual learner and being able to fully imagine a variety of apples, writing probably comes mostly from the language part of my brain. I hear dialogue first and sometimes it comes so fast I just jot it down and have to go back to think through the positions of characters, their actions, and their expressions/gestures. Very rarely, I can picture a scene clearly as it unfolds, and it’s usually an action sequence. Always fun when that happens.

Have you read any recent books that inspire you?

I loved E. Lockhart’s Family of Liars, the follow up and prequel to We Were Liars, and was really inspired by the way she deepened and explored the origins of the Sinclair family, how trauma moves through generations. I also loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, about two video game creators who build worlds even as their real-world lives crumble. In thrillers, I really enjoyed Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, The Honeys by Ryan La Sala, and The Restless Dark by Erica Waters—all the twists and turns, so good!

I noticed you also are very into painting. How did you get into it and do you have a preferred medium?

Painting started as my pandemic hobby, and I really love oils because of how forgiving they are—you can completely wipe away a section and restart. What I love the most about painting is how similar it is to writing, and it taught me so much about nurturing creative pursuits and self-forgiveness, one of the antidotes to my lifelong tendency toward perfectionism. 

Is there anything you enjoy doing outside of your art when you need to de-stress?

I love turning off my phone and going for a hike, alone or with others. There’s something so lovely about being outside and taking a break from our electronic lives. I also love playing video games to destress. Some favorites include Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley. 

Are there any other upcoming projects you’re able to talk about?

I’m working on something that may become my first adult novel. It started as a YA idea but I couldn’t make the ages work. So much of it will change, but it’ll still feature intensely close relationships, tragic love, and a bittersweet ending. Though it may be the first story I write without an unreliable narrator! 

Follow Sarah Lyu on Instagram @sarahlyu7, Tik Tok @sarah.lyu, and Twitter @sarahlyu

Happy Women's Month!!!

Welcome Back, Booklovers! March is Women's Month and what better way to celebrate than highlighting some of my favorite women both real and fictional? So today I'll be highlighting a few amazing women authors and their books.

I fell in love with Elizabeth Acevedo's writing with her short story Gilded which was featured in A Phoenix First Must Burn. That same year I read The Poet X, With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land. Her first adult novel Family Lore releases this year and is on my 2023 most anticipated release list.

Family Lore

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. 

So I'm a little biased here because this is a fantasy I beta-read and then connected with the author after and she's become a friend. R.R. Egal is a fresh voice in adult fantasy. Her book Empire of Hanging Swords came out recently and if you like fantasy kingdoms and a real enemies to lovers dynamic check it out. 

Empire of Hanging Swords

They say that heavy is the head that wears the crown, and twenty-year-old Neferet knows that all too well. As the Empress of the Etalan Empire, she has her hands full secretly hunting the person who ordered the murder of her father while also trying to figure out why harvests are failing left and right in her lands. Upon learning the murderer was her closest ally, the Dominus of Theron, she’s enraged by his betrayal and sets off for his kingdom to get her revenge.

Shortly after her arrival, Dante, the Dominus’s son, uncovers a conspiracy that makes Neferet question everything. Her confusion only worsens as several gods descend from the skies, each one telling her something that contradicts the other. As plague and famine encroach and war looms on the horizon, Neferet and Dante must put aside their differences and piece together the conspirators' plans—and the gods’ motives—to stop them before her empire collapses.

Dana L Davis is an author and actress. I watched her on Franklin & Bash so I was excited when I first saw Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now. She's written a few books since then including cowriting Always Young and Restless: My Life On and Off America's #1 Daytime Drama, Melody Thomas Scott's Memoir. But my absolute favorite would be her most recent release Somebody That I Used to Know.

Somebody That I Used to Know

Dylan Woods hasn’t seen her best friend, Langston, in years. After he moved to Los Angeles, he ghosted her. Then he became Legendary, the biggest teen R&B artist on the planet.

For the most part, Dylan has moved on, with her sights set on Juilliard. But when her parents announce that Langston is coming for a short stay with them, the entire family is thrilled. Except for Dylan. The idea of sharing a house with music’s biggest bad boy makes her stomach churn.

But maybe Langston hasn’t changed as much as Dylan thought—he’s kept the bucket list they made together years ago. As they start checking off items on the list, Dylan starts to remember old times, her previous self, and their shared love of music.

And there’s something else. As Dylan considers giving Langston another chance, she starts to realize that maybe her feelings for him go beyond friendship.

Maybe, just maybe, she’s falling for her ex–best friend.

Synithia Williams specializes in hot contemporary Southern Romance. She hooked me with her Jackson Falls series with it's soap opera-esque storylines and cast. And if you're looking for grown and sexy people who know how to communicate she's written quite a few of them. Her upcoming book The Secret to a Southern Wedding has my full attention.

The Secret to a Southern Wedding

It’s been years since Dr. Imani Kemp has returned home to Peachtree Cove, Georgia.  As Tallahassee’s most sought-after OB-GYN, she doesn’t have much time for anything else. But when her mom announces she’s marrying a man she just met on a dating app, Imani knows she has to put a stop to it immediately.  Let her mom be hurt again after the disastrous way her last marriage ended?  Absolutely not. Always her protector, Imani won’t rest until her mom sees reason.  She just never expected sparks to fly with the groom’s son...     

After his mother’s tragic death, Cyril Dash and his father relocated to Peachtree Cove to escape the gossip and speculation. Now, in this quirky small town, they’ve made a new life for themselves, and after years of grief, his dad has finally found happiness again.  And Cyril refuses to let Imani threaten that.  The more determined he is to prove the strength of his dad's love, the more drawn he is to this beautiful, complicated woman who's determined to call off the wedding.

But when Cyril’s heartbreaking past comes to light, destiny won’t be denied.  Because the secret to this southern wedding is you never know how far you'll go in the name of love.

N.G. Peltier is bringing some much needed Trini romance to the Caribbean lit scene. Her Island Bites series set on the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago has mouthwatering desserts, steamy sex, and characters that just come to life.

Don't Go Baking My Heart

Devon King has a plan. An actual with bullet points and everything plan for his life. When he’s called out at work for never participating in any of the office activities he feels compelled to take part in the upcoming office bake off competition to prove he’s a team player, as making partner at his architectural design firm is top on his list of career goals. Only problem, he doesn’t know anything about baking. Failure is not an option so when his first choice for help is unavailable, desperate times lead him to ask Reba Johnson, assistant pastry chef to his brother’s girlfriend.

Reba’s been having fun texting the super serious Devon ridiculous cat pictures, for an entire month, but she’s surprised when he asks for her help with a potential baking crisis, since their conversations have been one sided until now. When her friends make a bet that even she can’t get the stoic Devon to fall for her charms, Reba sets out to prove them wrong and get Devon to have some fun.

As the competition draws closer, their sessions get hotter with a one night stand turning into two nights then three…Reba doesn’t fit into Devon’s carefully crafted life and as he tries to focus on winning the company contest, he discovers that sweet treats aren’t the only thing baking in the kitchen, and all his perfect plans are crumbling.

Alexis Daria hooked me with her Primas of Power series. You Had Me At Hola gave me the telenovela goodness that reminded me of the days I would turn on Telemundo at night and follow a long with English captions to dramatic tales. While What the Hex was a sexy magical short that had me wanting more.

What the Hex

Welcome to Isla Bruja, a secret magical enclave and home to the richest and most powerful Latinx witch families.

When Catalina Cartagena returns home for her older sister’s wedding, she’s shocked to discover that her soon-to-be brother in law is possessed by a demon. To make matters worse, everyone else seems to be under the demon’s spell—except for Diego Paz, younger brother of the groom and Cat’s childhood rival.

With only three days until the wedding, Cat must join forces with her sexy nemesis to break the spell and defeat the demon. If they fail, demonic forces will control two of the most powerful witch families on Isla Bruja.

There’s only one bed at the magical B&B, and it’s time for these witches to get wicked…in more ways than one.

A.J. Locke is serving up my favorite blend of urban fantasy and a romance complete with a diverse cast of characters. Her fast-paced stories featuring witches, necromancers, time travelers, ghosts, and secondary worlds, have had me in a chokehold recently. They remind me of the fun of magic shows of the 00s but still feel current.

The Vanish Witch

There are a few things that could land a witch in hot water. One is having stronger magic than most. Like a Vanish Witch who can make not only objects but people disappear. Another is being in possession of amulets that contain ghosts whose touch is death.

Kitaine Neris has both.

But she keeps the flirtatious ghost hidden, stays off the High Coven’s radar, and keeps up appearances with her local coven while secretly using her magic to Vanish the corrupt and violent from her city.

But when a hit goes horribly awry, Kit ends up Vanishing instead. She’s shocked when she ends up in a chaotic, parallel world, and realizes that everything Vanish Witches made disappear wound up there.

Including her lover, Marrik, who Kit never meant to make disappear at all.

Kit and Marrik’s reunion is passionate, but they need to get back home. However, that’s easier said than done when every bad soul Vanish Witches used their magic on are gunning for Kit, wanting their pound of flesh.

When a mysterious and powerful witch presents a way home, Kit and Marrik will do whatever it takes to fulfill the conditions that will free them before the enemy enacts a vanishing act on them that sticks.

 

I started reading Olivia Stephens through her graphic novel Artie and the Wolf Moon which is perfect for young tweens and tweens who want a fun paranormal story about a girl who discovers she's part wolf while also balancing school and first crushes.  But Olivia has range. I've enjoyed her shorter comics like Darlin and Heavy Soul which are adult and show she can tackle both horror and erotica.

The Tiger Tongue

Under the militant rule of The Tiger’s People, empowered by their animal familiars, the Claw is on the brink of war. At the precipice of adulthood, twin princesses Kelindi and Aridani hold the future of the Claw in their hands. Kelindi would sue for peace with The River’s People, those who were subjugated “to bring order,” while Aridani has never aspired to rule. But an ancient prophecy is revealed that’ll force fate’s hand for the sisters…