Wednesday, August 21, 2024

The Second Chance of Darius Logan by David F. Walker

Welcome Back, Booklovers! The Second Chance of Darius Logan caught my attention in the search for YA SFF written by Black men with Black boys as the lead. One would be surprised at just how little is out there. And luckily it didn't take too long for my library to get the audiobook. So keep reading to hear my thoughts.


Darius Logan has spent most of his life on the streets or in and out of foster care and group homes. After a run in with the police after a drug deal gone wrong he gets a second chance by being recruited to join a special program through the Super Justice Force. This program called, Second Chance, is a program that helps ex convicts start a normal life after prison. Darius will be the first one through the program who hasn't gone to jail and they promise to help him get his life back on track.

The story starts out so interesting with a vibe that reminded me of Black Lightning with the way this crime ridden world riddled with metahumans is described.  I thought the concept of rehabilitation by helping with the special tax force was interest however since Darius doesn't have powers of his own that complicates things. Darius meeting the superheroes he grew up admiring  and encountering their different personalities is a strong point here. Where this story started to lose me was the heavy info dumping. Too much felt told instead of shown particularly when it came to the romance. It progressed quickly and I thought I had missed a section. Darius himself needed to be fleshed out more however a decent job was down fleshing out the side characters.

Being familiar with David F. Walker's work on Bitter Root I'm wondering if this would've read better as a comic or graphic novel instead of as prose. The pieces were all their for an interesting YA superhero story but the execution doesn't quite land. It does end in a way where if a book 2 isn't already in the works there's plenty of opportunity to do some cool things in the sequel. 

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Drown Me with Dreams by Gabi Burton

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I loved Sing Me to Sleep when I read it last year. It was a very fast read for me and came at the perfect time. So imagine my excitement over the chance to read Drown Me With Dreams pre-release. I received an arc from Bloomsbury for review so keep reading for my thoughts.


Drown Me with Dreams picks up where the previous book ended. Prince Hayes is now King Hayes and Saoirse is a fugitive being hunted by the Enforcers of the Kingdom. Hayes is doing his best to keep her safe while they formulate a plan of action to send her through the barrier to the kingdom they know little about on the other side. As the Resistance continues to grow Saoirse must battle enemies on both sides of the barrier. 

While I would say Sing Me to Sleep was more action packed Drown Me With Dreams is more strategy focused so it's slower paced. There was no one clear foe to thwart so as I reader I was never quite sure what direction I was being pulled in. 

This book also leans heavier into the romance which at times resulted in some repetitive scenes. However Hayes and Saoirse do have great chemistry together that makes you want to root for them. And I like that Hayes kept consistent with his already established character traits as far as wanting to be the fair King. Saoirse also works on controlling her instincts to kill which meant there were less murder scenes and she lost a little bit of her siren lure.  Though there's still a sprinkling of haunting moments where she uses her song to bend people to her will. She's a great strategist and smart heroine which I could appreciate and it's part of what kept me reading. I needed to see her succeed. 

Overall I would say Drown Me With Dreams has a more mature feel compared to it's predecessor and it's still an interesting journey that ends with a satisfying conclusion.