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. 

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. 

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster by Shauna Robinson

 Welcome Back, Booklovers! I met Shauna at a book event back in March and decided to add The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster to my TBR and went in without really knowing much about it. So keep reading to hear my full thoughts.

The Townsend Family Recipe for Disaster is about a biracial woman named Mae who is about to get married and feels out of place both in her own white family and the one she's marrying into. Her father passed years earlier and she's never had a connection to his family. When her grandmother passes she decides to take a trip to the South for the funeral and try and reconnect.  Secrets are revealed, longtime grudges are exposed and Mae must confront some harsh truths in between attempting to keep family traditions alive.

The book sets itself apart from similar books by having the harder conversations around biracial heritage and the way individuals navigate that identity that is different than someone whose parents are the same race. Which I appreciated because so often it's not discussed and it's presented as if there's no difference. Mae and her father had a habit of just shrugging off the racism of her white family over the years and she has to finally acknowledge the harm behind that and learn to stand up for herself. There were some very honest and uncomfortable conversations about race here. So many books I pick up that discuss racism and have Black and biracial characters in mostly white spaces still don't talk about the way in which those characters enable the white people around them by keeping quiet. Mae has to really reckon with the privileges she has due to her proximity to whiteness.

There's also a very good exploration here about how to navigate relationships with family after the death of the relative that was connecting you. Having firsthand experience actively navigating that I found that part of the story to be very well done. It didn't expect one of the big twists here and it was refreshing to see the conversations around it. My biggest gripe is there's no recipe for the much talked about mac & cheese!

A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I read Riss' I'm Not Supposed to Be in the Dark last year and while it was a decent read for me and I liked her writing style I was curious to see how she would do with an older audience. I received a copy of A Love Like the Sun from Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

Best friends Laniah and Issac have kept close over the years so when Issac finds out Laniah's  hair product business is failing he uses his influencer fame to get her brand attention by pretending she's his girlfriend. Suddenly her business is booming and Laniah is having to confront the feelings she's always felt for him. 

Many authors are making the transition from YA to Adult recently but I must admit not many making the transition so seamlessly. Some author's writing styles stay exactly the same and their book ends up feeling like YA with slightly older characters. Romance is a hard genre to stand out in with the constant releases both traditionally and indie, especially when the story is slow burn. But I think Riss' rhythmic writing stands out as well as the authenticity of her characters. The conversations here felt real like I was peaking into these people's lives. There's high sexual tension between Laniah and Issac that just works.

Riss wasn't afraid to have a conversation about her biracial main character being in the natural hair community and how some women might question her credibility when it came to doing 4c hair. She also wasn't afraid to shy away from showing the reality of chronic illness and loosing a parent as well as dealing with a diagnosis. And it's done in a way where it's not the entire focus. So readers get to enjoy the lighter moments and the build up of Laniah and Issac's relationship as they navigate industry events and the expansion of Laniah's business. Since there is actually benefit to keeping up the charade, the fake dating aspect works in this capacity instead of feeling like it was just thrown in to check off trope boxes.

Museum Recs!

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I'm always keeping my eye out for picture books that feature Black kids going to different places especially places we don't always see them depicted in media. A few weeks ago when I was taking my niece to a museum for a Juneteenth celebration I thought about how important free events like that were so kids can visit these museums. Which then had me thinking about how you don't see many books featuring Black kids visiting museums. Which meant I had to use my library apps to do a little bit of digging to find some books.

Miss Edmonia's Class of Wildfires

Miss Edmonia (a nod to American sculptor, Edmonia Lewis) and her class of elementary aged WILDFIRES are spending the day at the art museum. Follow Kara-Clementine and Attilio as they explore the museum's collection and discover the character traits that make them special.

Museum Mix-Up

J.C. can't wait for his class field trip to the Famous Black Americans Museum. Even better, Dad is coming too--as a chaperone. But then J.C.'s group gets separated from the rest of the class. Can J.C. help save the day and find his classmates?

The Noisy Classroom Goes to the Museum

Ms. Johnson is a bit, well, odd. So when she announces she’s taking the class on a field trip to the natural history museum, one young girl can’t help but worry. Everyone at school already knows Ms. Johnson, but what will strangers think of her? As the day of the field trip draws nearer, the girl and her friends decide to hatch a plan for their teacher’s sake.

Malola's Museum Adventures : Career Day

When Malola is tasked with sharing with her class what she wants to be when she grows up, she runs to the one place she knows will help her—her favorite room in her favorite museum. But when she asks her favorite paintings what she should be when she grows up, she doesn’t expect them to come to life and take her on a journey to find the answer!

Follow Malola as she travels through a magical exhibit of paintings and learns about the many inspirational women who came before her, paving the way for her to be anything and everything she wants to be.

Ana & Andrew: A Day at the Museum

Ana & Andrew are excited when Grandma comes to stay. During her visit, the family tours the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture and learns about important African American achievements.