THE BEHOLDER by ANNA BRIGHT A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Let me preface this review by saying I haven’t picked up a YA fantasy in a long time. We’re talking months here. I think I’m finally getting to the point in my reading career where fantasy is completely oversaturating the…
EVE by ANNA CAREY A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN I’ll be honest, dear readers…I didn’t finish this book. I know, I’m sorry. Before calling me a fraud and throwing tomatoes at the library, let me just say one thing: You don’t always have to finish a book. Especially if you don’t like…
SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW by MAURENE GOO (2019) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN It’s no secret that I’m a K-pop (Korean pop) fan. I’ve been interested in it since 2009 or so when a friend of mine linked me to a YouTube video for a song called “Gee” by Girls’…
BATTLE ROYALE by KOUSHUN TAKAMI A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN If you aren’t familiar with Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, then you might be familiar with its American counterpart, The Hunger Games. Ring any bells? The reason why I’m bringing this up is because Battle Royale and The Hunger Games are cut from the…
GIRLS ON THE VERGE by SHARON BIGGS WALLER A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller tackles a topic rarely discussed in the YA world, let alone as the main topic of the novel. That topic being abortion. Despite YA’s growth over recent years, abortion…
FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS (#1 RISE OF THE EMPRESS) by JULIE C. DAO A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao is one of those books I’d seen everyone talking about when it was first released in 2017. An East Asian inspired retelling…
HEROINE by MINDY MCGINNIS (2019) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN I’ve reviewed a Mindy McGinnis book before. That book was This Darkness Mine, and I read it around October of last year. Since then, TDM has kept its place as one of the most bizarre books I have ever read.…
A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN TRIGGER WARNING: This book and subsequent review discuss the death of an infant, as well as other disturbing content. Discretion is advised. Some of you eagle-eyed readers may remember that I wrote a review of Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson last year as part…
ON THE COME UP by ANGIE THOMAS (2019) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN There hasn’t been a YA novel in recent history with quite as much buzz as The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. After its release in 2017, THUG has gone on to win numerous (well-deserved) awards, be…
ODD ONE OUT by NIC STONE (2018) A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Odd One Out by Nic Stone is an #OwnVoices contemporary novel centered around three teens who are struggling to come to terms with their budding sexualities. We have Courtney Cooper, eighteen, star basketball player and all-around nice…