THIS POISON HEART by KALYNN BAYRON A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Welcome back to the review column, everyone! Apologies for the hiatus (I actually used my time off!), but now we’re back with This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron. A brand new YA contemporary fantasy duology, This Poison Heart is about Briseis…
I KISSED SHARA WHEELER by CASEY MCQUISTON A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston is McQuiston’s debut into the world of YA. Their previous works, Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop are both adult rom-coms and resounding successes. RW&RB is even being…
SMALL FAVORS by ERIN CRAIG A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Since her debut novel (House of Salt and Sorrows), Erin Craig has become an author to watch for me. I love her lyrical prose and fantastical, Gothic plots, and I love her wacky twist endings. Salt and Sorrows had a totally…
KISS & TELL by ADIB KHORRAM A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN I have a well-documented past with loving boy bands. I loved the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC when I was younger and I’m obsessed with the likes of NCT and BTS today. So when I heard Adib Khorram, author of Darius…
CHERISH FARRAH by BETHANY C. MORROW A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow is an interesting case. It’s not, as Morrow explained, a YA novel. And this is a YA novel review column, isn’t it? (The answer is yes). It’s also not an adult novel. Cherish Farrah exists…
A FAR WILDER MAGIC by ALLISON SAFT A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN \You may remember, gentle readers, when I reviewed Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft last year. I loved that book and I also had to preface the review by saying I know Allison personally. Well, here comes another…
THE KINDRED by ALECHIA DOW A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN The Kindred by Alechia Dow is a YA sci-fi story with a sweeping love story at its core. Through this book, we are introduced to the concept of Kindred matches. Felix and Joy, our main characters, are one such Kindred pair.…
THE RED PALACE by JUNE HUR A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN I knew I wanted to read The Red Palace as soon as it was announced. June Hur has written two other books, The Silence of Bones and The Forest of Stolen Girls, each of them historical mysteries set in Joseon Era Korea.…
THINGS WE COULDN’T SAY by JAY COLES A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles is a moving YA contemporary novel following Gio Zander, a high schooler who was abandoned by his mother when he was nine. Not only is he dealing with lingering abandonment issues,…
COLD THE NIGHT, FAST THE WOLVES by MEG LONG A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN When Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long first crossed my radar, I was instantly excited because I’m a lifelong wolf girl. Ask anyone who knew me when I was a kid and they’ll tell…