Beware of the book dragon!

Rebel Gods is the action-packed and emotional finale to the Monuments duology. Starts off with a bang, where Monuments left off, it really does not disappoint! Connor, Lochie, and Sally are all back in this book after their rather hectic adventure in book one, and just gets more hectic from there. Faced with having to save the world from the ‘rebel’ gods of love and fear, the trio face each problem head on, and never give up. I really loved that in this book, given the current climate we’re in! The love god Agapi felt like one of those really annoying siblings, kind of like my own youngest siblings, and I had a bit of a giggle as I could relate a little to how everyone felt about her. She was rather the attention seeker, and I definitely think it suited the character very well. The ultimatum given was also dramatic, and I was honestly totally there for the dramatics. I did find that I wanted more of her sister though, I wanted more of her story, it would’ve been great to have that litt...

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk hits hard. It really hits hard on the friendship side of things.If you want a contemporary YA that doesn’t throw romance in your face, but explores friendship this one’s for you! I felt this one in my bones whilst listening to it, as my own best friend drifted away from me in my final year of high school and it stung. This made me relate more to the story, and made it a super emotional, but authentic and validating read for me.  I really loved how in this one, there were two timelines- the “then” and the “now”. The then part explores how Cleo and Layla’s friendship was ending, and the now part explored Cleo at present- moving on from the friendship. I felt that this two timeline thing really worked well so show the during and after friendship breakup, riddled with emotion and uncertainty, just like all friendship breakups are like. The descriptiveness of the heartbreak Cleo felt upon realising her friendship was over was touched on really...

Imagine if it was normal to learn how to use super special technology to see other’s dreams. Imagine a world where genetic disease is all but nipped in the bud. Imagine a place where science separates cults from everyday people. Sounds far-fetched, but Nadia Afifi’s The Sentient makes this sound like it could happen to us. Amira Valdez is an aspiring neuroscientist who has high hopes of being placed at a space station for her ‘work placement’. When she goes in for her test, it turns out that the academy she is at has better ideas- setting her up to work at the failing Pandora project. This project is about cloning a human, so it was rather odd that a neuroscientist was needed for the project. At least, that was what Amira thought. As the book got started, it was obvious that she got more than she was bargaining for. Not only did the project often report that it was failing, but as Amira uncovered, there were a lot of secrets to be uncovered, with no stop to it in sight. As a scientist ...

I found this to be an interesting retelling, that I totally engaged with heaps.  Listening to this one, I felt like I couldn't connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. Even though I thought this was a pretty epic read, honestly! I felt like it may have just been the writing that missed it for me, but maybe it was just the general mood of the book too. I loved that it is feminist too.  Rating: 3/5

Where do I start?!  This book has so many elements of me in it! I was questioning what was wrong with me the same way Georgia Warr did. I could see so much of myself in Georgia, having to question everything and try and see what she was (although the variation on the theme is that I found that I'm demi, and Georgia is aroace).  This book really celebrated friendships and exploring one's self and I really digged that. I loved Georgia, Pip, and Jason. I loved Sunil and Rooney. I loved the drama, the good times. I just loved it all (in a friend kind of way, you feel?) Also now I want a cactus.  I cried. I really cried with this book! Rating: 5/5

This felt like a sublty dramatic story about a family, and the highs and the lows between husband and wife. I can see the jelousy of the father when his wife still hangs out with her ex, and it leads to his downfall. Despite starting with a bang, I felt that it read a little more like a contemporary saga than a pure crime fiction, and I couldn't emphasise with any of the characters- Des most of all.  I did enjoy reading about how jealousy can lead to what I feel like are irrational thoughts. Rating: 3.5/5 I received a copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst this book tackles heavy topics, I feel like it also does really well in exploring both privilege and rape culture.  Even though, this one packed a punch, I felt that the pacing wasn't quite right and it felt slightly-off kilter to me. However, I really felt the the characters were raw and real, and I was wanting to read on. I enjoyed reading about the characters' aspirations. Meshing all this into a tale about both rape culture and privilege, I felt like this was rather heavy in parts, but I also felt like it was important to read. Overall, an important, but interesting feminist read! Rating: 3/5

 I listened to this one on audio and I felt like this one was SUPER adorable!!! It had teenage rivalry. It had love. It had competition. It kinda had enemies-to-lovers. I was there for it, and I honestly have no other words other than WHY DID I NOT LISTEN TO THIS SOONER!!! Rating: 4.5/5

I don't usually read or listen to non0fiction, but I picked this one up on audio, and had zero regrets about it! This one was a warm, heartfelt story and listening to some of the horrific things that happened made me cry. A lot. I believe this is an important read (given that I'm a white girl of privilege) and I was here for the stories of improving education access to girls.  A truly inspirational read, and I rate this one a 4/5.

Imagine living in a world where even the books you read were policed. This was fiction for Kim Hyun Sook, who recounts this is the graphic novel Banned Book Club. Beautifully drawn images accompanied the storyline in a way that really draws the reader in, and certainly provokes the reader to feel for the characters. The story, in a memoir-esque form, felt smooth, and wasn’t shy when showing the fear of the characters with the military’s censorship during the 1980s. The graphics really brought to life the images necessary to convey a message, as well as truly set the tones and moods that ebbed and flowed within the storyline. I also found the images were rather detailed as well, as if the finer details mattered to the illustrator. I wasn’t aware that even a single book would have landed you in trouble in South Korea in 1983 until reading this graphic novel. The way it was presented showed how progressive Kim Hyun Sook was in comparison to her parents who just towed the line to avoid get...

To celebrate the Walker Books release of Tribal, here's my blog tour stop for the #AusYABloggers tour ( more stops here )! Here's a brief synopsis: A moving and explosive tale about what happens when tradition and the need to belong collide. Frankie Rescio is struggling with the death of his sister. Next door, Lochie Marsh is about to have his world invaded by his estranged, pregnant half-sister and her layabout boyfriend. Despite tensions simmering just below the surface for both boys and their families, they form a bond that connects their different worlds. Until tribal lores threaten to bring everything crashing down.  Tribal Lores explores the fundamental things about growing up that never change: the desire to fit in and be accepted by one’s peers, the intrinsic urge to belong. My review: This is definitely a tale that I could actually picture the scene. Given that it is predominately set in Carlton, a place that I frequent often- and is currently across Princes Park from ...

This book left me crying on the train whilst I was listening to it. It was heartfelt, and powerful. I love how both characters perspectives were shown, and I love how both girls share the same father, until they find each other.  I'm a sucker for verse, and this one was told BEAUTIFULLY. The verse itself explores many themes such as culture, family, and grief. I'm still crying over this one. I'll never not cry. 4.5/5