As the rain falls on the red carpet of leaves outside, it has become even more vital to find a riveting book to sink one’s teeth into. Thankfully, there are lots of delightful new releases coming out this month to keep those dreaded reading slumps at bay. To get you started, here are a few releases that caught my attention:
Young Adult
All posts that feature a book from genre young adult
- Book reviews
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ACE OF SHADES by Amanda Foody
Within a few pages, Amanda Foody had me eating out the palm of her hand as she did a phenomenal job establishing the tone and world of the story. Through her picturesque writing, the creative and complex world soon became my favourite part of this story. While the intricate details regarding the powers and family names were slightly confusing, even this could not lessen the appeal of the world Amanda creates.
- Book reviews
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DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
This cover is absolutely gorgeous with its beautiful illustration and simple colour scheme. I also love the references to various elements of the story, as these create strong links between the cover and the story it represents.
- Book reviews
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CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo
I love that this cover shares such a strong connection with the one for the previous book. While this design is not as stunning as the former, I once again found the buildings concealed within the crow’s feathers visually appealing.
- Book reviews
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SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo
Despite being relatively simple, the world-building is fascinating and immersive. Similarly simple is the writing style, but this is perfect for conveying the intricate details of the action-packed story. The multiple points of view (POVs) used not only presents a full scope of events but help establish the complex characters. Transitions between these POVs are smooth and well-timed, with little repetition of information.
- Book reviews
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THIS WOVEN KINGDOM by Tahereh Mafi
The gold design with pops of red and green immediately draws the eye. I love the contrast between the lush yellow background and the simple, central illustration. Although this illustration is suitable for the genre, it fails to capture a significant element of the story it is supposed to represent.
- Book reviews
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BLOOD SCION by Deborah Falaye
Steeped in Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, the world Deborah Falaye creates is immersive, graphic and fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the extensive history and culture that unapologetically showcases the Yoruba language. While there is no avoiding the wealth of information needed to establish this complex world, I love that Deborah takes her time to gradually weave this information into the story. This allows the fast pace of the story to be maintained and presents the details in manageable pieces.
- Book reviews
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A PHO LOVE STORY by Loan Le
The simple writing is easy to follow and enjoyable, but it is not hugely striking or engaging. Even the alternating points of view between the two main characters fail to add much to the story as information is often summarised and repeated with each narrative switch. What I loved was the slight integration of the Vietnamese language. This is just one of the many ways Loan Le shows that she is unapologetically proud of her culture, and I was here for it!