The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Summary from Goodreads:

Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions.
 
11-year-old Kofi Offin dreams of water. Its mysterious, immersive quality. The rich, earthy scent of the current. The clearness, its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets…
 
Kofi has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, in the village where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. Some say he moves like a minnow, not just an ordinary boy so he’s hoping to finally prove himself in front of Ama and his friends in a swimming contest against his older, stronger cousin.
 
But before this can take place, a festival comes to the villages of Upper and Lower Kwanta and Kofi’s brother is chosen to represent Upper Kwanta in the wrestling contest. Encircled by cheering spectators and sounding drums, the two wrestlers from different villages kneel, ready to fight.
 
You are only fine, until you are not.
 
The match is over before it has barely begun, when the unthinkable–a sudden death–occurs…
 
The river does not care how grown you are.

As his world turns upside down, Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.

Review:

As I mentioned on Goodreads, this is powerful stuff. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. I have probably loved all of the books I've read so far by this author, but by far this is the most significant. I couldn't put it down last night. It was a stay-up late read -until your done kind of book. And then as the rest of the house is sleeping, your brain can't let it go. And I was up thinking about it... It haunts you, and stays with you and your soul just feels this book.

I knew what this book was before going into it, so there was this bit of dread each time I opened it too. When was the unthinkable going to happen to the character I was growing to love?  Kofi is just such pure joy and hope. You can’t help but love him and want him to succeed in everything. I wanted him to beat his cousin in the swim race. I wanted him to succeed in school. I wanted him to have his first kiss with the girl he was in love with.  I wanted him to learn everything from his strict teacher. I wanted everything for him and he’s so smart.

Also, there’s this window into a a world/life/culture I know close to nothing about. Reading about this life in Africa was almost like reading a fantasy novel for me; that’s how little I know about this part of history and this way of life. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those ignorant people who never learned the horrors of slavery. I just 100 percent feel there’s this missing component to the education of it. We don’t get the humanity and the culture of the people before the horrors of it. This book is all about life and love and everything that happens before. It was eye-opening. It doesn’t make the horror of what does eventually happen any easier. If anything, it makes it more intense. I was up late crying my eyes out….

Even now, maybe a week later, I still have tears in my eyes thinking about it. This was a powerful, intense, human story that was eye opening and also lyrical. I can’t imagine what the audio book version is like. I almost wish i listened to it instead -but then I’d be a mess in my car. I am so grateful for reading this, and I hope it wins all the awards and recognition it deserves. I give it a 10/10.

The Song that Moves the Sun by Anna Bright

Summary from Goodreads:

This sweeping YA fantasy romance full of star-crossed love, complex female friendship, and astrological magic is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Alexandra Bracken, and V.E. Schwab. From the acclaimed author of The Beholder.

Best friends Rora and Claudia have never felt more like their lives are spiraling out of control. And when they meet Major and Amir--two boys from one of the secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of the astrological signs--they discover they're not alone. There is a disruption in the harmony between the spheres, and its chaos is spreading.

To find the source of the disharmony, Rora and Claudia will embark on a whirlwind journey of secrets, romance, and powerful truths--about themselves, each other, and two long-ago explorers named Dante and Beatrice, who were among the first to chart this course toward the stars.

Inspired partly by the classic works of Dante Alighieri, this gorgeous stand-alone contemporary fantasy will captivate readers of Lore and Star Daughter.

Review:

This ARC survived my move. I think because of the pretty cover and the blurb that marked it for fans of Laini Taylor, Alexandra Bracken, and V.E Schwab….I had to read it.  I’m not a huge horoscope person, so that didn’t super appeal to me, but I have to admit I’ve never read about a world determined by your star chart before…And I like reading about new things.

Did it make sense? Not really…I found myself scratching my head a lot. The reasoning behind why the worlds all worked the way they did was because of one bad break up. Well, I guess for a universe centered around horoscopes….And there were way too many point of views. Some time I love a good YA novel with some point of view shifts, but that’s when each character is extraordinarily different, and in a different place. Here, often, the characters were all in the same room. And some of them seemed like the same person! I wish it was maybe just in two people’s points of view. Either the two best friends or the two love interests.

And I didn’t love the love interests. I guess this goes back to all the points of view switching, but I was constantly confusing the guy characters. They were basically the same person to me by the end of the book. One just had royal parents. One liked to be outside on the farm. Or, maybe that’s the same guy? Regardless, there was a problem here.

The book also sometimes went back in time hundreds of years to another set of point of views! I’m not joking about the point of views. But, at least those ones definitely stood out. They were the original explorers/colonizers/whatever you want to call them. And I didn’t hate getting that perspective.

I did like the back and forth between the best friends. And I like the focus on trauma and mental illness. It was a different type of mental illness than we typically see in YA, so I’m glad it was represented, and in a sci-fi romance book too! The girl characters were definitely distinguishable. Most of the time.  I liked watching them shine.

I liked the characters, the world-building, and the concept of this universe. It was rather unique for me. It made kind of want to go look up my horoscope/star chart. I just wish there were not so many points of view confusing things. And maybe if the focus was more on the friendship story and less on the romance, the book would have felt more whole. All in all, I give it an 7/10.

The Battle for Roar by Jenny McLachlan

Summary from Goodreads:

The final book in the thrilling trilogy about a set of twins who journey back into the imaginary land they created as children. Perfect for readers who dream of exploring Narnia and Neverland, this heartwarming and gorgeously illustrated story with a classic feel takes readers on an adventure through a vivid and lush imaginary world. A bestseller in the UK!

Arthur and Rose Trout are the heroes of Roar, a magical world they created together when they were little, where anything they imagine can become real.

Roar is filled with incredible wonders from their own imaginations. Arthur and Rose are looking forward to exploring beyond the End of Roar, an as-yet unexplored part of the world. When they arrive, they're greeted by some long-forgotten fairies who are very excited to see them. Maybe too excited...

Facing down a new nemesis, Arthur and Rose must team up with friends old and new to save both Roar and the real world beyond it from total destruction.

Review:

I’ve really enjoyed reading these books. I’m not sure why, but there’s something that will always call to me about stories where kids can venture into a fantasy world from the real one. Maybe it’s because I used to pretend to do this as a child, and I definitely made up stories about this too. Jenny McLachlan succeeds in making in the reader yearn for childhood, yearn for the days when you could pretend to crawl under a bed and, and break through into a land with dragons and fairies.

What these books do too is also focus on the sibling dynamic. They are not just about the fantasy. A lot of focus is about growing up and learning about who your true friends are. But, so much also is about the bond between brother and sister. And there is something so special here about this. I also love all the moments when their grandfather comes in too. And the fact that their grandfather has his own fantastical world? Gold. Pure gold. Also, these are great books for kids who need humor. There are a lot of funny moments.

I’m not sure this was the grand finale I was hoping for, but the more I think about it days later…the more perfect I kind of know it was. I don’t want to go into too much detail because it would  seriously spoil things, but the turnaround of certain past characters and the way certain character learn to work together is just so great. How better could it possibly have ended? I don’t feel like there was much closure at all in the outside world, but these books really weren’t about that much. And there’s certainly some room for any continuation if the author wants to come back.

I recommend these books as a level up from the Dragon Masters series, and they are definitely good for kids who loved the Magic Tree House books, but are ready for something more challenging -an intro to fantasy for kids who are sort of in between series books and the thicker, harder novels like Narnia and Wings of Fire.

All in all, this was a fun final installment. It was a fantastic fantasy series for young readers. And  I hope more kids read them. I give this one a 9/10.