Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam

Summary From Goodreads:

A tale of unlikely heroes and myths is made real in this debut graphic novel series about a "bad" demon trying to find her place in the underworld. But she'll have to save it first!

Meesh is a bad demon. "Bad" meaning she always sees the good in those around her--which, strictly speaking, isn't how a demon is meant to feel or act.

Bullied by the other demons, twelve-year-old Meesh is more likely to be found poring over Fairy World's magazines and fangirling the fairy princesses. When disaster strikes and her family is threatened, Meesh must journey to the Fairy World to find a healing crystal that can save the underworld. And speak of the devil! She meets a fairy princess right away.

But things in the Fairy World aren't so perfect either. As Meesh makes surprising new friends and unites a band of outcasts--including her bully--she learns there's more to being a demon than being bad.

Sometimes the secret to real power is in loving yourself, faults and all.

Review:

This was a sweet, middle grade graphic novel. I’ve really been loving fantasy stories in this format lately. What really makes this book a standout is the art. It’s stunning. I keep wanting to go back to the book, to stare at the pages. The artwork is what bring this world  (or worlds) to life.

The story isn’t new. The main character is more powerful than she knows. she works with her bully and her favorite fairy princess to save the world (and all the adults who have been turned to stone). There’s magic, a good dose of believing in yourself, learning to work with others, and worlds colliding to make for a fun adventure.

I like that it’s the kids who end up teaching the adults a thing or two. Of course the kids are the heroes and are the ones who are more accepting and less prejudiced. I’m also fascinated by the different worlds and what the kids are all taught on them. I feel like there’s so much unsaid, and I kind of hope more books come after this one.

All in all, it’s the artwork that makes the book special. The story is fun, but not exactly unique. The kid power makes for a happy read. And the overall message is very sweet. I give this one an 8/10.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary from Goodreads:

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

Review:

I’ve seen a lot of hype for this book over the last couple of years, and I do tend to enjoy this author, but she’s never been a favorite. Her books tend to be more plot-oriented, less character driven. And sometimes I do like that. I do love a good, suspenseful mystery. However, my favorites are always character-driven stories. That being said, I read a review that drew me back to the book, and I’m glad I finally gave in….I ate this book up!

This was definitely more a suspense-driven mystery than character developed drama. However, the mystery was just so much fun, and such a dream, I couldn’t stop reading. Who doesn’t want to inherit billions of dollars from a total stranger for no apparent reason? And who doesn’t want to all of a sudden live amongst several attractive guys who are trying to solve the same mystery? And who doesn’t want to live in a mansion filled with secret passages and riddles?

This book is part “Knives Out,” mystery, part wish fulfillment, part love triangle, part “Gossip Girl.” I found myself up to 2:30am one work night, going why am I not sleeping??? And it’s rare that a book does this for me any more. There’s nothing ground-breaking here. A lot of the characters feel familiar, like characters almost based off of ones I’ve met before. But, the story was just so much fun, and I needed a good, fun story. The game of it kind of reminded of Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library, in a good way. I can’t wait to read more riddles.

All in all, the book will keep you guessing until the end. And I’m already itching to read book 2. I’m so glad the whole series is finished, so I can just binge it at my own pace. I give this a 9/10.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Bouleley

Summary from Goodreads:

Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Debut Novel (2021), Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction (2021)
As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in—both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When her family is struck by tragedy, Daunis puts her dreams on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.

After Daunis witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation, she agrees to go undercover. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. How far will she go to protect her community if it means tearing apart the only world she’s ever known?

Review:

I really enjoyed reading this one. There were a couple of things I did not love, but overall, I had a hard time putting the book down. It was part Breaking Bad, part The Black List, part Nancy Drew, and part Veronica Mars all squished into one YA novel that also focused on an under-represented Ojibwe community in Northern Michigan. How could I not like this book?

I loved learning about the Ojibwe culture. I also found the Northern Michigan culture to be new and interesting. I even learned about hockey. It was awesome to read about a girl hockey player, or former hockey player. That all being said, this was a super dark book. Injustices against Native peoples are not sugarcoated. Daunis witnesses the violent death of her best friend. Drugs are slowly making their way through her community and more and more people appear to be dying as a result. This book has murder, drugs, sexual assault, kidnapping, and racial and social injustice. I can see young people eating this book up. I also loved how important tribal elders were in the book. She’s always driving them, and helping them. At one point they save Daunis’ life, and I found this intergenerational element to be so cool.

What didn’t I like? I didn’t love the romance. The FBI Agent is 22, and Daunis is 18…It just felt icky to me. And while I know she’s 18, her voice comes off as much younger…There’s a lot of things she doesn’t know. And I get that not all 18 year olds are in the know about the same things, it’s the way she phrases things like “secret squirrel” and “Call-Me-Grant” over and over that made me always visualize her as younger than 18, but maybe that was just me reacting now as an adult reader…

I was not too surprised by any of the “big” twists, but I’ve watched a lot of secret agent shows so I kind of feel like I know what to expect at this point. However, I still kept reading super fast, needing to know what would happen. So much happens in the last quarter of the book.  hope Boulley keeps writing more stories. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next. I give this one an 8/10.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Summary from Goodreads:

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black returns to the opulent world of Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude's brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren.

Review:

I lucked into a free Barnes and Noble gift card that someone did not want….My husband and I split it and I ended up purchasing this book. I have loved Holly Black since I was an actual teenager. And her latest series is probably my favorite. However, I have to admit it took me a little longer than expected to remember who all the key players were when I started the book. I even went online to look up a series recap. Not that you necessarily need to remember much about the previous trilogy to enjoy this book…but I wanted to remember things. I loved that trilogy so much, I wanted to remember why.

I didn’t immediately love this book. It kind of slowly earned my respect. I liked slowly getting to know Suren. She’s not exactly the typical main character -someone who chooses a life of exile in the woods…watching the human family she wishes she could go back to. I immediately felt bad for her, but I didn’t immediately love her. That okay though because I grew to love her once I saw how strong, resilient, and incredibly intelligent she was.

Oak on the other hand? He’s also not the typical love interest…He never tells the full truth and always seems to tricking Suren, and I never really grew to love him. Maybe part of this is because I keep seeing him as the child from the original books. But, also his character is maybe too flawed for me. And I tend to love flawed characters, so I’m not sure what this says. It’s definitely another character-driven story. But, it starts as a quest-type story. Quest tropes aren’t my favorite, so that’s also part of the reason it took me a little while to get into it. But, I’m glad I did not give up on this one. When the book picks up on the world building and character development, and dark twisty suspense plot elements, it’s un-putdown-able. And the ending? It definitely leaves you wanting more. I cannot wait for book 2.

All in all, it took me a while to get into my groove, reading this. But, when I did, I really did. I give this a 9/10.