February 1 releases, part 2

 Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
By Kristen R. Lee

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0593309154
ISBN-13: 978-0593309155
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Grade level: 9 - 12

 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sights were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?

Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face to face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son of a local prominent family. Soon Savannah is unearthing secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?

A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.

My Thoughts:

This book is going to be challenged in a lot of school libraries, because it presents the ugly truth of the ongoing presence of racism and microagressions. Protagonist Savannah’s mom has her heart set on Savannah attending the fictional Ivy League Wooddale as her ticket out of poverty, even though Savannah would rather attend an HBCU.

 Long story short, although she makes friends among the few Black students at Wooddale, Savannah finds racism everywhere, and decides that she is going to speak out. She does so, despite coming up against the university’s golden-child son of a major donor.

Savannah’s struggles are contrasted with her best friend back in Memphis, B’Onka. B’Onka, too, is smart, but chooses a vastly different path.

What I loved about this book is that, in this first-person narrative, Savannah uses AAVE. Not only that, but it is more pronounced in scenes where Savannah is in Memphis than when she’s at Wooddale.

The point of this story is very similar to the smash-hit Ace of Spades, although without as much of a mystery to solve. I must say, I liked this one much more and hope it has similar to success to Ace of Spades.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Swearing, including the F-word. Drug use and drinking. Racial stereotyping and racism.

 Who Might Like This Book.

Those who are interested in current events and social justice. Those who want to understand more about what victims of racism go through.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs
By Pam Munoz Ryan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1484728351
ISBN-13: 978-1484728352
Reading age: 8 - 12 years
Grade level: 3 – 7
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

On the brink of her Quinceañera, and her official coronation, Solimar visits the oyamel forest to sit among the monarch butterflies. There, the sun pierces through a sword-shaped crevice in a boulder, which shines on her and sends the butterflies humming and swirling around her.

After the magical frenzy, she realizes she's been given a gift―and a burden: she can predict the near future! She has also become a protector of the young and weak butterflies. This alone would be a huge responsibility, but tragedy strikes when a neighboring king invades while her father and brother and many others are away. The remaining villagers are taken hostage―all except Solimar.

Can this princess-to-be save her family, the kingdom, and the future of the monarch butterflies from a greedy and dangerous king?

 My Thoughts:

This was a classic middle-grade coming-of-age, finding yourself story with an environmental twist. Solimar accidentally becomes a protector of the monarch butterflies. Unfortunately, that gives her the magical ability to foretell the future when asked—if she’s directly in the sun. This somewhat complicates her quest.

 Solimar loves her home, but wishes she were allowed to travel with her father and the other men to sell their crafts at far away. If only she could figure out a faster way to get there—but the river is dangerous.

 When a king who wants to take the forest to use for development invades during her father’s absence, Solimar must face the river to get help for her family and country before it’s too late. She meets an ingenious new friend who knows the river, and discovers her own strength as they overcome obstacles and find help.

I liked the characters in this book and the dialogue felt natural. It hits at the sweet spot for the age group—the right maturity level, the right relationships. And Solimar (why did I just want to call her Mirabel…can’t be that I just watched Encanto…) discovers that being a princess isn’t such a bad thing after all—because it gives her an opportunity to help others.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Perilous situations. A little bit of lying. Some violence, not graphic.

 Who Might Like this Book:

Those who are concerned about the environment. Those who like coming-of-age stories.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

 Beyond the Lavender Fields
By Arlem Hawks
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (January 31, 2022)
Language: English
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1629729353
ISBN-13: 978-1629729350
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

1792, France Rumors of revolution in Paris swirl in Marseille, a bustling port city in southern France. Gilles Etienne, a clerk at the local soap factory, thrives on the news. Committed to the cause of equality, liberty, and brotherhood, he and his friends plan to march to Paris to dethrone the monarchy. His plans are halted when he meets Marie-Caroline Daubin, the beautiful daughter of the owner of the factory.

A bourgeoise and royalist, Marie-Caroline has been called home to Marseille to escape the unrest in Paris. She rebuffs Gilles's efforts to charm her and boldly expresses her view that violently imposed freedom is not really freedom for all. As Marie-Caroline takes risks to follow her beliefs, Gilles catches her in a dangerous secret that could cost her and her family their lives. As Gilles and Marie-Caroline spend more time together, she questions her initial assumptions about Gilles and realizes that perhaps they have more in common than she thought.

As the spirit of revolution descends on Marseille, people are killed and buildings are ransacked and burned to the ground. Gilles must choose between supporting the political change he believes in and protecting those he loves. And Marie-Caroline must battle between standing up for what she feels is right and risking her family's safety. With their lives and their nation in turmoil, both Gilles and Marie-Caroline wonder if a revolutionnaire and a royaliste can really be together or if they must live in a world that forces people to choose sides.

 My Thoughts:

This is a historical novel, but I found it so very relevant to today’s issues. Two people on polar opposite sides of an issue, but they’re attracted to each other. They are forced to find common beliefs in order for their relationship to progress.

 We see zealotry of varying degrees from characters on both sides of the issue, and it’s destructive in one form or another—every time. A good lesson for today. I know I keep saying that, and I have no idea if Hawkes meant to be making current political commentary, but it is there nonetheless.

 Apart from that, I found the book well-written, the characters interesting and believable. There are some of the usual romance tropes, but nothing overdone. The meeting of our two main characters is cute, and comes up as a running sore-point (or joke, depending on the day) between them.

 The conclusion is a little unexpected, in a good way.  I also like that there is some reconciliation between Gilles and his not-always-law-abiding father.

 I am only sad that Shadow Mountain Press books don’t generally hit the mainstream market, and I think as many people as possible should read this book.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Some violence and vandalism. People’s homes are burned, people are injured and killed.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who are interested in the historic time period. Those who like romance. Those who like complicated relationships.

 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 

Lockdown on London Lane
By Beth Reekles
Language: English
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 198936585X
ISBN-13: 978-1989365854

 Publisher’s Blurb:

Publisher: W by Wattpad Books (February 1, 2022)

For the inhabitants of London Lane, a simple slip of paper underneath each of their doors is about to change their lives in a hundred different ways.

URGENT!!! Due to the current situation, building management has decided to impose a seven-day quarantine on all apartment buildings on London Lane.

With nowhere else to go . . .

Ethan and Charlotte wonder whether absence really does make the heart grow fonder when they end up on either side of a locked door.

A fierce debate over pineapple on pizza ignites a series of revelations about Zach and Serena’s four-year relationship.

Liv realizes rolling with the punches is sometimes much harder than it looks after her bridesmaids’ party goes off the rails, leaving the group at each other’s throats.

Isla and Danny’s new romance is put to the test as they jump ten steps ahead on the relationship timeline.

And Imogen and Nate’s one-night stand is about to get six do-overs they never really asked for―not awkward at all.

Through make ups, breakups, love-ins, and blowouts, friendships are tested as everyone scrambles to make it through the week unscathed. Amidst all the drama, one thing remains constant: life is full of surprises.

 My Thoughts:

This book was a bit of a departure from the large amount of romance and middle grade books I’ve been reading lately.

 Having lived through the last eleven thousand years of the pandemic, it was rather fun to read a book set at the beginning of the lockdown era. The various characters each have strong personalities, and they each deal with the unexpected lockdown of the apartment building in their own ways. As the story progresses, we also see some interconnections between the characters.

 Probably my favorite of the five story arcs is Ethan’s. He’s a classic nerd boy, who adores his girlfriend…who was away when the building was locked down. Their enforced separation makes him realize he never wants to live without her again, and comedy ensues.

 Imogen and Isla were both a bit annoying, but not in ways that made me want to stop reading. They both had some serious character flaws—Isla worried too much about her routine and what others thought of her, and Isla didn’t worry about those things at all. They are perfect foils for each other, and their growth throughout the week of quarantine is satisfying.

 The device of the Hawaiian pizza for Serena and Nate…it’s so trivial, and yet so earth-shaking for them, or more appropriately, for Serena. Theirs is the story that is left at least partially unresolved.

 And, as a contrast against all the couples, we have the bridal party, complete with Bridezilla. Poor Liv, who likes being alone, having to suddenly host three other women for a week. Again, though, she comes out of quarantine with a bright future.

 The narrative is fun. There are some cultural references that if you’re not up on British pop culture could be a bit confusing.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

References to sex. One of our main characters is lesbian. Unmarried couples living/sleeping together. Swearing, including the F word. Lots of drinking.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who need a fun pandemic read, those who like watching people go through stress and coming out better.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

The Fashion Orphans
By Randy Susan Myers and MJ Rose
Publisher: Blue Box Press (February 1, 2022)
Language: English
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 195245770X
ISBN-13: 978-1952457708
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Estranged half-sisters Gabrielle Winslow and Lulu Quattro have only two things in common: mounds of debt and coils of unresolved enmity toward Bette Bradford, their controlling and imperious recently deceased mother.

Gabrielle, the firstborn, was raised in relative luxury on Manhattan’s rarefied Upper East Side. Now, at fifty-five, her life as a Broadway costume designer married to a heralded Broadway producer has exploded in divorce.

Lulu, who spent half her childhood under the tutelage of her working-class Brooklyn grandparents, is a grieving widow at forty-eight. With her two sons grown, her life feels reduced to her work at the Ditmas Park bakery owned by her late husband’s family.

The two sisters arrive for the reading of their mother’s will, expecting to divide a sizable inheritance, pay off their debts, and then again turn their backs on each other.

But to their shock, what they have been left is their mother’s secret walk-in closet jammed with high-end current and vintage designer clothes and accessories— most from Chanel.

Contemplating the scale of their mother’s self-indulgence, the sisters can’t help but wonder if Lauren Weisberger had it wrong: because it seems, in fact, that the devil wore Chanel. But as they being to explore their mother’s collection, meet and fall in love with her group of warm, wonderful friends, and magically find inspiring messages tucked away in her treasures — it seems as though their mother is advising Lulu and Gabrielle from the beyond — helping them rediscover themselves and restore their relationship with each other.

 My Thoughts:

I am an only child. I have never experienced the sister dynamic. This book gives the good, the bad, and the ugly. Of course, Lulu and Gabi are actually only half-sisters, and the difference between their fathers is part of what sometimes separates them. Gabi has been the golden child; Lulu has always felt like she has disappointed their mother.

 Their mother was not the warm, nurturing sort. At all. She was more of the type to toughen them up to prepare them for the world.

 Both women experienced pretty intense trauma in their marriages—one was blindsided by divorce, the other by her husband’s death. Neither was able to support the other in crisis, and there has been a rift between them. And both are in definite need of funds.

 So when they meet for the reading of their mother’s will, both are hoping for the money they need. Instead, they find there is not a lot of money, and they are required to make a plan for their mother’s collection—a collection they have no clue about.

 It is their discovery of this collection and, through it, their mother’s friends, that sets them on the path to healing and self-discovery. There is a lot of love in this book, it just sometimes gets sidetracked.

 I really enjoyed the supporting characters just as much as the sisters. I particularly like the closeness that Lulu develops with her sons’ spouses as everyone comes together to work on the problems at hand.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Swearing, including a few instances of the F word. Drinking. Unmarried sex. One of Lulu’s sons is gay and has a husband.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who like stories about family dynamics. There’s a lot of good food in the story, as well as a lot of fabulous clothing.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

 Castles in Their Bones
By Laura Sebastian
Publisher: Delacorte Press (February 1, 2022)
Hardcover: 528 pages
ISBN-10: 0593118162
ISBN-13: 978-0593118160
Reading age: 14 - 17 years
Lexile measure: 940L
Grade level: 9 – 12
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.
 
Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.
 
The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.
 
Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other?

 My Thoughts:

There is so much good fantasy being written right now! I read Sebastian’s Ash Princess trilogy, and this exceeds it. This is slightly reminiscent of Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns as triplet sisters vie to win their mother’s favor and secure their future on her throne.

 And their mother…wow. What a witch. Sneaky, conniving and manipulative. Even toward her daughters. She has planned their lives from birth, betrothing them to princes from other realms on the continent, all with the plan to undermine their governments and rule the entire continent herself.

 Away from each other and their mother for the first time, all of the girls embark on some self-discovery. Plans don’t go exactly as anticipated, and the girls are forced to improvise—and they sometimes choose to depart from their mother’s plans completely. They don’t always make the best choices. They, too, manipulate, like, and even use poison in order to further their mother’s agenda. But on the way, the also find friendship and even love.

 This is the first book in a trilogy, so I think it’s not too spoilery if I say that things come crashing down around them. I’m really hoping that a particular event in the penultimate chapter is subterfuge, and the next book will show that Sebastian herself has been tricking us.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Some violence. Kissing. References to sex, none shown. In fact, the two daughters who marry do not consummate their marriages. Poisoning. Manipulation. Magic.

Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like complicated and manipulative family stories. Those who have the patience for a trilogy. Fantasy fans. Those who like strong female characters.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.