Books and Sensibility

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Book Review: A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison

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Rating: Unrated | 448 pages | Inkyard Press | Contemporary | Release Date: 01/07/2020

This book has a lot of mixed reviews and I think part of it is because it has a premise I thought we left behind in the early 2000s. You know– a kid from the hood is dropped into an affluent neighborhood where he finds redemption and peace through writing.

In A Love Hate Thing Tyson Trice is taken in by family friends after a horrific tragedy and reunited with his childhood best friend Nandy. Nandy wants nothing to do with Trice and makes snap judgments about him because he was raised in the hood, while Trice sees her as the spoiled popular girl who only thinks of herself. To rekindle their friendship these stubborn teens have to get past their prejudices and learn to trust each other again.

Book Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

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Rating: Unrated |  Bloomsbury YA | Contemporary YA | Release Date: 02/04/20

I feel like there is a generation of teens from upper-middle-class families growing up in trendy artsy gentrified neighborhoods who, like all teens,  have issues but are privileged enough to know how to ask for help and can easily find it. I feel like this is a book for these kinds of teens– and I think without this understanding this book can come off as a bit insufferable.

Brooklyn bred Cal Lewis Jr. has found a niche for himself as a reporter on the social media app Flash Fame (Think Periscope meets TikTok). He’s covered local news, elections, and America’s newest obsession —NASA’s manned mission to Mars. The last thing Cal expects is for his dad to be chosen to join the mission. Its good-bye, Brooklyn!  Howdy, Texas! As this reporter becomes a part of the story.

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Protect The Prince by Jennifer Estep (Crown of Shards #2)

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Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

12 hrs. 40 min. | Adult Fantasy | Harper Voyage | Release Date: 07/2/2019

*Kill the Queen Spoilers*

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The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing Holly Black

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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOKS

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Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor

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Rating: Unrated | 384 pages | Lyrical Shine | Scholastic Press| 10/15/2019 

Tarnished Are The Stars is one of those rare standalone fantasy young adult novels–something I am always here for. In this futuristic Sci-fi tale three teens on opposite sides of the political spectrum of Earth Adjacent; a new Luddite Victorianesque planet settled after technology destroyed Earth. The queen rules from above in a space station where Eliza serves as the queen’s personal spy, down below on Earth Adjacent the commissioner rules with one iron rule. No tech. a decree that stands even-while though his son Nathaniel’s life depends on his illegal clockwork heart. Living on the outside is  Anna Thatcher known as “The Mechanic” a young mechanic and tech smuggler living in a secret village where everyone needs a clockwork hearts to survive. Anna is an outlaw and when Nathaniel decides to prove himself to his father by capturing her Nathaniel finds himself mixed up in a rebellion that will reveal deep family secrets.

This book is an easy comp to the Cinder by Marissa Meyer because as the three teens are brought together by circumstance, they have an easy banter and humorous back and forth like the Lunar Chronicles, all while they lead a  rebellion against space-dwelling overlords.

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Jackpot by Nic Stone

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 I forgot to write a  review for this book and I read it so long ago; so please check out the audiobook review I wrote forAudioFile magazine! This was narrated by Nic Stone and I was blown away by her performance. 

Listeners will find winning humor in this audiobook as narrator and author Nic Stone provides a flawless, upbeat performance. She gives voice to Rico and Zan–teenagers on a mission to find an unclaimed winning lottery ticket that could help Rico’s struggling family. Stone taps into Rico’s perseverance and strength as she tries to keep her family financially afloat. To track down the winning ticket, she reluctantly ropes in Zan, whose breezy laid-back tone reflects his privileged upbringing–opposites quickly attract! Listeners get the bonus of hearing the flirtatious back-and-forth between the teens, including Zan’s capricious way of mispronouncing Rico’s surname. Stone also brings a delightfully over-the-top performance to the inanimate objects that act as a Greek chorus.

Psst. Don’t forget to check out AudioFile Magazine’s website and podcast for more audiobook content.