WARNING: SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOKS
…
3.5 Stars
This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
201 pages | Saga Press | Adult Science Fiction | 7/16/2019
In recent years I’ve been picking up more adult sci-fi. I’ve seen This Is How You Lose The Time War all over the bookternet. The idea of two soldiers on opposite sides of war falling in love intrigued me and when I saw this on the shelf at my library I picked it up.
I’m going to steal the character descriptions from the book jacket because it’s kind of hard for me to describe them. Our two soldiers are Red, who belongs to the Agency, a post-singularity technotopia; and Blue who belongs to Garden, a vast consciousness embedded in all organic material.
…
Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Rating: ★★★+.5 | 15 hrs 14 mins | Brilliance Audio | YA Fantasy | 09/29/2015
I’m on a mission to read the Grishaverse series before the Netflix show comes out and right now I have Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars left.
…
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
6 hours 30 minutes | Contemporary | LBFYR | Release Date: 8/20/2019
16-year-old Dove “Birdie” Randolph obediently follows every expectation her strict mother sets out for her. But the summer before her junior year her estranged Aunt–recovering from addiction–moves in with the family and Birdie starts to challenge everything she’s ever been told.
This book delivered a lot of what I expect from Colbert; quiet, deeply character-driven, slice-of-life YAs that can serve as an introduction to sensitive topics to teens. I liked the journey Dove went on as she learns about addiction and recovery from her aunt and starts dating a new boy.
…
Birthday by Meredith Russo
288 pages | Contemporary | Flatiron Books | Release Date: 5/21/2019
Content Warnings: transphobia, homophobia, and domestic violence
Eric and Morgan are best friends who share everything–including a birthday. On their 13th birthday, Morgan is ready to tell Eric they identify as a girl even though they were assigned male at birth. But that moment never comes and in each chapter, we visit Morgan and Eric on their shared birthday and watch how their lives grow and change through adolescence.
The cover calls this a love story—and it is–but this isn’t exactly a romance, which is kind of what I thought it was going to be. This story takes place in small-town Tennesse where the only way out is football. Morgan has to struggle with toxic masculinity, poverty and alcoholism while trying to come out as trans. There is also mention of and one scene of domestic violence as well as lots of homophobia and transphobia so it can be a tough read at times.
Birthday is a heart-wrenching but ultimately hopeful story about friendship and love I’m sure we will be hearing about around Printz time.
Adult Genre Fiction: A Curious Beginning and Kill The Queen
I remember being a teenager in Borders (RIP) and hating that one day I’d have to give up YA and read only boring “adult” books. But over the years I’ve discovered adult books are kind of awesome too and this year I’ve been dabbling in adult genre fiction.
…