Violet Made of Thorns
Gina Chen

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pub Date: July 26th, 2022
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Genres: Young Adult Fantasy Romance


Synopsis:


A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove.


Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.


But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.


Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.

I was genuinely so excited for this book when I first came across the synopsis prior to its release. Anyone who knows me, also knows I live in the gray and likewise I love morally gray characters. Life is not black and white, people and their problems are never that simple. So, I find the characters that hang out in the middle to be far more interesting and realistic, even in fantastical worlds. 


Violet is not morally gray. At best, she's morally egg-shell colored. Frankly, so is Cyrus. To be honest, none of the characters have much personality or charisma at all. I suppose Camilla is the most fleshed out character,
but even she feels like a pale 2D concept more than a person. 


Until I reached the 80% point of the story, I wasn't even invested in a single scene.. let alone the idea that there was some burgeoning love story here. I understand what happened. The author was trying so hard to make both parties come across as cold toward each other and aloof, that she simply failed to show they resonated anywhere else at all. And that's a shame, because there were brief glimpses toward the end.. of real texture. 


Unfortunately, by that time I just wanted it to all be over. Luckily, after simmering on low for most of the novel, once the drama hit.. the ending was tied up in a rush. It did, however.. leave me feeling like I wished I could get the time back I'd spent reading the book. 


There are plenty of good ideas here. Interesting approaches to magic and familiar topics are sprinkled throughout. The villain I think could have been quite heavy if given more focus. As this is Chen's debut novel, I'm hopeful she'll grow into those ideas and really spend some time honing her craft. Occasionally she writes really beautiful lines worth quoting.. but none of that holds together without any real feeling of connection between the characters, the story, and the reader.

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If you still desperately want to give this book a try, you won't hate yourself. It's all right. It just isn't particularly great either.

About the Author:
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Gina Chen tells stories about fantastic worlds featuring heroines, antiheroines, and the kind of cleverness that brings trouble in its wake.


A self-taught artist with a degree in computer science, she generates creative nonsense in all forms of media and always has a project stewing. Violet Made of Thorns is her debut fantasy novel.


For more info, visit actualgina.com and follow @actualgina on Twitter and Instagram.

The Honeys
Ryan La Sala

Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication date: August 2nd, 2022
Genres: Horror Young Adult LGBT Contemporary Mystery Queer Thriller Fiction Mystery Thriller Boarding School

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Synopsis:
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From Ryan La Sala, the wildly popular author of Reverie, comes a twisted and tantalizing horror novel set amidst the bucolic splendor of a secluded summer retreat.


Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who'd grown tragically distant.


Mars's gender fluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions -- and expectations -- of his politically connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place.


What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying -- and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death.


But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars’s memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive.

I absolutely love this author. I can't say it enough. 

Back when I read his debut, Reverie, I.. like I'm sure many of you out there, knew he was something special. His stories are not only original, they're so full of unique concepts that they give me that opening page excitement all the way through. Honestly, he's so good that it's impossible to really retain HOW good he is between releases. 

This one starts off with a bang. It's such an intense opening scene that I'm hard-pressed to think of another book that can meet that first page 'wow' factor. While media has taught me to assume most wild occurrences in stories have simpler explanations, La Sala's stories go against the grain. His explanations are never simple. They're complex, richly layered creations.

Mars is a deeply likeable character dealing with a lot of heavy emotions. In addition to the loss of his sister, he's got his own fair share of past trauma to carry, and some seriously unfair expectations regarding social appearances due to his parents' high profile careers.

The moment he gets to Aspen, both those emotions and the atmosphere around him just seems to become even heavier. The behavior of those around him feel so wrong, that it adds to the tension you feel as a reader, knowing what you do about his intentions going in. There's nothing quite like that feeling of dread that you get because you know something is coming.

If you love a good mystery with a serious case of the creeps and a touch of the unexplainable, this is the book for you. I highly recommend any of La Sala's work.

About the Author

Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people.


Ryan resides in New York City, but only physically. Escapist to the core, he spends most of his time in the astral planes and only takes up corporeal form for special occasions, like brunch and to watch anime (which is banned on the astral planes).


Ryan is the author behind the riotously imaginative Reverie, and the brilliantly constructed Be Dazzled. He has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Tor.com, and one time Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race called him cute. Right in the middle of the road downtown! So. Pretty big deal all around, yes?

Boys I Know
Anna Gracia

Published by: Peachtree Teen
Publication date: July 26th, 2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction - Contemporary, Romance
TW/CW: Microaggressions, On-Page Sex

Synopsis:
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June Chu is the “just good enough” girl. Good enough to line the shelves with a slew of third-place trophies and steal secret kisses from her AP Bio partner, Rhys. But not good enough to meet literally any of her Taiwanese mother’s unrelenting expectations or to get Rhys to commit to anything beyond a well-timed joke.
 

While June’s mother insists she follow in her (perfect) sister’s footsteps and get a (full-ride) violin scholarship to Northwestern (to study pre-med), June doesn’t see the point in trying too hard if she’s destined to fall short anyway. Instead, she focuses her efforts on making her relationship with Rhys “official.” But after her methodically-planned, tipsily-executed scheme explodes on the level of a nuclear disaster, she flings herself into a new relationship with a guy who’s not allergic to the word girlfriend.
  

But as the line between sex and love blurs, and pressure to map out her entire future threatens to burst, June will have to decide on whose terms she’s going to live her life—even if it means fraying her relationship with her mother beyond repair.
 

A modern Judy Blume meets Jenny Han, Boys I Know is a raw and realistic look into the lives of teen girls. June Chu is an authentic if imperfect protagonist, and her journey of self-discovery is as uncomfortable as it is cathartic.

Something about the premise of this story reached out to me the moment I saw it. I suppose I love the potential of a good underdog story and to a degree, that's most stories of marginalized people.. isn't it? As a member of the AAPI community, truly contemporary tales told from our various unique perspectives are still a bit rare. 
 

From the opening pages I adored the main character, June Chu. She's realistically imperfect, hilariously sarcastic at times, and extremely relatable. It's nice to read an imperfect character that comes across naturally for once, as opposed to the overly dramatic reactions and gestures I've become accustomed to seeing. 
 

I love that she's a character, not a caricature. She's not the 'shunned' girl at school who gets lucky with the most popular boy around. Gone are the cliches. She's just an average teenager with some above average skills and intelligence, that still aren't seen as quite 'good enough.' Not for her parents, her sister, the boy she likes, or especially herself.
 

Struggling with a tense relationship between herself and her mom, a woman who is a Taiwanese immigrant, traditional in her ways and perspectives, June is trying hard to reconcile her familial expectations what she sees as her reality in a more modern setting. Despite the push and pull between them and the way her mother comes across as constantly critical, it's not a loveless environment, but it isn't always easy to see either. 
 

One of my favorite things about this book is actually her mom's relentless proverbs. Some are downright humorous, but they're often ill-timed. Though they may seem appropriate to her and may even be coming from a place of concern, they often only serve to make things more frustrating for June.
 

We all know intimate relationships are complicated, but that's even more true for teenagers.. and Gracia did a wonderful job recreating some of the most stressful situations one can imagine. There's actually a lot to unpack here, even 'good-natured' coercion.. if there is such a thing. 
 
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Overall, it's a great story, with some lovable characters, and a lot of food for thought. I'm so happy that I got to experience Gracia's easy writing style, it's fluid and deeply enjoyable. I can't wait to read more of her work.

About the Author:
 

Anna grew up biracial in the Midwest, spending her formative years repeatedly answering the question “What are you?”

Before finding her way as a young adult author, she was a CPA, a public school teacher, a tennis coach, and for one glorious summer, a waitress at a pie shop.

She now lives on the West Coast, raising three kids and writing stories about girls navigating a world full of double standards.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION


​Up for grabs is ONE (1) signed copy of Boys I Know by Anna Gracia. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and will run from July 17th to July 25th at 12 AM CST. To enter, click the (link/button) below!