popthebutterfly's reviews
2491 reviews

 

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Melanie’s Super Secret Dream Date 

 

Author:  Tian En

 

Book Series: The Super Secret Book Series Short Story 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Diversity: Singaporean MC and characters 

 

Recommended For...: Middle Grade Readers, Fantasy, Superheros 

 

Publication Date: February 11, 2024 

 

Genre: MG Fantasy 

 

Age Relevance: 12+ (romance, fatphobia) 

 

Explanation of Above: The book revolves around dating, but it’s kept in a light hearted manner. There is some fatphobia mentioned in the book that’s quickly admonished. 

 

Publisher: Indie Published 

 

Pages: 33 

 

Synopsis: Rejecting boys can be very tiring, especially for Melanie Mitchell, the prettiest girl in Emerald Secondary School. But when she finally goes out with a super handsome dream date, will he live up to her dreams or will she be met by a shocking surprise? Melanie's Super Secret Dream Date is a short story co-written with Calista Chua, featuring characters from Tian En's The Super Secret Book middle grade superhero series. 

 

Review: I thought this was another cute addition to this little series. The book had some great lighthearted dating moments that would be perfect for middle grade readers. The book was quick, fun, and easy to read. It had some good character development and was a good little side story to the overarching series plotline. 

 

The only issue I had was that the story felt a little too fast paced, but for a young child it would be perfect. 

 

Verdict: It was such fun! Love it! 

 

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Unstuck 

 

Author: Barbara Dee 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Diversity: Possible character with autism, Black side character, possible main character with ADHD 

 

Recommended For...:  Middle Grade Readers, Contemporary, Mental Health, Family, Writing 

 

Publication Date: February 27, 2024 

 

Genre: MG Contemporary 

 

Age Relevance: 10+ (bullying) 

 

Explanation of Above: There are scenes of bullying shown in this book. 

 

Publisher: Aladdin 

 

Pages:286 

 

Synopsis: Lyla is thrilled when her seventh-grade English language arts class begins a daily creative writing project. For the past year, she’s been writing a brilliant fantasy novel in her head, and here’s her chance to get it on paper! The plot to Lyla’s novel is super complicated, with battle scenes and witches and a mysterious one-toed-beast, but at its core, it’s about an overlooked girl who has to rescue her beautiful, highly accomplished older sister. But writing a fantasy novel turns out to be harder than simply imagining one, and pretty soon Lyla finds herself stuck, experiencing a panic she realizes is writer’s block. Part of the problem is that she’s trying to impress certain people—like Rania, her best friend who’s pulling away, and Ms. Bowman, the coolest teacher at school. Plus, there’s the pressure of meeting the deadline for the town writing contest. A few years ago, Lyla’s superstar teen sister Dahlia came in second, and this time, Lyla is determined to win first prize. Finally, Lyla confides about her writing problems to Dahlia, who is dealing with her own academic stress as she applies to college. That’s when she learns Dahlia’s secret, which is causing a very different type of writer’s block. Can Lyla rescue a surprisingly vulnerable big sister, both on the page and in real life? 

 

Review: I really liked this book overall. I thought the book did well to show a realistic view of the writing process and I loved all of the different techniques shown and discussed in the book. I thought that the book would be really good for anyone who needs to write… well… anything. The book also really pulled at my heart strings as it showed a main character who was just trying to do so much in a short amount of time and the disappointment she felt really rang true to me. I loved the character development, I loved the world building, and the book that the MC is trying to write sounds really good. I hope that the author goes back one day and develops that. 

 

The only thing I can think of that I wished was different was that I wished that the book was a bit slower paced, but for a middle grade novel I think it’s perfect. 

 

Verdict: I loved it so much. 

 

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from my local library. Support your libraries! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Mis(H)adra 

 

Author:Iasmin Omar Ata 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Diversity: Epileptic Palestinian American MC, character with Steven-Johnson Syndrome and PTSD 

 

Recommended For...: Graphic Novel readers, disability, epilepsy, mental health, contemporary 

 

Publication Date: October 13, 2017 

 

Genre: Graphic Novel 

 

Age Relevance: 15+ (language, medical harassment, body gore, drugs, alcohol, depression) 

 

Explanation of Above: There is some cussing in this book. There are scenes of medical harassment and body gore, like blood and scenes of violence against one’s own body. Drugs are mentioned and alcohol consumption is shown. There are discussions of depression. 

 

Publisher: Gallery 13 

 

Pages: 288 

 

Synopsis: Isaac wants nothing more than to be a functional college student—but managing his epilepsy is an exhausting battle to survive. He attempts to maintain a balancing act between his seizure triggers and his day-to-day schedule, but he finds that nothing—not even his medication—seems to work. The doctors won’t listen, the schoolwork keeps piling up, his family is in denial about his condition, and his social life falls apart as he feels more and more isolated by his illness. Even with an unexpected new friend by his side, so much is up against him that Isaac is starting to think his epilepsy might be unbeatable. Based on the author’s own experiences as an epileptic, Mis(h)adra is a boldly visual depiction of the daily struggles of living with a misunderstood condition in today’s hectic and uninformed world. 

 

Review: I thought this was such a WELL DONE graphic novel. The illustrations in this thing are absolutely amazing and so impactful to the story. This is textbook to what a graphic novel can do for a book. The book did well to go into what a seizure for epilepsy is and what causes it. The book had amazing visual descriptions of the seizures and it really did wonders for my own personal understanding of epilepsy. The book also did well to briefly touch on issues disabled persons encounter when services do not fully cover all disabilities, like what the author of this story might have also encountered or others in our families. The book is an amazing own voice story and I highly recommend it for everyone. 

 

My only little issue with the book is that it felt like it just kinda ended and I’d love to see more about this story and character. 

 

Verdict: I highly recommend this one! 

 

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Silk 

 

Author: E.B. Roshan 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 4/5 

 

Diversity: BIPOC MC and characters 

 

Recommended For...: Graphic Novel readers, Animal Conservation 

 

Publication Date: June 7, 2024 

 

Genre: Graphic Novel 

 

Age Relevance: 15+ (animal extinction, animal death, racism, death) 

 

Explanation of Above: The book revolves around discussion and showings of animal extinction and death. Slight racism is shown in how they treat some people who protect animals who are going extinct. There is also death shown. 

 

Publisher:  Indie Published 

 

Pages: 104 

 

Synopsis: Farz and his family are Silki-charmers; they follow the giant, spiderlike creatures known as "Silkis" through their jungle home, harvesting their precious silk. It's been their family's tradition for generations. But Silkis can be dangerous and not everyone wants them around. Farz may be ready to try a different life, but he doesn't want the Silkis to disappear forever. 

 

Review: I liked this little graphic novel overall. I thought it was a sweet little story about the harm and impact of animal extinction, especially that which is caused by humans. The book was really powerful in how it handled all of that. The book also was really impactful in how it showed the impact preconceived notions about people, especially in their line of work, effect others. The book was short and sweet and to the point, but it had great world building and character development. 

 

My only complaint is that I would like to see this book be a bit longer and better developed, but other than that it was good! 

 

Verdict: A short and sweet story. 

 

Disclaimer: I checked this book out from my local library. Support your libraries! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: The Candle and The Flame 

 

Author: Nafiza Azad 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 3/5 

 

Diversity: Muslim MC and characters 

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, romance, magic, historical fiction, high fantasy 

 

Publication Date: May 14, 2019 

 

Genre: YA Fantasy 

 

Age Relevance: 14+ (war, violence, gore, religion, romance, parental death, death, grief, forced marriage, discrimination and prejudice) 

 

Explanation of Above: The book revolves around a war with violence, blood gore, parental death, death, and grief mentioned and shown throughout the book. The Islamic religion is shown and discussed. There is some romance and a forced marriage situation. There is some discrimination and prejudice shown and discussed. 

 

Publisher: Scholastic 

 

Pages: 416 

 

Synopsis: Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population—except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar. But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield. 

 

Review: Overall, I liked this book. The book had an interesting plot and set up, but the thing that really drew me in was that the book explored the power names hold and how powerful names can be. I liked the character development and the world building. I also really liked the ending of the story and really wanted more by the end of the book. 

 

However, it took me awhile to get into the book. The book was confusing and choppy in a lot of places. I had to read the synopsis a few times to figure out what was going on. However, the most infuriating thing was that the book constantly bounced from name to title when referring to people, which made it a little hard for me to follow through. It might have been me though, sometimes my ADHD makes it hard to remember or concentrate when needed. 

 

Verdict: It was good, but I think it requires two read-throughs to understand it fully. 

 

Disclaimer: I bought my copy of this book. Support your authors! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: A Court of Silver Flames 

 

Author: Sarah J Maas 

 

Book Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #4 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Spice: 4/5 

 

Diversity: Disabled characters 

 

Recommended For...: Adult readers, fantasy, romance, romantasy, fae, high fantasy, New Adult 

 

Publication Date: February 16, 2021 

 

Genre: Romantasy 

 

Age Relevance: 18+ (PTSD, panic attacks, alcohol consumption, sexual content, romance, OCD tendencies, sexual assault and attempted rape, language, violence, gore, rape, sexism, parental abuse, pregnancy and labor) 

 

Explanation of Above: There are scenes showing and discussing PTSD, panic attacks, and OCD tendencies. There are scenes showing alcohol consumption. There is romance and sexual content shown in this book. There are mentions and showings of sexual assault, attempted rape, sexism, and rape in this book. There is cursing in this book. There is some violence, blood gore, and physical and narcissistic parental abuse shown in the book. There are also scenes showing and mentioning pregnancy and labor, some of which include birth trauma. 

 

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 

 

Pages: 757 

 

Synopsis: Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it. The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other. Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts. Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms. 

 

Review: It might just be me being a bit prickly myself, but I loved this book more than the original series. I don’t know why, but I think it’s because I connected with Nesta so much on a personal level. I understand all too well the pain she’s in and why her decisions are the ones she makes. I understand how she thinks because of what she’s been through. I understand why a lot of people would hate a character like Nesta because her and Feyre are entirely different characters, but I think a character like Nesta is super important for so many people and I’m glad she got her own book. The book was multi-POV and I loved how it showed Cassian’s process and character development through this book as well. The world building was heavily expanded upon and the character developments of all of the characters (but Feyre) were also heavily expanded upon. I loved reading this book every second I could. 

 

My only complaint about the book is that I think there were some pretty choppy portions and some stuff that made the book unnecessarily long. I think the book could have used a round of editing to fine-tune some of that choppiness and flow issues. 

 

Verdict: I love this book so much. 

 

Disclaimer: I bought this book. Support your authors! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: A Court of Frost and Starlight 

 

Author: Sarah J. Maas 

 

Book Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses 3.5 

 

Rating: 3/5 

 

Spice: 2/5 

 

Diversity: Possible non-binary character (you could read them like that or as a fictional creature who has no true concept of sexuality and gender). 

 

Recommended For...: Adult Readers, Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, New Adult, Novella, Christmas 

 

Publication Date: May 1, 2018 

 

Genre: Romantasy 

 

Age Relevance: 18+ (violence, sexual content, romance, death, parental death, PCOS, PTSD, depression, survivors guilt, alcohol consumption) 

 

Explanation of Above: There is some violence, parental death, and death that are mentioned briefly. Sexual content and romance are shown in the book. Depression and survivor’s guilt and PTSD are shown and discussed. There is some alcohol consumption shown and mentioned. There is some PCOS or something of the like mentioned. 

 

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 

 

Pages: 232 

 

Synopsis: Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court. 

 

Review: The last true book we’ll get from Feyre’s POV and I’m not that sad about it to be honest. I thought that the transition from her POV to Nesta and Cassian’s was well done, but I also thought that it had been a long time coming to be honest. You can’t keep writing about the same character when their own arc is completely done and there is no further room for growth and I think we reached that with Feyre. I loved how the book used multi-POV to explore many different perspectives in this book and I loved the cute little transitional story to get us from the last days of the war to a few months after it’s ended for a new story to settle in. The world building was fairly decent and the character development was good. I am excited to see what Nesta holds in her arc! 

 

The only thing I have to fault the book on was that… it’s kinda really a nothing book. There wasn’t really a need for this story outside of needing something transitional and to sell a “Christmas special” story. The book also had some really weird plots in it, like the snowball fight, it was way too long for the nothing-ness it brought, and it was just kinda weird overall once you think about it. 

 

Verdict: It was cute and snowy. 

 

Disclaimer: I bought this book for book club. All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Olivetti 

 

Author: Allie Millington 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Diversity: Brazillian side character 

 

Recommended For...: Fiction readers, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Contemporary 

 

Publication Date: March 26, 2024 

 

Genre: Magical Realism Fiction 

 

Age Relevance: 13+ (Suicide Attempt, Cancer) 

 

Explanation of Above: There is a vague scene showing an attempt at suicide. There are mentions and scenes involving cancer. 

 

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends 

 

Pages: 253 

 

Synopsis: Being a typewriter is not as easy as it looks. Surrounded by books (notorious attention hogs) and recently replaced by a computer, Olivetti has been forgotten by the Brindle family—the family he’s lived with for years. The Brindles are busy humans, apart from 12-year-old Ernest, who would rather be left alone with his collection of Oxford English Dictionaries. The least they could do was remember Olivetti once in a while, since he remembers every word they’ve typed on him. It’s a thankless job, keeping memories alive. Olivetti gets a rare glimpse of action from Ernest’s mom, Beatrice--his used-to-be most frequent visitor—only for her to drop him off at Heartland Pawn Shop and leave him helplessly behind. When Olivetti learns Beatrice has mysteriously gone missing afterward, he believes he can help find her. He breaks the only rule of the “typewriterly code” and types back to Ernest, divulging Beatrice’s memories stored inside him. Their search takes them across San Francisco—chasing clues, maybe committing a few misdemeanors. As Olivetti spills out the past, Ernest is forced to face what he and his family have been running from, The Everything That Happened. Only by working together will they find Beatrice, belonging, and the parts of themselves they’ve lost. 

 

Review: I thought this was a fascinating little book. The book takes place from multiple viewpoints but one of them is a typewriter. This typewriter has been with this family for decades and has seen this family all through different stages of life and it is entrapped in a mystery when one day it ends up at a pawn shop. I really like the premise of the novel and throughout the book I was really enthralled by how the typewriter spoke versus the other characters in the book. I thought that they had really distinct voices and that the author did really good in writing them. I also really liked the world building of the book and the Toy Story aspect of this book. The book even answered the very important question of “who uses typewriters anyways?”. It’s got it all!
 
 The only thing I can really fault the book for was that there were a couple of little pacing moments but also there was a part in the book where we did a big time jump and I was a little confused for a little bit until I figured out where we were again. Beyond that, I really like the book. 

 

Verdict: I loved this little book. 

 

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: If I Stopped Haunting You 

 

Author: Colby Wilkens 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Spice Rating: 3/5 

 

Diversity: Indigenous main character, Indigenous Bisexual main character 

 

Recommended For...: Adult Readers, Contemporary, Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Ghosts 

 

Publication Date: October 15, 2024 

 

Genre: Contemporary Romance Horror 

 

Age Relevance: 18+ (Racism, Slight Violence, Language, Romance, Sexual Content) 

 

Explanation of Above: There are moments of racism mentioned in flashbacks and shown slightly in the beginning. There is some slight violence, a book thrown at someone’s head and being pushed down some stairs. There is some strong cursing in this book. There are romance scenes and sex scenes and mentions of sex in this book. 

 

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin 

 

Pages: 320 

 

Synopsis: It's been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true. Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her. But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out. 

 

Review: So I think outside of paranormal romance books where one or both of the characters are obviously a paranormal creature, I don't think I've read a book quite like this. This book was so good. It featured two Native main characters and they basically are looking into the history of this Castle and stumble upon ghosts that are haunting them. I thought the story was really good and the romance was super cute. It was a really good enemies to lovers romance. I think sometimes contemporary books have a little bit of issue playing with. I also really like the story itself and I felt very satisfied by the end. I also really loved all of the great points about publishing male vs female and white vs BIPOC privilege and about how publishing harms BIPOC rep or sometimes doesn't want authentic new stories from and for BIPOC audiences. I think that’s a very solid message that needs to be heard.
 
 However, I do feel like the characters got together a little bit too easy for an enemies to lovers romance. I also feel like there were some little moments of pacing slow downs in the book. 

 

Verdict: I loved it and highly recommend it. 

 

Disclaimer: I bought this book from a second-hand store. All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: A Court of Wings and Ruin 

 

Author: Sarah J. Maas 

 

Book Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 3 

 

Rating: 4/5 

 

Spice Rating: 2/5 

 

Diversity: Disabled side characters, Queer side characters, Bi/Lesbian character 

 

Recommended For...: Adult Readers, Romantasy, Fantasy, Fae, High Fantasy 

 

Publication Date: May 2, 2017 

 

Genre: Romantasy 

 

Age Relevance: 18+ (Language, Sexual Content, Violence, Blood Gore, War, Child Death, Domestic Violence, Slavery, Homophobia) 

 

Explanation of Above: There is some strong language in this book. There are some sex scenes in the book. The book revolves around a war, so there is violence and blood gore. Child death is shown in various places. Domestic violence is shown and mentioned. There are mentions of slavery. There are some scenes of homophobia and mentions of it. 

 

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 

 

Pages: 703 

 

Synopsis: Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear. 

 

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

 

Review: You might think I'm a little crazy but it took me this long to read this book. I have a little bit of an issue of finishing series. I liked how this book almost immediately picked up from where the second one ended and I liked the continue storyline of all the characters and especially the ones that were brought back to this one from the first book. I think a "end" for this main series that it did pretty good because it felt kind of like a big reunion of all of the main overarching points of the book series and stuff like that. I felt like the continued world building was good and overall I'm pretty satisfied with how this main story ended. 
 
 However, the book did suffer from a lot of pacing issues, especially with this one quest where you're kind of just in lull doing side quests for about 300ish pages. There was also some cringe moments with the sex scenes and they just didn't hit as well as they did in the second one. I also feel like the stuff that I was really interested in, the battle and the why as to all of this happening, wasn't really explained or detailed as well as I would have liked it to be in this book. 

 

Verdict: It was great!