L-L-L-Little Reviews #48: March 2023

Here are the books I read and/or finished this past month that were not part of scheduled tours or requests from authors/publishers.

Forging Silver Into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer

Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Forging Silver into Stars #1
Narrator: Cecily Bednar Schmidt, Nezar Alderazi, Chase Brown
Published by Bloomsbury YA on June 7, 2022
Genres: YA Fantasy
Length: 17:28
Source: the library
Format: Audiobook
My Rating:
Goodreads
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When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons . . .
Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they’ve learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn’s parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident that his father has been punishing him for ever since. Magic won’t save either of them when the tax collector comes calling, threatening to take their homes if they can't pay what they owe.
Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn magic has returned to Syhl Shallow -- in the form of a magesmith who's now married to their queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in their midst, and no one is happy about it.
When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious -- even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It’s a risk they’re both willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives: handsome Lord Tycho, the King’s Courier, the man who’s been tasked with discovering who’s conspiring against the throne.
Suddenly, Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and ancient magic . . . where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.

My Review:

This is my first book by this author. An author I’ve been saying for a long time I need to read. And I do know I want to go back and read the first series that this one ties to if I can get some time. There was a lot of action, and a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. There was one thing I wasn’t happy about, but I won’t mention it because it is a personal opinion and shouldn’t affect anyone else’s opinion of whether to read or not. I do wish that Callyn had been given more of a chance for romance. With someone other than Lord Alek. Although I’m wondering if he might get a voice in the next book and we might be able to forgive him in some ways? We’ll see though. The magic was really interesting, and the fact that some of the characters are from D.C. is part of what makes me really want to go back and read the first series. Definitely a fan of this author now!

Rima’s Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny by Margarita Engle

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Rima's Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny by Margarita Engle
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers on February 15, 2022
Genres: Poetry, YA Historical Romance
Pages: 208
Source: the publisher
Format: Hardcover
My Rating:
Goodreads
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An inspiring coming-of-age story told in prose and “spare, lyrical” verse (The Horn Book Magazine) from award-winning author Margarita Engle about a girl falling in love for the first time while finding the courage to protest for women’s right to vote in 1920s Cuba.
Rima loves to ride horses alongside her abuela and Las Mambisas, the fierce women veterans who fought during Cuba’s wars for independence. Feminists from many backgrounds have gathered in voting clubs to demand suffrage and equality for women, but not everybody wants equality for all—especially not for someone like Rima. In 1920s Cuba, illegitimate children like her are bullied and shunned.
Rima dreams of a day when she is free from fear and shame, the way she feels when she’s riding with Las Mambisas. As she seeks her way, Rima forges unexpected friendships with others who long for freedom, especially a handsome young artist named Maceo. Through turbulent times, hope soars, and with it…love.

My Review:

I’m not a big fan of novels in verse. But this was one nominated for the library committee again. It was a short novel, and I almost feel like maybe it would be more middle school because of the length and overall way the topic was presented. It was a quick read as I said, although I only read a little bit at school at a time. But I could have finished it in one sitting for sure, and a short sitting!

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long
Series: Edge Worlds #1
Published by Wednesday Books on January 11, 2022
Genres: YA Science Fiction
Length: 10:24
Source: the library
Format: Audiobook
My Rating:
Goodreads
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A captivating debut about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths.
After angering a local gangster, seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen must flee with his prize fighting wolf, Iska, in tow. A team of scientists offer to pay her way off her frozen planet on one condition: she gets them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race. Though Sena always swore she’d never race after it claimed both her mothers’ lives, it’s now her only option. But the tundra is a treacherous place, and as the race unfolds and their lives are threatened at every turn, Sena starts to question her own abilities. She must discover whether she's strong enough to survive the wild – whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.

My Review:

While this took a little bit to get into, once I did get into it, I was hooked. I don’t think we actually got a copy of this from the publisher, just had one of the members read it and add it to the list. So I borrowed it from the public library as an audiobook. The race was exciting, and the creatures sounded really cool. There was a moment at the end with the wolf that had me in tears, but in the end I enjoyed how it all went down. As I went to add the info from Goodreads for this one, I see that there is going to be a sequel/companion novel, which I didn’t expect because I feel like it was all wrapped up. But I read the synopsis for that one and I would definitely be interested in it too!

The Lost Dreamer (The Lost Dreamer Duology #1) by Lizz Huerta

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
on March 1, 2022
Genres: YA Fantasy, YA Historical Fiction, YA Mythology
Pages: 376
Source: the publisher
Format: Hardcover
My Rating:
Goodreads
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Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end—an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent change shakes Indir’s world to its core, she is forced to make an impossible choice: fight for her home or fight to survive.
Saya is a seer, but not a Dreamer—she has never been formally trained. Her mother exploits her daughter’s gift, passing it off as her own as they travel from village to village, never staying in one place too long. Almost as if they’re running from something. Almost as if they’re being hunted. When Saya loses the necklace she’s worn since birth, she discovers that seeing isn’t her only gift—and begins to suspect that everything she knows about her life has been a carefully-constructed lie. As she comes to distrust the only family she’s ever known, Saya will do what she’s never done before, go where she’s never been, and risk it all in the search of answers.

My Review:

I was sold on this being more historical fiction with some fantasy. And yes, there is the historical aspect, and that is interesting for sure. But it was definitely more fantasy. I had a little trouble getting into it at first, but I did like the way the author wrapped the two main characters together, weaving their stories together so that when they did finally meet up, like I figured from the beginning, it wasn’t the way I’d expected. So I did like the little bit of a twist at the end. I also got close to the end and wondered how they would wrap it all up, but I’m glad to see this is a duology, because there is stuff from Indir’s side of the story that never got wrapped up, so I will be interested to see how they go back now that she and Saya are together, and figure out how to fix that.