family – Page 72 – Cannonball Read 17

Swedish-Vietnamese siblings in space!

Children of the Phoenix Vol. 1: The Eye of the Storm by Oskar Kallner

November 29, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I found the part novel-part graphic novel Children of the Phoenix Vol. 1: The Eye of the Storm to be a fun space adventure with typical tropes. It is due in mid-December 2023, with book two due in summer of 2024. Oskar Kallner’s story was not as detailed as I had hoped (there is a bit more “tell than show,” and has some repetition. Plus, the science information relies on the reader knowing some of it or having an idea about things already) but it was […]

The witch and werewolf go to school and some other things…but it’s not a romance

The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods by Svetlana Chmakova

November 27, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Where do witches go to school? Well if you are the kids in this book, and are a special kind of witch called a Weirn, you go to the school the humans do. Only at night, after everyone has left and magic makes it morph into a school for the magical creatures. All the usual suspects are there in Svetlana Chmakova’s graphic novel, The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods, the mean girl (who used to be a friend and has […]

I didn’t do justice to these books, so ignore my review and just get copies of the books!

Growing Up under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ying Chang Compestine

My Name Is Long as a River by Suma Subramaniam

November 27, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I had the reading bug the other day, and found two books that are different, but important to know about. Both were read via online reader copies, and are future publications. I did have some trouble writing a review for them, as I wanted to do the subjects justice. I hope you, come Spring, pick up copies and enjoy, too. Growing Up under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ying Chang Compestine is an eye opening look at the […]

Take That you meanie witch and your crazy, supernatural wild boar!

Took by Mary Downing Hahn

November 22, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The graphic novel adaptation of the novel Took, has similar qualities to other Mary Downing Hahn books and the “classic 1980s thrillers” I read as a kid (such as Pike, Stine, Cusick, etc.). Those themes are that the “stereotypical normal” (two parents, two to four kids, sometimes a pet or two, and having moved from the city to the country) has fractured and there is supernatural at work. It is a realistic thriller, but with folklore and legends attached. This is a familiar story (the […]

Pirate Gal meets Damsel in a Beauty and Beast remake

The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck and Nora J. Barna

November 21, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The Pirate and the Porcelain Girl by Emily Riesbeck and Nora J. Barna is a mixture of the novel Legends & Lattes by Baldree, a bit of Vox Machina, a smidgen of Guardians of the Galaxy (think Yondu) and “that other thing I can’t remember off the top of my head.” There are mature themes (pirates, GLBTQ romance, disowning by family, religion, revenge), but the humor and a little mystery are combined to take the edge off of things. This story is familiar, as it is a “be […]

No trick, just treat

Monster Support Group: The Werewolf's Tale by Laura Suárez

November 20, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Who hasn’t felt like they were a monster once or twice in their lives? I mean, most likely we all have had “fitting in issues” and body issues (as most of us went through puberty), but the boy in Monster Support Group: The Werewolf’s Tale by Laura Suárez realizes it is hard being twelve and not just because of all of his siblings or having issues fitting in at school so he is bullied. He is “changing” (getting hairier, deeper voice and moody). But this is normal puberty, […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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