Ah, cozy fantasy, my beloved. The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean tells the story of Aila, who works at a zoo for magical creatures. Her specialty—and passion ever since she was young—are phoenixes, which are critically endangered. She is determined to revitalize the zoo’s breeding program, which hasn’t been successful for over a decade. …
Tag: contemporary fiction
Book Review | A Banh Mi for Two (ARC)
I received a digital advance reader’s copy (ARC) of A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general. In A Bánh Mì for Two, Lan loves working at her family’s food truck in Sài …
Book Review | Haunt Sweet Home (ARC)
I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general. In Haunt Sweet Home, Mara isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. She’s tried lots of …
Book Review | Looking for Smoke
Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell follows four teenagers—Mara, Brody, Loren, and Eli—who live on the Blackfeet reservation. When one of their classmates, Samantha, is murdered at a tribal giveaway event, the four of them are thrown together. They were the last four to see Samantha alive, and so are thrown under suspicion. As …
Book Review | It’s Elementary
It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant tells the story of Mavis Miller, a single mother to seven-year-old Pearl. She’s just trying to keep afloat and balance all her responsibilities, so the last thing she wants to do is add something to her plate—but the PTA president Trisha is a little terrifying and hard to say no …
Righter of Words 