While I enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s Sorcery of Thorns, I adored Vespertine. Artemisia is a nun-in-training whose job is to purify dead bodies so they don’t come back as evil spirits. But when the convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, she is forced to bind herself to a revenant spirit and use its power to defeat…

This book grabbed my attention from page one! I loved the main character, Ash, a twelve-year-old who has collected a strange assortment of mundane objects that are special because she’s named them. I adore middle grade that appeals to both kids and adults, and this is one of those books. It’s also a standalone, and…

This is not a good book. I don’t mean it’s not well written, because Xiran Jay Zhao is a master of their craft and has exploded into the publishing world with a stunning and ambitious debut. But if you’re looking for a story filled with light, joy, and lawful “goodness,” this book is not for…