Secondborn Book Reviews

  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Received as an arc from Netgalley "It's got 10 Things I Hate About You written all over it, and Cam knows this."  Red Flags by Sophie Jo is a young adult romance novel about two people discovering their way through the tangled notions they have about love and relationships. Poppy and Cam are both quick to judge and quick to end a relationship. When their friends, tired of their poor views towards romance, issue them each a challenge to not be the first to leave, they each see the other as a way to prove that they aren’t wrong about their negative beliefs about romance. Can they last together for two months or is there no hope for love for them?  Being fairly familiar with Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, I was pretty interested in reading a modern retelling. Sophie Jo’s Red Flags promised to be just that. Poppy is a feminist with set of rules for the type of guy she’s willing to date. Based on a Dream Man she developed after watching The Princess B...

 received arc through Netgalley Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Who does she think she is/ writing about herself”   Once again Mercedes Paradiso has blessed poetry enthusiasts with another collection. Ravens and Romantics is a journey of betrayal and revenge, recovery and love. Every poem is accompanied by an illustration to deliver the words of the poem they follow.   Reading the digital arc version I was given only left me wishing for the physical copy to come out so I can fill it with highlights and tabs. Her words are both beautifully written and relatable. Paradiso uses poetry to tell the story relationships found and lost. Ravens and Romantics is poetry in a perfect range of emotion poetry can take. Using the power of word, Mercedes Paradiso explores the duality of people.   I definitely recommend Ravens and Romantics as well as Mercedes Paradiso’s other works.  

 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ I received Night Songs as an arc from NetGalley This review contains spoilers   Night Songs by is about Rhea and her journey to adulthood and exploring the life of a mother she never got a chance to know. When Rhea turns eighteen, she is given access to the true story of her mother and a family curse. Discovering her mother was actually famous country star Belle Powers and all women in her family die at 33 leads Rhea on a journey that will wind up revealing more than anyone could predict.   “You are not crazy. You’re cursed.” I found this book to be captivating at times and frustrating at others. The premise is intriguing. A family curse that only affects women? Who wouldn’t want to read that? Especially when Rhea is both discovering the curse, what it means to be an adult, and the truth of whom her mother truly was. Having said that, Night Songs focuses mainly on Rhea’s mother, Lullabelle/Belle. Most of the book follows her story of how she became a countr...

    Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  I received The Skeleton Fairie as an arc from BookSirens "Long ago there was a cauldron that revived the dead."       Skeleton Faerie by A. P. Mobley is the first book in the Children of the Death Gods series. A dark mythological fantasy mixed with post apocalypse survival and romance, Skeleton Faerie promises excitement and mystery.      Gus Brandon is a young man trying to survive in a broken world. After the Nuclear War of 1989, humanity in America is barely evident. Plant enveloped wreckage as the only proof of what used to be with animals deformed from fallout. Gus’s obsession with fables and myths from the before times leads him to a destroyed library. While collecting new books to read, he meets Saoirse. From their mysterious meeting, everything becomes more hectic and fantastical.        I chose to get Skeleton Faerie, at first, based on the cover. After reading the synopsis, I felt a b...

  Rating: ⭐⭐   I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley. Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander is available for purchase anywhere books are sold.      Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander is a women’s fiction romance following a young woman’s attempt at saving her great aunt’s bookshop from getting eliminated by the new bookshop built directly across the street by the son of her family’s rivals.      Julia, Jules, Capelthorne returns to her hometown of Portneath to assist her great-aunt Flo. Finding Aunt Flo injured, Jules is determined to stay and help. Jules also discovers that Capelthorne’s Books hasn’t been doing to well. When a new bookshop is opened across the street by Roman Montbeau, Jules sees red. The Montbeaus and Capelthornes have been feuding for years. This just adds to their division. When Jules starts to see Roman as more than just the bully she always knew him as, her life becomes even more chaotic.   ...

  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐   Received as ARC through Netgalley The Resurrectionist by Kathleen S. Allen is a young adult horror, coming of age book. The story follows a young Victorian era woman with a dream to become a surgeon in a society that refused to let women follow anything outside the tradition roles set in place.      Odile Rothbart, or Dilly as she's known as throughout the book, and her twin Deidre are left to figure out their way in life with only Edmund, their butler, to assist. Dilly attempts to follow her father as a surgeon. Deidre wishes to follow the traditional role of wife. Both find their dreams to be more difficult to achieve and their lives more convoluted. A captivating story of morality and death.          As soon as I read that it had been inspired by Frankenstein, I was overexcited to get a chance to read The Resurrectionist. The eye-catching covered helped to get my attention as well. I wasn’t disappointed. Beau...

 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thunder and Daisy by Mercedes Paradiso is a collection of poetry. Split into two chapters –Thunder and   Daisy- the poems contained within focus mainly on love and heartbreak.   Thunder and Daisy is a specific type of poetry called instapoetry. This is fairly obvious when reading the book. The poems are intersected with pictures to represent the poem that precedes it. I feel that the pictures aren’t necessary and the poems speak for themselves. The poems in Daisy broke away from the more simplistic ones in Thunder. Seeing the difference between the two chapters was a great way to not have the poetry seem repetitive.   I’m glad I read Thunder and Daisy. I didn’t enjoy every poem included but I could feel the emotions that were put into the entire book. If you’re a fan of poetry, I definitely recommend checking out Thunder and Daisy. Since Mercedes Paradiso includes her plan for releasing a book in the future that will be linked to Thunder and D...

      Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐   I received Space Brooms! as an advanced readers copy. It will be available to purchase on March 25, 2025. “All my life I wanted adventure.” Space Brooms! By A, G. Rodriguez is a wild sci-fi adventure that follows Johnny Gomez a space broom – term for a custodian- as he teams up with a captivating cast of characters. After Johnny happens upon a data chit containing information worth millions,   his boring life becomes much more entertaining and filled with the new and exciting people he meets along the way.  Space Brooms! is an easy to read book that quickly becomes immersive and enjoyable. The characters, starting with Johnny, are delightful even if they don’t all have Johnny’s best interests at heart. They’re likeable and well written so you aren’t reading about characters that just seem to be copy and pasted to only fill the pages. The new terminology that exists in this new futuristic space world is introduced and understoo...

  Rating : ⭐⭐⭐ Veil: Volume 1by Kotteri, translated by Jocelyne Allen is a manga that follows the story of Her and Him. She is a runaway heiress. He is a police officer. After a chance meeting, which is like something from a classic film, the two characters find their lives enhanced by each other’s company. Veil: Volume 2 continues their story together and enhances the whole affair.   I received these books as ARCs (Advanced Readers Copy). I mainly picked them because of their covers. They reminded me of the Twilight manga. The two covers form a whole scene when placed side by side. The story was short, sweet and simple. There isn’t really much to say. It’s a heartwarming short story that won’t take up much time.   I enjoyed the art. I do wish the lettering was a bit darker or thicker. I also received it as an ebook and maybe that was the problem. Or the fact that I don’t have the best eyesight. This is a cozy story about a man and a woman. That’s all. It’s cap...

  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐  "It’s like, unless we had proof, people wouldn’t believe the fucked-up shit we went through. I just didn’t think I would catch something happening so soon.” In The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, the reader follows Maddie Washington as she attempts to survive Springville High. A quiet, solitary student Maddie has done her best to attract as little attention as possible. Following her strict fathers rules, school and working at the family owned store are her only primary activities. Until an unforeseen rainstorm changes everything and she can no longer hide the fact that she’s biracial. This secret about her identity throwsa Maddie’s life off balance. Paired with the racist responses from fellow students and the prom invitation from Kendrick Scott in order to fix the backlash the community is facing, Maddie is thrown into teenage politics she’s unused to traversing. With the emotional turmoil she’s having to wade through, Maddie discovers another ...

 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐   “This sounds foreign, like picking words at random. Magnetic fridge poetry” Bride by Ali Hazelwood is vampire/werewolf paranormal romance. Vampire, Misery Lark accepts a marriage proposal that would be a union between the Vampire and Werewolf civilizations and leave her eternally bound with the Alpha, Lowe Moreland. What starts as a marriage of circumstance becomes more after they both develop feelings and start to see each other as more than how they perceived the other person.      I didn’t really know too much about this book aside from the fact that it was pretty popular…and had a nice cover. I haven’t really been enjoying the books that I’ve been reading recently. Bride helped me get out of my reading slump and enjoy reading again. Part of the reason for this could have been that it gave me serious Twilight (by Stephanie Meyers, of course) vibes but it was in the best way. While it being a romance first and foremost, Al...

  *this is an old review*   I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is the story of twins, Jude and Noah. They’ve always been close. They always have each other’s backs. They trade the world to solve arguments or make deals. Then, they both change and are torn apart. Nelson covers breaking apart and recovering in a beautiful story that will absolutely hook you and pull you in.    My sister picked this book out for me, and I am so glad she did. I don’t know if I would have gotten it for myself. And I would have missed out. I’ll Give You the Sun is without a doubt worth reading. While I read, I found myself reflecting the extreme range of emotions the characters go through. Jude and Noah are phenomenal characters. Nelson switches between both of them as narrators, letting readers see both of their experiences. That leads to the reader knowing things before either Jude or Noah do. The entire book feels like a puzzle or a mystery. When it all comes together in the ...

  Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It’s Britney, bitch!” One of the most recognizable phrases since Britney Jean Spears spoke the words. Called the “Queen of Pop”, Britney has been captivating the world since she first caught the public’s attention with “Baby One More Time”. As a celebrity, she constantly had to face various public perceptions whether based on her music, interviews, or gossip (often false) spread by tabloids or people determined to use her for their own narratives. The Woman in Me, Britney Spears’ memoir, is her chance to finally take control of her life and her narrative.   In The Woman in Me, Britney Spears tells the story of her life. Holding nothing back, Britney lets the reader into her life. She discusses her ups and downs and how these affected her both mentally and physically. Bringing all the ways her career as a musician, a dream she had as a young girl, came to be and was manipulated, controlled and taken from her. A story of a woman constantly overstepped; it a...

   Dark Archives Book Review   Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom is a nonfiction book exploring the history of the medical community, primarily focusing on anthropodermic bibliopegy or the binding of books in human skin. Rosenbloom’s interest in books being bound in human skin leads her to discover more about medicine and corpse handling at the time of medical morals being less than what they are now and how these doctors’ would have managed to turn human flesh into leather. She takes the reader on the journey with her all over the world wherever rumors of books bound in human skin took her.   From the cover to the blurb, this book hooked me instantly. Death isn’t a very easy thing to talk about and the thought of human skin being used to bind books comes across as something from a horror movie. So discovering a book following the rumors and reporting them, proving them as fact not fiction is both terrifying and eye-opening. Anthropodermic books a...

Sadie by Courtney Summers Review Rating:⭐ *Received this as an arc* Sadie by Courtney Summers is a young adult crime novel. The story follows Sadie who recently lost her younger sister,  Mattie, and is out to get revenge on the man she knows killed  her sister. West McCray is a reporter who, after being approached by Sadie’s family, is covering the story. The book is told alternating from Sadie’s story and McCray’s podcast. “I don’t want to get into it...” I was kind of disappointed with this book. The characters are amazing and the story is captivating however so many situations were left too open. You had to imagine what actually happened instead of the author writing about it. I wasn’t a fan of the hard switches from Sadie’s story to McCray’s podcast. It left the story feeling very choppy. It didn’t flow well. Since almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger, you had to keep reading and the cliffhanger would be resolved two or three chapters later...

Feminism: Opposing Viewpoints Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ “As individuals and as a nation, it is imperative that we consider the opinions of others and examine them with skill and discernment.” -John Stuart Mill Feminism: Opposing Views is a collection of essays discussing various issues as they pertain to feminism and women. The ideas and opinions discussed are neither wrong or right nor are they presented as such. It is simply a way to question feminism and your own ideas on the different topics discussed. I found this book to be a perfect look into feminism and the opposition to the movement. The essays were very diverse and discussed everything from should women work to can feminism and religion mix. Each essay started with questions you should consider as you read. I thought this was very helpful. The questions really assisted in making you consider and pay attention to what you’re reading. While reading, it seemed that not all of the authors were fully informed about what...

The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir Review *Received as an arc* Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir is a contemporary fiction novel telling the story of Essie Hicks. She has a perfect life: happy family, thousands of people invested in her life and enough money to live comfortably. Essie is both adored and hated by people who don’t agree with her family’s television show, Six for Hicks, and their extreme Christian beliefs. However everything faces ruination when Essie finds out she is pregnant. A captivating and heartbreaking read, The Book of Essie will have you intrigued and emotional. “A mother’s worst fear, or so some would say. But not my mother’s.” I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It told a very emotionally charged story. The book is told in first-person, chapters switching between three characters: Essie Hicks, Roarke Richards: Essie’s future husband, and Liberty Bell: a reporter covering Essie’s story. The characters were well-written ...

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown is a historical non-fiction book telling the history of the move West and the clashing of the w hite settlers and the Native American inhabitants of the land. Filled with quotes by Native Americans, the book focuses on their experiences and their stories. “ The whites told only one side. Told it to please themselves. Told much that is not true. Only his own best deeds, only the worst deeds of the Indians, has the white man told.” - Yellow Wolf of the Nez Percés Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee is a tough, extremely emotional read. It’s filled with heartbreaking events that I don’t remember learning about while in school. That’s not to say none of it was taught, I may have just received a watered-down version. Especially since some of the incidents are immensely violent and just straight-up slaughters. The quotes from people who lived through this dark time brought these situations ...