MINI-REVIEW: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

**I received an ARC from Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Release Date: July 16, 2019

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary: Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.

And thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more.

Except discovery of their bond would be death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war. That’s how war works. Right?

LIST: if you like to all the boys i've loved before

READ ON MY NEW BLOG!!!

With the P.S. I Still Love You film somewhere on the horizon, I thought it was time to do another IF YOU LIKE post, this time with To All the Boys I've Loved Before! I adore TATBILB for many reasons, and these are books that I loved for some of the same reasons. Some of these fit into more than one category, just so you know, and I've tried to list representation as needed.

Much like my posts for if you like The Cruel Prince or the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I even made a quiz for you to find your next read or to narrow down your choices! I will say that with so many possibilities, the result might not be entirely accurate, so be sure to check out the rest of the list before or after you take the quiz. Always and forever, Michelle💙

MINI-REVIEW: Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn

**I received an ARC from Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

Unsung Heroine by Sarah Kuhn

Release Date: July 2, 2019

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Summary: This new installment in the smart, snarky, and action-packed Heroine series follows personal superhero trainer Lucy Valdez and friends Aveda Jupiter and Bea and Evie Tanaka as they combat a new supernatural threat.

Lucy Valdez is many things: fight trainer/bodyguard to superheroines, fabulous vintage fashion plate, undisputed karaoke queen at local joint, The Gutter. She is also one of the toughest fighters in all of San Francisco without superpowers. So why can't she seem to confess her feelings to her longtime crush Rose Rorick, head of the San Francisco Police Department's Demon Unit?

Well.... actually, she knows why. She's afraid Rose won't like the real Lucy, the Lucy underneath all the fabulous bravado. (She is still fabulous underneath that bravado--just in a different way.)

When a mysterious new karaoke star rises up at The Gutter and eclipses her, Lucy finds her confidence further shaken--and when strange, seemingly supernatural happenings threaten both this new star and The Gutter's very existence, she must rise to the challenge and investigate alongside Rose. Will Lucy be able to vanquish the demonic threat to her beloved karaoke haven, confess her true feelings to Rose, and reclaim her karaoke throne?

LIST: most anticipated 2019 releases (pt. 2)

As we're approaching the middle of the year, I thought it was time to (finally) do a part two to the list of my most anticipated 2019 releases. Of course, these aren't all of the releases for the rest of the year; rather, these are just the ones I'm looking forward to! Now, only to catch up on my tbr lists before all these great releases come out . . .

LIST: 2019 lgbtq+ ya releases

READ ON MY NEW BLOG!!!

Happy pride month, lovelies! Last year I wrote a list of all the LGBTQ+ ya books I could think of, but for this year, I didn't want to just add onto the list because it wasn't that thorough honestly.

So to celebrate this year, I compiled (with the help of Charlotte, who co-runs readsrainbow, a blog dedicated to LGBT media) a list of all the LGBTQ+ ya releases in 2019. This was as thorough as I could make the list, and I hope you all enjoy!

I have a Ko-fi account now! If you like this list and want to support me, feel free to donate.

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In addition to Charlotte and Anna's blog, LGBTQ Reads (run by Dahlia Adler) is a great resource if you're looking for more books, in other genres and published in any year.

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As always, I am only human and I make mistakes. If you see any mistakes here, please let me know, and I'll amend it as soon as I can! I tried to note representation as specific as possible, but I haven't read much of this list and it was difficult to glean specific rep from reviews sometimes. Let me know if there's something on-page that's not noted here! Also, there are trigger and content warnings for many of these books that I haven't noted, so please be aware of that.

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LIST: if you like... popular sff books edition

Have you been looking for something new to read? Something to add to your (I'm sure) never-ending tbr pile? Well, look no further because I have the list for you. Here's a list of book recs based on popular science fiction/fantasy YA novels.

LIST: best books of 2018

It's that time of the year!! I've read 211 books (mostly rereads yikes) this year, but we'll see if I can fit some more in. Here are the books I've read this year, not including all the rereads!

LIST: most anticipated 2019 releases (pt. 1)

2018 was such a great year for books, but it looks like 2019 will be also! Here are some of my most anticipated releases for the first half of 2019! (Also this isn't a complete list!! So many amazing books are out there that I might have forgotten or will hear about after it gets published.)

LIST: releases you might have missed in 2018

2018 was a busy, busy year for YA, in scandals and discourse and releases, so you've probably missed a few releases on the way! Well, don't worry because I'm here to remind you (or introduce you to) some novels you might have overlooked this year.

Some of these are ones I missed or haven't gotten to yet! (Those are marked by **.) This post was actually supposed to be one book per month, but you know I couldn't just choose one...so there's three per month!

LIST: a book for every mood

for every sad mood:

for when you're feeling sad and want to laugh:

feel-good contemporaries with distracting plots:

• Royals by Rachel Hawkins
• Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
• Save the Date by Morgan Matson
• Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
• I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

low fantasies with a whole lot of jokes:

• The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

for when you're feeling down and need something cute and fluffy:

cute YA contemporaries:

• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
• The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
• I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski
• Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
• The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

steamy adult romances:

• Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
• Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren
• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

for when you're feeling melancholy and need some hope:

tales of low points and healing:

• Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta (cw: depression)
• Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
• The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (tw: rape)
• Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (tw: mentions of rape)
• Solitaire by Alice Oseman (cw: depression, suicide)
• Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno (tw: rape)
• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan (tw: depression, suicide)
• Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
• Final Draft by Riley Redgate
• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
• Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (tw: rape)
• The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
• Saints & Misfits by S.K. Ali (tw: attempted rape, sexual assault)
• Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman (tw: parental abuse, emotional abuse, child abuse)

cloudy mindsets and happy endings:

• Cloudwish by Fiona Wood
• First & Then by Emma Mills
• Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff
• American Panda by Gloria Chao
• I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
• You Know Me Well by Nina Lacour and David Levithan

for when you're feeling angsty and still want more angst in your life (but with some happiness mixed in):

• The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar
• To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
• The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You by Lily Anderson
• This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
• Noteworthy by Riley Redgate
• Curseworkers series by Holly Black

for every happy mood:

for when you're feeling DRAMATIC and you want some exuberance:

contemporary novels filled with *insert Skam gif* dramaaaa

• Royals by Rachel Hawkins
• Prince in Disguise by Stephanie Kate Strohm
• Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
• The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
• Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
• Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
• Blood for Blood by Catherine Doyle

lush fantasies/sci-fi with breathtaking prose:

• For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
• Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
• The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
• A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
• Rebel Seoul by Axie Oh
• A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
• Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (tw: sexual abuse, violence)
• Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
• The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
• Want by Cindy Pon

for when you're feeling a spin-around-the-room, bask-in-the-warmth kinda mood and you want to smile/laugh even more:

adorable YA contemporaries:

• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
• The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
• The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
• This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
• Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno (tw: rape)
• Cloudwish by Fiona Wood

bonus!!

for when you're feeling angry:

books with angry protagonists (features uh some hero-to-villain/antihero stories):

• The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
• The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (so many tw's, pls google them before reading)
• Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton

stories with facing injustice and handling it like a pro and/or with just kicking ass:

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Dear Martin by Nic Stone
• The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah (cw: racism, anti-immigration)
• Lucy and Linh by Alice Pung (cw: racism, racial slurs, bullying)
• Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
• Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
• Heroine's Complex by Sarah Kuhn
• Jade City by Fonda Lee (tw: violence)

for when you're feeling nostalgic:

(I personally think that sometimes, you just gotta give into the nostalgia and read those books you maybe read 10 years ago and haven't really touched since then. if you're feeling low, it honestly helps tbh)
books you might have read a billion years ago but haven't touched since then:

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
• Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (I know...problematic, but HP is a world that I personally return to for a feel-good read. just don't forget all of its flaws)
• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare (I always reread this when I'm feeling like reliving the cringeyness bc honestly, it's hilarious and a great pick-me-up)
• The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (this one...sometimes I just like reliving the pain)
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter
• Heist Society by Ally Carter
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

for when you're in a book slump:

books that you physically can't put down (i.e. books I read in 1-2 sittings):

fantasy/sci-fi:

• A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
• Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (tw: sexual abuse, violence)
• Rebel Seoul by Axie Oh
• To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
• In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
• Jade City by Fonda Lee (tw: violence)

contemporary:

• This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
• Royals by Rachel Hawkins
• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
• The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
• I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski
• Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar
• Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren

TOUR / REVIEW: This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada

**I received an ARC for this tour. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada

Release Date: October 30, 2018

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary: Cat  thought  the  Hydra  epidemic  was  over,  but  when  new  cases  pop  up,  Cat  must  team  up  with  an  enemy  to  fix  the  vaccine  before  the  virus  spirals  out  of  control  in  this  thrilling  sequel  to  This  Mortal  Coil,  which  New  York  Times  bestselling  author  Amie  Kaufman  says  “redefines  ‘unputdownable.’”

The  nightmare  of  the  outbreak  is  finally  over,  but  Cat’s  fight  has  only  just  begun.

Exhausted,  wounded,  and  reeling  from  revelations  that  have  shaken  her  to  her  core,  Cat  is  at  a  breaking  point.  Camped  in  the  woods  with  Cole  and  Leoben,  she’s  working  day  and  night,  desperate  to  find  a  way  to  stop  Lachlan’s  plan  to  reprogram  humanity.  But  she’s  failing—Cat  can’t  even  control  her  newly  regrown  panel,  and  try  as  she  might  to  ignore  them,  she  keeps  seeing  glitching  visions  from  her  past  everywhere  she  turns.

When  news  arrives  that  the  Hydra  virus  might  not  be  as  dead  as  they’d  thought,  the  group  is  pushed  into  an  uneasy  alliance  with  Cartaxus  to  hunt  down  Lachlan  and  fix  the  vaccine.  Their  search  takes  them  to  Entropia,  a  city  of  genehackers  hidden  deep  in  the  desert  that  could  also  hold  the  answers  about  Cat’s  past  that  she’s  been  searching  for.

But  when  confronted  with  lies  and  betrayals,  Cat  is  forced  to  question  everything  she  knows  and  everyone  she  trusts.  And  while  Lachlan  is  always  two  steps  ahead,  the  biggest  threat  to  Cat  may  be  the  secrets  buried  in  her  own  mind.

TOUR: A Spark of White Fire by Sandanna Mangu

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

Release Date: September 11, 2018

Summary: In  a  universe  of  capricious  gods,  dark  moons,  and  kingdoms  built  on  the  backs  of spaceships,  a  cursed  queen  sends  her  infant  daughter  away,  a  jealous  uncle  steals  the  throne  of  Kali  from  his  nephew,  and an  exiled  prince  vows  to  take  his  crown  back.

Raised  alone  and  far  away  from  her  home  on  Kali,  Esmae  longs  to  return  to her family.  When  the  King  of  Wychstar  offers  to  gift  the  unbeatable,  sentient  warship  Titania  to  a  warrior  that  can  win  his  competition,  she  sees  her  way  home:  she’ll  enter  the  competition,  reveal  her  true  identity  to  the  world,  and  help  her  famous  brother  win  back  the  crown  of  Kali.

It’s  a  great  plan.  Until  it  falls  apart.

Inspired  by  the  Mahabharata  and  other  ancient  Indian  stories,  A  Spark  of  White  Fire  is  a  lush,  sweeping  space  opera  about  family,  curses,  and  the  endless  battle  be-tween  jealousy  and  love.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Kobo | Indiebound | iBooks

LIST: if you like antiheroes...

I know that a lot of people (including me) enjoy reading books with antihero/morally gray protagonists, so here's a list of recommendations!!

if you like antiheroes/morally gray protagonists . . .

TOUR / REVIEW: Mirage by Somaiya Daud

**I received an ARC from Netgalley for this tour. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Release Date: August 28, 2018

My Rating: 3.75 stars

Summary: In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.

But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.

As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.

REVIEW: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

**I received an ARC from Edelweiss. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna

Release Date: September 11, 2018

My Rating: 5 stars

Summary: In a universe of capricious gods, dark moons, and kingdoms built on the backs of spaceships, a cursed queen sends her infant daughter away, a jealous uncle steals the throne of Kali from his nephew, and an exiled prince vows to take his crown back.

Raised alone and far away from her home on Kali, Esmae longs to return to her family. When the King of Wychstar offers to gift the unbeatable, sentient warship Titania to a warrior that can win his competition, she sees her way home: she’ll enter the competition, reveal her true identity to the world, and help her famous brother win back the crown of Kali.

It’s a great plan. Until it falls apart.

Inspired by the Mahabharata and other ancient Indian stories, A Spark of White Fire is a lush, sweeping space opera about family, curses, and the endless battle between jealousy and love.

REVIEW: The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken

Release Date: July 31, 2018

My Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Five years after the destruction of the so-called rehabilitation camps that imprisoned her and countless other Psi kids, seventeen-year-old Suzume "Zu" Kimura has assumed the role of spokesperson for the interim government, fighting for the rights of Psi kids against a growing tide of misinformation and prejudice. But when she is accused of committing a horrifying act, she is forced to go on the run once more in order to stay alive.

Determined to clear her name, Zu finds herself in an uncomfortable alliance with Roman and Priyanka, two mysterious Psi who could either help her prove her innocence or betray her before she gets the chance. But as they travel in search of safety and answers, and Zu grows closer to the people she knows she shouldn't trust, they uncover even darker things roiling beneath the veneer of the country's recovery. With her future-and the future of all Psi-on the line, Zu must use her powerful voice to fight back against forces that seek to drive the Psi into the shadows and save the friends who were once her protectors.

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken comes a harrowing story of resilience, resistance, and reckoning that will thrill loyal fans and new readers alike.

LIST: if you like Asian SFF...

here's a list of YA fantasy and science fiction by Asian authors!! Note that some of these authors write about their own culture and some have been inspired by others, but this doesn't necessarily diminish their works! also, these books are ones that I've read or have heard of, so this is not a complete list. Feel free to send me some recs!

This is a list of mostly YA books, with a few MG and adult books sprinkled in. These will be noted!

if you like Asian SFF...

REVIEW: Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

Release Date: January 16, 2018

My Rating: 5 stars

Summary: They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life.

A decade ago, Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?

And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever:

A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.

An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.

And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

Red Rising was the story of the end of one universe, and Iron Gold is the story of the creation of a new one. Witness the beginning of a stunning new saga of tragedy and triumph from masterly New York Times bestselling author Pierce Brown.

REVIEW: Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

**I received an ARC thanks to Shenwei (@theshenners), thank you again!! This review is my own opinion, and I was not compensated in any way for it.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Release Date: September 19, 2017

My Rating: 4.25 stars

Summary: If you could change your story, would you?

Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”

What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.

REVIEW: Want by Cindy Pon

Want by Cindy Pon

Release Date: June 13, 2017

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary: Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.

With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.

Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is or destroying his own heart?