Tag Archives: magical realism

Book Title:
When the Moon Was Ours
Book Author:
Anna-Marie McLemore
Publishing Date:
October 4th, 2016
Publisher:
Thomas Dunne
Date Read:
September 28th, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Anna-Marie McLemore’s debut novel The Weight of Feathers was greeted with rave reviews, a YALSA Morris Award nomination, and spots on multiple “Best YA Novels” lists. Now, McLemore delivers a second stunning and utterly romantic novel, again tinged with magic.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Atmospheric, dynamic, and packed with gorgeous prose, When the Moon was Ours is another winner from this talented author.

My Review

When I first read The Weight of Feathers, I was captivated by the magic and beauty that was contained within its pages.  At that point, I hadn’t really read many novels with magical realism and such descriptive passages, and characters … Continue reading

5 stars
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Book Title:
Spark
Book Author:
Holly Schindler
Publishing Date:
May 17th, 2016
Publisher:
HarperTeen
Date Read:
May 12th, 2016
Source:
eARC from publisher via Edelweiss

Synopsis

Acclaimed author Holly Schindler writes a compelling contemporary tale with a dash of magic. The theater comes to life in this story of family ties, fate, love, and one girl’s quest to rewrite history.

The local Avery Theater was just a run-down building to Quin—until her mother told her about the tragic love that played out on the theater’s stage many years ago. Quin is convinced it’s the perfect story to re-create for her drama class. And when she does, the Avery begins to magically regain its former splendor, clearly setting the stage for her classmates Dylan and Cass to relive the romance from a time before. Quin can see the spark between them, but it’s up to her to make sure her friends—and the Avery—can both be saved this time around.

My Review

“‘There is real, undeniable magic in this world – all around us.’” I haven’t read a lot of books that deal with theater or performing arts, but the ones that I do read I tend to like.  They’re always different … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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Book Title:
A Fierce and Subtle Poison
Book Author:
Samantha Mabry
Publishing Date:
April 12th, 2016
Publisher:
Algonquin Young Readers
Date Read:
April 5th, 2016
Source:
I received a copy from the publisher - Thank you!

Synopsis

Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the señoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.

Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers--and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.

My Review

A Fierce and Subtle Poison is one of those rare books that is as beautiful and captivating as you imagine it will be, based on that gorgeous cover.  Once you pick this book up, it’s going to draw you in, … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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