Reading & viewing: Wrapping up the Heartstopper series

Posted in Book Reviews, Pop Culture by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

It’s the end of an era!

Specifically, the Heartstopper era… during which Alice Oseman’s webtoon-turned-graphic-novels entranced readers with a swoony love story about two sweet boys who find one another, overcome bullying and deal with mental health crises, find a glorious friend group, and find a way to stay together, even while hearing (constantly) that teen relationships don’t last.

Nick and Charlie first meet early in their high school years. Nick, age 14, is one of the few out gay boys at school, and has been bullied for it. Nick, 16, is (presumably) straight and a star rugby player. The two connect instantly as friends, but there’s something else simmering beneath the surface right from the start. As the story progresses, Nick has an awakening about his own sexuality, Charlie deals with a severe eating disorder, and both learn to embrace their identities, stand proud, and allow their love to flourish.

In the 6th and final volume, as we readers deal with reaching the end, so too do Charlie and Nick have to deal with an ending of sorts — not of their relationship, but of their school years together. Nick is in his final year of high school, with plans to attend university out of town. He feels lost and conflicted — who is he without Charlie? Charlie has grown from a scared boy into a determined young man. He’s still himself, but has developed over the years into someone who sees that he can help others in a way that he himself wasn’t helped, launching a campaign to stop bullying and to establish a school club for gay kids to gather and feel safe.

As they navigate the ups and downs of their final school year together, Nick and Charlie confront serious issues, individually and together, but never lose their amazing connection. They also remain deeply committed to their friend group, who as individuals all add fresh elements to the story and as a group show the beauty of having a supportive, loving community.

Heartstopper volume 6 provides a lovely, cheery, moving conclusion to a wonderful graphic novel series. I’ll miss these characters!

From 2022 to 2024, Netflix aired three seasons of a wonderful adaptation of Heartstopper, with spot-on casting and a production vibe that perfectly captures the feeling (and feelings) of the books. This month, a final wrap-up movie was release, Heartstopper Forever:

I loved the three seasons of the seasons, and approached the movie this week with eagerness and nervousness.

Overall, I was happy with it! The movie takes a more depressing turn than the book does, which may be why I felt it started dragging a bit in the middle. Also, while the series episodes give breathing room to the friend group, so that we we really have time to get to know all the characters and their story arcs, the movie has so much ground to cover with Nick and Charlie that the friends mainly serve as background or support, without substantial storylines of their own.

That said, I did love seeing Nick and Charlie again, especially seeing how far they’ve come and how they’ve grown and matured together as their relationship has deepened. I will admit that seeing these characters being very sexually active can be a bit startling, considering that we’ve been watching them grow up since age 14 or thereabouts! Still, they are absolutely lovely together, and it’s beautiful to see them sorting out how to support one another, how to deal with their separate challenges and crises, and how to manage to be whole people as individuals, beyond their identity as “Nick and Charlie”.

Heartstopper Forever is essential viewing for anyone who’s watched the previous three seasons. For anyone who hasn’t, start at season 1 — I’ll bet you won’t want to stop!

This week, Netflix also dropped a short (35-minutes) behind the scenes special, Heartstopper: Ending on a Hi.

What a heartwarming way to end the Heartstopper experience! It’s lovely to hear the cast, crew, and fans talk about what the show has meant to them. If you’ve watched the show and the movie, definitely check this out too!

Now that I’ve reached the end, I’m tempted to start all over again from the beginning — with both the books and the Netflix series. I think it would be amazing to go back and see the characters once again at the very start of their journeys, knowing how much they grow and change as their stories move forward.

Heartstopper has been a wonderful experience. I encourage everyone to check it out!

24May2026

Audiobook Review: My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: My Contrary Mary
Series: Mary, #1
Authors: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Narrator: Fiona Hardingham
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: June 22, 2021
Print length: 512 pages
Audiobook length: 12 hours 18 minutes
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Long live the queen: The authors who brought you the New York Times bestselling My Lady Jane kick off an all-new historical trilogy with the classy, courtly tale of Mary, Queen of Scots—perfect for YA fantasy and romance readers.

Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?

Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she’s a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It’s a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.

Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn after the king meets a suspicious end. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis face a viper’s nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary’s secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

With a royally clever sense of humor, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn history on its head in this YA fantasy ideal for fans of A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

A shapeshifting queen, a perilous court, and a kingdom on the brink. What could possibly go wrong?

I can’t even begin to describe how much fun it is to be back in the world of the Janies… or in this case, a Mary! This author trio has already treated us to revamped versions of Lady Jane Grey, Jane Eyre, and Calamity Jane — and this first Mary book, with its focus on Mary, Queen of Scots, takes us back to the universe of My Lady Jane, with all sorts of fresh twists!

In this fictional version of history, the kingdoms of France, England, and Scotland are full of political maneuvering and manipulation, and the key source of tension within each kingdom is the divide between Eðians and Verities — those who can shapeshift into animal forms, and those who believe that only the truly human follow in the path of righteousness, and all others are abominations.

Mary, Queen of Scots, has been raised in the French court and is betrothed to Francis, heir to the French throne. Mary is also an Eðian — a highly guarded secret that could cost her life in France, where Eðians are despised and persecuted. Mary and Francis have been best friends (and betrothed) since they were children, but now that they’re older, there’s growing pressure to see them married off in order to secure the lines of succession, as well as for France to have a stronger claim on Scotland… and eventually, England as well.

My Contrary Mary is told through chapters that rotate through three different point of view characters: Mary, Francis, and Ari, daughter of court prognosticator Nostradamus. Ari doesn’t seem to have her father’s gift for visions, instead revealing her talents through an array of potions with astounding magical properties. When Ari does try to summon a vision, they seem to be nonsense:

Ari did sometimes see things, but nothing that made sense:

“I see a princess from the moon. She punishes all of the evildoers.”

“I see a girl with pale hair singing in the snow. She wants to let it go, but I don’t know what it is.”

“I see a child. He sees dead people.”

After that, her father stopped asking her what she saw.

Ari’s visions are so entertaining that I feel compelled to share one more:

Ari spoke softly. “I see a boy and a girl. They are floating in the ocean.”

She heard some oohs in the distance, and then a shushing sound.

“It’s very cold. The breath coming out of their mouths freezes instantly.” Ari shivered. “They are not in a boat. They are on . . .” Ari squinted and saw the metal hinges of a latch. “They are on a door? The boy is slipping into the water. The girl is holding his hand. She is promising to never let go. She will hold on forever and they will be together—Oh wait, she just let go.”

As the story unfolds, Mary and Francis seem to be in ever increasing danger. Francis’s mother, Catherine de Medici, wants to rule France through him… and when he pushes back, that evil gleam in her eyes bodes bad news for Francis. Mary’s uncles, a powerful duke and influential cardinal, claim to have her best interests at heart, but as she learns late in the game, what they say and what they actually mean are quite different things. Meanwhile, Mary’s ladies-in-waiting (a delightful group, all named Mary) know Mary’s secrets and will do whatever it takes to protect her… and also have secrets of their own.

The main thing to know about My Contrary Mary is that it’s very, very funny, with a cheeky, deliberately sassy sort of tone that keeps events rolicking along. If you’ve read My Lady Jane, you’ll know that tragic historical events have no place in this fictional world… so fear not for Mary’s head staying attached to her shoulders! It’s safe to assume from the outset that the characters we come to know and love will reach their happily-ever-afters… and for the readers, getting there is so much fun that you almost hate to get to the final chapters.

I listened to the audiobook (which makes it difficult to go back and pull out as many favorite quotes as I normally would with these books). Fiona Hardingham does a fantastic job with the assorted French, Scottish, and English accents, the dialects of the various royals, nobles, and servants, as well as the portrayal of certain Eðians (which I recommend experiencing for yourself!)

As you can probably tell, I adored this romp through an alternate historical world! And now that I’ve finished My Contrary Mary, I’m eager to dive into the other books in the Mary series, which focus on Mary Shelley and the pirate Mary Read.

Interested in the Jane books? Check out:

Purchase links for My Contrary Mary: Amazon – Audible – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

9Apr2026

Book Review: A Deadly Inheritance by Kelley Armstrong

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: A Deadly Inheritance
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication date: March 24, 2026
Length: 424 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

After discovering she’s an heiress to a billion-dollar corporation, seventeen-year-old Liliana finds herself at a new boarding school where she must navigate secret societies and a deadly competition. Not to mention two handsome boys.

In the wake of her mother’s death, Liliana Chamberlain’s estranged (and very wealthy) grandparents swoop in. Or their lawyer does. Her grandparents aren’t ready to meet her, but they want her to have the life her mother walked away from, starting with Westdale Academy, the elite boarding school her mother attended. It should be a Cinderella dream come true, but Lili has serious misgivings. Yet she doesn’t have a choice, being under eighteen and dead broke.

Westdale Academy is a school of secrets as well as intriguing classmates, including Hollywood golden boy Theo Dubois and the mysterious Maddox Moreno. As she gets to know them all, Lili realizes there’s more to the school than elite-level networking. Something deadly.

For the new girl at school, investigating the deaths of past students — including Maddox’s own sister — is a very dangerous game. Do those deaths have something to do with why her mother fled Westdale at the cost of her inheritance?

When a fun night out turns bloody, Theo is the prime suspect, and Liliana must race against time to connect the past with the present and discover the truth behind her inheritance.

While YA thrillers are not my typical jam, I had no hesitation when it came to picking up this newest book by author Kelley Armstrong. A Deadly Inheritance provides the twisty, complicated plot and fascinating characters that are hallmarks of her writing, and delivers a thrilling drama with enough devious clues to make a reader’s head spin.

In A Deadly Inheritance, 17-year-old Liliana is desperately selling everything not nailed down in her shabby apartment in order to keep paying the rent and keep up appearances. Orphaned after her mother’s death, Liliana just has to fake it a few more months until she turns 18 and can avoid the foster system. A gifted student, she already has a free ride to college waiting for her, if she can only make it through to her high school graduation and legal adulthood.

All that seems to come crashing down when Child Protective Services comes knocking at her door — but the CPS representative is stymied by the appearance of a lawyer who claims to speak on Liliana’s behalf. In short order, a huge secret is revealed: Liliana is actually the granddaughter of the Chamberlains of Chamberlain Enterprises, and heiress to a fortune in the billions. In the blink of an eye, Liliana is whisked away from her former life and enrolled at Westdale Academy, a boarding school for the children of the ultra rich and powerful, where having the right allies and connections is the most sought-after prize.

At Westdale, Liliana is wooed by the members of the Lilith Society, whose members are the school’s top female students. She’s also drawn to two very different boys: Theo, the golden-child son of Hollywood power players, and Maddox, an emotionally complex young man descended from a tech fortune, whose family’s past contains its own share of trauma.

Liliana settles into her new environment and begins to form deep connections, but there’s immediate danger as well. Someone tries breaking into her room. a fellow student tries to push her down the basement stairs, and at an off-campus event, she’s attacked and wounded. Why is someone trying to hurt Liliana, and is this connected to mysterious events from Westdale’s secretive history?

A Deadly Inheritance is an absolute page-turner, as the clues come fast and furious, with new suspects and theories around every corner. Something very bad is going on… but the answers will keep you guessing right up until the final chapter. I know I had plenty of theories… and most of them turned out to be dead wrong!

I really enjoyed Liliana as a lead character. As someone raised with no knowledge of her mother’s true past, she has no idea that she comes from money, and therefore has none of the snobbishness or entitlement so often seen in stories about privileged teens. Liliana’s entry into the world of Westdale is shown through her eyes, so we get to experience both her wonder and confusion at the wealth around her and the casual acceptance of a world of instant, constant luxury.

There’s a romantic subplot that is not what you’d expect, and I ended up really enjoying it. I can’t say I’ve come across this particular approach in YA fiction before… and that’s about all I’ll say about it, but trust me, it’s very well-written, innovative, and fun to see unfolding.

The mystery/thriller aspects are very well constructed. There are just enough clues to keep a reader guessing, but never enough to be obvious. When the answers do come, they require full concentration — the plot is clever and intricate and full of sharp little details to throw us off course.

I did have a few minor quibbles — just certain details about Liliana’s earlier life and how her new status as an heiress unfolded that felt glossed over and fully explained. In an adult novel, these elements probably would have felt more substantial, and the lack of detail might have been less easily overlooked. Here, with a YA vibe, the missing details can be more readily pushed aside in favor of the focus on Liliana’s experiences and feelings. It works!

I’ve read quite a bit of Kelley’s Armstrong recent novels for adults, including the outstanding Rockton and Haven’s Rock series, several terrific stand-alone horror novels, and even a couple of rom-coms. A Deadly Inheritance is my first experience with her young adult writing. I’m happy to confirm that it was just as good as I’d expected!

While marketed as YA fiction, A Deadly Inheritance makes a great read for adults too. I really enjoyed this thriller, and highly recommend it.

Purchase links: Amazon – Audible audiobook – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

14Feb2026

“It’s not you, it’s me” two-fer: A pair of mini-reviews for books that didn’t work for me

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Two of my anticipated books for February just didn’t work for me… and I’m left wondering how much of my reaction is due to the books themselves… and how much was more about being the wrong books for me in the moment. I think it’s probably somewhat of a mix — but here’s what I read and what I thought.

Love Me Tomorrow by Emiko Jean: I have loved previous books by this author, especially her Tokyo duology (Tokyo Dreaming and Tokyo Ever After), so I was primed to love this new YA novel as well. Sadly, I did not.

In Love Me Tomorrow, a promising young violinist who lost her faith in love after her parents’ divorce starts receiving letters from the future, from someone who claims to have always loved her and who, thanks to the invention of time travel, can write to her in the past and offer encouragement on taking chances and believing in love once again.

Emma becomes obsessed with figuring out who the letter writer might be, looking for clues in each of the three boys in her life. Meanwhile, she cleans houses to support her mother and grandfather and is on the verge of giving up the opportunity to attend a prestigious music conservatory in order to stay home and care for her family.

The family dynamics are interesting (although I didn’t see why her father, an apparently successful author, doesn’t seem clued in to the fact that his daughter needs financial support), and the different connections Emma share with the three boys develop in unexpected ways. The time travel element is more annoying than innovative, however, and is not at all convincing — it distracts from an involvement in Emma’s life and choices, rather than enhancing the story.

As for the “it’s not you, it’s me” element: I no longer read much YA, and perhaps that has something to do with my lack of engagement with this story. Still, given that I have really enjoyed this author’s previous YA novels, my suspicion is that if the plot itself had appealed to me more, I would have found myself drawn in regardless of genre or target demographic.

Publication date: February 3, 2026
Length: 352 pages
Rating:

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: Unpopular opinion time! I’ve seen bunches of rave reviews for this book… and for the life of me, I just can’t get into it.

The story revolves around a young widow who runs a charity cat shelter in a version of Montreal where magicians are seen as a threat, slinging around dangerous spells and endangering the non-magical people around them.

I’m stopping at 25%. I’ve tried — really tried — to push through, but this story simply isn’t grabbing me. Oh, there’s a dangerous magician living in the basement of the cat shelter! Oh, the feuding magicians are wreaking havoc and disturbing the cats! Sigh.

On the “it’s not you, it’s me” front, I suspect that my interest in cozy fantasy has dried up. There are plenty of examples from this genre that I’ve loved, but I’m feeling like the concept has run its course. I’m a bit sad about my reaction to this book: I loved the author’s Emily Wilde series. Here, though, the subject matter and characters have not piqued my curiosity, and I’m finding it a slog to get through each chapter.

I’m calling it now, and setting aside the book. Maybe at some other point I’ll feel the urge to pick it up and try again. Meanwhile, I’m off to find something to read that actually feels like it’s calling my name,

Publication date: February 17, 2026
Length: 368 pages
Rating:

So, was it me, and not the books? Clearly, I wasn’t in the mindset for either of these books… but I also feel that if the stories themselves had been stronger, I would have gotten into them anyway.

If you’ve read either of these books and have other opinions, I’d love to hear them!

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10Jan2026

Book Review: All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: All Better Now
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Length: 528 pages
Genre: Young adult dystopian/Science fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

From New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman comes a “thought-provoking and grimly enjoyable” (Kirkus Reviews) “epic biological thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) about a world where happiness is contagious but the risks of catching it may be just as dangerous as the cure.

A deadly and unprecedented virus is spreading. But those who survive it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen before: utter contentment. Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weigh them down are gone.

More and more people begin to revel in the mass unburdening. But not everyone. People in power—who depend on malcontents and prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince others they need more, new, faster, better everything—know this new state of being is bad for business. Surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos. Campaigns start up to convince people that being eternally happy is dangerous. The race to find a vaccine begins. Meanwhile, a growing movement of Recoverees plans ways to spread the virus as fast as they can, in the name of saving the world.

It’s nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their agenda. Three teens from very different backgrounds who’ve had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever.

All Better Now is a propulsive page-turner about viral contagion, with an incredibly interesting premise that provides all sorts of food for thought.

In this YA sci-fi thriller, a virus known as Crown Royale is sweeping the globe. It’s only been a few years since the last pandemic; no one wants to go back to lockdowns and mask mandates. Crown Royale is highly contagious and has about a 4% mortality rate for those infected. People who test positive for the virus experience dramatically high fevers and other dangerous symptoms. But in some ways, it’s the aftereffects that are most shocking.

Crown Royale recoverees are… well… different. Without exception, recoverees are happy and peaceful. Their aggressions, greed, drive for competition, avarice — all are gone. Recoverees are kind, driven by altruism. They’re non-violent, and have an unstoppable urge to help others, even at the risk of their own lives.

On the surface, that sounds pretty great. But big business and governments alike are worried. What will this mean for the economy? What does this mean for international politics, struggles, and power plays? If people are no longer motivated by consumerism, what does this mean for production? And of course, the billionaires are the most worried, both for their own enormous profits and what it might mean if — heaven forbid — they themselves become infected. Already, a worrying number of very wealthy people have recovered from Crown Royale only to give away everything they own.

Within this intriguing premise, we’re introduced to three teens with very different backgrounds. Rón (yes, with an accent over the “o” — it’s short for Tiburón) is the youngest son of the third richest man in the world. He’s a bit of a lost soul, constantly fighting the depression that threatens to pull him under. To Rón, a virus that will leave him happy for the first time in his life sounds pretty good. Mariel lives on the streets with her flighty mother, and after her mother’s death from Crown Royale, finds herself connecting with Rón at a pop-up commune for recoverees.

And then there’s Morgan, a hard-driving prodigy who lands a coveted internship with a very wealthy consortium — only to discover that the old woman who owns the consortium is signing over all her assets to Morgan in the event she contracts Crown Royale. Dame Havilland lives for spite, and hates the idea that she might turn into a kinder, gentler version of herself if she gets the virus, and so she creates ironclad legal documents to permanently keep control of her assets out of her own hands.

As the story progresses, we see how each of these three main characters, as well as the many people they’re connected to, navigate a world that’s changing before their eyes. Rón and Mariel develop a very deep connection, but seem to be diverging toward quite different trajectories. Meanwhile, Morgan shows all the cunning and ruthlessness that landed her the job in the first place — but with limitless power now in her hands, she has her own agenda when it comes to Crown Royale.

I’d hate to give away any more of the plot. Suffice to say, the story is twisty and turny, and goes in directions I didn’t see coming. There are fascinating moral dilemmas at the core of this story. Crown Royale is deadly for a relatively small percentage of its sufferers, but the rest experience beauty and true happiness in its aftermath. So should the world be trying to fight Crown Royale at all? Would the world be a better place if everyone was transformed by the virus? If war and cruelty could be eliminated, isn’t that a good thing?

Because if you took everything into consideration, from war to apathy, from greed to racism—all the self-destructive, self-loathing, self-annihilating tendencies of human nature—Crown Royale might just be the best thing to ever come along.

But on the other hand, many believe that the recoverees, although happy, aren’t truly themselves any longer — and for those with that belief, there’s a deep-seated fear of the virus and a hatred for it and those who might spread it.

“Despair builds character!” countered Morgan. “It’s what motivates us—but Crown Royale denies people that! You’re just too naïve to see it!”

For those who truly believe Crown Royale is a blessing for humanity, there’s a feeling that they’re called to pass it along to everyone else. But what about free will? Shouldn’t it be a choice? And when a potential vaccine or counter-virus seems possible, the same question applies: Should Crown Royale be absolutely eliminated? What about the people who want to seek it out and experience a better version of their lives?

I picked up All Better Now after seeing it mentioned in this Reactor article about what to read after watching Pluribus (AppleTV). I though Pluribus was terrific, and I’ve read and enjoyed several of Neal Shusterman’s books in the past (including the Arc of a Scythe series), so All Better Now seemed like an obvious choice for me.

I’m glad I stumbled across that article, and I’m glad that I gave this book a try! I actually didn’t realize that it was a YA novel (although I should have known based on the author and the publisher). And really, apart from the fact that the main characters are teens, I’d say this doesn’t have to be shelved as YA — it’s just a really good sci-fi book about a world-changing virus!

I also didn’t realize that All Better Now is the first book in a projected duology. Until I went back to the Goodreads listing as I neared the end of the book, I had no idea that I wasn’t reading a stand-alone novel. The book does have an open-ended conclusion… but given the subject matter, I suppose it could just be seen as ominously open to interpretation. I suppose I’m glad to know that there will be more in this world, and that the story will continue (and get wrapped up) in one more book — but I think I could have been satisfied with All Better Now on its own as well.

(According to Goodreads, book #2 will be called All Over Now, and does not yet have a release date.)

Once I started All Better Now, I just couldn’t put it down. Sure, there are plot points that stretch credulity, and I never quite bought Morgan’s trajectory. Likewise, having teens driving the plot make sense from a YA branding perspective, but left me at times wanting to know more about what the grown-ups were up to.

Still, quibbles aside, there’s no denying that this was a fascinating, utterly absorbing read that kept me up late turning pages, then not being able to get the various scenarios out of my head.

All Better Now wasn’t on my reading agenda for this year, but I’m so glad I picked it up!

21Aug2024

Book Review: My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: My Calamity Jane
Series: The Lady Janies, #3
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: June 2, 2020
Length: 544 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Welcome to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.

JANE (a genuine hero-eene)

Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.

FRANK (*wolf whistle*)
Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .

ANNIE (get your gun!)
Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do, she can do better.

A HAIRY SITUATION
After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.

The Lady Janies books are quickly becoming my go-to cheer-me-up reads… and the 3rd in the series, My Calamity Jane, absolutely hits the spot!

In this cheeky, silly reimagining of Wild West legends, Wild Bill Hickok’s traveling show is highly entertaining, super popular… and a front for a band of garou (werewolf) hunters. Calamity Jane herself is a 17-year-old who’s an ace at performing tricks with a bullwhip, and she’s also devoted to Wild Bill, who gave her a family when she had nowhere else to turn. Bill’s son Frank is Jane’s brother and best friend, and the tight-knit band travels from town to town, putting on great shows and dealing with garous who threaten public safety.

Things take a turn for the terrible when Jane is bitten during an attempt to bring down the garou Alpha, and their lives only get more complicated from there. Between fast-talker Annie Oakley insisting on joining their crew and the persistent attentions of a young woman reporter (who goes incognito as a young man, because writing just ain’t a career path for a woman, doncha know), Jane and the gang have to move and think fast… and their lives get even more dangerous once Jane decides to run off to Deadwood in pursuit of a rumored garou cure.

Ah, this book is fun! Lots of familiar names and places pop up — but if you’re like me, it’s helpful to keep Wikipedia handy too. I never watched the Deadwood TV series (although now I’m tempted!), and had only passing familiarity with most of these real-life people — so looking into their stories was a huge boost while reading My Calamity Jane.

Note: I do have a vague recollection of listening to some of the songs from the musical Annie, Get Your Gun as a child. Does anyone — besides devoted theater kids — still know this show? Parts of it looks really offensive, based on looking at the movie trailer, so I kind of hope not. Anyway, I digress…

The writing in My Calamity Jane, as in the other Lady Janies, is funny, tongue-in-cheek, and quite silly. The narrators pop in to comment throughout, which is always good for a laugh.

“Mama!” Annie turned around, horrified. “He’s near forty years old! He’s ancient”—(at this point, your faithful and likewise ancient narrators die inside)—“and he’s already married.”

The werewolf storyline fits surprisingly well within a Western setting, and the main villain of the piece offers some clever surprises (plus lots of sneering and manipulation). Even the portrayal of henchmen and lackeys is funny.

Jack McCall straightened his spine (although your narrators don’t know how he did it, considering we are pretty sure he was spineless).

The story includes a couple of quirky love stories, as well as shoot-’em-up action sequences and some familiar-sounding rivalry.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself. She put on her sweetest smile. “Anything you can do, Mr. Butler,” she said, “I can do better.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Yes, I can.”

While the page count might seem a little much at the outset, trust me — it moves quickly. Even when we get the sadder moments of learning the characters’ backstories and childhood traumas, we’re never more than a page or two away from an exchange to lighten the mood.

“Oh, no,” gasped Winnie. “Oh, no, no, no. A story like this takes time.”

Frank drew out his pocket watch. “You’ve got, like, two hours.”

Jane snorted. “That’s loads of time. A person could write a whole book in two hours.” (To which we, as the narrators, say no. A person can’t. And now we’re crying a little.)

Plain and simple, My Calamity Jane is a hoot, just like the rest of the books in the series. The Lady Janies all work as stand-alones (or at least, the ones I’ve read so far do). So, if the Wild West isn’t necessarily your thing, but you’re a Jane Eyre fan, start with My Plain Jane, or if you love Tudor history, pick up My Lady Jane. You get the point — pick one that appeals to you, see if you like the approach, and then give the rest a try!

For me, I’m ready to dive into the Mary books!

And I’ll close with the words of Calamity Jane… just because she makes me laugh:

“Frank! Get the lead out! Annie! Get your gun!”

28Jul2024

Book Review: Against the Darkness (In Every Generation, #3) by Kendare Blake

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Against the Darkness
Series: In Every Generation, #3
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: April 9, 2024
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

This epic finale to the The Next Generation trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake ( Three Dark Crowns ) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team.

Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world’s first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.

Sure, she has her new Scooby Gang, plus the help of her mom, Willow; Watcher, Spike; and even the brooding-but-hot Hunter of Thrace. But even though they have a master plan (obviously), the gang is more fragmented than ever.

So maybe it really is up to Frankie—and Frankie alone—to stand against the darkness. With Jake’s wild werewolf brother back in town, Dark Willow threatening to return, and the Darkness preparing for the final stage of their attack, now is not a great time to wallow in teen angst. After all, she’s the Slayer. It’s time to slay.

The In Every Generation trilogy feels like a gift for Buffy fans… and it’s been one that I’ve been very happy to unwrap. But now we reach the end: Book #3, Against the Darkness, wraps up the escalating danger with an action-packed finale, while keeping the spotlight shining on the new and old Buffyverse characters (and all their quippiness).

Frankie pointed through the windshield to the park below as Sam ran past the base of the green, sloping hill, screaming as he was tailed by three vampires. Jake wasn’t far behind, and as he passed, he turned to the car and shouted.

“Frankie! Get your slayer butt down here!”

“Well.” Frankie opened her door. “I guess that’s the signal.”

“It was so subtle; are you sure?” Sigmund asked, deadpan.

Over the course of the trilogy, Frankie Rosenberg has been developing her slayer powers. The world’s first slayer-witch, Frankie is a second generation Scoobie, just trying to get through high school, hang out with her mom Willow, keep an eye on best friend/werewolf Jake, and (oh yeah) try not to get killed by the Big Bad of the month.

With Spike as her Watcher, Willow and Oz as the wise elders, and a new batch of Scoobies to train and patrol with, Frankie slowly starts building her confidence, even while desperately missing her aunt Buffy, who is currently trapped in a prison dimension along with rest of the slayers. Well, except for those slayers who’ve joined the Darkness, whose purpose is not obvious to the good guys until it’s almost too late.

This trilogy is oodles of fun. Yes, the focus is on the newer generation, but Willow, Oz, and Spike get plenty of time to shine too, and there are other visits from old favorites that are a delight. (There’s even a shout-out to Miss Kitty Fantastico, which is just… awesome.) Meanwhile, author Kendare Blake wholeheartedly embraces the vibe, capturing both nostalgic references and the overall Buffy way of speaking in a way that’s pure joy to read.

Lots of fun details and craziness ensues. Gotta love the lacrosse werewolves! (It’s a thing — read the book to find out more.)

“Are you all right, Frankie?”

“Sure, why? Did I stop smiling? I didn’t think I stopped smiling.” She tried to smile again, but it wouldn’t stick.

Willow peered around the gymnasium. “Seems like a shame to destroy another high school,” she said to Oz. “This one is so nice.”

“Buffy, look out!” Willow pointed as a bat-winged demon swooped overhead. Buffy and Frankie ducked, and Willow used her magic to zap it out of the sky.

“Thanks, Will.” Buffy looked at her. “Home for not even two seconds, and already it’s work, work, work.”

If you’re a Buffy fan, please do yourself a favor and read this adorable trilogy. It’s such a treat to be back in the world of slayers, demons, witches, and hellmouths. I didn’t expect to love the new characters as much as I did, but Frankie is amazing, and so is the rest of her crew… and needless to say, spending time with the original gang is a total blast.

I’m sad to see the trilogy come to an end, but I’ve enjoyed every moment with these books. I think I hear a Buffy rewatch calling my name…

5Jul2024

Book Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: My Plain Jane
Series: The Lady Janies, #2
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: June 26, 2018
Length: 447 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

Long live the Lady Janies! Which are, for those wondering, a series of silly, imaginative books that turn history and classic fiction inside out and upside down. I adored My Lady Jane, the first book in the series, and finally picked up #2, My Plain Jane… and had a smashing good time reading it.

Poor Jane Eyre, an impoverished orphan who has endured a cruel aunt, hard years of cold and starvation at the awful Lowood school, and seems destined for a life as a governess — really the only option available for a young woman of her circumstances. It’ll be sad to leave her good friend Charlotte Brontë behind when she leaves Lowood, but Jane is ready to start the next chapter of her life — and fortunately, her best best friend Helen Burns can go with her. Helen is a ghost, you see, and Jane has the rare gift of seeing and communicating with ghosts.

When Alexander Blackwood, an agent of the Royal Society for the Relocation of Wayward Spirits, arrives at Lowood to dispense with a troublesome ghost, he recognizes Jane as a fellow Seer, and tries to recruit her for the Society. Jane is determined to stick to her plan of becoming a governess, but Charlotte is intrigued. She spends her days writing and dreaming of excitement, and she wants more than anything to join the Society too.

Once Jane arrives at Thornfield Hall for her governess gig and meets her employer, Mr. Rochester, her priorities start to shift. It’s not just devotion to her student that keeps her at Thornfield — Mr. Rochester is dreamy… despite being kind of rude, broody, and much older than Jane. (The authors take a great deal of delight in mentioning Mr. Rochester’s… um… maturity… at every opportunity.)

Mr. Rochester, due to age, was falling farther behind.

Hijinks ensue. You don’t really want to know the details, do you? Let’s just say, there are ghosts and ghostly possessions, a madwoman in the attic who may not be what she seems, sword fights, getting lost on the moors, and royal confrontations, among other adventures.

My Plain Jane is oodles of fun, and so very, very silly. The writing sparkles with good-natured wit and sly humor. I lost track of how many times it’s mentioned that Jane is plain… it gets ridiculously funny after a while.

Here are just a few little tastes of My Plain Jane:

“I assure you, sir, I am no one worth noting,” she said, although this did nothing to stop his obvious noting of her in his notebook.

From the ad for a governess that Jane finds:

WANTED: A GOVERNESS FOR ONE ADORABLE CHILD.

THE YOUNG LADE IN QUESTION SHOULD BE AT LEAST EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE, WELL EDUCATED, PROFICIENT IN THE PIANOFORTE, ABLE TO CONJUGATE LATIN VERBS, AND WELL VERSED IN CLASSIC LITERATURE. MOREOVER IT IS PREFERRED THAT SAID YOUNG LADY HAVE A CHEERY DISPOSITION, ROSY CHEEKS, AND ABSOLUTELY NO WARTS. SHE SHOULD BE AMENABLE TO PLAYING GAMES (ALL SORTS).

Everything turned out exactly as Charlotte had planned. (Just kidding. As skilled as Charlotte was at concocting wild-but-ingenious schemes, they almost never turned out as she planned. Remember this for future reference, dear reader.)

She threw the door open, propriety be darned. But right before she did, she made sure her nightgown was buttoned all the way up, because propriety shouldn’t be totally darned.

(Reader, your narrators understand Jane has fallen for Mr. Rochester rather quickly. The reasons for this could be threefold: first, it was pre-Victorian England, and courtships could last the length of an egg timer. Second, Jane’s lack of experience with men. And third, Jane’s perception of men, which was gleaned mostly from books and art that tended to glorify tall, dark, and brooding ones. The broodier the better. And Mr. Rochester was among the broodiest.)

Finding the intersections between Jane Eyre (the classic novel) and the antics of Jane Eyre and Charlotte Brontë as characters makes My Plain Jane extra fun. The plot itself is entertaining, and it’s cute to see all the ways in which (fictional) Charlotte uses her (fictional) friend Jane’s escapades as fodder for her work-in-progress novel (working title Jane Frere), which will of course become the (real) classic novel Jane Eyre.

As it’s been a few years since I last read Jane Eyre, I’m sure there are references and lines in My Plain Jane that went right past me. Still, I had a great time reading this book. I loved it maybe a smidge less than My Lady Jane (so awesome!!), but still thought it was clever and enjoyable, and a great way to spend a few summer days.

I’m looking forward to the next Lady Janie book, My Calamity Jane — I’ll aim to start it a bit later this summer, and I’m extra excited to get to the next book after that (which is actually a Mary book) — My Contrary Mary, about Mary, Queen of Scots. How great does that sound? After which, there are still two more books to look forward to… and given how much I’ve enjoyed the Lady Janies so far, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up reading them all.

31Mar2024

Book Review: Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L. C. Rosen

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)
Author: L. C. Rosen
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 30, 2018
Length: 385 pages
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Riverdale meets Love, Simon in this modern, fresh, YA debut about an unapologetically queer teen working to uncover a blackmailer threatening him back into the closet.

Jack has a lot of sex–and he’s not ashamed of it. While he’s sometimes ostracized, and gossip constantly rages about his sex life, Jack always believes that “it could be worse.”

But then, the worse unexpectedly strikes: When Jack starts writing a teen sex advice column for an online site, he begins to receive creepy and threatening love letters that attempt to force Jack to curb his sexuality and personality. Now it’s up to Jack and his best friends to uncover the stalker–before their love becomes dangerous.

Ground-breaking and page-turning, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) celebrates the freedom to be oneself, especially in the face of adversity.

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) is a book sure to set book-banners’ hair on fire… which is just one indication that this is a book that absolutely should be available to teen readers. Yes, it’s extremely frank about sex — and I’m sure that there are plenty of teen readers who’d absolutely benefit from the novel’s fresh, positive approach.

Jack is a high school boy who loves sex, isn’t interested in a relationship (at least, not for now), believes in consent, communication, and positivity, and isn’t crazy about how much his alleged sexual antics become the fodder for school gossip. He has good friends he can count on, is happy to be out of the closet and enjoys the various boys he hooks up with, and overall, has a pretty good life.

Everything changes when he starts receiving creepy notes in his school locker, which at first seem to be secret admirer messages but quickly turn into creepy, threatening, stalker-y demands. Jack’s confidence and sense of safety are on the line, as the stalker threatens not just him, but his friends and his mother, and it seems as though the only way to protect everyone is to give into the stalker’s demands… and sacrifice his true self along the way.

Meanwhile, Jack’s best friend Jenna convinces him to write a sex advice column for her blog, and he’s soon dispensing sex and life advice that’s personal and informative — but his school principal, among others, wants him to cease and desist, and even insists that Jack’s column and personal appearance are to blame for the stalker’s fixation.

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) contrasts the tension and fear of the stalker plotline with the joy that otherwise defines Jack’s life. As such, it’s highly readable, entertaining, and emotional, and once I started, I didn’t want to stop until I finished.

Jack’s advice columns are explicit, in that they provide clear, detailed accounts of sexual encounters that help Jack answer questions or explain various situations. Jack’s actual sexual encounters are presented less explicitly — we see before and after, but aren’t actually in the room during. For my own reading experience — an adult reading a YA novel — I was perhaps a tad uncomfortable with that much detail about teen sex… but I’m not the target demographic for this book, so that really is irrelevant. What I think really matters is that there are probably many teens who will feel seen and heard after reading this book, and who may gain some important new pieces of information and things to consider — and to me, that makes this book an important one to keep accessible for a teen audience.

I’ll wrap up by sharing the author’s statement on attempts to ban Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts). It’s far more eloquent than anything I could say myself, and absolutely conveys why this book matters.

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26Jan2024

Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Title: I Must Betray You
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: February 1, 2022
Length: 321 pages
Genre: Young adult / historical fiction
Source: Library
Rating:

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the number one New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.

I picked up I Must Betray You with some trepidation. Reading a YA historical novel set during the last days of the Ceaușescu regime would not typically have been a go-to choice for me, but because this is my book group’s pick for the month, I decided to commit and give it a try. I’m glad I did.

I Must Betray You is a stark, brutal story of repression, cruelty and suffering, as experienced by 17-year-old Cristian. Cristian is a smart, kind teen living in Bucharest, worn down by the daily suffering and deprivation of life under the Ceaușescus. There’s little food, unreliable water and electricity, and constant fear. Anyone and everyone could be an informer. There are no secrets; there is no safety.

As told through Cristian’s experiences, it’s a terrifying life, and even the small moments of friendship, family connection, and potential romance are weighted down by fear: Can he trust the person he’s speaking with? Who else is listening? Can he believe what he hears?

Cristian’s life falls apart when he’s forced into an informer role. If he complies, his ailing grandfather will be given medicine. If not? Well, as bad as things are for his family, they can get much worse.

Without giving too much away, I Must Betray You follows Cristian through the darkest of days and up through the revolution that overthrew the Ceaușescu regime in 1989. Cristian’s experiences are harsh, scary, and awful to read about, and given the ambiguousness of the book’s opening, it’s very much an open question throughout whether he’ll survive.

I appreciate the storytelling and sensitivity that the author brings to this harsh narrative. The chapters are very short and sharp, and as each ended, I wanted to know more. This is a hard book to put down once started.

For me, the collapse of communist regimes in the late 1980s is something that doesn’t feel like long-ago history, but even so, I really didn’t know much specifically about Romania and what the Romanian people suffered through on a daily basis. I Must Betray You is eye-opening. I can only wonder how this book is received by its target audience of contemporary teens — are they aware of this period of history, and do they connect with the characters and events?

I Must Betray You is powerful and clearly very well researched. Somehow, I can’t quite bring myself to give it 5-stars — possibly because it feels like there’s so much exposition throughout, occasionally at the expense of the characters’ development. Pieces of the outcome (again, trying to avoid giving away details) feel unlikely too me, perhaps a tad too optimistic about survival given the realities of what happened in Romania at the time.

Overall, I Must Betray is a compelling, intense read, and I’m glad I had the experience. I’ve only read one book by this author previously (Out of the Easy, which I didn’t completely love). I think I’d like to read more, although my impression is that her work tends to be about very dark subjects, so I’ll likely hold off for a bit.

If you have any interest in an in-depth look at this traumatic, terrible chapter of history, I recommend I Must Betray You.

If you’ve read other books by Ruta Sepetys, please let me know your recommendations!