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Hi guys, my poor kitty has had a really long run of bad luck. If you could consider donating, I would really appreciate it. Her medical bills are really adding up. We’ve already spent almost 2k on surgery and recovery…. and now she’s got a rare bacterial infection. If you could donate, take a look, or reblog, I would sincerely appreciate it. 

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Book Reviews} Just Life by Neil Abramson

“Veterinarian Samantha Lewis and her team are dedicated to providing a sanctuary for unwanted, abused, and abandoned dogs in New York City. But every day it gets harder to operate her no-kill shelter. Sam is already at her breaking point when she learns of an unidentified, dangerous virus spreading through their neighborhood. The medical community can only determine that animals are the carriers. Amid growing panic and a demand for immediate answers, suspicion abruptly falls on dogs as the source. Soon the governor is calling in the National Guard to enforce a quarantine--no dog may leave the area.  Samantha knows from her own painful history that, despite the lack of real evidence against the dogs, a quarantine may only be the beginning. As questions about the source of the virus mount and clash with the pressure for a politically expedient resolution, Sam is forced to make life-altering choices. She finds allies in a motley crew of New Yorkers--a local priest, a troubled teen, a smart-mouthed former psychologist, and a cop desperate to do the right thing--all looking for sanctuary from their own personal demons. But the person Sam needs the most to unravel the mystery of the virus and save the dogs is the last one she'd ever want to call on--because contacting him will mean confronting the traumatic past she has fought so hard to escape.“

Every once in a while, there is a book that really stands out from the crowd. Now this isn’t always a good thing. I’ve read some books recently, a lot of them, that “stand out” in a definitely negative way. It's been a while in fact since I've read a book that really left me speechless and affected me like the books I read when I was younger did. I was starting to worry that I'd just read too many books and that it wouldn't be like that any more. This book proved me wrong. After reading many disappointing or just okay books, when this one came up on the "New Books" shelf at the library I work at, I decided to request it. I'm a semi-recent adopter of a beagle/lab/pit mix who is an absolute darling, and I'll admit that the possibility of so many innocent dogs being at risk had a large impact on me choosing this book. That, and I always wanted to be a veterinarian. Who didn't!?

I'd compare Abramson's writing style to that of Michael Crichton but--I can't believe I'm saying this--I actually prefer Abramson's style. There, I said it. 

Just Life has taken the place of books like Prey and State of Fear as my favorite suspense/thriller novel. I have very definite tastes in thrillers and I'm afraid I don't find many that are within those tastes. This book hit my tastes like a bullseye. 

This book came in to my library at 10 AM on a Saturday that I was working. Even with work, I finished this 386 page book in four hours. Four hours. I haven't read a book that quickly since high school! Abramson's writing engrossed me completely, and the varied cast were all well-developed and fascinating personalities. Normally books that switch point of view regularly annoy me, but in Just Life's case I found it endearing. I loved all the characters, and the animals had distinct personalities as well. Andy and Gabriel in particular fascinated me, despite most of the science action happening with Sam, the main character.

Neil Abramson is a partner in a Manhattan law firm, according to the summary in the back of his book, and his experience serves him well as a writer. He has won an award from the ASPCA for work on behalf of homeless animals, and his pro bono experience in animal welfare makes this book a logically sound thriller (thank god). Nothing gets my goat more than an illogical thriller. Abramson's wife, whose name remains frustratingly elusive to my googling skills, is a veterinarian, and both Abramsons run a non profit animal sanctuary named "Finally Home". This name is shared by the animal shelter featured in Just Life. The science in this novel was understandable, even to a person like myself with little to no understanding of basic biology. 

I'd like to include some sort of criticism for this book in my review, but honestly gushing is about all I have any desire to do. Just Life is the second book Abramson has written, and I'll be looking up Unsaid very soon. I'm not sure if all of his books will be this good, but if they continue in a similar vein, Abramson has a devoted fan in me!

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Pansies by Alexis Hall

“Alfie Bell is . . . fine. He’s got a six-figure salary, a penthouse in Canary Wharf, the car he swore he’d buy when he was eighteen, and a bunch of fancy London friends.

It’s rough, though, going back to South Shields now that they all know he’s a fully paid-up pansy. It’s the last place he’s expecting to pull. But Fen’s gorgeous, with his pink-tipped hair and hipster glasses, full of the sort of courage Alfie’s never had. It should be a one-night thing, but Alfie hasn't met anyone like Fen before.

Except he has. At school, when Alfie was everything he was supposed to be, and Fen was the stubborn little gay boy who wouldn’t keep his head down. And now it’s a proper mess: Fen might have slept with Alfie, but he’ll probably never forgive him, and Fen’s got all this other stuff going on anyway, with his mam and her flower shop and the life he left down south.

Alfie just wants to make it right. But how can he, when all they’ve got in common is the nowhere town they both ran away from.”

     Pansies was recommended to me by a friend who is also on Netgalley. I went into the book with some trepidation, but it really was an amazing read! Alfie and Fen have History. The kind of history that would normally mean enemies for life. I mean when you bully a kid for his entire childhood for being stereotypically gay, that's a big thing. It's a bad thing. And normally I, as a reader, would hate that bully for life. But Alexis Hall's book Pansies turned that around and refused to let me think that. 

     Alfie as a kid was in denial about his sexuality. Fen, a free spirited soul, was always very much himself, and Alfie subconsciously envied that about him. Years later, when they reunite, Alfie realizes the impact of his actions and the impact they will have on his future with Fen.

     I honestly adored this book. Alfie's character development is phenomenal. Absolutely PHENOMENAL. Fen's hesitation to accept Alfie as he is now is understandable. I'm not sure I'd ever be able to forgive someone that treated me that badly. I'm a grudge-holder, y'understand?

     And speaking of the dialectual y'alls that pepper my reviews. The dialogue guys. The DIALOGUE.

     The dialogue is written almost completely in a north english dialect that reads almost scottish in parts. That's pretty understandable considering that at one point Fen drives Alfie's car almost into Scotland. Never has a book actually given me a vivid mental map of what is located where. Really, Hall's writing is amazingly descriptive. She does a terrific job of character development, dialogue, and really just everything. If framing a book was anything but absolutely ridiculous, I'd totally frame this book. This book was a free galley copy given to me by Netgalley in return for my fair and unbiased opinion. All opinions inside are completely my own. Only thing tinging them is the utter joy of FREE BOOKS.

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Book Review} Two Hearts by David Connor and E. F. Mulder

“Following a lightning strike that causes his nervous system to go haywire, Frank is left unable to touch another living thing. Though resigned to being a lonely freak, he ever hopes that someone, somewhere, might love him. But his life goes from bad to worse when someone does...”

I went into this book expecting a story a little more horror than romance. I was pleasantly surprised by a story that does both! Frank is a man who, scarred as a child by a fire he accidentally caused, has grown up more or less without love. The only person in his live who has shown him love is Vaughn, the town mortician. Poor Frank is teased mercilessly by a group of town boys for being gay. He’s been beaten up, but nothing hurt him worse than the betrayal of his childhood best friend, Renny, who now bullies him with the town boys. 

My favorite character in this book is either Liam or Vaughn or Marion. It’s a close tie. I do love Frank though, and his gothic way of going about his life. It’s very tragic. Frank manages to create wonderfully close relationships with quite a few people over the span of the story, and their emotions come through really strongly. Connor and Mulder do a wonderful job of creating characters that are emotionally compelling and a storyline that is extremely investing. By the end of the story I was glaring at anyone who dared interrupt my reading! 

This story is a wonderful blend of myth and science. It’s set quite a few years ago, when organ transplant was pretty much magic to most people-- and black magic at that. So the approach that Connor and Mulder take to this retelling of Frankenstein still managed to surprise me, despite the faithful rendering of some of the characters in more modern ways. 

While I won’t spoil the ending for you guys, I’m afraid I ended up crying quite a bit towards the end. The twists and turns the authors introduce to the plot halfway through end up all coming to fruit wonderfully. Everything has a reason that it is that way, and it all connects in the end. 

The reason I’m only giving this story three and a half stars is that while I do love this story, I think that a lot of it could have been cut without removing meaning from the story or hindering character development in any way. I enjoyed the wording, but some of Frank’s monologues do drag a little bit. Basically I think it could have benefited thematically from another pass with a red pen. Some of the more delicate turns of thought do get lost in the monologues, and that page space could have been spent having Frank interact with someone besides Vaughn, Liam, or Marion. Heck, even more time spent with Melissa in the beginning would have been very appreciated. I think she deserved a little more attention, poor dear.

BUT. Despite it’s flaws, this book really is a good one. It’s one of the best retellings of Frankenstein I’ve read honestly. It captures the feeling of the original very well.

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Book Review} Get it together, Delilah! by Erin Gough

“A story about falling in love, literally.

Seventeen-year-old Delilah Green wouldn’t have chosen to do her last year of school this way, but she figures it’s working fine. Her dad is on a trip to fix his broken heart after her mom left him for another man, so Del’s managing the family café in his absence. Easy, she thinks. But what about:

-homework and the nasty posse of mean girls making her life hell -or how one of Del’s best friends won’t stop guilt-tripping her -and her other best friend is so in love with his tutor he might go to jail for her if Del doesn’t do something.

But who cares about any of that really, because above all else, she can’t stop thinking about beautiful Rosa who dances every night across the street until one day Rosa comes in the café door . . .

And if Rosa starts thinking about Del, too, then how in the name of caramel milkshakes will Del get the rest of it together?”

Praise for Get It Together, Delilah:

Winner of Australia's Ampersand Prize for debut young adult fiction

Shortlisted for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Older Readers

So this book started off really strong. From the beginning, I really loved Del as a character, and I really empathized with her. As someone who likes girls, but lives in a fairly homophobic area, Del’s story really hit home for me. From the beginning, the way she describes her crush on Rosa is really perfect. I loved Del’s approach in the beginning to her life in general. She really wants to protect her father and his beloved cafe. And in the beginning I love her father and his sad puppy way of going about life (revealed in flashbacks and exposition).

Now, once Del starts screwing up her relationships with her friends I get kind of uncomfortable, but the uncertainty and fear of the future Del goes through is something very familiar to most teens her age. Gough handles the self-conscious attitude Del has about being a lesbian pretty well. The teasing she goes through thanks to one of the popular girls being in the closet is vicious, but also very real and authentic to what is happening today.

This book reminds me of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in tone and approach. While Gough acknowledges the bullying, it doesn’t overcome the book and become the sole focus of it. And in the end, it isn’t really solved fully. But that’s also very real to me. Sometimes apologies aren’t made. Sometimes it just fades away, leaving you behind with your scars as proof of what happened. 

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to have my library purchase it, I do find it fell apart a little at the end. The plot was a little too messy and the actions a little too scattered to make for easy reading. That’s really what kept it from five stars in my book. Other than that, it’s definitely a great YA book that addresses LGBT teen issues very well.

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Book Review} Simon’s Cat

“When Simon's father dies, he leaves his oldest brother the business, his middle brother the house, and Simon, the youngest, his beloved Pet, Cat. While his brothers quarrel about what to do with the remains of their father's estate, all Simon wants is for his family to go back to the way it was. He's sure money will help. And clever Cat has an idea of how to get it.”

Simon's Cat is one of the best fairy tale retellings I've read in a while. It's got terrific characters, and despite the fact that it's a retelling, it manages to be surprising anyway. Lotus Oakes' writing style is flippant at times and serious at others. Oakes captures Simon's slow, thoughtful tone perfectly. They're equally adept at capturing the quick motions, thoughts, and words of Cat in all his moods. Yes, moods! Because despite the fact that Cat is supposed to be a Pet built entirely for the satisfaction of his master, it's very clear that this Pet has a mind of his own and is desperate for his freedom--but only on HIS terms. I was held rapt by this story from start to finish, and I can't wait to see more from this author.

In fact, after I’d looked in to Oakes’ bibliography, I realized that she is the author of RavenHeart! I loved that book so much, but sadly the review never saw the light of day after several (CATastrophic lol) computer failures that resulted in me losing several of my reviews. 

I jest but this really was pretty catastrophic for me because by the time I came to terms with losing them, they had already been published and I’d forgot too much of the books to be able to review them without rereading them. 

But anyway... I highly encourage you to read this book if you’re a fan of Megan Derr’s writing. In particular if you liked her Tournament of Losers series.

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L

since it’s pride month i decided to just go on a lgbt+ binge read and i thought you guys would like to too, so below are some lgbt+ books you can check out if you want to.

young adult

simon vs. the home sapiens agenda by becky albertalli

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by alire saenz benjamin 

far from you by tess sharpe 

everything leads to you by nina lacour 

carry on by rainbow rowell

i’ll give you the sun by jandy nelson

the song of achilles by madeline miller 

the darkest parts of the forest by holly black

know not why by hannah johnson

even in paradise by chelsey philpot 

freshmen year by annameekee hesik

tell me again how a crush should feel by sara farizan

under the lights by dahlia adler 

lies we tell ourselves by robin talley 

the scorpion rules by erin bow

beauty queens by libba bray 

empress of the world by sara ryan

huntress by malinda lo

because you’ll never meet me by leah thomas 

fans of the impossible life by kate scelsa

fan art by sarah tregay

the summer i wasn’t me by jessica verdi 

taking flight by siera maley

not otherwise specified by hannah moskowitz

this is where it ends by marieke nijkamp 

afterworlds by scott westerfeld 

if you could be mine by sara farizan

the rest of us just live here by patrick ness 

more than this by patrick ness

two boys kissing by david levithan

the art of being normal by lisa williamson 

ash by malinda lo

more happy than not by adam silvera 

shallow graves by kali wallace 

brooklyn, burning by steve brezenoff

the shattering by karen healey 

wildthorn by jane eagland 

kiss the morning star by elissa janine hoole

ask the passengers by a.s. king

a love story starring my dead best friend by emily horner 

beautiful music for ugly children by kirstin cronn-mills

keeping you a secret by julie anne peters

new adult/adult

captive prince by c.s. pacat

all for the game by nora sakavic 

black iris by leah raeder

the plumber’s mate by j.l. merrow

the adrien english mysteries by josh lanyon 

cut and run by abigail roux 

him by sarina bowen and elle jennedy

dare me by megan abbott

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Book Review- Tumbledown Manor by Helen Brown

The windows rattle. The roof leaks. Every surface cries out to be stripped, painted, or polished. But for writer Lisa Trumperton, the dilapidated manor house that once belonged to her great-grandfather is far more than the sum of its battered parts. It's the chance for a new start on her own terms. The fact that it's in the Melbourne countryside of her Australian homeland, far from the deceitful ex-husband she just left behind in New York…well, that's a bonus. Lisa sets to work refurbishing Trumperton Manor, assisted by her son, his friends, and a "Gray Army" of retired handymen. But it's not just her ancestral home that's being transformed. As she trades her chic Manhattan clothes for jeans and work boots, Lisa is changing and fortifying her relationships with her family and her sense of self. There are floods, fires, and catastrophes, but there are new allies too, including a one-eyed cat, a stubborn cockatoo, and a rugged landscaper with an irresistible grin. Piece by piece, the house is pushing Lisa beyond her old limits, daring her to embrace something bigger, braver, and more rewarding than she ever dreamed.

Tumbledown Manor was a great exploration of history, roots, and returning to them. Honestly I think the romance elements, while enjoyable, weren't even necessary to make me like this book. Lisa is a pretty likeable character once she buys the Manor. Her kids have terrific personalities, and their love for their mother shone through despite none of their relationships being perfect. Lisa's ex husband made me want to throw my kindle across the room (ass!), but I cheered Lisa on as she moved on, moved out, and traded UP for the sexy landscaper. My favorite part of this book however, has to be the rich descriptions of the house and landscape. The love that Brown has for Australia really shines through in the careful detailing of Australia's flora and fauna. Speaking of fauna, the animal characters were absolutely a hoot! I loved Kiwi and Mojo. They really could have their own books! This book gets three stars from me however, since I really didn't like all the will-she won't-she leading up to her purchase of the Manor. Honestly if we'd started with her getting to Australia, I think it would have been just as effective, and Lisa's stay with her sister would have been more meaningful as a whole.

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Damned if you Do by Marie Sexton

The path to temptation is paved with a hellish amount of paperwork.Soul acquisition is a drag, but if Abaddon doesn’t catch up on his quota, he could bedemoted to scooping poop for the Hounds of Hell. With a deadline hanging over him, he heads for the Bible Belt, looking for the perfect combination of sweetness and challenge.Seth is a blind musician, part of a traveling tent revival. He’s cute, mystically talented, and quotes the Bible at every turn. His soul is pure enough to fill Abaddon’s quota for months to come, and Abaddon is determined to claim it.The problem? There’s the revival foreman who watches Abaddon’s every move.Then there’s the mystery of Seth’s many unusual talents. Lastly, there’s Abaddon himself.He’s beginning to like Seth a bit too much. Maybe Seth deserves something better than damnation.But Hell’s agenda isn’t negotiable, and time is running out. If Abaddon doesn’t play his cards right, he could condemn both of them to the worst fate of all—an eternity apart.Warning: Contains a Bible-quoting twink and an irreverent devil who’ll do anything to avoid going “back to the office”. Also, snakes. Lots and lots of snakes.

Damned if you Do was just so Damned ADORABLE! This has got to be the cutest gay demon romance I've ever read. To be perfectly honest, I'm usually not a fan of demons and angels in romantic fiction. Something about it always feels way too moral-based to me, and therefore judge-y. But this book? This book did NONE of that. Abbaddon (I can't believe I'm saying this) was adorable. What, you say? A demon cruising for souls, adorable? You bet your bible belt he is! The only thing cuter than Abbaddon is Seth and his mixture of desire and honest good-heartedness. The twist, when you find it out, is definitely NOT something I saw coming, and I was genuinely upset when I found out. I got teary towards the end, for many reasons, but the way Sexton ended the book was just absolutely perfect. Literally a ride-off-into-the-sunset ending, complete with an old truck and a bucket list on the dash.

All in all, this is one of the best romances that I have read in a really long time.

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Book Review-- Dust on the Wing by Parker Foye

“Captain Tam spends his life travelling through space on his beloved ship, the Paradigm Princess, and he likes nothing better than being alone with the horizon. However, when a routine stop on his favourite planet brings an unexpected new crew member, he breaks routine and agrees to take her on board—because if Tam plays this through, the powerful Marquis will owe him a favour. Surely that’s worth a detour.”

I waited too long to read this book, and it ended up being archived before I could read it. Since I really wanted to read it, I ended up buying the darn thing. I am so, SO happy I did. Tam is a man after my own heart. His mixture of spontaneity and seriousness really appealed to me. There was very little seriousness though to be honest.

Tam is pretty carefree, despite his past, and he likes it that way. He has his own set of morals and standards that he sticks to stubbornly. The whole space-pirate genre is one that I always find endlessly fascinating. There’s something about a piratical personality that I adore!

There was very little seriousness though to be honest. Con was a sweet kid, but oh gods do I wish I could have seen the Marquis and Tam’s reunion. I love love LOVE their relationship. If there is ever a sequel to this, I’ll snap it up so quick it won’t reach the table! Foye’s characters are appealing to the extreme, and Tam’s voice in particular is infectious and extremely interesting. I love his peculiar blend of insanity and humor. The Marquis… I could read a whole book just about his past. And I’d read it MANY many times.

Enough gushing. Long story short, I adore this book, and I adore Foye for writing it, and LTT for publishing it. BRILLIANT.

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Oooooooh I wanna plant these! Plus, they help support BUTTERFLIES. They’re pretty AND useful!

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Did you just get into Check, Please? Or have you read it for awhile?

I just got into it! And I’ve read every single thing posted about it that I could find lol. I marathoned it in like 2.5 hours.

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Dear god you guys. READ THIS NOW. It’s so damn cute and it’s like watching youtube videos in comic form!

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Clockwork Heart by Heidi Cullinan

Available February 2, 2016, from Samhain Publishing

“Love, adventure and a steaming good time.

As the French army leader’s bastard son, Cornelius Stevens enjoys a great deal of latitude. But when he saves an enemy soldier using clockwork parts, he’s well aware he risks hanging for treason. That doesn’t worry him half as much, however, as the realization he’s falling for his patient.

Johann Berger never expected to survive his regiment’s suicide attack on Calais, much less wake up with mechanical parts. To avoid discovery, he’s forced to hide in plain sight as Cornelius’s lover—a role Johann finds himself taking to surprisingly well.

When a threat is made on Cornelius’s life, Johann learns the secret of the device implanted in his chest—a mythical weapon both warring countries would kill to obtain. Caught up in a political frenzy, in league with pirates, dodging rogue spies, mobsters and princesses with deadly parasols, Cornelius and Johann have no time to contemplate how they ended up in this mess. All they know is, the only way out is together—or not at all.

Warning: Contains tinkers, excessive clockwork appendages, and a cloud-sweeping tour of Europe. A little absinthe, a little theft, a little exhibitionism. Men who love men, women who love women, and some who aren’t particular.”

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book forever.

I love steampunk written right, and I love scientific men and those who devote themself to a craft requiring intelligence and a fine hand. It almost doesn’t matter what that craft is. But it mattered in this book. Conny makes the best tinker-surgeon dear god. And Johann? OH! I loved his dedication to Cornelius, as well as his ability to adapt to new circumstances. Their relationship is absolutely adorable, but it remains equal throughout everything. Neither person walks all over the other.

This is M/M steampunk done right. Oh my gosh. I just... ooooh. It’s kinky and a little dirty at times, but that doesn’t subvert the absolutely adorable gem that is Conny and Johann’s relationship. It’s so nice to find a writer who does both absolutely sizzling sex scenes and adorable romance. You don’t need to sacrifice one for the other people! Thank god Cullinan realized that, because this book could have easily been too cloying or too full of absolutely (delightfully) filthy sex scenes. 

Recommended for: Fans of steampunk. Or adorable gay men. Or really interesting and considerate relationships. Basically anyone. You. Read it now. PLEASE.

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Book Review- Wolf on the Hunt by N. J. Walters

In the hunt for love, there’s no going halfway.

“Salvation Pack, Book 5Drawn to Salvation by her passion for nature, Gray Everson’s looking forward to some peace and quiet to work on her paintings. She didn’t expect hunters shooting up the forest around the cabin she rented. And she certainly didn’t expect to find a wounded wolf.It’s only after Gray sends the hunters packing that she realizes the creature hidden in her cabin is no ordinary wolf. He’s a ruggedly handsome man with an extraordinary ability Gray thought only existed in fiction.Louis LaForge has given up on finding a mate and channels all his energy into protecting his pack. But his instant attraction to a skittish artist is more than simple lust. There’s something about Gray he just can’t put his finger on—until he gets close enough to touch her.Louis is sure of what he wants, but pushing Gray too far, too fast is risky. The hunters aren’t going away peacefully, and Louis’s former pack is coming for him. When the final battle comes, there will be only one way to protect everyone he loves.”

Ok, I’ll admit before we get into this review that I have a total weak spot for werewolf romance. I find it really hot. I have a problem. I know. I don’t need much from my werewolf romance besides smouldering, blush-inducing sex scenes. And this had them. This is the fifth (and final I think) book in the Salvation Pack series. And may I just say-

Mmm-mm.

Walters has written a blisteringly hot romance that captivated me from the beginning. Louis is a stunningly hot man, and the sex scenes were oft-the-charts hot. The kind of hot that makes you a liiiiittle uncomfortable that you’re not reading it at home.

Alone.

The plot was pretty good, and the relationship between Gray and Louis is hot hot HOT. I think if I’d read the previous books, the interactions would have had more weight behind them, but despite reading this with no previous knowledge of the series, each of the characters is distinct, and interesting. Overall, a good romance! I’m an artist, so the bits of Gray’s work that we see is interesting, and her relationship with Cherise is very sweet. I do wish that there had been more development of Gray’s character. Her and Shadow’s relationship was really touching. I just wish I’d seen more of Gray than her internal conflict over should-I-or-shouldn’t-I-mate-with-him.

Recommended for: Lovers of werewolf sex. HOT werewolf sex. There are cute couples, a clear plot overarching five books that’s concluded in this fifth installment, and did I mention hot sex? Yeah they’ve got that.

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Crystal Cadets by Anne Toole and Katie O’Neill

“Zoe is a shy girl, struggling to fit in at her new school, when she finds a mysterious gem left to her by her birth mother. All of a sudden, darkness-spewing dragons are chasing her down in the schoolyard, and a squad of crystal-wielding girls is there to save her! What does this mean for Zoe? Find out in the all-new Crystal Cadets #1!”

Featuring the writing of Anne Toole, the fantastic drawing skills of Katie O'Neill, gorgeous colors by Paulina Ganucheau, and letters by Erika Terriquez!

 Crystal Cadets is an adorable graphic novel by Anne Toole and Katie O'Neill. It follows a group of girls who gain powers from inherited crystal gemstones, and with those powers they battle the forces of darkness! Darkness is inside everyone, but the Cadets are there to save those who have lost their hearts to it. Toole and O'Neill have created an  adorably diverse cast of kids with distinct and engaging personalities. I love the art style, and I'd love the novel for that alone. The writing is just as strong though, and in roughly 100 pages, Toole and O'Neill manage to create an enthralling world filled with magic and those with the strength to fight it. I'll definitely be ordering this book for my library. The kids will love it!

But here’s one of my favorite parts. HERE are the four main girls of this story. 

LOOK! They’re so super adorable! And all of them are different shapes and sizes and ages, so there’s someone for almost everyone to relate to!

Also, the art style is adorable. Katie O’Neill is an artist I already follow, and she’s really done some cute work here. The colors by Paulina Ganucheau really make everything pop, and drive home the magical-girl feel of the whole thing. If you’re a fan of Sailor Moon, Steven Universe, Miraculous Ladybug, or any other magical kid series, you’ll adore these books.

I highly recommend you read it! The target age is 8+, but I think it’d appeal to kids up to 15 easily. Of course target ages are just a target, so all ages can and SHOULD read this book!

Seriously. 

Read it.

Now.

If you’d like to follow any of the artists or writers associated with this book- here are their tumblrs or websites (that I could find!)-

Anne Toole- https://writingiswriting.wordpress.com/

Katie O’Neill- @strangelykatie (take a look at her tea dragons or Princess Princess comic!)

Paulina Ganucheau- @paulinaganucheau

Erika Terriquez- https://twitter.com/hgkittykat

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Book Review- Just Physical by Jae

“After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, twenty-five-year-old Jill Corrigan takes herself off the romantic market. Not wanting to become a burden to a potential partner, she focuses on her career as an actress instead.On the set of a disaster movie, she meets stunt woman Kristine "Crash" Patterson, whose easy smile instantly makes Jill wish things were different. Meanwhile, Crash is trained to fall, but she didn't count on falling in love.Despite their growing feelings for each other, Jill resolves to let Crash into her bed, but not her heart.As they start to play with fire on and off camera, will they really be able to keep things just physical?”

Review:

Just Physical is a heartwarming story about two women falling in love. As Crash'd say, they're women, not girls! And that holds true in this story. Their emotions and misgivings are represented well here, but despite that neither woman descends into childishness, which is a real problem in romance in my opinion.

 Jill is an actress who, despite being diagnosed for two years, is still struggling to come to terms with her diagnosis. She doesn't think it'd be fair of her to get into a relationship with a woman who may need to become her caregiver eventually, and so she avoids sex and relationships. Her family condemns her for being lesbian, and her brother even goes so far as to say that he's glad she got MS since it prevented her from getting into a relationship with a woman.  Coming out as a lesbian as well as a woman who has MS has caused a drastic dip in Jill's job offers, so when she gets an opportunity for a supporting role in her friend Lauren's first movie she takes it. Enter Crash- with a crash! Kristine "Crash" is a stunt woman who doesn't think too well of Jill in the beginning. What kind of actress  needs a stuntwoman to trip over a bedpan!? But soon Crash realizes that there is more to Jill than her attitude. And her MS. That's something they both learn over the course of the book of course.

Overall:

 I absolutely ADORED this book! I thought it was sweet and well written. I do wish there'd been more of a resolution with Jill and her family, but that's a small caveat. This book really made me blush and squirm. It also made me a bit jealous of their relationship, which is rare!

I thought the multiple sclerosis was handled really well here, and Jill’s concerns aren’t uncommon. I had a relative (in a complicated southern sense) with MS, and he worried a lot about burdening his wife and kids with his decline. It’s definitely something to be considered and addressed when being in a relationship with someone who has MS or when having MS. Not addressing it is more dangerous to all parties involved.

I think this story handles the concerns and fears of both parties really well, and show the ways that partners with MS can have a full life and take part as a full partner in a relationship. I wish I’d had this book when my relative had MS. It doesn’t shirk from the daily problems and struggles as well as the overarching picture.