The Tea Dragon Society

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a perfectly quaint, tender, and gentle story about friendship and dedicating yourself to your craft. I'm so happy I stumbled upon it while looking for new graphics to read - because it is so slim, it's easy to overlook. The illustrations are lovely, with soft lines and colors, and each human and dragon character has fun and unique details that give them extra personality.

The Tea Dragon Society is appropriate for readers of all ages, with plenty of detail and a story both kids and adults can enjoy. Much like the perfect cup of tea, it's comforting, flavorful, and a great companion on a cool afternoon.


Extras: Another Super Sweet Graphic, More Graphics for All Ages, or View All My Reviews

Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has everything: adventure, romance, magic, real world parallels, relationships to cheer for, drama to be gripped by, and damn good writing - which is read extremely well in the audio version. I'm very excited for the continuation of this series!

Set in Orïsha, a world where magic is forbidden, this story is told from several perspectives: Zélie, a young magi who fights to bring magic back, Inan, a young prince who knows magic must die, and Amari, a young princess who questions the choices her father has made to destroy the magi.

Adeyemi's world-building is next level. She blends Nigerian mythology and fantasy, drawing from a rich history and making the old new again. I appreciated the thoughtful attention to story details, and how much care was given to weaving these original characters into an established mythology. All these details make the story that much richer and give context to Zélie's quest to bring back magic.

The ties to current events also give depth to the story. Zélie is not the only young Black woman who needs to hear "They don't hate you, my child. They hate what you were meant to become." This series is powerful not only because of how well it is written, how dynamic the characters are, and how much readers want to know what happens next - it has real world implications that add another layer to the reading of the story.


Extras: More Gods & Goddesses, More YA With Cultural and Historical Significance, More Fantastic Adventures, or View All My Reviews.

Weep Duology

Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares have been marketed as a duology, meaning there should only be these two books and no more...but I wouldn't be surprised if Laini Taylor visits the worlds of Weep, Zosma, and beyond in other novels. The politics, history, culture, and people of these worlds are just too poetic, epic, and beautiful to say goodbye to forever! Still, I'm glad I got to read both books and close the chapters on most of the major characters inside. Even if I never get to visit Weep (or the city formerly named Weep) again, I've had such a wonderful time visiting in these two (large) books.

The entirety of the story told in these two books could technically form one even larger book - Muse of Nightmares picks up right where Strange the Dreamer leaves off - but I understand why they are split (and not just because they are both already over 500 pages as they are). Each book does have its own focus, its own central journey, and slightly different emotional tones. Together, they are the story of the rise and fall of several peoples, a tale of the corruption of absolute power, and a testament to redemption in all its forms.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Strange the Dreamer, at its core, is about the desire and drive to find out who you are - and knowing that who you are is not what everyone else sees in you. Lazlo Strange is an orphaned librarian who doesn't know his past, but dreams - and pursues - a different future for himself. Sarai is a demigod whose past seems to have determined her future, though she wishes for a day when she doesn't have to use her nightmarish gift to protect the other orphaned demigods she calls family. Both Lazlo and Sarai are surrounded by supportive friends, flawed mentors, and challengers who would celebrate their failures. Neither thinks the other can exist - and yet they share similar destinies.

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lazlo and Sarai are fundamentally different after the event that concludes Strange the Dreamer and opens Muse of Nightmares. How will they continue their existence now that they know who - and what - they really are? And how can they choose between their entwined future or the future of their loved ones and the city of Weep? Lazlo realizes the power he has and Sarai learns to adapt her own gifts while they come to terms with everything that has happened to bring them together.

Extras: Another Series, More Fantasy, or View All My Reviews

The Brilliant Death

The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Historical fantasy and romance collide in this captivating tale set in Vinalia, a fictional land inspired by mountain villages of old Italy. Teodora di Sangro is well aware of and versed in the di Sangro way of life, which places loyalty to the family above the self, and the opinions of men above women – but she yearns for more: the power of a di Sangro son, and to use the magic she holds inside of her. With her magic, she changes her family’s enemies into trinkets that decorate her room, but Teo knows she could do more, if only her father trusted the strega way in addition to practicing and teaching political strategy to his sons.

When Teo meets Cielo, a young genderfluid strega who can teach Teo how to use her power to become the di Sangro son she longs to be, Teo realizes there may be a way to be her true self and save her family from the Capo’s plans to weaken each of the Five Families of Vinalia. With challenges to traditional gender roles, exploration of what it means to feel at home and whole in your body, and poetically descriptive language, The Brilliant Death elevates a coming-of-age story into a thoughtful consideration of who we are when we let go of society’s expectations and trust the magic inside of us.


Extras: More Teen Reads, Another Fantasy Series,  A Book about Mental Health and Travel, or View All My Reviews.

Raven Cycle

As I finish up my graduate degree, I'm being more intentional about reading for myself - final assignments are getting turned in, my portfolio is coming along, and that means time for me to read what I want to read! To no one's surprise, it's more YA fiction - but more specifically, I'm excited to continue and finish series that I started before and during grad school.

Up first, the Raven Cycle: four books (plus bonus material!) about the non-psychic daughter of a psychic and four prep school friends on the search for a long-dead Welsh king. That's really the most simple way to describe what is a journey filled with joys, heartbreak, foreshadowing, connections, reveals, friendship, reunions, murder, love, and history.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the first installment of the series, we meet Blue Sargent and her titular Raven Boys, which is the name she gives students who attend Aglionby, the prep school in Henrietta, Virginia, where her family works as clairvoyants.

Blue herself has zero psychic abilities, but her presence does help to "boost" the powers of her mother, aunts, and cousins, so she tags along during readings. Blue has also been told for as long as she can remember that she if she kisses her true love, he will die - meaning she avoids "love" at all costs. Inevitably, she meets 4 potential loves, Raven Boys all. Gansey is searching for Glendower, a (dead) Welsh king, thought to be buried nearby, because of a voice he heard during a near-death experience seven years ago. Adam, a scholarship student and Gansey's best friend, is searching for a way out of Henrietta. Fearless and secretive Ronan is the middle brother of the Lynch family, and fiercely protective of the few people he associates with. And finally, Noah, who observes but rarely speaks.

Blue doesn't need to be clairvoyant to know that her future is tied up with that of each of "her" Raven Boys - so she joins them in their quest to find Glendower.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The search for Glendower continues: Blue and the Raven Boys seem to have narrowed down his location to a magical place known as Cabeswater, but they aren't the only ones looking for the Welsh King.


Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blue's mother goes missing, which means she and the Raven Boys know have two people to search for. They also all have (different) requests for Glendower when they find and awaken him - but Glendower will only honor one.


The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The cycle comes to a thrilling close in this fourth book. Dreams merge with reality and Glendower is closer than ever. To describe any more would be major spoilers for earlier books! (And if you've gotten this far, you're going to finish the series.)



Bonus Material!
If, like me, you want to escape back to Henrietta after finishing the Raven Cycle, these bonus stories will help bring the magic back. Most are available on Stiefvater's website, and Opal can be purchased on Amazon or Google Play as an ebook (worth the $1.09!).

300 Fox Way Holiday Piece by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short (2 pages) scene set at 300 Fox Way before the events of the Raven Cycle occur. We meet Blue, who longs for a bit more for the holidays.

A Minor Raven Boys Holiday Drabble by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A similar short to 300 Fox Way - this time we see what Christmas is like at Monmouth Manufacturing, where Gansey, Ronan, and Noah are living. This short is also set pre-Raven Cycle.

A Very Declan Christmas by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very much pre-Cycle - this slightly longer short story is set in Ronan's childhood. His older brother, Declan, isn't thrilled about Ronan's nighttime "secrets" (dreaming things into existence) and loses sleep each night trying to maintain order. When his body finally forces him to rest, Ronan creates a secret the entire Lynch family will have to keep.

Opal by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This short story takes place after the events of the Raven Cycle series, and has been referred to as book 4.5. Readers delve deeper into Opal's thoughts as she carries on her life at the Lynch farm with Ronan, and sometimes Adam. Ronan and Adam's relationship is fleshed out, and more closure is given to the new Cabeswater.

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