A Blade So Black is a thrilling and imaginative fantasy book that recreates Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with a modern twist. Set in Atlanta, the story is about Alice Kingston, a Black teenage girl struggling with grief, identity, and the hidden dangers of a mythical world that exists. In the beginning, Alice is mourning the loss of her father, making her feel vulnerable and disconnected from her everyday life.
The Ballad of Never After is a captivating fantasy book about a girl named Evangeline. It was always said in her world that no one should make a deal with the fates because they always take more than you can give. Despite the warnings, Evangeline makes a deal with the Prince of Hearts to get her true love. Little does she know this deal will change the entire trajectory and purpose of her life.
Cats in the City is the second book of the Stick Cat book series, written by Tom Watson. The book starts off with Stick Cat and Edith talking, and realizing that Stick Cat had never visited Edith's apartment - she always comes to his. She invites him to her apartment, where he had a nice look and found out that she lives a luxurious life. He hops on the windowsill and stares out the window, noticing a bagel shop and a woman stirring a giant pot of bagel batter on one floor of the building near their apartment.
Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?tells the life story of the woman who wrote the famous Little House books. It starts with her childhood in the 1800s, when she lived in a small log cabin with her family. They were pioneers who moved often and faced tough times like cold winters and sickness. As Laura grew up, she became a teacher, got married, and had a daughter. Later, she started writing about her childhood.
Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer, is a stylistically incredible story of survival. The novel follows a Biologist, thrown into an anomalous environment that seems to have a mind of its own. She is set to discover the source of the anomaly along with several other specialists with dubious motives. With a rich exploration of the Biologist’s mind, an environment that falls perfectly into the uncanny valley, and undercurrents of mystery, distrust, and unreliability, VanderMeer creates an incredible and engaging story.
Up is a classic-animated movie with an emotional story. The movie begins by introducing Carl and Ellie, two kids who shared the same dream of visiting Paradise Falls. Now as an old man, Carl looks to fulfilling Ellie’s dream after her death. The story is very deep and well written and balances mature themes like loss with humorous elements. The contrast between Carl’s grumpiness and Russell's enthusiastic nature is one of the best humorous elements present in the movie.
Crooked Kingdom is the sequel to Six of Crows, the story of six teenagers with extremely different backgrounds united for a common cause: conducting a heist. After the effects of all the events that occurred in previous weeks, the crows have a lot to deal with. Despite being successful with the heist, they are all exhausted and weakened by their efforts.
None of this should have happened. If Ty, golden boy, and top student at the Aurora academy hadn’t decided to go for a midnight flight the day before he was supposed to pick his squad. He wouldn’t have seen the distress beacon or found Aurora, a girl who was a passenger on a ship that went missing 200 years ago. If he hadn’t decided to play the hero, he would have had the pick of the top graduates for his team instead he got stuck with the bottom of the barrel.
Rick Riordan’s final installment in the Percy Jackson series comes in amazing fashion with The Last Olympian. The book begins with Percy and Beckendorf attacking an enemy ship, however the mission goes haywire and Beckendorf is killed. Percy then travels to get bathed in the river Styx, something his enemy Luke had done previously. After getting bathed, Percy and the people of Camp Half-Blood travel to New York to defend Olympus, which is left unguarded due to the gods fighting Typhon.
I know this book might be considered to be a kid’s book by some, but even at the age I’m at, I still love it! Stick and Stone Explore and More is the story of the two main characters, Stick and Stone, and the crazy adventures they encounter. In one adventure, they get taken by a Nature Girl and need to find their way home. In their other adventure, they almost get roasted and toasted by a campfire! But Stick and Stone always do everything together, because they’re the best of friends!
