All The Wind In The World by Samantha Mabry Review

All The Wind The World by Samantha Mabry

Publisher: Algonquin Books For Young Readers

Release Date: October 10, 2017

Pages: 264

Summary:Sarah Jacqueline Crow and James Holt work in the vast maguey fields that span the bone-dry Southwest, a thirsty, infinite land that is both seductive and fearsome. In this rough, transient landscape, Sarah Jac and James have fallen in love. They’re tough and brave, and they have big dreams. Soon they will save up enough money to go east. But until then, they keep their heads down, their muscles tensed, and above all, their love secret.

When a horrible accident forces Sarah Jac and James to start over on a new, possibly cursed ranch called the Real Marvelous, the delicate balance they’ve found begins to give way. And James and Sarah Jac will have to pay a frighteningly high price for their love. 

*Received an early finished copy from the publisher*

My Rating:★★★★☆

My Thoughts: All The Wind In The World paints an immersive and atmospheric tale that follows Sarah Jac & James as they find themselves on the Real Marvelous ranch and find their bond slowly fading away! Mabry blends contemporary, dystopia, and elements of magical realism to deliver a wholly unique tale!

 I really loved Mabry’s debut A Fierce And Subtle Poison and her wonderful writing easily brought her tale to life. So, thanks so much to the publisher for an early copy of All The Wind In The World~

Pretending to be cousins, Sarah Jacqueline Crow and James Holt travel from desert ranch to desert ranch to get enough money to one day stop working and hopefully start their own horse ranch and live peacefully together.

However when a desert storm accident forces them to flee and catch a train to find work elsewhere, they reach the Real Marvelous and find their relationship slowly shifting and changing entirely. With their sweeping tale of love to heartbreak, I found my own heart breaking as I read their relationship slowly fading away 😥

The fade and possible slow rebuild of the relationship was not only emotional to read about, but overall unlike any relationship I’d ever read in YA before!

Sarah Jac finds herself alone as she notices that James begins to change when she is told to take on an equestrian job, working with one of the ranch owner’s daughters, Bell. As she continues to work on the Real Marvelous she finds herself stuck and unsure whether she can break free from this supposedly cursed ranch!

As the story progresses, we learn more about her life before the ranches in Chicago and her younger sister Lane, who passed away quite some time ago.

Mabry blended a dystopia desert setting with contemporary magical elements (weaved throughout) in such a way that I’ve never read before. The mysteries surrounding the world and how it came to be actually made the story that much more magical for me!

Additionally, it was great to see diversity in this story! There was Sarah Jac, who is mixed-race and an m/m relationship towards the middle between Raoul & Leo (who is an important character from early on and as the novel progresses).

Because this novel is very character and atmospheric-driven, I did want the plot to be expanded on a little more and felt the pacing could have been just a bit faster. While I really loved the unique characters introduced, I would have loved for them to be developed more over the course of the story as well.

I loved reading from Sarah’s POV! Through the rich and atmospheric writing, the setting and way of life for jimadors (farmers) felt very gritty and real.

Especially through the setting, Sarah’s POV brings to life the hardship these workers faced continuously going from ranch to ranch to get enough to support themselves/their families, while enduring the grittiness of the desert!

As mentioned above, I adored the description and atmosphere of the desert setting! Taking place in deserts of Southwest Texas, there was such vivid description of the setting, weather, and grittiness of what Mabry portrayed and I loved that so much!

And overall the creativity of Maby’s stories always has me anticipating her next book!

All The Wind In The World is an atmospheric story which blends dystopia in the deserts of the South West with mystery, romance, and contemporary with hints of magical realism! Mabry’s writing builds a dark and gritty atmosphere which delivers a unique aspect to an equally unique tale!

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Elizabeth And Zenobia by Jessica Miller ARC Review

Elizabeth And Zenobia by Jessica Miller

Publisher: Amulet Books

Release Date: September 19, 2017

Pages: 208

Summary:Abandoned by her mother and neglected by her scientist father, timid Elizabeth Murmur has only her fearless friend, Zenobia, for company. And Zenobia’s company can be very trying! When Elizabeth’s father takes them to live in his family home, Witheringe House, Zenobia becomes obsessed with finding a ghost in the creepy old mansion and forces Elizabeth to hold séances and wander the rooms at night. With Zenobia’s constant pushing, Elizabeth investigates the history of the house and learns that it does hold a terrible secret: Her father’s younger sister disappeared from the grounds without a trace years ago.

*Received ARC from a festival

My Rating:★★★★☆ ½

My Thoughts: Elizabeth And Zenobia is a unique middle-grade read! The plot is unique, the gothic + light paranormal atmosphere, and the writing brings so much to this story!

Elizabeth And Zenobia really surprised me! While I knew I would enjoy the story based off the summary, the more I read, the more I really fell in love with this book!

The story starts of with Elizabeth Murmur talking about Witheringe House, her father’s childhood home and the place she’d soon be moving into!

As she waits for the train with her father (a botanist), we get introduced to Zenobia, her imaginary + best friend. She is shown to have quite an opposite personality to Elizabeth (more outgoing/adventurous, etc.) and while at times they had their small clashes, they really made a great duo and seeing those stark differences between the two added a great element to the story!

They board the train and head to the house! It is also revealed that Elizabeth’s mother had left for some time and its clear it took a toll not only on her father, but her as well. Especially, in the beginning we see the somewhat distant father/daughter relationship they have!

It was really interesting to read about how she learned more about her father’s grief and learning a little more about him through reading some of his published books as a botanist.

Over the course of the novel, the story really focuses on Elizabeth’s personal growth/confidence she gains, learning more about her father, and continuing to grow the connection she has with Zenobia as they spend their time going on all kinds of adventures throughout their stay in the Witheringe House.

I felt the writing was so atmospheric and detailed, with such few pages! I loved it~ It was definitely one of my favorite aspects about the book! It was a very descriptive and atmospheric 1st person POV. Characters, writing, atmosphere and plot all flowed so well. Additionally, it really weaved in the light gothic, paranormal, and mystery elements seamlessly. It felt like the perfect October read!

With most books I can usually tell where the plot’s headed, but with this book it was unexpected and I was left surprised with each turn of the page! That made me love this book so much more as I continued reading.

Originally, this was going to be 4 stars b/c I still feel the pacing was pretty slow for me towards the middle and because of that I put down the book for a few weeks & didn’t get back to finishing it until recently! The ending also did feel a little bit rushed. However, the more I continued to read I realized just how much I really loved this book! 

While her mother is gone, it was so great to read that she was still surrounded by supportive female + motherly figures! Such as Zenobia (though they did get into some trouble every now and again) and nearing towards the middle, she meets Ms. Clemency, a tutor, who is very kind towards Elizabeth and helps her overcome some internal struggles along the way.

Themes of family, and definitely friendship + personal growth were weaved all throughout this story!

There are also fantasy elements hinted at throughout the book and shown much later,  but were so easily weaved into the story and just fit in perfectly! While reading, I could definitely capture the atmosphere and magic of the story through the fantastic writing!

Elizabeth and Zenobia is a light paranormal, but fun and immersive read, perfect for the fall season! It delivers such a unique plot, important themes, fantastic writing, and the perfect atmosphere! Definitely a book to check out if your looking for a fall read or just want to read a unique and immersive middle grade tale!

The Backstagers Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV + Rian Sygh Review

The Backstagers Volume 1 by James Tynion IV + Rian Sygh

Publisher: BOOM! Box

Release Date: July 25, 2017

Pages: 112

Summary:All the world’s a stage . . . but what happens behind the curtain is pure magic literally! 

When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he’s taken in by the only ones who don’t treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. With the unpredictable twists and turns of the underground world, the Backstagers venture into the unknown, determined to put together the best play their high school has ever seen. 

My Rating:★★★★☆ ½

My Thoughts: The Backstagers is a fun, colorful, and diverse graphic novel that shows the magic both on and behind the stage! The plot and characters are unique and the art is fantastic!

It’s been quite a while since I’ve read such a fun and vibrant graphic novel! The Backstagers is now definitely a new favorite graphic novel series.

The story follows Jory when he attends a new all-boys high school. With his mother’s new job going to be keeping her late the next few months, she tells him it would be best if he join a club or some sort of after-school activity.

After finding his way into the school theater to check out Drama Club, he literally gets thrust into this new club when Kevin & Blake McQueen, stars of the school’s theater for the past 3 years, give him a task to find ask/find a prop from the backstage crew!

The adventure starts from there when the two of the guys Aziz & Sasha easily begin treating him like part of the crew and give him equipment they need help getting to the rest of the crew: Hunter & Beckett!

He then find himself in magical tunnels that sit just behind the stage door and change randomly! When a large group of “Tool Rats” surround them, Jory does some quick thinking to get them out of the way and save the Backstagers!

He then decides that he wants to join the Backstagers and they easily make him feel welcome! With that, adventures continue as the Jory connects more with the crew and more mysteries are revealed about the magical tunnels.

What made this graphic novel so much fun, was the fact that we get thrust into the story so quickly that we are basically like Jory, very confused in the beginning, but easily falling in love with magic and adventure!

There’s also a lot of diverse representation which was so great, from gay main characters to characters of color (black & Middle-Eastern MC’s/Side-Characters), and Trans rep. (Beckett).

There’s such a seamlessly woven in themes/messages of friendship and acceptance! The crew has such great friendship dynamics and easily got along! Additionally, Jory is unsure if he can even fit in his new school, but after meeting the Backstagers feels much more welcome and included!

The fantasy and magic added into the story was so different and unique, I really loved it! Hoping to get an expansion on it in future volumes, because nearing towards the middle and especially the end, it became quite a larger part to the story!

I also really loved the art-style! Not only was it bright and colorful, but overall it was just a fun art-style that went along great with the story!

I did find some moments to be a little slow paced towards the middle and it would have been great to get more expansion on the darker side of the magic-system when it gets introduced into the story!

The Backstagers follows Jory as he decides to join the Drama Club and easily connects with the backstage crew! Friendship, adventure, and the perfect mix of comedy, are seamlessly woven into this fun + diverse graphic novel that also introduces a unique fantasy element! Cannot wait for Volume 2!

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore ARC Review

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: October 3, 2017

Pages: 320

Summary: Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family. 

My Rating:★★★★★

My Thoughts: Wild Beauty is a lush and wondrous magical realism tale that explores the magic of girls and gardens. With family, love, and identity as the main themes of this story, Anna-Marie’s latest tale will leave you breathless as you uncover the magic and mysteries that surround La Pradera!

When The Moon Was Ours was the first book by Anna-Marie McLemore that I’d ever read. After being immersed into her lyrical tale following Sam & Miel, McLemore easily became one of my favorite authors! Now having finished Wild Beauty, I can’t truly put into words how much I adore her stories! The vibrant tales and writing she weaves together, always leave me captivated!

La Pradera is home to the Nomeolvides women, who for generations have kept the lush garden estate thriving with their ability to conjure the most beautiful flowers all across the property. However with that, their legacy also harbors a curse.

If any of the women find themselves loving ever too deeply, their lovers will vanish. So centering around the cousins Estrella, Dalia, Calla, Azalea, and Gloria, the novel picks up right away when the girls decide to offer a precious belonging to the garden, understanding they are all in love with the same girl, owner of the estate, Bay Briar. Those offerings could perhaps protect her from disappearing too, just like Nomeolvides loves of the past.

Legacy and family were such present themes of Wild Beauty! Estrella begins to question and consider if the curse cast upon current and previous generations of women in her family can ever be broken. With that, this tale explores the expectations and history we bring with us in an effort to perhaps grow and break away from them, but always knowing we will have those to look back on.

The next day, Estrella finds a boy among the flowers, Fel. Though seen as an offering from the garden for Bay’s protection, regardless the cousins, abuelas and aunts take in this mysterious boy and make him a part of their family.

Fel has no memory of how he got to La Pradera, but believes he is in some sort of after-life and must atone for mistakes of his past. Over the course of the novel, as he builds a strong bond with these women he learns more about who he is and why he found himself at the Nomeolvides gardens. I fell in love with the relationship he develops with Estrella, it was written so beautifully~

I truly adored each and every thing of Wild Beauty (´▽`ʃƪ)♥♥ Through McLemore’s vivid and captivating 3rd person narrative, she forges a tale that encapsulates the magic of girls/women, family, love, legacy, and the everyday!

There’s exploration in the strength of family and sisterhood. As Estrella begins learning more about who Fel is, she also finds the bonds between her and her cousins growing so much. She discovers hidden truths of her family and through that we see how brave and determined she is to protect them, no matter the cost.

As for characters I adored every single one and they truly came to life from page 1! No matter how long/when they were introduced on the page, each character goes on their own journey with their growth and change as the tale grows. From Fel with his fierce kindness and loyalty, to Dalia with her determination and her strong-willed judgement to protect not only her family, but her heart as well.

Throughout Wild Beauty, McLemore beautifully explores differing identities of her fantastic characters with gay representation, the girls bisexuality, and Bay being gendeerqueer!

With love being a central theme of this story, McLemore not only explores but uncovers the depths of love, with all its dangers and its necessities. Wild Beauty perfectly captures the journey of the heart one takes in the trial of love and loss. But overall it delivers a powerful and true message that the love in your heart is forever and always valid.

Being Latina myself, I easily connected to not only Estrella and the Nomeolvides women so much, but the wonderfully written Latinx culture McLemore weaved in throughout this magical tale. Additionally, the sisterhood and powerful bonds between the female cousins was something I could definitely relate to!

There is so much I want to say about this novel, but truly cannot put into words. McLemore’s stories always manage to weave there way into the depths of my heart and leave me seeing and wondering in the magic of the everyday!

This novel discusses so much from culture to love, identity, family, sisterhood, and I loved each and every single moment of it!

Wild Beauty is pure magic! Through the lush prose, this novel explores mystery, magic, love and so much more! With a plot that leaves you enchanted, you’ll find yourself immersed into the secret and wonderous world of the Nomeolvides! 🌸🌹🍃✨

+ Keep an eye on the blog for a Wild Beauty Playlist! ✨🎧📚(´▽`ʃƪ)♥

September 2017 Wrap-Up

# Of Books Read: 4

1.The Victoria In My Head by Janelle Milanes

The Victoria In My Head Full ARC Review

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: September 19, 2017

Pages: 400

My Rating:★★★★★

Overall Thoughts: Victoria Cruz is shy but over the course of the story overcomes her anxieties to try new things (like joining a band) and figures out who she is & wants to be, in this spectacular coming-of-age story! It made me so happy reading how diverse this novel was, there was Cuban, Chinese, and Indian-American rep., Lesbian, Jewish, and biracial representation! Family and friendship were huge themes present throughout the novel which I loved. I adored the writing and reading from Victoria’s phenomenal POV brought tears to my eyes bc I related to her so much (being Latinx)! If your looking for a breath of fresh air in YA Contemporary, The Victoria In My Head is the perfect novel to add to your TBR!

2.The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

The Last Magician Full Review

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: July 18, 2017

Pages: 512

My Rating:★★★☆☆

Overall Thoughts: There were so many interesting + great aspects to this novel from the magic system, time-travel, and even to the atmosphere Maxwell creates! However, my biggest issue was the writing. Told through a 3rd Person POV we follow a number of characters, however because the writing is very direct and did more “telling” than showing, the characters + their motivations became very 1-dimensional/flat and the pacing became extremely slow. Additionally, I found the crew in this novel to be extremely similar to the Six Of Crows crew and never really connected with them. While The Last Magician was somewhat disappointing, Maxwell left the ending on an interesting note that has me pretty interested to read what happens! 

3.Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex #1)

Heroine Complex Full Review

Publisher: DAW Books

Pages: 378

Release Date: July 5, 2016

My Rating:★★★★☆

Overall Thoughts: Heroine Complex follows Evie Tanaka (assistant to San-Fran Superhero Aveda Jupiter) and how she comes to accept who she is and possibly become a superhero herself. I adored reading from Evie’s comedic and real/relatable voice! There was never a dull moment in this book, from taking down monsters, to the friendships, and inner workings of a superhero team. However I did find the pacing to be a little slow and felt more development could have been added to expand on the superpowers/demons would have been great (hence the 4-stars). Regardless,this was a diverse, action-packed adventure that was such a fun and immersive read! I will definitely be reading the sequel!

4.An Enchantment Of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

An Enchantment Of Ravens Full ARC Review

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: September 26, 2017

Pages: 300

My Rating:★★★★☆ ½

Overall Thoughts: Isobel must journey to the land of the fae to clear her name with Autumn prince Rook leading her there, with monsters, intrigue and danger at every turn! I really loved the writing, it was descriptive and flowed really well with the story to add a unique layer to it! There were so many layers to this novel from the political intrigue of the fae, the world, depth to the fae and their adoration with Craft, etc.! I did find the pacing to be rather rushed and felt more of the plot could have been expanded on + given more depth! However, this was a unique and immersive tale that really surprised me and I cannot wait to read more of Rogerson’s books in the future!

Additional Posts From This Month:

Warcross by Marie Lu Reading Playlist

What books did you read this month? 😄📚✨

An Enchantment Of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson ARC Review

An Enchantment Of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Release Date: September 26, 2017

Pages: 300

Summary: Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized among them. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes – a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love, violating the fair folks’ ruthless Good Law. There’s only one way to save both their lives, Isobel must drink from the Green Well, whose water will transform her into a fair one—at the cost of her Craft, for immortality is as stagnant as it is timeless.

Isobel has a choice: she can sacrifice her art for a future, or arm herself with paint and canvas against the ancient power of the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

~Received ARC from a festival~

My Rating:★★★★☆ ½

My Thoughts: With descriptive writing, intrigue, and adventure, An Enchantment Of Ravens follows artist Isobel as she journeys to the land of the fae to clear her name!

To start, I absolutely adored the writing! Rogerson’s atmospheric and descriptive writing style really flowed with the story and added a unique layer to it overall.

The story was so immersive and no matter where/when I picked the book back up, I was transported immediately back into the world of Whimsy + the fae lands!

From descriptions to paints, forests, and even hidden emotion, I felt the first person POV really made this fantasy tale blossom on the page.

The writing not only was descriptive and immersive, but also delivered a layer of complexity to the world and characters that allowed for a unique view into this fantasy world.

Its definitely a perfect book to pick up during the fall season~  🍂🍃✨

I will definitely be reading Rogerson’s future books b/c I absolutely adored the writing and creativity of AEoR ❤

I adored the characters, setting/world, writing, plot…basically everything about this story! I loved the banter/chemistry between Rook + Isobel! The relationship they developed while traveling did feel somewhat forced in the beginning for me, but as the story progressed I really enjoyed reading about their relationship as they connected with each other along the way.

I usually really don’t like hate to love banter, but Rogerson wrote it in such a way where it never felt forced and flowed well through their character and the writing.

While I don’t read many books surrounding fae/faeries, I really enjoyed the unique lore and world Rogerson was able to weave into her world of Whimsy, whether it was the importance of Craft, the fae lands, or when learning more about the fae royals/fae themselves.

It was also interesting to read about the dynamic between fae + humans and just what Craft represented to the fae.

Isobel is a painter who is the best at her Craft, with the work she does prized by the fae. When her most frequent fae visitor Gadfly informs her the Autumn prince, Rook will be visiting her for a portrait she is honored and a little nervous (considering Rook hasn’t laft the fae lands for quite some time).

After Rook discovers the emotion she’s painted into his portrait, she now must stand on trial for her mistake. Now Rook & Isobel are traveling across fae lands, encountering monsters, and dealing with the inner politics of the fae!

Another aspect of the fae that really added depth to them and the world, was how they viewed Craft and what it represented to these people who could live for hundreds, even thousands of years, and never truly understand the depth of human nature!

That was the most fascinating aspect, that while it was explored later on in the story, was something that surprised me and added this whole other side to the fae I never considered.

As a standalone, I found that Rogerson did a great job at developing the lore, characters, world, etc. and really allowed for the story to end with everything wrapped up well, but also leave you wanting more which just added to the magic of the story so much!!

My only issue is that while the pacing was pretty even throughout the story, I felt the plot was rather rushed and felt some plot points could have been expanded on a little more to add more depth.

An Enchantment Of Ravens is an immersive tale with beautiful writing that adds such depth to a unique world and story! With the perfect blend of romance, intrigue, action, and mystery, Rogerson’s debut will sweep you into this lush and magical world!

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn Review

Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex #1)

Publisher: DAW Books

Pages: 378

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Summary: Being a superheroine is hard. Working for one is even harder.

Evie Tanaka is the put-upon personal assistant to Aveda Jupiter, her childhood best friend and San Francisco’s most beloved superheroine. She’s great at her job—blending into the background, handling her boss’s epic diva tantrums, and getting demon blood out of leather pants.

Unfortunately, she’s not nearly as together when it comes to running her own life, standing up for herself, or raising her tempestuous teenage sister, Bea.

But everything changes when Evie’s forced to pose as her glamorous boss for one night, and her darkest comes out: she has powers, too. Now it’s up to her to contend with murderous cupcakes, nosy gossip bloggers, and supernatural karaoke battles—all while juggling unexpected romance and Aveda’s increasingly outrageous demands. And when a larger threat emerges, Evie must finally take charge and become a superheroine in her own right… or see her city fall to a full-on demonic invasion.

My Rating:★★★★☆

My Thoughts: Heroine Complex follows Evie Tanaka, assistant to her superhero best-friend Aveda Jupiter! When problems arise, Evie has to take over for Aveda and learns more about herself when she’s tasked with filling in for her best friend. With humor, mystery, and themes of family and friendship, Heroine Complex is a fun and action-packed adventure!

After having read No More Heroes and now Heroine Complex, I’m happy to be getting back into superhero books again!! Heroine Complex book had been on my tbr for some time and I’m so glad I finally read it! It was the perfect mix of comedy, action, and adventure! ❤

Evie Tanaka is the assistant to Aveda Jupiter, San Francisco’s beloved superhero! Both Evie and Avenda have been friends since they were little. Now in their 20’s, they work as part of a team to keep San Francisco safe from demons that take on forms depending on their surroundings.

Told through 1st person POV, we follow Evie as she fills in for Aveda (as she recovers from an injury) one night and finds herself unleashing a super power she’d hoped would have been better left forgotten. Now Evie finds herself taking on a role she never wanted all while helping Aveda’s image with her fans!

What was great about the POV, was the real and comedic voice Evie had! It was great being in her head and reading about her journey on becoming a hero. This also gave so much depth to the characters and plot, it all really came on the page! Aside from that, we better understand the stress she’s put under and how she’s almost hidden in Aveda’s shadow. She is an intelligent, funny, and compassionate person who better understands herself as the novel progresses and it was great to read how much she grew and came to accept who she is.

What I also loved about the writing-style was the fun/superhero vibe it had, which really delivered a perfect atmosphere to the story! 

The group dynamic was one of my favorite parts of this novel! Aside from Aveda and Evie, there’s also Nate, the scientist/healer of the team, Lucy, who joins Evie in assisting during Aveda’s battles with demons, Scott who’s an expert with magic, and Bea Evie’s little sister, who joins the team soon after!

Its clear there’s such a strong bond between Evie and the team, with the humor, banter, and support they offer each other all throughout the story. Just reading Evie build the bonds with her team, especially Aveda and her sister Bea was wonderful to read about.

Throughout the story its clear that Aveda does manipulate + demand Evie to do a lot of tasks for her, it was clear that the Aveda’s demands were beginning to put a lot pressure on Evie, as she struggled to better understand who she was, while not only taking care of Aveda, but her younger sister Bea all by herself. Evie slowly, but surely finds the confidence to forge her own identity and better understand who she is and not only see herself as Aveda’s assistant.

Over the course of Heroine Complex, Evie stand up for herself and calls out Aveda for the toxic behavior she shows in their complex friendship. While they have history and really care for each other, it was great to see Aveda finally understand the manipulative ways of her behavior and see the both of them strengthen their friendship even more as they supported and were there for each other.

It was so great to see diversity in this story! There’s Evie & her sister Bea who are 1/2 Japanese, Aveda who’s Chinese, and Lucy who’s lesbian!

While I’ve seen many YA bloggers talk about this book, I went into this novel not knowing it is  more Adult/NA (but that didn’t bother me, its just something I figured out as I read). So, there is a romantic story line with Evie and another character, with sex, discussions of sex, but it was also great to read that there was also discussion of sex-positivity in this novel!

There was so much to plot, from the demon’s the team must take down, to Evie learning to accept herself and her abilities, growing closer with her team and them growing closer with each other to keep San Francisco safe from the demons and it was great to read Kuhn pack so much into this story!

There was never a dull moment and I loved how many different sides there were of Heroine Complex to tell! It was also great to see the impact of blogging/media on Aveda and her image as a superhero, it was a unique and interesting aspect I enjoyed reading about.

I will admit I did find the pacing to be rather slow, hence the 4-stars and it would have been great to get a little more development on the super powers/demons as they got discussed even more over the course of the story!

Aside from that…

Heroine Complex is a delightful superhero and urban fantasy story! There are strong themes of friendship, family, self-identity, and finding yourself! With so much character and story depth, this action-packed, heroic adventure was such a fun and immersive read!