Audiobook Review: Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Goodreads Synopsis:

FRAMED. BULLIED. DISLIKED. BUT I KNOW I CAN STILL BE THE BEST.

Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either. Dubbed the “Black Brother,” Donte’s teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient.

When he’s framed by the captain of the fencing team, “King” Alan, he’s suspended from school and arrested for something he did not do.

Donte knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep’s fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way.

Powerful and emotionally gripping, ‘BLACK BROTHER, BLACK BROTHER’ is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline and follows one boy’s fight against racism and his empowering path to finding his voice.

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My Thoughts:

TW: Racism, Colourism, Bullying

This is a middle grade novel that deals with racism and colourism within a private school setting. It follows Donte who is biracial and dark skinned and his experience in school in comparison to his brother Trey who is white passing.

This book was surprisingly really great! I had no idea what to expect going in but I am super glad I borrowed it! I really sympathised with Donte, what he goes through is awful and it really highlights how white-passing biracial people are treated better than darker skinned people. I can’t personally identify with Donte but I definitely do identify with Trey (I’m mixed raced and pretty light skinned/racially ambiguous). Although I am fully aware of my privilege this really reminded me of it. Also makes me angry that kids have to suffer in school and risk having their education impacted by the racist systems.

Fencing – There’s a fencing aspect to the novel, which I wasn’t expecting (I didn’t read the synopsis before listening). Since I’m not a sporty person, I didn’t expect to be so interested. Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed it. It was refreshing for me and actually is an interesting sport. (I now kinda want to do fencing haha)

Overall, it’s a really great story with really great themes and messages. Black Brother, Black Brother is amazing at explaining and dealing with racism and white privilege, it should be an essential read for all kids! (Obviously, I’m not a kid – I think all ages can enjoy middle grade.)

 

Rating: 4 Stars

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag | 2020

Hey Bookworms!

Can you believe half the year is gone?! Crazy.
This year has been an odd one for sure, it hasn’t been my best year of reading, quantity-wise but I’ve read some great books!

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Oh my god, this book!! It was SO good. I loved every moment of this book.
I honestly couldn’t fault it.
My review is here.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

I loved this book!! I literally want the whole series right now. I am SO SAD I have to wait years for the next one. It left off on a killer cliffhanger. It was INSANE!

My review is here.

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams
& The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

I actually don’t have one. I’m trying not to keep up with new releases too much as I need to get my tbr down! It’s getting out of hand and I need to stop adding to it (lol).

5. Biggest disappointment.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

I am seriously sad to put this book here. I fully expected it to be my favourite book of 2020 but BOY was I wrong. I haven’t been this disappointed in a while.

Review / Rant here.

6. Biggest surprise.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. The Handmaid’s Tale was such a great book and even though I did want more I didn’t think anything could compare. It didn’t have as much impact on me as the first book but this one was more enjoyable! I saw so many negative reviews for this, I was worried going in but it is definitely worth picking up in my opinion!

Review here.

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)

New to me – Alice Oseman
I read the graphic novels Heartstopper for the first time this year and OH MY GOD! WHY didn’t I read sooner?! It’s the most adorable series ever.

8. Newest fictional crush.

Zaf from Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

9. Newest favourite character.

Dani Brown!

10. Book that made you cry.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

Considering it was my biggest disappointment, this might be a surprise that it also made me tear up a bit. One thing that was done right in this novel was the emotional impact, it had all the feels!

11. Book that made you happy.

I’ve read so many happy books this year!!
So I don’t keep using the same books I’ll go with Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.

Review here!

12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

Already mentioned these two but oh well:
House of Earth and Blood & Starsight
They’re GORGEOUS!

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

SO MANY!

Here are a few that are high priority:

The Burning White by Brent Weeks
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

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What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year? What are you looking forward to reading next?

The Netgalley Book Tag!

I was tagged ages ago by the lovely Susan @Novellives.
And I completely forgot about it and randomly remembered. So here I am, finally doing this tag!

Rules

✿ Link back to the tag’s creator: Kourtni at Kourtni Reads
✿ Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.
✿ Answer the questions the best you can.
✿ If you don’t use NetGalley, you can substitute other sites/places you get books!
✿ Tag a few people to do this too!

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Auto-Approved: Who’s one author whose books you automatically want to read, regardless of what they’re about?

Brandon Sanderson.
It’s going to be amazing no matter what it is.

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Request: What makes you want to request a book that you see on NetGalley?

Cover/author, usually.
I am a sucker for a pretty cover.
If I like an author I’ll pretty much try anything they put out!

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Feedback Ratio: Do you review every book you read? If not, how do you decide what books to review?

Depends on whether I have time. I mostly review any book I enjoyed, I tend to leave the negative reviews for Goodreads but I will post a negative review for popular books on my blog.

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Badges: If you could create your own badge to display on your blog, what would it be for?

Ooo, this is an interesting question.
I’d probably have a Fantasy + a Sci-fi badge to show off my favourite genres.

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Wish for It: What’s one book that you are absolutely dying to read?

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson!!
Wish I could have an ARC so bad. It’s going to be amazing, I just know it.

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2019 NetGalley Challenge: What was the last book that you received as an ARC that you reviewed? If you’ve never received an ARC, what’s the last book you reviewed?

I am actually so behind with my ARCs atm. I think the last one I read and reviewed was Kingdom of Souls (Review here).
I have an abundance to get through though!! I need to up my game ha.

I tag: Jemma @ Fantastic Books and Where to Find them

+ Feel free to consider yourself tagged if you’d like to do this tag!

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WWW Wednesday 04/09/2019

Happy Wednesday!

Sorry, for the lack of posts/replies to comments.
I moved to uni on Sunday and my place still doesn’t have Wifi 😦 It’s been such a pain.
I’ve currently gone back home just to use wifi, luckily, my mum’s isn’t super far from my uni flat.

WWW Wednesday is hosted on Taking on a World of Words. It’s a super simple meme, you just answered the three W questions.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

I am still reading Nevernight from last week.

Recently Finished:

Nothing 😦
I’ve been super busy packing for uni and moving into my new place that I haven’t been reading at all. My insomnia has been really bad lately, too. I can’t read as much when my insomnia is playing up as my concentration isn’t good.

Reading Next:

I’ll probably read Godsgrave then Darkdawn next. I am actually getting into Nevernight and enjoying it now, it took me a while but I’m getting there! I’m sure after I’m done I’ll want to pick up the next two and binge the series.

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What are you currently reading?
Let me know if you have a WWW Wednesday post below and I’ll have a read!

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Monthly Wrap Up | August 2019

Hey guys!
I can’t believe August is over! It flew by.
I’m moving out tomorrow so I know I won’t be reading much today (and definitely won’t be finishing any more books). So I thought I’d post my wrap up today!
I didn’t get as much reading done as I wanted but I had a decent month.

 

The first book I finished was The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson. I LOVED THIS. What an amazing conclusion to an incredible trilogy. I am obsessed.
New favourite YA fantasy series for sure!

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review for The Remnant Chronicles here!

 

 

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Next, I finished the audiobook of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*Ck by Mark Manson. This was okay. At first, it seemed like a fun way to approach self-help and improvement but the attitude got boring fast.

Rating: 3 Stars

 

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Next, I finished a graphic novel: *Rose by Denis Lapière and Émilie Alibert / Art by Valérie Vernay.
I requested this on Netgalley, I didn’t know anything about this before reading. It’s a cool mystery story with paranormal elements. I was really surprised by this, I don’t normally read mystery, especially not in graphic novel form, but it was a great read.

Rating: 3.75 Stars
Review here!

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Next, I read another graphic novel: *Aion by Ludovic Rio.
I requested this on Netgalley, all I knew is that it was sci-fi and the artwork looked cool. I’m SO glad I got this! It was such a cool story and really, really enjoyed it!

Rating: 4 Stars
Review here!

 

 

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The next book I finished was *Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron.

Rating: 3 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

 

 

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Lastly, I finished another audiobook: The Humans by Matt Haig.
I enjoyed this, it was funny and entertaining. It started off really well but gradually got less entertaining + I didn’t really like the ending. It’s still worth a read though!

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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What was your favourite book you read this month?
Mine was definitely The Beauty of Darkness!

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Graphic Novel Review: Saga Volume 1+2 by Brian K. Vaughan + Fiona Staples

Saga Volume 1 Synopsis:
When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

From bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan, Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.

Saga Volume 2 Synopsis:

The smash-hit ongoing epic continues! Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and alien monstrosities, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters something truly frightening: her grandparents!

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My thoughts:
I got the first one on a complete whim, I’d heard great things about this series but I never read graphic novels. It was on Kindle Unlimited so I thought I’d give it ago and WOW was I surprised.
I had no idea what the plot was or what to expect at all. I knew it was a sci-fi graphic novel. That’s it. I have been on a sci-fi kick all year so far, so I thought this would be perfect. I was also going into a reading slump, I didn’t feel like reading a novel – which is why I randomly decided to get a graphic novel. Thank Gods I did! It has saved me from my slump!
I was HOOKED. I flew through this. It was weird and wonderful all at once. I’ve never been so addicted and invested in something so quickly. The story really took me by surprise. It’s an amazing mix of sci-fi and fantasy; it’s incredible.
I immediately downloaded the next one (volume 2) and devoured that in an hour.
Sadly, only the first two are on Kindle Unlimited (God damn it!) so I couldn’t binge the rest without paying. I am UPSET. I thought there were more on KU but nope. *Heartbreaks*
I am DEFINITELY continuing the series ASAP because I love it so much. I also want to kinda drag it out because the series is on hiatus and if I finish it all in a week I’m going to be waiting forever.

The Art – I am in love with this artwork. It is so so good. I love the colours used, every page is vibrant and exciting. It really is beautifully drawn. I love Fiona Stapes’ art style – she’s insanely talented. I think the main thing that put me off reading graphic novels in the past is that I’m picky/fussy with art styles – this was nailed it for me.

Good points:

• Non-white, Non-human Main characters
• Forbidden Love / Star Crossed Lovers
• The artwork is AMAZING
• Magic
• Characters are so much fun!
• Story is fast-paced
• So quick to read

Warning: it is very graphic, sexually. There’s a lot of nudity and sexually explicit scenes.
Adult content, definitely not for kids/teen/the faint-hearted. I did not expect to see alien dick, but I did. There is also child abuse, not actually depicted, but it’s mentioned.

Volume 1 – Rating: 4.5 Stars
Volume 2 – Rating: 4 Stars

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Purchase here:
Amazon UK / *Book Depository
*Affiliate link

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Do you read graphic novels? What are your favourites?

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WWW Wednesday | 17/06/2019

Happy Wednesday!
This tag/meme is hosted on Taking on a World of Words. It’s a super simple meme, you just answered the three W questions.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m currently reading:

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (audiobook)

Recently finished:

Nothing this week, unfortunately 😦

What I might read next:

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

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Monthly Wrap Up | May 2019

 

Hey guys!
Today I’m talking about the books I read in the month of May.
I read a total of 6 books (3 audio, 3 physical) and a short story. I’m really happy with this amount considering in the first half of May I had finals for uni, including 3 essays, a creative writing portfolio and an exam. As you can tell I procrastinated doing these things by reading/listening to books. Oops.

The first book I finished in May was Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I actually started and finished this on May 1st! Great start to the month and I haven’t read a book in a day in a long time. Super happy!

Rating: 4 Stars

 

 

 

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Secondly, I continued on and read Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. Didn’t enjoy this as much as the first, it was pretty bland.

 

Rating: 3 Stars

 

 

 

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Thirdly, I listening to the Stars Above audiobook by Marissa Meyer. This was okay, as far as short story collections go. I’m generally not a fan of short stories but these were okay, some I enjoyed more than others, naturally. More thoughts in my review!

Rating: 3 Stars
Review here!

 

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Fourth I read Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo and WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I thought this would be so much better but it was so boring. It took me 11 days to read 350 pages. 11 days?! I read Shadow and Bone in a single day.

Rating: 2 Stars

 

 

 

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Next, I finished another audiobook, Queenslayer by Sebastien De Castell.

 

Rating 3.5 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

 

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Next, literally right after finishing Queenslayer, I read the short story The Red Lily by Sebastien De Castell – which is about Ferius Parfax from the Spellslinger series. This story takes place between book 3 and 4.

 

 

 

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Finally, I finished another audiobook: Fairest by Marissa Meyer.
I didn’t think it was possible to hate Levana more than I did in The Lunar Chronicles main series but this backstory for Levana topped it. She’s also been the worst, I can see why now, but I have no sympathy for her. She’s vile.
Rating: 3.5 Stars

 

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How many books did you read in May? Which was your favourite?

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Monthly Wrap Up | April 2019

Hey Guys!
This has been quite a busy month for me. It has been the last few weeks of the semester and now it’s time for finals! Oh, the joys. That means essay writing and exam revision! Such fun. Which leaves less time for reading for pleasure.

I only managed three books this month but I enjoyed all of them! So that’s the main thing.

Firstly, I finished off the audiobook of Red Sister by Mark Lawrence.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

 

 

 

 

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Another Mark Lawrence book, this time; One Word Kill.
[Gifted] This one  I went into 100% blind, I had no idea what it was going to be about, I knew it was sci-fi, that’s it. It was pretty surprising! I liked, great start to a trilogy. I will definitely pick up the next book!

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review here!

 

 

 

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Next, I picked up my first ebook in a long time, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I enjoyed this but to me, it wasn’t mindblowing. It was still a solid read but not worthy of 5 stars, in my opinion. (Will discuss in detail in my review)

Rating: 4 Stars
Review coming soon!

 

 

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 What was your favourite book read in April?

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Rainy Day Reads | Top 5 Wednesday

 

 

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme, GoodReads group here with all the topics + discussion!
This week’s topic is: Rainy Day Reads 

 

1) Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

Fantasy is my go-to genre, whatever the weather/time of year, but I think Red Sister would be the perfect rainy day read. I don’t know why but I imagined this world to be quite dark and grey – not sure if that’s actually correct but that’s the impression I got.

Badass, assassin nuns and a kinda magic-school setting; you need this in your life.

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2) Vicious by V.E. Schwab

This is THE perfect rainy day read. It’s dark, all about morally grey characters and the perfect friends-to-enemies plot line. It’s like a darker x-men story. It’s beyond cool.

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3)  Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Would it really be a recommendations list without some Brandon Sanderson?! I always find a way to put his books on any list.

Elantris was a radiant, magical city once before magic failed, now it’s dull, grey and lifeless. I think this would make a great rainy day read, this is a fantasy but it’s not action based so it can be quite slow. It is very interesting and intriguing; I’ve read this twice and I still love the plot and characters!

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4) Cinder by Marissa Meyer

If you want something fun yet exciting, this is the one for you. It’s such a great book, fast to get through and the rest of the series is amazing too!
It’s a sci-fi Cinderella retelling with cyborgs and a dystopian world – what more do you want?

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5) Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Thought I should probably include something contemporary too. If you’re looking for something that’ll cheer you up, this is the one! I read this in one sitting. It’s such a cute book and I was smiling constantly throughout. This would be such a nice book to read if you need something happy.

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Comment below and recommend me a rainy day read!

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