J. Elle

While it took me a minute to really get into this book, it's a strong and very cool magic school alternative. I LOVE that one of the entrances to the school is hidden in the local beauty shop. I love how part of the story is Kyana connecting to her roots and her grandmother through cooking and then the eventual development of her magic. I also appreciate how she moved from an attitude of "everything is my fault and I am bad at everything" to a more open place where she gains confidence show more through hard work and growth in her relationships. show less

This is one of my new favorite duologies. I loved this series so wholly. Ashes of Gold explores so many things (heavy callings, pressure when people are counting on you, losing faith in yourself, mistakes, the weight of our ancestry, how who tells history can create lies and propaganda, prejudice, PTSD, daddy issues, etc) yet manages not to be a mediocre mishmash.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. There are a few plot elements that are obvious and you can tell where things are heading, but the show more journey to getting there was excellent. Also, the twists to each revelation kept things exciting. I liked the fast pacing. There was never a dull moment.

And Jhamal! I’ve never known a J(h)amal I didn’t like, fictional or real. Some of his lines, man. Just so lovely and sweet! Like, he poured honey on top of the page.

Definitely read this! J.Elle’s one of my new favorite authors. show less

What a ride! Make this a movie (either animated or live action is fine)! I loved the strong sense of community Rue’s (neighbor)hood had and all the soul food references. Collard greens and neckbones and thick, lemony slices of pound cake? Yum!

Also, I enjoyed Rue’s narrative. Girl got some spunk. She’s not just this magical brick wall of a girl who pushes everything down inside; she has vulnerability too. It was a great and needed balance.

Wings of Ebony was a breeze to read. The show more chapters passed by quickly and kept my interest. Shoutout to Ms. Leola you the real MVP!

I’ll read a book two for sure! we’re going to get that Jhamal vs. Julius love triangle, right? I don’t care if it’s a YA cliché. I WANT IT!

4.5

Ending thoughts:
the dad dying was a lil’ cliché. Yeah, Jhamal and Rue has those insta-lovey teas, but crushes don’t have rhyme or reason. I’m not like Rue I don’t need any explanations or apologies from racists. I just need their power taken away from them. But in the context of the story, yeah, the full confession was needed to help throw the book at him. show less

House of Marionne glitters with betrayal, mystery, darkness, and romance. I was instantly captivated by this modern-day YA Fantasy.

Quell essentially stumbles into this world of ballgowns, secret societies, and forbidden magic. She's been on the run with her mother for the majority of her life and is completely clueless about her own magic. You learn about the unique magic system and the whole world built around it with Quell as you read so there's no info dumping. As the FMC, Quell is strong show more and determined, not easily swayed which I absolutely loved. It's a welcome change to most YA main characters. The romance aspect I could take or leave...I just couldn't vibe with Jordan so that part felt a little flat for me personally.

The magic, I LOVE the magic and the mysteries surrounding the magical school. That is the best part of this whole book. How the magic is woven into the coursework...daggers and diadems...and how Quell progressed and warred with her magic, it was a fun experience!

I feel like this book has all the tropes thrown in and while it kind of works, it also felt a little messy at times. The writing didn't flow as well as I'd hoped with such a lush, magical story and I found myself needing to reread passages just to see if I missed something. With that said, the last Yagrin chapter (I am shook!) really tied up most of the questions and confusion I had through the story and left me salivating for the next book!

Overall, an enjoyable read if you love ALL the tropes...
Forbidden/dark magic
Friends to lovers to enemies
Mentor/mentee
Secret societies
Social elites
Magical school
Morally grey characters

Thank you PenguinTeen for the ARC to read and honestly review! show less