Thought Train to Pusan

I’m not the first Cannonballer to review this one, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. And truly, this book was exactly what I wanted. It’s fun, smart, and sweet. Is it all that realistic? In some ways, absolutely, and in others no. But do you really think I picked something like this up for the realism? No! It’s about how I thought it would make me feel, and I was right! The tone of the book suggests a happy ending, and you’re dang right you get it! The premise of Red, White & Royal Blue is simple enough: Alex, first-son of the (female!) president of the United States has a beef with Henry, the Prince of England. After an altercation between the two is caught on camera, the two governments decide to create a PR spin about the two spending time together and being close friends. And once they actually do start spending time together, well… their relationship may suddenly become a sticking-point in the image of the royal family, and in Alex’s mom’s bid for re-e...

This YA novel is a familiar sort of adventure, but in a new a refreshing setting. It hits all the right beats and turns in the story in an efficient and effective manner. I don’t know about anyone else, but I knew what I was getting into when I picked this one up, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it also means the experience of the read itself falls squarely in the middle-of-the-road for me. Labyrinth Lost follows the story of teenage Alejandra (Alex), the middle-sister in a family of brujas in Brooklyn. She is about to have her Deathday celebration and come into her powers, but Alex isn’t sure she wants that: she feels that all magic has brought to her family is misery and pain. In attempting to rid herself of her magic, however, she miscalculates what exactly the damage will be, causing her family to vanish into the realm of Los Lagos, where she will have to journey to save the souls of her family, alongside some mysterious and charming young brujo...

After my friend got me a copy of Carry On for my birthday, I read it immediately, and naturally I loved it. It had all my favourite tropes: magic, vampires, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, and-they-were-roommates, spoofing on the concept of a chosen-one, etc etc. I loved the characters and how it didn’t take itself too seriously, while still having a strong heart and emotions within it. This follow-up novel took hold of me with my love for these characters once again, but story-wise it certainly takes a dip: it’s need for something to happen just didn’t quite work for me. But more on that later: Wayward Son picks up with Simon, Baz, and Penny after fighting against the Mage. Simon is still without magic, yet now with some dragon wings and a tail, dealing with a depression that has come on after losing a sense of purpose: he is no longer the “chosen one”, so now what? Under the guide of checking up on Agatha now in America, Penny suggests the gang go on a road t...