MellowDrama

I just saw a tweet asking people why they read YA or middle grade fiction and this made me contemplate my recent choices ahem ahem!! I have been reading some (or maybe a lot!) thanks, mostly to Dave and the fantastic book tours he organises, as well the fact that I have a teen in the house. So it is just sheer cleverness on my part that I read YA and try to see what goes on in the minds of today's young generation. Well, to read Bad Habits by Flynn Meaney was one such attempt. Which mother of a teen can resist going through a book titled THAT? Enough of jokes, let's get to the serious business of reviewing this book. So, first things first, an introduction to the book and the protagonist. Alex goes to a strict Catholic school and wants to be expelled from it. Her story is an attempt at gaining some shock value and getting the school authorities to chuck her out. What actually happens is a tangential growth in Alex's character and discussions and debates on topics which have...

  The Cousins by Karen Mc Manus is delightful, young, involves a mystery and is a very very readable book. Read on to find why I found it "very very readable". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLURB The Storys are the envy of their neighbours: owners of the largest property on their East Coast island, they are rich, beautiful, and close. Until it all falls apart. The four children are suddenly dropped by their mother with a single sentence: You know what you did. They never hear from her again. Years later, when 18-year-old cousins Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story receive a mysterious invitation to spend the summer at their grandmother's resort, they have no choice but to follow their curiosity and meet the woman who's been such an enigma their entire lives. This entire family is built on secrets, right? It's the Story legacy. This summer, the teenagers are determined to discover the truth at the heart of their family. B...

The Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall is indeed one of its kind. The brief on the first book in this fantasy series sounded so good, that I, who barely ever reads anything other than crime and thrillers was hooked. Before we go any further, here is a big thank you to the author, the publishers and Dave at The Write Reads for giving me spot on the blog train. So, let us start with the cover. Have you seen anything more firebrand, anything more fantastic than the art on this cover?! It is absolutely brilliant and I believe world-class! Knightmare Arcanist is the story of a grave digger Volke Savan who yearns to be more than what the society has chosen for him. He wants to emulate his hero Gregory Ruma whose life it seems is stuff of stories and legends. But before he can go on, on his personal adventures, Savan must become an arcanist- someone who can wield magic-  and for that he needs  to connect with a mythical creature. And he won't let anything stop him even if he has to...

All reader everywhere probably are aware of Tayari Jones' name whether or not they might have read her books or not. Her novel American Marriage won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2019. Silver Sparrow is her first UK publication since American Marriage, being brought out by Oneworld Publishers. Silver Sparrow tells the tale of two sisters, rather secret sisters Dana and Chaurisse. Set in Atlanta in the 1980s and 90s, it takes us into the secrets and doings of the two families of Jams Witherspoon junior. The book is told from the point of view of the two girls and begins with perspective of the secret daughter Dana giving us her side of the story and introducing us to the characters involved in her life- her mother, grandfather, teachers, boyfriends. The second half is the story of Chaurisee and characters that shape her. Another central character is their father's friend Raleigh who quietly plays a role in propelling and maintaining the story of all these varied char...