Queen Kodiak / Christopher Greenslate, Riccardo Faccini (Illustrator), Dearbhla Kelly (Colorist), Justin Birch (Letterer)

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Queen Kodiak
By: Christopher Greenslate, Riccardo Faccini (Illustrator), Dearbhla Kelly (Colorist), Justin Birch (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Number of Pages: 168
Published: January 26, 2026
Publisher: Maverick
Dates Read: March 15, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN:9781545821015

After the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Joey moves to Alaska’s Kodiak island with her absent dad. There, she befriends a giant bear she names Little Bear. However, hunters discover Little Bear’s existence and kill him. When they do, they awaken his mother, Queen Kodiak, a colossal, super-charged Kodiak grizzly bear, who is now on a rampage. Can they save Seattle before Queen Kodiak gets there?

I enjoyed the art of this novel and the fact that this was a quick read, but there were parts of this graphic novel that I felt could have had better transitions from one part to the next instead of otherwise feeling like a giant jump was being made – I would flip pages back and forth to make sure the numbers were in order. There was also some unexplained stuff too – like why can Joey see auras around some people?! Maybe this will be a series, or at least have another book since it ended with “The End?”

Overall, I enjoyed the fast paced story and if I come across a sequel, I’d be sure to pick it up, but I don’t think I’ll be actively searching for it though.

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 5) / Yuri Sonoda, Michelle Tymon (Translator)

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Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 5)
By: Yuri Sonoda, Michelle Tymon (Translator)
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 160
Published: December 16, 2025
Publisher: Seven Seas
Dates Read: March 13, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN:9798893735857

Maruru, Hachi, and the other strays who were taken in by Yasuo are now living busy lives within its walls. But then Maruru and Hachi discover the shelter has a secret they weren’t aware of!

I loved getting to know more about Yasuo’s backstory and how long his love of cats has gone on.

Also, the amount of things I learn about cats, especially kittens, surprises me each time.

I was heartbroken by Hachi getting left behind and am demanding he gets reunited with Maruru and his friends! I get why they did what they did, but they’re totally bonded!!

Overall, obviously counting down until I get the next volume!

Stoked for This: April 2026

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So, full disclaimer – I do have reviews to post! I just haven’t gotten around to actually writing them yet… and I also have books I’m reading for different awards and such and therefor I can’t publicly post my reviews. But I will try to get some of my backlogged reviews up here soon. Thanks for sticking with me everyone ◡̈

April 7, 2026

A mind-bending, emotionally charged sci-fi novella with mystery and character-driven journey that intertwines generational trauma.

The Subtle Art of Folding Space

By: John Chu

A YA romance where a boy is not only trapped in a time loop but also in a girl’s body that’s driving down an unknown highway. Laurie always crashes and she always meets Gideon every day. She realizes she only has 100 days to get back in the right body, break the time loop, and not fall for Gideon while he does it.

Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know

By: Alex Ritany

Follow a Book Witch, who can jump in and out of novels with her umbrella and feline familiar. When her grandfather goes missing and a priceless book disappears, Rainy asks for the help of the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series.

The Book Witch

By: Meg Shaffer

A debut middle grade novel about Lacey who recently moved from her best friend Grace in Austin to Rhode Island and wants to reinvent herself, but does she have the courage to be her authentic self?

When You’re Brave Enough

By: Rebecca Bendheim

April 14, 2026

A forty-year-old workaholic house painter takes a eight-year-old under his wing as they form a makeshift father-son duo as they take on life’s bleakness and cynicism.

The Left and the Lucky

By: Willy Vlautin

A folk horror that deals with generational poverty and the all-consuming hunger of capitalism and atmospheric dread, cause, why not?

Morsel

By: Carter Keane

With all the hype from WICKED, how about a retelling of Dorthy and her adventure in Oz (with some spice).

West of Wicked

By: Nikki St.Crowe

Second chance romance(s) with a college crush and soon to be ex-husband – written by one of my favorite authors!

Cherry Baby

By: Rainbow Rowell

During a royal visit to the town, Princess Tandy’s dream comes true when she finds herself cursed to remain in a run-down bookshop until she unlocks her heart’s desire.

Stay for a Spell

By: Amy Coombe

After her old professor (and affair from 30 years ago) contacts her, Jean prays to Monica Lewinsky begging for her forgiveness of not understanding everything they had in common. To her shock, Saint Monica appears to her and leads her back in time to reassess what happened. 

Dear Monica Lewinsky

By: Julia Langbein

After both seeing a vision in a lake of a burning house, Chanel Cao and Ares use each other to find out and keep secrets.

I Could Give You the Moon

By: Ann Liang

After losing her baby in delivery, Cleo starts working at a funeral home and discovers that the best way to honor the dead is to live.

Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead

By: Mai Nguyen

In a world where creating anything creates demons, Aurelie’s an inventor and Destrier is a demon hunter. When a mysterious figure offers Aurelie a job she can’t refuse her decision to accept sets off a chain of events that will alter every aspect of their world… and sparks the connection that will change both Aurelie and Des.

The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake

By: Mara Rutherford

April 21, 2026

———

April 28, 2026

Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 120,000 Japanese Americans were removed from their homes on the West Coast and corralled into inland concentration camps. To be considered for release, Question 27 asked the inmates whether they were willing to serve in combat for the US military. Question 28 asked them—many of whom American citizens who had never visited Japan—to renounce allegiance to the Japanese emperor. This novel is told through mixes of fact with fiction and layers genres from James Bond movies to haiku to oral history, transfiguring an enormity of archival research into a chorus of stories.

Questions 27 & 28

By: Karen Tei Yamashita

A debut about a teenage girl in 1970s Brazil who is torn away from her twin sister after she becomes ill. Now, Dolores must learn what it means to fight for those she loves when all the odds are stacked against her.

Liar’s Dice

By: Juliet Faithfull

Told through the diary of Anna-Jane, who went to summer camp but is now possibly facing the end of the world.

Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer

By: Paige Classey

The world is ending but Don an Rodney have one final journey across the country to take care before the blackhole consumes the Earth.

We Burned So Bright

By: TJ Klune

Read my review here

Stoked for This: March 2026

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I think I’m ready for a vacation out of the Midwest, cause I’ve got quite a few books that are set out in the west coast: California, Washington specifically have two books each! Of course I have a book (or two) set around space or dystopian futures ◡̈ Oh! I can’t forget the story about a girl falling in love with a member of the famous boyband (yes I read 1,000 o

March 3, 2026

Three women united by killer husbands join together to find the new serial killer on the loose in 1960’s California.

The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives

By: Elizabeth Arnott

After her best friend goes missing after an earthquake, Celeste is the only one who thinks Nicky is alive and begins her mission to find him.

Lies We Tell About the Stars

By: Susie Nadler

As younger children, the three friends discovered a book of prophecies that seemed to be accurately predicting the future. Now, in seventh grade, the book’s final prophecy brings the three back together in unexpected ways. 

When Tomorrow Burns

By: Tae Keller

Finnegan is a rescue dog with a broken heart. Chase is an anxious cheetah cub, newly orphaned. They couldn’t be more opposite but they form an unlikely friendship.

The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan

By: Jasmine Warga

March 10, 2026

An adorable children’s book about respecting cat’s personal space.

Arthur’s Cat

By: Johan Leynaud

A coming-of-age YA featuring an Indigenous teen girl grappling with the effects of intergenerational trauma while navigating school, family and young love.

Here for a Good Time

By: Kim Spencer

March 17, 2026

After a slur is shouted at a school assembly, two boys grapple with accountability and the quest to define one’s identity against toxic masculinity.

One Word, Six Letters

By: Adib Khorram

Lucy Nowhere washed up on an island as an infant. At eighteen, she planned to leave and go to university but overnight, her life changed. Her benefactor was murdered and, to her great surprise, she was named his heir. Following the murder, Lucy tries to find the murderer and find out who she is and how she ended up on the island. 

Heiress of Nowhere

By: Stacy Lee

March 24, 2026

After emigrating from Iran a year-and-a-half ago, Yasmine has had to deal with one change after another. now, her mom has sewn Yasmin a beautiful blue dress for the Persian New Year that is too tight on purpose. With the pressure to fit in closing in on all sides, Yasmin starts taking desperate measures. But if being thin is supposed to make her happier, then why does losing weight feel like losing parts of herself, too?

The Blue Dress

By: Rebecca Morrison

A coming-of-age tale inspired by Odysseus set both on Earth and in space.

Celestial Lights

By: Cecile Pin

Famine and war now rage across the land after the last honeybee died. People are no longer allowed to read or create art. Like every other girl, Jess has been taken from her home to live in a government dormitory, where they are forced to pollinate crops by hand with brushes. But, Jess knows how to read and paint. She also knows there is something horribly wrong with this system built on the hard labor of young girls, a system that forces them to marry and have children as soon as they are able. With smuggled paints and brush in hand, can Jess inspire a revolution?

The Danger of Small Things

By: Caryl Lewis

A Deaf, demiromantic teen who falls in love with the lead singer of America’s most popular boy band during a whirlwind summer tour (the fan girl in me can’t resist falling in love with the boy band member…)

Someone to Daydream About

By: Sydney Langford

Blanca of Castile is the granddaughter of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, once the wife of both the king of France and the king of England. When Queen Eleanor comes to select the girl who will marry the prince of France, all expect her to pick Blanca’s much older, and much prettier, sister. But Queen Eleanor has always loved surprises and selects Blanca. Now, to meet her destiny, Blanca, along with her best friend Suna, must set out over the mountain for France.

The Queen’s Granddaughter

By: Diane Zahler

March 31, 2026

Set in the Prohibition era Missouri Ozarks, three sisters take over their father’s moonshine business.

The Moonshine Women

By: Michelle Collins Anderson

The Red Car to Hollywood / Jennie Liu

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The Red Car to Hollywood
By: Jennie Liu
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 256
Published: March 4, 2025 (1st Published January 1, 2025)
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Dates Read: February 18, 2026 - February 25, 2026
Format: Hardcover		ISBN: 9781728493213

Trigger Warnings: racism, sexism, sexual assault

Sixteen-year-old Ruby Chan considers herself a modern, independent American teenager. But when her secret relationship with a white boy implodes and is revealed to her very traditional Chinese parents, her life gets locked and chained. Her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a Chinese husband and her dad will also look for a husband on his business trip to China. 

Meanwhile, Ruby meets the nineteen-year-old film star, Anna May Wong at her family’s laundromat and the girls quickly strike up a friendship. Anna May defies Chinese convention by working as an actress on the silver screen and she scoffs at others’ assumptions about her. If she can forge her own path, so can Ruby.

I could really tell the research Jennie Liu had done with this novel and appreciated how she showed the issues Chinese teens dealt with in the 1920s. This isn’t a time in history I read too often so it was a learning experience for me as well. I have read about a few laws that were put into place in America around the 1940s but was not aware some of them were put into place decades before. 

I appreciated Ruby’s growth and determination about forging her own path but still trying to be somewhat respectful. Though the story ends on a high note, it’s not wrapped up sweet and nicely and leaves room for the reader to imagine Ruby’s story beyond the time we read with her. 

Overall, this is an informative, coming of age, historical fiction about growing up as a female Chinese American in Los Angeles’ Chinatown in 1920 that any historical reader would enjoy.

*Thank you Carolrhoda Lab and LibraryThing for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez / María Dolores Águila

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A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez
By: María Dolores Águila
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 304
Published: September 16, 2025
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Dates Read: February 17, 2026 - February 18, 2026
Format: Library Book / Hardcover	ISBN: 9781250342614

This middle grade, novel-in-verse is based on the true story of Roberto Alvarez and the Lemon Grove Incident.

Twelve-year-old Roberto Alvarez is the first one in his family born on US soil. He’s el futuro.

When the Lemon Grove School Board and Chamber of Commerce are moved by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican propaganda, they create a separate “Americanization” school in an old barn for the Mexican children who originally were attending the Lemon Grove Grammar School.

Amidst threats of deportation, the Comité de Vecinos risk everything to stand their ground on getting their kids back to the regular Grammar School. With the help of the Mexican Consulate, the committee chooses Roberto as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the school board.

Who else came here to read about another part of history that was left out of history lessons back in the day?

The author did a fantastic job at showing the growth of Roberto from being an innocent twelve-year-old who basically just got kicked out of school, to then someone who was more and more aware of the injustices around him and his community.

As an English speaker, who took French in high school, and then has become semifluent in American Sign Language, I did struggle a little bit with the Spanish that was sprinkled into the verses. Sometimes I could use context clues to figure out what was being said, but other times I would grab my phone to use the camera option of Google translate. That was okay with me, because it helped me become more submerged in the story, but, I can see some people getting frustrated with that.

Overall, a beautiful novel in verse for middle grade readers (and older to be real!) who would enjoy learning about a time in history that is probably not told very often and that was two decades before Brown v. Board of Education.

Night Watch / Jayne Anne Phillips, Karissa Vacker (Narrator), Theo Stockman (Narrator), Maggi-Meg Reed (Narrator)

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Night Watch
By: Jayne Anne Phillips, Karissa Vacker (Narrator), Theo Stockman (Narrator), Maggi-Meg Reed (Narrator)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: September 19, 2024
Publisher: Vintage
Dates Read: February 7, 2026 - February 16, 2026
Format: Paperback / Library Book / Audiobook
ISBN: 9781101972793

Trigger Warnings: rape, PTSD, war, trauma, abuse, mental health

In 1874, twelve-year-old ConaLee just arrived at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. They were dropped off by a war veteran who had forced himself into their world. He had made them leave behind family, their loving Dearbhla, and their mountain home. Now, they’re there to heal.

Meanwhile, the Night Watch has a story all his own, or rather, what he remembers from before the war. Now, he’s on his way to his own healing as the Night Watch at the same asylum. 

I had a really really hard time reading this because there were no quotes around spoken words. Everything was one paragraph or a sentence mixed in with descriptors. Sometimes it would have a descriptor, spoken words, and then more descriptors, making it extremely difficult to know when someone stopped talking, it was super frustrating. The timeline also jumped around quite a bit and it was sometimes hard to keep straight if we were in the past or present.

So, I switched and went over to listening to it on Audiobook and let me tell you, the narrators did a spectacular job at keeping everything sorted and understandable. It was then I was able to understand how complex the characters were and appreciate the story a lot more.

I appreciated the little tidbits of information about asylums back in the 1800s and how easily it was to basically get dropped off there and forgotten.

Overall, while this historical novel will challenge the everyday reader, if you can get past the unique style choice of no quotation marks, you may very well discover the emotional and intellectual depth this novel has to offer.

Rune: Tale of the Obsidian Maze (Rune #2) / Carlos Sánchez

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Rune: Tale of the Obsidian Maze (Rune #2)
By: Carlos Sánchez
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 160
Published: November 4, 2025
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Dates Read: February 3, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover	ISBN: 9781838741631

Chiri and Dai have stayed in Puddin’ to learn more about magic and sword now that the Shadow King is trapped in a bottle. One day, their group gets attacked by skeletons that bring them an invitation to the Obsidian Maze. The Darkness created two other Heralds besides the Shadow King, one is trapped in crystal inside the Obsidian Maze: The Midknight. Chiri and Dai must face the obstacles of the maze as well as the taunts from the Shadow King before they fight the Midknight.

As with the volume before, this book is beautifully drawn and has such an eye catching color palette, after every page you can find me engrossed in the background and details.

I still love the way Sánchez draws Chiri and the sign language she uses. 

This volume for sure gives the vibe of more to come (I would hope so with the ending that was given anyway!), which makes me super excited to keep an eye out for them. I’ve been getting them as requests for my library but have plans to purchase my own copies of them for sure.

Overall, it is still an amazing, action packed, background filled, beautiful graphic novel that middle grade readers and above would enjoy (even adults!).

Three Blue Hearts / Lynne Kelly

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Three Blue Hearts
By: Lynne Kelly
Genre: Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 282
Published: October 7, 2025
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Dates Read: February 1, 2026 - February 2, 2026
Format: Library Book / Hardcover	ISBN: 9780593898390

Max can’t seem to get out of the shadow of his politician dad, or the nicknames from his shortcomings. But, for the next few months Max and his mom are going to a Texas beach where nobody knows them, where Max could be Milo instead.

Shortly after arriving, Max stumbles upon an octopus washed up onshore after a storm. With the help of some news friends and the local wildlife center, Max rescues the octopus – who they name Ursula – and who Max vows to take care of until she’s ready to return to the sea.

But as their bond deepens Max learns what friendship without conditions means, how to accept himself as who he is, and how to show up for those he loves most.

So, octopuses are my all-time favorite sea animal, so when I saw that Lynne Kelly wrote a book with one as a character, I was already invested! Even so, Kelly does a phenomenal job as weaving actual facts and information in with the storyline without it feeling like you were reading a textbook.

Not only did I love Ursula’s journey, I appreciated the one Max went on as well. He learns how to love himself, even with faults, and even with his big political dad looming over him. He learns that when you’re honest, and open with people you trust, beautiful friendships can form.

This one hit a little hard for the animal lover within me. I know all of them can’t be saved, but I sure always wish they could.

“When we can’t save them, at least they’re not alone. They go out surrounded by those who loved them. At the end, that’s all we have left to give – the love we have for them. Sometimes that has to be enough.”

Overall, this a great read, especially for middle grade readers to read about accepting yourself, being a good friend, and showing up for all those you love – humans and animals alike!

*Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

We Burned So Bright / TJ Klune

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We Burned So Bright
By: TJ Klune
Genre: Novella, Sci-Fi
Number of Pages: 176
Published: April 28, 2026
Publisher: Tor Books
Dates Read: January 31, 2026
Format: ARC / Paperback		ISBN: 9781250881236

Don and Rodney have lived a long life together. They’ve experienced the highs and lows of family and have been together even when they thought it was the end of the world.

Now, with the black hole getting closer and closer, it really is the end of the world. After all the time together, Don and Rodney are in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington to take care of one last thing.

On the road they meet all kinds of characters: some in denial of the end just around the corner and some who are rushing to get to the finish line. As the black hole gets closer and closer, Don and Rodney look back on their lives and ask if what they did was good enough.

Yet again TJ Klune has captured my attention and wouldn’t let it go until the last page. 

It’s a shorter book but still one you want to take your time with. I had the opportunity to read it all on a Saturday and ignored my house chores for a bit 🙂. Each chapter Don and Rodney meet someone else on their black hole journey to death and each new encounter all deserve their own time to digest their story. Each one is a different lens on how we as a society can handle death and grief. One of the girls they met will probably stay with me for quite some time.

And then there’s Jeremy. I could tell pretty early on what Don and Rodney’s goal was but not for who. That story made my heart ache for the men and absolutely I teared up.

Overall, I highly suggest this end of the world novella for those that would be interested in the philosophy of how humans act when they know the end is coming, but it’s also about love, love, and choosing life.

*Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review