Author: Alisha Helms

Stoked For This: March 2025

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So this month is really gearing up for Poetry Month (April). Why? Because there are quite a few novel-in-verse books I’m stoked to be coming out! For a girlie who doesn’t really care too much for poetry itself, I will devour novel-in-verse books one after another. What are y’alls feelings towards Novel-in-Verses? Have you read them yet? What’s been your favorite??

Oh! – There’s also a new release from Georgia Hunter, an author I really enjoyed reading last year – I actually started it yesterday and so far so good!

March 4, 2025

A middle grade novel about 13-year-old Mo and his father’s fits of rage. This novel explores the impact of mental health on families.

The Strongest Heart

By: Saadia Faruqi

Author of “We Were the Lucky Ones” returns with the story of two friends during war torn Italy in the 1940’s and what they will do to not only survive, but to protect those they love.

One Good Thing

By: Georgia Hunter

This witchy romantasy where Charmed meets Gilmore Girls.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things

By: Breanne Randall

The newest graphic novel from K. O’Neill – that’s all I should really have to say! But, for just a tiny bit more: A ranger always protects, but what if they fail and get someone hurt?

A Song for You & I

By: K. O’Neill

March 11, 2025

A middle grade novel-in-verse that follows J, a young transgender from fifth grade to seventh grade as they use the video game, Coaster Boss, to help with their ADHD, isolation, and their relationship with their gender.

Glitch Girl!

By: Rainie Oet

March 18, 2025

After getting a tarot card reading from her best friend for her birthday, Camila struggles with the fear of the future.

Camila Núñez’s Year of Disasters

By: Miriam Zoila Perez

March 25, 2025

Told through the narration of the last residential building on its street – yes, the building known as the Odenburgh – works together with 12-year-old tenant, Prue to save the building from being demolished.

Once for Yes

By: Allie Millington

A novel-in-verse novel about Pearl as she struggles with depression as she tries to adjust to the fifth grade.

Octopus Moon

By: Bobbie Pyron

A Young Adult novel-in-verse about Diego and his best friend Lawson as the lines of loyalty are tested between them.

When We Ride

By: Rex Ogle

The Last Bookstore on Earth / Lily Braun-Arnold

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The Last Bookstore on Earth
By: Lily Braun-Arnold
Genre: YA
Number of Pages: 320
Published: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Dates Read: February 16, 2025 - February 18, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: body horror

Ever since the first storm wreaked havoc and changed the world as we know it, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery has been surviving in her old job, the bookstore in the New Jersey suburb she grew up in, trading books and letters for supplies. It’s her safe space. Until she heard about the next storm coming soon.

Then she meets Maeve, someone who breaks into the bookstore one night looking for shelter. Maeve and Liz butt heads, but Maeve has the skills Liz lacks that are needed to fix the dilapidated store before the next storm hits. Liz agrees to let her stay.

As the girls grow closer and feelings start to appear, they realize there are more threats than just the storm and they find themselves fighting to stay alive.

Though this book is post-apocalyptic, I will say it does focus more on Liz and Maeve’s relationship than it does the world around them. Which ended up being a little disappointing to me because I would have loved to read more about it – especially how Liz handled the days following the event and making it into the bookstore. 

I didn’t think realistically that Liz would have even lasted the amount of time that she did last before Maeve showed up. Maeve came in and showed a lot more of what it was like in the “new world”, but we never got into detail about Liz’s. <spoiler> and then what she did with her hand and the generator as a whole was crazy </spoiler>.

Overall, this was a cute sapphic post-apocalyptic young adult novel set in a bookstore where people still exchanged goods for a book.

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

We Called Them Giants / Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans (Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

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We Called Them Giants
By: Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans (Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 104
Published: November 24, 2024
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Read: February 16, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

Lori wakes to find the streets empty and everyone gone. She finds a school friend, Annette, and the duo work together to survive as best they can, especially avoiding the gang who call themselves The Dogs. Then, one day alien crafts appear and giants begin to roam around. Lori and Annette begin to be drawn to the giants for protection, but communication is limited. What are they here for?

I originally grabbed this because of the artwork and oh my, did it not disappoint! It was beautiful and captivating throughout all the pages.

That being said though, the story fell short for me. We were given so many questions and I felt like most of them were not answered by the end. Like, where did most of the humans go? Why were only some people left? Where did the giant come from (besides space), and what were they doing here? Were the events connected??

I gave it the star rating I did for the art, the story itself still has too many unanswered questions.

*Thank you Image Comics and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Wild Chorus: Finding Harmony with Whales, Wolves, and Other Animals / Brenda Peterson

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Wild Chorus: Finding Harmony with Whales, Wolves, and Other Animals
By: Brenda Peterson
Genre: Nonfiction, Animals
Number of Pages: 240
Published: April 1, 2024
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Dates Read: February 1, 2025 - February 16, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

In Wild Chorus, author Brenda Peterson talks about her lifelong relationship with animals and how humans can learn from beluga whales, wolves, raccoons, bears, elk, herons, and many more.

This book is filled with personal essays, which I enjoyed because I could kind of go back and forth on reading it and reading a fiction book. Some nonfiction books take me a long time to get into, and others I just can read information after information without needing a break.

I definitely took a lot of photos of passages in the book to go back and read later, or to share with my friends.

Brenda Peterson’s writing is very chill and friendly, it just felt like I was reading a letter a buddy wrote me about their latest outdoorsy adventure.

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

Feral (Volume 1) / Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner (Illustrator), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator), Brad Simpson (Colorist)

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Feral
By: Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner (Illustrator), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator), Brad Simpson (Colorist)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Number of Pages: 136
Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Read: February 16, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

Trigger Warnings: blood, gore, death, outbreak

Elsie, Lord Fluffy Britches, and Patch are three indoor cats now lost in the outdoors during an outbreak of rabies. Without their humans, the trio must do their best to get home without getting bit, scratched, or eaten.

I really enjoyed Stray Dogs when it came out, so when I saw this team had a new release, I immediately checked it out from my library. I did just find out that the art itself is inspired by Don Bluth, who animated children’s classic movies like All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Land Before Time, and many others, but those two movies were favorites of mine as a kid, so that’s probably why I was so drawn to this.

Also, I loved that this novel was basically zombies but with cats. 

I’m still not 100% sold on the dynamic of the trio cats. I understood the backstory that was given, but I don’t know exactly why I wasn’t fully satisfied with it. It’s weird, I know, but I am still excited to continue this story in the next volume.

No Rules Tonight / Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada (Illustrator)

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No Rules Tonight
By: Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 208
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Dates Read: February 15, 2025 - February 16, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

It’s 1980s South Korea, where political tensions are high and curfew is strict. Luckily it’s time for the annual winter camp at Anjeon University – a full weekend, deep in the mountains, with no supervision.

In the snowy mountains, everyone has different plans for their one night of freedom but of course, everything doesn’t always go as planned. Hyun Sook is dying to figure out how to get her banned book club back up and running, Taehee and Kiwoo are trying to build up their nerve to confess their feelings for one another, while Sujji pines after her crush, ready to risk it all and finally tell someone her biggest secret she’s been keeping secret her whole life.

How will this weekend of freedom end for these university students?

I immediately picked this graphic novel up when I saw it was from the same creators of Banned Book Club and I’m glad I did – learned even more about 1980s South Korea than before. It’s kind of crazy the desire everyone has for freedom, even in the smallest ways. I can’t imagine really having restrictions on something like when I’m allowed to be out and about from my house (even if I don’t usually leave after I get home from work), or what music I can listen to or books I’m allowed to read. Some of these freedoms weren’t given to South Koreans until as recently as just forty-five years ago.

Overall, this is a cutely drawn historical graphic novel that still brings up the timely issues around censorship, regime, and even labor rights. This is bound to bring up a look into the history of South Korea and politics and policies that are trying to be formed today.

*Thank you Penguin Workshop and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This Girl’s a Killer / Emma C. Wells

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This Girl’s a Killer
By: Emma C. Wells
Genre: Thriller
Number of Pages: 432
Published: October 29, 2024
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Dates Read: February 13, 2025 - February 15, 2025
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Cordelia Black lives a double life. By day, she’s an ambitious pharma rep with killer sales. By night, she hunts Southern Louisiana of bad men – ones who think they’ve evaded justice. Sure, maybe the evening news has started calling the mysterious missing men the result of a “serial killer”, but Cordelia knows she’s not a killer – she’s simply the karma these men deserve.

But when Cordelia discovers a flaw in her system of elimination, pressure heightens. It gets even worse when her best friend starts dating a man that Cordelia doesn’t believe is a good person. Soon enough she has to come face to face with all the choices she’s made – the good, the bad, and the murderous, because both her family and freedom depend on it

For someone who falls asleep watching ID Network true crime documentaries nightly, I was kind of all about the female serial killer (since you know, only 16% of serial killers are females). Was this realistic? Due to the way Cordelia gets away with stuff, I would hope not! But, it’s a super fun read, especially in audiobook!

When Cordelia has a bit of a hiccup, it was kind of fun to see how she goes about trying to hide and fix her mistake.

This book has humor, drama, and action all thrown in together alongside witty and fun characters of Coredelia’s chosen family. It’s fast paced and the audiobook narrator is highly entertaining.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes the suspense of thrillers but would like a bit of a humorous twist added to their reading.

Everything is Poison / Joy McCullough

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Everything Is Poison
By: Joy McCullough
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: February 9, 2025 - February 12, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Death, abortion, blood and gore, physical and sexual assault, domestic violence

As soon as Carmela turned sixteen, she was finally allowed into the workroom of her mother’s apothecary in the 17th-century Campo Marzio neighborhood of Rome, where her mother and two women make some of the most effective remedies for the community. But the workroom of La Tofana is no simple place and for every flowery suave and tonic, there’s another potion where the main ingredient is dried blood or something else unpleasant. And then there’s Aqua Tofana – the apothecary’s remedy of last resort and a secret Carmela never bargained for.

So, I knew of Joy McCullough from a middle grade book of hers I read years ago, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, so this was my first Young Adult book of hers. I picked it up both because of her and as well as a women run 17-century apothecary sounded amazing!

Carmela, though she was sixteen, still had a lot of growing up to do within these pages. I know sixteen was a decent age during the 17-century, but sometimes Carmela’s attitude towards patrons of the apothecary kind of annoyed me. She was there to help people, regardless of their life standing. I was glad to see her growth with her empathy by the end of the book, especially when it came to Violetta because I felt she was holding a childhood grudge that needed to be let go.

Overall, I loved learning about a time period in history where women were undermined badasses who helped each other right under men’s noses.

I Feel Awful, Thanks / Lara Pickle

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I Feel Awful, Thanks
By: Lara Pickle
Genre: Graphic Novel, New Adult
Number of Pages: 216
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Oni Press
Dates Read: January 31, 2025 - February 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Mental Health issues, anxiety, depression, toxic workplace, 

Joana is a young witch who just secured her dream job creating potions with a coven in London. But Joana will soon discover the reality of her new city life is not as she thought. Finding a flat is hard, her dream job is actually quite stressful, and she’s all alone. Little by little, she carves her place, but sadness, fatigue, and doubts create dragons that threaten to burst her hard-earned success… until she starts talking to a professional who helps her realize that in order to take care of herself, she must know herself.

I loved that this graphic novel tackled what it can feel like to have anxiety and crafted it in a way that also made it magical as well corporate. It’s okay not to be okay – a saying that everyone needs to be told every once in a while. Joana’s therapist, or Dragon Trainer, as she’s called in the book, gives really good advice on how Joana can help tackle her dragons, aka her anxieties.

Joana’s friends were also a breath of fresh air that were extremely supportive in both pushing Joana to get the extra help she needed and helping in her journey all around. Even her relationship with James and his own journey of self awareness and growth was nice to see.

Oh – before I forget, the art of this is beautiful and so very captivating, it’s one of the reasons I first picked up this book. The panels are brightly colored and there is quite a bit of text on some pages, but nothing I felt took away from the overall art.

Overall, this was a beautiful, fantastic graphic novel that dives into taking care of yourself as you battle anxiety, depression, and the everyday stressors of life – but add a magical twist.

Under This Red Rock / Mindy McGinnis

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Under This Red Rock
By: Mindy McGinnis
Genre: YA, Mystery
Number of Pages: 336
Published: March 19, 2024
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Dates Read: January 29, 2025 - January 31, 2025
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: Depictions of suicide and suicidal ideation

Neely has been battling her hidden monsters, the disembodied voices that shadow her every move, since she was little. Lately though, they’ve become louder and more mobile.

To try and get some peace from them, Neey takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can’t follow – the caverns. There she meets Mila. Mila is everything Neely isn’t – beautiful and confident. As the two become closer, Neely’s crush grows. When a staff afterparty exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila’s lead, but that causes her hallucinations to escalate.

The next work day, Mila’s body is found brutally murdered in the caverns and Mila’s memories of the party are super fuzzy. With her hidden monsters not so hidden anymore, Mila must figure out who kills Mila… and face the possibility it may have been her.

So I actually went into this book pretty much blind. I started Under This Red Rock as an audiobook without looking into what it’s about and I ended up really enjoying it. The suspension mixed in with Neely’s mental health struggles and not knowing what was real and what wasn’t made it interesting to me. Though I would get slightly annoyed with Neely when she would straight up lie about something that she absolutely knew was real – don’t make life harder for yourself!

Overall, I think this would be a fantastic read for those who like suspense and thrillers mixed with some mystery.