Author: Alisha Helms

Odessa (Odessa #1) / Jonathan Hill

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Odessa (Odessa #1)
By: Jonathan Hill
Genre: Graphic Novel, YA
Number of Pages: 328
Published: November 10, 2020
Publisher: Oni Press
Dates Read: December 24, 2023 - December 26, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

After a massive earthquake hit along the Cascadia fault line eight years ago, everything changed for the west coast of the United States. But for Vietnamese-American Virginia Crane, her life changed the most when her mother left and never came back shortly after the quake.

Ginny has always helped her father out and taken care of her brothers, Wes and Harry. But when a mysterious package arrives for the eighteenth birthday, Ginny wants more to life than what she’s been surviving on. Maybe it’s selfish of her, but she’s determined, now more than ever, to find where her mother is, or what happened with her – even if she must leave her family behind.

Right, so I read this going into it, knowing that there will be more volumes. But I thought, this was written in 2020, at least the second volume would be out, right?! NO! I finished this book, expecting I would go grab the second volume at the library but it’s still not out! I’m quite hooked on Ginny’s storyline thank you very much and want to know where it’s going.

Is this the absolutely best graphic novel out there – no, but I still really enjoyed it. The twists and such kept my interest and I’d like to see what has become of the world past San Francisco after this massive earthquake eight years ago.

I did enjoy the art, it’s done in one of my favorite shades of pink.

I would really enjoy it if the second book would come out soon though. You can’t just leave it on the cliffhanger that it’s on!

Rain Remembers (Rain #2) / Courtney Comrie

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Rain Remembers (Rain #2)
By: Courtne Comrie
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 272
Published: October 24, 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins
Dates Read: December 21, 2023 - December 24, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

The start of this school year has brought a lot of changes for Rain. First off, her brother Xander is off to college and now it’s just her mom and her. Secondly, she’s a freshman in high school – where there’s no Circle Group, no Dr. McMalla, no Miss Walia, and no step team. Rain is struggling with all the new things in her life, including opening up to her new counselor. But when an older boy starts to give Rain more attention than she asked for, will she be able to open up again before it’s too late?

I just really enjoy the way things like therapy and Group Circle are talked about in this book. I grew up during a time where, though it was more common for people to go to therapy, it wasn’t talked about, and was still kind of taboo.

Rain is so well written and authentic that she seems real to the reader. There’s so much of the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence that older readers will relate to her as well and they remember their time growing up.

There is also a wonderful message of making sure you always have something that you love that you can go to in dark times – mine has always been music and writing. There are some heavy parts in this novel, but as it was in the book before this, that it’s not something kids aren’t going through nowadays and none of this is anything that even younger middle school students wouldn’t be able to connect with.

Overall, I loved this book – like I knew I would as soon as I saw it was coming out. This will be highly recommended for those who want to feel and connect with the main character of the story they are reading.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic / Breanne Randall

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

By: Breanne Randall

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Number of Pages: 322

Published: September 19, 2023

Publisher: Alcove Press

Dates Read: December 16, 2023 - December 20, 2023

Format: Library Book / Audiobook / Paperback

Ever since Sadie Revelare was told about her four heartbreak curse that accompanies her magic, she’s never doubted the price wouldn’t be worth it. But when Gigi, her grandmother, is diagnosed with cancer and only has weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake, returns after being gone for a decade, Sadie’s life feels like it’s unraveling and her magic can’t fix it. Even more, upon hearing about Gigi’s diagnosis, Sadie’s estranged twin brother, Seth, returns as well, uncovering family secrets that will tear her world apart.

Gigi has been the backbone to the Revelare family for generations, and with her death, Sadie must try with everything she’s got, to not only keep her family together, but her magic as well. As her feelings for Jake begin to respark, Sadie must decide if love is more important than her magic.

I don’t actively go about reading romance books, but this had the tagline “for fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls” and I decided to give this a shot. I absolutely called the ending pretty early into the book, especially once everything was established. Though I was a little confused about Sadie’s curse… I still am to be honest. Also – witches who go to a christian church? What?

Overall, the book was okay. The premise of it was excellent, but it fell short for me.

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

Mall Goth / Kate Leah

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Mall Goth

By: Kate Leah

Genre: Graphic Novel

Number of Pages: 256

Published: September 26, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers

Dates Read: December 15, 2023

Format: eBook

Trigger Warnings: Child Grooming

Liv Holme is starting over in a new town with her mom. And a new town means a new high school. If that’s not hard enough, Liv is a fifteen-year-old bisexual goth. As Liv tries to find her community, the only person who seems to make time for her is one of her teachers, Mr. Trent, but she’s not sure how she feels about the way he acts towards her sometimes. Thankfully, she finds solace in the mall, where she’s away from all her troubles. Now she must set off on a journey of self-acceptance and the ups and downs of life and high school.

I loved the art in this – that is one of the main reasons I wanted to read this.

Secondly, the storyline isn’t what I thought it would be and I really enjoyed it. 

I both feel like it could have been longer (more in depth), but then at the same time, the story fit in the page length that it was. There was just a lot going on – especially with stuff like her Dad and sometimes conversations with Liv’s mom, I felt like it could have been more elaborated on, but I still understood what was going on.

I’ve already recommended this to two friends, so this will be on my graphic novel list for sure.

North Woods / Daniel Mason

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
North Woods

By: Daniel Mason

Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 384

Published: September 19, 2023

Publisher: Random House

Dates Read: December 12, 2023 - December 14, 2023

Format: Library Book / Audiobook

North Woods tells the story of a plot of land over centuries and its inhabitants. Ranging from spinster twin sisters, to beetles, to a painter, to many more.

You can argue that this book is just a collection of short nature stories that are all connected by this plot of land / cabin in the middle of the woods – you wouldn’t be wrong. Some stories were more catching to me than others, but they all still held my attention.

I ended up listening to this as an audiobook and first off – I had to move the speed up to 1.75 because of how slow the reading was. The prose were absolutely great and beautiful in the story, just so many words. This really makes it seem that I don’t like it, but I totally did, I just needed it sped read.

This novel has stories told through letters, journal entries, historical records, a true crime magazine, and poetry that showcase human’s beautiful connection with nature that involve forbidden love, enslavement, insecurity, mental health, and climate change.

Overall, this is a beautifully written novel filled with stories that will possibly make you think about your childhood home, or of the older buildings and houses around you, and all that they have witnessed. Those who love literary fiction with historical fiction will fall in love with this.

*Thank you Random House and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Beautiful and the Wild / Peggy Townsend

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Beautiful and the Wild

By: Peggy Townsend

Genre: Thriller / Mystery

Number of Pages: 304

Published: November 7, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

Dates Read: December 5, 2023 - December 12, 2023

Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warning: murder, death, rape, wilderness survival

Following her husband into the Alaskan wilderness after he “died”, Liv Russo ends up in a shipping container-turned-storage shed by her husband and his new lover. She vows to do anything to protect her son and escape. Carrying her own secrets, Liv must navigate the tough(er) world around her with the extreme weather, one bad incident away from starvation, and the dangerous wildlife. With winter’s arrival knocking on the door, Liv knows she must face her past and be sneaky in order to make it out alive.

I originally wanted to read this title because I was trying to step outside my usual reading comfort zone and also I wanted a book set in Alaska. This was… okay. It’s marked as a mystery but I guess maybe I don’t read enough mystery to know the feeling of a mystery (if that makes sense). Definitely felt the thriller aspect of it though, especially when it dealt with the survivalist parts of the story.

This book also went back and forth in time, but would still sometimes be in “Present” when the chapter would be marked as “Then” and that kind of threw me off a little bit.

I have such mixed feelings about this overall though, and I’m not quite sure if I’m going to be able to explain why. I both liked and hated the story and its setup, but I enjoyed the ending and how it was finished. It felt more of a survivalist story, but we still didn’t have a lot of survival stuff. I would have loved to know more about Rudy and what all he knew and understood about what was happening…

Overall though, I’m glad I read it, and enjoyed it quite enough. I feel like I will end up recommending this as a survivalist story moreover than a mystery though.

*Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

All You Need to Do Is Call / Kerri Maher

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
All You Have to Do Is Call

By: Kerri Maher

Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 368

Published: September 19, 2023

Publisher: Berkley

Dates Read: November 25, 2023 - December 3, 2023

Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: women’s health care/reproductive rights

Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane.

Jane is a women’s health organization composed entirely of women helping women with their reproductive needs – including illegal abortions. The women who run Jane lead double lives and All You Need to Do Is Call follows three of the members as they must make decisions that will change the course of all their lives.

I think nowadays it’s important to really know about our history and how we should try our hardest to not repeat it. But also, if stuff does get repeated, looking back and seeing how it was handled and managed before (usually in the underground).

This story is loosely based on the Jane Society from Chicago in the 1970’s and it was really nice to read about and learn how women were helping each other out as much as they could when society wasn’t. It was also nice to read about the different types of women that Jane brought together – both as in the members and the tidbits of information we got about those who used the service. We really got a look into the housewife’s role in a turning point of history.

Overall, I really enjoyed this historical fiction and will be recommending this to those who like historical fiction. This would also be a good book group read as it can bring up tons of discussion points for groups as well.

*Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will / Maya MacGregor

/ Alisha Helms / 1 Comment 
The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will
By: Maya MacGregor
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Number of Pages: 273
Published: July 23, 2023
Publisher: Astra Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: November 22, 2023 - November 24, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: death of a patron, child abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, drugs, mentions of death by overdose

Will, an agender teen, is only a few months away from turning 18 – finally an adult, and finally able to have freedom away from their abusive, addicted mother. When their mother dies suddenly, Will is granted freedom earlier than expected, but her dying words haunt Will. Soon, their mother’s drug-dealing past comes back and threatens Will’s shiny new future, leaving them to scramble to find a past foster they haven’t heard from in years. And, they need to do this all before Child Protective Services finds out Will’s been left on their own.

I really enjoyed that this was written in second person. Besides fanfiction, I’ve never read a novel in this form and I’ve got to say, this works so well! And it makes perfect sense to use it for a character who is nonbinary or genderfluid. 

The imperfections of the characters of this novel is what made this novel so perfect. Not one single person was the most amazing person ever – they all had their faults, their traumas, their own realistic story, and that made this beautiful.

I’m excited for those to need this story to get their hands on it. And I’m excited for those who may not necessarily need this story, but can learn from this story, because it’s all so important. With the amazing writing that is from Maya MacGregor you get so much representation that isn’t forced at all, it’s just who they are and that’s that.

Overall, I will be highly recommending this book to so many people. Though I will give a bit of a heavy warning to check the Trigger Warnings and to be gentle with yourself.

*Thank you Astra Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Rose Wolves / Natalie Warner

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Rose Wolves
By: Natalie Warner
Genre: Graphic Novel, Children’s
Number of Pages: 80
Published: May 11, 2020
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Dates Read: November 22, 2023
Format: eBook

In this wordless graphic novel, a little girl picks an unusual flower from a bush in the forest. Overnight, the flower blooms and turns into a rose wolf, missing a leg just like the little girl is missing an arm. Together, the duo must go on a journey to find where they belong.

I love me a wordless graphic novel – so when I saw this on my library’s Hoopla, I immediately checked it out without even looking at the description (I already loved the artwork on the cover). I did NOT need to get teary eyed at nine o’clock in the morning!

This is so cute! And adorable!

The art is simple and easy to follow and of course, there are no words to it – just a heart in a speech bubble and a few “!”.

Overall, I’ll be recommending this book to others who enjoy just a cute, cozy, quick graphic novel read (I already did for three coworkers this morning).

A First Time for Everything / Dan Santat

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
A First Time for Everything
By: Dan Santat
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Memoir
Number of Pages: 320
Published: February 28, 2023
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: November 20, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Best selling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat writes about his middle school class trip traveling around Europe in 1989. As he travels through France, Germany, Switzerland, and England, a series of first experiences begin to change him and his perspective on life.

I can’t remember exactly why I grabbed this title from my library but then it won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, and I knew I needed to read it. I’m glad I did! It was such a fun read.

When I was in high school, my French teacher took a group of kids to Paris every other summer for a week (it would be a part of the EF Tours, but just the Paris leg of the trip) so I could relate to a lot of what Dan Santat would bring up about the touring and such. It was also my first time traveling to a complete other country, halfway across the world, by myself.

As the title implies, there is a first time for everything, and Santat experiences a lot of firsts on this trip in the novel: first time traveling without his parents, first overseas Fanta drink, first cigarette, first alcoholic drink, first kiss, first time sharing his art with someone. Through flashbacks the reader sees experiences that Santat had before, which make him hesitant to try something new.

The art of this graphic novel is gorgeous and captivating. There are illustrations from all the famous European cities and historic buildings the students visited on their trip. Everything was clearly drawn and characters were different from one another where I was never confused as to who was who.

Overall, I can see why it won the award. I can also see myself putting this in the hands of those who like travelogues and coming of age stories.