Reviews

Sofi And The Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley

*Spoiler free*

Thank you so much to my friend Kailey for letting me borrow her ARC!

Music runs in Sofi’s blood. Her father is a Musik, one of only five musicians in the country licensed to compose and perform original songs. In the kingdom of Aell, where winter is endless and magic is accessible to all, there are strict anti-magic laws ensuring music remains the last untouched art. Sofi has spent her entire life training to inherit her father’s title. But on the day of the auditions, she is presented with unexpected competition in the form of Lara, a girl who has never before played the lute. Yet somehow, to Sofi’s horror, Lara puts on a performance that thoroughly enchants the judges. Almost like magic. The same day Lara wins the title of Musik, Sofi’s father dies, and a grieving Sofi sets out to prove Lara is using illegal magic in her performances. But the more time she spends with Lara, the more Sofi begins to doubt everything she knows about her family, her music, and the girl she thought was her enemy. As Sofi works to reclaim her rightful place as a Musik, she is forced to face the dark secrets of her past and the magic she was trained to avoid—all while trying not to fall for the girl who stole her future.

I really liked Sweet And Bitter Magic, and you only have to whisper “queer witches” and I am there and ready to scream. So, I was ready to read this book before I even knew much about it! Though, learning that it was about the idea of having to suffer for art, and a world where music can only be played by a select few, only made more and more eager to read it. Trigger warnings: emotional abuse, grief, self-harm

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Reviews

The Sound Of Stars by Alechia Dow

*Spoiler free*

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Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population. Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her. Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does. Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

I wasn’t sure of this book at first. Books about books or music usually don’t mesh well with me. I’m not sure why, it’s weird. The cover drew me in, so it was on my radar somewhat. Though, I started hearing all kind of love about it online, so I thought I would give it more of a shot. Plus, an alien and a girl going on a dangerous road trip to try and save the world sounds incredibly intriguing. Trigger warnings: colonization, violence, execution, oppression, brainwashing and mind control, anxiety, panic attacks

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Reviews

Ruinsong by Julia Ember

*Spoiler free*

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Thank you so much to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

Her voice was her prison… Now it’s her weapon. In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence must choose between the two. For years, she has been forced to torture her country’s disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen’s bidding. But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself.

 

 

 

When I found out about this book, I kind of felt like I’d fallen off something. A queer book, a f/f book, where song is magic and a girl has been forced to do the bidding of a powerful and cruel queen, but she’s reunited with her childhood friend. And that friend has ties to a rebellion. Yes, and the cover in all it’s purple glory just cemented everything for me. I was very, very eager to give this book a shot. Trigger warnings: violent animal deaths, torture, blood

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Reviews

More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn

*Spoiler free*

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Thank you WednesdayBooks and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

Growing up under his punk rocker dad’s spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn’t in front of a crowd, it’s on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell. Vada’s got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom’s boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil’s music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor’s summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?

I have seen a lot of love for You’d Be Mine online and a lot of excitement for More Than Maybe. I haven’t read You’d Be Mine yet, even though I really want, because I know it’s heavier. But, I knew that More Than Maybe would have a super sweet male main character and that was basically enough for me to want to read. And then I found out there’s mutual pining and I kind of just exploded.

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