Perhaps it’s time I took a break from being a grown-up and talked about The Little Prince. Much in the case with the Lord of the Rings books, I didn’t know about this classic story until its movie adaptation happened upon the world. So many YouTube reviewers were falling in love with it, so I … Continue reading The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery →

I don’t want to give Practical Magic a bad review. The movie, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, is a fluffy Halloween staple for many, and I love stories about witches trying to balance magic and love in their lives. And no doubt, Alice Hoffman can craft an intriguing fantasy; just look at Green Angel … Continue reading Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman →

Witches are old hat (no pun intended), and vampires are cliché: many a reader today holds these things to be true. If those two things are the main components of a story, then you probably have a recipe for disaster, especially in the hands of a debut writer. I put up my nose at these … Continue reading A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness →

Alabama Rain has two great distinctions: it is the first Southern Gothic book I’ve ever read, and it is the first ARC I’ve had the privilege of reviewing. So I’ll extend an extra big thank-you to Aila Stephens for this opportunity. She has worked very hard to get this book where it is, and I … Continue reading Alabama Rain, by Aila Stephens →

There are books you like, and then books you’ll love forever—books that truly proved the eternal magic of reading. Here is another book that I’ve read more times than I can count, and I’m glad to show it to you guys here. I know what you’re thinking: Stephanie, another book about fairies and romance and … Continue reading The Faerie Path, by Frewin Jones →

Whoever began the trend of fairy tale retellings is a mystery to me. All I know is that Alex Flinn’s books, especially Beastly and A Kiss in Time, were nice training wheels toward what is now a full-on obsession. I pick them up time and again when I need some fluffy fairy tale predictability, and … Continue reading A Kiss in Time, by Alex Flinn →

Little as I know about Russia, its mythology keeps finding its way into my reading. First, the two books of Katherine Arden’s Winter Witch trilogy blew me away, and now, another tale of snow, danger, and magic happened upon my reading pile—only this time of a more middle-grade sort. Orphan girl Sophie Smith and her … Continue reading The Wolf Princess, by Cathryn Constable →

Sarah Dessen was among the first YA authors I read, and her books were a staple of summer reading. I spent countless days at the beach reading staples like This Lulluby, The Truth about Forever, Lock and Key, and so on. I think she was the first author I read who had a literary universe … Continue reading Once and For All, by Sarah Dessen →

These days, it’s actually okay to be a geek. Let me ask the following questions, and odds are you will confirm them: Did you write fanfiction and stay up to read your favorite series’ next book? Did you draw fan art and hide it in your notebook or put it on deviantART? Did you go … Continue reading Geekerella, by Ashley Poston →

Now, my friends…I’m going into uncharted territory. Actually, I’m kind of nervous about this review because…um, how do I put this without sounding like a complete and total prude? Aw, to heck with it. I have never read a proper romance novel…until today. I’m sorry, it’s just that I could never take them seriously. What … Continue reading Fantasy Lover, by Sherrilyn Kenyon →