About Jia

http://dearauthor.com/author/jia/

Jia is an avid reader who loves fantasy and young adult novels. Her favorite authors are Michelle West and Jacqueline Carey. YA authors whose works she's enjoyed include Holly Black, Laini Taylor, Malinda Lo, and Megan Miranda. Jia's on a neverending quest for fantasy novels with diverse casts and multicultural settings. Feel free to email her with recommendations at jia@dearauthor.com!

Posts by Jia :

REVIEW: Misfit by Jon Skovron

REVIEW: Misfit by Jon Skovron

Dear Mr. Skovron, I first stumbled across your novel on NetGalley. It didn’t sound like my thing at first. It’s young adult urban fantasy and I’m reaching my limit on those. It features a teenage outcast and that didn’t strike me as anything new. I do like demons, but they’re becoming a worn out staple(…)

REVIEW: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

REVIEW: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong

Note: This review contains major spoilers for Waking the Witch, the previous book in the series. Dear Ms. Armstrong, I’ve been a fan of yours ever since Bitten was first published. In the years to follow, urban fantasy exploded as a subgenre which was great for you because your Women of the Otherworld series found(…)

REVIEW: The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson

REVIEW: The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson

Dear Ms. Pearson, Word on the street is that the next big thing in YA is the contemporary. I’m not sure I’m convinced. Vampires seem to be the dying trend that never goes away. With the impending Hunger Game movie(s), I don’t see dystopians leaving anytime soon. In fact, I foresee an explosion once the(…)

REVIEW: Feast by Merrie Destefano

REVIEW: Feast by Merrie Destefano

Dear Ms. Destefano, I haven’t been an avid reader of urban fantasy for some time. Like many people, I burned out on the subgenre when it seemed like 10 books were coming out every month. That said, I do occasionally check out new releases from new(ish) authors in the hopes of finding something that sounds(…)

REVIEW: Naamah’s Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

REVIEW: Naamah’s Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

Dear Ms. Carey, I’m a huge fan of yours. The original Kushiel trilogy about Phedre and Joscelin rank high among my favorite books. Even when one of your novels fails to capture my heart, I still find myself appreciating what you attempted with your writing. I’ve said in the past that I wish you’d move(…)

REVIEW: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

REVIEW: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Dear Ms. Weatherly, I’ve become rather selective when it comes to urban fantasy, even in the young adult genre. It’s just that there’s so much of it these days that if I don’t, I’d end up buried under a pile of books until well into the next decade. I’m also a little lukewarm on angels.(…)

REVIEW: Divergent by Veronica Roth

REVIEW: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Dear Ms. Roth, There’s been a lot of buzz about your debut novel. My interest was piqued when I heard the premise — a future where people are sorted into factions based on personal ideology — but could it live up to the hype? After all, it’s a dystopian YA and there are a lot(…)

REVIEW: Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

REVIEW: Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Dear Ms. Ballantine and Mr. Morris, I have an uneasy relationship with steampunk. I want to like the genre, but I feel like the label has become so dilute as to be useless. It seems like anything featuring corsets, parasols, tea, and goggles gets labelled steampunk these days. Sure, there’s usually a mention of a(…)

REVIEW: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

REVIEW: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Dear Ms. McCafferty, Thanks to the Hunger Games, dystopian has become the new black in the young adult genre. Luckily, I have yet to get tired of the subgenre, which is good because it’s shaping up to be a flood for the next year or so. I was a little hesitant to pick up your(…)

REVIEW: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

REVIEW: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Dear Ms. Carter, The Hades and Persephone story is my favorite Greek myth, and I can never get enough of it. Sometimes I feel like all you need to do is mention that a story is a Hades and Persephone retelling and I’m there. So the premise for your debut was more than enough reason(…)

REVIEW: Haven by Kristi Cook

REVIEW: Haven by Kristi Cook

Dear Ms. Cook, I fear I’m growing weary of paranormal YA, in much the same way I did for urban fantasy a few years back. I’m still willing to give the subgenre a try because sometimes all it takes is one book to make you fall in love again, but it’s going to take much(…)

REVIEW: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

REVIEW: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Dear Ms. Stevens, I don’t often read many thrillers, but I picked up a previous novel of yours a couple years back. In fact, I think I may have reviewed it here on DA! (Yup, I did.) Although the details of the book have long since become fuzzy, I do remember having a generally positive(…)

REVIEW: Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

REVIEW: Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Dear Ms. Pon, I read your debut, Silver Phoenix, when it was first released and enjoyed it. Like Jane, I’m a big fan of multicultural stories and it was wonderful to see a YA fantasy featuring a setting based on ancient China. So I’ve been looking forward to your follow-up for a quite a while.(…)

REVIEW: Red Glove by Holly Black

REVIEW: Red Glove by Holly Black

Note: This review is going to be spoilery for White Cat because there’s no good way to discuss Red Glove without revealing the big secret of that book. Skim very selectively if you’re spoiler-phobic! Dear Ms. Black, Last year, you introduced us to the Curse Workers. In the Curse Worker world, magic was outlawed along(…)

REVIEW: Huntress by Malinda Lo

REVIEW: Huntress by Malinda Lo

Dear Ms. Lo, When your debut novel, Ash, was released to much fanfare and acclaim, I snatched it up and read it with excitement. So I was a little disappointed to learn that I didn’t seem to love it as much as everyone else did. I figured it just wasn’t for me — too much(…)