Only a Monster by Vanessa Len This YA fantasy novel, Vanessa Len’s debut, was recommended highly by two people I trust, so I stuck with it even though it had a slow and seemingly pedestrian beginning. When Joan, a British East Asian girl, is little, her grandmother tells her that ... more >
Dear Kristin Cashore, I consider myself a fan of your YA fantasy even though not all of your books have worked for me. I really liked Graceling, the first book in the Graceling Realm series, did not much care for Fire but loved Bitterblue, and Jane Unlimited, a book separate ... more >
Dear Ms. Cashore, It’s been over five years since you’ve had a novel out, and I’m a big fan of two of your past YA fantasy novels, Graceling and Bitterblue, so when I heard you were finally coming out with another, I took note of its publication date. After Megan ... more >
My top ten favorite books published in 2012, ranked (that part was haaaard) and described: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore Review by me. This intricately plotted YA fantasy about a young queen’s heroic determination to uncover buried truths about her father and nation was an almost flawless read. Beloved characters from ... more >
Dear Ms. Cashore, While I really liked your debut YA fantasy, Graceling, I was less keen on your second novel, Fire. Graceling had a strong heroine, Lady Katsa, who, along with the man she grew to love, sought to rescue a child princess from an evil king, guarding her independence ... more >
My hot reading streak in February and March turned into a reading slump in April. For a little while there, I couldn’t get more than a few pages into anything I picked up. I couldn’t even tell you guys what I tried to read at that time, because I didn’t ... more >