Reviews and Critical Writing

NPR:

Five YA Books this Winter Dealing with Identity and Overcoming Hardships – February 1, 2023

Five New YA Reads to Check Out this Fall – September 7, 2022

Five YA Books that Offer a Nuanced Reading Experience for Summer – June 10, 2022

Coming Of Age With Three Contemporary YA Novels – February 4, 2022

A Young Nurse Investigates Murders In 18th Century Korea In ‘The Red Palace’ – January 27, 2022

‘A Marvellous Light’ Infuses Magic And Adventures Into 19th Century England – December 22, 2021

‘Skin of the Sea’ Sends Its Little Mermaid Swimming Into very Different Waters – October 28, 2021

A Delicious Gothic Romance Strikes Just The Right Balance Of Heart And Horror – October 10, 2021

Fall Brings YA Historicals – September 25, 2021

This Road Trip Is A Winding, Poetic Journey – August 21, 2021

Monsters And Magic Run In The Family – July 31, 2021

Fierce Girls And Giant Robots Battle An Empire – July 1, 2021

May’s YA Brings Unlikely Connections – May 23, 2021

‘In Deeper Waters’ Is A Frothy Romantic Confection – April 24, 2021

‘Firekeeper’s Daughter’ Forges A New Path Between Cultures And Genres – March 20, 2021

3 YA Thrillers To Chill You – February 20, 2021

Facing Down The Monster Within In ‘What Big Teeth’ – February 7, 2021

The History In ‘Angel Of Greenwood’ Could Not Be More Timely – January 16, 2021

‘These Violent Delights’ Transports Romeo and Juliet to 1920’s Shanghai – November 21, 2020

‘Addie La Rue’ Is Invisible – But Memorable – October 8, 2020

‘Never Look Back’ Updates An Ancient Story Of Love And Loss – September 19, 2020

Mermaids, Werewolves And Witches: Welcome Summer With These 6 New YA Novels – June 30, 2020

For Spring, 3 YA Tales Of Girls On The Edge – April 21, 2020

In ‘Mad, Bad & Dangerous,’ Romantic Sleuths Uncover a Byronic Secret – April 11, 2020

‘Tigers, Not Daughters’ Is Haunting – With Or Without A Ghost – March 26, 2020

‘The Mercies’ Is A Spot Of Light On A Dark Shore – February 6, 2020

A Tale of Revenge, Magic And Nuance, All ‘Woven in Moonlight’ – January 8, 2020

‘Reverie’ Dreams Outside the Box – December 7, 2019

‘Catfishing On CatNet’: On The Internet, No One Knows You’re A Cat. Or and AI. – November 24, 2019

‘The Guinevere Deception’ Casts A Surprising Spell – November 9, 2019

‘The Fountains of Silence’ Flows With Love, Anger, Fear And Hope – October 26, 2019

A Puppeteer Gets Swept Up In Political Theater In ‘A Kingdom For A Stage’ – October 12, 2019

There Are Wolves Beyond These ‘Thirteen Doorways’ – October 4, 2019

Rainbow Rowell’s ‘Wayward Son’ Seeks Peace On The Road – September 29, 2019

‘Hope Is Our Only Wing’ Tackles Tough Issues With Straightforward Style – September 22, 2019

Three Crackling Young Adult Reads To Welcome Fall – September 16, 2019

‘Permanent Record’ Captures The Confusing Moments Between Adolescence and Adulthood – September 7, 2019

‘The Downstairs Girl’ Faces Difficult History With Joy And Style – August 25, 2019

‘Spin The Dawn’ Stitches Up A Fabulous Fantasy – July 15, 2019

Enter The Quarantine Around ‘Wilder Girls’ At Your Own Risk – July 11, 2019

Cheating Death Will Cost You In ‘The Wise And The Wicked’ – June 2, 2019

Language Has Magic In ‘The Candle And The Flame’ – May 18, 2019

‘With The Fire On High’ Cooks Up A Powerful Message – May 11, 2019

‘The Ravens Tale:’ O For A Muse Of Angst – April 19, 2019

3 Young Adult Novels To Help You Out Of Hibernation – April 9, 2019

‘Sky Without Stars’: Vive La Revolution… In Space!  – March 31, 2019

What Happens When You Get Kicked Off The ‘Squad?’ – March 14, 2019

‘We Set The Dark On Fire’ Burns Bright – February 28, 2019

‘Enchantee’ Casts A Delightful Spell – February 9, 2019

Teen Drag Queens Will Steal Your Heart In ‘Death Prefers Blondes’ – February 2, 2019

‘The Gilded Wolves’ Is A Rich, High Speed Heist Tale – January 20, 2019

‘The Disasters’ Could Be The Beginning Of A Great Story – December 19, 2018

Getting Too Old For Narnia In ‘Light Between Worlds’ – October 25, 2018

Light And Dark, Characters Shine in ‘Blanca & Roja’Light And Dark, Characters Shine in ‘Blanca & Roja’ – October 10, 2018

Gather Around The Fall Fires With These 4 YA Novels – September 27, 2018

‘A Room Away From The Wolves’ Makes The Gothic Bitingly Modern – September 7, 2018

‘Muscle And Bone Meet Machinery In ‘Hullmetal Girls’ – July 22, 2018

‘Mariam Sharma’ Nails The Fun Road-Trip Vibe – June 7, 2018

‘Undead Girl Gang’: Mister, They ARE The Weirdos – May 9, 2018

Stumbling (And Texting) Toward Love In ‘Emergency Contact’ – March 29, 2018

‘Children Of Blood And Bone’ Is A Feast for Hungry Readers – March 10, 2018

‘Winterfolk” Cloaks Harsh Reality In Fairy Tale Mist – February 10, 2018

‘The Hazelwood’ Has Few Uses For Enchantment – January 30, 2018

‘Beasts Made Of Night’ Is the Beginning of a Great Saga – November 4, 2017

‘A Line In The Dark’ Is a Fresh Approach To The Teen Thriller – October 18, 2017

‘Skinful of Shadows’ Delights Without Reservation – October 15, 2017

Zine And Heard: In ‘Moxie’, A Young Woman Fights Back – September 20, 2017

An Ancient Curse Awakens in ‘The Suffering Tree’ – June 25, 2017

‘Maud’ Doesn’t Quite Live Up To Its Heroine’s Example – April 26, 2017

‘Upside of Unrequited’ Is a Fresh, Fun, Snarky Spring Fling – April 15, 2017

‘Ship Beyond Time’ Sails Through the Centuries – April 1, 2017

‘Inexplicable Logic’ Maps A Teen Boy’s Complicated Mind – March 16, 2017

‘Caraval Is A Dark Circus Where The Clowns Don’t Like You – January 29, 2017

Sweetly Familiar Fantasy With A Twist In ‘Of Fire and Stars’ – November 23, 2016

Magic In The Air: 3 Young Adult Fantasy Reads For Fall – October 1, 2016

Stuck Inside With The AC On? Try These Five Cool YA Reads – July 9, 2016

‘The Devil And The Bluebird’ Is a Magical, Musical Road Trip – May 18, 2016

The Mathematics of Magic and Loss In ‘The Square Root Of Summer’ – May 1, 2016

Quill & Quire:

Cocoa Magic – November, 2022

Like a Duck – April 12, 2021

Fake Blood – November, 2018

Pulse Point/Oculum – July 2018

Bloom/Walking in the City with Jane – April, 2018

Waltz of the Snowflakes – December, 2017

Dragonfly Song – November, 2017

The Heartwood Hotel – July, 2017

If This is Home – March, 2017

Fate of Flames – December 2016

TOR.com:

Gaslamp Intrigue: Brother’s Ruin by Emma Newman – March 14, 2017

Historical Magic: Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale – January 12, 2017

Romance and Rebellion: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi – April 26, 2016

On Finding the Right Book at the Right Time – April 26, 2016

Five Beautiful Graphic Novels I Would Have Loved as a Tween – February 17, 2017

Science and Swashbuckling: A Daughter of No Nation by A.M. Dellamonica – November 30, 2015

Five Canadian Books to Look for in Fall 2015 – August 19, 2015

Witches and Real Estate: Five Magical Houses – August 3, 2015

Five Mythical Islands of the Atlantic Ocean: Your Guide to Summer Adventure – July 3, 2015

Historical Fiction for Genre Lovers: Burial Rites – May 6, 2015