1. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan This YA magical realism novel follows 15 year old Leigh who is convinced that her late mother has turned into a bird. Following what she believes to be her mother's instructions for her to connect with her estranged grandparents, she travels to Taiwan to meet them. This novel is full of Taiwanese culture and is beautifully written. It is one of my all time favorite books. There is a trigger warning for mental health/suicide

GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 397 pages PLOT Set immediately following the events of Girls of Paper and Fire, Lei, Wren and their companions travel across Ikhara in search of allies in the coming war against the Demon King. CHARACTERS There are quite a few new characters introduced within this novel. There are, of course, Lei and Wren, but there is also Shifu Caen and Hiro, Merrin, and Bo and Nitta, among others. Shifu Caen was Wren's mentor growing up (and is now Lei's). He's th

June is Pride Month and to celebrate I'm recommending to you four books featuring LGBT characters/romances. These books are wonderfully written with powerful messages. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Love is beautiful and should be celebrated. Happy Pride Month everyone! 1. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (400 pages) (Rating: 9.5/10) Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Features: Female/Female Romance Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault I have a full review for this novel

GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 380 pages PLOT Lei is a human (known as Paper caste) living in a world ruled by demons (known as Steel and Moon caste; they are human-animal hybrids). She is chosen to be a concubine to the Demon King. CHARACTERS There are numerous characters in this novel, among them eight Paper girls including Lei. All of the girls, but especially Lei and her love interest Wren, exude a quiet strength and rebellion. Some of the characters, specifically Paper girls