Búho's Book Review

The Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert

To read the official synopsis, click here. 

Alice and her mother are constantly on the move. They have no permanent address and they can move with just moments notice. When Alice’s famous but reclusively grandmother dies, they finally stop moving. When her mother is kidnapped and taken to the Hinterland, the fictional place that her grandmother wrote about, Alice begins to question her entire childhood. I am very torn. This book was so hyped by many, many people. This book contains a lot of my buzzwords; dark, fairy tale, unlikable main character.  But even with all that this book left me very underwhelmed. 

American Panda - Gloria Chao

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17 year old Ming just started her first year at MIT. She is trying to be a good daughter for her family but at the same time trying to figure out how to get out of the pre-med program. Ming can’t possibly become a doctor when she is a germaphobe. The whole year she is trying to navigate what she wants with what her parents want. She doesn’t want to be disowned like her older brother was. Oh this book had me giggling from page 1. I absolutely adored Ming. She was so relatable. She constantly striving to meet her parents expectations while trying to figure out who she was. Ming is Taiwanese-American and had a very strict upbringing. 

A Sick Life - Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins

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As a child of the 90s TLC was a big part of my life. Tionne T-Boz Watson was ⅓ of powerful girl group and in this book she talks about her childhood, TLC, her illness and her family. I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book. Watkins gives us a chronological view of her life from being raised by her mother, to the formation of TLC, the struggle to understand her illness and now life as a mother. 

The Last Black Unicorn - Tiffany Haddish

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This was a wonderful celebrity memoir. Tiffany Haddish didn’t hold back when she recounted stories from her childhood, her difficult relationship with her mother and her rise to fame. This book had me laughing and crying in equal parts. Haddish is absolutely hilarious and I am happy to follow her career. 

The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons

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This is the sequel to Hyperion. A group of pilgrims try to travel to an ancient shrine in order to have a wish granted. I really enjoyed how different this book felt from the first one. The first book was a detailed history into all the pilgrim’s life. 

Hyperion - Dan Simmons

To read the official synopsis, click here.

Seven strangers go on a pilgrimage across a deadly planet in hopes to have their wish granted. This book was overwhelming and not in the best way.

Love, Hate & Other Filters - Samira Ahmed

To read the official synopsis, click here.

Maya just wants to make movies. This isn’t some phase or hobby, like her parents say, but something she is truly passionate about. She was accepted into NYU but now she doesn’t know how to tell her parents. She can’t go on trying to be their perfect Muslim daughter. But when there is a terrorist attack and the terrorist has the same last name, all anyone could see is a Muslim girl. Oh I was so hyped up and excited for this book. This is a coming of age #ownvoice book with a Muslim protagonist, I was sold. This book however ended up disappointing me. 

The Belles - Dhonielle Clayton

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In this world only the belles have the ability to grant beauty. People are born grey with red eyes and little hair. Only the Belles with their abilities can bring color to them. Carmillia wants to be the best belle. She wants to win the favor of the Queen and become the favorite. No one told her to be careful of what she wished for. This a rich dystopian, that hides its cruelty behind pretty painted faces. I have been a big fan of this author's work. I loved the ballet duology she co-wrote and was greatly anticipating this book. What initially drew me to this book was the beautiful black girl on the cover, it was an instant cover buy. Then when I found out about the synopsis, I was really intrigued. In a world where everyone was born looking similar I wonder how colorism would play a role. 

Dear Martin - Nic Stone

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Justyce is a smart kid. But because of a misunderstanding and the fact that he is black he was about to be arrested. He never thought something like that could happen to him. In the wake of that scare he begins a journal writing to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in hopes to have a better understanding of why this happened to him. This was a relatively short book. But at 210 pages this book packs one hell of a punch.

At the very beginning of this book, we see Justyce being the good guy and help his ex-girlfriend. Unfortunately, there is a reason why there is a popular saying that “no good deed goes unpunished”.

The Gallery - Laura Marx Fitzgerald 

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This is a historical mystery set in the 1920s. Martha is working with her mom in a large house. The owner seems kind enough but there is something odd about how he has his wife locked away in a room. Is the wife really crazy or is there something wrong with the husband? This was very entertaining. The book starts off with Martha being an old woman living in a nursing home being interviewed by a young bored journalist. Martha pretends to fall asleep, just to get rid of her. What follows is the completely wild story mad women and a house filled with art. 

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora - Pablo Cartaya

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Arturo wants to spend his summer working at his family’s restaurant and hang out with his friends. But a new developer comes to town promising the community a new luxury living. Normally Arturo would see nothing wrong with that but developer wants to take over the block here the restaurant is at. I really enjoyed this book. This book had a proud multi-generational Latin family at the forefront. I loved how close Arturo is with his family and how proud he is to work in the family business.

I absolutely loved that this had a tight knit family and community.