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Top 5 Reasons to Read Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid | Book Tour

3/5/2025

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I'm so excited to be part of the book tour for Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid run by TBR and Beyond Tours! This sapphic dystopian was released on March 4. 

Check out the rest of the tour stops here, and scroll down for my top 5 reasons to read Fable for the End of the World! 

Top 5 Reasons to Read ​Fable for the End of the World

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1. To rekindle your love of the YA dystopian novel. 

The dystopian book is so infamous its very existence has become a trope, a set of plot points that can easily become too predictable to be engaging. Fable for the End of the World isn't afraid of these tropes, and I think that's why it pulls them off so well: rather than trying too hard to come up with something completely different from genre conventions, Reid allows herself to explore a completely new story within their bounds. It makes Fable for the End of the World at once a love letter to the dystopian stories you fell in love with when you were younger - and an entirely new book that never feels as though it's trying too hard while reminding the reader why they loved this genre in the first place. 

2. Because you loved Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games, and have been longing for a lesbian twist ever since. 

Reid calls out The Hunger Games ​as one of her biggest influences in the acknowledgements for this book, and in some ways it absolutely feels like a homage to the series that shaped so much of the YA genre. Perhaps the biggest shout-out, though, lies in Inesa and Melinoë's relationship, with the blend of hatred and survival that made Katniss and Peeta such an infamous couple. If you loved that series but wished for some queer rep...this is the book for you to check out! 

​3. To consider the implications of environmental degradation. 

Fable for the End of the World is set in the future - one where climate change has gotten out of control, genetically modified creatures have driven out natural animal life, seeing a sunrise is unheard of through the air pollution, and Inesa's town exists around a layer of ungovernable water. Although presented as a background element to the story itself, there is something fascinating about seeing a world that has gone so far in the wrong direction - which leaves the reader wondering how to prevent that same future for themselves. 

4. To lose yourself in a story. 

The most incredible books feel as though they swallow you completely, ​erasing the world around you for the duration of their absorbing narratives. Fable for the End of the World does this flawlessly. On every page I felt as though I was walking alongside Inesa and Melinoë, experiencing and second-guessing their choices along with them, creating an atmospheric and fierce reading experience that made me immediately want to go back to the beginning. 

5. To be surprised! 

In the most spoiler-free way possible, having read dozens of YA dystopian novels myself, there are certain beats that one expects the story to hit, particularly as one nears the ending. Reid dances around many of these in a way so deft I can't recall ever seeing it before, and as every beat of the story unfolded I couldn't help but feel as though the characters were driving the tale in the most unexpected directions. 


About Fable for the End of the World

The Last of Us meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in this standalone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything.
By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.

When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother, she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.

As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.

And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love.

​Content Warning: class inequality, child abuse, assassination, trauma, violence, animal death, death of child, adult/minor relationship, sexual harassment, blood & gore, injury detail, dead body, medical content, gun violence, fire/fire injury, drug use, alcoholism (past), emesis

​Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

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Ava Reid is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of A Study in Drowning, Lady Macbeth, Juniper & Thorn, and The Wolf and the Woodsman. Her books have been published in over fourteen territories. She lives in the New York area.

Website | TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads
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February Rapunzel Reads Round-Up!

3/1/2025

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Welcome to the first Rapunzel Reads monthly round-up! Here, I'll be collecting the month's top posts, upcoming and recent releases I'm particularly excited about, and more! 

In February's special announcements, Rapunzel Reads is now on Bluesky! You can follow us here: Rapunzel Reads Bluesky page. If you've been wishing for a text-based social media platform with lots of book recs, this is the place to be! 

February's book reviews! 

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News Roundup

  • The cover was revealed for A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody and C L Herman, releasing November 4! (I am a huge fan of both Foody and Herman's individual works and their previous coauthored duology, All of Us Villains.)
  • The cover was revealed for Sir Callie and the Final Stand by Esme Symes-Smith, releasing October 14! (I have adored the entire Sir Callie series, and I am simul-taneously so excited and very sad to be nearing the release of the final book!)

February releases I'm excited about...

  • February 4: A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff (MG fantasy)
  • February 4: This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole (YA fantasy)
    • I am so excited to read this book! It's the sequel to So Let Them Burn, one of my favorite books of 2024. 
  • February 4: A Burning in the Bones by Scott Reintgen (YA fantasy)
    • This is the third book in the Waxways trilogy, starting with A Door in the Dark. I'm a longtime fan of Scott Reintgen's books, so I can't wait to read this one! 
  • February 11: It's All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango (MG realistic fiction)
    • I was luck enough to read an ARC of this thoughtful MG novel in verse! Read my full review here. 
  • February 11: The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder (MG fantasy)
    • This dark MG fantasy looks like so much fun! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a copy. 
  • February 18: A Curse for the Homesick by Laura Brooke Robson (adult)
    • I don't usually feature adult books on this blog, but I had to give a shout-out for the newest book from all-time favorite author Laura Brooke Robson, author of Girls at the Edge of the World and The Sea Knows My Name! ​

...and more to look forward to in March! 

  • March 4: A Song for You and I by K O'Neill is released! 
  • March 5: Book tour stop for Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
  • March 11: A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel is released! 
  • Reviews on I Am the Swarm, Boys with Sharp Teeth, and more March releases, as well as some recent backlist titles I've loved! ​
  • March 25: Book tour stop for Lovely, Dark & Deep by Elisa A Bonnin
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A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel by Ursula K Le Guin, adapted and illustrated by Fred Fordham (2025)

2/24/2025

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A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel will be released on March 11, 2025. 

Earthsea: a land of many islands and vast oceans, ancient names and fierce dragons, skillful seafarers and powerful sorcerers. Sparrowhawk is only a boy when he is sent to the school on Roke Island, where the greatest mages learn the limits of their powers, and the rules that constrain them. 

Only he is too arrogant, and too skilled. In a show of hubris, he summons a spirit out of legend and releases a nameless shadow into the world, one set upon the death of the one who made it. And to rid himself of this haunting and find its name, Sparrowhawk must travel Earthsea’s waters, bargain with dragons, and see the truth in a shadow born from his most terrible mistake. 

I’m a longtime fan of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea books, and so when I saw this graphic novel adaptation, I jumped at the chance to review an early copy. It absolutely blew me away. I couldn’t have imagined a graphic novel that could so flawlessly encapsulate the magic of A Wizard of Earthsea, but this one does so in gorgeous full-color, immersing me so utterly in this world it felt more like an illustrated version of the original than any sort of adaptation. Each page is such a beautiful, complete work of art that I would honestly love any of them as a poster or screensaver. I don’t recall ever reading a graphic novel where every illustration contains such a precise attention to detail, creating an atmospheric and absorbing experience that I fell in love with all over again every time I turned a page. 

The adaptation of the text itself is also superb. Fred Fordham was clearly fiercely committed to Ursula K. Le Guin’s work; nearly every line is pulled verbatim from the original text, and the changes that are made—whether abridgements or alterations—are so seamless that the reader scarcely notices their presence. Upon finishing this book, I didn’t feel as though anything was missing; rather, it was although, through the illustrations, I had been able to absorb all the details and moments of the story not explicitly spelled out. This is truly the most beautiful graphic novel adaptation I’ve ever read. Whether you’re new to Earthsea or an enduring fan, I can’t recommend A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel highly enough! 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. 

​ages 11+ / adventure / ARC / fantasy / fiction / graphic novel / series / young adult

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A Song for You and I by K. O’Neill (2025)

2/17/2025

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A Song for You and I will be released on March 4, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC for review purposes; all opinions expressed here are my own.

Rowan wants to be a ranger and protect their community, and they’re finally on the verge of achieving their goal. But then their recklessness injures their flying horse, Kes…and Rowan can’t help but wonder if they can truly be a hero if they can’t even take care of the creature they always rely on.

Without Kes, Rowan is assigned to less adventurous tasks on land—including roaming the countryside with Leonne, a violin-playing shepherd who Rowan once mocked for laziness. But as Rowan gets to know Leonne better, they start to wonder if they judged their new companion a little too harshly, and if they can still learn a thing or two about what it means to belong.

​I became a K. O’Neill fan over this summer through The Tea Dragon Society, and A Song for You and I absolutely lived up to my expectations. I love O’Neill’s colorful, gentle illustrations and cozy stories of friendship and self-realization, and this book is exactly that without ever feeling cliché or boring. This gentle, soaring tale of self-realization and discovery, and the struggle that comes when finally reaching a lengthy goal, hits perfectly, and the genderqueer identities of both Rowan and Leonne—as well as their developing friendship—formed such a strong emotional core to this story. This book truly feels like a warm, comforting hug. The atmosphere and worldbuilding are spot-on, and I felt like I was alongside the protagonists as they walked through this adventure. I highly recommend A Song for You and I for readers ages ten and up looking for a cozy fantasy graphic novel. 

fantasy / friends / graphic novel / middle grade / standalone / ages 10+ / LGBTQ+

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It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango (2025)

2/10/2025

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It's All or Nothing, Vale will be released on February 11, 2025 (tomorrow!)

Nothing can stop Valentina Camacho, fencing champion. Not bad days or new competitors or whatever else the world throws at her—no, because Vale trains more, pushes herself further, and works harder than anyone else.

Nothing, that is, until the accident.

After months of physical therapy, Vale is finally cleared to fence again…but it feels as though the world has moved on without her. While she’s struggling to find the strength and stamina to execute once-simple maneuvers, her competitors have grown stronger, and better. And then there’s Mykra, a new fencer who might be better than Vale ever was.

Vale has only ever been a fencer. And that means she’ll do anything it takes to get back to where she used to be.

But what if that old Vale isn’t coming back?

​This was my first read by Andrea Beatriz Arango, but I know I’ll be checking out her other books immediately. This is one of the best free verse books I can recall reading, with the perfect balance of lyricism, authenticity, and uniqueness to make me fall in love with Vale’s story. This story—one of a middle-school champion struggling to find her identity after losing what she grounded herself in—is one I can’t recall seeing before but that I absolutely loved. Vale is so utterly relatable: determined, perfectionistic, self-sufficient, and yet ultimately incredibly vulnerable, I loved every beat of her voice and her story. The queer romance plotline here was also incredibly sweet, adding a light touch that made me smile. I truly can’t recommend It’s All or Nothing, Vale enough to readers ages ten and up—five extraordinarily well-deserved stars! 

ages 10+ / ARC / book group pick / fiction / friends / in verse / middle grade / realistic fiction / standalone / sports / LGBTQ+

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

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The Song of Orphan’s Garden by Nicole M. Hewitt (2025)

2/3/2025

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By Nico

The land hovers in an uneasy truce. The powerful giants live in lush gardens spun from magic woven from human lips. And every day, the world becomes a little colder…

On her own in the frigid winter, Lyriana is determined to get her younger brother Zave to Orphan’s Garden, a half-myth oasis beyond the reach of the giant’s powers. If she fails for too much longer, they might not survive.

Brob is a giant, but he’s no longer welcome among his people, either—he and his family are exiles from the lifesaving gardens, sentenced to a soon-to-be-fatal existence in the cold. Luckily, he has a plan: the garden he built years ago from the frost and pooled magic, an impossibility he’s certain no one else knows about. He certainly doesn’t expect—or want—humans among its trees.

But though Lyriana and Brob are at odds, they may need each other to save the garden that has become both of their home.

Within the opening pages of The Song of Orphan’s Garden, I found myself wondering: where have all the other fantasy novels in verse been? This lush, thoughtful book has the feel of a fairytale while being wholly original, and I truly enjoyed it. I love the way Hewitt uses verse in this book—to convey alternate points of view, to create lyricism, and perhaps most of all to separate the perspectives of Lyriana and Brob that was distinct without becoming jarring. Plus, the entire setting is just cool (no pun intended), the sense of an uneasy peace as palpable through the pages as the unique take on something as set as the seasons. I’ll definitely be looking to read more of Hewitt’s books in the future! I highly recommend The Song of Orphan’s Garden to fans of lyrical middle-grade fantasy books and stories where the setting feels as though it has a character of its own.

Thank you to Feiwel and Friends for the gifted copy! All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

adventure / ​ages 9+ / fairy tales / fantasy / fiction / friends / in verse / middle grade /
standalone / siblings

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The Tea Dragon Society (Tea Dragons, Book 1) by Kay O’Neill (2017)

1/20/2025

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By Nico

When Greta, a blacksmith’s apprentice, stumbles across a lost Tea Dragon, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. With the help of the owners of the local tea shop, alongside a quiet, isolated girl named Minette, Greta discovers that caring for Tea Dragons is not just a challenge, but an art, and one that’s slowly vanishing as the speed of the world outpaces the long lives and copious needs of the small, shy creatures.

Alongside her new friends, Greta discovers the magic of tea dragons—and how much, without ever knowing it, she’s needed them in her life.

The Tea Dragon Society has been on my TBR for quite literally years—in part because it’s usually the first book mentioned when someone mentions ‘cozy fantasy,’ the subgenre where magical elements are combined with thoughtful, character-driven stories rather than apocalyptic stakes and prophecies. With simple but gorgeous illustrations and an atmospheric storyline, The Tea Dragon Society absolutely lived up to my expectations. It’s a rare story that possesses all the whimsical magic of a fairytale, but this one unapologetically does, and I truly loved it. It’s a pretty quick read but one I wanted to immediately reread upon its conclusion, so I’m so happy that there are more books in this series to enjoy! I highly recommend The Tea Dragon Society to readers ages nine and up, particularly readers who like graphic novels or who long for a cozy fantasy story that recalls (or perhaps helped inspire) stories like The Baker and the Bard. 

​adventure / ages 9+ / fantasy / fiction / friends / graphic novel / lgbtq+ / magic / middle grade / series

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Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout (2025)

1/13/2025

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Song of a Blackbird will be released on January 21, 2025! 

Emma Bergsma, 1943 Amsterdam. After witnessing the deportation of Jewish neighbors to concentration camps, Emma joins the Dutch Resistance as a printer, helping to forge documents and banknotes. 

Annick, 2011 Amsterdam. Annick's beloved grandmother is dying, and she needs a bone marrow transplant from a family member to survive. But the doctor's tests reveal that her grandmother was actually adopted - which means to save her, Annick has to find her original family first. With only a few old prints to guide her - all signed by the unknown 'Emma B' - Annick sets out to trace her grandmother's past and find her family. 

Song of a Blackbird is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that blends past and present dual timelines into a thoughtful story about remembering the past. Although primarily fictional, this story was based on true events and carefully researched, and it shows: the arc of the story and details all rang incredibly true, and made it all the more engaging of a read. The art to this book has almost a scrapbook feel, blending historical documents with characters and artwork, and it absolutely added so much to the text, transporting me into the past through the mixed media. I loved both storylines: Annick and Emma were both compelling characters, and their individual struggles - and points of connection - made me speed through this read. I highly recommend Song of a Blackbird to readers ages twelve and up who love historical fiction and art in all its forms! 

Thank you to Macmillan/First Second for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. 

ages 12+ / ARC / book group pick / fiction / family / graphic novel / historical fiction / standalone / young adult

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Promotional Tour: The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting by Natalie C. Parker

1/11/2025

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Superheroes. Queer romance. Babysitting? 

I'm super excited to be hosting a stop on the book tour for The Assassin's Guide for Babysitting, hosted by Colored Pages Book Tours! 

This book came out on January 7th, so you can read it now! 
This riveting, superpowered adventure unveils a shadow world of Talented bounty hunters—and plumbs the nature of identity, deadly secrets, and found family.

Tru has been hiding all her life. Her parents taught her to conceal her bastion Talent: indestructible skin, muscles, and bones. In a world where Talents are common and varied, no one trusts a bastion—they’re too powerful.

Hiding failed to keep Tru’s parents alive, but moments before their murder, Tru’s mom pointed her to Logan Dire, a famed recluse assassin who adopted and trained orphaned Tru. And at seventeen, she’s still hiding. Not even her closest friends know her true name or Talent, or that she’s balancing high school with knife and stealth training (while crushing on her BFF’s older sister).

When assassins interrupt a mundane babysitting job booked through BountyApp—where lethal hunters find work and babysitters for their kids—Tru flees with a one-year-old strapped to her chest and spiraling questions: Who killed her parents? Whom can she trust? What does it mean to be a bastion? And is it ever OK to kiss a girl who’s trying to hunt you down?

​From an award-winning author comes a masterfully plotted thriller that holds character and relationship on a par with action and nail-biting suspense
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My Review! 

In one word—delightful! The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting is the superhero/villain lesbian sci-fi book I had no idea I needed, but I’m so profoundly glad that I got the chance to read it. If you loved Not Your Sidekick or Renegades, you have to check this one out immediately—I’ll be recommending this book for years to come!

Tru is a truly fantastic protagonist. Whether mourning, pining, plotting, or fighting, she has a sharp, witty voice that propels the story at a fast pace and a caring heart that made me fall in love with her and this story from page one. Parker is truly a master at crafting well-drawn and relatable characters in even the most minute details, and Tru is exactly that, made even more multidimensional by the relationships she has with the supporting cast. This book has both a brilliant friend group and one of the most caring father-daughter relationships I’ve read in years,

There are plenty of books starring supervillains or superheroes, but The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting makes every detail feel new through its madcap execution and brilliant twists. Whatever impression of this book you have from the title is spot-on—Parker throws together the most unlikely scenarios and pulls them off with commendable ease, making even the most outrageous scenarios as natural and believable as Tru’s love of baking. The sheer normalcy and bureaucracy associated with superpowers was spot-on, and though this was a pitch-perfect standalone, I found myself wishing for a sequel to spend more time with these characters and world.

I can’t recommend The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting highly enough—five extremely well-deserved stars! 


​Special thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours and Candlewick Press for the gifted copy of The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting! All opinions expressed here are my own.

​Natalie C. Parker is the author and editor of several books for young adults among them the acclaimed Seafire trilogy. Her work has been included on the NPR Best Books list, the Indie Next List, and the TAYSHAS Reading List, and in Junior Library Guild selections. Natalie grew up in a navy family finding home in coastal cities from Virginia to Japan. Now, she lives with her wife on the Kansas prairie.
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Website | Goodreads | Instagram | X
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Promotional Tour: The Devourer by Alison Ames

1/8/2025

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Queer pirates? Dark YA fantasy? I'm super excited to be hosting a stop today on the book tour for The Devourer by Alison Ames, hosted by Colored Pages Book Tours! 

The Devourer was released on January 7th, so you can read it now! 
When Adra Dantes’ half-brother Cameron attacks their father and robs him of a priceless treasure map, he leaves him a shell of the pirate captain he once was. Now Adra’s only aim in life is to kill Cameron, retrieve her father's map, and claim the treasure herself.

But her plans are thwarted. A sudden surplus of magic in the world is causing ancient sea monsters to awaken. Worse yet, Adra discovers that the ship she's been chasing for almost a year now is captained by a girl who’s been impersonating Cameron, while Cameron himself is missing.

The two pirate captains will have to work together if they are to find Cameron, but before they can do so, they must vanquish the beast―known as The Devourer―that is sinking ships and causing so much fear. Adra will have to descend leagues beneath the sea to the creature’s lair to strike a deal with her, but she’ll discover she isn’t the only one looking for her brother―and what he stole
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My review!

The Devourer
weaves together piratical adventure and revenge into a high seas adventure. With plenty of plot twists and a story core founded on Adra’s determination and drive, I definitely recommend The Devourer to fans of dark fantasy with queer characters.

The worldbuilding of The Devourer was one of the highlights for me—as someone who loves complex, well-thought-out worlds, this one pulled me in immediately. The palpable sense of magic being disturbed and out of equilibrium formed a powerful backbone, and I was drawn profoundly in to even its most minute details. The very setting of this book treads the careful line between fantasy and horror, leaning in the latter direction with the feel of uncanny Irish mythology rather than horror for horror’s sake, making it accessible to fans of both genres.

As someone who prefers fantasy with a romance subplot rather than romance with a side of fantasy, I really enjoyed how Ames balanced the developing relationship between Adra and Quinn with the adventure/revenge plot at the heart of this story, never overtaking the latter. I also appreciated the bevy of strong platonic friendships in this book, particularly those between Adra, Merrin and Diana. I would’ve loved spending more time getting to know Adra at the start of this book, but the strength of the relationships she had with other members of the crew allowed my understanding of her to become stronger as the book moved forward,

4/5 stars

​Special thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours and Page Street YA for the gifted copy of The Devourer! All opinions expressed here are my own.


Alison Ames is the author of horror novels for adults and teens. To Break a Covenant, her first novel, was nominated for a Colorado Book Award. Her second novel It Looks Like Us is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection pick. You can find more information and other books on her website.
​
Website | Goodreads | Instagram | X

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To a Year of Excellent Reading!

1/1/2025

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​Hello all! 

​​​2024 was a great year for Rapunzel Reads! Some quick highlights: 
  • Rapunzel Reads is officially ten years old! 
  • We interviewed five more of our favorite authors: Esme Symes-Smith, Caroline Huntoon, Polly Horvath, Tara Dairman, and Johanna Taylor! Check out all our interviews to hear about their inspiration, favorite books as a kid, and more. 
  • ​We expanded our Instagram account (we'd be thrilled if you followed us there!), where we highlight lots of bonus recommendations. Follow us @rapunzelreadsbooks! 
  • Plus, we shared 47 book reviews, including 18 ARC (Advance Reader's Copies) reviews! 

And now...on to our sixth annual Books of the Year! 


This year, we chose eight books that were our particular favorites! It was so hard to narrow down these ten from all the phenomenal books we read this year, but these are, indisputably, standouts: whether from their stunning characters, beautiful prose, unexpected depth, or exciting twists, they stuck out to us while reading, and stayed with us all these months later. We're so glad to get to share them with you--we hope you love them as much as we do! 

See all our top picks - and read about why we chose them - on our 2024 Books of the Year page. 

Here's to another year of fabulous books! 
​Nico and Lina
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A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits, Book 2) by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat (2025)

12/30/2024

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A Copycat Conundrum will be released on January 7, 2025. It is the second book in the Misfits series and is preceded by A Royal Conundrum.

Olive and her fellow mystery-solving Misfits have solved their first case and cemented their home at RASCH, the quirky arts academy that acts as cover for a top-secret group of crime fighters solving the most mysterious misdeeds.

But now new oddities are springing up throughout San Fransisco. Olive’s classmate Zeke has started receiving threatening notes as he digs into his family history. A series of unexplained earthquakes have spread across the city. And expensive art pieces are going missing…

It’s up to the Misfits to track down the perpetrator of this new, bigger crime—and put the pieces together before whoever’s responsible gets away for good.

A Copycat Conundrum was such a fun read! I loved the madcap wit and adventure of the first book in the series, and though second books often struggle to live up to that momentum, this one never does. Olive and the other Misfits crack this second mystery with the same humor, heart, and brilliant character relationships that made A Royal Conundrum so much fun. Even more so than book 1, A Copycat Conundrum has a fabulously quirky supporting cast, with a bevy of new characters whose oddities and surprises made the mystery all the more entertaining, and getting to know the Misfits themselves better was so much fun. I’ll definitely want to get my hands on a finished copy once this one comes out to admire all the final illustrations! I highly recommend A Copycat Conundrum who are looking for a fun series in the tradition of Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

​adventure / ages 9+ / ARC / fiction / friends / humorous / illustrated / middle grade / mystery / sequels / series

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. 

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A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid (2023)

12/23/2024

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By Nico

As the only female student at Llyr’s prestigious Architectural College, life has been hard enough for Effy Sayre, thanks to the snide looks, constant disrespect, and painful rumors that would be unbearable even if the truth of them wasn’t haunting her. But Effy doesn’t even want to be there—her dreams have always been of the Literature College, studying the atmospheric, fairytale works of her favorite author, Emrys Myrddin. The only problem? The Literature College doesn’t accept female students at all.

Effy sees her chance to pursue her dreams—and escape the Architectural College’s torments—when she’s given an opportunity to redesign Myrddin’s house, soon after his death.

But not all is as it seems in Myrddin’s sprawling, decrepit home, balanced on the edge of a chaotic sea, inhabited by his enigmatic son, reclusive widow, and the back-country fairytales Effy has spent all her life being told aren’t true. Effy is on the verge of leaving behind this nightmare of a place, no matter what awaits her back home, when Preston, a literature student whom she takes an immediate dislike to, offers her an opportunity she can’t pass up—helping him research his theories about Myrddin’s most famous work in exchange for putting her name on her thesis, a work sure to be so groundbreaking that it might as well guarantee her a spot at the Literature College.

It seems simple enough. Find the truth. Become a literature student. Leave behind the life she never wanted.

If only the old stories weren’t true…

​A haunting fairytale of a book perfect for fans of The Hazel Wood, A Study in Drowning pulled me in from the first page. Crafting a gorgeous, semi-modern fantasy that blends myth and reality into something irresistible, Reid creates a fairytale twist that walks the line between too modern and too fantastic flawlessly. I’ve always loved books with elements of Welsh mythology, and the unique twist it gives to this world was perfect; although I liked the beginning, as soon as Effy reached Hiraeth Manor I was pulled fully into the story. In the midst of all the magic and mystery, Effy anchored this book. Her flaws, determination, and scars made me like her from the very first page, and her experiences place feminism and patriarchy firmly in the center of the story. Fast-paced and full of eerie twists, I highly recommend A Study in Drowning to readers ages thirteen and up. 

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The Song of the Swan by Karah Sutton (2023)

12/16/2024

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By Nico

Olga gets by on trickery and thievery, using her magic to part with money, food, or whatever else she needs to get by. But this way of life has never sat well with Olga or her compatriot, Pavel—so when she learns of a precious jewel hidden in an abandoned castle, she leaps at the chance to change their futures forever. No matter the ghost stories about the castle.

Olga and Pavel soon discover, though, that rather than being abandoned, the castle is home to a nightly ball full of joy and laughter—a ball whose guests disappear after every night, besides the castle’s master, an enchanter who Olga is convinced is far less kindly than he seems. But he may be her only chance of finding the legendary jewel—and, when the castle’s curse begins ensnaring Pavel, too, her only hope of saving him.

I loved Karah Sutton’s debut novel, A Wolf for a Spell, so I was thrilled to read The Song of the Swan. It didn’t disappoint. This book is an atmospheric fairytale of a story made even more beautiful by the gorgeous accompanying illustrations by Pauliina Hannuniemi. The worldbuilding felt so rich and vivid I could almost touch it, most notably the almost magnetic appeal of the castle, and I loved the magic, particularly with regard to the spiders. The unfolding mystery of the story left me constantly guessing what was going to happen next and left me utterly satisfied at the conclusion of the story. Olga was a great protagonist, but part of what made her shine most was her relationship with Pavel and her flaws, which often led her to difficult but entirely relatable decisions. I highly recommend The Song of the Swan to fantasy lovers ages ten and up. 

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Splinter & Ash (Splinter & Ash, Book 1) by Marieke Nijkamp (2024)

12/9/2024

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By Nico

Princess Ash is not in for a happy homecoming. After six years away from the capital, she returns to find the country embroiled in political conflicts her brother a stranger, and the court decidedly hostile—and all too ready to question her aptitude because of the cane she uses to get around.

So when Ash meets Splinter, she couldn’t be more excited. Splinter—aspiring knight, determined friend, not quite a girl. Splinter is determined to become a knight like her brother, and Ash has the power to earn her that dream. And if neither is seen as entirely orthodox by the rest of court? Well, at least they have each other.

As their friendship develops, though, Splinter and Ash find themselves uncovering something far more sinister than disapproving squires. And when they discover the lengths the nobility is willing to go to gain power, the two new friends might be their kingdom’s only hope.

If you liked Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston or Alanna the Lioness, Splinter & Ash should be next on your to-read list. This fast-paced, fierce tale was one of my most anticipated reads this year is a reason, and it was a lot of fun to read. Splinter and Ash are both great protagonists, and the almost mystery-like element of the developing understanding of the political conflicts made it a quick read. Though defiant, it lacked much of the emotional intensity of books like Sir Callie, taking a more traditional MG fantasy feel to display Splinter and Ash’s struggles throughout the story. I would’ve loved to see several threads and characters of this story explored more deeply, and I’m hoping that’ll arrive in subsequent books in the series. I recommend Splinter & Ash to readers ages eleven and up looking for a story of friendship, hope, and perseverance set against a fantasy world.
​
fantasy / middle grade / friendship / LGBTQ+ / series / ages 11+

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