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! 

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.
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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

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.
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fantasy / middle grade / friendship / LGBTQ+ / series / ages 11+

By Nico

Growing up on a tiny island in the midst of a green-spore sea, Tress has no plans to leave her home. Everything she wishes for is here: the people she’s grown up with, her beloved collection of cups from across the spore seas, and her closest friend, Charlie, the duke’s son, who she’s always cared for a little more than a peasant girl should.

But when Charlie is kidnapped by the Sorceress of the Midnight Sea, Tress has no choice but to follow him across the perilous, beautiful spore seas. Braving deceptions, pirates, talking rats, dangerous spores, interplanetary visitors, dragons, and more, it will take all of Tress’s skills to find Charlie – skills she never would’ve even dreamed of possessing back home. But to succeed, she must not only discover Charlie’s location—she’ll have to discover herself, too.

This is the first book I’ve read by Brandon Sanderson, and Tress of the Emerald Sea made it certain beyond all doubt that it wouldn’t be the last. Tress’s simple yet incredibly relatable story pulled me in from the first page, into an enthralling world utterly unlike any I’ve read before. The worldbuilding was gorgeous and fascinating but never heavy-handed, making the setting feel utterly realistic, despite being so wildly different than Earth. Watching Tress grow and change over the course of this book felt equally natural, and never did the story arc feel contrived or unrealistic, instead possessing an organic quality that made me fall in love with Tress even more. There is so much that happens in this book, and yet its simplicity is part of its charm, giving it an almost old-fashioned feel that grounds even the most fantastical events. I adored all of the characters, whose lives I grew almost inordinately invested in, and the quirky, wry narrative voice of Hoid made this book decidedly a favorite. I also appreciated, as someone new to Brandon Sanderson’s books, that you didn’t need to have any prior understanding of his Cosmere universe to fall in love with it; Tress is an independent story. I highly recommend Tress of the Emerald Sea to readers ages twelve and up, whether you’re a longtime Brandon Sanderson fan or someone who’s never previously entered the world of Cosmere. 

By Nico

Ballister Blackheart is the kingdom’s newest villain—but once, he was its brightest rising star alongside Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, who he’s still more than a little bit in love with. Nimona is an irrepressible young shapeshifter determined to be his evil sidekick, who poses a far greater threat to the kingdom than Ballister ever could’ve been alone.

Ballister and Nimona set their sights on proving his innocence and taking down the institutions that have branded them both villains. But that means forcing Nimona to trust someone else—and as Ballister gets to know his new sidekick better, he realizes that who—and what—Nimona is might be far more complicated than he’d bargained for.

Nimona is absolutely incredible. It’s a rare book I fall so fully in love with from the very beginning, but Nimona not only managed that, it kept it up for the whole story. This book is for the ones who love villains, who want a different take on a corrupt society, who want a resolution that’s perfect for the book but not exactly a stereotypical happily-ever-after. Featuring brilliantly witty humor, a chaotic cast of characters, and fabulous stylized artwork, do yourself a favor and pick up Nimona as soon as you can.

To begin with, the characters are brilliant. Nimona’s brash, action-focused personality, Ballister’s measured caution, and Ambrosius’s almost tortured idealism create a fantastic combination of characters whose clashes, disagreements, and, slowly, trust, are both entirely natural and so much fun to read. But they’re also all deeper than they appear on the surface, and as I better understood each of them, I couldn’t help but be blown away by the depth and complexity Stevenson manages to impart in a medium that sometimes makes it tricky to truly get into character’s heads.

And while crafting these incredible characters, Stevenson makes it impossible for me to stop laughing. This book is simply funny—chaotic, outlandish, and weird in the best possible way. Humor is often one of the hardest things for a book to maintain from the first page to the ending, particularly when also weighing in on heavier topics, but Stevenson does so with such deftness he makes it look easy. Nimona never falls even slightly flat, and it has a truly fantastic ending—one that I went into certain there was no way the book could wrap up that would feel satisfying, and yet entirely manages to do exactly that.

Nimona also includes a variety of both explicit and implicit queer characters and themes, and the author has spoken publicly about how he created Nimona as a subtle reflection of his own trans experiences. (For anyone who also enjoys movie adaptations, these threads are explored more fully in the animated adaptation, which is also fabulous!) However, it’s also a dissection of classic villain/outsider narratives of all kinds, questioning villainy, heroism, and how we treat those we determine to be ‘other’, and I truly believe it can connect with a profound range of experiences.

​I highly recommend Nimona to readers ages ten and up who want a quirky, action-packed whirlwind of a book that will make you think and feel and laugh and finish it wanting more than anything just to read it all over again. 

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

Mallory in Full Color will be released on November 19, 2024.

Mallory is an expert on pretending. She’s so used to becoming whoever the people around her need her to be—the perfect daughter, the agreeing friend, the responsible older sister—that it’s no wonder she finds it so easy to put herself in the shoes of completely different characters in her anonymous online webcomic.

But it’s also exhausting—and when she starts skipping swim practice to attend the local library’s comic club, she can’t figure out how to be herself, especially when confronted with her new friend Noa, an effortlessly confident enby who Mallory can’t help but develop a crush on. If she’s as outgoing and self-assured as Noa, surely they’ll like her, too.

But when her webcomic goes viral and her classmates start guessing who its author is—and Mallory finds herself increasingly uncomfortable as the drag queen story hour she and Noa are planning is faced with mounting backlash—Mallory must decide: keep pretending to be someone she’s not to please everyone, or face the consequences for her lies and discover who she really is.

Despite a strong concept and story elements I typically enjoy—queer self-discovery, developing friendships, standing up against library bans, artsy protagonist—I failed to truly connect with the characters, storyline, and writing voice of Mallory in Full Color. Although I understood Mallory’s struggles with expressing herself around different people, it didn’t altogether ring true.

I think this was partially because the aspects of the setup which made me believe that Mallory acting in this way were truly necessary were virtually debunked by the end. For example, the conflict between her friends made me believe some of their friendships would fall apart if Mallory was authentic, and the anger they felt upon discovering Mallory’s comics about them was legit. However, the ease with which all of them accepted Mallory felt almost anticlimactic, making Mallory’s anxiety appear misplaced rather than legitimate. I appreciated the happy ending, but the book’s execution made it feel like a middle-grade friendship version of the infamous miscommunication trope.

That said, I think middle schoolers who are struggling with the same need to people please as Mallory will connect with her and find the ending reassuring rather than flat. Her introduction to Noa, who is nonbinary, and the backlash over drag queen story hours and other public library events also provided a thoughtful and realistic introduction to gender diversity and homophobic/transphobic attitudes.

In short, although I don’t think Mallory in Full Color will become a favorite of most outside of its target audience, I think it’ll both be enjoyed by and helpful for the middle schoolers it’s written for.

3.5 stars

By Nico

Amari and the Despicable Wonders is the third book in the ongoing Supernatural Investigations series. It is preceded by Amari and the Night Brothers (#1) and Amari and the Great Game (#2).

Amari Peterson is running out of time. The supernatural world teeters on the verge of war, and both sides have declared her the number one enemy. One of her closest friends is beyond Amari’s reach. She can’t trust anyone—not even Quinton, who insists that keeping her out of trouble is the only way to keep her safe.

But when Amari learns that Dylan Van Hesling, new leader of the League of Magicians, is after a series of destructive artifacts called the Despicable Wonders, she knows it’s up to her and her friends to stop him first—even if it means risking the ultimate sacrifice.

I’ve adored every book in the Amari series, and this third installment was no exception. Alston has an incredible ability to craft the kinds of books that make me fall in love with middle grade all over again, with the deft writing, fast pace, and incredible characters that make his stories consistently some of the best I read in a year. It’s not often I come across a series that maintains such a high level of excellence across multiple books – but Alston makes it look easy with the Supernatural Investigations series.

​Three aspects of this series consistently stand out to me: the plot, the characters, and the worldbuilding. Each book is filled with quick twists and plot changes whose only consistency is my inability to predict where the story is headed next. Amari inhabits what’s truly one of the most distinct and real worlds I’ve had the pleasure to recently come across, with the perfect balance of quirkiness and realism. And the characters are truly incredible—at turns irritating and relatable, hilarious and heartbreaking, I truly would follow them wherever they choose to go next. I can’t describe how happy I am to know there will be two more Amari books to enjoy! I highly recommend Amari and the Despicable Wonders (and the entire series) to readers ages eleven and up searching for an absorbing, magical world that you won’t want to leave. 

By Nico

What does it mean to feel at home in your body? In their new graphic novel memoir, Homebody, Theo Parish explores their journey to understanding their nonbinary identity and discovering a version of themself that feels comfortable to them. From their early years to later struggles to feel seen, they honestly narrate their journey to find their home in themself and in the world.

Homebody is a thoughtful story to reassure anyone questioning any part of their identity. This is the second graphic novel memoir I’ve read (after Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer), and I really enjoyed how the layered, thoughtful illustrations carried the emotional heart of the story and allowed the words to feel sparser. It feels much more like a story told, almost like a fairytale, than a traditional memoir, and I definitely enjoyed the format.

​I recommend Homebody to readers ages thirteen and up, particularly anyone who loved Gender Queer and is looking for another story in the same spirit. 

Sir Callie and the Witch’s War is the third book in the ongoing Sir Callie series by Esme Symes-Smith. The previous books are Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston (book 1) and Sir Callie and the Dragon’s Roost (book 2).

As war comes to Helston and Dumoor becomes an uncertain haven, Callie, Willow, Elowen, and Edwyn must forge new paths if they ever want to see each other again—let alone the future they’ve all dreamed of. But doing that will mean facing their worst fears without the support, friendship, and camaraderie they’ve come to rely on from one another. And their failure will leave Helston and Dumoor alike bound for an even more terrible future than they could’ve imagined.

The Sir Callie series is truly one of the best middle-grade series I’ve ever come across, and this latest installment is no exception. Thoughtful, emotionally deep, and queer- and nonbinary-focused MG fantasy books are hard enough to come across on their own, but to find not just a standalone but an ongoing series that is all this and more is truly remarkable—and Sir Callie is exactly that. This third book in the ongoing series left me satisfied, validated, and wishing the fourth book was already out!

For me, the emotional heart of this book lies with Edwyn. He’s one of the most striking and real characters throughout the series (which is a hard distinction to make when every character is so incredible!), and seeing him come into his own during Sir Callie and the Witch’s War was truly wonderful. Anger, betrayal, love, hate, self-doubt—every one of his emotions jumps clearly off the page and makes me care about and sympathize with him even more.

Symes-Smith juggles the plotlines of Edwyn, Elowen, and Willow/Callie with flawless skill. Many middle grade books ignore the traumatic realities of young people, but this series never does, and instead of skirting around painful topics it faces them head-on and authentically portrays the challenge of loving and accepting yourself after struggling all your life to believe you deserve to be loved exactly for who you are. As someone whose own life has elements of these characters’ experiences, the validation and comfort in finding this reflected in a middle grade novel was incredibly healing, and I just want to reread it immediately now that I’m done.

This series truly keeps getting more and more incredible, and I can’t wait to read more about these characters and from this author! Highly recommended! 

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

Like a Curse will be released on October 22, 2024. It is the sequel to Like a Charm, and closes the Like a Charm duology.

Now that Ramya Knox has discovered that there’s a whole world of Hidden Folk existing under her nose in Edinburgh—and that she’s a witch—she’s determined to defeat the sirens and learn what her newly discovered family is like without their looming threat. And, with the siren Portia’s influence rapidly spreading over the human and magical worlds, Ramya knows she has to act fast. The only problem is that she has to master her magical abilities first…and that turns out to be much harder than she’s bargained for.

Alongside old and new friends alike, Ramya must rally her magic and her determination if she wants to defeat Portia before she suffers a defeat she won’t be able to recover from.

I’ve rarely read an incredibly satisfying, self-contained book followed by an equally brilliant sequel. Like a Curse, though, is exactly that. I truly loved Like a Charm, blending fantasy and realism into something I couldn’t help but adore, and the sequel fully lived up to my expectations.

Once more, I unabashedly adore Ramya. Her determination, anxiety, and struggle to prove herself made it difficult to put down her story, and her relationships (especially with Opal) truly gave the book shine with new depth. Although I don’t want to spoil the book, I will say that I particularly loved the ending. McNicoll manages to bring together this duology’s many threads—friendship, magic, neurodiversity, forgiveness, understanding, secrets—and create an incredibly satisfying conclusion that put a spin on fantasy unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I highly recommend Like a Curse (and the Like a Charm duology) to readers ages nine and up who enjoy middle-grade fantasy and are looking for a book that puts a twist on the genre.

An e-ARC of this book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

The Night Mother will be released on October 8, 2024.

Night cloaks Madeline Tock’s small town. She spends her days with her father on their graveyard island across the river, where she listens to the whispers of the dead as they journey beyond. They whisper a warning, too: to fear the creator of the constant night.

The Night Mother: half a myth, who crosses the sky with her lantern to harvest the souls of the dead. Only she’s gained a taste for power and the freedom that eternal night allows her—and the living souls it enables her to harvest.

When the Night Mother comes for Madeline’s village and her father, she’s determined to prevent her from stealing them all away. But the Night Mother wants something from Madeline too, and Madeline soon realizes that she can bring back the sun—if only she can defeat the Night Mother first.

The Night Mother delivers a dark fairytale of a story accompanied by gorgeous, detailed illustrations. The art is absolutely beautiful – Sharpe’s layered images are full of color and precision and fully absorbed me. Perhaps best of all, the art perfectly matches the feel of the story, crafting an immersive experience that I absolutely loved. At times, I felt it could be a little text-heavy, reading more like an illustrated book than a graphic novel, but especially past the opening scenes there was a better balance between text and art – and I think that might’ve been partially because I just loved the art so much that I wanted to see more of it!

​I really enjoyed the story as well. The Night Mother truly feels like a fairytale – but rather than the sanitized versions commonly found today, it harkens back to the dark roots of the Grimm Brothers, where a happily-ever-after was far from guaranteed. Although a relatively simple story, it unfolds with smooth precision, introducing in a relatively short page count a variety of compelling, fascinating characters, most of all so Madeline and the Night Mother. I hope to read future volumes of this story! I recommend The Night Mother to lovers of older middle-grade, original fairytales, and dark fantasy ages eleven and up.