Once, the Raven Kingdom was a place of beauty. Starflowers bloomed along the soft grass shared by nature and humans alike, ruled by a kind person who valued everything under their regime. Like most good things, however, the peace was temporary. It was not long before war broke out over the throne and the land was fraught with terror, suffering, and the cries of victims who had nothing but dirt to their name. From that moment, the land broke the crown into three pieces and hid it away, waiting for the moment it would be returned to its rightful heir. It seems the time has come when triplets are born in the heart of a forest. The eldest is destined to become the newest heir to the throne. However, frightened for that child’s safety, their mother refuses to reveal who the eldest triplet is. Instead, she hides her children away, fervently hoping the truth will never be revealed. Despite everything, Cordelia, one of the triplets, feels a call in her bones to explore the forest. Not only can she shape-shift into different animals, but she also has a wild streak unfit for being cooped up in a house. When she finally decides to act on her desires, everything changes…and in a world torn apart by war, the only people she can trust are her family. But can Cordelia really trust them when her heart is so different? Most importantly, can she trust herself? The Raven Heir was a spellbinding book bursting with tension, passion, and classic internal conflict. I loved the forest setting, which was absolutely spectacularly described in a way that immersed me into the story. It almost gives Disney’s Brave vibes, but honestly, the concept is so unique, it’s almost unfair to draw comparisons. Through prose and flashbacks, it was clear how the land in the story was affected by the constant warring of the people. Ah, the plot! It was so well developed and very easy to follow. It’s suitable for exactly its age group—middle grade—with fantastical elements I would have loved at that age and still adore now. There were constant twists and turns that made sense when you got to them, but also managed to hurt your heart, especially at the end. Personally, it was a little difficult to connect to the characters—they were all quite boxed in by one or two main personality traits for much of the book. However, the twists at the end definitely amped up the quality of character-building, providing much more insight into how they truly operated. The Raven Heir truly doesn’t disappoint in its execution toward the end. At once lovely, tense, and bittersweet, The Raven Heir is the perfect type of book for anyone of any age. From the bottom of my heart, I recommend this novel to reluctant readers and total bookworms alike! http:// The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2021. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Curse of the Night Witch, Reviewed by April, 13
With over 12.6 billion views online, #BookTok has taken the world by storm—an ever-growing community of readers that shares reviews, anecdotes, mood boards, and more about the books they have read. Ever since the hashtag went viral, certain books, even those that had already been published for several years, soared back up to the top of the New York Times bestselling list. In author Alex Aster’s case, just one online video under the BookTok hashtag catapulted her to online fame! The video has amassed over one million views to date and garnered widespread attention over her already-published middle-grade duology, Emblem Island. The first book in the series, Curse of the Night Witch, follows three teenagers on a quest to save themselves from imminent death. In the magical realm of Emblem Island, people are born with emblems on their hands that prophecy their talents. But young Tor Luna, born with a leadership emblem, detests his mark. His plan is to submit a wish to the gods on his village’s New Year’s Eve celebration and hope for a new emblem the next day. Sure enough, Tor wakes up to a new emblem on his arm—the black, blinking eye of a curse! And when his best friend Engle and enemy Melda accidentally touch the curse, a duplicate of the eye travels up their arms, too. To their horror, the trio realizes that if they do not figure out a way to get rid of the curse in a week, it will be there forever—until they die. Now Tor, Engle, and Melda must travel across the colorful but dangerous island to beg the assistance of the Night Witch, all while the ticking time bombs on their arms track every breath that they take. This was a spellbinding fantasy book about friendship, bravery, and everything in between! Emblem Island was a rich tapestry of bright colors, tropical waters, and mouthwatering food, and the Latin influences gave the world a familiar feel while still retaining a unique form. One way in which Curse of the Night Witch was so unique was the book-inside-a-book idea. This novel included excerpts from a fairy tale book of sorts called The Book of Cuentos, which would be told every other chapter. These excerpts always aligned perfectly with the actual story. For example, when The Book of Cuentos talked about a perpetually snowy town, Tor, Engle, and Melda actually visited the town in the story. It was a fun and fascinating way to provide context to the story, rather than dumping information on readers, and the execution was seamless. The thing that bothered me the most was how similar this book was to its successful predecessors. It especially drew similarities to the Harry Potter series—both books involve chosen-one main characters, a funny, food-loving best friend, and the teacher’s-pet character who turns out to be all right in the end. It almost felt unoriginal in that sense, like I was reading something I already had before. However, the mythology retelling has been done so much, especially recently, in the book industry, that it is understandable if comparisons can be drawn between this book and others. Overall, Curse of the Night Witch is a wonderful ride full of the splash of tropical seawater and the cold bite of endless ice. I’m usually not one to say you should jump on the bandwagon, but in this case, you absolutely should—hundreds of thousands of readers online have already enjoyed this lovely book, and there’s no reason why you can’t be the next! Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster. Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2020. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Tiny Pretty Things, Reviewed by April, 13
From the outside, Manhattan’s most elite ballet academy is the epitome of perfection. Hundreds of girls masquerade in pink skirts and tight buns, their makeup heavy and smiles bright as they maneuver the many classrooms—arms graceful, legs light. People flock from far and wide to watch their esteemed seasonal productions. But, underneath the facade of beauty lies the dark side of ballet: the tear-soaked pillows, the bleeding feet, the spoons over eyes that have received barely an hour of sleep. For a few minutes under the spotlight, these young adults will do just about anything. But how far is too far? In Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, three students from the ballet academy alternatively narrate a haunting tale of the things ballerinas do after dark. Bette is the first narrator. It’s fitting, really, since she’s been first her entire life—lead roles in all the ballets, a handsome boyfriend, a face that can charm, and a mouth that can manipulate. But then comes Gigi, the new girl at the academy. Optimistic and bubbly, Gigi brings Bette’s life crashing down when she lands the role of Odette in the fall production of Swan Lake. Suddenly, Bette’s pushed into the background along with June, the third narrator. Unlike Bette, June has always been the understudy, never good enough to land the best roles. But like Bette, she suddenly has reason to sabotage Gigi. If Gigi is taken down, Bette can gain back her pride, and June will gain the lead role she has always vied for. It’s time to sabotage their way to the top… As Bette, June, and a handful of other students scheme against Gigi, Gigi’s paranoia whirls out of control. She tries to maintain her composure, but when is it her turn to strike back? Swan Lake is drawing ever closer, and one ballerina must dance the part of Odette. Ballet isn’t just pointe shoes and pink lipstick—it’s about fighting your way to the top, no matter how many people you push aside on the way. Tiny Pretty Things was a truly addictive novel. From the lyrical writing style to the fantastic world-building, I couldn’t detach myself from the chaotic beauty of it all. What I loved most was that none of the characters were perfect—far from it—but the authors still managed to make me like them, despite their flaws. Especially Bette. She was vindictive, backstabbing, clingy, et cetera, et cetera, but heaven knows she was the most interesting character in the book. I also appreciated the heavier themes discussed in this novel. Situations involving racism and eating disorders, among others, were handled with care and awareness. Even just the competitiveness was admirable to me. It’s rare for a book to be so unfiltered and raw about negative human inclinations, yet this one depicted them perfectly. It’s certainly not pretty, but it’s real, which makes the book all the more fascinating to read. The one thing I would say is that, due to all the drama, the book moved at breakneck speed. There wasn’t much time for me to comprehend and react to the many sabotages, surprises, and romances. While it did amp up the intensity, it mostly had me scrambling to keep up with the events. Overall, however, this was an absolutely gorgeous novel brimming with action and emotion. If the premise of smiling, lipsticked ballerinas stabbing each other in the back (figuratively, of course!) isn’t enough to entice you, I hope the mention of multifaceted characters and moving writing will convince you to give this a try. Just make sure to brace yourself—especially for the cliffhanger at the end. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton. Halperteen, 2016. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
