Tag: 13+

A Good Girls Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson

13+B

Okay so I have heard so much about this series, people are talking about it all over booktube and several of my friends have loved it. And it held up.

I used to read a LOT of mystery – I mean a lot, I still have an entire three deep shelf of enid blytons mysteries – and this is a nice step up and it does hold up! The investigation style with Pip conducting various recorded interviews, getting access to police logs and cross examining different peoples accounts unfurled an insane story about Andie Bell and Sal Singh two teenagers who died five years ago.

It is a cold case Pip takes on as a summer project because the inaccuracies have always nagged at her. Sal is universally believed to have done it in her town and yet Pip’s personal experience of Sal isn’t one of a boy who could kill his girlfriend in cold blood. It is complex, the logs, Pip’s own life apart from her investigation which starts to overlap more and more and then the realisation that several people she knows had a very intimate part in the lead up to Andie Bell’s murder. I am trying not to give too many spoilers and that is so hard in mystery so I’ll stop there!

Plot – 1000000/10. I did predict a few things but the lies and the coverups had my doubting myself several times before I realised I was right!

Characters – 5/5 stars. They are nuanced and none of the main cast feel like a recycled archetype while they still show all the different things that have lead to a seemingly simple cold case. It is horrifying how the police didn’t even bother interviewing several people surrounding her because they just instantly assumed it was Sal, her Indian boyfriend who committed suicide. i am diverging from characters here so I will just say that I appreciated Pip calling the reporter out on his racism and prejudice he was insufferable and it is people like him that meant Sal would never have got justice for something he got caught up in.

World – 5/5 stars.  well its our world! I love it being set in England tho – so many books are sent in America it is always nice to have a British book. It felt realistic, Holly Jackson didn’t end up ignoring the natural assumptions and darker side of mystery while not making it glorified or graphic.

Romance – 4/5 – Soft Romance – *giggles and kicks feet in the air* just adorable

Things to be aware of: Racism, sexual assault, rape, murder, police injustice, drugs – none of the SA is on the page or the murder. Animal death (specifically a dog)

2

A Tea Set and Match, Casey Blair

13+

This book follows on from a Coup of Tea which introduced us to this flamboyant and fundamentally flawed society set in a low fantasy setting.

I love love love Yorani – she is a tea dragon, a spirit born of a teapot and don’t we all need a few tea dragon spirits in our TBRs? She bounces with the destructively delightful enthusiasm of a fire breathing puppy through this book and her meeting with Denials cat was utter perfection. I liked seeing more of the Te Muraka – dragon shifter people – and the beginnings of their integration into Istal communities and culture. Like the previous book it really addressed the difficulties faced by refugees and how prejudice warps society until the people in it don’t even see it anymore.

Miyara as a character has continued to grow and she definitely was more assertive with her sister Sariyana. Sariyana is her next oldest sibling and I honestly hated her. I can understand her point of view but she just went around leaking toxicity and putting Miyara into the position where she had to constantly be evaluating and asserting any independence away from what Sariyana thought best. She’s written so well that I can justifiably hate her almost think she is approaching redemption and then launch herself back into the abyss of who on earth does she think she is? Within one chapter. Miyara’s relationship with her almost felt a little like a villain origin story in an odd way. They pushed each other in the way that usually only an anti-hero and a hero do with their morals and approaches to the same situation.

But moving on to the star ratings!

Plot – I have since the first book learnt that this was released as a web serial and it makes the plot make so much more sense! The plot overarches the entire series, the are several character and world plots and then there are the tiny subplots which pop up which I love so much! I was thoroughly entertained from page to page.  5/5 stars.

Characters – 4.5 /5 stars

World – The city, the Cataclysm and we got a few accounts and mentions of other countries too! 3/5 stars! – the Cataclysm which was such an interesting part of the world of the last book isn’t in it as much, we are focusing on its effects and the things that come out of it instead.

Romance – Sweet Romance – There were several romance subplots within this ( LGBTQ+ too) and I loved them all! Miyara and her love interest also had the cute awkward scenes when she slept over (nothing happened but it was adorable) and as they made plans for their relationship to grow both physically and mentally. I enjoyed the frank conversation Miyara had with her friends about sex and how she approached Denial with it was so delightfully realistic.

Things to know!: racism, prejudice. There is also a few mentions of sex if you are bothered about that but nothing is on the page.

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The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

13+

Okay so I admit I was a little wary going in. Its one of those books that everyone either loves or hates (and they ping pong back from review to review) so I wasnt sure I was going to enjoy it. BUT! I did. Its not my usual genre – its contempory mystery thriller with a subplot of romance that I fear is going to become a love triangle but I’m suspecting it’ll be an excellent one. From the back I thought it would be more of a light easy read – a few puzzles thrown in and a bit like a game of Cluedo with four brothers every review goes on about OR a dark thriller about truely how far the rich would go to keep their wealth and power.

Avery is quite a stereotypical lead and we can understand her character very quickly. Its needed because the rest of the characters have layers upon layers and yet nothing. Her best friend Maxine’s odd swearing got a little on my nerves. Instead of using the actual words she substituted them them frequently. I almost wish that she had just said the words, I found myself having to figure out what her convoluted swearing substitutions actually meant. That said I did like how Avery was called out on her self absorbed behavior – the mc often has the most drama, but that is no reason not to know your best friends boyfriends name.

The four brothers felt a little samey but it was really interesting to see just how far the machinations of their grandfather went. Tobias Hawthorne was truly either a genius or a twisted psychopath and I cant decide if he was both. Greyson, Nash, Jameson and Xander have been pitted against each other constantly as children in these challenges and games. The old man would set up these complex riddles for them to follow, and in the end the boys were encouraged to backstab and betray each other to get to the answer first.

The supporting characters were interesting and I wish that Skye the mother got more page time, it would be interesting to hear her side of the really unjust inheritance system and toxic grandfather whom pitted everyone against each other.

The world is well…this one. Usually in fantasy/dystopian I talk about the world building and lore but because its contempory I’m going to talk about the locations. Hawthorne House is the perfect setting – all those tunnels and passages and just how deep Tobias Hawthornes plan runs inside the bones of the house is incredible. I wish we had got more time at the private school, it felt like Avery barely dipped her toe into that world but the book does take place over less than a week so I’m just hoping for more in the next book.

The plot was interesting. Overall it was complex and many layered but the solution was found very easily. This is because the plot was entirely engineered by Tobias Hawthorne and we as the reader have no clue about his motivations yet. I felt Avery was a little swept away and confused (understandably) by her new world and it is really interesting just how easily she is manipulated. In a lot of books the character either doesnt realise they are being manipulated until they are told, or does a cynics stand against it and likely ends up in some kind of plot point anyway. However Avery was realistically stranded with an unreliable sister (Libby whom I do like but she isnt in the best place to help Avery) in a out of state manor with people who detest her.

Romance is the one thing I am not sure how I feel about. Jameson and Avery appear to be getting into a relationship but then not at the same time (I am so glad the DNA test came back quickly tho) and the other characters romance is all in the past.

Emily is the main subplot point that guides the main plot. Its interesting to wonder if Tobias was intentionally bringing her back up or if it was accidental. Either way, Emily as a character serves as the warning for what Avery could become. She had two of the Hawthorne boys, Jameson and Grayson and in the end she loved both and neither because she wanted the experience of being a millionaire more than the boys. Avery is juxtaposed against Emily with a few key differences.

Plot – 4/5

World – 3/5 – I dont know what it is but I just didnt grasp the world quite as well as usual despite the fact I live on the same planet.

Characters – 4/5

Romance – 3/5 – Sweet Romance – hardly there to be honest but i can feel the love triangle coming on.

Things to be aware of: Death, manipulation, domestic abuse (none on the page but mentioned)

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Confectioner’s Guild by Claire Luana

13+

This book is so beautiful!

I read it a few years ago, and am on my third reread now. Its a fresh take on a fantasy guild, because they use confectionery (cakes and biscuits and all the bakery good things!) instead of being an assassin guild or a elements guild. The world building is incredibly natural and smooth and we are given all the information we need to know just by the character interacting with the everyday things around her. We also get two maps at the beginning (of at least the ebook version), one of the world and one of the city which is always lovely to have. It is not necessarily an unusual world, and but the presence of the cooking guilds is certainly the thing that has bump the world rating up.

The book starts with Wren piping cupcakes and then coming out of the back to hear a stranger questioning the bakery’s owner about the cupcakes. We get our first impression of just how strong the guild’s power over the city is when Master Oldritch admits that cupcakes are their “territory” but that he has a few friends that dont mind him having a play around with the frosting. I enjoy having a heroine whom starts with at least some idea of her power, Wren knows more than just the basics of baking which means she can instantly step believably into more powerful confections.

This is almost a historical murder mystery meets fantasy and the plot does waver a little in the middle I felt as Wren almost loses track of the mystery side of things but I did enjoy the mystery set in a fantasy world.

Characters – 3.5/5 – I enjoyed the characters, honestly the main character Wren isnt my favourite but she didnt annoy me because she does solve the mystery step by step alongside the reader. They all felt realistic to me and my feelings towards them changed over the course of the story. And I LOVE Pike, I feel like he would make an amazing mmc for another novel. Sable also is an intriguing character and I’d love to delve deeper into her backstory.

World – 4/5 – it doesn’t deviate from the classic fantasy world and there are very few locations within the story and they are all in the city Maradis so we don’t get to see much of the world. But if we include the magic-system in the world then it gives it a whole extra point!

Romance – 3.5/5 – Sweet Romance -Its a very mild romance, I’d say only 12+ romance wise and their relationship isnt developed enough for me to fully decide if I like them or not. The secret of the Gift is something that I am going to enjoy watching play out though.

Plot  – 3/5 – I enjoyed it, even on my reread it kept me guessing and I was looking for all the clues but it does dip in the middle as Wren almost forgets the axe hanging over her head because no one around her is really talking about it. It is interesting how all the characters (with the exception of Hale and Sable) basically just move on and ignore it – it shows the power of how they assume that there will be justice fairly given because they are the rich elite and dont consider that Wren wont because she doesnt have those connections.

Things to be aware of: Some sexism and its consequences concerning inheritance which was very interesting to read, mentions of SA but none on the page or to the main character and it isnt a main theme, the mc observes a girl being told by an older female relative to “drop a few pounds” but thinks the girl looks perfect anyway. Torture but none of it on the page. There are several references – both wrongly and rightly – to characters sleeping around. Overall there are several little things to be aware of but I honestly wouldnt say any of them are overdone or misplaced and it doesnt add a B.

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Changeling by Molly Harper

13+

I can honestly say this book took me by surprise. From the title Changeling I was expecting quite a rustic fae story that would be closer to a classic fantasy mixed with a fairytale but Changeling combines several genres in an intriguing world that we only just start to explore. The world is a delightfully classic dystopian world mixed with witchy academia and it is set in England!! Most dystopian novels, Hunger Games, Red Queen, Divergent are set in North America but this one is set in North England which is just a little world thing I love!

Sarah is a Snipe – a powerless human whom works as a servant in the house of the Winters, a powerful witch family. In return for her and her entire family’s servitude they are protected from some of their vulnerability of being magic-less in a rigid society where magic determines your social class. The Winters and the rest of their social peers are called Guardians but it is clear to the reader this is rigid oppression despite the fact that this is apparently to protect the Snipes. This is the system we are introduced to at the beginning, which Sarah doesn’t even dream of questioning. It is quite a classic dystopian class system, people divided by powerful and not, but one of the most interesting things is how Sarah being given power is approached.

A lot of books when a girl/boy from the lower classes is suddenly given a noble power they are swept up to the noble class immediately as soon as they and anyone else finds out. However Sarah has actually had her magic muffled and oppressed her whole life hence her sickly weak stature which is one of the first things that gets mentioned. Her physical appearance as she gets healthy is a classic physical example of her power growing but back to the magic oppression! It is really interesting because it is more realistic. Of course someone would have figured it out and the natural reaction to something that would shake the roots of a world that you are already surviving in (and I suspect by Snipe standards their family would argue they were thriving. all of their children were literate and worked a good stable job with a Guardian family and they were able to live off site which is something that is prized) but they are still very oppressed and Sarah’s mother can acknowledge that enough to do something about her daughters power.

While its a complex moral issue from the reader – should you truly oppress a child’s power to the point of them being extremely weak and fragile just so they dont rock the boat? To the Snipes it would be a black and white issue, and the Winters reaction is certainly more balanced that some Guardian’s reactions would have be.

I wont give any more details because then they lean into spoilers! But this mix of classic dystopian and the popular witchy academia with a lean into the classism within classes and the desperation within politics is such a memorable read!

World – 5/5 stars – i have gushed about it the whole of my review

Characters – 3.5/5 – they are quite classic characters and Sarah isnt an unusual Chosen One but i did enjoy them even if some of the female characters leaned a little into archetypes. Also I loved that Sarah struggled so realistically with the new subjects except the one she had come across in her previous life. Harper really managed to show how much information is imparted to children even before they are technically ‘taught’ magic just in the political expectations and world knowledge

Romance – Soft Romance – 4/5 for what is done, it is very mild and not even a proper subplot but there is an interesting representation of a one sided toxic relationship that developed from an innocent crush into something that really derailed that characters life.

Plot – 4/5 – it is quite a simple plot line up until the end, but I enjoyed it and it held up through the reread!

Things to be aware of: there is some bullying but that is very common in academia books. There is some fantasy violence, but in quite small doses and nothing to add that B. I would say that you could read it a little earlier if you wanted it just depends on when you would enjoy it the most. There is some betrayal, and mentions of necromancy but it isnt very violent which is why it hasnt got a B.

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Page by Tamora Pierce (Book 2 of the Protecter Quartet)

13+

I love this book so much, Tamora honestly never disapoints and i have read this book over and over and yet it is always so fresh and distinct. While the first book covers her one year of probation, this book covers her next three years as a page and shows some more of the challenges of being the first known female knight for centuries. While Alanna avoided all of this sexism and glass ceilings and tradition until she was much older, Keladry is dealing with it much younger but with a refreshingly mature outlook. While the sassy – and usually immature – girl is a very common trope, Keladry has a very different attitude which suits her particular challenges and tests as she is becoming more concious of the political situation around her becoming a page.

I adore Owen of Jesslaw, he is such a vibrant character and his ethusiasm is truely catching. The rest of Keladry’s friends play a slightly smaller role in this book, but I still enjoyed all the scenes with them. With the introduction of Gower (Keladry’s servant)’s niece, Lalassa, we get a glimpse into the cruelty of society in a different way to a girl who doesnt have the protection of a noble house.

Characters – 5/5 stars – They honestly feel like real people that I can hate and love and laugh at and with.

World – 4.5/5 stars – Tortall is a 1000000/5 but this book deals with just the palace and two outside locations so we dont get to really see the varied world that Pierce has created. (tiny little spoiler – we do get to see A LOT more in Squire, the next book in the series)

Romance – NA

Plot  – 5/5 stars – LOVE love love – i know the ending but it still shocks me everytime i read it.

Things to be aware of: there are a few off the page mentions that Lalassa was abused when she was a child by her family, and a couple of mentions of how she is vunerable to the men around her, especially the noble ones before she is given the protection of Keladry’s house. There is one on the page scene where she gets attacked by a squire but Keladry hears them and scares him off with the threat of a dual.

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Guide to the Damsel rating system

As you all know I make sure to put age ratings and why I have rated them a 12 or a 15 or a B as well as my favourite things about the books and the characters on ALL my reviews, but I thought i would define what I call YA and what my age ratings mean on Damsel in Delight.

YA means young adults and through this can be stretched to cover anywhere from nine year olds to twenty somethings, I focus on the middle around 12- 18 and will report back on books accordingly. Everyone’s reading levels and comfort levels with different topics are completely different, of course, and it is immensely difficult to pin down exactly WHEN you should read books on your tbr, but in the end I am just offering the information so you can decide what you would be comfortable reading.

So my age ratings and what they mean:

10+ – These are books that are about 1/5 on violence and hardly ever have any romance. My reviews mention things to keep in mind when you are choosing to read them so just check those out.

10+B – Might have a little bit more violence or a few darker themes

11+ – Pretty much the same as a twelve 1 but essentially its just what age group I think would enjoy that book the most!

11+B – Honestly down in the lower categories the B doesnt really up the violence/themes/topics and I wont use it often.

12+ – these are books that are about 1.5/5 on violence, and 1/5 on romance. The exact amounts differ, but there is no truly out there content that would not be suitable for most 12-year-olds. The main themes that absolutely will NOT be in twelves include SA and self-harm as well as tropes that can be morally questionable like assassins being portrayed as heroes or arranged political marriages (even through i love them in some of my older reads, i feel like in a 12 they often are a little too much for especially younger readers )

12+B – These are essentially the 12’s with more violence. Still very little romance, but that might go up to a 1.5 depending on the book (that will be in the specific review). The violence will usually be strictly fantasy violence, and nothing too graphic for most readers, however these 12’s may be a little older than some readers are looking for.

13+ – This is where some of the more complex decisions come in. 13+ on some websites can have some incredibly mature and dark themes, which I adore when I read them portrayed well, but i think its important to read them when you would enjoy them more, and perhaps understand them more than get scared or put off by them earlier. My 13+ does have more violence in general than my 12+B’s, about a 2 or 3 out of 5, but most of them are not too graphic. The romance/sexual context in my 13+ recommendations is slightly higher, but there will be NO smut (non of the books i recommend have anything other than clean romance – look at my other blog post for my definition of that and how they correspond to the age ratings!) and in general will not progress much further than a few kisses.

13+B – this is very similar to a 13+ but is for the books between a 13+ and a 14+. I would usually say that these books will have a 4/5 of violence but the romantic content will be at a 3/5 and a few more complex themes may come in.

14+ – my 14+ do raise the bar from the 13s as they will consider darker topics and tropes/themes. The violence here will rise to a 4/5 for violence, but the romance in each book will vary, however they will remain AT OR BELOW a 4/5 and of course will be clean (see my other blog post for this exact definition). These is the age rating that I start introducing some more mature themes/topics including mentions of prostitution/sex/extreme drunkard behaviour. These will of course have trigger warnings of the individual reviews themselves as 14+s could be solely for violence as well.

14+B – These 14+Bs start drifting towards the significantly older category, but the violence and romance will remain the same, it will just be the darkness of the setting and world that will bump these up to a B. Darker worlds that have very in depth wars or brutal traditions or other themes that I feel justify a B just to let the reader know. (As a side-note, most dystopian books will float between a plain 14+ and that all important B because while they do have some similar topics to fantasy, they are the fictions satire and so are sometimes disturbingly close to reality)

15+ –  These are books that can approach a 5/5 on the violence scale and will have a 4.5/5 romance level usually – usually still clean! – but will ultimately be books that look at some of the topics of 14+ and 14+B in a greater depth, and expand them. There may, depending on the book, be mentions of toxic relationships but i will give warnings for those, and off the page SA.

15+B – This is mainly going to be for violent sexual content like SA and harassment which does come in to older YA reads.

16+ – a definite step up from a 15+ this will contain more betrayal/backstabbing and darkness than earlier ratings as well as more sexual content (check individual content warnings).

16+B – B’s are usually for violence, sexual or otherwise.

17+  – this is almost adult so it does contain more graphic depictions of violence etc.

17+B – B’s for sexual content and violence.

Adult –  by this point very mature themes are being explored and if you are on the younger end of adult I would definitely encourage a good read of the content warnings.

Some books are really hard to fit into these categories – eg the First Test by Tamora Pierce, i absolutely adore it and read it when i was about 12, but there is a lot of overt sexism towards the main character that may be too much for some readers, which is why I have bumped it up a rating to a 12+B just to be safe.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Different books in the series may have different age ratings, especially as the plot/romances/threat develops, so just make sure that you make sure that the further books in the series are also what you are comfortable with.

On a side note – my book ratings do not collaborate with movie ratings, movie twelves certainly have a LOT more in them violence wise than I would have in a book rec so if you are comfortable reading a little bit more violence or darker themes then have a look at some of the B reviews or go up a category, plenty of these books can be read earlier or later depending on your comfort level!

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The First Test by Tamora Pierce

12+B

This is an amazing series, with a glorious first book. Keladry is a strong female lead who is standing against a flood of sexism as she trains for her shield as the first openly female knight for centuries. This is a different series to the Alanna the Lioness series that is set in the same world but about two decades previously. It isn’t necessary to read Alanna the Lioness first, but the are a few spoilers, and I read this series first myself. One of the only problems with this first book is that Keladry is the only female character in the first novel. She is surrounded with hostile boys as she trains and certainly in the beginning, she is mostly alone. Nealan of Queenscove becomes her mentor and first friend, and later on several others spend time with her. I love Kennedy’s past as the child of a foreign ambassador and that she had been trained in a different cultures warfare.

I love this series and have reread it more times than i can count. I would recommend this as one of the great fantasy reads! On that note, I am off to go and find my copy…..

Characters – 5/5 stars

World – 5/5 stars – it is beautiful, and the depiction of such a complex and vast world is done without any info-dumps.

Romance – NA

Plot  – 5/5 stars – amazing, and 1000 stars if you read the whole series.

Things to be aware of: there are a few mentions from various male characters that Kennedy might sleep with the boys despite the fact she is only 10. There is some violence. It depends on what you are comfortable with, but I would say that you could read it around eleven if you are comfortable with fantasy violence. I personally read it about then and have reread it several times since and got just as much enjoyment as I did the first time.

1

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

13+B

Amazing book. Rick Riordan has written a book solely from the point of view of a female character for the first time and it is amazing. It has loose ties to Two Thousand Leagues under the Sea, but only minor spoilers if you haven’t read it. Ana is an amazing protagonist and the secondary characters are hardly secondary! they feel just as solid and thought out as Ana. I love the premise and the idea that two high schools are fighting a war with better than millitary grade weapons. the plot is great, quick pased and perfect with moments of glorious rest before we launch into the action again. the world is insanely good. Rick Riordan excels at magic realism, and this skirts the edge, while keeping the best parts of sci-fi.

Characters – 5 stars

World – 4 stars

Romance – NA

Plot – 4 stars

Things to be aware of: In the beginning an entire high school is blown up by their rivals, and the whole cliff crumbles. There is betrayal and a huge secret is revealed at the very beginning. There is a constant stream of threat throughout the book which is why i have awarded it that B, but despite this the characters still act normal and manage to make the book – which only lasts about five days – seem like a lifetime of relationships and trust.

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