The Book Voyagers

Welcome, welcome! Today we bring you something really special to this blog. With Sue, Aila, Shelly and ourselves, we made this sort-of yearbook of the Class of 2016. It's all about Young Adult books and characters today. We, the Yearbook Committee (we like to call ourselves that lmao), made superlatives and chose some books as winners and definitely chose a lot of books as runner-ups (WE COULDN'T CHOOSE, ALL OF THEM ARE FAVORITES). And while we might have chosen a winner for the categories, don't doubt that all of the runner-up books just as amazing and epic and beautiful in their own way as the winners. We recommend all of them to be honest, and we hope you guys pick them up to read and enjoy the journey they give you. 

The post and yearbook will be in images so you can click them and enlarge/see them more clearly! We made it this way so it looks more like a yearbook and (we hope it looks kinda cool at least hehe).

// most likely to be famous
Winner: Jessica Tran from Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
#2 Gigi from Shiny Broken Pieces (Tiny Pretty Things #2) by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
#3 Charlotte Holmes from A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
// most athletic
Winner: Jasmine de los Santos from Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz
#2 Taylor from Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally
//
Winner: Miel and Sam from When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
#2 Denna and Mare from Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
#3 Alex and Rishi from Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
#4 Nix and Kash from The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
#5 Shazi and Khalid from The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
// most likely to succeed
Winner: Alex dela Cruz from Prom Queen Perfect by Clarisse David
#2 Eros from Beyond the Red by Ava Jae
#3 Andrea Faraday from Perfect Liars by Kimberly Reid
#4 Autumn from This is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
// most likely to be president
Winner: Adelina Amouteru from The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu
#2 Cass Leung from The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
#3 Royce Blakely from Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz
// best all-around
Winner: Mimosa from The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
#2 Elias from A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir
#3 Kash from The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
#4 Miel from When The Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
// most academic
Winner: Trixie and Ben from The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson
#2 Natasha from The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
#3 Alex from The Blazing Star by Imani Josey
// most artsy
Winner: Corinne and Ada from Iron Cast by Destiny Soria
#2 Amanda Hardy from If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
#3 Addison Sullivan from Everyone We've Been by Sarah Everett
// biggest trouble maker
Winner: Zoe and Digby from Trouble Makes a Comeback (Trouble #2) by Stephanie Tromly
#2 Portia from The Blazing Star by Imani Josey
#3 Mare from Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
// most likely to brighten your day
Winner: Colton from Timekeeper by Tara Sim
#2 Kara from Unicorn Tracks by Julia Ember
// prom king
Winner: Magnus Damora from Crystal Storm (Falling Kingdoms #5) by Morgan Rhodes
// prom queen
Winner: Maya from The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
// class clown
Winner: Noah from Take the Key and Lock Her Up (Embassy Row #3) by Ally Carter
#2 Magiano from The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu
// best school spirit
Winner: Jasmine de los Santos from Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz
// most sarcastic
Winner: Kamala from The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
#2 Mercy Wong from Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments

Hello, lovely people! Today we bring you a very special, a very fun blog post. If you're still searching for a perfect gift for your friends, if those particular friends love books or if they don't usually read but you want to gift them something to start and you just want to find something that they would like BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SHOUT AND GET ALL EMOTIONAL WITH THEM WHEN YOU READ, well, I think this is a good place to start.
 
♡ The Blazing Star by Imani Josey
♡ The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
 ♡ Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
♡ The Unforgettables by G.L. Tomas
♡ When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
♡ The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
♡ The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
♡ Noble Love by Té Russ
♡ Save The Cake by Stella Torres
 
♡ Settle the Score / Hustle Play by Tara Frejas
♡ Well Played by Katrina Ramos Atienza
♡ Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
♡ Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland
♡ Interim Goddess of Love by Mina V. Esguerra
♡ Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
♡ Marian by Ella Lyons
♡ Prom Queen Perfect by Clarisse David
 
♡ Timekeeper by Tara Sim
♡ The Reader by Traci Chee
♡ A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Title: The Blazing Star
Author: Imani Josey
Release date: December 6th, 2016

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Portia White is used to being overlooked—after all, her twin sister Alex is a literal genius.

But when Portia holds an Egyptian scarab beetle during history class, she takes center stage in a way she never expected: she faints. Upon waking, she is stronger, faster, and braver than before. And when she accidentally touches the scarab again?

She wakes up in ancient Egypt—her sister and an unwitting freshman in tow.

Great. 

Mysterious and beautiful, Egypt is more than they could have ever imagined from their days in the classroom. History comes alive as the three teens realize that getting back to the present will be the most difficult thing they’ve ever done. Stalked by vicious monsters called Scorpions, every step in the right direction means a step closer to danger.

As Portia and the girls discover that they’re linked to the past by more than just chance, they have to decide what it truly means to be yourself, to love your sister, and to find your way home.

Review

The Blazing Star is Imani Josey's debut novel and it's 1000% magical. There is so much in this novel that you'll feel blessed and loved and this is what you want in your fantasy stories. It has a biracial main character, mythology, a non-western setting (Egypt), time-traveling, sisterhood, characters of color, royalty, magic, etc. (ノ´ãƒ®´)ノ*: ・゚

This was gods and goddesses, myth and legends, and very old magic.

I loved, loved all the characters. There is some serious girl power in this book. The woman are fierce and powerful and beautiful and magical. Seriously, check this book out for them if you don't like the other aspects. They are the main characters of this story and they rule. The. World. The friendships between them are epic and you'll fall in love with them asap when you meet them one by one. Plus Portia and her twin Alex also have a great relationship and you'll see different aspects of it ~ 

There is also a friendship that maybe will turn into romance with an Egyptian prince. This is my SHIP, THIS IS MY SHIP. They really care for each other and will always be there for one another. I'm feeling this romance , guys ~ I support this 10000% I am sure. I am also quite in love and have a little crush on this general that appears, he has like ten lines in the book but oh my god guys he is the moody type, the silent but soft in the inside? Yes, for this. I hope we see more of him in the next book! 


Imani Josey is a writer from Chicago, Illinois. In her previous life, she was a cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls and won the titles of Miss Chicago and Miss Cook County for the Miss America Organization, as well as Miss Black Illinois USA.

Her one-act play, Grace, was produced by Pegasus Players Theatre Chicago after winning the 19th Annual Young Playwrights Festival. In recent years, she has turned her sights to long-form fiction. She now spends the majority of her time working on backstory, teaching dance fitness classes, and cuddling with her American bulldog, Thor.

Contact: Website | Twitter
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Title: Thanks a Lot, John LeClair
Series: A Companion Novel to previous book (Can be read as standalone!)
Author: Johanna Parkhurst
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Release date: December 15th, 2016

Add on Goodreads | Amazon | Harmony Ink Press

Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Emmitt LaPoint has secretly been writing letters to his hockey idol, John LeClair, for years. So it’s probably only fitting that Emmitt’s small Vermont town seems desperate to make him the next LeClair. After all, Emmitt is about to lead his high school hockey team to the state championship, he has a near-perfect GPA, and he’s liked by almost everyone.

But even golden boys have problems, and Emmitt has more than his share. His father’s back in town to breathe down his neck. He’s happily dating his coach’s nephew, Dusty, but almost nobody knows he’s gay—and that secret is getting harder and harder to keep.

When Emmitt discovers Dusty is keeping secrets of his own, he’s forced to decide exactly what kind of golden boy he wants to be.

Review

First of all, this book was really cute. It starts off really well with Emmitt and his love for hockey. He's worried because his boyfriend Dusty didn't go to his game. Emmitt is really cool and he's your typical golden boy. He wears khakis and he is one the most popular guys in school. He is the ace of his hockey team and in the novel, the team is trying to have an undefeated season ~ which is awesome tbh. 

Dusty is the cute, brother's best friend boy. He is dating Emmitt and everything seems to be going good and beautiful. What Emmitt doesn't know is that Dusty is hiding something really big, and he is not telling anyone about it. This plot is the big part of the first half of this novel. Everything follows around this big thing that Dusty is keeping hidden. 

The pace of the novel is great and there are fun things to look forward in this book. The family relationships were amazing. I really liked Dusty's family aka the coach and his brothers. Also Emmitt's family is everything; his brother is always supporting him and they have fun together. Plus the little fact that Dusty is Emmitt's brother's best friend. You get the see their first meeting through both POVs, so that's kind of cool too.

It also tackles things like how it's wrong to fetishize m/m relationships (though they don't actually do anything, just comment it's wrong), how it's weird that there is a big quantity of white players in hockey, etc. This is also a companion novel to another book Johanna wrote called Here's To You, Zeb Pike. I didn't read that one but this book, the one I did read, really talks a lot about what happened in the other one. Like scenes and things the characters did in the other book. I was confused for a bit like I didn't know anything that happened before. It is a companion novel and tbh it can be read as a standalone. But advice? You'll understand better if you read that other book before reading this one because it does have the same main characters/couple. Though it is written in Dusty's POV. 

There are various things I didn't enjoy in this book and I want to talk about them. Maybe you've seen my tweets about this but it's important to say them again. 1) It's wrong, so very wrong to out someone to another person. Even if that other person is friends with the guy being outed. You can't do that!!! without!!! consent!!! Never. I mean Emmitt forgives and forgets. But tbh it's so wrong. It's not that person's decision to tell other people about something a friend told you in secret. 2) Also wrong? Pressuring someone to tell everyone they're gay. Each person has the way they want to do this. If you pressure someone or if there is a situation where the character is being pressured to tell everyone they're gay, that's also very wrong because they're not doing it for themselves, they're doing it so the situation doesn't get out of control or they're doing it so your boyfriend doesn't guilt-trips you. 

Though overall, you will enjoy it if you love sports (there is so much of it, I'm so happy!! We actually get to see and experience with Emmitt many hockey games!!) and romance. But do take in consideration the points I made earlier if you decide to pick it up.

Johanna Parkhurst grew up on a small dairy farm in northern Vermont before relocating to the rocky mountains of Colorado. She spends her days helping teenagers learn to read and write and her evenings writing things she hopes they’ll like to read. She strives to share stories of young adults who are as determined, passionate, and complex as the ones she shares classrooms with.

Johanna holds degrees from Albertus Magnus College and Teachers College, Columbia University. She loves traveling, hiking, skiing, and yelling at the TV during football and hockey season.

Contact: Website | Twitter
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Hello/good morning/good afternoon/good night, guys! Wherever you are right now, we hope you're okay, fine, having fun and reading lots of fabulous books that you'll love forever. Today is such a fun day to publish this blog post! I literally love this blog post a lot ~ I seriously am in love, I will forever remember it and I don't know how I will top this for another blog post. I couldn't have done it without Leah (@nickyoflaherty) and Mason (@AmzngBookshelf)! They are amazing and they know lots of books okay, also they are so creative and fab. This post couldn't be what it is without their help and support and their selves. I love you guys! Thank you for saying yes to this crazy idea. 

So, after all the love fest I gave in the upstairs paragraph, here comes the part of explaining what this is about. As I said this is a very special post filled with love and support for these books. Some are debuts, some are veterans, there is seriously everything here. We decided to make a sort of "guide" so you can find a 2017 book. This is for the people who want something specific, you can find it here (probably? hopefully?) You'll find a little bit of everything in this book guide! We hope this helps and we hope that you support the authors and buy their books ~ 

Note: The guide's format is in images so for better quality, click the image for you to see it larger, bigger, better! Though I will put titles and links to Goodreads below the image.
Note #2: Many books can fit in other categories. Example: Many fit in the category W ~ Books starring women! or in R ~ Representation is important! As many more for sure. 

*cover* 
*page 1*
A. Artistic Main Characters
~ You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner 
~ The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz
~ Noteworthy by Riley Redgate 
~ Kaleidoscope Song by Fox Benwell

B. Bisexual Representation
~ Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
~ The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
~ 27 Hours by Tristina Wright
*page 2*
C. Cute YA Contemporaries
~ When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
~ I Believe in A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo
~ My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

D. Down With The System!
~ Frostblood by Elly Blake
~ Blood Rode Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves
~ Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older
*page 3*
E. Emotional YA Stories
~ History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
~ The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
~ Dear Martin by Nic Stone

F. Fairy Tale Retellings
~ Forest of a Thousand Laterns by Julie C. Dao
~ Walking on Knives by Maya Chhabra
~ Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
*page 4*
G. Genderfluid Main Characters
~ Tiger's Watch (Ashes of Gold #1) by Julia Ember
~ Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller

H. Hail to the Royals! Royalty in YA
~ Romancing the Throne by Nadine Julie Courtney
~ Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
~ The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana
*page 5*
I. Internet: Social Media as Main Plot
~ #famous by Jilly Gagnon
~ Follow Me Back by A. V. Geiger
~ The Takedown by Corrie Wang
~ Internet Famous by Danika Stone

J. Journey to another world: Fantasy YA
~ Poison's Kiss by Breeana Shields [I've seen this book has bad rep so ignore it]
~ The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
~ Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
~ Caraval by Stephanie Garber
~ Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic
*page 6*
K. Kiss the girl: F/F Romances
~ It's Not Like It's a Secret by Mia Sugiura
~ How To Make a Wish by Ashley Blake Herring
~ Like Water by Rebecca Podos

L. Last Rides: End of a series
~ Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab
~ Always and Forever, Lara Jean (To All The Boys I've Loved Before #3) by Jenny Han
~ A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen #2) by Roshani Chokshi
*page 7*
M. Movie Magic: Books inspired by movies (or TV shows)
~ Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon
~ One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
~ Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

N. Non-fiction
~ Here We Are: Feminism For the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen
~ The Queer History Project: No Way, They Were Gay? by Lee Wind
~ Born Both: An Intersex Life by Hida Viloria
*page 8*
O. Olympians: Sporty YA Books
~ Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman
~ A Season of Daring Greatly by Ellen Emerson White

P. Plus-sized Main Characters
~ The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
~ Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly deVos
~ Dead Little Mean Girl by Eva Darrows
*page 9*
Q. Querido México: Mexican representation
~ North of Happy by Adi Alsaid
~ The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
~ I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
~ Love Sugar Magic by Anna Meriano

R. Representation is important!
~ Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
~ American Street by Ibi Zoboi
~ Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
~ The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
~ Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
~ 10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac
*page 10*
S. It's A Spectrum! Books with Ace Spec Characters
~ Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
~ Assassins: Nemesis (Assassins #2) by Erica Cameron

T. Time-travel YA. 
~ The Ship Beyond Time (The Girl from Everywhere #2) by Heidi Heilig
~ The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke
*page 11*
U. Under the sea: Mermaids, sirens and more...
~ Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
~ The Seafarer's Kiss by Julia Ember
~ The Princes' Bane by Alexandra Christo
~ Given To the Sea by Mindy McGinnis

V. Viva la Science Fiction!
~ The Amaterasu Project by Axie Oh
~ Want by Cindy Pon
~ Shadow Run (Kaitan Chronicles #1) by AdriAnne Strickland & Michael Miller
~ Warcross by Marie Lu
~ Into the Black (Beyond the Red #2) by Ava Jae
*page 12*
W. Wonder Women: Books Starring Women
~ Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
~ Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
~ The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

X. X marks the spot: Pirate books
~ Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
~ The Edge of the Abyss (The Abyss Surrounds Us #2) by Emily Skrutskie
*page 13*
Y. For young readers
~ Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
~ Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson
~ The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi
~ Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
~ See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng 
~ The Crystal Ribbon by Celeste Lim
~ Amina's Voice by Hena Khan
~ The Emperor's Riddle by Kat Zhang

Z. Zoink! Time to solve a mystery!
~ Overturned by Lamar Giles
~ The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes
~ The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
3 comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Pages

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • REVIEWS
  • FAVORITE TITLES
  • 2018 BOOK LISTS
  • SUPPORT LATINX + CARIBBEAN AUTHORS

Silvana [The Book Voyagers]'s bookshelf: read

Heart of the Steal
it was amazing
Heart of the Steal
by Avon Gale
The Infamous Miss Rodriguez
it was amazing
The Infamous Miss Rodriguez
by Lydia San Andres
No Strings Attached
really liked it
No Strings Attached
by Mina V. Esguerra

goodreads.com

Follow Us

BOOK MATCH

  • Find your book match

Blog Archive

  • ►  2019 (4)
    • ►  October 2019 (1)
    • ►  August 2019 (2)
    • ►  July 2019 (1)
  • ►  2018 (20)
    • ►  November 2018 (1)
    • ►  September 2018 (1)
    • ►  August 2018 (3)
    • ►  July 2018 (1)
    • ►  May 2018 (2)
    • ►  April 2018 (3)
    • ►  March 2018 (6)
    • ►  February 2018 (1)
    • ►  January 2018 (2)
  • ►  2017 (55)
    • ►  November 2017 (1)
    • ►  October 2017 (3)
    • ►  September 2017 (4)
    • ►  August 2017 (3)
    • ►  July 2017 (7)
    • ►  June 2017 (5)
    • ►  May 2017 (3)
    • ►  April 2017 (8)
    • ►  March 2017 (5)
    • ►  February 2017 (7)
    • ►  January 2017 (9)
  • ▼  2016 (127)
    • ▼  December 2016 (5)
      • Class of 2016. A Year in Books.
      • Book Gift Guide for this Christmas
      • ARC Review: The Blazing Star by Imani Josey
      • Blog Tour: Thanks a Lot, John LeClair
      • A to Z: A Guide to Finding Your Perfect 2017 Book
    • ►  November 2016 (4)
    • ►  October 2016 (6)
    • ►  September 2016 (11)
    • ►  August 2016 (10)
    • ►  July 2016 (16)
    • ►  June 2016 (13)
    • ►  May 2016 (11)
    • ►  April 2016 (15)
    • ►  March 2016 (6)
    • ►  February 2016 (14)
    • ►  January 2016 (16)
  • ►  2015 (20)
    • ►  December 2015 (10)
    • ►  November 2015 (10)
Powered by Blogger.

Popular

  • Single Parents in Romance Books
    Single Parents in Romance Books
    Hello voyagers! I know I haven't been writing many posts before, I'm on a slump to be honest. I can't come up with anything c...
  • NBA Finals? Check out these 5 basketball romance books!
    NBA Finals? Check out these 5 basketball romance books!
    Hello, voyagers! If you don't know the NBA Finals are happening right now. It might be over tonight but it might not??? It is so go...
  • Ripped Pages by M. Hollis // Cover Reveal!
    Ripped Pages by M. Hollis // Cover Reveal!
    Hello, voyagers! Today I bring you a very beautiful thing. It's the next M. Hollis book ~ if you know Maria, you know the Lillac Town ...
  • Books to read based on Camp Halfblood cabins
    Books to read based on Camp Halfblood cabins
    Hello, my lovely readers! I wanted to do another book recommendations blog post because I love them and it's always fun to write them ...
  • If You Like This Show  âž¡ You Should Read This Book
    If You Like This Show ➡ You Should Read This Book
    When I finish a show or watch an episode of my fave shows, I always get this urge to read something that resembles it or has a same feeling...

Created with by ThemeXpose | Distributed By Gooyaabi Templates