Blog Tour: Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today is my book tour stop for Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest.

This is NOT a review for this book. My review for this book is located on my Goodreads, and the review will be linked in this post.

This post is merely focused on the creative content I was tasked with doing when I was approved for this tour. And that creative content is a playlist! 

Let's get into the post!

I am honored to be hosting a spot on the Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest Blog Tour hosted by Hear Our Voices Book Tours. Check out my post below!

About The Book:

Title: Where You See Yourself

Author: Claire Forrest

Pub. Date: May 2, 2023

Publisher: Scholastic Inc

Formats:  Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads

Where You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams.

By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity—after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.

What Effie hasn’t told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. She’s never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she's lived her entire life. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it’s the right place for her.

But it turns out that the universe is full of surprises. As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts--and lasts--she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams...

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I posted my review on my Goodreads here (opens in new window). Here I'm posting my creative content for my blog, which is in the form of a playlist 🙂 I chose 15 songs, the playlist is just under an hour duration.

Some of these songs are on this list because they are directly mentioned in this book. Others are there because they reminded me of Effie, the main character. And others are there because they reminded me of certain scenes and plot points in the novel. 

Playlist Song Listing:

Empire State Of Mind - JAY-Z, Alicia Keys

Welcome To New York - Taylor Swift

I Knew You Were Trouble. - Taylor Swift

Into You - Ariana Grande

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) - Beyonce

California Girls - The Beach Boys

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

(I've Had) The Time Of My Life - Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes

Firework - Katy Perry

Brave - Sara Bareilles

Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara

Fight Song - Rachel Platten

Last Night - Morgan Wallen

Everything's Gonna Be Alright - David Lee Murphy, Kenny Chesney

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

About the Author:

Claire Forrest is a novelist and essayist who holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. Where You See Yourself is based on her lived experience as a wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy. As an undergraduate at Grinnell College, she was a consultant for the Disability Services and Admissions offices, working directly to address the concerns of incoming college students with disabilities and their families. 

She lives in Minneapolis, where when she’s not writing, she spends her time swimming and planning where to travel next. Find out more about her on Instagram and Twitter at @claire4est.

That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it!

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan (spoiler filled review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan, which I finished reading earlier this week. 

This review will be partly spoiler free, however there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this review.

Let's get into the review!

Daughter of the Deep is a Middle Grade/YA novel that follows Ana Dakkar, a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy (HP for short). This book is inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. 

I loved every single character in this book. 

This story is told from 1st person point-of-view from Ana's perspective. 

This book has a pretty diverse cast. Ana, the protagonist, is of Indian descent and follows Hinduism. Gemini Twain, prefect of House Shark, is a Black Mormon. One of Ana's best friends, Nelinha da Silva, is Brazilian. Ana's other best friend, Ester Harding, is autistic, has an anxiety disorder, and has an emotional support dog named Top. 

💥🔥SPOILER ALERT🔥💥
Anything below this is a spoiler
You have been warned

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I absolutely loved the characters in this story, particularly Ana, Gemini, and Franklin. Gemini was probably my second favorite character after Ana. I loved the way Ana's and Gemini's friendship formed and developed from the beginning of the novel to the end of it.

I also loved the character descriptions. I tend to have a hard time imagining characters and imagining scenes, so the description of Gemini looking like Miles Morales really helped, seeing as I know what Miles Morales looks like.

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I hated the ending. It was bad and tragic, and I didn't like it. I know that in real life, many children with medical conditions die. I know that. I just didn't like how it happened randomly. There was buildup, but at the same time, there wasn't. 

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✔👍SPOILERS OVER👍✔

Overall, I loved Daughter of the Deep. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads. It was fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves Rick Riordan books or books with aquatic/marine themes. I loved these characters, and I loved the plot. This is definitely the best book I've read so far this year.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which I read last year.

Let's get into the review!

A Princess of Mars is the first book in the Barsoom/Mars/John Carter of Mars series. Edgar Rice Burroughs is a classic author, also having written Tarzan of the Apes, which I have not read this. A Princess of Mars follows John Carter, a Civil War veteran from Virginia who ends up on Barsoom/Mars. 

This book is a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. It was originally published in a pulp magazine in July 1912, so this book is now over 100 years ago. I was quite surprised that this book is told in first-person POV by John Carter himself. 

I was also not expecting this book to go by so fast. My sister had checked this book out from our local library right before the pandemic hit. She didn't get to read it, but I did. I thought it was going to take longer than it did, but I read it in one day, taking a total of about 17 hours reading it (though I did have to take breaks during those 17 hours to eat, so it was probably closer to 14 hours). It was a very quick read.

It was enjoyable. John Carter's voice was interesting. I don't really care much for the damsel in distress trope (as I've mentioned before), which was included here. This book also had insta-love/insta-lust vibes, which I didn't too much care for either, but other than that, it was interesting.

The romance was a subplot and didn't take over the whole novel, which I appreciate since I expected a science fantasy novel. That was (for the most part) what I got.

Overall, I rated this book 4 out or 5 stars on Goodreads. As far as classics go, it wasn't my favorite. However, it was a nice quick read, and it was an enjoyable sci-fi novel.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (spoilers for Throne of Glass)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, the second book in the Throne of Glass series.

Let's get into the review!

I'm going to be honest: I don't remember this book that much. I read it in November 2020. That was a relatively long time ago, but I remember books that I've read before this one. 

Because I don't remember this book much, I am going to use the Goodreads summary for this book:

""A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for."

I can't say I'm the hugest fan of this series. I don't like Celeana all that much, and Dorian and Chaol are just okay. There isn't anything particularly interesting/spectacular about them. Dorian is a prince who likes an assassin. Chaol is a member of the king's guard who also likes said assassin, creating a love triangle of sorts (that I know is virtually nonexistent in future books as I started Heir of Fire immediately after finishing this one).

I don't know. This book just isn't that spectacular. It wasn't that memorable, I know that for sure because I would've remembered it more if it was.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Fifteen by Beverly Cleary

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of Fifteen by Beverly Cleary.

This review is spoiler free.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

Fifteen is about a plain girl named Jane Purdy. This is a YA first love romance novel that was written in the 1950s. Jane meets Stan Crandall, a horse meat delivery boy.

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This story was so cute. I read this back in January 2019, when I was actually 15 myself. I had been reading a different book (a Love Inspired romance), but my mother wanted me to read something about characters who were around my age instead of in their 20s so I could relate to them more. My mom and I found this one, and my mother suggested I read Fifteen. I have a feeling she suggested I read it because it's by Beverly Cleary, one of my mother's favorite childhood authors.

This was my first full dive into YA contemporary romance, and while it isn't 2000s-2020s contemporary, it is quite obvious that this would've been considered contemporary at the time if the genre had been completely around. 

While there were a few things that dated this book (rotary phones, drive-ins [I miss going to those], and small diners [few exist like the ones that did in old photos I've seen from the 50s-60s]), it was largely relatable, even for me, a homeschooled girl who has never dated in her life. I did, after all, have a major crush on a boy I was friends with during my brief voyage to 1st grade public school around my middle school age, despite not seeing him often, nor actually going to the same school he did. Because of that, I could definitely relate to some of the feelings Jane experienced.

This book was a very quick read for me. I started and finished it in the same day. The plot and writing were so engaging to me that I finished it very quickly. I remember reading this on my Amazon Fire 7 tablet in the front yard of my old house. I finished reading it that night while lying in bed. I remember sitting on the sidewalk of my old house the next day, still thinking about the book, and how much I had a crush on Stan.

It was a fun time. It was a simple time, that was a very enjoyable experience. I love this romance. I love Jane, and I love Stan.

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Overall, I really enjoyed Fifteen, and I'd definitely re-read it. It's a nice clean, first love romance that has nothing suggestive. It was a perfect read for me at the time, and it's a book I genuinely love. It's been three years since I read this book, and I still love it. I'd definitely recommend it, but it's definitely not for everyone. 

This book is very old-fashioned, but that's one of the things I found so charming about it. I do realize though, that not everyone likes old-fashioned romance and societal romantic norms.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads when I read it because I just enjoyed it that much. It was definitely worth my time.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thusday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl.

This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a minor spoiler section.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a children's/middle grade novel about three villains who wish to kill a fox and that same fox trying to escape harm. The story in of itself is very simplistic in nature. 

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This is the second Roald Dahl book I've read, and it's the first I've read in about a decade. My last exploration into Roald Dahl's literature was Matilda in the summer of 2013, when I was the mere age of 10. I loved that book. I have to say that I didn't like this one nearly as much, but it was still fun. 

The writing was simplistic, but it was enjoyable and it got the job done so I don't feel as if I can complain too much, especially since this is a book written for children. However, as far as classic children's authors go, I much prefer E.B. White's writing and storytelling to Mr. Dahl's.

Let's get into the spoiler-esque elements.

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💥🔥SPOILER ALERT🔥💥
Anything below this is a spoiler
You have been warned

___________________________________________________

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Honestly, I have a feeling that I would've abhorred this book as a child. I've always been incredibly empathetic, and the main focus of this book is three men who try to kill a fox. That is the entire plot. It's about a fox trying to avoid being killed. There are more adult-ish themes (cigar smoking and gun use) in this book, though that is largely a product of its time.

I also think I would've hated the part where Boggis, Bunce, and Bean shoot off his tail, and I have a feeling that I likely would've cried or put the book down, fearing the violence in it. 

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✔👍SPOILERS OVER👍✔

Overall, this book was enjoyable. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't the worst. It was a quick read that didn't bore be. This book would've probably taken me a lot longer as a child, so I'm glad I read it at an older age. I rate Fantastic Mr. Fox 3.5 out of 5 stars.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Angie and Me by Rebecca C. Jones

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of Angie and Me by Rebecca C. Jones.

This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this post.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

This book is a middle grade novel. It follows 12 year old Jenna, who ends up staying at a children’s hospital while being treated for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. While there she meets another girl, Angie, who has a rare blood disorder (it’s never specified what it’s called). 

I read this because the main girl has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I wanted to see if I related to it. 

As far as relatability, there wasn’t a lot. Only partially. At least in my case. I related to the pain Jenna felt, but everything else, not really.

Jenna is told to use a walker. I’ve never used a walker. She was given a wheelchair to use. I’ve only used a wheelchair once, and I hated the looks of other people, so I refused one, instead using other mobility options. I’ve also never had splints like the ones Jenna had. I do have braces, but I’ve never had to stay at a hospital for treatment.

Truthfully, while this book’s protagonist is Jenna, this book truthfully seems to be about Angie, the girl Jenna meets at the hospital. 

💥🔥SPOILER ALERT🔥💥
Anything below this is a spoiler
You have been warned

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I hated the ending. It was bad and tragic, and I didn't like it. I know that in real life, many children with medical conditions die. I know that. I just didn't like how it happened randomly. There was buildup, but at the same time, there wasn't. 

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✔👍SPOILERS OVER👍✔

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect. I hated the ending, and I know that I would’ve hated it even more if I had read this book as a child.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Missing by R.L. Stine

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of Missing by R.L. Stine.

This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this post.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

Missing is the fourth Fear Street novel. It's a YA mystery horror book. This book follows two characters, Mark and Cara Burroughs. Chapters are told in alternating perspectives, both in first person. The siblings' parents have gone missing. They haven't called or come home. This event kickstarts the entire plot, wherein Cara and Mark try to find out what happened to their parents. Of course, in typical R.L. Stone fashion, Cara and Mark's lives are in danger. It seems as if the cousin who lives with them is also spying on them.

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I really liked Cara and Mark. This is the first Fear Street book I've read that follows two siblings. Mostly, it's just a group of friends. I don't have any problems with that, I just like stories with siblings more. I find them to be more relatable. I really liked the relationship between Cara and Mark. 

It felt realistic. They annoyed each other on purpose, but they also cared about one another. They weren't constantly fighting, which was nice to see. The two of them tried to work together to find their parents.

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💥🔥SPOILER ALERT🔥💥
Anything below this is a spoiler
You have been warned

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Honestly, half of the mystery in this novel could have been solved if Cara's and Mark's parents just communicated with them. The whole thing at the end where they are revealed to be FBI agents and Roger is revealed to not be their cousin but instead be the best agent they had could have been resolved much quicker. 

If Mark and Cara had at least known Riger was an FBI agent, then they could've spent less time on Roger and more time on finding their parents. Some of the stuff with Roger just bogged the pacing down a bit, especially once the revelation came at the end.

I was also expecting a bit less mystery thriller and more paranormal-esque horror. With the monkey heads, I was actually expecting more of a Say Cheese and Die type thing. I expected that the monkey heads were a paranormal thing that had just sucked up their parents. I wasn't expecting a cult and for Mark's and Cara's parents to be members of the FBI. 

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I was disappointed when Roger died. I was genuinely interested in him and his story. Once the end came around and his identity was revealed, it just made me want him to be alive. He was an interesting character. Why exactly did he live with the Burroughs? Was he there because he and the the Burroughs worked on cases together? Was he there to protect Mark and Cara in case their parents weren't there? It's never explained, and I kind of wish it had been.

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✔👍SPOILERS OVER👍✔

Overall, this was a really enjoyable book. Is it perfect? No. Are there things about it that don't make sense? Yes. But in general, I really liked this book and I rate it 4 out of 5 years. Character-wise, I think this is the best Fear Street novel I've read out of the five I've read thus far. I enjoyed reading about Cara's and Mark's journey to find their parents.

That's it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one for Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz. 

This is a book I read pretty recently, so let's discuss it. There will be spoilers for this book. If you haven't read it and wish to, I'd recommend not reading this review. 

February (in the United States) is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, while February 2 is Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day, so I thought that this was the perfect time to post this review.

With that aside, let's get into it!

Sick Kids in Love is a YA sick lit novel about Isabel, a 16 year old girl with RA who meets Sasha, a 16 year old boy with Gaucher's disease in a hospital, where she is at for RA infusion treatments. This story isn't a standard sick lit novel. It isn't like Midnight Sun, Five Feet Apart, or The Fault in Our Stars. It's a sick lit novel wherein nobody dies. 

This isn't a spoiler, especially if you pay attention to the cover. The tagline reads "They don't die in this one," obviously taking a small jab at other sick lit novels wherein death is always imminent. This book also isn't like Everything, Everything which I already reviewed and expressed my animosity for. Both Sasha and Isabel stay sick throughout the whole novel, but neither of them dies.

One thing I noticed right off the bat in chapter 1 is that Isabel tells Sasha that she is taking DMARD infusions for rheumatoid arthritis that she was diagnosed with at the age of nine. This is a fallacy. Children cannot get RA. RA is an adult disease, meaning 18 and older. Children can get JIA, juvenile idiopathic arthritis. 

Fun fact: JIA used to be called JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis), but the terminology was changed because too many people thought that JRA/JIA was just a child version of RA. Nope. False. While RF-factor positive polyarticular JIA is closely linked to RA, the two are distinctly different, despite being treated in similar ways. 

Someone with JIA/JRA wouldn't tell a doctor that they have RA when asked about their medical history, because symptoms are different. Instead, it would be referred to as juvenile idiopathic arthritis or juvenile-onset arthritis, not rheumatoid arthritis because they're two distinct diseases. 

Yes, once people with JIA become adults, their type of arthritis--depending on the symptoms or severity--will sometimes be 're-diagnosed,' but Isabel wouldn't have been diagnosed with RA at 9. She would've been diagnosed with JIA/JRA, THEN once she becomes an adult MAY be diagnosed with RA. 

There is no way that Isabel actually has RA. She's 16 years, 9 months old, as she tells Sasha in chapter 1. At the end of the book, she's 17. The youngest age where someone can be diagnosed with RA is 18. Children used to be diagnosed with RA a long time ago, however, once the medical community found that JIA/JRA and RA are two separate diagnoses and conditions (despite being related), children started being diagnosed with JIA/JRA. Therefore, because this book is a contemporary romance, and it came out a few years ago and takes place in the modern day, Isabel, wouldn't have been diagnosed as having RA by doctors.

How was she diagnosed with RA? I'd love to know. Because, in all actuality, Isabel has juvenile idiopathic arthritis. No way does she have rheumatoid arthritis. That's not me being ignorant. That's me doing my research/living with the same disease.

The reason Isabel cannot have RA is because arthritis in children tends to affect growth and development. RA is the development of arthritis in adults that does not lead to joint deformities when it comes to growth. Juvenile arthritis on the other hand is a distinctive condition because arthritis in children can affect growth and joint development because their bodies are still developing.

There are links at the end of this post for anyone who wants any further information on this. It's also included so nobody can call me out for being 'ignorant' and spreading 'misinformation.' I like to cover my bases 😇

In chapter 4, Isabel mentions the walk home. She mentions getting a taxi, but that her dad will wonder why she used a taxi to go fifteen blocks? I didn't understand this. Her father is a doctor, and Isabel has supposedly had arthritis since she was at least nine. Fifteen blocks is 0.75 miles, which is pretty far. 

Honestly, just use the taxi. I know I would, and my parents would understand. What's so wrong with using a taxi? Who cares if most people would just walk? You aren't 'most' people. To most people, you aren't even normal. So just take the taxi, or walk, and just stop talking about it.

Character-wise, Sasha was hilarious.

The romance was super sweet. I loved all the illness humor.

There were many scenes that I liked, but one of my favorites was when Sasha and Isabel were on the subway the day they went to LIC Landing. One of my favorite scenes was when Isabel was having a hard time standing due to joint pain, and Sasha asked a man who was sitting down if Isabel could sit down in his spot. I loved that part. 

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Further information: 

Do Adults Have Juvenile Arthritis? (opens in new window)

Book Review: The Perfect Date by R.L. Stine (mostly spoiler free)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of The Perfect Date by R.L. Stine.

This is a book I read finished less than a week ago, so it's pretty fresh in my mind. This review will predominantly be spoiler-free, however, there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this post.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

The Perfect Date is a Fear Street novel. It's a YA paranormal horror book. It follows Brady Karlin, a senior at Shadyside High School. After the tragic death of his girlfriend in a sledding accident a year before the main events of the novel, he has a new girlfriend named Allie. However, he soon meets a girl named Rosha and proceeds to want to engage in a romantic relationship with her. Accidents keep happening though. Accidents that only happen when Rosha is around. Brady also keeps seeing a girl with a scarred face whom he is terrified of. 

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I found Brady to be extremely unlikable. There wasn't honestly anything redeemable about him, though I know that was R.L. Stine's intention. I didn't like how obsessive Brady was. It was annoying. I'm just glad this story was in third person from Brady's POV and not first person from Brady's POV as I likely would've struggled to get through it even more. I also didn't like how Brady cheated on Allie. He should've just broken up with her before he met up with Rosha. 

My favorite character was Jon, Brady's best friend. He was sensible. I liked the relationship he and Brady had. I also liked how Jon pointed out how wrong Brady was for not breaking up with Allie while seeing another girl. Jon was a nice voice of reason who honestly could've helped out Brady a lot if the guy had just listened to him.

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This book was surprisingly dark and gruesome. I've read one other Fear Street novel before, and it wasn't as gruesome as this one was. It wasn't overly graphic or anything, but the prologue talks about how mangled Sharon's--Brady's bereaved girlfriend--face and body were after her sledding accident. 

Once that happened, I knew the story was going to be dark. There were also mentions of limbs breaking off of characters during the climax, which wasn't the most pleasant thing to read if I'm being completely honest. It was dark, gruesome, and grim. It's the exact thing I would've expected in an R.L. Stine book written for teens.

💥🔥SPOILER ALERT🔥💥
Anything below this is a spoiler
You have been warned

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Initially the cover confused me, as Rosha was described as having blonde hair and green eyes. The girl on the cover looks nothing like that description. However, at the end, when Rosha is actually revealed to be Sharon, the cover makes a lot more sense. Sharon is described by Brady in the second to last chapter as having light brown hair and blue eyes. Coincidentally enough, that is the exact description of the girl on the cover.

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One thing about this book that I didn't really like was when Jon was killed off. I understand that it had a purpose because Brady couldn't find out before Rosha/Sharon revealed her secret, but I still didn't like it. Jon was one of the only characters I liked, and, like I mentioned previously, he was actually my favorite character. When he died, I was disappointed and kind of annoyed, solely because he was such a good, caring friend to Brady and was just overall a kind person.

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✔👍SPOILERS OVER👍✔

Overall, this was a really enjoyable book despite how unlikable Brady was. I didn't see the twist coming, which was interesting. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It would've been rated higher due to the twists, emotions, and shock I felt, but I hated how unlikable and obsessive Brady was. 

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one for The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. 

This is a graphic novel I read pretty recently, so let's discuss it. There will be spoilers for this book. If you haven't read it and wish to, I'd recommend not reading this review. 

With that aside, let's get into it!

This was the first book I read in 2022. I read this in preparation for a future post I want to do later this year. I was very curious about how Batgirl/Barbara Gordon became Oracle, so I read The Killing Joke, the book where Barbara is paralyzed by the Joker in order to attempt to make Commissioner Jim Gordon go insane.

This graphic novel is dark. It's a mature rated graphic novel for a reason. It's very dark and gritty. It's very grim.

Everything with Commissioner Gordon seemed very short and wrapped up in a neat little bow. I didn't like that, if I'm being fully honest. The small plot device with Barbara also left me with many questions.

How long did it take for someone to find her? Shouldn't she have theoretically died from loss of blood as Joker shot her through her abdomen and back?

The backstory used for Joker in this graphic novel also doesn't fully make sense to me. I have so many questions regarding this. He wants to provide for his pregnant wife because he's a family man. Good and fine. He quits his job as a lab assistant to become a stand-up comedian. What? It's no wonder he failed. There's no hint that Joker had previously been a comedian. It just makes no sense. 

Why do the criminals he agrees to work with want to rob a playing card company? What are they going to fully gain from that? There were many things in this story that just didn't make sense to me. Maybe I read it so fast that I didn't grasp some of the motivations behind this, but I don't think so.

I rated The Killing Joke 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. My main complaint is how short it is. It's only about 40 pages long. Because of the length it was a bit underwhelming if I'm going to be honest. I felt like there was something missing, and it's not just because there's a cliffhanger at the end of this story.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Best and Worst Books I Read in 2021 (Spoiler Free)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! 

Today I'm going to be talking about the best and worst books I read in 2021. I have independent reviews for the majority of these books, which I will link to in case anyone is interested in my more in-depth thoughts.

Without further ado, let's get into the post, beginning with the best books I read. 

Best

These books aren't in any particular order, as I find it difficult to rank books I enjoy. All I include here are synopses and my spoiler-free thoughts.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia 

Eliza and Her Monsters is a YA contemporary romance novel. This story follows Eliza Mirk, an eighteen-year-old girl. She's the anonymous webcomic creator of Monstrous Sea. In real life, Eliza is shy, friendless, and has anxiety, but online she is LadyConstellation and has millions of followers and fans. 

Her world is changed when a boy named Wallace Warland transfers to her school. Wallace writes fanfiction for Monstrous Sea. The two become friends, but Eliza doesn't tell him that she is LadyConstellation, the creator of the exact web comic he is a fan of. 

I really liked this book. It was cute. I also liked the artistic elements that were weaved into the story. They were seamless and made the story more enjoyable. The characters were fantastic and I instantly fell in love with them.

I wrote a review for this a few months ago, if you want to read my complete, spoiler filled thoughts on this book (linked here: Book Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (opens in new window)).

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a children's/middle grade novel told in words and drawings. This was technically a re-read for me as I read this book many years ago.

This book is about 12-year-old Hugo Cabret, an orphan who lives in a train station in Paris in the 1930s. This is a historical fiction novel. It has a lot of historical elements sprinkled in (as it should), and gives a good introductory insight into the history of film and cinema.

This is a novel told in words and pictures. It's very unique and is the first children's novel/chapter book to receive the Caldecott Medal, an award given annually to the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children." The Caldecott and Newbery medals are considered the most prestigious awards for American children's books. 

I love this book. I loved it as a child, and I love it now. It's a fantastic book that mixes two of my favorite things: reading and drawing. Plus, the cover is absolutely stunning for a children's book.

Much like the last one, I wrote an independent review for this book (linked here: Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (opens in new window)).

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows is a YA fantasy novel with romance aspects sprinkled in, though it isn't the focal point of the novel. This series is technically the second series in the Grishaverse, the first being the Grisha/Shadow and Bone trilogy (depends on who in the fandom you ask; both are valid search queries, though if you read the Six of Crows cover at the top, it clearly states Grisha Trilogy).

This story is written in third-person point-of-view following six characters (five have a POV in this novel). These six characters are members of a gang in a world inspired by Amsterdam, Antwerp, Las Vegas, and Old New York (New Amsterdam), with one member being a leader. 

The leader of this gang (the Dregs) is Kaz Brekker, a 17-year-old boy. Kaz is very well known in Ketterdam, particularly in the place called 'the Barrel,' where he is known by 'Dirtyhands.' 

There are numerous other protagonists, such as Inej Ghafa (the Wraith), Jesper Fahey (the Sharpshooter), Nina Zenik (the Heartrender), and two others who are introduced a few chapters in. This book is very similar to the general idea of Ocean's Eleven, but as if it was a YA fantasy novel. 

My full review linked here: Six of Crows: Ocean's Eleven Meets YA Fantasy (opens in new window).

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

War Girls is a YA Speculative Fiction novel. It takes place in 2172, but is meant to tell a partial history of the Nigerian Civil War/Biafran War/Nigerian-Biafran War that began in 1967 and ended in 1970. 

I say partial because it is still fiction, and Tochi Onyebuchi took inspiration from other aspects of African history, as mentioned in the Author's Note.

War Girls is told from the perspectives of two characters. Two "adopted" sisters named Onyii and Ify. This story is told in third-person present tense, so the writing tense is definitely not for everyone. 

I checked this book out in 2020 to read during quarantine. Despite checking it out in March 2020, I actually read and finished this book in March 2021, due to my local library being closed.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different as well as intriguing. I also really enjoyed the writing style.

Review here: Speculative Fiction Set in Africa: War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi (opens in new window).

Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz 

Sick Kids in Love is a YA contemporary romance that was released in 2019. The story is about Isabel Garfinkel and Sasha Sverdlov-Deckler, two Jewish teens who meet at the NYC hospital Isabel's father works at. 

Both of these characters have chronic illnesses and fall in love, hence the title. I was excited to read this. I read this one in December, so this read was pretty recent. I was excited for two reasons. 

I was excited to read a book with a romance between characters who have medical issues where both live. To clarify, this isn't a spoiler. The tagline at the top of the cover reads, "They don't die in this one." 

Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and Sasha has Gaucher's disease. I really like this book, but there were a few things I didn't like about it. I will be posting a spoiler review for this book next month, so look out for that. That's where I will discuss the spoilers, but I'll explain the biggest problem I have with this book: Isabel's diagnosis. 

She's 16 (17 at the end of the book), and she explains that she was diagnosed with RA at the age of 9. This is impossible. Children cannot be diagnosed with straight up RA. Isabel has JIA, and the fact that she is described as having RA is medically inaccurate. I will explain this point further in my review.

This is one of only two books that I have not reviewed on my blog, but the review will be coming soon, so keep an eye out for that if you are interested. 

Worst

These books were the worst books I read in 2021, ordered from "best" to worst. Again, these "mini-reviews" are spoiler-free.

My Little Pony: Applejack and the Honest-to-Goodness Switcheroo by G.M. Berrow

I'm going to preface this by saying that this book was fine. I had no problem with this book, plot, writing, or characters. 

The problem I had was that the blurb on the back of the book gives a detail that doesn't happen until the last couple chapters of the book.

That was my main complaint. Other than that, this book is fun and enjoyable. I just didn't like that the title and blurb give away something that happens toward the end. 

What this book really is about is Applejack trying to win an award for Sweet Apple Acres, her family's farm, not whatever the blurb advertises.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything is a YA contemporary romance novel. I read this book in November. This review is spoiler free, but let me just say this: I hated the ending of this book. 

This was a 2.5 star read for me. I wrote a spoiler filled rant review for this book (linked here: Rant Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (opens in new window)).

This story is about Madeline Whittier, an 18-year-old biracial (half-African American, half-Japanese) girl who lives inside a sterilized home because she has a rare disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or SCID for short. 

It is also known as 'bubble boy disease' after the media used it to refer to David Vetter, a young boy who was diagnosed with the condition in the 1970s.

Maddy has lived a pretty happy life. She spends a lot of time with her mother and her nurse, Carla. Then, Maddy's life changes drastically once Olly, a new boy next door moves in. They begin to talk through emails and get to know each other. 

This book is a romance story about a girl falling in love with the boy next door. 

If you are interested in this plot and think it'll be a great book with disability rep, I'd highly recommend reading my review, despite the numerous spoilers included. 

If you're interested in this for the romance aspect then I'd recommend it, but if you're interested because you want to read about this illness/disability that Maddie has, then you'll likely be disappointed, as the ending is an offensive letdown.

The romance was cute, but this book was hands down the worst book I read in 2021. The amount of times the second half frustrated me was uncanny as I don't get that frustrated that often. 

To a certain extent, I'd say that I hated the second half of this book more than I hate Twilight, which is saying a lot, as Twilight was my book to rank on in 2020.

So there you go! 

Those are best and worst books I read in 2021. I intend to do another for 2022, as long as I have at least two books I disliked.

See you Thursday,

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter (spoiler free review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a spoiler-free review of All Fall Down byAlly Carter. 

I read this book in March 2019, so it's been a little while. This book is the first book in the Embassy Row trilogy.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

Like I said in the introduction, All Fall Down is the first book in the Embassy Row trilogy by Ally Carter, the author of the Gallagher Girls series. 

This is the synopsis Goodreads gives: 

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.
2. Her mother was murdered.
3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her -- so there's no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can't control Grace -- no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

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The plot was intriguing. It was engaging. This book took about a week and a half for me to read. I thought the plot was very interesting. I also enjoyed the characters. From what I remember, the writing wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't awful either. The mystery aspect was incredibly interesting. It was enjoyable to journey with Grace as she tried to find out who killed her mother. 

The plot twist was also shocking. I didn't see it coming whatsoever, but it makes sense. I find it interesting how Ally Carter included it. If you've read the book you know what I'm talking about. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm not going to explain it as this is a spoiler free review.

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As for characters, I found Grace to be very interesting. She was unlike many female protagonists I've read about. She was an interesting person to follow. I was really interested in her story and her journey. I also really liked her familial relationships, particularly the one with her brother, Jamie, even though he's not really in this book. We never get to meet him, but Grace mentions him a few times, which made me really excited to meet him.

I also found Alexei and Noah interesting. I thought for sure that Noah would be a love interest for Grace, but it was quite clear that another character seems to be the love interest. I'm interested to see how this relationship involves.

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I'm excited to pick this series back up and read its two sequels. I'm also excited to meet Jamie in See How They Run. I started reading the second book, but I dropped it and need to pick it up again.

Overall, I really enjoyed All Fall Down. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I really want to know what happens to Grace in the rest of the series. Hopefully, it won't disappoint.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌