Epic Reading Challenge: August

Welcome back to the Epic Reads Challenge 2024, when some of our TBG members choose a book that fits the prompt of the month! These prompts provided by Epic Reads hope to inspire new and unique book choices among readers. We encourage the community to join in this challenge with us and participate in the prompt each month.

The prompt for August was… a diverse/ gender-swapped retelling!

Grace: 

My selection for August was One for All by Lillie Lainoff, which is a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers.

One for All by Lillie Lainoff tells the story of Tania de Batz, a young woman that suffers from medical challenges that cause her to experience bouts of dizziness. Despite these health problems, Tania is determined to follow in the footsteps of her father and become a fencer. When her father suddenly (and suspiciously) dies, she is sent to what appears to be a finishing school, but is actually a training center for female Musketeers. The reader follows Tania on her journey through schooling, meeting a charming target in one of her missions, and trying to discover what really happened to her father.

I’m not too familiar with the original story of the Musketeers, but I certainly enjoyed this gender-bent retelling! One of my favorite aspects was the found family that Tania has through her “sisters” at the training center. Even if you are not well versed in the original tale, this is a good novel to pick up!

Marley:

I chose A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney. 

When Brionne Mathew’s is shot and killed by a police officer due to her powers, fear consumes Alice causing two nightmare creatures to capture her, forcing her to face the cold reality of the real world while navigating through the confusion that is Wonderland. 

Alice is the embodiment of black girl magic. L.L McKinney built such a diverse and lively cast of characters. It was an enjoyable read that had nods to the whimsical twist and turns of the classic Alice in Wonderland with light political commentary of the struggles of a Black girl that doesn’t  feel like she fits in her community filled with racial injustice.

Overall this was a wonderful read to finish off summer. A Blade So Black is a creatively reimagined story of a true classic that really brought me in, making me wish to read it again and again for how it envisions this modern day fantasy. I can’t wait to follow Alice’s journey in the sequel.

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones

reviewed by Kate D.
Grade 11

Imagine, at age eight, being kidnapped because you saved a toddler. Imagine your father giving you up because he couldn’t bring himself to fight or bargain to keep you. Imagine poisoning hundreds of people without knowing. Imagine being the last person alive who can control water. Imagine spending years running from town to town, refusing to find home. Imagine being a power tool in some sick game. Imagine.

When fourteen-year-old Mererid realized it was she who killed a whole kingdom, she tried to run. The prince, who forced her to kill hundreds, shackled and branded her. In the first chapter, the reader meets Mer after she had already escaped the castle. She’s lived in a small, quiet village for a whole three months when she’s visited by an old workmate who tells her about a quest he’s brought upon himself.

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones was written extraordinarily well. The characters have depth, secrets, regrets, and passion. The book is filled with twists and deep lore. A long journey as well as rich subplots drive the story. The dialogue pushes a sense of show-not-tell, as evident in lines such as, “Because you are the last—and because I have a need.” The only questionable part of the story is confusion of who the love interest may be or confusion of which side a character is on, though an argument could be made that this confusion enhances the depth and hooks of the book.

The Drowned Woods is a perfect book for fantasy and violence lovers. It’s a clean book, but still includes a romance subplot. As previously stated, the writing is excellent and is very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend reading The Drowned Woods to any book girlies who are looking for a clean fantasy. 

A 2024-25 Florida Teens Read nominee

5 Questions With... Abiola Bello!

By Grace H.

Abiola Bello is a London-raised, Nigerian author. A writer from a young age, Abiola grew up creating fantasy stories about strong, black female protagonists (now the Emily Knight middle grade series), knowing that she wanted this to become her career. 

Abiola recently published two holiday YA romance novels, Love in Winter Wonderland and Only for the Holidays (available in the U.S. this October!), and the following 5 questions will be in regard to these novels.

One of my favorite parts about both of your holiday novels is the setting, both within the bookstore in your first novel, and then Saiyan Hedge Farm in your second. They both take place during the holiday season, and the reader can feel that magic within every page. Were you inspired by any real-life places when crafting the setting and holiday vibes of your novel?

There's an independent bookshop on Stoke Newington High St which inspired Wonderland. It's not black owned but I envisioned Wonderland in that place. There's a lot of London, especially in Love in Winter Wonderland and its places that I've grown up around, that mean something to me. 

With Only for the Holidays, Mike's party is based on a real venue in Peckham, South London but Saiyan Hedge Farm itself was inspired by Google image search :) Also I was watching a lot of Bridgerton and wanted to create my own version with the Winter ball.

Is there a character in either novel that you felt especially drawn to while writing? Maybe one that you could relate to personally?

Tia is me! Just her moany side lol. All the stuff she hates, I hate too like horses, the countryside, poor communicators in guys! Boogs and Annika are also me - love to dance, straight talking, funny, can get along with everyone.

The most special character for me was probably Ariel as I had lost my dad while writing about her losing her dad so there were a lot of my emotions in her.

If you had to describe each of your holiday novels in one sentence, what would they be?

Ooh that's quite tricky. Okay, I will give it a shot.

Love in Winter Wonderland: “Two teenagers fall for each other as they try to save a Black-owned bookshop from closing down on Christmas Eve.”

Only for the Holidays: “A country boy and a city girl fake date but end up realising that their perfect partner is each other.”

You mention in the biography on your website that you're super passionate about writing diverse books that are inclusive for all people. Can you expand on what it means to you to write about black main characters in your novels?

It's definitely gotten better, but in the UK there are just not enough books with Black people as the main characters that aren't trauma-based. There's pretty much none in UK YA romance books, and it's important for me to show Black people in different lights and not always related to violence or slavery.

And finally, what comes next on your writing journey?

I just released The Love Dare on July 4th which is my third YA. I've finished my first adult book and I have a younger fiction series and a middle-grade out next year. I have an idea for YA but need to flesh it out first!

Thank you so much for speaking with us, Abiola!

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole

Reviewed by Kate D.
Grade 11

Have you ever felt as if you had no choice? Have you ever been called a monster by your peers? Have you ever painted yourself red with poison and blood? Have you ever felt like a little rabbit? Have you ever lost a friend because the two of you were too different? Have you ever been caught by that one male teacher after school when everyone else has gone? Have you ever met a wolf wearing human flesh? Alicia has.

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole is exactly what it sounds like if you are familiar with Greek mythology. Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple, and—despite her pleading and cries that she was raped—Athena found Medusa guilty. Medusa, the victim, was punished and turned into a monster. Alicia faced similar peril. Teachers, coworkers, and peers were all fine with painting her as promiscuous and a monster as they took off her clothes. After finding out, her best friend joined those who criticized her for being abused. She never told her family for fear of rejection. In addition, she preferred women over men, but did the men care who she liked? Of course not. As her life twists and turns, she writes letters to Medusa, Poseidon, and even her own brother. Alicia was alone, hidden in her cave and “dares the world to follow.”

This book is written using a verse novel format. Each “poem” takes up anywhere from a third of a page to two full pages. There is no rhyme scheme or complicated wording. Within Dear Medusa, there are characters from many different cliques and backgrounds. Some of the characters are described as “bottle of sunshine I sip from in the gloom of night” and “a new penny” while other characters are described as wolves and rabbits.

Dear Medusa is a good read for any teenage girl, no matter the race, class, or “purity.” Just be warned, there are a great many sensitive topics within such as rape, pedophilia, descriptions of lost flesh and drugs. The main plot seems to be Alicia mentally running from the colonel, yet very few chapters are focused on the colonel, weakening the focus of the book. The subplots have a tendency to overwhelm the main plot but compel the reader with their attraction. Definitely worth a read for any teen girls who need to feel that they aren’t alone in their rage against the world.

  

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series

By Grace H.
Grade 12

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday, brought to you by the Teen Book Guild at the Winter Park Library! Every week, book bloggers from around the world participate in Top Ten Tuesday, in which readers compile a top-ten list in response to a prompt.

This week’s theme is… Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series (in no particular order)