Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Sanctuary

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

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*Published September 1, 2020*

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

This book knows just how to shine a lot of what is happening in the United States and it does not hold back its punches.

Co-founder of the Women’s March makes her YA debut in a near future dystopian where a young girl and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary.

It’s 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked–from buses to grocery stores. It’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant, but that’s exactly what sixteen-year-old Vali is doing. She and her family have carved out a stable, happy life in small-town Vermont, but when Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning and the Deportation Forces raid their town, they are forced to flee.

Now on the run, Vali and her family are desperately trying to make it to her tía Luna’s in California, a sanctuary state that is currently being walled off from the rest of the country. But when Vali’s mother is detained before their journey even really begins, Vali must carry on with her younger brother across the country to make it to safety before it’s too late.

Gripping and urgent, co-authors Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher have crafted a narrative that is as haunting as it is hopeful in envisioning a future where everyone can find sanctuary.

I will say that this book doesn’t hold anything back as it tells the story of Vali, Ernie, and their mother as they seek to create a new and happy life in the United States. As immigrants, Vali and her mother have illegal chips implanted in them. Ernie was born on American soil, making him an American citizen. But when California decides to secede from the rest of the United States and become a sanctuary state for all those in the United States without legal chips, a war between the citizens of the United States and the government starts.

As Vali and Ernie make their way to New York, they are separated from their mother, her chip malfunctioning. They must leave her behind and Vali tries to keep her younger brother’s spirits up by saying their mother will meet them in New York. Once there though, it is obvious she won’t be meeting them there and they have to continue making their way to California on their own. As they do, they are chased at every turn by the Deportation Force and just about everyone else who would see them out of the lives of clean Americans.

This is a very real look into what our future as the United States of America could be like if we don’t take action now. This is what scares me about the United States is that the beginnings of this story is happening right now. And this is why this book is as hard hitting as it is. Because it is already happening. We need to take our own action to make sure it doesn’t come to the point where we are chipping people to keep track of illegal immigrants or not. We need to use our voices to speak up and to be heard about what we as a people think the United States should be, not what a government that doesn’t care thinks the United States should be.

I try to not be political about what I read and I try not to be political in my writings. This is what our lives are turning to though and so now is a time to speak up. What do you do when a book strikes a little too close to home? How do you respond to books that have political leanings? Maybe don’t answer this one, but do think about it. You should be thinking quite a lot on what you are doing to do come November.

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Spin the Dawn

Oh today’s going to be exciting!!!

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

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*To Be Published July 9th, 2019*

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This in no ways affects my thoughts and review of the book.

I saw this book on NetGalley and saw that they were sending out ARCs and I wanted to read this so badly so I asked and I recieved!!!

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

This was such a good book! I actually quite liked it and it’s description of being a cross between Project Runway and Mulan was accurate. I also loved that it was very much about a girl wanting, and better able, to do what is generally accepted as a man’s occupation.

Maia has always dreamed of becoming the country’s best tailor, but being a girl all she can do is marry and hopefully marry well. But when her father is called to compete to be the emperor’s royal tailor, Maia takes her father’s place and goes. Unfortunately for her, there is more to this competition than meets the eye and Maia has to keep herself and her eyes in check to make it out of this alive.

Once the book got to the competition aspect, I was more intrigued. The only bad thing about it was that it was very short and quickly passed over. I would have loved to find out more about the competition and have that take more time. Granted this is because the main event for this book in the gathering and construction of the materials for the three dresses of legend, made from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

I loved the magic and the competition. I loved this whole book, and I definitely want to read the rest of the series. I need to know what happens to Edan and Maia and their magics as the series continues.

What do you think of books that are centered around competitions? Do you want long competitions or short competitions? Comment below and let me know!

 

Tiny Navajo Reads: May Update

May Update!

It’s now June which means that Summer Reading has started for my library system and that means there will be kids everywhere! And Summer Reading volunteers! I’m actually going to be mentoring some of the volunteers of what it means to work in a library over the summer. It’s going to be an interesting one!

So, the books I’ve read in the month of May, I read a total of 13 books, comics, and audiobooks. One of the books I read was an ARC from NetGalley, I will not be writing a review for it yet until the week of it’s published. The titles of the books I read this month were Spin the Dawn, DCeased #1, The Batman Who Laughs #5, The 5th Gender, Goldenhand, DC’s Year of the Villain Special #1, As the Crow Flies, Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, The Jewel and Her Lapidary, Karen Memory, Animosity, Vol. 1: The Wake, The Power, and The Martian.

I would say that I had a great month of reading, several comics and audiobooks as well as books in general. I also have gotten some ARCs to read, which is always a good thing in my opinion. And now with Summer Reading starting, I have a lot of reading to do to earn my prizes! Do your local libraries do Summer Reading programs? Do you participate? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Jewel and Her Lapidary

The Jewel and Her Lapidary by Fran Wilde

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*Published May 3, 2016*

This sounded interesting, but the reason I got interested in reading this book was because I saw the second book on NetGalley and I really want to get it but once I saw that it was the second in a series, I realized I needed to at least read the first one, even if I didn’t get the ARC from NetGalley.

The kingdom in the Valley has long sheltered under the protection of its Jewels and Lapidaries, the people bound to singing gemstones with the power to reshape hills, move rivers, and warp minds. That power has kept the peace and tranquility, and the kingdom has flourished.

Jewel Lin and her Lapidary Sima may be the last to enjoy that peace.

The Jeweled Court has been betrayed. As screaming raiders sweep down from the mountains, and Lapidary servants shatter under the pressure, the last princess of the Valley will have to summon up a strength she’s never known. If she can assume her royal dignity, and if Sima can master the most dangerous gemstone in the land, they may be able to survive.

This was such an interesting world Fran Wilde has created here, and I love it. I love that there are those who can hear gemstones talk to them and control them called the Lapidaries. There are those that control those who can hear the gems talk, the royal family called the Jewels. Between these two entities, their Valley has been kep safe; till a Lapidary betrays his Jewel.

This was such a good story! The only reason I have given it three stars is because there wasn’t enough story. It is a short story/novella and so there’s a lot happening and being shown within this short book. I love it, I honestly just wish there was more to it. Which is why I need to read the second one now, either by getting it thought NetGalley, or when it comes out.

Do you like short stories/novellas? Do you think they are long enough to tell a full story? Or are they short enough to draw you in? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Thursday Three New Year’s Goals

Thursday Three: Three Bookish Goals for the New Year

Hey guys! It’s a Thursday Threes and today we’re talking about three bookish goals for both me and the blog this year! I’m trying to do better at bringing this blog to life and keeping an idea of what I read in. My. Head! Because of how fast I read, I tend to forget what I’ve read, so I’m working on it! Onto my goals for the year:

Keep a better commonplace book for all the books I read

Yes, as you guys have probably noticed, I read a LOT of books! And because I read a lot of books, I tend to forget what I’ve read once I move on to another book. This makes running a book blog hard when I can’t remember what I’ve read when it comes time to review. So, I’m going to keep a better commonplace book on the books I read this year in order to better write my reviews.

Read some more ARCs and review them in a timely manner

I’ve signed up for NetGalley in order to receive some ARCs to read and review. I do like being able to promote new books and new authors. I have actually received my first book, so be on the lookout for that review!

Enjoy what I read

I generally enjoy what I read, don’t get me wrong, unless it’s a book that I didn’t finish for just felt was not for me. But with enjoying what I read, I want to be able to remember what it is that I’m reading. I can remember reading books and I can remember enjoying them, but when someone asks me what I liked about the book, I blank. I can’t remember a single thing really. So, to better enjoy what I read, I’m going to try and read them a bit more slowly and keep a better record of what I’m reading.

Hopefully, as I work on these goals for this coming year, I’ll be able to put out better content for you guys and I’ll be able to better remember the books that I read. At least, that is the idea with these goals.

What are your goals for this upcoming year, bookish or otherwise? What do you plan on doing to keep up with your goals? Comment below and let me know!