Candy Bunny Reader

    Well, as you can see, I actually listened to it on audiobook.  The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is a novel written in verse. It's about 15 (later 16) year old Dominican-American Xiomara, who lives in the Harlem neighborhood of NYC. She writes poems narrating her life living in the place. From dealing with her overly strict and religious zealot mother to her friends, first boyfriend, and the poetry club at her school to her bond with her twin brother, Xavier. It's very cathartic for her! I really enjoyed listening to this! I found myself being moved by a lot of the poems, especially the ones about the power of community and generational trauma. It was a nice surprise since I'm a reader who doesn't usually like or read poetry.  It's a very diverse book, too! Most of the characters are Dominican, Father Sean (a priest of Xiomara's church) is Jamaican, and Xiomara's brother Xavier is gay and in an interracial relationship.  I gave it 4.5 stars , but that...

    It's such a great feeling when you finally get around to reading a popular manga you've know about for a long time, and end up liking it! This is the omnibus edition (they combined all the manga volumes into one big one).  Puella Magi Madoka Magica by Magical Quartet is about teenage girl Madoka, who gets pulled into a magical girl contract by a mysterious creature named Kyubey. The contract guarantees that one wish of theirs will be granted, but they have to fight these monsters called "witches" in order to maintain balance in the universe. Madoka wishes to protect everyone she loves. Madoka's best friend Sayaka gets pulled into to a contract, too, and she wishes to see her childhood friend Kyousuke get better after an accident.  While this is all going on, a mysterious girl named Homura keeps showing up and tries to get the girls (mostly Madoka) to stop doing magical girl duties.  Well, the girls find out very quickly part of the reason why that is. The...

The One Piece anime is back! But I am still in the Wano arc as of writing this.  Anyway, I finally read One Piece: Heroines Volume 2 ! Just like the first one, this follows a bunch of short stories about different girls from the One Piece universe. The girls this time are: Boa Hancock, Tashigi, Reiju, and Uta. We also get a bonus chapter of Nami and Robin! My favorite story is Uta's story--it was really sweet! My second favorite was Reiju's because it made me emotional. Tashigi's story is cool, too, and so is Nami and Robin's. I didn't really like Hancock's story--it was a little odd. So I gave the book 4.5 stars . But if you're a One Piece fan like me, you'll probably like this too! I heard that the Heroine's novels are getting an adaptation soon, coming out this July.      

Yes, I am just reposting what I posted over on Instagram, but I think this makes the post more fun to look at.   

A short story collection!  Transmogrify contains short stories written by the following authors: Saundra Mitchell, Sonora Reyes, Renee Reynolds, AR Capetta, Cory McCarthy, Francesca Tacchi, Ayida Shonibar, Nik Traxler, g haron davis, Jonathan Kastin, Mason Deaver, Ash Noveau, Cam Montgomery, Dove Salvatierra, and Emerly Lee.  Each short story features trans characters in a magical setting, whether contemporary or high fantasy, and they all use magic to empower themselves.  I gave this book 4.5 stars , but that was just because I liked some of the short stories more than others. Most of them were really good, but there were a few I couldn't get into or I thought were just okay.   My favorite short stories from this book are: Verity (a story about a magic mirror), Dragons Name Themselves (about two friends and a pet dragon), The Hallow King (a revenge story on Halloween), Genderella, and Espijimos (has folk magic and magical realism). 

    The thing is, I tried watching the anime for this series several years ago, but I couldn't get into it. But now I am reading another one of the author's manga Sakura Saku , and I really like it so far! I thought it was about time I go back and give Io Sakisaka's most popular manga another chance.  Ao Haru Ride (or Blue Spring Ride in English) is about Futaba, who is actively trying to change her image ever since she entered high school. In middle school, she was unpopular with the girls because she was too popular with the boys. There was only one boy she actually really liked, and his name is Kou. But Kou moved away before she could tell him how she felt. He does come back to her high school, but he's changed a lot, and he thinks he can't rekindle the friendship he had with Futaba back in middle school.    At the same time, another girl in Futaba's class named Yuri seems to be getting the same treatment Futaba did back in middle school. Tired of seeing he...

  OMG! I think I found my true favorite Sharon Creech book of all time! Bloomability is now at the number two spot. The Wanderer is about thirteen year old Sophie, who goes on a sailing trip with her two cousins and three uncles across the Atlantic Ocean to meet her grandfather, Bompie, in England. They make a lot of pit stops along the way to get their boat fixed and to pick up more supplies. Sophie and her cousins also learn a lot along the way: about sailing, stories about each other, their uncles, and Bompie, and other random things like juggling. But the trip is not a smooth one! Sailing out onto the ocean blue isn't as whimsical as Sophie thought it would be, and they run into a lot of problems. Luckily, she has her family and they always support one another.  The story is actually told in alternating points of view of Sophie and one of her cousins named Cody. We learn that Sophie is actually hiding a mysterious past that she doesn't really want to talk about, and Cod...

                              (Graphic made in Canva. Pic of book was found on Google Images) This is actually my third book from Ann Liang . The first book I read from her was This Time It's Real , which I read last year but I didn't like it very much. You can read the full review for it here. The second book I picked up was If You Could See the Sun , and I tried reading earlier this month but DNF it. I do believe in giving authors another chance, so I read I Hope This Doesn't Find You , and I really liked it!  This book is about Sadie Wen, who is a top student at her school and her number one nemesis is the other top student, Julius Gong. They've been competing for as long as Sadie can remember. One way Sadie vents out her frustrations with Julius and other students that have done her wrong is through email drafts. She does this because she is a huge goody two shoes and tries to maintain a g...

  My third Kay O'Neill book for this year! Princess Princess Ever After follows a rebellious princess named Amira who befriends another princess named Sadie and a prince named Vladric after rescuing them from a tower and the top of a tree, respectively. Being royalty is not as easy as they all thought it would be! But the biggest danger of all is a sorceress who really seems to have something against Sadie... It's a very short and quick book, but it was a lot of fun! It has the typical things you would find in any Kay O'Neill book: a magical setting, magical creatures, lessons about loving yourself, and queer representation (Amira and Sadie become a sapphic couple)!  I did give it 4.5 stars . Sadie does experience some fatphobia in the book, but luckily it is all handled well at the end.  I will gladly pick up anything else Kay O'Neill writes!

  My second book from Jen Wang ! The first book I read from her was The Prince and the Dressmaker , a long time ago. You can read that review here . Ash's Cabin follows Ash, a transgender mixed-race teenager who wants to find and restore their eccentric grandfather's old cabin, which is very isolated from the world. Ash gets a bunch of books from the library and watches a bunch of YouTube videos to learn how to survive in the wild. They also raise money through dog walking so they can buy supplies for camping and food. They are finally able to go on the trip when the rest of their family goes to Disneyland. Ash stays with their aunt and uncle and cousin first (who have their own house out in the country) before going to the cabin. When the aunt, uncle and cousin go on their own trip later, Ash lies about staying in their house so they can go find their grandfather's cabin. Camping out and restoring an old cabin isn't easy! But Ash and their dog Chase find surprises alon...

  There are actually 3 volumes in this one book of this popular fantasy manga series. Siuil a Ruin by Nagabe is about Shiva, a girl who lives in a place that is divided by the "Inside", where the God of Light rules, and the "Outside", where the God of Darkness rules. Apparently, the God of Darkness has released this curse that can spread and permanently affect humans. Shiva supposedly has it, but she hasn't gotten a "cursed form" yet. She lives with an Outsider whom she calls "Teacher", and their days are usually very laid back and sweet. Teacher is trying to protect Shiva from anyone who tries to hurt her. From both Outsiders who want to return her soul to "Mother" and Insider soldiers who want to sacrifice her.  I've known about this manga series for a long time, and I finally got around to it! I loved the perfect mix of it being a cozy fantasy and a dark fantasy. I am very into all of the mysteries of who the gods really are,...

All the books I read in July! I read a total of 5 books, and they were all really great. 1. Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono-4 stars . Full book description here on Goodreads. Read my (kind of) review here . I mostly just compare the book and movie.  2. Messy Roots by Laura Gao-4.5 stars. Full book description here . Read my review for it here  . 3. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender-4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 4. Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty-4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 5. The Legend of Shadow High by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale - 4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this! The first volume of Magical Boy by The Kao is about Max--a trans guy who is descended from a line of magical warriors who have to protect the earth from these giant bug monsters who feed off of peoples' negative feelings. The magical warriors of his family got their powers from the goddess Aurora. Max doesn't like this new magical warrior responsibility at first, as his outfit looks really feminine, and his mother (the previous magical warrior) expects him to do his magical duties the traditional way. That includes "acting" really feminine, something Max is obviously uncomfortable with. But with the help of his friend Jen, a new friend named Sean, and an enemy turned friend named Pyper, Max begins to do things his own way. They work together to try to stop the bug monsters from destroying the Earth. His magical outfit also looks less feminine over time.  This book was a blast! I loved this take on a magical warrior...

Why aren't more people talking about this book?! It was soooo good! Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend is a middle grade fantasy book about Morrigan Crow, an 11 year old girl who was born on Eventide, which is considered a very unlucky day. She is supposedly cursed and is always gets blamed for bad things that happen in her community, and the curse also dooms her to die at midnight on her 11th birthday.  But as the children in her community are being chosen to become apprentices for the different influential adults in the community, Morrigan gets chosen by an eccentric man named Jupiter North to become his apprentice, something she could never imagine for herself. Morrigan does not die on her birthday because Jupiter shows up to her house and whisks her away to the city of Nevermoor, where she is enrolled to become a member of the Wunderous Society, which is a society for people with (usually magical) gifts. Jupiter is a part of it himself. To join the Wund...

  Well, I only read 4 books this month, compared to last months 15 books, but all 4 books got a high rating from me! So it was a great reading month. I'll have links to reviews when necessary. 1. The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill . A wonderful, magical, and emotional story of two children, Ned and Aine, who meet each other in unusual circumstances to protect the magic of their world and their two kingdoms. 4.5 stars . 2. Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty -a historical fantasy book of an eccentric girl and the nephew of Cornelius Vanderbilt trying to solve the mystery of the scary man in magical black cloak who is making children in and around the Biltmore Estate disappear. 5 stars . 3. One Piece Volumes 8 and 9 by Eichiro Oda . Still continuing with my One Piece journey! Both 5 stars .  What books did you read in October? How many did you like?

 TW: Discussions of death My third Kelly Barnhill book! The Witch's Boy is about Ned, who is the son of the witch of the small village he lives in. Ned lost his twin brother Tam in a rafting accident years earlier. The village outside his family always seemed to prefer Tam over Ned, so for years after Tam died, Ned is ostracized by the rest of the village, which has lowered his self esteem.  On the other side of the continent, a girl named Aine recently lost her mother, and she has a strained relationship with her father, who is the leader of a bunch of bandits. Aine's father also always wears a magic pendant around his neck, which makes him act strange. He and his group of bandits are trying to find and steal the rest of the magic in the world, which Ned's mother, is the protector of. Additionally, before Aine's mother died, she tried to tell Aine something about her future. Something about the wrong boy saving her life, her saving his life, and something else about ...

  (Pic was found on Google Images) Yup, another massively underrated book by LM Montgomery . I listened to it on audiobook this past month.  Jane of Lantern Hill is about Jane Stuart, who lives with her mother and grandmother in a mansion in Toronto. Jane does not have the best life there--her grandmother rules the place with an iron fist and is always being condescending towards Jane. Whenever Jane's other relatives visit, they are not kind to her either. Jane also gets bullied a lot at her school. Only Jane's mother and Jane's next door neighbor and friend Jody are kind to her--but Jane doesn't get to see them every single day (mother likes to go out to parties and hang out with friends, and Jody works as a maid at the boarding house she stays at and the landlady doesn't let her see Jane everyday). The main reason Jane's grandmother isn't kind to her was because she didn't approve of the marriage between her mother and father, so she despises Jane for ...

This is the first book of the Mary series. Written by the same authors who wrote the Lady Janies series.  This is a historical fantasy book inspired the the life of Mary, Queen of Scots (our titular Mary) and Francis II (her husband), and other real life historical figures at the time that they worked with or were related to. Mary and Francis are two of our POV characters, still told in third person. There are also some made-up brand new characters related to real historical figures, and one of them is our third POV, Ari. She is the daughter of the famed psychic and apothecary Nostradamus. Ari is not super good at being a psychic, but she is a good apothecary. It takes place in the same world as My Lady Jane , the first book of the Mary series, where everyone is either and Ethian (someone who can turn into an animal) or a Verity (those who cannot turn into animals). The Ethians and the Verities are always in conflicts with each other. In Scotland where our titular Mary is from, a...

  Another great historical fantasy book that is the third installment of the Lady Janies series! My Calamity Jane follows the perspective of 3 characters: Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley, and Frank Butler (all told in 3rd person POV). They are part of Buffalo Bill's traveling sharpshooter show, and they also track down garou,  aka people who are werewolves. One day while fighting a group of garou in a factory, Jane gets bitten by one and so she becomes a garou herself, which is a problem because she thinks her and her mates have a disdain for garou. Except Frank is secretly one himself. Annie does have a disdain for garou at first because she used to work for a family of one and they treated her terribly, but then when she meets other people who are garou and eventually finds out Frank (whom she has a crush on) and Jane are garou, her opinion eventually changes. Jane finds an ad in a newspaper about a cure for garou, and she goes out farther west of the country to find who is givi...

I read a total of 7 books and here are my ratings on them (as well as their respective reviews if applicable): The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill -a cute and cozy fantasy graphic novel of two friends who learn to raise tea dragons alongside a couple who have experience with all kinds of dragons. Great disability and queer rep. Full review here . 5 stars Cosmoknights 1 by Hannah Templer - a feminist sci-fi graphic novel of a young woman who teams up with two women who star in gladiator-style games to win princesses hearts, but secretly let the princesses go. Full review here . 5 stars Moonstruck 1 by Grace Ellis -an urban fantasy graphic novel of some friends who work at a coffee shop but after an outing goes wrong, they need to reverse one of the friends back to normal. Full review here . 4 stars Bone Volume 9 by Jeff Smith -the very last volume to the Bone series. Great ending! Bone is one of my favorite series of all time. 5 stars My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead Geo...