Diversity Spotlight Thursday | #4

Diversity Spotlight Thursday is a weekly meme that was created by Aimal at Bookshelves And Paperbacks. The graphics here were created by Aimal. She does a beautiful job. You come up with a book in each different categories:

1. A diverse book that has already been released but you have not read
2. A diverse book you have read and enjoyed
3. A diverse book that has not yet been released

---

Of Fire and Stars // Audrey Coulthurst

I got this book in my OwlCrate box and I was excited when I got the book. This was one of my books that I truly want to read the moment I heard about it. It’s a standalone fantasy book! How rare is that, especially in YA?!

I hope to get this book at some point in the summer.

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire — a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses — and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine — called Mare — the sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two become closer, Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. And soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms — and each other.

You’re Welcome, Universe // Whitney Gardner

I suck at doing reviews. I get worried that I won’t put the books that I love justice. What sounds great in my head, and when I typed it out — the grammar is out of whack and it doesn’t make any sense. 

With that being said, I hope to do the review on this book because I am 100% in love with it. I hope to get at least this review out in April. I will do the gushing there.

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti.

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.

Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.

Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off — and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.

Told with wit and grit by debut author Whitney Gardner, who also provides gorgeous interior illustrations of Julia’s graffiti tags, You’re Welcome, Universe introduces audiences to a one-of-a-kind protagonist who is unabashedly herself no matter what life throws in her way.

Flame in the Mist // Renée Ahdieh

I am so excited!!!!!!!! Can’t you tell? I have already done a Waiting on Wednesday on this book and please check it out so I won’t be repeating myself. *cheeky grin*

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place — she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor’s favorite consort — a political marriage that will elevate her family’s standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she’s quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she’s ever known.

Advertisement