Author: Aila J.

Among The Red Stars Review: Courageous Female Pilots Featured In A Feminist War Story

Among The Red Stars Review: Courageous Female Pilots Featured In A Feminist War Story

Triumphant, emotional, and fully exploring the courageous feats of female pilots during WWII in the Soviet Union, Among the Red Stars is a great historical read to pick up. I have to admit, some parts of the plot were bogged down by how it was executed, making the overall action scenes a bit underwhelming. Instead […]

September 19, 2017 | 3 Comments
Starfish Review: Beautiful, Captivating Story Of An Artist And Her Starfish Mother

Starfish Review: Beautiful, Captivating Story Of An Artist And Her Starfish Mother

This book was heart-aching at times, extremely down-to-earth, and wholeheartedly triumphant as readers stay with Kiko every moment of her growth and transformation in the end of high school and beyond. Ever since reading the synopsis of this book, I was extremely excited (and definitely not disappointed!). Starfish captures the voice of a half-Japanese, half-white […]

September 5, 2017 | 5 Comments
Rebel Seoul Review: A Sci-Fi Set In Korea That Captured My Soul

Rebel Seoul Review: A Sci-Fi Set In Korea That Captured My Soul

Only countries destroy other countries. Only selfishness breeds selfish actions. Without nationhood, there is no war. Without nationhood, there is only peace. Unity in all things; humanity above monstrous division. Step into a dazzling, yet conflicting world where war propaganda runs rampant, and the Eastern Asian countries have come together to form a Neo Alliance […]

August 29, 2017 | 2 Comments
Empress Of A Thousand Skies Review: Action-Filled And Diverse Adventure Across The Galaxy

Empress Of A Thousand Skies Review: Action-Filled And Diverse Adventure Across The Galaxy

What would you do if everyone you trust proves untrustworthy? This is the question Rhee, the Crown Princess of the Ta’an dynasty of Kalusia, grapples with throughout Empress of a Thousand Skies. Told between alternating third person views of Rhiannon and Alyosha, or Aly, Empress of a Thousand Skies is filled with action from start […]

August 22, 2017 | 4 Comments
The Sandcastle Empire Review: It’s A Game Of Survival With Questionable World-Building

The Sandcastle Empire Review: It’s A Game Of Survival With Questionable World-Building

Apparently this book has been optioned for film, which I believe is a waste of time after finishing it. The Sandcastle Empire unfortunately rubbed me in all the wrong ways, and I wouldn’t really recommend it to readers looking for something with substance. The only thing it has going is the story of survival and […]

August 15, 2017 | 12 Comments
Chatterbox: About My Love For Non-European Fantasies + Recommendations

Chatterbox: About My Love For Non-European Fantasies + Recommendations

Eurocentrism, or Western-centrism, is prominent in both society and literature due to many reasons. It stems from the colonization that happened during the 17th century and continued with the way the colonial empires shaped the present day that we’re in. As such, many books in Young Adult literature focus on cultures, myths, and traditions that […]

August 1, 2017 | 19 Comments
By Aila J.
Posted in Chatterbox, Features