BIPOC characters

Fishbone Cinderella

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by Elizabeth Lim
First sentence: “Marigold Yuen used to think she had a knack for fixing things.”
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Release date: July 28, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is abuse, including physical, and some swearing, including a few f-bombs. It will be in the Fiction section.

Yut Ying was the youngest of four children – her three older brothers were obviously more important than her – in 1940s China during the occupation. She was living in a poor village until her mother sent her to live with her father and his second wife in Hong Kong. There she was treated as a servant, cooking and cleaning for the family instead of getting the education her father promised. But, after a bad relationship, she married the first man who could take her to America, eventually to Chinatown in San Francisco, where she raised her three daughters. The catch with all this: the women in Yut Ying’s family are cursed. Yut Ying herself can disappear, and her daughter Marigold can catch snatches of memory when she touches people. They end up going back to Hong Kong to try to break the curse, so they can all live without fear.

That summary doesn’t really do it justice. It’s a family drama, with the conflicts between mothers and daughters, and between siblings, mostly sisters, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read one of those. While the magic is a central plot point, it’s not really magic in the fantasy sense of the word, which is surprising since Lim is known for her sweeping YA fantasies. It’s a quiet book, one in which you care about the characters, even though not much happens in the plot. I really enjoyed it, but as I’m sitting here writing about it, I find I don’t have much to say. It’s a good book, one that I thoroughly enjoyed, but can’t seem to find anything to say about.

Audiobook: Red City

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by Marie Lu
Read by André Santana, Eunice Wong, Natalie Naudus & Sid Sagar
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is a lot of violence, much of it graphic. There is also sexual assault, on-page sex, and lots of swearing, including many f-bombs. It’s in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the bookstore.

Growing up the child of a strict single mother, Sam wanted more for her life. She is smart – she has a perfect memory – and she had a promising future. That is, until her mom was in an accidental fire at the restaurant she worked at. Then, Sam turned to the syndicates – the organizations that control the drug Sand, and the magic in this alternate reality. She learns to be an alchemist and falls deep into this dangerous world.

Ari, on the other hand, was brought to Angel City from his home in India, recruited because of the strength of his charisma, his soul, to be a part of Luminos, one of the syndicates. He’s taught and trained since he was 10 to be a bioalchemist, someone who can persuade pretty much anyone of anything.

Ari and Sam were friends growing up, unaware of their involvement in rival syndicates, until they re-meet as adults, on the opposite side of a brewing war.

I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I really enjoyed this one. I was talking to K about the book and describing how they used alchemy as the magic system, and she was like “Oh, like Full Metal Alchemist”? And yes, exactly like that. Except mashed with the Godfather, and you have a good sense of this. But I liked the characters, I appreciated the way Lu developed the world that she set the story in, and I didn’t even mind the ending – there is still an opening for another book (hopefully, only a duology) but the story of this one is wrapped up. I loved the audio version; the narrators were amazing, capturing the emotion of the book as well as the action. I probably would have liked reading this, but I really enjoyed it on audio. Perhaps I’m being overly generous to this because I was listening to it while reading Spark of the Everflame, and it was just refreshing to have good worldbuilding and a unique, fully developed magic system.

I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the sequel to this one.

Audiobook: One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

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by Omar El Akkad
Read with the author.
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is talk of the genocide in Gaza and abuse by immigration officers. It’s in the Current Events section of the bookstore.

In this short memoir/accounting of the genocide in Gaz, El Akkad talks about how it is to be Muslim in the west, and how the ideas of justice and freedom are so far from what Americans, at least, believe them to be, that it’s laughable. There is heartbreak, despair, and pain and a lack of hope that anything will ever change. Except, in the writing of this, El Akkad bears a witness to the pain and maybe by reading this, there is a small amount of hope that things will become more just and truly free.

I don’t usually say books are important; I don’t really believe that there are books that everyone should read. And yet, as I was listening to this, feeling El Akkad’s pain – feeling the pain of the Palestinians who have been obliterated, feeling the pain of the people who have been unjustly detained – I realized that this is a book that, in order to change, everyone must read. If you read this and come out unchanged, you have a heart of stone.

There is pain out there; pain that must be stopped. And, the very least we can do is be a witness for the people who can’t speak.

Audiobook: All the Crooked Saints

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by Maggie Stiefvater
Read by Thom Rivera
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There’s some swearing, including a couple of f-bombs. It is in the Young Adult Science Fiction section of the bookstore, but younger kids might be interested in it.

I’m not really going to sum up the plot, since I did that when I first read this book eight years ago. I did enjoy Rivera’s narration, though. And maybe I enjoyed this better as an audiobook. It felt like Rivera was sitting there telling me this tall tale about family and love and miracles. It’s the least Stiefvater-y book of all the ones I’ve read this year, but I still loved it. And yeah, while I see it’s problematic that Stiefvater is exploring a culture that isn’t hers, I still liked the way she wove religion and myth with Latinx culture and 1960s. It was a delightful audiobook to listen to.

Highly recommended on audio, especially.

Two Tribes

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by Emily Bowen Cohen
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher
Content: There is bad-mouthing by divorced parents of the other parent, a runaway kid (nothing happens), and some slurs against Native Peoples. It’s in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Mia lives with her Jewish mother and stepfather in LA, and goes to a Jewish school. Which is all good, except her father is Muscogee and she longs to learn about her Native side of the family. Her mom is not really open to talking about Mia’s dad, or her Native family, so Mia hatches a plan to take a bus to Oklahoma and visit them, without her mom’s knowledge or approval. Once in Oklahoma, she meets relatives she barely remembers, learns about the traditions, and goes to a powwow. Once her mom figures out what she’s done, however, she is whisked back to LA. There, she finds the courage to confront her mother about wanting to learn more about both sides, both tribes, that she has inherited.

On the one hand, I think this is an excellent story about kids struggling between identities, with divorced parents who aren’t on good terms with each other. It’s a basic primer about Native peoples – there is a confrontation with a kid at the Jewish school who insists she can’t be Native because they “aren’t even alive anymore.” There’s also a side bit about a book that perpetuates negative Native stereotypes. And a confrontation with her Rabbi about using a slur – something he didn’t even register.

On the other hand, I’m not sure I really liked it. I liked parts of it, sure, and I liked the Idea behind it, and I think it’ll be good for kids to have access to. But, the story felt flat. It all happened too quickly. There wasn’t enough development with the character or her family. Mom turned on a dime (I wanted a story about mom, honestly). It just lacked the depth I think it could have had.

But it’s still a good graphic novel.

Red River Rose

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by Carole Lindstrom
First sentence: “‘Hurry up, Delia, I want to stop at the ferry on the way,’ said Rose, trying not to tug her sister’s arm too hard.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: March 17, 2026
Review copy provided by the publisher.R

Rose is a Métis girl living her beset life in Batoche, Saskatchewan in 1885. She helps take care of her sister, she goes hunting with her father and uncle, she enjoys watching the ferry on the river. However, one day, she overhears the elders talking about how the Canadian government want to come take their land – and that they should resist. Rose agrees: she doesn’t want to lose the only home she’s ever known, but as a 12-year-old girl, how can she help her people stand up against the government?

In the author’s note at the end, Lindstrom mentions that she wanted this to be a Native Little House on the Prairie, and I think she succeeded. It has the same quiet tone, an engaging and relatable heroine, and an insight into what life might have been like for the Métis in 1885. It was a bit simplistic (but it’s for kids!), but overall, I loved the storyline, I loved how Rose wanted to help her family and her neighbors, and I admired her willingness to take chances. Lindstrom created a great heroine, and I would love to experience more of her story.

It’s an important book – there always needs to be more stories of historical events from the Native perspective – but it’s also a good one.

Angelica and the Bear Prince

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by Trun Le Nguyen
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy pilfered from the ARC shelves at work.
Content: There is racism toward Asian people and bad boyfriends. It’s in the Teen Graphic Novel section of the bookstore.

Angelica was an overachiever. She did everything, and was super good at it all. That is, until she burned out her junior year. She’s spent a while recovering and is slowly trying to get back into participating. She got an internship at the local children’s theater. Where they’re doing a production of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, with the classic Bear Prince costume. With whom Angelica has been DMing on Instagram and may like. Gable – who was Angelica’s best friend in childhood – is the bear prince but is concerned that Angelica won’t like him in his new trans identity. It’s full of ups and downs, nice adults and lame boyfriends, and is a perfect snapshot of a moment in the life of a couple of high school students.

Nguyen wrote The Magic Fish, which I adored, and his art and storytelling are just as strong here, even if the subject matter is lighter. I like the way he wove the fairy tale through these books as well. It’s a sweet little graphic novel, one that is bound to make readers smile.

Audiobook: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping

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by Sangu Mandanna
Read by Samara MacLaren
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Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, instances of emotional child abuse, and one fade-to-black sex scene. It’s in the Romance-Fantasy section of the bookstore.

I know: I said a few posts ago that I don’t do romantasy. Let’s put it this way: a slightly magical book set in contemporary times is NOT romantsy, and I think I prefer the latter.

Sera was an up-and-coming, talented witch when she was younger, but when she was 15, her great-aunt, whom she loves and lives with, died. Sera was talented enough to bring her aunt back from the dead, but she lost most of her magic and was exiled from the British Guild of Magic as a result. Now, 15 years later, running an inn full of wayward people (both magical and non-), she finds the resurrection spell, something that will help her get her magic back. It’s a historian, Luke, who happens (sort-of) to be stopping in at the hotel with his younger sister, that puts Sera on the right path, and maybe together they can get her magic back.

This was absolutely delightful, especially on audio. The narrator was perfect (Luke is Scottish, and her accent for him was delightful), and the story just silly enough and charming enough to make me happy. It was exactly what I needed, and I can’t complain.

Winging It

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by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Release date: October 21, 2025
Content: There is talk of dead parents and some awkward situations. It will be in the Middle Grade Graphic Novel section.

Luna’s mom died when she was a baby, but she and her dad have always gotten along fine. Except now, her dad’s decided that they need to move across the country from LA to Washington DC to live with her (white) mother’s mother, someone that Luna barely knows and doesn’t have a great opinion of. But, in the months that they are there, Luna not only learns to understand her grandmother, but learns to appreciate her dead mother’s love of nature.

This one was…. nice. I like knowing that there are books out there about change and growing – especially moving and making new friends, which is hard – but I wasn’t really drawn in by Luna and her quest to find a luna moth and understand her mother. Perhaps it’s because it took place over a huge chunk of time – an entire year – but it just didn’t resonate with me.

That doesn’t mean that kids won’t love it.

Love is a War Song

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by Danica Nava
First sentence: “Three nearly naked men drenched in oil gyrated around me, their things barely covered in short tan-hide loincloths that dangled between their thighs.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is swearing, including multiple f-bombs, and a couple of on-page sex scenes. It’s in the Contemporary Romance section of the bookstore.

Avery has spent her whole life in LA – first as a child actor, and now trying to break into the music business. Sure, she just wants to write her own songs, but her mom (who is also her manager) keeps telling her that she has to pay her dues. So, she listens when the record label gives her a “Native-inspired” song (since her mother says they’re Muscogee) and films a video for it. Plus there’s a Rolling Stone cover. But when they come out, there is a huge backlash: what they thought was “taking back stereotypes” ended up just being deeply racist. So, to get away from death threats, her mother sends Avery to her estranged grandmother’s house in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to hide. And maybe to learn a bit about this heritage she has claimed but knows nothing about.

Once there – on her grandmother’s working ranch – she meets Lucas, a Muscogee ranch hand who has a chip on his shoulder, especially when it comes to her and her music. Except, he’s hot. And while she is often annoyed at him, she also kind of likes being around him. And she comes to respect him. And maybe there’s more to Broken Arrow than she thinks.

I’m not sure I liked this one as much as I liked The Truth According to Ember, but I did like it. I like that Nava looked at how being a Native person in Hollywood/the music industry isn’t an easy thing. I liked the juxtaposition of city girl/country boy. Nava is good at writing banter, and I liked how she wove in Native culture and mannerisms throughout the book. Additionally, both Avery and Lucas grew as people, which was satisfying to see.

In short: I really liked this one.