The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Lauri • February 18, 2025

For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

A vampire romantasy about a human princess in a vampire court whose continued existence
depends on winning the Kejari, a tournament-style fight to the death. Touted as “The Hunger
Games meets A Court of Thorns and Roses but with vampires,” this book is exactly that and will
appeal to fans of any and all of those elements.

Oraya's personality is closed and withdrawn, but that's by necessity. She leads a life that is guarded from everyone on a constant basis, which was reflected in her streamlined characterization, as it should be. It also left a lot of room Broadbent to explore the nuances of Oraya's personality in the next books, giving her the room to grow rather than to plateau and become stale. I also appreciated that the included tropes were necessarily and tastefully integrated. For example, the enemies-to-lovers element: rather than giving Oraya and her romantic interest a petty reason to disagree and avoid each other, their animosity is a relevant, visceral thing with dreadful implications and consequences. Moreover, Broadbent explored those implications and consequences in a way that was true when she could have taken the easy way out.

Lauri’s Take - I don't seek out vampire books, especially after what certain vampires did to the
genre, so I was hesitant when a friend said I absolutely *must* read this book, but I really
enjoyed it. The writing is an excellent demonstration of craft, the world building is complicated
but subtle, and the tropes are necessary to the plot and are tastefully integrated rather than just
thrown in so that the author can check a box. It is rare for me to read the next book in a series
as soon as I finish the current one, but I enjoyed this one so much that I've already jumped into
book 2.
The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly

By Lauri • February 18, 2025
Nina doesn’t quite fit in – at home, at school, or anywhere else, it seems. So she doesn’t expect much when she goes to spend some time at her aunt’s summer camp. But when she discovers a nest built by a mating pair of whooping cranes, she also learns that maybe all it takes to fit in is to discover who you really are. Lauri’s Take: This is a beautiful middle grade book about friendship, learning to navigate emotions, and finding where you belong. It’s also an excellent homage to whooping cranes and is a great story for birders. Readers familiar with Texas will appreciate the Buc-ee’s nod, as well!

Find Her by Ginger Reno

By Lauri • February 18, 2025
Wren is a finder of lost things, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t find her mother, who has been missing for five years. Although she is one of hundreds Native Americans considered missing or murdered in Oklahoma, Wren’s mother is more than a statistic, and Wren is determined to bring her home. To do so, however, she must hone her detective skills, which she does by helping others find lost pets. Wren thinks she may be in for more than she bargained for when she recovers one of the missing pets after he’s been badly hurt, followed soon by others. Determined to discover who could possibly do such a horrible thing, Wren seeks justice for the abused animals while finding healing for the hurt of not knowing her mother’s fate. Lauri’s Take: This book very tastefully weaves together the topics of animal abuse, middle-school bullying, child abuse, and the crisis of missing indigenous women and girls. I recommend it for the older readers in this age bracket, but I TOTALLY recommend it. Although touching on a lot of hard life issues, the author never forgets that she’s telling a story, which she does in such a masterful way that the issues which are important to Wren become important to readers, as well.

The Winterton Deception 2: Fault Lines by Janet Sumner Johnson

By Lauri • February 18, 2025
In this sequel to The Winterton Deception: Final Word , Hope Smith and her brother Gordon are just about to celebrate their first holiday with their new-found extended family when a kidnapping reveals a secret she’s been hiding. Problem is, when Hope reveals her secret to the family, she’s met with disbelieve and thinly-veiled hostility. Hope is ready to give up, until another secret reveals the identity of her long-estranged grandfather and convinces her that she must seek out the truth even if no one believes her. Lauri’s Take: What a fun middle-grade mystery! Blending a kidnapping with a clue hunt, this story is just the right combination of adventure quest and real-life consequences. The author does a great job of balancing the fun of a quest, the tension of danger, and the responsibility of trying to solo a task that is way too big for you. Readers who enjoyed The Inheritance Games will adore this story.
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