turtle under ice – sunnysidereviews

The Mid Year Freakout Book Tag!

Hiya!! It’s been a while since I’ve done a tag, so I thought why not do one again? For those of you who don’t know, this tag is a bit like a six month bookish wrap up in tag form. I hope you enjoy!

The Best Books You’ve Read so Far

New Releases You Haven’t Read Yet, but Want To

Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year

There are so many that come to mind! But here are the first three that I thought of. It All Comes Back to You by Farah Naz Rishi looks so fun! The cover is also stunning as well! The Lady or the Lion by Aamna Qureshi is a YA fantasy with a Pakistani setting. I’ve never read a fantasy inspired by Pakistani culture, so I’m super excited to read it! Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach is another release I’m also very excited for!

Biggest Disappointment

I had such high hopes for One Last Stop. However, it unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Biggest Surprise

This is a middle grade retelling of three fairytales but with a desi (South Asian) twist. And I adored it! It was filled with girl power, fun plots, and amazing representation!

Favorite New to You Author

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon was my first book of theirs, and probably won’t be the last!

Favorite Debut Author

Sarah Suk’s debut novel was one of my favorites this year. I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I did, but Made in Korea was so good!

Newest Favorite Characters

I really enjoyed reading about Evie and X from Nicola Yoon’s newest book Instructions for Dancing! They were both funny and charming.

A Book That Made You Cry

Juleah del Rosario’s Turtle Under Ice was incredibly heartbreaking and emotional. It’s about a mother’s death and sisterly love, and was just so beautiful.

A Book That Made You Happy

A Taste For Love by Jennifer Yen was such a fun book on food and familial relationships. It definitely put a smile on my face!

Favorite Post You’ve Done This Year

In January I did a post where I gave recommendations based off of people’s favorite Avatar the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra character. Feel free to read the post here!

Books You Need to Read By the End of the Year

I hope you enjoyed the tag! Here are some lovely people I nominate to do this one as well. (This is just for fun, so if you don’t feel like it, than no worries!) Also, if you’ve done this tag before, feel free to link it in the comments so I can read yours as well. 😀

I tag…

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May Wrap-Up

Hiya! Today I bring you my May wrap-up. I must say, this month was very busy for me, and I’m sure June will be the same. Nevertheless, I still tried to read as much as I could. Enjoy!

Novels I Read

Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario: (3.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was really sweet, but also quite sad. You can read my review here!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vicious is well, interesting, but it was a bit too emo for me. Review to come!

Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson: This was somewhat infuriating, but it was also kind of wholesome?? Maybe I’ll give it three stars. Review to come!

The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Sky Blues was really cheesy, but also unlike a lot of contemporaries. Review to come!

Graphic Novels and Manga read

Seven Secrets Volume 1 by Tom Taylor: (4.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I did not expect to love this the way that I did. The story is incredibly unique, and features a variety of diverse characters. It’s a must read for all action fans!

The Princess Who Saved Herself by Greg Pak: (3.75 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was super cute and uplifting!! I absolutely adored the whimsical and messy setting too.

Just Pretend by Tori Sharp: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This memoir was adorable, and had such a beautiful message. Author interview to come!

Blue Flag Volume 4 and 5 by Kaito: (4.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Blue Flag is so incredibly emotional and gripping. It’s definitely a must read for all contemporary fans!

The Color Collector by Nick Solis: (4 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a super cute! The story is quite unique too.

A School Frozen in Time Volume 1 by Mizuki Tsujimura and Naoshi Arakawa: (3.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐ It’s quite an eerie and whimsical read perfect for fans of Your Lie in April.

Ao Haru Ride Volume 13 by Io Sakisaka: (4.25 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s sad that I have now finished the series. Ao Haru Ride does shojou very well. I definitely recommend it to any manga lovers.

Early One Morning by Lawrence Schimel: (4 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was the PERFECT morning story for kids. Bedtime stories are so common in children’s literature, so I am delighted to see that this is a book is set in the morning.

The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and Hatem Aly: (4.5 out of 5 stars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was so cute! If you’re looking for a hijab-positive book to read to your kids, I highly recommend The Proudest Blue. It’s both an empowering and educational read that oozes out with sisterly love.

Total Number Of Books Read: 10

Total Number Of Posts Published: 8

Average Rating: 7.5/10 or 3.75 out of 5 stars

April @ Booked Till Midnight did a reading vlog and it was HILARIOUS. 😆
Amanda @ Bookish Brews creates a list of diverse books with magical competitions. It’s such a great list!
Cherelle @ A Bolt out of a Book writes an amazing review for Skyhunter. They also redesigned some aspects of their blog. Both versions are stunning!
Ahaana @ Windows to Worlds does a blog tour stop for May the Best Man Win!
Birdie @ Birdie’s Booktopia talks about why One of Us is Lying is problematic.
Alienor @ A Fox’s Wandering talks about series’ they won’t be finishing.
Rania @ Rania’s Rambling Reads does a lovely review for We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This!
Cossette @ Tea Time Lit wrote a great review for How We Fall Apart!
Caitlyn @ Tea Time Lit interviews author Dylan Madelely.
Isha @ Paperbacktomes reviews the graphic novel Just Pretend!! They write such an articulate review.
Noura @ The Perks of Being Noura does an interview with author Jasmine Warga!
Phenoix @ Books with Wings discusses Spoilers! This was also a joint collab with April @ Booked Till Midnight!

First, let’s recap! Last month I said I’d read five novels, read all my netgalley ARCs, and drink more water. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet any of those goals.

Some of my goals for June include…

Finish three netgalley ARCs, and review them
Read 4 novels
Drink lots of water

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed reading about my May in books, I’d love to read about yours too! If you’d like, you can read last month’s wrap up here. Have a lovely day!

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Turtle Under Ice | A Review

Hiya everyone! Today I’ll be reviewing Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario. This is actually the first time I’m reviewing a book written in verse. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Rowena feels like her family is a frayed string of lights that someone needs to fix with electrical tape. After her mother died a few years ago, she and her sister, Ariana, drifted into their own corners of the world, each figuring out in their own separate ways how to exist in a world in which their mother is no longer alive. But then Ariana disappears under the cover of night in the middle of a snowstorm, leaving no trace or tracks. When Row wakes up to a world of snow and her sister’s empty bedroom, she is left to piece together the mystery behind where Ariana went and why, realizing along the way that she might be part of the reason Ariana is gone. Haunting and evocative—and told in dual perspectives—Turtle Under Ice examines two sisters frozen by grief as they search for a way to unthaw.

I usually read books in verse if I’m trying to get out of a slump. However, I just picked this one up spontaneously. And I’m happy that I did! Turtle Under Ice is a story full of emotion and the will to just push on. It oozes out with sisterly love, and tells us that we should always be grateful for our parents.

The story follows sisters Ariana and Rowena. It’s told through both their perspectives and is done astonishingly well. Despite disliking Ariana, I can 100% understand where she’s coming from. Ariana wants to be an older sister Rowena can look up to, but she knows she’s failing that role. I found this to be incredibly touching and relatable. Ariana is also a creative, and uses her art to cope. She actually does her summative art project on grief. Meanwhile, Rowena, or Row, uses soccer as an escape from her heartache. What really broke me is that Row sees her mother on the field when she plays. The reason behind this is that her mom was always so busy, that she could never attend any of her soccer matches. Furthermore, I ADORED the sibling dynamic. It perfectly captured the fact that no matter what happens in life, they’ll always have each other, and it was just the sweetest thing!

“Maybe hope is like a turtle under ice
breathing through its shell,
through its biochemistry, still alive. Maybe hope waits for spring to come, for the ice to thaw
for the weight of the pond that encapsulates us to melt into nothing. But maybe we are not meant to wait for springtime.
Maybe, instead, we are meant
to break the ice
and be free.”
― Juleah del Rosario, Turtle Under Ice

In addition, through the dialogue we got to see how Ariana interacts with other people. The way she talked to people with no care in the word was quite interesting. Aside from that, there wasn’t much dialogue. Instead, there were more monologues, which brings me to the writing!

“There was no right time for my mother to die,
because when someone we loves dies,
it will always be untimely”
― Juleah del Rosario, Turtle Under Ice

Juleah del Rosario’s writing is truly beautiful. Turtle Under Ice is written in verse, and is done exquisitely. The author creates such vivid yet depressing scenes that will make you want to read on! It’s absolutely stunning, and isn’t overly metaphorical or unclear.

Overall, Turtle Under Ice is a quick and emotional read perfect for those who are looking for a moving story on familial relationships and grief.

Age Rating: 14 and up

TW: Death of a parent (off page but talked about a lot), miscarriage, main character runs away from home

Final Rating: 7/10 or 3.5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

What’s your favorite novel written in verse? Have a lovely day, and thank you for reading!

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