THE VIOLET WEST
Fantasy Novels & Graphic Novels

The Art of the Open Mind: Navigating "Problematic" Books with Honesty and Grace by Ana Vanessa Bettencourt De Almeida I am deeply honored to share my personal approach to the complex world of "problematic" literature. My perspective is shaped by a life lived on both sides of the page. Known as Ana in the reviewing community and Vanessa in my creative life, I hold a Master’s in English and Portuguese Literature and a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts. My career has been a journey of sto

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Update: The Death Row Club 4 stars This is a roller coaster of twists and rankings. I felt the first 40% was a 3, then something 5 happened and cooled down to a 4... 3, then a 5. Here are the highlights for me: I have always been curious about how the children of celebrities live or cope with their parents' success, but when they are serial killers... Besides the thrilling murder mystery, the characters argue for the existence or not of the death penalty, awreness to the fact

Genre: YA Paranormal Publishing date: July 6, 2026 Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound 4 stars I also felt it had a hint of pratical magic House with the aunt and her friends. I enjoyed this one a lot. It has beautiful naked cover and end pages which I didn't know and tye suprise was great. Lots of high-school, relatable scenes and issues as well. Synopsis: Stranger Things meets Twilight in this stunning gothic paranormal romance! A teen girl is swept into an opu

🐶 with a lot of wisdom. Just finished... 5 + stars 🌟 This is brilliant and the artwork is amazing. Each double page is a painting, and the author is right. If we followed each of the puppies' ways to be, we would live in a better world. I definitely need to shake it off and stretch more. I already am a "good boy" for walking and staying curious. A delightful list of ways to improve our lives and be better humans to ourselves and each other. Great size for the font as well.

​Book Title: The Below by Scott T. Miller Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 352 pages Genre: Sci-fi; Dystopian, Cyberpunk Publisher: Amplify Publishing (Mascot Books) Release date: January 1, 2026 Meet the Author ​Scott T. Miller is an author, researcher, and educator. He comes from a long line of teachers and didn’t stand much of a chance of doing anything but working in education. He received his PhD in Global and International Education from the University of Hawaiʻi at M

Book Info: Title: For the Greatest Good by Blair Hanson Genre: YA Contemporary Publishing Date: June 30, 2026 Synopsis: Moral victories don’t solve public health crises. Money does. After years of poor water quality, Gavin fears his town, Pondville, is one burst pipe away from losing access to safe drinking water forever. Demoralized, Gavin and his best friend MacKenzie turn to his estranged father, a board member of the infamous water company CrispFlow. CrispFlow is known fo

Synopsis: Some children grow up afraid of the dark. Ashley grew up afraid of what waited on the other side of her bedroom door. Behind the polished image of an educated, respected family lived a terrifying reality few could see. By the age of ten, Ashley had learned to recognize the warning signs of violence, protect her younger siblings, and prepare for nights no child should ever have to face. In this deeply personal memoir, Dr. Ashley S. Glosson takes readers inside the mi

📚Just finished... review 5 stars Behind every great man there's a great woman. This is not an easy one to review. It has many layers, and those who have gone through some of the obsessions (even if not the same) will relate to and understand this book best. It left me very sad and melancholy. A kind of sadness when one looks back at years passed and sees what has been lost, what has been given away, wasted, and scorned. It is an historical fiction, so the expectations from m

5 stars 📚😁 Some books come to us at the right time. I was looking forward to a journey, an adventure, Disney fairy tale-ish vibes, and a rom-com, and this was perfect. This is a standalone, but I will miss these characters, and I think they could try to help another kingdom and start a new adventure in another standalone. Hilarious characters & great banter The Prince thinks he is irresistible (being the spare, spare, spare, spare...7th, he only has irresistible working for

📚😁 Devastating and Funny reread #coyotelostandfound reread yesterday with a return to #busted This author is to me Klune for kids when it comes to emotional journeys. I haven't read The Midnight Children. Have you? Will I love it too? 👉 5+ I keep returning to the author's page to see if there's a new release of Coyote or another series, and jumping into new releases because this author's writing style is so good and heartfelt, with the best humor and devastating scenes tha

📚Discovered this great series, middle grade and summer Camp, school life friendships, about creating music but much more. Get book here 👉Review book 2 pre-ordered book 3 "Don't let anyone write the last line of your story (...) You've got the pen." So in love with this series. I recognized the author (I have the books with the ice-cream characters and was happy to see full novels). These are short but full-of-emotion episodes with amazing values and lessons. I don't think I

Such an amazing cover. I couldn't stop myself from doing some Paper Art. Instead of drawing, I used the cover art by artist Grace Zhu and did some precise cuts to make it 3D-looking in layers. Thank you, Toopling Tours and publisher for this arc copy. Note: I cut the art. The artwork is by the artist responsible for the cover. Genre: YA Romance Publishing date: June 23, 2026 Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound Rep: Gay, LGBT+, Sapphic Synopsis: Perfect for fans o

4.3 This one took a great direction because it's personal to Din. The location and the people of these "farms" - slaughterhouses - are home to him, and he will work alongside his sister. The middle is kinda slow and diminishes the enthusiasm, but the end offers a surprising and revelatory confrontation. Ana's obnoxious and snobbish behavior contrasts with this case a lot because she is all facts and no empathy. I think it was on purpose to make Din explode, but it made me tak

👉Just Finished... Review 😁🥰 5 stars Ok. Devoured this one the moment I put my hands on it. So much happening. Let me focus on why this is one of my favorite series. Super cast of characters on both teams. It's like having X-Men, witches, factions, houses, dark/light side... but feeling that there is no safe ground (class, academy) because they fight in the real world and people die. The other side has awesome characters too. Fiora may be the main character, but it doesn't

Review of... 📚So I'm dedicating Summer Thursdays to The Mystery Lady series Lauren Carr @themysteryladie 👉 Author with a big list of series, all fun mysteries 👉 Great cast no matter what series (always a pet dog, bunny or more sidekick) hilarious characters 👉 We will meet the characters of one series in another 5stars #shadesofmurder vol3 #macfaraday Haha! This one was very visual and one of my favorites. Mac Faraday inherits the last painting of a famous artist who was m

Simonkidscrew and Simon Elemental An Octupus named Houdini 4.5 Did you know...? We've learned so much about these amazing creatures, not only it has lots of facts at the end, we learn some of them during the story as well. 9 brains? Lived long before humans existed. This in verse fiction story tells us how an octopus wants to be listened, and return home, and sometimes not all humans are bad and lack empathy, sometimes they know exactly what is to be caged, to not be heard an

Upcoming releases👆 + Happy Pub Here are some notes: 🔪Thillers: Arcana vol 2 graphic novel ⚔️ Fantasy: Cursed Ever After Everybody's Perfect Great and Powerful Tyranny Of Venom and Vengeance 🪐 Sci-Fi: Voyagers Icefall 😱 Horror: Brides Kids: Chime Seekers Sneaks Mad Cat Fatal Glitch Orion Rainbow Magic Princess swap 4