I am not your perfect Mexican daughter, by Erica L. Sanchez

I am not your perfect Mexican daughter is about a girl called Julia, who has never been the perfect daughter. But then her older sister Olga dies in a tragic accident. Olga was often seen as a perfect person without any flaws, but shortly after her death Julia discovers that Olga was not as perfect as everyone thought. Now she is questioning who her sister really was and somehow live up to the impossible ideal that Olga left behind.

No one seems to realise that Julia is struggling: she has anxiety and depression, and she doesn’t have any friends to comfort her. But she has a really nice relation with her English teacher who helps her find which college she should go to. He also makes sure that she is always ok and looks out for her.

Overall, I really loved this book and couldn't put it down. It’s definitely one of my new favourites. I loved Julia so much as a character. Everything she is going through made her seem so much more real. Throughout the book she mentions that she wants to be a writer and travel the world and it was so nice to see her follow these ambitions throughout the story. 

- Julia

Paperback, £8.99.

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Girls of Fire and Paper, by Natasha Ngan

Girls of Paper and Fire follows a girl called Lei, who lives in Ikhara. In this land, there are different levels of class: Lei lives in the lowest class, called Paper Castle. However, Ikhara has a tradition where every year, eight girls are chosen to serve the King. This year, the eight have been chosen, but the King has heard a rumour of Lei’s extreme beauty, and his interest has been peaked. She is forced to leave her home and family to live in the King’s castle, where the now nine girls will learn skills and charm that will benefit the king.

Then Lei falls in love with someone she is not supposed to. And now all she wants is justice and revenge for what has happened to her.

The cover of this book is definitely what sold me. Reading the blurb, it looked like something I would really enjoy. And I did like it, but there weren't any amazing or mind-blowing plot points to this story. But I did like Lei's character: I found her to be inspirational and comforting, as she stood up for what she thought was right, and she didn't let anyone tell her what to do.  In terms of writing, I found the beginning and the end to be quite fast pasted, however the middle was a bit slow. Overall, liked it enough to want to continue the series.

- Julia

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