Category Archives: YA

Long Live the Queen: A Review of Red as Royal Blood

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Red as Royal Blood
Elizabeth Hart
HarperCollins Publishers/Harper
Ages 15+
Available November 18th, 2025

Ruby has spent her entire life keeping her head down. As a castle maid, she does her best to be invisible to the royal family of Lumaria (except for Prince Rowan, her friend and chess partner). So when the king dies and names her as his heir, no one is more surprised than Ruby herself. The situation is further complicated when Ruby discovers a note from the king warning that he believes he was murdered — and that Ruby may be next. Thrust into a whirlwind of lies and deceit, Ruby must figure out for herself who she can trust. Who killed the king? What secrets are the remaining members of the royal family hiding? And most importantly, can Ruby survive to see herself crowned queen of Lumaria?

Red as Royal Blood is part romance, part thriller, part fairy tale. As Ruby rapidly adjusts to being thrown headfirst into royal life, she finds herself facing potential danger around every corner while also trying to unravel her own complicated feelings toward her friend Rowan and his brother, Asher, who was set to take his father’s throne. Hart weaves together the dual mysteries of Ruby’s past and the late king’s warning to create an atmosphere that is tense and action-packed — with just enough breathing room to allow for the romantic tension to build on top of it.

For lovers of all things royal, Red as Royal Blood provides a thrilling twist on the princess genre. Readers looking for a love story, a mystery, or a story with a strong and smart leading lady will find something in its pages to scratch that itch.

Please, Love Me: A review of America’s Not-So Sweetheart

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America’s Not-So Sweetheart
Blair Hanson
Page Street Publishing
Age 14+
June 17, 2025

Who says a villain can’t change? But who’s to say he wants to? Teenage Alec Braud won his season of the reality show Campfire Wars by playing a dirty game of lies and manipulation, securing the $250,000 prize to help his family’s struggling wildlife rehabilitation center. Nicknamed Aleconda for his slippery behavior and an on/off showmance with the season’s golden boy, Joaquín Delgado, he left the show to vitriol from the fandom. When Joaquín invites him on a Midwestern road trip to complete a photography project for his art school application, Alec jumps at the chance to repair their relationship and rehab his reputation. An invitation to a Campfire Wars convention in New York sidetracks their plans and helps Alec see he’s not the only bad guy in town—other seasons’ villains, the shows production staff and even Joaquín prove just as devious.

Blair Hanson brings the drama in this LGBTQ+ YA romance, his debut. The emotions are messy and overly complicated, even for seventeen-year-old boys, and the relationship between the protagonists is weighted with angst. Alec’s self-doubt and neediness temper his sketchy behavior enough to have you rooting for his redemption arc, while Joaquín’s cool-kid bravado will make readers wonder if he really is too good to be true. Told from Alec’s perspective, he is the more fully drawn character, while other are a bit flat. Themes of diversity and representation (questionable in the Campfire Wars universe), integrity, healthy relationships, and the toxicity of reality TV are all woven into the plot but are often overshadowed by Alec’s desperation to prove himself worthy of love from his boyfriend, his parents, and the public. His final decision to stand up for himself as-is and his right to a healthy relationship, help to redeem both him and the plot. Just like reality TV, America’s Not-So Sweetheart is an attention-grabbing, if melodramatic, entry to the summer romance genre.