An inspiring tale of hardship, heartbreak, hope (yes, even when there's 3 babies named Hope from an overzealous nun), growth, and healing. Orphanland, told from the perspective of 11-year-old Willa, not only depicts the hardships of being an orphan in many different regards, but also has a captivating mystery surrounding the now abandoned Midlands Christian School. Orphanland touches on troubling topics such as familial deaths, gender acceptance and identity, abuse, the opioid epidemic, and general coming-of-age struggles with care. Each of the characters within the novel feel fully fleshed out and their own personalities are portrayed excellently, regardless of how often they are discussed within the text. It genuinely makes the operation that is Southern Ohio Children's Home feel as if it's its own character, living, breathing, and molding as the story progresses. The overarching plot is genuinely captivating, and while being categorized as a "middle grade" n...
Hi everyone! Welcome to my book blog, The Reading Lantern. Here you'll find a lot of things ranging from reviews of ARCs, DRCs, and ALCs to books that have been out for ages and I'm just getting around to reading. When it comes to ARCs, DRCs, and ALCs I'll be posting reviews two weeks before the publish date, unless otherwise required as part of the program. You'll find me reviewing and reading pretty much anything on this page! I have a love for every genre really, though my favorites currently are dark romance, mystery, and young adult/new adult fiction of all kinds. With my reviews you'll find a short blurb (typically what will be given as feedback through the ARC program and/or posted on Goodreads), which will be spoiler free, and then underneath that you will find my detailed thoughts about the book which will include spoilers. If you don't already, feel free to follow me on Goodreads to see my TBR as well as any blurbs I post for ARCs before I make th...