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Chessboxer
'Gripping and surprising. I gulped it down' Sarah Crossan
Leah Baxter is a genius. She's a few wins away from becoming a junior chess grandmaster, and her life is on course to achieve everything her mom and coach want for her.
But Leah is at stalemate – grieving for her father, and feeling suffocated. She decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and quit chess. But chess doesn't want to quit her. Soon Leah discovers her new gambit: chessboxing, a dangerous hybrid sport which will test her body and mind to their limits. Can the pawn become the queen?
Leah Baxter is a genius. She's a few wins away from becoming a junior chess grandmaster, and her life is on course to achieve everything her mom and coach want for her.
But Leah is at stalemate – grieving for her father, and feeling suffocated. She decides to make the ultimate sacrifice and quit chess. But chess doesn't want to quit her. Soon Leah discovers her new gambit: chessboxing, a dangerous hybrid sport which will test her body and mind to their limits. Can the pawn become the queen?
- GenresYoung Adult
311 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 14, 2020
This was pretty interesting book. I loved reading about the chess and boxing sport combined together. I'm not familiar with chess and I wasn't sure how the author put these two together until I realized that this makes sense and the combination really is wonderful.
I liked the idea of the writing style and it is told through blog post written by the main character, Leah. Using this format made it easy and quick to read. I really liked Leah. It was interesting to see how she moved on with her life after giving up something she loved while dealing with grief of losing a parent. Leah is such a strong character. However, I didn't really care about other characters because they seemed flat and I couldn't connect with them.
The plot is great and it is an interesting concept. Though I find that it was not an easy read at time. However, Chessboxer is fast-paced and energetic. And I liked the setting where it was in New York City. Chessboxer also taught me about so many things and my biggest take is discovering the passion in life, setting goals and achieve it. Highly recommend!
Thank you, Pansing for sending me a copy of Chessboxer in return for an honest review. This book is available at all good bookstores.
I liked the idea of the writing style and it is told through blog post written by the main character, Leah. Using this format made it easy and quick to read. I really liked Leah. It was interesting to see how she moved on with her life after giving up something she loved while dealing with grief of losing a parent. Leah is such a strong character. However, I didn't really care about other characters because they seemed flat and I couldn't connect with them.
The plot is great and it is an interesting concept. Though I find that it was not an easy read at time. However, Chessboxer is fast-paced and energetic. And I liked the setting where it was in New York City. Chessboxer also taught me about so many things and my biggest take is discovering the passion in life, setting goals and achieve it. Highly recommend!
Thank you, Pansing for sending me a copy of Chessboxer in return for an honest review. This book is available at all good bookstores.
November 2, 2019
I wasn’t a fan of the story.
Straight off the bat, I thought the characters or shall I say the main character Leah maybe should have had discipline growing up?! I know that her father had died and it was all starting to build up. But I am not a fan of taking out your hurt and pain on other people which pretty much was all that happened at the beginning of the book and it turned Leah into an annoying brat for me. Due to the fact I found her annoying, the plot overall wasn’t interesting as I know that our main character wouldn’t be written off by stepping in front of a bus. However Leah did slowly redeem herself when she took up boxing.
Characters and plot aside. I REALLY enjoyed how this book was written in blog post perspective. It’s creative and a modern way of looking at books since nearly every human and their dog consider themselves a writer across many different platforms. Davies has a really unique style and I would be keen beans to see what else he produces over time.
Straight off the bat, I thought the characters or shall I say the main character Leah maybe should have had discipline growing up?! I know that her father had died and it was all starting to build up. But I am not a fan of taking out your hurt and pain on other people which pretty much was all that happened at the beginning of the book and it turned Leah into an annoying brat for me. Due to the fact I found her annoying, the plot overall wasn’t interesting as I know that our main character wouldn’t be written off by stepping in front of a bus. However Leah did slowly redeem herself when she took up boxing.
Characters and plot aside. I REALLY enjoyed how this book was written in blog post perspective. It’s creative and a modern way of looking at books since nearly every human and their dog consider themselves a writer across many different platforms. Davies has a really unique style and I would be keen beans to see what else he produces over time.
October 5, 2019
A knock out story that’s weird and wonderful all at the same time!
Weird because I’m not sure I would ever have put chess and boxing together, however when this sport is explained, it actually makes perfect sense and is a wonderful combination of brains and brawn.
The story is told through blog posts written by our main protagonist, Leah, and the unique format made for a quick and easy read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The story was also packed with a surprising amount of emotion as Leah attempts to deal with the grief of losing her dad. It captures accurately the despair and anger she feels and how this affects her attitude and behaviour.
This book brought something very different to the table and I really enjoyed this insight into two sports/games I didn’t know much about. The only thing stopping me from giving this book 5 stars was the difficulty I had warming to Leah as she was quite a brat at the beginning, and her belligerence was irritating. I personally think this was probably an intentional choice by the author, and if so it was written really well as I really didn’t like her very much at the start! Well worth a read 😊
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @darkroomtours and @andersenpress, for providing a copy as part of the Bookstagram tour. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.
Weird because I’m not sure I would ever have put chess and boxing together, however when this sport is explained, it actually makes perfect sense and is a wonderful combination of brains and brawn.
The story is told through blog posts written by our main protagonist, Leah, and the unique format made for a quick and easy read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The story was also packed with a surprising amount of emotion as Leah attempts to deal with the grief of losing her dad. It captures accurately the despair and anger she feels and how this affects her attitude and behaviour.
This book brought something very different to the table and I really enjoyed this insight into two sports/games I didn’t know much about. The only thing stopping me from giving this book 5 stars was the difficulty I had warming to Leah as she was quite a brat at the beginning, and her belligerence was irritating. I personally think this was probably an intentional choice by the author, and if so it was written really well as I really didn’t like her very much at the start! Well worth a read 😊
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @darkroomtours and @andersenpress, for providing a copy as part of the Bookstagram tour. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.
September 15, 2019
I'm going to start off by saying that I know nothing about chess, I've never played it and I don't think I will or could. Still, I was quite interested in seeing how chess and boxing worked together as a hybrid sport. The book is in the layout of blog posts all written by the protagonist, Leah, telling us about how she was close to becoming a chess Grandmaster but sabotaged her the game that, if won, would have got her the title. Instead she quit tournament chess. After dabbling in chess gambling as part of syndicate she finds out about Chessboxing which she sees as her new calling.
I really liked Leah, I didn't really about any of the other characters, they were somewhat flat to me. Leah was relatable even though she was quite obnoxious sometimes but it was interesting seeing how she got on with life after giving up something she loved so dearly while also dealing with the grief of losing a parent. For me, Leah handling handling of her grief and her therapy sessions was when she was most relatable to me because I've been there myself.
In all this was a pretty interesting book and it was nice to see a world (tournament chess) that I didn't know very well. Of course I was most interested in finding out about Chessboxing and the matches worked but we didn't get to see anything about Chessboxing until about 200 pages in so, even though it was a fun and easy read, it was fairly disappointing in that respect.
A funny and enlightening look into the world of chess.
Rated: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 stars)
I really liked Leah, I didn't really about any of the other characters, they were somewhat flat to me. Leah was relatable even though she was quite obnoxious sometimes but it was interesting seeing how she got on with life after giving up something she loved so dearly while also dealing with the grief of losing a parent. For me, Leah handling handling of her grief and her therapy sessions was when she was most relatable to me because I've been there myself.
In all this was a pretty interesting book and it was nice to see a world (tournament chess) that I didn't know very well. Of course I was most interested in finding out about Chessboxing and the matches worked but we didn't get to see anything about Chessboxing until about 200 pages in so, even though it was a fun and easy read, it was fairly disappointing in that respect.
A funny and enlightening look into the world of chess.
Rated: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 stars)
August 16, 2019
Thank you to @definitelybooks for sending me an ARC of this book, Chessboxer will be available in bookstores in October 2019.
Leah Baxter is a teenage chess prodigy. Ever since the death of her father, her game's been off. She is only a few wins away from becoming the first junior chess grandmaster in the world. But she keeps on self-sabotaging her career. In lieu of losing another game, she decided to quit chess. But chess was not checkmated with her, the game is still ongoing. She stumbled upon a group of chessplayers in the park who play for money. They would play a game with strangers with a bet of their choosing amount of money. Since then, she is known as Leah "Park Girl" Baxter after a stunning chess match that astounded the chess world. She went viral. She was then introduced to the intense firey hybrid sport - chessboxing. With a new goal in mind, she set out to destroy anyone who blocks her King on the board and ring.
Chessboxer by Stephen Davies a collection of blog posts in a book. It was like reading a complete story taken off from Tumblr, some of the posts have comments. It is an interesting concept as I have not read a book this way. Before reading this book, I didn't know that there was such a thrilling sport called Chessboxing. I play chess, though I am not a very good player. I beat my peers on a good day. So, I can understand the chess talk in the book. If I were to go up against our main girl Leah, she would gut me clean. Brrrrrr.
Leah is not a perfect person, she is angry from her father's death and in grief. She is stuck in her own well of emotions. When you put anger and sadness together, it is destructive to a person. Many readers are saying that she is an angry girl, I think contrarily, she is a sad person mourning for her father when the rest of her family have moved on, to her chess career. She appeared to be mean, tough and hostile. However, inside she is a normal girl with emotions and that can be seen through her blog posts. I need to point out that I like how the romance is presented in the book, he's a friend to her instead of continuously pursuing her. He understood that Leah is not emotionally ready to be in a serious relationship, he respected her space and stayed by her side as a friend. I admire that about him.
Chessboxer is a book that I think has more depths under the black and white board, it contains hidden moves and plots to expose the readers to the character's world. Some readrs might not like the reading format. I ask that you keep an open mind and think of it as reading Tumblr posts.
Thank you once more to @definitelybooks for sending me an ARC. Chessboxer will be in all good bookstores in October 2019.
Leah Baxter is a teenage chess prodigy. Ever since the death of her father, her game's been off. She is only a few wins away from becoming the first junior chess grandmaster in the world. But she keeps on self-sabotaging her career. In lieu of losing another game, she decided to quit chess. But chess was not checkmated with her, the game is still ongoing. She stumbled upon a group of chessplayers in the park who play for money. They would play a game with strangers with a bet of their choosing amount of money. Since then, she is known as Leah "Park Girl" Baxter after a stunning chess match that astounded the chess world. She went viral. She was then introduced to the intense firey hybrid sport - chessboxing. With a new goal in mind, she set out to destroy anyone who blocks her King on the board and ring.
Chessboxer by Stephen Davies a collection of blog posts in a book. It was like reading a complete story taken off from Tumblr, some of the posts have comments. It is an interesting concept as I have not read a book this way. Before reading this book, I didn't know that there was such a thrilling sport called Chessboxing. I play chess, though I am not a very good player. I beat my peers on a good day. So, I can understand the chess talk in the book. If I were to go up against our main girl Leah, she would gut me clean. Brrrrrr.
Leah is not a perfect person, she is angry from her father's death and in grief. She is stuck in her own well of emotions. When you put anger and sadness together, it is destructive to a person. Many readers are saying that she is an angry girl, I think contrarily, she is a sad person mourning for her father when the rest of her family have moved on, to her chess career. She appeared to be mean, tough and hostile. However, inside she is a normal girl with emotions and that can be seen through her blog posts. I need to point out that I like how the romance is presented in the book, he's a friend to her instead of continuously pursuing her. He understood that Leah is not emotionally ready to be in a serious relationship, he respected her space and stayed by her side as a friend. I admire that about him.
Chessboxer is a book that I think has more depths under the black and white board, it contains hidden moves and plots to expose the readers to the character's world. Some readrs might not like the reading format. I ask that you keep an open mind and think of it as reading Tumblr posts.
Thank you once more to @definitelybooks for sending me an ARC. Chessboxer will be in all good bookstores in October 2019.
July 21, 2020
I'd been in a bit of a reading drought for a while, and this book was the one that finally got me out of it. It's not the most incredible book I've ever read, but it was exactly what I needed. It's light reading whilst still being exciting and enjoyable, and I think that it could appeal to most readers, regardless of your usual genre preferences.
When I first started the book, I noticed two things. Firstly, the main character, Leah, was incredibly unlikable, but secondly that I was hooked on her every word. The book is told from her perspective, through a series of blog posts, and even though she's really obnoxious, she's also a great storyteller. She regales her audience with her life as an aspiring chess champion, whilst constantly putting out an air that she thinks she's better than everyone else.
However, as the story progresses, we start to learn more about what happened to make her this way, and I started to empathise with her. I think the way the book addresses grief is really clever, because it's not made obvious from the start, and shows how the way somebody presents themselves to the outside world may not be reflective of what they feel inside.
By the end, I was really rooting for Leah to succeed, and her character development is really smoothly done. There are some really poignant moments amongst many more really funny ones. Overall, and surprisingly for a book about something as seemingly boring as chess, there was never a dull moment and I was gripped from beginning to end.
Usually I hate first person present tense as a writing style, but it really worked for this book, and wasn't annoying like I usually find it, I think because it made sense with the blog format. I also liked that the blog posts style meant that it was split up into really small 'chapters' which made for easy reading as it felt like less of a commitment.
Definitely recommend this!
When I first started the book, I noticed two things. Firstly, the main character, Leah, was incredibly unlikable, but secondly that I was hooked on her every word. The book is told from her perspective, through a series of blog posts, and even though she's really obnoxious, she's also a great storyteller. She regales her audience with her life as an aspiring chess champion, whilst constantly putting out an air that she thinks she's better than everyone else.
However, as the story progresses, we start to learn more about what happened to make her this way, and I started to empathise with her. I think the way the book addresses grief is really clever, because it's not made obvious from the start, and shows how the way somebody presents themselves to the outside world may not be reflective of what they feel inside.
By the end, I was really rooting for Leah to succeed, and her character development is really smoothly done. There are some really poignant moments amongst many more really funny ones. Overall, and surprisingly for a book about something as seemingly boring as chess, there was never a dull moment and I was gripped from beginning to end.
Usually I hate first person present tense as a writing style, but it really worked for this book, and wasn't annoying like I usually find it, I think because it made sense with the blog format. I also liked that the blog posts style meant that it was split up into really small 'chapters' which made for easy reading as it felt like less of a commitment.
Definitely recommend this!
February 11, 2020
Leah was a chess prodigy but after the death of her father she loses her way and gives up chess. However, this doesn't last long and she jumps in with the wrong crowd and gets caught fleecing people at the chess tables in the park. After a stint in jail she discovers chess boxing - a sport where you play a round of chess and then go toe to toe in the ring.
The premise of the book sounded really good. Yet, it was very slow to get going. As it is told in a vlog format we spent a lot of time following Leah through her mundane life/angst. It's about 3/4 though the book when we finally get into the chess boxing. During this section of the book things get really interesting, however, the vlogs get shorter and time moves faster, meaning more time jumps between vlogs. This was slightly disappointing as the thing that drew me towards the story had very little attention paid to it.
Leah can also be very difficult to get a long with. She's irrational, mean and quite selfish. Its difficult to get behind her and root for her when she has little redeemable qualities.
The book is well written and the chess references are insightful. The chess boxing is great and Leah does end up being less irritating. I've never read a book about chess so it was refreshing. It also deals with friendship and grief well.
Nice read but the main character is hard to like and not enough time spent chess boxing.
The premise of the book sounded really good. Yet, it was very slow to get going. As it is told in a vlog format we spent a lot of time following Leah through her mundane life/angst. It's about 3/4 though the book when we finally get into the chess boxing. During this section of the book things get really interesting, however, the vlogs get shorter and time moves faster, meaning more time jumps between vlogs. This was slightly disappointing as the thing that drew me towards the story had very little attention paid to it.
Leah can also be very difficult to get a long with. She's irrational, mean and quite selfish. Its difficult to get behind her and root for her when she has little redeemable qualities.
The book is well written and the chess references are insightful. The chess boxing is great and Leah does end up being less irritating. I've never read a book about chess so it was refreshing. It also deals with friendship and grief well.
Nice read but the main character is hard to like and not enough time spent chess boxing.
December 2, 2020
I read this for a research project on martial arts fiction - by odd coincidence in tandem with viewing The Queen's Gambit. Turns out good fiction about chess is, counterintuitively, dramatic and compelling, even for readers with only the most rudimentary knowledge of the game. This is achieved by drawing on the emotions of the players as their plans and anticipations trounce one another with a consequent dashing of confidence, hopes, pride, ambition, ego. Btw being masterful at chess is in both cases portrayed in large part as a matter of encyclopedic knowledge of past games and branching inevitabilities and the ability to apply one game plan against another, moreso than one move against another. Its more hyper-moves than moves. Anyway...
Baxter writes well, especially about chess, and about characters playing chess. The story takes what feels like a tiresomely improbable turn as our champion chess girl decides what she really wants to be is a chess boxer. Rather than some inventive hybrid martial art invented by the author (as I hoped), this sport, where rounds of chess and boxing simply alternate, is an actual real world thing.
The book's weaknesses are a lack of authenticity at times (contrived motivations I suppose) and the main character is an overly fanciful Mary Sue. But the writing is good and the ambition of the author worthwhile so an extra star here for encouragement.
Baxter writes well, especially about chess, and about characters playing chess. The story takes what feels like a tiresomely improbable turn as our champion chess girl decides what she really wants to be is a chess boxer. Rather than some inventive hybrid martial art invented by the author (as I hoped), this sport, where rounds of chess and boxing simply alternate, is an actual real world thing.
The book's weaknesses are a lack of authenticity at times (contrived motivations I suppose) and the main character is an overly fanciful Mary Sue. But the writing is good and the ambition of the author worthwhile so an extra star here for encouragement.
July 28, 2019
I received an ARC of this book.
Fast paced and angry, it was really hard to put this book down. When I first started reading it I struggled with the format as it is written as a blog with comments but I soon accepted this and found it an intriguing way to share a story.
Leah is in self-destruct mode. All her life she has loved chess and one day, it is a part of the worst day of her life. This forces her to make some tough choices. She goes from being an elite chess player to a hustler to discovering a whole new world of chessboxing (yes, this is a real sport). It becomes a release and a way for her to work through her issues.
I enjoyed reading this book as the author sets you up for the endgame right at the start, providing you pay attention to the clues. The book itself is like a chess match played at speed where you know there is something coming but you can’t quite see it, until it’s too late.
This is a great book about dealing with grief, moving on and the pressure that is on people who are at the top of their field. Sometimes there needs to be a pressure valve to release the excess. Due to the violence and recklessness that Leah exposes the reader to, I suggest this book is for 15+
Fast paced and angry, it was really hard to put this book down. When I first started reading it I struggled with the format as it is written as a blog with comments but I soon accepted this and found it an intriguing way to share a story.
Leah is in self-destruct mode. All her life she has loved chess and one day, it is a part of the worst day of her life. This forces her to make some tough choices. She goes from being an elite chess player to a hustler to discovering a whole new world of chessboxing (yes, this is a real sport). It becomes a release and a way for her to work through her issues.
I enjoyed reading this book as the author sets you up for the endgame right at the start, providing you pay attention to the clues. The book itself is like a chess match played at speed where you know there is something coming but you can’t quite see it, until it’s too late.
This is a great book about dealing with grief, moving on and the pressure that is on people who are at the top of their field. Sometimes there needs to be a pressure valve to release the excess. Due to the violence and recklessness that Leah exposes the reader to, I suggest this book is for 15+
September 19, 2019
In this book we meet Leah, a tough teen with a passion and set for stardom for her chess skills being ranked one of the best players there is and ranking higher and higher until she quits one day as the grief she has for her father gets too much and stifles her from her clear set path to being the highest ranking player there is.
Instead, she gets a pet python, gets a job at a donut shop and quits her blogging for others making it private documenting her life as she meets a blog reader, Kit who changes her life.
The air together play money in the park for money but she soon learns about chessboxing, a high intensity complex, thrilling game she desires to turn her talents too now and despite her mother's fears, leah is ruthless is getting what she wants to happen and refuses to back down...
All about loss, grief and pain as well as taking a stand for your future and discovering your passion in life, this is a fantastic high energy read about seeing your goal and achieving it no matter the odds or fears and proving you can and will succeed or at least try your hardest to get there and prove yourself.
Instead, she gets a pet python, gets a job at a donut shop and quits her blogging for others making it private documenting her life as she meets a blog reader, Kit who changes her life.
The air together play money in the park for money but she soon learns about chessboxing, a high intensity complex, thrilling game she desires to turn her talents too now and despite her mother's fears, leah is ruthless is getting what she wants to happen and refuses to back down...
All about loss, grief and pain as well as taking a stand for your future and discovering your passion in life, this is a fantastic high energy read about seeing your goal and achieving it no matter the odds or fears and proving you can and will succeed or at least try your hardest to get there and prove yourself.
September 29, 2019
Leah is struggling after losing her beloved father. Chess, a sport she excels at, means nothing to her anymore. Until she comes across chess boxing, a dangerous sport combining chess with boxing. Here's the rush she's been looking for. But is it too dangerous for her?
The book is well written so that complete novices in both sports can still follow along; I know a bit about chess and nothing about boxing and still knew what was going on, more or less. (Still not sure what a sac is.) I thought Leah was very impetuous, and it can't all be blamed on grieving because even two years later she's the same. It works for the story, of course.
It's a good read for someone looking for a more complex story. AND, there's no romance! We need more novels without romance.
The book is well written so that complete novices in both sports can still follow along; I know a bit about chess and nothing about boxing and still knew what was going on, more or less. (Still not sure what a sac is.) I thought Leah was very impetuous, and it can't all be blamed on grieving because even two years later she's the same. It works for the story, of course.
It's a good read for someone looking for a more complex story. AND, there's no romance! We need more novels without romance.
June 8, 2022
I would actually like to say that this is probably my favourite book of all time! It combines too sports of such that are nothing alike, and yet Stephan Davies has made it seem like an everyday activity! And the good thing is I don’t really think that you actually have to know anything about chess, or boxing, to love this book! The only thing I can find displeasure with is the cover. A lot of people understandably judge books by their covers but I just don’t think this fits the book or would appeal to the right audience. I read this book as an uncorrected copy form October 2019 so the cover was just black and white squares, I don’t know why you think?
November 2, 2019
I never knew chess could be so exciting. Literally on the edge of my seat during some of the closing chess rounds.
Leah is angry and not dealing with her grief. After self-sabotaging her chance to become a chess Grand Master, she rage-quits but, slowly, finds her way back to herself, and to chess, through chessboxing.
It's a fast read, with a lot of heart. (Although I will admit that I probably didn't understand half of the chess talk!)
Leah is angry and not dealing with her grief. After self-sabotaging her chance to become a chess Grand Master, she rage-quits but, slowly, finds her way back to herself, and to chess, through chessboxing.
It's a fast read, with a lot of heart. (Although I will admit that I probably didn't understand half of the chess talk!)
September 30, 2020
Chessboxer is an interesting, engaging read that took me by surprise, not just because I never knew chess boxing was actually a thing, but because the main character starts out hideously arrogant and unlikeable, but then sneakily won me over in the end, not through magically finding humility through her own grief (that cockiness is going nowhere), but through intense resilience. Excellent teen fiction for ages 11+, with only a teensy bit of swearing and loads of punching.
July 20, 2019
Snarky, angry goodness.
September 28, 2019
It was amazing. Full review to follow
February 13, 2025
I’m not really a boxing fan or a chess fan, but I enjoyed this because of the character development and how realistically Davies dealt with the grief from the loss of a parent.
February 3, 2022
It's more of a 3.5 but it's about boxing, so I'll go higher. It was definitely an interesting book. I had never heard of chessboxing before, so there is that. Also I did like the main character. She had a lot of spunk and really felt the thrill of boxing and hitting something. I guess I can relate.
May 9, 2022
Leah is not a likeable character in the beginning of this book. She has been through a lot, but is frankly horrible to most people she interacts with. Usually characters like this frustrate me and I end up not finishing the book or skipping to the ending, but this book was different. I didn't relate to Leah but she was amusing and I thought the book was well written.
Representation: None
Content warning (cw):
Language/insults: Drink hemlock Socrates; douche; idiot; we could talk about Russian cats and then slit our wrists together (sarcasm); go forth and don’t multiply; idiots; Leah says that the reason a donut shop is closed is because they need to put in wider doors for a girl; wish off; I hope your tattoo gets infected; dumbass; douchebag; Leah threatens to break someone’s legs; ‘I’ll knock his teeth down his throat’; harpy; moral moron multiple times; dumb; it sucks; shut up; he’s no more of a psychopath than I am; horsefeathers several times; sucks to be you (sympathetic); flat-ass; trigger-happy old nitwomble; dumb; got my ass handed to me (in relation to boxing); bozo; kick your butt; you saucy bi-atch; screw you
Representation: None
Content warning (cw):
Language/insults: Drink hemlock Socrates; douche; idiot; we could talk about Russian cats and then slit our wrists together (sarcasm); go forth and don’t multiply; idiots; Leah says that the reason a donut shop is closed is because they need to put in wider doors for a girl; wish off; I hope your tattoo gets infected; dumbass; douchebag; Leah threatens to break someone’s legs; ‘I’ll knock his teeth down his throat’; harpy; moral moron multiple times; dumb; it sucks; shut up; he’s no more of a psychopath than I am; horsefeathers several times; sucks to be you (sympathetic); flat-ass; trigger-happy old nitwomble; dumb; got my ass handed to me (in relation to boxing); bozo; kick your butt; you saucy bi-atch; screw you
September 14, 2019
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. I will always give an honest review in my search for superior young adult fiction.
The world of YA needs more girls' boxing and fierce girls with an unbreakable attitude. I arrived at this opinion after reading Chessboxer, the brand new novel by British YA author Stephen Davies.
Chessboxer is about Leah Baxter, a young chess champion who is just a few games away from becoming a grand master. The only problem is that Leah is crumbling under an insurmountable burden of grief and she needs some timeout. Following a humiliating loss at the Pune Open Tournament in India, Leah decides to give up chess tournaments altogether, much to the dismay of her mother and coach.
Without professional chess in her life, life back in Manhattan is very different and ultimately chaotic. Leah finds notoriety and trouble before eventually tumbling into the world of chessboxing, a violent, hybrid sport that combines chess and boxing.
Chessboxer is fast-paced and energetic, combining the therapeutic violence of boxing with one girl's struggle to cope with the twin pressures of grief and being a child prodigy. At times it is not an easy book to read; Leah is angry and processing a complex web of emotions and it doesn't exactly make her the most likeable protagonist I've encountered in a YA novel. It does make her realistic, having experienced complex grief myself, I can attest to how unpleasant it can make you.
I liked the setting of the novel best of all - New York City. From chess in Washington Square Park, to donut shops, tattoo parlours and boxing gyms, I loved spending time in one of my favourite cities on earth.
I give Chessboxer four out of five stars and recommend to all readers seeking a fierce female protagonist.
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The world of YA needs more girls' boxing and fierce girls with an unbreakable attitude. I arrived at this opinion after reading Chessboxer, the brand new novel by British YA author Stephen Davies.
Chessboxer is about Leah Baxter, a young chess champion who is just a few games away from becoming a grand master. The only problem is that Leah is crumbling under an insurmountable burden of grief and she needs some timeout. Following a humiliating loss at the Pune Open Tournament in India, Leah decides to give up chess tournaments altogether, much to the dismay of her mother and coach.
Without professional chess in her life, life back in Manhattan is very different and ultimately chaotic. Leah finds notoriety and trouble before eventually tumbling into the world of chessboxing, a violent, hybrid sport that combines chess and boxing.
Chessboxer is fast-paced and energetic, combining the therapeutic violence of boxing with one girl's struggle to cope with the twin pressures of grief and being a child prodigy. At times it is not an easy book to read; Leah is angry and processing a complex web of emotions and it doesn't exactly make her the most likeable protagonist I've encountered in a YA novel. It does make her realistic, having experienced complex grief myself, I can attest to how unpleasant it can make you.
I liked the setting of the novel best of all - New York City. From chess in Washington Square Park, to donut shops, tattoo parlours and boxing gyms, I loved spending time in one of my favourite cities on earth.
I give Chessboxer four out of five stars and recommend to all readers seeking a fierce female protagonist.
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March 17, 2020
I don't play chess, I have never seen a boxing fight in my life, but I loved this book! It's about being strong and true to yourself, while dealing whith the pressure from others. Finding a path and a passion, new friends, difficult family...
Perfect coming-of-age novel.
Perfect coming-of-age novel.
March 17, 2020
really enjoyed this - a good read
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