Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Emily Victoria for the opportunity to not only read Silver in the Mist in exchange for an honest review, buThank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Emily Victoria for the opportunity to not only read Silver in the Mist in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
After Emily Victoria's debut novel, This Golden Flame, I was thoroughly excited to find something new coming from this author. With LGBTQ representation from the get-go, stunning world building, and a dynamic cast of characters, I can substantially say that this is yet another excellent work by Emily Victoria. In Devlin's world, magic is dissipating, and in some instances, gone completely. With a domineering and strict mother who also happens to be the the Whisperer of Aris, the leader of a group of spies, Dev tries to do her best job and to be a fitful daughter as well. Being a spy under her mother's order, she makes here way across borders seeking intel from other countries to try and bring magic back to Aris.
Dev is tasked to continue this quest, though with a very specific end result: befriend the most powerful magic user, Alyse, and bring her to Aris to be used to quell the Hush, a thick mist full of creatures known as Phantoms. While Cerena may seek magic to attack Aris, a terrible misunderstanding delved from the past leads to Aris fighting two battles when both countries should be facing a common enemy. If Dev succeeds in befriending Alyse and tricking her with the use of a magic-cancelling bracelet, Aris might not be doomed. But Dev might just have some conflicted feelings of true friendship battling against her spy instincts.
This is a well-written novel full of magic and great characters. It has a bit of a Shadow and Bone vibe to it. Silver in the Mist is an appreciated stand-alone and yet another successful work from Emily Victoria. This Young Adult fantasy novel is sure to become a classic of the genre in no time!...more
"It was one thing to be a bard who told these stories for a living, but it was another thing to speak like a madman of evil spirits and fairies as if "It was one thing to be a bard who told these stories for a living, but it was another thing to speak like a madman of evil spirits and fairies as if they were tangible things away from the lyrics of a song or the pages of a book."
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Sasha Alsberg for the opportunity to not only read Breaking Time in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
As a fan of Zenith (co-written by Sasha Alsberg) as well as the books and TV show Outlander, I thought this book sounded like a pretty good fit for me. While the writing craft is much more simplistic than Zenith, Breaking Time was still an enjoyable, though easy, read.
In opposition to Outlander, Callum finds himself in contemporary Scotland, pulled from the 1500's into Klara's time. This book is considered to be in the young adult genre, despite the deceiving description and cover that give it a more adult feel, though I find this book to be more in the new adult genre. There are characters exploring the idea of love for the first time (Klara and Callum) as well as having Klara go through the personal conflict of fulfilling her family's dream for her to go to college versus the path she wants to take.
Learning of Callum's travel through time, Klara gets involved in something bigger than she ever expected. She is the last of twelve pillars of time that a dark god wants. Having already slain the other eleven pillars, he just needs Klara to finalize the powers within him. Alternately, a goddess is the one who bestowed the power upon Klara and the other pillars. Klara and Calllum visit various rumored magic areas of Scotland seeking to gain the power to destroy the dark god, Llaw, before he destroys them. (This is really the only historical element to the novel besides a few architectural comparisons).
Klara, with her growing feelings for Callum and vice versa, must face Llaw's demonic dogs, as well as survive Llaw's moves against her. Callum is only mixed up in everything because his friend, Thomas, appears to have been one of the pillars and Klara, being the last, had the connection to bring Callum to her time. Either way, they find they will go through this ordeal together and will come away thinking about their future after all is said and done...for what future can one from the twenty-first century build with someone from the 1500's? It remains to be seen.
This novel is easy to read, somewhat quick, though not as eventful as I would have liked. The writing style is simple, though the concept of time through the powers of gods and goddesses was a nice alteration from other similar works. While I was hoping for a strong stand-alone, the ending indicates further installments to Klara and Callum's story. I would recommend this book to older teens or early college age people who love a nice blend of fantasy and romance....more
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and H.E. Edgmon for the opportunity to not only read The Fae Keeper in exchange for an honest review, but to beThank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and H.E. Edgmon for the opportunity to not only read The Fae Keeper in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
This book is the conclusion to The Witch King duology. While I didn't get the same enjoyment out of this second installment as I did the first novel, it was still an enjoyable read that had a lot of focus on LGBTQ culture.
In this novel, Wyatt works with Emyr to reform the ruling governance and laws shadowing over the kingdom of Asalin. With a new threat to face, Wyatt is continually thrust into the events of his past, needing to learn to face them, as well as still going through the struggles with his body image, being a trans man, and exploring what his own future will look like piled on top of everything he is going through.
The quest to meet with other fae leaders, after an assassination attempt on Emyr's father, becomes a driving force for a good part of the novel. Wyatt and Emyr still struggle to find equality for witches among the fae world, only to learn from a resident of the original faery that the way they live in the Earth realm is not exactly the most honest governance of the fae kingdoms (but what government is honest with its people, really?).
On top of maintaining his friendship with Briar and keeping a newborn witch safe, as well as living through their own attempted assassinations, Wyatt, along with Emyr, still has a lot to learn about himself, coming to terms with his past, and finding the right path into who he is and how his future will look. But he must survive the onslaught against Asalin first!
I really enjoy the LGBTQ aspects of this book. There are many different terms and pronouns used, as well as the fact that Wyatt is trans, and the reader gets a glimpse of what that experience might be like, for those who are not or do not know how that would feel. The struggle with body image in relation to how one sees themself is an important aspect of Wyatt's character.
The story itself seemed somewhat lackluster compared to the first book, but sure enough, the ending has some interesting perspective shifts and some insane twists and action that really brought this book to a heart-pounding closure. I love the fact that this is part of a duology, as I find duologies to be more focused and both books tend to play an integral part (without the stretch of a middle book in a trilogy or some aspects of long-winded series). This is a perfect end and a great series....more
"The Between can bring your darkest fears and emotions to life." - Ash "Evenfall. It is familiar, though I cannot seem to remember why." - Oberon
Thank "The Between can bring your darkest fears and emotions to life." - Ash "Evenfall. It is familiar, though I cannot seem to remember why." - Oberon
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Julie Kagawa for the opportunity to not only read The Iron Sword in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
The Iron Sword is the second installment in the Iron Fey: Evenfall series, an after-series to the original Iron Fey novels. You do not need to read the original series to enjoy Evenfall, but it is highly recommended, as many of the characters make appearances and some snippets reference the first series. It makes for a more enriching experience having read the original series first. If you are interested, the original series runs with the following books in this order:
The Iron Fey: The Iron King The Iron Prince The Iron Daughter The Iron Traitor The Iron Queen The Iron Warrior The Iron Knight
While the first book, The Iron Raven, is told from Puck's first person perspective, this novel shifts to Ash's first person perspective, which I didn't really like as much. Puck and his quirky wit is still present in the novel, but reading Ash's perspective was just not as entertaining and I would forget at times who was telling the story because his thoughts don't really stand out much.
Ash and his wife, Meghan, seek their son Keirran, who has vanished. He couldn't possibly be among the fae courts, as he has been exiled, which leaves one place for his parents to search: the mortal realm. Seeking a human relative, they find at least a hint of where to go. It's one place to the next to the next, following informants and seeking information. A lot of what is written gets very repetitive, like the characters repeat the same thing they just said multiple times, which makes for a not-so-intellectual read.
And of course, there's they key that separates this series from the previous: Evenfall. What is that? And what are these "nightmare piskies" that seem to be following Keirran? These Evenfey, as they are soon labeled, feed off of negative emotions. Through a web company called InSite, it seems that something sinister is going on within an anchor, an area that sits partly in the human realm and partly in the Between, and many humans seems to be unknowingly involved, their emotions fed upon by the Evenfey.
I think one of my qualms with this book is that, while I enjoyed the first one quite a bit, this novel felt not as well written as Kagawa's other works, and fairy/fae stories get to be rather repetitive, even to the point I will generally bypass a book the moment I see it is fae centered. I figured I would give this one a chance, since I enjoyed the first one, but I am certainly on the fence about finishing this series. Despite not being a huge fan of this particular novel, I am still looking forward to anything else Kagawa might have in the future, as she does have quite a few excellent series under her, including the Talon series and the Shadow of the Fox series, both excellent!...more
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Eric Smith for the opportunity to not only read You Can Go Your Own Way, but to be part of the blog tour asThank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Eric Smith for the opportunity to not only read You Can Go Your Own Way, but to be part of the blog tour as well. My Review:
This book is told in alternating perspectives between Adam and Whitney.
Adam's family owns a pinball arcade that they are at risk of losing. Adam's father was an inspiration and icon for the pinball arcade, and losing him the sumemr between 8th and 9th grade was hard. It was even worse when he appeared in high school seeking solace from his best friend, Whitney, only to have her laugh at him, brush him off, and turn her back on him for new friends.
Whitney loves her new friends. She wasn't always rich. Her father came into a new e-cafe business that actually turned out to make tons of money and they even host major game announcement events. Whitney's father, though, is trying to buy the pinball arcade to expand the e-cafes under his name. Adam and his mom have held out for a few years, but they can barely afford to keep it. Options are slim. This causes Adam to dislike his former best friend even more. Whitney also covers the social media aspect of her father's e-cafe. Whitney is almost glued to her phone, which causes problems between her and her boyfirend and friends.
When Whitney and Adam get stuck at the pinball arcade because of a massive Philadelphia snow storm, they begin to bridge the cracks of their broken friendship, and maybe even explore something more. But will that last with Whitney's dad ever-seeking to buy the arcade?
This book is easy to read, though the chapters are quite long. It's great for a contemporary audience based on its references and the impact contemporary media has on society in relation to classic arcades. The dynamic of the main characters relationships with themselves and others is an important take-away for young readers. Many young people let friendships fall apart for the wrong reasons. This book explores lost time, but also finding out true friendship and how to reconize those that matter. It's about the memories and the time spent. This is a fantastic stand-along that I would highly recommend to teen readers looking for a spot of hope....more
"It can be so intense in such bonds that if one Kindred were to die, the other might follow shortly after."
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and "It can be so intense in such bonds that if one Kindred were to die, the other might follow shortly after."
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Alechia Dow for the opportunity to not only read The Kindred in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
Joy and Felix are Kindred, minds bonded at birth, as is a mandate of the planet to keep the peace. Joy is from a poor planet in the Monchuri system, while Felix is a Duke. The chances of them ever even meeting in person are slim to none. Despite not having met, Joy and Felix see everything through each other's Kindred connection, but Joy is able to block Felix out. She knows why, but it's a secret from him.
When the royal ship is blasted out of the sky, Felix is framed for the murder of the queen and her family. Someone was able to pin the perfect motivation, as he is next in line for the throne. Not a great way to show his innocence, Felix makes a run for it. He knows Joy is in trouble, and he would die if something happened to her. After finding Joy on her own planet, the Kindred meet for the first time and Felix plans to take them to a neutral planet to wait out the onslaught of people hunting him down.
They find they do not end up on their designated planet, but one known as Earth. When their ship runs out of fuel and they force a crash land in Florida, they meet some interesting humans (and Andarrans), and formulate just what their relationship might mean once everything is settled on the political agenda.
I found this book extremely entertaining and found the intense space chase to be a fun read. Once they landed on Earth, I was a bit disappointed, as the world-building could have been so much more interesting with a planet that didn't involve something we know in our world. The Earth side of the story grew on me. It makes many modern connections to hate and injustice, as well as iconic media. What really drew me in was the connection to Alechia's debut novel, The Sound of Stars. The tie-ins proving these books are in the same universe are rather subtle, but they are there, and you certainly don't need to read one before the other. Both are perfectly fulfilling stand-alone novels. I just found the connections to make this book all the more brilliant and intriguing. I have also surmised that the events of The Kindred come before the events of The Sound of Stars.
This is an exciting novel, and I am intrigued by what kind of tale Alechia will weave next and how it may connect to this universe....more
Thank you to Netgalley, Inkyard Press, and Jessica S. Olson for the opportunity to read nor only read A Forgery of Roses, but to be a part of the blogThank you to Netgalley, Inkyard Press, and Jessica S. Olson for the opportunity to read nor only read A Forgery of Roses, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
Myra must be careful. In her world, she is a Prodigy, someone who can alter reality through painting. Prodigies are hunted and outlawed by the current government order, so she must keep her gift a secret, even though the magic tickles the back of her mind to be let out and used every time she paints a subject. With the disappearance of her parents (her mom also being a Prodigy), she must be even more careful because of the association. On top of keeping her secret, she works at an art studio to pay for care for her very intelligent thirteen-year-old sister, who also has an undiagnosed ailment that gives her terrible stomach pains. Unfortunately, with their parents missing, Myra makes enough money to keep them taken care of, but not enough for a doctor.
When working, a patron comes into the art studio seeking an artist. Myra's boss suggest she take this patron. It just so happens to be the Governor's wife requesting a painting of her dog. When Myra notices a small wound on the dog, her magic can't help but slip and heal the dog's wound. It's such a small feat, and surely the governor's wife, Mrs. Harris, wouldn't notice. Right?
Mrs. Harris does notice and instantly points out Myra as a Prodigy. With the threat of blackmail, but also the offer of a sum that can save Myra and her sister from their current state of living, Mrs. Harris hires Myra to do something that no pay grade may be comparable. While the world believes Will Harris to be ill (publicity and politics, you know...), he actually lay covered under a cloth, dead, his skull bashed in from falling from his balcony. Myra must bring him back to life within three days or face the consequences.
With the help of the eldest son (not exactly the ideal politician), Myra works with August to uncover the truth of Will's death. If she does not have an understanding of how he died and what he may have felt when he died, she has no chance of bringing him back to life. Closer inspection of the body and a few failed attempts at her task bring Myra to believe Will didn't just fall; he must have been murdered.
With someone out to kill Prodigies, Myra's life is on the line. Will she be able to solve the secrets of Will's murder and the strangeness of the Harris family before she herself becomes a victim? It's up to her belief in her own skills and herself. What an absolutely excellent novel. There is romantic intrigue, magic, art, and murder mystery, all nicely woven into this fast-paced work of art. The writing is eloquently crafted, the plot is interesting, and everything about this book takes some ideas we know and love in a book and makes it quite the original piece.
2022 is only a quarter over and there are many more books coming out in the year, but A Forgery of Roses is by far one of the best releases this year. It will be hard to top this one, certainly. A highly recommended read for any lover of magic realism, artistry, romance, on top of a good old murder mystery in the mix....more
"You were your own light in the darkness. You just needed to believe in yourself."-Evran
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Mara Rutherford for"You were your own light in the darkness. You just needed to believe in yourself."-Evran
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Mara Rutherford for the opportunity to not only read Luminous in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
In the kingdom of Antalla, those who have the gift of witchcraft are hunted and used by the king's personal warlock, Darius. In the small village of Sylvan, Liora must keep her light a secret. She glows, emanating a soft light. While she doesn't know the extent of her power, her father and sister both know she needs to be kept a secret or Darius will come claim her.
A witch who lives nearby, Margana, takes Liora on as an apprentice just so Darius cannot claim her when he appears on one of his witch hunts. Instead, he takes Liora's younger sister, Mina, mostly as collateral, knowing he will get the chance to use Liora...eventually. But what could her power be and why is he so obsessed with touching her?
Meanwhile, Liora tries to keep her relationship with Margana's son, Evran, strong. Liora learns about Margana's weaving magic: she can create animals, people, and even places out of woven threads. She has been under Darius' watchful eye for 20 years, making a tapestry of darkness, a place to banish people and keep the creatures of old: the Lusiri. Lusiri are mythical dark magic creatures that suck the lives out of living things and create voids into the darkness. When Darius pushes Evran through the tapestry (because Margana isn't following through with her end of the deal), Liora is the only one who can go in and save him because her light is the only thing that can shatter the darkness inside the world of the tapestry. She may save Evran, but in the process, two Lusiri escape. Darius, Evran, and Liora (among others) must hunt down the Lusiri and get them in check before they frighten and unsettle too many people. What Darius doesn't know is that Liora can see the voids left behind from where the Lusiri feed. These voids are the very darkness that Darius wants, and if he finds out that the Lusiri can make the whole world like the tapestry he commissioned....well, he can't find out.
Liora must stop the Lusiri and keep their voids hidden from Darius. The lives of her family, Evran's mother, and all witches are on the line. It's up to a witch touched by a falling star to save the world.
I love that this book is a stand-alone. It felt like a more medieval magic realism and had a nice blend of magic with reality. The story is wholesome, with a great wrap-up, and there's a nice touch of romance. The character interactions are intriguing and the progression of the story, along with the unique mythical creatures, the Lusiri, was a great way to add a bit of darkness to contrast the main character's light....more
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and H.E Edgmon for the opportunity to not only read The Witch King in exchange for an honest review, but to be Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and H.E Edgmon for the opportunity to not only read The Witch King in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the blog tour as well.
This book is full of diversity and reflects issues of discrimination in society today with very real scenarios as well as fictitious events that reflect current events in the United States in 2021.
Wyatt escaped Asalin, one of the fae kingdoms, after such horrendous bullying that his fire magic killed his parents. In the human world, he finds refuge with a girl named Briar and her family. When his fated mate, the fae prince, shows up, Wyatt gets sucked into going back to Asalin to try and help Emyr take the throne. The problem? Huge opposition by his cousin, Derek, who might just have a better tie to the throne. Not only that, but Wyatt is a witch, while Emyr is fae. Fated pairs between witches and fae are rare, but they do happen. Witches are seen as the lowest of the low in fae society, often holding jobs of high labor and seen as slaves. This poses a bit of a problem when it comes to the future rule of Asalin.
Political ventures aside, when Emyr found Wyatt to be his mated pair, Wyatt was actually a girl. That name is dead. Wyatt is not a girl and will never be some baby-making factory to produce heirs for a fae prince. Even if he has feelings for Emyr, he is cautious to play upon them because of Emyr's (and the rest of fae society's) previous comments and expectations of his mate, even if he didn't quite know what he was saying at the time.
With political tensions high in Asalin, witches and fae are facing off and riots are breaking out. Will Wyatt and Emyr be able to come to some kind of agreement for the betterment of Asalin, or will they have to let Derek take the throne to avoid further political and discriminatory disasters?
This book was such a fantastic read. Wyatt is the first person perspective character and I adore his voice. His internal thoughts ring clear, and his character is just so fun and dynamic. As one can see from the cover, there is a great amount of diversity in this book, which young readers really need more exposure to. Not only are there witches and fae, but we have representation for transgender, Black, and body positivity. This book has some great tense moments of feelings and romance as well. I recommend this book to teen readers and anyone interested in the transgender experience. This is also a great book for lovers of fae fantasy stories. An all-around recommended read!!
I like that this book feels like a wholesome stand-alone, but the world is expansive enough that there is potential for more books to follow. The end isn't necessarily a cliffhanger, but definitely leaves the door open to more possibilities. Whether a second installment comes or not, this is an excellent novel and a satisfying read....more
"Don't deny yourself a better shot because you messed up in the past."-Jenaya
"There's always time to start likin' who you are and bein' yourself."-Reg"Don't deny yourself a better shot because you messed up in the past."-Jenaya
"There's always time to start likin' who you are and bein' yourself."-Regan
Thank you to NetGalley, Inkyard Press, and Whitney D. Grandison for the opportunity to not only read The Right Side of Reckless in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the Blog Tour as well.\
Guillermo is on pronation and it's because he almost killed his friend over a girl. When he moves, he gets a chance a making new friends and starting a new life, despite his past. Part of his sentence involves volunteer hours at a local community center. It turns out the manager--and her attractive daughter--live right across the street from Guillermo. He finds an instant attraction to Regan, but he must avoid girls at all costs, lest he go to jail for good, should there be another incident. Especially when the girl happens to be dating the top football star of the school.
Regan is dating Troy, the top-notch football player and a relationship that began with her father somewhat pushing her into it, as he adores football. He also believes Regan will be a great accountant. It's the perfect future: become the accountant and wife of a famous football player. the problem? She is not fond of accounting whatsoever, and Troy isn't exactly the best boyfriend, even though she does love him. The pressure to have sex before Regan is ready and the pressure to be an accountant by her father are two things that push her to eventually find her own voice and speak up for herself, as well as finding her own interests and passions. Regan also works at her mom's community center, and there's just something about Guillermo that Regan can't help feeling her heart flutter over.
Also there are dogs. :)
The romance between Regan and Guillermo takes quite a while to fully establish, but the little moments they get and how they get them are well-executed. This is a heart-pounding page-turner of a romance novel, even though it is kind of a generic story that has been done before. The writing style is excellent and has me invested with the characters and the development as they grow to learn who they are as people. The diversity of characters in this novel is a great highlight, and the topics explored are many that teens face, making this a great relatable book for a young adult audience. This book is excellent and has me wanting to read Grandison's first novel, A Love Hate Thing....more
Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Victoria, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only read This Golden Flame in exchange for an honest review, butThank you to NetGalley, Emily Victoria, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only read This Golden Flame in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the Blog Tour as well.
My Review: Karis lives on Tallis, an island where Scriptmasters study runes and aim to bring the automatons back to life. Two hundred years ago, the automatons went silent, and nobody is quite sure why. Orphaned at an early age, Karis and her brother Matthias were sent to Tallis as Scriptorium acolytes, but Matthias was a bit too much of a trouble-maker for the Scriptorium's liking. After being shipped away, it is Kari's ultimate goal to get into the Scriptmaster's records, find out where they sent her brother, and reunite with him once more.
Seven years have already passed and Karis has had no luck getting into the tightly locked records of the Scriptmasters. She goes her day-to-day life with her acolyte group, studying the various inanimate automatons scattered about Tallis. One day, she has a bit of a fall off a cliff and ends up wandering into a cave. There she finds an automaton unlike any she has seen before. Where others are mammoth in size, this one is more human in appearance...and in nature. When Karis writes the "wake" rune in the automaton's tome, he comes alive, and he certainly has a personality of his own.
Alix, the automaton, and Kari, along with their friend Dane, find themselves on the run from the Scriptorium guards on Tallis. They join together with a young pirate names Zara. What was once simply a quest to find Karis's brother turns into an adventure to find the Automaton Heart and stop the magistrate, the Scriptorium leader, from reanimating automatons once more for his own war-like and power gains.
There is a large representation of LGBTQ in this novel, and while there are plenty of examples of the diversity, it is important to note that Karis is asexual and her feelings toward seeing her friend and her brother when it comes to relationships is a great way to show the Ace perspective. This was a generally fun novel to read. It really had a Greek/Roman feel to the clothing, architecture, and atmosphere, and the quest was well-rounded. This was a nice wholesome one-off that was a thoroughly enjoyable read....more
Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Kagawa, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only read The Iron Raven in exchange for an honest review, but to bThank you to NetGalley, Julie Kagawa, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only read The Iron Raven in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the Blog Tour as well.
This series is a new trilogy that comes after Kagawa's original Iron Fey series. You do not need to read that series to read this book. I have not read it, but I would really like to, as many of the characters make appearances in this book.
The Iron Raven follows the first-person perspective of Puck, a mischievous fey that loves playing tricks and just having an all-around good time. When a strange shadow-creature makes its presence known in the Nevernever, Puck gets caught right in the middle, and the creature does something to pull the meaner parts out of Puck, including some horns and hooves...
Puck meets Nyx, a type of fey that has not been seen before. She once served the Lady, an enemy to many other fey. Keirran, the banished son of the Iron Queen and also the King of the Between, cannot go to his mother for aid regarding the strange shadow creature. It is up to Puck and Nyx to get the help they need, hunt down the creature, and save the entire Nevernever from the dreaded Evenfall, the end of days...
I greatly enjoy Julie Kagawa's books. She has a fun writing craft and presents her worlds with interesting conflicts and characters. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt reading from Puck's point of view, thinking mostly of the Shakespearean version. He was a fun and witty character to view the story through. I enjoyed the small sections of romance that occurred. With the way the book presented itself, it felt almost surprising. As with many Kagawa novels, there were quite a number of battle/fight scenes that took an exorbitant amount of pages. This drew me out a little bit at times, but the quest continues and the plot was a fun doomsday drive.
If you are a fan of the original Iron Fey series, I am betting you will absolutely adore these further adventures of Puck and Meghan. I certainly wouldn't mind continuing this series, and now I am rather intrigued to check out the original Iron Fey series to see what all I missed. A great young adult novel and start to a new series, The Iron Raven is sure to delight its readers....more
"Nor, people fight, and the people we love the most fight the hardest because they care the most."-Zadie
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Rating: 4.5/5
Thank y"Nor, people fight, and the people we love the most fight the hardest because they care the most."-Zadie
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Rating: 4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Mara Rutherford, and Inkyard Press for the not only the opportunity to read Kingdom of Sea and Stone in exchange for an honest review, but to be a part of the Blog Tour as well.
This is the highly anticipated sequel (and seemingly last) book in the Crown of Coral and Pearl series (duology).
WARNING: some SPOILERS ahead if you have not read the first book.
This is an absolutely fantastic sequel with closure, though maybe there is potential for more stories featuring the characters in future. While Crown of Coral and Pearl held a few open-ended questions, the book was wholesome enough to stand on its own. When I heard there was a sequel, I wasn't sure what to expect, and this book was certainly a fun ride.
Someone presumed to be dead is alive and well, and he seeks power and revenge.
When the Varenian's are taken prisoner, it is up to Nor, Talin, and Zadie to find allies and save their people. As they make their way through the land, they find themselves at the borders of Galeth, a secretive place within the mountains. Galeth doesn't really want to get involved in a war, and Talin is pretty set on gaining allies and joining his mother to attach New Castle.
Amidst the stresses of war, Nor sees visions of Ceren and wonders if they are dreams or real-time. When she meets a witch in Galeth, she learns she may just be of magical descent herself. Nor's connection to nature is the driving force for her previously revealed healing powers.
Ceren, alive and in possession of bloodstones, is able to use said stones to control anyone wearing a bit of bloodstone jewelry, but not without a special ingredient. He needs Nor's blood to be able to control the people around him.
This book is action-packed and the fight for power holds entertaining moves at every plot point. Not only is this book highly plot-driven, but the character development is quite phenomenal as well. I found myself caring about characters who were in the story for only a short amount of time, or even characters that I fell like I shouldn't care about! That's mighty fine writing craft if I do say so. If you haven't picked up the first book yet, you definitely should! The uniqueness of the kingdom, the expansive cast of characters, and the sheer magic of the world will have you enthralled at page one!...more
Thank you to NetGalley, Jillian Cantor, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only read The Code for Love and Heartbreak in exchange for an honThank you to NetGalley, Jillian Cantor, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only read The Code for Love and Heartbreak in exchange for an honest review, but to also be invited to the blog tour for this book!
This book follows the plot of Emma in the sense that Emma Woodhouse plays matchmaker but can't seem to see that her own match is in front of her all along! Emma and George are the co-president's of their coding club. They are seniors in high school and it is their last chance to try for first place at nationals with a coded app. Emma is a bit socially awkward and always seems to say the wrong thing or interpret situations the wrong way. When her sister leaves for college, she suggests maybe Emma should find the code for love. This sparks Emma's idea to make a matchmaking app as their coding club contest entry.
Statistically speaking, math should be able to match the right people together, right? Emma tries to find out what kind of match-making criteria to add in the app, working through the kinks as she has students test out the app. A new students and member of coding club, Sam, matches with a girl names Laura, which makes Emma mad for some incomprehensible reason. And when her best friend George matches with Freshmen coding club member, Hannah, Emma experiences further feelings that she isn't sure how to sort out. She has perfected her algorithm, so her app must be working perfectly when it comes to matching, right?
Emma has never experienced the feelings of love before. Love is a concept that isn't exactly straight-forward, and if it cannot be quantified, there must be something off...
This is an enjoyable book for teens. I love the writing style and the quirkiness of Emma as she reflects her original character of inspiration. This would be a fun comparison book to teach alongside Jane Austen's Emma, a great book club book, or just a fun contemporary novel for teens. Highly recommend!...more
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Anna Jarzab, Harlequin TEEN, and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to not only review Breath Like Water in exchange for an honest review, but to have been invited to be a part of the blog tour for this book!
First and foremost, I absolutely adored this book; Breath Like Water is a heart-wrenching page-turner that is impossible to put down.
One of the unique aspects of this book is that it is a YA novel specifically revolving around the sport of swimming. Sports novels for a young adult audience feel very sparse, like there really aren’t that many out there, let alone ones about swimming, so that in itself already makes this book stand out.
The characters in the book feel like real people, dynamic, which really drives this tale home in the heart of the reader. Susannah can be selfish, but only one thing has ever driven her: swimming. She wants to qualify for the Olympics. That is all she has ever wanted or knows, with the loving support of her family. When she meets Harry and starts to fall in love with him, she must keep her feelings and a possible relationship at bay, or everything she has worked for in swimming might be jeopardized. But she’s only human, so she gives Harry a chance.
On top of that, the swimming coach she has, Dave, is a complete asshole and seems to try to dampen Susanna’s spirits any chance he gets. When new assistant coach Beth arrives on the scene, Susannah is skeptical at first, saying only Dave can get her to the Olympics. After working with Beth and Harry both, Susannah learns there are people in her life who might just be better for her when it comes to supporting her goals.
As Susannah and Harry test out their relationship, she worries that something strange might be going on with him, based on something she heard from one of his prior girlfriends. This won’t stop Susannah. For a sixteen-year-old girl, this love is more than just a crush, and Harry feels the same, and together they agree: “When you win, I win.” Despite what seems to be the most fated romance in the world, the forces of the universe threaten to tear the two apart.
One of the aspects I love about this book is the educational aspect of swimming and the Olympics. This is a fun way to learn about the sport. This book also explores bipolar disorder in an educational way, demonstrating to young readers how bipolar can affect someone’s life, and what the disorder looks like to those who may not know. What seems like a happy-go-lucky sort of book takes a dark twist as it explores many of the issues young people are faced with, and the way it is presented is deeply real.
This is just a phenomenal book that I would recommend to anyone, absolutely anyone. I am not an easy person to bring to tears when it comes to reading, but there were at least three chapters straight where I could hardly read through the tears. How many books can hit their reader in the pathos like that?...more
“It’s not your fault that the label you think you need to replace it with–like nonbinary, or enby, or agender, or gender nonconforming, or whatever yo“It’s not your fault that the label you think you need to replace it with–like nonbinary, or enby, or agender, or gender nonconforming, or whatever you’ve read on the internet–also doesn’t feel right. It is not your fault that language hasn’t made a word that fits you yet,” Lane, “Seditious Teapots.”
This is a nice collection of LGBTQ+ stories that address the various gender identities and stories in which characters are just trying to find out who they are and what their place is in the world.
I have given each story its own individual rating and review.
Invited to review for The Last Hope blog tour. To see book, author, and purchase info, as well as a Q&A, check out my full, special review post[image]
Invited to review for The Last Hope blog tour. To see book, author, and purchase info, as well as a Q&A, check out my full, special review post for the blog tour: https://teresacrider.wordpress.com/20...
General Review:
This book was FANTASTIC! I absolutely adore Krista and Becca’s writing style! The book is so easy and fun to read, yet every sentence feels structured and thought out with just the right string of words. I love the pacing and the flow of this book. It helps that I flipped a table after finishing The Raging Ones in my eager anger for not knowing what happens next so some of my favorite characters in YA literature!
If you have not yet read The Raging Ones, be wary that this review will have some spoilers in relation to events in the first book (including the ending), but I will try to avoid spoilers for The Last Hope. You have been warned.
So as you know, we have three main character perspectives from book one: Franny, Mykal, and Court. These three are “linked” together for some unknown reason and can feel each other’s emotions as well as physical things that are happening to them, even from a distance. The thing is, this is a strange phenomenon. They have passed their deathdays, and must keep this link secret, otherwise they may become galactic experiment number one.
Through most of book one, Franny, Court, and Mykal power through a special program hoping to be the one to take a starcraft to space. Well, they ended up commandeering it with a few others, one of which is Court’s brother, Kinden. The book ends with the capture of Franny, Court, and Mykal by a Salterian craft, calling them human.
Human? What does that mean? When we start book two, Franny, Court, and Mykal have been locked in a cell for a month, barely being taken care of, hardly enough food to keep them alive. When a man named Stork arrived to deliver them to freedom, of course the linked trio is on edge. They just don’t know who to trust anymore, and who is this Stork guy anyway? (Well guess what, Stork gets two perspective chapters on top of our main three!)
Three human admirals from an Earth craft have sacrificed themselves in exchange for Court, Mykal, and Franny, who are actually a part of a greater scheme to save planet Earth, but Stork (and everybody else around them) won’t tell them jack about the planet their people are from!
Now they are being asked to find a baby on Saltare-1 that can teleport planets so that they can use this mythical child to teleport Earth a safe distance from the Saltarians that want to wipe them out!
The first third of the book is falling into Mykal, Court, and Franny’s situation, getting to know Stork, and setting up their time on the Earth starcraft. The middle section is some great character development, relationship building, and preparation to infiltrate Saltare-1 and find this special baby. The last third of the book is going to the planet and finding the baby. Like I said, I really thought the pacing was well done. The whole time I was at the edge of my seat thinking “80% through already? HOW ARE KRISTA AND BECCA GOING TO FINISH THIS STORY!?”
I absolutely adored the ending. One of the driving forces of the plot is the link between the characters. I would have been disappointed if the link was never revealed, and I am not disappointed! I love the explanation and the science thought out behind it! I love what the link means for the three characters and just how important they are to each other.
Other aspects of this book I love: A love interest for Franny! While I adore Mykal and Court’s “coupling,” I always felt a bit sad that Franny wasn’t really a part of the romance, though I still love their connection and need to care for each other as a trio. I also love the point near the end where everything gets explained, but the baby’s name and her origin most of all–yo, I cried. That was such a moving moment. While some of the science made me say “hmm, really?” for the most part, I loved every aspect of the explanation for the link, humanity, Earth, the baby–EVERYTHING! Like I said…I cried. Most books don’t do that to me. I also liked Zimmer, Padgett, Gem, and Kinden returning to be a rather large part of this novel as well. The relationship developments between the eight characters is vastly intriguing.
I’m not really sure what else to say because I WANT TO GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY IT WAS SO GOOD, but that would be rude. I guess you will just have to read this book for yourself. The Raging Ones and The Last Hope are two of my favorite books EVER WRITTEN and I know a number of people who will be getting this recommendation. It is also a duology that has some more serious elements to it that I would love to bring to a high school classroom in some way....more
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