Month: June 2019

Book Review: Legendary (Caraval #2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Stephanie Garber

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 416

Categories: Magic, Game, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever…

I’m not sure why I wasn’t ready to read this last year when it came out – maybe I needed a break from fantasy books? I know I borrowed it and didn’t finish it. Well, I was ready now! Especially because I borrowed it again and saw I only had a few days left – I was determined to read it.

I vaguely remember book one, Caraval. I know I loved that book. This time it isn’t about Scarlett. Legendary is about her sister, it is Donatella’s story.

Not only do I love her name, but I could relate to Tella. She’s spunky and brave, always throwing caution to the wind. Tella likes to seem unaffected by the boys she dallies with, not trusting the concept of “love”. She has a more pressing issue she’s passionate about, finding her mother, Paloma. Tella enlists the help of someone in secret but in truth she’s basically signed her soul to the devil.

This book drew me back in right away to the very mysterious, enchanting and almost sinister world of Caraval. Caraval is a game masterminded by someone called Legend. No one knows who he really is, just that he has powerful magic that peaks during Caraval. He creates a game with players, clues and fascinating locations, but the game sometimes gets a bit too real. Deathly and scarily real, as Scarlett learned in the first book. This time, Tella plays the game and once more it blurs the line of reality and what isn’t real. The winner of Caraval gets to meet Legend in person, and Tella owes someone payment for their help. She owed them the identity of Legend in order to free her mother. Tella needs to win or she will die.

The story is in every sense magical from the description of the location, the people who work for Legend, to the lavish dresses and costumes that Tella and her sister adorns every night. The writing is lyrical and delicious, in a decadent way. I swear this story is so scrumptious, I ate it up! I ate it up quick.

We learn about the Fates in this story and more about a certain cursed deck of cards. I really enjoyed that part of the story because it really put Tella in a dilemma. She has an impossible choice and I wondered what path she would take. Also, we learn more about who Legend is in this book, finally! I was beginning to think he was every hot guy we encountered in the book. I didn’t know who to trust or believe! And can we speak about the guys? Even the villains and irritating guys are handsome and I thought, no wonder Tella has fun kissing whoever she wants with so many attractive guys around. 😅 But there is romance in here ladies and gents…but we will see where it goes in the next book!

I started this book yesterday and finished it BEFORE midnight! I couldn’t stop, it was so good. I did find some parts slower than the first book …or maybe because Caraval was new and exciting it went by quicker. Also, do we get to see more of The Prince of Hearts in Finale? Because he sort of dropped off in an anti-climatic way. 🤔 Of course now I’m ready to read Finale, and I don’t have a copy.

So that will be my goal today – finding Finale. 😅 I need to know how this ends.

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review: Testimony From Your Perfect Girl

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 272

Categories: Coming Of Age, Young Adult, Sexual Themes, Family Issues

Annie Tripp has everything she needs–Italian sweaters, vintage chandelier earrings, and elite ice skating lessons–but all that changes when her father is accused of scamming hundreds of people out of their investments. Even though Annie knows her dad wasn’t at fault, she and her brother are still exiled to their estranged aunt and uncle’s house in a run-down part of Breckenridge–at least until the trial blows over.

Life with her new family isn’t quite up to Annie’s usual standard of living, yet Annie soon gets used to pretending to be someone else. She makes friends, gets a crush (or two), and realizes that she has more in common with her aunt and uncle than she ever wanted to know. As the family’s lies begin to crumble and truths demand consequences, Annie must decide which secrets need to see the light of day . . . and which are worth keeping. 

My TBR list is getting away from me ladies and gents! I didn’t even know I had borrowed this from my online library at Overdrive. When I saw it was about to expire in two days, I read it right away and finished it in a few hours.

I have never read anything from Kaui Hart Hemmings but I was a fan of the movie The Descendants mostly because I am from Hawaii, born and raised. I loved seeing Hawaii on the big screen and the story was so touching as it dealt with family issues and grief. I was going through some hard core grief at the time too.

So I borrowed this book not knowing much about it except the author’s name. I absolutely love how smooth the writing is in this book, it seems effortless and kind of just digs into somewhere nice in my head.

Annie Tripp, is a trip. She is spoiled, somewhat socially awkward and lives a very comfortable life that her wealthy parents provides for her and her older brother. She seems in control, a trait instilled by her mother. She is the perfect girl, the perfect daughter.

But a scandal rocks their lives when her father is on trial for scamming people out of their money in a real estate venture. Annie and her brother leave their wealthy town to hideout at their aunt and uncle’s house in Breckenridge, Colorado. Their perfect lives are ruined.

Annie and her brother Jay have a typical sibling relationship egging each other on. But they are close in the unique way siblings are close. Moving to their aunt’s house isn’t an experience I would say brings them closer but they learn to lean on each other in the only way they know how.

Annie learns a lot of things about herself: how fake she is, how she tries to fit in by trying to be someone she’s not, how rude and entitled she can be – and how a lot of her life is based on lies. And learning the truth about her dad, was a reality check – but if her dad loses his court case, they lose their lifestyle. Is it so wrong to want him to win?

I like how blunt she is though about her thoughts and feelings as she learns about her parents. I like that she experienced sexual situations that were awkward and not perfect. She’s a teenager making mistakes, wanting to escape her real life, thinking she knows what she is doing – I’ve definitely been there before! 😅 We watch Annie go from spoiled, blasé, rich girl to someone who has to strip away who she thinks she is and find out what kind of substance she’s really made of.

Seeing how the family navigates and deals with the “family secret” that gets exposed later in the book me made question what I would do in Annie’s place. I mean, it was a pretty heavy secret – I’m pretty impressed Annie didn’t go off the deep end. She dipped her toes in it for sure, but I liked how she faced things.

“The moment is caught. The people are revealed. They weren’t thinking of an audience. They were just being themselves.”

Testimony From Your Perfect Girl by. Kaui Hart Hemmings

Nothing is black and white in this story, just like in reality and that made me feel comfortable reading this. I like books that remind me that even if life gets hard, it will be okay. And that the answers we are searching for aren’t always so simple, and it’s okay to feel conflicted about a lot of things in life. This book reminded me that no one has a perfect family or life 🙋🏻‍♀️, no matter how much money they have and seem perfect on the outside – especially in this day and age of social media.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick read. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Get it here: Amazon

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Arc Review: Heartwood Box

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Ann Aguirre

Format: eBook (NetGalley eArc)

Categories: Mystery, Time Travel, Paranormal, Romance

Pages: 336

Publication Date: July 9, 2019

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

In this tiny, terrifying town, the lost are never found. When Araceli Flores Harper is sent to live with her great-aunt Ottilie in her ramshackle Victorian home, the plan is simple. She’ll buckle down and get ready for college. Life won’t be exciting, but she’ll cope, right?

Wrong. From the start, things are very, very wrong. Her great-aunt still leaves food for the husband who went missing twenty years ago, and local businesses are plastered with MISSING posters. There are unexplained lights in the woods and a mysterious lab just beyond the city limits that the locals don’t talk about. Ever. When she starts receiving mysterious letters that seem to be coming from the past, she suspects someone of pranking her or trying to drive her out of her mind. To solve these riddles and bring the lost home again, Araceli must delve into a truly diabolical conspiracy, but some secrets fight to stay buried… 

Thank you to MacMillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

Heartwood Box is a mystery story that builds slowly in the beginning and packs a punch at the end with an ending that is somewhat bizarre but it works. I thought it was creative and different. My reaction was more like, what?……🤔

While reading this book, I was wondering if this was a ghost story but some things didn’t add up especially when there are people going missing in this strange town. I mean if it was just haunted, why would people go missing? Also, this is the second book I’ve read this month with references to World War I! That’s pretty cool since most people are engrained in World War II history, so I like having the spotlight be on WWI.

I enjoyed the diversity represented with the characters. Araceli is a strong young lady who grew up abroad in Central and South America, so she’s seen a lot of things, especially with parents who are investigative reporters. But this town is something different and she has a challenging time figuring things out.

I thought the ending was a nice twist and a bit strange. But I still enjoyed it because the story is well written. It flowed nicely from a slow mystery, which took me a few days to get into and then it took a turn with full on action and time-travel in the last part of the book. Yes, it did that.

Overall, I like this book! It’s not usually the type of genre I read but it was a nice change of pace.

Get it here: Amazon

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Mini Book Reviews: The Culling Trials (Shadowspell Academy) Book Series

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Culling Trials (Shadowspell Academy 1-3)

Authors: K.F. Breene & Shannon Mayer

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: Book 1 – 238 ; Book 2 – 242 ; Book 3 – 186

Categories: Young Adult, Adventure, Trials, Magic, Supernatural, Friendship, Cliff Hanger Endings

Book 1 Blurb:

You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You. 

I had no idea how those words would change my life. Or how they’d changed my life already… 

Until the day the most dangerous man I’ve ever met waltzed onto my farm and left us a death sentence. 

In an invitation. 

My younger brother has been chosen for the prestigious, secret magical school hidden within the folds of our mundane world. A place so dangerous, they don’t guarantee you’ll make it out alive. 

If he doesn’t go our entire family will be killed. 

It’s the same invitation my older brother received three years ago—the same place he mysteriously died. 

The academy has already killed one sibling. I’ll be damned if they take another. 

I do the only thing an older sister can: chop off my hair, strap on two bras to flatten the girls, and take my brother’s place. 

Magic and monsters are real. Assassins are coming for me, and the dead are prone to rise. What’s a girl faking it as a boy supposed to do? That’s right—beat the academy at its own game. 

Or die trying.

MY REVIEW

The first book of The Culling Trials we are introduced to Wild. She works on a ranch, looks like a boy and takes her younger brother’s place in The Culling Trials. Of course she doesn’t know anything about supernatural creatures and magic – her parents didn’t tell her about it and she gets thrown into the trials, lacking in knowledge. But she makes up for it with strength, confidence and instincts. I love Wild, she’s badass and doesn’t take b.s. but she’s a nice person too.

In book one she meets other supernaturals, learns about the Houses: Shade, Wonder, Unmentionables, Night, and Claw. The Culling trials is a test to see who will be chosen for each houses.

The book is fast paced, short and ends with a cliff-hanger. It is filled with lots of action. Her unusual team needs to pass each trial for each of the houses. But something isn’t right and it all points to Wild. She’s undercover as a boy to protect her family, and she’s learning she has powers she never knew she had. She seems to be a target, but who is targeting her? Wild needs to find out before something drastic happens. I enjoyed this first book as it sets up us for more action in book two.

Book 2 Blurb:

Being accepted into an elite school of magic, monsters, and assassins was not my idea of higher education. But here I am, fighting my way through the Culling Trials to claim my right to be taught. 

As if the gauntlet-type physical and mental tests aren’t enough, people are going missing. 

People that are my friends. 

In a dangerous world where no one is as they seem, the golden rule is simple: Trust no one. They think we should just look out for ourselves. That we should leave the fallen behind and ask no questions. 

They clearly think we’re idiots. I got this far by trusting my instincts, and I’m not going to back down now. 

Those kids won’t be left to die. 

Not on my watch. 

MY REVIEW

The action never ends in this second book! I love Wild’s team, made up of kids with different powers. It’s not usual to have a mix in a team, but Wild is a natural leader and seems to have an affinity for each house. She brings out the strength of each teammate and even if some annoy her, she still manages to get along with them somehow.

There is no real romance in this series yet, there is a hint of something and some flirtation, but that’s all and I’m totally okay with it! I like Wild and her blooming friendship with her teammates. But someone is trying to take her out of the trials. Who can she trust? The trials are getting harder, will her team survive? Also, there are kids going missing, one of them is her goblin teammate and she’s on a mission to figure out what’s happening to them.

This is another fast-paced book in the series. It’s a quick read and so enjoyable. I’m glad the cliffhanger endings don’t leave you waiting for too long between the books. I think the books could’ve been combined to make it a duology instead of a trilogy. On to the next book!

Book 3 Blurb:

The last of the Culling Trials is here. I foolishly thought I’d survived the worst. 

My team is falling to pieces around me and my heart is shattered for the losses I’ve endured. But I can’t stop when I’m so close to the end. There are too many people depending on me. 

I foolishly thought there wasn’t much more I could lose…until the nature of my bloodline comes to light. 

I’m not what I thought I was. Not what anyone thought I was. 
But to tell people the truth would be to kill us all. 

To fail the trials will mean death, but to succeed might damn me for life. 

MY REVIEW

This final book is shorter than the other books but once more we see Wild and her team surviving the worse of the trials. Also, her gender has been revealed and she still hasn’t been kicked out for lying, which is a good thing, right? Wild is such a rule breaker, she’s a fun character and loyal. This last book puts Wild through her toughest trial yet and she’s not about to let anyone die on her watch.

Even thought it’s the last book it left some things open, maybe for another series? I’m still curious about a few things, like the Sandman’s history, the Shadowkiller and Rory. I feel like even though the series came to an end, there is more to cover with those characters and I hope these authors come back and start another series.

This was a super-fun series if you like Academy trope books (I’m a bit addicted to them). It doesn’t have romance, just minor flirtation but so much action and some awesome friendship bonds that I hope we get to experience again soon!

Friday Five: 5 Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book Series – I Read On Kindle Unlimited

I’ve been meaning to do some fun Top 5 or Top 10 list post and sometimes I just don’t have the time! How do you awesome bloggers do it? 😘

So Kindle Unlimited – let’s talk about it. For a monthly subscription you get to read unlimited books in the Kindle library. When I had no kids, I bought books like crazy! When we moved into a small house, I had to donate my books, keeping only a few. When I had kids, and a bigger mortgage – I had to be on a budget! Thank goodness for libraries!

I tried out Kindle Unlimited because of one author, Christi Caldwell. I was looking for new romance authors because it was my favorite genre but I was having a hard time finding ones that appealed to me. I read one of her books and wanted more so I got a subscription. But because it’s a monthly subscription, there were times I was in a reading rut trying to find something good there – and cancelled. I joined again, cancelled and joined again! 😅 Then I tried some of the fantasy ebooks…and I’ve had a steady subscription since. So here are my 5 fantasy/sci fi (mostly fantasy) book series I’ve found on Kindle Unlimited that I’ve enjoyed so far!

The Spoken Mage Series by. Melanie Cellier

This series is pretty good. I enjoyed seeing Elena, the spoken mage, learn, grow and fall in love. My favorite thing though is the friendships she’s made along the way. I’m going to be finishing up the series soon, so hopefully it ends on a good note.

The Tainted Accords Series by. Kelly St. Clare

I read this series last year and really enjoyed it! I was transported to a fascinating fantasy world. Princess Olina has worn a veil over her face since her infancy and watching her transform from a girl with a veil to one without is pretty awesome.

Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles by. Elise Kova

I should feature the Air Awakens series but honestly it’s been four years since I’ve read it. So instead I’ll talk about Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles, the re-entry into Elise Kova’s fantasy world filled with magic and political intrigue. I’ve only read book one, and will get to book two eventually when I get this TBR list down a little. 😅

The Culling Trials by. K.F. Breene & Shannon Mayer

These academy books always get me! I’m serious! Haha – but this series is very addicting. I’m in the middle of book three right now and can’t wait to see how it ends. Sometimes these indie book are so short, they could have mashed these three books to make one book! But I don’t mind the short wait between the books. In this series we have a very strong female character who is surrounded by vampires, necromancer, goblins, magic users and assassins. It’s so fast pace and fun! It’s a wild adventure throughout the whole series. Speaking of “Wild” that’s our character’s nickname and I can see why! Loving this series so far!

Secondborn Series by Amy A. Bartol

I am not a big sci-fi fan. Actually this was the series that got me saying, oh, okay maybe I like sci-fi, maybe… I love Amy A. Bartol’s stories because they are creative even if they go off a bit tangent and wild, there is something about them that is addictive. Secondborn is cool, Traitor Born is my favorite and Rebel Born – though I gave it 4 1/2 stars because the romance part came together the way I wanted and I’m obsessed with Reykin haha, this book goes almost into another dimension diving into sci-fi/mythology/fantasy it made my head spin. It works for some people and others hated. I actually understood what the author was trying to do – but there was a lot of info dump about parallel universes, mind control and then add the mythology…it’s a whirlwind. It would have played out better if we had hints of these things in book one and two for sure! I still love it though. 😬

Have you read any of these books? Are you a Kindle Unlimited subscriber? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Reading! 😘

Book Review: The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Rin Chupeco

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 449

Categories: Family, Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult

Book Blurb:

Tea is a bone witch with the dark magic needed to raise the dead. She has used this magic to breathe life into those she has loved and lost…and those who would join her army against the deceitful royals. But Tea’s quest to conjure a shadowglass—to achieve immortality for the one person she loves most in the world—threatens to consume her heart.

Tea’s black heartsglass only grows darker with each new betrayal. And when she is left with new blood on her hands, Tea must answer to a power greater than the elder asha or even her conscience…

MY REVIEW

The conclusion to The Bone Witch series made me cry – it shattered my heartglass. The Shadowglass continues right after The Heart Forger with it’s past/present storytelling style. Tea is telling the past and the Bard is telling the present. We’ve learned so much about what happened with Tea and why she wants to make shadowglass but this book was so much more. The story comes together as it pieces scenes from Tea’s past and present. All the characters are back except for ones we’ve lost along the way. We meet more characters from other kingdoms and daeva too. I really liked the kingdoms or Yadosha and Istera.

Tea is constantly debating the real reasons why she wants to make shadowglass, and thank goodness for that. If she wasn’t tested and constantly questioned about her motives would she have been tempted by the power of the Dark? I tried to put myself in her place and honestly, I don’t know if I could do what she did but she at least was honest about her goals.

A lot of what takes place in The Shadowglass made me mad at everyone for doubting Tea, especially her brother, Fox. Their distrust comes because she is a Dark asha, but I wish more people had helped her in her darkest moments. Thank goodness for Kalen, Khalad, Likh and her azi. If it weren’t for them, she would have been an evil force to be reckoned with driven by pain and revenge. Yes, she was driven by revenge, but also love and guilt for her brother, Fox. She was blessed with Kalen’s love to keep her grounded. But I was so annoyed with Fox, though I understood his behavior. If I was him, I would have acted that way also.

Tea and Kalen’s love story is so beautiful. They will be added to my list of favorite book couples of all time. I tear up just thinking of the ending. He loves her at her worst and let’s her be strong. She loves him for helping her and loving her no matter what. 😭 I’m still heartbroken this series is over -the ending is bittersweet and perfect.

Besides Tea and Kalen’s story, I loved seeing Likh’s transition. Likh has been evolving throughout the whole series. Likh learns to be an asha, because she had natural powers though she was born in the wrong body. She also falls in love and learns to navigate that as well. I’m glad Tea had her as a traveling companion. Likh was always there for Tea and they both needed each other.

And because I was angry at everyone on Tea’s behalf, I had to try to forgive them too when she does. Lie, I’m still a little mad at them – haha! I knew this book would break me, but honestly while reading this book, I kept saying: okay…I’m okay (in the beginning)…I’m okay (in the middle)…I’m going to be okay (almost to the end) and then boom. Waterworks. This book made me feel all kinds of emotions.

This has become one of my favorite series and I can’t believe I was going to give up on it because book one was a struggle to get into. It’s definitely not a series for everyone. If you don’t like stories that tell the past/present (and I usually don’t!) – this may not be for you. I’m glad I pushed on and came to the end. I think it speaks to the author’s writing that she made me come back for book two and three and made me cry. 👏🏼 I need to buy a beautiful boxed set to add to my shelf, so I can revisit this lush fantasy world again. ❤️

Get it here: Amazon

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To read my review of The Bone Witch and The Heart Forger, click HERE.

Happy Book Birthdays! – June 11, 2019

I’ve read already read one of these and looking forward to reading the other books in this post – so happy book birthday to all these new releases! 🥳

Storm and Fury (The Harbinger, #1) by. Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publish Date: June 11, 2019

My Review: Click Here

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

Rise (Rule, #2) by. Ellen Goodlett

Publish Date: June 11, 2019

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

Sisters Akeylah, Ren, and Zofi are all a step closer to their dying father’s throne, a step closer to the crown that will allow one of them to rule over Kolonya. But the sisters’ pasts continue to haunt them. Each hides a secret marked with blood and betrayal, and now their blackmailer is holding nothing back. When King Andros discovers the sisters’ traitorous pasts, the consequences will shake the entire kingdom to its core.

As Kolonya’s greatest threat stalks closer and closer, weaving a web of fear and deceit around Ren, Zofi, and Akeylah, even the people they love are under suspicion. If the sisters are going to survive, they’ll have to learn to trust each other above all else and work together, not only to save themselves, but to protect everyone and everything they hold dear.

Shadowspell Academy: Culling Trials (Book 3) by. K.F. Breene & Shannon Mayer

Publish Date: June 11, 2019

Links: Goodreads * Amazon

You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You. 

The last of the Culling Trials is here. I foolishly thought I’d survived the worst. 

My team is falling to pieces around me and my heart is shattered for the losses I’ve endured. But I can’t stop when I’m so close to the end. There are too many people depending on me. 

I foolishly thought there wasn’t much more I could lose…until the nature of my bloodline comes to light. 

I’m not what I thought I was. Not what anyone thought I was. 
But to tell people the truth would be to kill us all. 

To fail the trials will mean death, but to succeed might damn me for life. 

Book Review: The Lovely War

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Author: Julie Berry

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 480

Categories: War, Gods, Romance, World War I

Book Blurb:

They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it’s no match for the transcendent power of Love.

MY REVIEW

The Lovely War, is amazingly written and I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when Aphrodite starts narrating this love story. I was afraid the narration would take me out of the story and maybe sometime near the ending, it did just a smidge – because it was wrapping up the story lines and felt a little rushed. But other than that, this book is really fantastic.

“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.” – Aphrodite

The Lovely War by. Julie Berry

The story is a combination of mythology, history, music history and romance. Romance is what drives the story but it also explored prejudice and racial divides of the American troops especially when the black regiment is sent to fight in World War I. I will admit this, I know so much more about World War II because there are many movies, tv series and books about it that World War I is sort of lost on me. I know it happened, I learned about it in history class twenty plus years ago, but no one continues to talk about it as much as WWII. So this book was engaging and I kept highlighting passages in the book to make sure I do some research on it later. But the author goes into more depth with historical notes after the story ends and also added a selected bibliography list. Thank you to the author, Julie Berry, for that!

Aphrodite’s purpose for telling this particular story is due to the fact she is being put on “trial” by her husband Hephaestus for infidelity. The story of Hazel and James, and Colette and Aubrey is her evidence of some of her greatest work as the goddess of love. Their beginning is sweet and appropriate as it was in that era but I was afraid of a sad ending for all them. I love Colette, she is so strong. I adore how she and Aubrey come together through their trials in life and love of music.

Aubrey’s story portrayed the prejudices he and his regiment experiences being an American soldier, well not quite soldier, he’s a musician. Aubrey, being from progressive New York City has much more opportunities there but as he points out, it was still segregated. Racism was everywhere in America and it shows us how far we’ve come and how much more we have to go. Another interesting aspect of his story is the introduction of rag-time and jazz music in Europe! I learned so many things in this book.

When James goes to war, I know it’s inevitable but it still broke my heart. I thought the war scenes were intense but it really moved the story along. And it gave me a sad feeling in his happily ever after with Hazel, just knowing their children will come to experience WWII. We also get a glimpse of James suffering from PTSD and how he deals with it. And I learned a lot about the roles of women back in WWI, since they weren’t allowed to fight. Hazel and Colette worked with the YMCA and the Red Cross. Because I was raised on stories of WWII, the iconic image of women helping in the war was Rosie the Riveter. So shining a light on the women of WWI was a nice change.

Now the gods were great characters in the story as well, Hades being my favorite. We see death as something depressing and scary, but Hades’ narration was a lovely way of showing how even though our loved ones are gone, they are watching us from beyond.

“I am so often moved by souls whose first concern is not for their own lost years, but for the grief their passing will cause to those they love.” -Hades

The Lovely War by. Julie Berry

With all the love stories being told, you’d think I would have been attached to the main characters. And the gods have their own love story too. But the story that finally got me was the moment James talks to Frank Mason’s wife. That’s the moment this book almost brought me to tears. 😢 The Masons scenes were brief but so impactful. I think all the sorrow, stress, fears and anxiety culminated it in that point for James and the whole story. That moment was a big exhale, a very pivotal moment for the characters to choose to go on living.

After everything these characters go through with this war and how it brings them together, tears them apart and for some together again, there is still love. There is hope and forgiveness also. This story moved me in so many ways. It is an emotional and beautiful homage to part of our history and the people that lived through it. It also reminds us that love is always worth fighting for.

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review: The Storm Crow

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Author: Kalyn Josephson

Format: E-book

Pages: 368

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Romance

Publish Date: July 9, 2019

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Book Blurb:

In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life…until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.

That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother’s death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.

But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.

MY REVIEW

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the book blurb for this story, the thing that caught my attention were the words “elemental Crows”. I thought, I must have it. I was very excited to be allowed to read this from NetGalley.

This story grabbed me at the first page. The writing is beautiful. I am introduced to Thia on top of a crow, flying above her beloved home, the Kingdom of Rhodaire in Aris. I felt like I was flying with her or at least I wished I was her. I wanted to belong to this kingdom. I wanted to be a crow rider! We are drawn into this magical kingdom with a lush setting, where there are crows in every aspect of their world.

But Thia’s beautiful world is turned into chaos and turmoil when the Illucian empire invades them in a calculating move. Thia is in a haze of grief and depression for most of the beginning of the book. I could relate to her trauma and grief on every level. I felt it, I’ve been through that same tunnel of grief before. Everyone deals with grief differently, some like Caliza can put it behind them quickly and keep moving forward. Some are like Thia, who can’t get out of bed. Depression can be debilitating, yet many people chalk it up to cowardice, like some do in the story. But I was cheering Thia on, with every step she took in the book. I admired her courage to try and move forward, even if some days were bad days.

Thia is forced to marry her enemies’ son, Prince Ericen, to save her kingdom from utter ruin. They do not get along at first but try to tolerate each other’s company. The only part I didn’t quite enjoy about this story was the romance aspect to it. It’s not a love triangle…yet, and maybe it won’t become that but I wasn’t quite convinced of her choice in this book. Will it change in book two? We shall see!

And then there is her friendship with Kiva. I loved their banter and love for each other. Kiva and Thia together are friendship goals.

This is a wonderful debut filled with magic, intrigue, friendship, courage, love and a twist in the end that left me with hope for Thia’s future. Hopefully the next book in the series, which I am anxious to read, will have even more crows to fall in love with!

Weekly Wrap-Up: Blogging, Reading, Bookstagram

Aloha everyone – it’s finally the weekend!

I have been tinkering with this blog the past two days, trying to make it look the way I want and getting frustrated. I also debated on whether to take it to wordpress.org, pay for hosting, to give me more freedom, etc…and I did. I “created” a site last night and wasn’t liking it. And I might give up on it (after one day 😂), so much to freedom. To think I built my own website, Freshman year in college, from scratch ugh…my friend pointed out that was 20+ years ago. Thanks friend. 😘 Guys and girls, I suck at it. Or I just don’t have the patience for it anymore lol – these templates and widgets are so convenient!

Image via Giphy

I’ll let that website simmer and stew…until I figure out what I want to do with it!

What I Read This Week:

What I’m Reading Right Now:

  • The Shadow Glass (The Bone Witch #3) by. Rin Chupeco
  • The Lovely War by. Julie Berry
  • On The Come Up by. Angie Thomas

On My TBR List:

  • Nocturna by. Maya Motayne
  • Girl of Glass by. Megan O’Russell
  • Ivory and Bone by. Julie Eshbaugh
  • Crown of Feathers by. Nicki Pau Preto
  • The Gilded Wolves by. Roshani Chokshi

On My NetGalley TBR List:

  • Heartwood Box by. Ann Aguirre
  • The Lady Rogue by. Jenn Bennett
  • The Grace Year by. Kim Liggett

Let’s hope I finish reading all of these books! Sometimes I’m too ambitious. Lately I’ve been reading while working out on the elliptical machine in my room. I need to exercise (ain’t getting any younger and my blood pressure keeps getting higher 😫) and reading while I exercise makes the time go by much faster, thank goodness. ❤️

📷 Do any of you bookstagram?

I love the book community on Instagram because I learn about a lot of new titles that way. Plus some people just have skills with a camera! I wish that was me, I love the book photos. 😊 I’ve been lazy about taking good photos but I’m going to try my best and step up my game. It’s fun finding props to use and it gives me an excuse to buy a bouquet of fresh flowers for my dining table. I use those blooms for my book photo shoots so it’s a win-win! Follow me on ig @ylmpastmidnight to check out my bookstagram photos and leave me your ig in the comments below so I can follow you too!

And that’s all I got for today ~ what are you reading? Do you have trouble making your blog look the way you want, like me? 🤔 I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing weekend. Happy Reading! 😘