Beasts of Prey by. Ayana Gray | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Beasts of Prey

Author: Ayana Gray

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 496

Publication Date: 9/28/21

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

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

Magic doesn’t exist in the broken city of Lkossa anymore, especially for girls like sixteen-year-old Koffi. Indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, she cares for its fearsome and magical creatures to pay off her family’s debts and secure their eventual freedom. But the night her loved ones’ own safety is threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand–and the consequences are dire.

As the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six–an elite warrior–and uphold a family legacy. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani–a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century–but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon’s life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.

Desperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi and Ekon–each keeping their true motives secret from the other–form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. The hunt begins. But it quickly becomes unclear whether they are the hunters or the hunted.

Content Warning: Death, Drug Use, Violence

I finally got to read this book which I saw everywhere in 2021. I love the cover!

The beginning was a bit slow as the story is being set up and the characters are introduced. Koffi is with her mom and they work for Baaz in the Night Zoo. The Night Zoo houses rare, scary beasts. Koffi and her mom are indebted to Baaz and have been working hard to be free from him. Ekon is a young man who is close to becoming initiated as one of the Son of Six but his ceremony is interrupted and he falls short of his goal. He is close to his brother and they both lost their father years ago to a beast called the Shetani. Adiah is training to be a daraja because she can already manifest splendor (magic).

I liked Koffi and Ekon the more I got into the story. They both have their own struggles. When they get together they are always bickering but I thought it was cute and funny and of course you could tell there was some growing affection between them. They agree to work together to find the Shetani, which is a monster that has been supposedly killing and terrorizing the people in the city. Koffi wants to find it so she can barter it to the Night Zoo owner in exchange for her mother and Jabri, a boy who is like a brother to her. But Ekon wants to kill the Shetani to prove to the Sons of the Six that he is worthy to be part of their group. Both journey together into The Greater Jungle and encounter other vicious creatures which brings on the action, which is my favorite part of the story. I actually wish the part in the jungle was longer.

I enjoyed the mythology and learning about the gods and the splendor (magic). The reveals at the end were good and sets up the sequel.

As I mentioned earlier, the beginning was a little slow for me maybe because there are multiple perspectives. Adiah is an important character who gets introduced right away. She starts off the story but her role is a bit of a mystery and we only learn how she ties into the story later. So for awhile I couldn’t connect to her and was more interested in Koffi and Ekon’s perspectives.

Why you should read it:

  • there is magic, scary beasts, mythology and a jungle
  • Pan-African fantasy
  • lots of action and full of adventure

Why you might not want to read it:

  • beginning is a little slow
  • would appeal to teen readers more

My Thoughts:

I can see why this book was optioned for a movie because it has all the elements that would make it good on screen: mythology, magic, scary beasts, a jungle, adventure, and characters that play off one another very well. I can definitely see Koffi and Ekon in action and encountering wild beasts – it would make for an exciting show! Overall I enjoyed the story once I got past the slower parts and I look forward to see what happens next.

📚 ~ Yolanda

ThursTag: The 90’s Movie Tag

Is it weird that it’s only now that I’ve noticed the ThursTag phrase? I’ve been blogging for a few years now and have haven’t seen it at all. 😅 Is the wordpress algorithm not working for me? It makes me wonder if I’m never on wordpress working on my blog on Thursdays but that can’t be right. I feel like I’m always on here! Anyway, I loved seeing the ThursTag posts on my feed, and finally got some tags to try out.

I saw this one on Charlotte Somewhere last week who got it from Steph at alittlebutalot – check out both their blogs for more bookish content!

So let’s check out some of these 90’s Movies, shall we?

SHE’S ALL THAT

NAME A BOOK COUPLE THAT IS AN ODD PAIRING BUT THEY STILL FIT PERFECTLY

I think El and Orion are an odd pairing that grew on me. But she is grumpy, sassy, rude, not very likable or sociable but she’s a survivor. And Orion is the one who is worshipped at school, he’s the hero, he’s the nice guy and the two of them together seem so wrong – but by the end of the book, they are right for each other.


10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU

A BOOK/SERIES THAT YOU HAVE A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH

UGH….this scene. 💔

I was obsessed with this series, books one and two are awesome and then…this one. I loved the romance, it’s what I was hoping for, but the story went in a direction that I wasn’t expecting. And it was confusing – it didn’t have to be that way. So I love the romance because that turned out the way I wanted…but everything else in this book was so disappointing.


CLUELESS

A CHARACTER THAT IS TOTALLY CLUELESS BUT YOU LOVE THEM ANYWAY

Kate wasn’t clueless per se but she did have her head in the clouds, the theater clouds. Also she was a bit judgmental when it came to the jocks so she was a bit clueless about that. Sort of like how Cher was judgmental about her step-bro lol (yikes I forgot she hooks up with her step-bro in the movie…no blood relation but still)


TITANIC

NAME A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

Bawled my eyes out reading this one. 😢


AMERICAN PIE

A BOOK THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH

This story is over the top, slapstick humor and just a fun time!


CAN’T HARDLY WAIT

A BOOK WITH A CRAZY PARTY

This is a party where anything and everything happened!


CRUEL INTENTIONS

NAME A CHARACTER YOU CAN NEVER FULLY TRUST

Jacks! He’s such a gorgeous bad boy – I can never trust him. lol


DRIVE ME CRAZY

NAME YOUR FAVOURITE “BOY NEXT DOOR” OR “GIRL NEXT DOOR” COUPLE

This one was super cute and fun!


SCREAM

A BOOK WITH A MEMORABLE VILLAIN

There are some pretty good villains in this story!


THE CRAFT

NAME A BOOK WITH WITCHES

This book is full of witches!


And there you have it! All these movies bring back so many memories for me – I enjoyed them all back in the day and have seen them multiple times. This was definitely a fun tag post to do! ~ Yolanda

Our Violent Ends by. Chloe Gong | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Our Violent Ends

Author: Chloe Gong

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 494

Publication Date: 11/16/21

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Categories: Young Adult, Gangster, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Forbidden Love

Shanghai is under siege in this captivating and searingly romantic sequel to These Violent Delights, which New York Times bestselling author Natasha Ngan calls “deliciously dark.”

The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.

Content Warning: Death, Violence, Whipping

I finished off this duology series – yay to me! And what a series it is.

I feel like retellings can be overdone and Romeo and Juliet is a tale as old as time, or it feels like that, but this whole duology is fresh and such a good way to keep Romeo and Juliet modern.

I love Juliette – she’s still cutthroat and has no F’s to give, especially if someone is messing with her man, Roma. She knows herself, she is comfortable around violence and also feels good dealing it out. Roma is trying to kill her, but we know he can never do that, these two are crazy in love with one another. They just have to decide once and for all if it’s them against one another or them against the world. But we all know what end game is in Romeo and Juliet, so obviously there is no questions to Juliette and Roma’s love.

Now the confession I was waiting for finally happened and it melted me. Benedikt and Marshall was the best. This book had a great forbidden love theme going on, in honor of Romeo and Juliet I’m sure, but it was wonderful because we had Benedikt and Marshall in agony too. Yes, to fighting for love because it’s worth it.

All the other characters were great as usual and the civil war erupting around them upped the stakes and drama. I love how tension was happening altogether in each faction: between the lovers, the city, and the gangs. It was well done.

Now my only problem with this story? I got confused with the Kathleen/Celia thing – I didn’t reread book one and so when Celine popped up, I was like WHO?! 😅 🤦🏻‍♀️ Also I kind of wanted more from Roma? I mean we know who runs this show though, Juliette.

Why you should read it:

  • romeo and juliet retelling, set in Shanghai 1927, gangs, forbidden love
  • Juliette and Roma are end-game obviously, but ugh Benedikt and Marshall melted me
  • great action, tension and conflict to the end

Why you might not want to read it:

  • you know the ending of Romeo and Juliet? lol…well this one was just a tad different and kinda open ended but if you don’t like those kinds of endings, you may not like this one

My Thoughts:

What a wonderful conclusion to this duology! Honestly, the series as a whole is fresh, full of action, has angsty forbidden love and a great cast of characters. I think this was a unique take on Romeo and Juliet and the writing just flowed so well. I look forward to reading this author’s next book!

📚 ~ Yolanda


Quotes from the Book:

“These violent delights have violent ends, you have always known this.” 

― Chloe Gong, Our Violent Ends

“I’ll say it however many times you want. I’ll romance you until you get sick of me. I am horrendously in love with your dreadful face, and we need to go now.”

― Chloe Gong, Our Violent Ends

“They had always been two mirrored souls, the only ones who understood the other in a city that wanted to consume them whole, and now they were joined, mightier when together.” 

― Chloe Gong, Our Violent Ends

WWW Wednesday | 3/30/22

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?


What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?


I actually have time to read – it’s been nice because I have all these library books to finish haha. I can’t believe we are almost in April, though – isn’t that crazy? Hope all of you are having a good week.

Happy Reading!!

~ Yolanda

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 3/29/22

Happy book birthday to these new releases!

A chauffer’s daughter finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with the sons of her boss’s wealthy next-door neighbors in this delightfully romantic story from the author of Alex, Approximately, Jenn Bennett.

Love—and Fen Sarafian—do not care about your summer plans.

Eighteen-year-old chauffeur’s daughter Jane Marlow grew up among the domestic staff of a wealthy LA rock producer, within reach of bands she idolizes, but never a VIP. Every summer, Jane and her father head to the Sierras to work at the producer’s luxury lodge at Lake Condor—a resort town and the site of a major musical festival.

The legendary family who runs the festival are the Sarafians, and Jane’s had a longtime crush on their oldest son, Eddie—doltish but sweet. So when a long-distance romance finally sparks between them, she doesn’t hesitate to cross class lines.

But Jane’s feelings about Eddie are thrown into question after she returns to the lake and reconnects with his alluringly intense brother, the dark horse of her placid summer plans. A fellow lover of music—and hater of the game—Fen Sarafian has been ousted from the family and is slumming it at a vinyl record shop. He burns for Jane like a house on fire and will do anything to sabotage his older brother, even if it means taking a wrecking ball to a multi-million-dollar music festival. Or Jane’s heart.


The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe–even the mafia–in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties.

Meddy Chan has been to countless weddings, but she never imagined how her own would turn out. Now the day has arrived, and she can’t wait to marry her college sweetheart, Nathan. Instead of having Ma and the aunts cater to her wedding, Meddy wants them to enjoy the day as guests. As a compromise, they find the perfect wedding vendors: a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company just like theirs. Meddy is hesitant at first, but she hits it off right away with the wedding photographer, Staphanie, who reminds Meddy of herself, down to the unfortunately misspelled name.

Meddy realizes that is where their similarities end, however, when she overhears Staphanie talking about taking out a target. Horrified, Meddy can’t believe Staphanie and her family aren’t just like her own, they are The Family–actual mafia, and they’re using Meddy’s wedding as a chance to conduct shady business. Her aunties and mother won’t let Meddy’s wedding ceremony become a murder scene–over their dead bodies–and will do whatever it takes to save her special day, even if it means taking on the mafia.


Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.

She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. 

But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion. 

Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic. 

Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.


I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, “These are the hands that buried my mother.”

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it’s her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom’s greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning’s only chance to save her sister’s life. 

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.


Are you getting any new books this week? Happy Reading! ~ Yolanda

21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics | Top Ten Tuesday | 3/29/22

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics 

I honestly don’t know that I would be the best judge of what makes a classic book. But these were all pretty amazing.

~ Yolanda

BLOG TOUR} A Forgery of Roses by. Jessica S. Olson | ARC Review

Welcome to the blog tour for A Forgery of Roses by. Jessica S. Olson!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Forgery of Roses

Author: Jessica S. Olson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Buy HERE: Amazon | B & N | Books a Million | IndieBound | Bookshop.org | Apple Books | Google Play

Publication Date: 3/29/22

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Thriller, Gothic Fantasy, Horror, Murder Mystery

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

Thank you to Inkyard Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From the author of Sing Me Forgotten comes a lush new fantasy novel with an art-based magic system, romance, and murder…

Myra has a gift many would kidnap, blackmail, and worse to control: she’s a portrait artist whose paintings alter people’s bodies. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son.

Once she arrives at the legendary stone mansion, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. A killer stalks these halls–one disturbingly obsessed with portrait magic. Desperate to get out of the manor as quickly as possible, Myra turns to the governor’s older son for help completing the painting before the secret she spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

Content Warning: Gore, Violence, Kidnapping

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I enjoyed what I read a lot.

The magic in this story is quite unique. Myra can alter or heal someone through her paintings. She paints the person on canvas and then infuses it with her magic. It does come with consequences though, she will feel the pain the person is going through. She is what they call a Prodigy and although her magic can heal, it is forbidden in her town to have such powers. With both her parents gone she is a caretaker and mother to her thirteen year old sister, who is very ill. I love her relationship with her sister, the love between them is so beautiful. They don’t have the money for good care and though Myra can heal injuries, she cannot heal a disease in someone. But when the governor’s son dies, his wife wants Myra to bring him back to life…but can she?

The story unfolds as a murder mystery and it comes with a few twists which was really nice! I love the scary tone of the story, the creepy house the governor and his family lives in, the story of the 5th floor being haunted, and grotesque paintings on the wall. Whoever painted those was sorely unwell, but who did them?

There is some romance in the story as well. Myra and August (the governor’s oldest son) befriend one another and try to solve the mystery of his brother’s death. August is an interesting character who suffers from anxiety and his father, who is a hard man, has no patience for it. I was happy to see his growth and also fight for his right to feel safe in the space he’s made for himself. There were times Myra would tell him how to overcome his struggles and he really stands up to her, explaining how she can’t expect him to change overnight. It’s easier said and done when it’s not something she herself struggling with. He definitely had some fight in him even when he was afraid of his family’s reaction.

Why you should read it:

  • it’s a story filled with mystery, romance, danger, and magic
  • there’s a good twist in the story
  • Myra’s unique magic skills

Why you might not want to read it:

  • not into gothic fantasy

My Thoughts:

This story was a real treat and I enjoyed the unique magic, anxiety rep, the romance, the creepy and thrilling parts of the story, and the twist at the end. I haven’t read a book by this author before, but I’m looking forward to reading more from her.

📚 ~ Yolanda


About the Author:

Jessica S. Olson claims New Hampshire as her home but has somehow found herself in Texas, where she spends most of her time singing praises to the inventor of the air conditioner. When she’s not hiding from the heat, she’s corralling her four wild—but adorable—children, dreaming up stories about kissing and murder and magic, and eating peanut butter by the spoonful straight from the jar. She earned a bachelor’s in English with minors in editing and French, which essentially means she spent all of her university time reading and eating French pastries. She is the author of Sing Me Forgotten (2021) and A Forgery of Roses (2022).

https://www.jessicasolson.com/

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/27/22

Aloha friends!

This week went by quick! It did start off with a bad headache but that was due to some sinus/allergies/weather issues plus a crick in my neck from reading. Do you guys ever get that? I always get a sore neck and shoulders if I read too much. My son just got Kirby and the Forgotten Land on the Nintendo Switch and he has been recording his gameplay for his youtube video – and I spent the weekend, editing and uploading them to his channel. So I was trying to schedule blog posts and video posts 😅. It’s been a little exhausting – plus….I binged Bridgerton Season 2 on Netflix and I swear that wasn’t my plan but I just wanted to see the happily ever after but that meant I lost sleep and regretted it the next day LOL.

How was your week? Hope all of you are staying safe! Have a fabulous week!

Blog Posts This Week:


Books I Read:


Currently Reading:


Shows/Movies I’ve Watched:

  • Good Girls (Season 4 on Netflix) – I finished the whole thing and WHY is there no season 5?! I can’t stand when studios don’t finish off a series…I need closure.
  • Bridgerton (Season 2 on Netflix) – I wasn’t gonna binge it and what did I do?! I binged it. I regretted it Saturday morning when I only had barely 3 hours of sleep. 😅 But man…I just loved Anthony and Kate antagonizing one another. 😍 And I love Eloise so much, Benedict too (his smiles!). Whoa to Penelope’s villain era and I miss Simon. Now though I loved the slow burn and Anthony’s agony (ugh his need for control broke my heart but I understood him so well…)….I think it had too much of the Featheringtons. I wish there were less of them and more of Kate and Anthony! Overall, I loved it as usual and it even made me cry – wish there were more historical romances like this on tv.

Games I’ve Played:

  • My Singing Monsters
  • Animal Crossing – Pocket Camp
  • Roblox Pet Sim X – for my daughter again

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

💖 ~ Yolanda

Books with Nature Themes | #SixforSunday | 3/27/22

#SixforSunday is… it’s really just that. You choose 6 books (normally) that you’d choose to fit whatever the prompt is that week. This meme is hosted by A Little but a Lot and you can follow the link to find the prompts for January to March.

This week’s topic:

Books with Nature Themes


For fans of Wilder Girls comes a nightmarish debut guaranteed to keep you up through the night, about an idyllic small town poisoned by its past, and one girl who must fight the strange disease that’s slowly claiming everyone she loves.

Wren owes everything she has to her home, Hollow’s End, a centuries-old, picture perfect American town. Tourists travel miles to marvel at its miracle crops, including the shimmering, iridescent wheat of Wren’s family farm. Until five months ago.

That’s when the quicksilver mercury blight first surfaced, poisoning the farms of Hollow’s End one by one. It began by consuming the crops–thick, silver sludge bleeding from the earth. Next were the animals. Infected livestock and wild creatures alike staggered off into the woods by day—only to return at night, their eyes, fogged white, leering from the trees.

Then, the blight came for the neighbors.

Wren is among the last locals standing. And the blight has finally come for her, too. Now, the only one she can turn to is the last person she wants to call: her ex, Derek. They haven’t spoken in months, but Wren and Derek still have one thing in common—Hollow’s End means everything to them. Only there’s much they don’t know about their hometown and its renowned miracle crops. And they’re about to discover that miracles aren’t free.

Their ancestors have an awful lot to pay for, and Wren and Derek are the only ones left to settle old debts.


No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy. 


For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.


Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.


Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance. 

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.



In an endless winter, she carries seeds of hope

Wylodine comes from a world of paranoia and poverty—her family grows marijuana illegally, and life has always been a battle. Now she’s been left behind to tend the crop alone. Then spring doesn’t return for the second year in a row, bringing unprecedented extreme winter.

With grow lights stashed in her truck and a pouch of precious seeds, she begins a journey, determined to start over away from Appalachian Ohio. But the icy roads and strangers hidden in the hills are treacherous. After a harrowing encounter with a violent cult, Wylodine and her small group of exiles become a target for its volatile leader. Because she has the most valuable skill in the climate chaos: she can make things grow.

Urgent and poignant, Road Out of Winter is a glimpse of an all-too-possible near future, with a chosen family forged in the face of dystopian collapse. With the gripping suspense of The Road and the lyricism of Station Eleven, Stine’s vision is of a changing world where an unexpected hero searches for a place hope might take root.


Here is the schedule for March and go to A Little but a lot for more info!

March – springing into life!
6th: books with green covers
13th: characters with floral names
20th: books to get people out of reading slumps
27th: books with nature themes

Book Haul | 3/25/22

So I still didn’t break my book buying ban on physical books, but I am sooooo tempted. 😩 But I can’t, I have a big trip coming up in June. I did buy 2 ebooks recently but they were on sale and I only spent less than $10 to get them. I got a bunch of books I’ve been dying to read from the library though so that’s exciting. Let’s see what I got so far!

NETGALLEY::

KINDLE E-Books::

ONLINE LIBRARY::


LIBRARY BOOKS:

What did you get in your latest book haul?

~ Yolanda