Category: Dystopian

Dustborn | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Dustborn

Author: Erin Bowman

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 4/20/21

Categories: Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Romance, Survival, Young Adult

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

Delta of Dead River has always been told to hide her back, where a map is branded on her skin to a rumored paradise called the Verdant. In a wasteland plagued by dust squalls, geomagnetic storms, and solar flares, many would kill for it—even if no one can read it. So when raiders sent by a man known as the General attack her village, Delta suspects he is searching for her. 

Delta sets out to rescue her family but quickly learns that in the Wastes no one can be trusted—perhaps not even her childhood friend, Asher, who has been missing for nearly a decade. If Delta can trust Asher, she just might decode the map and trade evidence of the Verdant to the General for her family. What Delta doesn’t count on is what waits at the Verdant: a long-forgotten secret that will shake the foundation of her entire world.

  • When it takes me days to read a book it usually means I’m not into it. This isn’t the case with Dustborn ~ I think I’ve been so immersed in fantasy worlds that coming back to dystopian takes some getting used to, but really I enjoyed how cutthroat and no F’s given is this world that Delta lives in. I would not survive…at all.
  • Aesthetic ~ the cover made me request the book! Love how fiery it looks.
  • World Building ~ you get a sense right away, life is tough in this world where water is scarce, and dust storms rage often. Think Mad Max, where people live in small groups or packs. I could really feel Delta’s despair from the first chapter when she needs to get her sister some help. From there everything went downhill for Delta. I think it was unique, especially parts where they described how to make water in desperate times and vehicles they use with old tech/parts that they find.
  • Characters ~ Delta is strong because she’s had to be in able to survive. The Wastes coddle to no one. Asher is Delta’s friend from long ago and when they meet again, she’s not sure if she can trust him. We meet other characters like the General who runs Bedrock and his people are loyal to him. The General has something Delta has and will do anything to get the information he seeks. Then there is the Prime who runs Powder Town, Delta gets caught in between trying to figure out who to trust in order to free her pack.
  • Romance ~ yes…I mean how can romance bloom in a world like this? But something grows between Delta and Asher, not that it takes over the story at all, this one is all about survival and truth.
  • I didn’t totally connect to Delta and Asher, but that’s not a bad thing, it gave the book more of a desperate vibe, and seriously…reading this made me feel like I would die on day one without barely any water! Haha, you know how in reality we always say to hydrate? How do you do that when you have to turn your pee into water and you are dehydrated?! Ugh…I’m so grateful to have water right now haha. I was really intrigued by the characters in Powder Town though. Loved that they had a female ruler and soldiers.
  • The twist in the end was good, we get to find out more history and what really happened in the early days.
  • Triggers: violence, death

If you like dystopian stories set in basically a desert world, then you will enjoy this one. Delta is practically alone in the world and has to save her pack. She has to do the impossible to do it. But when people come along can she trust them to help her reach her goal? Dustborn is a gritty dystopian story filled with adventure, desperation and even a little romance in the desert.

🧡 ~ Yolanda

The Princess Games | Book Review

My Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Title: The Princess Games (The Princess Trials, #2)

Author: Cordelia K Castel

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 516

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

The stakes are higher and the competition more brutal in round two of the Princess Trials. Zea’s relationship with Prince Kevon intensifies, and she must choose between the prince and the rebel who holds her heart. 

When her enemies uncover a secret that drives a rift between Zea and Prince Kevon, she’s not only battling for survival but facing execution. 

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Selection, this exciting tale of courage, intrigue, and betrayal will have you turning pages. 

  • We get to see a bit more of Zea and Kevon’s feelings growing for one another and we get confirmation that Ryce is a jerk. Honestly, I’m glad there was some drama between Zea and Kevon because we know something between them…their relationship just needs more chemistry.
  • Glad we got to see what the Ambassador Pascale of the Amstraad Republic wanted from Zea because I was starting to not really care. But they just kept showing up in convenient moments so it was good to finally learn something about their schemes. I also liked the few twists that occurred in the story.
  • I liked it when Zea needed to save her family because finally we see her being a badass for something meaningful.
  • I read this book hoping for more romance or see some chemistry between Zea and Kevon and it’s just mild. With what Zea is going through in this princess trials, you’d think there would be something more explosive between them but it’s fairly sweet.
  • Also…what is the point of these princess trials? Kevon barely has dates with any of the girls. They have all these very trials, a lot of them deadly – but Kevon has no personality. He’s nice and a good guy, but what do we really know about him? I think maybe the story just lacks depth because I feel the same about Zea ~ I want more from her and finally got it when her mom was about to die.
  • I skimmed a few parts because we know they are after Zea, but at some point I just didn’t care. Like why does the Queen hate her so much? Just because she isn’t Noble? Queen Damascena is working so hard to keep Zea there yet she wants to kill her also? It didn’t work for me, it was exhausting.
  • I think it was weak for Ryce to be her crush in book one, we barely see or hear from him, then in this book he’s awful and not what she thought he was – but he’s barely in this one too! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’m going to read the next book because I’m almost done with the series but so far. Usually I wouldn’t bother reading the next book if I found the previous books problematic, but I want to see what happens with Zea and Kevon. I think there are a lot of good ideas in this series – it just needs focus and so much more chemistry between Zea and Kevon. My favorite part was when Zea showed mettle especially when she was trying to save her family, that’s when I felt like she finally had something to fight for. We shall see if the next book can redeem this series in my eyes. Will we get more out of Zea and Kevon? I hope so.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Princess Trials | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: The Princess Trials, #1

Author: Cordelia K Castel

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 504

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Thirty young women. A handsome prince. A battle to the death

Water is scarce. Deserts have taken over the land. Nuclear war has devastated humanity. Humans live in walled super cities to keep out the irradiated. The land that was formerly known as America is divided into kingdoms ruled by royal elites.

Born into the lowest Echelon of the Kingdom of Phangloria, sixteen-year-old Zea Calico faces a life of hunger, thirst, and toil. The only way out of this drudgery is revolution, and Zea is desperate to help the cause. 

When the palace calls for candidates to compete to marry Prince Kevon, Zea joins the Princess Trials to search the palace for weaknesses. 

The trials should be a fairytale of sumptuous meals, ballgowns, and romance, but one misplaced word causes Zea to attract the Prince’s attention. When Zea uncovers the man beneath Prince Kevon’s public facade, she is at risk of falling in love and losing sight of her mission. 

But the televised beauty pageant turns deadly, and Zea must fight for survival.

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Selection, this exciting tale of courage, intrigue, and betrayal will have you turning pages.

  • World building – was interesting though it reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games, The Selection and the tv show The Bachelor. So it was nothing new. It’s a dystopian society in what seems to be North America but called Phangloria now. There are different classes of people from different regions, for example: Royals, Nobles, Industrials, Harvesters, etc…. Zea is a Harvester from Rugosa and basically her people are the farmers which provide the food for the kingdom. She’s also a Red Runner rebel planning to take down the royals and infiltrates the kingdom by joining the princess trials. It’s a cutthroat world of girls trying to become the next Queen by impressing Prince Kevon. The princess trials are like reality tv on steroids, where people all over can watch the girls fight over the prince. The girls are filmed constantly and the footage edited without their control.
  • Characters – there is a lot of them, so far I liked Gemini and Berta (who is awful but made things interesting for sure), who were other girls with Zea who are basically the entertainment for a bloodthirsty audience. Gemini is ostracized because her dad is a traitor, and Berta has a traitor in her family too…but the two girls are different as night and day. Zea is just thrown in with them. Prince Kevon seems like a good guy so far, but we shall see what happens with that.
  • I did like how there was political intrigue that kept the story moving.
  • What is special about Zea-Mays Calico, except her name? She can wield a slingshot and she has some fighting skills but I didn’t feel like her “mission” was an urgent thing for the rebellion? Obviously she has to fit into the princess trials but she stands out a lot as the defiant girl ~ luckily it’s drawn Prince Kevon to her. But she really doesn’t know a lot about the life in the Oasis and learns it all mostly from Gemini and Berta. Also, she’s in love with Ryce (the rebel soldier) but she has some lukewarm feelings growing for Prince Kevon. And it’s not like her relationship with Ryce is a big thing, he is barely in this book and doesn’t come off genuine (at least to me). I’d like to see more from her…she is compassionate though, that is her strength.
  • I got confused at some points in the story and had to reread some parts.
  • I’m not feeling the romance, but I’ll read book two and see what happens.

Overall, it’s very Hunger Games/The Selection vibes which isn’t a bad thing. I loved both books and enjoyed how both were thrown into one story. In that sense, it wasn’t very original and it was predictable. The romance is lacking for me also, and at times the story was confusing ~ I’m not sure if that’s an editing issue? But despite all that, I’m going to read book two and see what happens.

📖 ~ Yolanda

The Fallout | Book Review

My Review: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: The Fallout (Dominion of Ash, #3)

Author: Frost Kay

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 277

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

An ENEMIES TO LOVERS post-apocalyptic fantasy perfect for fans of Cruel Prince, Skyward, and Hunger Games.

She should’ve died. She didn’t.

Reborn into a damaged, depraved world is nothing short of a nightmare. In an instant, every hope Hazel harbors for the future disappears along with her humanity, leaving her with overprotective guarding and a useless mutation.

With war brewing between Humans, the Tainted, and a new unknown enemy, she’s forced to pick a side before the world implodes once more and she loses everyone she loves.

Sacrifice is never painless. 

  • It’s been awhile since I read the last book, so I liked how easily I got into this one. Hazel was bit in book two and in this book she is trying to survive the change her body is going through. Looks like she isn’t going to make it but she’s a fighter.
  • This book is about Hazel’s struggle to accept the new changes happening to her body and her life as a Tainted. I love that she has Noah’s grandmother, Matt and the kitsune to help her with it.
  • Noah ‘s POV was nice to have! He wants Hazel but he doesn’t push it which is nice. He gives her the space he needs.
  • World Building ~ We learn more about the Chosen’s plans to go to war with the Tainted. I always found this world in Dominion of Ash very fascinating because of the virus that changes people.
  • This book is too short, it’s under 300 pages! I wish there was more…

I enjoy this series a lot, I kind of wish this one was a few pages longer. But I’ll definitely be continuing with the series when the next books come out. If you aren’t the patient kind, then I suggest you wait before starting this series because they are quick reads.

💛 ~Yolanda

Savage Lands | Book Review

My Review: 4/5 Stars

Title: Savage Lands (Savage Lands, #1)

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 308

Categories: Dark Urban Fantasy, Paranormal

Almost twenty years after the barrier between Earth and the Otherworld fell in the Fae Wars, Budapest is balancing on the precipice. A battle for dominance is brewing between the elite fae and the privileged humans in Eastern Europe. The prejudice between the sides is bubbling with hate and violence. 

Nineteen-year-old human, Brexley, has grown up in privilege, but not without heartbreak. After being orphaned, she is taken in by General Markos, living in a walled city rife with power grabs and ruthless political games. Then one night the course of her life changes, and Brexley is thrown into the most feared prison in the east. Halalhaz, the House of Death—where you go in but don’t come out. 

She must learn to live with the worst of fae and human criminals. The rule of hierarchy puts humans on the bottom, where the only way to survive each day is to make alliances with the fae.

Here she meets the sexy, vicious legend, Warwick Farkas. A myth among man and fae. He is as brutal, cruel, arrogant, and as lethal as the lore says he is, ruling the prison with unchallenged authority. Brexley can’t deny an intense draw to him, one that might cost her life.
If The Games don’t take her out first—
A fight to the death where only one survives.

  • I haven’t read a paranormal romance in awhile and this hit the spot! There is Brex pining over her childhood love Caden, a normal human guy about to rise in the ranks of his father’s army. And then…there is Warwick, a legend, a myth…nope he’s real, just not fully human.
  • World building ~ I enjoyed this! I love this dystopian/fantasy world of Budapest after the veils come down. Fae and humans hate each other even though the war has ended. I love how dark and gritty it is.
  • Characters ~ The characters are pretty fierce. Brex is a solider, a fighter and she needs that to survive prison time. I’d like to see how her character grows even more. And Warwick? He is lethal and an absolute alpha male. The two of them are intense together. The side characters were great too!
  • Mood ~ so intense. There is prison fighting, and so much sexual tension. It is gritty, raw, dark…and even though it was rough for Brex in this book, she survives it and it makes me wonder what she will endure in book two as they venture into the savage lands.
  • Story ~ very fast paced story and addictive. I want to read book two right now just to get to know these savage lands and find out more about Warwick! And what about Caden? What’s happened to him? So many questions!
  • Triggers: sexual harassment, violence, torture
  • This is the first book I’ve read from this author and now I’m interested in her other books.

This is how I like my paranormal romances, gritty with great world building. I like them intense, with a badass female and an equally deadly alpha male, but the appeal for me is when they can keep up with each other. So far the chemistry between them is off the charts but what about Caden, her childhood love? I don’t know but I’m hooked, give me more savage lands! Glad I gave this book a chance and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

🖤 ~ Yolanda

Skyhunter | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Skyhunter

Author: Marie Lu

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 371

Categories: Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Young Adult

In a world broken by war, a team of young warriors is willing to sacrifice everything to save what they love.

The Karensa Federation has conquered a dozen countries, leaving Mara as one of the last free nations in the world. Refugees flee to its borders to escape a fate worse than death—transformation into mutant war beasts known as Ghosts, creatures the Federation then sends to attack Mara.

The legendary Strikers, Mara’s elite fighting force, are trained to stop them. But as the number of Ghosts grows and Karensa closes in, defeat seems inevitable.

Still, one Striker refuses to give up hope.

Robbed of her voice and home, Talin Kanami knows firsthand the brutality of the Federation. Their cruelty forced her and her mother to seek asylum in a country that considers their people repugnant. She finds comfort only with a handful of fellow Strikers who have pledged their lives to one another and who are determined to push Karensa back at all costs.

When a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front, Talin senses there’s more to him than meets the eye. Is he a spy from the Federation? Or could he be the weapon that will save them all?

  • Aesthetics ~ check out that cover, it looks simple, but oh the colors and that font. 😍😭Then if you had the hardcover edition like I do, the title is sprayed against the pages…and then….and THEN when you take off the jacket, you get more of that purple pink title and that title in that font again. I think it’s right now my favorite cover of 2020 and I didn’t think it would be at first glance.
  • World Building ~ Marie Lu knows how to build a fictional world. This story is set in a dystopian world, Mara is the last area standing against the Karensa Federation who wants to take over every inch of land in their country. This story is set way after our current civilization. There are ruins of our cities made of steel and people have learned to use the materials they found to survive. There are evolved humans, more like humans that were experimented on, that turned them into killing creatures called Ghosts. So the sci-fi aspect is very present in this story.
  • Characters ~ interesting and diverse characters. My favorite so far is Jeran, one of Talin’s friends. Talin is a solid main character – she’s strong and we shall see what happens in the next book.
  • Writing ~ engaging from the start. The story is intense with lots of action, and characters dealing with their own personal traumas. There is a great message of being brave and strong no matter what life throws at you.
  • As engaging as the writing is, the middle of the book started to lose my attention. I might have been expecting more from the story or maybe I wanted it to go deeper. Maybe I wanted more romance and I got some of it with Jeran’s storyline at least, yay! I can’t pinpoint it just yet, maybe it was too predictable? Was I not connecting to any of the characters? But I started to get bored, until the last few pages happened, which was a total cliffhanger.
  • I had a lot of questions that weren’t answered and maybe will be answered in book two – but the whole mind link thing between Red and Talin, why did it happen so quickly?
  • Triggers: violence, killing, experiments on humans, abuse, grief, trauma

The physical book is gorgeous, the writing is wonderful but I might have been expecting more because it’s a Marie Lu book. As a dystopian, sci-fi novel I think it has a lot of action and the ending makes you want to read the next book. I think I’m looking for more of a connection to the characters but maybe that will happen in book two when we find out what happens next to Talin and Red.

💕 ~ Yolanda