Greythorne | Book Review

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Title: Greythorne (Bloodleaf, #2)

Author: Crystal Smith

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 352

Published Date: 9/1/20

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic

Princess Aurelia’s life is turned upside down when the kingdom she thought she saved turns to ruin, a loved one is tragically killed in a shipwreck, and her home country refuses to respect her brother’s legitimate claim to the throne. With no place left to call her own, Aurelia returns to Greythorne Manor—her best friend’s family mansion—only to get swept up in a coup d’état on the night of her brother’s coronation. 

With everyone turned against her and enemies closing in on all sides, Aurelia has nothing left to lose in a mad fight to protect the only people she has left—her family. But in her darkest moments when all seems grim, will Aurelia find a spark of hope from a love she thought long lost?

  • I’ve been wanting to read this since it came out, even though I vaguely remember book one. All I know is that I enjoyed Bloodleaf and had to find out what would happen next. I was not disappointed! Fascinating to see in my Bloodleaf review, Princess Aurelia wasn’t a favorite of mine. But jumping into Greythorne without rereading Bloodleaf, I forgot about those things I didn’t enjoy about her. In Greythorne, she’s loved and lost and is dealing with grief and trying to move on. She’s grown a lot.
  • We learn more about the magic in Greythorne and so much history about Aurelia’s family. It was eye-opening and made the book much more emotional than I expected it to be! I loved learning more about Onal and Rosetta and how their past contributed to what was occurring now.
  • Zan and Aurelia’s relationship is complicated and deadly. But Aurelia wants him to live…yet he wants her to live…it was breaking my heart because they couldn’t be together. Their love story doesn’t take over though and they are hardly ever together.
  • This story was always moving and I read it in what would have been one day (but I have a new puppy…so I read it in 2 days). It had enough action, and plot twist were so great, I love how everything was connecting. It was an emotional roller-coaster. 💔
  • Kellan will do anything to protect Aurelia…even die with her. But she doesn’t want that to happen to her best friend so she finds another way instead. I’m not sure how this decision will play out in book three. I do hope Kellan gets a happy ending somehow, he seriously deserves it for his devotion to Aurelia. 🥺
  • There are some time jumps that can get confusing if you don’t pay attention but because Aurelia can walk in the Gray, she gets to witness things that have happen or will happen. I’ll leave it at that.

I didn’t even like Aurelia in book one and now here I am in Greythorne cheering her on! This was beautifully written, the story flowed so well and what surprised me most was that it hit me emotionally. I also really enjoy the magic system. I loved learning more about blood magic, feral magic and how Aurelia could walk into the Gray. Usually, middle books in a series tend to disappoint me but this one actually was so good and makes me very eager to read book three.

📖 ~ 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

I Wanna Be Where You Are | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: I Wanna Be Where You Are

Author: Kristina Forest

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 256

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Readers, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Friendship, Coming of Age

A debut young adult rom-com about an African American ballerina who finds love on the road to an audition.

When Chloe Pierce’s mom forbids her to apply for a spot at the dance conservatory of her dreams, she devises a secret plan to drive two hundred miles to the nearest audition. But Chloe hits her first speed bump when her annoying neighbor Eli insists upon hitching a ride, threatening to tell Chloe’s mom if she leaves him and his smelly dog, Geezer, behind. So now Chloe’s chasing her ballet dreams down the east coast—two unwanted (but kinda cute) passengers in her car, butterflies in her stomach, and a really dope playlist on repeat.

Filled with roadside hijinks, heart-stirring romance, and a few broken rules, Kristina Forest’s I Wanna Be Where You Are is a YA debut perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon.

  • I love the cover and the pastel aesthetics. It’s so pretty and makes me feel like it would be a good spring/summer read.
  • Chloe and Eli’s adventure was eventful although they did lie or withhold information from their parents. I thought it something that mended their friendship and then some.
  • Chloe is a talented dancer and want to realize her dream of joining a company but she’s at odds with her mother who doesn’t feel like it’s a good career choice for her. Eli is going through the same thing with his dreams of wanting to be an artist as opposed to his dad’s dream of him pursuing law just like he did. That was very relatable to me because I remember feeling lost as a teen, wanting to please my parents but knew my major wasn’t what I really wanted to do in life.
  • The romance is sweet, and this is a quick, light contemporary read with a happy ending. It covers family dynamics and pursuing your dreams, so it’s perfect for teen readers.
  • Triggers: car accident, grief, anxiety
  • Other than Eli cursing a few times using the F word, this book is fairly rated PG. Or is PG-13 with swear words? I don’t know – I’d rate it PG though haha. It’s more for teens than young adults.

I enjoyed this quick read and in my teen years, this was the kind of book I’d have devoured in one sitting. This is a solid debut and I think Kristina Forest will definitely be a name to watch for in the contemporary teen and YA romance genre.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Love Spells and Other Disasters | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Love Spells and Other Disasters

Author: Angie Barrett

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 2/1/21

Categories: Romance, Young Adult, Witchcraft, Friendship, Family, Contemporary

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

I didn’t know when I wrote the first love spell that it would actually make things happen. Like, actually make people fall in love with each other… 

How could I have known something like that? I mean, magic isn’t real, right? 

But here’s the thing—the spell does work and so does the next one and the next one…and suddenly I’m getting a whole lot of attention from everyone at my high school. Me, Blend-into-the-Walls, Please-Let-Me-Introvert-in-Peace Rowan Marshall. And not only that, but I’ve also caught the attention of Luca Russo, a godlike, football-playing hottie who claims he likes me just the way I am. Ummm…

But as I’m about to learn, playing around with things you don’t understand means when things go wrong—like really, very awfully wrong—you don’t know how to fix them.

  • Rowan has an interesting mom who is famous for being a parapsychologist, someone who studies the mystical and unexplainable. Ro feels like people at school thinks she is weird because of it. She has one best friend, Ethan who’s been friends with her since childhood and that pretty much consists of her social life, or lack there of…until a project at school makes her realizes she has the power to cast spells.
  • The romance is cute with a touch of heat. There are some sexy scenes but it stays PG-13 for the most part. Luca is the hot jock who is actually a nice guy. The romance comes of as insta-love but he did confess he was into her way before he talked to her. I mean, there are love spells involved so it gets complicated.
  • I did like how Rowan and her project partner, Abby, innocently start making these love spells for a project without thinking of the consequences but when it all hits the fan…the consequences are bad. Rowan does the right thing and takes responsibility. She tries her best to fix broken relationships by doing acts of kindness, which I thought was awesome.
  • I think this story had a good blend of romance, drama, and witchcraft.
  • Rowan isn’t your typical strong girl who can stand up for herself, Ethan helps her do that. Abby pushes her around when it came to doing the spells, but I guess Rowan felt guilty also for her part in ruining Abby’s science project years ago. I think Rowan is strong in her own way, not loudly, but in telling the truth and acts of kindness.
  • We don’t learn much about Rowan’s magic lineage in the story until her mom starts finally talking about her dad which is near the end of the book. It would have been nice to get some idea of how she could do the spells earlier in the book.
  • Ethan was her best friend until that spell really took a turn for the worst and he turned on her. That sucked to see since yes Ro cast the spells, but Ethan asked for the spell. I’m just glad they made up.
  • I read an arc copy so there were some errors near the end of the book which probably will be cleaned up by publication.

I enjoyed reading this witchy romance story because it was a nice blend of sweetness and drama. I liked seeing Rowan blossom as she starts dating Luca and also it was good to see her tackle the consequences of the love spells going bad by helping the ones she hurt. Even though Rowan and Luca seems like an insta-love kind of deal, he actually was into her way before the spells and I loved their relationship. We get a happy ending and it gave me all the feels in the end, that’s all I wanted, so goal accomplished.

♡ ~ Yolanda

Of Wicked Blood | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Of Wicked Blood (The Quartrefoil Chronicles, #1)

Authors: Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 424

Publication Date: 2/2/21

Publisher: Twig Publishing

Categories: Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult/New Adult

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

No rest for the wicked… or the cursed.

SLATE
I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt. 
Scratch that, I did mean to steal it. 
Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses.
If any of us fail, I’m dead.
I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill right about now.
The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel.

CADENCE
I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft.
Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right?
Wrong.
The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster.
But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well . . . he becomes something else to me.
Something frustrating to live with but impossible to live without.
Something I will fight for, no matter the cost.

*Warning: profuse cursing (and not just the magical kind).

  • World-Building: I like how different this is! It takes the Merlin lore but connects it to witchcraft and magic. The town of Brume, France is ripe with magical lore, but is it real? There are four founding families in Brume, and the lore of the Quartrefoil (resembles a four leaf clover) that is everywhere in the town. So magic, founding families, and a race against the clock to find the foils equals a very exciting story!
  • Characters: Slate ~ Bad boy, troubling past, and a foul mouth (he curses a lot). Cadence ~ good girl, family secrets and beautiful. There are four family reps, but Slate and Cadence are the stronger characters. I love Cadence’s bestie Alma and Slate’s foster brother, Bastian – glad he got more book time in the end. As for deception, I’m looking at you, Cadence’s dad…we shall see what other things we learn about him and the past!
  • Romance: slow burn deliciousness between Slate and Cadence. I mean he’s the bad boy, she’s the good girl and together they are dynamite.
  • Writing: love the banter between Slate and Cadence. I thought the beginning was slow to build but from the half-way point on, I could not put this book down. There is a lot of action when the four family reps have to find their piece of the quatrefoil. I love the mystery, the puzzle piecing, and the secrets.
  • The second half is way more engaging than the first. It took me two days to read, when I picked it up on the second day I couldn’t put it down. Slate uses the F word a lot but I love it, it totally fits him.
  • I had to research the authors after I read this because I enjoyed the story so much and was surprised to see I read Olivia Wildenstein’s The Lost Clan Trilogy few years ago. I remember how unique and enjoyable it was. Now I want to read everything she’s written. I’m not familiar with Katie Hayoz’s work but I’m going to check out her books as well!

This story has all the things I love in a paranormal story: lore, slow burn romance, adventure, a mystery and family secrets to uncover! This was a fun read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

🖤 ~ Yolanda

Instant Karma | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Instant Karma

Author: Marissa Meyer

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

In this young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her—both good and bad.

Chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate. 

  • I enjoyed the slow burn of Prudence and Quint’s relationship. Their partnership during the school project was quite intense. They do not like each other and honestly…I can see Quint’s point because being micro-managed is the worst! Yet I relate to Prudence where you know you will pick up the slack of the other team member if need be for a good grade. I like that we see them get to be friends first though.
  • Love the theme of environmentalism and this story set in a coastal town. Who doesn’t love a story about trying to save wildlife?
  • Prudence isn’t perfect, she’s just Type A controlling at times and super ambitious – which is a good thing, because she is determined to reach her goals. I’m glad Quint was there to call her out on some things though because she was super judgmental when it came to Quint. I just wanted to shake some sense into her sometimes.
  • Prudence got on my nerves a lot. Poor Quint! I like that she learns a lot of things in the end, like how it’s not all about business and making money, that causes have to actually mean something if you want other people to care about it too.
  • The instant karma..”magic” for me didn’t work at times…especially when it kind of disappears in the middle of the book? Haha…I guess everyone was on good behavior or something? It was an interesting idea though, and Prudence learned from it in the end.

Overall, this was a quick read and I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibe with Prudence and Quint. I’m not a fan of Prudence though, she seriously needed to let go of control but I’m sure my husband says the same about me. 🤣 Basically no one is perfect but if you can listen to the other person and let them help out, good things can actually happen.

📚 ~ Yolanda

New Year’s Kiss | Book Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: New Year’s Kiss

Author: Lee Matthews

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 240

Categories: Romance, Young Adult, Holiday Romance, Teen Readers, Contemporary

A fun and upbeat paperback original romance about a girl who has a New Year’s resolution to make the coming year epic in every way—and is willing to put herself out there for love.

Tess and her opinionated older sister Lauren are spending the week after Christmas at the snowy Evergreen Lodge in Vermont and they aren’t happy about it. Their stern grandmother, who owns the holiday resort, is not known for her warmth and good humor. But when shy, straight-laced Tess meets Christopher in the lobby, things are suddenly looking up. And when she decides to get out of her comfort zone and create a bucket list of things to accomplish before the New Year-like singing in public and skiing a black-diamond slope-Christopher is happy to help, even as he keeps a secret that could turn everything upside down. When the ball drops, will Tess and Christopher share a magical kiss-or will Tess start the new year off alone?

  • It’s short, sweet, wholesome, and a quick light holiday romance story.
  • I like the setting of a holiday resort in Vermont where it’s got snow, skiing and a quaint town. It’s a perfect read for Christmas/New Year’s.
  • It’s one of those books where the main character makes a list of things she’s never done and tries to accomplish everything on the list before a certain time, this one would be by New Year’s – she has like a week to do it.
  • Definitely more for teen readers than young adult because it’s light reading. Tess’s parents are going through a divorce and she and her sister Lauren are trying to bond while at their grandmother’s lodge. There isn’t much drama going on in the book, no depth. I was bored in the middle since we pretty much knew what was going to happen.
  • Didn’t really connect to any of the characters.

For what it is, a romance teen holiday story, it hits all the marks – we have the right location, family time (that you dread) and meeting cute boys. Tess goes through some drama but nothing heavy at all and in the end there is a happy ending. If you want a quick holiday romance read geared towards teens, then you will like this one.

🎉 ~ Yolanda

To Whatever End | ARC Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: To What Ever End

Author: Lindsey Frydman

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 3/2/20

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Paranormal

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

What if with every person you met, after just one touch, you have a vision of the last time you’ll see each other? Ever. Normally, these visions are innocent—two friends just drifting apart, a random stranger that brushed past you then never crossed your path again.

But not today.

When I accidentally touch him, within only moments of our first meeting, I’m bombarded by visions of his death.

And from what I can see, I’m the reason he dies.

Now I just need to figure out why, and how to stop this from happening. Because not only am I to blame, but his very last words to me are…I love you.

  • I wasn’t sure what to expect from reading the synopsis but I was pleasantly surprised at how the mystery kept me engaged in the story. Quinn is cursed with visions when she touches someone. She can see how she and that person comes to an end, like her last memory with them. Quinn meets Griffin and her vision of him is not good so she tries to stay away, but that’s hard to do when they run into each other again.
  • Now that she has this vision, Quinn needs to decide to either stay away from him or maybe someone change the future. But can she change the future? Is Griffin worth it? She thinks so.
  • Not only does Quinn have to figure out how to change Griffin’s future, someone is harassing her and Griffin with threatening actions and notes. Is it something from Griffin’s past or Quinn’s?
  • The romance is instant, but I think it develops nicely where Quinn and Griffin get to know each other over dinner and coffee before things get serious.
  • Triggers: stalking, violence, grieving
  • Even though the mystery kept me engaged, you could pretty much connect the dots and see what was coming.
  • I’d like to know more about the curse. We know it’s in her family, her mom had it and her grandmother does too, but it seems they have it in different degrees? I didn’t really connect to any of the characters.

I think the premise of the story was interesting and kept me engaged with the added mystery and thriller aspect. I would have liked to know more about Quinn’s abilities and maybe not have the story be so predictable. I think there will be many readers that enjoy this paranormal romance mystery story.

💜 ~ 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

Unleashed | Book Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: Unleashed (Unspoken, #3)

Author: Celia McMahon

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 440

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Wolves, Magic

“I will claim my victory with claws and teeth and steel.”

In the wake of her battle to protect the Den, Izzy has crossed back into Stormwall to enact her plan with the former prince, Ashe, to retake the kingdom from within. Only weeks go by with no word from the prince and Izzy is faced once again with Ashe’s betrayal. She is forced to make alternate plans with a group of rebels to kill both king and prince.

But the world has always bent at odd angles for the wolf-princess. On the day of their battle, things don’t go as planned and Izzy finds herself once again fighting for her life and friends. In the chaos that follows, Izzy and her rebels lose Stormwall into the hands of the Gwylis.

When Izzy discovers that the king had been turning children into wolves, she embarks on a journey that will take her deeper into Mirosa to both save innocent lives and continue her brother Henry’s take of breaking the Gwylis curse. While battling her own demons, her friends have continued the path of their own destinies, each weaving together for one final battle. With the Uncanny’s power growing stronger there is more at stake than ever. Amidst demons and gods, Izzy must aim to break apart the world she knew, to build something even better in its place. A kingdom without demons or wolves. A new kingdom.

  • Aesthetics ~ once again, such amazing cover art work for this whole Unspoken series. Consistently beautiful and the color scheme is great.
  • World Building ~ great world building throughout the series and this time we get to know more about the history about the Gwylis curse. We even get a glimpse of the demons and Gods playing havoc with the lives of humans.
  • Friendship and Family ~ Izzy and Ashe’s relationship is everything to me in this story. It’s a story about forgiveness and trust. I think it was my favorite part of the story because I didn’t know what to expect out of Ashe’s role from book two. As far as Fray…he is lost without Izzy and is so stubborn and faithless. He learns to believe in the pack again, but it takes a lot for him to get there.
  • This one is faster paced than book two and darker which I enjoyed. Izzy and Fray are separated but I like that they have their own individual journeys to take, no matter how scary or painful. Izzy I feel grows a lot, and her character needed that growth because I always felt she was kind of selfish – always thinking she could do things alone. I loved the sacrifices at the end that came from Izzy, Ashe and even Fray.
  • Triggers: grief, violence
  • I know Izzy and Fray are fated mates, but honestly, with how much progress she and Ashe go through together in this book, I was team Ashe! Haha…but I know, I know, their friendship is the strongest part about them. Still, I was hoping.
  • I know being a Gwylis was a curse, but I loved that they were shape shifters. Kind of bummed that they were trying to undo it all but I understand why they did it.
  • A noticeable typo that made me pause and reread a sentence near the end.

This was a good conclusion to a creative story about a curse that turned humans into wolves. Izzy goes from a princess to a powerful Gwylis, to someone who realizes what really matters to her in the end. The main characters go through so many experiences in this book, they truly were Unleashed. Overall I enjoyed this series and if you like stories about wolves, you may enjoy this one as well.

🐺 ~ Yolanda