Defend the Dawn by. Brigid Kemmerer | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Defend the Dawn (Defy the Night, #2)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 9/13/22

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Politics

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

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey…

The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.

But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.

When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.

This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . .

Content Warning: violence

I have to say this series is addictive! I loved book one and getting to know Corrick and Tessa – there was so much political intrigue in that one. It continues here in book two:

+ I didn’t mean to finish this book in one night, but I did. The writing is tight and flows well, it moves quickly even though parts of the book feel more like a filler. It doesn’t matter because I think there was enough new elements to make this feel like the story was moving – I was hooked!

+ The story picks up right after events in book one but I love that we have new characters, and one very intriguing Captain Blackmore/Rian. I was like, move aside Corrick…Rian is confident, he is a leader, and patient, which I love. I need more of Rian. I also love the twists in this story.

+ With the new characters come a new set of problems and political intrigue/suspicions for Harristan and Corrick. Can they trust this Rian who claims to have enough Moonflower to trade with them for Kandala steel. I love the way Rian questioned how Kandala’s people were being treated, making Corrick and Tessa do some inner reflection on a few things. The story also moves to sea, on Rian’s ship heading to Ostriary which for me was so much fun. Harristan has his own problems back in Kandala though.

+~ Tessa and Corrick are so frustrating. They are hot and cold! I understand his desire to put Kandala first and I understand how she feels like there is no future for them if it’s always first. Most of this book was Tessa questioning Corrick and trying to find out if he is the person she fell in love with before. But Corrick was also coming off as a jerk at times, especially when dealing with Rian. I did like all the suspicion though, it kept me on my toes! The tension throughout the story is fantastic.

~ Tessa – I liked the suspicions because it kept me engaged but I could not stand Tessa’s back and forth about Corrick. They have some issues to resolve. And it’s a slow burn, they only get as far as kissing. There was almost a love triangle brewing and honestly I was into Rian more than Corrick. I was even hoping something with Tessa and Rian would happen. BUT…then I realized Corrick and Tessa deserved each other haha. Let them have their hot/cold relationship ugh…those two. Give Rian a stronger woman please! Tessa is a good person, but I think Rian needs someone with more of a backbone. She just came off naive at times and

~ + It has a cliffhanger ending…of course! 😆 Looking forward to book three.

Why you should read it:

this series is addictive! Tessa and Corrick has to deal with a lot of problems in their relationship but I like how they aren’t perfect
Rian, the new character
having most of this story be on a ship was fun, plus there are some great twists!

Why you might not want to read it:

the back and forth between Tessa and Corrick can be a little frustrating but that’s their relationship

My Thoughts:

Brigid Kemmerer is a must read author for me, even though I didn’t care for how Rhen changed in the Cursebreaker series but I will say this author really does a great job with writing about complicated relationships. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to her books, the characters aren’t perfect but readers can relate in some way. I was scared Corrick was going to be another Rhen situation but Corrick at least was always morally gray. We get to see all the imperfect sides of him and try to decide, like Tessa – if we like what we know and see. Defend the Dawn has lots of tension, which I love in a story, because there are trust issues everywhere! Harristan and Corrick can’t trust Rian, Tessa doesn’t know who to trust (which was the most frustrating), Karri and Lochland don’t trust Corrick but the twists are wonderful. I love the addition of Rian and want to see if finally Corrick and his brother can get some help with their own kingdom. The story was fast moving and I want the next book in the series! It’s a great series so far and I hope it ends on a high note!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Forging Silver into Stars by. Brigid Kemmerer – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Defy the Night by. Brigid Kemmerer – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by. Brigid Kemmerer – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Three Kisses, One Midnight by. Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, Sandhya Menon | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Three Kisses, One Midnight

Author: Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, Sandhya Menon

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 8/30/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Halloween, Paranormal, Teen Readers

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

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

The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.

“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”

This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.

But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.

Content Warning:

This is a three story anthology filled with romance, Halloween and autumn vibes and I thought it was lots of fun. Here’s what I like and didn’t like:

+ The stories are short and the whole anthology itself is under 300 pages. The stories flowed nicely together even though it’s told by three different authors. It’s perfect for teens.

+ Onny and Ash’s stories were my favorite because Onny’s is a rivals to lovers romance. Onny is into the mystical – she loves astrology, Halloween and believes in love potions and fate. Her rivals to romance story was perfect for her personality. Ash is the quiet, shy artist who is in love with the girl next door, Cassidy. He finally gets to talk to her and finds out she was mutually pining for him too.

+ The friendship between Onny, Ash, and True is tight and I love the three of them together.

~ True’s story was the weakest because it was so insta-love. I did like how she was a science-minded girl and not into Onny’s hocus pocus but her mind is opened a bit on Halloween night. Orion is someone she meets on Halloween night and he’s into ghosts. Theirs is an opposites attract relationship which would have worked out better for me if it wasn’t an insta-love thing. If she had a past with him like Onny did with Byron and Ash has with Cassidy then it would be more believable.

Tropes: mutual pining, rivals to lovers, opposites attract

Why you should read it:

you want to get into fall vibes, Halloween vibes
super cute Halloween romance stories in a book that is under 300 pages long
diverse author line up, and diverse characters

Why you might not want to read it:

not into anthologies or novella type stories

My Thoughts:

Three besties find love on Halloween night: one was in front of her face the whole time, the other is pining for his his love next door, and the last one meets a potential love on Halloween night. This is a cute collection of stories for teens but I did enjoy even as an adult. And it’s a good one to read for Fall and around Halloween.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Monsters Born and Made by. Tanvi Berwah | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Monsters Born and Made

Author: Tanvi Berwah

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 9/6/22

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Race, Family, Politics, Romance

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

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

Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral’s family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they’re lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family’s financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can’t afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral’s only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister’s―before the whole island burns.

Content Warning: violence, illness, abuse

Well, I didn’t expect this to be like the Scorpio Races and Hunger Games combined! This is what worked and didn’t work for me:

+ I thought the world-building was interesting, there are very cool aspects to it. The story takes place on an island and the rich people, Landers, live below ground. Renters are the hardworking people in Sollonia and there is a divide. There are sea monsters in this story also. They have aquabats, capricorns, maristags (which are like monster horses that they race), and so much more.

+ I liked how hard Koral is. She is a survivor and won’t give up. There is a lot of anger in her, her brother Emrik, most of the Renters in Sollonia, in the rebels, so much anger in this book that I could relate because of the world we live in today. Koral is relatable. All she wants is a good life, to care for her family, she wants a chance, she fights daily for this chance and she wants glory but always comes out on the losing end. I definitely sympathized with her anger and frustrations.

+ The ending is kind of bonkers – but the final race is high adrenaline. I was cheering on Koral, but it’s a brutal race. But it doesn’t end after the race…

+~ There is a friends to rivals to maybe lovers thing going on with Koral and one of the wealthiest boys in Sollonia, Dorian. They have history that we know a little about. Presently they are rivals but there is an undercurrent of something like hate and desire. Would have liked more interaction between them. There is barely any romance between them just lots of hard feelings.

~ Though the world-building is fascinating it was confusing as well. I don’t think I have a clear picture of what a maristag looks like in my head. I’m just going off of the book cover and maybe like a horse body? There were just some things about the world-building I couldn’t quite pin down and flesh out in my mind despite the author’s descriptions.

~ The ending is so abrupt – is there a sequel? Because how could it end like that?!

~ I wasn’t sure what parts of the books represented South Asia because the races felt like a Roman inspired race? It had chariots and a dome called a Drome. I’m going to say it was the caste system between the Landers, Renters and Rebels but I wish it was clearer to me.

Why you should read it:

fascinating world-building, an island surrounded by a sea of monsters
Koral is a survivor and a fighter, this girl won’t back down
the final race is pure action

Why you might not want to read it:

some parts of the world-building while fascinating was also confusing at times – I couldn’t get a good feel of how things looked like a maristag for instance…
very abrupt ending – is there a sequel?

My Thoughts:

This one has so much potential and I did love the aspect of the Glory Races and people racing these violent creatures called maristags. The races were a pure rush to read! I did wish I could visualize more of the world-building because it’s so fascinating but I needed more details. I thought Koral was the perfect character for a story such as this because she’s a fighter and the feelings of the Renters and rebels were all encapsulated in her character The ending was so climatic and then ended abruptly so I hope there is a sequel. For the most part I had fun reading this book and hope to read more from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Dragon’s Promise by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Dragon’s Promise (Six Crimson Cranes, #2)

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/30/22

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Series, Fantasy, Dragons, Demons, Romance, Fairytale

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

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood.

The pearl itself is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori’s aid one minute, and betraying her the next—threatening to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she’s fought so hard to win.

Content Warning: violence

This is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes and although I did enjoy this conclusion, there were a few things that didn’t work for me, but still lots of other things I did love – let’s take a look:

+ We get to spend time in the dragon’s realm and learn more about Seryu! I really did enjoy Shiori’s time with the dragons. It felt like a very fantastical and unique place, but quite scary for Shiori because there was a lot of deception going on and she didn’t know who to trust! There is a lot of action in the book because Shiori is moving from one place to another. That girl never has a repreve!

+ My beloved Kiki is back, she is the best paper bird ever. I love her! Other characters like Shiori’s brothers are back as well and once again they do their best to help Shiori in her quest.

+ Shiori and Takkan’s love story is a beautiful thing to see grow and develop. They are always thinking of the other, and wanting the best for one another. Yes they do have challenges because Shiori is always getting into a mess, but Takkan is the perfect balance for her – he is steady, he is constant and he loves Shiori no matter what. They were my favorite part of the book I think.

+ I love how we learn about Raikama’s past and it always pinched at my heart how Shiori missed her and how there were regrets about their relationship. I can at least say there was peace for Raikama in this book. But many parts of this book, especially at the end, were quite emotional.

~ The pacing is off in this book and I didn’t feel like the first part of the book, when Shiori was in Ai’long, connected to the rest of the book. We meet new characters in Ai’long and some loose ends that didn’t have closure for me there. Then there is a lull when Shiori is back in Kiata with her family because she’s pretending she there and back to normal but she’s planning on following through with finding the Wraith, to give the pearl to him. There might have been too much going on at once. Because she also had to deal with the demon, Bandur!

~ Speaking of Bandur, he’s always in the back of Shiori’s mind, obviously but I think when it came time to really put him away, if felt sort of anti-climactic because of the Wraith and his anger and issues…there are a lot of angry demons and dragons in this book. I get that Bandur is the biggest villain, but once again, I felt like the story got disconnected in some places or it felt like 3 stories in one book.

Tropes: special one, opposites attract (Shiori the princess/Takkan who doesn’t fit in at court), puppy love

Why you should read it:

creative world building, we get to travel with Shiori to Ai’long ,the Realm of Dragons
lovable characters like Seryu, Kiki, Takkan and Shiori’s brothers
emotional story when it comes to Shiori and her brothers and memories about Raikama
the sweet love story between Shiori and Takkan

Why you might not want to read it:

feels like too much going on, as if 2-3 stories are shoved into one, feels disjointed

My Thoughts:

I think this is a solid ending to an imaginative and fun duology but it did fall flat of my expectations mostly because of how disjointed the story felt at times. But I love Shiori and Takkan’s love story and I adore all the characters that I came to care for in this story like Kiki and Seryu. I wonder if the dragons will get their own book? There is a lot of story to tell there and I feel like Elang didn’t get any closure. Overall I found the themes of family and love in the story to be heartwarming. I’m glad I got to finish this duology and I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Stars Between Us by. Cristin Terrill | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Stars Between Us

Author: Cristin Terrill

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/2/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Sci-Fi, Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Rags to Riches

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

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

There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real.

The only blight on Vika’s lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika’s past who works for her benefactors. She doesn’t like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will’s heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they’ve been looking for. But Sky isn’t who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.

In The Stars Between Us, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.

Content Warning:

This was an interesting read. It’s a young adult sci-fi story with an assassination plot mystery, rags to riches trope and romance sprinkled in there too. Here is what did and didn’t work for me:

+ I liked the creativity – the whole sci-fi world building was interesting to me. Vika lives on poor planet Philomenus and life is hard, she wants more and coincidentally she gets more and gets an upgraded life by moving to Ploutus which is the rich planet basically.

+ I was intrigued enough to read this in one sitting. I figured out a few things about the plot in the beginning but it still made me want to read through to the end to see if I was right. I was mostly right! There are assassination attempts, changing wills, suspect characters and Sky’s secret.

+ I thought the characters were pretty fleshed out – even if some of them were unlikable. At least they were true to themselves.

~ Vika is unlikable. ambitious – she wants out of the poor life and she has a way out and takes it, barely looking back at her family back home on Philomenus. She’s a snob, selfish, shallow and beautiful of course – but she does have a little growth by the end of the book.

~ Sky Foster is Vika’s opposite – I just really wished he had some kind of backbone around her. Vika could eat him up, spit him out, stomp on him and he’d be fine with it. He’s a dutiful boy, sweet to his friends, a good guy really…I just wish he didn’t let Vika push him around at times.

~ The insta-love on Sky’s part. Like, come on man, what do you see in Vika?! lol…him falling in love with her was weak. There was hardly any build-up between them, she hated him for the most part. But by the end of this book they are in love.

~ Would have been nice to have more sci-fi in the story, it’s a pretty lite sci-fi story. I felt like the most sci-fi thing about the story was the setting, economy and the transportation.

Why you should read it:

you aren’t used to reading sci-fi – this one is a lite sci-fi story with romance and intrigue

Why you might not want to read it:

Vika is unlikable – and usually I can deal with unlikable characters but I did not see why Sky fell for her so fast

My Thoughts:

Overall I think the story did a good job with the rags to riches trope. Vika went from rags to riches in the blink of an eye and does that change her? She was pretty unlikable when she was poor – but I found her hunger for more commendable. When she finally gets more she finds it easy to forget her parents and sister back on Philomenus. She’s cold and yet Sky, the sweetest, nicest guy can see past all her selfishness and fall in love with her. You know he’s fallen hard! There is some growth in her character but I still felt like she was the thing that didn’t make me enjoy this story as much as I wanted to. I did like the mystery of the assassination attempts though, and the world building is creative.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Cosmopolitan List: 100 Best YA Novels of All Time

I was looking through my bookstagram feed yesterday and saw an account posts the Cosmopolitan list of 100 best YA novels of all time. I haven’t read a Cosmo magazine in years! But I thought this list was pretty good. Every title that is highlighted pink is one I’ve read! Anything in yellow is a movie I watched:

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Sadie by Courtney Summers
Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard by Echo Brown

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
This Is My America by Kim Johnson
Legend by Marie Lu
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Every Day by David Levithan
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
If I Stay by Gayle Forman

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Saving Savannah by Tonya Bolden
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera
Forever… by Judy Blume
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares
Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

Obviously there are so many books on here that I haven’t read and a bunch I wanted to read for Black History Month, which is being celebrated right now for the month of February. I can see that this list has way much more contemporary books than fantasy, with just a few fantasy books here and there. What do you think about this list? Have you read some of these?

~ Yolanda

The Gilded Cage by. Lynette Noni | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Gilded Cage (The Prison Healer, #2)

Author: Lynette Noni

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 10/12/21

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Political Intrigue

Kiva trades one cage for another when she leaves behind a deadly prison for a deceptive palace in this dark and dangerous sequel to The Prison Healer, which Sarah J. Maas called “a must-read.”

Kiva Meridan is a survivor.

She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever.

As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well.

Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything.

The Prison Healer ended on such a crazy cliffhanger, I needed to read this sequel right away. This one is a much slower story, still with good tension, but Kiva is out of her element. She went from a death prison to Jaren’s home where people are nice to her and care about her despite her wearing a prison mark. Of course it helps that the Jaren is her number one defender.

Speaking about the Prince, Jaren is the sweetest guy ever. The romance is a SLOW BURN…seriously, too slow at times for me but so absolutely sweet because he doesn’t push her at all. Jaren gives her space, he even works and keeps busy because you know, he’s an heir and soon to be ruler of his kingdom but wow…Kiva got herself a keeper, if she doesn’t mess things up.

We get to meet Kiva’s siblings and I love Tor but her sister Zulee? Wow…she is hateful. Kiva is torn about her family and Jaren, especially when the secrets starts to be revealed. We also meet Kiva’s grandmother (her mom’s mother) and wow did she through a few more twists into the story.

I found some new loves in this book, Caldon – Jaren’s cousin. He and Kiva have a fun, love/hate relationship and honestly, I like how he is protective of Jaren. Jaren is a sweetheart but Caldon is my kind of guy! Also Tor, Kiva’s brother is the only one who really cares about her and I loved getting to know him.

This is what I love most about the story – it’s twisty and so good! It keeps me on my toes. Every time I thought I knew what Kiva would do and choose with the facts laid out for her, her manipulative sister would step in and I wanted to yell at Kiva to tell her to see the danger that I could see coming. Of course the ending is another cliffhanger which made my jaw drop and now I have to wait again to continue the story.

Content Warnings: toxic family, death, grief, family betrayal, drug use, abuse

This story deals with so many toxic issues, a lot of them being about broken families. Kiva’s sister is awful, thank goodness her brother is a good guy. But just learning about Kiva’s family secrets made me feel bad for her – she was stuck between falling for Jaren, or choosing her awful family. I understand loyalty but wow, I thought Kiva was too forgiving.

Kiva has to make some hard decisions. She knows Jaren and what kind of guy he is – she knows his friends and family (for the most part). And Kiva is just starting to know her own family…and not liking what she learns. I didn’t like some of her decision making. She was confused between her loyalty to her family and then her love for Jaren and honestly this made her do some rash things. Like trusting her sister because she is family, even though she treats her like crap…Kiva is too forgiving and too trusting and you would think living in a death prison would have taught her a few things about seeing through people and their true intentions.

Why you should read it:

slow burn romance
political intrigue, lots of twists in the story
my new favorite character, Caldon

Why you might not want to read it:

toxic family relationships
Kiva’s indecisiveness got annoying

My Thoughts:

Though not as intense as book one, I thought this sequel was entertaining mostly because of Caldon being his amazing self and Kiva’s family drama. I dislike Kiva’s sister so much and I got a little annoyed with Kiva’s actions but overall, I love all the twists in the story. I’m starting to think this author definitely knows how to write a cliffhanger ending! Will be looking forward to book three.

📚 ~ Yolanda

She Who Rides the Storm by. Caitlin Sangster | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: She Who Rides the Storm

Author: Caitlin Sangster

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 9/21/21

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Thieves/Heist

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

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this atmospheric YA fantasy that is Wicked Saints meets There Will Come a Darkness, four teens are drawn into a high-stakes heist in the perilous tomb of an ancient shapeshifter king.

Long ago, shapeshifting monsters ruled the Commonwealth using blasphemous magic that fed on the souls of their subjects. Now, hundreds of years later, a new tomb has been uncovered, and despite the legends that disturbing a shapeshifter’s final resting place will wake them once again, the Warlord is determined to dig it up.

But it isn’t just the Warlord who means to brave the traps and pitfalls guarding the crypt.

A healer obsessed with tracking down the man who murdered her twin brother.

A runaway member of the Warlord’s Devoted order, haunted by his sister’s ghost.

A snotty archaeologist bent on finding the cure to his magical wasting disease.

A girl desperate to escape the cloistered life she didn’t choose.

All four are out to steal the same cursed sword rumored to be at the very bottom of the tomb. But of course, some treasures should never see the light of day, and some secrets are best left buried…

I definitely requested this book because of the cover. After reading this though, is the person on the cover, Calsta?

We follow four main characters in this story: Anwei, Knox, Mateo and Lia but to me the one that stood out the most was Anwei. I connected with her being a healer and helping Knox and many others – but I also love that she had the double identity, healer by day, thief at night. She was the most interesting character to me.

The other characters Knox, Lia and Mateo were interesting as well. Knox and Lia are part of the Devoted, an order that follows Calsta’s ways, what I got from the story was they were not shy to use violence and were trained to fight. Mateo was different – he’s an archaeologist who just wants to find a way to cure his disease. He can’t fight like Knox and Lia but Mateo has his own type of strength.

As far as the story goes – everyone is looking for this cursed sword that is in a tomb. What they uncover in the tomb is more than the sword but the true story about the Devoted, and the Basists. I think the second half was much faster paced than the first half and we get more into the heist of the story. Also the twist was interesting and makes me wonder what will happen in book two.

There is some feelings taking place between Anwei and Knox but it’s full of angst, longing and not sure what will come of it. Lia and Mateo are in an interesting situation themselves, I found myself more invested in their relationship only because Knox is adamant about being devoted to Calsta. Lia and Mateo might have a good chance at love.

Content Warnings: assault, violence

Lia is a Spiriter, a Devoted all covered and she has an obsessed stalker, another Devoted named Ewan. The story does address being attacked and not blaming oneself for freezing up in a moment like that. And I loved that Anwei was the one to tell Lia this.

It took me awhile to get into this story – I liked the second half more than the first half because there is more action. The beginning was slow and I didn’t even think I’d want to finish the book. I think world building wise, it was intriguing enough to keep me reading but at times I felt it was so vague, unless those were just the times I felt unmotivated reading the story (the slow beginning).

I was frustrated with Knox and his devotion to Calsta who speaks in his head and Willow-his sister who is trapped in the sword and talks to him in his head, as well. Poor guy, it’s crowded up there! All he wanted was to be himself with Anwei but nope…he is bound to Calsta.

Why you should read it:

you like heist stories
interesting cast of characters, mostly Anwei and Mateo for me
a good twist at the end

Why you might not want to read it:

not into heists/thieves
slow beginning

My Thoughts:

I almost gave up on this book because I wasn’t connecting to the story but Anwei was what made me keep reading on. I love her as a character – a healer who is a thief trying to avenge her brother’s death. I think you would like this book if you enjoy heist stories. There’s a nice plot twist at the end that makes me curious to read book two but I’m still on the fence if I would pick it up. Overall, it was good, not quite for me though but definitely for anyone who enjoys these types of stories.

📚 ~ Yolanda