Recruitment by. K.A. Riley | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Recruitment (The Resistance Trilogy, #1)

Author: K.A. Riley

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 439

Publication Date: 11/3/26 (first published 11/28/18)

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Dystopian, Young Adult, Series

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!

In the Valta, no matter what month you were born, everyone is assigned the same birthday. November 1st. It’s the anniversary of the day when the government declared war on the Eastern Order. The day you turn seventeen, the Recruiters come to take you away. And no one ever hears from you again.

It’s October 31st. Today, Kress is sixteen years old. Tomorrow, she’ll be taken.

The good news? So will her best friend Cardyn, and Brohn, the handsome, enigmatic boy she’s avoided all her life. The bad news? Recruitment isn’t what any of them expected.

Weeks of training await. Military and psychological tests, escape rooms, hand-to-hand combat. The Recruits are told they’re the key to winning the war. But with each day that passes, things begin to make less sense.

If only Kress had been able to bring her trained raven, Render, with her. If only none of them had ever had to come to this place.

Content Warning: violence, simulated death

This dystopian story follows Kress, a girl turning seventeen who will now be taken for training to fight in a war. Most of the story is straight forward and follows the training process the seventeen year olds are put through. Something interesting about Kress is she has a bird, named Render, that is attached to her. We get to know the other people in her group as they go through these trials together.

There were parts of the story that was just lagging with nothing much happening and there wasn’t anything new about the training that got me interested. Things pick up near the end with a twist in the story but by then I wasn’t really invested in it.

I didn’t connect to the characters, but I think I’m just not the target audience for this story but I think teen readers would relate more to this one.

Final Thoughts:

This was just an okay read for me maybe because I’m not the target audience. I do think this would appeal to younger teen readers.

Read if you like:

YA dystopian

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Mortal Things by. Marie Lu | ARC and ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Mortal Things

Author: Marie Lu

Format: eBook (NetGalley) and audiobook (netgalley)

Pages: 368

Listening Hours: approx. 10h 23m

Publication Date: 10/27/26

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); Macmillan Young Listeners

Categories: Young Adult, Gods, Fantasy, Romance, Series

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

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) & Macmillan Young Listeners for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rose Lin Fairchild didn’t believe in gods, but one chose her anyway.

Rose despises Raven, the god of Death. His mysterious commands. His mercurial moods. His closed heart. But most of all, she loathes that she was forced to become his Harbinger, a human mercenary tasked to fulfil their god’s every want and whim. Still, she would do it again, because being a Harbinger is the only thing keeping her best friend alive.

When a murder rocks the world of the gods, Rose is suddenly thrust into the immortal realm’s spotlight as Raven’s heir. This is her chance to free her friend once and for all. But in order for her to ascend, she must first prove herself to the other gods—and the one person standing in her way is a fellow Harbinger.

Étienne Beauchard is notorious for his sly wit and charming good looks. Rose can’t stand that he is the one assigned to test her abilities, but as their initial hostility evolves into an intense attraction, they find that the gods’ secrets go deeper than they ever expected. Something is wrong in the immortal world, something that threatens to break their bond and engulf them all in war.

As Rose and Étienne fight to uncover the truth and trust each other with their hearts, they realize that everything hinges on the same How far would you go to save the person you love?

Content Warning: violence

+ The narrator for the audiobook did such an amazing job doing all the voices for this story.

+ Rose is a harbringer for the God of Death, Raven. She carries out tasks for him but now he has to pick a regent and it’s going to be Rose, but another God is challenging her. So in order to become regent for Raven, she has to pass a few trials. I thought this world of Gods and harbingers was very interesting. To become a harbinger someone must die so there are some crucial backstories to the characters in this book that are essential to the storyline.

+ There is a found family trope in this story especially because Rose was a foster child and then when she becomes a harbinger, she makes some friends. So I did like how this story was about relationships and it’s something I’ve come to notice about Marie Lu books and why I love them – relationships are complicated but explored a lot in her books, including this one. It gives depth to the story.

+ This is a young adult book and sticks to it, so the romance doesn’t have steam or spice, just some longing between two people who aren’t supposed to be together. I did like how it progressed.

+~ For some strange reason, I thought this was a standalone but I don’t think it is after that ending. I think pacing of the story was up and down – there were some slow parts in the middle, but it picks up again when some truths are revealed. And there are many that I didn’t expect so I enjoyed the twist and turns.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this story about Gods and their harbingers. Though there were some slow parts in the story, the narrators voice kept me engaged and I liked the twist and turns that show up at the end of the story. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Read if you like:

Gods
twist and turns
young adult fantasy

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Red City by. Marie Lu | ALC Review | Audiobook – 4.5 stars/2 🌶️

Skyhunter | Book Review – 3.5 stars

Book Review | The Kingdom of Back – 4.5 stars

White Mountain by. Ruby Jean Cottle | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: White Mountain (Black River, #2)

Author: Ruby Jean Cottle

Pages: 368

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 12 hrs 15 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Geraldine Hakewill

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Publication Date: 10/13/26

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance, Series

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

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

In the second book in Ruby Jean Cottle’s dark and romantic Black River duology, a group of teens must face new supernatural threats while guarding the secrets that could tear them apart.

It’s been months since the Silver sisters’ life changed forever. Dusty should be focused on her new relationship, but how can she, when her visions of the future show her little sister in trouble? Something is waking beneath the mountain, and it’s getting harder to ignore.

When an old foe returns with an army of vampire fledglings and a dangerous new agenda, the Silver sisters and their friends are forced to confront him once again. And after a body turns up in the woods, an unrelenting detective begins digging into the town’s string of unsolved deaths, threatening to expose everything they’ve all hidden.

As new romances bloom and loyalties are tested, the group is forced to face impossible questions about themselves and their relationships.

Whatever is hiding in the mountain isn’t finished with them. And the worst may still be yet to come.

Content Warning: complicated sibling relationship, blood drinking

+ I thought the narrator did a pretty good job with bringing this story to life.

+ This is book two and the conclusion of the Black River Duology and I thought book one ended very abruptly. Things pick up right after the ending of book one. Opi (Ophelia), Dusty’s younger sister, is trying to deal with being a vampire. She and Dusty butt heads on a lot of things, but they work things out eventually. Dusty has a premonition that Opi is in danger so Eli, her best friend, takes on the job of keeping an eye on Opi.

+ My favorite part of this story had to be the romance storyline. Dusty is solid with Will, they are happy together. But I was really invested in Opi’s love life. She’s someone who is growing and learning to accept what she has changed into and I liked her growth and the romance that came with it.

~ As much as I love the young adult romance relationships in this story, I wanted a resolution about JD and the story moves a bit too slowly for me on that. Dusty and her friends are trying to keep on the down low but a detective is in town asking questions. To top it off Dusty has the premonitions about Opi and they are all trying to figure out what happened to JD. Nothing comes to light about JD until the very end. I feel like most of the story was about Dusty, Opi and Eli adjusting to being vampires and doing teenage things – like going to a party, formal and falling in love. I don’t mind those things but I did want the JD storyline to be stronger.

Final Thoughts:

I think I enjoyed this reading experience as an audiobook more than I enjoyed book one as an ebook, so I’m glad I got the alc for this book. I did think this was more romance focused, which I really enjoyed, but I did want to know more about JD and I feel like we didn’t get too much of that. Things again moved slowly in this story but I the romance kept me invested. There is an explanation about JD and the dead bodies at the end but I felt the explanation was rushed. Overall though I think this is a solid ending to the duology.

Read if you like:

young adult romance
vampires
small town mystery

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Black River by. Ruby Jean Cottle | ARC Review – 3 stars

The Museum of Modern Love by. Mariko Turk | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Museum of Modern Love

Author: Mariko Turk

Pages: 304

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 7 hrs 35 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Morgan Dalla Betta

Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners

Publication Date: 10/13/26

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Audiobook, Romance, Art

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

Thank you to Macmillan Young Listeners for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tonight, inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art—somewhere between the hours of 8 PM and 5 AM—Auden Peck will fall in love with Miki Kawamura.

That’s Miki’s plan, anyway. And the plan is destiny.

See, Miki’s grandparents fell in love after accidentally being locked in the Met overnight in 1965. And now, after too many almost-confessions, hopeless romantic Miki will finally tell her best friend Auden that she loves him by retracing the path through the museum that her grandparents took that fateful night.

But destiny has other plans. For it’s not Auden who joins Miki on her midnight tour, but Lou McSweeney—the world’s most jaded cynic, and Miki’s ex. How can she possibly confess her feelings for Auden when she’s stuck sparring with this arrogant jerk? And is it possible that her original plan was not destiny’s true course after all?

Content Warning: divorce, strained family relationships

+ Miki has a plan to tell her best friend Auden that she has been in love with him for awhile now. Her plan is to follow the story of how her grandparents fell in love in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She thinks this is a foolproof plan and once she confesses, he will also love her back. But plans go awry when she is task to take her ex-fling, Lou, on a tour of the museum.

+ The narrator for this book had a very clear voice and I think she did a fantastic job bringing the story to life.

+ I loved how Miki is a lover of art! I learned a few things and even made me remember the one time I went to the Met years ago. It’s such a beautiful museum and all of it is conveyed in this story. Miki not only is a lover of art, but also talks about her grandma’s experiences as a Japanese-American during World War II and being put in a camp. I love how Miki tied art and life experiences together.

+~ So when Lou, Miki’s ex comes into the story, I kind of already knew where this was going. And everything happens in a whole night spent at the Museum – which I can imagine is very magical, but she does go from being in love with Auden and ready to confess to him to falling for Lou by morning. I’m not mad about it, and I did like her and Lou together, I thought their interactions were funny but we really got no feel for Auden at all.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this audiobook was such a fun listening experience and I would totally watch this if it ever became a movie. It’s got appreciate for art, and NYC, a girl who is a romantic, a second chance romance, and it even touches on deeper topics like Japanese-American history and even some complicated family relationships. Overall, I thought this was a cute story and it’s a quick read also.

Read if you like:

young adult romance
art
second chance romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The House of Gardenias by. Isabel Cañas | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The House of Gardenias

Author: Isabel Cañas

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 228

Publication Date: 9/29/26

Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

Categories: Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Young Adult, Gothic, Horror

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

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

Sixteen-year-old Minerva has spent her whole life in the slums of the capital city of an unnamed country that resembles colonial Mexico. Though she lives in the shadow of constant government turmoil, her empty belly and her father’s brutality don’t leave time for politics—especially since her older brothers ran away. Minerva can’t take another beating or miss another meal, so she steals flees to a wealthy loyalist neighborhood to win a job as a lady’s maid to an elderly widow.

Minerva and Encarnación del Valle—the proud and acerbic widow—form an unlikely duo. They are both survivors in their own ways, stubborn and used to being underestimated. For a time, Minerva is happy. She has food and safety in a house lit and warmed by magical chispa. Why should she care who runs the country or how her employer afford the magic?

But when the viceroy sweeps back into power on a wave of horrific bloodshed that sweeps away any hope Minerva had of seeing her brothers again, Encarnación retreats to the del Valle’s mountainside estate, the Casa de la Gardenias. Minerva finds herself surrounded by dozens of more experienced servants and the cruel, scheming younger del Valles, but the living are the least of anyone’s worries at the Casa de las Gardenias, and soon Minerva discovers that this ancient estate is home to forces far older and more bloodthirsty than the fascist del Valles or the liberal guerrillas amassing in the surrounding wilderness.

Content Warning: violence, death

+ I feel like fall season is in full swing when I have a Isabel Cañas book to read. She just does historical fiction, paranormal, horror books so well! The setting is lush and has all the gothic, spooky vibes you would want. In this story it even has political unrest and intrigue with the Viceroy (leader of country) fighting the rebels. Minerva is starving and desperate but she finds a job with Encarnación del Valle, who is related to the Viceroy.

+ Minerva’s growth in this story is wonderful. She goes from a starving girl, who’s family has broken up – brothers joining the rebellion and a dad who abuses her to someone who is helping the rebellion take the Viceroy and his family down. She gets help by a spirit or ghost in the house, who is there to eventually take her chispa (which is like a person’s soul or life force). At first he comes off sinister and scary but their relationship changes when Minerva doesn’t show fear!

+ This one is a slow burn of a story but it escalates so nicely that I was racing to the end! I thought Encarnación taking in Minerva as a servant but teaching her things high society ladies know – like games and strategy was very interesting. She was Minerva’s employer but Minerva saw her as almost family, since she had none. There are a few complicated relationships in this story which kept things interesting.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoy the gothic and paranormal vibes of this one. The relationships are complicated and there is even political intrigue in this one. I loved Minerva’s growth from scared girl to someone who was tired of being stepped on and I even adored her strange relationship with Ygnacio. This was a quick read and perfect for spooky season!

Read if you like:

young adult paranormal, horror
gothic vibes

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review – 4 stars

Vampires of El Norte by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review – 4 stars

Trust Fall by. Lynn Painter | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Trust Fall

Author: Lynn Painter

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 9/29/26

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Fall Romance, Enemies to Lovers

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

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

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter, comes a rags-to-riches rom-com about a small-town girl whose family inherits a fortune and moves to New York City, where she meets a big-city boy hiding an explosive secret.

Julia is just a small-town girl from Nebraska who loves her peaceful life. But when her elderly next-door neighbor—who just happens to be a secret multi-millionaire—leaves everything to Julia and her family after his passing, Julia is swept away to live in a historic brownstone in New York City and attend an elite private school for the super-rich.

It should be a dream come true. Wrong. Julia doesn’t fit in at her new school; worse, she’s failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious and handsome tutor who will get Julia back on track. Except Damion has a secret. He is the great-nephew of the man who left everything to Julia’s family. Damion doesn’t buy for a second that the person who was like a father to him would leave his home to strangers. And he’s determined to prove it.

To uncover the truth, Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust. Not an easy task with Julia unsure about this rich boy with a rebellious personality. But the more time Damion spends with Julia, the more his plan begins to backfire. Because he is falling for the enemy—and the enemy is falling for him.

As Damion and Julia figure out where they belong, can they see past their differences and act on their feelings, or will the trust Damion has worked so hard to gain fall apart?

Content Warning: grief, bullying

+ A Lynn Painter YA rom-com, fall romance? I had to read this one, plus that cover is screaming pumpkin spice everything.

+ Julia’s family has come into wealth by a mysterious donor. To get the house they have to move into and live there for a time. Going from Nebraska to NYC is a book move and culture shock for Julia. I hated all the bullying she got from the private school she started to attend but I also love how she adapted to life outside of school and fell in love with the city. Damion is a rich boy, it is his grand-uncle who gave away his fortune and he is pissed about it because he thought he would get the house that was his refuge. So this starts off as an enemies to lovers romance.

+~ The romance is cute because of the bickering, and enemies to lovers but Damion was mean at first. I thought he was such a jerk but that’s what made me love when he had to grovel. And it was some good groveling too, so I love how everything played out between them.

+~ I thought this was a quick read and I enjoyed it. I love that both Julia and Damion were tied to his great-uncle in different ways, but it didn’t mean one didn’t love him more or less than the other person. It just took Damion a moment to realize that his great-uncle loving other people doesn’t mean he didn’t care about Damion. One of my issues with the story was with Julia’s family. Her brother is a twin and goes to the same school, so why wasn’t he doing more to protect her there. Same with her parents, they just didn’t seem very involved in what was happening in Julia’s life which maybe is realistic, but sucks because she was having a hard time fitting in. I was expecting her brother to step up a little more to her bullies. He really stepped up to Damion when he hurt Julia but really he could have done more earlier.

Final Thoughts:

Overall this one is a cute YA rom-com that definitely gave me fall vibes. I’m a sucker for a rom-com set in New York City and this one didn’t disappoint.

Read if you like:

fall romance
enemies to lovers
young adult romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Maid for Each Other by. Lynn Painter | ARC Review– 3 ⭐️

Nothing Like the Movies by. Lynn Painter | ARC Review – 3 ⭐️

Happily Never After by. Lynn Painter| Book Review – 3.5 ⭐️

Betting on You by. Lynn Painter | ARC Review – 4 ⭐️

Love Wager by. Lynn Painter | Book Review – 4 ⭐️

Better Than the Movies | ARC Review – 4.5 ⭐️

The False Vow by. Lydia Gregovic | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️ (fade to black)

Title: The False Vow (The Weaver Bride, #2)

Author: Lydia Gregovic

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 528

Publication Date: 9/29/26

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Mystery, Series

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

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

Love will be tested in this high-stakes, spellbinding sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Weaver Bride—the perfect read for fans of The Rose Bargain and Thorn Season.

The gorgeous first edition of The False Vow will feature stunning, stenciled edges and printed endpapers!

Lovett Tamerlane is engaged.

A silkwitch whose magic can only be harnessed through marriage to a Weaver, Lovett was facing life in the cloisters when Eliot Lear offered the deal of a an invitation to the Vainglory to compete for wealthy Weaver heir Noé Allaire’s hand in marriage, in exchange for her solving his sister’s murder.

While they both got what they wanted, the competition was full of surprises. Lovett never expected to fall in love . . . and Eliot never anticipated that she’d betray him.

Now Lovett has one to take down Bastian Alaire and end his corrupt Weaver reign at any cost. But though the Vainglory may be over, danger still lurks at Fortblanche. And when Bastian presents Lovett with one last challenge—solve a murder that occurred within his walls, before the day of her wedding—she realizes the tests aren’t over. To pass this one, she’ll have to partner with the only person she hates more than her father-in-law his son, Noé.

But as Lovett will learn . . . sometimes love and hate are two sides of the same coin.

Content Warning: violence, death

This is book two in The Weaver Bride series and I was looking forward to see what happened to Lovett and Eliot. Well, a lot happens in this book, some very unexpected things. Lovett and Eliot are trying to figure out the murder of Sybil, so they can best Noé’s dad, the weaver king, Bastian. Lovett and Noé are engaged but she still loves Eliot which makes this a love triangle. And the silkwitches who competed for Noé’s hand are trying to kill Lovett.

My favorite part of this story was actually the romance even though it’s a love triangle and I actually wasn’t sure who Lovett was going to end up with. I was a little disappointed with Eliot’s character because it wasn’t what I expected after how close he was to Lovett in book one. But I guess people change. Noé is filled with so much yearning that his confessions at the end really melted my heart. I love seeing their relationship grow. And there is a fade to black steamy scene.

As for the story, I felt like the beginning was half was slow. I only really got into the story at probably the 40% mark. I liked the first book because of the trials but now that is missing, so what takes it’s place is people trying to kill Lovett. Lovett’s competition, now bridesmaids, are all trying to kill her under Bastian’s request and Lovett is trying to figure out Sybil’s murder. I liked getting to know some of the bridesmaids more like Anais and Manon. There was never a warm relationship between Lovett and the girls because it was a competition and Lovett is not someone who allows people to get close to her and vice versa (which is why I loved her with Noé).

Final Thoughts:

I feel like I was more attracted to the romance story in this one than the mystery because the murder mystery felt slow. But if you like mysteries I think you will enjoy this one. The romance is a love triangle, and I wasn’t expecting the direction it went but at the end I wasn’t mad at it and actually loved getting to know Noé more. That guy is filled with so much yearning. Overall, I think this is a solid sequel to The Weaver Bride.

Read if you like:

love triangle
murder mystery
magic

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Weaver Bride by. Lydia Gregovic | ARC Review – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Monstrous Kind by. Lydia Gregovic | ARC Review – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Heart of Thieves by. Jessica S. Olson | ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: Heart of Thieves (The Devious, #2)

Author: Jessica S. Olson

Pages: 384

Format: audiobook

Listening Hours: 12 hours (approx.)

Narrator (s): Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick; Emily Ellet

Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners

Publication Date: 9/15/26

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Audiobook, Romance, Series

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

Thank you to Macmillan Young Listeners for giving me a chance to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review!

A cunning thief turns the tables on the feuding brothers who betrayed her in this thrilling conclusion to the Den of Liars Duology, perfect for fans of Powerless and Lightlark.

Lola St. James is trapped in a web of lies and deceit. But that only makes her more determined to find the truth. The truth about her past. The truth about her magic. And the truth about the curse that binds her to two warring brothers who she both hates and loves.

With the Liar’s Dice Tournament now only a painful memory, Lola dons a new alter ego, Nocturne, and creates her own elaborate game designed to lure both the Liar and the Thief into her clutches, certain this is the only way to give them a chance to break their curses.

But Lola is not the only one with plans for the brothers. When a powerful figure from their past comes back to haunt them, will Lola’s love be enough to hold them all together? Or will the lies they’ve told tear them apart forever?

Content Warning: death, violence, loss of body autonomy

This is book two in The Devious serious and I really loved book one, Den of Liars, and wanted to see what happened next in the story. The narrators did such a great job, the female narrator was practically acting out all her scenes, especially a dramatic one at the ending! I loved the sound of the male narrator also but at times I couldn’t distinguish when it was Nic or Enzo speaking.

The world building really goes more into the magic in this sequel and conclusion. We learn about Laurel, Nic’s first love, and I totally didn’t like her. She’s controlling Nic, and making him out to be someone he is not. Lola is trying to help break the brothers’ curse but she has to accomplish this by keeping secrets and trust with Enzo is already so shaky. I honestly wish I had the ebook to read while reading because a lot of the magic and world-building kind of went over my head.

I did like Lola’s relationship with Enzo which was strictly platonic and more of a found family vibe. Whereas it was clear her relationship with Nic was a romance. But Lola is barely with Nic in this book because he is stuck in Laurel’s clutches. Speaking of relationships, the brothers never got along because of their past but it does end cordially and happily for them. The other loose end in the story was Lola’s dad, the crime lord who is looking for her. Things are complicated there but there is closure.

Overall, I’d say this was a solid conclusion.

Final Thoughts:

This one was filled with secrets, lies, betrayal, and some very interesting magic and world-building. There was only a little bit of romance. The narrators were fantastic, but story-wise I don’t think this held my attention like book one did. I think it was a pretty solid conclusion though.

Read if you like:

Den of Liars (first book)
magic
found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Den of Liars by. Jessica S. Olson | ARC Review -4.5 stars/1 🌶️

Winterveil by. Ava Reid | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Winterveil

Author: Ava Reid

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 9/15/26

Publisher: HarperCollins

Categories: Dystopian, Cold War, Dark Academia, Sci-Fi, Young Adult, LGBT+, Series

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

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

There is no application process for Valeran Academy, but it boasts the brightest – and precociously criminal – students in the nation.

A disgraced politician from a powerful American dynasty.

A coldly brilliant strategist who will sacrifice anything to win.

A former pageant queen with a talent that could change the world.

A prodigious female soldier with an enigmatic past – and a dangerous secret.

With eerie war simulations, cutthroat competitions and foreboding new technology, Valeran trains its students to be elite assets in a Cold War that has dragged on for nearly a century. But as a sinister conspiracy takes shape and these four are drawn together for a mysterious mission, their loyalties are tested, their convictions shaken and they all begin to are they ushering in a new era of freedom, or tyranny?

Content Warning: violence, death, sexual harassment/assault, mentions of abusive parent

Set in 2037, the Cold War, with Russia (USSR) is still going on and USA is still trying find ways to win the war. Already I had to suspend my belief a lot, so I was wary about this book and didn’t think i would like it. But to my surprise, I could not put it down.

I like the different teenagers that are assembled at Valeran Academy to supposedly help end this war. They are misfits, some of them are criminals of a different variety, which made things very interesting. The main four characters are Nadiya, Giselle, Klaudia and Julian. They are all flawed which I enjoyed. I got attached to the three girls because they had fascinating backgrounds and skills. I loved Nadiya and Giselle’s growing relationship and I was drawn to Klaudia and her ice princess personality. Julian was at times detestable and I don’t know if that was on purpose but I don’t know that he can redeem himself in my eyes in the sequel. But I did like his rivalry with Klaudia.

Valeran Academy is a secret institute training the best of minds to help with the war efforts and they train students through simulations. They have other classes to round out their education but the simulations are what will ultimately help them with their missions. The kids are vying for top rankings so they can get a good job after graduation maybe with the CIA or other government sectors but the competition is fierce.

There were some instances that made me feel uncomfortable in the story, but I’ve noticed with the two books I’ve read from this author, that this is a common feeling while reading her books. It can get dark, for example there are teachers being inappropriate with the students. Or Julian and some of his thoughts about Klaudia, especially during a certain scene. It definitely gave the tone that Valeran Academy and the people that run it, though it is all for protecting the USA, have some sinister motives. Also, some of the aspects about the simulations did go over my head because we are in it with them, it seems so real, and I still don’t know how Giselle can do what she does – she doesn’t either so I’m hoping it will be explained more in book two.

Despite that, I flew through this book because of Klaudia and her intelligence, Nadiya and her protectiveness and Giselle with her rare skill or powers (not sure yet). I like the high stakes and puzzles as this team has to figure out their mission.

Final Thoughts:

This was a quick read for me, I really liked the pacing. And although I didn’t care much about the Cold War and what the government was doing to end it, I cared a lot about the characters especially Nadiya, Giselle and Klaudia. I think they are what made the book so enjoyable. They are complex and I admired their intelligence and what they brought to the table. They had different traumas, and fascinating backgrounds. Okay, I guess Julian is a part of the team with his charm, but there are things about him I just don’t like. The only part I did like about him was his rivalry with Klaudia. The story has high stakes, fierce competition, and some betrayal. I’ll definitely be reading book two to see how the story progresses!

Read if you like:

dystopian
dark academia
complex characters

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

A Theory of Dreaming by. Ava Reid | ARC Review – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Study in Drowning by. Ava Reid | Book Review – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Our Strange Duet

Author: Erin A. Craig

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 9/1/26

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Phantom of the Opera Retelling, Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Gothic, Thriller

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

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

A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig.

She was never just the voice he shaped . . .

A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus.

One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Opera House: The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart.

As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls—and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants.

Content Warning: violence, stalker, obsession

+~ I love The Phantom of the Opera – it was the first musical I ever saw and so I will always love it. This reimagining follows the story very closely but it’s told through Christine Daaé’s perspective. It had all the things I love about the musical, the dark gothic atmosphere of the Opera house, and the things that happen behind the scenes with the singers and performers. With that said, I felt like nothing new was introduced into the story.

+ In the musical I feel like the phantom, Erik, and his obsession with Christine is very much romanticized. I thought it started to feel like that in this book version also, but through Christine’s voice, his obsession gets frightening.

+ I did enjoy the moments when I saw some of the lyrics of the songs used in the musical in the story. I would find myself singing the songs.

Final Thoughts:

I think if you are a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera you will enjoy this story told by Christine’s POV. I was curious to see how it would be reimagined, but I felt like nothing new was really introduced, so maybe I was expecting too much. I felt like the phantom/Erik was much scarier in his obsession with this version. I did like seeing things play out though I knew how it goes and I loved the gothic atmosphere. I also loved when lyrics from the songs in the musical would appear.

Read if you like: