The Last Legacy by. Adrienne Young | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Last Legacy

Author: Adrienne Young

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 322

Publication Date: 9/6/21

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Fantasy, Spin Off/Standalone, Romance, Family

When a letter from her uncle Henrik arrives on Bryn Roth’s eighteenth birthday, summoning her back to Bastian, Bryn is eager to prove herself and finally take her place in her long-lost family.

Henrik has plans for Bryn, but she must win everyone’s trust if she wants to hold any power in the delicate architecture of the family. It doesn’t take long for her to see that the Roths are entangled in shadows. Despite their growing influence in upscale Bastian, their hands are still in the kind of dirty business that got Bryn’s parents killed years ago. With a forbidden romance to contend with and dangerous work ahead, the cost of being accepted into the Roths may be more than Bryn can pay.

New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with The Last Legacy, a captivating standalone about family and blood ties, reinventing yourself, and controlling your own destiny.

Content Warning: violence, abuse

This book is set in the world of the Fable series – which I loved and honestly I feel like this could have been a new duology or trilogy but it is a standalone. Not gonna lie – I love this world of merchants, pirates, traders – it’s so intense and gritty. Let’s take a look at what I thought of the book:

+ I love that this is set in the same world as the last series, Fable. It has the same intensity – the feeling that everyone is playing a dangerous game and it’s not clear who to trust. Since this is a standalone spin-off I felt like it was more high stakes because the story was going to have an ending.

+ Bryn Roth – she’s on the outside looking in and she wants to belong. She’s been waiting all her life to be worthy of the Roth name, but when she finally gets her chance it isn’t as easy as it seems. And she has to make a hard choice at the end…

+ Ezra and Bryn are electric. It’s an attraction that becomes a forbidden love scenario. I wish we had more time for their relationship to grow but it’s a standalone. I just wanted more of them together on the page.

~ I really liked how Bryn is so determined to belong and become a Roth but she isn’t going to take the way how the kids are treated and trained in this family. Her uncle is their leader, and he rules the family with an iron first – and yet the family bond is strong but all around its toxic. Bryn knows she can’t change it though she tries but I’m glad she stands up for herself and others.

Tropes: forbidden love

Spice Level: 🌶

Why you should read it:

You liked the Fable series – this is set in the same world but instead of pirates we learn more about the merchants, trades and guilds.
it’s intense, a quick read with a strong female lead

Why you might not want to read it:

it’s a standalone and I wish there was maybe one more book so that we get more of Bryn and Ezra.

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I loved the Fable duology so much that it felt great being back in this world with a new family and new characters to root for. Definitely read it if you are a fan of this author’s works. I look forward to reading more from her!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Here are other books by this author that I have reviewed on this blog and books I have read but never reviewed:

Namesake | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Fable | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC Review | The Girl the Sea Gave Back ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sky in the Deep (Sky and Sea, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s Not Summer Without You by. Jenny Han | Book Review | Re-Read

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: It’s Not Summer Without You (#2)

Author: Jenny Han

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 275

Publication Date: 4/26/10

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Romance, Teen, Young Adult, Coming of Age, Contemporary

Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (soon to be a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.

Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started—at Cousins Beach.

Content Warning: death of parent, underage drinking

I read this series long ago but decided to do a re-read because it’s now on screen! It’s been interesting re-reading this series as an older person for sure. Here’s what I thought:

+ {spoiler} The boy’s mom was ill in book one and passes but they have no scenes of the actual moment it happens. This sequel is told in memories, whether it’s about Belly and Conrad memories, or one that included Susannah. We see everyone handling their grief in very different ways but for sure they are broken and trying to hang on to one another.

+ No matter the romance drama between Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah – I do love that they have the bond because of how close their families are and the memories they made at the beach house.

+ Belly’s mom is awesome and is handling so much – but Belly being a teenager, doesn’t know how much she is handling. But she really is awesome and loves these kids, hers and Susannah’s.

~ Even though I know this book is about a love triangle, I just cannot believe how Belly goes back and forth between the brothers. I’m just sad they all have to go through this drama while grieving Susannah. It’s messy and it’s the worst kind of love triangle because it’s between brothers.

~ This is all teen drama so Belly comes off as a brat at times.

Tropes: love triangle

Spice Level: 🌶 (there is kissing)

Why you should read it:

You love the first book and want to know what happens next.
you like stories about first loves, first crushes, a love triangle

Why you might not want to read it:

you’re not into teenage romance love triangles
Belly can get annoying

My Thoughts:

The books in this series are really quick reads! It’s mainly about Belly and the two brothers she loves in different ways but it’s definitely not a book for someone who hates love triangles. I don’t mind love triangles but I hate when it’s between two brothers. It’s messy and even more so because it’s young love with so many feelings involved, feelings that hurt easy, intertwined with grief. In my opinion, Belly should lay off dating these guys until she’s older and has a clear head haha…but that’s just me! It’s just full on romance, back and forth drama.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Summer I Turned Pretty by. Jenny Han | Book Review | Re-read ⭐️⭐️⭐️

How do you regret one of the best nights of your entire life? You don’t. You remember every word, every look. Even when it hurts, you still remember.
Jenny Han, It’s Not Summer Without You

On the Subject of Unmentionable Things by. Julia Walton | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: On the Subject of Unmentionable Things

Author: Julia Walton

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 8/23/22

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Reader, Romance, Contemporary, Sex Education, 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 Random House Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A girl rewrites sex education, one viral post at a time, in this fiercely honest and delightfully awkward novel by the award-winning author of Words on Bathroom Walls.

Phoebe Townsend is a rule follower . . . or so everyone thinks. She’s an A student who writes for her small-town school newspaper. But what no one knows is that Phoebe is also Pom—the anonymous teen who’s rewriting sex education on her blog and social media.

Phoebe is not a pervert. No, really. Her unconventional hobby is just a research obsession. And sex should not be a secret. As long as Phoebe stays undercover, she’s sure she’ll fly through junior year unnoticed. . . .

That is, until Pom goes viral, courtesy of mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst. The former beauty queen labels Phoebe’s work an “assault on morality,” riling up her supporters and calling on Pom to reveal her identity. But Phoebe is not backing down. With her anonymity on the line, is it all worth the fight?

Julia Walton delivers a brutally honest novel about sex, social media, and the courage to pursue truth when misinformation is rife. Who knew truth could be so scandalous?

Content Warning: vandalism, cyberbullying

This book comes at the right time when current events in the USA are heightened because of the overturning of abortion rights. So reading this feels very relevant!

+ sex positivity. Phoebe is a high school student and a great writer. She writes for her school newspaper and she also has a blog that gives out information about sex. No one knows it’s her behind the blog but it’s a space where she can help others who need help finding answers to such a taboo topic. I wish I had all this information when I was young. We did have sex education class in the 5th grade, 7th grade, and even in the 9th grade because there was a high rate of teenage pregnancy going on in those days – but kids didn’t ask any questions because it really was a taboo topic.

+ I liked seeing all these high school kids with such different passions – Phoebe with journalism and science, Jorge with botany or planting crops, and others with their involvement in school and even politics.

+ Phoebe’s voice was great because she didn’t have all the answers but she tried to do her research and she really did reply respectfully to all the people making comments on her blog. Her blog really caused an uproar because people in on the internet believed her blog encouraged teens to have more sex. I know this can be a hot topic in politics with one side thinking no one should have sex until marriage but in my life experiences, reality doesn’t happen that way. People have sex. Teens have sex. Why is it bad for them to be informed on how to stay safe? So I understood Phoebe’s stance. What was horrible was the backlash that came when they revealed her identity. People really can be atrocious to one another.

+ The romance was sweet and I liked that when Phoebe finally had her own experiences with kissing and more, she was informed and took her time. The scene is a fade to black moment and perfect for this story. I like that the romance wasn’t the main focus of this story but a nice way to show Phoebe’s new experiences with boys.

~ Phoebe gave information about sex on the blog but when it finally came to a gay person asking a question and she had no clue how tot respond, she acknowledged that about herself – and realized she didn’t have information on that. She went and did research and I applauded her for that. It would have been nice to have some LGBTQ+ characters in this story because EVERYONE has questions about sex.

~ The election events in this book gave me minor ptsd – it’s so stressful these days but like I said, stays current to the times we are living in, sadly.

Why you should read it:

this is a sex positive, smart, eye-opening story
Phoebe has a great voice – she’s mature, coming of age and dealing with emotions and standing up for things she believes in
coincides with the political atmosphere going on in America today

Why you might not want to read it:

doesn’t have much LGBT+ rep – even with the sex information

My Thoughts:

This is really a fantastic book and one perfect for teens and young adults to read. I felt like it was open, positive (except for the negative reactions to Phoebe and her blog), hopeful and eye-opening. With so much happening to women’s rights in America right now, I feel like this book is timely and makes us realize nothing is wrong with trying to learn more and be safe. I wish I had a blog like this when I was young and dating. I do wish there was more LGBT+ rep in the story but I can understand that Phoebe was still learning and growing. Overall I think this story is very relevant and Phoebe is a brave character for standing up for what she believes in.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Love & Olives by. Jenna Evans Welch | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Love & Olives

Author: Jenna Evans Welch

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 512

Publication Date: 11/10/20

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age

Liv Varanakis doesn’t have a lot of fond memories of her father, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight. What Liv does remember, though, is their shared love for Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. So when Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father explaining that National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and will she fly out to Greece and help?—Liv jumps at the opportunity.

But when she arrives to gorgeous Santorini, things are a little…awkward. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. And yet Liv doesn’t want their past to get in the way of a possible reconciliation. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo—her father’s charismatic so-called “protégé”—to witness her struggle.

And that means diving into all that Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the hidden caves, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

Content Warning: almost drowning, illness, abandonment

I’m not reading the books in these companion novels to Love & Gelato in order. I don’t think there is an order because they are standalone books but I hope to read Love & Luck soon! Love & Olives made me want to take a plane to Santorini ASAP. It’s always been my dream to go, but since I can’t go at least there is this book which is set there! Here’s what did and didn’t work for me:

+ Santorini, Greece is the setting of this story and wow did I learn about the islands that make up Santorini and all these theories from Atlantis hunters or seekers. This book only made me want to visit Santorini even more than I already did. Do you think we’ll get a Netflix movie like they did for Love & Gelato? I’d love a movie because then we get to see Santorini on the screen!

+ Olive has only memories of her dad – so when he asks her to join him in Santorini it comes with a lot of emotions and feelings that is hard for her to deal with. When he left her years ago, she coped in the only way she could and realizes on this trip that it was time to look at the truth about everything that happened to her dad, to her broken family and I loved how she had to look at it full on, even though it’s painful. It starts the healing in their relationship. But the truth of the past is really important to this story, I did love that reveal.

+ Olive has the perfect boyfriend at home, but she meets Theo in Santorini and its undeniable they are attracted to one another. He was an interesting, intense character with his own issues about relationships. They don’t do anything scandalous while she has a boyfriend but it is a slow burn – although…this story does take place over the span of 10 days! So it’s as slow as it can be I suppose.

~ As much as I was entranced with Santorini, Atlantis and Olive’s relationship with her dad, the story is too long at 500+ pages. It’s definitely an emotional journey for Olive, but still, there was a lull in some places and I think it was too long.

~ I wish Olive’s dad could have communicated better with Olive about everything. Miscommunications hurt Olive a lot in this book.

~ Why did I not vibe with Theo? He is good looking, seems to click with Olive but I felt like he came off too much of a jerk sometimes especially when pushing Olive about her dad. I wanted him to back off because but like I said, he’s intense. I didn’t feel the romantic connection between them.

Tropes: overseas romance

Spice Level: 🌶 (barely any spice)

Why you should read it:

the setting of Santorini
Olive and her dad trying to heal their relationship, forge a bond
Olive’s growth

Why you might not want to read it:

too long

My Thoughts:

This whole story is an adventure from Olive visiting Santorini, seeing her dad against after so many years, and filming a documentary on hunting for the mythical island of Atlantis. I loved the setting of Santorini and I learned so much about theories about Atlantis. I didn’t expect this story to be long and a very emotional journey for Olive who is trying to come to terms about the dad who left her, and how to move past her pain. What she has to do is confront and she does just dad by the end of the story. There is romance too but Olive is someone with a boyfriend until the very end, so I think the romance with Theo was put in the friend zone – I wish they had more chemistry or he wasn’t so pushy but it was a slow burn with a cute ending.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Love & Gelato by. Jenna Evans Welch – read but never reviewed on my blog – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spells for Lost Things by. Jenna Evans Welch – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – (arc) Review Coming Soon

Book air is the best air…”
Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Olives

Trust your instincts. The world is run by people who have no idea what they’re doing.”
Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Olives

My mom once told me that it’s difficult for kids to recognize their parents as anything but supporting cast members in their own feature films, and here it was true.”
Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Olives

Sometimes moving forward is as simple as admitting what you already know.”
Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Olives

The Hearts We Sold by. Emily Lloyd-Jones | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Hearts We Sold

Author: Emily Lloyd-Jones

Format: paperback (own)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 8/8/17

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Dee Moreno is out of options. Her home life sucks (to put it mildly), and she’s about to get booted from her boarding school–the only place she’s ever felt free–for lack of funds. But this is a world where demons exist, and the demons are there to make deals: one human body part in exchange for one wish come true.

The demon who Dee approaches doesn’t trade in the usual arms and legs, however. He’s only interested in her heart. And what comes after Dee makes her deal is a nightmare far bigger, and far more monstrous than anything she ever could have imagined. Reality is turned on its head, and Dee has only her fellow “heartless,” the charming but secretive James Lancer, to keep her grounded. As something like love grows between them amid an otherworldly ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give James her heart when it’s no longer hers to give?

In The Hearts We Sold, demons can be outwitted, hearts can be reclaimed, monsters can be fought, and love isn’t impossible. This book will steal your heart and break it, and leave you begging for more.

Content Warning: alcoholism, addiction, parental neglect, emotional abuse

What drew me to this book first was the cover – which is so pretty. Then I realized it’s written by Emily Lloyd-Jones and I loved her book The Bone Houses, so that’s what made me buy it on sale from Book Outlet! Here is what did and didn’t work for me:

+ Very interesting and unique world building. Demons walk the earth and if you want something from them you can trade with them. Dee decides to trade her heart. But not all is what it seems with the demons – the tasks her demon or Daemon has her do is to enter these voids that appear and destroy them. She learns what the voids are and wonders if her trade was worth it.

+ Dee has a sad home life. She’s at boarding school to get the best education she can so she can get out from her parents . Her parents are alcoholics and their family life is toxic. I liked all the characters were meet in the story, like James who traded his heart for art. They all had an interesting story to tell. I like how they became a found family.

+ The romance is a slow burn because Dee knows she’s broken inside. But James is patient, he understands being broken and the two of them together and how it ends broke my heart unexpectedly! I didn’t know I was invested until this story took a different turn. It’s bittersweet.

~ Thought I was very interested in the world building I still felt like I needed more details about the void. It didn’t seem like a concrete image I had in my head about the monsters in the void and what they wanted.

~ Sad ending, but hopeful too.

Tropes: found family

Spice Level: 🌶 (barely any spice)

Why you should read it:

it’s got a sweet romance
the characters being a found family
good questions about what people would give up to get what they want
Dee overcoming a lot of issues with her family and herself

Why you might not want to read it:

sad ending
needs more world building

My Thoughts:

I’m glad I read this book even though it wasn’t quite what I expected. The ending was touching and sad, and overall I think it was a solid book. It makes me more of a fan of this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Bone Houses by. Emily Lloyd-Jones – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like to think that I was the one who made the choices that brought me to this moment. They may have been bad or good choices – I don’t know.”
Emily Lloyd-Jones, The Hearts We Sold

I chose this.”
Emily Lloyd-Jones, The Hearts We Sold

Some secrets you keep all tangled up in yourself, so tight that to pull them out is physically painful.”
Emily Lloyd-Jones, The Hearts We Sold

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

Our Crooked Hearts by. Melissa Albert | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Our Crooked Hearts

Author: Melissa Albert

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 339

Publication Date: 6/28/22

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Categories: Young Adult, Witchcraft, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Contemporary, YA Thriller

THE SUBURBS, RIGHT NOW . . .

Seventeen-year-old Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, a punishment, and a mystery: a stranger whose appearance in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, heralds a string of increasingly unsettling events. As the days pass, Ivy grapples with eerie offerings, corroded memories, and a secret she’s always known—that there’s more to her mother than meets the eye.

THE CITY, BACK THEN . . .

Dana has always been perceptive. And the summer she turns sixteen, with the help of her best friend and an ambitious older girl, her gifts bloom into a heady fling with the supernatural, set in a city of magical possibilities and secret mystics. As the trio’s aspirations darken, they find themselves speeding toward a violent breaking point.

Years after it began, Ivy and Dana’s shared story will come down to a reckoning among a daughter, a mother, and the dark forces they never should’ve messed with.

Content Warning: violence, blood, animal death

I went into this one expecting nothing and thoroughly enjoyed it! I’ve read Melissa Albert’s Hazel Wood series and honestly thought her books were not for me. I was curious about this one because it was about witchcraft and with the way she writes, I thought maybe…just maybe, this would be better than The Hazel Wood. Here’s what I thought did and didn’t work for me:

+ The witchcraft is dark and sinister, just how I like it. At first we follow Ivy, who’s a teenager who comes upon a strange girl in the woods. After that the story sucks you into the mystery of the girl, and Ivy’s mom’s secretive past. It’s one of those stories where I don’t know where it leads but it takes you on a twisty, dark journey until all the secrets are revealed. One of the best things about this story is how it unfolds.

+ The story is told between Dana’s past and Ivy’s present and I think it was well done and I was interested in both timelines. It merges together in the climax of the story. The writing is lyrical and dark, and I especially liked when we are in Dana’s past which is set in the 1990’s. I could visually see it all (since I grew up in that time).

+ There are some choices that Dana makes that affects Ivy and it’s something as mother and daughter that puts a wedge between them. Even now as I think about it all, I wonder if Dana could have done something else different to keep her daughter safe from her past.

+ There is a tiny bit of romance, but it’s not a main focus of the book.

~ The beginning may seem a little slow because it’s building the story of the past and it is also part mystery on Ivy’s part.

~ The book is atmospheric but if you aren’t into lyrical prose, this might not be your thing. I’m on the fence with her writing but I feel like for this type of book – where it’s creepy, mysterious and edgy too – it works. Witchcraft and Melissa Albert goes well together! It gave me flashbacks of the movie The Craft – especially when Dana is telling her story because her story is set the 90’s.

Tropes: family secrets, best friends for life

Why you should read it:

there is witchcraft and I love how twisty this story is
Dana and Ivy’s mother daughter relationship is strained – but you have to find out why
atmospheric, creepy, thrilling and so dark

Why you might not want to read it:

a little slow to get into only because it is a mystery but it picks up once the pieces fall into place
lyrical prose

My Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect with this one but I enjoyed it a lot! I was craving a good, spooky witchy book and this had all those elements and more. I was really invested in how Dana and Ivy’s story intertwined and how the consequences of Dana’s past would surface. If you like dark, witchy books with a few twists, you might enjoy this one! I hope the author writes more books like this one!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Other books I’ve reviewed from this Author:

The Hazel Wood by. Melissa Albert – 3.5 STARS

The Night Country (The Hazel Wood, #2) by. Melissa Albert – 2.5 STARS

Quotes From the Book:

He’d had all these ideas about who I was—that’s one of the perils of being quiet, people invent personalities for you—”
~Melissa Albert, Our Crooked Hearts

A mother can be a paring knife, a chisel. She can shape and destroy. I never really thought I would become one.”
~Melissa Albert, Our Crooked Hearts

magic was a thing with teeth, and a history as old as the world.”
~Melissa Albert, Our Crooked Hearts

What I Watched: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between

Another movie I watched while working on stuff was Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between! The book is written by Jennifer E. Smith and I’ve read two books from this author but not this particular one.

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan have only one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night leads them to family and friends, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

Charming, bittersweet, and full of wisdom and heart, this irresistible novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that arise when life and love lead in different directions.

Here’s the trailer for the movie which you can find on Amazon Prime Video:

I thought the movie was cute and fun and Jordan Fisher is an amazing actor. He’s been in P.S. I Still Love you on Netflix and he was on the live tv version of Rent! I am so impressed with his acting and singing skills – he just leaps off the screen, he has that blinding smile and his energy is just infectious.

The story basically takes place in the span of 24 hours. Aidan and Clare have their last date before ending things (like they planned in the beginning) and it’s going well until Aidan tries to convince Clare they should try it out and be together long distance. I loved all the scenes with Aidan and Clare on their dates – they really were the cutest couple. It was a good movie, short, sweet and a little problem that gets resolved in the end.

Have you read the book or watched the movie?

~ Yolanda

For the Throne by. Hannah F. Whitten | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: For the Throne (Wilderwood, #2)

Author: Hannah F. Whitten

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 496

Publication Date: 6/9/22

Publisher: Orbit

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Twins

The First Daughter is for the Throne
The Second Daughter is for the Wolf…

Red and the Wolf have finally contained the threat of the Old Kings but at a steep cost. Red’s beloved sister Neve, the First Daughter is lost in the Shadowlands, an inverted kingdom where the vicious gods of legend have been trapped for centuries and the Old Kings have slowly been gaining control. But Neve has an ally–though it’s one she’d rather never have to speak to again–the rogue king Solmir.

Solmir wants to bring an end to the Shadowlands and he believes helping Neve may be the key to its destruction. But to do that, they will both have to journey across a dangerous landscape in order to find a mysterious Heart Tree, and finally to claim the gods’ dark, twisted powers for themselves.

Content Warning: violence, self harm, rats and roaches

I finished this duology in one week, yay, so was it better than the first book? Let’s so what did and didn’t work for me:

+ The story is still told through different perspectives: Neve in the Shadowlands with Solmir trying to take care of the Kings, Red and company trying to figure out how to get Neve out of the Shadowlands and Raffe who brings in a new character to their crew, Kayu. Once again, where I was more invested in Red’s story in For the Wolf, I was now more interested in Neve’s in this volume.

+ We learn more about the Kings and what happened in the past. We get to try and decide if Solmir is trustworthy or not.

+ Neve is a strong character and she’s battling with some internal struggles. She’s trying to uncover who she really is – is she good? Or has her actions trying to save Red show that she’s bad? Is it so black and white? Will she embraced all parts of herself, good and bad? Neve held her own in the Shadowlands, she thrived alongside Solmir and killing beasts and taking their god powers. I liked Solmir – he knew he was an a-hole and didn’t try to hide it, basically Neve and Solmir got to know each other on a very real level – flaws and everything. They are morally gray characters.

+ I think the story tied up all the loose ends in the story. I liked more of the action in Neve’s story. I loved that there was a concentration on the love between the two sisters moreso in this book than the first one.

~ I feel like the different perspectives didn’t make this story flow. It started off good and then it fizzled out, then ended with a bang. The pacing was just off for me this whole duology, it moves to slow. This one had more action but only when it was Neve telling the story. She and Solmir get into some thrilling situations, some gross (killer rats and roaches anyone? ugh). I was more interested in Neve’s story but we get a new character Kayu who is helping Red and friends try and figure out who to contact or help Neve. Also the new character being a love interested for Raffe I’m torn about. I’m glad Raffe has someone new to fall for but I felt like it was rushed.

~ If book one was Beauty and the Beast, then I think the author tried to make this like Snow White. The story mentions apples and mirrors. But that’s all I got in reference to Snow White, which isn’t much.

~ We don’t get much more of Fife and Lyra except for the facet Fife is mad he’s still bound to Eammon (but he made that choice) and is is acknowledged that Fife and Lyra bring in an ACE relationship.

~ This happened to me in book one as well and again in this book where I had to pause and reread a sentence to make sure it made sense to me lol. There were times I was like oh, that’s deep and times I cringed and that was my experience with the whole series!

Tropes: monster boyfriend, morally gray characters, atmospheric setting, quest, villain redemption arc, good twin/bad twin, enemies to lovers, slow burn

Why you should read it:

you loved For the Wolf, or didn’t love it but curious enough to read about Neve and her character arc
it’s a romantasy (romance fantasy)
I feel like the sister relationship has more of a spotlight here and asks some interesting questions like what will you do for family or someone you love? Let the world burn to the ground to save her or not?

Why you might not want to read it:

Everyone in this book starts pairing up, not sure if Raffe’s pairing was needed but I thought Kayu was an interesting character. It made their relationship rushed though.
pacing issues like first book

My Thoughts:

So I’m done with both books and I can say I did love Red and Eammon together in book one but Neve and Solmir are more my speed. They faced crazy dangers in the shadowlands – psycho kings, scary godlike creatures, and beasts like rats and roaches (UGH yuck), and they had to kill to absorb power. Neve showed her mettle though and I liked seeing how she dealt with her internal struggle about goodness and evil. The sister love came through in this one and it was interesting to see how the roles were reversed. Neve wanted to save Red in book one and now Red was trying to save Neve and honestly…they both learned they could save themselves. They had to learn that lesson the hard way though. Overall, it was a series that took time to read because there were pacing issues and the books seemed too long. I was entertained enough to finish it through though.

📚 ~ Yolanda