Book Review | Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts, #2)

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts, #2)

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 400

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

No one can save her.

In order to protect Prince Lucien d’Malvane’s heart, Zera had to betray him. Now, he hates the sight of her. Trapped in Cavanos as a prisoner of the king, she awaits the inevitable moment her witch severs their magical connection and finally ends her life.

But fate isn’t ready to give her up just yet.

With freedom coming from the most unlikely of sources, Zera is given a second chance at life as a Heartless. But it comes with a terrible price. As the king mobilizes his army to march against the witches, Zera must tame an elusive and deadly valkerax trapped in the tunnels underneath the city if she wants to regain her humanity.

Winning over a bloodthirsty valkerax? Hard. Winning back her friends before war breaks out? A little harder.

But a Heartless winning back Prince Lucien’s heart?

The hardest thing she’s ever done.

I’m addicted to this series. I started reading the sequel after I read the first book and the only regret I have is I have to wait for the third book. 🥺

Book two takes off right after Bring Me Their Hearts and that cliffhanger. Zera still doesn’t have her heart but she’s lost the friends she made when they didn’t know she was a Heartless. Now they know and they don’t trust her and she doesn’t trust herself around them either, especially Lucien. So why does he keep trying to see her still?

Zera is on a new mission to get her heart back from her new witch and this time she won’t let her feelings for Lucien come between her and her real heart.

I love how Zera has to pick up the pieces from shattering her “unheart” and face the people who now hate or are afraid of her. She resolved to focus on getting her heart back and not fall over Lucien like before. And I really loved her new dangerous mission because we get to meet Yorl, a celeon and see Zera antagonize her. Plus it is NOT a love triangle, yay! She just makes a new friend and she needs one after she lost her old friends. She’s as sassy as ever, wearing a smile as her armor, I kept thinking, “Chin up! That’s my girl!” lol.
This mission involves getting very close to a dangerous creature the valkerax, which is a giant wyrm with serrated teeth and sounds crazy frightening. But Zera wants her heart back so bad…she needs to do this, even if she dies each time she’s with it!
The introduction of a new villain…Lucien’s sister, Varia and I really hate her. UGH. I don’t like her but I like that this story has a villain that isn’t so clear cut evil. People love her, adore her and Zera is bound to her now. So how does Zera not hurt Lucien again and yet break free from Varia somehow. Varia also has grand plans of peace between witches and humans but to others it sounds like dominant control over everyone.
The story never lags, it moves on hurtling towards the end and ANOTHER cliff-hanger. We watch Zera deal with her conflicted feelings about Lucien, her heart, her fears, her humor, her many deaths dealing with the valkerax. She’s so freaking brave and I love her. I want her to have a happy ending somehow.

Hmmm? Another cliffhanger…😭 and I need book three. TODAY.
This book is killing me with Zera and Lucien being apart – like…I need them to just come together and let bygones be bygones. ☹️ I want them both happy!
Triggers: violence, blood, self-harm (I really hate Varia)

I’m so glad I decided to read this series and I am going to scour NetGalley daily hoping the third book is available for request because I need to know what happens to Zera and the whole crew. Even Varia…is there a chance for her to redeem herself? I am a new fan of this author and I hope to read more of her work. I need the third book – that is all. 😍

Book Review | Bring Me Their Hearts

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Bring Us Their Hearts

Author: Sara Wolf

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 370

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.

Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.

So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.

Winner takes the loser’s heart.

Literally.

It was a crazy week of negative news all over the world and I decided to pick up this book and read it. I read it one night, finally reading past midnight (it’s been awhile since a book kept me up!).

A Heartless, Zera wants her heart back but her witch won’t give it back until she completes a mission to prevent another war between witches and humans. The mission? Take the heart of the Crown Prince, Lucien d’Malvane. And I mean, TAKE THE HEART, not win his heart…she has to pull it out of his chest. 😳 By the end of the book, can she do it?

This was pure escapism and so fun for me to read! Yes, a bit morbid and dark at times, but Zera is on a mission to take the heart of someone. Like she literally has to put her hand into his chest and rip it out. 😳
Zera is a Heartless, she “died” when she was 16 but now she’s immortal just as long her witch has her heart. I love Zera, she’s kind of all over the place, but her humor is her armor and she cracked me up a lot. I felt for her so much, she just wants her heart back and her memories of her past life with her mom and dad. For the most part she can pass off as human, but when the hunger in her takes over she turns into a monster and kills. 😥 I am rooting so hard for Zera and I hate her tough choices but it makes this story so addicting.
Malachite – Prince Lucien’s bodyguard is awesome and I love how he and Zera tease each other. He has Prince Lucien’s back and I like learning about him being a Beneather or Bene-Thar. As I said, I love the humor!
The world building is rich with witchlore, a war between witches and humans and different kinds of beings in this world like celeons (like cat people) and of course the Heartless. I was immersed into the world right in the beginning.
There was action, humor, a romance budding between a cold prince and a funny Heartless – of course she’s supposed to take his heart though, which makes things complicated. I loved the angst.
Then ending is killer! It’s crazy and wild and a cliff-hanger. Thank goodness I had the foresight to borrow the sequel at the same time!

Lucien comes off arrogant and irritating but that doesn’t deter Zera. She gets under his skin and it’s so good that I wanted MORE of them.
Triggers: death, violence

This was the perfect series to start during this crazy time with the everything shutting down around us in the real world. I loved learning what it means to be Heartless and reading quickly to the end to see if Zera could really take Lucien’s heart. I liked the court intrigue and the world building. Zera was made a Heartless without a choice…and now she has a chance to get her heart back. Will she? I’m addicted to this series and cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Book Review | Circle of Shadows

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Circle of Shadows

Author: Evelyn Skye

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 451

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult

Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigas—marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona.

As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite group—but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, it’s been difficult to make their mark.

So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Sora’s life forever—and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone she’s ever loved.

Love, spies, and adventure abound as Sora and Daemon unravel a complex web of magic and secrets that might tear them—and the entire kingdom—apart forever.

I really, really wanted to love this one but sadly it felt so short of my expectations.

Sora and her gemina, Daemon are Taiga warriors – think ninjas. They are sent on a mission and instead get caught up in a bigger problem when they spy Prince Gin – the Empress’ brother – alive and with a new magic.

This story has fighting, secrets, betrayals and more.

I loved the world building. It seems inspired by Japan but don’t quote me on that. The kingdom of Kichona came to life when it was described. When Sora and Daemon travel from town to town, I could envision myself in that town eating the foods and watching the celebrations.
There is action, mostly in the latter half of the book and let me just tell you…it’s pretty ruthless. Story wise when it came to Prince Gin’s mission, it was brutal and I’m actually glad it went there – because he is quite a villain.
I liked the short chapters because it moved the story along faster because I was getting bored with the story in the middle. So yay for the short chapters.

Not gonna lie, I skimmed this book starting from almost midway into the book because I couldn’t get into it. I think my biggest issue was the names. Fairy. Broomstick. Glass Lady. Like…give me a name like Sora and Daemon! Sora is also Spirit and Daemon is Wolf and it interchanged and at times I was like…who? What?….so it bugged me a lot. Now if this was a graphic novel (because I think this would make an awesome graphic novel…)…I wouldn’t mind names like Broomstick.
And with the names being that way…this very detailed world building and complicated story felt at times…simple or it never went deep when I wanted it to. It literally felt flat to me.
Then there is the love triangle which appeared almost at the end! 🤨 Why?
Triggers: violence, sacrificial scene

This story fell flat for me but I think it has so much potential! I love the world building, and I think the characters are fun except I disliked their not having names except for a few main people. There is a message of loyalty and family in this story and the ending was pretty shocking. 😳 Overall I’m sure it’s a story that will find it’s audience, I’m not sure if I will pick up the sequel – we shall see.

ARC Review | Girls with Razor Hearts

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Girl with Razor Hearts (Girls with Sharp Sticks, #2)

Author: Suzanne Young

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: March 17, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance

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

Make me a girl with a razor heart…

It’s been weeks since Mena and the other girls of Innovations Academy escaped their elite boarding school. Although traumatized by the violence and experimentations that occurred there, Mena quickly discovers that the outside world can be just as unwelcoming and cruel. With no one else to turn to, the girls only have each other—and the revenge-fueled desire to shut down the corporation that imprisoned them.

The girls enroll in Stoneridge Prep, a private school with suspect connections to Innovations, to identify the son of an investor and take down the corporation from the inside. But with pressure from Leandra, who revealed herself to be a double-agent, and Winston Weeks, an academy investor gone rogue, Mena wonders if she and her friends are simply trading one form of control for another. Not to mention the woman who is quite literally invading Mena’s thoughts—a woman with extreme ideas that both frighten and intrigue Mena.

And as the girls fight for freedom from their past—and freedom for the girls still at Innovations—they must also face new questions about their existence…and what it means to be girls with razor hearts.

Thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

This book is the sequel to Girls with Sharp Sticks and right away it picks off after the end of the first book. Mena and the girls have left Innovations Academy and are on a mission to take down the investors who made them.

I felt this second book was faster paced, at least, the latter half is and I enjoyed it very much.
This whole series has been about the harassment and abuse that women are subjected to because they are female but this time, Mena and her girls are doing what they can to find their power and make their own choices. It is inspiring!
We learn more about the history of women, yet at times this book felt very current because of the issues and situations that Mena and the girls at Stoneridge Prep experience. So I’m not really sure what time this series is set in – but it’s definitely a time when women have been reduced to being very insignificant. And now they are trying to replace women altogether with these perfect AI girls.
We find out more about the players behind Innovations Academy and as more secrets are revealed, I did find myself surprised. We meet some new people in this sequel, a lot of them are just more people who want to control the girls but Mena and her friends are fighting back, thank goodness.
Mena and her girls have an amazing bond and can love – even though they are considered machines. I love that about them.

Lots of times in this book it made me wonder where the story was going, but mostly in a good way. We meet new characters like Garrett, Raven, Adrian and Rosemarie and it makes the story more intriguing!
I think at times when Mena and Sydney was at the school investigating who the son of a investor could be, I wondered if there was a better to find out that information. 🤔 It definitely worked to show how awful the boys at this school was 😒 but Mena and Sydney were straight out of the academy and I felt like they were in danger so many times. But at times I felt not much was happening on their investigation part (going to Rugby games…) and I wanted a breakthrough to happen.
There are a lot of bad men and boys in this series…not a lot of good ones. I wish there were more good ones! Jackson is a good one, and there are feelings involved with him and Mena but their relationship is not the focus of this series.
Triggers: sexual harassment, assault, violence

This is a series with a message, that girls have been mistreated for way too long and they are fighting back against men. It made me angry, it made me feel helpless for these girls and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Will they get their revenge on men and the investors? Will they become girls with razor hearts? 😟 We shall see.

ARC Review | It Sounded Better in My Head

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: It Sounded Better in My Head

Author: Nina Kenwood

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 272

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

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

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

It Sounded Good in My Head is a surprising and delightful read that left me smiling. The story is set in Australia and follows Natalie who is full of teenage insecurities and who can blame her? She’s suffered from bad acne in her adolescent years, and it was so bad she was teased relentlessly. Medication has helped her but it’s left her scarred, and so anxious. Thank goodness for her best friends Zach and Lucy, who know the best of her and maybe this someone new who will see past her insecurities and hopefully like her too.

Natalie’s teenage insecurities are on point. I never suffered from bad acne until after I turned 19, but my sister suffered from it in middle school. It eats away at your confidence, makes you feel horrible and especially in high school where everything seems magnified – it can be awful. Natalie’s fears have made her into an anxious person, especially about her appearance. All the thoughts in her head, I’ve had them – haven’t we all?
So happy Natalie had two best friends, Zach and Lucy, she could count on. I liked knowing her true thoughts about when said two best friends started dating each other, but the fact they might a cool trio made me happy Natalie had a support group. And I love Zach’s family who treated her like their family also.
The awkwardness in this book is so funny and cringe-worthy, I felt for Natalie at the first party she attends with Owen and Alex. It was giving me anxiety just reading it because I wanted her to be okay. And all the awkwardness between her and Alex hooking up or trying to get together was so real.
Natalie’s voice is strong. I got swept up in her thoughts and insecurities. We even get back story on some of her reactions, like the boys who teased her about her pimples. 😒 She tells us how she became so anxious – and we see her try to wade through social situations and a lot of times failing at them. What I love about Natalie is that yes she will flee a situation and break down and cry but that doesn’t stop her from getting up the next day and living her life as best she can with her anxiety. It’s scary to like a boy when you aren’t even sure what is there to like about yourself. Alex was the somewhat non-perfect guy to like because hiding under what she thought was “perfection” was someone as insecure with his life also. We don’t have it together folks! I mean, who really does?

The story starts off with Natalie’s parents announcing their divorce and though it seems like a big issue, I felt like it faded to the background. Maybe it was how Natalie was coping with the situation though – she does talk more to her parents about it closer to the end of the book but it’s an amicable parting so maybe there was much drama there to begin with.
Natalie and Alex’s relationship happens pretty quick in the timeline of this book but it’s due to the both of them stumbling around trying to figure what they are doing. It’s not insta-love since she’s known Alex for a long time, but Natalie tries to move the relationship to the next level pretty quick, again, due to insecurities.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book! Natalie’s insecurities and anxieties are so relatable. I liked watching her go from a girl who seems absolutely terrified to be at a party to the girl telling Alex what she feels and showing him her scars. 👏🏼 I was so proud of her. This is a wonderful debut book that teens will be able to relate to and I look forward to reading more books from this author.

ARC Review | Ruthless Gods

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Ruthless Gods (Something Dark and Holy, #2)

Author: Emily A. Duncan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Categories: Horror, Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy

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

Darkness never works alone…

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who–and what–he’s become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Wow, Ruthless Gods. So I just finished it and I amstill processing how I feel about it. I keep wavering between 3.5-4 stars so I’m just rounding up and keeping it at 4 stars.

Wicked Saints, the first book in this series was bloody and dark. I think Ruthless Gods is bloodier and darker…but somewhat at times repetitive. Malachiasz (I will never know how to spell or say his name right off the bat 🤷🏻‍♀️)has turned into a monster after his quest for knowledge and power. Serefin is possessed by some god he doesn’t believe in, and Nadya is bereft that her god has stopped speaking to her and is still confused by her feelings for Malachiasz. Their descent into hell, or this war between gods, seems to have only begun.

The mood for this brutal, strange, scary world is spot on. It is dark, bleak and full of monsters or should I say gods? There is nothing shiny and bright in this world – there is bitter winter and darkness for the setting. The author definitely does a great job creating an atmosphere that is full of mysticism and things we humans cannot quite comprehend. At times I didn’t understand what Malachiasz even was…does anyone really know? Is he a god? Or does he just have god powers? Is he still evolving? Sometimes I felt like this book was one big question mark. It questions magic, divinity, power and humanity.

Serefin is in an internal fight with a god who is trying to control him. He is such the opposite of Malachiasz who wanted all the power and knowledge. Plus if you thought there was a lot of self-harm with the blood magic in the first book…well, this one takes it there and then some! Some parts were just gruesome, at least for me since I’m weak when it comes to horror.

Malachiasz, this boy…seriously. I don’t trust him, at ALL. And he has turned into something so monstrous. Nadya shouldn’t be trusting him at all either…but he is her weakness. They are such a strange couple, sweet at times, totally bad for each other most times and a bloody mess together (literally) all the time. It just gets messier between them by the end of the book. There is so much angst between them, a little too much for me. I just wanted someone to make the right decision and stick with it (looking at you Nadya!).

And Nadya…she might have frustrated me the most because no one knows what she is or what her power is. All the speculation was starting to test my patience. I’m just ready to find out something more concrete about their situations. I did enjoy the break from these three main characters when a new character enters the story to shed more light about the gods.

Overall, as a second book I think it was better than Wicked Saints because it was faster paced and with a greater sense of urgency that I thought was missing from the first book. There is more suffering, more wondering, more horror in this book but that’s pretty much the tone of the story, destruction and rebirth. Emily A. Duncan is definitely creative and staunch in her world building. If you want bloody, she give you bloody in this book.

I’m ready to see how this series ends and I wonder if any of them make it out alive.

ARC Review | Wicked As You Wish

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names For Magic, #1)

Author: Rin Chupeco

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

Categories: Fantasy, Fairy-Tales, Young Adult

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

Tala Warnock has little use for magic – as a descendant of Maria Makiling, the legendary Filipina heroine, she negates spells, often by accident. But her family’s old ties to the country of Avalon (frozen, bespelled, and unreachable for almost 12 years) soon finds them guarding its last prince from those who would use his kingdom’s magic for insidious ends.

And with the rise of dangerous spelltech in the Royal States of America; the appearance of the firebird, Avalon’s deadliest weapon, at her doorstep; and the re-emergence of the Snow Queen, powerful but long thought dead, who wants nothing more than to take the firebird’s magic for her own – Tala’s life is about to get even more complicated….

Thank you to Sourcebook Fire and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Let me just say, I have a love for Rin Chupeco books. I remember not being able to read The Bone Witch because it was too slow and yet it ended up being one of my favorite series. 😱

So here we have Wicked As You Wish. Think magic, technology, an alternate Earth where the land of fairytales exists in our modern day world. It reminded me of the show Once Upon A Time!

Tala is half filipino, half scottish and her power? She negates magic, she can break spells, which is super useful when you are around evil magic users. The last heir of the magical kingdom of Avalon, Alex, is in hiding and his protectors are her parents who used to be warriors when Avalon was a thriving place. But with the Snow Queen after him, now Tala, her family, the new Bandersnatch warriors are on the run to get to Avalon and free it from it’s frozen prison. Will they succeed?

There is an intricate world being described in this book. It will confuse a lot of people because it did confuse me. Just know that it is our modern day world, but the fairy tale kingdoms of Neverland, Wonderland and Avalon exist as well. It’s real. As for the magic system, non-magic users covet spelltech, basically using magic and technology together, ex. a cell phone which can create spells! But there is older magic or powers that are passed down through bloodline as well. Tala’s power is to break up spells and hers is passed down through her mother.
Speaking of fairy tales, I like how portals are the rabbit hole, or magic mirrors. There are the magical items like the sword in the stone and a firebird. But I love when fairy tales and the modern world collide, I’m a sucker for it. 😍 And this book is like…chaos with a light-hearted feel to it?
Modern day issues arise in this book – the author talks about ICE and people being detained at the border, like our current problems in the USA today.
Diversity is everywhere in this book. I love that the elite guards from Avalon were these old filipino women – YES, I felt like my grandmother could have been a Katiputan guard. She could wield a machete like no other. And besides racial diversity, we have LGBTIA+ representation as well.
There is action and battles with ogres, ice wolves, toads, ice maidens and possessed cold zombies (is the Night King from GoT the Snow Queen’s man or what? 😅😂). It’s a wild journey to Avalon, folks!
Tala as a character seems as neutral as her curse/power/agimat. She’s still learning to control her power, she’s the newbie when it comes to portals, ice maidens and Avalon itself. So basically she’s us, the reader who doesn’t know much. Haha. I hope we see her power grow. She’s the main character but I think she faded when the Bandersnatch crew came along. I love the Bandersnatch crew, they are all so different and have their own strengths and weaknesses. I also see some potential love matches brewing…(I hope!).

This story at times is all over the place. I had to put it down to finish an arc that I had a closer publication date and I’m glad I put it down because my brain had some time to simmer with the information about I gathered in the first few chapters. There was a lot of info dump at times. For me, I didn’t mind that because I needed to understand all the workings of this magical world. There is a lot to learn. But once I picked up the book again, I finished it in a day because I was entertained.
Like I said it’s a wild journey from Arizona to Avalon because there are SO many characters, places and magic terms to remember. I enjoyed it, but I think a lot of people will be put off with all of it thrown at them at one time. I think the world building will confuse many readers.
Please give me some romance between Zoe and Cole? And what’s going to happen with Tala and Ryker? Can anything come from that? 🙁

This book was chaotic but for me in a good way. I felt like it woke me up, which was what I needed because there are a few books on my night stand I’m trying to get through and they have been putting me to sleep. 🤣 This one slapped me in the face and was like come on, pay attention and let’s take a ride! It’s not perfect by any means, it can be confusing. At times I was like…

It’s not a story for everyone, but seriously, I enjoyed this story a lot and the ending made me go… 😱. I think this book would make a great tv show because it is so visual! Anyway, I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel because I need answers.

ARC Review | The Sound of Stars

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Sound of Stars

Author: Alechia Dow

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: February 25, 2020

Categories: Sci-fi, Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult

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

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.

Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.

Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.

Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

The Sound of Stars is a very interesting mesh of the sci-fi, dystopian and romance it’s infused with love of music, books and the love of love really. It explores so many subjects like race, and colonization plus it has aliens! There is a lot going on in this surprising book.

Janelle or Ellie, as everyone calls her, lives in New York City but the world has been taken over by aliens called the Ilori and their labmades. Say what? Yes, Earth’s problems have become insignificant with this way bigger threat taking over. Humans have been killed and are now undergoing a process where they will be given vaccines and their bodies will be husks. The Illori will be able to inhabit these husks to vacation on Earth. Yes…Earth is basically being colonized by these powerful aliens who have been colonizing planets all around the universe.

Ellie is just a teenager, who keeps a secret library. If she is found out by the Ilori it would mean a death sentence. But she meets an Illori, a labmade commander named M0Rr1S, or Morris, who wants to trade. He will keep her secret if she can get him some other kind of contraband – music.

This story is a journey of books, music, love and watching two different species find common ground.

Love for books and music is at the heart of this book. It reminds us that no matter what’s going on, how as people we can be divided or conquered, the written word in story form or music form transcends hate and can bring people or in this case species together.
I was intrigued about this alien race, the Ilori, and their labmades. This story lays out some of the problems on Earth from climate change, to race relations and the corrupt government (hmmm sounds very familiar!). But with the Ilori invasion (which didn’t start out as one really), the humans have pretty much united to fight the aliens. Learning that the Ilori have been colonizing planets for awhile made me want to learn more about their alien race and these planets that they have found in the universe.
Labmades are an interesting part of the Ilori. They aren’t true Ilori, they were basically, made in a lab. So in their society, they are looked down upon. So Ellie being black and Morris being a labmade shared the feelings of being inadequate and “less than” everyone else.
It’s a unique story all around with the romance between a human and labmade. The way the story unfolded reminded me almost of a space opera (though they are not in space) – but Ellie and Morris travel throughout America to get to their destination and it feels like this epic space journey…but on land. If that makes sense?

The romance at first for me…was totally cute. A labmade and human relationship? I was totally for it! And I think a lot of people will find it an amazing part of the story, but at the end it was getting a bit cheesy for me. 🤣 But that’s just totally a “it’s me” thing…Ellie and Morris totally fell for each other and I swear it started to become some space opera musical (yes with singing involved).
The first few pages was hard for me to connect to because it’s sci-fi (not my favorite genre) with a lot of technical jargon that just left me scratching my head. I just needed to be patient, because soon I was 40% done with the book without knowing I was reading that fast. I loved learning about this Earth as aliens take over and their plans for humans. The story kinda lost me again 75% in and maybe because of the romance and cheesy/cuteness.
I don’t know that I connected to a character most…maybe Morris because I was fascinated with his life as a labmade.

Even though it was sci-fi and dystopian, it had lots of romance and optimism because of the love between Morris and Ellie. They are seriously the sweetest couple. The world-building of the Ilori and Earth after an invasion felt realistic and I wanted to know more about the aliens! There is so much going on in this story. There is adventure, deception, humans on the brink of being hosts to aliens, Earth being made into a vacation destination, music, books and love. For me, The Sound of Stars was a very unexpected yet fun story to read.

ARC Review | Sting

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Sting

Author: Cindy R. Wilson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

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

They call me the Scorpion because they don’t know who I really am. All they know is that someone is stealing from people with excess to help people with nothing survive another day.

But then a trusted friend reveals who I am—“just” Tessa, “just” a girl—and sends me straight into the arms of the law. All those people I helped…couldn’t help me when I needed it.

In prison, I find an unlikely ally in Pike, who would have been my enemy on the outside. He represents everything I’m against. Luxury. Excess. The world immediately falling for his gorgeous smile. How he ended up in the dirty cell next to mine is a mystery, but he wants out as much as I do. Together, we have a real chance at escape.

With the sting of betrayal still fresh, Pike and I will seek revenge on those who wronged us. But uncovering all their secrets might turn deadly…

Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

And…I read this in one sitting! It’s been awhile since a book held my attention so much that I did not stop reading.

The city of Victor is divided into two sectors, the Darkside and Lightside. The “lightsiders” live in a world of light and glow in the dark fashion, they have enough to eat and have jobs to live a comfortable life. The “darksiders” live on the outskirts of the light, in the dark, with no food, jobs, and barely surviving. The Scorpion is known as a hero, somewhat like a female Robin Hood, stealing from the Lightside warehouses to bring supplies and food back to her people in the Darkside. But when she gets caught her world is turned upside down. Revenge is on her mind as she plans to take down the city’s leader, Campbell, without losing herself and the people she learns to love along the way.

The pacing of this story flowed so well it took me from beginning to end without stopping and kept me engaged in the story.
The world is set in a place where the poor and wealthy is clearly divided. Tessa, is known as The Scorpion because she builds little bots with scrap pieces and she uses these bots to get information on warehouses she will steal from. But she steals items to give to the poor in the dark side. She is their hero, but to the lightsiders, she is their enemy.
I liked seeing Tessa grow from this anonymous hero hiding under her ball cap, to becoming strong in prison and then changing again when she gets out. She has to transform to achieve her ultimate goal of revenge and exposing Campbell to take him down – and I did wish the scar on her stayed but I think it shows even when that was taken away from her, deep down she was still Tessa, one that was learning about who she was or who she was going to choose to be…but still Tessa.
Tessa and Pike… I loved their relationship. I love how he was level headed where she wanted to rush in with guns blazing. He kept her centered and was a shoulder to cry on. Their relationship grew from friendship and that made me so happy.
I like that everything tied up nicely! It’s been awhile since I read a standalone that just ends on a good note without me questioning so much or leaving an open ending.

I think the biggest thing about the book that might bum readers out…it has a love triangle! I know, I know…a love triangle. 😩 And I don’t mind love triangles, but if you do mind…well…this one has it. Tessa is immediately drawn to her best friend, River in the beginning of the book, like it starts off right away – you know they have history, it’s becoming a friends to lovers thing…and then bam. Things happen. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But then she meets Pike in prison and it isn’t insta-love…she’s confused, she’s dealing with some major emotions and events…she’s definitely allowed to be confused. But there were some parts I was like, no, please, don’t do the back and forth…PLEASE. 😅😩 Thankfully it IS resolved in the end.

I enjoyed this book a lot. From the beginning to the end, it hooked me and I was loving Tessa and Pike’s growing relationship through their hardships, challenges and fears. They made an awesome team and I was so happy for Tessa in the end. There was a lot for me to take away from this story – the importance of hope for people in despair, helping those in need, keeping people you love safe and knowing when enough is enough. Tessa risked a lot to help the darksiders but in the end she also learned there was more to life she wanted than just being a hero. I look forward to reading more from this author.

ARC Review | We Are Blood and Thunder

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: We Are Blood and Thunder

Author: Kesia Lupo

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: March 3, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy

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

On the edges of a sealed-off city, a chance encounter between two girls in the misty woods is about to change the course of everything. . .

Lena is on the run from her home, the Duke’s Forest, after being convicted as a mage and sentenced to death. Meanwhile, Constance escaped the Forest years before, after her own magical powers were discovered–but now, she will do anything to get back inside and reclaim her place as the duke’s daughter. The girls cross paths for only a moment, but that’s long enough to set them down paths that will change the dukedom forever.

As Lena reaches a safe haven where she can study and develop her powers alongside handsome but mysterious mage Emris, Constance maneuvers her way back into the home she left behind, unsure whether she trust the people she once considered her family and friends. All the while, the girls are connected by the dark, terrifying storm clouds that hang over the land and devastate everything in their wakes.

Only Lena and Constance hold the keys to dispelling the storm and keeping their home safe–if they can uncover who cast the spell that generated the clouds to begin with. But the truth is far more sinister than anyone could imagine, and it could mean that one of the girls will lose everything.

Thank you to Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

We are Blood and Thunder follows two main female characters, Lena, who has a mark on her face, no family and was raised as a cryptling in Duke’s Forest. She was assistant to the city mortician. Then there is Constance, a mage who comes back home to Duke’s Forest to help get rid of the toxic storm cloud that has been circling above Duke’s Forest for years.

Nothing is what it seems with either women. We follow their journeys and find out if the storm cloud can be defeated at all.

The world building is fascinating with different mage factions. We only get a glimpse of a few of them but I think there is so much potential to learn more about this fantasy world. The people in Duke’s Forest don’t use magic, they worship their Ancestors – the dead that are buried below their city in crypts. Their way of life is to serve them. Outside of Duke’s Forest is where magic thrives.
Lena interested me more than Constance. Lena is an orphan raised as a cryptling, assisting the city’s mortician. She is without family, raised basically with dead bodies but then things start happening to her, she has power. More power than she ever had in her life.
Emris, a huntsman mage, is Lena’s introduction into life outside of Duke’s Forest. He teaches her about her magic and power. Theirs is a friendship that grows and I was glad Lena had someone.
This story was gory and dark at times! There was dark magic, necromancy and dead bodies coming to life. I thought that was fun, haha, morbid yes but I liked that it went there.

I needed MORE from this story – I felt like there was so much potential with the world building and I didn’t get enough. Also I felt like the characters, or maybe mostly Constance, was superficial. Even her supposed romance with Xander was so quick and strange, I was like…??…am I supposed to feel something about these two? Because I feel…nothing.
I didn’t vibe with Constance but by the end, my feeling about her was right. So maybe there was a reason why something about felt off! There were some parts of this book that felt a bit melodramatic and it was mostly to do with Constance. 🤨
The story did drag a bit, especially with this problem of this toxic storm cloud hovering over Duke’s Forest. Like…what is it? Why is it there? Why Duke’s Forest? It ties in all at the end, but it took awhile to get there – to the point I didn’t know why Constance’s story mattered. It matters…but in the beginning I wanted to skip her parts to read about Lena.
The twist at the end was surprising but, Constance again, to me…ruined it. I just did not like her!
Triggers: death, being around dead bodies

I enjoyed the world building, Lena and the necromancy in this book but I really needed more. Overall, this book fell short for me in so many areas, but it did keep my interest enough to want to know what was the whole deal with the toxic storm cloud! It was just an okay read for me.