The color of the ocean on a summer day always soothe’s my soul. Even better when it’s a crazy hot day and the ocean soothes my body! Have you been going to the beach at all this summer? I haven’t gone yet!
I feel like the most popular book cover on my shelf is blue or a dark blue. Anyway I love the color blue, especially when I’m surrounded by it with the sky above and me in the ocean! Hope you are having a fabulous summer!
~ Yolanda
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Title: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Author: Axie Oh
Format: ebook (borrowed)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2/22/22
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Categories: Romance, Korean Mythology, Fantasy, Young Adult
Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…
Content Warning: depression
All I knew of this book was it was based on mythology and the cover had to be one of the most beautiful cover’s I’ve seen this year. I finally got to read this and let me tell you, this pulled so hard at my heart strings. 🥺 Here’s what worked and didn’t work for me:
+ I read somewhere that this story has inspirations from Spirited Away, one of my favorite movies and I found this out after reading the book. But sure enough during my reading of this book I thought it reminded me of that movie, and there was even a line in the book where she wrote “spirited away”. The characters and world-building definitely had that same feel of Spirited Away where spirits, ghosts and Gods walk the world.
+ I love Mina and how she got into her predicament because she loved her brother so much. Let me tell you, all the family references in this book pulled at my heart, I even almost teared up at the end! But it was happy tears I wanted to cry. Mina as a character fights for her loved ones and doesn’t let the word “no” stop her. She is determined to break the curse of the Sea God to save the people she loves. She has a beautiful heart.
+ The characters are great especially Shin and my other favorite Namgi! And because Mina is basically in the underworld, she runs into people who have passed. It’s part of the reason I wanted to cry at the end of the book.
+ The writing is beautiful and the story itself is filled with little myths here and there that Mina is remembers or tells. There is a romance and it starts off as an enemies to lovers situation until Mina unveils the secret of the Sea God. I love how it unfolded and how sweet the ending is.
~ I did have to get acquainted with this world in the first few chapters. I like that we jump right away into the story without any background but once she is is in the Spirit Realm, I feel as disoriented as Mina so I felt like her, I had to get my bearings. Once I do, the story sweeps me away. The conflict of the story, doesn’t have a big impact, there is a battle but it’s resolved quickly.
~ Even though we meet Shin in the beginning I started to suspect some things about him and I was right, which isn’t a bad thing – it made me look forward to see how the book would end.
Tropes: soul mates, mythology retelling, chosen one
Why you should read it:
Why you might not want to read it:
My Thoughts:
I wasn’t sure what to think in the beginning of the story but by the end, I was in love with it. I love Mina’s heart and Shin’s protectiveness even though at first he comes off as hostile. I love the Spirit Realm (it has Spirited Away vibes), and the fun side characters. This one made me want to cry with all the talk about family – it really is a beautiful story with a gorgeous book cover to match.
📚 ~ Yolanda
You claim the gods should love and care for humans. I disagree. I don’t think love can be bought or earned or even prayed for. It must be freely given.”
~Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
My love for you is endless. Deep and endless, like the sea.”
~Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Sometimes you don’t find family in your own blood, but elsewhere.”
~Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
I wish I could bear some of your burden for you. Holding you now, I can feel how heavy it is.”
~Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!
This week’s topic is:
It’s a freebie topic today so let’s take a look at some of the most gorgeous young adult book covers so far this year!
What has been your favorite book cover this year?
What’s on your TTT?
~ Yolanda
Happy book birthday to these new releases!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico.
Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman.
Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.
The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.
All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.
For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.
THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey.
She’s got his back.
Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindgerten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka “bodyguard”), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.
He’s got her heart.
Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid.
They’ve got a secret.
When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it.
What could possibly go wrong???
Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done.
Life’s Too Short meets The Unhoneymooners in this sparkling, steamy, and swoon-worthy novel from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Rachel Van Dyken, in which two sworn enemies must share house, home—and maybe their hearts—when they become co-parents after a sudden loss.
Colby’s living her best life: as a popular food blogger, she gets to fulfill her dreams of exploring the globe. But her world comes crashing down when a tragic accident leaves her co-guardian of her best friend’s two adorable children. Not only does she need to put down roots—fast—but she’ll be sharing custody with the one man she can’t stand sharing a continent with, let alone a house.
Accountant-extraordinaire Rip values rules and plans. But when he loses his sister and his best friend and becomes an insta-guardian all in one night, Rip sees his organized life imploding. What he really doesn’t need is his sister’s irresponsible, flighty—albeit kind and gorgeous—best friend making it worse.
Rip doesn’t trust Colby to take their new responsibilities seriously, while Colby can’t believe Rip thinks children will thrive under his rigid control. Yet soon Rip and Colby discover they need each other more than they hate each other. Could it be possible that following their hearts is just what their new little family needs?
Are you getting any new books this week? Happy Reading! ~ Yolanda
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.**
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:
Why you might not want to read it:
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
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Title: Ramón and Julieta (Love and Tacos, #1)
Author: Alana Quintana Albertson
Format: paperback (own)
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2/1/22
Publisher: Berkley Books
Categories: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Latinx, Foodie Romance
When fate and tacos bring Ramón and Julieta together on the Day of the Dead, the star-crossed pair must make a choice: accept the bitter food rivalry that drives them apart or surrender to a love that consumes them.
Ramón Montez always achieves his goals. Whether that means collecting Ivy League degrees or growing his father’s fast-food empire, nothing sets Ramón off course. So when the sexy señorita who kissed him on the Day of the Dead runs off into the night with his heart, he determines to do whatever it takes to find her again.
Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother’s taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life’s work–and the one man who tempts and inspires her.
As San Diego’s outraged community protests against the Taco King take-over and the divide between their families grows, Ramón and Julieta struggle to balance the rising tensions. But Ramón knows that true love is priceless and despite all of his successes, this is the one battle he refuses to lose.
Content Warning: gentrification, parental neglect/parental relationship problems
The first thing that attracted me to this book was the book cover and all its vibrant colors. This romance story itself is full of color so let’s see what did and didn’t work for me:
+ This one has a bunch of romance tropes: rival families, it’s a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet, it’s a millionaire romance, workplace romance and insta-attraction but I think it all works nicely together.
+ Ramón and Julieta meet right away and the attraction is instant. They are even ready for a one-night stand which doesn’t happen though. But throughout the book they are basically itching to get their hands on one another and when they do, there are some steamy moments – but they are quick and not super detailed.
+ It’s a really quick read and though Ramón and Julieta has challenges, it is easily resolved. This one is centered around a Chicano community in San Diego called Barrio Logan and I thought the author did a great job capturing the sights, customs, and flavors of the community. The rivalry between the two families centers on a taco recipe, so yes this book will make you hungry for Mexican food. I thought it was good to put a spotlight on class issues – Ramón’s family being known as “coconuts” and how he feels like he doesn’t belong in Julieta’s community because they were raised different and richer. Or how Julieta felt being poorer than him. I did like how he made amends to Julieta’s family though and how he stood up to his dad.
~ There was a lot of talk about Ramón’s McLaren which is I guess a very expensive car? lol I wouldn’t know.
~ It’s a very loose retelling of Romeo and Julieta, it had some elements of it – even the two characters spouting lines from the play at times. But it’s not an exact retelling so don’t expect that.
~ Although there were some deep issues to do with class and gentrification in the story, I think the story glossed over it. It stayed a light-hearted romance book, which is fine, so if you want a romance story that tackles the issues – this isn’t it. This one stays light and has a happily ever after.
Tropes: insta-attraction, instalove, romeo and juliet inspired, rivals, millionaire romance, workplace romance
Why you should read it:
Why you might not want to read it:
My Thoughts:
This was a cute one and I read it fairly quick. I love the book cover, which I think captures the vibe of the story very well. The way the author describes San Diego and the Barrio, all the customs and food was wonderful. The romance is light hearted, had elements of Shakespeare’s famous play, and it was steamy when it needed to be.
📚 ~ Yolanda
Aloha friends!
Today is my 11th wedding anniversary and my hubby, kids and I are going to do a buffet brunch together. Now we had a lovely week that started off with A Peanuts Adventure event at the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu. Now Charlie Brown and Snoopy is what my hubby and I grew up with as kids. Our kids know Snoopy since he’s iconic but never had the patience to sit down and watch any Charlie Brown specials. But we had SO much fun. The goal was to download and app and find clues around the event. We found all the clues and they really did a great job inside the event!
Here are some pics from the event:
There were about 8 rooms to explore and there were some characters in some rooms that you could take photos with like Snoopy, Lucy and Charlie Brown! There was a Winter Dance room with a lit up dance floor – too much fun! We found all the clues and yes the staff helps you out lol.
How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!
💖 ~ Yolanda
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:
Why you might not want to read it:
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
The Hazel Wood by. Melissa Albert – 3.5 STARS
The Night Country (The Hazel Wood, #2) by. Melissa Albert – 2.5 STARS
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
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
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:
Why you might not want to read it:
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
“May the next world be kinder, Beloved,”
― Hannah F. Whitten, For the Throne
“The two of you have overturned worlds for each other, Neverah. It’s hard to get more matched than that.”
― Hannah F. Whitten, For the Throne
Saving someone else was a wall you couldn’t scale unless they threw you a rope.
― Hannah F. Whitten, For the Throne
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 