The Conductors | ARC Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: The Conductors

Author: Nicole Glover

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/2/21

Publisher: John Joseph Adams/Mariner Books

Categories: Mystery, Historical Fantasy, Slavery, Underground Railroad, Magic, Adult Fiction

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

A compelling debut by a new voice in fantasy fiction, The Conductors features the magic and mystery of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files written with the sensibility and historical setting of Octavia Butler’s Kindred: Introducing Hetty Rhodes, a magic-user and former conductor on the Underground Railroad who now solves crimes in post–Civil War Philadelphia.

As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Hetty Rhodes helped usher dozens of people north with her wits and magic. Now that the Civil War is over, Hetty and her husband Benjy have settled in Philadelphia, solving murders and mysteries that the white authorities won’t touch. When they find one of their friends slain in an alley, Hetty and Benjy bury the body and set off to find answers. But the secrets and intricate lies of the elites of Black Philadelphia only serve to dredge up more questions. To solve this mystery, they will have to face ugly truths all around them, including the ones about each other.

I love how the underground railroad and slavery history are part of this story. Hetty helped many people escape the South after the Civil War by using her magic and bravery. Now that she is in Philadelphia she plays a role in figuring out murders taking place around them, some of the victims being her friends.
The celestial magic in the story was very interesting. I liked how it was based off of constellations and they used sigils to conjure up the magic.
Hetty is a strong character – she is smart, caring and so brave.
Hetty and Benjy’s relationship was a marriage of convenience but it grew into something more which was so nice to see. They really were partners in solving the mystery and taking care of the people around them.

Triggers: slavery, abuse, murder
This is definitely a mystery, not quite a cozy mystery, and mysteries and I have a strained relationship – meaning if it’s too slow, I will not be invested in the story. This was slow for me. If you like mysteries though, this might be up your alley.
It would have been nice to learn more about the magic system because it sounded so fascinating. I love the idea of using the constellation sigils as magic. I just needed a little more information about the magic.

The concept of blending magic, black history tied to slavery, post civil war and the underground railroad is fantastic. I just wished the story held my attention more and that we got to see more of the magic system. In the end, Hetty and Benjy make a good partnership as they figure out the mysteries and investigates murders happening around them. Even though this book wasn’t for me, I think mystery lovers will really enjoy this book because of it’s uniqueness.

📚 ~ Yolanda

WWW Wednesday | 2/17/21

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I got a lot of reading done this past weekend, hooray! Here’s hoping my reading motivation stays haha.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Top Ten Tuesday | 2/16/21

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:

Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers (in honor of Mardis Gras, which is today!)

Happy Mardi Gras! These colors are so fabulous together. 💜💛💚 ~ Yolanda

Yolk | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Yolk

Author: Mary H.K. Choi

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages:

Publication Date: 3/2/21

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, New Adult, Eating Disorder, Cancer, Family, Healthcare, Contemporary

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

Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore, and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.

On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life. Until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer.

Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together. Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.

Mary H.K. Choi is a must-read author for me because her stories are complicated and real. Also she just knows how to really get into the scary, vulnerable places of her characters’s mind.
World Building: this book is an ode to New York City and a little bit of Texas too. In her last book Permanent Record and now Yolk, New York City is a character. Jayne is enamored of all things New York City, but is struggling to make ends meet there.
Characters: Jayne is hurting herself. She is a bulimic. Jayne is trying to run from events in her past and the story shows flashbacks of what happened that could have started her eating disorder. June is her older sister who is smart and successful but now she has cancer. These two sisters have such a tense history. I thought it was funny how they fought, because…siblings fight dirty sometimes! But it was also painful to see because you know they both love each other.
This is about Jayne and through her we see New York City, we see how lost she is about school and her goals for the future. Jayne is traumatized by her past: uprooting from South Korea to move to America, her strained relationship with her mother, growing up Korean in America, and trying to figure out how to attain all the riches and dreams of New York City – her ideal American dream. Right now her dream is unattainable.

Triggers: cancer, bulimia
Obviously, there are hard topics in this story with Jayne having bulimia and June having uterine cancer. So proceed with caution – this is not a happy story. Some parts are funny, but for the most part, it’s heavy reading.
There is a little bit of romance but it’s definitely not the main thing about this story. It was realistic too and it didn’t dominate the story.

This story is dark, complicated, emotional, layered and real. I was hooked and yet scared for Jayne as she went through her life lost and in pain but hiding it so well. But one person sees through her mask, her sister June. I loved how these crazy sisters fought, because siblings fight – and I love how New York City comes to life through the author’s words. When everything comes to a clash: Jayne’s past, her present, cancer, family and bulimia – that’s when the hard work starts as these sisters grind through the surface of their tense relationship and find the love that’s been hiding under there all along.

💛 ~ Yolanda

Aloha Friday | 2/12/21

Aloha everyone! It’s been awhile since I did an update – but Mr. Atlas (the now 3 month old puppy) is taking up a lot of my time. But here’s what I’ve acquired and watched in the past few weeks…

New Books Acquired:

NetGalley ARC’s~

Kindle Unlimited ~

Overdrive Online Library ~

Will I get to reading all of these this month? Probably not. But I’ll do my best to try!

Adulting:

Puppy is 3 months old now and it’s been rough! He is teething and has been so bitey. The cute phase lasted like 2 weeks. At least I’m getting more sleep now and he is crate trained at night but the teething, biting, mouthing…argh…😫.
Between 2 kids and a puppy, I haven’t had time to do any resin work but thank you to those who are still buying whatever is in my shop even though I haven’t had time to update my instagram account or promoting anything at all.
Son is back in hybrid school and it’s been great for him to see classmates, I can’t believe 2nd grade will be over in 3 months. 🥺😱

I hope you all had a good week and are staying safe! 😘 ~ Yolanda

A Twist of the Blade | Book Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: A Twist of the Blade (Shadows and Crowns, #2)

Author: S.M. Gaither

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages:

Publication Date: 1/28/21

Categories: Young Adult, New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Friendship

Mercenary. Survivor. Queen.

Who is Casia Greythorne?

Still reeling from an unimaginable loss and the revelation of an identity she isn’t sure she wants to embrace, Casia has one plan: Try to control something. Something like the strange magic awakening inside of her. Mastering that magic will take her and her friends on a quest through cursed lands, into the dwellings of old gods, and deep into a southern empire filled with deadly foes and unlikely allies.

Meanwhile, the foundations of the Kethran Empire continue to crumble. The king-emperor clings to his crown with increasingly bloodied hands. Monsters and soldiers alike stalk Casia’s every step, determined not to let her return to claim a throne that is rightfully hers. Still, the greatest threat to her possible rule may not lie in the king-emperor, but in a former captain of his army—a man that she came dangerously close to falling in love with.

Elander Revenmar thought he knew who he was. He had a mission, a plan, a god he was content to serve. Then came Casia. A woman as mysterious as she is dangerous. One he should have stayed away from, and whose life he never should have saved.

Because salvation always comes with a cost.

**And some debts can only be paid for in blood.**

World Building ~ I really enjoy the story about the Gods and their revenge on humans. Cas was in Oblivion at the ending of book one but she doesn’t stay long. She needs to find her friends and stop her brother Varen from world domination. So Cas picks herself up, her broken-hearted, weakened, lost self and puts one foot in front of the other and keeps moving forward. We get to visit a different kingdom in this book which is great because Cas needs help, so she goes and seeks it out.
Characters ~ Cas is resilient, even when she thinks of giving up, she tries again and again and that’s so inspiring. And I love her friends, her support group that sticks by her no matter what. There were many times when the story was emotional because of what was happening to her friends.
Romance ~ or what is left of it…it is “complicated” as Elander likes to say. This is a story of past and present, reincarnation, a second chance, but it gets more complicated for Elander and Cas the more the truths are revealed.
Storytelling ~ this just flowed so easily, I read it in one night. I like how nothing is easy in this story between Cas and Elander with their romance or with Cas and Varen and their family ties. But for sure I love when Cas has her friends around her.

Not gonna lie, I wanted more of Elander and Cas together ~ I love them. But he kept having to disappear, he had his reasons though.

This story had action, good story telling, great world building, an inspiring main character and a complicated romance that just makes me hope so hard that Cas and Elander have a happily ever after. I look forward to reading book three which can’t come soon enough!

⚔️ ~ Yolanda

WWW Wednesday | 2/10/21

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I’m not getting a lot of free time to read and when I do…I sleep! Haha, so hopefully I’ll get my reading mojo back. I have some arcs to finish and review. I’m getting to them, slowly.

😕 ~ Yolanda

Top Ten Tuesday | 2/9/21

This week’s Valentine freebie topic is:

Greatest Love of All ~ My Fave Couples

💘 Jude & Cardan from The Folk of the Air series by. Holly Black

💘 Lara & Aren from The Bridge Kingdom series by. Danielle L. Jensen

💘 Stella & Michael from The Kiss Quotient by. Helen Hoang

💘 Feyre & Rhys from ACOTAR series by. Sarah J. Maas

💘 Juliette & Warner from the Shatter Me series by. Tahereh Mafi

💘 Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by. Jane Austen

💘 Lara Jean & Peter K from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series by. Jenny Han

💘 Kazi & Jase from The Dance of Thieves series by. Mary E. Pearson

💘 Mac & Barron from Darkfever series by. Karen Marie Moning

💘 Roselle & Reykin from the Secondborn series by. Amy A. Bartol

Ladies of the House | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Ladies of the House

Author: Lauren Edmondson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 2/9/21

Publisher: Graydon House

Categories: Romance, Jane Austen Retelling, Contemporary, Politics

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

No surprise is a good surprise. At least according to thirty-four-year-old Daisy Richardson. So when it’s revealed in dramatic fashion that her esteemed father had been involved in a public scandal before his untimely death, Daisy’s life becomes complicated—and fast.

For one, the Richardsons must now sell the family home in Georgetown they can no longer afford, and Daisy’s mother is holding on with an iron grip. Her younger sister, Wallis, is ready to move on to bigger and better things but falls fast and hard for the most inconvenient person possible. And then there’s Atlas, Daisy’s best friend. She’s always wished they could be more, but now he’s writing an exposé on the one subject she’s been desperate to avoid: her father.

Daisy’s plan is to maintain a low profile as she works to keep her family intact amid social exile, public shaming, and quickly dwindling savings. But the spotlight always seems to find the Richardsons, and when another twist in the scandal comes to light, Daisy must confront the consequences of her continued silence and summon the courage to stand up and accept the power of her own voice.

I love how it is a Sense and Sensibility retelling, but modernized. It is set in Washington D.C. in the world of politics and I found it so fun to read.
The family bond is wonderful especially after the scandal that Daisy’s dad left behind. They are strong together as they try to move on past all the hate thrown at them in the community. The sister relationship between Daisy and Wallis is lovely.
Daisy was my favorite because she is smart, strong, level-headed and yet cares so much for her friends and family as well. Her character voice is strong and distinct. She’s in love with her best friend Atlas, but he is in a relationship. Daisy is also chief of staff for a senator in D.C. and is on the verge of losing her edge and job, so she’s dealing with a lot on her plate. But she owns up to her dad’s mistakes and tries to right a wrong somehow and I love that she knows what is right and does it.
The romance retelling was spot on with Daisy in love with Atlas who she couldn’t have because he has someone and Wallis who meets someone dashing who breaks her heart. It’s a happy ending for both.

It slowed down for me in the middle only because it was predictable to me but not in a bad way. I’ve just watched the Sense and Sensibility a lot haha ~ so I pretty much knew what would happen. But really, I do love the political atmosphere.

I enjoyed this modern retelling of Sense & Sensibility! It had scandal, drama, humor, romance, and best of all a bond between sisters and a mother that was on display in face of everything thrown at them.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Blood Casino | Book Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Blood Casino (Vampires & Vices, #1)

Author: Nina Walker

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 324

Publication Date: 1/28/21

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Supernaturals, Romance, Vampires

Keep your cards close and your enemies closer.

At least that’s what my mom always told me. Becoming a vampire hunter was never in my cards, but it is now that she needs my help. A decade ago vampires seized control of the bars, casinos, and the dark underbelly of society. Now they deal in addiction and bargain with blood, and humans over twenty-five can’t fight back against their compulsion. It’s made my mother vulnerable––the only family I have left.

To save her, I’m forced to make a deal with the devil––one who lives above a casino, wears a crown, and wants to drink my blood. Adrianos Teresi may be dangerous and alluring but I’ve got a stake hidden up my sleeve. I’ll go all in and play his game, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

What I don’t expect? The heart that needs guarding is my own.

Vampires and gambling definitely go together. In Blood Casino, the stakes are high ~ Evangeline is trying to save her mother from a gambling addiction, and who runs the casinos? Vampires. A vampire prince in this case, named Adrian. He is centuries old, deadly but looks 25, uh huh ~ you know that vampire genes don’t age haha. The hate is mutual between but they keep running into each other.
Love the setting of New Orleans. I went there once as a teen and I still remember the French Quarter vividly, it’s definitely a place you can’t forget. But the whole seedy, dark vibe makes New Orleans the perfect place for supernaturals to thrive.
Adrian is not a nice guy ~ he’s a vampire who’s been a live a long, long time. He kills in front of Eva, threatens her with violence, is violent, and scheming. Exactly what my image of vampires were like before Twilight lol…no hate on Twilight, I love Twilight, but before that…the vampires I knew burned in the sun, they did not sparkle.
I like action. Eva’s friends are vampire hunters but all is not what it seems with their leader Leslie Tate. We don’t learn much about Tate but I think more will come in the sequel. I like the vampire hunter action and the twist in the end as well.
The enemies relationship between Adrian and Eva is not quite to the “lovers” yet…and will it ever get there? We shall see, Eva’s got options, is all I’m saying.

Love triangle in the making? We shall see, but Eva has crushed on her best friend’s brother for awhile and now they are training as hunters, they get to spend more time together. The only thing that happens in this book is kissing. And very few kissing scenes at that, so there is a lot of room to grow with the romance angle.
Eva is 18 years old. I love how she tries so hard to survive and take care of her mom..but she is just 18, making mistakes, acts like a teenager especially around a very old vampire ~ she really is lucky she hasn’t been killed by chapter one! I hope we see more growth in her.

This story was a pure escape for me and a fresh take on vampires in urban fantasy. I enjoyed it so much I read it in one night and I’m here scouring this author’s backlist so I can binge read this week. I’ll be waiting impatiently for the sequel.

🧛‍♀️ ~ Yolanda