Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Royalty, Feminism
Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King. 2) Marry him. 3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.
But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?
My Attention: took me one week to read
World Building: the court of The Shadow King
Writing Style: easy to read, but it lagged in the middle
Crazy in Love: slow burn
Creativity: The MC starts off as one of the villains…it’s definitely intriguing.
Triggers: murder
I love that Alessandra, our MC, is a confident, cunning, sexually empowered, murderess. Not that murder is a good thing – but Alessandra is smart, she knows what she wants (power) and she has a plan to achieve her goal. It helps that she’s beautiful, bold and quite a charmer as well.
Alessandra has a few skeletons in her closet. Apparently having random lovers also means risking being attached to some unsavory characters, like Myron, who tries to blackmail her. Also, she did kill her first love and that comes back to haunt her in the end. The story intrigued me enough to want to see if she accomplishes her goal and how she gets out of tough situations.
The whole feminist vibe of this story is great. It’s fascinating to see how Alessandra uses her skills to catch the eyes of Kallias, the Shadow King. She stands out by ignoring him and she does everything opposite of every other lady at court. Alessandra designs her own fashions as well, like wearing pants with a skirt. She’s not shy about what she wants – she wants to be Queen.
The slow burn was too slow for me. The beginning started off well, but the middle just dragged for me. Kallias was barely with her so I didn’t feel any attraction between them until the later half of the book, which was way too late for me. The letters between them did nothing for me. Like Alessandra said – it was all talk, no action. She really wanted to be Queen though, so she stuck it out, which shows determination. Thing is I forgot she had even brought poison to kill Kallias! That’s how much my attention was lost in the middle.
Throughout the story there is political intrigue about who is trying to kill Kallias, but I didn’t feel like it was an urgent matter in the story.
Kallias as the Shadow King was confusing for most of the book. We barely get to know him and his shadows? Like what is it and how did he get them? We learn about it way later in the book. He wasn’t mysterious and dangerous enough for me and with a name like The Shadow King, I wanted danger.
World-building? We are basically stuck in Kallias’ palace, but I needed more.
Usually if it takes me a long time to finish a book, I’d rate it lower, but I did like Alessandra as a character and watching her try to get out of her mess. I did genuinely want to know if she would eventually be Queen in the end or some other skeleton would pop out of her closet. This author is an auto-read for me, but this is not my favorite of her books. Overall, I think this was an okay read, but I was expecting more.
Happy Aloha Friday everyone! My son’s Fall Break comes to an end today – well technically Sunday and back to the remote schooling grind. I wish we had a chance to do something fun like go on vacay but it’s not meant to be this year like a lot of things. That’s okay…we can hope for next year right?
New Books Acquired:
NetGalley ~
Netflix:
Emily in Paris – I binged this show in one night! I could not stop. Just seeing Paris on screen made me miss traveling and everything pre-COVID. Anyway it’s a show with a lot of eye candy and it was a definite escape for me.
Adulting News:
Counting down to election day here win the USA. My birthday is the day after election day so I HOPE I get a good birthday present! I told my hubby I may have to be inebriated the night of the election but I haven’t drank alcohol in so long because it makes me sleepy. 🤦🏻♀️😅
It was Fall break for my son this week so we went to the playground, the pool and tomorrow he and his sister are getting flu shots! 😬 She’s quick about it, scared to get a shot but happy to get a bandaid 🤷🏻♀️ but my son screams the whole office down.
And since our state is opening up from lockdown again, I’m going to also do dentists appointments this month for them and myself. Also, I need a haircut! Who knows if we will shut down again in a few months, so I better get everything done.
Stay safe out there, wear a mask and social distance!
Categories: Historical Fantasy, Alchemy, Young Adult, Madness
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.
While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists.
But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Attention: Took me 3 days to read.
World Building: this is historical fiction, it starts in France, 1792 on the verge of revolution – then we travel to Oxford, England, but the fascinating bit is that we are following a character who is an alchemist.
Writing Style: flowed beautifully, engaging
Crazy in Love: not crazy, but it gets complicated
Creativity: to make the Philosopher’s Stone, you have to be prepared to go mad…
Triggers: violence, torture, harassment, descent into madness, self-harm, cheating/affair
My Takeaway: My sane mind vs. the power of the Philosopher’s Stone? I’ll chose my sanity! Haha
Thea is not the typical “likable” character. She grew up with no father and a mother who was more into alchemy than being a mother. Thea grew up alone except for Will who was her mother’s apprentice. Thea is smart, she’s talented at alchemy, can speak several languages but really has grown up differently compared to other girls her age.
The Philosopher’s Stone – this book really delved into it and what happens when someone is close to making the legendary and somewhat mythical Philosopher’s Stone. It’s supposed to grant the owner immense power – but first, Thea sees there is a pattern, people that attempt to make the stone, succumb to utter madness. They hear voices, they get violent, they see things. It’s terrifying and asks the question if the stone is worth making.
Thea gets threatened to make the Philosopher’s Stone, and she has to make some hard choices. Ultimately she wants to save a few people like her mom, her friend Dominic and her old friend/love, Will. This girl just needed some love.
Thea’s actions and choices when it came to Dominic was kind of suspect. She didn’t know him well, but he was her first friend outside of Will, who was an old friend she hadn’t seen in awhile. But poor Dominic – he got a raw deal!
Thea’s dad – glad he tried at the end, but their beginning was so pathetic on his part. Poor Thea, she basically had no one!
Would have like more world-building, especially because it takes place during the French Revolution! But I get that Thea was basically trapped in a house, in England, trying to make the Philosopher’s stone. But it wouldn’t been nice to get a feel for the time and place.
The descent into madness trying to make the Philosopher’s Stone makes you question if having the stone is worth it. For Thea, a smart but very lonely girl, she realizes the stone is worth it to save the people she loves – but she loses her mind to it, literally. Overall, I enjoyed this entertaining, quick, dark story about alchemy.
🖤 ~ Yolanda
About the Author:
Samantha Cohoe writes historically-inspired young adult fantasy. She was raised in San Luis Obispo, California, where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood of beach trips, omnivorous reading, and writing stories brimming with adverbs.
She currently lives in Denver with her family and divides her time among teaching Latin, mothering, writing, reading, and deleting adverbs. A Golden Fury is her debut novel.
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:
Book Covers with Fall Colors/Vibes
Some dark covers and some reds/yellows/oranges to round it out! Perfect for Fall. 🎃💀🖤
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Sibling Fiction
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
“A fabulous interweaving of fantasy, politics, and sisterhood – this unusual, tense tale will have you on the edge of your seat!” –#1 New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce on Crown of Coral and Pearl
The Cruel Prince meets Ash Princess in this thrilling fantasy, the much-anticipated sequel to Crown of Coral and Pearl.
Ever since Nor was forced to go to a nearby kingdom in her sister’s place, she’s wanted nothing more than to return to the place and people she loves. But when her wish comes true, she soon finds herself cast out from both worlds, with a war on the horizon.
As an old enemy resurfaces more powerful than ever, Nor will have to keep the kingdom from falling apart with the help of Prince Talin and Nor’s twin sister, Zadie. There are forces within the world more mysterious than any of them ever guessed—and they’ll need to stay alive long enough to conquer them…
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Attention: read in three days
World Building: In this sequel we get to venture into the land of the Galethians
Writing Style: easy to read, descriptive
Crazy in Love: definitely
Creativity: We learn more about magic in this sequel.
Triggers: blood magic, manipulation, violence
My Takeaway: You can be more than beautiful on the outside.
I liked that the story ventured to Galeth and we get to meet new characters like Roan and Adriel. I especially thought Roan was an intriguing character. Adriel brings more knowledge about magic and healing, so now Nor can actually learn something about her rapid healing abilities and about blood magic.
Zadie, Nor’s twin sister comes back into the story and it’s nice to get to know her a bit. She’s very much in love with Sam still and the book focuses on traveling to Galeth to find him.
Nor and Talin is very much in love still though the business of taking Ceren down interrupts their happy ever after. We get to meet Talin’s mother and sister in this book as well.
Nor’s personal journey on becoming more than just the most beautiful girl/wife in the world was the main message for me in this series. She wants to travel, she has skills as a healer, there is so much she wants to do and I thought it was noble of Talin to let her realize those dreams.
The beginning was a bit slow for me. This had more political intrigue between the kingdoms of Galeth, Ilara and Varenia. Prince Talin and his mom need people to join their fight to take the throne from Ceren so they have to work on convincing the Galethians.
Ceren doesn’t really show up a lot in this book. He’s still evil and want to keep his throne. We get glimpses of his childhood because he is bonded to Nor. But I felt the ending with him was anti-climatic.
Honestly, I thought Roan was going to change Nor’s mind about Talin! Haha…it would have made the story maybe a little more interesting. Talin was his usual princely self, but it seemed like for a moment there, there would be some problem in their relationship.
Overall, I enjoyed the first book more than book two because I was so amazed with Varenia. Also, Ceren’s character made the story so intriguing. In this sequel we get more of Nor and Talin’s romance, some new characters and much less Ceren. Ultimately, Nor’s journey from flawed beauty and a future as a perfect wife to a healer and adventurer has a great message. We are more than our beauty. This is a solid end to an enjoyable, and creative duology.
💕 ~ Yolanda
About the Author:
Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California, Mara has since lived all over the world with her marine-turned-diplomat husband. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a master’s degree in cultural studies from the University of London. When she’s not writing or chasing after her two sons, she can usually be found pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone, whether at a traditional Russian banya or an Incan archaeological site. Mara is a former Pitch Wars mentee and three-time mentor.
Title: The Song of the Marked (Shadows and Crowns, #1)
Author: S.M. Gaither
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Pages: 512
Categories: Fantasy, New Adult, Magic, Gods, Enemies to Lovers
A Devastating Sickness
For decades, the Kethran Empire has been plagued by a strange illness that leaches the very life and soul from its victims.
The Girl Who Survived
Casia is one of the Fade-Marked—one of the few people who caught this sickness and lived. Why she lived is a mystery even to her and the outcast crew of mercenaries she calls her family. It also makes her an intriguing target for the young, enigmatic king-emperor, who claims he wants to work alongside her to find a cure.
Unfortunately, working alongside him also means working with the handsome but infuriating captain of one of the most prestigious branches of the Kethran Army.
A Soldier With No Past
This infuriating Captain Elander also has secrets: A past that Cas can’t seem to uncover, a powerful but strange brand of magic, and a deep distrust of the very monarch that he’s sworn to serve. She feels oddly drawn to him in spite of these things…
But can she really trust him?
The Fate of an Empire
As the bodies pile up and strange monsters begin to wreak havoc throughout the realms, Cas and Elander will have to work together to protect their world whether they trust one another or not. Because one thing is clear: Something ancient and evil is stirring in the shadows of Kethra.
And the empire will not survive its full unleashing.
But how can they save a world where nothing and no one is what they seem to be— including Cas herself?
My Attention: read in one day
World Building: epic – the Kethran Empire is ruled by a King-Emperor who wants to eradicate people with magic, and there is a Fading Sickness infecting the kingdom and they have to find out the source of the illness
Writing Style: flowed very well
Crazy in Love: enemies to lovers
Creativity: I enjoyed this world of magic and Gods
Triggers: violence, thieving, anxiety
My Takeaway: Definite Sarah J. Maas vibes and I’m here for it!
Love the cover and usually I’m wary about KU Fantasy ebooks because I find them way too short, I mean yes I love that the next installment usually comes out in 3 months but THIS one, is a nice lengthy 500+ which surprised me. I was reading it without knowing the page count and was wondering why it was taking me so long to read (not long…but usually I can devour these short book series in a few hours and usually can binge the whole series in one night). So I am impressed with this one!
There is Throne of Glass vibes all over this book BUT there are enough difference to make it exciting. Cas reminds me of Celaena (badass heroine, etc…) but I like that Cas is different enough with her bouts of severe anxiety and needing to take care of her foster mom, Asra. Cas has a fun crew of magic wielders around her, all with different personalities.
The world building is addictive: there is a Fading Sickness in the empire, and Cas is one of the few who has survived it. Why? I love the process of finding out why and that plot twist in the end. Total cliffhanger!
Enemies to lovers, which is my fave – Elander is dark, blessed by a Death God, and their banter was fun. He was mysterious and she is reckless which makes them a hot combo. And yes there is a sex scene, they need more haha but…we shall see what happens between them!
This story was a fun ride, with villains, secrets, fights, danger, Gods – so much to digest but it’s an exciting start to the series.
There are a lot of things to discover yet, like Darkhand’s role in the beginning and then he disappeared. I’m sure the story will come back to that but he kind of was introduced and then forgotten.
Varen the king-emperor…oh boy, so what will happen now that the truth has been revealed?
And Elander…just give me more of him and Cas, and I’ll be happy!
This is the first book I’ve read from S.M. Gaither and I know it won’t be the last. I’ll have to binge her previous series! If you like stories like the Throne of Glass series, you will enjoy The Song of the Marked. I know I’m ready for book two to arrive but I have to wait until January! I was craving a fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance, lots of action and detailed world building and this totally hit the spot.
Categories: Racism, Magic, Sexual Abuse, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Jim Crow South
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
In the Jim Crow South, white supremacy reigns and tensions are high. But Evalene Deschamps has other things to worry about. She has two little sisters to look after, an overworked single mother, and a longtime crush who is finally making a move.
On top of all that, Evvie’s magic abilities are growing stronger by the day. Her family calls it jubilation—a gift passed down from generations of black women since the time of slavery. And as Evvie’s talents waken, something dark comes loose and threatens to resurface…
And when the demons of Evvie’s past finally shake free, she must embrace her mighty lineage, and summon the power that lies within her.
Thank you to Simon Shusters Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
Let’s break it down:
My Attention: very intrigued
World Building: Jim Crow, South Carolina while Kennedy is President
Writing Style: it flowed well
Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥
Crazy in Love: Clay and Evvie are definitely in love
Creativity: I enjoyed learning the magic of Jubilation
My Takeaway: Take back your power when someone steals it from you!
The book takes place in Jim Crow South Carolina so the writer gives it the distinct accents and sayings from that area. You can feel change is in the air with JFK as president, but some are skeptical, and others are hopeful that change may or may not happen.
I liked the concept of jubilation as being magic that black women have passed down in their families because it was magic for protection. Jubilation was used to counter some of the horrors of slavery that black women experienced and like Clay’s grandmother says, she didn’t realize they would still need to use jubilation today.
Evalene and Clay’s relationship isn’t insta-love though their sex scene seems quite instant. She crushed on him for a long time and he finally notices her and things go fast. But then as their relationship grows, they take time to date and so it slows down which is nice, because then we get to know both of them well. They are obviously crazy about each other.
Indigo, Evvie’s mom, gives her the talk about using protection without shying away from the topic. Go mom!
Evalene is an interesting character – she’s at times impulsive and because she’s so new with her power, sometimes can’t control it. But she learns how to do it with help from her eccentric grandmother and she needs it to help battle a demon from her past.
I don’t mind cursing in books but if you don’t like cursing, then this book might not be for you because it has a lot of it.
Evalene has a dark past and it is traumatic. The ending is very sad and bittersweet.
Daughter of Jubilation is a story about battling demons from the past. Jubilation is a gift of magic, born in a time of slavery to help black women deal with the horrors happening in their lives. Now Evalene has inherited this magic to face a stalker that hurt her a long time ago but she can’t do it alone. Evvie uses her jubilation to try and protect the people she loves and to break free from the past.
September was pretty good! I had so much stress in September, I could only read so much. But I think I read some pretty good books. What did you guys read?
Categories: Jane Austen Emma Retelling, Coding, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Dating App
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
In this contemporary romcom retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma by USA TODAY bestselling author Jillian Cantor, there’s nothing more complex—or unpredictable—than love.
When math genius Emma and her coding club co-president, George, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born.
George disapproves of Emma’s idea of creating a matchmaking app, accusing her of meddling in people’s lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.
Emma’s code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other, and Emma’s own feelings defy any algorithm?
Thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
My Attention: took some time to get into story
World Building: high school romance
Writing Style: easy to read
Bringing the Heat: none
Crazy in Love: very slow love story
Creativity: I thought it was cool the story featured the Coding Club
Mood: mixed feelings
Triggers: parent health scare, bullying
My Takeaway: Sometimes you have to stop coding and get out there and have a little fun!
This was a super quick read and I could recognize it as Jane Austen’s Emma retelling right away, since Emma’s name is kept the same and the other characters as well.
Emma is fairly independent as her dad is always at work. Her mom had passed away and her older sister moved away for college, so a lot of the times, Emma is without family. She spends a lot of her time excelling at school and more importantly, coding. Emma doesn’t like social interaction much, she’s a homebody who likes to stay home and chill.
George is a good friend to Emma, and yes they get into some high school drama with the matchmaking app they create for the coding club – but I knew they’d end up to together…because it followed the original Emma story. Are there sparks? Not really? But it’s a friendship that grows into something more, something safe and perfect for Emma. His declaration was really sweet.
I’m glad the coding, STEM kids got the spotlight in this book. Coding is awesome and creative, just in a different way – but the little parts that come together to make the app was interesting to see step by step. They had to tweak it a few times to make sure it worked right.
Personally, I like a little angst in my rom-coms. I thought this was cute, not a little of angst, some drama yes, but it was slow to get into. I was bored at some parts.
It’s a retelling so yes, it was definitely predictable but I was still intrigued to see how the author carried out the story.
This is a perfect romance for teens. It’s pretty G rated and has that innocence of a first love.
I think this story showed us Emma’s naiveté in the world of dating because she has no real experience with it. Yet she still had the strong desire to succeed at creating a winning matchmaking app! Creating this app gave Emma the courage to go out and try new things, like go to a dance, make new friends…and even fall in love. Overall, I think this was a cute but predictable retelling of a Jane Austen classic.
💕 ~ Yolanda
About the Author:
Jillian Cantor is the author of award-winning and bestselling novels for adults and teens, including In Another Time, The Hours Count, Margot, and The Lost Letter, which was a USA Today bestseller. She has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Cantor lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
I’ve always loved numbers a whole lot more than I love people. For one thing, I can make numbers behave any way I want them to. No arguments, no questions. I write a line of code, and my computer performs a specific and very regulated task. Numbers don’t play games or hide behind some nuance I’ve missed. I write an equation, then formulate a definitive and absolutely correct answer.
And maybe most importantly, numbers never leave me. I tell this to Izzy as she’s sitting on her suitcase, trying to force it closed, having just packed the last of her closet before leaving for her freshman year at UCLA, which is exactly 2,764 miles from our house in Highbury, New Jersey. A number which seems insurmountable, and which makes me think that after this day, Izzy’s last one at home until Christmas break, we’ll be more like two strangers floating across a continent from one another than sisters.
“Numbers,” I say to Izzy now, “are much better than people.”
“You’re such a nerd, Em,” Izzy says, but she stops what she’s doing and squeezes my arm affectionately, before finally getting the suitcase to zip. She’s a nerd, too, but not for numbers like me—for books. Izzy is running 2,764 miles away from New Jersey toread, to major in English at UCLA. Which is ridiculous, given she could’ve done the same at Rutgers, or the College of New Jersey, or almost any one of the other sixty-two colleges in our state, any of which would’ve been within driving distance so we could’ve seen each other on weekends. Izzy says she’s going to California for the sunshine, but Dad and I both know the real reason is that her boyfriend, John, decided to go to UCLA to study film. Izzy chose John over me, and that part stings the most.
“I can’t believe you’re actually going,” I say, and not for the first time. I’ve been saying this to Izzy all summer, hoping she might change her mind. But now that her suitcase is zipped, it feels like she’s really leaving, and my eyes start to well up. I do love numbers more than people. Most people.
Izzy and I are only seventeen months apart, and our mom died when we were both toddlers. Dad works a lot, and Izzy and I have barely been apart for more than a night in as long as I can remember, much less months.
She stops messing with her suitcase now, walks over to where I’m sitting on her bed and puts her arm around me. I lean my head on her shoulder, and breathe in the comforting scent of her strawberry shampoo, one last time. “I’m going to miss you, too, Em,” she says. “But you’re going to have a great senior year.” She says it emphatically, her voice filled with enthusiasm that I don’t believe or even understand.
“You really could stay,” I say. “You got into two colleges in New Jersey.” This has been my argument to her all summer. I keep thinking if I say it enough she really will change her mind. But even as I say it, I know it’s probably too late for her to change anything for fall semester now, no matter how much I might want her to. And she just looks back at me with worry all over her face.
“Em, you know I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” I wipe my nose with the back of my hand, pulling away from her.
She leaves me on her bed, and goes back to her suitcase. She shifts it around, props it upright and then looks back at me. “You know what you need?” she says, breathing hard from managing the weight of her entire life, crammed inside this giant suitcase. “To get out there this year. Be more social. Get some friends. Maybe even a boyfriend.”
“A boyfriend?” I half laugh, half sniffle at the ridiculousness of it.
“If you keep busy, you won’t even notice I’m gone.” She speaks quickly, excitedly. There’s nothing Izzy likes more than a good plan, but this sounds terrible to me. “Christmas will be here before you know it—” she’s still talking “—then next year, you’ll be off to college, too.”
Maybe that would be true for her, if I were the one leaving, and if she were staying here. If I were the older one, leaving for California first, Izzy would stay here, spend the year with John and barely even notice my absence. Which is what I guess she’s about to do at UCLA. But I’ve always needed Izzy much more than she’s needed me.
“I hate being social. And I don’t want a boyfriend,” I say. “And anyway, you know what the boys are like at our high school. No thanks.” Mostly, they’re intimidated by me and my penchant for math, and I find their intimidation so annoying that I can barely even stand to have a conversation with them, much less a date. And the few that aren’t? Well, the one that isn’t—George—is my equal and co-president of coding club. He also happens to be John’s younger brother. We’re something like friends, George and I. Or maybe not, because we don’t really hang out outside of family stuff, school or coding club, and I guess in a way we’re supposed to be rivals. One of us will for certain be valedictorian of our class this year. The other will be salutatorian. And knowing George, he’s going to be more than a little bit annoyed when he’s staring at my back during graduation.
“You love numbers so much and you’re so good at coding,” Izzy says now with a flip of her blond curls over her shoulder. She wheels the suitcase toward her bedroom door and stops and looks back at me. “You could always code yourself a boyfriend.” She shrugs, then laughs a little, trying to make this moment lighter.
I don’t even crack a smile. “That’s a really ridiculous thing to say,” I tell her. “Thank God you’re going to be an English major.”
But later, after it all fell apart, I would blame her. I’d say that it was all Izzy’s fault, that she started the unraveling of everything with her one stupid offhand comment on the morning that she left me.
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 