Book Review | Girls With Sharp Sticks

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Girls With Sharp Sticks

Author: Suzanne Young

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 393

Categories: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Suspense

The Girls of Innovations Academy are beautiful and well-behaved—it says so on their report cards. Under the watchful gaze of their Guardians, the all-girl boarding school offers an array of studies and activities, from “Growing a Beautiful and Prosperous Garden” to “Art Appreciation” and “Interior Design.” The girls learn to be the best society has to offer. Absent is the difficult math coursework, or the unnecessary sciences or current events. They are obedient young ladies, free from arrogance or defiance. Until Mena starts to realize that their carefully controlled existence may not be quite as it appears.

As Mena and her friends begin to uncover the dark secrets of what’s actually happening there—and who they really are—the girls of Innovations will find out what they are truly capable of. Because some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns.

Girls with Sharp Sticks is a really interesting book and I don’t say that just to say something about it. It’s a book that made me think a lot after I read it, because of the some elements to it (and yes I’m trying not to spoil it 😅).

Philomena “Mena”, and her friends are students at a boarding school called Innovations Academy. They are all very beautiful girls with perfect bodies and looks. Something small like having a scar devalues a girl’s beauty. They attend classes and learn subjects to assimilate into society but they aren’t allowed independent thoughts. Thinking is a bad thing. They aren’t allowed excessive emotions, like regular girls, and take vitamins every night to keep them functioning the way the Academy wants them to.

The further into the story I got, it just made me feel creeped out because the way the men treat these girls is just wrong. And when I say men, I’m talking about their professors, their Guardians, and the administrator, Anton. They threaten, then smile at them, blame them if they don’t “obey”, and then praise them. And then if they really do something bad, they get impulse therapy. Ugh. They are grooming these girls, but for what? Apparently for investors interested in them- but we don’t know what they need them for. It reminded me of The Stepford Wives and when I mentioned the premise of the story to my husband, he said it sounded like Westworld.

One by one the girls start to “wake up” and then we find out what’s really happening at this school. The story kept me interested enough but it is slow going because we keep learning about the girls’ regiment and their life at the Academy. It unfolds like a mystery actually and hardly anything happens outside of the Academy. Mena is a daydreamer, kind of bland, but I see why since she wasn’t woken up yet. She loves her friends very much though – but emotion as well, isn’t something appreciated as a quality for these girls.

The meat of the story is at the end. There is action, a plot twist, questions and some answers but I’m hoping a lot more will be answered in the second book.

If you read the book and feel creeped out, it did its job. The book is supposed to make you uncomfortable like how girls or women feel when boys and men treat females a certain way. The grooming, the abuse, the assault, the constrictions, the expectations and rules placed on these girls is wrong. It is a book for right now with all the issues we are presently dealing with in society.

I wanted the pacing to pick up a bit more because I wanted the girls to start fighting back. Like, enough of this treatment! Let’s kick these guys’ butts already, I was getting so mad. 😤 But I was also getting mad because I was afraid for these girls, they needed help and there seemed to be no one they could turn to. The ending was gripping and it makes me curious as to what will happen in book two. Let’s hope the pacing in book two is quicker and Mena and the girls are equipped with more than just sharp sticks to fight back.

So be a girl to make them ~~proud~~ afraid.”
Girls With Sharp Sticks by. Suzanne Young

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

Book Review | The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

Author: Kelly Harms

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 328

Categories: Romance, Marriage, Family, Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.

Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.

But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart.

I’m finally getting around to my Kindle Unlimited TBR list, thank goodness. They’ve just been sitting there as I try to finish my hardcover library books.

What drew me to this book was that the main character, Amy Byler, is a high school librarian. My dream job, once upon a time! I worked in a library, just never as a librarian. So Amy is a mom, with two teenage kids and barely married to a man who left her and the family for three years. Now John is back and wants to be a father again to the kids he left. Whew…this book could have be angsty and depressing but it wasn’t!

It is funny. Especially because her best friends Lena and Talia are awesome. And the new friends she makes are great as well. Watching Amy have a momspringa (like a mom spring break) made me cheer her on and I was living vicariously through her. I love how it was kind of Devil Wears Prada/Sex in the City, or should I say Date in the City? Because there isn’t much sex in this book. A few kisses here and there and morning afters but description of sex – nope, none. But Matt, Talia’s assistant is a fun character in this story who gives Amy a New York experience.

Seeing Amy get out of her mom shell when she goes to New York, for a library convention was great. Her college bestie Talia runs a trendy women’s magazine and gives Amy a make-over basically. Amy still wars with her conflicting feelings about still being in a broken marriage where they separated and never fully divorced. She’s met someone cute at the conference and the sparks fly, but what kind of future can they really have? She has kids back home, he has a life in New York. Her romance with Daniel was a nice build-up. I love that they became good friends, understanding of one another’s circumstances before making any big moves.

Amy is someone else in New York, someone she’s missed, someone she’s learning to love again. At home, she’s mom. Responsible, on top of everything, the fixer of problems, takes care of everyone but herself-Mom. Letting go of that and being the woman who could finally take the time to take care of herself was liberating for Amy, for women who followed her momspringa online and for me reading this story because I know I need a momspringa. It’s been overdue for 7 years now! So this book was talking to me.

It is a happy ending, which was lovely. Realistic? I’ve seen many people around me who end marriages and can still be civil with their ex for the sake of their children. Then there are those who can’t stand one another. So yes, I can say it is realistic. It’s the modern family, and as it is reiterated in this book, it takes a village, to raise kids.

As for how much I relate to this book? I relate a lot. I’ve been there where I look in the mirror and I wonder there that 22 year old who cared for her appearance more has gone. I miss her sometimes. In between the sleepless nights with the kids, keeping a house clean, making sure people are fed and happy, running the errands, taking them to the doctor and dental appointments, helping with the homework, etc…it’s easy to get overwhelmed because it IS overwhelming. As moms we are taught to put the lives of our children first. I mean once they are born, they put that baby in your arms and you have to feed it! It’s our job to keep that baby alive, thriving, meeting milestones and most time that baby only wants mommy. And it’s hard to let that mentality go.

This was a fun read for a mom who was needing a mental vacation. My momspringa will come soon enough. 😂 Even my husband agrees I deserve one. 👏🏼

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

First Lines Fridays

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

Aloha everyone! 🌺 In Hawai’i we like to call Fridays, “Aloha Fridays”, because it’s the last day of the M-F work week, and bye-bye to the work wee. Except, obviously people still work on the weekends. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Whatever. It still gives you a reason to relax a little, right?

I haven’t written many book reviews this week because I’m trying to slow down and take my time reading. It’s been kind of nice – but I do have a few ARCs I really need to get through, finish and review. So hopefully I’ll have time this weekend.

Let’s get to the BOOK though…can you guess where this is from?

“The forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice.”

🙈

One of my favorite series! This book keeps staring at me, it’s on my shelf above my desk and I’ve been meaning to read it soon. But I have so many others to finish before I can re-read it.

What are your plans this weekend? What are you reading right now? Leave me a comment below – would love to hear from you!

Summer Bucket List Book Tag

I saw this book tag post on a few blogs this week so I wanted to try it. I clicked back to the original creator and fell in love with her blog, Read By Tiffany. It’s so beautiful, #bloggoals for real! This looks fun, let’s see how it goes and you can try it too.

The Rules via Read By Tiffany

Link back to the original creator in your post.
Feel free to use any of my graphics in your post, or create your own!
Tag 5 other people at the end of your post, and let them know you’ve tagged them.

It’s not summertime if you aren’t reading a Sarah Dessen novel. A lot of her books are set by the water, usually a lake. The Rest of the Story takes place at a lake town in the height of the summer season as it approaches the 4th of July. It’s about family, summertime in a lake town, finding yourself and yes – falling in love! Perfect beach, lake or pool reading material. 🏖

This book comes out in December! But I read it as an eArc provided by NetGalley last month and can I just mention that there is a part in the book that is just…🔥🥵😍 and nothing really happens in this scene but pure tension and talking. But I was fanning myself, seriously. It’s a modern re-imagining of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. Hearts, Strings, and other Breakable Things should really be a summer book with all the heat in it but I guess it will be melting hearts in December. 😉

Another eArc provided by NetGalley that I just finished is The Lady Rogue by the wonderful Jenn Bennett. This one you don’t have to wait long for as it is being published on September 3, 2019. This has adventure through Turkey and Romania with our main characters going on a treasure hunt. The dialogue between Theodora and Huck is so much fun and they constantly bicker because they have strong feelings for each other. If you like Vlad (Dracula) legends and stories about roughing it in a foreign country in the 1930’s – then you will love this book.

In a time of Marie Antoinette and the Palace of Versailles…how could I not be starstruck by such excess of that time period? This book was enchanting indeed, from the hot air balloon rides, decadent nights gambling and playing in the gardens at Versailles and falling in love. Enchantée left me starstruck.

I am Frankly in Love with this book. It explored racism, how to bridge two cultures when being American and Korean. It made laugh, it made me sad and it made me cry. It’s funny and yes it has romance as well. A friends to fake lovers to lovers scenario. Though light-hearted at times and heavy as well, I read this book in one day. I read the ARC courtesy of winning it on Bookishfirst.com but it will be out September 10, 2019. It’s one of my favorite books this year!

Somewhere Only We Know is a sweet story that made me hungry! This book is one of my other faves this year. It is a cute romance story about a K-Pop star and an ordinary guy. They spend a whole day together and yes – fall in love while traipsing around Hong Kong. If you want a very fun, light-hearted read, this one is definitely for you!

Spin the Dawn was a breath of fresh air for me. It’s a fantasy novel with magic and a cutthroat fashion competition. The drama! The fashion! There is intrigue, magic, romance, a quest and adventure. If you want a little bit of everything, then add this to your TBR list.

There are so many books I read that fit this criteria but I went back into my archives for books I read this year and chose A Curse So Dark and Lonely. What better obstacle to conquer than trying to help break a curse? And doing it while dealing with Cerebral Palsy? This is a Beauty and The Beast reimagining and it’s really good. It’s book one in the series and I’m excited for book two.

This isn’t my original pick for this category, it would be Somewhere Only We Know or Frankly in Love because of the Asian cuisine that I love featured in it. So this is my third choice, The Gilded Wolves, which is actually a heist story set in industrial Paris. Already you know Paris has a reputation for amazing cuisine but there is a character in this book, Laila, who always has sugar in her hair and is baking amazing desserts. So because of that, this is my choice for a book with delicious food! 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

You don’t get more inspiring than Angie Thomas’ newest book On The Come Up. Bri wants to be a rapper and she’s so good at writing rhymes but she has to overcome some issues at home, school, the industry and the neighborhood to really succeed. Can she do it? Can she rise above it all? This embodied my love of hip-hop, and it explored race and socio-economic issues. By the end I felt as inspired as Bri to reach my goals!

And that’s it!

You know…after doing this tag, I realize I need more contemporary, light-hearted, summery books to read! Everything I seem to read has been dark lately. 😆

I’m not going to tag anyone only because I’ve seen so many bloggers doing this tag already and I don’t want you to be tagged again. If you didn’t do it yet, I’d love to see your list! If you do make one, post your link in the comments below and I will check it out. This is one way I add to my TBR list, I love reading these book tag lists and find books that interest me. Please, recommend me more light-hearted romance novels please! I need them. 😘

Book Review: The Wicked Deep

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Wicked Deep

Author: Shea Ernshaw

Format: Hardcover (owned)

Pages: 310

Categories: Witches, Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

“Magic is not always formed from words, from cauldrons brewing spices or black cats strolling down dark alleys. Some curses are manifested from desire and injustice.”
The Wicked Deep by. Shea Ernshaw

I read this book during tonight’s full moon and it was exactly what I needed. All I was missing was a cup of tea with some tea leaves in it. 😉

Let me just say this first about The Wicked Deep. The cover is so gorgeous. The silver lettering catches the light magically ! So at times you see a rainbow of color in the lettering. It’s just beautiful. 😍

I devoured this book. It’s not a long book, only clocking in at 310 pages. I was done in four hours. My mood was right, the moon was full and this was a book about a small town cursed by witches. Now just because this book is about witches that doesn’t mean this book is about them practicing magic. There isn’t much action in it, but it still sucked me in. This story is about the lore and history of the Swan Sisters, what was done to them and how they get their revenge. It’s a tragedy and a love story.

The writing is wonderful, I felt like I was in that town of Sparrow. I could envision the water, the trees, and the lighthouse. It was like I could smell the salt in the air, and the rain on my face. This story at times was eerie and dark, especially with how the Swan Sisters died and the drownings that happen annually during their anniversary. The town is popular for its cursed reputation. People from far away flock to Sparrow to see if the legend is real every June 1st.

Penny Talbot is a resident of Sparrow and she knows she will never leave. Her mom lives like a ghost after the disappearance of her father a few years ago. They live on Lumiere Island, where there is a lighthouse. Penny falls for a newcomer named Bo, and things start to change for her. Though their love is insta-love, I think it’s understandable because of the plot twist. The plot twist was predictable but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.

The ending for me was bittersweet. 😩

I think I really enjoyed this book because it was reminiscent of spooky stories told to me when I was young. For me, it was Hawaii urban legends, Hawaiian myth lore, Japanese scary stories, and Filipino stories about hexes, witchdoctors and curses (thanks mom 😅)! This book gave me that eerie, suspicious feeling that creepy stories tend to make me feel.

But can you imagine living in a town, known for a curse and where every year boys drown in the water? 😣🤭 It’s so creepy that the residents of Sparrow celebrate the anniversary with fanfare. And the Death Bell that tolled when a body was found? I wouldn’t be able to live in a town like that! I’d have anxiety all summer long. 😂

This book wove it’s spell on me and it didn’t let go of me until the very last page. .

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors

This Top Ten Tuesday topic is Auto-Buy Authors. Let’s see if I can come up with ten authors. I say that because I downsized a lot when I moved years ago, and stopped buying books! I mostly borrowed from the library and then couldn’t wait for new releases to show up in the catalog so I bought ebooks. But I’m back to buying physical books again. Yay! 💃🏻

Sarah J. Maas – I can honestly say I wasn’t totally on board when I read Throne of Glass. But I kept up with the series because I thought Celaena was a cool character. It got better with each book. It kind of lost me again at the last book, but I think by then I was just way more invested in the A Court of Thorn and Roses series. That’s when she became an auto-buy author for me. I look forward to her new series, Crescent City and can we also get a Cassian/Nesta spin off, please?

Holly Black – I love faerie stories and who kicked off my love for them? Why Ms. Holly Black herself. When I read Tithe, I was so intrigued, I devoured all Fae stories from then on out. I never read her middle grade books, but everything else of Holly’s I’ve read and loved. And she’s in top form with there The Folk of the Air Series with Jude and Cardan. Absolute auto-buy.

Lisa Kleypas – my first love will always be romance novels. And after my favorite Judith McNaught stopped writing them there was a huge void to fill. Then I stumbled upon Lisa Kleypas. I absolutely love her historical romance novels. Her contemporary ones aren’t on the same level, but if it’s a historical romance, it’s an auto-buy for sure.

Sarah MacLean – And when Lisa Kleypas started writing contemporary, I needed someone to fill the hole for historical romance and I tried a few. Many were misses, but one lady hit it – Sarah MacLean. Her books are passionate and fun, fun, FUN. Absolute auto-buy.

Jenny Han – I’m sure I’ve loved all her novels since the Summer series and can we talk about the aesthetic of her book covers? So pretty. Okay I didn’t love the Summer series as much as my best friend did, but I liked the story-telling, the whole two brothers in love with the same girl theme is not for me. Obviously my fave will be To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before because, Lara Jean and Peter K!

Sarah Dessen – Sarah Dessen was a staple for me in my college years. I was going through a lot of changes and there is something special about Sarah Dessen books. I can relate to her stories so well. They are about complicated families, and complicated feelings usually. She’s still an auto-buy after all these years.

Jenn Bennett – I stumbled upon Jenn Bennet because of the cover of Alex, Approximately, which I adored. I love the dialogue between her characters. I’ve read four books of hers now and I think it’s time to add her on my auto-buy list.

Karen Marie Morning – speaking of historical romances. Karen Marie Morning wrote this highlander books before her Fever Series and I loved it. Love her alpha male Highlanders who could wield druid magic and travel time. And then she wrote Darkfever and that was it – she’s been an auto-buy author for a long while now.

Christi Caldwell – another historical romance author that I stumbled on but this time with a Kindle Unlimited account where I could devour most of her books. And she has a lot. Christi Caldwell never seems to stop writing it seems. I love most of her books, though some fell flat for me too, but I’ve enjoyed her Wicked Wallflower series a lot. So she’s an automatic read for me on my Kindle Unlimited account.

Kristin Hannah – I read The Nightingale when it first published then devoured all her books. She is one of my favorite authors. I have yet to read The Great Alone and I will excuse that because I had a year old baby when it published and my mother-in-law told me it was a bit heavy and dark. But I will read it soon!

Who’s on your auto-buy author list? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you!

ARC Review: Frankly in Love

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Frankly in Love

Author: David Yoon

Format: Paperback (owned)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Categories: Romance, Family, Contemporary, Young Adult, Culture, Race

High school senior Frank Li is a Limbo–his term for Korean-American kids who find themselves caught between their parents’ traditional expectations and their own Southern California upbringing. His parents have one rule when it comes to romance–“Date Korean”–which proves complicated when Frank falls for Brit Means, who is smart, beautiful–and white. Fellow Limbo Joy Song is in a similar predicament, and so they make a pact: they’ll pretend to date each other in order to gain their freedom. Frank thinks it’s the perfect plan, but in the end, Frank and Joy’s fake-dating maneuver leaves him wondering if he ever really understood love–or himself–at all.

Thank you to Bookishfirst for giving me a chance to win a copy of this Arc.

When I read the first few pages of it on the Bookishfirst website, I knew I needed this book. If I didn’t win it in their raffle giveaway, then I would have eventually bought it. A Korean-American who wants to date a white girl? Here I am, a Filipino-American woman who married a white guy. I could relate.

I got the book the other day and finished it in one day. This book IS the story of my young adult years. Well it’s Frank’s story but wow, did it hit the bullseye. This story is about Frank Li, born in America, raised with Korean immigrant parents, trying to balance being American and being Korean – it is complicated. I am not Korean-American, I am Filipino-American, but it all resonated with me. This book hit me hard it also made me cry.

It could just be a book about a boy with immigrant parents, trying to date outside of his race, but this book is way more than that. It explored racism exhibited by his own parents and discrimination among their own race by their own race. I was like. Yes, yes and YES! And then when the difference between Frank and his white girlfriend, Brit, reveals itself in certain situations especially in the way her parents treat her and the way his parents treat him I thought I was having a flashback of my own life. The openness American families have (at least in Brit’s family) and the way they shared affection struck a chord in me. I struggled with that too – my parents were never affectionate or said I love you. I accepted as an adult that they showed their love through hard work and giving me a roof over my head and food to eat and sent me to college. They worked their bodies to the bone to give my sister and I an easier life in America. It made my heart ache when Frank realizes a few things about his parents and seeing Frank come to understand (good for him as a teen-because it took me awhile) that sacrifice from his parents equaled love. I saw me in him.

As for Frank and fake-dating his friend Joy, it was a pretty good plan but it was bound to hurt some people if the truth was let out. Without giving spoilers, I’ll just say he’s a teenager, confused about love and his role in life, and absolutely allowed to make his mistakes.

The part that made me cry was because of the family aspect of the book. It’s kind of amazing when you learn that your parents once upon a time were young and scared too. Sometimes we forget parents and grandparents were young too. I felt Frank’s desire to do the right thing, please his parents but try to be happy too. It’s a hard thing to achieve so young especially when he sees what happens to his older sister, Hannah, when she dates an African-American boy. And when something serious happens to his dad, it makes him deal with certain things much quicker than he expected. What is he supposed to do?

This book made me realize we all struggle in some capacity with our family, our friends, our love-lives, and trying to find our way through life and figuring our own selves out. Love sometimes doesn’t look like the kind of love you thought it should resemble. We are not perfect, we do not know how to get along with the rest of society or our own family, perfectly – we are not experts on each other’s cultures or way of life but we can be open, we can learn. We make mistakes, but we try to learn and figure things out. We live, we love, we get lost, we find our way, we reach the highs of happiness and we feel the lows of loss and despair. And we keep going, trying to make sense of life and who we really are.

This story reminded me I wasn’t alone in my thoughts and struggle as a child/teen/young adult. I think my heart broke for Frank Li and sixteen year old me. There were so many passages in this book I wanted to underline, but I don’t mark my books! There was a part in this book where Frank Li says one day his own kids will have parents who are open and show affection. My sister and I said that too before we had kids. We said, WE will show our kids so much love, show affection and say I love you…😭 And with our kids now, my parents have learned to say I love you to their grandchildren all the time and shower them with so much hugs and affection. ❤️

I could say so much about this book but this would be a super long post. It’s funny, touching, eye-opening, heart-warming, heart-breaking, and written beautifully. Of course it is, how did I not know until the end that Nicola Yoon (The Sun Is Also a Star) is his wife? She writes beautifully as well! What a duo!

I’m Frankly In Love with this book. I can say this is one of my favorite books this year.

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

Book Review: Oberon Academy

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Oberon Academy – Book One: The Orphan

Author: Wendi L. Wilson

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 252

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Faeries

Sometimes the ones who save us are the ones we need to fear the most.

In a world where dark faeries have stepped in to save the planet from humanity’s mistakes, seventeen-year-old December Thorne is nothing but a shadow. Shunned by her peers, bullied at school, and paid a little too much attention by her sleazy foster father, she lives in constant fear and perpetual solitude.

Until the day everything changes.

Offered a scholarship to the prestigious Oberon Academy, December finds herself living in a whole new world. Boundless food, clean clothes, a safe place to sleep, and the potential for true friendship make her new life seem almost too good to be true—but the school has a secret.

The truth is, Oberon Academy isn’t just a prep school for society’s elite. It’s a training ground for a secret race of magical beings no one knows exists. And they’re preparing for war.

Filled with fear and denial, December has a choice to make. She can either return to her pathetic life with her dangerous foster parents, try to survive on her own, or make Oberon Academy her home and discover the truth about who, and what she really is.

And that truth could save the world.

If you know me by now, through my blog that is, you know I’m a sucker for “Academy” books. There are a bit way too much of it showing up on my Kindle Unlimited “recommended for you” list and the covers all look alike. 😩So I was drawn to this one because the cover looked a tad bit different

I just read it this morning, past midnight for sure…more like, I woke up at 4:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I grabbed my Kindle and was done with this by 7am! Haha, then my kids woke up.

It’s a quick read and only 252 pages. What I liked about it? I like that it’s a take on Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare because when I was in middle grade, I was kind of obsessed with this story. King Oberon, Queen Titania and Puck, I love them all! Mind you I thought the word Oberon in the title was just coincidence but when other familiar names started popping up I was like…😯. The Sylphs at Oberon Academy are like the good fairies who like to have fun, and most of them are blond. At that part, I was like, really? 🤔 Whereas the Zephyrs who helped Earth when humans were on the verge of world destruction have black eyes, black hair and black wings. Which December Thorne an enigma.

December, has had a rough childhood, bouncing from one foster home to another. But she gets a chance to escape her current situation when she is accepted into Oberon Academy. She has black hair, blue eyes and she has black wings. From then on it’s the predictable tropes that happen in this genre – popular boy falls for different, new girl, and then she finds she has more powers than anyone else and there is a villain to defeat.

But I eat this stuff up like ice cream. I can’t stop (well I am lactose intolerant now, so I do know I can’t consume ice cream like before 😩) – and the stories in these academy series by indie authors on Kindle Unlimited are usually so short, it’s easy to consume so fast.

I liked December and watching her grow from invisible girl to the girl dating the Oberon heir, hottie faerie Easton. The attraction between them is definitely bordering on New Adult status. Haha…there isn’t any sex though if you are wondering. I also enjoyed seeing her find a best friend in Shaela, because friendship is important. I think all of the characters could use a bit more depth maybe – it seemed too easy that she meets Easton and that’s it. I don’t even think she met another teenage boy at this academy. Not even Easton had friends!

Since this was only book one, I wonder if December will be driven to the dark side of the Zephyrs at all in future books, because that would be interesting! Anyway, this book was light reading, predictable, yes, but I enjoyed it and hopefully it can only get better from here on.

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

ARC Review: The Lady Rogue

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Lady Rogue

Author: Jenn Bennett

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Categories: Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Romance

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

Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

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

What an adventure!

Jenn Bennett is one of my new favorite authors because of her young adult contemporary romance novels. But a historical fantasy adventure with two teens romping through Turkey and Romania by train, legs, plane and raft in the 1930’s on the search for Vlad the Impaler’s magical ring? She did good, so good!

Seriously, what a life for Theodora Fox, growing up abroad because of her treasure hunter dad. I envied her freedom to explore. Alas, there are issues that come a long with it like a dad that goes missing and leaves her behind. But Theo is a headstrong and smart girl, who is obsessed with crossword puzzles and putting together clues. She pretty much seemed to be able to take care of herself. Did she resent her dad? Sure, and after her mom’s passing, she really did need her only other parent to be with her.

Then there is Huck who has charisma and is easy on the eyes. They have a past, of course. Jenn Bennett’s characters always fly off the page. They seem solid and real. I felt like I was watching a movie while reading this. I love the banter between Theo and Huck, there is a lot of passion between them and bickering. They like to argue and yell at each other but they make a great team. Huck charms the anger out of her and she keeps him on his toes. All the secondary characters are fun too and add more to the Vlad theories as Theo and Huck search for her dad.

Now the romance part is evenly thrown in there, it doesn’t take over the story, but it is present throughout. But the rest of the story? Good thing I read the author’s note where she explained how the magical ring is fiction, because I was about to google Vlad the Impaler’s (Dracula) magical ring. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Because it’s believable like that, at least the lore could be believable, right? Or, at least I want to believe it because it’s fun!

A secret society, a journal with clues, treasure hunting, magical rings, scary Romanian woods with wolf dogs and the the occult! This story had about everything. There was love, travel, action, history, fantasy and danger. And even with all the dangerous situations thrown at Theo and Huck, the story stayed light and funny because of their interaction with each other. I enjoyed that very much.

This book took me on a fun, amazing adventure with Theo and Huck. I hope there will be more of their adventures in the future. 😉

Get it here: Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

First Lines Fridays

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

Hi everyone! So I changed the look of my blog – wanted it to look a bit summery but with a cool color palette. It’s been so hot and humid in Hawaii, I’m ready for winter. I say winter because we hardly get seasons. Fall feels like an extension of summer. 😅 Hope you all are staying cool wherever you are. I just got a nice book haul from Book Outlet come in the mail today so I’m gonna choose a book from my box to feature today.

Ready??

“Branches scrape his cheek, hungry for his blood. Eyes wide, the boy pushes harder, shoving at the sharp, dry leaves, stomping through undergrowth and deadfall. The trees are an old-growth tangle of trip wire, a web of limbs and fingers and claws to snare him. Behind the boy, the devil clicks his teeth.”

👀

⬇️