Midnight at the Houdini by. Delilah S. Dawson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Midnight at the Houdini

Author: Delilah S. Dawson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 9/5/23

Publisher: Delacorte

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Magical Realism, Fantasy

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

Thank you to Delacorte for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight she’ll be trapped there forever unless she’s able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!

The night is perfect and glorious and sparkling, too beautiful to be real. Like magic.

Anna may have grown up in glitzy Las Vegas, but she’s determined that no one will ever call her shallow. While her older sister Emily is the star of the family, Anna is the diligent stage manager, making sure that both their lives go perfectly to plan. But when Emily reveals a startling betrayal, Anna flees in the middle of a raging storm and takes shelter in a boutique establishment she’s never seen before: The Houdini.

Inside, Anna discovers a magic hotel . . . and a magical boy. Earnest, curious Max has lived his entire life inside the Houdini. Over the course of one surreal evening, he becomes Anna’s guide to the curious building. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.

But that’s because the Houdini has no other guests. No one ever enters the Houdini . . . and no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped in the Houdini forever. If Anna’s ever going to find out who she is on her own in the real world, she’ll first have to make an impossible escape. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

Content Warning:

This book was a little mix of everything and not all of it worked for me. It’s set in Las Vegas, where Anna has just finished helped with her sister’s wedding. She’s in a car with her dad (a hotel mogul) and his two friends (who were kind of like uncles to her, but kind of jerks). They get caught in a freak tornado and end up taking shelter or trying to find help at one of the hotels they own, The Houdini.

Inside the Houdini is something else. There is a boy named Max who’s never left the Houdini and his mom Phoebe who’s the villain of the story. The Houdini is like Alice in Wonderland strange, and yet the tornado reminded me of the Wizard of Oz…this story is quite a whirlwind and I couldn’t quite find myself being invested in the story even though I thought some of the elements were interesting.

The story moves so fast, so at least I didn’t struggle with that but this wasn’t for me.

Why you should read it:

you like magical realism and magical hotels

Why you might not want to read it:

the mix of everything just didn’t work for me

My Thoughts:

This one isn’t for me. I thought the concept was strangely cool with the hotel being magical, but the story failed to hold my interest.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sign of the Slayer by. Sharina Harris | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Sign of the Slayer

Author: Sharina Harris

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 8/29/23

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Vampire Slayers

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

Thank you to Entangled Teen for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Full Metal Alchemist meets Vampire Diaries in this fun and clever dark academia series…

High school is supposed to be about studying, socializing, and marching-band practice. Not fighting vampires. Then one night flipped my world inside out―now, my life sucks. But it isn’t all bad. I’m at a slayer academy, learning things like the real origin of vamps and how to make serious weapons out of thin air.

Every last one of them will pay for what they did. I’m doing great.

Until I come face-to-face with the actual vampire prince…and I’m not sure of anything anymore. Vampires are supposed to be soul-sucking demons. But Khamari is…something else. He’s intelligent and reasonable―and he seems to know things about me that could change everything.

He’s also hiding something big, even from his own kind. And when a threat from an ancient evil is so extreme that a vampire will team up with a slayer to take it down, it isn’t just my need for revenge that’s at stake anymore.

It’s the whole damn world.

Content Warning: violence, blood

Raven is just a regular girl, riding a bus when all of a sudden she and her friends are attacked by vampires. From there Raven is thrusted into the world of vampires and vampire slayers. She’s a vampire slayer apparently and a powerful one at that.

I liked that the story is fast paced and filled with a lot of action and vampire slaying. I thought the cast was a nice diverse set of characters and the story about Alexander the Great being the King of Vampires is a fascinating take. But I think there were a few things that was rushed and there was definite insta-love or should I say insta-lust? But it’s a forbidden love between a vampire and a slayer, which is always a fun trope. I’d have liked a bit more world-building. I thought it was so quick how Raven went from being attacked on a bus and then boom, accepting her fate as a slayer and being a leader. I didn’t feel as connected to the story but I thought this first book has so much potential.

As for Raven she does kick ass and she has a strong personality but I want to see some growth. It would be interesting to see what happens to her in the next book.

Tropes: forbidden love, insta love

Why you should read it:

you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer
there’s a lot of action

Why you might not want to read it:

not into vampires

My Thoughts:

There is a lot to like about this one especially if you are into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think teens and young adults will enjoy this one a lot and it’s a great read for Fall!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Together We Rot by. Skyla Arndt | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Together We Rot

Author: Skyla Arndt

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 272

Publication Date: 8/29/23

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Horror, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance, Suspense

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

Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A teen girl looking for the truth about her missing mother forms a reluctant alliance with her former best friend…in exchange for hiding him from his cult-leading family.

Wil Greene’s mom has been missing for over a year, and the police are ready to call the case closed–they claim she skipped town and you can’t find a woman who wants to disappear. But she knows her mom wouldn’t just leave…and she knows the family of her former best friend, Elwood Clarke, has something to do with it.

Elwood has been counting down the days until his 18th birthday–in dread. It marks leaving school and joining his pastor father in dedicating his life to their congregation, the Garden of Adam. But when he comes home after one night of after a final goodbye with his friends, already self-flagellating for the sins of drinking and disobeying his father, he discovers his path is not as virtuous as he thought. He’s not his father’s successor, but his sacrifice. For the woods he’s grown up with are thirsty, and must be paid in blood.

Now on the run from a family that wants him dead, he turns to the only one who will believe him: Wil. Together, they form a reluctant partnership; she’ll help him hide if he helps her find evidence that his family killed her mother. But in the end they dig up more secrets than they bargained for, unraveling decades of dark cult dealings in their town, led by the Clarke family.

And there’s a reason they need Elwood’s blood for their satanic rituals. Something inhuman is growing inside of him. Everywhere he goes, the plants come alive and the forest calls to him, and Wil isn’t sure if she can save the boy she can’t help but love.

Content Warning: violence, horror, parental abuse, grief, alcoholism, parent neglect

I love this book cover and I was intrigue by the title, Together We Rot. Right away you can tell there will be horror elements to it but I still wasn’t sure what to expect.

You are immediately thrown into this story where Wil, a teenage girl is angry because her mom has been missing but the town is about to close the case. She has a feeling her ex-best friend’s religious/cultish family is the reason for her going missing but she has no proof. Elwood, her ex-best friend is a boy who’s dad is the leader of the Garden of Adam, a religious cult, and he’s being abused by both his father and mother. Elwood is a timid and frightful boy but inside him is something dark.

In one night of desperation Elwood takes one night before he’s about to “leave” and parties with his friends like he never has. But things go haywire and he realizes something is wrong with him and maybe Wil’s suspicions about his family is correct. What happens next is quick and soon Elwood and Wil is on the run and hiding from his family and the sheriff and things take a turn for the worse.

The horror is when things about the church is revealed and mostly in the end when there is body horror when it comes to Elwood. I thought the ending was bittersweet though. Elwood had to accept some things about himself in order to make peace with what was happening.

It’s a quick read and I wasn’t sure how it would end but I did find it fairly entertaining! I also found the second-chance romance between Wil and Elwood kind of sweet. And I did enjoy the secondary characters, Wil and Elwood’s friends.

Tropes: best friends to enemies to lovers

Why you should read it:

it’s a quick read
fascinating story with two main characters with a history, a missing person mystery, a religious cult and something dark inside Elwood

Why you might not want to read it:

there are a few heavy topics with parental abuse and neglect
some pacing issues – slow start and then quickly picks up and rushes to the end

My Thoughts:

This one is a dark and unexpected story but with a sweet kind of second chance romance in the midst of it all. I love Wil and Elwood’s history and how they struggle through some truths to fall in love again. It’s their love that in a way saves Elwood. The horror mostly circles around the parental abuse and religious cult, and definitely around whatever darkness that lives in Elwood. So I found this book to be more of a mystery and suspense/thriller than horror (except the ending). I think if some things weren’t so rushed in the book my rating would be way higher. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Her Radiant Curse by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Her Radiant Curse

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 8/29/23

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Categories: Prequel, Series, Fantasy, Family, Young Adult

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

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

One sister must fall for the other to rise.

Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.

Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.

Content Warning: violence

I don’t know what I was thinking when I started reading this book, or I wasn’t thinking and just wanted to read an Elizabeth Lim book because she is an amazing storyteller. But this is the prequel to Six Crimson Cranes and I didn’t realize it until halfway into the story! This is Raikama’s (Channi) story, Shiori’s step-mother who was such an intriguing character in Six Crimson Cranes. Now we get her backstory.

The story telling as always with this author is magical. It just seems so effortless! The story takes us on an adventure through what feels like South East Asia. The climate is tropical, with tigers and snakes and food ingredients that I recognized because they are used in Filipino cooking like, pandan! That was a nice surprise!

Channi is cursed with a snake face, whereas her sister, Vanna shines like a jewel. When the witch/demon who cursed Channi comes to claim her sister as promised, Channi fights like hell to save her with a few allies. This was such a beautiful story about sibling love, it broke my heart in the end.

And I love Ukar, Channi’s snake friend! He was such a loyal friend and I love Channi’s connection to him and the snakes. The message of the book was beautifully conveyed too. Channi was cursed with snake scales on her face and she lived a life of struggle because of it. And Vanna is born with beauty but she too endures a few personal struggles even though she’s given everything. So they both were unhappy, beautiful or not. Also, Angma’s story is heartbreaking, even though she is the villain. It goes to show be careful what you wish for because the consequences of it can be unknowingly devastating.

I wanted more romance between Channi and Hokzuh but that’s just because I love romance in my fantasies. Their story is a bit of a tragedy though, which was sad.

Why you should read it:

the sibling love between Channi and Vanna
beautiful storytelling

Why you might not want to read it:

you didn’t read or like Six Crimson Cranes

My Thoughts:

This is a wonderful prequel to Six Crimson Cranes! If you wanted to know more about Raikama, Shiori’s stepmother, then here is your chance because this is her story when she was just a girl named Channi who loved her sister Vanna so very much.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon

Arc Review: Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars, #2) | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six Crimson Cranes by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dragon’s Promise by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

House of Marionne by. J. Elle | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: House of Marionne (#1)

Author: J. Elle

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/29/23

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Magic

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

Thank you to Razorbill for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

RICH IS THE BLOOD OF THE CHOSEN.

17 year-old Quell has lived her entire life on the run. She and her mother have fled from city to city, in order to hide the deadly magic that flows through Quell’s veins.

Until someone discovers her dark secret.

To hide from the assassin hunting her, and keep her mother out of harm’s way, Quell reluctantly inducts into a debutante society of magical social elites called the Order that she never knew existed. If she can pass their three rites of membership, mastering their proper form of magic, she’ll be able to secretly bury her forbidden magic forever.

If caught, she will be killed.

But becoming the perfect debutante is a lot harder than Quell imagined, especially when there’s more than tutoring happening with Jordan, her brooding mentor and— assassin in training.

When Quell uncovers the deadly lengths the Order will go to defend its wealth and power, she’s forced to choose: embrace the dark magic she’s been running from her entire life or risk losing everything, and everyone, she’s grown to love.

Still, she fears the most formidable monster she’ll have to face is the one inside.

Brimming with ballgowns and betrayal, magic and mystery, decadence and darkness, House of Marionne is perfect for readers who crave morally gray characters, irresistible romance, dark academia, and a deeply intoxicating and original world.

Content Warning:

I was definitely intrigued by the synopsis of this book and of course I love the beautiful cover. The synopsis touted balls, secret societies and balls and it definitely had all those things plus romance. I liked that it was a magic school where Quell, the main character, had to figure out how to use magic but she’s hiding a secret, she has forbidden magic in her that she has to struggle to suppress so no one knows.

It has the typical magic training school tropes, which I always enjoy. I love the whole magic school atmosphere. Quell is new so she has to catch up to the other students. Some become her friends, some resent her for being the long lost Marionne heir who has come back into the fold and the favorite of the headmistress, who is her grandmother.

There is a romance between Quell and Jordan, who is part of another House but training at House Marionne. Jordan is her mentor. He’s someone who is all about his duty, which make them sort of opposites but they have a lot of things in common too.

I did like Quell but there were times I found her really naive for someone who is a seasoned runaway. I just felt like she would listen to her instincts more. But I think I’m judging it from an adult point of view because if I read this as a young adult I’d probably relate better to her. Quell is also separated from her mom and her relationship with her grandmother is new and felt false. It makes for some interesting family dynamics. This book is great for teens and young adults.

Also I felt like the beginning just throws you into the story without much build-up. We go in blind just as Quell does when she finds her grandma and learns about this secret society. I found the story entertaining and I liked the ending where we learn about Yagrin. He’s a character introduced in the beginning and we get bits of his perspective here and there, but the ending reveals a bit more and makes me want to read book two!

Why you should read it:

magic school, secret society, family, romance

Why you might not want to read it:

might read too young for some adults

My Thoughts:

I’m a sucker for magic schools, and a girl training to use powers she never knew she had but also hiding the secret of the supposedly bad powers she does have. I felt like this book had all the elements I love in a young adult urban fantasy, including the romance between Quell and her mentor, Jordan. Some people might find this reads young and Quell is a naive and clueless in some aspects but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. I also liked the ending which makes me want to read the next book in the series. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining story!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Wings of Ebony | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Zhara by. S. Jae-Jones | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Zhara (Guardians of Dawn, #1)

Author: S. Jae-Jones

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 8/1/23

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Magic

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

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.

Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.

Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.

In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.

Content Warning: violence

I was absolutely drawn to this book because of that gorgeous book cover. It’s one of the prettiest book covers I’ve seen this year. I was also intrigued with the synopsis saying it’s Sailor Moon meets Cinder but as I read the book I felt like it didn’t deliver on any of those fronts. And I watched Sailor Moon this summer so that’s fresh in my head while I read this book and there were some similarities. I think Zhara has the personality of Usagi (Sailor Moon) in some aspects, like she giggles around good looking people, she’s bubbly but cares about helping others.

Story wise it was easy to follow. There is something going on, monsters are reemerging and the need for the mysterious society called the Guardians of Dawn are needed for their magical skill. I guess that’s another thing related to Sailor Moon, the Guardians. But it’s very different from the Guardians in Sailor Moon.

Zhara has magic that she is trying to keep secret. She’s a little bit of a Cinderella, and her evil step-mother treats her and her sister horribly. Zhara meets the royal prince, Han, who’s undercover and looking for the Guardians also. I thought their interactions were cute and fun. There is a lot of sexual innuendo because of some books they discuss but it all feels very innocent. My favorite character I think is Xu, who is Han’s best friend. They are Han’s closest companion and really came through for him when he needed them. I felt like Xu kept Hu in line as much as they could.

I was okay with the build up of the story but somewhere along the way the story wasn’t holding my attention. I think maybe this would work better for younger readers. It read a little too young for me, or I’m just too old for it, but I couldn’t connect to the story.

Why you should read it:

comparison to Sailor Moon and Cinder, it has magic and Guardians, and a sweet romance

Why you might not want to read it:

might read too young for some adults

My Thoughts:

I wish I could have connected to this story more because I really do love that book cover. I also could have been comparing it hard to Sailor Moon since I spent the summer watching the series on Netflix. Overall, it was an okay read with some funny moments but I think it’s not for me. I do think it would appeal to younger YA readers though.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bring Me Your Midnight by. Rachel Griffin | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Bring Me Your Midnight

Author: Rachel Griffin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 8/2/23

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Contemporary Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Witches

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

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tana Fairchild’s fate has never been in question. Her life has been planned out since the moment she was born: she is to marry the governor’s son, Landon, and secure an unprecedented alliance between the witches of her island home and the mainlanders who see her very existence as a threat.

Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe.

Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.

As the sea grows more violent, her coven loses control of the currents, a danger that could destroy the alliance as well as her island. Tana will have to choose between love and duty, between loyalty to her people and loyalty to her heart. Marrying Landon would secure peace for her coven but losing Wolfe and his wild magic could cost her everything else.

Content Warning:

I love stories about witches and this author seems to be writing about only witches. I read The Nature of Witches but haven’t read Wild is the Witch yet. I decided to give this one a chance because I thought The Nature of Witches had so much potential but I just didn’t totally love it.

I like the concept of Bring Me Your Midnight. The story is full of magic, romance, and a difficult choice that Mortana (Tana) has to make. I thought the world building was very interesting and I liked how the townspeople had their own magic that they used for their trade of business. Mortana’s family made perfumes and her best friend Ivy made tea infused with magic. I like how their magic was useful.

Mortana is the chosen witch who is supposed to unite the mainlanders and witches into a unified front by an arranged marriage. Landon seems nice enough but through this book we really don’t get to know him at all. Mortana is a nice girl, a good girl, who falls for a mysterious, handsome boy. It’s a forbidden love she has to give up if she wants to be a dutiful daughter to her parents and her community.

I usually love a good witchy romance story, but I found this one just okay. I wanted more from the characters and I didn’t feel like I connected to anyone except maybe for Tana’s best-friend Ivy who had a really strong voice. There was a lot of angst and longing between Tana and Wolfe but I just felt like something was missing intensity and I just couldn’t get invested in them.

Tropes: forbidden love, duty or love, enemies to lovers

Why you should read it:

you like witches and forbidden love

Why you might not want to read it:

I wanted more from the characters, felt like it was missing something

My Thoughts:

I was excited to read this one because the cover is beautiful and I love stories about witches but this one was just okay for me. I like the concept of the story but I wanted more from the characters. I found it hard to get invested in their story. I did like how Tana had to face a hard choice between duty and love because we get to see her struggle and grow. She also stands strong in trying to get the truth from her mother about their magic, powers and history. So I thought it was nice to see her grow and be able to choose love in the end. This may have fallen a little flat to me but I think a lot of other people will love this story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Nature of Witches by. Rachel Griffin | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

How Not to Fall in Love by. Jacqueline Firkins | ARC Review

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Title: How Not to Fall in Love

Author: Jacqueline Firkins

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 239

Publication Date: 12/21/21

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Contemporary

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

Thank you to HMH Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A hardened cynic and a hopeless romantic teach each other about love in this swoony and heartfelt contemporary romance that’s perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Upside of Falling.

Harper works in her mom’s wedding shop, altering dresses for petulant and picky brides who are more focused on hemlines than love. After years of watching squabbles break out over wedding plans, Harper thinks romance is a marketing tool. Nothing more. Her best friend Theo is her opposite. One date and he’s already dreaming of happily ever afters. He also plays the accordion, makes chain mail for Ren Festers, hangs out in a windmill-shaped tree house, cries over rom-coms, and takes his word-of-the-day calendar very seriously.

When Theo’s shocked to find himself nursing his umpteenth heartbreak, Harper offers to teach him how not to fall in love. Theo agrees to the lessons, as long as Harper proves she can date without falling in love. As the lessons progress and Theo takes them to heart, Harper has a harder time upholding her end of the bargain. She’s also checking out her window to see if Theo’s home from his latest date yet. She’s even watching rom-coms. If she confesses her feelings, she’ll undermine everything she’s taught him. Or was he the one teaching her?

How Not to Fall in Love is a really quick, light hearted, young adult romance story. It’s about a girl named Harper who works at her mom’s bridal shop, helping her alter dresses for excited and stressed out brides. Being in the bridal industry has made Harper a cynic about love. It doesn’t help that her quirky best-friend and next door neighbor, Theo, falls in love easily and gets his heart broken often. So she tries to help him not fall so fast by giving him lessons in dating.

As for Harper she finally talks to Felix, her crush, and tries to show Theo how to keep things casual except it’s a bit challenging for Harper because Felix is perfect. Theo and Harper both date other people but it’s clear that the person Theo really likes is Harper. She’s pretty clueless about it until she thinks it’s too late for them.

I think I should note the boys in this book – cry! Yes, they both do and that’s rare to see in books. Theo is sensitive, very quirky, dorky, so smart and oh so cute. I can definitely see why Harper started falling for him – he seems to give really good hugs, emotional support and vocab lessons! They have such a cute friendship filled with affection. Felix, on the other hand is perfect as well, it just came down to who knew Harper the best, and that was Theo.

Harper has to pick between two boys so if you aren’t into love triangles then you might not be into this love story.

I think the “lessons” Harper was supposed to help Theo with was kind of lost in the story. I didn’t see too many lessons going on, just some advice she’d give him about when to call a girl back and such. Also I thought it was weird that Harper was giving lessons when she only had one ex-boyfriend and wasn’t the dating type – it took her awhile to talk to Felix. For awhile all she did was stare at him from the shop window.

It’s a sex positive book which was nice because yes, teens do have intercourse. I’m glad Harper’s mom was there for her to talk about her love life.

I’m not a fan of this book cover! I really think they could make it as cute as the story is, at least.

This one is a really quick read and I think it’s such a sweet love story between two best friends. I enjoyed Harper and Theo’s relationship a lot. I thought the love triangle was handled pretty well considering Felix was a good guy too and it was no fault of his that things didn’t work out – sometimes, that’s just the way it is in young love. If you like a friends to lovers romance story, you may enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Queen Will Betray You by. Sarah Henning | ARC Review

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: The Queen Will Betray You

Author: Sarah Henning

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/6/21

Publisher: Tor Teen

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Political Intrigue

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

Thank you to Tor Teen for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

The breathtaking sequel to The Princess Will Save You in the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky duology — a brilliantly-executed YA fantasy homage to The Princess Bride

To stay together forever, Princess Amarande and her stableboy love, Luca, must part: Amarande to reclaim her kingdom from usurpers, and Luca to raise a rebellion and find his destiny. Arrayed against them are all the players in the game of thrones for control over the continent of The Sand and Sky. Facing unspeakable betrayals, enemies hidden in the shadows, and insurmountable odds, their only hope is the power of true love…

In this sequel to The Princess Will Save You, the political chess continues! Ama and Luca are separated throughout most of this story but they reunite near the end. Amarande has really uncovered a lot of secrets about her family, some good and some bad. Luca also learns more about his past. They achieve what they planned to do and maintain their sweet love for one another throughout because it’s true love! The Princess Bride fans will know what that refers to!

Now the person I thought was the most intriguing in this story, which surprised even me because he’s a villain, is Prince Taillefer. He did some vile things to Luca and obviously he’s in it for his own gains but he had no qualms playing the long game to get his kingdom even if it was against his own mother. That whole family was pretty toxic but as a character, he was the most fascinating.

There is a lot of action in this sequel, especially towards the end and that was fun to read.

Triggers: violence, death

The Warlord in this sequel is brutal and quite unexpected because for the most part it reads like a light young adult fantasy novel (to me at least). I welcomed the brutality from the Warlord just to lend the story some intensity but yeah, it definitely showed the depths the Warlord was willing to go to show her power.

Speaking of warlord, there are a lot of villains and political intrigue in this story. I thought it definitely kept the story moving as we uncover betrayals and personal motivations from the players in this fight for kingdoms. Not even blood ties can keep you safe, like in the case of Prince Taillefer and his family. Who can really be trusted? Even Ama and her own mother had history to deal with.

Ama and Luca get their true love moment and even Prince Traillefer gets his way in the end . It leaves everything fair and square and the bigger villains vanquished. I think as a duology it was fairly enjoyable, with some parts that resembled The Princess Bride. I found the villains fascinating and the love story sweet. Overall, if you like political intrigue and a dash of true love – you may enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by. Kristin Harmel | ARC Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: The Forest of Vanishing Stars

Author: Kristin Harmel

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 7/6/21

Publisher: Gallery Books

Categories: Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Survival

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

Thank you to Gallery Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel.

This reads like a fairytale, at least in the beginning when Yona is taken from her biological family to be raised in the woods. I almost thought I was reading a magical realism book instead of historical fiction but we get to that part soon enough.
Yona is a young woman raised without interacting with other people except for one person, her caretaker, Jerusza. Jerusza is an elderly woman who knows how to survive the forests in Europe. Jerusza is Jewish but also worldly about many cultures and religions and she teaches Yona about everything she can, but why? Jerusza has seen the future, is more in tuned with the mystical elements of the world, maybe because of her life in the forest, and knows what is coming with the German Nazis. So she prepares Yona for what is coming.
When Jewish people flee the ghettos the Nazis have trapped them, some try to flee into the forest and that is where Yona finds her purpose. She teaches these groups how to survive living in the forest. I found the focus of this story quite unique because of Yona, her disconnect from the world and then being introduced to the horrors of it when she finally interacts with people coming in the forest. I love how the forest gave them everything they needed at a time when Jewish people were losing everything: jobs, family, friends, homes, loved ones, dignity, their way of life.
There is a little romance in this story despite how awful the circumstances but I thought it was nice it didn’t become the sole focus of the story. Yona is learning how to interact with others and belong with a group. She is trying to find out who she is after being by herself for so long and there are some harsh life lessons to learn. Despite everything that happens I love that Yona is smart, strong, optimistic and practical.
I love the overall message of this story. It’s not only one of survival but identity too. It’s also a reminder of how cruel and ruthless hate could turn people against one another and the everlasting trauma the Holocaust had on families that survived. A reminder that generations of families were wiped out.

Triggers: violence, death, kidnapping

I think the premise of this story is very unique, it almost has a mystical feel to it with Jerusza but it is intertwined with in real historical events. If you read the Author’s Notes in the back, the history of the Bielski brothers making camp in the forest during WWII is as gripping as the fictional story the author gave us.

This is the first book I’ve read from Kristin Harmel and it is an epic story. I learned a lot, and was reminded once more what survival was like in World War II for so many people and how much was lost in a span of a few years. This story was heartbreaking, and yet still full of hope. It’s a great book for someone who loves reading history or World War II stories and want something with a unique perspective.

📚 ~ Yolanda