Book Review | With the Fire On High

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: With the Fire on High

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 392

Categories: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Food, Romance, Teenage Parent, Contemporary

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

This book gave me the FEELS I wasn’t expecting! And yes, I may be a little biased because I was pleasantly delighted when finding out as I was reading it was set in North Philly (Philadelphia). My husband grew up just outside Philadelphia and my mother in law still lives there. I remember the North Philly area when my husband drove me around and yes even my hubby would tell me about how rough a neighborhood North Philly is. So I’m glad I got another view of it through this wonderful book! Plus look at that lush cover. 😍

Emoni Santiago is a teen mom making ends meet by working a part-time job and going to highs chool full-time. With the help of her grandmother, or abuela, and even help from her daughter’s father, it seems like she’s balancing things pretty good until the question of her future keeps bothering her. She wants to be a chef, but can she do college, raise a child, work and still reach her dreams? An opportunity arises in school that she just can’t pass up and she takes on more than she expected. Can Emoni rise to the challenge?

Emoni is pretty mature for a teenager because she’s had to grow up faster under her circumstances. She coparents with her ex-boyfriend but he only has their daughter for a few days so she’s the main parent most of the time. When dealing with her daughter’s father and his mom, she was very patient. The story covers a lot of Emoni’s internal struggles and questions – is she allowed to still dream big while caring for her child? What is the right path for her after graduation? She also has feelings about missing a mother she never knew and needing a father who doesn’t want to stay. Thank goodness she had her abuela to raise her and who helps raise her daughter Emma. And what about dating? Is it okay for Emoni to like someone else or because she’s a mom now, she’s not allowed? So many questions, some she can’t answer so what does she do – she cooks. She pours all of herself into her cooking and it has magical results for the people eating her recipes.

And not everything is impossible for Emoni in this story, it just seems that way but opportunities come to her. It was only about having the courage to take them. She has a chance to learn more about cooking through an elective at school and she also meets a boy, Malachi, who is a “friend-but not friend-but you know they are going to be more than friends”…and I was a such sucker for the author throwing in a reference to my favorite song from one of my favorite hip hop groups, The Roots…who is yes…from Philly. You got me. My heart melted at that. It’s a super cute slow burn romance for Malachi and Emoni.

This book felt way real to me. I grew up in the 90’s and it felt like teenage pregnancy was rampant around me. I grew up with friends and family who were teenage mothers and fathers. I saw my friends work and juggle going to school, many of them skipping college to go straight to a job. And I will say all of them are success stories! So I felt this book was realistic.

I think that’s why I love how happy this book made me feel in the end. Emoni has support from her abuela, her ex and in the end even her father comes through. And her best friend Angelica was amazing as well, giving her the emotional support she needed. There was LGBT+ representation in this book with Angelica and her girlfriend Lauren, cultural diversity with Emoni being Afro-Latinx and a whole lot of Philly love. (Go Eagles! 😁)

Overall this is a feel good story about food, family, courage, overcoming struggle, and going after your dreams and passions. I love this book!

Book Review | Call It What You Want

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Call It What You Want

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 374

Categories: Young Adult, Family, Contemporary, Suicide

When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?

This book was not a light read, but I love Brigid Kemmerer’s writing and before I knew it, I was done with it in a few hours. It covers some heavy topics like failed attempted suicide, cheating at school, pregnancy and stealing from people. Yeah, that’s a lot right?

Rob used to be one of the popular boys in school until his dad was involved in a financial scheme that resulted in a failed suicide attempt and losing the trust of the community. Maegan, a policeman’s daughter, got caught cheating on the SATs which meant her reputation at school wasn’t stellar either. They pair up for a calculus project and things start change for the both of them.

I felt for both of these kids. Rob is suffering from his dad’s mistakes and Maegan is suffering from her own, but they eventually learn it’s not only about them. Other people out there in their school, and in their families are going through something tough times too.

Rob’s home life is not pretty. What his dad did and its ramifications on their family is not glossed over in this story. People think Rob is not trustworthy and he’s lost friends, his social life, and soon his home. Maegan’s life is different, she actually has supportive parents, but she’s dealing with the pressures of having a sister who takes the limelight and who returns home taking the attention again. But Maegan is not a vindictive sister or person in general. She’s really nice and made a mistake. I like how real these kids lives are – families are complicated. Life is complicated, everyone makes mistakes and nothing is picture perfect.

I love how friendship builds between Rob and Maegan, kind of shakily, but eventually a mutual attraction occurs that turns kinda steamy (but there is no sex, FYI, haha). But I get the feelings of desperation between Rob and Maegan, the need for one another because they felt like such outcasts. They were tired of being alone. As things escalate, Rob has to figure out what’s going on with him and some of his actions. Maegan’s sister has to decide what to do about her baby and Maegan has to decide if Rob is a good person, or not, is she in a place to be judgmental? Truths are revealed and nothing is black and white.

There is a bittersweet ending, and I was relieved for Rob and Maegan. This is the third contemporary young adult book I’ve read from Brigid Kemmerer and she does so well writing about complicated characters dealing with conflicted emotions. I start to care about the characters and I always root for a happy ending for them!

I look forward to reading more books from this author, she’s becoming one of my auto-buy authors or should I say auto-borrow, since I borrow more than buy. 😊 Definitely an author who’s books I always look forward to reading.

BLOG TOUR | ARC Review | Unspoken

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Unspoken

Author: Celia McMahon

Format: eBook

Pages: 402

Publisher: The Parliament House

Publication Date: September 17, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

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

Princess Isabelle of The New Kingdom has lived her entire life in the confines of her palace. She spends her time hunting for the poverty-stricken Voiceless-people of the Old Kingdom who warred with her kingdom and ultimately lost-and dreaming of a world beyond the walls of her home. As the only remaining child of the king and queen, she is to be married off by her eighteenth birthday.

When Izzy witnesses the use of forbidden magic in the woods outside the palace, she is attacked, and saved by an unknown man. Soon after she discovers her rescuer is a Voiceless servant in the castle named Fray, she befriends him to seek out the magic users who tried to kill her. Fray agrees to help, but not before Isabelle discovers the servant boy harbors a secret the king has tried to bury-that he is a Gwylis, people of the old Kingdom who made a pact with the demons of the underworld for the power to transform into giant ferocious wolves. But to shift into a beast, Fray must be able to speak the words to do so. If he is to thwart the attackers from killing her entire family, Izzy needs to cure the ailment that took away his voice.

But curing Fray holds more danger than she ever thought possible. The lies of her parents and the risk of putting her own life on the line deems as destructive as falling for the servant boy. If Isabelle is to save herself and Fray, she’ll need to face enemy Gwylis, cross paths with usurper kings and princes, and decide what side she is on-human or wolf-or lose her kingdom forever.

Thank you to The Parliament House for giving me a chance to read an eARC of Unspoken.

Princess Isabelle, or Izzy, is not your conventional princess. Yes, she has to do her duty by making a promising marriage when she turns eighteen but thing young lady has a mind of her own. She was my favorite character in this book because she is spunky, sassy and lively. Her relationship with her best friend was so fun to see until some events take place to change that. But there was a lot of conflict Izzy had to sort out in this story as lies and truths are revealed bit by bit.

Now a very fascinating and intriguing part of the story was the Voiceless. The Voiceless cannot speak because of a curse. They communicate with sign language which Izzy picked up by hanging out in their community. We find out more about that curse and her family’s role in it. The world building seems comparable to other worlds that usually involve a rebellious princess and hidden magic. The New Kingdom opposes the presence of magic that was used in the Old Kingdom. So basically magic was taken away, or just repressed, by the rulers of the New Kingdom. The one aspect of the world building that stood out though was the shape-shifting in this story. It is different because words have to be spoken in order for someone to shift into a wolf. It is creative and it made sense then that people from the Old Kingdom had to be silenced.

There is a hint of a love triangle happening in this book but it was quickly obvious who Izzy was attracted to. I mean who are you going to go for, the seemingly perfect prince, Ashe, from a neighboring kingdom or the servant, Fray, who turns into a wolf? 😅🤷🏻‍♀️

I truly enjoyed watching Izzy coming to terms and dealing with the truth of her family and trying to undo the wrongs of the past. She remains vibrant throughout even her most conflicted times, she is a warrior. If you like a strong female lead, a creative story with shape shifters, magic and warring kingdoms then you will definitely enjoy Unspoken.

You can get your copy of Unspoken here: http://www.parliamenthousepress.com/unspoken

Book Review | Fake It Till You Break It

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Fake It Till You Break It

Author: Jenna R. Nguyen

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 304

Categories: Young Adult, Romance

Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They’ve endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can’t stand to be in the same room together.

After Mia’s mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they’ve have had enough. Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time—and then they’ll be free.

The only problem is, maybe Jake and Mia don’t hate each other as much as they once thought…

Sometimes I just need a light read and this was it!

Enemies to fake dating to lovers. I think the fake dating trope is so much fun especially when the two characters can’t stand each other, like Mia and Jake in Fake It Till You Break It. They are neighbors, their moms are best friend, they’ve known each other since kids and are best friends without knowing it. It doesn’t help that their moms are trying their hardest to make them fall in love.

Of course they conjure up a plan to give their moms what they want and then break up so they will stop throwing them together. What ends up happening is pretty predictable as with most fake dating tropes, there is a happy ending. But I loved seeing them eventually get there.

What I liked most about this book was Mia and Jake’s interaction with one another. I love how Mia tells Jake things straight up and she can be her messy self around him. And as much as Jake antagonizes her, he knows everything about her. They are just too cute and funny together, I was happy for their eventually happily ever after!

I read this book in a few hours. It is light-reading, adorable, and it left me smiling at the end. ☺️

Book Review | Happy Messy Scary Love

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Happy Messy Scary Love

Author: Leah Konen

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 267

Categories: Romance, Coming of Age, Young Adult, Contemporary

As everyone at her Brooklyn high school announces their summer adventures, Olivia harbors a dirty secret: Her plan is to binge-watch horror movies and chat with her online friend, Elm. Olivia and Elm have never shared personal details, apart from their ages and the fact that Elm’s aunt is a low-budget horror filmmaker. Then Elm pushes Olivia to share her identity and sends her a selfie of his own. Olivia is shocked by how cute he is! In a moment of panic, assuming she and Elm will never meet in real life, she sends a photo of her gorgeous friend Katie. But things are about to get even more complicated when Olivia’s parents send her to the Catskills, and she runs into the one person she never thought she would see. This sweet and funny summertime romance is perfect for fans of Love and Gelato and The Unexpected Everything.

Happy Messy Scary Love is a cute, light-hearted, young adult romance about a horror movie fan named Olivia who unexpectedly meets her online friend and fellow horror lover, Elm. Instead in real life his name is Jake. There’s a bit of unintentional catfishing going on and yeah, all Olivia needed to do was come clean, but….well, we all have fears right?

Olivia pretty much has a good life, attends an amazing school in Brooklyn, and has cool friends. The only problem she has really is deciding what to do after she didn’t get into NYU. I did relate to her when she didn’t believe in herself enough to start writing the horror movie screenplay she’s been dying to write. When everyone around her seem so focused and ambitious, she flounders and feels like a loser, which is harsh – but haven’t we all been there? Especially in our teen years? Eventually, Olivia learns a few things about being brave at her new summer job and along with Jakes help, starts to believe in herself again.

The romance between Jake and Olivia is cute, and clearly built on lies – but I was rooting for the situation to have a happy ending. It’s rare you see a couple in a book bonding over horror movies, but I enjoyed that and thought it was refreshing! I’m too afraid to watch horror movies, but I grew up in the 80’s and was forced to watch horror movies because of my older male cousins. And even though I hated it, my favorite was Poltergeist. 👻 I know horror movies have come a long way since then!

This book clocks in at under 300 pages, so I got through it in one night. Overall, I thought it was a quick, cute and fun story, suited for horror movie fans and non-fans as well.

ARC Review | Realm of Knights

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Realm of Knights (Knights of the Realm, #1)

Author: Jennifer Anne Davis

Pages: 270

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy

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

Reid has spent her whole life pretending to be a man so she can inherit her father’s estate, but when a chance encounter threatens to expose her lie, she is forced to risk everything.

In the kingdom of Marsden, women are subservient to men and land can only pass from father to son. So when Reid Ellington is born, the fifth daughter to one of the wealthiest landholders in the kingdom, it’s announced that Reid is a boy.

Eighteen years later, Reid struggles to conceal the fact she’s actually a young woman. Every day, her secret becomes harder to keep. When one of Marsden’s princes sees her sparring with a sword, she is forced to accept his offer and lead her father’s soldiers to the border. Along the way, she discovers a covert organization within the army known as the Knights of the Realm. If Reid wants to save her family from being arrested for treason and robbed of their inheritance, she will have to join the Knights and become a weapon for the crown.

To protect her family, Reid must fight like a man. To do that, she’ll need the courage of a woman.

Thank you to Reign Publishing and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

I love the cover of the book, it’s what drew me to the story. Plus this is a girl dressing as a boy trope and I like those stories, I mean, Mulan – right? 🤷🏻‍♀️ After reading this arc, I can say I liked what the story was trying to do and I’m looking forward to book two. I can’t quite describe how I feel about this book thought – I want to read book two right away, but book one left me feeling…just okay.

Reid Ellington, a Duke’s daughter is living as a boy because her father has no male heir. To protect the title and lands, Reid grows up as a boy. Duke Ellington is breaking the law by lying to the court about having a male heir. Then one day the two princes of Marsden, Ackley and Gordon happen to stumble upon Reid, and they think her ability to disguise herself is a skill they need and blackmail her into being a spy for the crown. If she passes muster the princes will tell their brother, King Eldon, to pardon the Ellington family for lying.

What I Liked:

Girl living as a boy trope because I like when the big reveal happens.
Prince Ackley seems really intriguing, what is he playing at? Is he good or bad? I still don’t know. I don’t trust any of them, Reid shouldn’t either! He seems to pull the strings though, or should I say move the pieces. 🤔
When Reid enters enemy territory, Axian, and meets her enemies…the princes there seem more intriguing than the ones in her kingdom! I want to learn more about Dexter and Colbert.
The political intrigue is complicated, more secrets are going to be revealed. I’d like to see how Reid gets out of her current situation.

What I Didn’t Like:

Reid is an okay character. She can fight…pretty good. She can blend in as a girl or boy but she doesn’t have much of a personality other than that she can follow orders. I hope more of her personality comes out in book two! I want her to fight a little more.
The budding romance for Reid is unnecessary because there wasn’t much build up to it at all. There was a hint of something and then feelings! 🤷🏻‍♀️ But just because I think it’s unnecessary in book one, I hope to goodness there is romance in book two! An enemies to lovers…please. 😂
I don’t know if it felt rushed because of how short the book is (270 pages), but at times I felt like it was rushing from one scene to the next. I wanted some things to build, like the relationships. I couldn’t feel for any of the characters until we are introduced to people in Axian. I keep wanting to say Axia instead of Axian… I don’t know why!
The missions the Knights gave Reid, didn’t seem risky enough. I get they were tests, but I feel like there was no intensity or suspense to the scenes, except when she had to go on a mission given to her by King Eldon.

I don’t even feel Reid is special enough yet to warrant everyone needing her help! And they all seem to need her skill at disguising herself! 🤦🏻‍♀️ But because I am intrigued about Axian and the cliffhanger ending, I will definitely read book two. Overall, I find this a solid start to a new young adult fantasy series.

Book Review | The Storm Keeper’s Island

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Storm Keeper’s Island

Author: Catherine Doyle

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 320

Categories: Middle Grade, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic

When Fionn Boyle sets foot on Arranmore Island, it begins to stir beneath his feet …

Once in a generation, Arranmore Island chooses a new Storm Keeper to wield its power and keep its magic safe from enemies. The time has come for Fionn’s grandfather, a secretive and eccentric old man, to step down. Soon, a new Keeper will rise.

But, deep underground, someone has been waiting for Fionn. As the battle to become the island’s next champion rages, a more sinister magic is waking up, intent on rekindling an ancient war.

There is magic in memory.”
The Storm keeper’s island by. catherine doyle

I don’t read any or many middle grade books only because they never interested me much once I was out of middle grade, and that’s been…years. 😂

But I love Catherine Doyle’s Blood for Blood series so much, and I miss reading something from her so after seeing awesome reviews of her middle grade series I finally borrowed it at the library. I was not disappointed!

Fionn Boyle is staying at his grandfather’s house on Arranmore Island and he finds out all is not what it seems with the island or his grandfather. Fionn learns about the island, about magic and being a Storm Keeper, and the legend of Dagda a sorcerer and Morrigan a villain who remade people into Soulstalkers! The world building is creative and so fascinating! Candles that hold memories? 😱

But Fionn is dealing with other things like not having a father and since he was sent to his grandfather, not having a mother for the moment as well. It hurts watching Fionn question his worth and not having anyone he can turn to. I love, love, love watching his relationship with his grandfather grow.

“Bravery is just a matter of forgetting to be afraid, Fionn. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
the storm keeper’s island by. catherine doyle

And yes it’s one of those stories where I kept writing down quotes because they are inspirational not only for Fionn but for me too and anyone else who is reading the series. The journey of finding ourselves at Fionn’s age does take bravery. There are some heart-wrenching parts in this story especially when it comes to Fionn and memories in the candles that he experiences. I won’t lie, it made me a bit emotional.

“Often the journeys we take inside ourselves are more difficult than the stormiest seas.”
the storm keeper’s island by. catherine doyle

Did I say I love Catherine Doyle’s writing? Because I really do and I look forward to reading the sequel and anything else she writes! The Storm Keeper’s Island is an inspirational story about magic, family, and a boy’s journey to overcome his fears.

Book Review | The Bridge Kingdom

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Bridge Kingdom

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Format: eBook (owned)

Pages: 354

Categories: Fantasy, Adult Fiction, Romance, Enemies to Lovers

What if you fell in love with the one person you’d sworn to destroy?

Lara has only one thought for her husband on their wedding day: I will bring your kingdom to its knees. A princess trained from childhood to be a lethal spy, Lara knows that the Bridge Kingdom represents both legendary evil – and legendary promise. The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom controls all trade and travel between lands, allowing its ruler to enrich himself and deprive his enemies, including Lara’s homeland. So when she is sent as a bride under the guise of fulfilling a treaty of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture the defenses of the impenetrable Bridge Kingdom.

But as she infiltrates her new home – a lush paradise surrounded by tempest seas – and comes to know her new husband, Aren, Lara begins to question where the true evil resides. Around her, she sees a kingdom fighting for survival, and in Aren, a man fiercely protective of his people. As her mission drives her to deeper understanding of the fight to possess the bridge, Lara finds the simmering attraction between her and Aren impossible to ignore.

Her goal nearly within reach, Lara will have to decide her own fate: Will she be the destroyer of a king or the savior of her people?

When I saw this book as an Audible on Amazon, it made me look twice. I thought, didn’t Danielle L. Jensen just release a young adult book this year? I love her books, so I was pretty sure I would have known she was releasing another novel. I didn’t even know about The Bridge Kingdom! It was just by coincidence that I saw it released the ebooks and physical copies on Tuesday. I bought the ebook without a second thought because I didn’t have the patience to wait for the hard copy.

It was everything I’ve been craving lately in a book! It’s like this author just knew I was needing this book. And just to reiterate because she writes young adult novels – this one is an adult novel, so yes there is a sex scene and thank goodness because the tension between Lara and Aren was building up so much. I was going to be irritated if they didn’t hook up. 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

At the end of chapter one, I was like this…😳 and I think I gasped and said, “what is this?!” Maybe because it described Lara with eleven half-sisters, I was like oooo, is this a Twelve Dancing Princesses re-telling? 😂 This goes to show I knew NOTHING about what this book would be about, I didn’t even really read the blurb, I saw the author on this and bought it without thought. So NO this is not about dancing princesses at all, unless you count spy and assassin skills as “dancing”.

Lara and her half-sisters are daughters of the Rat King, Silas Veliant, the King of Maridrina. Maridrina is a desert country where the people are starving and the king blames the kingdom of Ithicana for all its woes. Ithicana is the hub of trade but it is called The Bridge Kingdom because they have a bridge that is central to this successful trade business and no one has been able to capture it. A peace treaty between the two kingdoms promises a Maridrina bride to the King of Ithicana. This is how Silas wants to bring down Ithicana, by marrying King Aren to one of his trained daughters.

The world building is fascinating and I wish the eBook had a map of the kingdoms. Maridrina like I said is a dry, desert country. Ithicana is in the middle of the sea with high cliffs, a bridge, and islands all around. Because it is a bunch of islands, the foliage is lush, the air is humid and they deal with venomous snakes that populate the island and also sharks that thrive in the waters. There is mention of other kingdoms and maybe we will learn more about them in the sequels.

This book has political intrigue, a steamy slow burn romance, action, bloody battles, and betrayal! By the time I got to the end, and yes I read this in one day, I was kicking myself for not reading this nearer to it’s sequel release date.

I was begging silently for Lara to open her eyes to her father’s scheming ways – ugh because I knew it would only end in heartbreak! I mean, all of it was kind of predictable after the first chapter but it was still so good. I don’t mind if something is predictable as long as it’s still entertaining.

Lara, has been raised in the most awful way. She has been conditioned and tortured to believe Ithicana is their enemy and nothing else matters but taking them down. She’s not sweet, she’s an assassin, a spy, a liar and she’s so good at what she does. We see her plans unravel slowly as she learns about King Aren and Ithicana. Though she has all these skills to deceive, Lara also finds she has weaknesses, like the fear of the ocean that surrounds Ithicana and caring for her sisters. King Aren, on the other hand was raised with the love of the Ithicana people. He is smart, a fierce fighter and strong leader who loves his people. In the end he has a weakness too, Lara. 😭

And then that ending. 😩 It’s a cliffhanger and the way it ends makes me want the second book in my hands right now. I need Lara to use her badass skills for good. I need to see how she can fix things and I need her and Aren to be together – though I don’t know how that will happen right now. 😢 Lara has a tough road ahead but I believe in her. I will count down the days until the sequel is released!

BLOG TOUR | His Hideous Heart

Welcome everyone to my spot on the His Hideous Heart Blog Tour. This is my first blog tour and I’m truly honored to have been given a chance to do it for this book. Thank you to Flatiron Books for inviting me to participate in this blog tour.

Title: His Hideous Heart

Edited by: Dahlia Adler

Contributors:

Kendare Blake (“Metzengerstein”)
Rin Chupeco (“The Murders in the Rue Morge”)
Lamar Giles (“The Oval Portrait”)
Tessa Gratton (“Annabel Lee”)
Tiffany D. Jackson (“The Cask of Amontillado”)
Stephanie Kuehn (“The Tell-Tale Heart”)
Emily Lloyd-Jones (“The Purloined Letter”)
Hillary Monahan (“The Masque of the Red Death”)
Marieke Nijkamp (“Hop-Frog”)
Caleb Roehrig (“The Pit and the Pendulum”)
Fran Wilde (“The Fall of the House of Usher”)
Dahlia Adler (“Ligeia”)
Amanda Lovelace (“The Raven”)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

The Cask of Amontillado. The Tell-Tale Heart. The Pit and the Pendulum. Filled with love and loss, vengeance and regret, the dark, chilling stories of Edgar Allan Poe have haunted us for over 150 years. Now, thirteen of YAs most celebrated writers reimagine Poe’s stories for a new generation.

These contemporary retellings will grab readers by the throat and drag them along to surprising and unsettling places, whether they are Poe aficionados or new newcomers to these classics. Tiffany D. Jackson, award-winning author of Monday’s Not Coming, transports “The Cask of Amontillado” to the streets of Brooklyn during the present day West Indian Day Carnival in Brooklyn. Poet amanda lovelace finds new meaning in the classic poem “The Raven” by blotting out words from the original lines. And Kendare Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series, gives the unreliable voice narrating “Metzengerstein” a contemporary edge.

With the original stories printed in the back of the book, HIS HIDEOUS HEART offers up a fun way to meet Poe for the first time, or for readers to revisit old favorites with fresh eyes. Hiswork reminds us why we love to be scared, whether we get that thrill from watching the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, visiting a haunted house at Halloween, or by reading Poe’s spine-tingling stories.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a copy of this eArc for an honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I heard about this anthology, I had to get my hands on it. I love Edgar Allan Poe’s work and I saw some of my favorite authors contributing to this anthology. Also this has a young adult twist to it which made me very curious to see how each story would play out.

This will definitely appeal to readers who are not familiar with Poe’s work. There is fantasy, sci-fi, horror and mystery genres represented throughout the collection. The stories have so much diversity with LGBT+ characters and people of color representation which I truly appreciated. This is the book I wish I had in high school when I was studying Edgar Allan Poe! I would have related to some of his stories on a whole new level.

The original works are included in this book as well, which is perfect for new and old fans of Edgar Allan Poe. It gave me a chance to compare the classic and reimagined versions side by side. Another thing the book allowed me to do is get a glimpse of authors I’ve never heard of. I’ll be adding a few books from these authors to my TBR list for sure.

She Rode a Horse of Fire (“Mertzengerstein”) got me spooked, and The Glittering Death (“The Pit and The Pendulum”) scared me as much as Poe’s version did, maybe even more because it was a modern retelling. It’s Carnival! (“The Cask of Amontillado”) had me cackling in wicked delight! Whenever I read one of the stories at night, it gave me the creepy feeling that I always look forward to from Poe’s work.

This is a wonderful reimagined collection and creative endeavor by thirteen talented authors. They took on some of Poe’s most popular works and made it relatable for young adults today. I am definitely adding this to my book shelf!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dahlia Adler is an Associate Editor of mathematics by day, a blogger for B&N Teens, LGBTQ Reads, and Frolic by night, and an author of Young Adult and New Adult novels at every spare moment in between. Her books include the Daylight Falls duology, Just Visiting, and the Radleigh University trilogy, and her short stories can be found in the anthologies The Radical Element, All Out, It’s a Whole Spiel, and His Hideous Heart, which she also edited. Dahlia lives in New York with her husband, son, and an obscene amount of books, and can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @MissDahlELama.

ARC Review | The Orchid Throne

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Orchid Throne

Author: Jeffe Kennedy

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: September 24, 2019

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Adult Fiction

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

Welcome to the world of Forgotten Empires from award winning author Jeffe Kennedy that begins with The Orchid Throne.

A PRISONER OF FATE

As Queen of the island kingdom of Calanthe, Euthalia will do anything to keep her people free—and her secrets safe—from the mad tyrant who rules the mainland. Guided by a magic ring of her father’s, Lia plays the political game with the cronies the emperor sends to her island. In her heart, she knows that it’s up to her to save herself from her fate as the emperor’s bride. But in her dreams, she sees a man, one with the power to build a better world—a man whose spirit is as strong, and whose passion is as fierce as her own…

A PRINCE AMONG MEN

Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, has built an army to overthrow the emperor. But he needs the fabled Abiding Ring to succeed. The ring that Euthalia holds so dear to her heart. When the two banished rulers meet face to face, neither can deny the flames of rebellion that flicker in their eyes—nor the fires of desire that draw them together. But in this broken world of shattered kingdoms, can they ever really trust each other? Can their fiery alliance defeat the shadows of evil that threaten to engulf their hearts and souls?

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

I almost couldn’t get into this book because of the prologue – it was straight info dump. 😩 It wasn’t what I was expecting and I wondered if that was how the whole book would be written. It was a curious way to start the book. Thank goodness I picked it up again after putting it down!

The kingdom of Calanthe is a mysterious paradise ruled by Queen Euthalia. Euthalia’s world is quite a spectacle. From the moment she wakes up and is attended by her maids and Morning Glories, down to the art of keeping peace with her fiancé, the ruthless ruler, Emperor Anure, it is all done to keep up a façade. Her only desire is to keep Calanthe thriving and she will do so no matter the cost.

What she doesn’t expect is news of a rebel, Conri, and his crew who want to take down Emperor Anure. But to get to the Emperor, they must go through Calanthe first and Euthalia can’t have that.

I loved learning about Queen Euthalia and Calanthe because it is a paradise island with a secret. The secret is revealed in the end and for me it was so unsuspecting, it leaves me even more intrigued. Everyone assumes Euthalia is a frivolous queen obsessed with beauty but there is much more to her than that. Her night court has a reputation for indulging in all kinds of pleasures. She is a virgin queen saving herself for her fiancé but she definitely knows what happens in a bedroom. This is an adult fantasy with a slow burn romance, but eventually, near the end, there are some steamy scenes.

I loved Conri’s story. He was a prince to a slave, to a king of nothing and wanting his revenge on the man who ruined his world. He went through some things in the mines, saw some things in the mines that would give anyone nightmares and still he is a survivor and fighter. I love his relationship with his best friend, Sondra. He’s not much of a ladies man, but that’s what makes him and Euthalia getting together exciting though sometimes it was kind of awkward. 😅🤷🏻‍♀️

There are magic elements to this story, that I hope will be developed more in the sequel. I want to know how the true Calantheans work their magic! Also there is political intrigue, and enough mystery about Calanthe to keep me engaged with the story.

Now the thing I struggled with sometimes is that it is told in dual perspective, which works great, except it doesn’t tell you at the beginning of the chapter whose perspective it is from. Each chapter is numbered naturally and alternated with Euthalia and Conri’s perspectives, but it was frustrating when I started a chapter and forgot if it was one or the other. So names for each chapter would totally help.

After the prologue which almost killed any desire for me to read this book, I actually got into this story! I’m very curious to see what happens next and how Queen Euthalia and Conri will try and take down Emperor Anure. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.