Book Review: Kingdom Cold

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Author: Brittni Chenelle

Format: E-book

Pages: 278

Categories: Romance, Kingdoms, Young Adult, Royalty

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Book Blurb:

Attempted murder, that’s how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte’s engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom’s attacked, Charlotte’s parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom’s future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart?

One must fall.

MY REVIEW

Thank you NetGalley for this free book in exchange for an honest review!

I love the cover of this book, it’s what made me want to read the book in the first place. I like the premise of the story, but as I started reading I found myself thrown off by a few things, but mostly, the time discrepancies.

So much was going on. I see where the author was going with the twists and turns in the story, but I just wish the scenes were fleshed out more. More of show me, don’t tell me is needed. Time jumps fast throughout Kingdom Cold and not because the characters have some teleporting powers or anything like that. The scenes are rushed which is one of the reasons why I had trouble getting through this book.

It seemed like the story was just speeding down to a conclusion, with an attack here, a villain there, a love quadrangle thrown in, a few deaths, Princes available for marriage and I even got confused with Prince Young and Prince Minseo’s perspectives at one point!

This story has a lot of potential, it is a seed of ideas. But like a seed, it needs a few elements to grow. All the ideas from this one book, could be stretched out into a three book series. Kingdom Cold, needs some focus on world-building, the plot, pacing and character development. With those fixes, I think this could be a good series.

Book Review: Dark Shores

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Format: E-book

Pages: 368

Categories: Adventure Politics, Gods, Magic, Young Adult, Fantasy

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Book Blurb:

In a world divided by meddlesome gods and treacherous oceans, only the Maarin possess the knowledge to cross the Endless Seas. But they have one mandate: East must never meet West.

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON
Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape―a choice with devastating consequences.

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET
Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world.

A DANGEROUS QUEST
When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely―and unwilling―alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

MY REVIEW

This morning I’m trying to function due to lack of sleep because I was reading Dark Shores last night. And when a book leaves my heart racing, my nerves shaking and I whisper/cry out “No! I need more!” (because everyone is asleep in the house) then to me, it’s a really ah-mazing book. So far, it’s one of my top three favorite reads of 2019.

I was excited to learn this was written by the same author who wrote The Malediction Series, which I loved. The blurb for Dark Shores sounded intriguing: pirates? A soldier ? A quest? I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Don’t go into this book thinking it’s a typical “pirate” book, with adventures on the high-seas. This is not like the Pirate of the Caribbeans movie. It’s not swashbuckling and pirating, there is time spent journeying on a ship (there wasn’t much pirating going on) but this book takes place a lot on land. It has political intrigue, epic action, a sea monster, battle scenes between Gods, battle scenes among men and it’s quite a ride. And when I finished this story I still felt there was so much more to find out about the world of Dark Shores, hence my frustration because it means now I have to wait for the sequel.

Each chapter of this book had me hooked to find out more, I could not stop. Teriana is a sixteen year old girl and part of the crew on her mother’s ship, Quincense. She’s a Maarin, a seafaring people who survives on trade and the only ones in the East who aren’t conquered by the Celendorians. The Celendor Empire is similar to the Roman Empire with a Senate governing body and a large army at their disposal. They are an empire that does not believe in Gods and persecutes those that do.

Teriana and her people hold to a mantra, East must not meet West. Both sides of the world don’t know the other exists, though there are rumors in the East about the Dark Shores. The only way to get to the West is a magical waterway or current that acts as a hidden path between the two sides. But Teriana and her crew know the way between East and West because they have traveled the route countless times. It is a secret her people take to their graves to keep in favor with their Gods. But Teriana tells this secret in a moment of weakness. Teriana’s mistake binds her into a conflict between East and West. Marcus, a commander of the deadly Thirty-Seventh legion is tasked to lead a quest to find this new world, and Teriana has no choice to help him or else the lives of her people are forfeit.

The world building is so well done, and the writing flows beautifully, which is why I was already a fan of this author. There is use of profanity in this story, which I don’t mind at all, but for those who don’t like it, just know it’s there. The scene in the Sea of the Dead gave me goosebumps, I loved how we went from politics and the cerebral world of the empire to Teriana unveiling this new mystical world that is ruled by Gods and the belief in them.

The characters in this story are fantastic. We have Gods, heroes, villains, and side characters that add humor. I cared for Teriana, Marcus and the soldiers. Teriana is a carefree, feisty, worldly but sometimes impulsive girl, somewhat expected from a girl who lived her life in the open seas. Marcus is true to his commander personality: rigid, controlled and loyal to his legion but that doesn’t mean he has no weaknesses. The tension between them is there but the romance doesn’t overtake the book. When Teriana and Marcus finally acknowledge what is happening between them, I was more than ready for it.

The story was like a ship with one destination: forward. Or should I say like a legion of soldiers headed to battle: forward march. The Thirty-Seventh never falls back! 😉 Meaning, this story was relentless and I love it. It made me think about the conquerors and the conquered. Who was more evil, the empire or the corrupted? Who is more to blame? And how can they fix what is happening? This is a book I’m going to be thinking about for awhile and probably rereading a lot before the sequel comes out. This is an outstanding first book in a series and I’m going to be marking my calendar for the release date of the next book.

Book Review: Pride

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Ibi Zoboi

Format: Ebook

Pages: 304

Categories: Romance, Pride & Prejudice Retelling, Young Adult

Book Blurb:

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

In a timely update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic.

MY REVIEW

Pride & Prejudice has to be one of my top five favorite stories of all time. And I have found that no matter the retelling, whether it’s through books, TV series or movies, I can’t get enough of it.

Pride, by Ibi Zoboi is a vibrant retelling of Jane Austen’s classic story. The story takes place in Brooklyn and the Bennett family is now the Benitez family. The Benitez family is well known in their neighborhood of Bushwick, but Zuri Benitez feels everything is changing around her and with the arrival of new, rich neighbors, she sees the changes even more.

I absolutely loved this retelling. It had all the elements of Pride & Prejudice which makes this a very quick read for me. I knew what was going to happen and I was looking out for the similarities to the classic story but I loved everything about this book that made it different as well.

I could relate to Zuri, growing up in a tight-knit neighborhood. The author made that neighborhood come to life! Reading this story made me hungry for the food Zuri’s mom is always cooking. I could hear the noise of the neighborhood she describes and it made me nostalgic. I grew up in a busy loud neighborhood in Hawaii, the noises eventually became comforting.

“Hot tea or iced tea? Spill it! I got my teacup right here!”
Pride by Ibi Zobo

The tension between Zuri and Darius Darcy is present and I liked Zuri’s sass. She came off as too dramatic, and plenty confident. Darius is true to his stiff, controlled personality and put those two together, they create the right spark. The secondary characters were all there in full force making it a story filled with people that were like my old friends, just in a different neighborhood. One of the main differences I noticed is Colin’s character. He isn’t obnoxious in Pride like he is in the original story and doesn’t have much of a role in this retelling. Also Wickham, is now Warren and he’s so smooth, I loved the way he and Zuri flirted, it reminded of the boys in high school always trying to talk to the girls.

I really enjoyed the poetry that’s added into the story. It gives us insight into Zuri’s personality – she’s not only this tough girl who seems resistant to change. She’s creative and feels deeply about the people and places she loves.

And because it’s a reimagining of a classic that was written 200+ years ago, times have changed a lot. Zuri doesn’t need to marry Darius, like how Elizabeth Bennett was required to find a good match according to society back then. Thank goodness for progress and a woman’s ability to pursue her dreams.

Overall, Pride is a fantastic lively retelling of a true romantic classic. It was nostalgic in a way I didn’t expect and left me feeling happy.

Book Review: Defy Me (Shatter Me #5)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Format: E-book

Pages: 352

Categories: Dystopian, Young Adult, Romance

Book Blurb:

Juliette Ferrars isn’t who she thinks she is.

Nothing in her world is what it seemed. She thought she’d finally defeated the Reestablishment. She thought she’d finally taken control of her life, her power, and her pain. But Juliette has only just begun to unravel a lifetime of lies, and she finds herself faced with a familiar choice:

Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

This time, she’s not alone. Stronger, braver, and more resilient than ever, Juliette will fight for life and love with her friends by her side—but first, she has to survive the war being waged against her mind:

She has to remember who she was.

Narrated by Juliette, Warner, and Kenji Kishimoto, this gripping novel perfectly sets the stage for the highly anticipated forthcoming conclusion to the Shatter Me series.

MY REVIEW

Defy Me, is the fifth book that just released in the Shatter Me series. I’m still wrapping my head around the magnitude of what was revealed in this book. This book was wild! It was non-stop twists and turns.

Not going to lie, I’m having a hard time with the name change though. Juliette is really Ella. I’ve invested eight years of love towards this series, haha, so Juliette is now Ella – got it, but my mind is rebelling against it a little. I’m glad Kenji is still allowed to call her “J” though – it makes the transition a more bearable.

We already knew about the abuse Warner and ~~Juliette~~ Ella went through as teenagers but it broke my heart reading about the truth of their earliest years. Yes, I even teared up 😢. It made me want to protect them from their horrible parents.

We get three different perspectives from Juliette, Warner and Kenji. There is a lot of secrets coming to light in the beginning, so there was a lot of talking. And I just have to get this off my chest, has Adam always been this annoying? I’m glad his appearance was very brief. Being in Kenji’s head was great, I enjoyed his perspective the most because we pretty much know what goes on in the minds of Warner and Juliette.

Speaking of Warner and ~~Juliette~~Ella, they finally have the happy moment I was craving for. Yay! It was a bit over extended in the ending, in my opinion, just a few repetitive things, but it’s okay, let them bask in the love, they deserve it.

Some major things happen in the story which I won’t spoil but I felt like this book ended on a good, hopeful note. It wasn’t a cliffhanger so whatever happens in the next and final book would basically, I’m assuming, be about the war they have to fight and more about Emmaline. And maybe we find out if Kenji will get his happy ending too? 😉 I loved Defy Me, it broke my heart and mended it. Now Warner and Ella will be better for it, with the past behind them, they are strong in their present moment and the future looks promising.

Book Review: Even The Darkest Stars

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Heather Fawcett

Format: Hard Cover

Pages: 427

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Dragons, Witches, Adventure

Book Blurb:

Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the Emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.

But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means climbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer who is determined to best River, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.

The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth of their mission and of her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.

MY REVIEW

Even the Darkest Stars took me on quite an adventure and it was so refreshing. I was transported to the mountain village of Azmiri, where we meet Kamzin, who is a girl dreaming to become a royal explorer for the Emperor. She gets her chance when the greatest and most current Royal Explorer, River Shara, comes to her village needing a guide to climb the tallest and deadliest mountain, Raksha.

This story isn’t only about a climbing expedition, there is a reason River needs to get to the top of that mountain, but it’s not what everyone thinks, though some do suspect what he’s after. There is magic, witches and even dragons in this story, though the dragons seem more like domesticated pets than the deadly fire-breathing soaring creatures we’ve come to know in other stories.

The world building kept me in this story because it was so different and I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for those movies about climbing Mount Everest. There is always danger in those movies and the study of human nature: the will to go on, the need to reach the summit and can they even reach the summit?

I loved the mysticism and traditions of the mountain villages we journey to in Even the Darkest Stars, and learning about the witches that once roamed the land – but of course the emperor put an end to that by binding their power. Then there are ghosts, winged beasts and even a fire demon! I loved it all.

But there was one point in the book, around 75% into it – that I had to skim through some of the climbing scenes because I just was so eager to know what was coming.

As for the characters, I liked Kamzin. She’s brave, intuitive and one of the best climbers River has ever been with. Her sense of adventure comes through and it’s infectious. Kamzin is a second daughter though and feels she has something to prove to her village. So sometimes that desire to be more than what she is, causes her to make some questionable decisions.

Kamzin and River connect right away through their love of adventure. But Kamzin also has her level headed, best-friend, ex-boyfriend, Tem, who journeys with her and the team to Raksha. The love triangle was present in the book but it didn’t distract me or overtake the story at all. When reading a love triangle, I usually feel a strong pull towards one side, #Teamwhoever, 🤣 but in this one, I didn’t quite know who I wanted her to end up with. I like that Tem knows her so well and looks out for her but River is exciting and she could share her love of adventure with him. I guess we shall see how it plays out in book two.

I’m excited that I had borrowed the second book along with the first one because of that ending – oh you fire demon, you! Okay, I’ll be right back, going to immerse myself in book two, All The Wandering Light. 😉

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Format: Hard cover book

Pages: 477

Categories: Beauty and the Beast Retelling, Slow Burn Romance, Young Adult

Book Blurb:

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

MY REVIEW

In A Curse So Dark and Lonely, we meet Harper, who is a girl with Cerebral Palsy. She lives in Washington D.C. and is on a job with her brother Jake, as a look-out. Her family has fallen into dire straits and her brother has to do what he has to do to keep the family surviving. During her job with her brother she sees what seems to be a kidnapping and gets involved. In her attempt to help she gets transported to an enchanted castle, in a parallel world/dimension. A Prince lives in this castle with his Commander, whose name is Grey. The Prince is under a curse and must make a girl fall in love with him within a season. But at the end of the season is when he turns into a beast, so for about five years he’s been unsuccessful. The stakes are raised now because the enchantress who cursed Prince Rhen informs him this is his final season to break the curse.

When I think of Beauty and the Beast – I think about the Disney movie with bookworm Belle and the Beast who is already in his beast form. And he shall remain that way forever if he doesn’t break the curse *before the last rose petal falls*🌹 .

In this retelling, Prince Rhen is still in his human form, eighteen years old to be exact (for the past 5 years) and his beast only shows up at the end of the season. The beast is different every time but it does the same thing – kill anyone in it’s path. It’s taken a toll on the Prince who’s killed his family, his friends and his people over the years. It’s quite gruesome when you think of it and really sad.

I love Harper. She is brave and determined when plunged into this new world, and dealing with her physical limitations. And in most instances she pushes past those limitations which made me cheer her on. She’s also worrying about her mom who is dying and her brother who might be getting into trouble with some bad people. Harper can’t do anything for them while trapped in Emberfall but she doesn’t do nothing either.

I thought the beginning of the book had promise, especially when she enters the enchanted castle. But my mind started wandering in the middle of the book as I waited and waited for this magical love to appear between Beast and Belle, oh, I meant Harper and Prince Rhen 😉. I was starting to think it wasn’t going to happen as a hint of a love triangle started to manifest between Commander Grey and Harper.

So how does Prince Rhen try to make Harper fall in love with him? He has barely any hope that the curse will break . It just doesn’t come naturally for Rhen and Harper, they both have such high defensive walls to penetrate, though Rhen’s is much higher I think. Trust takes too long to develop between them, and as Rhen keeps worrying: there is NO time. So instead, Prince Rhen, Harper and Grey spend the time planning for the needs of Emberfall if the curse is not broken. It’s another reason why I love Harper – because she brought in the wild hope in this hopeless situation, not for Rhen to fall in love and break the curse, but actually to help his people no matter what happens.

As far as it being a Beauty and the Beast retelling I think it did it pretty well. I caught the similar elements from the original story and I loved the unique spin on it. The action in the last half of the book was exciting – I mean a lot happens when the neighboring kingdom comes for Emberfall, Rhen’s beast is about to make his debut, and Harper’s mom is dying back in D.C. Whew! 🤷🏻‍♀️ And don’t get me started on Lilith, the wicked enchantress that started the curse in the first place. She pops up here and there just making life hell for Rhen and Grey.

Also we find out a few interesting things about Grey at the ending of the book which I definitely have to know more about like…yesterday.

I can’t recall ever reading a book with a protagonist that had cerebral palsy, so thank you to the author for making me more aware and giving us a tough heroine who rose to the challenges to save her loved ones in whatever predicament they were in.

Book Review: Broken Wings (Dark Legacy – Book One)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Authors: Jaymin Eve & Tate James

Format: Kindle E-book

Pages: 325

Categories: Alpha Males, Dark Romance, Bully Romance, Major Cliff Hanger, Car Racing

Book Blurb:

They rule my new town, my school, and with more money than God, there’s very little out of their reach.

Four gorgeous, perfect, scary boys. There used to be five, but one of them died, leaving a fifth position that I now fill.

I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want to be part of this billionaire-boys-club. But no one cares about what I want.

Sebastian Beckett is the worst of them. Their leader. He draws me in, and strips me of every defense I have. He calls me Butterfly, but it’s not a pet name, it’s a threat. Beck wants nothing more than to break my wings, pin me to a board and watch me writhe.

He wants to see me broken. Body, heart and soul.

And what these elite want, they get.

Only they’ve never met Riley Jameson.

Let the battle begin.
**This dark romance features four sexy, dangerous boys but is NOT a reverse harem.**

MY REVIEW

Broken Wings was, WOW. It is the first book in what looks like a two book series. The story takes place in a high school but this reads as a New Adult novel. It has alpha males and steamy sex. If you do not enjoy dark romance/bully romance novels, this book isn’t for you. What is it about bad boys who are bullies at first? It’s those guys we love to hate, who come off hard but has some issues to deal with inside. All it takes is that one girl that penetrates their wall and makes them fall in love, hard. It just makes for a juicy tension filled story. But I did grow up with four alpha male cousins, and I know that bully romances in real life sometimes just do not end very well. Thank goodness this is fiction though!

I will note that although there are four main alpha males this is not a reverse harem, which made me happy because I’m not the biggest fan of reverse harem quite yet. I’ve found a few I liked though so I’m working my way into it. But I’m a big sucker for a soul-mate connection.

In Broken Wings, we meet Riley Jameson who is in a car accident, loses both her parents and finds out the life she believed was all based on a lie. She is not a Jameson, but a Deboise and her real parents brings her back into the family again – with an agenda. Riley finds herself thrown into a world of the rich and powerful. But with riches come power and with power comes sacrifice and a multitude of dangers as Riley comes to find out immediately.

Riley is no push-over, which I love. She stands up to Catherine, her cold biological mom (did that woman really birth her? Because my goodness, the hate from that woman), she loves to race fast cars, and she can handle herself among the alpha males even when they scare her. Then there’s Sebastian Beckett, the leader of this little group of four alpha males she’s tied to through the family business. The tension between them is strung tight and yes eventually they have some very amazing sex. Sebastian is a typical hot alpha male, but trained in extreme survival skills no twenty year old has business knowing. He was born into this life but a life that was void of family love, so he’s not all bad, or is he? But why was my heart sort of pining for Riley to hook up with Dante, her best friend? I know she’s crazy about Beck (Sebastian) but Dante is awesome too.

Dante has been there for Riley since before she became a rich girl. He’s got her back. I love him! Hot, rich, powerful, sexy Sebastian Beckett? Or hot, tatted, got his own connections, best friend Dante? What’s a girl to do? And Riley does find a female friend among this sea of alpha males. A girl needs her girlfriends, right? Her new best friend Eddy, sister to one of the alpha males, is a cool chic that welcomes her right away. Thank goodness for Dante and Eddy for keeping Riley grounded.

This book was a fast read! I could not put it down. I will say though that some things about the story made me pause: The unprotected sex scene – I get it – it happens in real life, but I was rolling my eyes like Riley, you’re going to get pregnant at seventeen! 🤦🏻‍♀️ And Beck (Sebastian) is 20 but it’s crazy to think he’s not even 21 yet with all that financial power – I felt like I was reading about a 30 year old! I know they live a fast lifestyle because of their status and position but at some points I had to remember Riley was only 17 and so the boys had to between 18-20. To think these boys would rule the world? Yikes…

Other than those minor things this book was a fun, exciting, intense read. There is sex, violence, high school parties, car racing and that cliffhanger ending! Oh my! I’m ready for book two because I have to know what happens, that twist in the end. Like, WHAT? How dare they…oh it’s so good. I’m so glad I don’t have too wait long for book two to come out. I’m ready to fall back into Riley’s world again.