Tag: netgalley

ARC Review | Mooncakes

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Mooncakes

Authors: Suzanne Walker

Artist: Wendy Xu

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 256

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Categories: Romance, LGBTQIA+, Fantasy, Witchcraft, Graphic Novel, Young Adult

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

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Thank you to Lion Forge and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

I read my first graphic novel…as an adult, that is, because I was obsessed with Elf Quest and Archie back in my middle school days! Haha…and my son just got a graphic novel set from his aunt for his birthday so I’ll be helping him read that one.

Mooncakes is about Nova, a young witch that wears a hearing aid, being raised by her grandmothers who are also witches and have a bookshop. That’s my dream right there, to be a witch who owns a book store! 😍 Nova reunites with a friend from long ago, Tam Lang who is a shape-shifter and becomes a love interest. There is a mysterious dark force in town and Nova and Tam have to figure out how to defeat it.

Graphic novels just read fast because the art just moves it along. I love the color palette used by artist Wendy Xu, it gives it a retro feel.

There is a nice representation of so much diversity. There were different cultural celebrations, Sukkot (Jewish holiday) and eating mooncakes at during the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival. I thought it was nice to see a blend of the cultures because my own children have a blended culture as well and we celebrate a lot of things!

The romance between Nova and Tam was so cute! Tam uses “they” pronouns and they have a past together but it was so sweet to watch their relationship grow. And the witchcraft in the book was wonderful since we are in the month of September and I am in the mood for all things witchy!

Overall Mooncakes is a wonderful read full of diversity, action, love, villains and heroes! If you are into graphic novels or starting to get into them again, like I am, Mooncakes is the perfect graphic novel to start with!

ARC Review | The Spitfire

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Spitfire (Wicked Wallflowers, #5)

Author: Christi Caldwell

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 332

Publication Date: September 17, 2019

Categories: Historical Romance, Adult Fiction

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

Her dream is to open a music hall. Only one thing stands in her way—the man she loves. The final Wicked Wallflowers novel from USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell.

Leaving behind her life as a courtesan and madam, Clara Winters is moving far from the sinful life to which she was accustomed in the gaming hell the Devil’s Den. Her more reputable and fulfilling endeavor is a music hall for the masses. One night, when she sees a man injured on the streets of East London, she rushes to his aid and brings him home. It’s then that she discovers he’s Henry March, Earl of Waterson, and a member of Parliament. No good can come from playing nursemaid to a nobleman.

When Henry rouses to meet his savior in blonde curls, he is dazzled. This smart and loving spitfire challenges his every notion of the lower classes—and every moment together is a thrill. But after Henry returns to his well-ordered existence, he strikes a political compromise that has unintended consequences. Will his vision for London mean dashing the dreams of his lovely guardian angel?

Thank you to Montlake Romance and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

I love Christi Caldwell. She has a large body of work but her most recent series is one of my favorites. The Spitfire, is book number five in the Wicked Wallflowers series and I really enjoyed it!

Clara Winters used to be a courtesan but she left that life and now is in the middle of building her dream: a music hall. But one night she crosses paths with a nobleman, Henry March, who is a powerhouse in Parliament. She saves his life, in turn, his business in parliament has caused some complications for Clara achieving her dreams.

This seemed at first like the nobleman gets rescued by a woman, opposites attract trope but there is an interesting element to this story: Henry March. He’s as stuffy and starchy as they come, just so strait-laced! His life is so centered on his job at Parliament, he recites laws in his head to focus! Henry doesn’t tease, doesn’t have much enjoyment outside of work, doesn’t really have any friends but when he and Clara are together – the sparks. Oh the sparks! I liked watching Clara light him up, so to speak. 😅 They were just so different in personality I love how their attraction grows.

I love Clara as a character. We learn about how her life took a turn for the worse when she had no one to protect her. She’s strong, she’s outspoken and passionate. Henry is passionate as well, about his family and his work.

Now I loved Clara and Henry’s interactions in this story and they have a very steamy scene together…but the ending seemed rush. But I’ve read enough of this author’s work to know that yes, sometimes her book endings are rushed, which is frustrating because it can feel abrupt. But honestly, I loved watching Clara tease Henry so much, it was an enjoyable read for me. If you are reading this series, I think you will enjoy this latest installment very much.

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.

ARC Review | Our Wayward Fate

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Our Wayward Fate

Author: Gloria Chao

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Categories: Family, Folklore, Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance

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

Seventeen-year-old Ali Chu knows that as the only Asian person at her school in middle-of-nowhere Indiana, she must be bland as white toast to survive. This means swapping her congee lunch for PB&Js, ignoring the clueless racism from her classmates and teachers, and keeping her mouth shut when people wrongly call her Allie instead of her actual name, pronounced Āh-lěe, after the mountain in Taiwan.

Her autopilot existence is disrupted when she finds out that Chase Yu, the new kid in school, is also Taiwanese. Despite some initial resistance due to the “they belong together” whispers, Ali and Chase soon spark a chemistry rooted in competitive martial arts, joking in two languages, and, most importantly, pushing back against the discrimination they face.

But when Ali’s mom finds out about the relationship, she forces Ali to end it. As Ali covertly digs into the why behind her mother’s disapproval, she uncovers secrets about her family and Chase that force her to question everything she thought she knew about life, love, and her unknowable future.

Thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

This book was so full of many things: Ali’s experience living as a Taiwanese girl in Indiana, the secrets her parents are keeping, Chinese folklore, and a budding romance.

I love Ali! She’s outspoken, strong and spirited, she made me laugh out loud, a lot. I mean the girl isn’t even afraid to talk about pooping! 😂👏🏼 But Ali is tired of the racism she experiences in the all-American town she lives in. She’s tired of walking on eggshells at home where her parents never interact with each other and her mom never seems happy. Then one day a new boy comes to her school and he’s Taiwanese too. She was ready to dislike him for disrupting her school life, but having him around opens her eyes to a lot of things.

I felt for Ali and just could imagine how stifling it would be to live in a home where her dad is there but not present. Where her mom’s resentment just infects their way of life. I understood in the end where her mom was coming from but wow, the lengths she went through to ensure Ali’s future happiness, without knowing what would really make her daughter happy…it was a big miss on her part as a parent. Yet, like I said, I understood her mom’s fears, but it just made me sad.

Ali and Chase, are so cute together. It was so nice seeing Ali have someone to relate to because her high school friends were so not it. 🙄 I love Ali and Chase’s banter. Those kung-fu scenes just heightened the tension between them, I loved it. They are so silly together and fun. 😍

As for the larger issue in this book with the Chinese folklore and the history of Ali’s family. That was fascinating and it also made me realize, I don’t recall much about the history between China and Taiwan. You get a little idea of it in the book, but I really need to do some research on it.

This is a wonderful story about confronting family secrets, shame and regret. I really enjoyed reading about Ali’s journey as she faces the truth about her family and herself. Watching her come full circle with her family’s history is inspiring.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review | The Grace Year

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: The Grace Year

Author: Kim Liggett

Pages: 416

Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Categories: Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Young Adult, Dystopian

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

No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden.

Girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.

Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for their chance to grab one of the girls in order to make their fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.

With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between. 

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

I just wanted to get through two chapters and fall asleep because it was already past 10pm. But what happened? Five hours later, at 3 in the morning I was done with the book! 👀 And by the way, that book cover depicts this story so well – it’s pretty pink with petal outline designs and then that dripping red ribbon. This is not a sweet story, it is dark. This book kind of terrified me. Kid you not, the first thing I muttered after I finished the book was “that was so f-ed up”. 😅

I do not ever want to live in the world The Grace Year takes place in. No woman should ever have to live in a place like that.

But what is the grace year? It’s a year where a group of sixteen year old girls get sent to an encampment to rid themselves of their “magic”…because it’s what makes them crazy. Uh huh. 😕 They have to exorcise the magic out of themselves or die trying.

Every year girls get sent outside of the county where there are poachers, tales of ghosts haunting the woods and girls and women who live on the outskirts of the county because they were thrown out. Not all the girls come back home, and when they do come back, most come back very different from who they were before.

Tierney James, is sixteen and all she wants is freedom. But it’s finally her time to experience the grace year and when she’s there, all hell breaks loose. Think…Lord of the Flies. 😳

Horrible things start to happen, but was it because of real magic in the girls? Was it the beginnings of insanity? Was it ghosts really roaming around haunting them? And then there are poachers that want to take girl’s parts waiting in the woods. NOPE.. Nope, I would not survive the grace year at all. Tierney has to survive the girls, the poachers, the woods, and even herself if she wants to ever see her family again.

The story is fast paced, raw and gritty, and it doesn’t shy away from violence and blood. It paints a picture of how the men in this county view girls and women like chattel, or should I say, like cattle? They prey on the women, both the poachers and the men in the county. 😠 I had many “Oh hell NO” moments while reading this book, I was so pissed off.

Tierney’s journey in this book is nothing short of a miracle. It is heartbreaking, but in the end there is hope and I even teared up. The message in the book is powerful. Women are stronger, together, not tearing one another apart. There’s a multitude of issues that this book touches on.

The Grace Year is a riveting and brutal story about women’s place in society and how we survive and the fight to endure and try and change the system.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review | Tiger Queen

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Tiger Queen

Author: Anne Sullivan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult

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


In the mythical desert kingdom of Achra, an ancient law forces sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri to fight in the arena to prove her right to rule. For Kateri, winning also means fulfilling a promise to her late mother that she would protect her people, who are struggling through windstorms and drought. The situation is worsened by the gang of Desert Boys that frequently raids the city wells, forcing the king to ration what little water is left. The punishment for stealing water is a choice between two doors: behind one lies freedom, and behind the other is a tiger.

But when Kateri’s final opponent is announced, she knows she cannot win. In desperation, she turns to the desert and the one person she never thought she’d side with. What Kateri discovers twists her world—and her heart—upside down. Her future is now behind two doors—only she’s not sure which holds the key to keeping her kingdom and which releases the tiger.

Thank you to Blink and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

Here we have another story about a Princess, who needs to prove herself in order to be the next ruler of her kingdom. There are so many similar books out there so I started reading Tiger Queen without any expectations and I was pleasantly surprised.

Princess Kateri can kick-butt. Kateri has to be the best fighter because the only way her father will let her rule is she has to defeat royals in the arena. Rodric, the captain of the guard and a ruthless fighter himself, is her trainer and then some. Now the enemy in this story is supposedly the Desert Boys, a group of stealthy urchins who steal water from the wells of Achra. Being a desert kingdom, water is precious, water is life, and when there is not enough to go around, the person who controls water, rules the people.

When Kateri finds out the truth about what is going on in her kingdom, she learns she has to be able to beat the last opponent in the arena or else she will lose her dreams of ruling and helping her people. She starts her training in the desert and only the strong survive there.

Achra is not a place I would like to visit. I am not someone who is seduced by sand, unless it comes with an ocean. 😅 Just knowing the people in this book were so thirsty made me feel parch reading this book. I can definitely understand and feel the desperation these characters have for water. And another reason I wouldn’t enjoy Achra? Oh the snakes, poisonous lizards, blood beetles and scorpions that seem to be everywhere in this landscape. And if avoiding them is a problem, well – guess what is on the menu in Achra? Yup, snakes, lizards, scorpions…😂. I thought it was actually really funny how most books usually make me hungry with their description of food but nope, not this book!

There is a lot of action in this book and the fighting and training scenes were really exciting. This book moves at a fast pace which was nice. The story is predictable but not in a bad way, I still found it enjoyable even though I knew what was going to happen. I also loved that there was no magic in this book, the characters had to rely on just skills and learning the ways of the desert. I love magic, but sometimes it’s just cool to see people fighting with their wits.

The stakes are high in Tiger Queen because who can live without water? No one. I enjoyed this story a lot and I think if you like desert landscapes in books, then you will really like it too.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review | Sapphire Flames

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy, #4)

Author: Ilona Andrews

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Adult Fiction

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

In a world where magic is the key to power and wealth, Catalina Baylor is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, and the Head of her House. Catalina has always been afraid to use her unique powers, but when her friend’s mother and sister are murdered, Catalina risks her reputation and safety to unravel the mystery.

But behind the scenes powerful forces are at work, and one of them is Alessandro Sagredo, the Italian Prime who was once Catalina’s teenage crush. Dangerous and unpredictable, Alessandro’s true motives are unclear, but he’s drawn to Catalina like a moth to a flame.

To help her friend, Catalina must test the limits of her extraordinary powers, but doing so may cost her both her House–and her heart.

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

If this book was good already without me even knowing what the series is about, I can only imagine how amazing the previous books are. Yes I requested this book not knowing it was part of a series and read it anyway.

Without knowing the backstory, I jumped right into the magical urban fantasy world of Primes, and the head of her House, Catalina Baylor. She is smart, funny, compassionate, and so brave. Her surrounding friends and family are memorable characters too and that alone wants me to read the other books in the series.

Also there is a seriously hot guy character named Alessandro and he’s an assassin/Italian count, what? 🔥😍 There is an attraction between Catalina and Alessandro but I’m not sure what their history is. Their relationship doesn’t overtake the story, which is nice, Catalina means business when it comes to her job and I admire that about her.

I can see why Ilona Andrews books are so popular. It has everything I enjoy in an urban fantasy novel. Smart kickass women, an intricate magic system, assassins, hot guys, friendships and tight family bonds. This book is fast paced, fun and engaging!

Get it here: Amazon

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


ARC Review | The World On Either Side

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The World On Either Side

Author: Diane Terrana

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication: September 10, 2019

Categories: Grief, Self-Harm, Young Adult, World Issues, Contemporary

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

After the death of her boyfriend, sixteen-year old Valentine stops going to school, quits seeing her friends, and, finally, won’t leave her bed. Desperate for her daughter to recover, Valentine’s mother takes her on a trek in Thailand. In the mountains north of Chiang Mai, Valentine finds a world she didn’t know existed, where houses are on stilts and elephants still roam wild. She learns about the Burmese civil war and the relentless violence against the Karen and Rohingya peoples.

Then she meets Lin, a mysterious young elephant keeper tormented by his hidden past, and an orphaned elephant calf, pursued by violent poachers. Together, the three flee deep into the jungle, looking for refuge and redemption. 

Thank you to Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

I used to be Valentine. I had that hard knot of pain in my heart that is described so well in this book after dealing with grief for a few years. That’s why I love The World On Either Side so much. I didn’t have that pain in my heart as a teenager though, I had it at twenty-nine and it just goes to show how this book could speak to young adults and adults as well.

I went into this book knowing it would deal with grief but I was afraid it would gloss over the issues happening in Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) – issues I don’t really know well enough of myself. But this story took Valentine’s grief, and the issues going on in these countries and gave me a book that spoke to my heart. It also gave me an understanding of the disturbing things going in these countries.

Valentine is going through so much after her boyfriend Amir dies. She is depressed and in a tunnel of grief. Her parents are afraid to lose her but she can’t seem to come out of the dark cave she’s in. So her mom decides that they leave Canada and take a trip to Thailand together. And not just to the city of Bangkok, they are signed up to trek through the hills of Northern Thailand to visit the hill tribes. It’s her mom’s desperate attempt to make her leave the room she hasn’t left since Amir has died.

They meet up with a small group of other tourists as they journey through the hills of Thailand, close to the Myanmar border. They ride elephants, sleep in sleeping bags and barely get to bathe. We get a small glimpse of the political strife happening between the indigenous tribes and government of Myanmar. We also get some lessons on Buddhism.

The book also touched on the subject of elephants and poachers. I think that’s when my heart started to really break, the moment the elephants arrive. It explored the bond between mother and child, not only in the human world, but the animal world as well – in particular with elephants who feel strongly about their young and vice versa. Elephants who grieve. Then there is Lin, who’s backstory is unimaginable and scary for anyone who lives a safe life outside of these countries. I hurt for Lin and what he has been through. He is one of the guides for the group and he has a past that comes back to haunt him and Valentine.

By the end of this book, Valentine sees how much forgiveness plays a big part in healing her broken spirit and how some things in life are not so black and white, especially when it comes to Lin and his life choices. My heart was so sore for Valentine, her mom, for the elephants, Lin, the Karen tribe, the Rohingya and everyone caught up in personal grief and turmoil and the violence that the government has brought upon the people.

I love how courage is what gets our characters through this trek. Valentine goes through some difficult situations on this trip but she has to dig down deep to be braver than she’s ever had to be. We see that she does have fight in her still. Lin’s story also shows us what kind of courage it took for him to survive the life he’s led, and the kind of future that will be best for his situation. We even see how all of this affects Valentine’s mom and how she is fighting for her daughter and the toll it takes.

This book is wonderfully written with the lush descriptions of the trek in the mountains of Thailand through a tourists’ point of view and someone like Lin who belongs there and nowhere at the same time. I felt like I was there with the characters. It made me want to learn more about the Karen and Rohingya tribes and hope one day the conflict will stop. This story explored mental health, love, loss and world issues. And though at times there are dark scenes in this book, the story touched my heart so deeply, the heart that was once a painful ball of hurt and at times still is.

I absolutely loved this book and finished it in one day. I definitely will need a copy of it on my shelf when it releases in September and I look forward to reading more books from this author!

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review | Stolen

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Stolen

Author: Marlena Frank

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 260

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult

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

It’s difficult taking care of a delusional father by yourself. Sixteen-year-old Shaleigh Mallet would rather explore and photograph dilapidated buildings than cater to her father’s dark episodes. But when she’s kidnapped by a creature who carries her atop a flying bicycle into another world, she realizes this wasn’t the escape she wanted.

In a kingdom known as the Garden, where minotaurs pull carriages and parties are held in hot air balloons, Madam Cloom and her faerie servant, Teagan, rule over the land with incredible but terrifying magic. Shaleigh must prove that she is the reincarnation of a long-dead ruler, not because she believes it, but because it’s her only chance to survive. With the help of a trespassing faerie, a stoatling, and a living statue, Shaleigh hopes to outwit everyone. She aims to break the bonds of servitude and finally make her way home. What she doesn’t realize, however, is that she’s playing right into the hands of a far worse enemy… 

Thank you to Parliament House and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this eArc.

This book review is way overdue but I finally finished the book. It took me awhile to finish this book which is unfortunate because I thought it started off pretty good. But it just couldn’t seem to hold my interest.

Shaleigh and her friend Kaeja, have an interesting hobby. They go to decrepit locations around town to photograph them. It helps her escape issues she’s dealing with at home. Shaleigh’s father is having problems at work and his mental state is called into question. Then one day Shaleigh and Kaeja are on location when something totally unexpected occurs.

Shaleigh gets kidnapped and taken to the Land of the Fae where she must convince them she is the reincarnation of a long dead ruler. The story reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, with Madam Cloom resembling the Queen of Hearts.

The world-building in the land of Faerie is great but something about the book wasn’t holding my interest, it might have been the slow pacing of the story. I wasn’t attached to any characters in faerie but I did like that there was diversity in the love story being represented between two fae, Teagan and Talek. Other than the world-building I felt like there was a lull in the middle of the story and most of the action comes in the end, with a cliff-hanger ending.

This may have been a case of needing to be in the mood to read this book but Stolen just wasn’t for me. Despite it not working for me, I think a lot of young adult fantasy readers would enjoy the world-building and story of Shaleigh trying to find her way home.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review | The Girl the Sea Gave Back

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Girl the Sea Gave Back

Author: Adrienne Young

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult

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


For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home. 

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eArc.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a Viking-inspired stand alone book set ten years after the events in Adrienne’s Young’s first book, Sky in the Deep. I am a big fan of Sky in the Deep. I thought it depicted Nordic life as I imagined it would be: violent, harsh and full of mysticism.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back brings us back to the same setting but this time we are following Tova and Halvard. The book is told through their dual perspectives. Tova is the girl who wasn’t supposed to be alive. She becomes the rune caster of sorts for The Svell people. The Svell think she is a curse, but the leader of the Svell keeps her with them. Among her own people, the Kyrr, who she has been separated from, she would known as a Truthbearer.

Halvard, is part of the Nādhir people. The Svell has been terrorizing their villages and they meet with the Svell to repair relations when the meeting ends up in bloodshed. From there, we see how Tova’s fate is tied with Halvard and the Svell as they all fight for their survival.

The things I liked about the book:

  • I found Tova and the mysterious Kyrr people fascinating. I loved learning about them and wanted to learn more about their mystical ways. I think the only time I really connected to the book was when it was about the Kyrr tribe.
  • The action and battle scenes are great. It is violent but for the time period this story is set in, I expect to see this type of violence.
  • The author does so well writing these historical fiction novels because I feel immersed in the world, especially when it comes to the landscape, battle scenes and mystical aspects of their religion.

The things I didn’t enjoy:

  • The time jumping threw me off it was so jarring because it went back 7 years, then 10 years, then 12 years…🤦🏻‍♀️. I think without it, my reading experience would have been way different. This was my biggest issue with the book.
  • The romance was not a thing in the book and then there it was in the end. It wasn’t nurtured enough throughout the book so for me it felt forced.
  • I also had a hard time connecting to any of the characters until maybe the ending of the book. I really I gravitated more towards Tova’s background and family. That’s where I felt excitement when I read the story.

Overall, I think I had higher expectations. I enjoyed the parts of the Kyrr and Tova’s history but everything else in this story was just okay for me.

Get it here: Amazon

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