ARC Review | Foul is Fair

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Foul is Fair

Author: Hannah Capin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: February 18, 2020

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Sexual Assault, Rape Culture, Revenge, MacBeth Retelling, Murder

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

Elle and her friends Mads, Jenny, and Summer rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Elle’s sweet sixteen, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Elle as their next target.

They picked the wrong girl.

Sworn to vengeance, Elle transfers to St. Andrew’s. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She’ll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school’s hierarchy. And she and her coven have the perfect way in: a boy named Mack, whose ambition could turn deadly.

Foul is Fair is a bloody, thrilling revenge fantasy for the girls who have had enough. Golden boys beware: something wicked this way comes

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

Golden boys beware, for real! Here we have a crew of four mean girls, but on one special night when Jade (Elle before the party, Jade is what she is after…) is celebrating her sweet sixteen they crash a St. Andrew’s prep party and their lives are changed forever.

After the party we are in Jade’s head as she plots and plans the demise of the golden boys of St. Andrew’s prep that hurt her. Jade’s got a kill list and she’s crossing out names: Duncan, Banks, Duffy, Conner, Porter, Malcom, Mack and one girl, Piper. It is time for revenge, and these girls don’t play, their claws are out and they are ready to draw blood.

I learned this was a MacBeth retelling but I knew as I was reading the line “foul is fair, fair is foul” that it felt familiar. Jade’s best friends, Mads, Summer and Jenny are like the witches in MacBeth. Jade refers to them as her coven. They’ve had things done to them when they were younger and these girls learned to fight back and rule the school. They refuse to be victims and they take what they want. They make things happen, they ruin lives if anyone tries to come for them. Not only was MacBeth all over this story, I got Heathers vibes too (which I grew up with and love) and it also made me think of the new tv series Euphoria (I’m kind of obsessed). It’s like Euphoria, in the sense of how the story flows from Jade’s thoughts, memories of the party, and other events that take place.
This girl squad is tight, they are honest, they are all in and got each other’s backs. But I also loved that the revenge wasn’t only for Jade, but for all the girls who came before her. I know it was kind of sick with the murders but damn was I cheering them on.
I loved how the “house of cards” fell and how Jade plotted the downfall. I was scared for her and scared of her – but she and her friends took those St. Andrews boys and one girl down like bosses! How are these high school kids so vicious? It helps they are all the rich kids and have power, fast cars, big houses and parents that are hardly around it seems. And lawyers, they have lawyers on hand! So important!
The story is a powerful message about rape culture. Here we have these golden boys who, in real life, would probably get away with this behavior for the rest of their lives. There was no remorse in these boys, they took what they wanted…but here comes Jade who comes to take what is hers, reclaim the power that they stole from her. Jade plays them like puppets on a string! I was like, damnnnnn girl…I think a lot of us females have had enough so we resonate with her rage. And Jade wouldn’t have have been able to do all of this without the support of her friends who believed her. They didn’t see the rape happen, but they believed her 100%.
This story is in your face, and unapologetic. The writing is poetic, but sometimes just a few words left an impact. Jade is not a sweet girl – she is hell bent on her plans of revenge. She gives no F’s, she is ruthless, she’s scheming and ready to spill blood. The story is violent, and at times bloody. Jade manipulates Mack to get what she wants.
I think the author did a great job showcasing each character, especially Jade and the boys at St. Andrew’s prep that was involved and their strength and weaknesses.

There are so many triggers in this books: sexual assault, rape, rape culture, attempted suicide, murder for the sake of revenge, violence.
Because this book is so dark, it may not appeal to some readers, especially because Jade comes off as a psychopath, she’s getting high off these murders! Also I enjoyed the poetic writing but I can see how some readers would get confused with the metaphorical writing.
The way Jade uses Mack to take down the golden boys was at times, for me, not believable. He fell for her so fast and was willing, just because she smiled a certain way, whispered the right words, kissed him a lot, now he’s about to murder his friends? She was doing a lot of emotional manipulation on him, but it didn’t seem like she needed to try very hard. I definitely had to suspend my belief there and go with it.
What happens next to Jade?! I need to know.

Some books capture the sign of the times so perfectly and this book does it well. It’s the rage we feel these days with the MeToo movement, unleashed through Jade and her coven. Women are fighting back the powerful golden boys that have ruled for what seems like eons and it’s about time.

If you can handle the triggers in this book, I think it’s an intense, bold story that dares you not to look away from the damage rape culture can cause. I believe this is the first book in a series or duology, I’m not quite sure, but I am VERY curious to see what happens next after the ending of this book. I think this book could have stood strongly as a standalone already, but maybe we get to see how society paints Jade when they find out what happened to her and what she’s done in retaliation. Things could get intense, I look forward to reading the sequel.

ARC Review | The Weight of a Soul

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Weight of a Soul

Author: Elizabeth Tammi

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: December 3, 2019

Categories: Norse Mythology, Family, Fantasy, Young Adult

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

When Lena’s younger sister Fressa is found dead, their whole Viking clan mourns—but it is Lena alone who never recovers. Fressa is the sister that should’ve lived, and Lena cannot rest until she knows exactly what killed Fressa and why—and how to bring her back. She strikes a dark deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of death, and begins a new double life to save her sister.

But as Lena gets closer to bringing Fressa back, she dredges up dangerous discoveries about her own family, and finds herself in the middle of a devastating plan to spur Ragnarök –a deadly chain of events leading to total world destruction.

Still, with her sister’s life in the balance, Lena is willing to risk it all. She’s willing to kill. How far will she go before the darkness consumes her?

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

This was an interesting read and what kept me reading was watching Lena deal with the grief of losing her sister. But as the story went on and Lena makes a deal with the goddess of death to bring her sister back, I thought Lena was at some points, truly losing it.

Making that deal made her do some heinous things and all because she wanted her sister back. Talk about sisterly devotion.

The Norse mythology with the involvement of gods and goddesses in Lena’s life was something I enjoyed. It definitely made Lena make some interesting choices.
Lena’s love for her sister is admirable and tragic. Everything was motivated by Fressa’s death, or so we think.
The portrayal of grief and how it can make someone spiral into depression and despair was well written. I could totally relate to all of that.
I like the expression of a “weight of a soul” and how it is explained. That was quite fascinating.
I love the cover and the gray palette!

Poor Amal (Lena’s friend), I felt like all he was doing was crying in this book. But his life is so messed up by Fressa’s death and then Lena’s actions. He couldn’t catch a break. But I felt like he could have stepped into the role of future leader of the clan much better. But all we see is someone falling apart as much as Lena is (understandably) – and here I am now not cutting him some slack! Sorry Amal! 😂
I felt like most of the book was just going through Lena’s grief and not much else. It was a bit slow for me in certain parts and some chapters were really short, I don’t know if that was on purpose or an error.
With all the Norse mythology represented, I felt like it was lacking something – not enough mysticism? It was dark for sure but I think I wanted it to delve more into Lena’s darkness. Is it bad that I want this dark book, to get darker? 😅

I mostly liked the book but was left feeling the story was just okay. But the writing is good, I think it’s just I’ve read a few Viking inspired stories the past few months and they were much grittier, harsh , brutal, and you get my drift. So I felt like this book could have gone deeper, especially with Lena’s character. But that’s just my personal preference though!

I think most people who like Viking-inspired and Norse mythology stories will actually enjoy this one.

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

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

ARC Review | Permanent Record

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Permanent Record

Author: Mary H.K. Choi

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Categories: Coming of Age, Debt, Family, Mental Health, Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult

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

After a year of college, Pablo is working at his local twenty-four-hour deli, selling overpriced snacks to brownstone yuppies. He’s dodging calls from the student loan office and he has no idea what his next move is.

Leanna Smart’s life so far has been nothing but success. Age eight: Disney Mouseketeer; Age fifteen: first #1 single on the US pop chart; Age seventeen, *tenth* #1 single; and now, at Age nineteen…life is a queasy blur of private planes, weird hotel rooms, and strangers asking for selfies on the street.

When Leanna and Pab randomly meet at 4:00 a.m. in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn, they both know they can’t be together forever. So, they keep things on the down-low and off Instagram for as long as they can. But it takes about three seconds before the world finds out…

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

This book is so relevant for young adults today because it confronts the topics of student debt and mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Pablo’s full name is Pablo Neruda Rind. Yeah, like the poet! Someone with a name like that will definitely have an interesting story and he sure does. Pablo is half Korean/half Pakistani-American and lives in New York City. He had one semester at NYU and dropped out. Pablo works at a deli just cruising by and ignoring the bill collectors calls and credit card bill statements that pile up at his apartment. His parents are very worried about him and his future.

Oh Pablo, the mom in me was so worried about him. I remember what it felt like to have student loans after college, and definitely not knowing for sure what I was going to do with my life. But what scared me most about him was that he dealt with his fears by running away from it. He was getting anxiety and giving me anxiety. Meeting a celebrity, Leanna Smart, who whisks him away to luxurious hotel rooms helps him forget all his problems for a moment but they always come back to slap him in his face when he’s at home and away from her.

The romance is sweet but it isn’t about that. It’s a coming of age story about a young man who is trying to find his way: what does he want to do with his life? What is he passionate about? Is he going to work in a deli the rest of his life? Is he happy with those prospects? He keeps hearing people say he has so much potential but he doesn’t know what that means. What is his potential? He doesn’t know and time feels like it’s ticking down with debt collectors coming after him and he’s only twenty years old!

Thank goodness for Pablo’s roommate Tice who tells him point blank what his problem is. I also appreciated how though Pablo thought he was alone, he really has a supportive group around him, he just needed to reach out and get some help. His parents are separated but you know they love him and want the best for him.

I really related to this book so much and can’t stop thinking about it, because I wonder if that will be my son one day. I told my husband about the book which led us to another discussion about our kids and their futures. I told my friend about it, she has no kids but wants kids, but we were both college students once upon a time, there were some things we wish we did differently. As a parent I worry about my kids and their future. We always think about if will we have enough money for my son’s college education and what if he doesn’t want to go to college? So many questions but in the end we just hope he is happy and can survive the “real world” when he graduates high school Yes, my son is going to be seven in August…🤣 but I am a parent and these are my worries. So this book hit home on many fronts.

I loved the whole city vibe of the book as well. I went to NYC only once and it was a time I was at a crossroads in my life and the city woke me up. It lit something in me that was dead for awhile and I love that I can feel that energy in this book.

This is an engaging book, relevant for teens and college students, also important reading for parents too! I loved it.

Get it here: Amazon

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

ARC Review: Frankly in Love

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Frankly in Love

Author: David Yoon

Format: Paperback (owned)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get it here: Amazon

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

Book Review: The Gilded Wolves

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1)

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 388

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Historical, Diversity

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.

It’s 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they can stay alive.

The Gilded Wolves – wow! I’ve seen a lot of reviews where readers DNF’ed this book. I also saw glowing reviews of it too. The gorgeous cover and the polarizing reviews got me curious enough to read this book.

It did take me a few days to really get into the book. I put it aside for a few weeks and even renewed it once at my library. I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for it, and I wasn’t sure if it was for me after reading a few pages. But I kept reading…and something kept me there. It could be the characters, or my curiosity because I love puzzles, history and artifacts. (Also, I just read Harry Potter – I know, I know, only now?…but I’m a Ravenclaw for sure 😂)

This book has everything in it. Diversity, puzzles, history, secret societies, Paris, attraction, friendship, and a heist! At one point I thought, should I be taking notes? I was confused for the first few chapters because there is a lot of information to take in but the more I pushed through, the more the world gelled together.

I love the diverse cast of characters. Of course, my favorite is going to be Enrique, who is a bisexual Spanish-Filipino young man. I loved that he is super smart about history and artifacts. Also, he was funny and he’s my people! It’s rare to see Filipino characters and it made me feel recognized. ❤️

Another character that spoke to me is Zofia, who is a socially-awkward, Polish-Jew. She is a whiz at Math and Science . My husband is Jewish and so my children are Filipino/Jewish (by way of Russian descent)/and a lot of other European ethnicities thrown into the mix through my husband’s mom’s side. And…my daughter’s name is Layla, and what a coincidence that there is a Laila in this story! It’s like this book was made for me. Laila is a beautiful Indian young woman with a past that is really intriguing! Her skill is to entertain and spy on people.

I enjoyed Hypnos too, he brought fun and lightness to some of these serious characters even though he seemed like a villain at first. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. And then there is Severin and Tristan who grew up together and their bond is special. Severin and Tristan had an interesting upbringing and I hope to learn more about him in the next book.

This story revolves around Severin and his goal to become a patriarch and reinstate House Vanth. The world-building is captivating to say the least. France is ruled by four Houses that are in The Order of Babel. Severin is coerced to take on a mission to help The Order find an ancient artifact. If he succeeds, his wishes will come true.

At times, especially in the beginning I felt like I needed a family tree or map of something to keep the world-building straight in my mind. You have to keep in mind the origins of The Order of Babel. It basically started with the destruction of the Tower of Babel (Genesis/bible), where five fragments scattered and where they scattered, it created civilizations. Where these fragments remained, the art of Forging or creation/creating was possible. Interesting was the tidbit about the West getting their fragments through the Crusade when the Knights Templar got their hands on it.

So the duty of the Order of Babel is to safeguard their fragment in the West or else all the world is doomed. When I read all this in the first chapters…I was like what is this? Forging? What are they forging and for what? What exactly can they make? I had so many questions! Throw in some French words and my brain started to hurt. But in a good way, I think. But I can see why some people DNF’ed this book. Not gonna lie – I thought about it. I think I just needed to be in the mood to read about 19th century Paris.

From there we meet our cast of super smart, different and talented characters who help Severin with this heist. If Severin is made patriarch of his own house then the rest of the crew can reach their own personal goals as well, with his help and backing.

I loved the puzzles, and working out the clues. It had all the stuff that made the Da Vinci Code amazing back in the day. I kept wondering how the author kept all this straight when writing her book! The clues were woven in with a heist, set in this glittering world of Paris during the 19th century. I was impressed just on the information alone. I wanted to google everything.

The writing is wonderful. I was drawn into the bond of friendship-turned-family that these characters share. Their differences make them a tight crew, the interaction between was fun and heart-warming. The action is fun, intense and at one point heart-breaking. The relationships are complicated as each of them try to survive and carryout this heist successfully. I loved their inner dialogues, their troubled pasts and individual stories.

This wasn’t a quick read but the beauty of this book is how the author explores many themes in this story. This book touched on so many issues like colonialism, race and sexuality. So I am glad I didn’t DNF this book! I was even trying to explain this whole book to my husband and said the next book will take place in Russia! 😱 He was like…cool…😅 So I could tell by the way I was blabbing to him about this book soon after I read it, that I really enjoyed it and had to tell someone, right away.

Before book two comes out in 2020 I am going to reread this book again because now that I know what happens I need to read the parts that initially confused me. I need to see if I missed anything. By the way, I was near the end and thought there were more pages to read, and I put the book down to bathe my daughter. When I returned to the book and realized I was looking at the Author’s Note…I was like…wait..it’s done?! 😂 I was ready for more!

I’m looking forward to the sequel to see what is the deal with Severin and if they can find the next lost artifact! 😬 If you like a heist story that involves puzzles, romance, friendship, diversity, history and lore – then definitely give this book a chance.

Get it here: Amazon

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

ARC Review: T-Minus

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: T-Minus

Author: Shannon Greenland

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: August 6, 2019

Categories: Suspense, Young Adult, Thriller

I am the daughter of the first female POTUS, and today is about to become the longest day of my life…

24 hours—that’s how much time I have to save my mother before terrorists assassinate her. But now my father and brother are missing, too. This goes deeper than anyone thinks. Only someone on the inside would know how to pull this off—how to make the entire First Family disappear.

I can’t trust anyone, so it’s up to me to uncover the conspiracy and stop these madmen. Because little do they know, they picked the wrong person to terrorize.

My name is Sophie Washington, and I will not be a victim. No one, I repeat no one, is taking me or my family down. But the clock is ticking…

Thank you to Entangled: Teen and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.

If you like shows like 24 and Homeland, then this book is for you. I can’t say I ever watched 24 but Homeland is one of my favorite shows. T-Minus takes place in a span of 24 hours. Right away I get thrown into Sophie Washington’s life and she’s being taken to a safe house because a plot to assassinate her mother, the President of the United States is underway. She’s separated from her mom, dad and brother and doesn’t know who to trust.

But Sophie is no ordinary president’s daughter – she and a bunch of her friends underwent TIA training. Something similar to special ops training but for teens! So yes, she and her friends are skilled at espionage, fighting, hacking, you name it, each of them excels at what they were trained to do.

The clock ticks down as Sophie and her friends have to find out who is behind this plan that is killing people she loves. This story is fast-paced and full of suspense. I sort of suspected early on who the villain was but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story. And sometimes it’s unbelievable to think teenagers can be the ones to save the day in a situation like this. But I think Sophie and her friends convinced me they could handle any situation with the training they went through.

I believe this is a standalone novel but I feel like there could be a whole series devoted to Sophie and her friends saving the day. This is an entertaining page-turner with lots of thrilling action to keep anyone engaged

Get it here: Amazon

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

Book Review: The Rest of the Story

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Rest of the Story

Author: Sarah Dessen

Format: Hardcover (owned)

Pages: 440 (but Exclusive Version has a bonus 13 pages)

Categories: Family Dynamics, Slow Burn Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family—her grandmother and cousins she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is divided into two people as well. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her will win out?

What is it about Sarah Dessen and summer time? The two go hand in hand! I first read her books in college back when they were first published and I haven’t stopped (23 years later).

It’s also fitting that I finished the book just before the fourth of July, since The Rest of the Story takes place during the height of summer. Emma Saylor, has lost her mom to drug addiction and her dad has remarried. An emergency leaves Emma with no place to stay for the summer, but she ends up heading over to North Lake, where her mom grew up. She meets a whole bunch of family she’s never really known and puts together the missing puzzle pieces of her life.

Sarah Dessen knows how to write about family dynamics in a way that is so relatable. I mean, this book is about summer on a lake – I’ve never done that, but I live on an island, and our economy is tourism. My mom and most of my aunts all worked as hotel housekeepers. I’ve heard complaints time and again, all my life, from my mom and aunts. It’s hard work! Also…try living with a mom who cleans rooms for a living. I’ve inherited cleaning anxiety, I always feel my house isn’t clean enough when my parents come over. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 So once again, different location, different cultures but I could still relate to this book! That’s why Sarah Dessen books are amazing and special.

I love how Emma, who deals with anxiety on a daily basis learns to cope with the Calvanders (her mom’s side of the family). They are a large family – noisy, confrontational at times and basically…family. Emma is an only child and grew up with her dad and Nana so this was out of her comfort zone. I related to the Calvanders so much. They reminded me of my relatives – and I have a lot. Lots of aunts, uncles and cousins.

While Emma is in North Lake she learns about her mom and what she was like growing up. It’s not a pretty picture at times and that’s another reason why I love Sarah Dessen stories. She goes there, in the imperfect places of a character’s past and life but there is always a silver lining in the end.

And then there is the friendship to lovers romance in this book. It’s slow and sweet, and you hope they make it eventually! The romance is never the focus of the book, the family issues are, but it’s nice to see Emma try to find a summer romance, because didn’t we (or some of us) want one at that age? I totally did!

I don’t know if it’s because I’m older now and I just felt more at 18 years old reading her books and relating to her characters, but this time at 40-I can totally understand the parent in the book so much more than Emma. Due to the fact I am a parent myself and in a few years will be dealing with a teenager (I’m scared lol). 😅 But I still understood where Emma was coming from. I was, once upon a time, a teenager too.

I love that Emma gets a chance to figure things out and make mistakes along the way. And just because a story seems over…it isn’t. 😍 I also love that this book shows how families are complicated. This is a Sarah Dessen summer book for sure: light reading, a little romance, lots of family love, a happy ending…and “the rest of the story”. ☀️ 😉

Get it here: Amazon

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

Book Review: The Living God (The Living God, #1)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Author: Kaytalin Platt

Format: E-book

Pages: 300

Publication Date: May 21, 2019

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Magic

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

Book Blurb:

The Living God is foretold to bring about the destruction of the world in order to rebuild it into a paradise. Some worship and welcome His coming, other’s fear Him and would do anything to stop it. The Living God follows the internal struggle of two mages, Saran and Keleir, as they confront their fears and attempt to find meaning in the hand that life has dealt them. Saran seeks to overthrow her crazed father and salvage what is left of her country before it falls into complete ruin. Keleir is cursed with a Rauke’s soul, an ancient creature who is only able to survive by merging with an unborn child upon entering our world. Saran and Keleir are touched by fate, gifted with the ability to sense each other, and destined for a future that neither care to know. When Saran’s magic is stolen, she must confront a life without the ability to manipulate time, struggle to see the rebellion finished, and keep Keleir from becoming The Living God.

MY REVIEW

Thank you to Inkshares and Edelweiss+ for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s start with the good: I love the cover, it’s a beautiful color palette. And I’ve been reading a lot of epic young adult fantasy books lately, so why not one more?

This was not for me. The beginning starts off with Saran D’Mor, who is a princess, and she is in the middle of a battle. She is helping rebels fight against her father the king. I thought a fast start was promising but instead it left me confused, like I missed book one, though this is the first book. Keleir is introduced right away, and he was interesting. He is a mage with an Oruke inside him, which is like a demon and it makes him very dangerous. Right away Saran and Keleir are established as lovers. But for punishment her father binds her magic which is a problem because she is the one that keeps Keleir’s Oruke at bay. Yikes.

This world Saran lives in is very complex and interesting. There are Gods and mages. Saran is a Time Mage but there are other types of mages as well, like fire mages and lightning mages. I liked how they could open a gate and teleport from one place to another. And then there are other worlds also or parallel worlds. Three to be exact which are called The First, The Second and The Third. I thought that was fascinating.

But the biggest problem I had with the book is I didn’t care about the story. I didn’t connect to the characters. I kept picking up the book and putting it off. I struggled through this one. Unfortunately, this one was not for me but I’m sure there are many fantasy lovers who would enjoy this fascinating world.

Book Review: Rule (Rule, #1)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Ellen Goodlett

Format: Hard cover

Pages: 376

Categories: Magic (**involving self-harm), Political Intrigue, Romance, Cliffhanger Ending

Book Blurb:

Three girls with three deadly secrets. Only one can wear the crown.

The king is dying, his heir has just been murdered, and rebellion brews in the east. But the kingdom of Kolonya and the outer Reaches has one last option before it descends into leaderless chaos.

Or rather, three unexpected options.

Zofi has spent her entire life trekking through the outer Reaches with her band of Travelers. She would do anything to protect the band, her family. But no one can ever find out how far she’s already gone.

Akeylah was raised in the Eastern Reach, surrounded by whispers of rebellion and abused by her father. Desperate to escape, she makes a decision that threatens the whole kingdom.

Ren grew up in Kolonya, serving as a lady’s maid and scheming her way out of the servants’ chambers. But one such plot could get her hung for treason if anyone ever discovers what she’s done.

When the king summons the girls, they arrive expecting arrest or even execution. Instead they learn the truth: they are his illegitimate daughters, and one must become his new heir. But someone in Kolonya knows their secrets, and that someone will stop at nothing to keep the sisters from their destiny… to rule.

Magic, mystery, and blackmail abound in this sensational and striking fantasy debut.

MY REVIEW

Three sisters vying for a throne? Sounds familiar. When I saw this book at the library, the cover caught my eye because it’s beautiful but I was wary. I’ve read so many books with crowns on the cover the past few months 😂 – honestly, I’m getting crown fatigue. But usually with fantasy books there is a map as well – where is the map for this book? 😔 I’ve been spoiled with maps in the fantasy books I’ve been reading. I love maps. But anyway, I borrowed this book and I’m glad I did.

The story is written from three different perspectives: Zofi, Ren, and Akeylah who are all bastard daughters of King Andros, king of Kolonya. Zofi is a traveler, she comes from a nomadic culture. Ren was raised at court as a lady’s maid and Akeylah comes from the Eastern reaches. All different sisters, one sister will rule.

Except every one of them has a fascinating secret they are hiding and there is someone out there who knows them all. They have to find out who is blackmailing them before it ruins each of their chances for the throne.

I enjoyed the mystery in this story a lot. I thought I had it figured it out but I was wrong. 😲 Also, there is enough action in this book to keep it moving as well, which I appreciated. I thought the author balanced the time between each characters’ perspective really well. The writing flows nicely and there is queer romance, straight romance, there are heartaches and distrust. Each girl has an interesting back story. The sisters were different enough that their voices stood out and so far my favorite is Zofi. I don’t know yet that I’d pick her to rule a kingdom, per se, but character wise, she’s my favorite. She’s a bit wild, tough and physical. Ren is the expert at court intrigue and Akeylah is the bookworm, always researching.

The magic system in this book is performed with self-harm so definite trigger warning there. That’s the only way their magic works which is through blood being shed. They call it the Blood Arts. But there is a counterpart to the magic, called the Vulgar Arts which is forbidden. It’s interesting for the most part what they can do with blood magic but every time they do it, I’m like OUCH. I would not be able to live in Kolonya or I wouldn’t be able to be a soldier in Kolonya since that’s who uses the blood arts most often.

The ending is a cliffhanger – like a serious cliffhanger where I was like, WHAT?! 😱 Now that I’m done with the book, I’m glad I only picked it up now because I only have to wait a few weeks for the sequel to be published. Yay for me! Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a fun read if you like court intrigue, blackmail and a mystery. I’m looking forward to the sequel to see who will be chosen to rule.