ARC Review | Realm of Knights

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

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

Author: Jennifer Anne Davis

Pages: 270

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What I Liked:

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

What I Didn’t Like:

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

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

BLOG TOUR | His Hideous Heart

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

Title: His Hideous Heart

Edited by: Dahlia Adler

Contributors:

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

Pages: 480

Publication Date: September 10, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

Book Review | Don’t Date Rosa Santos

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Don’t Date Rosa Santos

Author: Nina Moreno

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 336

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

Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea-at least, that’s what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you’re a boy with a boat.

But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about.

As her college decision looms, Rosa collides – literally – with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?

Rosa Santos is supposedly cursed because the women in her family, her abuela (grandmother) and mother, have had devastating events with their loved ones and the sea.

The real curse is the fears that has lived with these women all their lives. The curse is on the verge of breaking them apart.

Rosa is trying to find her way to Cuba, and has chosen a college out of state, far from her abuela. Her grandmother has been her guardian for as long as she can remember, since her mom is always gone, and Rosa is afraid her school choice will anger her abuela. Rosa is that type A person who piles everything on her plate and can get things done! Like the festival they are throwing to help raise money for their town, she is hands-on, a leader and knows her way around planning. Working on the festival also throws her into the path of Alex Aquino, the cute guy that works down at the docks. A boy with a boat – oh no!

Between the curse, wanting to go to Cuba, her issues with her abuela and her mom – Rosa has a lot to juggle. This start off as a light-hearted contemporary young adult novel with some romance, though the romance is actually a slow burn. Alex and Rosa are so cute together. But the real love story resolves around Rosa and her family.

This story is rich in Port Coral life in Florida, Cuban culture (whatever Mimi was cooking I wanted to eat!), and even a little witchcraft. I loved getting to know a little more about Cuba through Mimi. Mimi, her abuela, had to live with her fears and nightmares about her experience fleeing Cuba – trying to protect Rosa from what she went through. I felt for all these Santos women.

And can I just say I love this Port Coral community and how they have these meetings and everyone knows each other. I love the support Rosa has through the community. Of course it sucks to have the small town gossip, because it’s what’s kept her mother away from that town, but overall, they watch over Rosa and it’s sweet.

This book was fun, heart-breaking, emotional and a journey in healing also. Also, I just have to mention I loved the flower details on the pages, it gave it such a summer, tropical vibe.

Book Review | Wicked Saints

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Wicked Saints

Author: Emily A. Duncan

Pages: 385

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Romance, Blood Magic

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

This book is such a mood. A dark and bloody mood. There is a lot of self-harm in blood magic, so beware if that’s not something you can read. Now I keep going back and forth with my rating of this…sometimes I think okay it’s 3.5 because by the ending I was like hmmm, it was pretty good but for some reason I felt like something was missing…just don’t know what. But 4 stars because I really like the whole gods vs blood magic thing going on? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Nadya is a cleric living in a monastery in the kingdom of Kalyazi and the gods talk to her, giving her powers when she asks. The Kalyazi worship the gods. Neighboring Travania has been at war with them for fifty years. Travania is home to blood magic and blood mages, they do not believe in gods.

Right away this book throws you into action which I liked. The world-building is detailed as we learn the differences about Kalyazi and Travania which is inspired by Russia and Eastern Europe. This book was more focused on Travania and what a scary place it sounds like with blood mages called Vultures ruling adjacent to the king of Travania. Vultures are the monsters. They are the mages that have delved so far down into their blood magic that they are altered and now are becoming a threat.

High Prince Seferin has been on the front lines for a few years but back in Travania, his father is hatching a plan that could be devastating to both kingdoms. He needs to find out what’s going on and stop his father before his plans come to fruition but he can’t do it alone.

And then there is Malachiasz, who was once a Vulture, and will always be a monster. Is it weird to say that Malachiasz is who I wish the Darkling (from the Grisha trilogy) could be? I know it’s not a popular view, many people loved the Darkling and the Grisha trilogy but I didn’t even finish book three of that series. 🤭 For me Malachiasz was mysterious enough, that I didn’t know how far deep in his rabbit hole he had dug into. We find out later it is pretty far down and not even Nadya can save him from his plans for power. It’s tragic.

Nadya is light, and Malachiasz is dark and though they come from different kingdoms, they agree to work together to take down the king of Travania. Nadya knows that Malachiasz’s use of blood magic feels all kinds of wrong to her. Everything about him feels wrong but he still manages to get beneath her skin. Talk about falling for the bad boy – Nadya, falls for the bad boy, the one she thought she could trust.

Now as for my reading experience – I enjoyed this bloody, stark world these characters live in. But the names were challenging to say in my own head (yes, I shorted Malachiasz’s name to Malachi…because I didn’t know how to say it!) that it took awhile for me to warm up to a few of them. Also this is told in dual perspective between Nadya and Serefin and it didn’t flow easily for me because I was more interested in Nadya’s journey at first so the middle of the story felt like there was a slight lull. Despite the lull I was still intrigued with the whole gods versus blood magic theme of the story, it’s what kept me reading.

I’m intrigued enough to want to keep reading the series. I want to see how much lower Malachiasz can go and what this means for Nadya and Serefin. So if you like dark and bloody, with a pinch of a tragic love story and monsters, you may like this one.

Get it here: Amazon

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ARC Review | The Weaver

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Weaver

Author: Heather Kindt

Format: eBook (The Parliament House)

Pages: 246

Publication Date: August 20, 2019

Categories: Paranormal, Young Adult, Romance

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

Most writers choose the endings to their stories . . . most writers are not Weavers.

Laney Holden is a freshman at Madison College whose life goes from normal to paranormal in a matter of seconds. When the antagonist in the book she’s writing shoves her down the stairs at the subway station, she learns she is a Weaver. Weavers bridge the narrow gap between fantasy and reality, bringing their words to life.

Laney soon meets William whom she also suspects is a character from her book—one she’s had a mad crush on since her pen hit the paper. But he’s in danger as her antagonist reveals a whole different ending planned for Laney’s book that involves killing William. Laney must use her writing to save the people closest to her by weaving the most difficult words she will ever write.
THE WEAVER is the first installment of The Weaver trilogy. It is an NA paranormal romance set in a small town on the north shore of Boston. It will leave you wanting more.

Thank you to The Parliament House for giving me an opportunity to read and review The Weaver.

First off, the cover is so gorgeous. I wanted to read this book because of the cover alone. But once I started The Weaver, I could not stop. Its premise is very creative.

It starts off with what seems like a romance story between Laney and her childhood best friend, Jason. He’s a good-looking jock that all the girls want to date but he already has a girlfriend. Laney is more of an introvert and loves to write. They couldn’t be more different but they’ve known each other for so long, naturally there are some feelings between them. Laney has been working on one story in particular and the story is set in the 1700’s, in colonial America.

But one day the villain from her book appears in the her world and Laney doesn’t know what to think. Then another character shows up and Laney thinks she’s losing it. How can her characters come to life? She finds out she is a Weaver, someone who has the power to create stories and make characters come to life. When the villain starts making threats towards her and the people she cares about, she starts to take things much more seriously.

I love the creativity of this story. The author did a really good job at explaining how the powers of a weaver work and the magic that is involved with it. There were many times I wanted to yell at Laney to just do the obvious and write something to destroy the villain but I can see how doing it was a dilemma for her. She is the creator of her precious story and the consequences of what could happen if she did change the story was new territory for her. Oh the irony of me wanting to change elements in the story to help the characters out! Don’t we all do that while reading books though?

The book blurb says this is NA (New Adult) but I think it read more like a young adult novel. I expect New Adult stories to have more physical and steamy sexual situations but this book was pretty clean. The romance that blossoms between Laney and her hero is very sweet. They are all in college but to me it felt like they were still in high school. Also, the new friends she makes who are Weavers are high school students, so it just felt like a book for a younger audience.

Overall, The Weaver is a story that weaves elements of romance, history and fantasy to give us a book that is creative and engaging. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Get it here: Amazon

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Book Review | Bloodleaf

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Bloodleaf

Author: Crystal Smith

Format: Hard cover (borrowed)

Pages: 373

Categories: Witchcraft, Magic, Romance, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Political Intrigue

Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her. But the ghosts that haunt Aurelia refuse to abandon her, and she finds herself succumbing to their call as they expose a nefarious plot that only she can defeat. Will she be forced to choose between the weight of the crown and the freedom of her new life?

Confession: I had other books in my TBR pile, but saw this at the library and the cover is so pretty I read this book instead of the others. I am a sucker for a pretty cover! 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is another young adult fantasy book with a princess, set to wed a prince and then plans change. Sounds familiar? Sure does since it’s a popular trope right now in YA fantasy books. But there are a few different things in this story that kept me intrigued and reading.

Aurelia is a princess of Renalt. Renalt is a witch-burning, scared-of-magic kind of kingdom. Her mother is the Queen but the Tribunal wants to take over the country. So Aurelia and her brother, Prince Conrad flee to the neighboring kingdom, Archlev, with Toris, a man who is part of the Tribunal but claims loyalty to the crown. Archlev, is the home of her betrothed, Prince Valentin and their marriage is supposed to unite their countries but plans change.

Away from home in a new place and no connections, Aurelia has help from a young man named Zan. Zan helps her learn what he knows about being a blood mage because he needs to keep the walls of Archlev from collapsing and letting invaders in (basically Renalt invaders). Only a blood mage can keep the wall up and he sees that Aurelia is a blood mage. They eventually find out that there is someone in secret, with lots of power, who is attempting to destroy the wall, but who?

This story is filled with lore about how the kingdoms of Archlev and Renalt came to be and that’s what made me continue reading it. I liked the spell casting and the story of Aren, Archlev and Cael, a brother/sister triumvirate who’s actions long ago created the situation the people of these kingdoms find themselves in today. I liked learning about how bloodleaf came to be and the power of it. I loved how Aurelia could see ghost or spirits. Also the romance storyline was obvious from the beginning, but I kind of liked it because they didn’t hit it off right away. Also there is action, especially in the latter part of this book.

Now let’s talk about Miss Princess Aurelia. If there was one thing halting my enjoyment of this book in the first few chapters…it’s her! As a character, she’s headstrong, impulsive, and judgmental. She was so naive and I couldn’t connect to her right away. Some of her decisions were questionable, I wanted to shake some sense into her! But at least by the end of the book, she’s learned a few things about what love and sacrifice means. Unfortunately she had to learn these things through the hard way, with the loss of people she cares about. But I know Aurelia was just someone who was just lost herself and alone because she grew up thinking no one wanted her in Renalt. The thing I did like about her was that she could see spirits and know their back story, some of them were just so sad. 😢

I didn’t realize this was a Goose Girl retelling and honestly, I don’t remember the Goose Girl story. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The story of the bloodleaf, Aren and her brothers, the story of sacrifice and the spirits’ backstories really got me through this book when Princess Aurelia was making me roll my eyes. 😂

Overall, for me, it was a pretty good debut and I’m curious to see where the story goes in the next installment.

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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Book Review | Girls With Sharp Sticks

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Girls With Sharp Sticks

Author: Suzanne Young

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 393

Categories: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Suspense

The Girls of Innovations Academy are beautiful and well-behaved—it says so on their report cards. Under the watchful gaze of their Guardians, the all-girl boarding school offers an array of studies and activities, from “Growing a Beautiful and Prosperous Garden” to “Art Appreciation” and “Interior Design.” The girls learn to be the best society has to offer. Absent is the difficult math coursework, or the unnecessary sciences or current events. They are obedient young ladies, free from arrogance or defiance. Until Mena starts to realize that their carefully controlled existence may not be quite as it appears.

As Mena and her friends begin to uncover the dark secrets of what’s actually happening there—and who they really are—the girls of Innovations will find out what they are truly capable of. Because some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns.

Girls with Sharp Sticks is a really interesting book and I don’t say that just to say something about it. It’s a book that made me think a lot after I read it, because of the some elements to it (and yes I’m trying not to spoil it 😅).

Philomena “Mena”, and her friends are students at a boarding school called Innovations Academy. They are all very beautiful girls with perfect bodies and looks. Something small like having a scar devalues a girl’s beauty. They attend classes and learn subjects to assimilate into society but they aren’t allowed independent thoughts. Thinking is a bad thing. They aren’t allowed excessive emotions, like regular girls, and take vitamins every night to keep them functioning the way the Academy wants them to.

The further into the story I got, it just made me feel creeped out because the way the men treat these girls is just wrong. And when I say men, I’m talking about their professors, their Guardians, and the administrator, Anton. They threaten, then smile at them, blame them if they don’t “obey”, and then praise them. And then if they really do something bad, they get impulse therapy. Ugh. They are grooming these girls, but for what? Apparently for investors interested in them- but we don’t know what they need them for. It reminded me of The Stepford Wives and when I mentioned the premise of the story to my husband, he said it sounded like Westworld.

One by one the girls start to “wake up” and then we find out what’s really happening at this school. The story kept me interested enough but it is slow going because we keep learning about the girls’ regiment and their life at the Academy. It unfolds like a mystery actually and hardly anything happens outside of the Academy. Mena is a daydreamer, kind of bland, but I see why since she wasn’t woken up yet. She loves her friends very much though – but emotion as well, isn’t something appreciated as a quality for these girls.

The meat of the story is at the end. There is action, a plot twist, questions and some answers but I’m hoping a lot more will be answered in the second book.

If you read the book and feel creeped out, it did its job. The book is supposed to make you uncomfortable like how girls or women feel when boys and men treat females a certain way. The grooming, the abuse, the assault, the constrictions, the expectations and rules placed on these girls is wrong. It is a book for right now with all the issues we are presently dealing with in society.

I wanted the pacing to pick up a bit more because I wanted the girls to start fighting back. Like, enough of this treatment! Let’s kick these guys’ butts already, I was getting so mad. 😤 But I was also getting mad because I was afraid for these girls, they needed help and there seemed to be no one they could turn to. The ending was gripping and it makes me curious as to what will happen in book two. Let’s hope the pacing in book two is quicker and Mena and the girls are equipped with more than just sharp sticks to fight back.

So be a girl to make them ~~proud~~ afraid.”
Girls With Sharp Sticks by. Suzanne Young

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Book Review: Oberon Academy

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Title: Oberon Academy – Book One: The Orphan

Author: Wendi L. Wilson

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 252

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Faeries

Sometimes the ones who save us are the ones we need to fear the most.

In a world where dark faeries have stepped in to save the planet from humanity’s mistakes, seventeen-year-old December Thorne is nothing but a shadow. Shunned by her peers, bullied at school, and paid a little too much attention by her sleazy foster father, she lives in constant fear and perpetual solitude.

Until the day everything changes.

Offered a scholarship to the prestigious Oberon Academy, December finds herself living in a whole new world. Boundless food, clean clothes, a safe place to sleep, and the potential for true friendship make her new life seem almost too good to be true—but the school has a secret.

The truth is, Oberon Academy isn’t just a prep school for society’s elite. It’s a training ground for a secret race of magical beings no one knows exists. And they’re preparing for war.

Filled with fear and denial, December has a choice to make. She can either return to her pathetic life with her dangerous foster parents, try to survive on her own, or make Oberon Academy her home and discover the truth about who, and what she really is.

And that truth could save the world.

If you know me by now, through my blog that is, you know I’m a sucker for “Academy” books. There are a bit way too much of it showing up on my Kindle Unlimited “recommended for you” list and the covers all look alike. 😩So I was drawn to this one because the cover looked a tad bit different

I just read it this morning, past midnight for sure…more like, I woke up at 4:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I grabbed my Kindle and was done with this by 7am! Haha, then my kids woke up.

It’s a quick read and only 252 pages. What I liked about it? I like that it’s a take on Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare because when I was in middle grade, I was kind of obsessed with this story. King Oberon, Queen Titania and Puck, I love them all! Mind you I thought the word Oberon in the title was just coincidence but when other familiar names started popping up I was like…😯. The Sylphs at Oberon Academy are like the good fairies who like to have fun, and most of them are blond. At that part, I was like, really? 🤔 Whereas the Zephyrs who helped Earth when humans were on the verge of world destruction have black eyes, black hair and black wings. Which December Thorne an enigma.

December, has had a rough childhood, bouncing from one foster home to another. But she gets a chance to escape her current situation when she is accepted into Oberon Academy. She has black hair, blue eyes and she has black wings. From then on it’s the predictable tropes that happen in this genre – popular boy falls for different, new girl, and then she finds she has more powers than anyone else and there is a villain to defeat.

But I eat this stuff up like ice cream. I can’t stop (well I am lactose intolerant now, so I do know I can’t consume ice cream like before 😩) – and the stories in these academy series by indie authors on Kindle Unlimited are usually so short, it’s easy to consume so fast.

I liked December and watching her grow from invisible girl to the girl dating the Oberon heir, hottie faerie Easton. The attraction between them is definitely bordering on New Adult status. Haha…there isn’t any sex though if you are wondering. I also enjoyed seeing her find a best friend in Shaela, because friendship is important. I think all of the characters could use a bit more depth maybe – it seemed too easy that she meets Easton and that’s it. I don’t even think she met another teenage boy at this academy. Not even Easton had friends!

Since this was only book one, I wonder if December will be driven to the dark side of the Zephyrs at all in future books, because that would be interesting! Anyway, this book was light reading, predictable, yes, but I enjoyed it and hopefully it can only get better from here on.

Get it here: Amazon

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Arc Review: Crown of Coral and Pearl

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Mara Rutherford

Format: eBook

Pages: 384

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

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

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

The beginning of this story is intriguing. We meet twin sisters, Nor and Zadie, and they live in Varenia, a place on the water where the most beautiful girls are from. They are so beautiful, the kingdom of Ilara always goes there to find their future queen. Requirements for being chosen as a queen? The potential queen has to be the most beautiful girl in Varenia. Appearance wise, you have to be flawless, meaning no scars among other things.

Zadie is perfect. Nor, on the other hand, has a scar on her face she acquired from saving her sister’s life. I love their sisterly bond and how they would do anything for each other. I also enjoyed this world of Varenia that the author created, it’s a poor place to grow up in, the people are struggling and the pearls they survive on is becoming more scarce. It’s a beautiful place with gorgeous girls, but the reality is that they will struggle without their pearls. Varenians are a part of the sea, their life is the ocean, but Nor dreams of exploring beyond Varenia.

I think the first part of the book was stronger than the second half only because Nor’s connection is strongest with her sister and her home. When she arrives in Ilara it cuts her off from the sunshine, ocean, fresh air and her relationships. In New Castle she is bereft of all the things she loves and lives with a villain, her future husband.

There is a romance in the story but it doesn’t take over the book, which was fine. I felt like even if it it didn’t have romance, the love between the sisters would have been enough for me. There is also some thrilling action which I enjoyed. But the ending was rushed which is so unfortunate because this book started off so well and I was really into it.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read about a loving sisterly bond and how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

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