Book Review: LUCID

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Kristy Fairlamb

Format: E-book

Length: 248 pages

Publication Date: April 23, 2019

Categories: Paranormal, Dreams, Romance, Young Adult, Mystery

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

Book Blurb:

A Terrifying Power. A Horrifying Curse.

Lucy Piper lives a lonely existence on the precipice between life and death. She possesses the horrifying ability to resurrect real-life tragic events in her nightmares, reliving over and over, as if she were there, the last few moments before the victim takes their final breath. Car accidents, drownings, plane crashes – Lucy has seen it all. No one understands what it’s like living death by night and fearing sleep by day.

When Tyler Sims and his family move to town to escape past traumas, Lucy is drawn to him. The two of them are linked through their dreams, and with Tyler’s trust and friendship, hope for a brighter future returns to Lucy’s world. But Tyler’s presence awakens something else in Lucy, and with this new knowledge she will be forced to make impossible decisions. Decisions that will change history, and the future.

Chilling, haunting and compelling, this novel is the first in a two-part series for fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Hidden Memory of Objects that will leave you breathless for days.

MY REVIEW

I wanted to read something different from the romance and fantasy novels on my TBR list so thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book. LUCID, is more mystery than thriller, but still very unique.

What I really enjoyed about this book was venturing into Lucy’s dreams, or should I call them nightmares? After Lucy hears about an event or an accident, she dreams about it. I would not want to have her gift – saving people’s lives is cool yes, but enduring the nightmares, NOPE. For most of the beginning of the book, Lucy wonders why she dreams these things.

Tyler moves to her small town, which happens to be a mountain tourist town in Australia known for their snow. And he and Lucy are drawn to one another, but not because they find each other attractive – which they do. But Lucy has seen him before, in her dreams. Tyler has a past that is linked to one of her dreams. So what will happen if she alters the dream that he is tied to? Does she have the strength to do it, if it means losing Tyler?

The one thing I wanted more from this book was information about why she dreams this way. Her Grandma Tess has had similar dreams before so I’m thinking it runs in the family but I felt like Lucy needed someone who could give her concrete answers. With a power like altering reality, I would think there would be someone to guide her to do the right thing. Grandma Tess does her best, but even this is out of her realm, at least that’s the way it seems. Lucy eventually figures things out on her own, but still, what a responsibility to have on her shoulders.

Overall this was an enjoyable, solid debut from this new author. It was a quick read at only 248 pages. I am very curious to see what happens next in Lucy’s dreams!

Book Review: Serious Moonlight

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Jenn Bennett

Format: E-book

Pages: 434

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Sex, Mental Health

Publication Date: April 16, 2019

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

Book Blurb:

After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

MY REVIEW

Jenn Bennett is becoming one of my favorite young adult contemporary authors. When I saw this book cover, I didn’t realize it was the same author from Alex, Approximately and Starry Eyes, two books I really enjoyed, but now she is an author under my radar! So let’s talk about Serious Moonlight ~

What I Liked:

The writing – the author sucks you into the setting. I felt like I was in Seattle and I’ve never traveled there before in my life! This story is complex, it’s not just a romance novel. In this book the author touches on mental health, dealing with death, sleep disorders, love of mysteries, sex, and how to bridge two people coping with these issues and falling in love.
The characters – they are so wonderfully unique. There’s Birdie, who has an interesting upbringing, plus her sleep disorder. Mona, her aunt, who was my favorite. She comes off the page as eccentric and lovable, just a huge personality that I wanted to hug. Daniel is half Japanese, which I love about Jenn Bennett’s books. She adds diversity and that’s always needed. Daniel is easy-going, funny, but with a very surprising past as well.
The romance – it’s a sweet slow burn. The slow part is mostly because Birdie and Daniel trying to get together is challenging. They both have their own issues to deal with, more so Birdie since it’s like she’s been freed from her cage. They are awkward, there is miscommunication when they try to talk, and basically it reminds me of my own teenage years. When I read the romance parts of the book I cringed, I laughed and I smiled.

What I Didn’t Like:

I’m not a big mystery buff, so the beginning was hard for me to get into. If you LOVE mystery (think Columbo and Murder, She Wrote) – you will love all these elements in the book. For me, it dragged but I got through it. I thought it was super cute that Daniel picked up on Birdie’s love for mysteries and basically got her out of her shell by enticing her with a mystery at their work place.

While it’s not my favorite Jenn Bennett book, I still loved the story once I got through the beginning. The writing is fantastic, the setting draws you in and the characters are people you want to know in real life. I definitely enjoyed this unique take on a young adult romance contemporary novel.

Book Review: Defy Me (Shatter Me #5)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Format: E-book

Pages: 352

Categories: Dystopian, Young Adult, Romance

Book Blurb:

Juliette Ferrars isn’t who she thinks she is.

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

Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

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

She has to remember who she was.

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

MY REVIEW

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Review: Restore Me (Shatter Me #4)

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My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Format: E-book

Pages: 434

Categories: Dystopian, Young Adult, Relationship Drama, Grief

Book Blurb:

The girl with the power to kill with a single touch now has the world in the palm of her hand. Juliette Ferrars thought she’d won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander of North America, and now has Warner by her side. But when tragedy strikes, she must confront the darkness that dwells both around and inside her.

Who will she become in the face of adversity? Will she be able to control the power she wields, and use it for good?

MY REVIEW

Oh Juliette…🤦🏻‍♀️

I read the first book in this series when it first published, back in 2011 so I’ve been on this journey with Juliette Ferrars for eight years. Shatter Me was so different. Tahereh Mafi’s writing is poetic, and the story was like journal entries with lots of crossed out phrases but it worked. It was the perfect way to be introduced to Juliette Ferrars, a special girl held captive because she was very different. We got to enter her mental prison. As the series went on we see the writing change, it is still poetic but less journal-style, because Juliette evolves – its one of the reasons I love this series. Juliette goes on an emotional, mental and physical journey and we are there along for the ride. Plus the fact that Juliette’s romance with Warner was such a beautiful hot delicious mess. Warner is my ultimate book-boyfriend. 😍

It ended perfectly for me in the third book, Ignite me. But I was happy to hear Tahereh Mafi was bringing us back into Juliette’s world with Restore Me because let’s face it, I really missed Warner. Was I a bit worried at how much the characters would change? Maybe…

This is my second time reading Restore Me. The first time, I skimmed through a lot of it. Why? Was I over dystopian stories? Not in the mood for it? Or did I skim it because Juliette is a seventeen year old Supreme Commander not fit to lead? I wasn’t totally mad at her for not being ready to lead – but where is her support? Why isn’t Warner helping her and filling her in on everything he knows? Why isn’t Castle advising her, he’s like the oldest person around them? Why is Juliette not heeding advice? I was seriously frustrated and I needed to remind myself she’s only seventeen! Warner, though he’s tough and more experienced, is barely twenty.

And honestly, I thought we got over a lot of these humps in the first three books. Juliette ends the trilogy being confident and strong. I was so proud of her.

The first half of Restore Me is Warner grieving the death of his evil father. He’s in shock, conflicted about his feelings and trying to move on but it’s challenging. Totally understandable. Juliette is trying to run a country and finding it harder than she thought it would be. She’s constantly questioning herself but I was missing that confidence she worked so hard to build. Thank goodness Kenji is there to make her laugh and make me laugh! Between Warner’s grieving and Juliette’s issues it was getting a bit sad.

But the drama doesn’t end there. We find out secrets that Warner’s kept from Juliette and she’s devastated and hurt once more. So they break up. And at one point I had to cringe because “breaking up” seemed so trivial with all the major things taking place, like The Re-establishment coming to kill everyone in Sector 45. Or the secrets that Warner had just revealed. I was thinking, who cares if you are breaking up – save your people! I wanted to shake some sense into them. Warner and Juliette was having mental break-downs and I wish Castle could have just stepped in and taken the helm of the sinking ship. Do you feel my frustration? 😂 Trust me, it’s only because I love this series, that I’m passionate about it.

Juliette and Warner have some serious relationship issues to deal with…or should I rephrase that and say they have some serious personal issues to deal with first, by themselves, before getting together again.

Now those issues bugged me because like I said I’ve had time in between reading that first book and this one. I’ve invested eight years to my love of Warner and seeing Juliette grow. I didn’t hate this book. I like it a lot actually, I just didn’t want to be introduced back into this world with my loves falling apart. 😩 It pained me. But I understand…two steps forward, one step back, right? That’s what progress is.

I still love the writing, and how the characters have their own strong voices. The parts where we meet new characters was good too. I like Nazreen because Juliette needs a strong girlfriend in her life telling her to get herself together. Let’s just hope Nazreen is trust-worthy. I will always love Warner, he just needs some support. I hope his relationship with Adam flourishes because he needs to know he’s not alone, he still has family.

And I didn’t even mind Lena, Warner’s ex-girlfriend, because I think it’s okay for Warner to have a past. Like I said he and Juliette really need some down time, and they need to communicate.

As for that ending…all I said was, what just happened?! What a cliffhanger. So I can’t not read the next book coming out Tuesday. I need to know what happens and I’m kind of happy that I chose to re-read this book now, since now I don’t have to wait so long for the next one. *Happy dance*

This book wasn’t quite what I expected but it hooked me at the last moment, oh Tahereh Mafi, what you do to me! I’m ready for Defy Me, bring it.

Book Review: All The Wandering Light (Even The Darkest Stars Book 2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Heather Fawcett

Format: Hard Cover

Pages: 432

Categories: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Magic, Witches, Stars, Demons

Book Blurb:

After the terrifying events on Mount Raksha, the witches have returned, and River has betrayed Kamzin to regain his dark powers. The witches’ next step: march on the Three Cities and take over the Empire—led by River’s brother, Esha.

If Kamzin is to save Azmiri and prevent the destruction of the Empire, she must find a star that fell in the Ash Mountains to the north. Fallen stars have immense power, and if Kamzin and Lusha can find the star, they can use its magic to protect their homeland. To get there, Kamzin has allied with Azar-at, the dangerous and deceptive fire demon, who can grant her great power—in exchange for pieces of her soul. But River wants the star too, and as their paths collide in dangerous and unexpected ways, Kamzin must wrestle with both her guilt and her conflicted feelings for the person who betrayed her.

Facing dark magic, a perilous journey, and a standoff against the witches, can Kamzin, Lusha, and Tem find the star and save their Empire?

MY REVIEW

The adventure continues in this sequel to Even the Darkest Stars but with less mountaineering. Lusha, Kamzin’s older sister who is a seer, is with her every step of the way on this journey. She strives to remind Kamzin to make the right decisions regarding the task ahead – finding a fallen star and bringing it to the Emperor to bind the witches’ power again. I never quite took a liking to Lusha – she’s so hard on Kamzin and hardly ever lets up. Tem is also with them, using his shamanic skills to protect them as best he can.

“Some truths aren’t meant to be found, even by the most determined explorers.”
All the Wandering Light by. Heather Fawcett

This story was told through a few different perspectives: Kamzin and River obviously but at one point there was a few chapters told through Mara. Not sure if Mara’s perspective was needed though, he became a non-issue in the end. Mingma, the ghost also made a cameo and then he was gone! His time was brief in the book but so impactful, Kamzin needed to hear from an explorer who didn’t succeed in his mission, because sometimes that’s just life.

“Choosing to lock yourself up in a life that doesn’t suit you is its own sort of death, wouldn’t you say?”
All the Wandering Light by. Heather Fawcett

The beginning was slow but I understand why – we get to learn more of River’s story. We meet his brothers, and learn about River’s family history. With the binding spell gone, it seems River is the most powerful witch in the Kingdom, but he never wanted power, in essence all he wanted was freedom. His romance with Kamzin doesn’t show up really until the very end, talk about a slow burn romance! They really did put the issues of the Empire before the lovey-dovey stuff.

I really love the action scenes in the end, witches lunging out of the wall? Give me more! That was the one thing about this book that gave me a slight pause. I was trudging through the beginning, then at the end I was reading so fast through the action and all of a sudden it was over! 🤔 The author did wrap things up nicely in the end but can there be more stories to be told in this world? Oh – most definitely.

What I adored about this series is the magical entities. I fell in love with the familiars, Ragtooth and Biter. I loved the demons in this story too. And yes to the witches, ghosts and pet-like dragons! Also, what about that falling star? I adored her – I wanted to put her in my pocket and keep her forever – she gave me giddy feelings. The writing is beautiful and drew me into this world filled with lore and magic.

I enjoyed this series very much. I could totally envision myself wearing kinnika bells around my neck (I figured I’d be a shaman instead of an explorer) with my own feisty wing-demon. Fire-demons stay away from me though, I might be too tempted by them!

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Format: Hard cover book

Pages: 477

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

Book Blurb:

Fall in love, break the curse.

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

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

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

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

MY REVIEW

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Review: The Queen’s Rising

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Rebecca Ross

Reading Format: E-book

Pages: 480

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic

Book Blurb:

When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.

Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?

MY REVIEW

The first time I attempted to read this book, I had borrowed a physical copy from the library. I thought it was too slow for me. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood to read it? I can’t quite pinpoint what didn’t interest me about this book.

Fast forward to present day, I borrowed this book on Overdrive as an e-book. I started it earlier in the day when my daughter napped because I remembered how slow the beginning was. I recognized pages I’ve already read and it enticed me back into the world. This time I was interested, very interested. And what really drew me in as I immersed myself in this world was the oh so beautiful writing!

Brienna is half Maevana and half Valenian. She lives in the kingdom of Valenia and is sent to Magnalia House at ten years old, a place where girls learn certain subjects and excel in them. Later on these girls “passion” (think of it as graduating and earning a degree) and find a patron to contract themselves too. The passions are: Wit, Drama, Knowledge, Music and Art.

I loved reading about Brienna’s interaction with her fellow ardens or sisters, as she calls them. Yes to sisterhood! She has trouble picking a passion but eventually settles with Knowledge. Her relationship with her Master (her instructor), is verging on being taboo so though it doesn’t go further than tension filled glances, and one touch on the hand in the beginning, I think it stays pretty mild. Now romance is not the main theme in this book, which I actually appreciated a lot. There was enough intrigue and plotting going on that romance wasn’t needed. It does come back later in the story though when Brienna isn’t a student anymore and her Master is someone she didn’t expect him to be.

Although the beginning is slow, I believe it’s due to the world building being outstanding. I was transported to Valenia while reading the author’s very lyrical writing. I’m glad it went slowly because I had a chance to savor the words. I felt like I was Brienna and when a plot to overthrow the ruler of the neighboring country Maevana takes place, I got very nervous things would not work out. I could not put the book down, even though I had to! I started at noon, took a break here and there because of my kids, then once they fell asleep at night I picked it up again and thankfully didn’t have to read past midnight. By then I managed to finish the book before midnight. Yippee!

There is a lot happening within the story after Brienna finds a patron. She is involved in a scheme to overthrow the ruthless ruler of Maevana. Brienna also harbors memories of her dead Maevana ancestor – which means she is the only person who can find two objects that the rebels need to secure the loyalty of the people to help fight in the rebellion. I was so glad Brienna got to learn about her Maevana side. I mean a kingdom that used to only be ruled by Queens with magic? Yes please!

I’m so glad I decided to read this book again! Brienna started off as just a girl with so many missing parts: no mom, didn’t know her dad, her grandpa sent her away to school. She wasn’t the strongest in her passion, she was always conflicted. But Brienna managed to balance her conflicted thoughts and emotions to her strength and found a way to help her Maevana friends and newfound family. I actually felt this could have been a stand alone book but I know the second book, The Queen’s Resistance, has just been published. I look forward to reading part two in Brienna’s journey and read more of Rebecca Ross’s gorgeous writing! 😍

Book Review – The Hidden Witch (The Coven: Academy Magic Book 1)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Author: Chandelle LaVaun

Format: Kindle Edition E-book

Pages: 414

Categories: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Academy, Teen Romance, Arcana.

Book Blurb:

Magic. Isn’t. Real.
At least that’s what I thought. But now, my story is changing…

You know you’re invisible when even your bullies forget to pick on you. That’s me, Bettina Blair, hidden in plain sight. No matter how hard I try I just never fit in with my classmates.

Now I know why. I’m a witch…apparently.

One little demon attack and my parents confess their ugly secret…and ship me off to an elite academy of magic- for witches only.

I can’t summon magic. I can’t fight with my hands or my fists. I just don’t belong here, and Jackson Lancaster keeps reminding me every single chance he gets. This boy is the most insufferable, intolerable, unbearable, judgmental person to ever have the right to be that gorgeous. I don’t care how sexy his British accent is, or that literally everyone else on campus adores him. He hates me, and the feeling is mutual.

Suddenly, I’m sent on a quest into the Old Lands to find the only thing that can save Eden from a demon invasion. I’m in way over my head, and my best chance of coming back alive lies in the hands of the guy who wants me gone…

The Hidden Witch is the first book in a brand new, fast paced urban fantasy adventure featuring a sharp-witted heroine, swoon-worthy hero, and one epic hate-to-love rollercoaster set inside a magical academy!

MY REVIEW

Bettina Blair is a teenage girl who finds out she’s a witch after being attacked by a demon. She gets sent to Edenburg Academy, a school where she learns about her powers, the history of witches and how to train to become a Sword.

Bettina struggles with her combat training at first but with help from her new friends and coven leaders she eventually rises to her potential at being a Sword. Of course there is the issue of her gorgeous instructor, Jackson Lancaster, who always seems angry with her – but the tension between them is far from hateful feelings brewing, it’s just the opposite.

This was a quick read and it was exactly the fast paced kind of story I was looking for. I like how Bettina developed into a kick-ass fighter at the Academy. She’s a character that’s easy to like. There is a great supporting cast of characters and with the next books I hope we get to know them much better.

The last half of the book throws Bettina and her friends into some battle situations where she gets to use her combat skills. She is then chosen to partake on a mission to the Old Lands, a dimension not part of Earth. The book does end in a cliffhanger so I was ready to download Book 2 when I finished this book at almost one in the morning but book 2 doesn’t come out until May 19, 2019! Other than the ending which I felt was a bit rushed, it’s a great start to a series and I look forward to reading more of Bettina Blair and her adventures.