A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES By Sarah J. Maas

September 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES By Sarah J. MaasA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on 5/5/15
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, New Adult, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he's not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

Short and Sweet Review

Feyre is a huntress and she’s the main provider for her family so when she goes out to the woods one day and shots a wolf the last thing she is expecting is another beast to come on her doorstep demanding retribution for what she’s done. The wolf that Feyre killed was actually a faerie from a different land, as a punishment Feyre must live the rest of her life in these lands. While in Prythian Feyre learns that the beast is actually a high lord and that he’s been cursed. There’s something wrong in Prythian and Feyre can feel it and she’s determined to find a way to stop it.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a Beauty and Beast retelling and its interesting because The Beast (Tamlin) is a faerie with the ability to shape shift into a wolf, Tamlin is a part of the spring court and unfortunately when his court was invited to a masquerade party they were cursed and everyone has a mask stuck to their face. Anyway Feyre spends most of her days brooding around, she’s not really a captive but she thinks she is in her own mind, she’s actually free to roam. Anyway after she realizes that being in Prythian isn’t as bad as she thought it would be she begins to develop feelings for Tamlin. Most of the book takes place in Prythian we see some Faerie parties take place, we learn that there’s something very wrong with the land and there’s a lot of faeries that are a lot weaker than they should be. At one point Tamlin sends Feyre back to her land but she comes back to Prythian because she realizes how much she loves him. Well now Feyre has to go through three trials and prove her love for Tamlin, and while doing this Feyre makes a deal with a faerie that we’ll be seeing more of in book two.

Feyre was an okay character, she was very set in her ways and didn’t think that anyone could be doing anything nice for her. She was kind of annoying in that way that she couldn’t trust anyone not even her sisters. Tamlin was not very important to me he was cursed and that’s about it, you learn more about him from other characters than from himself. The more I think about it the plot was pretty basic, I get that its a retelling but nothing about it wowed me. This is the second time I’ve read this book and even though I want to finish this series, I’m not in a rush to do it and I think that says everything.

Filed Under: Reviews

WINTERWOOD By Shea Ernshaw

September 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

WINTERWOOD By Shea ErnshawWinterwood by Shea Ernshaw
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/5/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 333
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Be careful of the dark, dark wood…

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

Short and Sweet Review

Nora lives in Fir Haven where Walker women have lived for years. The woods surrounding Fir Haven are alive some even describe them as haunted, but the Walkers have a special relationship with the woods. Nora goes into the woods and comes back out with things that were lost. Nora goes in the woods and ends up finding Oliver, who was supposed to be at the Camp for Wayward Boys. With Oliver around Nora can feel a shift in the woods and now she’s wondering how Oliver has survived 2 weeks in there.

The women in Nora’s family are all witches and everyone knows about them and like to gossip. Nora is staying alone at her family cabin and likes to go into the woods only during the full moon and find lost things, which is how she stumbles across Oliver. He doesn’t remember much but the more time Nora spends with him she learns that one of the boys went missing from the camp and another one died. There’s a group of boys at the camp who know about what happened that night that one boy went missing and one boy died and now they’re trying to make sure Nora doesn’t learn to much about that night.

This was a good book perfect for the fall. I liked the mystery surrounding Oliver and the secrets the other camp boys were hiding. The plot twist at the end did surprise me but in a good way. The excerpts of spells and the history of the Walker women was interesting and added a nice touch. I really enjoyed this book and the characters it was a fast read and October is coming up so witches and spooky season is a great match.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER By Stephanie Garber

September 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER By Stephanie GarberThe Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #2
Published by Flatiron Books on 9/13/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 405
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

After being betrayed by Jacks, Evangeline swears to herself that she won’t trust him again. But after Apollo and Evangeline are cursed, Evangeline has no choice but to turn to Jacks for help. Jacks wants Evangeline to open the Valory Arch but Evangeline isn’t sure she wants to, but if she wants his help she’s going to have to play by his rules.

I loved being back in the Magnificent North. It seemed like things might be on the up and up for Evangeline and then boom her and Apollo are cursed and he’s hunting her. Evangeline tries to find a way to break the curse herself and find answers from other fates but it always leads her back to Jacks. Jacks and Evangeline have to find four stones that will open up the arch so its like a great adventure, also Evangeline has to avoid running into Apollo at all cost. We learn some more about Jacks and his past and it was really interesting because his past intertwines with some big families. There’s also a new Prince that will take the throne who Evangeline knows more than she wants to. We also have a lot of correspondence with Chaos and Lala and we find out their reasons for wanting the arch open.

I loved Jacks his wit and comments are unmatched. I didn’t love Evangeline though she felt self-righteous and that her way was always the best way. She gets herself into a lot of sticky situations with the way she wants to handle things. I think she’s stubborn and just wants to do the opposite of what Jacks suggests they do. There is attraction between them but they try to fight it off so much it becomes a little off putting like maybe they should just be with other people. Also who is Apollo!?

Anyway I love this series and I’m so excited to see what will happen in the next book especially because this book left off on a cliffhanger.

Filed Under: Reviews

RUST IN THE ROOT By Justina Ireland

September 15, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

RUST IN THE ROOT By Justina IrelandRust in the Root by Justina Ireland
Published by Balzer + Bray on 9/20/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 440
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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It is 1937, and Laura Ann Langston lives in an America divided—between those who work the mystical arts and those who do not. Ever since the Great Rust, a catastrophic event that blighted the arcane force called the Dynamism and threw America into disarray, the country has been rebuilding for a better future. And everyone knows the future is industry and technology—otherwise known as Mechomancy—not the traditional mystical arts.

Laura disagrees. A talented young queer mage from Pennsylvania, Laura hopped a portal to New York City on her seventeenth birthday with hopes of earning her mage’s license and becoming something more than a rootworker.

But four months later, she’s got little to show for it other than an empty pocket and broken dreams. With nowhere else to turn, Laura applies for a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the US government dedicated to repairing the Dynamism so that Mechomancy can thrive. There she meets the Skylark, a powerful mage with a mysterious past, who reluctantly takes Laura on as an apprentice.

As they’re sent off on their first mission together into the heart of the country’s oldest and most mysterious Blight, they discover the work of mages not encountered since the darkest period in America’s past, when Black mages were killed for their power—work that could threaten Laura’s and the Skylark’s lives, and everything they’ve worked for.

Short and Sweet Review

Laura moved to New York to follow her dreams of opening up a bakery but unfortunately she’s down on her luck because New York isn’t so kind to new comers. Laura is getting kicked out of the current place she’s living and she needs to find somewhere to go asap, which is when she meets a unicorn that suggests she gets a job at the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps. Its here that Laura can actually use her magic without getting in trouble, Laura has the gift of using the potential in something like a seed and making it into something new. Laura meets the Skylark a powerful mage who takes Laura on as her apprentice. Together they’re sent on a mission to a blight and there’s more going on than what they were briefed on.

A little backstory, America is divided: those who can use the mystic arts and those who can’t. There was an event called the great rust which was catastrophic and now America is trying to rebuild. The world building is great once you understand what’s going on. There is different magic that can be used and we see most of them like talking to animals, healing, and necromancy. Laura is different because she’s able to dabble with all of them but she has to keep that to herself because its not really allowed.

Laura and the Skylark and joined by others in the colored auxiliary and sent to the Ohio Deep Blight to try to figure out what’s going on there and what happened to the team that was sent before them. This is where things get really interesting because things are not right in Ohio and team members start to be attacked one by one and its looking like someone on the team is in on it. Everyone has some type of magic that they’re able to use and in Ohio it seems like simple things are draining them and they’re not able to do even half of what they can when they’re not in the blight. I will say its kind of eerie like what is going on in the blight that there’s creatures roaming around and people going missing.

This book was so different from anything I’ve read involving magic before. I will say that the way that magic is being used in this book takes some getting used to and there’s more than one mystic art. The Skylark also had a journal or case notes where she documented everything that happened and I will say that threw me for a loop because I wasn’t sure what to trust. Laura is strong and I don’t think she truly knew her potential until the end of the book and I loved her, she never backed down. This is a book I won’t forget about anytime soon and I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a book that’ll keep you engaged from the first page until the last page!

Filed Under: Reviews

NOTHING MORE TO TELL By Karen M. McManus

September 13, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

NOTHING MORE TO TELL By Karen M. McManusNothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
Published by Delacorte Press on 8/30/22
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 363
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened.

The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder—but instead, thanks to Tripp, they're now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp’s friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.

Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks.

Short and Sweet Review

Brynn used to go to Saint Ambrose and now after four years away she’s back home and going back to the school where her favorite teacher was murdered. Brynn loves journalism so when she gets an internship at a true crime show she knows the perfect story to investigate, the death of Mr. Larkin. Brynn wants to talk to the three kids who found him, Tripp and his two friends who know more than they’re saying.

The book follows Brynn and Tripp and alternates between their POVs. Brynn wants to find out what happened to Mr. Larkin and she gets the perfect opportunity when she’s paired up with Tripp to make a memorial for Mr. Larkin. Tripp really wants to forget about that day in the woods but Brynn is determined to find out what happened but trying to do it inconspicuously because she hasn’t told any of her classmates about her internship. Brynn is good at following leads and putting things together. I will say that Brynn was more interesting than Tripp, she was following the leads and he was with her just following her around and trying to avoid anything that had to do with Mr. Larkin.

I usually love Karen M. McManus books but this one was bland, it was forgettable. The mystery was interesting but I feel like Brynn and Tripp were boring and didn’t pull it off. Some of the things felt predictable, but the ending was interesting and I liked seeing how that all came together. I also liked seeing the other books mentioned. Overall this was an okay book an interesting mystery, a little predictable but definitely not one of my favorites.

Filed Under: Reviews

ALL OF US VILLAINS By Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman

September 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

ALL OF US VILLAINS By Amanda Foody and C.L. HermanAll of Us Villains by Amanda Foody, C.L. Herman
Series: All of Us Villains #1
Published by Tor Teen on 11/9/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 393
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world—one thought long depleted.

But this year a scandalous tell-all book has exposed the tournament and thrust the seven new champions into the worldwide spotlight. The book also granted them valuable information previous champions never had—insight into the other families’ strategies, secrets, and weaknesses. And most important, it gave them a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their legacy.

Either way, this is a story that must be penned in blood.

When the blood moon rises the blood veil falls and that means its time for the tournament to begin. Seven families choose a champion to compete in the tournament and the prize is the family gets control of the magick supply. But this year is different because a tell all book has been released sharing insights into each family, the book has also put a spotlight on Ilvernath bring tourist from all over to see the tournament.

Even though there’s seven competitors we only get the POV of four of them, Alistair, Gavin, Briony, and Isobel. They’re all very interesting in their own way. Alistair was raised believing that his family are monsters actual villains and most Lowes win the competition and he’s expected to win this years. Briony has always wanted to be a champion and represent her family so she’s pretty upset when her sister is picked instead of her, but after that she decides that she wants to end the competition instead of winning it. Isobel has never wanted to be a champion so she tries to find a way to avoid it but her dad is having none of that, so she goes into the tournament determined to win and not disappoint her dad even though she really wants to be anywhere else. Gavin is pretty much seen as weak and the other competitors don’t like him because the tell all book was written by someone in his family. Most of Gavins chapters are pretty short so I felt like he wasn’t as important as the other three characters.

The tournament was different there’s relics and landmarks for the competitors to go to and also its a tournament to the death so we see them throwing curses at each other. It was fun to see what they would curse each other with and how the magic system in this book worked. We also see a few alliances form and we read about why alliances don’t work for this kind of tournament, there can only be one winner. There’s also excerpts from the tell all book at the start of each chapter that gives us an insight to how each family goes about their strategies.

This was a good book and it’ll keep you entertained. The characters, the magick, the plot twists, all worked and it’ll keep you reading until the very end. I’m excited to see how everything is going to end in the next book!

Filed Under: Reviews

LIGHTLARK By Alex Aster

September 7, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

LIGHTLARK By Alex AsterLightlark by Alex Aster
Series: Lightlark #1
Published by Amulet Books on 8/23/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 418
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Welcome to the Centennial.

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.

Short and Sweet Review

There’s six different realms and every 100 years they are invited to Lightlark to participate in the Centennial a deadly game. The ruler who wins the game will end the curse that plagues their respective realm. Lightlark follows Isla our main character who is a wildling. Isla doesn’t have any powers like the other rulers so she has to be strategic to win.

Honestly there was a lot of controversy surrounding this book so as a disclaimer just know that I didn’t read anything about what was happening and I went into this book with an open mind.

I think the situation concerning the curses was interesting I don’t remember if there was a reason each realm was cursed but on Isla’s the Wildlings are not allowed to fall in love. Isla goes to the Centennial and she only knows one person Celeste from the Starling realm and they’ve decided to align themselves and work together without anyone else’s knowledge. Isla knows the other rulers by name and just hearing about them. So the Centennial is 100 days and no one is allowed to attack another ruler until 50 days has gone by. Each ruler comes up with a game or demonstration to know more about the other rulers and eventually the rulers will be paired up and try to win the game by solving a riddle.

This was a quick read for me. There was a lot of alliances and betrayal going on and it was interesting to see who everyone wanted to work with and who they didn’t. I liked seeing Isla explore the different places on light lark to try to find something to break the curse. There was more running around the island trying to find this thing called the heart and not that much action. I thought there would be more action especially after the 50 days ended, but I will say some of the backstabbing did surprise me. The ending was good I guess the only thing that stopped me from rating this book higher was that there wasn’t anything that spectacular about it.

Filed Under: Reviews

THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS By Chloe Gong

September 5, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS By Chloe GongThese Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Series: These Violent Delights #1
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on 11/17/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 463
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Short and Sweet Review

These Violent Delights follow Juliette and Roma in the year 1926 in Shanghai. Both Roma and Juliette are involved in their families gangs and are the heirs, Juliette belongs to the Scarlet Gang and Roma to the White Flowers. Something strange is happening in Shanghai and people are claiming there’s a madness going around that’s causing people to kill themselves. Roma and Juliette have a history they were in a forbidden romance that ended in betrayal, now they spend their days staying away from each other. As the death toll increases Roma and Juliette realize they’ll have to work together to stop whatever is happening before neither of them can be the ruler of Shanghai.

This was such a different a unique take on Romeo and Juliette but it worked. I wasn’t sure how much I would like the gang aspect but I think with the setting and time it worked.

Juliette is the heir of the Scarlet gang and she’s sometimes not taken seriously by her family members mainly because of the fact that she’s a girl but she’s tough and willing to do what she needs to for the gang. Over the course of the book she kind of drops the ball on her duties but only because she’s out investigating the madness. Juliettes right hand women consist of her cousins, Kathleen and Rosalind although Kathleen seems to be more of a ride or die kind of person while Rosalind questions Juliettes choices.

Roma is the heir of the White flowers although his dad prefers someone else in the gang. Roma’s right hand guys are his cousin Benedikt and his friend Marshall. Roma is more willing to work with Juliette than she is to work with him. After Romas sister Alisa gets infected with the madness its basically a race against the clock to find who’s causing the madness and to find a cure. I will say that reading about these people ripping and tearing at their throats was brutal and kind of graphic.

I liked seeing Roma and Juliette sneak around the city so that their gangs wouldn’t know their working together. It also gave us an insight on their past and what went wrong but they really do make a good team. I liked seeing their right hands go on separate missions to follow other leads. The ending was so good and it just makes you want the second book in your hand to find out what’s going to happen next. I love these two characters but after this ending I wonder how they’re going to handle everything and I can’t wait to find out!

Filed Under: Reviews

LOVE & GELATO By Jenna Evans Welch

September 2, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

LOVE & GELATO By Jenna Evans WelchLove & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Series: Love & Gelato #1
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 5/3/16
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 417
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Short and Sweet Review

Lina’s mothers dying wish was for Lina to live in Italy with her father and get to know him. When Lina arrives in Italy she’s standoffish towards Howard, after all she never even knew about her father until her mom got sick and now she has to live in Italy with him. Howard is also the caretaker of a world war memorial so Lina is basically living near a cemetery. Lina finds out that her mother left a journal and wrote about her time in Italy and now Lina wants to follow in her mothers footsteps and even uncover some secrets. In Italy Lina meets some cute boys one of them is Red and I loved him, he was funny and down to earth and he didn’t off as a creep. I liked seeing Howard and Red take Lina around the city it was almost enough to make me want to visit Italy myself. I did like how Lina and Red started off as friends and how that relationship slowly progressed. I also loved Howard he was patient and understanding about the whole situation and I usually don’t cry when reading books but something he said to Lina during the end of the book made me tear up.

This book was so much fun I loved the setting and I liked seeing how Lina tried to piece together her moms life through the journal. The romance was great and so were all of the supporting characters! Definitely a good book for the summer with a nice scoop of gelato to go along with it!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD By Tiffany D. Jackson

August 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD By Tiffany D. JacksonThe Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 9/6/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Retellings, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 411
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.

Short and Sweet Review

The town of Springville, Georgia is small and doesn’t have a lot of residents and the number of residents is about to get smaller after Maddy is through with them. After prom the only thing that people remember is that Maddy did it, but what led her to cause all of that destruction?

Madison Washington is biracial but she’s light enough that she can pass as white and that’s exactly what her father wants, and her years of hiding that she’s black are about to come to an end when a rainstorm shows the actually texture of her hair. Maddy hasn’t been treated well by her fellow classmates but things get worse after it comes out that she’s black. Madison is mainly tormented by Jules and her friends one of them being Wendy. Wendy has a black boyfriend named Kenny and I think he only fits into their friend group because he’s the star of the football team. Anyhoo Wendy starts to feel a little bad but she still has her own motives to make herself look good so she decides to suggest that for this years prom instead of their usual segregated prom they throw an all together prom and that Kenny should take Maddy. Maddy obviously think she’s being punk’d these kids have been awful to her and all of a sudden they want her to go to prom. Maddy has also been working on learning how to use her telekinesis which usually comes into play when she’s in fight or flight mode. Maddy has had a difficult life, her mother is gone, her dad is super religious and abusive, and she’s been hiding who she really is. So its easy to see why Maddy is the way she is. As the story progresses we see Kenny start to fall for Maddy which I didn’t like because first of all, he already had a girlfriend and second, it just seemed like he was infatuated with Maddy and it got a little weird. Well at prom we see that some kids have one last prank in store for Maddy, but little do they know its going to be the straw that broke the camels back.

This was such a good book! I loved the podcast aspect and the interviews and how Michael the host of the podcast was trying to piece everything together to see what took place on prom night. Maddy is a good character you just want to root for her and see her win because she did not deserve the way the kids at school were treating her. This is a carrie retelling and we all know what happened there and I was just waiting for Maddy to get her comeuppance. The book has a few different POVs but it doesn’t take away from the book it just adds to the story telling. This book had so many layers and the build up had me on the edge of my seat. The Weight of Blood does not disappoint, run to your nearest book store and get this book in your hands immediately!

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