A WILDERNESS OF STARS By Shea Ernshaw

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.

A WILDERNESS OF STARS By Shea ErnshawA Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 11/29/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 397
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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When all is lost, look to the stars.

Vega has lived in the valley her whole life—forbidden by her mother to leave the safety of its borders because of the unknown threats waiting for her in the wilds beyond. But when Vega sees an omen in the sky—one she cannot ignore—she is forced to leave the protective boundaries of the valley. Yet the outside world is much more terrifying than Vega could have ever imagined. People are gravely sick—they lose their eyesight and their hearing, just before they lose their lives.

But Vega has a secret: she is the Last Astronomer—a title carried from generation to generation—and she is the only one who understands the knowledge of the stars. Knowledge that could hold the key to a cure. So when locals spot the tattoo on Vega’s neck in the shape of a constellation—the mark of an astronomer—chaos erupts. Fearing for her life, Vega is rescued by a girl named Cricket who leads her to Noah, a boy marked by his own mysterious tattoos.

On the run from the men hunting her, Vega sets out across the plains with Cricket and Noah, in search of a fabled cure kept secret by the astronomers. But as the line between friends and protectors begins to blur, Vega must decide whether to safeguard the sacred knowledge of the astronomers…or if she will risk everything to try to save them all.

Short and Sweet Review

When Vega sees the twin stars she knows its a sign for her to leave the valley she’s grown up in and look for the last architect. The world outside of the valley is more dangerous than Vega ever thought, people are sick and dying and will do anything to find a cure. Vega is in danger because after her mom died she became the last astronomer the only one who can read the stars. Vega also has a tattoo of a constellation on her neck that people believe is the answer to where the cure is and these people will do anything to get to Vega. While trying to find the last architect Vega meets Cricket and Noah who travel across the plains to help her find what the twin stars were hinting at. 

This book started off slow but it starts to pick up once Vega leaves the valley and goes in search of the architect. There’s a group of men hunting Vega once they realize who she is and then it becomes a game of cat and mouse. It was crazy seeing how determined these men were to get her and they were only like a few steps behind her each time. Vega was a good character she was ready to follow the path that’s been set for her. Her one flaw to me was that she would always go against better judgement and each time she did that she put the group in more danger.

This was an interesting book and after we get past the first part and things really start to pick up, everything comes together and starts making sense. This book was so different the fact that Vega was the last one left who was able to read the stars, the sickness that has affected almost everyone, and the final destination that Vega has to reach to basically fulfill her quest. This book was captivating and will have you invested in Vega’s journey from the beginning to the end!

WINTERWOOD By Shea Ernshaw

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
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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.

THE WICKED DEEP By Shea Ernshaw

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 WICKED DEEP By Shea ErnshawThe Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Published by Simon Pulse on 3/6/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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ReviewedbyDani

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

Short and Sweet Review

200 years ago three sisters were accused of being witches and were drowned. Now every summer solstice they come back and take the bodies of three girls and drown unsuspecting boys in the harbor where they were killed. 

Penny Talbot is used to her towns history and the story of the Swan sisters, but when Bo and outsider comes to town she feels like she has to look out for him. Both Penny and Bo are hiding secrets from each other and those secrets may become their downfall.

I liked the setting of Sparrow it seemed like a dreary little town and Penny lived on an island away from the town. We see a lot of the island mainly because when it’s Swan season Penny wants to stay where it’s safe. When Bo comes to town Penny feels a need to keep him safe, especially because he has no idea about the Swan sisters and could end up being a victim if he isn’t careful. Bo is hiding the reason of why he came to Sparrow and Penny is hiding her ability to see the Swan sisters. I thought it was interesting that Penny had the ability to see the sisters while no one else in town could, it was also useful because she knew who to avoid. We learn more about the swan sisters which I liked, they ended up being dealt a bad card. Penny and Bo also had a little romance, which I didn’t mind I liked them together. The plot twist at the end was actually really good and I suspected something but not what actually ended up happening

The mystery of who the Swan sisters could be and our two characters secrets kept me reading til the very end. I loved the plot and the characters and it was a great read for the month of October!