FROZEN BEAUTY By Lexa Hillyer

March 16, 2020 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.

FROZEN BEAUTY By Lexa HillyerFrozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer
Published by HarperTeen on 3/17/20
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Everyone in Devil’s Lake knows the three golden Malloy sisters—but one of them is keeping a secret that will turn their little world inside out….

No one knows exactly what happened to Kit in the woods that night—not even her sisters, Tessa and Lilly. All they have are a constellation of facts: icy blue lips and fingers cold to the touch, a lacy bra, an abandoned pick-up truck with keys still in the ignition.

Even though everyone is quick to jump to conclusions, Tessa is certain that her sister’s killer wasn’t Boyd, the boy next door whom they’ve all loved in their own way. Still, there are too many details that don’t add up, too many secrets tucked away in the past.

But no matter how fiercely Tessa searches for answers, at the core of that complicated night is a truth that’s heartbreakingly simple.

Short and Sweet

Everyone in Devil’s Lake knows the Malloy sisters, but no one knows what happened to Kit in the woods the night she died. One thing is for sure Tessa doesn’t believe that it was their neighbor Boyd. The more Tessa searches for answers the more she realizes that everyone is hiding something.

Characters

Kit: Kit is the oldest of the Malloy sisters and she was known as the good girl and the one everyone can count on. Since Kit was dead… we don’t know much about her except for the flashbacks and what everyone has to say about her. Kit was a poet though and some of her poems are at the end of the chapters.

Tessa: Tessa is the middle child and she’s known to be clumsy and she was usually in Kits shadow. I really liked Tess and reading from her point of view, she was determined to find out what happened to her sister and she did a good job of piecing everything together.

Lilly: Lilly is the youngest she’s unpredictable and sometimes selfish. One thing about Lilly was she was tired of being kept in the dark by everyone which only fueled her fire more. She always knew when something was off.

Boyd: Boyd has known the girls since they were all kids and he’s like a brother to them, unfortunately he’s suspect number one in Kit’s death. Boyd seemed really sweet and he placed all of his trust in Tessa.

Patrick: Patrick was new in town but he already had a reputation and it wasn’t good. Most of the kids tried to avoid him. Patrick did have a shady past but he tried to turn things around kind of.

Romance

Tessa and Boyd: Tessa and Boyd have known each other since they were kids but as they’ve grown up they’ve just been friends. But at some point they do share a kiss, and while reading I realized that these two had more of a romantic connection than Boyd had with any of the other sisters.

Lilly and Patrick: Patrick was new and Lilly only talked to him because of her friend Mel. I’m not really sure how these two worked out its very perplexing to even think about it but I feel like he kind of used Lilly so that she wouldn’t be on his case about things that he was doing.

My Thoughts

~ We get before and now timelines and Lilly’s POV is told through the before and sometimes so is Patricks and Tessa’s POV is told through the now. I found myself enjoying Tessa’s POV mainly because I felt that Lilly’s was a little immature.

~ So Boyd is in jail and the one person he decides to call for help is Tessa, and she says yes. She takes her detective work seriously and she honestly did a good job finding evidence and figuring out what everything meant.

~ The more you read the more you find out that everyone was hiding some kind of secret.

~ I did like how different Tessa and Lilly were, they may have only been a year apart but they did have different personalities and interest.

~ There were points in the book were I did think it got slow but towards the end I couldn’t put the book down and I was just trying to figure out what happened to Kit.

~ This story was very well told and in the end I appreciated the before and now timelines and Lilly and Tessa’s POVs.

Overall

I wasn’t expecting this book to be a mystery but I really enjoyed it. I liked how we get different timelines and everything ends up coming full circle. I think that Lilly and Tessa were brought closer together and they did grieve for their sister in different ways but it did help them cope with what happened. This book was beautifully written and I would recommend it!


Filed Under: Reviews

THE TWIN By Natasha Preston

March 3, 2020 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 TWIN By Natasha PrestonThe Twin by Natasha Preston
Published by Delacorte Press on 3/3/20
Genres: Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

After their parents divorced, 10-year-old twins Ivy and Iris were split up--Ivy lived with Dad, Iris with Mom. Now, after a tragic accident takes their mom's life, the twins are reunited and Iris moves in with Ivy and their dad. Devastated over Mom's death, Iris spends the first few weeks in almost total silence--the only person she will speak to is Ivy. Iris feels her life is over and she doesn't know what to do. Emmy promises her twin that she can share her life now. After all, they're sisters. Twins.

It's a promise that Iris takes seriously. And before long, Ivy's friends, her life at school, and her boyfriend, Tyler, fall under Iris's spell. Slowly, Ivy realizes she's being pushed out of her own life. But she's just being paranoid, right? And Mom's accident was . . . just an accident. Right? It's not like she--or Dad--or Tyler--are in any danger. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

Ivy and Iris were split up after their parents divorced, Ivy lived with dad, and Iris lived with mom. When Their mom dies Iris goes to live with Ivy and her dad. Everything seems fine until it Ivy feels like Iris is trying to do everything she does and Iris may not have the best intentions. I am very conflicted, I was excited to read this book because of the synopsis but after reading the book my expectations just weren’t met. Ivy just seems like she’s paranoid when it comes to Iris and no one seems to think there’s anything wrong with Iris. I also thought Iris was extremely annoying everything would set her off, her mood swings were too much for me I didn’t enjoy her character at all. There was a lot wrong with Iris, I understand that everyone grieves differently but every time Ivy would bring up their mom Iris would shut down… She’s crazy. The whole time we’re left wondering if Iris really is trying to take Ivy’s place and why. There’s some weird things that happen. I thought this book was slow and I really had to push through to finish it but during the last 75% it started to pick up. I didn’t connect with any of the characters I felt like Ivy was one dimensional and that Iris’s dialogue was cringey. The Twin just fell short and I think it could have been better if the ending wasn’t rushed and left open ended.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SOUND OF STARS By Alechia Dow

February 26, 2020 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 SOUND OF STARS By Alechia DowThe Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
Published by Inkyard Press on 2/25/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.

Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. With humans deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, emotional expression can be grounds for execution. Music, art and books are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.

Born in a lab, M0Rr1S was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for the love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.

Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while creating a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

Short and Sweet Review

Two years ago after a misunderstanding between Earth’s leaders and the Ilori’s the Ilori ended up invading Earth and killing one third of the population. Janelle Baker lives in an Ilori controlled center in New York. Having things like art, books, or music are grounds for execution. Janelle has a secret library in the basement but when one of her books goes missing she’s afraid that it’ll get traced back to her and she’ll be killed. Morris is a lab made Ilori and he was made to be emotionless, but when Morris finds Janelles library he knows he has a duty to deliver her to her execution but he can’t bring himself to do it. Unlike most Ilori Morris actually likes music and wants more of it. The two end up going on a cross country road trip with a bag of books and some albums. I truly loved both of the characters Ellie has had a tough life being stuck in a building and having her favorite thing (books!) be considered illegal. Her parents have also become different people her father is under Ilori control and her mother has become an alcoholic. Morris is a lab made but he’s different he feels emotions and he likes music. He is also disliked by many of the other Ilori. During their road trip these two learned a lot about each other and their struggles. I think that the road trip and their love for books and music brought them closer. There were a few twists but they just kept me hooked. The ending was great and in the end I really loved this book!


Filed Under: Reviews

BELLE REVOLTE By Linsey Miller

February 5, 2020 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.

BELLE REVOLTE By Linsey MillerBelle Révolte by Linsey Miller
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 2/4/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives―Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician's assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a terrible war, Emilie and Annette come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it's too late.

Short and Sweet Review

Emilie would rather be a physician than a noble lady and Annette would love for the opportunity to be trained in magic. So when Emilie approaches Annette and suggest that they switch lives she accepts. But when their nation decides to go to war the girls decide to help the rebellion find out the truth before it’s too late. Belle Revolte is a Prince and the Pauper retelling, both girls are swapping lives to pursue their passion. In a world that has magic women are supposed to learn midnight arts which include scrying and divination while men learn daytime arts which include medicine and weaponry. I was very confused for most of the book there’s two POVs Annette and Emilies and a lot of characters that they interact with, and it was hard to follow at times. Annette and Emilie are great in their own ways and I loved how determined Emilie was to succeed as a hack and to become a physician. Annette was also determined to succeed in the arts. Both girls end up taking part in a revolution to save their country. I wanted to like this book but I thought it was hard to get through. I found myself rereading parts because I didn’t understand what was happening. I did like the ending though. This isn’t a book that I would reread mainly because of how I was struggling to understand what was going on with the plot and characters. I wanted to like this book it sounded interesting, but unfortunately this wasn’t the book for me.

Filed Under: Reviews

DEATHLESS DIVIDE By Justina Ireland

January 27, 2020 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.

DEATHLESS DIVIDE By Justina IrelandDeathless Divide by Justina Ireland
Series: Dread Nation #2
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/4/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Horror & Ghost Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 560
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother.

But nothing is easy when you’re a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodemus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880s America.

What’s more, this safe haven is not what it appears—as Jane discovers when she sees familiar faces from Summerland amid this new society. Caught between mysteries and lies, the undead, and her own inner demons, Jane soon finds herself on a dark path of blood and violence that threatens to consume her.

But she won’t be in it alone.

Katherine Deveraux never expected to be allied with Jane McKeene. But after the hell she has endured, she knows friends are hard to come by—and that Jane needs her too, whether Jane wants to admit it or not.

Watching Jane’s back, however, is more than she bargained for, and when they both reach a breaking point, it’s up to Katherine to keep hope alive—even as she begins to fear that there is no happily-ever-after for girls like her.

Short and Sweet

After the fall of Summerland all Jane wants to do is survive and make it to California to find her mother. But when Jane and company end up to a survivalist village called Nicodermus, she learns that things aren’t what they appear to be. Katherine never thought that she would become allied with Jane but she knows that she needs Jane, and even though Jane won’t admit it she needs Katherine too.

Characters

Jane: Jane is still amazing and great at killing shamblers. I feel like Jane had a lot more on her plate this go around. She had to protect a group of people from Summerland and get them safely to Nicodermus. She also dealt with a lot of loss on the way and Jane doesn’t deal with her emotions properly she rather keep them all bottled up which at some points did take a toll on her. At some point in the book Jane loses who she is and she just became cold and I’m glad that she had Katherine around to bring some of her humanity back.

Katherine: Katherine is back and I just loved her presence and being able to read from her POV. Katherine is more levelheaded than Jane and is like the voice of reason. Katherine is also amazing at killing shamblers. She also dealt with a lot but she kept moving forward and doing what she thought was best and that’s what I like most about Katherine she never loses sight of what’s important.

Quotes

~ “You cannot go around threatening murder whenever someone annoys you.”

My Thoughts

~ Deathless Divide takes place right after Dread Nation and the fall of Summerland. Jane and Katherine are with a small group from Summerland trying to safely make it to Nicodermus.

~ I feel bad for Jane she lost someone so soon after learning things about them that were being kept secret. It just made her feel like she wasn’t enough.

~ Anytime the group travels they’re risking their lives and there were a few times I was worried that shamblers would catch up with them.

~ In Nicodermus the girls see some familiar faces from Summerland and that’s when Jane learns that Nicodermus may not be as safe as they originally thought.

~ Gideon Carr is in Nicodermus and he continues to look for a vaccine that will give people immunity to the shamblers bite but he ends up doing more damage than good.

~ After everything that happens in Nicodermus Jane and Katherine are separated, this hurt me. I didn’t like that the two girls were apart. And this is where Jane changes and ends up becoming a cold blooded killer.

~ Katherine on the other hand heads west and tries to find the town that Janes mother may have been headed too.

~ I love the relationship between Katherine and Jane they balance each other out and over time they’ve become best friends.

Overall

This book pulled at all my heartstrings. I LOVED every moment of this book and I’m so glad that we got both of the girls POVs. The friendship between the two girls is heart warming and they truly look out for each other. The ending was amazing, everything about this book is amazing. If you haven’t read Dread Nation yet pick it up and then read Deathless Divide, don’t miss out!

Filed Under: Reviews

YES NO MAYBE SO By Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed

January 22, 2020 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.

YES NO MAYBE SO By Becky Albertalli, Aisha SaeedYes No Maybe So by Aisha Saeed, Becky Albertalli
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2/4/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

YES

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone) Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO

Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO

Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.

Short and Sweet

Jamie is volunteering for his local state senate candidate and everything is fine as long as he sticks to doing things behind the scenes. Jamie is not comfortable around people so the thought of knocking on doors is not his idea of a good time.

Maya is having the worst Ramadan. Her best friend is getting ready to go to college and it seems like she doesn’t have time for Maya. On top of it her parents are separating. Maya’s mother thinks that the solution is to have Maya go canvassing.

Maya and Jamie learn that going door to door isn’t as bad as they thought it would be. The more time they spend together they learn that figuring out how to navigate their cultures and their crush is a whole different story.

Characters

Jamie: Jamie is a great character I loved how real he was. He cared about his family and friends and tried to help whenever he could. The only thing Jamie doesn’t like about himself is how he gets nervous when he has to talk to people he doesn’t know or public speaking.

Maya: Maya is also a very well written character. She’s having her own troubles this summer and it includes feeling like she’s losing her best friend and her parents due to their separation. Maya doesn’t like change so all of this is a lot to take in for her. Canvassing isn’t what she wants to do but once she starts she realizes that she really does care about the issues.

Romance

Jamie and Maya: I liked Jamie and Maya I think they brought out the best in each other. Jamie is Jewish and Maya is Muslim so when they were just friends things were fine but once they started to develop feelings for each other they really had to figure out how they were going to make things work.

My Thoughts

~ Jamie and Maya were childhood friends but they haven’t seen each other in a long time so when they’re partnered to canvass together its perfect.

~ I like how Jamie was more outgoing when Maya was around, but Maya also benefitted from Jamie because she found a new friend and also someone who gave her a lot of good advice.

~ While canvassing these two actually found that they were interested in things happening, mainly a new house bill that was going to be passed. These two did a lot to get people to know what was going on including social media and making flyers.

~ I thought Jamie’s family was great they were all very supportive, Maya’s parents were great too. Maya’s family was just adjusting to their new circumstances.

~ I thought Jamie and Maya’s interactions were cute, they were awkward at first but I love how much Jamie was trying.

Overall

Who would’ve thought that a book about canvassing would be so cute and entertaining? This book does deal with politics but I throughly enjoyed it and I was impressed by how Jamie and Maya become more involved because they know that they can make a change. I did like the ending and I’m just so happy I got to read Jamie and Maya’s story. I loved this book and thought it was cute and funny and a great look into political activism.

Filed Under: Reviews

LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI By Abigail Hing Wen

January 1, 2020 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.

LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI By Abigail Hing WenLoveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
Series: Loveboat,
Published by HarperTeen on 1/7/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

“Our cousins have done this program,” Sophie whispers. “Best kept secret. Zero supervision.”

And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop.

But not every student is quite what they seem:

Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance.

Rick Woo is the Yale-bound child prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret.

Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye.

And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit.

When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget.

Short and Sweet

Ever Wong’s parent send her to Taiwan to attend Chien Tan an education program for the summer, but when Ever arrives she ends up finding love boat instead. Loveboat is where hookups take place, night clubs are attended, and all the adults turn a blind eye. For the first time in Ever’s life she has freedom and she plans on trying things that she wouldn’t be able to back at home.

Characters

Ever: Ever is our main character and her parents expect a lot out of her which is essentially why they sent her to Taiwan. Ever just wants to dance but her parents want her to be a doctor. Chien Tan isn’t what Ever expected, she has more freedom and she plans on breaking all the rules that she would have back at home. I liked Ever as a main character she was smart and she cared about the people she met in Taiwan and I’m glad that she was able to explore and do things that she normally wasn’t allowed to.

Sophie: Sophie is boy crazy and in her head she needs to find a man. Sophie is excited about all the hookups and she even has her eyes set on a guy. I think that Sophie was a good character she’s smart and is very persuasive and could run a business, she was just a bit much when it came to the boys.

Rick: Rick is Sophie’s cousin and to Ever he’s “Boy Wonder” It’s almost like Rick is good at everything he does. Rick is more cautious then some of the other people at Chien Tan but he does have a good personality and I think he’s a good person.

Xavier: Xavier is like a player. He has a reputation but honestly he’s not that bad. I think he’s actually so sweet and he has learning disability which he’s been hiding from people.

Romance

Ever and Rick: When they met Ever and Rick had a connection but Rick already had a girlfriend. The more time these two spent together the more their feelings for each other developed. I liked that they started as friends and we can see their feelings for each other mature.

Ever and Xavier: There’s a bit of a connection between the two but in the end it didn’t work. But they were good friends and I’m glad that they stayed friends even though things didn’t work out romantically.

Sophie and Xavier: This was a fling but honestly Sophie was more interested in Xavier than he was with her. There’s not much about them except for the short amount of time they spent together.

My Thoughts

~ Loveboat was interesting I think my favorite part of it was how the students would sneak out and explore the city and also go to the clubs.

~ Ever got to explore more of her passion for dancing and even found a studio to attend. I liked that she got to see what it would be like if she did decide to pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer instead of a doctor.

~ I was also happy that Ever got to do things that made her happy and for once did things for herself instead of her parents.

~ Besides sneaking out and exploring, Ever also got to learn more about her asian heritage and in the end she had more of an appreciation for it.

~ At one point something happens to Ever (I don’t want to spoil it) but the way she handled it was very impressive but at the same time I felt so bad for her because she didn’t deserve it.

~ I really enjoyed this book there wasn’t a dull moment or a time when I wanted to put it down. I think everything came together and it made for an amazing book!

Overall

This was such an amazing debut novel! I loved all of the characters and how they interacted and I enjoyed the setting of Taiwan and the nightlife. I’m excited to read the sequel! This book was so much fun and I was hooked from the very first page.

Filed Under: Reviews