A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie Garber

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 CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie GarberA Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #3
Published by Flatiron Books on 10/24/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out. . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Short and Sweet Review

A Curse for True Love picks up right where The Ballad of Never After left off. Evangeline is awake again and so is Apollo but Evangeline doesn’t have any of her memories, and who knows where Jacks is. Apollo is acting like a dotting husband and comes across as wanting to keep Evangeline safe and while doing so he’s made Jacks public enemy number one.

Evangeline is out main character but in this book we also get the POVs of Apollo and Jacks. Evangeline doesn’t remember a thing but she does know that Apollo’s behavior isn’t right, he’s too overprotective and tries to keep her locked up. When we see what’s going on in Apollo’s view we learn he’s an awful person and the only person he truly cares about is himself. Jacks on the other hand is trying to help Evangeline get away from Apollo and also help her get her memories back. I feel like this book was different from the others because we’re not going all around the magnificent north, Evangeline is confined in the castle for a while. I loved seeing Evangeline eventually remember and realizing that Jacks is her true love and the story is turned around from her needing to be saved to her saving Jacks. The romance between Jacks and Evangeline is great because it’s like forbidden love but both of them know they belong together. I will say that seeing Lala again was great and she is an amazing friend to both Jacks and Evangeline. Apollo on the other hand gets what he deserves and he’s just a cruel and twisted individual, he reminds me of Gaston. I do think this book was a lot shorter than I expected it to be, but I’m glad things were resolved and the pacing was great.

Overall, I’m sad that this trilogy was over, but everything that happens from book one-three will leave you wanting more. I loved the characters and the plot of each book and Garber did an amazing job at writing books that feel magical and will leave you wishing you were apart of this world.

CAGE OF DREAMS By Rebecca Schaeffer

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.

CAGE OF DREAMS By Rebecca SchaefferCage of Dreams by Rebecca Schaeffer
Series: City of Nightmares #2
Published by Clarion Books on 9/26/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Nineteen-year-old Ness used to have a vehement terror of Nightmares—people who’d been turned into their worst fears while they slept. Through two assassination attempts, an explosion, and a faustian bargain with a dream demon, she’s finally working through those fears.

Unfortunately, Nightmares aren’t the only dangerous thing in Newham. Working at a speakeasy where gunfights are common and death is a regular occurrence, Ness is forced to reckon with all her other fears—including her fear of mortality. It’s easy to die in Newham, but it’s hard to live.

So when the Nightmare Phantom—the monster that turns people into Nightmares—shows up, asking her another favor, she agrees, but only if he turns her into a Nightmare. One of her own choosing, something bullet proof and strong and able to live without fear.

But when Ness’s attempt to fulfill the bargain goes wrong, things start to spiral out of control. Now, Ness is in the crosshairs of enemies old and new, and this time, she can’t run from her problems. If she wants to survive, she’s going to have to conquer the most difficult enemy of all: herself

Short and Sweet Review

We met our main character Ness in the first book City of Nightmares and she was afraid of a lot of things, it was almost one of those things where she was paralyzed with fear. Now in the sequel we see she’s still afraid of everything but not to the same degree she was previously. Ness works in a speakeasy where gun fights can break out at any moment, and Ness realizes that being mortal has a lot of risks especially in a city like Newham. When the Nightmare Phantom comes to Ness asking for a favor she agrees but in return she wants to become a nightmare herself. Ness believes she has everything under control but she doesn’t have the nickname Ness the Mess for nothing. Now Ness has to navigate this treacherous city with new and old enemies coming after her.

I was super excited when this book was released, but I feel like 20-30% in I realized it didn’t have the same magic that the first book did. We’re still in the city of Newham and Ness has started working in a speakeasy and she’s still living with Cy. Ness witnesses a lot of death in Newham and starts to think it would just be easier if she was a nightmare and able to have the power of super healing or having bullets not penetrate her skin. When the nightmare phantom asks Ness to help him attack the mayor she agrees hoping this is her chance to get what she wants. When Ness tries her hand at the assassination attempt things go horribly wrong and now she has both the mayor and the director of friends coming after her. We follow Ness, Cy, and Priya as they try to stop whatever evil plans the director has and also try to avoid dying. Ness is still the same afraid of things but I feel like the love she has for her friends propels her to do things like saving them even if it puts her in danger. I will say I think the first book was more fun because of the whole conspiracy aspect and mystery around it. I think something that changed with this book was the fact that the nightmare phantom was no longer in peoples nightmares but just walking down the streets of Newham living his best life. I did like how we saw the mayor as an enemy she’s honestly crazy and cruel. I do think the premise was great but the book was just missing elements that made the first book so great.

Overall, I still enjoyed this book, but not as much as I originally thought I would. I love the support system that Ness has and also the ending was good and I feel like it leaves the door open for a spin-off which is exciting. This was a fun duology and I would recommend it but I still think the first book is better than this sequel.

THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW By Sarah Suk

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 SPACE BETWEEN HERE & NOW By Sarah SukThe Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk
Published by Quill Tree Books on 10/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she'll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee's fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom--a moment Aimee has never remembered before--she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn't match up with the story of how her mom left--at least, not the version she's always heard from her dad.

Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she'll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

Short and Sweet Review

Aimee Ro has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which is a rare condition and for Aimee its triggered by smells. Whenever Aimee smells something that is connected to a memory from the past she’ll be taken back to that memory physically. Her dad thinks this is something she’ll grow out of but Aimee has a fear that just disappearing at random is keeping her from living a semi normal life. When Aimee ends up going into a memory for 9 hours (the longest she’s ever been gone) she realizes that her dad hasn’t been completely honest about why her mom left. Aimee decides to go to Korea to see if she can get some answers and uncover the mystery surrounding her mom leaving.

Aimee has STWS which is pretty interesting and very rare. Aimee is triggered by certain smells and she’ll go back into a memory she will literally disappear from the present which is a bit jarring and go back in time into the past to relive the memory. Aimee hasn’t been able to seek help because her dad thinks she’ll just stop when she wants to and if she really wants to. I did love seeing the advice Aimee was getting from places like reddit or just internet searches. When Aimee goes into a past memory of her mom she realizes that her dads story about why her mom left doesn’t match up to what she just saw. Aimee goes to Korea to find out what happened to her mom and she hopes that her STWS will come in handy to help her find her. I loved Aimee as a character. She’s struggling with something that not a lot of people understand and we see her reliving her past and trying to piece things together. I did like seeing her understand that sometimes the past shouldn’t dictate the future. The relationship with her father starts off strained, they don’t talk much and he’s stuck in his ways but I feel like its a cultural thing. Seeing Aimee and her father mend their relationship was very heartwarming. In Korea Aimee stays with her aunt but she does most of her sight seeing with an old family friend Junho and I did feel some sparks but I liked how they were ultimately just friends. Nikita was also a friend of Aimee’s and she’s very supportive and was even the one to suggest to Aimee that she should go to Korea.

The Space Between Here & Now, is a heartwarming novel about exploring memories and dealing with all of the emotions that come with them but also overcoming them and looking forward to the future and what’s to come. The characters were easy to relate to and so was the subject matter, I would definitely recommend this book!

ALL THAT CONSUMES US By Erica Waters

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.

ALL THAT CONSUMES US By Erica WatersAll That Consumes Us by Erica Waters
Published by HarperTeen on 10/17/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Gothic, Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 413
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Everyone knows the students in Corbin College’s elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all—free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. So when Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she takes it.

But once she’s settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory the academy calls home, something strange starts to happen. She finally has the chance to write, but her stories are dark and twisted. When she’s not sleepwalking, she’s dreaming about being trapped in a coffin, buried alive. And she’s starting to feel an unseen presence stalking her through the halls of her dorm.

As Tara slowly loses her grip on everything she’s ever known, she discovers a terrible secret at the heart of Magni Viri, one that just might turn her dreams into nightmares, one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.

Short and Sweet Review

Tara goes to Corbin College which she can barely afford, but after a student from the elite Magni Viri society dies, there becomes an opening that is offered to Tara. She obviously jumps on the opportunity, tuition is free and after college most students land their dream jobs. After a few nights in the society Tara begins to realize that things aren’t right, she’s writing stories that are darker than things she normally writes and she’s having nightmares. Tara thinks she’s being haunted by a ghost but soon realizes Magni Viri has a darker history then she realized and her place in the society had a higher price than she would have ever thought.

Tara is a talented writer but she’s not at the level she thinks her fellow classmate Meredith, from Magni Viri is. When Tara finds Meredith’s dead body and then soon after is invited to take her place in Magni Viri she accepts. Tara takes part in a initiation which she thinks is just like a little thing to welcome her but she’s actually inviting a spirit into her. Her new roommates are all a little weird and talk about Tara behind her back but Tara is more upset with the fact that she thought that they’d be there for her. All of the people in Magni Viri are intense and really into their work, some of them even become hospitalized. Anyway now that Tara is at Magni Viri she notices that she’s staying up at odd hours writing but she never remembers doing it. She starts to think Meredith is haunting her but she has a whole different ghost after her. The Magni Viri students are so intense because they’re basically being possessed by dead scholars who are putting out their work using the students bodies. Tara soon realizes what’s actually happening and she wants the help of her new roomies to help her. I loved the plot it was interesting and will have you wanting to know exactly what’s going on. The mystery was great and also just learning about Magni Viri and how long this has been going on. The one thing I didn’t like was that Tara would put her issues above everyone else who was obviously dealing with the same thing and I get that this was new for her and those around her have put up and shut up but it didn’t mean that they were in a better position than her.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The world building was great it was creepy and I loved the characters and the mystery. I will say that this is a perfect book to read during October to prepare for Halloween and get you in the spooky fall mood!

A CROWN SO CURSED By L.L. McKinney

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 CROWN SO CURSED By L.L. McKinneyA Crown So Cursed by L.L. McKinney
Series: The Nightmare-Verse #3
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 9/19/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 406
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Alice and her crew are doing their best to recover from the last boss battle, but some of them keep having these. . . dreams: visions of a dark past—and an even darker future. Sadly, the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they’d hoped.

Attacked by Nightmares unlike any they’ve ever seen, Alice will have to step between the coming darkness and the mortal world once more. But this time is different. This time, the monsters aren’t waiting for her on the other side of the Veil.

They're in her own back yard.

Short and Sweet Review

Alice and her friends are still recovering after their last battle, but they know that they have to stay on their toes because the monsters aren’t waiting on the other side of the veil anymore, they’re coming to find Alice.

This final installment of The Nightmare-Verse was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and unfortunately it was not what I wanted. I feel like since the release of the last book and this one I’ve waited 3-4 years and I’ve forgotten everything that happened and why some characters didn’t like each other and failed to remember what they were going through. We have Alice and she realizes that things aren’t right especially as she begins to see more monsters on her side of the veil and this is a sign that things aren’t right in wonderland and that her and her friends should prepare for their final battle. Everything just felt messy to me from the characters and their relationships with each other and also the way the final battle occurred. It was interesting to see how Alice is more tied to Wonderland than she could have ever thought but I feel like that story line was kind of cheesy. I wanted to finish this book as quickly as possible and it wasn’t hard considering that the material felt pretty middle grade.

Overall, I was not jiving with this book the way I wanted to and I’m pretty upset about it. Although things were wrapped up and there were answers to what was occurring I feel like it just happened at a pace where you don’t feel invested. I may be feeling this way because of how long it took to read this final book but I also don’t want to go back and do a complete read through. I did enjoy the characters and the storyline from books 1 and 2 and I wish I felt the same about this one.

NEVER A HERO By Vanessa Len

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.

NEVER A HERO By Vanessa LenNever a Hero by Vanessa Len
Series: Monsters #2
Published by HarperTeen on 8/29/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 526
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.

But her success has come at a terrible cost.

She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that a greater and more dangerous enemy is still out there.

When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.

Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

Short and Sweet Review

Joan has accomplished what she thought was impossible, she reset the timeline so her family is alive and she unmade the hero Nick. But what Joan did came with consequences she didn’t know would be coming her way, only Joan knows she reset the timeline, but now Nick is just a regular guy and the monsters are looking for Joan and they’ve sent Aaron to find her. Now Joan is on the run with Nick who got pulled into this mess after witnessing monsters come after Joan. The only way Joan and Nick are going to make it out of this mess alive is if they gather some allies and find the person who is truly a threat to the monster world.

Let me just start off by saying this book is action packed and will keep you hooked from the very first page. Joan reset the timeline and even though her family is now alive she’s been avoiding them, and she’s also starting to realize that by messing with the timeline that things she didn’t think would be affected are. Joan meets Nick and realizes he has no idea who she is or even about being a hero but once they’re attacked she reluctantly has to explain the whole monster world to him. I loved seeing Joan and Nick on the run and gathering some old friends and how Joan would have to convince people of the fact that she reset the timeline by telling them things she wouldn’t know unless she was in that other timeline with them. We also see Aaron who has no idea who Joan is but is determined to capture her and bring her to the court. I think my favorite thing about this sequel is that we learn more about Joans family that has disappeared from everyone else’s memory but definitely lives on in the memory of her sister Eleanor. We learn that Eleanor was the one who made Nick into the hero and has plans of bringing their family back and her timeline is a dark one where monsters rule and humans have no chance. I loved seeing Nick and Joan in this book we learn more about their history and they’re obviously made to be together that’s why the timeline keeps bringing them back to each other. I did like seeing the old allies too and how they were willing to fight by Joans side.

Never a Hero, is full of twists and turns but its so good and will have you wanting more. I loved the characters and the plot in this book so much and I’m ready to read the next book!

I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE By David Arnold

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.

I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE By David ArnoldI Loved You in Another Life by David Arnold
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers on 10/10/23
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Evan Taft has plans. Take a gap year in Alaska, make sure his little brother and single mother are taken care of, and continue therapy to process his father's departure. But after his mom’s unexpected diagnosis, as Evan’s plans begin to fade, he hears something: a song no one else can hear, the voice of a mysterious singer . . .

Shosh Bell has dreams. A high school theater legend, she’s headed to performing arts college in LA, a star on the rise. But when a drunk driver takes her sister’s life, that star fades to black. All that remains is a void—and a soft voice singing in her ear . . .

Over it all, transcending time and space, a celestial bird brings strangers together: from an escaped murderer in 19th century Paris, to a Norwegian kosmonaut in low-earth orbit, something is happening that began long ago, and will long outlast Evan and Shosh.

Short and Sweet Review

Evan has plans for his life after high school, he wants to take a gap year in Alaska and make sure that his mom and little brother will be okay. When his mom is diagnosed with cancer, Evan changes his plans, but he also starts to hear a song that no one else can hear.

Shosh is still grieving after the death of her sister and she’s become pretty reckless. Before her sister’s death, Shosh was known as a theater legend and had plans to pursue her passion at a performing arts college in LA. Oddly enough Shosh can also hear mysterious singing in her ear.

I’ll start off by saying this is an interesting book. I love that our characters are each going through something, Evan is dealing with how his father left the family and started a new one, and also the thought of his mom having cancer and no one being there to care for her and his younger brother Will. All of these things really weigh on Evan, he was someone who thought he needed to be in the place of a parent when he was really someone who needed more of his parents. Shosh on the other hand is still grieving the loss of her sister and has taken to drinking and going out at odd times of the night. I will say I enjoyed Evan more than Shosh, I understand that everyone grieves differently but she really needed to see or talk to someone… she drove someones car into a pool to make a statement. I thought he rebellious ways went too far and even those closest to her didn’t know what to do. We have both characters POVs and its interesting because they don’t really start to interact until maybe part 3 of the book. I think they really bond over what’s going on in their lives and also the fact that they’re both hearing the mysterious singing. I didn’t enjoy the parts where we go into the past, I’m guessing it was supposed to show Evan and Shosh in different timelines and how they’re soulmates but it didn’t work for me.

Overall, this book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, I did enjoy seeing how they both had big things going on in their lives and how they eventually had to stop and work through everything and realize that sometimes its okay to move on and ask for help. This book was well written and though I enjoyed most of it there were parts I didn’t.

WRATH BECOMES HER By Aden Polydoros

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.

WRATH BECOMES HER By Aden PolydorosWrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros
Published by Inkyard Press on 10/10/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 302
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Vera was made for vengeance.

Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves—to have a life beyond what she was made for.

Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave her: Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

Short and Sweet Review

Vera is a golem and she was made for vengeance. The man who made Vera made her in his daughters image and he needs Vera to go after the men who killed her. Vera knows what her purpose is and because of the magic that was used to make her she is also able to see glimpses of Chaya’s memories. Vera meets Akira a boy she recognizes from the memories instilled in her. Vera finds out that there are other golems being made but not for the purpose she was but for destruction now Vera feels the need to fight for more than what she was created for.

Wrath Becomes Her is a very interesting book in that our main character is a golem, she’s not even human and she doesn’t really have her own will. Ezra is the man that created Vera and he made her after his daughter Chaya was killed by Nazis, now its up to Vera to use the memories she has to hunt down those men. Ezra goes missing and Vera wants to find him and that’s when she goes on this journey with Akira. I think Akira and Vera are supposed to be a romantic item but it didn’t work for me he was calling Vera by Chaya’s name and Vera only knew him because of Chaya’s memories. Anyway along the journey they encounter Nazis who Vera obviously kills, but during this journey Vera learns that she’s able to do more than what Ezra created her for. Vera may have been created just for vengeance but after learning that other golems are being made for nefarious reasons she takes it upon herself to do what she can to stop it. I do believe that Vera had some character growth, she wasn’t a character I really enjoyed but I did have to remember that she wasn’t human, she was made of clay and made for the purpose of killing.

Overall, this book had a unique story and I did enjoy the Jewish folklore that was included. I do think my biggest problem was Vera’s character and her lack of emotions and how hard it was for her to understand that she was able to do things of her own will. Some elements in the book didn’t work but it was still a good read.

THE SCARLET ALCHEMIST By Kylie Lee Baker

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 SCARLET ALCHEMIST By Kylie Lee BakerThe Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker
Series: The Scarlet Alchemist #1
Published by Inkyard Press on 10/3/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 417
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Zilan dreams of becoming a royal alchemist, of providing for her family by making alchemical gold and gems for the wealthy to eat in order to stay young forever. But for now, she’s trapped in her impoverished village in southern China, practicing an illegal form of alchemy to keep food on the table—resurrecting the dead, for a price.

When Zilan finally has the chance to complete her imperial exams, she ventures to the capital to compete against the best alchemists in the country in tasks she’ll be lucky to survive, let alone pass. On top of that, her reputation for raising the dead has followed her to the capital, and the Crown Prince himself seeks out her help, suspecting a coming assassination attempt.

The more Zilan succeeds in her alchemy, the more she gets caught in the dangerous political games of the royal family. There are monsters lurking within the palace walls, and it’s only a matter of time before they—and secrets of Zilan’s past—catch up with her.

Short and Sweet Review

Zilan’s dream is to become a royal alchemist, she wants to be able to provide for her family and make sure that they’re stable. But for now she lives in a village with her aunt, uncle, and cousins practicing an illegal form of alchemy, resurrecting the dead, for money. Zilan has the chance to take her imperial exams and she passes and along with her cousins they travel to the capital to complete more tests. Zilan has a reputation that has traveled far from her little village all the way to the palace, and the prince has asked for her help to stop a future assassination attempt on his life. At the palace Zilan learns that there’s a lot of politics at play and the palace is even more dangerous than she originally thought.

This book was addicting right from the start. We meet Zilan and learn that she’s an alchemist and is able to resurrect the dead. Zilan is also determined to pass a test to become a royal alchemist, after her first test in the village she’s surprised to learn that she was actually selected, but before that unbeknownst to her the prince asks her to come to the Palace to save his life but she declines. When Zilan and her cousins arrive in the capital they begin their training. Its obvious to most that Zilan will push herself and she’s very risky, she’s also looked down upon by the others testing to be an alchemist, it also didn’t help that it seemed like the prince favored her. Anyway we learn that those in line for the throne after the emperor dies are being killed off one by one and the next person in line is the prince (Hong). There’s a bit of romance between Zilan and the prince but I feel like he liked her more than she liked him, I feel like the conversations between them were always taken the wrong way by at least one of them. One thing I did enjoy was seeing Zilan with her cousins, I did enjoy the family dynamic and seeing that even though they were arguing they all cared about each other. It was interesting to see that this book involved monsters and a bit of mystery as to who was killing everyone and who was coming after the prince. I did like the alchemy aspect and seeing Zilan do her thing even though sometimes she went too far when she knows how much danger she’s putting herself in. Zilan is an interesting character in the fact that she doesn’t really come off as likable, she has a short temper and she’s very combative, but I really wanted her to succeed. The book is fast paced and I was loving it until I got to the end, everything just seemed to happen a little too quickly. I thought this book was going to be a stand alone but after getting to the end I realized there’s going to be a sequel.

Overall, this was a fast paced book full of action, mystery, and fantasy. I haven’t read a lot of books about alchemy so it was fun to see how it was incorporated here and I enjoyed the historical setting. Definitely check this book out!

THE FOREST DEMANDS ITS DUE By Kosoko Jackson

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 FOREST DEMANDS ITS DUE By Kosoko JacksonThe Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
Published by Quill Tree Books on 10/3/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 426
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Regent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it. The school is known for molding teens into leaders, but its history is far more nefarious.

Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent's king-making; he’s just trying to survive. But then a student is murdered and, for some reason, by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper's son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt more than 300 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness.

And for the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was missing: power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.

A

Short and Sweet Review

Douglas attends Regent Academy, which is known for making its students into leaders. There’s also a forrest around the campus and Douglas can hear the forest talking to him. Douglas is just trying to make it through school, but one day a student is murdered and no one else seems to remember who that student was except for Douglas and the groundkeepers son, Everett. Douglas is determined to find out what’s going on around the school and the forest and he gets more than he bargained for.

The beginning of the book really pulls you in and makes you curious and eager to learn more about the forest and what’s going on with the student that was just murdered. Douglas is our main character and he has a bit of a reputation because of something that happened in the past, he didn’t have many friends and its also hard to be the only black student at the school. Douglas ends up going to the headmaster who informs him that he knows all about the forest and students being murdered and its because of a curse, and Everett and his mom and sister are like the protectors of the border. Anyway Douglas is dragged into all of the magical things going on and learns that things called perversions are escaping the forest and killing students. When students are killed no one on campus remembers that they even existed. Through this journey Everett and Douglas become closer and we see a romance form. The romance was okay I wasn’t invested in it, it felt like because they were both in this position to save the school that they gravitated towards each other. Douglas was tasked with breaking the curse on the school and we see him, Everett, and Emma go into the forest and deal with all the creepy things that are in there. I feel like in the middle of the book the pacing was a bit off. The ending was okay but also bittersweet.

Overall, the book was okay but it wasn’t anything I was wowed by. I’m not sure what I wasn’t vibing with while reading this book but the main thing was the pacing. There were some good moments with action and all the questions were answered so there’s that.