LUMINOUS By Mara Rutherford

October 5, 2021 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.

LUMINOUS By Mara RutherfordLuminous by Mara Rutherford
Published by Inkyard Press on 10/5/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos—and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

Short and Sweet Review

Liora is a witch and she’s different, she glows. Her father has kept her hidden away but when Liora catches the eye of the King’s warlock Darius trouble ensues. Darius ends up taking Mina, Liora’s younger sister back with him to the palace and Liora becomes her neighbor Margana’s apprentice. During Liora’s apprenticeship she learns that Margana can weave things that will take life after she cast a spell once she is finished. Margana works for Darius and has been working on a tapestry for him, but after an argument Darius pushes Margana’s son Evran into the Tapestry and Liora goes in looking for him, after leaving the tapestry some of the creatures from that world also escape and now Evran and Liora are tasked with stopping them.

I feel like the pacing of the book was kind of slow and then it picked up when Liora had to go in the tapestry but then it slowed down again. People with powers had to basically stay hidden because Darius would use them to grow his own power, but he had his own villain backstory that Liora had to work to get. Liora and Evran had a cute romance but at times it was annoying how often he would push her away. This was an interesting book it reminds me of some other young adult books but it’s different in its own way. My only problem was the pacing otherwise a good story.


Filed Under: Reviews

WE CAN BE HEROES By Kyrie McCauley

September 2, 2021 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.

WE CAN BE HEROES By Kyrie McCauleyWe Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on 9/7/21
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other, but they always tried their best for their mutual friend, Cassie. After the town moves on from Cassie’s murder too fast, Beck and Vivian finally find common ground: vengeance.

They memorialize Cassie by secretly painting murals of her around town, a message to the world that Cassie won’t be forgotten. But Beck and Vivian are keeping secrets, like the third passenger riding in Beck’s VW bus with them—Cassie’s ghost.

When their murals catch the attention of a podcaster covering Cassie’s case, they become the catalyst for a debate that Bell Firearms can no longer ignore. With law enforcement closing in on them, Beck and Vivian hurry to give Cassie the closure she needs—by delivering justice to those responsible for her death.

Short and Sweet

Bell is the home of Bell Firearms and has been for the past two hundred years. Five months ago the heir to Bell Firearms went to school with some firearms and killed his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Queen and himself.

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other but they did it for Cassie. Beck and Cassie feel like the town is moving on from Cassie’s murder to fast and they find common ground, they want vengeance and they also get some help from Cassie’s ghost. Beck and Vivian go around town painting murals of Cassie to remind the town that she won’t be forgotten. The murals begin to catch the attention of a podcast that has been covering Cassie’s case, they also catch the attention of law enforcement. Beck and Vivian know they need to work fast to get their point across and get Cassie the closure she needs.

Characters

Beck: Beck is one of main characters and she’s more fierce, she’s tough but deep down she has feelings. Beck likes to hide her feelings and when it comes to Cassie she feels like she needs to get vengeance for her and the best way to do that is to paint murals of Cassie around town.

Vivian: Vivian is our more level headed main character. She was injured in the attack at the school and she had plans to be a doctor but now she’s second guessing everything. I feel like this time she spends with Beck and Cassie really helps her and what she really needed was someone who could understand her pain which was why I was so happy when she reunited with Beck.

Cassie: We meet Cassie as a ghost and all of her sections are written in verse. We learn a lot about what Cassie’s life was like and how she felt during her time alive, the way she was written makes it feel like you know her and that she had so much more to offer the world if she just had the chance to do it. We see Cassie’s relationship with Nico and how it turned deadly and how all the warning signs were there and if someone just took her seriously everything could have been avoided or maybe turned out differently. I feel that Cassie realizes how strong she actually is and she uses her time as a ghost to prove it at certain times.

My Thoughts

~ After Cassie’s death Beck and Vivian have stopped talking. Beck’s first mission is to start painting murals over town because the last thing she’s going to let this town do is let them forget about Cassie’s murder and let Bell Firearms know that justice will be served. When Vivian finds out what Beck is doing she’s apprehensive but deep down she knows she wants to fight for Cassie too. With Beck and Vivian together they learn that Cassie has been in Becks VW bus, it’s almost like them being together made Cassie strong enough to appear. With Cassie around the girls go around town painting murals of Cassie that portray her as strong female characters. Soon the murals begin to catch the attention of local law enforcement who want to put a stop to it and locals who are all for murals and know that Bell Firearms were in the wrong. As things start to heat up in town the girls rush to finish their murals and also try to find a way to give Cassie closure.

We have all three of the girls POVs and I love them all equally. They all have their own voice and each one is easy to connect to, you feel for each of them and the struggles that they’re going through and you want to cheer for them when they have a personal victory. The friendship they share is beautiful. We also get to read from the We Can Be Heroes podcast which is covering Cassie’s case. I really liked Merit who was the host of the show she left no stone unturned and she did a great job helping the girls.

Overall

This book was beautifully written! It’s also important and sheds light on domestic violence especially in teen relationships. This book was amazing and so were the characters who were relatable and so real. I was emotionally invested and hooked from page one!



Filed Under: Reviews

SPELLS TROUBLE By P.C. Cast AND Kristin Cast

May 24, 2021 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.

SPELLS TROUBLE By P.C. Cast AND Kristin CastSpells Trouble by Kristin Cast, P.C. Cast
Series: Sisters of Salem #1
Published by Wednesday Books on 5/25/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 309
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Double double, twins spell trouble…

Hunter and Mercy Goode are twin witches, direct descendants of the founder of their town of Goodeville. As their ancestors have done before them, it is now time for the twins to learn what it means to be Gatekeepers–the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds, ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and nightmares come to life.

When their mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders, the devastated sisters vow to avenge her death. But it will take more than magic to rein in the ancient mythological monsters who’ve infected their peaceful town.

Now Hunter and Mercy must come together and accept their destiny or risk being separated for good.

Short and Sweet Review

Mercy and Hunter Goode are descendants of Sarah Goode their town’s founder and like their ancestors have done before them its time for them to become gate keepers. Gate keepers are the protectors of gates to different underworlds where mythological creatures rule. During a ritual the girl’s mother becomes the first victim in a string of murders that begins to plague their town. The girls vow to avenge their mother, but they also have work together in order for the gates to close again.

The book starts off with Hunter and Mercy celebrating their birthday with their friends and later that night is when they go out to do their ceremony with their mom Abigail. During the ceremony in which the girls are supposed to become gate keepers something goes wrong and Abigail is attacked by a Fenrir that came from one of the gates and is unfortunately killed. The girls realize something is wrong with the gates and with the help of Xena their cat familiar who can conveniently transform into a human try to figure out a way to fix it and fast.

So there were a lot of things I didn’t like about this book starting right after their mother was killed was when things went right off a cliff.

cliff GIF

~ Xena was just weird but I guess if you’re a cat person it’s to be expected. she would groom the girls, call the characters kitten and hiss at people. You would think that for being around people for as long as she has she would know how to act as a human.

~ Mercy and Kirk were a mess and unfortunately I had to read about them. Everyone could tell that Kirk was a piece of trash except for Mercy, her friends warned her, her family warned her, but she just didn’t care. The authors for some reasons thought it would be pertinent to add a sex scene which added nothing to the book. All this scene did was make me cringe, apparently it’s romantic to call your girlfriend a witchy woman (yuck). And you’re probably thinking why are you mentioning this scene in your review? Well lovely reader, for some reason this is like a big moment for Mercy. So big in fact that Kirk goes around and tells everyone and I mean EVERYONE that they had sex but when Mercy finds out she doesn’t believe it because Kirk wouldn’t do such a thing. Anyway our smart main character decides to cast a spell so the entire school can hear just how much Kirk loves her and ends up getting embarrassed when he admits that he was playing her the whole time. This might have actually have been my favorite part because she was so sure of herself that she would disregard what everyone around her was saying, so sorry sis.

~ The writing felt weird, at some points I felt like I could have been reading a middle grade book if there wasn’t a sex scene and stuff. At other times it felt like a young adult but the characters were written for a bad 2000s movie. Do teens really talk like this? I’m going to say no. Especially Mercy! What the hell is up with her dialogue? She talks like she’s from Europe but she’s most definitely not so I don’t know you guys I don’t know, maybe she’s going through an identity crisis.

~ Also Mercy is annoying. Her best friend’s father dies and she doesn’t even give her time to grieve she’s just blowing up her phone like give her some breathing room. Mercy is pushy. Writing this point I feel like both Mercy and Hunter want to be right but when there’s push back from someone all hell breaks loose and they get so mad and stomp off and have a tantrum.

~ Speaking of getting mad more than 60% of this book is Mercy and Hunter being mad at each other. How are things supposed to get done when there’s so much tension between them? When the girls do there spells they’re supposed to think of the intention behind them but I feel like that’s hard to do when you’re thinking about how you’re mad at your sister.

~ Also there’s a prophecy that was written about why the gates are deteriorating, Mercy thinks its because Hunter chose a God and Hunter thinks that Mercy is wrong so Hunter in the end picks a Goddess but things still go to hell and that’s when we’re left with a dramatic cliffhanger and Hunter running off like the angsty teen she is.

So I honestly did not want to finish this book, but I did because I’m dedicated, and how else would I have gotten all the above bullet points? This book, the characters, the plot, the pacing, everything was a hot mess and I would not recommend it at all, save your time and your money!

Filed Under: Reviews

WITCHES STEEPED IN GOLD By Ciannon Smart

April 26, 2021 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.

WITCHES STEEPED IN GOLD By Ciannon SmartWitches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
Series: Witches Steeped in Gold #1
Published by HarperTeen on 4/20/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 549
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Divided by their order. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom—and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain—except the lengths they will go to win this game.

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter and she’s tired of the way her mother runs things, which is why she has aligned herself with a group willing to kill her mother so that Jazmyne can take the throne. Iraya has been living in a cell and spends her days thinking about how she’s going to exact revenge on the Queen who killed her family to ascend the throne.

We get both of the girl’s POVs and I personally thought Iraya was a stronger character. Even though both girls wanted the Queen out of the picture Iraya was willing to do anything while we see that Jazmyne would sometimes hesitate. I will say that Jazmyne would be the more logical one while Iraya was rash in her decision making.

The world building felt incomplete and sometimes didn’t make sense to me. I will say the pacing of the book was slow. It was hard to get through this book because I felt that there wasn’t a lot happening and sometimes the POVs sounded alike and it just wasn’t working for me. The synopsis mentions that the two main characters team up but they butt heads on everything and don’t really talk about working together until halfway through the book. I also didn’t feel like there were a lot of witch elements in the book.

Overall I’m not sure if I would pick up the second book. I was looking forward to reading Witches Steeped in Gold and unfortunately it was a let down.

Filed Under: Reviews

CATACOMB By Madeleine Roux

March 4, 2021 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.

CATACOMB By Madeleine RouxCatacomb by Madeleine Roux
Series: Asylum #3
Published by HarperCollins on 9/1/15
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 332
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Sometimes the past is better off buried.

Senior year is finally over. After all they've been through, Dan, Abby, and Jordan are excited to take one last road trip together, and they're just not going to think about what will happen when the summer ends. But on their way to visit Jordan's uncle in New Orleans, the three friends notice that they're being followed . . . and photographed. Then Dan starts receiving messages from someone he didn't expect to hear from again—someone who died last Halloween.

When the trio arrives in New Orleans and the strange occurrences only escalate, Dan is forced to accept that everything that has happened to him in the past year may not be a coincidence, but fate—a fate that ties Dan to a group called the Bone Artists, who have a sinister fascination with notorious killers of the past.

Now Dan's only hope is that he will make it out of his senior trip alive.

Short and Sweet Review

Senior year is over and Dan, Abby, and Jordan reconnect to go on a road trip before starting their first year in college. The group is on their way to New Orleans to visit Jordan’s uncle, but along the way they make a few stops and notice that someone is following them and taking pictures. Things only get worse in New Orleans when a group called the Bone Artists seem to have a connection to Brookline.

This is the last installment in this trilogy. I will admit that this wasn’t my favorite book. The first 25% where they kept stopping so that Abby could take pictures for her project was slow. Dan is getting messages from Micah that are sort of like a warning and one of those texts clues Dan in to the fact that the group is being followed. We also get more information about Dan’s birth parents which I liked. The group meets Oliver and Sabrina, Oliver was a friend of Micah’s and he’s also been getting text. Oliver thinks that Dan can help him repay his debt to the Bone Artists. Jordan and Abby don’t trust Oliver and Sabrina and they were really rude to them and spent most of the book being mad at Dan and blaming him for the things that were happening. Abby and Dan are still dating, but I don’t understand why because there doesn’t seem to be any chemistry between them. The ending was good but it also felt a little rushed.

Overall this was a good book but I think the first two books are the best. The plot is good and I liked the mystery surrounding Dan’s parents and how the Bone Artists had a connection to things that went on at Brookline.

Filed Under: Reviews

SANCTUM By Madeleine Roux

February 26, 2021 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.

SANCTUM By Madeleine RouxSanctum by Madeleine Roux
Series: Asylum #2
Published by HarperCollins on 8/26/14
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 353
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Dan, Abby, and Jordan remain traumatized by the summer they shared in the Brookline asylum. Much as they'd love to move on, many questions remain, and someone is determined to keep the terror alive, sending the teens photos of an old-timey carnival, with no note and no name. Forsaking their plan never to go back, the teens return to New Hampshire College under the guise of a weekend for prospective students, and there they realize that the carnival from the photos is not only real, it's here on campus, apparently for the first time in many years.

Sneaking away from sample classes and college parties, Dan and his friends lead a tour of their own—one through the abandoned houses and hidden places of a surrounding town. Camford is hiding a terrible past, and the truth behind Dan's connection to the asylum's evil warden is more terrifying than Dan ever imagined.

Short and Sweet Review

Dan, Abby, and Jordan are going back to Brookline. After the traumatizing summer they had there it seems like even when they left someone wants to keep the terror going. The trio has been receiving photos and even Felix gave them a set of coordinates to properties close to campus. So the three go to campus as prospective students and try to get answers.

Our characters are back at New Hampshire College and that’s when they realize that the pictures they’ve been sent featuring a carnival is actually happening on campus grounds. Dan and his friends know that the only way to get answers is to sneak away from their guides for the weekend and visit the coordinates that Felix gave them. This book still has the creepy vibes that the first book gave us. Dan still sees things through the eyes of Daniel Crawford and he’s also seeing the ghost of children.

The group learns a lot more about the past of Brookline and even learn that there’s a cult in the midst of everything. It was interesting to see how much the group uncovered. This book had me flipping through pages just to see what would happen next. I was always worried for the characters something about the campus and the people on it are not right.

I’ve enjoyed reading the first two books in this series and I’m excited to see what’ll happen in the third especially because we’re leaving Brookline behind. What I love most about this series is the creepy vibes and the pictures sprinkled in it!

Filed Under: Reviews

ASYLUM By Madeleine Roux

February 18, 2021 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.

ASYLUM By Madeleine RouxAsylum by Madeleine Roux
Series: Asylum #1
Published by HarperCollins on 8/20/13
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 321
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, the New Hampshire College Prep program is the chance of a lifetime. Except that when Dan arrives, he finds that the usual summer housing has been closed, forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline Dorm. The dorm was formerly a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends Abby and Jordan start exploring Brookline's twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on at Brookline . . . secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum's dark past. Because Brookline was no ordinary asylum, and there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Short and Sweet Review

Dan is at the New Hampshire College Prep program for the summer. This is important to Dan, he’s an outcast at his school so this is his chance to make friends before college. The only thing that’s not exactly easing to think about is the fact that the dorm the students are staying in used to be an asylum. Dan does make some friends, Abby and Jordan. The trio end up exploring the asylum and learn some disturbing facts about their new home for the summer.

I found Asylum to be an enjoyable read. I will admit that some parts were predictable but that didn’t really bother me. I thought the setting was creepy and the pictures just added a lot to the book. Sometimes I found the pictures scarier then what was actually happening. Dan, Abby, and Jordan all have some unexplainable things happen to them that kind of makes them feel like they’re losing it especially Dan. We do learn that Dan may have a connection to the asylum which maybe why he feels like things are speaking to him and why he’s having strange dreams about being places in the asylum he’s never seen before. I didn’t really care for the romance I thought it was better when Dan and Abby were just friends. There was a cliffhanger at the end. I plan on finishing the rest of the series just to see how everything works out. Even thought the book may have been predictable it kept me engaged and I just wanted to see what would happen next!

Filed Under: Reviews

CRYSTAL STORM By Morgan Rhodes

October 30, 2020 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.

CRYSTAL STORM By Morgan RhodesCrystal Storm by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #5
Published by Razorbill on 11/14/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

MAGNUS and CLEO are forced to test the strength of their love when Gaius returns to Mytica claiming he's no longer the King of Blood but a changed man seeking redemption.

LUCIA, pregnant with the child of a Watcher, has escaped the clutches of the unhinged fire god. Her powers are dwindling as she goes forth to fulfill a prophecy that will keep her baby safe . . . but could mean her demise.

JONAS treks back to Mytica with a plan to overtake Amara, but fate takes hold when he runs into the beautiful Princess Lucia and joins her on her perilous journey.

AMARA has taken the Mytican throne, but with no way to unleash the water magic trapped within her stolen crystal, she'll never be able to seize glory and get sweet revenge.

Short and Sweet

Cleo and Magnus are traveling with King Gaius a man who says he’s trying to redeem himself. Lucia is also on a path of redemption and is now further along in her pregnancy. Jonas is back in Mytica and plans to overtake Amara. Amara now the empress of Mytica is ready to be powerful and get everything she’s ever wanted.

Characters

Cleo: Cleo is traveling with Magnus and King Gaius to find the bloodstone. Cleo is left out of a lot of plans unfortunately. In the end Cleo remembers that she’s a queen and in the game of politics you have to make bold moves.

Magnus: Magnus is dealing with his father and his new personality which involves showing Magnus how much he cares. Magnus just wants to survive this trip and make sure that Cleo is safe.

Lucia: Princess Lucia, I feel like we didn’t see a lot of her in this book. Well Lucia is pregnant and for a bit of time she’s in the sanctuary learning more about the history of the kindred and the watchers. Lucia wants to try to make things right so she decides that she’s going to put Kyan back into his orb.

Jonas: Jonas is back in Mytica and he wants to over take Amara. Jonas is working with some rebels and is still in an alliance with Magnus. In Paelsia Jonas comes across Lucia and he ends up helping her.

Amara: Amara wants to be powerful and win her people’s admiration. Amara also comes in contact with Kyan and decides to help him but mainly for her own gain.

Romance

Cleo and Magnus: The relationship between Cleo and Magnus is tested in this book. King Gaius tries to keep them away from each other most of the time and he just says the worst things about Cleo. Cleo and Magnus do end up questioning if things could even work out between them, but there’s a lot of moments when they realize that the love they have for each other is stronger.

My Thoughts

~ Most of our characters are all over the place, so I was happy when most of them reunited in Paelsia. We see that King Gaius has a powerful witch for a mother it also reveals why he is the way he is. Gaius’s mother Selia is actually very lethal and she may seem like she’s only worried about Gaius but she does have other plans that the other characters aren’t aware of. Kyan, even though he’s without a body also has big plans which involve a storm and this is what’s involved in the ending which was a big shock to me. I love that Jonas and Lucia met and were able to get to know each other especially after what happened to Lysandra.

Overall

I’m ready to read the last book in the series! This was a great lead up to what I’m thinking is going to be an epic ending!

Filed Under: Reviews

KINGDOM OF THE WICKED By Kerri Maniscalco

October 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.

KINGDOM OF THE WICKED By Kerri ManiscalcoKingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Series: Kingdom of the Wicked #1
Published by Jimmy Patterson on 10/27/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.
Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is at is seems...

Short and Sweet Review

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches who secretly live among humans. One night when Vittoria doesn’t come to the families restaurant for dinner service, Emilia goes out to look for her and ends up finding Vittoria’s body in the street. Emilia vows to find her sisters killer and get revenge, and this requires her to use forbidden dark magic. While on this quest Emilia meets Wrath, a Prince of Hell. Wrath wants to find out who has been murdering witches, so the two of them team up.

We start the book when Emilia and Vittoria are 8 years old and we learn that they were entrusted with necklaces given to them by their nonna. The story takes place when both girls are now 18 years old and they just want to live normal lives but that isn’t in the cards for both of them. The gates of hell are weakening and we learn that the necklaces the girls have are important to what’s happening. After Vittoria’s death Emilia learns that her sister was keeping secrets and she tries to discover what they are. Emilia starts by summoning a demon she thinks its simple but she ends up summoning a Prince of Hell. Emilia has heard her entire life that The Prince’s of Hell cannot be trusted so she’s wary of everything that Wrath says but she knows it could be beneficial to work with him.

The relationship between Wrath and Emilia was an interesting one. They go back and forth a lot, he doesn’t necessarily want to work with her and he doesn’t like the fact that he was summoned. Emilia on the other hand isn’t too excited about this partnership either but she deals with the hand she was dealt. Over the course of the book we can see that these two do care about each other. There is a bit of romance between them which was steamy. I wish there was more but Emilia had a hard time trusting him so things weren’t exactly great between them in the end.

Wrath’s goal is to find a bride for Pride, but when he meets Emilia his goal changes to finding who is murdering the potential brides. I liked seeing Emilia and Wrath follow leads. Emilia did go off on her own sometimes which did put her in a lot of danger. We also get to meet a few other Prince’s of Hell and they definitely live up to their names.

I did not want to pick this book down! I was so invested in what would happen next. I can’t wait until the sequel is released, the cliffhanger in this book left me wanting more. I loved the plot and the characters and would definitely recommend that everyone checks this book out!!!

Filed Under: Reviews

THIS COVEN WON’T BREAK By Isabel Sterling

October 9, 2020 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.

THIS COVEN WON’T BREAK By Isabel SterlingThis Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling
Series: These Witches Don't Burn #2
Published by Razorbill on 5/19/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Hannah Walsh just wants to finish high school. It's her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn't exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.

When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she's desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have--their power--Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she's one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.

Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan's magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can't figure out how to save her--and the rest of the Witches--she'll lose everything she's ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?

Short and Sweet Review

This sequel picks up right where These Witches Won’t Burn ended. We’re back in Salem with Hannah and she’s still grieving from everything that she lost. The hunters are still around and dangerous and Hannah is given the opportunity to help stop them and she accepts the offer.

Well the witches are in a lot of danger, the hunters won’t stop until everyone is cured and a lot of covens are being attacked. Hannah is approached by an elder who gives her the chance to help recruit other witches to assist with stopping the hunters. We meet Alice, the witch Hannah had a problem with in New York and it was tense between the two of them understandably. We also see a few familiar faces from the last book.

I liked that we see the caster, elementals, and blood witches work together to achieve a common goal. We see a lot of trial and error with how they thought they should take care of the hunters and it was nerve wracking seeing the witches put themselves in that kind of danger.

We also see more romance between Hannah and Morgan I liked them together, Morgan had a way to put Hannah at ease and it wasn’t because she was using her powers.

Hannah was put in a lot of danger especially because her powers weren’t working like they should and she wasn’t thinking clearly most of the time. My main problem with this book was Hannah, she not only put herself in danger but the people around her, she would also lash out at people who didn’t deserve it.

Overall this was a good ending to the duology but I think I enjoyed the first book more, for some reason I just couldn’t deal with Hannah in this book.

Filed Under: Reviews