WISH OF THE WICKED BY DANIELLE PAIGE

October 30, 2023 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.

WISH OF THE WICKED BY DANIELLE PAIGEWish of the Wicked by Danielle Paige
Series: Wish of the Wicked #1
Published by Bloomsbury YA on 11/7/23
Genres: Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Everyone knows a fairy godmother helped Cinderella get to the ball. But no one knows why.

For centuries, Farrow's family-the Entente-have been magical advisors to the Queen. Their wisdom and foresight kept the Thirteen Queendoms in harmony. Until a new queen, Magrit, takes power, outlaws magic, and executes the Entente. Only Farrow survives, with her magic warped beyond repair. She can now use it only to fulfill the feeble wishes of commoners.

Since that day, Farrow has dreamed of revenge. The one way to reach the queen is through her son, Prince Mather, who is nearing the age when he must select a bride. When a special ball in his honor is announced, Farrow sees her opportunity. All it will take is a young woman named Cinderella who dreams of true love. With one night, one chance to reclaim her magic and destroy the queen, Farrow will stop at nothing.

Short and Sweet Review

For centuries the Entente have been advisors to the queens, and with the Ententes advice and wisdom the 13 queendoms have been in harmony. There are three fates: the Past, the Present, and the Future. When Hecate the fate of the Future informs Queen Magrit of a future she doesn’t want to believe, Queen Magrit orders all of the Entente to be executed and for magic to be outlawed. Farrow is the only survivor and she vows to get revenge, and the chance comes when she becomes the shadow to a couterie which is someone the Prince wants. When Farrow becomes the couterie she now has access to the palace to kill the queen and she won’t stop until she does just that.

Wish of the Wicked is an interesting Cinderella retelling in that it’s centered around the Fairy Godmother who is Farrow, and that it’s based on revenge. Farrow has magic but for some reason she can only use it when people wish for things. The story starts off when Farrow is young and she see’s Hecate burned at the pyre and most of her Entente family killed by the Queens men. We then see Farrow go on to be adopted and as a shadow learn how to be a couterie, and also plot her revenge on the queen. This part was okay but then it gets weird and I think it may have been the pacing but this is during the middle of the book but we’re suddenly taken from Farrow being a couterie to her finding out that some of the Entente are still alive and she goes with them to some place that’s out of sight for people looking for them. This jump just felt so disjointed and I didn’t like it, it felt like that prior part of the story wasn’t completely fleshed out and we just wanted to jump to the part of the story where Farrow meets Cinderella. Towards the last half of the book we learn that the fate of the Present is still alive and so are some of Farrows Entente sisters, unfortunately they’re the wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. Farrow begins to learn more about Cinderella and getting to know her she realizes that the Entente are in the wrong and not the same people she knew as a child. When the ball is announced, Farrow thinks its the perfect chance to final destroy the queen and she enlists the help of Cinderella.

This book had an entertaining premise, I just think the pacing was off. There were some scenes that were slow and others that were fast, and some that just didn’t have a lot of content in them. I don’t think there was a lot of character development for Farrow and she really didn’t have time to grow she was a bit one dimensional. Also the romance angle didn’t work for me, she and the prince hardly knew each other but I guess that basically a Disney thing unless you’re in the movie frozen and have an older sister who has some sense. Anyway, the ending was okay but I’m interested to see how the next installment will be and what will happen with the characters, also for some reason I’m more invested in Cinderella’s character than Farrows.

Filed Under: Reviews

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie Garber

October 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

A 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
Buy on Amazon

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.

Filed Under: Reviews

CHECK & MATE By Ali Hazelwood

October 25, 2023 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.

CHECK & MATE By Ali HazelwoodCheck & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 11/7/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 362
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist....

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…)

Short and Sweet Review

Mallory Greenleaf used to play chess growing up, but after her father had a little scandal and rocked the chess world and tore apart their family she’s given it up. When her friend Easton asks Mallory to help her with a charity chess event Mallory reluctantly agrees. At the tournament Mallory ends up defeating Nolan Sawyer the current number one player. Mallory’s rookie status shocks everyone, even more so Nolan who wants to know more about the girl who defeated him.

Okay guys this book sounds cute and fun and full of chess competition, but what I got was a horrible main character and a romance with no spark and was at its core creepy. Mallory hasn’t touched a chess piece since her dad did what he did and since then he’s died but somehow Mallory has become the one to support her mom and two sisters with her minimum wage job. Her sisters are very annoying and always in someone else’s business, and instead of going to their mom with problems they go to Mallory which makes it seem like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Mallory’s mom doesn’t want her to think that she’s the parent which I thought was ridiculous because Mallory was the one who was paying for most of the household needs. Anyway after Mallory does that charity competition for Easton she gets some recognition and starts working with Defne who has a Chess organization. Defne takes a chance on Mallory and gets her into big competitions and although Mallory doesn’t want to compete she knows the prize money could be life changing for her family. Mallory tries to keep her chess life a secret but its hard when she’s gaining a lot of traction and ends up on news articles and on tv. Nolan likes Mallory and is usually at the chess competitions that she’s at and obviously there’s supposed to be a cute romance her but I didn’t see it. As I mentioned earlier Mallory is an awful character, I don’t know if that was intentional or not but I would not want that girl anywhere near me. Mallory is selfish and she likes to lash out at people and she really only cares about herself. I think her lashing out at people is a defense mechanism to push people away before they do it to her but honestly she should see someone about her problems. Nolan on the other hand he just comes across as obsessed with Mallory and it was not cute and I blame that on the dialogue. He keeps telling her how much he wants to play chess with her and how he wishes he lost her job sooner so they could have met sooner than they did, it was weird and it makes me want him on a watchlist. My problems with this book are the characters, Mallory is just trash and Nolan gives off stalker, not socially aware vibes. Also her friend Easton is in like the first chapter of the book and then we don’t see her again until 90% through, what the hell? I honestly think if Mallory had a friend around like Easton to keep her grounded she may have been more likable. My rating for this book is a two and the only two things I liked about this book was when a character came to Mallory’s house and told her about herself, because she really sucks, and learning about chess, kind of makes me want to play but not really.

Overall, this was not what I expected it to be. I knew chess would be involved which was great. The romance, not so great. The characters even worse. I cannot in good conscience recommend this train wreck of a book, I honestly think giving it 2 hearts was exceptionally nice of me.

Filed Under: Reviews

NEVER A HERO By Vanessa Len

October 9, 2023 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.

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
Buy on Amazon

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!

Filed Under: Reviews

I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE By David Arnold

October 6, 2023 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.

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.

Filed Under: Reviews

NIGHT OF THE WITCH By Sara Raasch and Beth Revis

September 22, 2023 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.

NIGHT OF THE WITCH By Sara Raasch and Beth RevisNight of the Witch by Beth Revis, Sara Raasch
Series: Witch and Hunter #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on 10/3/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Fritzi is a witch. The lone survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her only remaining family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader, the merciless and enigmatic Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

Otto is a hexenjäger—but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjägers burned his innocent mother alive, and he has been plotting his revenge against the people who tore apart his family ever since. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they've done.

When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other. The reluctant truce fueled by their common enemy takes them from the city at the heart of the hexenjägers' power to the wild and mysterious Black Forest. As old truths come to light and new dangers are revealed, Fritzi and Otto uncover a horrifying magical plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks that leads back to Kommandant Kirch . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.

Short and Sweet Review

Fritzi is the only survivor after her coven was brutally murdered by the hexenjägers (witch hunters), and now she’s made it her mission to find her only surviving relative, her cousin Liesel. To accomplish her mission she’ll need to take down their leader, Dieter Kirch. On the other hand we have Otto who is one of the hexenjägers and Dieters second in command. Ever since the hexenjägers killed Otto’s mother he’s been planning his revenge. When Fritzi and Otto meet they’re weary of each other ones a witch and the other is a hunter but they both have a common goal.

I feel like Night of the Witch was predictable, We have Fritzi a witch teaming up with a rogue witch hunter and the villain was just weird and felt like his motive was just to be powerful and in charge. Fritzi encounters Otto and his fellow witch hunters while on the search for her cousin, which is when Fritzi becomes imprisoned herself. When the two have time alone Otto explains that he’s been working to free the other witches that are set to burn and he needs Fritzi’s help to do it. This is where things get weird because we learn how Fritzi and Dieter are connected and then Fritzi escapes with Otto and Liesel and they learn that they’ve been picked to be a Goddess’s chosen one and warrior. We also learn that there are different kind of witches, out main character Fritzi uses herbs to cast spells, while her cousin is able to control fire. I didn’t like the romance between Fritzi and Otto mainly because it felt too easy in a sense, they were supposed to be enemies but not really since Otto isn’t who he’s portraying to the world, but the romance between them felt forced and a little to instant for me. Honestly the book was slow and I think it was due to all the world building, but also the villain just seemed too predictable and the ending was ridiculous especially when you read the epilogue.

Overall, I liked that this book did have historical elements in it, but I wish there was more going on to keep my interest and hopefully in the next book there’s more action and character development. Night of the Witch was an okay book and I’m still on the fence of whether I would want to continue the series.

Filed Under: Reviews

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT By Tahereh Mafi

September 18, 2023 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.

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT By Tahereh MafiAn Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi
Published by HarperCollins on 6/1/21
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

It’s 2003, several months since the US officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.

She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by sorrow. Her brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart, and her best friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life. And then, of course, there’s the small matter of her heart—

It’s broken.

Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering through, saying nothing. She devours her own pain, each day retreating farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything changes.

She explodes.

Short and Sweet Review

Its two years after 9/11 and tensions are running high, but Shadi has other important things to worry about than people looking down on her for being Muslim.

Honestly, I wish this book was better than it was. I thought it would be more about navigating life after 9/11 especially because our main character is Muslim but the plot in this book is so weird. So Shadi has lost her older brother, her father is in the hospital, and her mother is struggling with her mental health, and I would say Shadi is too but she is like checked out to those around her. Her older sister is unimpressed with her lack of emotion and we can see how disconnected Shadi is. We also see Shade reconnect with Ali, her ex best friend Zahra’s brother. Zahra doesn’t want anything to do with Shadi anymore for whatever reason, and every time they interact Zahra comes in hot, which I felt was common for most of the conversations Shadi had with other characters. I’m not sure this book actually had a plot. It was just Shadi navigating her emotions or lack thereof about situations going on around her.

I really wanted to like this book but I was not interested in what was going on or even our main character. It was hard to be invested in a story when the main character wasn’t even interested.

Filed Under: Reviews

IF I HAVE TO BE HAUNTED By Miranda Sun

September 13, 2023 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.

IF I HAVE TO BE HAUNTED By Miranda SunIf I Have to Be Haunted by Miranda Sun
Published by HarperTeen on 9/26/23
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Cara Tang doesn’t want to be haunted.

Look, the dead have issues, and Cara has enough of her own. Her overbearing mother insists she be the “perfect” Chinese American daughter—which means suppressing her ghost-speaking powers—and she keeps getting into fights with Zacharias Coleson, the local golden boy whose smirk makes her want to set things on fire.

Then she stumbles across Zach’s dead body in the woods. He’s even more infuriating as a ghost, but Cara’s the only one who can see him—and save him.

Agreeing to resurrect him puts her at odds with her mother, draws her into a dangerous liminal world of monsters and magic—and worse, leaves her stuck with Zach. Yet as she and Zach grow closer, forced to depend on each other to survive, Cara finds the most terrifying thing is that she might not hate him so much after all.

Maybe this is why her mother warned her about ghosts.

Short and Sweet Review

Cara is able to see ghost and its rough because on one hand her mom doesn’t want her to but her grandma is also a ghost that she can talk to and lives in their house and gives Cara advice. At school Cara has a rivalry with another student, Zach, and they’re paired up for a project. When Cara goes to meet with Zach she ends up finding his dead body instead. Now Cara is forced to embrace her ghost speaking abilities and try to help resurrect Zach. On their journey they encounter some crazy monsters and Cara starts to understand why her mom would try to keep her away from this world.

This book was different then I thought it would be and I’m not sure why I thought that because I did read the synopsis before going into it. Anyway I thought Cara would find Zach and it’d be like a mystery and they try to find what killed him. Instead we find his body and learn that Cara can help resurrect him and they go on almost a week long adventure through different thresholds, running into different monsters to try to save him. It was a welcome surprise for me because it wasn’t what I was expecting. Cara and Zach have a relationship where they get on each others nerves and they have a reputation for doing this and everyone around them knows it, so this journey they go on gives them lots of time to cozy up to each other. Like I mentioned earlier the fantasy element was more prevalent then I thought it would be, we see our main characters travel to the liminal world which is like another dimension but using places from the real world that the characters recognize. We see different monsters and even a cannibal who was unhinged and very creepy, we even meet a new character. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this character tagging along but in the end I did like her involvement. I will say I’m not completely sure how I feel about this book, there’s things that I loved like seeing Cara embrace her powers for once and realize that the choice to be a ghost speaker is hers alone to make, and also the fantasy elements that were involved. When I didn’t like so much was how Cara and Zach conveniently overcame their years long issues with each other in a week but I guess things do change when someone is dead. I also didn’t like how quickly Cara and her moms problems were solved in the end. Lastly that last chapter didn’t feel necessary if anything that could have been the epilogue or it could have been omitted it was cringey and I didn’t like it. The epilogue did make it seem like this would have more books involved which could be interesting now that Cara is okay with being a ghost speaker and her mom is coming around.

Overall, this book had more good than bad for me but unfortunately I can’t get past the things I didn’t like. I will say this is a good book for the upcoming fall season and I did mostly enjoy it.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SCARLET VEIL By Shelby Mahurin

September 11, 2023 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 SCARLET VEIL By Shelby MahurinThe Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin
Series: The Scarlet Veil #1
Published by HarperTeen on 9/26/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 640
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Six months have passed since Célie took her sacred vows and joined the ranks of the Chasseurs as their first huntswoman. With her fiancé Jean Luc as captain, she is determined to find her foothold in her new role and help protect Belterra. But whispers from her past still haunt her, and a new evil is rising—one that Célie herself must vanquish, unless she falls prey to the darkness.

Short and Sweet Review

Six months ago Célie took her vows and became the first woman chasseur. Now she lives in chasseur tower with her fiancé Jean Luc, and she’s determined to prove herself worthy of the chasseur name. When Célie comes across a murder she sets into action trying to find the killer but darkness by the name of Michal finds her instead.

I loved the Serpent and Dove trilogy but I have a feeling that The Scarlet Veil is going to blow us all away when its finished. I may have liked the witches in the other series but they have nothing on the vampires that are introduced in this book. Célie is now to being a chasseur and she has to prove herself because its hard being the only woman in a place where men think they’re superior and are always in charge. There has been a string of murders around town and Célie is left in the dark about them until she finds one of the victims. This spurs Célie to try to find the killer but instead she meets Michal and his cousins Odessa and Dimitri who basically kidnap her and bring her to the Isle of Requiem. Célie learns that the island is dying and although he may be a brooding vampire Michal needs her help. On the island Célie learns that she can see ghost and that there’s something different about her but she’s not sure what exactly it is.

This book was so good! I haven’t read a book with vampires in a while and was a bit apprehensive but these vampires were serving and it reminded me of the vampires we would see in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anyway there’s some tension between Célie and Michal and I loved every minute of it especially when one of them would give in. We see a lot of character growth from Célie and she proves that she’s stronger than people give her credit for and that she’s not only there to look pretty. Célie did annoy me a few times in her bid to be morally right mainly because she tried to do the right thing in every situation which is great and all but sometimes it would just be better if she chose the other option which is what other characters would try to get her to understand. We also get to see characters from the past books which was great and interesting to see how they still played a part. The quest Célie goes on here was so much fun the Island of Requiem was like a darker version of wonderland and even included a talking cat and I still can’t get over the vampires. The ending to this book was chaotic but in the best way and I want the next book immediately!

The Scarlet Veil was an amazing book and I could not put it down! If you loved the Serpent and Dove series get ready to fall in love with Célie and the vampires in The Scarlet Veil because they’re unforgettable and will leave you wanting more!

Filed Under: Reviews

CHAMPION OF FATE By Kendare Blake

September 4, 2023 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.

CHAMPION OF FATE By Kendare BlakeChampion of Fate by Kendare Blake
Series: Heromaker #1
Published by Quill Tree Books on 9/19/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 473
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Aristene are an order of mythical female warriors. Though heroes might be immortalized in legends, it’s the Aristene who guide their paths to victory. They are the Heromakers.

Raised by the order after being orphaned, Reed grew up surrounded by her future sisters-in-arms and the incredible stories of their quests. She’s been counting the days until her initiation, and now one final test stands in her way: shepherding her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and her place in the order is secured. Fail, and she’ll be cast out of the only home she’s ever known.

But Reed didn’t count on Hestion, her assigned hero, being both infuriating and intriguing. When their strategic alliance turns into something more, it forces Reed to question the cost of becoming an Aristene. As battle looms and fate hangs in the balance, Reed must make an impossible choice: her hero or her order.

Short and Sweet Review

The Aristene are legendary female warriors who are the ones who guide every hero to their path to victory. Reed was orphaned at a young age and was raised by the Aristene and now its time for her to go on to her final test, guiding a hero to their path to victory on the battle field, if she succeeds she’s earned her place as an Aristene and if she fails she’ll be cast out. Reed’s hero is a prince named Hestion, he honestly has no desire to be a hero and that makes him infuriating to Reed but also she’s interested in him. Being around Hestion makes Reed wonder if she really wants to be an Aristene.

Champion of Fate is an amazing fantasy book! We follow Reed who is an initiate for the legendary Aristene, who took her in when her village was slaughtered. Reeds mentor and mother figure is a woman named Aster who happens to have a high ranking. I loved the relationship between the two of them, Aster had a tough love approach but Reed always knew she could count on her. For Reed’s test she has to help Hestion a prince becomes a hero and lead him on a path to glory, but upon meeting him she learns that Hestion really wants to be in the background and he’s okay with his brother Belden being the one to take the credit. We see Reed and Hestion spend a lot of time together and get to know one another and they end up developing feelings for each other, which is easier for Hestion than it is for Reed. Reed knows once the war is finished she can’t stay with Hestion and she’ll have to move on. I did like the dynamic between these two and how for a while Hestion had Reed questioning if she really did want to become an Aristene or maybe stick around and leave that life behind. We follow these characters as they go into war which was pretty cool to see how amazing Reed and her friend Lyonene were at fighting. We also learn something about Reed that ends up changing everything. I loved Reeds character, she was strong and thoughtful, but also she cares a lot for the people she loves, she also has a horse that has a big personality. I also thought it was pretty cool to see one of the queens from the Three Dark Crowns series make an appearance.

The ending was not what I was expecting but in a good way and now all I want is the sequel in my hands. The writing is amazing and it will have you hooked from page one. I think of Reed being the Phil to someones Hercules. Champion of Fate is a fantasy book that will have you blown away and leave you wanting more!

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