THE BELLES By Dhonielle Clayton

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

THE BELLES By Dhonielle ClaytonThe Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Series: The Belles #1
Published by Disney-Hyperion on 2/6/18
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 449
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. With the future of Orleans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

Short and Sweet Review

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle, and in the world of Orleans, Belles are important because they have the ability to make things beautiful. The citizens in Orleans were cursed by the God of the sky making them all gray and look lifeless, but the Goddess Beauty made Belles to help make things beautiful again. Camellia and her sisters arrive at the Palace to display their talents and one of them will be chosen as the Queens favorite and go on to live in the palace and make the cosmetic changes the royals request. All Camellia wants is to be the favorite but once she gets the opportunity to become the favorite she realizes things aren’t as great as she thought they’d be. Now Camellia has a chose to go along with what the Princess wants or follow the Queens orders.

The world of Orleans is actually very interesting, people are either born gray and not exactly beautiful, or you’re born a belle and your job is to make things beautiful. Camellia is a belle and she usually goes above and beyond and gets creative, which catches the eyes of the people of Orleans. Unfortunately Camellia isn’t picked as the favorite, her sister Amber is, but when Amber isn’t able to fulfill her duties Camellia is called in instead. At the palace Camellia meets Princess Sophia who is off, she’s mean, a tyrant, and will go out of her way to make people uncomfortable. The other Princess Charlotte is in a coma like state and the Queen asks Camellia to bring her back, at first Camellia isn’t sure but after dealing with Sophia she knows that Sophia can never become queen so she agrees to help Charlotte. There was a bit of a romance between Camellia and a guard (Remy) and one of Sophia’s suitors (August). There was also a bit of mystery about where Amber was and why she got kicked out of the palace and another one of Camellias sister Edel goes missing. I had a love hate relationship with Camellia. She was determined to do what was right but she wouldn’t take advice from other belles who tried to tell her to be a little more inconspicuous. Camellia drew a lot of attention to herself and there really wasn’t any reason for it, and because of that she became an easy target for Sophia. I’m hoping in the next book Camellia has some character development and stops putting herself and others in unnecessary danger

The ending was fast paced and left on a cliff hanger and a lot of things were answered, but I’m excited to see what happens in book two!

KISMAT CONNECTION By Ananya Devarajan

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.

KISMAT CONNECTION By Ananya DevarajanKismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
Published by Inkyard Press on 6/13/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 275
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Is it possible to change your fate?

Madhuri Iyer is doomed. Doomed for her upcoming senior year to be a total failure, according to her astrology-obsessed mother, and doomed to a happily ever after with her first boyfriend, according to her family curse.

Determined to prove the existence of her free will, Madhuri devises an experimental relationship with the one boy she knows she’ll never fall for: her childhood best friend, Arjun Mehta. But Arjun’s feelings for her are a variable she didn’t account for.

As Madhuri starts to fall for her experimental boyfriend, she’ll have to decide if charting her own destiny is worth breaking Arjun’s heart—and her own.

Short and Sweet Review

According to Madhuri Iyer’s star chart, her senior year won’t go to plan and she’ll experience more disappointment than she’s used to. There’s also her family’s curse which says that her first boyfriend will be the one. Determined to prove the curse and her family wrong Madhuri asks her best friend Arjun to take part in her experimental relationship, what she doesn’t expect is to actually start falling for Arjun.

Kismat Connection is one of those romance stories where you fake date and then end up falling for the person. I personally just went through the motions with this book, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I think it was because there wasn’t much development. We get both Madhuri and Arjun’s POVs. Madhuri is an overachiever so even the smallest inkling of failure sends her over the end. Arjun on the hand gave me a go with the flow type of vibe. The main plot is this whole experiment and the two teens falling for each other but also remembering in the back of the minds that this is just an experiment. The subplots are Madhuri trying to avoid things that she used to enjoy from her Indian culture because of the mean girls at her school, and learning to accept that she doesn’t have to be perfect at everything. Arjun is dealing with his absent mother coming in and out of his life and deciding whether he still wants there to be a relationship between them. I wasn’t into the relationship, the whole experiment didn’t last long and I think Arjun liked Madhuri more than she liked him. The ending was weird because all of a sudden she was in love with him.

Overall, the best part of this book was learning about Indian culture and the star charts. I wish the romance played out better and we got to see more of a connection between the two. This book didn’t play out the way I thought it would but it is still a decent read.

BORROW MY HEART By Kasie West

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.

BORROW MY HEART By Kasie WestBorrow My Heart by Kasie West
Series: Borrow My Heart #1
Published by Delacorte Press on 6/13/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 275
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.

Asher is cute, charming . . . and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he's waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. And it’s . . . amazing.

It's not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules. But will he forgive her when he finds out she's not who she says she is? Wren's not so sure. . . . After all, rules exist for a reason.

Short and Sweet Review

Wren has a list of rules when it comes to who she wants to date, but those go out the window when she overhears a guy get chastised by his friend for being catfished, So Wren takes it upon herself to pretend to be the online crush. Wren is a control freak and likes order, but for some reason being with Asher a boy she knows nothing about puts her at ease, until she realizes that at some point she’s going to have to break it to him that she isn’t the girl he thinks she is.

Borrow My Heart has a main plot which is Wren pretending to be Asher’s online crush, then we have two subplots, one that involves Wren’s absent mother and another in which a dog needs to adopted. It was interesting to see how Wren got herself in the situation, and how she had to adapt to all the things that Asher and his actual online crush messaged each other about. I did like seeing how Wren ended up liking Asher and they were very cute together and bounced off of each other well. I didn’t like that Asher’s friend Dale was around all the time he was one of the worst third wheels. The romance was cute but there’s always some bumps in paradise, and I won’t spoil it, but it was kind of surprising. The subplot with Wren’s mother was good because it showed us why Wren has trust issues, and Wren’s sister is still willing to make things work with their mom but Wren knows to keep her expectations low and that’s how she processes how her mom left them. Wren works at a dog shelter and there’s a dog named Bean who has been a resident at the shelter for a long time, and Wren and Asher team up to get Bean adopted.

Overall the book was cute, there were some points where serious topics were brought up. This whole scenario with Wren jumping in to save the day is very unlike her but Asher brings out a different side of her which is more fun. Asher and Wren were a cute pairing and sometimes you find your person when you least expect it. Also how can you not like someone who works at an animal shelter and is good with pets? This was a match made in heaven.

KISSING LESSONS By Sophie Jordan

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.

KISSING LESSONS By Sophie JordanKissing Lessons by Sophie Jordan
Published by Clarion Books on 6/2/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 291
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Wild, beautiful, and (as rumor has it) experienced, Hayden Vargas doesn’t have time for love or relationships. She’s learned the hard way that the only person you can count on is yourself, and she’s hell-bent on earning enough money to leave her small, judgy Texas town as fast as possible. So when nerdy Emmaline Martin offers to pay Hayden for lessons in seduction, the money is so easy, there must be a catch. Enter the catch: Emmaline’s older brother, popular, all-around nice guy™ Nolan Martin, who doesn’t want his sister’s reputation tarnished by the school’s resident bad girl.

But Hayden should know that looks can be deceiving. Nolan may seem like a golden boy, but like Hayden, he has a few secrets of his own. And the more he meddles in her lessons with Emmaline, the more these polar opposites clash—and the more sparks fly. Turns out Nolan may have some lessons to teach Hayden, but only if she’s willing to learn.

Short and Sweet Review

Hayden Vargas is known for her reputation of being experienced. Emmaline Martin is a bit nerdy and has a crush on her older brother, Nolan’s friend, Beau. Emmaline doesn’t know what to do so she turns to Hayden to give her lessons in seduction and she’ll even pay her. Nolan has heard about Hayden’s reputation and he doesn’t want Emmaline hanging out with her but he somehow finds himself falling for Haydens charm.

This book is very true to its name, Hayden Vargas does end up giving Emmaline and her friends kissing lessons. I will say it was interesting reading from four different POVs (Hayden, Nolan, Emmaline, and Beau). When Nolan sees Emmaline hanging out with Hayden, he’s less than pleased and starts to make sure he makes his presence and displeasure known. Hayden and Nolan have an opposites attract kind of connection between them. I did like how Nolan started to see Hayden for who she is and not go off of what people thought of her. Also Hayden has a tough life, she has a mother whose an alcoholic and can care less about being an actual mother to Hayden and at some point her mom brings around an awful guy who ends up making Haydens tough life even worse. Emmaline and Beau were a cute match. They both liked each other but didn’t really act on it until one night the stars aligned and they just happened to let each other know how they felt.

Kissing Lessons, isn’t the best romance book out there, but it wasn’t the worst either. I think it would have been nice to just have Hayden and Nolans POV and see their romance bud, but we did bounce around between them and Emmaline and Beau. It was a book that kept my attention, I do think the ending could have been better, it felt rushed.

THE IRON KING By Julie Kagawa

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

THE IRON KING By Julie KagawaThe Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Published by Harlequin Teen on 1/19/10
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook, Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY—ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth.

For Meghan is the daughter of a mythical faery king…and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Short and Sweet Review

Meghan is one of those girls who just knows that her life isn’t the best but her sixteenth birthday is coming up and nothing is going to ruin that. When her younger brother Ethan starts seeing things Meghan just brushes it off, until Ethan is actually kidnapped and taken into the faery world. Meghan knows she has to rescue Ethan and that’s when she learns that her best friend is actually Puck from A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and her father is the King of the Seelie court.

The Nevernever isn’t what Meghan expected but she’s determined to get Ethan back. Meghan meets Ash the Prince of the Unseelie court. Let me just say this is my second time reading this book and I came back for the romance between Meghan and Ash. These two are like Romeo and Juliet, they’re not supposed to be together but they can’t fight the obvious connection they have. The romance is great and I can’t wait to see how it progresses in the next book.

Anyway Meghan spends a few days at court and then she leaves to find her brother with the help of Puck, a cool cat named Grim (he reminds me of the Cheshire Cat), and Ash (only because they made a bargain). The group learns that Ethan was actually taken by someone named the Iron King and he’s pretty hard to find mainly because he shouldn’t exist. We also learn that people are searching for Meghan because she’s powerful, she belongs to the Summer Court but can fight off the ill effects of Iron.

I enjoyed rereading this book and seeing most of what the Nevernever is like. The pacing is great and the book held my interest with all of the new information and twists and turns it took. I’m excited to read the next book especially now that Meghan has to embrace being fey.

GODS & MONSTERS By Shelby Mahurin

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.

GODS & MONSTERS By Shelby MahurinGods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin
Series: Serpent & Dove #3
Published by HarperTeen on 7/27/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 624
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Lou has spent her whole life running. Now, after a crushing blow from Morgane, the time has come to go home—and claim what is rightfully hers.

But this is no longer the Lou her friends knew. No longer the Lou who captured a chasseur’s heart. A darkness has settled over her, and this time it will take more than love to drive it out.

Short and Sweet Review

*Let me just start out saying that this review may have some spoilers, and for that I’m sorry!*

Gods & Monsters continues where Blood & Honey left off. (It took me a long time to read this book after I read #2 so don’t really remember what happened before.) Lou, Reid, Coco, and Beau are still traveling trying to avoid Morgane and the blood witches and trying to find allies to help them end this war. The synopsis says that there’s something wrong with Lou, and there is, she’s being possessed. After the group figures that whole situation out they continue their quest, make a few alliances and prepare for the battle that will end it all.

I will say that I did enjoy this book a lot more than Blood & Honey, there was more action and more meaningful decisions being made. We see Reid sacrifice his memories to save Lou’s life, and I just liked seeing Lou make Reid fall back in love with her it reminded me of the first book and how it went from him hating her to loving her. I would say that having Beau and Coco along for the ride was amazing and I kind of wish those two were a couple. Coco is the one who is always thinking logically, and Beau he was always cracking jokes even when it wasn’t the right time for it. I did like seeing all the sacrifices that had to be made and seeing Lou realize that it does pay off to have hope. The ending was good, it wasn’t spectacular, but we’ve been working up to this moment since the first book.

Overall, this trilogy had a lot of ups and downs and I do think that Gods & Monsters left everything off on a good note!

JULIETA AND THE ROMEOS By Maria E. Andreu

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.

JULIETA AND THE ROMEOS By Maria E. AndreuJulieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu
Published by Balzer + Bray on 5/16/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Julieta isn’t looking for her Romeo—but she is writing about love. When her summer writing teacher encourages the class to publish their work online, the last thing she’s expecting is to get a notification that her rom-com has a mysterious new contributor, Happily Ever Drafter. Julieta knows that happily ever afters aren’t real. (Case in point: her parents’ imploding marriage.) But then again, could this be her very own meet-cute?

As things start to heat up in her fiction, Julieta can’t help but notice three boys in her real life: her best friend’s brother (aka her nemesis), the boy next door (well, to her abuela), and her oldest friend (who is suddenly looking . . . hot?). Could one of them be her mysterious collaborator? But even if Julieta finds her Romeo, she’ll have to remember that life is full of plot twists. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

Julieta isn’t looking for anyone but she does enjoy writing romantic stories. Julieta is enrolled in a summer writing program and her teacher encourages them to publish their stories online so Julieta does and someone named Happily Ever Drafter decides to collaborate on the story. Julieta doesn’t know who this Happily Ever Drafter is but she begins to think it may be one of the three boys in her life, Lucas, Calvin, or Ryan. Julieta tries to figure out who the mystery writer is but she also remembers that life is full of twists and turns.

Julieta is a promising writer and she loves coming up with stories, so this writing program that she’s enrolled in is a chance of a lifetime. When Julieta post her first story she’s surprised that someone wants to collaborate with her and the story gets a bit spicy which makes Julieta think that this may be someones attempt at trying to date her. Julieta believes this could be her very own meet-cute. There’s Ryan, Julieta’s best friend Ivy’s brother, who is usually her nemesis but since being in the writing program together she’s seeing him in a different light. Lucas is one of Julieta’s oldest friends and he suddenly looks good, but he’s also the safe option. Calvin lives next door to Julieta’s grandma and he makes her feel like she should be more adventurous. We basically have a love square? I didn’t really like any of the romance mainly because Julieta spent so much time bouncing around the three guys trying to figure out if they were Happily Ever Drafter. We see why Julieta would think each guy could potentially be the mystery writer but the amount of time she spends with each of them is pretty minimal that there isn’t much of a connection. I will say I was rooting for one guy more than the others and although it didn’t happen, I was okay with the guy she did end up picking. We have a few subplots about Julieta trying to figure out if she’s a good enough writing, her parents marriage, and their struggling restaurant, and not spending enough time with her friend Ivy. The ending was a little surprising to me, I wasn’t expecting Happily Ever Drafter to be who it was, but I understand why they did what they did.

Overall, the premise was good and I did like Julieta I just wish maybe it was only two love interest instead of three. I also liked seeing snippets of Julietas writing and her ideas for stories. This was a cute romance novel and I enjoyed the little mystery aspect of it.

SCARLET By Marissa Meyer

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.

SCARLET By Marissa MeyerScarlet by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #2
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 1/1/13
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 464
Format: Ebook, Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Short and Sweet Review

In France we meet Scarlet Benoit whose grandmother has disappeared. Scarlet is looking for any clue that could lead to where she is but she doesn’t realize the kind of danger her grandmother could be in until she meets wolf. Wolf is from Luna and has been modified and is in Queen Levana’s army. Scarlet reluctantly teams up with Wolf to try to find her grandmother and ends up running into members of wolf’s pack who are looking for information about Princess Selene that Scarlets grandmother would have. Cinder on the other hand is breaking out of prison and that’s where she meets Captain Carswell Thorne. Together Cinder and Thorne escape and make it to his ship and they end up going to France because Cinder is also trying to find Michelle Benoit for information about her past.

Every book in this series just gets better and in this sequel we meet Scarlet, Wolf, and Thorne. Scarlet just has a fire about her she’s not afraid to do what’s right and she’s not going to back down. We learn that there’s things that even Scarlet didn’t know about her grandmothers past so she’s surprised but she’s still determined to save her. Wolf is an interesting character he was made to serve the queen but he wants to break away, which is why he helps Scarlet. I think the bond that Scarlet and Wolf form is cute, they really look out for each other. Carswell Thorne is like comedic relief. Thorne is a serial flirter and it’s funny because not everyone is trying to be wooed by him and sometimes he doesn’t get it. We see Scarlet and Wolf go around France looking for her grandmother and fighting off others who have been modified like Wolf. Cinder and Thorne on the other hand are fugitives who are trying to evade capture. I love that we also get to see more of Iko but this time she’s the ship that Cinder and Thorne are in.

Now we have a few more characters joining Cinder and each character is important to helping Cinder take down Levana. I’m just excited to read Cress next and see where our characters will end up!

CINDER By Marissa Meyer

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.

CINDER By Marissa MeyerCinder by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 1/1/12
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Retellings, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook, Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Short and Sweet Review

Cinder is a futuristic retelling of Cinderella. We follow our main character Cinder who is also part cyborg and lives in the commonwealth of China. Cinder lives with her stepmother Adri and two stepsisters Pearl and Peony. Cinder also has a super cool android named Iko. Anyway Cinder works at the market as a mechanic and is basically the breadwinner for the family and is treated like dirt by everyone except for Peony. One day Prince Kai comes to Cinders market stand to ask for help fixing his android. The sparks between Cinder and Kai fly and Cinder knows that she doesn’t really have a chance with a Prince so she tries to fight off her feelings but he does ask her to go to the ball with him. Cinder is obviously told she can’t go to the ball and unfortunately her sister Peony ends up getting Letumosis a disease that has killed millions. Cinder is blamed for this and Adri signs Cinder up for the cyborg draft which subjects cyborgs to be tested on to find an antidote. It’s there that the head scientist realizes that Cinder is not only a cyborg but Lunar and she needs to keep a low profile because Queen Levana of the Lunars is coming to the Commonwealth and she won’t want Cinder alive, because Cinder may be the only one who can stop her. It’s interesting to see how some Lunars have powers and others don’t. Cinder never knew she was a Lunar until she met Dr. Erland who was able to tell her things about her past that she didn’t know, like she’s the lost Princess of Lunar!

Cinder is such a fun and different take on Cinderella. I loved the futuristic elements and that Cinder is a mechanic and a cyborg. Iko is a great sidekick to Cinder. There was a lot of world building and it’s great. We’re introduced to some characters that are going to be paramount in the next three books in the series and just rereading this book I see a lot of things that I may have missed the first time around. The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series and Cinder is just setting everything up for what’s to come in the next installments. This series is a lot of fun and I love retellings and it’s going to be fun rereading this series and seeing where Cinder will end up and who she’ll meet.

KINGDOM OF ASH By Sarah J. Maas

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.

KINGDOM OF ASH By Sarah J. MaasKingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #7
Published by Bloomsbury YA on 10/23/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 992
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Aelin has risked everything to save her people-but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they've gathered to battle Erawan's hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation-and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen-before she is lost to him forever.

Short and Sweet Review

Kingdom of Ash continues where Empire of Storms ended. Aelin is being held captive by Maeve and is being tortured by Cairn until she gives them the information they want. Rowan, Gabriel, Lorcan, and Elide make it their mission to find Aelin. Aedion and Lysandra are still trying to rally the troops while also still pretending that Lysandra is Aelin. Manon and Dorian are trying to find the Crochan witches to form an alliance and get their help in this war. Chaol, Yrene, and Khagan’s army are also on their way to fight in this war.

Kingdom of Ash was epic. I was wondered what would happen seeing as Aelin wasn’t around the other characters for a bit of time but the other characters added a lot and really held the story together. I will say seeing Aelin in a helpless position broke my heart. I did like seeing how each character had their own missions and how they were holding it down without Aelin to be their guiding force. Seeing all of the character reunite was my favorite thing, just seeing the interactions made me happy. I also liked that almost every character had a mate and that we’ve seen these relationships grow over the course of the books. There was a lot of action and I was ready for Maeve and Erawan to be stopped. Dorian and Aelin also had to make some had decisions just to have an advantage in this war. I will say some of the loses were really sad but it was all for the greater good and everyone believed in the future they were fighting for.

I loved this series and just following Aelin and the other characters across the course of seven books was worth it. This book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions but its a series full of lovable characters, it’s action packed, and everything you would want in a series where someone needs to reclaim their throne.