ARCHENEMIES By Marissa Meyer

November 29, 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.

ARCHENEMIES By Marissa MeyerArchenemies by Marissa Meyer
Series: Renegades #2
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 11/6/18
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 487
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Nova’s double life is about to get a lot more complicated:

As Insomnia, she is a full-fledged member of the Renegades, a syndicate of powerful and beloved superheroes. She works with Adrian’s patrol unit to protect the weak and maintain order in Gatlon City.

As Nightmare, she is an Anarchist - a group of of villains who are determined to destroy the Renegades. Nova wants vengeance against the so-called heroes who once failed her when she needed them most.

But as Nova, her feelings for Adrian are deepening, despite the fact that he is the son of her sworn enemies and, unbeknownst to Nova, he has some dangerous secrets of his own.

In this second installment of the Renegades trilogy, Nova, Adrian, and the rest of their crew – Ruby, Oscar, and Danna -- are faced with escalating crime in Gatlon City, while covert weapons and conflicting missions have Nova and Adrian questioning not only their beliefs about justice, but also the feelings they have for each other.

The line between good and evil has been blurred, but what's clear to them both is that too much power could mean the end of their city – and the world – as they know it.

Short and Sweet Review

After the battle with the Detonator, Adrian and Nova are thrown back to work after their victory. The Anarchists are still depending on Nova to be successful in her infiltration of the renegades, and the renegades now have a new weapon they believe will take care of their enemies forever.

Nova is living in a web of lies that she created and now she has to keep everything straight. After the events of the last book everyone thinks that Nova’s alias Nightmare is dead and now Nova is just working as a renegade without the worry that the renegades are still looking for Nightmare. Not much is new with Adrian, he still hides the fact that he’s the sentinel. Thinking back on it I don’t think Adrian did much in this book it mostly felt like Nova taking the lead in this book. 

The renegades develop a chemical called Agent N which will remove a prodigy’s powers when they’re injected with it. Though Nova feels it’s wrong to use it she decides that it’ll come in handy during her take down of the renegades. Nova’s main goal in the book is to get Ace Anarchy’s helmet and finally be done posing as a renegade. Adrian on the other hand feels like his pursuit of Nightmare isn’t over he has a feeling that she’s still around so he spends most of the book chasing leads. 

The romance between these two I’ve decided is horrible. Adrian likes Nova, but Nova on the other hand may have feelings for him but she has the other anarchist reminding her that she needs to use Adrian to get what she wants and that’s exactly what she does. It feels like the romance is one sided and that is unfortunate and makes me feel bad for Adrian because he doesn’t know what’s up. 

The ending was exciting and full of action it was interesting to see the big battle and Nova execute her plan. It’ll be interesting to see what’ll happen next especially with the world knowing that Ace Anarchy isn’t as dead as they once thought he was.



Filed Under: Reviews

RENEGADES By Marissa Meyer

October 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.

RENEGADES By Marissa MeyerRenegades by Marissa Meyer
Series: Renegades #1
Published by Feiwel & Friends on 11/7/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 576
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.

Short and Sweet Review 

Renegades are prodigies – humans with special abilities. Renegades emerged when chaos seemed to be taking over and Renegades brought peace and order. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, they never came when she needed them the most, instead the Anarchists saved her. Now as a teenager Nova decides she’s going to take the Renegades down from the inside which means becoming one of them but things become difficult when the lines of what’s right and wrong begin to blur.

When Nova was a child a gang murdered her whole family and she thought that the renegades would come in time to save them but they didn’t, instead her uncle Ace came. Ace was an infamous anarchists and taught Nova everything she knows. Now as a teen Nova resents the Renegades and wants vengeance and goes by her persona Nightmare, Nova has the ability to put people to sleep by touching them and she’s also great at building things. After her uncles death Nova was basically raised by the other anarchist. After a public display of trying to kill a council member Nightmare becomes target number one, which is also when Nova gets the idea to try out for the renegades and get insider information to take them down.

Adrian Everhart is a Renegade he goes by Sketch because his drawings come to life. After the death of his mother he was raised by two council members. Adrian is the leader of his own Renegade team but nobody knows that he’s been going around as another hero the Sentinel. No one knows who the Sentinel is but he’s kind of like a vigilante. Adrian is determined to prove that he’s capable of handling more difficult tasks. Adrian cares about the people on his team and I did like his character.

Renegades started off slow really slow, it didn’t pick up until halfway through which took a long time because this is a 563 page book. It was interesting to see Nova juggle being a renegade and an anarchist and hide who she really was it was also interesting to see how her ideals kind of shifted but she was kind of wishy washy. I think both characters could use some more character development. The powers that some of the characters had were some that I thought were pretty cool, I liked Adrian’s. I think it would be nice to get an origin story on some of the anarchist maybe a novella or something. The ending was okay there’s two more books so curious to see what will happen next.

Filed Under: Reviews

GENERATION MANIFESTATION By Steven Bereznai

September 6, 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.

GENERATION MANIFESTATION By Steven BereznaiGeneration Manifestation by Steven Bereznai
Published by Jambor on 9/14/21
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

DON'T BE DNA REGULAR. BE GENERATION MANIFESTATION.

The Genetic Wars that turned most of the planet into a wasteland are over. The so-called “dregs” (DNA regulars) and superpowered Supergenics now live separately from each other—the Supergenics in the shiny towers of Jupitar City; the dregs across the river in the squat concrete buildings of the boroughs. But some dreg parents bear Supergenic children; under repressive laws, they must be sent to live with their own kind.

THEY ARE GEN M.

To find these special few, every teen faces Testing Day. When her turn comes, socially isolated Caitlin Feral is determined to Manifest powers like the heroes in the comic book propaganda she loves. If she fails, she faces a lifetime of loneliness and drudgery in the boroughs.

How much is Caitlin willing to sacrifice to be a supergirl?

When she uncovers dark secrets, does she dare start another war to reveal the truth?
And...who will pay the price?

Short and Sweet Review

In Generation Manifestation we are brought to a world where people either have powers or they don’t. If you have powers you are known as Supergenics and live in Jupiter City, and if you don’t you live across the river and are known as a dreg.

Our main character Caitlin has been waiting for testing day to see if she’s going to manifest and is a supergenic, but she doesn’t and she’s a dreg. Caitlin is disappointed and like every other dreg is given a list of jobs that she would be well suited for. While Caitlin is still living life in the boroughs she has more interactions with a classmate Normand, who she thinks is weird and he also gives her a comic book and she knows she can get in trouble for having it but she keeps it anyway. Caitlin also gets training as a protector and meets a guy named Bradie and Caitlin was basically obsessed with him.

Honestly this was a short book but it felt like it was way longer than it really was. I didn’t follow what was going on half of the time, I don’t know if that was a formatting issue with the ARC I think a couple sentencing were missing from each chapter but things were definitely missing. I didn’t think Caitlin was a likable character she was childish and I could not stand her dialogue and the way she would talk to people. There was a bit of a conspiracy surrounding what was going on in Jupiter City and what they were doing, and this book left off on a cliffhanger but I’m not sure if I would continue on with this series.

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TAKEN By Erin Bowman

January 1, 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.

TAKEN By Erin BowmanTaken by Erin Bowman
Series: Taken #1
Published by HarperTeen on 4/16/13
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Gray Weathersby has grown up expecting to disappear at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. They call it the Heist—and it happens to every boy in Claysoot. His only chance at escape is to climb the Wall that surrounds Claysoot. A climb no one has ever survived . . .

On the eve of a boy’s 18th birthday he will be heisted, this happens to every boy in Claysoot. Gray knows that his time will come soon but after he learns some information that not everything is as it seems he takes a chance and climbs the wall that surrounds Claysoot to see what is outside of a place he’s called home.

Gray is our main character and his brother Blaine is heisted. After Blaine is heisted Gray learns that he should have been heisted too but he wasn’t. Gray decides that the only way he’s going to find out the truth is if he climbs the wall and leaves Claysoot. Emma, Gray’s love interest decides to follow him. When they make it to the other side of the wall Gray and Emma learn that Claysoot was an experiment and that there are two sides AmEast and AmWest and they are at war with each other. Gray and Emma don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into but they learn that they’re going to have to pick a side and fast.

This was a good book, I liked the pace and the characters. The plot twists were great and kept me reading. Gray is a headstrong character and he worries more about the people he cares about than his own safety. I did like the relationship between Gray and Emma, it was sweet, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the whole love triangle.

I’m excited to continue with this series. Its a fun, fast paced dystopian novel and the twists will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SOUND OF STARS By Alechia Dow

February 26, 2020 by Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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


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LOOP By Karen Akins

March 11, 2019 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.

LOOP By Karen AkinsLoop by Karen Akins
Series: Loop #1
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on 10/21/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels…at screwing up.

After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn't go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he's in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn't think he's a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her.

Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tagalong uncover seemingly unconnected clues―a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium―that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.

But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future.


Short and Sweet Review

Bree is from the 23rd century and is a shifter also known as a time traveler. On a mission to the 21st century Bree royally screws up by taking a boy she meets hostage. Bree tries to go back again and convince him to keep quiet about what happened but she doesn’t go back far enough and now the boy, Finn is three years older and he likes Bree or another version of her that has visited him. Even though she tried to fix things Bree makes things worse because she ends up transporting Finn with her into the 23rd century. When Bree gets back she learns that someone has been attacking time travelers and now Bree and Finn have to find out who and stop them. I don’t think I’ve read a book with time travel, but I could just be forgetting about a book that includes time travel, that being said I was entertained and my interest was held. Theres not too much time travel just because once Bree finds out about the incidents that are happening during her time she decides to stay in that time period. I thought Bree was a good character, she was funny and snarky. Bree deals with a lot of scrutiny because of something that has left her mother in the hospital. Finn was a nice addition too, her was determined to make sure Bree was safe even if that meant staying in the 23rd century. I loved Bree’s roommate and best friend Mimi she was  supportive and tried to help Bree all the time, I also liked that she didn’t mid helping Finn once she found out about him. So here’s where things get crazy and I was a little confused at first but then everything starts making sense and comes around full circle so stick with me here. Future Bree has gone back in time and seen Finn a few times to warn him to keep something safe, so when our Bree now goes back she doesn’t know what future Bree has already done or what she wants until she comes to that point in her future. So everything that is occurring is because future Bree went back in time to make sure that something was safe and what we’re reading is Bree catching up to what her future self has done and trying to figure out what she wants. Like I said its confusing at first but it makes sense once you finish the book. I thought it was a great book and it kept me engaged in the story I liked the time traveling and following the clues. For a book set in the future that has time travel involved I liked it and it worked well, I would love to get my hands on the second book soon!

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Filed Under: Reviews

CONTAGION By Erin Bowman

February 13, 2019 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.

CONTAGION By Erin BowmanContagion by Erin Bowman
Series: Contagion #1
Published by HarperTeen on 7/24/18
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

After receiving a distress call from a drill team on a distant planet, a skeleton crew is sent into deep space to perform a standard search-and-rescue mission.

When they arrive, they find the planet littered with the remains of the project—including its members’ dead bodies. As they try to piece together what could have possibly decimated an entire project, they discover that some things are best left buried—and some monsters are only too ready to awaken.


Short and Sweet

When a distress call is made from a distant planet a search and rescue crew is sent to find out what happened, but when they arrive they find that everyone that was on the planet was killed. Now the crew has to figure out what happened before it happens to them. The rescue crew consists of Dylan (the captain), Lisbeth (a scientist), Thea (Lisbeth’s intern), Nova (the pilot), Sullivan (Nova’s cousin and a mechanic), Toby and Cleaver (Two tech guys). So the book starts off mysterious because no one is sure what happened on the planet Achyls because the distress call was the last form of communication to come from anyone on that planet. No one on the search and rescue crew is really sure what they’re getting themselves into. So we get to read from everyones POV and I guess it was okay but I honestly could have done without some characters, we mostly get Thea and Nova’s POV which was okay with me because they were more interesting but like I said I didn’t like everyone else. Anyway Achyls is a gross planet with one side in the sun and the other in complete darkness. Dr. Lisbeth grew up on Achyls and she has a mysterious past that she doesn’t like to talk about but she knows something about the planet and what may have happened to the other crew that she won’t mention. In the book we do meet one survivor Amos but the group isn’t sure if they can trust him or not. As the title mentioned there is something on the planet the contagion that got the other group, and I will say I liked learning about it and how it affects people. The first half of the book mainly focused on the group getting to the planet and finding out what happened and the second half focuses on them trying to find a way off. I feel like this review is all over the place but so was this book. It was loooong the chapters were looooong and by long I mean long like I’ve never read one chapter and have it take me an hour. Contagion was a good thriller I don’t usually read books that take place in space. I probably will read the next book just to find out what happens.

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Filed Under: Reviews

THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR By Katharine McGee

August 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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

THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR By Katharine McGeeThe Thousandth Floor by Katharine Mcgee
Series: The Thousandth Floor #1
Published by HarperCollins on 8/30/16
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

New York City as you’ve never seen it before. A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. But people never change: everyone here wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

Leda Cole’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

Eris Dodd-Radson’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

Rylin Myers’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will her new life cost Rylin her old one?

Watt Bakradi is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy by an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.


Short and Sweet

In The Thousandth Floor we follow the lives of 5 teenagers who live in a supertower. Manhattan 2118 is full of things that scream future, but even though some of these teens seem to have it all when we delve deeper into their lives and discover things aren’t as they seem. Secrets and drama bring these teens together and also tear them apart.

Characters

Avery: The girl who lives on the thousandth floor and seems perfect to all of her friends. Avery seems to have it all but there’s one thing she can’t have and that’s the boy she’s lived with her entire life. Avery was a good character she was looking out for her friends and tried to help them with their problems for the most part but she does end up having a falling out with one of them.

Leda: Leda is one of the highliers and just recently came home from a rehab facility for a problem with pills. She doesn’t tell anyone where she’s been for the summer, she’s also trying to get over a boy or maybe shes still trying to get with him. Guys! Leda is nuts! I mean I don’t think I’ve ever read a character like her she is insane and I’m not exaggerating. She’s spiteful always trying to get revenge and only looking out for herself. She also hires someone to keep tabs on the boy she likes, full on stalker status.

Eris: Another one of our highliers, Eris also seems to have it all until a secret tears apart her family. She goes from living at the top of the tower to going down to floor 103. She tries to keep this a secret for most of the book for the fear that her friends would start treating her different.

Rylin: Rylin does not live an extravagant life she lives on one of the lower floors trying to make money and living paying paycheck to paycheck to take care of her younger sister. One day she ends up getting an opportunity to work for someone who lives in a higher floor in the tower and it changes her life.

Watt: Watt also lives in the lower floors of the tower. Watt is a tech genius and has an illegal computer in his brain which helps give him information on everybody and helps him with his hacking.

Romance

Avery and Atlas: Okay, I can’t stand this couple at all! Atlas is Avery’s adopted older brother and this whole relationship just felt wrong to me. Literally apparently she’s loved him her whole life and I thought she would move on with someone other than her brother but no. It felt like lust and not love.

Avery and Watt: Watt meets Avery and seems to impress her with how much he seems to actually care about her. Watt actually has feelings for Avery, and I thought Avery had feelings for him to but the more I read the more I felt like she was just using poor Watt to make Atlas jealous.

Leda and Atlas: One night in the Andes and Leda’s life was changed forever now she’s obsessed with Watt and is trying to spend as much time as possible with him even if the way she goes about it is creepy.

Rylin and Hiral: Rylin’s boyfriend from one of the lower floors, they’ve been together since middle school but their relationship becomes strained when Rylin starts working for Cord on the upper floors.

Rylin and Cord: Cord is a highlier and hires Rylin as a maid, they begin to have feelings for each other and things just take off from there.

Eris and Cord: Eris and Cord would just hook up and then one night Cord decided to end it.

Eris and Mariel: Mariel is Eris’ neighbor from one of the lower floors, This was one of my favorite relationships Mariel teaches Eris that living on the lower floors isn’t as bad as she thinks they also had a really great chemistry, even though they did have some ups and downs related to how differently they were raised.

Quotes

~ “I believe in happiness. I’m just not sure love will actually get you there.”

My Thoughts

~ So when we start this book we learn that someone has fallen from the top floor but we don’t find out who until the end of the novel.

~ The pace is kind of slow but it makes sense when we have 5 povs to read from and these characters stories all seem to weave together.

~ There’s so much going on with all of the characters in this book it was entertaining and had me hooked, I will say after reading chapters from each pov it gets easier to remember who is who and what’s going on in their life.

~ Let me give you guys some information about Atlas, he’s Avery’s adopted brother and he decided he was going to run away and travel the world and just comes waltzing back into the tower like he was never gone, he’s actually quite secretive so that’s basically all we know about him.

~ I didn’t have a favorite character in this book mainly because they all did something that annoyed me but if I did have to pick on I didn’t like it would be Leda hands down, like whatever drug she was taking was strong because her behavior in this book was crazy.

~ I wish we got to see more of Mariel in this book she seemed to be sensible and she wasn’t dragged into the drama that was going in around her mainly because she only knew Eris and didn’t get to meet any of the other characters.

Overall

I loved reading this book and plan on continuing with this series! The way this book ended just left me wanting more, we find out who was killed and then there’s some blackmailing going on to keep what really happened that night a secret and I can’t wait to see how things will end up turning out!

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THE CHESS QUEEN ENIGMA By Colleen Gleason

June 24, 2017 by 1 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.

THE CHESS QUEEN ENIGMA By Colleen GleasonThe Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason
Series: Stoker & Holmes #3
Published by Chronicle Books on 10/6/15
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak.

In this third installment of the Stoker and Holmes series, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes have reluctantly agreed to act as social chaperones and undercover bodyguards for Princess Lurelia of Betrovia, who has arrived in London to deliver a letter that details the secret location of an ancient chess queen that's been missing for centuries. But when the letter—which will heal a centuries-old rift between England and the Betrovians—is stolen out from under Evaline and Mina's watchful eyes, the two girls are forced into a high-stakes race to ensure they find the chess queen before anyone else does.


Short and Sweet Review

Mina and Evaline are asked to be social chaperones for princess Lurelia of Betrovia, the only problem is the princess seems to be dull and boring. Not only do the two girls have to worry about watching the princess, they’re also trying to find a chess piece that has been missing for centuries before their foe the Ankh gets to it. This is my favorite book in the series so far! There was so much going on that it just held my attention and made me wonder what was going to happen next. There were a few storylines in this book, one involving the princess and the chess piece and one that involved Pix and his mysterious device which was mentioned in book two. The Ankh is also back, and I felt bad for Mina because it always seemed like the Ankh was one step ahead of her. Mina and Evaline are still growing and in this book I felt like they respected each other more, which lead them to work better as partners. We got to see more of Grayling, I enjoy scenes with him and the interactions he had with Mina. This book was my favorite and I can’t wait until book four is released! I highly recommend this series especially if you love mysteries!

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Filed Under: Reviews

THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE By Colleen Gleason

June 16, 2017 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.

THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE By Colleen GleasonThe Spiritglass Charade by Colleen Gleason
Series: Stoker & Holmes #2
Published by Chronicle Books on 10/7/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 360
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak.

After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa appear lunatic using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London. But are these events connected?

As Uncle Sherlock would say, there are no coincidences. It will take all of Mina's wit and Evaline's muscle to keep London's sinister underground at bay.


Short and Sweet Review

In The Spiritglass Charade, Mina and Evaline are asked to investigate who is trying to get a young heiress’ fortune. There’s also the mystery of a missing brother and vampires coming back to London. In this book we still have the same characters we met in the first book. This time both of the girls are eager to show that they have the skills to solve this mystery. The mystery surrounding Willa was well done, it wasn’t obvious who was trying to get her fortune. Mina was a hard character to connect to mainly because she comes across as smug  whenever she makes a deduction. I like Eva but during this book she made a lot of reckless decisions. Pix was also in this book and he’s just a big mystery. Who is he working for and what is he up to? Grayling is also back and I just love his character I want more of him he takes his job seriously and keeps Mina on her toes. I thought that Grayling’s scenes with Mina were cute I liked when they were together. The Ankh doesn’t make an appearance in this book but she was mentioned. I love mysteries and this series is great, I can’t wait to read the next book!

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