A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS By Kiera Cass

November 22, 2022 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.

A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS By Kiera CassA Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Published by HarperTeen on 11/29/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 576
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort—but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn’t her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.

Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction—nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people.

But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can’t possibly be together—but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won’t let them stay apart.

Short and Sweet Review

Annika is the princess of a nice kingdom where she lives comfortably and doesn’t have much to worry about except for keeping her people, and that involves arranged marriages to people she has no feelings for.

Miles away Lennox lives with the Dahrainian people and they’ve been struggling, but what they really want the the kingdom back. Lennox is tasked with going on a mission to find out more information about the kingdom and ends up taking Annika hostage. After this he finds that he has feelings for her and lets her go but they both know in the end one of them has to die.

This was an interesting book in that it was very predictable and because of the predictability this book could have been at least 100 pages shorter. Annika and Lennox fall for each other even though they basically need to kill each other and I wasn’t really feeling their romance or connection it kind of felt forced. The fact that she feel for him after being kidnapped was a bit like Stockholm syndrome. Anyway Annika only had her brother Escalus and her maid Noemi that were really in her corner the other characters seemed to think less of her even though she was the princess. Lennox on the other hand was more of a leader than the one they actually had in Dahrain but he was also looked down upon. They both had that in common they were looked down upon and people didn’t really believe them until they were put on the spot and could show what they could do. This book was okay it wasn’t the most original thing I think Annika was a bit similar to other female characters we see in Cass’s books. I will say I liked how we got a dual POV and Cass did a good job writing from both POVs. The ending was good again it was predictable. I will say if you like Cass’s other books then you’ll enjoy A Thousand Heartbeats.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE RESTLESS DARK By Erica Waters

September 30, 2022 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 RESTLESS DARK By Erica WatersThe Restless Dark by Erica Waters
Published by HarperTeen on 10/4/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

The Cloudkiss Killer is dead. Now a true-crime podcast is hosting a contest to find his bones.

Lucy was almost the serial killer’s final victim. Carolina is a true-crime fan who fears her own rage. Maggie is a psychology student with a little too much to hide.

All of them are looking for answers, for a new identity, for a place to bury their secrets.

But there are more than bones hiding in the shadows…sometimes the darkness inside is more frightening than anything the dead leave behind.

Short and Sweet Review

The Cloudkiss Killer died two years ago but no one found his body after he jumped off of a cliff, now a crime podcast Human Beasties is hosting a competition to see who can find his bones and win a prize.

Lucy, Carolina, and Maggie are our main characters but we only get the POVs of Lucy and Carolina. Lucy was the last victim of the cloudkiss killer but she was fortunate enough to get away, she thinks being the one to find his bones will help her finally move on from the trauma. Carolina is there because she thinks she relates to serial killers or something strange like that mainly because her parents ingrained it into her head that she’s some kind of awful person, I will admit she is quick to flip the switch and try to get violent. Maggie is a psychology student and she’s at the competition to try and get into the heads of people who listen to crime podcast.

Weird things start happening at the camp grounds so the host decide for everyone’s safety there needs to be groups and Lucy, Maggie, and Carolina form a group. Here’s where things start going downhill. Maggie and Lucy develop feelings for each other and they basically like to gang up on Carolina and snap at her. Carolina would question them and basically be the voice of reason and those two were so awful to her it was hard to read. Lucy was weak she was easily manipulated, she wanted to prove how bad that nothing affected her that it clouded her judgement. My biggest gripe with this book was the characters, it wasn’t easy to connect with them and I really feel like their treatment of Carolina was unwarranted.

I really wanted to like this book, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought we’d see more of them searching for this serial killer and maybe read what the podcast is like but I got none of that. What I read was people losing their minds because of the fog, a lot of gaslighting, and mean girl behavior. The ending just made me mad it didn’t redeem anything, Lucy was so wishy washy it was ridiculous, Carolina was probably my favorite but she was a little crazy in the head too, Maggie was straight up off of her rocker but she was able to charm her way into making people think that she was just using psychology on them. Anyway this book was hard to get through and it was not what I was expecting at all and I mean that in a bad way.

Filed Under: Reviews

STRANGE AND EVER AFTER By Susan Dennard

August 12, 2022 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.

STRANGE AND EVER AFTER By Susan DennardStrange and Ever After by Susan Dennard
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #3
Published by HarperTeen on 7/22/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 405
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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It has been a tumultuous time for Eleanor Fitt since life as she knew it in Philadelphia came abruptly to an end. Although the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and Daniel—have helped her survive, Eleanor has lost just about everything.

And now, Jie is missing—taken by the evil necromancer Marcus. Eleanor is determined not only to get her back but to finally end this nightmare. To do so, she must navigate the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt amid the rising Dead, her unresolved feelings for Daniel, and her volatile relationships with Joseph and Oliver, her demon. And it won't be easy. Because Allison, her friend from Philadelphia, has tagged along, becoming strangely entangled in Eleanor's mission.

Short and Sweet Review

Eleanor and the remaining spirit hunters (Joseph and Daniel), and her demon are on their way to Egypt to follow Marcus who has also kidnapped Jie. Also joining this little group is Allison who came all the way from Philadelphia to find Eleanor. Anyway Eleanor is determined to stop Marcus once and for all.

I’m going to be honest, nothing in this book redeemed Eleanor for me. I thought after the second book that she was insufferable and that maybe just maybe she would be better in this final book, but I was wrong. Her dialogue was just awful she comes off as mean, selfish, and someone who won’t even listen to those around her. Eleanor did whatever she wanted to do and didn’t think about how her decisions would effect those around her. I don’t really know what happened during most of this book, it was boring and I would read and then not really care about what was happening because I just wanted it to be over.

Out of the trilogy this is the worst book. The ending wasn’t that good but I guess if you’ve read the first two books you might as well this book like I did just so you can have closure. Maybe this would have done better as a duology I feel like things could have been wrapped up nicely in two books.

Filed Under: Reviews

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD 2: FRENDO LIVES By Adam Cesare

August 8, 2022 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.

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD 2: FRENDO LIVES By Adam CesareClown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives by Adam Cesare
Series: Clown in a Cornfield #2
Published by HarperTeen on 8/23/22
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 414
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

After barely making it out of the Kettle Springs cornfields alive, Quinn’s first year away at college should be safe and easy. All she wants is to be normal again.

But instead, Quinn finds that her past won’t leave her alone when she becomes the focus of online conspiracy theories that claim the Kettle Springs Massacre never happened. It’s a deranged but relentless fantasy, and there’s nothing Quinn can do to get people to hear the truth—not even on her own campus or in her own dorm room.

So when a murderous clown attacks Quinn at a frat party while another goes after her father in Kettle Springs at the same time, Quinn realizes that the facts alone are never going to save her. Her only option is to go back into the cornfields, back where the nightmare began, to set the record straight the only way she knows how. Because when the truth gets lost in the lies, that’s when people start to die.

Short and Sweet Review

After making it out of Kettle Spring during the night of the massacre, Quinn is trying move on with her life and now she’s in her first year of college in Philadelphia. Back in Kettle Springs Quinn’s dad, Glenn is now the Mayor and he has a lot of things to clean up. In Philly Quinn’s friends Rust and Cole come up to visit and at a party they see someone dressed as Frendo who is specifically looking to attack those three. Funny enough there’s another Frendo in Kettle Springs who attacks Mayor Glenn. After these attacks Quinn knows she has to go back to Kettle Springs to figure out what’s going on and end it once and for all.

Obviously all the characters have been through something terrifying and Quinn, Rust, and Cole make it their mission to know how to defend themselves and also stay away from people who seem like fans or people who would want to attack them. So when these Frendo’s start popping up again and demand that the three turn themselves in everyone is wondering what’s going on. I’ll tell you when a whole bunch of conspiracy theorists get online and go on a forum and see people who believe the same things they do, things get wild. In this case it gets intense and crazy. There’s a group of Frendo’s who believe that Quinn, Rust, and Cole were in the wrong that night in the cornfields and now the Frendo’s are demanding justice. This book delivers the gruesome and bloody scenes just like the first and still has the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. It was hard seeing the three get split up because these Frendo’s were relentless, but we get to see how resilient the three have become and they’re done putting up with nonsense.

At first I thought the book started of slow and I wasn’t into all the POVs, but once we see the first attack the ball really gets rolling. This book had everything the first had, and if you loved the first book you’ll love the sequel. I loved the ending and seeing Quinn go on her own little mission for vengeance. This book will keep your attention and this new group of deranged Frendo’s will really make you wonder what is wrong with people. I enjoyed this sequel and who knows maybe there will be a Clown in a Cornfield 3, I wouldn’t mind seeing Quinn and friends go around taking down some clowns.


Filed Under: Reviews

A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY By Susan Dennard

August 4, 2022 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 DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY By Susan DennardA Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #2
Published by HarperTeen on 7/23/13
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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With her brother dead and her mother insane, Eleanor Fitt is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of hounds and sees haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are after her.

To escape, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor beyond words. If she can resist him, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over, and there's a whole new evil lurking. And she is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.

In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

Short and Sweet Review

After her brother’s death and having to put her mother in a mental facility, Eleanor has nothing left for her in Philadelphia so she decides to leave for Paris and find the Spirit-hunters. On her way to Paris, Eleanor meets Oliver who claims to have known Elijah and he’ll begin teaching Eleanor necromancy and things that go against what the spirit hunters stand for.

This is my second time reading this book and I never made it to the third and final book, and after reading this book for the second time I know why. I found Eleanor to be insufferable. She meets Oliver which was Elijah’s demon and he soon becomes Eleanors because she needed help escaping hell hounds. Eleanor promises Oliver to practice her magic and necromancy so that she can free him but Eleanor is basically using him and it seems cruel because she can command him to do things that he doesn’t want to. Obviously Eleanor knows that the Spirit hunters would have a problem working with a demon so she tries to keep that hidden which doesn’t work out so well, eventually she feels alone because everyone feels betrayed by her. I didn’t feel bad for Eleanor she brought everything that happened in this book upon herself. Joseph tries to help Eleanor control her magic but she ignores him because she thinks she knows everything and she throws a lot of tantrums. I feel like Eleanors character development decreased in this book, she made it hard to read and hard to root for her. In Paris the spirit hunters are looking for someone who is able to control the dead and also they have Marcus in the back of their minds because he’s still around somewhere. I thought this book was just okay. The arguments Eleanor had with everyone made me roll my eyes and her whole attitude and approach in this book was trash for a lack of better words. I do plan on finishing this series but I will say this book was a let down compared to the first.

Filed Under: Reviews

SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY By Susan Dennard

July 29, 2022 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.

SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY By Susan DennardSomething Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #1
Published by HarperTeen on 7/24/12
Genres: Historical, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Sixteen-year-old Eleanor Fitt’s brother is missing. And when she discovers that the Dead are rising in Philadelphia and wreaking havoc throughout the city, she knows that her brother is involved.

So Eleanor enlists the help of the Spirit-Hunters. This motley crew, hired to protect the city from supernatural forces, is after the necromancer who has been reanimating corpses. Their skills can save her brother. But as Eleanor spends time with the Spirit-Hunters, and their handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. Now not only is her reputation at risk, but her very life may hang in the balance.

Short and Sweet Review

Eleanor’s life is kind of falling apart, her family is running out of money, her brother is missing, and the dead are rising in Philadelphia. Eleanor goes to the Spirit-hunters, they were hired by the city to help stop the rising dead. Eleanor feels that they can help her find her brother because she feels that he’s in a certain kind of trouble only the spirit hunters can help with.

Well Eleanor is just trying to stay afloat, because her brother has been gone for a while and isn’t really helping with the family finances, Eleanors mother is trying to have her meet a wealthy suitor to marry. Which is where Clarence comes in, his family is pretty high in society and him and Eleanor go on a few outings but something is off with him and he knows somethings about Eleanor’s brother. After Eleanor’s brother doesn’t come home she goes to the spirit hunters which consists of Joseph, Jie, and Daniel. This trio is pretty busy but they do admit something weird is going on with Elijah’s disappearance. We learn about the trios past and we see them struggle to gain the support of the city. Eleanor decides to start helping the spirit hunters so that she can get the answers she wants at a faster rate.

This book was fast paced and there was a lot going on. I liked that Eleanor was determined and she wasn’t afraid to do things that would make her look bad in society. The spirit hunters are great I like that they each had their own specialty, Joseph with his knowledge about the dead, Jie is great at defense, and Daniel is their inventor. I will say the ending wasn’t the best mainly because we see a character who was mentioned but wasn’t really in the story until the end. Overall this is a fast read and an interesting take on zombies and I like that it takes place in the 1800s.

Filed Under: Reviews

MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE By Alex Light

July 12, 2022 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.

MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE By Alex LightMeet Me in the Middle by Alex Light
Published by HarperTeen on 7/12/22
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 378
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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Eden had her best friend Katie—she didn’t need anyone else. But then there was Truman.

Katie’s older brother, the artist. The recluse. The boy with the innocent smile and the dangerous eyes.

Eden had never really known Truman—not until the night of Katie’s accident. That was the night they’d finally let each other into their orbits—only to have the sky come crashing down on them.

With Katie in the hospital and Truman fleeing from his grief without a word, Eden is left alone to grapple with her own pain. But when Truman returns to the city, can Eden let him back into her life knowing that their first kiss is what tore their world apart?

Short and Sweet Review

Edens best friend is Katie and all Eden needs is Katie, but Katie is in a coma and now Eden needs to navigate life without her best friend. Truman is Katie’s older brother and after her accident he left for a couple of months but he’s back now and Eden is trying her best to avoid him. Both of them are dealing with guilt but what they really need is someone who understands. But can these two be in the same place long enough to talk about everything that flipped their world upside down? 

The book goes back and forth between Eden and Truman’s POVs. I didn’t connect with either character, I think that was mainly due to how they talked to their friends and people who cared about them, Eden could have been a lot better to her roommate Ramona. I don’t feel like a lot happened in this book. We see Eden try to go through life day by day and we see that she’s either thinking about Katie or Truman. Truman on the other hand is back in town and he’s an artist so the book explores that.  The romance between Eden and Truman fell flat for me, it’s the basic girl has a crush on her best friends brother, but what made this worse is that after the accident Eden says she wants nothing to do with Truman but she can’t stop thinking about him. I didn’t like the back and forth between this relationship and there were too many negative feelings involved for this relationship to ever work out. Eden also works at a restaurant with a guy named Manny and that restaurant was one of the main settings. Manny and Ramona start a project towards the end of the book and I was upset to see that it wasn’t mentioned ever again. 

Overall this was an okay book. I feel like it covered the characters grief well and it was interesting to see how Eden dealt with Katie being in a coma vs. Truman. I just wish the characters didn’t feel so flat there was no character growth and the back and forth romance didn’t work for me. 

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SONG THAT MOVES THE SUN By Anna Bright

June 23, 2022 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 SONG THAT MOVES THE SUN By Anna BrightThe Song That Moves the Sun by Anna Bright
Published by HarperTeen on 6/28/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 462
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Best friends Rora and Claudia have never felt more like their lives are spiraling out of control. And when they meet Major and Amir—two boys from one of the secret cities of the spheres, ruled by the magic of the astrological signs—they discover they’re not alone. There is a disruption in the harmony between the spheres, and its chaos is spreading.

To find the source of the disharmony, Rora and Claudia will embark on a whirlwind journey of secrets, romance, and powerful truths—about themselves, each other, and two long-ago explorers named Dante and Beatrice, who were among the first to chart this course toward the stars.

Short and Sweet Review

Claudia and Rora are best friends but lately something has been off in their lives. The girls meet Major and Amir at a concert and learn that the boys are from one of the secret cities of the spheres, which are ruled by the magic of the astrological signs. The group learns that there is a disruption in harmony on the spheres which is causing chaos to spread. The group teams up to find the disharmony by traveling the spheres and on this journey they all learn a little more about themselves.

This was an interesting but fun journey of a book. Our main characters are Claudia, Rora, Amir, and Major. We got the POVs from Claudia and Rora, and we also get one from the past that shows Dante, Marco Polo, and Beatrices adventures. Claudia and Rora are from Earth while Amir and Major are from other planets. When the girls learn that fixing the disharmony can possibly help fix what’s been wrong with them, they join the boys in a quest to fix what’s gone wrong. I liked the characters, Rora and Claudia are best friends but are also as close as sisters they care about each other and want the best. Rora has had a rough few months and she knows that music helps her for a short amount of time and it turns out she’s an amplifier. There is a romance between Claudia and Amir, and Rora and Major. The romance was sweet but it was obviously rushed. I enjoyed the journey through the spheres and seeing the other planets and learning that they had different songs, and seeing the effects that each planet had on other planets. I thought the boys were great travel companions for the girls. I loved seeing the girls take charge while they were in the spheres even though they weren’t from there they didn’t take a backseat. Claudia was probably the brains and was determined to figure out what was going wrong, while Rora was unsure of things but she eventually became more courageous. Claudia and Rora learn a lot about themselves during this journey and I liked seeing the character development.

Overall this was a fun book, the adventure and plot was great and I loved the inclusion of astrology and traveling the planets with these characters.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE By Cynthia Hand

June 15, 2022 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 LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE By Cynthia HandThe Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand
Published by HarperTeen on 2/10/15
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Since her brother, Tyler, committed suicide, Lex has been trying to keep her grief locked away, and to forget about what happened that night. But as she starts putting her life, her family, and her friendships back together, Lex is haunted by a secret she hasn't told anyone—a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Short and Sweet Review

The Last Time We Say Goodbye follows Lex as she navigates life after her brother’s suicide. Lex used to be happy with her family and friends but now everything is different. One thing that people don’t know is that Tyler texted Lex before he died, now Lex is trying to pick up the pieces and trying to block out what happened the night Tyler died.

This was a good book, it covers hard subjects like suicide and mental illness. Lex is struggling and she sees a therapist who suggests that she should start journaling to process her feelings. I liked reading Lex’s journal entries it’s basically a flashback and every journal entry leads up to what happened that night so everything is basically pieced together. Other chapters show how Lex is currently going through her days, we see her distance herself from her friends, make some new friends, and try to forgive her dad, and figure out what she’s going to do in the future.

This book was focused on Lex’s grief after losing her brother. I liked seeing her process her grief and this book was beautifully written. I’m sure people would find this book emotional but I was okay, but it didn’t take away from the great writing. If you’re looking for a book that focuses on grief and is well written this book is for you.

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THE ONE By Kiera Cass

June 9, 2022 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 ONE By Kiera CassThe One by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #3
Published by HarperTeen on 5/6/14
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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America Singer searches for her happily ever after in this swoon-worthy YA dystopian romance, perfect for readers who loved Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, or Renée Ahdieh’s The Wrath & the Dawn.

Entering the Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she arrived at the palace, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen—and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

Short and Sweet Review

After everything that happened in The Elite, America is now sure that she wants Maxon to be hers but now she has to fight for it and show him that she’s serious.

This book was more political in that it showed more attacks from the southern rebels and we also saw the northern rebels. We also saw Maxon and America negotiate and try to align the northern rebels views with there’s. Maxon is still unsure of America because of how much she’s pushed him away in the past and America does revel that she’s been keeping Aspen around as a safety net. I liked this book because it was more than just a competition at this point and we see America freely express her ideas and even though its not well received by some it just shows what kind of princess she would be. I will say that Maxon’s temper did get the best of him and some of the things he said to America were cruel. I also liked seeing the girls finally bond in the end and let down their walls and just enjoy each others company. This was a good ending to this trilogy I liked following America and seeing her journey she grew as a character, I wish she realized sooner that she wanted Maxon but I guess her indecision was needed for the plot. Otherwise this was a good series and I’m excited to see what The Heir has in store.

Filed Under: Reviews