GARDEN OF THE CURSED By Katy Rose Pool

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.

GARDEN OF THE CURSED By Katy Rose PoolGarden of the Cursed by Katy Rose Pool
Series: Garden of the Cursed #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 6/20/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 347
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Since fleeing the gilded halls of Evergarden for the muck-filled canals of the Marshes, Marlow Briggs has made a name for herself as the best cursebreaker in Caraza City. But no matter how many cases she solves, she is still haunted by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

When Adrius Falcrest, Marlow's old friend and scion of one of Caraza's most affluent spell-making families, asks her to help break a life-threatening curse, Marlow wants nothing to do with the boy who spurned her a year ago. But a new lead in her mother’s case makes Marlow realize that the only way to get the answers she desperately seeks is to help Adrius and return to Evergarden society—even if it means suffering through a fake love affair with him to avoid drawing suspicion from the conniving Five Families.

As the investigation draws Marlow into a web of deadly secrets and powerful enemies, a shocking truth emerges: Adrius’s curse and her mother’s disappearance may just be clues to an even larger mystery, one that could unravel the very foundations of Caraza and magic itself.

Sweet and Short Review

When Marlow left Evergarden for the Marshes, she ended up making a name for herself as one of the best curse breakers. Marlow is hoping that she can eventually get a lead about her mother’s disappearance but until then she continues to take jobs. After finishing one job she runs into a former friend, Adrius Falcrest, who is a part of one of the five top families in Evergarden. Adrius asks Marlow for help because someone has cursed him and he doesn’t know who, and as much as Marlow wants to say no she ends up accepting, because the world of high society may have the clues to help find her mother.

Marlow is a great character and her story really draws you in. Marlow is a curse breaker and she takes jobs that lead her to dangerous places but she feels like each job she takes can lead her a bit closer to finding her mom. When Marlow bumps into Adrius she wants nothing more then to forget that she even saw him but the possibility that she can get even more information about her mom makes her reconsider helping him. Adrius has a compulsion spell on him and the only way Marlow can break it is to find the person who put it on him and this requires her and Adrius to spend a lot of time together. Adrius and Marlow take up the idea to pretend like they’re dating and although things didn’t work out so well for their friendship. I love how we see their relationship fleshed out and find out how things behind them got so bad, and why this rekindling is also like walking on ice. I did like seeing the magic system in this world and how curses work. The plot was great and keeps you reading mainly because you just want to find out who could have cursed Adrius but also more about Marlow’s moms disappearance.

Overall, this was a good book, I just want more of the questions that I have answered but I think I’ll have to wait until the sequel is released. Marlow and Adrius are great characters and I enjoyed the plot! This is a great read with an interesting magic system and amazing world building, definitely pick it up!

PROMISE BOYS By Nick Brooks

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.

PROMISE BOYS By Nick BrooksPromise Boys by Nick Brooks
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 1/31/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 279
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students—J.B., Ramón, and Trey—emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive—and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Short and Sweet Review

Ramón, Trey, and J.B., all go to the Urban Promise Prep School, which may look nice on the outside but has a lot of problems on the inside. It’s almost like these boys are in boot camp or prison. When the Principal gets murdered, the three boys become the prime suspects. All three of them claim their innocence but one of them may have had the murder weapon. Now the three boys have to find who actually murdered Principal Moore, or risk getting locked up for life.

Promise Prep school is one of those places where it sounds great and you would probably want your child to go so that they have a chance at succeeding, but that’s not what actually goes on in this school. They have to abide by the Moore Method which is basically extreme discipline and if they don’t they face the consequences. On the day of Moores murder Ramón, Trey, and J.B. are all in detention and the main reason they’re suspects is because they all have reasons for wanting him dead. Moore stops Ramón from selling pupusas which helps with his family’s income, Trey tells Moore he’s going to kill him, and J.B. is mad that he’s in detention and now it looks like he stood up his girlfriend.

I liked the format of the book we learn about each character by having the other people in their lives basically give character witness statements and we also see the transcript from the police interviews. The best part for me was that the boys don’t really know each other, so when they team up to try to prove their innocence they’re still weary of one another. There’s nothing wrong with any of the boys I think they’ve just been subjected to bad circumstances and a lot of scrutiny because of the color of their skin. Trey is a basketball star, Ramón is just trying to help his family, and J.B. is just a quiet kid. It was nice seeing all the boys team up and they each had a support system behind them. The mystery was well written and the format added a lot to the book.

This was a good read and it was short so I was able to finish it in one sitting. The characters were great and I’m glad they didn’t let their circumstances make them a statistic.

THE MARY SHELLEY CLUB By Goldy Moldavsky

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 MARY SHELLEY CLUB By Goldy MoldavskyThe Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 4/13/21
Genres: Contemporary, Horror & Ghost Stories, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 480
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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When it comes to horror movies, the rules are clear:

x Avoid abandoned buildings, warehouses, and cabins at all times.
x Stay together: don’t split up, not even just to “check something out.”
x If there’s a murderer on the loose, do not make out with anyone.

If only surviving in real life were this easy...

New girl Rachel Chavez turns to horror movies for comfort, preferring stabby serial killers and homicidal dolls to the bored rich kids of Manhattan Prep...and to certain memories she’d preferred to keep buried.

Then Rachel is recruited by the Mary Shelley Club, a mysterious society of students who orchestrate Fear Tests, elaborate pranks inspired by urban legends and movie tropes. At first, Rachel embraces the power that comes with reckless pranking. But as the Fear Tests escalate, the competition turns deadly, and it’s clear Rachel is playing a game she can’t afford to lose.

Short and Sweet Review

After a home break in leaves Rachel a bit traumatized she uses horror movies to cope. Rachel also had to switch schools and as the new girl and she soon learns that there’s a secret club that also likes horror movies and pulling off pranks.

Rachel ends up joining this secret club and they call themselves the Mary Shelley Club, they perform fear tests which take inspiration from movie tropes and urban legends. This club consists of Rachel and four other students. At first these pranks start off harmless enough but they start to escalate eventually becoming deadly.

This book was fast paced and the plot was interesting and held my attention the whole time. The club dynamics were very fascinating, the other members trusted each other and Rachel definitely was treated as the new girl and they made it clear that if she didn’t find out about the club she never would have been included. Rachel has a romance interest named Freddie and he seems like the only one who really stands up for her in the group while the others are still wary of her. The club does these fear test where they pick a target and try to get them to scream, each member has to do their own fear test and have a plan. The fear tests start to get concerning for Rachel when she hears about things happening that weren’t in the plan. My favorite thing was Rachel trying to figure out who was behind the fear tests going wrong and the twist at the end was crazy. I will say I wanted to know what happened to some of the other characters in the end but overall this was a page turner and I loved it.

RUIN AND RISING By Leigh Bardugo

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.

RUIN AND RISING By Leigh BardugoRuin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 6/17/14
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Soldier. Summoner. Saint.The nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

The Darkling rules from his shadow throne while a weakened Alina Starkov recovers from their battle under the dubious protection of the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Now her hopes lie with the magic of a long-vanished ancient creature and the chance that an outlaw prince still survives.

As her allies and enemies race toward war, only Alina stands between her country and a rising tide of darkness that could destroy the world. To win this fight, she must seize a legend’s power―but claiming the firebird may be her ruin.

Short and Sweet

Everything that Alina has been through has lead to this, one final battle to end it all. Alina and her group are underground with the Apparat but they know at some point they’re going to have to go above ground and face The Darkling, they also know that they need to assemble stronger forces if they’re even going to have a chance. Alina and Mal also know that they need to find the Firebird, the third amplifier.

Alina was weakened after her last battle with The Darkling, and now she’s underground, where her powers don’t work. Alina just wants to be above ground continuing with trying to find ways to defeat The Darkling. We learn a lot in this book and some of the revelations are surprising. Alina also has to wrestle with the idea of having a third amplifier and how it could affect her in the end. The Darkling and Alina have a stronger connection and trying to make him see reason is useless. I love the bonds that Alina forms with the other Grisha on her team and the relationship between her and Mal. I also really love Nikolai he’s amazing and he deserves the best in life.

I love this series and this conclusion will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. I’m excited to read more of Leigh Bardugo’s books!

SIEGE AND STORM By Leigh Bardugo

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.

SIEGE AND STORM By Leigh BardugoSiege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 6/4/13
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 448
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner―hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina's destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice―and only she can face the oncoming storm.

Short and Sweet Review

Siege and Storm picks up right where Shadow and Bone left off. Alina and Mal are in a small town trying to be discreet but The Darkling locates them anyway. Now Alina and Mal are stuck on a ship with The Darkling, Grisha, and a mysterious pirate named Sturmhond. Sturmhond ends up helping Alina and Mal escape mainly because he has his own motives, Sturmhond ends up being Prince Nikolai. Alina and Nikolai go back to Os Alta to try to bring together the first and second armies so that they’ll have a defense against The Darkling because its only a matter of time before he comes to them.

Siege and Storm was a good sequel, there were a few twists and I think the one that surprised me the most was the one at the end. There’s a bit of a change in Alina, we can see that she enjoys the power that she has now and she uses it to her advantage, some even start comparing her to The Darkling. There’s also some tension between Mal and Alina, Alina wants him to stay but Mal doesn’t feel like he belongs. The anticipation of what The Darkling has planned also his new powers and what kind of destruction he would cause had me flipping pages.

Watching Alina take her place as a leader was great, it was a learning curve. Alina had to deal with a lot, she was now more involved with the royal family, she had visions of The Darkling, and she felt like she was losing Mal. I’m excited to see how everything will end!

SHADOW AND BONE By Leigh Bardugo

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.

SHADOW AND BONE By Leigh BardugoShadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 6/5/12
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

Short and Sweet Review

Alina is a soldier and she’s going across the Shadow Fold and knows she might not survive. The Shadow Fold is filled with monsters. When her regiment is attacked and one of her closest friends is in danger Alina unleashes a power she didn’t even know she possessed. After revealing her power Alina catches the attention of the Darkling, the leader of the Grisha. The Darkling believes that Alina could be the key to destroying the Shadow Fold, if she masters her power.

Alina is our main character and everything for her changes. Alina never knew that she had this power and now she’s the only sun summoner. At the little palace where the grisha reside, Alina has to make herself at home and learn the ropes. At the palace Alina meets Genya, a tailor who seems to be Alina’s closest confidante. I liked seeing Alina go to trainings and become friendly with the other grisha at the palace.

We see interactions between The Darkling and Alina. There is a bit of a connection between these two but its weird considering that Alina is a teenager and The Darkling is somewhere in his hundreds. There’s a lot going on that Alina doesn’t know about but once she’s warned she leaves the palace and ends up being reunited with Mal. I love the relationship between Mal and Alina they’ve been friends since they were kids but there’s always been something more between them.

The first book in this series sets the tone for everything more forward. We watch Alina learn how to use her power, we see a lot of secrets being revealed and the end is just amazing! Everything picks up during the ending and it just leaves you wanting more!

VOW OF THIEVES By Mary E. Pearson

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.

VOW OF THIEVES By Mary E. PearsonVow of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Series: Dance of Thieves #2
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 8/6/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 496
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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ReviewedbyDani

Kazi and Jase have survived, stronger and more in love than ever. Their new life now lies before them―the Ballengers will be outlaws no longer, Tor's Watch will be a kingdom, and Kazi and Jase will meet all challenges side by side, together at last.

But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and they soon find themselves captured in a tangled web of deceit woven by their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies, a place where betrayals run deeper and more deadly than either had thought possible, and where timeless ambitions threaten to destroy them both.

Short and Sweet Review

After everything that happened in Dance of Thieves, Kazi and Jace are in more love than ever. Kazi and Jace are on their way back to Tor’s Watch, but on their journey they’re ambushed and separated. Kazi and Jace have no idea if the other is alive, now they need to try to do everything they can to keep their wits about them as they navigate enemies and allies and try to make it back to each other.

Let’s start with Kazi. She’s being held as a prisoner by Montegue the king of Eislandia. Montegue believes he should have had Tor’s Watch as part of his and after much planning he does get it by taking people by surprise and attacking. This attack has the Ballenger family go into hiding. Kazi has to deal with Montegue and his twisted way of thinking. Kazi doesn’t know what’s going on outside of the Inn where she’s being kept but she does know that she just has to make it another day. The only thing keeping Kazi going is Jace’s voice telling her she can do it. Montegue has Jace’s younger siblings which he uses as protection and to keep Kazi in line. Kazi does find in ally in Paxton, Jace’s cousin. I did like their partnership, Kazi wasn’t sure if she could trust Paxton but in the end he comes through.

Jace was injured during the attack and it’s a miracle that he survived it. Jace is on a settlement with people who are taking care of him. All Jace cares about is finding Kazi. Jace also reunites with Wren and Synove, this was my favorite part I loved how they were there mainly for Kazi but also for Jace because of Kazi’s love for him. These three end up making it to Tor’s Watch and meeting with the others in the Ballenger family. 

The Ballengers were not excited when they heard that Jace and Kazi were together but once they realized that Jace truly loved her they changed their minds. I liked how everyone teamed up to rescue Kazi and finally take back Tor’s Watch from Montegue. 

I love this Duology and this book was great. It was interesting to see how Kazi and Jace had to navigate being separated but I’m glad they found some new allies along the way! I was also excited to see the Queen of Venda and the King of Dalbreck in the end. Kazi and Jace didn’t start out with the best relationship but in the end it’s one I fell in love with!

DANCE OF THIEVES By Mary E. Pearson

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.

DANCE OF THIEVES By Mary E. PearsonDance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
Series: Dance of Thieves #1
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 8/7/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 512
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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ReviewedbyDani

A formidable outlaw family that claims to be the first among nations.

A son destined to lead, thrust suddenly into power.

Three fierce young women of the Rahtan, the queen's premier guard.

A legendary street thief leading a mission, determined to prove herself.

A dark secret that is a threat to the entire continent.

When outlaw leader meets reformed thief, a cat-and-mouse game of false moves ensues, bringing them intimately together in a battle that may cost them their lives―and their hearts.


Short and Sweet

Kazi is a Rahtan and that means she is in the queen’s army. Kazi is sent to Hell’s Mouth by the queen to investigate transgressions against Vends settlements but she also has another mission and that is to bring  General Illarium back to face judgement for the crimes he has committed. In Hell’s Mouth Kazi comes across Jase Ballenger who is now the new Patrei after his fathers death. Hell’s Mouth is supposed to be under Venda’s jurisdiction, but the Ballenger family believes its in theirs. These two end up having to learn to work together after unexpected events end up bringing them closer than they thought could be possible.

Characters

Kazi: Kazi used to be a thief and being a thief was her only way to survive she had to support herself when she was six because her mother was taken from her. Soon Kazi joined the queens army and she takes her missions seriously. I liked Kazi and I felt for her, she’s had a hard life and she’s just trying to make it by. She likes to tell riddles and honestly she’s a good thief she can steal things without people even knowing she did it, she’s quite resourceful in that way. I loved her as a main character she was strong, smart, and always thought ahead.

Jase: After the death of his father Jase becomes the new Patrei which means he’s the head of the family now and in charge of Hell’s Mouth. Jase has to deal with people attacking Hell’s Mouth and he tries to take care of this by making a stand and showing people that the Ballenger family is stronger than ever. Jase hasn’t struggled as much as Kazi so it takes a while for him to understand her. I also liked Jase as a main character he deeply cares about his family and will always put them first and he’s also smart.

Romance

Kazi and Jase: So in an unforeseen event both Jase and Kazi are kidnapped by labor hunters and end up chained together. The two of them now have to work together to get back to civilization, and this is when they become the closest and learn a lot about each other and realize that their initial thoughts about each other may not be true. When they get back to Hell’s Mouth these two still have feelings for each other but they do realize that they can use each other to get what they want. I loved these two so much and after much contemplation these two are now one of my favorite book couples theres just something about how they started to where they ended up it was perfect, cute, and just thinking about them makes my little heart swell with joy.

My Thoughts

~ In this book we get POVs from both Kazi and Jase and both were enjoyable and usually I like one characters POV more than the other but I equally liked both and was excited to see what would happen or what they were thinking.

~ Kazi didn’t travel to Hell’s Mouth alone she came with two other Rahtan soldiers, Wren and Synove. I loved all of these girls they were all trained to fight and they’re good at it. Wren is more intimidating but she does care about her friends. Synove is more talkative but she’s a great archer. These girls love each other and all have a dark history so they definitely understand each other on a deeper level.

~ The Ballenger Family also plays a large part in this book, and they are a large family if I remember correctly there are 11 children and this family is very close knit. The Ballengers were the first kingdom but they aren’t recognized as a kingdom by the others and are looked upon as a territory and that’s something the Ballengers don’t like.

~ Kazi is supposed to find  General Illarium and its been rumored that he’s been spotted in Hell’s Mouth so now that Kazi has been invited to stay with the Ballenger family as a guest it makes her quest to find him a lot easier.

~ I thought the plot was great and there wasn’t a point where I thought it was slow or I didn’t want to continue reading. I think Pearson did a great job and her writing makes you feel like you’re with the characters and you can see what they see and feel what they feel and thats what amazes me about her writing.

~ My favorite part of the book was seeing some of the characters from the Remnant Chronicles in this book especially Lia and Rafe long live the queen and king!

Overall

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. I’m kind of upset that I read it as fast as I did because the sequel doesn’t come out until August and I don’t know what to do with my time now. I thought the plot was amazing, the characters had so much depth and made you feel for them, and I loved going back to the remnant world. I would recommend this book to everyone especially if you read the Remnant Chronicles but you can still read this book without having to read the Remnant Chronicles. I can’t wait until the next book comes out so I can join these characters again, this book quickly became one of my new favorites!

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THE BEAUTY OF DARKNESS By Mary E. Pearson

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 BEAUTY OF DARKNESS By Mary E. PearsonThe Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson
Series: The Remnant Chronicles #3
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 8/2/16
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 688
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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ReviewedbyDani

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now?


Short and Sweet

I was going to write a short synopsis but then I saw the one from amazon, which is above and I don’t think I can make one shorter than that so moving on to what I thought…

My Thoughts

~ Okay so hopefully you’ve read the other two books before you read this so I don’t spoil anything. After the end of the last book Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and are on their way to Dalbreck.

~ So this wasn’t my favorite book in the series. I mean first off what happened to the romance? The ending between Lia and Rafe just confused me. And the romance between Kaden and Pauline felt forced.

~ I liked seeing how everyone was preparing for battle and strategies.

~ I didn’t like Lia in this book, I liked her in the first two but in this book she was just rude and she was mainly rude to Rafe. I mean the guy risked his life for her and it felt like she was trying to use his feelings for her to get what she wanted. She went to his kingdom demanded help from his army, and she knew he had his own struggles to deal with in his own kingdom.

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~ It seemed like Lia didn’t care about anything except for the prophecy. I mean I know she was looking out for her kingdom too but she could have at least been more grateful to Rafe and his friends.

~ So about Kaden and Pauline it was definitely forced. It felt like they were locked into a room with each other and had to learn to trust and develop feelings.

~ At some point in the book, I wanted to stop reading but I pushed through.

~ The big battle wasn’t that captivating there was some fighting and then Lia gave a speech that stopped everyone in their tracks.

~ This book just didn’t feel like the first two it wasn’t anything special.

Overall

I’m still unsure if I would recommend this book. I like the first two but this one is a hit or miss I suppose. Maybe read the first two and skip this one? I don’t know but I think Lia is what made me dislike this book the most she changed so much from a girl who wouldn’t let anyone control her destiny to a girl who is now following a prophecy and letting it control what she does.

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THE GILDED CAGE By Lucinda Gray

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 GILDED CAGE By Lucinda GrayThe Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray
Published by Henry Holt and Co. on 8/2/16
Genres: Historical, Mystery & Detective, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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ReviewedbyDani

After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper class England in the 1820s, is shattered when she discovers the corpse of her brother George in a lake on the estate-the tragic accidental drowning of a young man, the coroner reports, despite the wound to George's head.

Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident. A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham.

Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?


Short and Sweet

Katherine and her brother George Randolph live in Virginia, but their lives change when they discover that they are heirs to the Walthingham country estate in England. Katherine and George try to adjust to their new life in British aristocracy. Not long after their arrival George is found dead in an icy lake. Everyone believes it was just an accident, except for Katherine. After hearing rumors about the beast of Walthingham, she believ es that their is something more to her brothers death and she won’t rest until she learns the truth.

My Thoughts

~ Alright where should I start? I ordered this book mainly because of the time period and the plot I love mysteries and I also like historical fiction. Gray does a great job making the time period seem realistic and authentic.

~ Katherine is an okay character, she didn’t have a lot of power I often saw her as helpless during some parts of the book. I did like the fact the she was determined and inquisitive about her brothers death and she wouldn’t give up until she learned the truth, she was a sweet character that tried to see the good in others she also had a temper which only made the other characters refer to her as a “Wildcat.”

~ We don’t learn much about George except for the fact that he was Katherine’s older brother and a painting, I think he was only in a chapter or two before the accident occurred.

~ Katherine’s cousins Henry and Grace were awful I couldn’t stand the way they treated her. I took the time to think about this and in the end decided to compare them to characters from Gossip Girl. Katherine would be Dan a girl who worked on a farm without much money, Grace would be Blair and Henry would be Chuck.

~ Characters would often point out how Katherine was impolite and improper, I mean she was still trying to get the hang of things.

~ Oh yeah there were some romantic interest but I didn’t like it I mean Katherine hooked up with one and then something happened and then she moved on to another guy.

~ We don’t learn much about the Beast of Walthingham mainly because no one will say anything about it.

~ Something happens near the end of the book towards the end I don’t want to spoil it for you guys but I thought it wasn’t necessary to have in the book.

Overall

In my honest opinion there was something that was missing, and that just made me change my rating for this book. I thought there could have been more in discovering what happened to George I feel like that was just thrown out there and like I said the beast of Walthingham isn’t even mentioned enough to make it relevant. Things just felt too rushed to me I don’t think this book was anything special. I was into it at the beginning but towards the end the downward spiral ensued.

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