WHAT LIGHT By Jay Asher

December 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

WHAT LIGHT By Jay AsherWhat Light by Jay Asher
Published by Razorbill on 10/18/16
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 259
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Sierra's family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon—it's a bucolic setting for a girl to grow up in, except that every year, they pack up and move to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other.

Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.

By reputation, Caleb is not your perfect guy: years ago, he made an enormous mistake and has been paying for it ever since. But Sierra sees beyond Caleb's past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption. As disapproval, misconceptions, and suspicions swirl around them, Caleb and Sierra discover the one thing that transcends all else: true love.

Short and Sweet Review

Sierra’s parents own a Christmas tree farm in Oregon but around the holidays her family packs up and goes down to California to sell the trees. Sierra feels like she lives two lives the one she’s used to for 11 months a year and the other she lives during Christmas time. This time around in California, Sierra meets Caleb but he has a past that most others won’t forget about and warn Sierra to stay away from him, but Sierra is willing to look beyond what happened in the past.

This is the third holiday book I’ve read and I’m just striking out. My problem with this book is that it’s one note and predictable. Sierra meets Caleb he has a bad reputation, she ends up spending more time with him and learns about what he did but she knows the person he is now so she isn’t trying to focus on the past. We see those closest to Sierra try to warn her against him but she wants to change everyone’s opinions about him. Anyway the plot of this book is something I’ve seen before it wasn’t original and I was bored. I’m glad the book was short because if this went on I don’t know what I would have done. Sierra isn’t a great character, she’s not a girls girl and she becomes obsessed with Caleb after meeting him for a few minutes and after that she can’t stop thinking about him and blows off her friends. Also when you find out what Caleb did it’s not hard to understand why others in this small town are so wary of him. I’m trying to think about something that was good about this book for you all. The only good thing about this book is that people got Christmas trees.

Overall, I don’t want you guys to think I don’t like Christmas or the holidays but the books I’ve been reading haven’t been getting me in the spirit and they’re really not doing it for me and I feel like the grinch. What Light was an attempt at a holiday book about forgiveness and not judging people but it really missed the mark.

Filed Under: Reviews

THIN AIR By Kellie M. Parker

October 13, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THIN AIR By Kellie M. ParkerThin Air by Kellie M. Parker
Published by Razorbill on 10/17/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 319
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Seventeen-year-old boarding school student Emily Walters is selected for an opportunity of a lifetime—she’ll compete abroad for a cash prize that will cover not only tuition to the college of her choice, but will lift her mother and her out of poverty.

But almost from the moment she and 11 other contestants board a private jet to Europe, Emily realizes somebody is willing to do anything to win. Between keeping an eye on her best friend’s flirty boyfriend and hiding her own dark secrets, she’s not sure how she’ll survive the contest, much less the flight. Especially when people start dying…

As loyalties shift and secrets are revealed, Emily must figure out who to trust, and who’s trying to kill them all, before she becomes the next victim.

Short and Sweet Review

Emily is chosen for the opportunity of a lifetime, she’s going abroad to France for a chance to win a cash prize that will allow her to choose the college of her choice, and help her and her mother get out of poverty. When Emily boards the plane she realizes that her other 11 competitors are no joke, and someone is even willing to kill to get what they want.

So Emily and her fellow competitors are on this plane for the next twelve hours and someone knows all of their secrets and isn’t afraid to pull them out. When the first game is started everyone notices that something is off and someone must be playing a prank on them but things continue to go down hill, especially when students are being killed. This was an interesting take because there’s 12 people anyone of them could be a suspect and there also stuck on a flight for 12 hours so there’s really no escaping. Emily was an okay character, she’s having some troubles on home and also she really doesn’t belong on the flight for reasons I don’t want to spoil. Anyway Emily does know one person on the plane her best friend Nikki’s boyfriend that she has a crush on for whatever reason because homeboy is the definition of trash. Speaking of her friend Emily loves to bring that girl up but for what reason, she’s not on this flight but it starts to make sense once secrets are revealed. The pacing was okay, but I also think its pretty predictable because you know its someone on the plane and we also know some of them will die, its just learning the secrets and the motives that someone would go out of their way to do all of this. Now the culprit of this book was a hot mess, honestly just mind boggling, because why is a grown person going out of their way to get revenge on these 12 kids?

Overall, this was an okay book, the things I didn’t enjoy would be Emily as a character, her decision making was very questionable and also the ending and the culprit was just a head scratcher. I will say I enjoyed the premise of the book and how they were in this confined space with a killer.

Filed Under: Reviews

LYING IN THE DEEP By Diana Urban

April 29, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

LYING IN THE DEEP By Diana UrbanLying in the Deep by Diana Urban
Published by Razorbill on 5/2/23
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 382
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn't be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.

But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they're trapped at sea with....before anyone else winds up in body bags.

Short and Sweet Review

Jade recently got dumped by her boyfriend who just so happened to leave her for her ex best friend, Lainey. So now Jade is ready to embark on a campus on board cruise visiting 11 countries in 4 months. What Jade wasn’t expecting was to see that Lainey and Silas have also come along. Jade becomes obsessed with trying to figure out why those two basically did her dirty and soon enough someone on board gets murdered and Jade and her crush Felix try to solve the mystery before one of them is next.

This was a good mystery I wasn’t sure what was going on until the end and then it just all made sense. I will say Jade is not my favorite character, she was too impulsive and just made bad decisions. I will say seeing Jade constantly obsess over Silas and Jade was exhausting. Jade used to date Silas and be friends with Lainey so when she sees that their also on this trip she tries to talk to them and even when they try to avoid her she still doesn’t get it. There was a bit of a romance between Jade and Felix, mainly because Jade was trying to use Felix to make Silas jealous but I guess somewhere in there they ended up liking each other. The first murder doesn’t happen until maybe 100-150 pages in but that’s when things start to get interesting. There’s a boat full of people and Jade is mainly hanging out with the college kids and somehow most of them have ties back to Lainey whether they know it or not. Jade looks guilty mainly because she doesn’t know how to let things go so she looks like a vengeful manic to some of the other people on the boat. I will say the first murder really surprised me but the other two kind of seemed unnecessary.

I liked that the mystery took place on a cruise ship, because there’s really no place for the suspect to run. There were some twists which were interesting, the ending was a little lackluster. I will say overall this was a good mystery but some things could have been better especially our main character Jade.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE GIRLS ARE NEVER GONE By Sarah Glenn Marsh

February 6, 2023 by Leave a Comment

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

THE GIRLS ARE NEVER GONE By Sarah Glenn MarshThe Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh
Published by Razorbill on 9/7/21
Genres: Horror & Ghost Stories, LGBT, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Dare Chase doesn’t believe in ghosts. But as the host of Attachments, her brand-new paranormal investigation podcast, she knows to keep her doubts to herself if she wants to win over listeners.

Her first season’s subject is the Arrington Estate—a sprawling manor rumored to be haunted by the spirit of Atheleen Bell, who drowned in its lake almost thirty years ago. Dare’s more interested in investigating the suspicious circumstances of Atheleen’s death, which she thinks point to a decades-old murder, not something supernatural.

But Arrington is full of surprises. As Dare is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the estate, she’ll have to rethink the boundaries of what is possible. Because if something is lurking in the lake…it might not be willing to let her go.

Short and Sweet Review

Dare doesn’t believe in ghost but she keeps that to herself because the people who listen to her podcast don’t need to know she’s a skeptic. The focus of her first season of the podcast is about Atheleen Bell who drowned at the Arrington Estate 30 years ago. Dare is convinced the strange things that are happening on the estate are explainable, but the more she digs the more things are starting to look supernatural.

Dare is at the Arrington Estate doing an internship to remodel the estate, but she’s also there to learn information for her podcast. At the estate she meets Quinn and Holly two other girls that are also helping out. Dare learns that Quinn actually sent her a message about Arrington and wanted Dare there to learn why the supernatural things are happening. Anyway there isn’t just one ghost there’s multiple and the mystery is even deeper than any of the girls thought. I liked the book, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. Its your basic ghost story with a mystery. When I heard that Dare had a podcast, I was excited because I thought it would add more to the story but we only read what she’s putting on the podcast twice, once at the beginning of the book and one at the end. In the first half of the book we’re learning about the estate and history but in the second half is where things start to pick up with more ghost appearances and things not being where they should be. The ending was interesting and it does leave the door open for a sequel.

Overall, The Girls Are Never Gone was an intriguing story but there were some elements that just fell short of what I was expecting from a book that was pitched as The Conjuring meets Sadie.

Filed Under: Reviews

DARK AND SHALLOW LIES By Ginny Myers Sain

April 6, 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.

DARK AND SHALLOW LIES By Ginny Myers SainDark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain
Published by Razorbill on 9/7/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mystery & Detective, Paranormal, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide.

This tiny town, where seventeen-year-old Grey spends her summers, is the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World—and the place where Elora Pellerin, Grey's best friend, disappeared six months earlier.

Grey can't believe that Elora vanished into thin air any more than she can believe that nobody in a town full of psychics knows what happened. But as she digs into the night that Elora went missing, she begins to realize that everybody in town is hiding something—her grandmother Honey; her childhood crush Hart; and even her late mother, whose secrets continue to call to Grey from beyond the grave.

When a mysterious stranger emerges from the bayou—a stormy-eyed boy with links to Elora and the town's bloody history—Grey realizes that La Cachette's past is far more present and dangerous than she'd ever understood. Suddenly, she doesn't know who she can trust. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent—and La Cachette's dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.

Short and Sweet Review

La Cachette, Louisiana, is a small town and also the psychic capital of the world. Grey is back for the summer and she’s determined to find out what happened to her best friend Elora, who disappeared six months ago. But as Grey keeps digging she learns that some secrets aren’t worth knowing.

Grey is in La Cachette visiting for the summer, the only thing missing is her best friend Elora figuratively and literally. No one knows if Elora is dead or if she’s still alive. Grey is determined to find out but she can’t stop thinking about the last time she and Elora saw each other and got in a fight. La Cachette is the psychic capital of the world and Grey never had any powers but now she’s seeing glimpses of Elora’s last moments. In the La Cachette there’s also the summer children, they were all born in the same year and have some sort of ability. But soon Grey meets Zale a stranger who knows a lot about Elora.

There is a lot going on in this book. Grey trying to figure out where Elora is, to trying find out how she died. Also all of the other characters involved. There’s also the story of this guy who was strange who already killed two of the summer children. There was also a little romance between Grey and Hart which I didn’t like it just wasn’t right. Honestly it was a lot. I think the best thing about this book was when everything was solved and answers were given. The mystery was good there were a lot of twists that threw me off. There were a lot of good components to this book and some that just didn’t work.

Filed Under: Reviews

IMMORTAL REIGN By Morgan Rhodes

February 13, 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.

IMMORTAL REIGN By Morgan RhodesImmortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #6
Published by Razorbill on 2/6/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook, Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

Short and Sweet Review

After the events of the last book, two of our characters have the kindred in their body trying to take control. Kyan is still trying to reunite his siblings and rule Mytica. All of our characters have to band together to save Mytica and their friends.

I feel like over the course of 6 books all of the characters have grown immensely. I loved Lucia she basically had a redemption arc, she was hell bent in the last book but the birth of her child sort of grounded her, I also liked her friendship with Jonas. Cleo and Taran had the kindred in them and we can slowly see it taking over. Cleo tries to learn how to use the kindreds power but her attempts were futile. I love that Magnus was trying to find a way to save Cleo we can see how much he loves her. Amara left Mytica and went back to her kingdom and although she’s not my favorite character it was interesting to see how things occurred with her grandma and being crowned.

I love this series and the ending was beautiful. Everything that occurred made you wonder how things would resolve and there was a twist that I wasn’t expecting. I love these characters and its been a journey but a satisfying one!


Filed Under: Reviews

CRYSTAL STORM By Morgan Rhodes

October 30, 2020 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.

CRYSTAL STORM By Morgan RhodesCrystal Storm by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #5
Published by Razorbill on 11/14/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

MAGNUS and CLEO are forced to test the strength of their love when Gaius returns to Mytica claiming he's no longer the King of Blood but a changed man seeking redemption.

LUCIA, pregnant with the child of a Watcher, has escaped the clutches of the unhinged fire god. Her powers are dwindling as she goes forth to fulfill a prophecy that will keep her baby safe . . . but could mean her demise.

JONAS treks back to Mytica with a plan to overtake Amara, but fate takes hold when he runs into the beautiful Princess Lucia and joins her on her perilous journey.

AMARA has taken the Mytican throne, but with no way to unleash the water magic trapped within her stolen crystal, she'll never be able to seize glory and get sweet revenge.

Short and Sweet

Cleo and Magnus are traveling with King Gaius a man who says he’s trying to redeem himself. Lucia is also on a path of redemption and is now further along in her pregnancy. Jonas is back in Mytica and plans to overtake Amara. Amara now the empress of Mytica is ready to be powerful and get everything she’s ever wanted.

Characters

Cleo: Cleo is traveling with Magnus and King Gaius to find the bloodstone. Cleo is left out of a lot of plans unfortunately. In the end Cleo remembers that she’s a queen and in the game of politics you have to make bold moves.

Magnus: Magnus is dealing with his father and his new personality which involves showing Magnus how much he cares. Magnus just wants to survive this trip and make sure that Cleo is safe.

Lucia: Princess Lucia, I feel like we didn’t see a lot of her in this book. Well Lucia is pregnant and for a bit of time she’s in the sanctuary learning more about the history of the kindred and the watchers. Lucia wants to try to make things right so she decides that she’s going to put Kyan back into his orb.

Jonas: Jonas is back in Mytica and he wants to over take Amara. Jonas is working with some rebels and is still in an alliance with Magnus. In Paelsia Jonas comes across Lucia and he ends up helping her.

Amara: Amara wants to be powerful and win her people’s admiration. Amara also comes in contact with Kyan and decides to help him but mainly for her own gain.

Romance

Cleo and Magnus: The relationship between Cleo and Magnus is tested in this book. King Gaius tries to keep them away from each other most of the time and he just says the worst things about Cleo. Cleo and Magnus do end up questioning if things could even work out between them, but there’s a lot of moments when they realize that the love they have for each other is stronger.

My Thoughts

~ Most of our characters are all over the place, so I was happy when most of them reunited in Paelsia. We see that King Gaius has a powerful witch for a mother it also reveals why he is the way he is. Gaius’s mother Selia is actually very lethal and she may seem like she’s only worried about Gaius but she does have other plans that the other characters aren’t aware of. Kyan, even though he’s without a body also has big plans which involve a storm and this is what’s involved in the ending which was a big shock to me. I love that Jonas and Lucia met and were able to get to know each other especially after what happened to Lysandra.

Overall

I’m ready to read the last book in the series! This was a great lead up to what I’m thinking is going to be an epic ending!

Filed Under: Reviews

THIS COVEN WON’T BREAK By Isabel Sterling

October 9, 2020 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.

THIS COVEN WON’T BREAK By Isabel SterlingThis Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling
Series: These Witches Don't Burn #2
Published by Razorbill on 5/19/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Hannah Walsh just wants to finish high school. It's her senior year, so she should be focusing on classes, hanging out with her best friend, and flirting with her new girlfriend, Morgan. But it turns out surviving a murderous Witch Hunter doesn't exactly qualify as a summer vacation, and now the rest of the Hunters seem more intent on destroying her magic than ever.

When Hannah learns the Hunters have gone nationwide, armed with a serum capable of taking out entire covens at once, she's desperate to help. Now, with witches across the country losing the most important thing they have--their power--Hannah could be their best shot at finally defeating the Hunters. After all, she's one of the only witches to escape a Hunter with her magic intact.

Or so everyone believes. Because as good as she is at faking it, doing even the smallest bit of magic leaves her in agony. The only person who can bring her comfort, who can make her power flourish, is Morgan. But Morgan's magic is on the line, too, and if Hannah can't figure out how to save her--and the rest of the Witches--she'll lose everything she's ever known. And as the Hunters get dangerously close to their final target, will all the Witches in Salem be enough to stop an enemy determined to destroy magic for good?

Short and Sweet Review

This sequel picks up right where These Witches Won’t Burn ended. We’re back in Salem with Hannah and she’s still grieving from everything that she lost. The hunters are still around and dangerous and Hannah is given the opportunity to help stop them and she accepts the offer.

Well the witches are in a lot of danger, the hunters won’t stop until everyone is cured and a lot of covens are being attacked. Hannah is approached by an elder who gives her the chance to help recruit other witches to assist with stopping the hunters. We meet Alice, the witch Hannah had a problem with in New York and it was tense between the two of them understandably. We also see a few familiar faces from the last book.

I liked that we see the caster, elementals, and blood witches work together to achieve a common goal. We see a lot of trial and error with how they thought they should take care of the hunters and it was nerve wracking seeing the witches put themselves in that kind of danger.

We also see more romance between Hannah and Morgan I liked them together, Morgan had a way to put Hannah at ease and it wasn’t because she was using her powers.

Hannah was put in a lot of danger especially because her powers weren’t working like they should and she wasn’t thinking clearly most of the time. My main problem with this book was Hannah, she not only put herself in danger but the people around her, she would also lash out at people who didn’t deserve it.

Overall this was a good ending to the duology but I think I enjoyed the first book more, for some reason I just couldn’t deal with Hannah in this book.

Filed Under: Reviews

FROZEN TIDES By Morgan Rhodes

September 29, 2020 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.

FROZEN TIDES By Morgan RhodesFrozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #4
Published by Razorbill on 12/15/15
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

CLEO: Reeling after a shocking realization about Magnus, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a queen.

MAGNUS: The steely prince of Limeros is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he's strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: Heartbroken and blind with fury, the betrayed sorceress allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: The defeated rebel leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to become a pawn in the dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: A desperate King of Blood flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.

Short and Sweet

After the events of Gathering Darkness, each of our characters has a goal, and most of them revolve around finding the kindred and coming into power positions.

Characters

Magnus: Magnus is back at the Limeros and he takes the throne while his father is away. Magnus just cares about being able to be the ruler his kingdom needs and making the right decisions.

Cleo: Cleo is still with Magnus mainly because he saved her from being executed. All Cleo wants is to find the other kindred and reclaim her throne.

Lucia: Lucia is still dealing with the losing Alexius and while in the headspace of anger she decides to team up with Kyan the fire God. Lucia goes along with Kyan but the further they go on with their journey the more she starts to contemplate the destruction that they’re leaving behind in their wake.

Jonas: Jonas is finally ready to kill Magnus and rescue Cleo, but during the process he ends up going on a search for more of the kindred and becoming meeting more allies.

Amara: The princess Kraeshia is ready to do what she has to to prove she’s powerful. She’s already killed her brother and she won’t stop there. Amara is smart and deceitful.

Romance

Cleo and Magnus: These two… I love the tension between them. They both like each other but they try to fight their feelings. Eventually those feelings come out and that was my favorite part of the book. Cleo and Magnus care about each other even though they don’t want to admit it most of the time.

My Thoughts

There’s so much going on in this book and none of it was overwhelming. We follow our characters and they all have very different paths they’re following, Magnus and Cleo are in Limeros, Jonas and Lyssandra are on their way to Limeros, Amara and King Gaius are in Kraeshia, and Lucia and Kyan are just going where they think the kindred are. There’s so many twist that I wasn’t expecting! I love how Cleo and Jonas are reunited I also like how Magnus decides to team up with Jonas. Although Lucia is going around with Kyan she does end up having a moment of clarity where she realizes she needs to go her separate way. Amara is also on the move and she plans on taking Mytica as her own.

Overall

I love this series! I feel like every book just gets better! I’m so excited to start reading Crystal Storm!

Filed Under: Reviews

THESE WITCHES DON’T BURN By Isabel Sterling

August 19, 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.

THESE WITCHES DON’T BURN By Isabel SterlingThese Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling
Series: These Witches Don't Burn #1
Published by Razorbill on 5/28/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Hannah's a witch, but not the kind you're thinking of. She's the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she's ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans.

But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah's concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah's sure it's the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.

While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she's going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem's witches become deadlier by the day.


Short and Sweet

Hannah lives in Salem, Massachusetts, but that’s normal the only thing that Hannah has to keep to herself is the fact that she’s an elemental witch. Hannah can’t let anyone that isn’t a witch know about her powers, so when a blood ritual occurs during the end of the year bonfire, Hannah knows there’s trouble especially when evidence of dark magic is appearing over town and someone starts attacking witches.

Characters

Hannah: Hannah is our main character. I liked Hannah most of the time but I feel like she put herself in dangerous situations most of the time. She usually didn’t wait for help she just jumped into action which would be great if there wasn’t a witch hunter after her and other witches. I did like how she tried to protect those around her and she had a strong sense of right and wrong.

Veronica: Veronica is Hannah’s ex, and conversations between the two are awkward, mainly because Veronica wants to give the relationship another try but Hannah is done. I felt bad for Veronica mainly because she seemed like she was on the witch hunter’s hit list.

Gemma: Gemma is Hannah’s best friend and she’s very supportive. Gemma encourages Hannah to take chances and do what she believes is right. I like that Gemma was around as Hannah’s support system and that their friendship didn’t change after everything that happened.

Morgan: Morgan is new in town and is one of the girls that dances with Gemma. I thought Morgan was great she was understanding and was also worried about things that were happening to Hannah. I thought Morgan’s secret was a good element to add in because it showed that people can be different than the stereotypes about them.

Romance

Hannah and Veronica: Hannah and Veronica are exes but they’re apart of the same coven, so thats awkward. Um what I learned about their past relationship was that Veronica usually made all of the choices and decided what they would do. Hannah said she was over Veronica but Veronica wanted to give their relationship another shot. I thought these two went back and forth a lot especially about their feelings for each other.

Hannah and Morgan: Morgan is new in town and is also a dancer and one of Gemma’s friends, which is how Morgan ends up meeting Hannah. There were a few sweet moments with Hannah and Morgan but they got interrupted by things happening around them more than once.

My Thoughts

~ I liked that the setting was in Salem, it really set the mood for the book considering that there were the Salem witch trials and now we have a witch hunter in town.

~ There’s a lot that happens in this book starting from the bonfire and then everyone in the coven finally realizing that a witch hunter is after them and no one is safe.

~ So there’s different kinds of witches: Elementals, Blood, and Casters. Hannah is an elemental and is able to control the elements though she’s better at controlling some more than others.

~ Hannah tries to solve the mystery with Veronica, Gemma, and a school friend Benson. I thought they did a good job of compiling clues. I wasn’t sure at first who could have been behind the attacks but I figured it out.

~ I felt bad for Hannah a lot of the attacks either happened to her or Veronica but Hannah seemed to lose a lot more.

Overall

I enjoyed this book and I liked the mystery. It ended with a cliffhanger and I’m excited to see what will happen next and what the witch hunters are planning and how the witches will prepare.

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