HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN By Erin A. Craig

July 5, 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.

HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN By Erin A. CraigHouse of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
Series: Sisters of the Salt #2
Published by Delacorte Press on 7/25/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Gothic, Horror & Ghost Stories, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 544
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia.
When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it.
Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms.
But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet façade. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

Its been years since the events of House of Salt and Sorrows took place. Now Verity the youngest sister is seventeen and she still lives in Highmoor with her eldest sister Camille, while the rest of their sisters have left and are scattered about. When Verity gets a letter from her sister Mercy explaining that the Duchess of Bloem wants Verity to come there and paint a portrait of their son Alexander. Verity is excited about the opportunity and wants to go, but Camille gives her a hard no, that’s when Verity learns that she’s able to see ghost. Verity ignores Camilles warning and goes to Bloem anyway and she learns that being at Bloem is more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

Verity has lived at Highmoor her whole life and when she gets Mercy’s letter she knows this is her time to explore the world around her and see what’s out there. Camille immediately shuts down the idea and after they have an argument Camille reveals to Verity that Verity is able to see ghost and she doesn’t want her at Bloem sounding like a mad woman. Verity still feels like she needs to get away and she goes to Bloem with her sisters warning at the back of her mind. At Bloem Verity meets Dauphine, Gerard, and Alex. At first everything seems normal and Verity does her job starting the portrait of Alex. Alex and Verity begin to develop a relationship, these two have a lot in common, mainly how they’ve been sheltered. The Duke Gerard is a botanist and he has some weird plants growing in his greenhouse. Verity sees a lot of weird things at Bloem and she’s having trouble sleeping and she’s hearing things. Verity is determined to find out what’s going on at Bloem and she has to use her ability of talking to ghost to see if she can learn anything. Alex and Verity get engaged and that’s when things really take a turn, more unexplainable things are happening and Verity really has to dig deep to seem like she’s sane.

This book gives off a different feel than the first one, but the writing is hauntingly beautiful. I love the feel of a dark mansion with plants growing everywhere and the ghost also add to the gothic and horror theme. Alex and Verity have a slow burn romance and I also liked the representation of Alex, he’s in a wheelchair, but he does most of the things he wants in life and he’s special. There’s a lot of twists and turns in this book and even if you think you know what’s going to happen there’s another twist. I throughly enjoyed this book and loved seeing the secrets unravel and how Verity dealt with her new found freedom. If you enjoyed the first book, definitely get your hands on the sequel!

Filed Under: Reviews

MY WEEK WITH HIM By Joya Goffney

June 30, 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.

MY WEEK WITH HIM By Joya GoffneyMy Week with Him by Joya Goffney
Published by HarperTeen on 7/11/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Nikki can’t wait to leave Texas and follow her dreams of a music career . . . After a painful betrayal by her sister and a heated argument with their mother, Nikki is kicked out and finds herself homeless. She decides to go to California to pursue her singing career. When her best friend, Malachai, discovers her plan to flee Texas, he begs her to spend the remainder of spring break with him. He believes that over the course of a week, he can convince her to stay in Texas, or to at least graduate high school. But their plans are interrupted when Nikki’s little sister Vae goes missing.

Nikki is forced to work alongside her difficult mother as they set off in search of Vae, with Malachai’s support. Will Nikki find a reason to stay in Texas, or will this spring break be the last time she sees them? Through her emotional journey, Nikki ultimately finds the love she’s always been missing and discovers the power of her own voice.

Short and Sweet Review

Nikki is ready to get out of Cactus, Texas and start pursuing her music career. Its spring break and Nikki doesn’t really see a reason to stay so she finds this the perfect time to head to California. When Nikki stops at home she ends up getting in trouble for something her younger sister Vae did and ends up getting kicked out, feeling betrayed Nikki ends up ignoring Vae and continues with her plan to leave. When her best friend Malachai catches wind of her leaving, he convinces her to spend a week with him and see if there’s anyway he can get her to stay in Cactus. When Nikki learns that her sister Vae has run away Nikki knows she has to put her plans on pause and now she has to work with her mom to find Vae.

I have very conflicting feelings about this novel. I liked the rawness and how realistic Nikki’s journey is with being kicked out and feeling like she has no where to go and also wanting to follow her dreams. I think my biggest problem with this book was the romance. So first the family dynamic, Nikki and her mom have a tumultuous relationship, Nikki is literally walking on eggshells around her mom and its always like she can’t do anything right. Which is why Nikki has run away multiple times, and when she does run away she ends up at her friend Malachai’s house. Her sister Vae on the other hand gets treated a little bit better. Nikki wants to pursue her music career and she has an audition to go to in California but her friend Malachai convinces her to stay with him for a week before making what he thinks is a rash decision. The two end up going on a road trip but have to cut it short when they find out Vae is missing. This is when Nikki has to reluctantly work with her mom to find her sister. The two end up being civil with each other but you can definitely sense the tension between the two. I did like how this brought them together but they still had to get to the root of their problem which took time a little time, which was more realistic then everything magically being solved because of Vae running away. Now my problem with the romance, it was just too easy. Nikki and Malachai have always liked each other but haven’t really acted on those feelings, he even gets a girlfriend to make Nikki jealous and then breaks up with the girl when he finds out Nikki is leaving. The two end up spending a week together and it isn’t a slow burn it was instant and it was off-putting to me. I wish their relationship had more time to develop, because it felt like two friends who just got together and were always together, the title of the book also doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

Overall, this book was okay but it could have been better. I didn’t enjoy the romance, but I did like seeing the family relationship and how realistically it was portrayed. I do wish we saw more about Nikki’s singing career we saw snippets of it but not as much as I thought there should have been for someone who wants to pursue singing. I feel very indifferent about this book, it wasn’t the great but it wasn’t that bad either.

Filed Under: Reviews

WE SHIP IT By Lauren Kay

June 12, 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.

WE SHIP IT By Lauren KayWe Ship It by Lauren Kay
Published by HarperTeen on 6/20/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 317
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Olivia Schwartz has a plan. It’s even color-coded.

And the plan is this: a perfect SAT score, a prestigious college, and a straight path towards her dream of becoming a doctor.

The last thing she wants to do—the summer before her senior year of high school, no less—is go on a cruise. Especially with her parents, younger brothers, and all the unspoken things between them since her older brother’s death so many years ago.

Then Olivia meets Sebastian. He’s everything she’s not: charming, exciting, willing to take risks and run with them. For the first time, Olivia feels like she can have fun...

But there’s a lot bubbling up under the surface on this cruise, and when past secrets begin to come to light, Olivia must face all the truths that she’s ignored for so long: about herself, Sebastian, her brother, the past she thought she understood, and the future she’s always planned.

Short and Sweet Review

Olivia Schwartz has a plan, she wants a perfect SAT score, to go to a good college, and become a cardiologist. But the summer before her senior year her parents tell her the family is going on a cruise and Olivia can see all of her plans unraveling. Olivia tries to comply mainly because before her brother Logans death they both talked about going to Antigua, and one of the stops on the cruise is Antigua. Olivia plans on spending most of her time doing school work but her plans go up in plan when her family connects with old family friends and her old friend Jules convinces her to have a little fun, which is how Olivia meets Sebastian. Over the course of the cruise Olivia learns a lot about herself, and tries to face her past while planning for the future.

Olivia our main character is very focused and she has a plan about what she wants in the future and how she plans on getting there. When her parents tell her about the cruise, Olivia is upset, she’s been working on a big science project which needs to be presented, which would now happen on the cruise. Olivia can be uptight she doesn’t seem to know how to relax and have a little fun. When Olivia gets on the boat she’s determined to work on her project, but she reconnects with Jules who is able to convince Olivia to hangout with some of the other teens on board. I did enjoy the setting of a cruise ship and seeing all of the things that the passengers can do, but my favorite thing was seeing Olivia get out of her comfort zone. Within this friend group Olivia meets Sebastian, and its not love at first sight she thinks he’s making fun of her work ethic but eventually she does start to develop feelings for him and this is the first person she’s able to talk to Logan about. I did feel bad for Olivia, she’s never been in a relationship or with a guy so I don’t think she was able to see the signs the Sebastian didn’t feel the way she did. I will say that it did help Olivia to talk to Logan to someone because her parents usually avoid the subject but over this trip Olivia is finally able to have the hard conversation that has been avoided for years. When Olivia learns the truth everything she thought she knew feels like a lie. I truly think this is the first time Olivia has dealt with an obstacle like this, so much so that it makes her start to rethink everything.

In the end I did like how Olivia was able to over come and start to adjust her plans to things that aren’t as concrete as she once thought they had to be. I did appreciate how the topic of Logans death was handle and how at the end her parents realized that avoiding talking about him wasn’t helping. Olivia learns over the course of this book and I did like seeing how she grew as a character and how important topics were covered. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary romance novels.

Filed Under: Reviews

WE WERE LIARS By E. Lockhart

June 7, 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.

WE WERE LIARS By E. LockhartWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Series: We Were Liars #1
Published by Delacorte Press on 5/13/14
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Thrillers, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Short and Sweet Review

We Were Liars, focuses on Cadence Sinclair and her wealthy family. Cadence visits the family’s private island every summer and she looks forward to seeing her cousins Johnny and Mirren and her crush Gat. We’re introduced to a bit of mystery mainly because Cadence had some kind of accident but she doesn’t remember what happened, so that story unravels throughout the book. We also see how the wealth affects the family and how the adults try to win their fathers favor in order to inherit things from the island. The book started off slow, but the more we get into family dynamics and seeing Cadence slowly remember what happened to her is when things start to pick up. Cadence had some kind of accident where she is blocking out what happened the night of it. I liked that Cadence, Johnny, Mirren, and Gat were a group that didn’t want their parents to influence them and they made a group called the liars. The relationship between Cadence and Gat is interesting because her family obviously thinks she’s above them because of their social status. When we get to the end of the book the ending surprised me but it all made sense, and I really enjoyed it. This book is a good read for the summer and its short and will keep you guessing, I’m interested to see what the next book has in store!

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BELLES By Dhonielle Clayton

May 31, 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 BELLES By Dhonielle ClaytonThe Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Series: The Belles #1
Published by Disney-Hyperion on 2/6/18
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 449
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. With the future of Orleans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

KISMAT CONNECTION By Ananya Devarajan

May 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.

KISMAT CONNECTION By Ananya DevarajanKismat Connection by Ananya Devarajan
Published by Inkyard Press on 6/13/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 275
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Is it possible to change your fate?

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

BORROW MY HEART By Kasie West

May 26, 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.

BORROW MY HEART By Kasie WestBorrow My Heart by Kasie West
Series: Borrow My Heart #1
Published by Delacorte Press on 6/13/23
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 275
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

KISSING LESSONS By Sophie Jordan

May 24, 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.

KISSING LESSONS By Sophie JordanKissing Lessons by Sophie Jordan
Published by Clarion Books on 6/2/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 291
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Wild, beautiful, and (as rumor has it) experienced, Hayden Vargas doesn’t have time for love or relationships. She’s learned the hard way that the only person you can count on is yourself, and she’s hell-bent on earning enough money to leave her small, judgy Texas town as fast as possible. So when nerdy Emmaline Martin offers to pay Hayden for lessons in seduction, the money is so easy, there must be a catch. Enter the catch: Emmaline’s older brother, popular, all-around nice guy™ Nolan Martin, who doesn’t want his sister’s reputation tarnished by the school’s resident bad girl.

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

THE IRON KING By Julie Kagawa

May 19, 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 IRON KING By Julie KagawaThe Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Published by Harlequin Teen on 1/19/10
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: Ebook, Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY—ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED…

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

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

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

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

Filed Under: Reviews

GODS & MONSTERS By Shelby Mahurin

May 17, 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.

GODS & MONSTERS By Shelby MahurinGods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin
Series: Serpent & Dove #3
Published by HarperTeen on 7/27/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 624
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Lou has spent her whole life running. Now, after a crushing blow from Morgane, the time has come to go home—and claim what is rightfully hers.

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

Short and Sweet Review

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

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

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

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

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