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Showing posts from March, 2022

The Fandom by Anna Day (Review #217)

"Violet's in her element. Cosplay at the ready, she can't wait to feel part of her favorite fandom: The Gallows Dance, a mega book and movie franchise that she and her friends know every word of (canon and fanfic included). But at Comic Con, a freak accident transports Violet and her friends into the story for real. And in just the first five minutes, they cause the death of the heroine, and get taken prisoner by the rebel group she was supposed to lead to victory. It's up to Violet to take her place, and play out the plot the way it was written. But stories have a life of their own, and when you change the script in one place, the rest gets revised too...." Review: Alright this wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The nerdy girl has to replace the brave heroine from her favorite book?? Exciting. Or is it? Shrinking Violet and all her friends (and her dorky younger brother) all fall into the tale. All except Katie know how the plot is supposed to go. And yet.....

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Review #216)

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE FOLK OF THE AIR TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3.  FOR THE REVIEW ON BOOK 1, CHECK OUT THE CRUEL PRINCE .  FOR BOOK 2, CHECK OUT THE WICKED KING .  “ He will be the destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne . Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.  Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her twin sister, Taryn, whose life is in peril.  Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she b...

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Review #215)

" Seven months. That’s how long I was kept captive. Locked in a room with a bed, refrigerator, and adjoining bathroom, I was instructed to eat, bathe, and behave. I received meals, laundered clothes, and toiletries through a cat door, never knowing if it was day or night. The last time I saw the face of my abductor was when he dragged me fighting from the trunk of his car. My only solace was Mason―one of the other kidnapped teens―and our pact to one day escape together. But when that day finally came, I had to leave him behind. Now that I’m home, my parents and friends want everything to be like it was before I left. But they don’t understand that dining out and shopping trips can’t heal what’s broken inside me. I barely leave my bedroom. Therapists are clueless and condescending. So I start my own form of therapy―but writing about my experience awakens uncomfortable memories, ones that should’ve stayed buried. When I ask the detectives assigned to my case about Mason, I get an an...

Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin (Review #214)

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE SERPENT & DOVE SERIES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. CHECK OUT  SERPENT & DOVE   FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1, AND BLOOD & HONEY FOR BOOK 2!   “Evil always seeks a foothold. We must not give it one. 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.” Review: This was certainly an interesting final installment. The overall feeling I’ve had throughout this whole series has been frustration. I’m frustrated with the plot, I’m frustrated with the pace and I’m frustrated with having to push through this read. Clearly though, I’m invested. I care where this goes, the author has made me care. But at what cost?  I thin...

Lifestyles of Gods & Monsters by Emily Roberson (Review #213)

"Sixteen-year-old Ariadne’s whole life is curated and shared with the world. Her royal family’s entertainment empire is beloved by the tabloids, all over social media, and the hottest thing on television. The biggest moneymaker? The Labyrinth Contest, a TV extravaganza in which Ariadne leads fourteen teens into a maze to kill a monster. To win means endless glory; to lose means death. In ten seasons, no one has ever won. When the gorgeous, mysterious Theseus arrives at the competition and asks Ariadne to help him to victory, she doesn’t expect to fall for him. He might be acting interested in her just to boost ratings. Their chemistry is undeniable, though, and she can help him survive. If he wins, the contest would end for good. But if she helps him, she doesn’t just endanger her family’s empire―the monster would have to die. And for Ariadne, his life might be the only one worth saving. Ariadne’s every move is watched by the public and predestined by the gods, so how can she find...

Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan (Review #212)

  WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. CHECK OUT  GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE   FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1 AND CHECK OUT GIRLS OF STORM AND SHADOW FOR BOOK 2! "There's one thing Lei knows - she can never return to the Hidden Palace. The trauma and tragedy she suffered behind those opulent walls would plague her forever. She could not be trapped there with the sadistic king again, especially without Wren... The last Lei saw of the girl she loved, Wren was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. With the two girls torn apart and each in terrorizing peril, will they find each other again or have their destinies diverged forever?" Review: What an amazing final chapter. This series has been filled with so much love and grief and hardship but this was the ending I think we all deserved. Lei and Wren have been separated and Lei is back in the clutches of the K...

Docile by K. M. Szpara (Review #211)

"There is no consent under capitalism. To be a Docile is to be kept, body and soul, for the uses of the owner of your contract. To be a Docile is to forget, to disappear, to hide inside your body from the horrors of your service. To be a Docile is to sell yourself to pay your parents' debts and buy your children's future. Elisha Wilder’s family has been ruined by debt, handed down to them from previous generations. His mother never recovered from the Dociline she took during her term as a Docile, so when Elisha decides to try and erase the family’s debt himself, he swears he will never take the drug that took his mother from him. Too bad his contract has been purchased by Alexander Bishop III, whose ultra-rich family is the brains (and money) behind Dociline and the entire Office of Debt Resolution. When Elisha refuses Dociline, Alex refuses to believe that his family’s crowning achievement could have any negative side effects - and is determined to turn Elisha into the pe...