What Lies Around The Bend...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE CARAVAL TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. CHECK OUT  CARAVAL  FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1, AND LEGENDARY FOR BOOK 2! "It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist. With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything. Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end…" Review: This final installment I was scared to start, I won’t lie. From bei...

"There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story. As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster." Review: Listen, I love a good moth-demon girl as much as the next person, but nothing beats “the only thing that could make you more beautiful to me than you are now is to see you...

  WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE RED QUEEN SERIES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 4. CHECK OUT  RED QUEEN  FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1,  GLASS SWORD  FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 2, AND KING'S CAGE FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 3! " VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE. Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head. But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolish everything—and everyone—in his pat...

“Seventeen-year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, a legendary bounty hunter—that is, until her father is murdered. The alleged killer is none other than Cohen Mackay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart.   She must go on a treacherous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.” Review: This was an enjoyable read. For the most part, I enjoyed the friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers storyline. The relationship between Brit and Cohen was the center of this entire book. Was it the best romance I've ever read? Absolutely not, but that might just be because friends-to-lovers is not my favorite trope. Here'...

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 ...

  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...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE SOMETHING DARK AND HOLY TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. CHECK OUT  WICKED SAINTS   FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1 AND CHECK OUT RUTHLESS GODS FOR BOOK 2!   "The girl, the monster, the prince, the queen. They broke the world. And some things can never be undone. they must unite once more to fight the dark chaos they've unleashed - but is it already too late?" Review: This was not as amazing as I was hoping!!!! Ugh I’m so torn on this one. I’ve really become invested in the three leading characters in this story and I was hyped to read their epic conclusion. This was what everything has culminated to; the epic collision between humans-not-humans, monsters-not-monsters, and gods-not-gods. However, this book seemed to just be a copy-and-paste from the last book. Our group of villains are doing exactly what they did in the last book, squabbling amongst themselves and traveling to some unknown spot to sto...

" They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will. Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power: 1) Woo the Shadow King. 2) Marry him. 3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself. No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it. But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen―all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?" Review: It has been a long time since I’ve fell in love with a book this much. I devoured this book in a single ...

 WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE CARAVAL TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 2. CHECK OUT CARAVAL FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1! "A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win. After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name. The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more―and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and d...

 "Her voice was her prison… Now it’s her weapon. In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence has been forced to torture her country's disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen's bidding. But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself." Review: Oh I’m so disappointed! This book had so much promise. A fantasy retelling of Phantom of the Opera, but with lesbians????? I was so hyped for this.  Now that I’ve finished it however, I can’t help but look inward. Is it me? Are stand-alone YA novels just not doing it for me anymore? But then I think of books like An Affair of Poisons and Wilder Girls , YA stand-alones that were done well in my eyes; successes. So I think this book just lacked a few things. First, this story lacked a key element that is critic...

I cannot believe we've made it to 200 books! And just in time for the new year! I am so proud of how far we've come on this page and I will continue to do my best on reading and writing the reviews my viewers want to see! Cheers to the next 100 posts and the 100 after that! WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE ASH PRINCESS TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. CHECK OUT  ASH PRINCESS  FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1, AND CHECK OUT LADY SMOKE FOR BOOK 2! "Princess Theodosia was a prisoner in her own country for a decade. Renamed the Ash Princess, she endured relentless abuse and ridicule from the Kaiser and his court. But though she wore a crown of ashes, there is fire in Theo’s blood. As the rightful heir to the Astrean crown, it runs in her veins. And if she learned nothing else from her mother, she learned that a Queen never cowers. Now free, with a misfit army of rebels to back her, Theo must liberate her enslaved people and face a terrifyi...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE RED QUEEN SERIES, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 3. CHECK OUT  RED QUEEN  FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1, AND CHECK OUT GLASS SWORD FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 2. "Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner. As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back. When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the wa...

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 2. CHECK OUT THE CRUEL PRINCE   FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1! "You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring. The first lesson is to make yourself strong. After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished. When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control ...

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 2. CHECK OUT GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE   FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1! "Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner who managed to do what no one else could. But slaying the cruel Demon King wasn't the end of the plan---it's just the beginning. Now Lei and her warrior love Wren must travel the kingdom to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans. The journey is made even more treacherous thanks to a heavy bounty on Lei's head, as well as insidious doubts that threaten to tear Lei and Wren apart from within. Meanwhile, an evil plot to eliminate the rebel uprising is taking shape, fueled by dark magic and vengeance. Will Lei succeed in her quest to overthrow the monarchy and protect her love for Wren, or will she fall victim to the sinister magic that seeks to destroy her?" Review: ...

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THIS FAR IN THE SOMETHING DARK AND HOLY TRILOGY, STOP NOW. DO NOT READ. THIS IS BOOK 2. CHECK OUT WICKED SAINTS   FOR THE REVIEW OF BOOK 1! " Darkness never works alone... Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become. As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer." Review: Okay so we begin book 2 absolutely wrecked from the last book when Malachiasz betrayed everyone, facilitated the death of Serefin (only for him to be brought back from the dead), and ha...

"As bitter winter winds begin to sweep across the lands of Neuterran, three of the Ruling Lords of the Four Kingdoms receive letters with word of the King’s Death. The letter sent to the fourth Lord—the King’s son, Prince Leeroy—tells only of his father’s ailing health, nothing more. With that omission, decades of peace between the Four Kingdoms start to unravel and unlikely paths begin to converge.A girl of sixteen tends to her jealous heart in a black castle perched above the sea. A woman plagued by a grief she will not name finds relief, if not true solace, in the arms of an executioner. A Lord’s daughter agrees to marry a Prince not for love, nor gold, but to distance herself from an overly familiar knight. And deep within the lush green Swamplands of the South, a soon-to-be Queen loses sleep at the thought of her husband ruling above all. Following the King’s death, the fate of Neuterran comes to rest on the unknowing Prince Leeroy’s shoulders. And with the crown without a Ki...

"Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she's one of Quadara's most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara's most enlightened region, Eonia. Varin runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara's queens dead. With no other choices and on the run from Keralie's former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation's four dead queens." Review: I cannot even begin ...