Tag: review

Book Review – Sky in the Deep

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Title: Sky in the Deep

Author: Adrienne Young

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: April 24th, 2018

340 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart.

Review

We find things, just as we lose things. If you’ve lost your honor, you’ll find it again.

Adrienne young, sky in the deep

Okay, friends. I ordered Sky in the Deep from Amazon because it was on a super sale and I’d heard great things about it on Bookstagram. What I didn’t know, was that it was going to jump up to one of my favorite reads of this years! I’ve never thought I would be into Viking style books, but I’ve read several this year and they were all amazing!

Two tribes, the Aska and the Riki have been at war for decades in order to curry favor with their gods. Eelyn is of the Aska tribe, and she recently became of age to participate as a warrior. During a battle with the Riki, she sees her brother, who was thought dead for several years – fighting for the Riki. When trying to find out how this happened, she was captured by the Riki and turned into a slave for them. Sky in the Deep explores love, friendship, and to what lengths those will go to for their family.

I think Sky in the Deep is a great example of how different factions of people are from each other, but more importantly how similar they are. When a common enemy forces the Aska and Riki to join forces, everything that was once concerned fact is thrown into question.

Eelyn goes through a real journey during this book. It was absolutely fascinating to read and see exactly how her worldview changes based on the events she is living through. Adrienne Young did an amazing job with the characters arcs in Sky in the Deep. It’s normally hard to do as much as she did in a standalone novel, because you just don’t have as much time to take your characters on their journey.

I am now a huge Adrienne Young fan, and she is a new auto-buy author. Definitely go check out Sky in the Deep. There is another book in this world (not sequel though) that just came out a few weeks ago, so I’m going to go get that book and read it too!

Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

Book Review – Sorcery of Thorns

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Title: Sorcery of Thorns

Author: Margaret Rogerson

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication date: June 4th, 2019

456 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Review

Knowledge always has the potential to be dangerous. It is a more powerful weapon than any sword or spell.

Margaret rogerson, sorcery of thorns

Good evening, friends! I’m here bringing you my thoughts on the June OwlCrate book of the month! Sorcery of Thorns was spectacular, and I was lucky enough to read it during a buddy read with Treat Yo Shelf Book Club on Instagram. I absolutely adored this book and would recommend it to any YA Fantasy lovers out there.

We start off with Elisabeth, an orphan who has grown up in a Great Library, the home of dangerous grimoires. She has learned that sorcerers are evil, but she’s an inquisitive young woman and isn’t afraid to question those in charge. When her favorite warden is killed in a suspicious grimoire attack, she falls under suspicion as the saboteur – so she must work to clear her name. She meets Nathaniel Thorn, a powerful sorcerer who makes her question the library’s teachings. Elisabeth must determine who the real saboteur is, clear her name, and stop a plot that threatens to tear the very fabric of the kingdom apart.

My absolute favorite part of Sorcery of Thorns is any scene where Silas is in attendance. Silas is Nathaniel’s demon, very powerful and old from the Otherworld. Much of the book brings into question the morality of demons, and whether they can experience human emotions and feelings. No spoilers here in my reviews, but Silas is my favorite non human character of the year.

Elisabeth and Nathaniel share a slow burn love connection, but it’s all very tame and fitting for YA readers. This is a standalone novel, but I would love to read more about Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas. Especially after THAT ENDING. Y’ALL. The ending slayed me, and I was not okay. But it was amazing. I need more.

Outside of the fact that I love any book that is literally set in a LIBRARY, this book was amazing and please go check it out. This is my first book by Margaret Rogerson, but I definitely feel the need to pick up her backlist titles after reading Sorcery of Thorns. Her world-building and writing is just beautiful and so elegant.

Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

eARC Review – The Murder List

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Title: The Murder List

Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan

Publisher: Forge Books (Macmillian – Tor/Forge)

Publication Date: August 20, 2019

352 pages

5/5

Goodreads Synopsis

Law student Rachel North will tell you, without hesitation, what she knows to be true. She’s smart, she’s a hard worker, she does the right thing, she’s successfully married to a faithful and devoted husband, a lion of Boston’s defense bar, and her internship with the Boston DA’s office is her ticket to a successful future.

Problem is–she’s wrong.

And in this cat and mouse game–the battle for justice becomes a battle for survival.

The Murder List is a new standalone suspense novel in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and B. A. Paris from award-winning author and reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Review

Hello friends! Back again with an eARC review for you from Netgalley! Special thanks to Netgalley and Forge Books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

OH. MY. GOD. Ya’ll I stayed up half the night finishing this book. I loved every moment of this book and I had to give it ALL the stars. If I had more than 5 to give I would. The characters, the writing, the plot, the twists and turns – all of it was so suspenseful and gripping.

Rachel North is a law student at Harvard who has been assigned to her summer internship in her husband’s (also a lawyer) arch nemesis’ office. He is a defense attorney, she works for the DA’s office – it’s not the recipe for friendship. Now Rachel is working for the enemy, and Jack is not a happy camper.

This book follows Rachel’s journey in her internship, along with how it affects her marriage. Also, it dives in to the past to set up the events of how she met her husband and first became acquainted with her new supervisor, Martha. Through the deep dive into the past, you have this mystery evolve related to jury duty, murders, trials, etc. The book will keep you guessing up until the very end, where any of the character’s could be the culprit. Ryan gives you just enough information at each interval to keep you coming back for more.

This book is my definition of a good thriller/suspense novel. I related to all the characters, became invested in their story, and was totally shocked at the end how it all played out. It is the perfect murder mystery novel and if you are a fan of Lisa Scottoline, you should definitely pick this one up. Props to Ryan for putting together a book that flows through the past and present SO well. I’ve got no critiques, zero.

This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. Do yourself a favor, and go pick it up.

Happy reading, bookish friends!

Book Review – A Curse So Dark and Lonely

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Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1)

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication Date: January 29, 2019

484 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Review

The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless.

A Curse so dark and loney, brigid Kemmerer

It’s finally Friday! The end of the week always makes me so happy, even when I took two days off work in the beginning of the week! I started ACSDAL while away in Lewes, DE over the weekend and finished it all in one day. Vacation reading really is the best. I’ve had ACSDAL since Memorial Day and I’ve been super stoked to read it. After reading her most recent YA Contemporary, Call It What You Want, I knew I needed to read more of her work.

In a new Beauty and the Beast retelling, Kemmerer creates a kingdom that resides in a universe adjacent to ours. Emberfall was cursed when Prince Rhen messed around with an enchantress who went on to curse the kingdom. Rhen needs to make a woman fall in love with him, otherwise the curse will continue on forever while Emberfall is left defenseless. Oh, and at the end of every season Rhen turns into a scary monster, so there’s that.

Harper is the latest woman taken from Washington, DC for Rhen to charm. His Army Commander travels to DC to find women, though Harper wasn’t his first choice – just a concerned citizen who noticed a hulking man carrying and unconscious woman down an alleyway in a city. Totally normal. Harper is stolen from her very ill mother and brother who is doing unspeakable things to make up for their dad’s drug debts.

ACSDAL is a good retelling novel that follows the fairy tale pretty closely with the added benefit of some seriously snarky characters. Harper also has cerebral palsy, which adds a layer of disability rep. She is portrayed as not letting her CP stand in her way, but accepting her limitations and learning to work around then – without letting anyone believe she is lacking. To Rhen’s credit, he only underestimated her once in the beginning.

Kemmerer wove a tale that will captivate you and feel all the feels for Rhen, Harper, and Grey. The ending is a small level cliffhanger, but will lead into the next book seamlessly. This was also announced to be a trilogy, so I’m really excited to keep going in Harper and Rhen’s story for another two books – praying for a happy ending for my two love birds.

Happy reading, bookish friends 🙂

Book Review – Strange the Dreamer

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Title: Strange the Dreamer

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Little, Brown Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: March 28, 2017

536 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

Review

It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.

Strange the dreamer, laini taylor

Hello, friends 🙂 Back with an actual physical book review instead of a Netgalley review! I finished this book up while on the beach in Lewes, DE and I have to say, it was the best possible setting to fall in love with Lazlo and Sarai.

Y’all I think this book broke me. It was beautiful and amazing and heart wrenching and I’m not sure how to feel. I want to give it all the stars but no stars because of that ending!!

Let me back up. Strange the Dreamer is a beautifully written, evocative book that has some of the best world building I’ve ever read. Laini Taylor has such a way with words. I know you’re thinking, “Girl, of course she does, she’s and aUtHoR”, but I’m talking LEAPS and BOUNDS better than other books I’ve read. The setting really comes alive without feeling TOO bogged down in descriptive language.

In this book Lazlo is Strange the Dreamer. His last name is Strange as he is an orphan and it is the given last name of all orphans in his kingdom. Very GoT vibes. He is a dreamer because he has been obsessed with the city of “Weep” for his whole life, and he lives with his nose stuffed in a book (don’t we all, amirite??). Weep is this huge mystery after it went off the grid 200 years before, and Weep isn’t the real name. One day, the real name of the city was wiped from everyone’s memory, with no explanation. Lazlo’s dream is to find the explanation, and he is given the opportunity when the Godslayer comes knocking on the door…

Sarai is Godspawn, a resident of Weep and part of the reason why Weep went off the grid. Her existence is unknown, along with her 4 Godspawn companions. They all have powers, to be used for good and evil. Sarai is able to go into everyone’s dreams and manipulate them. She fears for her life as if anyone in Weep knew she existed, she and her siblings would be hunted to extinction…

The ending to this book broke my heart wholly. I was so mad reading it, because it was the worst possible conclusion while also forcing me to read the next one! I strongly suggest everyone pick up this book as it was so captivating and well written. The plot twist at the end will hurt, but I’m hoping for a happy ending at the end of the sequel!

Happy reading, bookish friends 🙂

eARC Review – Midnight Beauties (spoilers!)

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Title: Midnight Beauties

Author: Megan Shepherd

Publisher: HMH Teen

Publication Date: August 13, 2019

448 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

The witches, beasties, goblins, and Royals return in this spellbinding conclusion to New York Times best-selling author Megan Shepherd’s Grim Lovelies duology. 

Ever since she discovered her affinity for magic, seventeen-year-old Anouk has been desperate to become a witch. It’s the only way to save her friends who, like Anouk, are beasties: animals enchanted into humans. But unlike Anouk, the other beasties didn’t make it out of the battle at Montélimar in one piece.

With her friends now trapped in their animal forms, Anouk is forced into a sinister deal involving a political marriage with her sworn enemy, a wicked plot to overthrow London’s fiercest coven of witches, and a deadly trial of fire to become a witch. The price for power has always been steep in the world of the Haute. Now, it will cost Anouk everything.

Wicked and delightful, this spellbinding sequel and conclusion to Grim Lovelies is perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Hazelwood Wood.

Review

Bookish darlings! I’m back with another eARC review from my friends at Netgalley! Special thanks to Netgalley and HMH Teen for this eARC of Midnight Beauties! I got Grim Lovelies in a Shelflove Crate box one month in 2018 and I really enjoyed it, so I knew I had to read the sequel.

Midnight Beauties picks up about 6 weeks after Grim Lovelies ends. The beasties we know and love are still in their original animal form, and Anouk must find a way to save them, the Goblins, and eventually the world. Prince Rennar shows up at the townhouse’s door step with a proposition for her. Marry him, and he will restore the beasties to their human form. But there’s a catch. Terrible things are happening in London, and Anouk has to help. To help though, she needs more magic than the tricks and whispers she can do now. She must travel to The Black Forest to cross the Coals with her crux to be granted a witch’s powers. On average, only one girl will successfully become a witch every year through this process. But in order to save her friends, and the world, Anouk is willing to do anything.

Wow. What a good sequel to Grim Lovelies. Our girl Anouk is out here living her best life, going places and accomplishing more than anyone would expect from a simple beastie. Gotta hand it to her because she reached for the stars and got to the moon. I enjoyed returning to this magical world full of Pretties, Goblins, Witches, and Royals. Sometimes it can be confusing with just how many types of people there are, but it flows well. I like Megan Shepherd’s writing style and I would continue to read her work.

Downfalls to this book include an ending I didn’t like. The last decision Anouk makes breaks my heart because I wanted her to pick differently in her love triangle. This love triangle reminded me strongly of the Caraval trilogy where Tella has to decide between Jacks and Legend. I also docked it down a point because I di find it hard to keep up with the book at times. But again, I read it all in one day so I definitely enjoyed it immensely.

If you read Grim Lovelies, you have to read the sequel. Megan left it open to return to the world and write a follow up book(s), which I think would be very cool.

Happy reading, folks!

eARC Review – Swipe Right For Murder

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Title: Swipe Right For Murder

Author: Derek Milman

Publisher: jimmy patterson

Publication Date: August 6, 2019

336 pages

4/5

Goodreads Review

On the run from the FBI.
Targeted by a murderous cult.
Labeled a cyber-terrorist by the media.
Irritated texts from his best friend.
Eye contact with a nice-looking guy on the train.
Aidan has a lot to deal with, and he’s not quite sure which takes top priority.

Finding himself alone in a posh New York City hotel room for the night, Aidan does what any red-blooded seventeen-year-old would do—he tries to hook up with someone new. But that lapse in judgement leads to him waking up next to a dead guy, which sparks an epic case of mistaken identity that puts Aidan on the run from everyone—faceless federal agents, his eccentric family, and, naturally, a cyber-terrorist group who will stop at nothing to find him.

He soon realizes the only way to stop the chase is to deliver the object everyone wants, before he gets caught or killed. But for Aidan, the hardest part is knowing who he can trust not to betray him—including himself.

Review

Howdy, friends! August is the month I will really be cracking down on my Netgalley ARC’s so my ratio will improve. I have been denied a lot lately so I feel like that is impairing my approval. Special thanks to Netgalley and jimmy patterson for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off FAST. First 20 pages and you’re blasted off onto an epic adventure of a lifetime. Seventeen year old Aidan makes the GIANT mistake (we all make) of making some late night social media connections (wink wink) while in New York City for the night. Aidan is unapologetically gay (which is amazing). After having the most awkward encounter with a guy from his school (who doesn’t seem sure of his orientation) Aidan is left wanting more so he returns to the app. This is the problem, as a SERIOUS case of mistaken identity puts him in the middle of a murder, a hacker, a terrorist group, and he has NO IDEA what to do or better yet, who to trust.

Swipe Right grabs your attention immediately. There is no denying the action and thrilling drama that this kid is going through. You start to wonder how he is keeping his cool as well as he is. He also has secrets, which are divulged piecemeal throughout the book. They provide a new level of dimension to his character, so his arc is really cool to see.

Side characters are good, if not kind of generic. I wasn’t really connected to any of the characters who make up his friend group. But, this may be on purpose as Aidan really is the star of this show.

The last third of the book is a web that you have to try to untangle, because you have no idea who is telling the truth and who is lying. Aidan really struggles with this himself as these events that he should not have been a part of keep happening to him.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I read it all in one day (which is generally my baseline for telling definitively whether I’ve liked a book) so it definitely grabbed my attention and held it. The writing was a bit hard to understand and follow at times, but as this is the unedited edition I give it the benefit of the doubt that this will be improved before publication. The ending however, left much to be desired. After the BIG EVENT ending, there were still several chapters of wrap up. After each chapter concluded I thought to myself, “Okay, that’s a good stopping point”, but there would be a whole other chapter after that! This happened a few times. I definitely didn’t need that level of follow up. For these reasons, I knocked it down a star.

Swipe Right For Murder will be great for fans of action and thrillers. There is no slow build up, the book basically punches you in the face with plot. Buckle your seat belts and get ready for a wild ride!

Book Review – We Hunt The Flame

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Title: We Hunt The Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1)

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Publication Date: May 14, 2019

472 pages

4/5

Goodreads Synopsis

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Review

“If I told you my name, would you bow?” His voice was soft. A melancholy caress. He lifted his chin when understanding dawned on her face. “Or would you flee?” 

Hafsah Faizal, we hunt the flame

Hello book friends! I read We Hunt The Flame while I was laying out on a cruise deck in the Atlantic Ocean – which I have to say really enhances the reading experience! Highly recommend to all you lovelies to take a cruise if your financials allow it! Special shout out to my parents for hooking me and the boyf up.

For this book, I saw it was HIGHLY rated on Bookstagram by reviewers that I admire and generally tend to agree with. They LOVED it and would not stop raving about it. Me? I was less thrilled.

Not to say I did not enjoy this book, I did give it four stars after all. But it draaaagged. Like, the first 150 pages were so slow and full of build up that I found it hard to focus. The book is written from a two person point of view, where the chapters bounce back and forth. I had no issue with this part, but I felt very disconnected from the characters, it was hard to pin down the timeline, and frankly they weren’t with each other so it was pretty confusing.

HOWEVER, the story definitely picked up after the two main characters actually came in contact with each other, Zafira and Nasir. Zafira is a woman who has been portraying a man as “The Hunter” because women are not respected in her territory. She is the one who is able to brave the Arz (magical, evil forest) to bring food and water to her territory. Nasir is the Crown Prince and is also an assassin for his insanely evil and unstable father, the Sultan of the country. These two characters are on a mission that will bring them together, but also tear them apart.

Once these two lovebugs met I started to really enjoy the book more. They have such snarky banter with each other and it’s such a slow burn romance. The side characters are generally interesting, and them working together and feeling each other out made the reading process easier.

We Hunt The Flame had great world building and a few major twists at the end, which rounded it out to a 4/5 stars for me. Would definitely recommend, and I will continue this series when the sequel, We Free The Stars, is released.

Happy reading, friends!

eARC Review – Control Freak

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Title: Control Freak

Author: Brianna Hale

Publisher: Kindle Edition

Publication Date: June 27th, 2019

311 pages

4/5

Goodreads Synopsis

Total control. I need it in every aspect of my life. Some would say that makes me an asshole. A freak. But as long as everything’s exactly how I want it, I’m completely flexible. 

I’m kidding. 

Okay, I’m not kidding. 

Lacey needs someone in her life who’s bigger and scarier than her demons, and she wants that man to be me. Her boss. The Viking in a suit. I hope she understands what she’s getting into. This daddy isn’t going to pat her on the head and tell her she’s a good girl for nothing. Especially not when she’s spinning out of control. 

Author’s note: this book includes depictions of eating disorder recovery.

Review

(TRIGGER WARNING: Eating disorders, medical concerns, BDSM, explicit language, sexual scenes)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the ebook copy of Brianna Hale’s newest Romance novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Compared to other books I’ve read recently, this is very different. I love romances and erotica don’t get me wrong. I read Fifty Shades along with the rest of you. I’ve just been on a YA Contemporary and Fantasy kick lately so I haven’t done an Adult Romance in awhile. It was nice to get out my box for a few hundred pages.

I finished this book all in one day. I tend to gobble romance novels up very quickly – they are just so easy to read. I couldn’t put this one down, for several reasons.

This story took a young woman struggling with anorexia and placed her in the path of working as the assistant for an older, very attractive man. She has very deep-seeded mental health issues stemming from her battle with anorexia – so she is pretty vulnerable at this point. You get a very good sense of how hard she is struggling. but also trying to beat her demons. She describes her eating disorder as they other voice inside her head, that convinces her she is too overweight to be lovable. It can be a lot, especially if you struggle with something similar (as I do).

Frankly, I thought the author depicted anorexia well. I do not suffer from it, but I could relate to the body dysmorphia aspect and having that voice inside your head telling you that you aren’t good enough. It was fairly cathartic actually – but could be triggering for other.

Then you add in the aspect of a BDSM sexual relationship. Now, I’m not well versed with this, but I found that Hale did a better job of depicting it in a healthy way than Fifty Shades was. The book followed Lacey’s journey in recovery and entering into this relationship well. Obviously, there has to be a downside moment before the big ending, but I think it was done well.

Time for critiques. I docked this book 1 star for these reasons: I felt the relationship between Lacey and her boss happened too quickly and without a lot of lead up or transition. It was very quick and I feel like it could have been described better. Also, having been educated in the mental health field, I wasn’t entirely thrilled with how Lacy’s therapist’s character was portrayed. It was definitely better than most – but could be improved upon. For these reasons, I gave it a 4/5.

Happy reading, book friends!

Book Review – Songlines

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Title: Songlines (The Sentinels of Eden #1)

Author: Carolyn Denman

Publisher: Odyssey Books

Publication Date: August 20, 2016

320 pages

3.25/5

Goodreads Synopsis

We belong to the Earth, Lainie-Bug. We were sent here in human form for a reason. If you don’t know what to do, then just be human.

Right. Like that was ever a simple thing to do.

In the heart of the Wimmera region of Victoria, an ancient gateway to Eden is kept hidden and safe by a creature so powerful that even the moon would obey her commands – at least it would if she had any idea that she wasn’t just a normal girl about to finish high school. 

When a mining company begins exploratory sampling near Lainie’s sheep farm, a family secret is revealed that makes her regret not having learnt more about her Indigenous heritage.

What she’s told by their farmhand, Harry – an Aboriginal Elder – can’t possibly be true, but then the most irritating guy in class, Bane, begins to act even more insanely toward her than ever, until she can no longer deny that something very unusual is going on.

When Harry doesn’t return from his quest to seek help to protect the area from the miners, Lainie sets out to discover the truth of her heritage, and of the secret she’s been born to protect.

Review

Hi friends! Back again with a review from Netgalley! Thank you to Netgalley for the privilege of reviewing books and the following opinions are my own.

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, and I’ve had a hard time organizing them into coherent thoughts. Overall, I liked this book, but there were parts I just really couldn’t connect with.

Basically, this book is a fantasy in which the Garden of Eden is real and weirdly enough in Australia. Cherubim guard the opening so humans cannot stumble upon it and find it. Lainie, the main character seems to be in the US equivalent of her senior year in high school. She’s got all sorts of usual problems – a dude who picks on her, a guy best friend who is exploring the dating scene without her, and trying to figure out what she wants fo do with her life. This is until a drilling company comes sniffing around her property & opens up a rabbit hole of godly proportions.

I found I liked the characters the most, plus the love stories. Who doesn’t love a good enemies to lovers trope? I feel like it’s done well and you really get a sense of why they were enemies. I don’t necessarily love the “You have no choice in who you love” trope, but it isn’t my least favorite. Lainie is just a normal girl trying to cope with her new lot in life with a ragtag group of pals.

I will say, the religious theme doesn’t do it for me. While it isn’t outwardly devout, it is centered around the existence of a huge piece of the Bible existing. In Australia. The setting of this book is another aspect that threw me off because I’m very unfamiliar with Australian language and slang so a lot of it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I took a lot of guesses while reading.

Lastly, I was not a fan of the ending. Not because it wasn’t good or didn’t have a good enough cliffhanger, but because it made me so sad!!! I just wanted to hug all of them & squeeze them until they felt better!

I docked this book down to a 3.5/5 stars for those reasons. I’m not super sure if I will continue in the series. I imagine it would be a very mood read kinda thing. Not entirely for me, but I’d give it a try, especially if you understand Australian lingo!

Thanks for reading, friends!