Tag: ya

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!

Book Review – Of Rioters and Royals

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Title: Of Rioters and Royals (Swift Shadows Book #1)

Author: M. L. Greye

Publisher: Kindle

Publication Date: January 18, 2019

421 pages

4.25/5

Goodreads Synopsis

Emry is a Royal – a princess of Enlennd. As is tradition, she must have a knight at her side as her protector. The only way to appoint one is through The Trials. Her Challengers from the five regions of Enlennd must compete for the infamous title of Princess’s Knight. The problem, though, is that the people of Enlennd are split into two categories: Rioters and Royals. Finding the perfect knight may be the last of her worries. War is coming to Enlennd. 

Declan is a Rioter. An upriser. An anarchist. He mistrusts the Jewels – the sovereign family of Enlennd. Yet, he is offering himself up as a Challenger in The Trials. The Mistress, leader of the Rioters, has a mission for him. The first step is for him to become the Princess’s Knight. He is ready for the task, until he actually meets Emry and discovers that betraying her would be much more difficult than he’d thought. 

Review

Good afternoon, book friends! The author of this book reached out to me on Instagram to offer an ebook copy of Of Rioters and Royals in exchange for an honest review and Instagram feature. Opinions listed are my own.

Friends, I loved this book. Greye started off the book with a deep dive into the history of the world she built, and even though as I was reading it I was less than interested (history in books can be a bit dry), it became REALLY helpful as the book continued on. She has a really diverse magic system and you can tell she took the time to really think through the world and magic system.

Basically, your abilities are dependent on the color of your eyes – and not just normal eye colors. You’ve got Teal, Purple, Orange, Red, Black, and even Silver. You have a base color and can have flecks of other colors. Your base color is your main ability, but the flecks can give you lesser abilities. I think it’s a pretty neat idea and worked well in execution.

The world is a kingdom ruled by The Jewels, each member of the royal family is named after a precious jewel. Emry’s real name is Emerald, her sister is Citrine, and her father is Onyx (you get the gist). The Jewels have five regions in their kingdom, however one has been at odds with them for a long time. Anexia contains a sect of people called Rioters, who looks to dispose the royal family. They have a plan… to kidnap Princess Emerald by having Declan be a Challenger in what is called The Trials. The Trials are put on by the monarchs to find the ultimate protector for the Princess, and Declan looks to prove himself in the Rioters organization and to the mysterious Mistress who runs the group.

This book kept me on my toes for real. There was such a subtle level of foreshadowing, where you could kind of guess where the twists may lie without being too sure. It was a good balance, which is something I look for in a book. I like to be able to see twists coming, but it is very fun to be surprised. I picked up on most of the foreshadowing, but there was one point that really threw me for a loop (no spoilers) and I’m still thinking about it.

One critique I would have is about how the love story came about. It felt too fast and forced in the moment. You knew it was coming of course, but it went from 0-100 real quick without much transition or thought on either part. I also wish The Trials had been more of a central part of the book – I felt they ended pretty quickly. I get why, I just feel like I wanted more from it. For these reasons, I docked it down to a 4.25 read.

Overall, I would definitely suggest adding it to your Kindle TBR – and I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy to find out what happens to my precious Emry and Dec. Their characters were very well fleshed out, and if there’s one thing I love – it’s a strong, female character that is complemented by her man, not the other way around.

If you like magic, rebellions, twists and turns you don’t see coming, and epic love stories – this will be the book for you. Greye has a level of depth to her writing that makes you want to be a part of the world and story. I’m still trying to figure out what color I would want my eyes to be…

Until the next, my friends! (which is indeed a a quote from the book!)

eARC Review – Call It What You Want

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Title: Call It What You Want

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA/Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Publication Date: June 25, 2019

384 pages

5/5

Goodreads Synopsis

When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship…

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?

Review

Hello book friends! Back again with another eARC review 🙂 Special shoutout to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for sending me this galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Guys, I am obsessed with this book, I quite literally read it all in one day. Once I started, I just couldn’t put it down. I would die for Rob and Maegan and will stand in the way of anyone hurting them!!

CIWYW was such a cute, contemporary novel. This is the first title I’ve read by Brigid Kemmerer (I do own A Curse So Dark and Lonely but have yet to pick it up) and I am impressed. She officially has a fan for life. I read so many YA Fantasy novels that I forget how much I enjoy a good, contemporary novel. This book is written from two perspectives – Rob and Maegan’s. This is nice because you get a slice of the story from both points of views and in their own voices.

So let’s start off with the characters. I am a sucker for some lonely, messed up characters!! Rob and Maegan are struggling with very real, and very personal problems while trying to survive their senior year of high school. They are learning to navigate life as social rejects. Rob’s dad embezzled many in the town out of a whopping 7 million buckos and Maegan cheated on the SAT’s, which ended up invalidating 100 students scores. Both of them are hurting and have resulting trust issues of others from the backlash of their peers. They are thrown together to do a math project and neither of them are happy about it, they both would prefer to be alone. Rob and Maegan quickly learn to lean on each other, and begin to explore the idea of having close friends again.

There is a love story between two characters, an LGBTQIA character (no love story for him womp womp), and some sneaky Robin Hood themes. It begs the question – is it wrong to steal if you are using the items for good and not evil? It is a theme that is highly explored, and is an interesting concept.

Frankly, I loved CIWYW and have preordered a copy as a result of reading this. The love story is SO well done – reading Rob’s point of view was so important. The topic of respecting woman is brought up at one point, and Brigid did such a good job of presenting a teenage, male character that was interested physically in the girl – but acted (and thought) with nothing but respect for her wishes and comfort levels in intimate situations. It was honestly a breath of fresh air in a time when this topic is difficult to navigate.

Upon finishing CIWYW I almost immediately went back to reread a few scenes that stood out of me (okay, the romantic scenes – I’m a sucker, alright?!) and this is a huge sign for me that it is a five star read. The fact that I wanted to go back to relive big moments doesn’t happen with every title I pick up. Frankly, my sole gripe about this book is that there isn’t a follow up book to go with it! I need more Rob and Maegan!

In conclusion, pick this one up if you like a good high school romance, Robin Hood, real teenage angst and issues, and some well built characters. This would be a great beach read for the summer!

Enjoy, book friends!

eARC Review – Soul of the Sword (spoilers)

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Title: Soul of the Sword

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen/Inkyard Press

Publication date: June 18th, 2019

304 pages

4.25/5

Goodreads Synopsis

One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono.

Now he has broken free.

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.

Review

Is this an ‘I’m sorry I tried to assassinate you’ tea ceremony?

julie kagawa, soul of the sword

First off, HUGE thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for providing me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are mine alone. This was my first time having the opportunity to read and review a book that has yet to be officially released, and I will be forever grateful.

Now, onto the review. My babies Yumeko, Daisuke, and Okame are back and still getting into trouble. Now, they are tasked with saving Tatsumi from Hakaimono and ya know, saving the empire from the Master of Demons.

I enjoyed Soul a lot more than I did Shadow. I think I got more comfortable with the Japanese terms and language – along with what it means for the story line. On the flip side, the author added even more terms to this book than Shadow, which was a lot. She added at like 10 more types of demons/ghosts/undead spirits. My head was spinning trying to keep them straight.

Soul went the usual path I feel trilogies take, much of the plot line was spent setting up the third book. This can generally lead to a more boring book, but I felt that Soul traversed this ground well and never felt boring. She managed to set up the final book while also providing enough action and drama to keep you hooked through the book.

It crushed my heart that Tatsumi was so sad during this book! He just wanted to save Yumeko after she managed to elicit emotions in him for the first time in years – but he was powerless to help her through 99% of the book! And poor Yumeko had no concept that he had feelings for her (or that she had feelings for him) because she had no experience with this.

My favorite part? We have an LGBTQIA relationship sighting!! It took me COMPLETELY by surprise but I absolutely love it. Especially in a culture that is traditionally non supportive of such relationships and when one half of the couple is part of the noble, ruling family. But Daisuke was very forward thinking in pursuing the relationship and going for what he wants – regardless of their culture and the expectations of him. The romance melted my heart and I will ship Daisuke and Okame forever.

The few tiny aspects that took Soul below a 5 star read for me was the final fight scene, cliffhanger at the end, and the mysteriousness of Seigetsu. The final fight scene was very anticlimactic (though props to Yumeko for that fake out) and had me wanting more. I am just not too happy with how the book ended, and am hopeful that it is all sorted out in the final book. And who is this Seigetsu person acting like the puppet master? It’s starting to irritate me, because I can’t tell if he is a “good” or “bad” character. For these reasons, I couldn’t give it a whole 5 stars.

Soul of the Sword will be released tomorrow, June 18th so if you loved Shadow of the Fox, you should definitely go check it out!

Thanks for reading, friends 🙂

Book Review – Shadow of the Fox

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Title: Shadow of the Fox

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

409 pages

3.75/5

Goodreads Synopsis

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

Review

It is very hard to be human, little fox. Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.

-julie kagawa, Shadow of the fox

Hello again friends! I read Shadow of the Fox as a library book because Harlequin Teen was kind enough to grant me an eARC of Soul of the Sword to review (which will be the next review I post!) so I obviously had to read Shadow first!

I knew absolutely nothing of this book going in, and didn’t even read the synopsis before beginning. Big mistake. I was so confused reading this in the beginning – the whole first chapter seems to introduce a main character… but then she dies… (which isn’t a spoiler because after further perusal I noticed that her death is mentioned in like, the first paragraph). But I was thrown when I read that. I definitely should have read the synopsis before just jumping into this one.

I ended up liking this book, but it took me a good while to get into it. It was still sitting at a solid 3 stars when I was getting into the last quarter or so of the book. Here’s why:

  1. Generally, I don’t know much about Japanese culture. Honestly, my boyfriend had to tell me that this book was set in a Japanese culture. This is one area that I am woefully ignorant, which made it hard to understand. The writing is dense with traditional Japanese terms that hold little to no meaning for me, so I felt like I wasn’t understanding 2/3’s of the plot and characters. Not Julie Kagawa’s fault – but eye opening to see I need to read up and do some research. Over the length of the book, this got easier, but it took awhile.
  2. I could not connect with the main characters, Yumeko and Kage Tatsumi, for the longest time. The character arcs were a long time coming and they were very flat for most of the book. Yumeko is young & innocent, prone to mischief due to her fox like nature (she is half fox – can use magic – called in this world “kitsune”). Tatsumi is emotionless. Literally. It’s his job to be a walking robot slaying demons. Doesn’t exactly lend to an interesting or likable character. Frankly, he wanted to kill Yumeko immediately upon them meeting.

These two reasons made it so hard to get into this book. BUT – I will say they both improved by the very end of the book. I started to understand the terms more (thank you glossary in the back!) and the characters became more defined. You started to see more of Yumeko’s cleverness (even for a peasant girl) and Tatsumi’s desire to be more than a weapon for his clan. More characters are added to provide depth – and it begins to work. The gang gets in, and out, of a few jams and they really grow together as a #squad. Taiyo Daisuke could get it. Forreal.

But y’allll… that CLIFFHANGER. I’m so glad I had access to the next title because I was shook. This is a no spoiler review so that’s all I will say…

Overall, a few small things took this book lower than 5. I will be reading the second (in the trilogy) and reviewing it shortly. I will definitely continue on in this series, and I recommend it if Asian culture based books are your jam!

Thanks for reading, friends 🙂

Book Review – Once & Future

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Title: Once & Future

Authors: Amy Rose Capetta, Cori McCarthy

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (JIMMY Patterson Books)

336 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.

Review

“It’s true, I’m no murderer. But I do have an impulse control problem. And a sword.”

– Amy rose capetta, Cori Mccarthy, Once & Future

Friends! I finished another book! I wanted to review Once & Future because it was not my favorite book. It sounds kind of backwards, but I don’t want my blog to just be me raving about books I loved. It will be of course, but I want to review all types of books, even those that don’t interest or thrill me as much.

So in terms of this book. There are pieces I love and pieces that just weren’t my jam. Overall, I’m not too surprised that this book didn’t thrill me, because retellings are all very hit and miss for me. Add in sci-fi (which is also hit and miss) and you have a recipe that I’m not too interested in making again.

PROS.

  1. Genderbent retelling. I love when classic stories are switched to be from a different perspective. The concept of King Arthur as a female is highly intriguing, which is part of the reason I picked up the book. I’m not super familiar with the King Arthur legend – I had to ask my boyfriend a few questions about it because I just wasn’t getting the references!
  2. LGBTQIA. This is a wonderful queer retelling. Now, I am a cis and straight person, so I don’t pretend to fully understand a solid queer rep – but I’d be willing to bet that this is up there with the best of the best. There is a quote that sticks with me… Merlin uses a he/him pronoun for a gender fluid character and he apologizes then says something to the affect of : I am from a society where historically gender assumptions are based on appearances and aesthetics – and Ari says EW! I loved that part, and it is so important in today’s society
  3. Merlin. In this book, Merlin is aging backwards – so he is a 17 year-old male in this retelling. He is also gay. I’ll repeat, we have a gay wizard. As a Harry Potter fan, I’ve been waiting for this day for SO LONG! All the representation! Anyway, the fact that he is aging backwards becomes a pretty important plot point as it inhibits his interactions with the rest of the knights.

CONS.

  1. I don’t care about King Arthur. As stated, I don’t know much about King A. However, I now know that I don’t really care about the legend, and honestly it bores me. I got through the book, but it was very *yawn* as a plot baseline. Also, the “evil” that needs to be vanquished is very reminiscent of the Capitol in The Hunger Games and it felt unoriginal.
  2. Gwen and Kay. Okay. If you haven’t read this book, look away because spoilers are coming. Gwen is Ari’s WIFE. Kay is Ari’s BROTHER. Ari becomes presumed dead, so they start banging each other?? EXCUSE ME? No, I don’t even care for Gwen’s “it was the closest way I could be with you”. Hellz no. BYE. AND THEN. She’s PREGNANT? And THEN… he DIES? Nope. You lost me. His death scene was very annoying – it wasn’t well explained and felt unnecessary.
  3. Dragons. That weren’t dragons. But were dragons? Still confused. Someone advise. Now, I love dragons. Dragons make every book better. But if you’re going to have dragons, call them dragons…. not taneens. Like, dragons exist in this world, but these dragon like things are not dragons. But are definitely dragons by description. Still confused.
  4. Space. I totally get the concept that Old Earth was overrun over the centuries and basically destroyed so everyone went to space and to live on planets. Got it. Totally could happen. But why is space so… cliche? Like a moon that is basically Vegas? And there is conveniently a planet that is bass ackwards enough to be Arthurian? Like, literally modeled after King Arthur’s time? And the random chick Ari loves is the queen? – Y’all, I get that this is a cycle of life and Merlin keeps coming back to run through the same basic story line – but some originality would be nice, and less obvious coincidences.

Okay, that was a lot of words. I have a lot of feelings, okay?!? I will read the sequel when it is released in 2020 regardless, and I’m sure I’ll review it. I’m just glad I didn’t spend money on this book and read it through the library. It was not my jam, but that’s okay! If you love retellings and sci-fi with some lovely queer rep, this will be the book for you! It was written well, I will say that.

Happy reading, friends!

Book Review – LEGEND (spoilers!)

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Title : LEGEND

Author : Nicole Conway

Publisher : Month9Books

355 pages

Rating : 4/5

Goodreads Synopsis

In a war of gods and tyrants, the will of the dragonrider must never falter.

Captured and tortured by the brutal tyrant, Argonox, Reigh’s worst fears have now been realized. Argonox has successfully twisted his mysterious dark power for a truly evil purpose—reanimating the long-deceased legendary dragonrider, Beckah Derrick, and her monstrous king drake. But Argonox’s cruelty won’t end there, and Reigh fears the worst is yet to come. Rescue is unlikely as the Tibrans prepare to make their final strike, poised to break Maldobar’s ranks of proud dragonriders once and for all.

With many of its cities already captured by the Tibran Empire, all hope now rests with Jaevid, Princess Jenna, Phillip, and their mismatched band of dragonrider allies to lead the last stand and save their kingdom. Even in such frightful times, Jaevid may find he still has a few old friends ready to take up their weapons and stand at his side again. But facing down Beckah is perhaps the one thing that might break Jaevid’s resolve. Can he really strike down the woman he used to love in order to save the kingdom?

One final battle will decide the fate of our heroes. Can the strength dragonrider prevail once again? Or will the Tibran Empire become Maldobar’s new legacy?

Review

*ebooks received in exchange for an honest review*

Friends! I’m here today to talk about the third book in the Dragonrider Legacy trilogy! I received all 3 ebooks from Month9Books for free in exchange for an honest review of the the third book, LEGEND, along with my participation in a Bookstagram tour. Many thanks to Month9Books for this opportunity 🙂

I’m going to focus on the third book for this review, so if you haven’t read the first two – look away and go get the first 2 books if you don’t want spoilers! Overall, if you like dragons, dark magic, and overthrowing tyrannical, invading overlords in bloody battles – this book series may be for you! I enjoyed the series and gave all 3 books 4 stars.

LEGEND is the epic conclusion to Reigh’s journey. Sadly, most of the book is not told from his perspective – which I found mildly strange. However, as he was a captive of the aforementioned tyrannical, invading overlord I guess it makes sense – I just wanted more Reigh in my life, along with his adorably naive cockiness! Overall, the book provided a nice ending for all characters. Reigh is acknowledged as a Prince by his father, the King, and he continues to get to know his other siblings. There’s a few good battle scenes, Jaevid does pretty awesome, demigod-like tricks and of course, they defeat the bad guy.

It killed my heart that Jaevid’s long lost love was brought back to a semblance of life to haunt him in the middle, but my heart swelled when his deal with Clysiros brought her back for good! And that ENDING. WITH KIRAN??? UGH my heart. Reigh so deserved it. I loved that he didn’t ask for any conditions in the deal, and that Jaevid thought of it for him – so considerate, and showed that Reigh really just wanted the bad guys to be gone for the good of Maldobar and Luntharda.

One critique, I wanted more closure for Reigh and Enyo. Will they stay together? Does she visit him in Maldobar? Do they ever get married?? What happened to Jenna and Phillip? Basically, I need answers. I feel like there was a lot of good closure in this series but I ALWAYS WANT MORE! Especially when love stories are involved – I want to know everything about their hopefully now mundane lives!!

I knocked this down one star because a decent bit of it was a confusing. The writing seemed a bit disjointed at times, and I felt that some transitions were lacking. Some major events occurred without enough buildup or explanation, in my opinion. HOWEVER, I would continue to read in this realm and I’ve heard (from Goodreads) that there’s a prequel series where I can read about my boy Jaevid’s first war and discovering he is the lapiloque – definitely intrigued!

OVERALL. We have dragons, war, dark magic, unconditional love – AND some pretty decent characters. Nicole Conway weaves a good mixture of those highly desirable fantasy traits that will keep you reading. I recently won a copy of Scales by Nicole Conway in a Storygram Tours giveaway, so I’m glad I have the opportunity to continue reading her work.

Happy reading friends!

May Haul

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So… I got a lot of books this month! I did such a good job last month of not really buying books, that of course I had to make up for it?? I swear my boyfriend is going to leave me one of these days if I keep coming home with Barnes and Noble’s bags full of books! Honestly, I have no space for extra books but do you see that stopping me? No ma’am! My next plan is to buy a TBR cart like those I’ve seen on Bookstagram – only when I went to buy one at Target they were out. Womp Womp.

So here’s my breakdown of my book acquisitions for this month:

BOOK BOXES:

My April and May ShelfLove Crates, May OwlCrate, Finale Special Edition OwlCrate, and Fox and Wit Kingsbane box came this month.

  1. Wicked Saints – Emily A. Duncan (artwork on reverse of dust jacket)
  2. We Hunt The Flame – Hafsah Faizal (exclusive cover)
  3. Romanov – Nadine Brandes (exclusive cover)
  4. We Hunt The Flame – (exclusive ARC cover on the reverse of dust jacket)
  5. Finale – Stephanie Garber (exclusive cover)
  6. Kingsbane – Claire Legrand (sprayed edges)

BARNES & NOBLE:

I went to B&N the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend to splurge… so here’s what I got!

  1. Gemina – Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  2. Obsidio – Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  3. Aurora Rising – Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (see a trend???)
  4. A Curse So Dark and Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer
  5. Enchantee – Gita Trelease

GIVEAWAY:

Not pictured, but I won a giveaway on Bookstagram and received one book!

  1. A Good Enough Mother – Bev Thomas

FROM LE BOYF:

The boyf picked up a book for me (totally without being asked…right…) this month and he chose…

  1. Scythe – Neal Shusterman

Let me know in the comments if you picked up any of these this month, or if you’ve read any of these! I’ve already read a few, which I’ll talk more about in my May Wrap Up post coming tomorrow!

Definitely going on a book buying ban in June……… you’re welcome boyfriend!

Book Review – The Devouring Gray

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Title : The Devouring Gray

Author : Christine Lynn Herman

Publisher : Titan Books

368 pages

Rating : 4/5

Goodreads Synopsis

On the edge of town a beast haunts the woods, trapped in the Gray, its bonds loosening…

Uprooted from the city, Violet Saunders doesn’t have much hope of fitting in at her new school in Four Paths, a town almost buried in the woodlands of rural New York. The fact that she’s descended from one of the town’s founders doesn’t help much, either—her new neighbours treat her with distant respect, and something very like fear. When she meets Justin, May, Isaac, and Harper, all children of founder families, and sees the otherworldly destruction they can wreak, she starts to wonder if the townsfolk are right to be afraid.

When bodies start to appear in the woods, the locals become downright hostile. Can the teenagers solve the mystery of Four Paths, and their own part in it, before another calamity strikes?

Review

So, my apologies for not having a picture of this book that I took myself. I was so excited to get my library books back on time today that I forgot to take a photo first! Total fail, I’ll do better next time y’all. Anyhow, I wasn’t going to let that setback keep me from reviewing this beautiful book!

The Devouring Gray is a solid book that has all the things I am drawn to in YA Fantasy books. You’ve got this group of young characters with the weight of the world on their shoulders… all while still being in high school. They all have troubled pasts or troubled presents and have a connection to each other – they must work together to save their town from the monster in the Gray. Next, you’ve got a corrupt town and a group of adults who are frankly terrible and need to go somewhere quickly. Of COURSE the kids are the only sane one’s in the whole town of Four Paths. Lastly, it’s got a town with rich history, customs, and most importantly – MAGIC!

FOUR PATHS. Basically, a long while ago four people came across a town with a monster terrorizing it. They fought the monster and took some of it’s powers, banishing it to the “Gray”. The four youngsters are all descendants of the original four who saved the town – called “founders”. The town “worships” (doesn’t apply to everyone – in comes RISING ACTION!) them, as the descendants continue to patrol the town and fend off the Gray. The one catch is not every descendant gets powers. They just complete a ritual – each family has a different one. Those who fail – generally die. In the book, the Gray is becoming stronger and the founders are becoming weaker – the four main characters must work together to weaken it once and for all.

CHARACTERS. Justin, Harper, Isaac, and Violet. All founders, different families. Harper hates Justin for a past issue, Justin holds firmly onto the guilt of what he did to Harper. Both Justin & Harper failed their rituals*. Isaac has more power than he can control, and this gets him into trouble. Violet moved to Four Paths with her mother completely unaware of her heritage – but she quickly learns, and is less than impressed. They all have a good character arc, decent back stories, and will pull at the heartstrings.

THE ADULTS. OK. Look. I get it that we adults think we’re all that and a bag of chips, but honestly these kids are smarter than the adults. Justin’s mom Augusta is the Sheriff of Four Paths, but has a power that no one knows about because it would lead to SEVERE distrust if people knew. She would NOT have any power in the town if they had any clue what she’s been doing to them. She runs the place as if she is judge, jury, AND executioner and it is ANNOYING. She can seriously leave and wouldn’t be missed. Then Harper’s dad is part of a group that is trying to overthrow Augusta – but also has a much darker mission. Again, cue STUPIDITY. They almost got their damn selves killed. SMH. But I digress.

CRITIQUE. I generally LOVED this book. I was on the edge of my seat in the beginning because this type of book really is my YA bread and butter. BUT, there were parts that were hard to understand and weren’t explained super well – basically the whole climax scene. Also, the cliffhanger was good, but not GREAT. Give me a cliffhanger that makes me NEED the next book pronto mucho. The Devouring Gray leaves you with unanswered questions and a definite opening for the sequel, but I’m not feverishly refreshing the author’s Instagram page for release updates. For these reasons, I docked it one star – 4/5.