First of all, can we admire how absolutely beautiful this cover is? I might buy a final edition of this when it comes out just because of how beautiful it is. Looks aside, this is definitely a book you'll want to pick up when it comes out on October 2nd. A gender-bent retelling of Beowulf, this book is all about female empowerment.

The message behind the book is probably one of my favorite things. Frey and her companions are determined to change the master narratives told from generation to generation; narratives that often leave out women and absolutely never mention Mercies. By the end, it's a about women being able to make a name for themselves and being able to do anything men are able to do. I think there might be a second book, but don't quote me on that. Let's just say that there's room at the end to do so.

All in all, if you love Norse mythology, badass female characters, and epic battles against monstrous creatures, you'll definitely fall in love with The Boneless Mercies. Read more at www.between-the-shelves.com!

Typically, I don't necessarily gravitate toward nonfiction titles, but when I noticed this in the iRead Book Tour List, my interest was piqued. At first glance, the story seemed really engaging, personal, and emotional; all things that I like in my fiction books, so I thought this nonfiction book would be a refreshing change. I definitely wasn't disappointed.

The best aspect of this book was the changing narrators. Though it took me a few chapters to truly get into the story and layout what was going on, the change in voices throughout made for an immersive reading experience. Each narrator had a very unique writing style that made it easy to move quickly through the story and get emotionally invested in Jenny Q's story. Her story is empowering and filled with hope, breaking through the bleak news we probably see every day.

The layers and the format of the story truly reveal the true nature of all the characters presented to the reader, bringing you closer to everyone included in Jenny Q's story. The overall emphasis is community, and you'll almost feel like a part of their community while reading it.

If you're looking for something new and refreshing to add to your fall reading list, definitely check this one out!

Read this and more reviews at between-the-shelves.com!

Echo Ridge is your typical small American town, desperate for everyone to believe their facade of perfection. When Ellery and her twin brother, Ezra, move there when their mom is sent to rehab, they’re about to learn how many secrets hide behind that facade. Her aunt went missing at the age of seventeen. Five years ago, the town’s homecoming queen was killed. Now, someone has started posting menacing messages around town threatening the newest homecoming queen nominees. Ellery quickly learns that everyone in town is hiding something–and all the disappearance might be more connected than anyone thought.

Just like in One of Us Is Lying, Karen McManus is a queen at writing a mystery filled with red herrings. Just when you think you have the mystery figured out, she throws another wrench into the story, leaving you backpedaling and trying to figure out what exactly you missed. This book fits that to a tee. How do authors come up with these twists? They’re fantastic.

This book definitely had that high school feel to it, and I liked the way that that the secrets slowly become linked the more you learned about them and the people that populated the tiny town of Echo Ridge. Echo Ridge itself was crafted masterfully; I felt like I was easily transported to this town that McManus had created, populated with its own Halloween/murder themed park. In a town known for its disappearances of girls. It was the perfect backdrop for the story that McManus created.

The only thing that bothered me about this book was how difficult I found it to follow how certain characters were connected. While this was probably purposeful on the part of making the mystery more twisty, I think I missed some things because I didn’t realize certain characters were connected.

Other than that, this is a twisty mystery you’ll definitely want to get your hands on when it comes out this January!

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Read this and more reviews at between-the-shelves.com!

Quadara has been living in harmony for years due to their four queens; they rule over each of their quadrants, ensuring the safety of their subjects and their kingdoms. Keralie lives where all the quadrants meet; after all, that’s the best place to pull off theft, which is what she’s best at. But Keralie’s latest job has darker consequences than all the others. She steals a comm chip from a messenger where she sees the death of all four queens. In order to save the queens, and the kingdom, Keralie must team up with the messenger that she stole the communication from, Varin. But by the time they get to the palace, they might be too late.

I traded to receive this book on Twitter, and man, am I so glad I got to read it early! Astrid Scholte has created such a vivid world that you don’t want to leave it. And though I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, this one felt wonderfully refreshing. The concept of the Quadara was original, and this is Scholte’s debut novel? I think we’ll see a lot more great things from her.

The aspect that I think I loved the most about this was the way that the novel was constructed. With alternating chapters between Keralie and the queens, we’re shrouded in a sense of mystery until the very end of the novel. Who did kill the queens? You probably won’t see the answer coming. And that, my friends, is the mark of a successful mystery.

Not only will you be hooked through the mystery that Scholte has crafted, the little details she includes will transport you to Quadara without feeling like you’ve been bogged down with an information dump. We learn about Quadara mostly through Keralie’s interactions with Varin, a relationship that transforms as the story does. The supporting characters here are just as strong as the main characters as well; we only get snippets of each queen, but they feel as fleshed out as Keralie and Varin. With a cast and a world this strong, I wouldn’t be surprised if Scholte decided to return to this world in the future.

I flew through this book, and I almost want to go back and re-read it to see if I catch anything the second time around. I have a feeling the clues were there, and now I know enough to pick up on them.

Fast-paced and suspenseful, Scholte will bring you along to her fantastical world of Quadara this February.

Read this and other reviews at between-the-shelves.com!

Jeremy Warsh wouldn't describe his life as that exciting; a high school senior, he spends most of his time outside of school working at the local grocery store, helping his mom to make ends meet. His friends, Stuart and Kasey are the exciting ones, the ones that inspire Jeremy to start drawing again: Stuart through his senior prank plans and Kasey through coming out. This sparks a series of actions that puts Jeremy's life on a completely different path--one that includes kissing a boy at a college party. Has Jeremy just been hiding from himself this whole time? And what does that mean for his future after school?

I received a copy of this book from the author, Jess Moore, in exchange for my honest review. There are depictions of homophobia through Kasey's parents within the story, as a warning to those that it may trigger. I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed, especially with the way that Moore so accurately captures the voice of a teenager. Jeremy's voice throughout the book was so authentic, and his character was what really sucked me into the story.

Because I felt the beginning of the book was a bit slow, I wasn't expecting to be as invested as I was throughout the rest of the novel. For me, the story really starts to pick up when Jeremy is working on the Homecoming prank with Stuart and everyone else. This is where you start to see Jeremy shine, and this is where I really started getting invested in his future.

Enter the mysterious boy that Jeremy kisses at that party. While at first, this doesn't seem like it will take up that much of the plot, nor does it seem like Jeremy will actually see the guy again, I like the way that their romance subtley grew, eventually getting some of those "awe," heart-melting moments (and who doesn't love those in a teen romance?).The relationship doesn't completely take over Jeremy's journey, but instead supplements it in that it allows Jeremy to feel like he can be his true self. It fit well with the story and the characters, and the comparisons to Daredevil were just a bonus.

This coming-of-age story hits all the right notes for young adult, effectively encapsulating what it means to be a teenager. This is Jess Moore's first book, and I'm sure it won't be her last!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Check out more about the book and other reviews at between-the-shelves.com!

While I don't usually read historical fiction, I was drawn in by the complexities of the plot that Kellerman created. There are a lot of threads here to follow, but it made the mystery all the more satisfying. At times, I almost forgot that I was reading something set in history; all the events so were fast paced that I needed to keep reading to find out what happened next. The mystery and suspense blend well with the historical period that Kellerman chose to write in, making the novel all the more interesting.

Though the plot was intriguing and engaging, there were times, for me, where the writing felt a bit awkward, mostly when it came to the dialogue. At the beginning, when they're discussing the attempted murder of the kid, the dialogue didn't feel authentic to me. Each character felt much too long winded; instead of giving the reader all of the information from the character's conversation, Kellerman might have included some other description to better transport the reader to this time in history. 

Once you get past that beginning scene, it becomes easier to become engrossed in the story. As you read on, the story picks up pace, and the dialogue flows a bit better with what's happening in the text. All in all, Kellerman has created a suspenseful story that fans of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy.