The Last Namsara is the first book in the young adult fantasy Iskari series by Kristen Ciccarelli. I loved this book so, so much. I listened to it on audiobook and I highly recommend the audio book of this series. The narrators voice is so wonderful and I felt like she brought the old tales in the story to life. The Last Namsara is a must read for fans of fantasy, romance and dragons. I loved this book and I am super duper excited to continue on in this world, because I need to know what is going to happen next. This series is a set of companion novels that each follow different main characters but they events are all set sequentially, meaning each book takes place after the events of the previous book, so you follow the same main storyline for the events of the world, which is pretty cool. I love seeing companion novels in a fantasy setting, because I feel like the majority of companion novels I read are set in the contemporary world. 

In The Last Namsara we meet our fantastic main character, Asha, who is the daughter of the King and who is the kingdom's dragon slayer, or Iskari. Asha is kind of an outcast because she is the world sees her as the cause of a dragon attack on her village when she was young. Dragons play a huge role in The Last Namsara and I found them to be completely fascinating to learn about. There are so many secrets to unweave in this story, so I will only tell you the basics and let you discover the magic in all of the details of The Last Namsara for yourself. Dragons are attracted to people telling the old stories. Because of this, speaking the old stories out loud is forbidden. (for many reasons, but the most common is because it will attract dragons.) Asha tells the old stories to draw the dragons to her so she can kill them. Through the book there is an event set in motion that requires Asha to hunt down the oldest dragon of them all and bring his head to the king. And that is where our story really gets going. 

Kristen Ciccarelli does a wonderful job bringing the dragons, the stories, the characters, and the ancient folklore surrounding each to vivid, vibrant life. I was captivated by this story whole heartedly. I fell in love with every aspect of this story. I love hearing the old stories, I loved learning about the dragons, and the politics and of course the characters and the romance. The romance won my heart completely. I am so in love with the main characters from this story that I am sad to them move into the background in the next book. The next book is going to feature Roa and I have to be completely honest, I am not sure how I feel about that because she was not my favorite secondary character from The Last Namsara. But I am so in love with the story and Kristen's writing that I need to continue on to find out what is going to happen next in this magical world. I hope there are plenty more dragons and romance. And I am super curious to see if my opinion of Roa will change in the next book. 

Bottom line: The Last Namsara is one of my favorite reads of 2020! Fantasy lovers do not want to miss out on this fantastic book. I loved it so much!

Untamed is the first book in the young adult dystopian series of the same name by Author Madeline Dyer. Untamed is such a cool concept! It is set in a Dystopian world where the population has been Enhanced with chemical augmenters, and there is a divide between the Enhanced and the remaining unenhanced normal humans. I thought Untamed was a really great book and a great start to what looks like it is going to be a really action packed and interesting series. I can't wait  to see where the books are going to go from here. 

In Untamed we meet our main character Seven, who is a human and is also a seer. She finds herself in a unique position caught between the humans and the enhanced because of her visions. In untamed, people can choose to become something more something better (so they say) by enhancing physical aspects of themselves and by using chemical augmenters that help keep them happy and their moods stabilized. I found this concept to be so interesting because the book brought up different ideas of the good guys and evil and all of the shades in between. I loved watching Seven think about everything critically. She starts to question the things she has been told growing up and it was really fascinating to see some of the secrets in the book play out. 

This book was a fast paced adventure that reminded me of everything that I love about a good dystopian story. There are great characters, an interesting futuristic world at war, and plenty of secrets. This book is fast paced from the start to the finish and I can’t wait to see where it is going to go from here! I can’t wait for book two!

Crownchasers is the first book in the young adult science fiction adventure by Rebecca Coffindaffer. It is the first book in the Crownchasers series and it was so.freakin.good! It is one of my favorite reads of the year. Honestly, I think this is a must read book for all fans of young adult fiction. Even if you are not a science fiction reader, this is a must read book. Because I don't read very much science fiction, and I ate up and loved every page of this book. 

In Crownchasers we join our main characters on a scavenger hunt across the galaxy. And this is no ordinary chase, the winner gets a crown as the prize. They get to be the new Emperor of the whole empire. Our main character is Alyssa, whose uncle is the current Emperor. On his deathbed, instead of naming an heir to be the next in line, he calls for a Crownchase- a royal race where each of the royal families name their own participant. This book had major Star Wars vibes, in a great way. I loved Alyssa. She wants nothing to do with being Emperor, so she decides to team up and back her friend. 

I flew through this book. It is so fast paced and there is always something going on. I loved how action packed this story way. There is a hint of romance and I think there may be more in the future, but the real focus of the story was the race and getting to know the royal families and what they each stand for. I loved the hint of mysteries that were scattered throughout, and I am sure we are going to see more of that in the next book, and I am so here for it. I have a few theories for one of the characters that seemed super shady in this book, and I need to know what is going on with him! All in all, this was a fantastic read! It gripped me from start to finish. I loved this book so much.  It is one of my favorite releases of 2020! A must read!

The Betrothed is this first book in the young adult fantasy romance series of the same name by Kiera Cass. I listened to this book on Audiobook and I loved the audio version. I found the narrator to be a pleasant reader and she kept the book just flying along. I listened at 1.5 speed and it was a little fast but not too fast so I couldn't keep up and I flew through this book so fast. 

In The Betrothed, we meet our main character Hollis as she is just at the start of what she thinks will be a fling with King Jameson. She is one of the ladies at court, and the king has been dating all of them for a short period of time. When it is her turn, she never expects it to last, but she seems to catch the kings eye. As the story went on, I easily fell into the story, the excitement and the romance of being wooed by a king that honestly felt like a genuinely good guy. And then Silas came into the picture with his family, and I got swept up in the possibility of a new romance, and both times I felt like I knew where the story was going, and I was thoroughly enjoying the journey. But then something crazy and surprising happened and I found myself totally shocked because I had no idea where the book was going to go from here. And you know what? Even though I hated what happened, I loved that this book surprised me. 

I have a few theories about what is going to happen in the next book but honestly, I am so pleasantly surprised that this book took a different direction than I thought that I am just plain excited to find out what is going to happen next? Is it going to be what I think? Is it going to surprise me again? What on earth is in store for Hollis after the crazy events of book one? I can't wait to see what is in store for us next with the kingdoms of Isolte and Coroa. The Betrothed is a wonderful book for fans of young adult fantasy that is heavy on the court politics. I really enjoyed this one. 

Crazy Stupid Bromance is an adult romantic comedy by Lyssa Kay Adams. It is the third book in the Bromance Book club series, but it can be read as a complete standalone novel. Which is what I did. I have not read book one yet, but after how much I enjoyed Undercover Bromance, I knew I had to read all of the books in the series. And I was right, I really enjoyed Crazy Stupid Bromance. It is a cute and fun read, perfect for a feel good romcom. Plus, this book features my favorite hacker, Noah!

In Crazy Stupid Bromance we meet our two main characters, Alexis and Noah. This is a friendzone romance that I completely adored. I thought it was just as witty as the last book, and of course features all the feel good moments of a great friend group...a great bromance you might say. I liked both Alexis and Noah, but Noah stole the show in my opinion. He is so wonderful, and it was clear as day that he has always had feelings for Alexis, but I just loved watching them together. He is so supportive and wonderful! Plus, it doesn't hurt his hotness factor that he is a hacker. Alexis is great as well, and I liked her best when she was just being herself with Noah, but I will admit that she did frustrate me at times. I wanted to shake her with some of the choices she made throughout the book, but overall everything worked out. 

I liked the romance aspects of the story a lot more than the side plot that brought Alexis and Noah together. Alexis gets involved with some estranged family member that need an organ donation, which was an interesting storyline. But my favorite part of the book, other than the romance is watching the bromance book club come together for meetings and to support each other. These guys make me laugh so much, and I love all of their interactions. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for a story for The Russian. (maybe then we can start referring to him by his actual name?) I hope that is the next book up, because I love him to pieces.  

Overall, if you are a fan of witty romantic comedies with a great cast of characters, Crazy Stupid Bromance and the Bromance Book Club series are the perfect feel good reads. 

Eventide is a young adult historical fantasy thriller by Sarah Goodman. I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere of this book, and I also enjoyed that it is a standalone novel. Perfect to pick up this fall or winter when you are looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading it. The book starts with our main character and her sister being sent on a orphan train to a small town, and things get weird from there. I loved all the spooky secrets and the small town in the middle of no where setting. It all added to the atmospheric reading experience. Eventide is a book that will satisfy readers looking for a good young adult thriller/suspense story. This one was actually spooky and is perfect for the Halloween season. 

In Eventide we meet our main character, Verity and her younger sister Lilah. When their father goes crazy, her and her sister are orphaned and sent on an "orphan train" to rural Arkansas. There her younger sister quickly gets adopted by 17 year old Verity does not. In an attempt to try and stay close to her sister, Verity picks up work at a nearby farm, and that is when some weird stuff starts happening. A lot of it is centered around the woods that seem to have a mind of their own and a well at the center of the woods. But the people in the town are weird too, and as I was reading I was super excited to figure out just what was going on in this town. I know one thing is for sure, I do NOT want to visit the town of Wheeler. The fantasy/supernatural elements in the book are there but they do not overpower the story. I would say the main focus is on the town itself and Verity peeling back the mystery and secrets it keeps. I liked that the mystery plot progressed rather slowly because it added to the overall spooky tension I felt while reading Eventide. It was really well done! 

Bottom line: Readers that love creepy atmospheric reads set in a small town setting, will devour Eventide. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great and the plot was mysterious, kind of dark and just the right amount of creepy. I am still trying to decide if I liked the ending or not, but I think I have decided that I do like it because it fits with the tone of the story. Once you have read the book, come back here and let me know what you think of the ending and book overall! 

Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening is the first book in the young adult fantasy series by C.S. Kendall. The Descendants of the Curse series is a spin off series to Kendall's original series, The Killing Cure. I have not read The Killing Cure yet, but I found that I did not need to in order to enjoy this book. Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening is the story of Jessie as she turns 17 and learns of her families role with the fountain of youth. I thought the origin story of how life was when the fountain was discovered was fascinating. It was part magical society and part pandora's box/garden of eden. Life was basically a Utopia until someone broke the forbidden rule of drinking the fountain's waters. It was an interesting setup that I have not seen explored in young adult fantasy yet. (let me know in the comments below if you have any other fountain of youth  book recs for me!) 

Jessie is our main character in this tale. I liked Jessie. She is just an ordinary girl who loved participating in school plays until her parents turn her life upside and dumped her true role- as a descendant of an original immortal who drank from the Fountain of Youth. In order to maintain her immortality the fountain demands a payment in the form of lives. To make things more complicated, there are also a group of descendants of the families that did not drink from the fountain that are trying to restore balance by eliminating all of the immortals and their descendants. I thought the concept for the story was really great. And I loved Jessie and Tyler's relationship. He really stepped by big time with everything that was going on 

The plot was my favorite aspect of the story. I was annoyed at Jessie and her parents at times. Jessie is a full blown teenager- prone to extreme dramatics and she has a tendency to bury her head in the sand when she doesn't want to deal with something. I get that this whole situation was a huge shock for her but I do wish she stepped up and took charge a little sooner. And don't get me started on her parents. I have never been a fan of parents keeping their kids in the dark with some big family secret in fantasy novels. I think it always leaves the kids ill prepared to face the new scary adventure that is thrust on them, and I think that was exactly the case here. I wish her parents would have let her and her sisters in on the deal early on, which would have helped with her training and helped her to implement their "iron clad plan" that they have in place for the urges to kill that the fountain was going to impose upon them. You would think they would want their kids to have as much of a fighting chance, but no they decide the time to tell her is about 1 day before the urges start. It just never makes much sense to me to keep everyone in the dark until the last minute. But once I got past that pet peeve of mine, the story was really great. I can't wait to continue on with the series. I am hoping for some good character growth in the second book, and I also want to read the original Killing Cure series because I think I will learn more about the Fountain of Youth in that series. 

Bottom line: This was a solid start to a series. The premise is fresh and interesting. I did have a few annoyances with the main character and her parents, but overall I enjoyed the plot of Descendants of the Curse: Jessie's Awakening and I am interested in finding out where the series will go next.