Another creative and imaginative story by Lewis Carroll. Through the Looking Glass follows Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I actually think both stories are rather silly, but they were fun reads.

Happy Publication Day!

Shine Your Icy Crown is a collection of poetry by [a:Amanda Lovelace|15225448|Amanda Lovelace|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533076817p2/15225448.jpg]. This is the second book in the You Are Your Own Fairy Tale series however; this can be read without reading the first one.

This is a story about not letting society dictate the limits of your potential. It’s time to take back your power & realize that you don’t need a king in order to be a queen.

Poetry is not a normal genre for me, but when I was offered an advanced copy of this book I figured I should get out of my comfort zone and check it out. I’m so glad I did. I loved the poems in this book. They are about empowerment and being the you that you are without letting others judge you. This book has such a great message for women, and many of the poems resonated with me. Lovelace’s poetry is emotional yet relatable at the same time. She writes beautifully, and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeet Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Kieran has not been home many times since a fatal storm changed his friends and family forever. Along with his girlfriend and baby, Kieran is heading to his coastal hometown to assist his mother in moving. When a body is found on the beach, past secrets begin to resurface. What actually happened that day twelve years ago when two people died and another disappeared?

This is my first Jane Harper novel. I loved her writing style especially with how atmospheric it is. I felt like I was in the town of Evelyn Bay. I could see the stormy night, and feel the dampness of the caves and the spray of the seawater on my skin. It was definitely a beautifully written and descriptive story. With that said, this book is a real slow burn. There is a lot of story with not much action. I didn't necessarily love any of the characters and there were a lot to keep track of. The ending was definitely a surprise though which makes a great mystery to me!

I read the audiobook, and while I normally love an Australian accent, I struggled a bit with the narrator. I just couldn't connect with it at first and found myself starting over at 27% in the book because I could not remember what had happened. I ended up getting used to the accent though and found that the narrator did fit the role of Kieran very well.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you don't mind a slow burn mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bea and Lo are sisters who lost their parents in a tragic car accident. Lo was also in the accident, but survived after what Bea thought was a miracle. That miracle was Lev Warren, the charismatic leader of The Unity Project. When Bea joins The Unity Project, she leaves Lo to survive on her own. Six years later, Lo is working at a magazine. When someone shows up claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo decides to do a story in hopes of finding her sister and proving that The Project is in fact a cult. Lo begins to get closer to Lev and the members of The Project and starts to question her beliefs. Will she figure out what is in fact real and what happened to her sister?

This book is a slow burn. It is told from both Bea and Lo’s perspectives and jumps around from different time periods. It was a bit confusing figuring out who everyone was at first and what time we were in even though there are headers with the years. There are no chapters in this book just five parts, and I think that if there were chapters stating the year and who was telling their story it would be more helpful to the reader. There are some jumps from one situation to another that do not have a break, which can be confusing to the reader.

I found Lo to be unlikeable and preferred the sections told from Bea’s perspective. I thought that Foster was a great character and really liked his story. Lev was the epitome of a cult leader so it was definitely hard to like him, and Casey was another interesting character as she helped Lev all along throughout the book.

I liked the setting of upstate New York and found the author to be very descriptive. I could picture the lake and cabin at The Unity Project. Parts 1-3 were a bit slow for my liking, but Parts 4 and 5 moved quickly and were the most interesting to me. I liked the mystery aspect of what happened to Bea and how it all came together at the end although I do feel some parts were rushed and skimmed over. However, if you enjoy books about cults, I would recommend this.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.