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1.38k reviews by:
emilyisoverbooked
3.5 ⭐️
Thanks to Entangled Teen for the copy of this book!
Reminiscent of Shadow & Bone, To Kill a Shadow is heavy on the romance and horror side of YA romantasy reads.
Kiara meets Jude when she goes from being an outcast in her village to being selected as one of the recruits for the Knights of the Eternal Star. Their forbidden romance is instantaneous as they face the perils of the mist, and I thought their chemistry was really well done. There are quite a few battles in the name of trying to save the kingdom, but overall I would’ve liked a little more background on the gods and the mist. Katherine leaves us with quite the cliffhanger at the end, so put book two on your radar, too!
Thanks to Entangled Teen for the copy of this book!
Reminiscent of Shadow & Bone, To Kill a Shadow is heavy on the romance and horror side of YA romantasy reads.
Kiara meets Jude when she goes from being an outcast in her village to being selected as one of the recruits for the Knights of the Eternal Star. Their forbidden romance is instantaneous as they face the perils of the mist, and I thought their chemistry was really well done. There are quite a few battles in the name of trying to save the kingdom, but overall I would’ve liked a little more background on the gods and the mist. Katherine leaves us with quite the cliffhanger at the end, so put book two on your radar, too!
VERY important history - 5/5 for the storyline. I just think it could've been 150-200 pages shorter - maybe without all of Gloria's chapters?
Check it out if you enjoyed THE NICKEL BOYS or THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD from Colson Whitehead.
Check it out if you enjoyed THE NICKEL BOYS or THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD from Colson Whitehead.
Thanks to Berkley and Let's Talk Books Promo for the copy of this book!
One summer, friends Bess, Joni, and Evangeline head to Greece before they part ways for college... but only two of them come home. Years later, Joni once again finds herself in the middle of a scandal and seeks Bess's companionship as she goes through another unthinkable situation.
Before We Were Innocent is a story of (toxic) friendship and mystery, told in alternating past (2008) and present timelines. It's character-driven and slowly unravels as the reader is able to piece together which girls played which roles in the past and how they've changed ten years later. I would've preferred this in a grittier, fast-paced format to really show the wildness and scandal of the girls in their teen years leading up to Evangeline's death, but still found the story enjoyable overall!
One summer, friends Bess, Joni, and Evangeline head to Greece before they part ways for college... but only two of them come home. Years later, Joni once again finds herself in the middle of a scandal and seeks Bess's companionship as she goes through another unthinkable situation.
Before We Were Innocent is a story of (toxic) friendship and mystery, told in alternating past (2008) and present timelines. It's character-driven and slowly unravels as the reader is able to piece together which girls played which roles in the past and how they've changed ten years later. I would've preferred this in a grittier, fast-paced format to really show the wildness and scandal of the girls in their teen years leading up to Evangeline's death, but still found the story enjoyable overall!
Thanks to Wednesday Books for the copy of this ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!
“I am coming to love him, in two different ways. Face to face, and word to word.”
Rebecca Ross is the queen of fantastical, beautiful, lyrical writing. This book is no different: her talent shines in this story about two rival journalists who are also sending secret letters to each other through magical wardrobes. This book starts off on the slower side but really picks up in both action and romance as Iris and Roman head to the warfront. I could’ve used more world-building instead of newspaper talk at the beginning of the book: I think it would’ve kept the pace a little more even and also let me understand what was happening in the war a little better in the second half of the book. But THAT ENDING. What a cliffhanger. I need book two.
“I am coming to love him, in two different ways. Face to face, and word to word.”
Rebecca Ross is the queen of fantastical, beautiful, lyrical writing. This book is no different: her talent shines in this story about two rival journalists who are also sending secret letters to each other through magical wardrobes. This book starts off on the slower side but really picks up in both action and romance as Iris and Roman head to the warfront. I could’ve used more world-building instead of newspaper talk at the beginning of the book: I think it would’ve kept the pace a little more even and also let me understand what was happening in the war a little better in the second half of the book. But THAT ENDING. What a cliffhanger. I need book two.
Thanks to Red Tower for the copy of this ARC!
I picked this book up for two reasons:
(1) I’ve read and loved every Red Tower release so far
(2) Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes.
This was a big miss for me. In the beginning, there are 4(?) POVs that switch without notice, and then after that it’s mainly just the two main characters, so it’s easier to follow.
The elemental magic is, I guess, similar to Avatar in that elements are used, and it’s very simple, so doesn’t get much of an explanation on how it plays into the world. Overall, there wasn’t really much world or character building until later on in the second half of the book.
Raith is described as a winged shadow of death, so that definitely held my attention - but he really doesn’t speak much and it’s pretty awkward for the first half of the book — but they still fall in Insta Love. Their love story takes some turns in the second half that had me shaking my head a bit, while other parts of the story (like wraiths being freed from slavery under a Queen) were a one-sentence mention. Given that and the later world building, the romance is definitely at the forefront of this story.
In general, this read either very YA or like it could’ve used another round of editing, and then pivoted to some very long and very spicy scenes. I don’t prefer to read YA or high spice, so this one wasn’t quite for me.
I picked this book up for two reasons:
(1) I’ve read and loved every Red Tower release so far
(2) Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes.
This was a big miss for me. In the beginning, there are 4(?) POVs that switch without notice, and then after that it’s mainly just the two main characters, so it’s easier to follow.
The elemental magic is, I guess, similar to Avatar in that elements are used, and it’s very simple, so doesn’t get much of an explanation on how it plays into the world. Overall, there wasn’t really much world or character building until later on in the second half of the book.
Raith is described as a winged shadow of death, so that definitely held my attention - but he really doesn’t speak much and it’s pretty awkward for the first half of the book — but they still fall in Insta Love. Their love story takes some turns in the second half that had me shaking my head a bit, while other parts of the story (like wraiths being freed from slavery under a Queen) were a one-sentence mention. Given that and the later world building, the romance is definitely at the forefront of this story.
In general, this read either very YA or like it could’ve used another round of editing, and then pivoted to some very long and very spicy scenes. I don’t prefer to read YA or high spice, so this one wasn’t quite for me.
Thanks to Viking for the advance copy of this book!
My last read of 2023 is THE DJINN WAITS A HUNDRED YEARS - and it is absolutely poetic and romantic, despite being labeled as historical fiction horror. Going back and forth between the past and present of the majestic Akbar Manzil grand estate, a generational story unfolds along the South African coastline. I loved the combination of love story, mystery & secret room with old diaries, and challenging family dynamics. The way everything came together through a slow burn, magical realism, and a bonechilling sequence of events was perfect. I think this will appeal to readers from many backgrounds - historical fiction, fantasy, contemporary fiction, and horror, to name a few.
Add this to your TBR if you enjoyed:
✨The horror and messed up family dynamics of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC
✨The poetry and romantic storyline of Isabel Cañas’ VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE
✨The haunted house vibes of Alix. E. Harrow’s THE STARLING HOUSE
✨The dual timeline and generational story of Chanel Cleeton’s NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA
My last read of 2023 is THE DJINN WAITS A HUNDRED YEARS - and it is absolutely poetic and romantic, despite being labeled as historical fiction horror. Going back and forth between the past and present of the majestic Akbar Manzil grand estate, a generational story unfolds along the South African coastline. I loved the combination of love story, mystery & secret room with old diaries, and challenging family dynamics. The way everything came together through a slow burn, magical realism, and a bonechilling sequence of events was perfect. I think this will appeal to readers from many backgrounds - historical fiction, fantasy, contemporary fiction, and horror, to name a few.
Add this to your TBR if you enjoyed:
✨The horror and messed up family dynamics of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC
✨The poetry and romantic storyline of Isabel Cañas’ VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE
✨The haunted house vibes of Alix. E. Harrow’s THE STARLING HOUSE
✨The dual timeline and generational story of Chanel Cleeton’s NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA
“This is not a fork in the road, I realize. It’s just the road. There’s no Story A and Story B. There’s one, imperfect, meandering direction.”
