Gah! I loved everything about this book.

Review to come.

3.5 stars
A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas was an enjoyable story and kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen with Aurora. This story explores what happened to Aurora after she woke up and found out everyone she knew and loved were lost to her and her Prince Charming wasn’t the right guy for her.

As we dive into her story, we find out it is 100 years after Aurora fell asleep due to the curse put upon her and she has been woken up by a young prince. As she takes the steps down from her tower, Aurora is thrust into a situation that she isn’t really sure how to handle. Immediately she is expected to marry Prince Rodric and help the royal family solidify their hold on the crown/throne. Her story is also tied to the theory that when Aurora returns, she will bring magic back to the world and everyone will be better for it.

As you can imagine, it is hard for Aurora to adjust and although she is important, she is basically locked up in her room again and if you believe the queen, it is to protect her but my interpretation of that is that she needs to be protected to insure the wedding happens. With that said, because Aurora was used to sneaking around from when she was younger, she is sneaks out and heads to one of the taverns in town where she meets a boy named Tristan. At first things seem simple enough – she learns more about him and he appears to not know anything about her so she pretends to be someone she isn’t to feel normal. Unfortunately Aurora finds out some things that make it difficult to pretend any longer and it also impacts their friendship.

As the story progresses, we learn a bit more about what is really going on and at the very center of it all is the current King. Aurora definitely doesn’t agree with the way he does things but with that said, she also doesn’t believe in the violence that the rebels are pushing and add to that the fact that Celestine, the witch who cursed her, is still alive and asking her to share her magic, Aurora has things to consider from all sides. As she works to figure a way out of her current situation, she finds an ally in Prince Finnegan.

I have to admit, I really liked Prince Finnegan…more so than Roderic and Tristan. Roderic was flat for me though it was clear he truly cared about his sister. Tristan, although initially good, ended up only using Aurora to get what he wanted…Not cool. Finnegan on the other hand was witty, smart, and willing to help her in any way he could. Not for himself…yes, there was an opportunity to help his country but that didn’t seem like the only reason he was willing to help her. In addition to that, he seemed to be the only person who intimidated the queen.

Overall this was a great story and I I found that this had enough action to keep me interested while still digging into the main part of the story which was trying to figure out how Aurora was going to help the people of her kingdom. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, you just might enjoy this one. It is definitely left open to be a series – not sure if it is but something to consider.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the review copy.

I KNEW IT!! Full review to come!

The Good Girl is Mary Kubica’s debut novel and one of the books I had to leave BEA with this year. Thankfully I did and it went straight to the top of my to read pile. Kubica has created a story that pulled me in from page one and forced me to continue reading until I got to the very end. And even then I wanted more. As the summary alludes, there is an underlying story to what is really going on outside of the kidnapping and although you might think you know what happens, you may just end up surprised.

Mia is the daughter of a prominent Chicago judge and to say they don’t really see eye to eye on most things would probably be an understatement. This really comes out as the story continues but as we jump into the story we find out Mia hasn’t shown up for work as an art teacher and this is the beginning of the rest of the story.

The story alternates points of view between Mia’s mother (Eve), the detective attempting to find Mia (Gabe), and her kidnapper (Colin). I found this interesting because as a reader, we were only seeing things through the other character’s eyes and I thought this added to the whole mystery of what really happened. Kubica also alternates the story between before and after…you will find out very early on that Mia does in fact end up back. The mystery is what really happened.

I thought Kubica did a wonderful job of developing these characters. We learn a lot about who Mia is and how she grew to the woman she is today via the snippets revealed while Eve is remembering everything about Mia. We also find out how she ended up abducted and eventually in a remote cabin in the woods with no escape from a stranger. I also loved that this was set in the Midwest – starting in Chicago, traveling through Wisconsin, and eventually ending up in Minnesota. Being from Wisconsin myself, it made the story a bit more real for me and I was able to place them when locations were mentioned….I always love it when that happens.

Colin’s story is an interesting one. He clearly went into this abduction with a plan and even though it isn’t something he has done before he knows what he needs to do. Eventually he does question the plan to hand Mia over to the guy responsible for the overall plan and in an attack of conscience, he decides instead to take her somewhere they will both be safe and come up with a plan. Through Gabe’s detective work, we find out more about who Colin really is and how he ended up where he is. Colin is in no way the good guy here but he also isn’t as bad as you would originally think.

I found Mia’s parents interesting. At first it was clear their relationship with Mia was strained…or pretty non-existent. Her mother (Eve) had no clue what was normal or not normal and had to rely on a co-worker/friend of Mia’s to contact her to let her know Mia was missing. From there we do get a better picture as to why their relationship was so strained and it mostly revolved around Mia’s relationship with her father. Eve tended to side with Mia’s father in things and this absolutely took a toll on Mia’s feelings for her mother. With that said, as the story progresses, we get to see just how much Eve regrets some of those choices she made and the changes she is making to change her relationship with Mia.

The story covers the time from when Mia was taken through several months after her return. So much happens during that timeframe that I can’t even talk about it all….mostly because I don’t want to give a single thing away. Just know that you find out why Mia is with Colin, what happened to her while she was with him, all of the things Eve and Gabe were doing to find Eve, how they finally found her, and the aftermath once she was back.

Kubica has created these layered and complex characters and I truly enjoyed this story. Yes, there were some things that I think as a reader you might see coming but there are also some things that may surprise you. This story was well done, the pacing is just right, and the set up for the finish was something that had me sitting on the last page muttering to myself and wondering what just happened. If you like a good mystery, definitely check this book out when you can.

Thank you to Harlequin for the review copy!

I requested Atlantis Rising on a whim as I read the summary and thought it sounded interesting. I am happy that I did as I found myself enjoying this book and while there were some things that were frustrating, overall this was a solid story and one I found myself not wanting to put down.

Alison has grown up an orphan and has found a family in the McKyes. About three years ago, she randomly met someone who knew exactly who she was and where she came from. After being warned to protect herself and hide, Alison makes the decision to withdraw and try to make herself a unnoticeable as possible. Unfortunately for her, it seems to backfire. Overall I liked Alison. I admit, I found it interesting that she would be so trusting and take the things that others tell her at face value, namely the Children of Atlantis. Despite this, I thought Alison was a well-developed character and she

I thought the other characters in this story were well developed too. Lillian, Brandy, and Ian all added to this story and I thought the interactions between all of these characters were believable.

Craw has developed an interesting world around the idea of Atlantis. The idea that there are these beings out there who blend in with humans and can manipulate them based on their specific abilities is an interesting one. I loved the idea of the different abilities from a healer, someone who can influence other's thoughts, and even someone who draws others to them. It is a fascinating idea.

If you are interested in something different in the YA genre, definitely consider this book. I was glad to have come across it and while I had some challenges with the story, I enjoyed it and found myself turning the pages to find out what was going to happen.

Thank you to Entangled Teen & Netgalley for the review copy.

Solitaire by Alice Oseman was one of those books that I was immediately interested in. The summary was intriguing and I was very interested in seeing what the story was really about.

Admittedly this book dragged a bit for me. I don’t know if it was because I read this after I read a few that I absolutely loved but whatever the reason, I didn’t love this one. Don’t get me wrong, the characters are interesting, the story was different, and I found the mystery of what Solitaire was really up to (and who was behind it) was what kept me going.

Tori was one of those characters I think readers will either really love and connect with or they will absolutely find her frustrating and annoying. I liked her and there were times that I found myself appreciating her sarcasm, humor, and overall personality. She has been through a lot but not everyone knows exactly what her home life is like. She definitely puts up walls and uses her personality to keep people away. Her best friend is the exact opposite of Tori personality-wise but despite that, they still got along.

As Tori gets back to school, she finds that there is a new boy at her school, Michael Holden. And no matter what she says to him, he seems to be determined to get to know Tori and the thing that ties them together is Solitaire. Together they attempt to figure out what Solitaire is up to and why the pranks seem to be linked to things tied to Tori.

Outside of the pranks and mystery of what Solitaire is up to, this book also addresses mental health and issues like depression and suicide. I thought Oseman did a good job of depicting these aspects of the characters and I was pulled into these character’s stories because of the way she revealed what was really going on.

Overall I found the story interesting and although a bit slow paced, still well done. If you’re looking for a teen contemporary that covers some real issues and introduces you to some solid characters, definitely check this out.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Burning Kingdoms is the second book of The Internment Chronicles and I was very excited to dive back into this world. Not only did book one leave me wondering what was in store for these characters personally but also as they navigate this new world below Internment.

Morgan and her group are in a new world and surrounded by people they don’t know. As they become introduced to this world, they are finding out what really is important to them and what dangers they have opened their families up to.

I loved the addition of the Piper kids – the older ones, Nimble and Birdie, added another layer to the story and I thought they helped move things along. Their father was definitely not my favorite. It was tough to feel anything but annoyance/anger for him because of the things he did.

I found myself struggling with the friendship between Morgan and Pen as well as the relationship between Morgan and Basil. First, Basil deserved better from Morgan and I think I was mostly frustrated with her on his behalf. She needed to figure out what she wanted now that she wasn’t tied to the rules of Internment and I felt like she just kept going back to what she thought was comfortable…which isn’t necessarily fair to Basil.

As for the friendship between Morgan and Pen, I don’t know. They clearly love each other and they want to protect each other but Pen is pretty self-destructive and Thomas holds everything she does wrong, against Morgan which isn’t necessarily fair. In the end, everything Morgan did was to protect her friends and family and I get it.

I thought DeStefano did a great job of moving the story along. We get to see what is really going on in this world and why they really want access to Internment. I did find the world they were in a bit confusing as there wasn’t a lot of explanation. There were brass clubs and movies and the King also has access to airplanes and bombs but things seemed a bit limited in terms of technology.

I’m not completely sure where book three will take this story and I look forward to diving into it when it comes out as I am curious to see where DeStefano goes not only with the overall story but also with the characters. Some interesting things happened and/or were revealed in this book that will make the next part of this story one that I want to dive into as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the review copy!

3.5 stars...

I love a good Horror story and I thought Shutter by Courtney Alameda was very well done. There were great characters, an interesting story, and I found the science behind how the hunters did their ghost hunting only added to the story.

Micheline Helsing is a descendent of the original Van Helsings and she has been training since she was a little girl to join her father in hunting and destroying the monsters that surround them. As the story progresses, we find out that as a child, Micheline lost her mother and brothers to an attack and since then, her relationship with her father has been somewhat strained. As the story opens, she and her friends (Oliver, Jude, and Ryder) are on their way to a hunt but without the backup they should have with them. This is where things go terribly wrong.

When Micheline gets to the scene she finds something she didn’t expect and she and the boys end up infected with a soulchain. A curse that will kill them if they don’t find the ghost that infected them and exorcise it.

I enjoyed Micheline as a main character. She was smart and stubborn and cared about her family and friends. Obviously things were tough with her father and I have to admit….he made me angry after what he did…really angry. I loved the boys and they all seemed to balance out the group and provide different benefits to the team.

A lot happens in this story and it is fairly non-stop action as the group has a limited timeframe to resolve their problem. As they hunt, Micheline finds out a lot about her father as well as the evil that is really out there. There were some twists and turns I didn’t expect and I loved how Alameda created this world of monsters that seemed a part of the norm. I also loved how Alameda tied in the back story of that horrible day when Micheline’s family fell apart and we learn what really happened and how it ties back to what is happening now.

If you are looking for a different approach to a horror novel, definitely consider checking this one out. I found myself unable to put it down as there were a number of surprises and I needed to know what was going to happen to these characters. Plus, some of the creatures that Alameda has dreamed up are definitely from some sort of nightmare! The end was left wide open so I will be curious to see if this comes out as a series. Don’t worry – You get a full story…it only means that (in my opinion) Alameda could definitely write more of this story and it wouldn’t be weird.

Thank you to Macmillan for the review copy!

I loved everything about this book and obviously the fact that I couldn't stop reading until I finished proves it.

Full review to come.

Enders is book two of the Starters series. Lissa Price picks up shortly after Starters left off and this book includes quite a bit of action a bit of mystery and some romance. If you haven’t checked this series out yet, I recommend you do. It has a different spin on your typical dystopian which makes me enjoy it even more. No spoilers here so apologies if anything comes across as vague.

Callie has inherited Helena’s mansion and has brought Tyler and Michael to live there. She doesn't get a ton of time to appreciate not living on the streets because as soon as she heads out to the mall to meet Tyler and Michael, an explosion happens at the mall. This is just after The Old Man started having a conversation with her via the chip and warned her that things were just about to get interesting. When the bomb goes off, a mysterious guy jumps over Callie to protect her from the blast. After telling her she would see him again, he takes off without telling her who he is.

Eventually Callie crosses paths with him again and finds out his name is Hyden. As she learns his story, she comes to realize he is the key to finding and destroying the Old Man. Along the way, she finds out some key things to Hyden’s past as well as who he really is. I won’t talk about it because I don’t want to give away any of the mystery of what is really going on.

The characters continue to drive the story. We get a bit of Beatty at the beginning and end and I wasn't sad to see what happens with her. I won’t lie, I don’t feel like I got enough of Blake and or Michael…even though Michael was in pretty much the whole book, I felt like I still didn't get a good handle on him and his relationship with Callie. It is kind of the same with Blake – nothing is really resolved but Callie does reflect on why things were so different between them when the Old Man was taking over Blake vs. how she feels about him now.

Price did a great job wrapping up this series. She resolves all of the open-ended things and leads into what is next for the characters. This was a quick read, the action kept me engaged and the mystery of how things were going to end up for everyone made me keep turning the pages to get to the end of the story. There were definitely quite a few twists that I never would have predicted and that in itself should get you to pick this series up.

Thank you to Netgalley & Random House Children's for the review copy.