Claimed by Sarah Fine is book two in the Servants of Fate series. I decided to read this one back to back with book one (Marked) and I have to admit, between the two books, I liked Marked more but overall as a series, I found myself pulled in and really enjoyed it.

Very quickly, Marked was Cacia’s story and that book has a lot of the backstory you will need before diving into this book so definitely read Marked before Claimed or you will be a bit lost. In Marked, we learn that Cacia is a Ferry…both in name and occupation (she is also a paramedic). As a Ferry, she is tasked with guiding those souls that have passed on to their final destination. She (and her brothers and sister) work closely with the Ker’s to keep the balance and follow through on what Fate has determined for humanity. Eli is Cacia’s new paramedic partner and he has a secret of his own that leads these characters through to the end of book one. Since this isn’t necessarily a review for that book, I have glossed over a lot.

Moving into Claimed, the story is more focused on Eli’s sister Galena and Cacia’s brother Declan. Galena has a fairly tragic story and while a good bit of it is revealed in Marked, we learn more about what really happened and the effect it had on both Galena and Eli. Since Galena’s research to find a vaccine for the human plagues has a direct impact on the Fates and the paranormal world, she is a target for those that don’t want her to succeed. Also, now that Eli is a Kere and working for Moros, Galena is pulled into danger.

As Galena and her test subjects become targets for those trying to stop her, the only answer that the Ferry’s can come up with to protect her is that Galena needs to marry into the Ferry family …and not only marry but become claimed and really, truly a Ferry. Not only would it mark her as part of the family and therefore, not someone who can be marked, but it also would make her indestructible in the human world and therefore, offer her a bit of protection.

At the beginning of the story, it is clear there are some feelings between Declan and Galena and I thought Fine did a great job of showing how the trauma Galena experienced funneled over not only into her professional life, but also the relationships she had with those around her. She did her best to power through with Declan but I loved that he forced her to stop and take a step back to consider what he was going through having to get her out of her head the first time they tried to be together.

As characters go, I liked Galena. I don’t know that anything about her really stood out for me. She clearly loves her work and has fallen back on that and Eli as the things that continue to push her forward. I am fairly positive that if she didn’t have one of both of those things in her life she would have given up after her attack. I did like Declan. He is tough but caring and truly loves his family. He was also very patient with Galena and learned quickly what he needed to do to protect her and ultimately gain her trust.

The overall story of who is behind the rogue markings and attacks on Galena and her research is interesting. I’m looking forward to learning more about Moros’ sisters and what will happen in book three. I thought the world building and the character development were done well. If you are looking for an interesting take on paranormal with an urban fantasy feel, definitely check this series out. Fine does a wonderful job of creating her characters and developing / moving the story forward. I will definitely be reading the next book of this series when it comes out.

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

Review to come.

Gah!!!! That ending...where is the next one...seriously...I am going to need it soon.

Deviation by Heather Hildenbrand is book two in the Clone Chronicles series and I have to admit – I went into this series with no idea what I was going to get but was pleasantly surprised. This book picks up shortly after book one (Imitation) ends and brought me right back into Ven’s world.

As I previously mentioned, Ven is a great character. She is loyal, caring, and smart. All things I appreciate in a good heroine. She was always willing to face danger in order to make an impact on the greater good. In this case, the danger is Raven Rogan’s father, Titus. He is absolutely soulless and only cares about what is good for him.

The thing that I found missing in book one was a real explanation of where Raven Rogan, Ven’s authentic, really was. I finally got my answer but not until the end of the book. With that said, there is some definite story progression from book one to book two. We find out more around what Ven and the group have planned to save the clones and who they are going to lean on for help.

Relationships also change more in this book. Not only that of Ven and Linc but also the relationships that Ven has with the people around her – Daniel, Josephine, Melanie, Obadiah. They all have critical roles in this book and I can’t say much without giving things away – what I can say is that they all change along with Ven throughout this story.

I do admit that the book ends on a pretty big cliffhanger and if you know anything about me, you know that I find that to be so painful. I don’t know what is going to happen next for Ven and her group of rebels but I am definitely interested to see where things go. If you have an aversion to cliffhangers, you may want to wait on this series but if not, definitely consider checking this one out. I found myself unable to put this one down and when it finally did come to an end, I wanted to know more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alloy Entertainment for the review copy!

Review to come

The Truth About Us by Janet Gurtler was a book I happened across and I have to say I am glad I grabbed it. I don’t usually read a lot of Contemporary but as soon as I started it, I was yanked into Jess and Flynn’s stories and I loved it.

Jess is the girl who appears to have everything going for her. She comes from a wealthy family and to everyone else, her family appears to be just fine. Because of something that happened though, Jess has been doing some things she isn’t necessarily proud of. When she gets caught, her father decides that Jess needs to see how good she really has it and makes her volunteer at a local soup kitchen to give her some perspective.

As Jess dives into her role, she comes face to face with a boy she had a run in with earlier in the week and is immediately drawn to him even though he doesn’t really return her feelings. She also meets Wilf, the old guy who runs the greenhouse. I loved the banter between Jess and Wilf and thought Gurtler did a wonderful job of developing the relationship between these two characters.

Flynn is one of those characters that is tough to pin down. He definitely hasn’t had an easy life and taking a handout isn’t something that is part of his nature. Because of that, he does odd jobs around the facility and when he first sees Jess, he writes her off as the “rich girl” but he quickly learns there is more to Jess and what is really going on with her than a little rebellion. As Flynn and Jess start to become friends, they realize that despite the fact that they care about each other and want to be more than friends, there are other people involved that don’t necessarily feel the same way.

Jess and Flynn definitely hit some bumps and I have to tell you – there was a part with Flynn that made me want to crawl into the book and kick him in the junk…seriously. This image is not a stretch…at all.



One of the things I thought Gurtler did well was showing how Jess’s reactions and interactions with the people that used the soup kitchen changed over time. She grew throughout this story and realized a few things about herself and her family – it was an important piece that had to happen otherwise I think the book would have fallen flat. Jess needed to grow up a bit to see that it is more than just her that was hurting in her family.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick read. The characters were well developed and the background stories tied back to who these two were. I thought the backstories added a layer to the book that made it more than just a right side/wrong side of the tracks romance. I am glad I came across this book and if you’re looking for a Contemporary, consider checking this one out!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the review copy!

Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein is a book I was looking forward to when I read the summary but I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed with this book. It has a lot to do with the characters of this book more than anything as I thought the story was solid, it just didn’t progress as I was hoping.

It is the morning of Azra’s 16th birthday and things are more different for her today than ever. She has definitely changed and it all has to do with the bracelet that is now locked onto her wrist. As a Jinn, Azra is required to help the people that the Afrit tell her she is assigned to. Lucky for Azra, her first three wishes get to be for people she and her mom choose so they can test out her powers. Unfortunately one of her tests goes wrong and things change quickly for Azra.

Once she completes her test challenges, Azra begins to get assignments but they are people that are tied to her everyday life and that isn't supposed to happen. Now she needs to figure out not only how to grant their wishes but also how not influence things the wrong way. As she starts to dig into her mom’s past, Azra finds out more than she thought she would and it explains why the Afrit have been watching her so closely.

A lot of the story focuses on Azra’s relationships. She has a group of girls (daughters of her mother’s Zar) that make up her own Zar and she is supposed to be growing closer to them as they all evolve into Jinn but Azra is finding it difficult to connect to them due to the fact that she doesn’t really want to be a Jinn. In addition to that group, the boy she has had a crush on is finally noticing her and the brother of her childhood best friend has found out about her secret and Azra doesn’t want to worry about it.

I thought that Goldstein did a good job of showing Azra’s frustration with the life she has been given. I wished we would have gotten more information about Azra’s mother and father and I hope that the next book gives us more detail on that. I also want to know more about the Afrit and why they have forced the Jinn to be separated from everything. They aren’t supposed to be close to humans and they can’t have their own families, I need to know more about everything!

Overall I thought this story was interesting and I am very curious around the information I mentioned above so I will keep the next book on my radar. This series has some potential and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Thank you to Macmillan and Netgalley for the review copy!

Fantastic and everyone needs to read this book

I have had my eye on this book for a while and I admit that I may have done a little stalking at ALA so I could get my hands on it. Of course, when I did get it I forced myself to wait on reading it because it is a series and we all know I am super impatient and if I started it too soon, it would feel like forever before I could read the next book. Fast forward about a month and ahhhhh I loved this book!!

Echo is human and has been living in a world where magic exists and another race of people called the Avicen are her friends and family. Echo survives by stealing things and on the day we meet her, she is almost caught stealing a birthday gift for the Ala, the one person who she would do anything for. When she gives the gift to the Ala, they find a piece of paper in the music box that ultimately drags her into a centuries-old war between the Avicen and the Drakharin.

I loved Echo. She is a great character and I seriously want to be friends with her. She is loyal, daring, sarcastic, a smart ass, and funny. I could go on but that might be weird so trust me on this…she is great.



As Echo jumps into the task of finding the Firebird, she finds allies in some unexpected people. As she teams up with her friend Ivy, a fellow thief, Jasper, and some Drakharins who happen to help Echo and Ivy escape the Dragon Prince, Echo is pulled into something she never expected and forced to make some decisions that she never thought she would have to make. I loved the secondary characters that Grey created for this story and I can’t wait to see where she goes with their stories. One of my favorite things was seeing the relationships change amongst the group. The way Echo and Caius change toward each other was great and I especially thought the changes in Dorian were done really well.

Grey has created a fantastic world and a story that made me fly through the pages so I could learn more about everything. I can’t say much about the actual story because I don’t want to ruin any of it for anyone but I don’t think I am going out on a limb at all by saying if you like the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, you will most likely enjoy this one. I will be re-reading this book in the next few months as I loved it all. There was plenty of action, magic, and there were even some swoony bits that had me falling in love with everyone. Absolutely check this book out when you can – if you love fantasy this is one I think you will want on your shelves!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the review copy!

I loved this one!

Things We Know by Heart is my first Jessi Kirby book and it has successfully convinced me I need to read more of her stories.

Quinn’s boyfriend died their junior year and she has been frozen since the night it happened. As part of her mourning process, and a way to reconnect with him, Quinn reaches out to all of the donor recipients. When the person who received his heart, Colton Thomas, never responds, Quinn goes online to hunt him down. As she digs deeper into who he is, Quinn decides to find him and an accidental run in turns into more than she thought it would be.

I liked Quinn. From the first chapter I could feel the pain she was going through and although I don’t agree with her methods, I completely understand why she did what she did. Kirby yanked me into Quinn’s life and made me feel everything she was going through. The pain of loss, the frustration of not getting a response from Colton, and the fear that she would never get past it all…it was all right there and made me unable to put this book down.

Colton has had a rough time and ever since he got his new heart, he has just wanted to forget all about the bad things that have happened. Unfortunately for him, that isn’t very realistic. Not only does he have to be careful about what he does, but he also has daily meds to take and he will never be able to just a normal kid. With that in mind, when he meets Quinn, it is clear he sees this as an opportunity to be more than just the kid with the bad heart.

I loved seeing the friendship/relationship develop between Quinn and Colton. They both have things they need to overcome and neither of them was being very forthcoming about who they were and what they were going through. It was completely understandable that when things came to a head for these two that they had to pause and figure out who they wanted to be. With that said, there were definitely some swoony parts that I loved and made me love Colton that much more.

The secondary characters that Kirby created in this story were another great piece of the story. I loved Quinn’s grandmother and her sister, Ryan, was wonderful too. Ryan was the one person who called Quinn out on the things she was doing and tried to get her to understand that it was ok for her to move forward with her life. As Quinn faces the reality of her actions, Ryan is the one who helps her figure out what she needs to do, even though Ryan is working through some things of her own.

Definitely check this one out if you are looking for a wonderful story and well-developed characters. Kirby made me love everything about this book and I will definitely be reading her other stories as soon as I can.

Thank you to Harper for the review copy!

I have no words...yet.

Updated:

The Sin Eater’s Daughter has been on my must read list for a while. The cover first grabbed my attention because it is absolutely stunning and then when I read the summary I needed to have it. This is the first book in the series and I have to admit, the end of this book completely took me by surprise. With as impatient I am, I don’t know how I am going to wait for the next book. I will do my best not to disclose any spoilers here.

I love it when I enjoy the characters of a book just as much as the story itself and while they weren’t perfect, they were still great characters. Each played a critical role in moving the story along and I thought Salisbury did a wonderful job developing their background.

Twylla is an executioner because as the Goddess embodied, her touch is poisonous to anyone not of royal blood. She lives in the castle and is engaged to the Prince but as the Goddess embodied, it is her responsibility to make sure those who commit treason against the crown are punished. Twylla is an interesting character. She is somewhat naïve and trusts that her religion and faith will provide everything she needs. At times I felt bad for her due to the way she has been segregated from others but while she knows the queen is definitely evil, she also just assumes that because the queen tells her something, it must be true. While at first she looks at the queen as someone who saved her from the fate of being her mother’s replacement (a Sin Eater), she quickly realizes that the queen will do whatever she needs to in order to get what she wants…or keep the kingdom in her hands.

The queen is an easy “bad guy” to pick out. She is powerful and doesn’t want to lose what she has. To say she is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the power she has is not an understatement. There are some unsettling things that come up through the course of the story that made me cringe. With that said, the way she is obsessed about keeping the royal blood pure was another piece of the story that was cringe inducing. There was an unexpected twist around her plans that I absolutely didn’t see coming…I admit it. And I love it when things surprise me and plot twists are completely unexpected.

Another character I liked was Leif, the new guard assigned to Twylla. At first she does what she can to keep her distance from him but he pushes her to see she is more than just a vessel for the Goddess and that she deserves more than to be a prisoner in the castle. As they become closer, Twylla begins to want more than to just marry the prince and she begins to build more than just a friendship with Leif. I can’t say much more about Leif here…I know, I know. I suck for that but really; I don’t want to ruin anything.

Merek is the prince and I liked him. At first he seemed a bit standoffish but it became clear he was playing a role in front of his mother and others to protect himself. Although Merek and Twylla were engaged they never really spent any amount of time together. Now that he is back, they do When he comes back to the castle after his progress, he and Twylla begin to spend some time together. Merek has a plan for them to stop the queen but it comes at a cost.

The mythology and story of the Gods as well as the religious aspect of the story tied everything together for me. Salisbury created this world that is driven by a belief that the Gods would protect everyone and she brought it all back to Twylla and how those beliefs changed everything for her the day she went with her mother to the castle. It was not a coincidence that she had red hair and a wonderful singing voice, both signs that she was Daunen Embodied and a blessing to the land. The queen absolutely took advantage of the situation and opportunity.

So, there’s not much else I can say here without potentially giving anything away and I want you to be as surprised by the twists and turns of this book as I was. If you are looking for a fantastic story that has wonderfully developed characters, some mystery/intrigue, and some mythology that will have you squirming a bit, definitely check this book out. I couldn’t put this book down and am prepared to beg and plead to anyone who can get me a copy of book two of this series as soon as possible.

Thank you to Scholastic for the review copy.