What the WHAT!

The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh O’Brien has a mix of everything. There is mystery blended with science fiction blended with a bit of romance and it all takes place in a story about teens going to school with a reality show twist. I enjoyed it and honestly couldn’t stop turning the pages to see what was going to happen.

Rosie Sinclair made her way into The Forge School that was created to cater to students of the arts. It also has a bit of a twist in that all of the students are in a reality show situation. The students get to stay at The Forge School only if their blip rate is in the upper end and when the book starts, we find that Rosie isn’t doing too well. Add to this the fact that Rosie comes from a financially struggling family and she is definitely motivated to make a change. The problem is, she isn’t entirely sure how to make it happen. As luck would have it, she runs into one of the kitchen guys and he ends up giving her some guidance – it is essentially a popularity contest but includes a financial impact. As Rosie begins to interact with those students who are in the top end, she sees some changes and eventually finds that she has made the cut. This is when things start to get even more interesting.

Rosie is one of those characters that I just wanted to shake sometimes. She is smart but she doesn’t always think about what she is doing. I get that she isn’t really sure who to trust but as she starts to become closer to Linus I would have hoped she would have learned to lean on him more as he never really gave her a reason to doubt him. With all of that said, I know she is a teenager and expected to make mistakes. My issue is that they were pretty silly mistakes that if she had taken the time to think about things (because she really is smart) she may have had a different outcome.

I liked Linus – I just wanted to know more about him and what really happened to him at the end of the book. I don’t want to give anything away here but I’m glad we learned a bit about his background along the way and I am very hopeful that the next book will provide some of the information I want (read: need) on him.

So, back to the story…As part of the contract with the school, the students are required to take a sleeping pill each night to ensure they sleep the required 12 hours determined by the school. Rosie decides to skip her pill a few nights and finds out that weird things are happening at the school at night. As she tries to dig into what is being done to the students while they sleep, she finds herself in some pretty dangerous situations and the man behind it all isn’t willing to take any chances that Rosie will ruin things for him.

I can’t say a lot more as I don’t want to give anything away. I will tell you that this book definitely grabbed my attention and there was a part at the end that had me wondering what the heck is going to happen in book two. There is a bit of a cliffhanger here but take it in stride…I’m not sure how else O’Brien could have ended it without continuing on to the next book. I’m pretty sure my impatient nature is the problem, not the spot where O’Brien chose to end it. If you enjoy science fiction with a bit of a mystery, definitely check this one out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the review copy.

The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O’Brien is book two of the series and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. This book picks up right after book one ends and O’Brien did a wonderful job of pulling me right back into the story. If you haven’t read The Vault of Dreamers, you may want to stop reading here because while I won’t spoil The Rule of Mirrors, I can’t swear I won’t give anything away from book one.

If you recall, Rosie’s consciousness was split into two at the end of the last book and now she isn’t fully herself. Thanks to a technician, Rosie wakes up in a sleep therapy and research clinic in Denver months later and she immediately begins to come up with a plan to escape. She knows she is missing pieces of herself and she is worried about her family and friends. I will say that Rosie’s portion of the story has more of the action. As she is escaping getting captured and handed back to the clinic, she is also trying to figure out what Berg has been up to and why and eventually crosses paths again with Burnham and Linus as well as Thea.

One of the twists here is that the other part of Rosie’s mind is now embedded into a young pregnant girl named Thea. This is the part of her mind that holds the memories of her family and Thea wakes up after being in a coma and is surrounded by people she has no memory of and I have to say, she handles it pretty well. The challenge for her is not only adapting to her old life with her parents but also trying to build relationships with people who think they know her. It isn’t easy for Thea because she is more attached to people she doesn’t know and because of that, she reaches out to those who have no idea who she is – like Rosie’s family and Linus. Eventually, she talks her baby’s father (Tom) into taking a roadtrip with her and they head out to see Thea’s family and tour Forge.

Linus is now hosting a pretty popular television show that finds lost children. I wish we would have gotten more information on what happened between now and the end of book one with him but as the story progresses, we learn a bit about what he has been up to and how much he and Rosie still care about each other. He is definitely still the person Rosie still has feelings for and that impacts the relationship Thea has with Tom.

I loved that we got to see Burnham again. I thought it was important to see what happened to him after the close of book one and I loved that he wasn’t letting his injury hold him back. His drive to push through and get better is something I love about his piece of the story. Well, that and the fact that no matter what Rosie feels about him, he will do whatever he can to help her.

Overall this was a great book two. A lot happens (obviously I’m not telling you everything) and I enjoyed how O’Brien essentially took one character, split her up into two, developed 2 stories and brought them both back together. I am excited to see where O’Brien takes the next book as she left things in such a way that I don’t know what to expect next. If you are looking for a Young Adult, Sci-Fi that has some solid characters, a great story, and the creep factor (think hacking your mind and taking your thoughts), definitely consider this series. I for sure am looking forward to the next book of this series.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

The Keep of Ages is the third, and final, installment of The Vault of Dreamers series by Caragh M. O’Brien and if you haven’t read any books in this series, you may want to check out my earlier reviews and then of course, go dive into book one so you can see why I enjoyed this series so much. With that said, I will try to avoid spoilers for this third book but can’t promise for books one and two so now you are warned.

As this book picks up, we are back with Rosie who has headed home to find that her mom, Larry, and Dubbs are gone and Rosie has no idea where they are – the only clue being a note that Dubbs left her to point her in the right direction. Rosie is still being hunted by Berg and this makes things dangerous. She has to be careful and knows she has very few people she can trust so as she heads out, she makes the decision to reach out to Burnham to ask for help.

We get a lot of the same characters in this book as we had in the previous books. Burnham, Thea, Berg, and Linus but we also get introduced to Lavinia Jacobs, the person who started The Forge Show and the person who is able to help Rosie get her family back. All of these characters have an impact on Rosie and help to keep the story on track. Thea is probably the most disconnected based on the fact that she is back home with her parents but through phone calls, we see that she is still very much linked to Rosie and even has some critical information for her.

Both Linus and Burnham have challenges they have to overcome due to Berg’s plans for Rosie but both are willing to do whatever they need to in order to help her stay out of Berg’s control and save her family. Of course, I have always been a fan of Linus and despite how the last book ended, was optimistic about the relationship between him and Rosie…I had concerns, no question but as we find out early on in this book, Linus is willing to do whatever he needs to in order to be there for Rosie and I love that about him.

As the story progresses, Rosie finds herself in some challenging situations and I have to say, Grisly Valley is a thing of nightmares – trust me, the name is appropriate. When Rosie is once again back under the control of Berg and his people, she realizes that she has to figure out how she is going to get herself (and Dubbs) out of their prison and I loved the twist here. It was slightly unexpected and ultimately added a little something to the rest of the story.

There is a science fiction feel to this series in that O’Brien builds the story around this idea that scientists can go digging around in someone’s brain and mine memories or cameras can be installed into someone’s eye…without them knowing about it. All of which makes me cringe and wonder what would a world like this really be like for people…especially with people like Berg in power.

There isn’t much more I can say without giving anything away with this one. In the end, I thought O’Brien did a great job of closing out this series. I have a bad tendency to put off reading final books in a series because I either don’t want it to end or I am worried I won’t be happy with what happens. With that said, I knew that this was one I needed to read because I needed to find out what was going to happen. Things definitely weren’t easy for Rosie but I thought the closure left things in a good place for her and all of the other characters.

Although I am sad to see the end of this series, I am happy I was able to finish it out and now I look forward to whatever Caragh O’Brien decides to write next because this series just solidified how much I enjoy her books. They always have interesting and well-developed characters, a page-turning story, and of course, keep me engaged until the very end just wondering what is going to happen next. I can’t ask for more than that and if those are things you typically look for too, consider checking this book/series out.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

3.5 stars.

Be warned - I will do my best not to put any spoilers in here but continue reading this review with caution. If you haven't read Crash yet, definitely stop, go read it and then proceed with caution if you decide to come back.

With that said, Bang is book 2 of the Visions series and it picks up right where Crash left off. If you recall, McMann ended book 1 with Sawyer's and Jules' first kiss but also included the little surprise of who was going to be having the next vision. Somehow the visions have transferred from Jules to Sawyer.

While I liked this book, I think the thing that made it tough was the fact that Sawyer was the one having the visions but the story was from Jules' point of view. In order to get to the detail of the vision Sawyer was having, there was a lot of back and forth questioning from Jules and Trey. What was super engaging about the first book (in my opinion) was seeing how Jules worked her way through the visions she kept seeing and trying to figure out the clues. Since the book was from Jules' point of view - this was included but it was almost like looking at it from the outside in.

The parental issues are woven through book 2 and will most likely continue through the series. In seeing where McMann is going with some of the things Jules observes about her father, I am very interested to read book 3. I am hoping it will explain some of the questions Jules (and I) have.

One of the things I like best in this series is the relationship the Demarco siblings have. I loved seeing Jules, Rowan, and Trey rally around Sawyer and show him how family supports each other. Since Sawyer is an only child and has a fairly strained relationship with his father and grandfather, I think it helps him to make a decision toward the end of the book that will impact him going into the next book.

I also liked seeing the progression of the relationship between Jules and Sawyer. One of the great things is that the main story about the visions stays front and center and the developing relationship is secondary to that. I never got the sense that McMann was trying to twist it and make the relationship the main focus which I appreciate.

Bang was a pretty quick read and definitely fast paced. There is the mystery of trying to figure out the details of the vision and how to stop it without taking away from the characters and the rest of what is going on in their lives.

If you haven't yet begun the Visions series, I recommend you definitely go out and get Crash and continue with Bang as soon as you can.

Seriously...My words will not do this book justice. Full review to come.

Soooo good. If you love the first two books, I think you will love how Lu brings this series to a conclusion. There were tears, swoony bits, more tears, some anger and so much more. I can't wait for everyone to read it and love Adelina as much as I do.

Full review to come closer to release.

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini is book one of The Worldwalker Trilogy and sets the stage nicely for a great new paranormal, young adult, series. I am always a bit hesitant to start a series so far in advance but I honestly couldn’t hold out anymore. First, that cover is ridiculously lovely and perfect and then the story…witches, magic, and alternate universes – I was sold! I will try to review without any spoilers...I promise!

Lily Procter is high school senior who lives in Salem, Massachusetts and she suffers from life threatening allergies. Despite her allergies, Lily is determined to try something normal for once – she is going to go to her first high school party with her best friend (and perhaps more) Tristan. When something happens at the party that causes her to have a major allergic reaction, and ultimately a seizure, Lily and Tristan end up fighting and saying some things they probably shouldn’t have. As Lily thinks about what happened, she decides she could just disappear…which is when she decides to answer the voice inside of her and let it know that she is ready to leave.

You’re probably wondering what that all means. Well, the voice in Lily’s head is actually Lillian, another version of herself in an alternate version of Salem, Massachusetts. This Lillian happens to be a powerful witch who has been looking for a way to save her world and has given up quite a bit to do it. In her search, she found Lily and while she is weak and sick in her current world, Lillian knows that she will be strong and powerful in the new one.

As Lily jumps into this new world, she is faced with a number of people that look familiar but are not really known to her. Her sister Juliet is there as is Tristan but they are not the same. The one person who is new to her, Rowan, happens to know Lillian very well and at first, this is a problem. As I mentioned, Lillian gave up a lot to follow the path she is on and one of them is Rowan. She has done some horrible things to him and those he loves but according to her, it was worth it if she can save her world. Once Lily realizes exactly what happened and that she is no longer in a world she is familiar with, she runs and ends up with the one person who would prefer to see Lillian dead, Rowan.

As the story progresses, we learn that in this world, the witches control everything and make all of the rules. As the strongest witch, Lillian is the ruler. The group that Rowan, Tristan, and Caleb belong to are the Outlanders and they live outside the 13 cities. Outlanders also have no rights or citizenship and have been rebelling against Lillian’s control so that they can have the things they need to survive. As Lily comes to realize just how dangerous this world can be she also learns a lot more about the magic. Where Lily suffered and was sick in her version of Salem, Rowan is able to explain her allergies and provide relief for the things she couldn’t previously control. As a mechanic, it is Rowan’s job to know what his witch needs and the makeup of her body. Because he used to serve in this role for Lillian, he knows exactly what Lily needs and when. Although it makes Lily uncomfortable at first, she quickly learns to trust Rowan despite the distrust he has for her.

The characters in this book were solidly built and I was definitely rooting for Lily. Even when she was sick, she wasn’t really one to just sit back and let people dictate what she did. And when she was thrown into a situation where she had no control or understanding of what was going on, she wasn’t afraid to jump in and figure out what to do.

As Lily’s relationship grows and changes with Rowan, we learn more about who he is and why things are the way they are between Rowan and Lillian. I have to admit, with what happened between them, I am surprised he is able to get past his anger when he looks at Lily, but he does. Obviously he realizes she is a completely different person and they have some different personality traits…which allows him to begin to have feelings and care about Lily. Yes, there is romance in this book and I loved it. It didn’t pull away from the overall story of what was going on with the rebellion and everything else and the way that Angelini weaved this part of the story in worked perfectly.

One thing I wish we would have learned more about was Carrick and ultimately what happened with him. I don’t know if he will reappear in the next book or if he is gone for good but I thought his story was a bit unexplained and abrupt. Angelini alluded to something in his past that made him who he was but I feel like I need more to connect the dots. Also, since it is from Lily’s point of view we have no idea what is going on at home with her friends and family and I really want to.

Overall I thought the pacing was well done but the ending felt a bit rushed. The focus stayed on the magic of the big fight scene but I wanted a bit more than that. Trust me, it didn’t hurt the story at all, mostly because the focus should probably be on the magic, but I guess I wanted to have more than just a few sentences around what happened with Gideon and how the fight was going.

Another thing I enjoyed was how Angelini tied the science and witchcraft together. I’m no science expert but I have to say, the way things were explained, it was believable. The world that Angelini built out was intriguing as well. The idea that there could be other versions of a world where some things are similar but others are not is something I love to read about. The Woven, the way agriculture and farming is handled, and the idea that witches create all energy were only a few of the things described but definitely showed how much thought and development went into creating this world and the story.

If you like Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Dystopian (or all three together), I have a feeling you will enjoy this book. It is filled with action, world building, and magic which are all things that had me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. This is a series so there is definitely an ending here that leads into another book and although a lot happens, the ending left a whole lot up in the air in terms of what will happen next for all of the characters. I know I am looking forward to the next book in this series….my patience will be tested as I’m pretty sure I have about a year to wait, but I loved the story so it was worth jumping into this book early.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the review copy.

3.5 stars

Firewalker is the second book of Josephine Angelini’s Worldwalker trilogy and if you haven’t read book one yet, stop here because I don’t want to ruin any of the story for you. I loved Trial by Fire and was anxiously waiting for this one so I could dive back into the world of witches and magic. I am going to apologize in advance if things sound vague in this review but it is mostly because I don’t want to spoil anything. A lot happens in this book and where book one focused a lot on building out the world and developing the characters, this one is more focused on tying everything together and advancing the story.

This book picks up immediately after Trial by Fire ends and now Lily is back in her world with Rowan. Having been severely burned in the pyre, she isn’t one hundred percent when they turn up in her world and are greeted by Lily’s mom and sister. As Lily begins to see the issues her leaving left behind, she also starts to think that there could be a future for her and Rowan.

Now that we are in Lily’s world, we get to see her connections with her family and her friends and I loved seeing this part of her. Since she spent the majority of her time in another world in the last book, we didn’t get too much of this. When she finally reconnected with her Tristan and Breakfast and Una as well, we learned more about them as well as how critical they would be to the remainder of the story. I also loved the relationship between Lily and her sister, Juliet.

As the story moves forward, Lily’s friends are drawn to her and as Rowan explains, they are natural mechanics. When Rowan begins to show the group what it means to be a mechanic, they all opt to have Lily claim them and their real training begins. This is definitely important because Lillian hasn’t given up on getting Lily back to her world and she is willing to do whatever it takes to get Lily to do what she wants which means the entire group is in danger.

As the group ultimately ends up back in Rowan’s world, they are faced with a number of challenges. The tribes are caught between the Coven and the Woven (both dangerous in their minds) and the ultimate reason why all the scientists were being killed by Lillian becomes clear… at least to Lily. Because of this, things between Rowan and Lily take a turn. I won’t say much about this but I have to say this was one of those moments in the book that change how I thought things would go – not just for them, but overall.

This is where I mention, there are a bunch of secrets floating between Lily and Rowan in this book. One of the secrets is directly linked to the reason Rowan encourages Lily to claim her friends as her mechanics. One of the other secrets is that Lily is still connected to Lillian and she is continuing to let Lillian show her all the justifications she has for doing what she has. All of them take a toll on the relationship between Lily and Rowan and in the end, even though they still very much care about each other, they are the things that make everything more complicated.

This book dives more into the Woven and as the group heads west, they finally encounter the Hive. As story comes to a close, it is clear that things will be very different for everyone going forward. I know this review is somewhat vague but I can’t apologize. If you are looking for a story with magic and lots of action, definitely check this one out and if you haven’t started book one, now is a great time to read it and dive right into Firewalker when it comes out.

4.5 stars

I really loved Cindy Anstey’s Love, Lies, and Spies so when I found out she had a new book called Duels and Deceptions, of course I had to get my hands on it. I love historical romance and this book was exactly what I was looking for.

Lydia Whitfield is the main character and I loved her. Growing up in a time where women are supposed to be quiet, marry, and let the men make all the decisions, Lydia stands out as she is smart, decisive, and pretty much has her future planned out. Her plans do not include marrying for love, like one of her closest friends, but she will marry the man her father thought would be best for her and her family estate, Lord Barley Aldershot. She just needs to get everything settled with her solicitor.

Robert Newton is the third son of an Earl and his career as a law apprentice has started out as a law clerk for Mr. Lynch, Lydia’s solicitor. I loved everything about Robert...everything. Upon meeting Lydia, Robert is immediately drawn to her based on her personality and as he gets to know her, and her quirks, he finds himself looking for reasons to spend more time with her. Unfortunately Robert knows that he can never do anything about his attraction. Not only is Lydia expecting to marry Lord Aldershot but as an heiress, he would be seen as a fortune hunter or kept man and he would never want to drag her down because he has to have a career.

On her way into Bath for a meeting with Robert and Lord Aldershot, the unexpected happens and Lydia is kidnapped. As Robert happened to jump into the carriage at the last minute he is also taken by the thugs and as he is tossed out of the carriage, he realizes he has to do whatever he can to save Lydia from the men who have taken her. Even though she eventually gets away from the kidnappers, in a time when reputation is everything, the situation has put Lydia in a position where her biggest worry is how she will explain being on her own with an unmarried man. When they find they are close to her friend’s home, they make their way there and together, everyone comes up with a story that will cover up the situation.

Just when you think things are ok and Lydia has made it past the storm, a blackmail letter shows up…and eventually another. As Lydia and Robert work to figure out who is behind the kidnapping and notes they come to realize that they really do care about each other and I loved how Anstey built up the relationship between them. It was definitely slow to build but it really worked with this story as it took time for Lydia to realize that there is more to life than just doing what will be good for her estate.

I loved the secondary characters in this book. Lydia’s mom ended up being someone I liked and she really did help Lydia realize some important things. Robert’s friend Cassidy was an interesting character and I kind of want to know more about him. Cora, Lord Aldershot, and her aunt/uncle all helped to move the story along and added to the overall story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. If you are looking for a light historical romance with a bit of a mystery, I definitely recommend this one and if you haven’t read Love, Lies, and Spies…you should go read that book too. I am definitely looking forward to whatever Anstey writes next and will be keeping an eye out for whatever it is.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

I absolutely love this series and the characters. If you haven't listened to the audio yet go listen to it right now!