“Branches and stones, daggers and bones, they locked the beast away.”

Violet Saunders and her mother, Juniper, are returning to Four Paths to take care of her aunt Daria in their old family manor. She soon meets the others founders kids, Justin and May Hawthorne, Isaac Sullivan, and Maurice Carlisle, and befriends each of them in their own way. But once she starts blacking out and strange things begin to happen, Violet learns that things in Four Paths aren't quite as they appear.

I really enjoyed The Devouring Gray. It had just the right amount of scary for my sensitivities 🤣🐓 and it was a fun and interesting story. Although it did take a little longer than I would have liked to really get into it, largely because of the numerous POVs, once I found my groove I was engaged and didn't want to put it down. I think there was a little less character development and detail than I would have liked, but for an entry into a brand new world, it accomplished the goal of getting me interested enough to read the next book. I admit, before I reached the end I didn't realize it was a series, but that ending simply cannot be for a standalone novel! I'll definitely be watching for a sequel!

Alosa has completed the map and is preparing to go off on the expedition with her father, the Pirate King, to retrieve the missing treasure. But when she discovers her father's biggest secret, her loyalties waver and she sets off on her own instead. But will she and her crew be able to make it to the legendary site before he catches them?

This second installment in the duology did not disappoint! I felt the rush of adventure and the lulls of waiting for wind right along with the crew, fully immersed in the world from the first page. The romance did not disappoint, but I also loved the relationship Alosa has with her entire crew. She is not only their Captain, she is their sister and friend, and she will do anything for them, as they will for her.

I will definitely be rereading this many times in the future and can't wait to read more by Tricia!

Thank you Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff for yet another fantastic YA Sci-Fi read! This story follows Squad 312, a misfit group of cadets thrown together by chance, as they head out on their first mission with low expectations. Their fearless leader, Ty, didn’t get quite the group he expected to lead after graduation. And their first assignment doesn’t exactly sound like the exciting adventure they were all hoping for. But Fate has something in store for this ragtag group, and her name is Aurora. 💫
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Once again, I love the world created by Kaufman and Kristoff. The writing is smooth and cohesive and if I didn’t know it was written by two authors I wouldn’t have been able to tell. There is action, fun character development, and no spoilers here, but that ending! 🤭 I’m already impatiently waiting for the next book in the series and definitely plan to reread Aurora Rising at least once or twice before then. I listened to the majority of the book on audio and just like the Illuminae Series, the full cast recording was incredible. I would highly recommend listening if you like #audiobooks 🎧
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In the land of Varenia, girls are brought up to believe that beauty is literally everything. If you are not the most beautiful girl, eventually chosen to marry the Ilarean prince, you are essentially nothing. When Nor earned a small scar on her cheek in an accident when she was young, she believed she would be lucky to find any husband. But when her sister, Zadie, was badly injured and scarred, Nor became the chosen princess. But is being a princess everything she dreamed?

When I read about Varenia, I pictured the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, with huts on stilts, thatched roof and all. In clear contrast, the mountain of New Castle was gloomy and claustrophobic. Rutherford did a wonderful job with world building and describing the locations, and really made me feel as though I was experiencing the shock of leaving home and the castle right alongside Nor.

I felt that the premise was well done, original and thought out. I really enjoyed the times spent with Talin, and of course the way Ceren behaved made me shudder more often than not.

Where the story falls short for me is the ending. It felt very rushed compared to the rest of the story. I would have liked to see it play out more on the pages, rather than the quick wrap up we received. I do hope that there will be another book in the future, as I'd love to get more closure on the events that were laid out in those final pages. I feel there is a lot more to experience in Nor and Zadie's story, and would definitely continue reading if it becomes a series. Overall, I still enjoyed the book enough to bump up the 3.5 star rating I'd like to give to 4 stars, with the hopes that there is more to come.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lila has been receiving annoying letters from Cupid's Matchmaking Service all summer, although she's never signed up for any matchmaking. In fact, she is very happy with her boyfriend. But when she attempts to ask them to stop, she finds herself in a very unexpected situation... what exactly does it mean to be Cupid's Match?

This book definitely had potential and I really did like the idea, but the execution could have been better. It felt very repetitive, and if I never hear cupid or Cupid again, it may be too soon. I really would have liked to see Cupid go by a different name. I don't think it would be unreasonable for a god to be incognito, even if Lila knew who he was. He could have gone under cover in the mortal world as something like Cooper and it would have seemed more natural, especially when calling every matchmaker a cupid and seeing the name constantly. Unfortunately, this really distracted me from the story.

Relationship spoilers ahead:

Spoiler

The relationship between Cal and Lila was more believable than between Cupid and Lila. But I admit that I asked myself "what was the point" when I got to the end. It almost seemed as if this is going to continue as a love triangle, but I don't know that I was invested enough to make me want to continue if it is.

Overall, some aspects of the story felt very rushed, especially near the end. And while unanswered questions usually leave you wanting more, I honestly don't even know what questions to ask. There was just too much left unrevealed, I would almost compare it to a daytime soap opera. It feels as though you'd have to read 12 more books just to figure out something that should have been given to the reader in the first.

It's a bit ironic that I would be posting a review about a book touting the perils of social media on a social media site... but here goes!

Reading The Hive, I got the sense that the world described could easily be in our own near future, which makes this YA thriller as scary as a horror story in some ways. Cassie McKinney is just trying to make it through her senior year and move on with her life. But when her so-called friends leave her high and dry after acting as catalyst to a social media comment gone wrong, she's on the run and doesn't know who she can trust.

The concepts in the story, while a bit futuristic in implementation, will not be surprising. Trend positive, go viral, the Internet is forever... and there's always the government conspiracy. But I fell into the world easily and was quickly invested in the characters. Some of the twists and turns were predictable, but not enough to be distracting, and the ending was open-ended enough that I hope there will be a follow-up!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Hive and would recommend it to fans of YA thrillers and futuristic technology.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I listened to this book on audio and it was an enjoyable enough listen. The story was interesting, although at times a bit confusing when I would catch myself paying attention to the task at hand rather than fully paying attention to the story. I will read or listen to the second book in the series, but if I wait to long I will need to reread/listen to this, as it was not memorable enough to really make a lasting impression.