I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Fantastic conclusion! Dragon Rebellion by M. Lynn is the final book in The Hidden Warrior duology picking up weeks after the events of [b:Dragon Rising|50328811|Dragon Rising (The Hidden Warrior #1)|M. Lynn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578333841l/50328811._SY75_.jpg|75268415]. If you haven’t read book one, there may be spoilers to it in the following review. Read at your own risk. Jian Li has spent the last several weeks at the Minglans’ in Zhouchang waiting for Hua to wake up. After destroying Kanyuan village, killing innocents and soldiers from Piao and Kou alike, the Nagi spared him and took him to the only place she knew that would be safe. While war with the Kou looms on the horizon, Dragon Rebellion looks inward to the war taking place between Hua and the Nagi.

Hua Minglan is trapped inside her own mind, wrestling for control of her body and preventing the Nagi from taking its true dragon form. She is heartsick over what happened in the village. She gave her body over to the dragon thinking she could take her revenge on the Kou, yet the Nagi wants its own revenge against the empire of Piao for its killing of the dragon blooded. Hua is still strong and stubborn in her own rights, and she uses what little control she has over her mind to talk to the Nagi. Hua has one goal, and it is the same goal as when she first disguised herself as Huan and went to war: Protect the people of Piao. Will she have to protect them from herself?

Jian Li is no longer commander of the Piao army. He’s lost his sense of duty, but gained something more. He’s found a family in the Minglan home. He’s fallen for Hua, even while she sleeps. It’s Jian who recognizes the Nagi inside of her, controlling her actions. And it is Jian that will fight to bring her back. I liked Jian in the previous book, but I fell in love with him here. He has found a purpose greater than war and revenge, and he will do whatever it takes to succeed.

The plot revolves around Hua and the Nagi, their struggle to control Hua’s body, and the looming war with the Kou. The Nagi is an interesting twist to this story. It is supposed to be a protector of Piao, but instead it wants its own revenge. While the internal struggle drives Hua’s part of the story, Jian’s story follows him as he searches for Hua and tries to recover the girl he knows.

Overall I enjoyed Dragon Rebellion. The tension and uncertainty of what would happen to Jian and Hua drove the plot, keeping me reading til it was finished. If you are a Mulan fan, a fantasy lover, or just love dragons, I highly recommend it.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This doesn't affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.



Y’all I don’t know where to start! The Lost Magic by Michelle Bryan is the second book in her series Power of Fae, picking up right where [b:The Lost Link|52059429|The Lost Link (Power of Fae, #1)|Michelle Bryan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583271951l/52059429._SY75_.jpg|76813389] left us hanging. If you have not read book one yet, there may be minor spoilers to it in this review. Read at your own risk! Starke and Jette were successful in rescuing Jill, the fire elemental from Queen Asha, but in their escape have landed into a world of nightmares, a world fans of the author already know (I won’t elaborate further because spoilers, but y’all it is epic!). The trio were attempting to find the air elemental, but their jump was hijacked, and now Jette is realizing that all the worlds need their help, not just Endova. The Lost Magic is a high-thrill adventure through the multiverse as Jette and her new friends search for Endova’s only hope, the elementals.

Jette is still a favorite of mine. She is sassy and snarky, but also loyal and protective. She has come a long way from the lost foster kid at the beginning of the series. Jette is learning to trust Starke, her new powers, and even realizing that though she didn’t ask for this fight, it is hers. I love that she has come so far and that she is becoming stronger because of it. Her feelings for Starke, on the other hand, she is in full denial there

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Smoke Gate by Kay L. Moody is the sixth installment of the novella series The Elements of Kamdaria. After finishing the previous novella, I knew that this installment would be action packed and break my heart. Y’all Kay L. Moody delivered! The book opens with a chapter from Aaden’s point of view. We haven’t heard from him since [b:Flame Crown|50880780|Flame Crown (The Elements of Kamdaria 4)|Kay L Moody|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568598529l/50880780._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73269420], and it was a relief to know he wasn’t dead. But I may have chose death over his betrayal

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Vine Gate by Kay L. Moody is the seventh installment of her novella series The Elements of Kamdaria. I adore this series! Each installment is better than the last even when I think that’s impossible. If you haven’t started the series yet, please note that there may be minor spoilers to previous books in this review. At the end of [b:Smoke Gate|52236513|Smoke Gate (The Elements of Kamdaria 6)|Kay L Moody|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583774522l/52236513._SY75_.jpg|77315362], Kessouku stole the amulet from Talise. Now the empire is in chaos as they use the amulet’s power to wreak havoc on the emperor and people of the Crown. Talise and her crew are desperate to get it back. The question is how.

Talise is done mourning Aaden’s betrayal. She’s ready to move on though the hurt lingers. Her distrust of her friends has caused more problems than she bargained for. Talise is learning to trust Claye and Wendy more than she ever has. They know everything about her, and she is done keeping secrets. She is learning to rely on them, and I love how this shows her character’s growth.

As Talise begins to move on from Aaden, she begins seeing Claye in a new light. He is still her friend, but there might be more there. While I’m not a fan of love triangles, this feels different. The author is allowing the relationship between the two friends to grow naturally. It’s interesting seeing a different side of Claye, and we get even more information about him as we meet his family at the Vine Gate.

Overall I really enjoyed this installment. Vine Gate focuses on character growth with an action-packed, explosive ending. Fans of YA fantasy will devour this series.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The end is in sight! Ember Gate by Kay L. Moody is the eighth installment of the novella series The Elements of Kamdaria, and picks up a few weeks after the events of [b:Vine Gate|52850694|Vine Gate (The Elements of Kamdaria 7)|Kay L Moody|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585663220l/52850694._SY75_.jpg|79030191]. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, there may be minor spoilers in this review. Read at your own risk! Talise and her friends are close to the Kessouku main base, ready to rescue the soldiers who were taken from the Crown. Among those prisoners is Wendy’s brother. Talise is determined to do whatever it takes to save her people, but her own soldiers are running out of supplies as winter closes in. She has to do something she doesn’t want to do: ask the emperor for help. Ember Gate is full of action and deception from those you don’t expect.

Talise is ready to move forward. She has come to terms with Aaden’s betrayal, and she is ready to take Kessouku down. However she is still confused. She believes in what Kessouku originally fought for: equality in the empire. It’s how they are going about achieving it that she disagrees with. While reconciling her beliefs for her people, there is also the matter of her heart. She isn’t fully over her feelings for Aaden, but Claye is there. He is kind and loves her. And he gives her butterflies, that has to be good right?

The plot revolves around Talise and her soldiers planning an attack on the Kessouku base. As they plan, Talise begins suspecting that there is a spy in their camp. She trusts her friends implicitly, and this trust could be her downfall. I like how the author interweaves the action and suspense. Talise and her closest friends enter the base undercover while her soldiers draw Kessouku out for a battle. This creates wonderful tension as Talise, Wendy, and Claye enter the base with a few others. They have to move quickly and a lot rides on it.

Overall I enjoyed Ember Gate. However it felt like a filler book. Not much happens until the end and then EVERYTHING happens. It’s a slow read up to that point. I’m curious and excited to see how the events of this book affect Talise going forward. A big twist leaves you with a not so happy ending. If you enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend this novella series.

This review first appeared on Mom with a Reading Problem. To see it and other reviews, follow the link.

It’s been a long time since a book left me utterly speechless, and y’all I’m not sure how coherent this review will be. Fantastic is so beneath how I would describe this book. It’s better than that. It’s the best I’ve read in what feels like forever. LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff is the first in his sci-fi dystopian thriller that I would describe as Mad Max meets iRobot. It takes what I remember loving about Mortal Engines and combines it with everything I love about the genre in one delightful, mind-blowing package.

If there is a main character in this story, it is Eve Carpenter. The book opens with Eve. She is fierce, loyal, and at times lethal. Surviving a bullet to the brain when the rest of her family was killed, Eve has a cybernetic implant that replaced her missing eye and also houses the memories her grandfather was able to piece back together. Most of her childhood memories are intact, but some aren’t, leaving Eve with missing pieces. Her nights are haunted by those missing pieces, her brain attempting to fill in the gaps of what happened to her and her family. Despite this, or maybe because of it, Eve spends her days building giant robots and fighting in the Wardome, a Coliseum-esque arena, to earn money for her grandfather’s meds. When a battle goes awry, Eve is left standing in the wreckage with no idea how she survived, but the results are life-changing.

Enter Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a lifelike, one of only 9 known created AI, and he knows Eve. He knows what happened to her, to her family, and what is happening to her now. He loved her once and claims to love her still. I don’t have a good read on Ezekiel. I wanted to trust him, but at the same time, I felt like I couldn’t. He intrigues Eve, and most definitely intrigued me.

In addition to these two, Eve’s best friend Lemon Fresh (yep that’s really her name) and Cricket also play a large role in the book. I personally love Cricket. He is a small AI, called a logika in the book. Fiercely loyal to Eve, he will do anything to protect her, even if he is only about 2 feet high. Lemon is great. She brings levity to an otherwise dark story. Like Cricket, she is loyal to Eve. She will follow her anywhere and spend her life protecting her. But it becomes clear really quickly that she is hiding a secret.

The world-building is unlike any I’ve ever read. Kristoff immerses the reader in Eve’s dying world. New slang, way-advanced tech, and yet it feels like it’s happening now. I loved the imagery. I could feel the heat, smell the rot, and the cool touch of metal. Seriously fantastic!

Overall, I couldn’t read this one fast enough. I love Kristoff’s other work, but this may just be my favorite. Addressing the age old question of “Just because we can, does it mean we should?” LIFEL1K3 puts robotics and playing God at the forefront. And that ending….don’t even get me started. It’s been such a longtime since a book truly surprised me and left me reeling. But this one succeeded in doing just that. I’m still in shock! If you enjoy sci-fi dystopias, I highly recommend you grab a copy ASAP.

Future collides with the past in Legacy by Jesikah Sundin, the first book in her series The Biodome Chronicles. Following the story of three young adults, you get a clear picture of what is happening. I became lost in the world Sundin created, and y’all I couldn’t get enough! It’s unlike anything I’ve read before, which is refreshing to say the least.

The story opens with Leaf and Willow. They’ve just lost their father to what appears to be a massive heart attack. As the eldest, Leaf is now responsible for his younger sisters and at a loss as to what to do next. His father was the Earth Element, a noble in their medieval village. Leaf must determine his next steps in order to gain his father’s title and the respect of the other town elders. As new information comes to light, his father’s death becomes more of a mystery. Did someone murder him, and if they did, why?

Grieving and heartsick, Willow is oblivious to her older brother’s grief. Never being close before, she lashes out at her brother’s apathetic attitude. She wants to hurt him, but instantly feels shame when he shows his own pain to her. Together they are responsible for raising their baby sister Laurel, a responsibility neither is ready for. Willow is also nearing the age when the women in her village marry, which is expected of her. When her best friend shows that he would like to marry her, Willow recoils. This isn’t the relationship she wants with him, and she’s not sure she ever wishes to marry. At 15 (almost 16), I can understand and identify with her small acts of rebellion.

Then enters Fillion. Fillion lives on the outside of their small town. What appeared at first to be a medieval English village is actually an enclosed Biodome. Willow and Leaf aren’t from the past, but actually are the second generation born inside the dome. The two have only heard stories about technology and life outside their village from their parents and town elders. Fillion’s father happens to own the company and is managing this science experiment, proof that a colony on Mars can exist with certain conditions in place. The condition this experiment explores is how an enclosed community can function if communications are cutoff from the outside. To do this, they decide to incorporate LARP (live-action role playing). The parents of Willow and Leaf (and all the elders) are playing a game, but the game isn’t a game to the second generation. This is their life, the only one they’ve ever known.

Fillion rebels against what his father has done. They are essentially lying to the second generation, at least in his opinion. The experiment should have been terminated years ago when the Watson children (Leaf, Willow, and Laurel) were reported dead by the community. When Leaf and Willow find a link to the outside, they encounter Fillion. Shocked by the ghosts from the past, Fillion has to reexamine what he knows and find the mystery surrounding the Watsons.

Overall, I really enjoyed Legacy. I love the contrast between Leaf’s world and Fillion’s. I can’t wait to see where the author takes their story next. If you enjoy technology, sci-fi, and dystopias, I highly recommend this one.