I enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas is the newest installment of A Court of Thorns and Roses, following Nesta as she navigates her new life as a Fae with a little help from Cassian. This book picks up a year after [b:A Court of Frost and Starlight|31076583|A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3.1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546407073l/31076583._SY75_.jpg|54810660]. During that year, Feyre and Elain have given Nesta her space, hoping that in doing so Nesta would come to terms with everything that has happened to her. Instead, Nesta has only gotten worse. Now she is offered a last chance to set things right, and the person she is ordered to work with is the one person she can’t stand the sight of. Both heartbreaking and uplifting A Court of Silver Flames delves deep into how trauma can affect our everyday lives and the steps to overcome it.

Nesta was never my favorite character…that is until I read this book. I thought her unnecessarily cruel and brash, caring only for herself and how the situation of others reflected upon her. Oh how I was wrong! Nesta is more like Feyre. In fact, I’d go as far to say they are identical which is probably why they don’t get along so well. While Nesta puts up a fierce face, her insides are cracked, broken, and festering. Watching helpless as the king of Hybern turned Elain into a Fae then facing the same fate was just the tip of the iceberg Nesta has to overcome. Unable to stop her father’s death and witnessing it haunts her every waking moment. All of this combined with the fact that those who she should be able to rely on do not trust her and fear the power that resides in her.

All of this culminates into the person we see at the beginning of the book: a callous drunk who sleeps with random strangers to keep the nightmares at bay. After one particular night where she spent an ungodly amount of the Night Lord’s money, Cassian arrives and forces her to go to Feyre. It is this scene that is a pivot point for her. Feyre offers Nesta some tough love: go live at the House of Wind, work in the library below, no drinking and train with Cassian or go back to the mortal world to live alone as she has shut everyone out. Resentful and just a bit bitter, Nesta begrudgingly accepts and thus the story begins.

Cassian is one of my favorites of the series. I could read stories about Azriel and him all day. As the commander of Rhys’s armies, Cassian has big shoes to fill. He’s always been a jokester, downplaying his responsibilities because he doesn’t believe in himself. He believes he is nothing more than an Illyrian bastard despite the power running through his veins. After losing a large force during the war, Cassian must regain the trust of his troops and also find peace for himself. Yet another battle looms, and he isn’t sure how to face it. Add to that he now has to train Nesta, and he feels like he is barely treading water. Despite all of this, Cassian sees to the heart of Nesta and realizes they aren’t that different.

So much happens in this story! Nesta dealing with her severe PTSD, Cassian taking on more responsibility, and the hunt for three mythical artifacts that may turn the tide and settle the unrest in Prythian. I personally enjoyed every word, even the hard stuff. I laughed a lot, I cried a little, and I swooned majorly. I also love two characters that are brought in later who become friends and confidantes of Nesta. They are wonderful, and I hope to see more of them.

Overall, I loved A Court of Silver Flames. I couldn’t read it fast enough. I’ll be honest, I was hesitant to continue reading the series because I thought it had a good ending, but I’m SO glad I continued because Nesta and Cassian are perfect! The story is one that needed to be told. I loved how Maas handled Nesta’s depression and self-loathing. It brought her to life off the pages and resonated so deeply with me. If you are a fan of the series, I highly recommend it.

This is the fairytale retelling I didn’t know I needed! Promises and Pixie Dust by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison, who are quickly becoming one of my favorite author duos, is a sweet, standalone retelling of Thumbelina and included in the anthology Enchanted Kingdoms. Following the story of Lina and Edrich, Promises and Pixie Dust explores the world from two very different points of view as one girl searches for a world she belongs in.

The story opens with Lina saying goodbye to her friends and waiting for one person in particular, Edrich. Lina is preparing to enter the enchanted forest and find people like her. That is, Lina wants to find someone that is her size, not much bigger than your thumb. Since her mother’s passing, the call of the forest and to find others like her has only gotten stronger. And why wouldn’t it? Everything in Lina’s life has to be modified for her to use. That doesn’t stop her. Nothing does! She is a force to be reckoned with, even driving a wagon full of supplies with a complicated system of ropes and pulleys. But now there is nothing stopping her from searching except Edrich.

To say Edrich is shocked to see Lina at the bar, much less her request to accompany her to the Enchanted Forest, is an understatement. Edrich has spent the last few years trying to forget his little friend and the feelings she stirs in him. As his mother pointed out long ago, Lina deserves better than the half-life he can give her and he the same. So he left, joining a group of mercenaries. Now that life haunts him. With a few days off between jobs, he decides to accompany Lina, he can’t let her go on her own after all. There is a bitterness that festers between these two, though Lina is unaware of the cause only the hurt that she feels.

The plot follows these two into the enchanted forest, and I couldn’t love it more! The alternating POV really help bring into focus how the world is seen from a normal sized human like Edrich and Lina’s fairy size. I love their banter, even their tense arguments as you see the tension swelling between these two former friends. My heart ached for them.

Overall, I really enjoyed Promises and Pixie Dust. Thumbelina was one of my favorite cartoons growing up, and the authors brought her to life here. I love how intricate and vivid the details of the forest are from Lina’s perspective. It was easy to imagine myself at her size, seeing the world from her POV. If you enjoy YA fantasy, retellings, and of course a bit of romance, I highly recommend Promises and Pixie Dust.

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

I adore this book! The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary is a comedic and oftentimes heartbreaking story about finding love, losing love, and all the messy bits in between. Imagine, if you will, planning a road trip to your best friend’s wedding and everything that could go wrong does. Now you are trapped in a car with your overprotective older sister, a random guy from Facebook, your ex who you want to hate but can’t find the energy to, and his best friend who mutually hates you. Road trip from hell, right? This is the book in a nutshell, but y’all it is so much more! Told in dual POV and alternating past and present, The Road Trip will leave you smiling long after it ends.

Addie and Dylan fell in love one summer while she was working at her friend Cherry’s vacation home as the caretaker. Dylan was there on what was supposed to be a family trip, but as all things with his family, it wound up just being him. The two immediately hit it off, and the chemistry is quite steamy, but both are still immature and learning who they are as adults. Dylan struggles with depression, and I really appreciate how delicately the author handled this. She writes it from his perspective, and it feels true to life. Addie is insecure. Dylan met her at a time in her life where she was carefree and fun.

Flash forward to the present. The two are heading to Cherry’s wedding, in separate cars, and haven’t spoken in a year and a half. When Dylan sees her in the car ahead of him, he loses focus remembering her, how much he loves her and how much he misses her. Then he happens to run his car into the back of hers. To prevent the group from being late to the wedding, they all pile into Addie’s sister’s mini-coop. Can you imagine? Five full grown adults in a mini-coop? I laughed every time it was mentioned.

The story slowly unravels alternating between Addie and Dylan’s past, watching them fall in love, and their present, crammed into a mini-coop trying not to acknowledge the elephant in the car with them. I loved Addie and Dylan. They are a sweet couple that you can easily root for. Deb, Addie’s sister, is fantastic. She’s a single mom and always has Addie’s back. Marcus, Dylan’s best friend, is an interesting character. I wanted to hate him like Addie does, but I found that he was growing on me. His character arc made me tear up a bit even if I did want to reach through the pages at times and smack him on the head. The last character in the car is Rodney. He is a bit of a mystery. He just needed a ride to the wedding and Deb and Addie thought why not. They don’t know him or how he knows their friend Cherry. So he’s a wildcard, an innocent and harmless one they think.

Overall, if you haven’t already guessed it, I absolutely loved The Road Trip. The bits of the past we got really helped to shape how I interpreted Addie and Dylan in the present. The story and pacing flowed seamlessly from one section to the next. I honestly could have read another 300 pages and been happy. There wasn’t a single character I wasn’t interested in. They were all fully developed and unique. I wanted to get to know them all! If you enjoy sweet, second chance romances with quirky antics and comedic value, I highly recommend you grab a copy.