Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: January River

Author: Bernard Jan

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: fiction lovers

Publication Date: April 3, 2020

Genre: Fiction

Recommended Age: 15+ (grief, Christian themes)

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 223

Synopsis: When one of their friends goes missing, everything comes crashing down for the small group of childhood friends in the small town of Greenfield. Ethan takes it hard. Then he loses his dog, his only consolation.

Hoping to start anew, Ethan leaves Greenfield and moves to New York City. Far from the ghosts of his childhood and the river that gives and takes life. There he finds his one true love and builds a career as a bestselling author.

But how long will Ethan’s happiness last as doubts creep back into him and shatter his reality? And will his reconciliation with the past come at too great a price?

All rivers carry their secrets, but not every river keeps its secret forever.

Review: This was such an emotional book! I thought the book did well to make the reader emotional and the world building was masterful. The book also had well developed characters and plot.

The only issue I had with the book is that the book was a bit too slow for my liking, but it was great overall. I also wanted more loose ends to be tied up.

Verdict: It will make you cry.

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Knight in Paper Armor

Author: Nicholas Conley

Book Series: Standalone for now

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Guatemalan side character

Recommended For...: ya readers, sci-fi readers

Publication Date: September 15, 2020

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: 14+ (immigration TW, human experimentation, Holocaust mentioned, poverty, violence, gore, grief)

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing LLC

Pages: 426

Synopsis: Billy Jakobek has always been different. Born with strange and powerful psychic abilities, he has grown up in the laboratories of Thorne Century, a ruthless megacorporation that economically, socially, and politically dominates American society. Every day, Billy absorbs the emotional energies, dreams, and traumas of everyone he meets—from his grandmother’s memories of the Holocaust, to the terror his sheer existence inflicts upon his captors—and he yearns to break free, so he can use his powers to help others.

Natalia Gonzalez, a rebellious artist and daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, lives in Heaven’s Hole, an industrial town built inside a meteor crater, where the poverty-stricken population struggles to survive the nightmarish working conditions of the local Thorne Century factory. Natalia takes care of her ailing mother, her grandmother, and her two younger brothers, and while she dreams of escape, she knows she cannot leave her family behind.

When Billy is transferred to Heaven’s Hole, his chance encounter with Natalia sends shockwaves rippling across the blighted landscape. The two outsiders are pitted against the all-powerful monopoly, while Billy experiences visions of an otherworldly figure known as the Shape, which prophesizes an apocalyptic future that could decimate the world they know.

Review: I really liked this one! It was cute but it had the perfect blend of social issues and fantasy. The book doesn’t shy from the horrors of the world and the characters are well written. The world building is also well done and I loved the plot.

The only issue I had with the book is that there was a lot going on all at once. The amount of information in this book and historical/social/racial/etc issues presented in this read was great, but a little overwhelming for what would be the target audience, not to say that they shouldn’t know about these issues, it’s just too much for one book in my opinion.

Verdict: It was great!

Disclaimer: I bought this ebook. Support your local indie authors!

Book: Columbia

Author: David White

Book Series: The River Exiles Book 1

Rating: 2/5

Recommended For...: MG readers, dystopian lovers, sci-fi lovers

Publication Date: October 25, 2020

Genre: MG Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNFed

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 250

Synopsis: In a world devastated by drought and disease, and ruled over by a brutal regime, children over 12 are forced to leave their homes to go and discover new lands.
When Megan and Jacob Hadaway make the long journey to Columbia, they find their new life is filled with untold dangers - and mysteries. Why is the population so old? What has happened to the other children who have been exiled? And how can they escape from the guards who watch their every move?
As they begin to unravel the terrible secret that underpins their society, they realise what they need to do in order to bring down a ruthless system.

Review: Had to DNF this read at 23%. The book just wasn’t interesting to me and wasn’t picking up my interest. I do like the concept and I would love to get into it, but I just can’t at this time.

Verdict: DNF but sounds good!

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Corrupted: The Truth Shall Be The Nail In Your Coffin

Author: Jared Dixon

Book Series: Corrupted Book 1

Rating: 2/5

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Genre: Fiction

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNFed

Publisher: Full Circle Press

Pages: 277

Synopsis: Jeremiah (Jerry) Nelson was happy, living the life of a struggling writer in New York City and proudly owning his identity as a gay man. However, his past catches up with him once he is forced to return home to his dysfunctional family, a history that involves a tragic loss, his bulimia, and his indelible stint in conversion therapy.

Harriet Nelson never recovered from the loss of her daughter five years ago, passively watching as her marriage disintegrated before her eyes. When her oldest son, Jerry, comes home from New York, Harriet slowly finds the fortitude to be happy, no matter the cost.

Carl's identity as a preacher's kid has never allowed him the space to own his identity as a gay young man. On the cusp of entering college, he dangerously ventures into the “forbidden” world of same-sex relationships just as his father has a revelation to preach a message of conversion to heterosexuality.

Through the help of his friends Carl and Mel and his younger brother, Leo, Jerry finds the courage to channel his painful past into exposing the dangerous, duplicitous world of conversion therapy as a field reporter for an online magazine, Rainbow Warriors. As Jerry digs into a world he vowed to never return to, a world Carl’s father is convinced holds the key to salvation for homosexuals, he discovers a shocking criminal connection that threatens not only his own life but the lives of some of his closest friends as well.

Corrupted: The Truth Shall Be The Nail In Your Coffin’s exploration of conversion therapy, Christianity, grief and loss, eating disorders, infidelity, racial identity, and other social issues will challenge readers to not only examine their own views on these pivotal topics but also engage in difficult conversations that have the potential to spark positive social change.

Review: I had to DNF this book about 20% in. The book isn’t for me and while the book sounds really interesting, it just wasn’t something I could get into. However, I do recommend this book. It does sound pretty good.

Verdict: DNF but it sounds good.

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Test of Time

Author: Jacqueline T. Johnson

Book Series: Sons of Meir Book 1

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended For...: fantasy lovers, friendship novels

Publication Date: April 1, 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, gore)

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 256

Synopsis: In a time when battles are fought and leaders rise and fall, an unlikely friendship is formed between two men, Erich, a fearless commander from the kingdom of Meir and Nash, a rogue assassin from the kingdom of Noyi. These men meet on a crossroad to their destinies to discover they are pawns used by their governments to start a war of power. Three kingdoms, two men, one mission. Can their friendship withstand the test of time or will one be forced to question can he kill the man he consider his friend, his counterpart...a brother?

Review: For the most part this was a good fantasy novel. The book read more of a character study than anything else and the development of the main characters was well done. The book did well with the plot as well and the writing was very well done.

The only issue I really had with the book is that the world building wasn’t well done and the pacing was a bit slow in places. There was also some wonky moments where the narration was a bit confusing.

Verdict: It was good.

Disclaimer: I received the e-arc from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Scars of Cereba

Author: Rachel Emma Shaw

Book Series: Memoria Duology (Book 2)

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: fantasy readers, ya readers

Publication Date: May 10, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (grief, kidnapping, TW suicide/suicidal thoughts, miscarriage TW, violence, gore)

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 300 (not an official number)

Synopsis: Falon’s mind is broken. By returning his memories, Sarilla fractured him into the man he was and the man he became after his memories were stolen. Now, he’s fighting to rejoin his two halves, but he’s locked up in the prison below the palace, his neck already fitted for the hangman’s noose. Time is quickly running out.
And it’s not just his memories that are fighting for control of his mind. He’s stuck with those of the memory thief who caused all his problems in the first place. The woman half of him loves, but the other half loathes. Her memories have stained his eyes black, making the people of Dranta and its new queen fear him. It’s up to Falon to find a way out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy. Especially since all three of the people in his head have very different plans for how to go about it.

Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The character development improved from the first book and the world building was well done as well. The writing is easily one of my favorite parts of the book and I really felt like it greatly improved from the first book.

The only thing that I didn’t really like was that the pacing was pretty slow in a lot of places and I thought that some of the inner monologue parts, while great, went on a bit longer than necessary.

Verdict: Highly recommend for fantasy lovers!

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Take Me Home Tonight

Author: Morgan Matson

Book Series: Standalone

Diversity: 2 background characters mentioned were in f/f and m/m relationships

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: ya readers, contemporary fans

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's

Pages: 403

Recommended Age: 14+ (TW jokes about emotional support animals, underage alcohol usage, language, gun violence, slight gore)

Synopsis: Two girls. One night. Zero phones.

Kat and Stevie—best friends, theater kids, polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City. They have it all planned out. They’ll see a play, eat at the city’s hottest restaurant, and have the best. Night. Ever. What could go wrong?

Well. Kind of a lot?

They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones, family drama, and unexpected Pomeranians. Over the next few hours, they’ll have to grapple with old flames, terrible theater, and unhelpful cab drivers. But there are also cute boys to kiss, parties to crash, dry cleaning to deliver (don’t ask), and the world’s best museum to explore.

Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps, both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship, their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future.

That is, assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight.

Review: For the most part I enjoyed this book. It was a classic take on getting lost in New York and trying to get home. The characters were well developed, the world building was fairly good, and the majority of the book is character led instead of plot led.

However, I did have some issues with the book. I thought it was a bit of a simple book and there weren't any real twists or turns. It was fairly predictable. The book pacing was a little too slow for me. My biggest issue with the book is how the characters lie about how a dog is their emotional support animal. The book makes this thing into a joke but there are real people out there that need those and people, real or fictional, who lie to just get around with a dog or other pet for the sake of it are horrible people. The other issue I had with the book is that most of the main characters are 18 (one of them is confirmed 18 while the others ages aren't confirmed but they're all very close in age). My main concern with this is that their all old enough to do what they want to legally without a parent stopping them, so why is this such a big deal throughout the book? Even when one of them gets caught it's made to be this big deal, but 18 is legally an adult and you can do whatever you want at that age without parental consent. I get that for the majority of the book the characters couldn't have been aged down but it just didn't make sense to me why the parents would be this big issue.

Verdict: it was good, just not anything special.

Disclaimer: I received this finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Aru Shah and the City of Gold

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Book Series: Pandava Book 4

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Queer coded character with a f/f crush

Recommended For...: mg readers, fantasy lovers, aru shah lovers!

Publication Date: April 6, 2021

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 10+ (violence, gore, small romance, grief, death)

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Pages: 400

Synopsis: Aru Shah and her sisters--including one who also claims to be the Sleeper's daughter--must find their mentors Hanuman and Urvashi in Lanka, the city of gold, before war breaks out between the devas and asuras.

Aru has just made a wish on the tree of wishes, but she can't remember what it was. She's pretty sure she didn't wish for a new sister, one who looks strangely familiar and claims to be the Sleeper's daughter, like her.

Aru also isn't sure she still wants to fight on behalf of the devas in the war against the Sleeper and his demon army. The gods have been too devious up to now. Case in point: Kubera, ruler of the city of gold, promises to give the Pandavas two powerful weapons, but only if they win his trials. If they lose, they won't stand a chance against the Sleeper's troops, which will soon march on Lanka to take over the Otherworld.

Aru's biggest question, though, is why every adult she has loved and trusted so far has failed her. Will she come to peace with what they've done before she has to wage the battle of her life?

Review: Oh my goodness I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I read through this one so fast and I thought this was going to be the last in the series but I was very mistaken! There’s still so many twists and turns in this series and they don’t feel drawn out. It feels like a very natural book series. This book in particular feels so natural with the others, but the book theme-ing is a bit different. The characters are all wonderfully well developed, even our long runners. The world building is marvelous and awe-inspiring. The pacing is on point and I fell in love with Kara, our new Potato!
My only issue with the book is that I now have to wait for the next book and this series keeps you wanting more. On the more serious note, I did feel like some of the action scenes were a bit chaotic, but very much improved from the previous books.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received the finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Into Darkness

Author: Liz Braswell

Book Series: Stuffed Book 2

Rating: 4/5

Recommended For...: mg readers, fantasy lovers, teddie bear sleepers

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 10+ (some scary moments, violence, slight gore)

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 400

Synopsis: Clark can’t wait to go away to camp this year. For the first time ever, he has actual friends to hang out with. Catherine-Lucille and D. A. will both be at Camp I Can with Clark, and C. L. has already promised to induct him into her exclusive camp club—the one for campers who know everything there is to know about the world of Monsters and how Stuffies protect kids from them. And now that he knows (or suspects . . . very strongly) that his grandma-made Stuffy, Foon, heroically saved his own father from a horrible fate, Clark is obviously bringing Foon to camp along with him.

But once Clark gets to camp, he and his friends discover things are off. There are strange, gooey findings in some of the bunks, the adults are acting weird, and, worst of all, their Stuffies and dolls go missing right at the moment they need them the most—when they go on the intersession camping trip and end up trapped in a creepy old cabin. What Clark and his friends don’t know, and what the mighty Foon soon discovers, is that the Monsters have launched a revenge campaign against Foon—a campaign that entails sucking the very life out of Clark. Now it’s up to Foon to enter the World of Darkness and take on the Monster in charge in order to stop the plot and save Clark’s life.

In the long tradition of Stuffies vs. Monsters, this one’s a battle for the ages—one that will certainly go down in Stuffy history.

Review: For the most part I really liked this book. The pacing was well done and the world building was amazing. For someone who didn’t read book 1 (yes I know hypocrisy, but I didn’t know it was a sequel!) I was able to keep up with the story and completely jump in without previous knowledge, however it would have made the read easier for me. The book had a good storyline and the plot kept me intrigued from start to finish.

The only thing that I didn’t feel was as good were the characters, however it was possibly due to me not reading the first book. They just didn’t feel as developed for me and their motives were unclear.

Verdict: It was good!