Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic

Recommended Age: 16+. Book makes allegories to child rape and mentions real child rape as well.

Favorite Quote: "The Outer States had almost everything that Orleans didn't. But the Delta still lived on."

Beginning with Hurricane Katrina, a series of category 3-6 hurricanes strike the Gulf Coast. These hurricanes not only destory Hawaii and the Carribean, sinking them below the sea due to rising water levels, but it also changes the border of the USA​. The hurricanes also bring a new deadly plague called Delta Fever, which seems to effect people due to blood type. When the sickness can't be controlled, the Gulf Shore becomes quarantined. Years later, the residents of the Outer States believe all life in the Delta is gone... but a new society has been born out of the ashes of the old. Fen de la Guerre is living with her blood tribe when they are ambushed. Left alone with her leaders newborn and determined to find a better life for the child, Fen sets out to find a way to sneak the child over the wall that the Outer States have erected to keep the residents of the Gulf Shores out. Soon, Fen meets Daniel, an scientist from the Outer States who came to the Delta to find a cure for the Fever. Together they are each other's last hope for survival and the child's only hope for a life beyond the Delta.

This book was a complete cover buy. I don't think I even looked at the back cover blurb before I bought it. That being said, I didn't know what to expect except for what looked like a flooded New Orleans. So when I started reading this book I was completely caught off guard by how amazing it was! I loved how the author used Hurricane Katrina to be a spring board for the possible destruction of future hurricanes and I loved the background of the story. It was so we'll developed and it honestly seemed to be something that could happen in the future. Nothing political or anything, but I'm pretty sure we can all agree that we, as a nation, didn't take care of our Gulf Shore neighbors like we should ​have in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and I can see the events of this book happening if such events came true. The book also brings up using x code markers like search and rescue teams did during Hurricane Katrina, which I thought was an excellent nod to the historical storm. The author also made sure the characters had their own voice. Since the POV switches between Fen and Daniel and since Daniel is from Virginia and Fen from East Orleans, it would make since both characters talk different. The author delivers this by narrating in different tones and ways of talking for the characters. The story is also very high energy and compelling. You feel you're in the marsh with Fen and Daniel! Can you tell I'm fangirling over this book?! I'm completely in love with this book!

My only complaint was that the book ended so abruptly. I won't spoil anyway but I was left in confusion and fear for the characters at the end. While I want to know more and I hope there would be a sequel, I feel the book had to end that way. I definitely recommend this book and I want you to read it because I NEED SOMEONE TO DISCUSS THIS BOOK WITH!!

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+

Favorite Quote: ""Good and evil are just a matter of perspective. They're opposites that are separated by a fine line."

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This arrangement did not alter my opinions in any way.

Lou Mills previously had a normal life. She had two adoptive parents who loved her dearly, she worked at the library, and she spent her time dreaming about her future expedition to Greece and reading about the many adventures her fictional characters. However, one night she discovers that she is not at all human. Rather, she's an enchanter and she's the key to an ancient prophecy in which she is the key to saving the world from a war between the humans and the enchanters. Lou must journey to one of the hidden enchanted cities to attend The Academy in order to discover the extent of her newfound powers and to forge a team with others who will help her succeed on her journey. What awaits her at The Academy might be entirely different than her expectations, especially when it comes to the a strange dark, mysterious man. Lou also has to decide what side she will be on when the war finally comes. Will she stick by her family's side or fight with her true people?

I don't know why I always go into a book involving witches comparing it to Harry Potter. It's becoming a bad habit. Anyways, while this isn't at all like Harry Potter, it's honestly really and truly amazing! It was a magical experience reading this book and I devoured this book almost in one sitting. The words seems to take a life of their own and just flow off the page. The author has a talent for creating a story that creates a new spin on themes that have been written about for centuries. In this story, the enchanters don't use wands or have access to every spell imaginable. Their powers are nature based and they only have certain skills they can use. They also wear necklaces that are connected to their powers (no more on that to avoid spoilers). The author also incorporates Greek mythology into her story, which gives it a bit of a Percy Jackson feel.

While I enjoyed the story, I had a bit of an issue with some of the characters. In this story, the enchanters are supposed to be lacking a lot of the varied emotions that humans possess, but with some of them I found they were much more complex than needed to be. My two big issues with the characters were concentrated on Eloi (can't do accents over letters, SORRY!) and Mr. Black. I felt one had a complete character flip in the book and the other was hypocritical. Lou's relationship between her and this one particular character gave me such a creepy vibe that I couldn't shake it. I actually had to stop reading sometimes because I felt extremely creeped out. And if the author was going for that effect, she did amazingly! I think his character was supposed to be conflicting and infuriating, but I'm not sure if creepy was supposed to be part of his character traits.

Overall, I really liked this story, I was enchanted by it, and the second book is available for pre-order now! I will definitely be obtaining this book and reviewing it in the future, so be on the lookout!

Note: for this review I will use some strong language and will discuss an adult book. If you're too young or don't have the permission to be reading strong language, to be reading about sex, or to be reading about adult issues then please don't read this review or the book. I don't want angry parents breathing down my neck. And if you're just generally uncomfortable with reading about those things then check out my other Goodreads reviews =].

Rating: 5/5

Genre: Memoir.... Menmoir

Recommended Age: 18+

I was provided a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. This arrangement didn't influence my decision in any way.

Madelyn Morgan writes an open and honest discussion about the events that transpired relating to her dating life after her husband leaves her and her mother and sister pass away. She relates her adventure through love, loss, sex, online dating, and repeat. Root for her (or judge her) as she weaves through hot male nurses, tinder dates, match.com dates, flight attendants, and many others. 

So when I was first contacted by the author of this book I wasn't sure what to expect. I read about it a little bit and thought "oh cool a book about dating that's actually real". I have always had issues with dating. Yes, I'm married and happily at that, but I've had a sordid past involving dating and I always hated how relationships seemed to be protrayed​ on TV. What I mean by that is when the two people you've been shipping finally get together... That's it. They get together and live happily ever after. For a lot of us that fairy tale ending ends very quickly. And I believe that's why I felt such a connection with the author and her book, because we both know how fleeting a happily ever after is... And what the aftermath of ever after looks like. Sometimes it's filled with hot sex with a bunch of men. Sometimes it's filled with endless swiping on apps and wading through the thousands of men on dating sites. Sometimes you find a bit of happiness again and sometimes your pumpkin turns into a carriage... again... multiple times in my case. The point of my ramblings are that whatever your search may look like or have looked like, I think this book is one of the best books you can read. It's not a self help book and it's not Eat, Pray, Love, but it's the type of book you read and you feel like you're talking to your best friend, the type of best friend that'll tell you honestly that you're in a crappy relationship and the type of best friend that can be vulgar at times with you. You feel like the author is reaching out to you like she does with Chloe in the book and you just want to reach back out to her to spill your dating nightmares back at her. It's also the type of book that has a genuine sense of humor about it. The humor isn't forced to the reader and it just flows naturally off the pages. The writing style is superb and I loved how the words just flowed seemlessly off of the pages. This book is a very relatable book for women of any relationship phase. I really can't say enough good things about this book! 

I try very hard to have some positives and some negatives in my reviews because I feel it makes for a more balanced review. I have sat on my bed typing this review out on my phone because I'm too lazy to move to the computer and I'm having a hard time finding bad things to say about this book. I loved it so much and I honestly felt like it was the best book I've read about relationships and dating. It was very raw and it had a "best friend confessional" feel about it. I guess I could say that I didn't want the book to end and that I wanted more of the author's  story. I could also say that the book made me feel like I had a new best friend and now that the book is over I feel a little sad that the "best friend" is gone. Those are the only real negatives about this book. You will become attached to the author and you will be sad when the book is over. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll scream obscenities when someone is rude or an asshole to the author. This is a book that everyone needs to read. It's not a self-help book, it's not just for women, and it's not Eat, Pray, Love or The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It's an honest conversation with your new best friend who will tell you everything about her dating and sex life without a filter because it's therapeutic for her and for the reader. And that's why you should read it.

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 11+

Favorite Quote: "I mean, from what I do know about witchcraft -- doesn't it kind of mandate that practitioners use their powers for good instead of evil?"

Jean "Jinx" Honeychurch hates her family's nickname for her. It only reminds her of the misfortune that follows her everywhere. Such luck led to a bit of an issue back home, so now she's living with her aunt and uncle in New York City. She thinks she can turn her luck and life around, but trouble follows her halfway across the country and it's causing issues between Jean and her beautiful, glamorous cousin Tory, who isn't happy Jean is around. Soon, Jean realizes it wasn't just her bad luck she was running from, it's something far more sinister and ancient. The only thing can save Jean now is the curse she was born ​under.

Let's start by talking about how long I've had this book. Remember Borders? Remember when they closed? I bought this book from them during one such sale and it's sat on my bookcase ever since. I've only read it recently and I'm kicking myself for waiting this long. This book was fantastic! Meg Cabot writes beautifully and brings every character to life. She always writes very enjoyable books and they're easy to read, which is important because a lot of her books are aimed at younger children and newly young adults. This book wasn't her best work by far, but it was of medium level quality and it had a good message built into it: magic lies within you if only you can grasp it.

While I enjoyed the book in general, I did have some quips about it. I thought the pacing was very rushed. It's a children's book, but Harry Potter beats this book in length and most children have the attention span to read it. I felt the author needed to slow the story down a tad. I also thought the plot development was off. I could see the ending coming from a mile away and that made the book too predictable. The author also didn't entice me with Zach. All the other characters were generally well developed, but Zach was a little off in my opinion. I just couldn't like him much. I did like how he cinema sinned and pointed out how unreliable the narrator could be since the book is written in first person POV, but he stole my job from me and that's not right! Lol jkjk. Anyways, I think this would be a good book for an emerging YA Fantasy lover and a great transitional book for those breaking out of children's books to YA. It's not the best transitional book *coughHarryPottercough* but it's a good one to start with.

Rating: 3/5

Genre: Weird Fiction, Dystopian

Recommended Age: 18+. Sex is mentioned and described a bit, so if you're allowed to read that then go ahead, but if not then don't please.

Favorite Quote: "I will never wear one again."

I was requested to read and review this book by Strangebooks Publishing Company. This did not influence my opinions.

Ever since the dawn of man there have been rites of ppassages that help transition young boys and girls into adulthood. Ten-year-old Sydney is about to experience his own rite of passage. He will be receiving his first Strungball. This will be his first of many Strungballs in his lifetime. To receive his Strungball though he must have a cube of flesh removed from his chest. The cube of flesh will travel and become apart of the wall that surrounds his city. When the procedure is over Sydney is supposed to be happy and good, but he can't stop but wonder about why we need Strungballs and what happens if we pull them out of the Strungball recesses in our bodies. It is then Sydney discovers a deeper reason for needing them than could ever be imagined.

Can you fault a book that's marketed as being strange? In my opinion, you can't. While this little novella (66 pages in length) was a bit odd, it had a decent story to it. The overall story was very good. It was your average dystopian novel for the most part and it would have been a good introductory story for beginning dystopian readers had it not had some mature scenes in it towards the end. The quality of writing and plot development, although it got outlandish at the end, was very well done and it made the story enjoyable for the most part and the story was a very easy read. The story also seemed to be conveying a deeper meaning about how to remain true to oneself and to question everyday life.

However, this book had some issues in my opinion. I feel that whatever message the author was trying to convey became lost in the strangeness of the story. While I generally enjoyed it, towards the end I was wondering what the author could possibly be trying to say with the scenes. There were also some unnecessary scenes that, without them, would have made the story better. Some of the more mature scenes could have been left out and the book would have been adequate for younger audiences. In fact, for the first half of the book, I was thinking the book would have been marvelous for a high school or college English class. I could tell the author was trying to send some message and I believe the book to not only be of weird fiction but also a dystopian. If the book was just a bit clearer in the meaning I think it would have met it's mark. The book also had some issues with pacing and characters. The pacing was very fast, even for a novella. I believe the author had more than enough material to slow down the scenes and have a full length novel if he wanted. I also think the characters needed a bit more explanation and back story. I kept wondering if I would get an explanation for how the city came to be and what motivated the characters to act as they did, but the explanations fell short in my opinion. I also had an issue with one of the scenes where there is bullying. If the characters have this idea of doing good, then why does bullying exist?

I'd recommend this book for any adults or children who are allowed to read mature material to read it. It's a quick read and it was a decent book all in all.

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Sci-fi

Recommended Age: 18+

Favorite Quote: "Is it too much to believe that just once the universe has given us something wholly good, wholly a step forward, wholly beneficial? Without hidden penalties?"

What would you do if you could genetically modify your child? Would you get rid of all the genetic predispositions to the diseases that run in your family? Would you change their appearance? Their eye color, hair color, height, weight, build, skin color? Would you make them predisposed to liking classical music, art, literature, outdoors, etc.? Would you give them the ability to not ever need to sleep their whole life? That last question is the driving point of this novel. The novel explores the life and trials of numerous Sleepless (those that have been genetically modified to not need to sleep) through their childhood to their later adult life. It also explores how Sleepers (you and me) deal with these Sleepless. Because the Sleepless have 30% more time to study and work, will they outstay their welcome quickly on Earth when they are chosen for jobs over Sleepers? That's one of the many questions answered in this insightful novel.

This was the third required reading for a book club my husband and I have recently joined and I really enjoyed this novel! The novel was, for the most part, easy to read and the writing quality was amazing. This novel is almost 500 pages long and I read it in a day and a half while working, doing bookstagram, writing other reviews, getting ready to start a readalong in April, etc. The writing in this book just draws you into the story and refuses to let you leave peacefully!

While this book was fantastic, there were some issues I had with it. I loved how the book was paced, but the first time jump left me a bit confused for a time. The plot development of the book was very well thought out and executed, but I had issue with how some of the characters developed. While I loved the majority of the characters, I felt some of the things the author had them do was a bit out of character or just completely left field from the purpose of the book. The character I'm most upset about was Drew Arlen, who seemed to develop lustful feelings for one of the characters out of no where and it had no effect on the story overall except to make me feel creeped out by his character even more. The book also had adult scenes thrown about in the book for what seemed to be shock value. While I don't think any novel shouldn't have sex in it, I do believe that this needs to have a point in the overall story or it's just there for shock value or to make the book some type of romance novel. The book was also hard to read in certain spots when it discussed sciency material. While you might like it and enjoy it, I made B's in science class and I need the dumbed down version instead of the college level theory presented in this novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and felt the book made excellent points about prejudice in all of us and how people adapt and change over time. This is a must read in my opinion.

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Adult Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+

Favorite Quote: "I paid from the dress they had located, and watched as they wrapped it in tissue, before placing it inside little bag. I didn't want to bring it home, in case anyone found it, so I carefully laid it on the wall of the car park where I had left my car. I hoped, I still hope, that someone found it and a little girl got to wear it. A little girl like you."

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not influence me in any way.

As Lucy approaches her 40th birthday, she seems to have the perfect life. A great marriage, a cozy home, a successful career, and now a chance to begin trying for her own baby. Life couldn't be anymore perfect. But when conceiving is harder than Lucy thought and when her stepdaughter comes to stay with them, Lucy is constantly reminded of what she feels she'll never have: a child of her own. When her own failing dreams and her step daughters attitude combine, the results make Lucy feel as if she's losing everything she's ever worked towards.

I don't typically read adult novels, especially adult contemporary novels, but something about this book drew me to it so I decided to give it a try. Generally, this book was an enjoyable novel. The quality of writing was excellent, albeit it was wrote by an author I assume to be British so some of the terms the characters used were a bit unfamiliar to me, but I dug deep to my Doctor Who vocab and came out knowing most of the phrases used lol. The plot development is well thought out and it keeps you guessing til the end. The book is also very insightful. It's primary objective is to shed light on miscarriages, which is something not a lot of people talk about. It's a hard subject to approach, which is why a lot of people refuse to discuss it, but the women and men who have had to go through miscarriage shouldn't have to suffer in silence. More acceptance on the matter is needed and I think this book does a good job at showing how miscarriage can effect everyone. The book also offered insight on what it means to be a mother. A few years ago I stumbled upon this YouTube video featuring women who were walking different paths in their life. Some were mothers who had children of all ages. Some of the mothers were old, some were young. Some of the women were grandmothers and some were stepmoms. Some were pregnant or were trying to conceive. Some had miscarried and some had experienced a still birth. The message was clear: no matter your walk you are a mother. If you've wanted, tried, or had a child you've been a mother. You've also been a mother if you've been a stepmom, a surrogate, or a grandmother. Motherhood isn't defined as the ability to have children, it's defined by the ability to love the children in your life, love the child who hasn't come yet, or love the ones who couldn't stay long. This book is a perfect companion to that YouTube video in that it teaches you about the different types of mothers you can be.

While this book is so beautiful, I did find issue with the pacing, some of the characters, and the ease of reading. I felt the pacing was a bit awkward at times. There were random shifts in time throughout the book and sometimes it wasn't stated how long of a jump the reader made, which left me confused as to the time line. Lucy and Jonah's character development also confounded me at certain points. I was amazed at how a nearly 50 year old man could behave like a child and how a nearly 50 year old woman could have thought that secrets were something she could keep in a marriage. I felt both of these characters were childish at times and I sometimes wondered how reliable the narrator (Lucy) was thoughout the novel. I felt some of the things that happened were biased in Lucy's favor, but this bias was resolved at the end of the novel. This is why I gave the rating a 4.5 rather than a 4, the characters did develop and some of my issues were resolved by the end of the novel. The ease of reading was also an issue I found with the book. It's not that the writing is bad, quite the opposite, but I felt the material was that in which it might be very hard for some people to read, especially those who've suffered the lose of a child at any stage. So, just to forewarn you, you might cry.

Overall I liked the book! This is a new release and I believe you should check it out if it sounds interesting to you! Definitely a must read for anyone who's had kids or is thinking about having them.

Rating: 4/5

Genre: YA Fantasy/ Fairytale Retelling

Recommended Age: 13+ (some strong language) the

Favorite Quote: "Of course not! You wouldn't be happy if a thousand puppies slid down a rainbow with ice cream cones and told you you'd never have to do homework again." ... "I mean, I'm kind of allergic to dogs, so --"

I was provided a free copy of this book by the publishing company I represent: Blaze Publishing. This did not influence my opinion of the book.

Crescenzo (sometimes called Enzo) is a 15 year old child who has grown up seeing his father carve these intricate figurines. His father, Pino, doesn't even start carving after his wife and Enzo's ​mother disappears. No trace, no phone calls, just vanishes. Soon Enzo's neighbor loses his wife and child. Like Enzo's mother they both disappeared without a trace. When a strange man suddenly appears in Enzo's home and kidnaps his father as well, Enzo and his neighbor, Pietro, have to journey across the country in order to find the wooden people Pino carved if they have any hope of finding the ones they love. Old secrets and new mysteries are revealed when they start finding the look alikes of the wooden carvings and when those characters seem to be from a different world.

I wasn't expecting this book to be a fairytale retelling, but that's also because I'm horrible at not reading the back cover blurb for books I choose to read. That being said I have decided that since there are numerous retellings of fairytales now, I need to also judge the book on how if it sticks to the original story format or takes off on its own. On that account, i liked that the book took off on its own and that it Incorporated a lot of different fairytales and expanded on them. The plot developed nicely because of this and I loved how the author imagined this world in which the fairytale characters lived in after their tales had ended.

The book was also very insightful on how easy it could be to corrupt others and how you shouldn't trust a witch (duh, it's a fairytale! Of course you shouldn't trust the witches!). Overall, I felt the book was very enjoyable and fresh breath of air in the retelling world where a lot of retellings stick to the plot of their fairytale counterpart. While I also enjoyed the pacing of the book, the characters, and the ease of reading, I did have some quips about them.

The pacing was good once one got used to it, but in comparison to other books I've read it felt a tad slow and drawn out. The book switched between 4 different time and place periods, which made the pacing feel extra slow and it was a bit of a challenge to reorient yourself to each different time zone. The quality of writing was quite good, but at certain points I feel the author was a bit vague or sometimes overly expectant in his assumption that the reader would know what's going on or why certain characters were needed for a certain event. I felt very confused as to why those characters were chosen when I could name 7 others who would be better (Kingdom Hearts taught me different). These issues ultimately effected the ease of reading for me and left me very confused and in need of answers.

While I loved characters and I enjoy seeing how different authors write my favorite fairy tale characters, I felt the author missed a huge opportunity in writing about many many MANY more fairytale characters that could have made appearances or could have been talked about. The author mainly stuck to a handful of characters when I know the Woodlands is a vast place with thousands of fairytale characters.

All in all I felt the book was enjoyable, but very confusing at times and slow. I also wanted more fairytale characters than what I received. While I had issues with the book I feel like the upcoming sequel will fix this problems and I have hope for answers to all the questions I have, which is why I rated the book a 4/5. If you're a fan of retellings, then this book is a good mix of Once Upon a Time and The Wolf Amoung Us/the Fables comic book series.

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: Junior Fantasy/Dystopian

Recommended Age: 10+

Favorite Quote: "Why did I ever try to steal a sunstone?"

Tal has lived his life in darkness and he's never left the castle he resides in. Only when his father goes missing and his mother is near certain death does he dare to climb one of the towers to reach the sunstones. With a sunstone he can move his family up move levels and provide better health care for his mother. But when he falls from the tower and lands in an unknown world, how will he make it back to save his family?

Some of the things that Garth Nix is excellent at are world-building and character development. His skills shine brightly in this this first book of the Seventh Tower series! Nix is able to craft a new world and make it appear in your imagination so effortlessly. He's also able to provide memorable characters that have strong development. This particular skill was evident in this novel because at the beginning of the book Tal is a very weak character in that he looks to others for help very often, but as the character is pushed to act he responds reluctantly at first and then with ease later on. The other main character, Milla, is a very strong character as well. Nix has never disappointed me with how he writes female characters. They are always very strong and independent, much like how George RR Martin writes his female characters. Nix also did well in other important areas of the book such as: pacing, plot development, quality of writing, etc.

The plot and pacing had a natural flow to it that didn't seem forced or unnatural, which made the reading very easy to follow and to get sucked into. The quality of writing was also excellent and very age appropriate for children. The book was also very enjoyable. This could easily be a book you could enjoy with your child or read on your own at whatever age you are. The story isn't just for children, but adults as well.

The only complaint I had with the book was that I wasn't sure if the world building was too extensive for a children's book. Usually first books are devoted to world building for the most part, but when you're writing for a children's tale you have to be aware that you need to keep your target audience's attention. I guess my answer to my own complaint is that it would depend on the child if they like this type of world building.

Overall, Nix wrote yet another series I will more than likely enjoy and you should buy these for yourself or your children!