Rating: 3/5

Genre: Mystery within a mystery within a mystery….

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual references)

Pages: 446

Author Website

Amazon Link

Disclaimer: I received this book for free for promotion from Black Chateau. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: In 1892 Paris, Julius Stewart painted The Baptism, a Vanderbilt family scene that contains an embarrassing secret. In the present day, art historian Grace Atwood becomes obsessed with the painting and its hidden clues for reasons that have more to do with her personal ghosts. Either her doting husband is trying to make her think she’s crazy, or she really is in the early stages of dementia.

I’ve never been one for art. I’ve always been the person who walks past an art exhibit to the cookie counter (there needs to be more of those in art museums). But I like mysteries and I was intrigued by the sound of this book so I decided to read it. I liked the overall story and I felt the plot was intriguing. I felt that if I was an art lover this would be my dream book and it definitely made me appreciate the hidden meanings and messages in art more.

However, this book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this novel and I felt that the pacing was way too fast and the writing was a bit off for the type of book this should have been. I think this book has a lot of potential though and maybe with the right people it’s amazing, but for me it was just average.

Verdict: This book is for the art lovers in your life.

Rating: 2/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual references, violence, slight gore)

Pages: 304

Author Website

Amazon Link

Disclaimer: I bought this book on my own accord.

Synopsis: Marinda has kissed dozens of boys. They all die afterward. It's a miserable life, but being a visha kanya, a poison maiden, is what she was created to do. Marinda serves the Raja by dispatching his enemies with only her lips as a weapon.

Until now, the men she was ordered to kiss have been strangers, enemies of the kingdom. Then she receives orders to kiss Deven, a boy she knows too well to be convinced he needs to die. She begins to question who she's really working for. And that is a thread that, once pulled, will unravel more than she can afford to lose.

Okay so what instantly drove me to this book was the concept. It’s intriguing and interesting. The writing for the most part is okay and the characters are fairly well interesting.

However, there are a lot of issues with this book. The world building is lacking, the romance is too insta for my coffee, and the book definitely need some Indian beta-readers and some research on the author’s part. India has a ton of cultures and languages. It’s more of a melting pot in terms of culture and language than the USA. I did some research and realized that some of the language used in the book is misused from its English meaning, which I’m seeing as a big problem with authors writing about a culture and language they might not have firsthand knowledge of. Xpresso Reads has a very well written review on the cultural appropriation that happens in this book and I bow to her knowledge. I also want to say that the book had a pacing problem and it just felt really shakey and incomplete for a finished book.

Verdict: Research is your friend if you’re a writer.

Rating: 3/5



Genre: YA Fantasy



Recommended Age: 15+ (slight sexual references, violence, slight gore)



Pages: 332



Author Website



Amazon Link



Disclaimer: I received this book through KidLitExchange in exchange for a review. Thanks! All opinions are my own.



Synopsis: Iyla and Marinda have killed many men together: Iyla as the seductress, Marinda as the final, poisonous kiss. Now they understand who the real enemy is—the Snake King—and together they can take him down. Both girls have felt as though they were living a lie in the past, so moving into the King's palace and pretending to serve him isn't as difficult as it sounds. But when you're a spy, even secrets between friends are dangerous. And each girl has something—or someone—to lose. Does every secret, every lie, bring them closer to the truth or . . . to a trap?



Again, this book had a really interesting premise and the book had fairly good writing. This book also had great plot development, however there was a lot wrong with this book.



The plot was very fast paced and the world was undeveloped as well. There was too much crammed into this book that it really made the book very weighted and heavy. It really should have been two separate books. The book also was split into multiple POVs but kind of neglected some of the more interesting characters.



Verdict: Action packed but over filling.

Rating: 3/5



Genre: YA Contemporary



Recommended Age: 15+ (sexual references, reality tv)



Pages: 398



Author Website


Amazon Link



Disclaimer: I received this book through KidLitExchange in exchange for a review. Thanks! All opinions are my own.



Synopsis: “There are only two ways to survive Internet infamy: drop offline and play dead or give everyone something bigger and better to talk about. I’ve tried the first strategy. Now it’s time to try the second…”
 
A year and a lifetime ago, Riley Ozaki was just an ordinary high school junior in San Francisco, stressing over boys and grades. But an ill-conceived editorial in her school paper brought her an internet avalanche of public-shaming and ruined her life. 
 
Now Riley’s on a helicopter dropping into a deserted island with nineteen other teens, to star in a reality show that will be her redemption. She has no other choice. National attention was what got her into this mess, and only the same level of exposure can get her out. Besides, Riley has a few tricks up her sleeve.
 
With a cast of vivid characters who will stop at nothing to win the show, a cursed island setting, and a priceless treasure waiting to be discovered, Reality Gold will drop readers right into a scheming web of lies, love, and betrayal.



Okay so after the success of Nice Try, Jane Sinner I thought maybe I had a thing for reality show YA books, but this one was a miss for me. It was pretty good overall. While there was a wide range of people in this book each had their own distinct personality and the premise was very interesting. However, I had some problems with my enjoyment of this book.



I felt that the pacing went too fast for this book and that the overall plot was really heavy for this book. There was a lot going on in this book for the number of pages this book had. The writing is okay, but again there is a lot going on. I think the author could have made this book into multiple books and had enough material.



Verdict: A quick, fun read with some overcomplicated plots.

Rating: 5/5



Genre: YA Fantasy



Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual references, trigger warning for sexual assault, violence, gore, and religion/religious dispute)



Pages: 352



Amazon Link


Author Website


Disclaimer: I received a free e-arc copy of this book from NetGalley. Thanks! I also went and bought my own copy of the book to finish off my reading of it.



Synopsis: OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient, rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield―her brother, fighting with the enemy―the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.





Okay, can I just say something crazy?! VIKINGS! I absolutely loved this book! It was so unique in so many aspects. Eelyn’s identity wasn’t partially tied into her romance with another character, the romance didn’t come into play until the end of the book, all of the characters had amazing character growth, and they were just very relatable and real. The writing was absolutely fantastic and this author has become an insta-purchase for me. I also want to praise the book for talking about religious acceptance. I talked about this in my rave video on the book on my YouTube channel, but to summarize: throughout the book the reader is told about these two different, but similar, religions that the Aska and the Riki have and cherish. But in the process of the story the reader comes to see that maybe while they worship different Gods they’re not as different as they appear to be. In my opinion, one of the main problems in today’s world is the lack of respect of other people’s religions. While I’m not a religious person I respect and try to be mindful of other’s religious preferences and beliefs. I liked how the book showed the character’s progression and acceptance of the other group despite their religious difference. The main character’s progression from absolute hatred for the Riki to accepting and being open minded about their beliefs, even though she didn’t sacrifice her own, was absolutely inspiring for me.



The only thing I felt needed a little more progression in the book was the world building. I feel that there was more to this world than what we had at the end of the novel, but for what we got it was well done. The book as a whole was extremely well done and I’d definitely buy a whole series of Eelyn and Myra’s adventures as… wait for it… VIKINGS!!!!!



Verdict: Break out your battle axe and grab this book today!

Rating: 3/5

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 14+ (bigotry and trigger warnings for suicide)

Pages: 285

Author Website

Amazon Link

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Elektra Kamenides is well on her way to becoming a proper southern belle in the small Mississippi college town she calls home. That is, until her mother decides to uproot her and her kid sister Thalia and start over in California. They leave behind Elektra's father—a professor and leading expert on Greek mythology, and Elektra can't understand why. For her, life is tragedy, and all signs point to her family being cursed.

Their journey ends in Guadalupe Slough, a community of old Chicano families and oddball drifters sandwiched between San José and the southern shores of San Francisco Bay. The houseboat that her mother has bought, sight unseen, is really just an ancient trailer parked on a barge and sunk into a mudflat.

What would Odysseus do? Elektra asks herself. Determined to get back to Mississippi at all costs, she'll beg, cheat, and steal to get there. But things are not always what they seem, and home is wherever you decide to make it.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that was from the Greek American perspective nor one that relied so much on Greek mythology and culture (barring Percy Jackson because that’s on a level of its own). I really liked this contemporary look at a broken family and I feel that not a lot of books explore this topic. I also liked how well developed all of the main characters were. I found the story was very interesting and if you have a younger reader who is looking for an “adult” book this would be a good one to start them out on.

However, I personally feel there’s a lot of problems with this book. The side characters are very forgettable and the world building wasn’t that extensive. The writing was very choppy in parts and the book jumped timelines a lot, which made for an aggravating read. The ending was not full circle and it didn’t feel complete. The events in this book, while plausible, played very well for the many plot holes it contained and I felt that there were things that happened in the book that weren’t that well explained. I also didn’t like how suicide was kind of made of fun in this book. Suicide is a very serious issue and for someone to make a character who wanted to commit suicide, then on a dime change his mind and throw a party is a bit out of line in my opinion.

Verdict: A promising Greek tragedy that Homer shakes his head at.

Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (death, violence, gore, sexual references)

Pages: 320

Author Website

Amazon Link

Disclaimer: None, I got the audiobook with my own audible credits!

Synopsis: On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.

But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.

In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

Let’s start this off with this: this was one of the cheesiest YA books I’ve ever read and it had oodles and oodles of YA tropes… but it was actually surprisingly okay. The plot was pretty good and the writing was pretty well done and it did well making the language stick to the time period.

However, as you can see above, I didn’t talk about a lot of the usual things I do. The book was actually a struggle to get through the first 41 chapters. The world building wasn’t there, the characters weren’t developed outside of two of the main characters, and the book was really confusing to follow at times. Things happened or the characters did things that I didn’t understand what for. I was for sure I was going to give the book a 2 star rating until the last chapter. The last chapter surprised me so much with its misdirection and its terror that I had to bump up the score significantly. I’m going to read the sequel based solely on the last chapter. Honestly, that chapter should have come sooner in the novel as the rest of it feels so awful in comparison. I feel that the book is one big prologue to an amazing novel… aka the sequel.

Verdict: Plie your way to the last chapter and then to the sequel.

Disclaimer: None, I got this on my own accord!

Rating: 2/5

Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian/Steampunk

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, murder, slight gore, sexual references, drug references)

Pages: 275

Amazon Link

Author Website

Synopsis: Gwen, Pete, and the others have escaped from Everland. Except the safe haven they hoped to find at Alnwick Castle doesn’t exist. With the Queen of England on her deathbed, Duchess Alyssa has stepped in, but things have gotten worse as the cure Doc created for the Horologia virus has mutated into something even more deadly. The only possible solution he can think of is to go back to the virus’s origin: an extinct poisonous apple.

Legend has it, though, that a tree bearing the apple might be found at the center of an impossible labyrinth hidden deep within Germany. A place no one in their right mind enters. With no other options, Alyssa sets out with only her sword, her wits, and the help of Maddox Hadder, a wild boy who oversees the castle gardens. To get to the center of the maze, she’ll be forced to battle monsters more terrifying than her darkest nightmares.

But can anyone truly survive the madness of the maze? And what if there’s no apple to be found there?

I adored the first book in this series and seeing as how Alice in Wonderland is one of my faves I decided to give this book a try. For the most part is was okay. The steampunk elements were still there, the plot was okay, and for the most part this was a pretty good book.

However, there were a lot of issues with this book. For starters, let’s just say that if you’re going to read this book make sure to read the first one right before. The book begins immediately with no backstory information/helpful hints for the reader who might have not read the last book in a bit. The characters are flat and boring, the world building is super confusing and too much of a reach for what this book needed, the continuation from the first book felt super forced, and the plot was awful. I don’t understand what happened between book 1 and book 2, but there’s a stark contrast between the two. I don’t understand what make it possible for any of the events that happen in book 2 to happen in book 2 and I like how the author tried to cram everything Alice in Wonderland into this book. Retellings are supposed to borrow things from their originals, not take everything and recreate it. No one complained when the shoes were turned from silver to ruby and no one complained when Belle became an inventor. Some of my favorite retellings are those that have just some elements from the originals, not everything in it. This book needed a complete overhaul to be as good as the first book, but I wonder if there ever should have been a continuation at all.

Verdict: Don’t fix it if it’s not broken.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through KidLitExchange from the publishing company Scholastic Press in exchange for review and promotion. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3/5

Genre: YA Dystopian/Fantasy/Retelling

Recommended Age: 14+ (violence, slight gore, murder, and poison)

Pages: 288

Amazon Link

Author Website

Synopsis: With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen's castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won't be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he's dead ... or is he?

There's a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it's set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.

But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?

While I was heavily disappointed with how Umberland turned out I wanted to complete the series, thus I started this book. This book takes place a few months (weeks? Unsure) after the events in Umberland. The book does really well at drawing in your interest immediately with all the death and destruction of this world and it’s amazing to see how twisted a retelling can be. The plot overall was also good and well thought-out as was the steampunk elements of the book.

However, I did feel that there wasn’t any character development and that the book was incredibly fast paced. Dystopians are usually slower paced then what we see in this read and the pacing of this book really makes the reader rush through all the elements of this world. The world building in this book was almost non-existent and the writing was a bit confusing to read. I’m not sure if the fault in that was from the multiple POV or because the writing flew by a lot of important items and retelling portions in the book. The book is good overall, but I feel that if this entire series was expanded in terms of world building and character development then I think the series would be better overall.

Verdict: Good, but not as good as the original.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free courtesy of KidLitExchange and the publishing company. Thanks! All opinions are my own.




Rating: 3/5




Genre: YA Fantasy/Retelling




Recommended Age: 14+ (slight gore, violence, sexual references)




Pages: 320




Author Website




Amazon Link




Synopsis: Ten years ago, King Lorcan of the Dark Kingdom Dorjhalon defeated Queen Evelayn and cut her conduit stone from her. Since then, he has kept her trapped in her swan form. With the loss of balance between Dark and Light, winter has descended and the Draíolon of Éadrolan lose more power every day. But once a year, Lorcan transforms her back to her Draíolon form and offers a truce. And every year Evelayn refuses -- for he requires her to Bind herself to him for life.But now, with an Ancient power bearing down upon them, everything may change. Evelayn will learn that the truths she once believed have shattered, and that she may need her enemies even more than her allies. Lorcan and Evelayn become partners in a desperate quest to return the balance of power to Lachalonia. How far will this partnership go? Can friendship -- perhaps even love -- bloom where hatred has taken root?Sara B. Larson delivers a thrillingly romantic and hauntingly satisfying end to this extraordinary duology.




I really need to watch Swan Lake. The ballet can't be as beautifully tragic as this book right? Anyways, we return where we left off in the first novel of this duology: Evelayn is trapped as a swan doing her swan thing. She actually got a gathering as swans to see her as their queen, which was kinda cool. Anyways, I can't say anymore because of spoilers but the novel was beautifully well written and it actually feels like you're in a mid 1500s book. The plot was interesting and the premise was as well.




However, I do have some qualms about this book. The plot was intriguing, but at the end nothing is really solved. It just ends. I'm not sure if there was more to the novel that I'm missing since I only have an arc but the book just ended without a proper ending. The characters weren't that well developed and the book really failed the Bechdel Test. The female characters in particular were lazily written and added nothing to the plot. Even Evelayn, who was my favorite of the previous novel, was severely weakened in this one. The other two females, who had their own strengths, were so weak in comparison to the males of this book. The men in this book basically protected and shielded the females and the book was so tropey that it made me angry. The book didn't even go back into the swan thing, which I thought was the main point of Swan Lake.




Verdict: This book had so much potential, but in the end it let me down. It's still a beautifully well written book however.