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popthebutterfly
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: TrueL1f3
Author: Jay Kristoff
Book Series: Lifelike Book 3
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, ya, dystopian, robotics
Publication Date: June 30, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (sex mentions, language, gore, violence, death)
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 480
Synopsis: Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you're on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves--and each other--was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war--this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus's army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn't stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not be who you think they are.
Review: Overall, I thought this was a really good ending for the series. The book still had the POV switch, but it mostly focused on Lemon Fresh, which I’m not complaining about. I think the character development continued here and while I wish we found out more about Lemon Fresh’s backstory, why she was left in a box and stuff, I think it didn’t need to be explained. I think Lemon Fresh is for the kids and adults who don’t know where they came from and it showed them that they too are important. I also felt like the world building was well done and I literally sped through this book because it was that good and compelling.
However, I did feel like the pacing lulled in parts and the big fight scene was a bit chaotic. The book also has a lot of character deaths and it will break your heart.
Verdict: Well done series!
Book: TrueL1f3
Author: Jay Kristoff
Book Series: Lifelike Book 3
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, ya, dystopian, robotics
Publication Date: June 30, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 16+ (sex mentions, language, gore, violence, death)
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 480
Synopsis: Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you're on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves--and each other--was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war--this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus's army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn't stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not be who you think they are.
Review: Overall, I thought this was a really good ending for the series. The book still had the POV switch, but it mostly focused on Lemon Fresh, which I’m not complaining about. I think the character development continued here and while I wish we found out more about Lemon Fresh’s backstory, why she was left in a box and stuff, I think it didn’t need to be explained. I think Lemon Fresh is for the kids and adults who don’t know where they came from and it showed them that they too are important. I also felt like the world building was well done and I literally sped through this book because it was that good and compelling.
However, I did feel like the pacing lulled in parts and the big fight scene was a bit chaotic. The book also has a lot of character deaths and it will break your heart.
Verdict: Well done series!
Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors especially at your favorite black owned bookstores!
Book: Cinderella is Dead
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black, lesbian main character, lesbian/bi side characters, and gay side character.
Recommended For...: fantasy, retellings, dystopian
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Recommended Age: 15+ (slight sexual content, illusions to rape TW, domestic violence TW, romance, and creepy male behavior)
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 400
Synopsis: It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
Review: Oh my goodness this book is so good! The book is a retelling on the Cinderella story, but with a lot of twists along the way. The main character is not Cinderella but is, what I theorize, what she doesn’t historically represent. She’s the girl who doesn’t wait for the fairy godmother, but charges after her instead. The one who, by her own admission, wants to be the one to rescue the princess instead and wants to be with a princess instead of a prince. Anyways, the book has great character development and world building. The book touches on white washing history through the Cinderella tale and it alludes to a lot of things that Black people generally have to face in their life, from being treated like second class citizens to the girls being taken from them under the guise of a “better life” to the hair straightening scene where Sophia is told that straighter hair is pettier than her curls. And while I might be reading too much into some of these, I think this book does a lot of good even at the most basic plot line of this book: it shows young girls, especially Black girls and kids who are LGBT+, that they can save the princess and that they can be the hero of the story even in the context of the most famous of fairytales which are historically white washed and void of any LGBT themes. I also want to see this author write more books like these.
That being said, the only issue I had with this book is that the pacing was a bit wonky and some of the travel scenes were a bit inconsistent, but it very much paled in comparison to how amazing this book is.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
Book: Cinderella is Dead
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Black, lesbian main character, lesbian/bi side characters, and gay side character.
Recommended For...: fantasy, retellings, dystopian
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Recommended Age: 15+ (slight sexual content, illusions to rape TW, domestic violence TW, romance, and creepy male behavior)
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Pages: 400
Synopsis: It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
Review: Oh my goodness this book is so good! The book is a retelling on the Cinderella story, but with a lot of twists along the way. The main character is not Cinderella but is, what I theorize, what she doesn’t historically represent. She’s the girl who doesn’t wait for the fairy godmother, but charges after her instead. The one who, by her own admission, wants to be the one to rescue the princess instead and wants to be with a princess instead of a prince. Anyways, the book has great character development and world building. The book touches on white washing history through the Cinderella tale and it alludes to a lot of things that Black people generally have to face in their life, from being treated like second class citizens to the girls being taken from them under the guise of a “better life” to the hair straightening scene where Sophia is told that straighter hair is pettier than her curls. And while I might be reading too much into some of these, I think this book does a lot of good even at the most basic plot line of this book: it shows young girls, especially Black girls and kids who are LGBT+, that they can save the princess and that they can be the hero of the story even in the context of the most famous of fairytales which are historically white washed and void of any LGBT themes. I also want to see this author write more books like these.
That being said, the only issue I had with this book is that the pacing was a bit wonky and some of the travel scenes were a bit inconsistent, but it very much paled in comparison to how amazing this book is.
Verdict: Highly recommend!
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Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Lost City
Author: Amanda Hocking
Book Series: The Omte Origins Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: fantasy, family secrets
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, slight gore, romance)
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Ulla Tulin was left abandoned in an isolated Kanin city as a baby, taken in by strangers and raised hidden away like many of the trolls of mixed blood. Even knowing this truth, she’s never stopped wondering about her family.
When Ulla is offered an internship working alongside the handsome Pan Soriano at the Mimirin, a prestigious institution, she jumps at the chance to use this opportunity to hopefully find her parents. All she wants is to focus on her job and the search for her parents, but all of her attempts to find them are blocked when she learns her mother may be connected to the Omte royal family.
With little progress made, Ulla and Pan soon find themselves wrapped up in helping Eliana, an amnestic girl with abilities unlike any they have ever seen before—a girl who seems to be running from something. To figure out who she is they must leave the city, and possibly, along the way, they may learn more about Ulla’s parents.
Review: Overall, this was a good book! I love Amanda Hocking and I fell in love with her Trylle series about 3 years ago and this is set in the same world, so if you liked it to then you’ll love this book. The book had great world building. The writing was also well done.
However, I felt like the pacing was super slow. The beginning of the book takes a bit to get into as well. I’ve also not finished the Trylle series and I do think you need that background info for this book. The book also suffers from the lack of character development for a lot of the characters.
Verdict: Well done and sucks you back into the popular Trylle series!
Book: The Lost City
Author: Amanda Hocking
Book Series: The Omte Origins Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: fantasy, family secrets
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, slight gore, romance)
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Ulla Tulin was left abandoned in an isolated Kanin city as a baby, taken in by strangers and raised hidden away like many of the trolls of mixed blood. Even knowing this truth, she’s never stopped wondering about her family.
When Ulla is offered an internship working alongside the handsome Pan Soriano at the Mimirin, a prestigious institution, she jumps at the chance to use this opportunity to hopefully find her parents. All she wants is to focus on her job and the search for her parents, but all of her attempts to find them are blocked when she learns her mother may be connected to the Omte royal family.
With little progress made, Ulla and Pan soon find themselves wrapped up in helping Eliana, an amnestic girl with abilities unlike any they have ever seen before—a girl who seems to be running from something. To figure out who she is they must leave the city, and possibly, along the way, they may learn more about Ulla’s parents.
Review: Overall, this was a good book! I love Amanda Hocking and I fell in love with her Trylle series about 3 years ago and this is set in the same world, so if you liked it to then you’ll love this book. The book had great world building. The writing was also well done.
However, I felt like the pacing was super slow. The beginning of the book takes a bit to get into as well. I’ve also not finished the Trylle series and I do think you need that background info for this book. The book also suffers from the lack of character development for a lot of the characters.
Verdict: Well done and sucks you back into the popular Trylle series!
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: A Wicked Magic
Author: Sasha Laurens
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: fantasy, ya, magic
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (slight romance, violence, death, slight gore)
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 368
Synopsis: Dan and Liss are witches. The Black Book granted them that power. Harnessing that power feels good, especially when everything in their lives makes them feel powerless.
During a spell gone wrong, Liss's boyfriend is snatched away by an evil entity and presumed dead. Dan and Liss's friendship dies that night, too. How can they practice magic after the darkness that they conjured?
Months later, Liss discovers that her boyfriend is alive, trapped underground in the grips of an ancient force. She must save him, and she needs Dan and the power of The Black Book to do so. Dan is quickly sucked back into Liss's orbit and pushes away her best friend, Alexa. But Alexa has some big secrets she's hiding and her own unique magical disaster to deal with.
When another teenager disappears, the girls know it's no coincidence. What greedy magic have they awakened? And what does it want with these teens it has stolen?
Set in the atmospheric wilds of California's northern coast, Sasha Laurens's thrilling debut novel is about the complications of friendship, how to take back power, and how to embrace the darkness that lives within us all.
Review: Overall, this is a good book. The book had a lot of good character development and the world building was well done. The book was also wrote with a good atmosphere. The book had this creepy vibe throughout it and I think it fit well for the story. The book also had a decent plot.
However, I didn’t like the switching POVs and I think the book would have been better with just one. I think the ending battle was weirdly wrote and it bored me a bit. The pacing of this book is super slow. Also, I got super mad at this book because there is a character who is, in my mind, queer but the author doesn’t write them that way. The book felt weird and I didn’t connect with it at all.
Verdict: It was good, just not for me.
Book: A Wicked Magic
Author: Sasha Laurens
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: fantasy, ya, magic
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (slight romance, violence, death, slight gore)
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 368
Synopsis: Dan and Liss are witches. The Black Book granted them that power. Harnessing that power feels good, especially when everything in their lives makes them feel powerless.
During a spell gone wrong, Liss's boyfriend is snatched away by an evil entity and presumed dead. Dan and Liss's friendship dies that night, too. How can they practice magic after the darkness that they conjured?
Months later, Liss discovers that her boyfriend is alive, trapped underground in the grips of an ancient force. She must save him, and she needs Dan and the power of The Black Book to do so. Dan is quickly sucked back into Liss's orbit and pushes away her best friend, Alexa. But Alexa has some big secrets she's hiding and her own unique magical disaster to deal with.
When another teenager disappears, the girls know it's no coincidence. What greedy magic have they awakened? And what does it want with these teens it has stolen?
Set in the atmospheric wilds of California's northern coast, Sasha Laurens's thrilling debut novel is about the complications of friendship, how to take back power, and how to embrace the darkness that lives within us all.
Review: Overall, this is a good book. The book had a lot of good character development and the world building was well done. The book was also wrote with a good atmosphere. The book had this creepy vibe throughout it and I think it fit well for the story. The book also had a decent plot.
However, I didn’t like the switching POVs and I think the book would have been better with just one. I think the ending battle was weirdly wrote and it bored me a bit. The pacing of this book is super slow. Also, I got super mad at this book because there is a character who is, in my mind, queer but the author doesn’t write them that way. The book felt weird and I didn’t connect with it at all.
Verdict: It was good, just not for me.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Sigil
Author: Shakeil Kanish and Larissa Mandeville
Book Series: The Sigil Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: gay Black main charcter
Recommended For...: LGBT, fantasy, urban fantasy, magic
Publication Date: January 27, 2020
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (slight violence, slight gore)
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 385
Synopsis: Shakeil Kanish and Larissa Mandeville hit the ground running with The Sigil: A Novel, a stunning, tearjerking, edge of your seat dark urban fantasy that mixes magic, betrayal, friendship, and romance.
A tragic death.
A dangerous obsession.
A desperate mission.
After losing the person most important to him, Lake Smithson stumbles across a letter he cannot explain. A single brush of his finger and he is thrust into the heart of a mystery only to slowly realize that his obsession to be more, will unleash an evil that threatens all he has left.
Faceless creatures, terrifying magic, unlikely friendships, and broken promises lead Lake and his friends to walk a tight line between the mage realm, on the brink of extinction, and the human realm, on the precipice of revelation. Will Lake become the first human to wield magic or will he be the last?
Review: Overall, I thought this book was excellent! The story immediately grabbed my attention and refused to let me go. The book has unique ideas and excellent world building. I also liked the world building and I thought this was the strongest part of the book.
The only issue I had was that the book was a bit too fast paced in some areas, but for the most part I really enjoyed this!
Verdict: Definitely a must have!
Book: The Sigil
Author: Shakeil Kanish and Larissa Mandeville
Book Series: The Sigil Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Diversity: gay Black main charcter
Recommended For...: LGBT, fantasy, urban fantasy, magic
Publication Date: January 27, 2020
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (slight violence, slight gore)
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 385
Synopsis: Shakeil Kanish and Larissa Mandeville hit the ground running with The Sigil: A Novel, a stunning, tearjerking, edge of your seat dark urban fantasy that mixes magic, betrayal, friendship, and romance.
A tragic death.
A dangerous obsession.
A desperate mission.
After losing the person most important to him, Lake Smithson stumbles across a letter he cannot explain. A single brush of his finger and he is thrust into the heart of a mystery only to slowly realize that his obsession to be more, will unleash an evil that threatens all he has left.
Faceless creatures, terrifying magic, unlikely friendships, and broken promises lead Lake and his friends to walk a tight line between the mage realm, on the brink of extinction, and the human realm, on the precipice of revelation. Will Lake become the first human to wield magic or will he be the last?
Review: Overall, I thought this book was excellent! The story immediately grabbed my attention and refused to let me go. The book has unique ideas and excellent world building. I also liked the world building and I thought this was the strongest part of the book.
The only issue I had was that the book was a bit too fast paced in some areas, but for the most part I really enjoyed this!
Verdict: Definitely a must have!
Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors!
Book: The Desperate Forest
Author: Cece Louise
Book Series: The Forest Tales Book 1
Rating: 2/5
Recommended For...: fantasy, high fantasy, ya
Publication Date: July 2, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNF-ed
Publisher: Jabberwocky Tales
Pages: 240
Synopsis: Princess Roselynn has never longed for adventure. For nineteen years, her life has been safe and comfortable. Until her father is murdered, and she discovers a plot to end her life. Hoping to find safety in the arms of her fiancé, she flees to the perilous Eternity Forest.
When Roselynn meets brash Jay, she begrudgingly joins forces with a group of outlaws. Unsure of her new companions, she’s especially puzzled by Jay’s tough exterior and conflicting actions. Soon, she discovers everyone has their own purpose—and secrets.
Can Roselynn save her kingdom and be reunited with the man she loves, or will she lose everything to the dark forest?
Review: I had to DNF this book at 23%. The book is really fast paced, but I don’t see a lot of development of the scenes or characters so far. The book kind of just skipped the introduction phase of a series and it left me a bit confused.
Verdict: Not for me but maybe for you!
Book: The Desperate Forest
Author: Cece Louise
Book Series: The Forest Tales Book 1
Rating: 2/5
Recommended For...: fantasy, high fantasy, ya
Publication Date: July 2, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNF-ed
Publisher: Jabberwocky Tales
Pages: 240
Synopsis: Princess Roselynn has never longed for adventure. For nineteen years, her life has been safe and comfortable. Until her father is murdered, and she discovers a plot to end her life. Hoping to find safety in the arms of her fiancé, she flees to the perilous Eternity Forest.
When Roselynn meets brash Jay, she begrudgingly joins forces with a group of outlaws. Unsure of her new companions, she’s especially puzzled by Jay’s tough exterior and conflicting actions. Soon, she discovers everyone has their own purpose—and secrets.
Can Roselynn save her kingdom and be reunited with the man she loves, or will she lose everything to the dark forest?
Review: I had to DNF this book at 23%. The book is really fast paced, but I don’t see a lot of development of the scenes or characters so far. The book kind of just skipped the introduction phase of a series and it left me a bit confused.
Verdict: Not for me but maybe for you!
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Cut Off
Author: Adrianne Finlay
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 1/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, ya, reality show
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Each contestant has their own reasons—and their own secrets—for joining the new virtual reality show CUT/OFF that places a group of teenagers alone in the wilderness. It’s a simple premise: whoever lasts the longest without “tapping out” wins a cash prize. Not only that, new software creates a totally unprecedented television experience, allowing viewers to touch, see, and live everything along with the contestants. But what happens when “tapping out” doesn’t work and no one comes to save you? What happens when the whole world seemingly disappears while you’re stranded in the wild? Four teenagers must confront their greatest fears, their deepest secrets, and one another when they discover they are truly cut off from reality. Sci-fi, mystery, and romance converge in this high-stakes, fast-paced read that will leave you guessing to the very last moment.
Review: I had to DNF this book at about 32%. The book didn’t draw me in and it’s entirely too slow of a pace for what I would want in this type of book.
Verdict: Not for me, but maybe for you.
Book: Cut Off
Author: Adrianne Finlay
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 1/5
Recommended For...: sci-fi, ya, reality show
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Each contestant has their own reasons—and their own secrets—for joining the new virtual reality show CUT/OFF that places a group of teenagers alone in the wilderness. It’s a simple premise: whoever lasts the longest without “tapping out” wins a cash prize. Not only that, new software creates a totally unprecedented television experience, allowing viewers to touch, see, and live everything along with the contestants. But what happens when “tapping out” doesn’t work and no one comes to save you? What happens when the whole world seemingly disappears while you’re stranded in the wild? Four teenagers must confront their greatest fears, their deepest secrets, and one another when they discover they are truly cut off from reality. Sci-fi, mystery, and romance converge in this high-stakes, fast-paced read that will leave you guessing to the very last moment.
Review: I had to DNF this book at about 32%. The book didn’t draw me in and it’s entirely too slow of a pace for what I would want in this type of book.
Verdict: Not for me, but maybe for you.
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Space Between Worlds
Author: Micah Johnson
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Black bi main character, nonbinarary side characters, Japanese lesbian characters, many ethnicities in this book
Recommended For...: sci-fi, romance, LGBT, space
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 17+ (romance, slight sexual content, TW abuse, gore, violence)
Publisher: Del Ray
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total.
On this Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now she has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.
But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse.
Review: Holy cow this book was very well done! The book had a lot of sci-fi concepts that I don’t normally read about and I thought were very imaginative and well done. The character development was excellent and the world building was amazing. The book had me hooked from the first page!
However, I did feel like the romance was a bit off and the pacing can be a bit uneven, it switches between fast and slow throughout the book.
Verdict: A well done sci-fi!
Book: The Space Between Worlds
Author: Micah Johnson
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Black bi main character, nonbinarary side characters, Japanese lesbian characters, many ethnicities in this book
Recommended For...: sci-fi, romance, LGBT, space
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Sci-Fi
Recommended Age: 17+ (romance, slight sexual content, TW abuse, gore, violence)
Publisher: Del Ray
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total.
On this Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now she has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.
But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse.
Review: Holy cow this book was very well done! The book had a lot of sci-fi concepts that I don’t normally read about and I thought were very imaginative and well done. The character development was excellent and the world building was amazing. The book had me hooked from the first page!
However, I did feel like the romance was a bit off and the pacing can be a bit uneven, it switches between fast and slow throughout the book.
Verdict: A well done sci-fi!
Disclaimer: I received a finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Poet’s War
Author: Francis O’Neill
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: poetry, war, historical fiction
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 18+ (war flashbacks, violence, gore, romance)
Publisher: Ingram Spark
Pages: 430
Synopsis: It is Europe’s darkest time in near memory. American warrior poet Alistair Stears, thrown into Italian WWI through his mother’s love for an Italian colonel, experienced a convoy of the dying through burning provinces of Italy in the terrible retreat of 1917. It brought from him the great English poem of the Italian war.
One war later, all gracious things await destruction, knowledge is burned, thought coarsened, manners trashed, perverted faith and truth follow the dictators’ flags—vultures to grace. Stears is a famous poet now, married into German-Italian nobility and determined with his wife to fight the Axis powers. He risks everything to protect Italy and all else he loves. He finds that the bravest and fiercest resistance may be the rightness of a poem, the closing of a letter, the welcome of guests, the embrace of a bride, faith toward a fallen friend--and that it may also come from the barrel of a gun. Spanning both world wars, The Poet’s War finds loyalty, patriotism, war, deception, intrigue, romance, love, and death swept up in a maelstrom that spans generations and changes Europe forever.
Review: For the most part I liked this book. The world building was amazing and the strength of this book is the world building. I also felt like the characters were adequately developed and the plot was pretty good.
However, I had an issue with the writing. The book has a lot of Italian phrases and switches between English and Italian. I think that threw me off of the book because it was hard to understand what was being said. Also, the world building was on borderline too much in places. It was kind of like reading a Stephen King novel where he spends 3 pages describing a scene. The book also has a lot of poetry and poetic moments, which is beautiful but not my style.
Verdict: It was good, just long and sometimes confusing.
Book: The Poet’s War
Author: Francis O’Neill
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: poetry, war, historical fiction
Publication Date: August 11, 2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended Age: 18+ (war flashbacks, violence, gore, romance)
Publisher: Ingram Spark
Pages: 430
Synopsis: It is Europe’s darkest time in near memory. American warrior poet Alistair Stears, thrown into Italian WWI through his mother’s love for an Italian colonel, experienced a convoy of the dying through burning provinces of Italy in the terrible retreat of 1917. It brought from him the great English poem of the Italian war.
One war later, all gracious things await destruction, knowledge is burned, thought coarsened, manners trashed, perverted faith and truth follow the dictators’ flags—vultures to grace. Stears is a famous poet now, married into German-Italian nobility and determined with his wife to fight the Axis powers. He risks everything to protect Italy and all else he loves. He finds that the bravest and fiercest resistance may be the rightness of a poem, the closing of a letter, the welcome of guests, the embrace of a bride, faith toward a fallen friend--and that it may also come from the barrel of a gun. Spanning both world wars, The Poet’s War finds loyalty, patriotism, war, deception, intrigue, romance, love, and death swept up in a maelstrom that spans generations and changes Europe forever.
Review: For the most part I liked this book. The world building was amazing and the strength of this book is the world building. I also felt like the characters were adequately developed and the plot was pretty good.
However, I had an issue with the writing. The book has a lot of Italian phrases and switches between English and Italian. I think that threw me off of the book because it was hard to understand what was being said. Also, the world building was on borderline too much in places. It was kind of like reading a Stephen King novel where he spends 3 pages describing a scene. The book also has a lot of poetry and poetic moments, which is beautiful but not my style.
Verdict: It was good, just long and sometimes confusing.
Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Lies Lies Lies
Author: Adele Parks
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: thrill seekers
Publication Date: September 5, 2019
Genre: Thriller
Recommended Age: 18+ (alcoholism, sexual abuse TW, animal death and abuse TW)
Publisher: HQ
Pages: 448
Synopsis: Daisy and Simon's marriage is great, isn't it? After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three. And so what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes - Daisy's used to it, she knows he's letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And that happy little family of three will never be the same again.
Review: This book was ok. The book had a lot of good character development and the book had a great atmosphere around it.
However, this book was really slow paced and really hard to get into. The book was confusing and the twist was… impossible? The book also felt like it used the shock factor of the sexual abuse and the kitten death instead of spending the time to build the suspense.
Verdict: It wasn’t that good for me, but it might be for you!
Book: Lies Lies Lies
Author: Adele Parks
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Recommended For...: thrill seekers
Publication Date: September 5, 2019
Genre: Thriller
Recommended Age: 18+ (alcoholism, sexual abuse TW, animal death and abuse TW)
Publisher: HQ
Pages: 448
Synopsis: Daisy and Simon's marriage is great, isn't it? After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three. And so what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes - Daisy's used to it, she knows he's letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And that happy little family of three will never be the same again.
Review: This book was ok. The book had a lot of good character development and the book had a great atmosphere around it.
However, this book was really slow paced and really hard to get into. The book was confusing and the twist was… impossible? The book also felt like it used the shock factor of the sexual abuse and the kitten death instead of spending the time to build the suspense.
Verdict: It wasn’t that good for me, but it might be for you!