The Laughing Listener
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are subject to change upon the final release.*
August 2019
Format: eBook
Overall Rating: 4 Stars

“Nor and Zadie. Coral and pearl. Powerful and beautiful because of each other, not in spite of each other.”

After reading the summary of this book, I thought I knew exactly what I was in for. Admittedly I’m a complete sucker for the commoner-turned-royalty trope, which is why I requested to read this book anyway and now I’m so happy I did. Somehow this ended up being both exactly what I hoped it would be and nothing like I expected, all at the same time.

Wanna know what that means? Me too! Let’s figure it out.



Several aspects of this book played out exactly like I thought they would. The choosing ceremony, the love interests, some of the political intrigue—all things I saw coming from miles away, but I definitely don’t mean that as a negative. I enjoyed knowing them ahead of time and had fun guessing how they would happen. Plus, everything else went so far beyond my expectations that it was a nice balance.

One of those things was the world building, which I really loved! Everything was so rich and all of the different lands were so interesting to read about. I’m obsessed with the idea of a whole city being out in the middle of the ocean after Nor and Zadie spent all their time casually diving for clams and swimming from place to place. Plus, the castle set inside a mountain was such a unique idea and it was fascinating seeing how each setting impacted the people who live there.



Also, the characters! Nor was such a strong female protagonist and I really enjoyed reading from her perspective. Her relationship with her sister Zadie was so sweet and seeing their strong family bond showcased like this was amazing! And maybe I’m alone in this, but I also really really loved Ceren??? He was so interesting!! Ceren made such an excellent, cunning creeper and I had fun trying to guess what he would do next.

And by the way, I don’t trust the ending of this book AT ALL.



Something about it makes me think nothing is as it seems, which means I’m DEFINITELY on board for book two. I just gotta know what happens and see how this all plays out. I can’t wait!

FINAL WORD

This book took old tropes and twisted them into something brand new that I had a ton of fun reading. Mix in some strong sisterly bonds and you’ve got a winner.

#1 ↦ Crown of Coral and Pearl ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:Kingdom of Sea and Stone|46841801|Kingdom of Sea and Stone|Mara Rutherford|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|71887425] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
January 2019
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
Format: Ebook ARC
Overall Rating: 4 Stars

Wow, this book was… insane. When I read the summary for this a while ago, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into—a fun fantasy romance about the Sandman battling evil. But man, this was DARK. Way darker than I was prepared for and I loved it!



It took me a hot minute to get into this story because the beginning was pretty much everything I was expecting. Originally I had thought this was going to be a light, fun story about the Sandman falling for one of his dreamers while he battled against the bad guys. And initially that’s exactly what I got, which wasn’t a bad thing... Just not that exciting. However, a few chapters in, a girl at the mall stabs herself with a pen and I quickly realized how wrong I was. After that, it was jarring how crazy the story got and it had me reeling, but I was so intrigued.

The farther into the book you go, the more you get to see of the dream world—the place where the Sandman lives and where Nora goes when she falls asleep. That’s when this book really grabbed me. A whole other world was slowly exposed to us bit by bit and it was so fun to read about! With dreams being the basis of this universe, literally anything is possible and it was cool seeing what Duell did with that.

It all leads to one crazy ass ending and I’m SO CURIOUS to see where book two goes!! Everything we see in the second half is really what made me fall for this story and I can’t wait to see what role the characters will play and what will happen. I’m bursting to say more, but I feel like I’ll give it away!!



I will say that I just wasn’t that into the romance aspect of this book? It’s hard to put my finger on why because I really liked both the main characters. But their relationship is already pretty well established at the start of the story, so when they finally confessed their feelings there was no real pay off or gratification. I kind of just wanted them to get on with it so I could find out what happened.

FINAL WORD

I am soooo here for the dark vibes of this book and now I can’t wait for the next installment!

#1 ↦ Dream Keeper ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:Dark Consort|40949184|Dark Consort (The Dark Dreamer Trilogy, #2)|Amber R. Duell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1533862964s/40949184.jpg|63860303] ↦ ?????
#3 ↦ [b:Night Warden|40949200|Night Warden (The Dark Dreamer Trilogy, #3)|Amber R. Duell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1533863690s/40949200.jpg|63860373] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
December 2018
I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Format: Ebook

Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

Whoa. I don’t really know what I was expecting from this, but I definitely didn’t get it. And I mean that in the best possible way! Normally I’m not a huge sci-fi person, but this book was such a fun read and I got completely sucked in from the very beginning.



This is my first time reading anything by Amanda Bouchet and I think from the description I was expecting this to be more of a classic, cliched romance novel set in space. But I’m so happy to be proved wrong! If Firefly and Robin Hood came together to have a romance book love child, it would be Nightchaser. So basically all of my favorite things together in one place.

We’re dropped right in the action at the the tail end of a high-speed space getaway, almost as if there’s a beginning chapter missing. Normally it bothers me when books do this because I find it jarring, but I really loved the way Bouchet framed it! It made me really engage with the story and want to know more about what was going on. Over the course of the story, we get little bits and pieces of what’s going on that slowly form a bigger picture and it was great watching it all unfold.



Plus, the characters are GREAT!! I got so attached to everyone, even Bonk the cat. Jax was a sweetie, Miko and Shiori gave me all the feels, and Fiona’s spunky attitude always made me laugh. And Shade and Tess. UGH. I loved it. The writing style is pretty simple and straightforward, but that didn’t bother me. I was too wrapped up in the universe to care.

And that ending was SO CRAAAAAAAZY!!! I was NOT prepared for the utter insanity I was slapped with. It was GREAT.

FINAL WORD

This was such a fun sci-fi romance and I’m TOTALLY on board for the next one!

#1 ↦ [b:Nightchaser|35712606|Nightchaser (Endeavor, #1)|Amanda Bouchet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527273845s/35712606.jpg|57212813] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:Starbreaker|43358567|Starbreaker (Nightchaser Book 2)|Amanda Bouchet|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1545790886s/43358567.jpg|67340791] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
June 2019
Format: eBook
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

*Aggressive panting* I DID IT. *Pants* I’M HERE. *More panting* I MADE IT.



PHEW. Guys. This book. Talk about action. From page one, this story kicks it into high gear and doesn’t let up. It feels like I just ran ten miles and I don’t even care because it was AMAZING. If you thought Dance of Thieves was awesome, just wait because this one packs an even bigger punch. It takes off at a freaking sprint right where we left Kazi and Jase travelling back to Hell’s Mouth in book one, thank god too because that cliffy ending was killing me slowly.

“Maybe I finally understood that history wasn’t just written on walls and in books but made in a thousand daily decisions, and some of them went wrong, some went right, and some decisions just had to be made because time was running out. Waiting for someone else to write your history was no way to live. Sometimes it was only a certain way to die.”

Right off the bat I have to scream about the amazing world building in this novel. Mary E. Pearson has done such an amazing job creating this universe and weaving a story that connects everything together. Everything. Little things that I had forgotten about in the Remnant Chronicles and Dance of Thieves came back and tied to the story in amazing ways. The attention to detail left me completely baffled. It immediately made me want to go back and reread all the other books to see if I missed anything and I love when that happens! This is framed so you don’t HAVE to read the Remnant Chronicles before this series, but the experience is so much richer if you do, which is so smart.

Plus, the story is INSANELY good. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish and genuinely had no idea how things were going to end up for a while. Warning for anyone who has high blood pressure: maybe steer clear. And I was so happy to see magic make a comeback in this installment! Magic played a fairly large part in The Remnant Chronicles and I remember finding it interesting that Dance of Thieves has hardly any. But FEAR NOT FRIENDS. Pearson’s subtle way of weaving magic came back for this sequel and I loved it.



Overall I was worried about this suffering from second book syndrome since the first one was so perfect, but I shouldn’t have stressed because Vow of Thieves is just as good, if not better than book one.

"We wove our dreams together like armor. Nothing could stop us now."

FINAL WORD

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I thought this book was AMAZING. The perfect end to a perfect series.

#1 ↦ [b:Dance of Thieves|35796008|Dance of Thieves (Dance of Thieves, #1)|Mary E. Pearson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505930101l/35796008._SY75_.jpg|55233885] ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦
#2 ↦ Vow of Thieves ↦ ✦✦✦✦✦

______________________________ .

I only have about 10% more of this book left to read because I fell asleep last night before I could finish (damn you body!! *Shakes fist*) but I 100% feel confident giving this 5 stars now. What a ride. I think this gave me high blood pressure and I don't even care. #WorthIt

The Laughing Listener
November 2018
Format: ebook
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 4 Stars

When I was trying to plan out my fall reading schedule at the end of the summer, I swore off ARCs for a while. I wanted to finish Throne of Glass and read The Dark Artifices before the new books came out and I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle anything else. But when I saw the description of Illusions, I just couldn’t pass it up. An historical fiction LGBTQ+ romance about magicians?? SIGN ME UP. And I’m so happy I did because this was amazing!

I admit that I had a hard time getting into the format of it in the beginning. This is written with alternating journal entries between the two main characters Thomas and Saverio, which I wasn’t in love with at the start. I found myself wishing it was a first person narrative because I think that would have brought me into the story and setting more. But as I kept reading, I was captivated by these two characters and their world and it ended up not mattering.

The premise of this was so good! I never read any books with magicians and I loved it!! With the time period and magician’s secrets I got some real Prestige vibes from this, which is a compliment because I freaking LOVE that movie.



And the romance!! GAH! I loved it so much??? I was so nervous and wary of Saverio in the beginning because I just wanted to protect my small cinnamon roll Thomas. But when Saverio starts falling for him too it was so sweet! I really liked watching their relationship grow as they got closer. In the end, I even got a little misty eyed.

FINAL WORD

I loved this book! It’s a great romance and I really liked reading about magicians, something you never see these days. Definitely two thumbs up!!

The Laughing Listener
September 2018
Format: Ebook
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

Rating: 4 Stars

Yet another book that was nothing like I had imagined! I have no idea why, but for some reason I thought this was going to be a witch story set in present day. In my head it was like the girl version of The Covenant, but with less nudity and more actual plot. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this actually leans more toward historical fiction, which I loved!



I admit that I was a little unsure in the beginning, mostly because I couldn’t tell what Professor Barrington’s intentions were. Both his age and position gave him power over Sera and I was worried he would take advantage. Luckily I had nothing to fear! And as I kept reading, I was captivated by this world and the mystery they were trying to solve so much that it became easy to forget about my initial hesitations.

Actually I really loved both Sera and Professor Barrington! Sera is so fiesty and she doesn’t take anyone’s bad mouthing, so obviously she was my favorite. She’s a seventh born and in this world, every seventh child born causes their mother to die. Because of this, all seventh borns are looked down upon and lead harsh lives filled with prejudice. Just to give you a taste, Sera has to constantly deal with horrid comments like this on a regular basis:

“Unlike you, the students in this school hope to contribute to the magical community. At least have the dignity to appreciate you mother’s sacrifice… or stupidity.”

WHOA. Watching Sera deal with this kind of hostility made me feel for her and I loved that she didn’t lose that fire to fight back. I think that’s really what made me fall for Barrington because he’s the only one that treats her with respect and kindness. Watching their relationship slowly grow over the book was so great and now I’m dying for more! They’re so cute together and I liked watching them lean on one another for support.

I also really had fun with the story itself. It’s cool combination of historical fiction meets Sherlock Holmes meets romance. But with witches!! And I’m totally here for it. I can’t wait for the next installment!

FINAL WORD
This was a super fun book that I totally recommend to anyone who loves mysteries, witches, and historical fiction!

The Laughing Listener
April 2019
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*
Format: Ebook ARC
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars

“Failure is inevitable. In everything we do. It’s what you make of it that matters.”

Oh man, what a ride! I’m so upset that I sat on this book for so long because it was such a fun read!! The characters in this book are top-notch and I am 100% on board for the second one. Mordecai is everything I wanted The Darkling to be in [b:Shadow and Bone|10194157|Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1339533695s/10194157.jpg|15093325], so don’t mind me swooning in the corner over here.



Admittedly the beginning half of this book was a little slow. I really loved the story and that we’re dropped in this new world with Ember. It was so fun learning everything with her and trying to put all the puzzle pieces together. But this also meant a lot of explanations and history lessons of the universe and at times it felt a little information-dump-esque. I didn’t mind too much because what we learn is interesting, but it doesn’t exactly make for an exciting plot.

We do get to meet a lot of fun characters though and getting to know them was my favorite part of the first half! Eriyan and Dantos are my FAVORITE and I can’t wait for more of their banter in the next book!! I also really really loved Ember and felt such a strong connection to her character. She’s not strong in the literal physical sense, but she has a quiet inner strength and a great sense of humor. Ember is also super cunning and good at manipulation, which I always really love reading about.

When you reach the halfway mark on this thing, LOOK OUT. Because the plot takes off and I couldn’t put this down! I was literally sneaking reads in the bathroom at work by the end. Mordecai is such an awesome morally grey villain and I LOVED IT. First of all, his name is so cool?? At first it was weird because it made me think of the giant blue jay Mordecai from The Regular Show.



But it didn’t take too long to win me over and I just love how different that name is—I’ve never heard it in another YA novel. And he was such a layered character, it was so fun to watch his relationship with Ember unfold. Okay, maaaaaaybe it was a little cliche at times, but WHATEVER. I’M HERE FOR IT. SIGN ME UP FOR MORE.

I’m hoping that in book two we get to explore the world a little more. We get some really cool glimpses of it in the beginning, but I couldn’t help wishing for a little more exploration. Understandably, Ember is a tad distracted being on the run for her life and all, so it didn’t bother me too much. But my fingers are crossed for more next time because this universe seems awesome! I love that the lands are broken up by the different placements of the sun and times of day.

FINAL WORD

If you like young-adult fantasy romance books, then you’ll like this too. The characters are awesome and it only gets better the more you read!

#1 ↦ Evenfall ↦ ✦✦✦✦✧
#2 ↦ [b:Emergence|42616309|Emergence (Shadowfire, #2)|Gaja J. Kos|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1541209532s/42616309.jpg|66331697] ↦ ?????

The Laughing Listener
August 2018
Format: Ebook
*I was graciously given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

WHOA. I don’t… What just happened?!? This book was INSANE. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting—maybe a romance adventure about two teens surviving a plane crash? And well… it definitely IS that, but also SO MUCH MORE. My brain is still spinning and I can already tell I’m going to have to reread this to try and catch everything I missed the first time.



This is such a hard book to review because EVERYTHING is a clue and if I say too much I’ll give something important away. The book starts off deceptively straightforward. There’s Fiona, a unique spirit who has wonderfully blue hair and mad kickboxing skills. There’s Miles, a popular rich kid who makes Fiona’s life miserable. They’re on their way to Germany for an internship program until they crash land on an island and need to survive. Easy right?? HA! The next chapter rewinds to the hours leading up the crash and two timelines emerge that the book alternates between. Slowly, more information is revealed that makes you stop reading and say “...hey...wait second…” until you reach the end and your head implodes.

“...we can’t know anything beyond ourselves. Everything we experience could be an illusion.”

The way this was written was so great and I loved how it kind of tricks you into letting your guard down. I thought I knew exactly what was going on and stopped paying too much attention until I caught a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it word here and there that threw everything askew. It was so awesome how little things like that made you more and more unsettled until you couldn’t trust anything anymore.

And the same kind of slow-reveal treatment was used for Fiona and Miles, which I really enjoyed too. In the beginning I was pretty disconnected to their characters, but I was so curious about what was going on that I didn’t even mind. We slowly learn more about them as the story progresses though and I really loved getting to know them. It was like I was falling for them while they were falling for each other.

Plus, THAT ENDING!!!!!! GAHHH!!! Open-ended endings usually make me super salty as a reader, but I actually really liked this one! When it was over, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor and stop myself from making gasping sounds out loud.



FINAL WORD

What a crazy, fun read! This was nothing I was expecting and I mean that as a compliment. I’ve never been so happy to be confused. If you love mysteries with a bit of romance, you’ll love this.

The Laughing Listener
Format: ARC ebook
I was graciously given a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating: 4 Stars

This was so friggin’ cute!! The perfect summer weekend read. Even though I was intrigued enough by the synopsis to request a copy of The Royal Kiss, I admit to being completely skeptical of this one. I love me a good classic fairytale, but was worried this would fall prey to the trope trap. Even though there are aspects of this that are a little predictable, the fantastic world building, fun cast of characters, and great story overshadowed everything else. In a good way!

When I first started reading, I was immediately intrigued by structure of this society and that’s really what kept me going in the beginning. In this world, kisses are the trigger for magic and only those with royal blood can practice it. If a prince or princess think of a spell before touching their lips to the skin of another royal, they can do almost anything—heal wounds, increase speed, add protection, etc. Is the idea of this a little odd?? Ummm yeah. I mean, royals are just running around kissing each other all over the place.



But it somehow completely worked???? In the context of the story, it didn’t feel awkward to me at all and I was actually really fascinated by the repercussions of all this magic kissing. I mean, when you have to kiss people all the time on a regular basis, you can’t afford to have feelings. Love isn’t something that exists in this world with marriage and courtship being ancient “heretic” ideas. People choose their partners for battle purposes, only considering those who would bring the most power. Logic rules above all else. It’s official, I must be a total nerd because I found this idea really interesting.



And I really enjoyed Ivy’s character! Despite the fantastical world she lived in, I found her completely relatable. She’s smart and strong with a great need to protect her people, a quality that I admired. And her familial relationship with Bromley was so cute!! I’m so happy that Ivy’s discovery of friendship was just as central to the plot as her discovery of love because friendships in YA are the beeeeeeeest! Of course, I also loved Zach the romantic and watching his blossoming relationship with Ivy was so cute. It was really nice seeing a guy as the sensitive one for a change.

Plus, I was completely surprised by the ending????? I was not expecting that twist at all and I loved it!!

FINAL WORD

An adorably light, fun summer read that was completely engrossing! In a world full of book series, it was so nice reading a great standalone YA romance for a change. Two thumbs up!!