*Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Cold Hearted follows Lady Tremaine, mother of Drizella and Anastasia, stepmother to Cinderella. We follow Lady Tremaine as she turns into the evil stepmother we know from the movies.

This book is marketed as book 8 in the Villains series, and it REALLY is the 8th book. If you think you can only read this book of the series, you are sorely mistaken. I love how characters from the other books show up in this one. For example, we see The Odd Sisters (like usual, let's be real here), Circe, Nanny, and there are mentions of The Beast and Belle, Maleficent, Ursula, and more. I highly suggest reading all of the past 7 books in this series so you understand the world (The Many Kingdoms), and all of the characters.

With this retelling, in particular, I love how we see Lady Tremaine turn into the cruel stepmother we know her by. We get a backstory and see that she was nice and caring before she met Cinderella. It stayed close to the original tale from Disney, but Valentino adds her own style to it.

If you are looking for a (possibly) completed series of Disney Villain retellings, I highly suggest reading all of these books in order! I will put the reading order down below for it to be easier.

1) Fairest of All
2) The Beast Within
3) Poor Unfortunate Soul
4) Mistress of All Evil
5) Mother Knows Best (my personal favourite)
6) The Odd Sisters
7) Evil Thing
8) Cold Hearted

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Curse of the Specter Queen got my attention straight away in the description: 1920s archeological exploration in Ireland? Yes PLEASE. I am a huge sucker for any book that is described with historical aspects, especially in Europe. So this book grabbed my attention so fast and I’m so glad I got an ARC of it!!

Curse of the Specter Queen follows in the POV of Samantha Knox, a teenage girl working at an antique bookshop after putting away her archeological adventure fantasies the day her father died in WW1. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam’s peaceful life is overturned. Ruthless men are intent on getting this diary from Sam, setting her, her best friend, and her childhood crush on a high stakes adventure to Dublin, Ireland. Here, they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose- to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, to bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. Will Sam solve the ciphers needed to stop the Specter Queen? Or will the order succeed and end the world?

The historical aspects of this book were my favourite by far. It’s very obvious that while Moke wanted to make Sam and Joana (Sam’s best friend) strong and independent women, she wove in the societal standards of the 1920s. That is what I really love in historical fantasies/mysteries: strong and independent women that still manage to follow societal roles, even though those roles were very misogynistic. It gives the very air of these books being set in historical times.

Onto the characters: I love Sam, Joana, and Bennett. Their friendship is spectacular. Joana and Bennett are siblings, and it just adds onto the friendship aspect between these two and Sam. I love how awkward Bennett is whenever he is with Sam, rather it be alone or around other people. He is the definition of a boy who doesn’t know what to do with his feelings towards a girl. It’s so cute and it’s woven into the story so good.

The plot itself is good. I do feel the first 70 pages were a little bit slow, but overall, the plot was great! I’d say it’s more medium-paced than fast-paced. The mystery aspect of it also really makes it great.

Overall, if you are wanting a historical mystery sprinkled with archeological aspects, Curse of the Specter Queen is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found Mercurial through NetGalley's "Available Now" section and I am so glad I did!

Mercurial revolves around the Alloyed Empire, and they fear The Destroyer. The metal in her blood gives her incendiary powers, and the coldness in her heart makes her the empress's perfect weapon until a rebel attack leaves her with no magic and no memories of herself.
Tal is a royal guard, protecting The Destroyer, who has now since regretted his hopes of changing The Destroyer. Now that she is powerless, he plans to finally end her reign of terror-if he can stop himself from falling for the wicked, funny, and utterly unfamiliar girl she has become.
Nyx was furious when Tal, her brother, abandoned her to protect a tyrant. Now, she hones herself as the rebel assassin until she can kill The Destroyer and rescue Tal. But the closer she gets, the more she realizes the entire empire hinges on the decisions all three of them will make.

This book had me by surprise. I went in expecting this fantasy story to be one that had barely any representation but MAN was I wrong!! Nyx has a girlfriend, Helenia, and she has dark brown skin. Tal and The Destroyer are both white.

My favourite character in this story has to be Nyx. I connected with her straight away. She reminds me of myself in a way (and not just because she is gay, like myself). The way she talks, the ways she thinks, reminded me of myself.

The plot itself was so interesting to read. There was never a part in the book that I was bored with and wanted to stop reading. The world-building is so well done for how long the book is. I did not think that the world-building would be so well done but I was blown away!

The romance between The Destroyer and Tal is great. You could say it is enemies to lovers, but The Destroyer never hated Tal. Tal hated The Destroyer so it can be added as enemies to lovers, but not exactly. I still loved it because you could tell through the entire story (when in The Destroyers POV) that she has feelings for Tal but never thinks about them until near the end of the book. I loved every second of being in one of their POVs and seeing how they think of one another. (Also, side note, the book is written in third person omniscient)

If you are looking for a fast-paced, memory loss, vengeance, and fantasy story, this book is for you!

Edit: after my second time reading this, it gets a 5 stars. I loved it even more omfg.

Thank you to Netgalley and Intense Publications for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unwritten took me by surprise. The premise sounded so cool, and I was excited to read it. But I felt going in I was not going to like it as much, but I did!

Unwritten follows Beatrix, who is able to hear books whisper to her. However, books are not the reason she has never fit in; bullied at school and home, she keeps a secret-a power of violence and darkness. When the spell that keeps her hidden fails, she is thrown into the Zweeshan, a realm where all tales live, and her dream of meeting her favourite characters comes true. But wishes are tricky, and behind its wonder and whimsy, the Zweeshen is under attack. A character is burning bookworlds in pursuit of a weapon to rule both stories and storytellers. To succeed, they need a riddle that Beatrix has. Now, they are hunting her down.
Joining forces with Willian, Beatrix must face an enemy who knows everything about her. And with her darkness as the only weapon, she may have to sacrifice everything to save a world that rejects her.

Oh my GOD, I loved this book. The writing style was so good. It was definitely slow to start, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, but other than that, I had no problems.

Can we take a moment to talk about the romance in this book? Because GOD DAMN this is what I want when I say enemies to lovers. To me, it is not enemies to lovers if the characters start liking each other halfway through the book. In this book, the characters took a minimum of 60% of the book to start figuring out their feelings which is what I mean with enemies to lovers. It is a slow burn romance!!

The story itself had GREAT pacing once we got to around the 30% mark. The first 30% is a little slow but it is so worth it in the end. Plus the worldbuilding is so well done!! It is such a complex world yet it is done perfectly!

If you are looking for a book with enemies to lovers, fast pacing, such a cool and interesting world, Unwritten by Alicia J Novo is for you!

Thank you to booksirens for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface this review by saying I will not be giving this book a star rating because I did not finish it. I will explain why I didn't but I do not like giving books I did not finish a rating, because it is not fair to judge an entire book by what you read.

Pastel Pink follows Ruby who was murdered on Earth 18 years ago and reincarnated on Zadok as a Pastel Zeek named Harlow. To be born at the bottom of her race's caste colour system to a middle-class family of Magentas has made Harlow a source of conflict amongst the ruling Purples, and a source of derision from all 3 colours. When Harlow is attacked by a fuegor on Zadok, the effect of its venom triggers an unforeseen phenomenon; her human spirit is unexpectedly drawn back to Earth. She is plunged into a double life of intrigue on both planets.
On Earth, she watches in horror as Jade, her twin sister, reconnect with Lucas, her murderer who got away with it. And to complicate things further, she is being pursued by Alex, the ghost of Lucas' twin. On Zadok, she becomes embroiled with Jax, the son of the Commanding family. He is determined to bring about change to the colony's colour system.
Will Harlow usher a revolution? And will ghost Ruby resist Alex or pursue an impossible relationship that could have dire consequences on both planets?

I was super excited to read this book. It sounds like such a cool sci-fi book. To say I was disappointed is pretty accurate. I got about 20% of the way through and I was confused the entire time. The world-building is too complex for me. I am super disappointed because this book sounds up my alley, but I can't get through the first 20% without being confused.

Other than the world-building issue I had, the characters were easy to understand. I like when characters are easy to understand and see who is who, this book is great for that aspect.

I hope that this review does not stray readers away from this story because what I read had the potential to be someone else's new favourite book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson follows Artemisia, who is training to become a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so their souls can pass on. She would rather deal with the living than the dead. She was possessed as a child, and now bears scars to remember it by. She is happy to be alone in her mind until she is forced to use a powerful relic to save her convent. Using this relic, she now has a Fifth Order Revenant in her body. Now on the fun from the Leander who wants to catch her to exorcise her, she must fight possessed soldiers all while trying to figure out who is using Old Magic to control these spirits, and what their plan is.

The plot of this book may seem all over the place, but once you get into it, it’s one book you will not put down.

Rogerson is one of my favourite authors (specifically Sorcery of Throns), so going in I was expecting a little romance inside. There is no romance. However, the story itself really doesn’t open doors for a romance for Artemisia. And I like it that way. I feel like a romance would hinder the plot and make it weak.

Though, I have seen that other reviewers say there were some quotes taken out by the publisher that indicate Artemisia is aroace (aromantic asexual), and I HIGHLY suggest the publisher to put it back in. When have I ever seen an aroace MC? Oh wait, NEVER. I really hope that Rogerson will push to have Artemisia be aroace, because that’s how she feels in this story. I have never read a story with an aromantic character (I have read some with an asexual MC). I really hope that the finished copies confirm Artemisia is aroace, or at least explore the possibility of love. It would be lovely to see some aroace rep in a fantasy novel.

Characters: I absolutely LOVE Artemisia. She is the classic definition of a badass MC. She will fight for her life, and she’s not afraid to voice her thoughts when necessary. She is a reliable MC who speaks her thoughts. As for side characters, there aren’t too many, but each one is flushed out so you know about them. My personal favourite is the Revenant who is inside Artemisia. It brings sarcasm when needed in dire situations, it cares for Artemisia, and it’s just a great dynamic.

World: I felt like this world was pretty well explained. Rogerson did amazingly in her two previous novels (especially since they are standalones), and this one did not disappoint. I’m even more excited for this world because Vespertine is not a standalone. That’s right, it’s NOT a standalone!! I can’t wait to see what Rogerson has in mind. (Disclaimer: Artemisias story is round up in this book, so there is NO cliffhanger!)

Vespertine is easily one of my favourite reads of this year! It’s the perfect book for October (when this book comes out)! It’s got convents, magic, ghosts, Revenants, and a spooky atmosphere perfect for Halloween!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I only knew it had to do with music and being set in Prince Edward Island, which I’ve never read a book set in PEI before (I haven’t read Anne of Green Gables).

I’ve only read one other book where music was somehow used (Ghost Wood Song), and I liked this one better! I’m not a music person but it was easy to understand when it was being described. Not to mention this book also has ghosts! I loved that aspect of it.

The plot itself felt flat in the first 80 pages, so it took me a while to power through this book. I was thinking of dnf-ing it (did-not-finish) but I am sure glad I didn’t! It picked up so fast from 80 pages onward.

The characters themselves, I loved them. Beet, Jeannine, Sean, Freddy, Deirdre. I think the best character development out of them all is Beet. She grew so much in this book, and it’s surprising at how short this book is (260 pages).

The setting: as a Canadian (living in Alberta) who has never visited PEI before (or the entire East side past Manitoba), the setting is described well! I think anyone who knows the basic that PEI is on the east coast of Canada would understand where everything is.

I took off a star only because the first 80 pages were slow, but that’s it!

I recommend this book to anyone who wants music, ghosts, and PEI all together in one book.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms follows Annie, an antisocial lesbian who starts her senior year under pressure to join the cheerleading squad and Bee, her former friend and trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep her transition going.

This is such a fast and easy read! It being in graphic novel format also is super cute, I love the artists style.

Bebe faces lots of struggles in her life, from blatant transphobia to creepy guys hitting on her simply because she’s trans, and I think the topics were handled super well being how short this book is (123 pages). As a trans man myself, the way transphobia was handled in here was great.

The romance itself is super cute between Bebe and Annie.

The representation this has is also great: trans, lesbian, enby, and poc.

This is one of my new favourites! 5/5 stars

*Thank you Brandie June for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Gold Spun is a YA retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. This book is fast paced and has amazing world building. There are no information dumps in this story, which is something I always love. The magic system is also super cool.

Nor, the main character, is a strong woman and I love that. Strong female leads are always fun and interesting.

There is so much foreshadowing, which is a perfect set up to continue this book into a series, which I hope does happen!