Friday, December 20, 2019

[Review] Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1) by A.C. Gaughen

Reign the Earth by A. C. Gaughen

Series: The Elementae #1
Rating: 4 stars

Published: January 30th 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:
Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.
But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.


TW: Domestic and verbal abuse

To protect her family and the people of the desert, Shalia marries Calix, who is said to be the head of their religion of the Three-Faced God. Calix will stop at nothing to rid his world of the Elementae, a people who have power over the elements (earth, wind, fire, water). But once she uncovers her powers over the earth, Shalia must find her inner strength in order to stop Calix from continuing his genocide, and to save herself.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

[Review] King of Fools (The Shadow Game #2) by Amanda Foody


King of Fools by Amanda Foody

Series: The Shadow Game #2 
Rating: 3 stars 

Published: April 30th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all...
On the quest to find her missing mother, prim and proper Enne Salta became reluctant allies with Levi Glaisyer, the city’s most famous con man. Saving his life in the Shadow Game forced Enne to assume the identity of Seance, a mysterious underworld figure. Now, with the Chancellor of the Republic dead and bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics…with the very fate of New Reynes at stake.
Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership with Vianca Augustine’s estranged son. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by the mafia donna’s binding oath, playing the roles of both darling lady and cunning street lord, unsure which side of herself reflects the truth.
As Enne and Levi walk a path of unimaginable wealth and opportunity, new relationships and deadly secrets could quickly lead them into ruin. And when unforeseen players enter the game, they must each make an impossible choice: To sacrifice everything they’ve earned in order to survive...
Or die as legends.

I said in my review of Ace of Shades that I would read the sequel for the sake of finding out what happens next. I still really have no idea what is happening, but it's become a semi-entertaining ride of trying to figure out.

Monday, December 16, 2019

[Review] Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Series: Crown of Feathers #1
Rating: 3 stars

Published: February 12th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
I had a sister, once…
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.
I promised her the throne would not come between us.
Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.
But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.
Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.
Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love’s incredible power to save—or to destroy. Interspersed throughout is the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister’s hands. 
Crown of Feathers is one massive undertaking of a fantasy. Veronyka and Val are two sisters who live in a world where the Phoenix Riders - animages who bonded with phoenixes, once ruled. Now, they are exiled and cast from society, with the remaining animages living in hiding. Veronyka and Val hope to find phoenix eggs in order to join the Phoenix Riders. This story is interspersed with the events of sixteen years prior, when the Feather-Crowned Queen and the Council's Queen - two sisters, fought on opposing sides of a war that drove their country apart.

Friday, December 13, 2019

[Review] Only Human (Themis Files #3) by Sylvain Nuevel

Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel

Series: The Themis Files #3
Rating: 4 stars

Published: May 1st 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:
In her childhood, Rose Franklin accidentally discovered a giant metal hand buried beneath the ground outside Deadwood, South Dakota. As an adult, Dr. Rose Franklin led the team that uncovered the rest of the body parts which together form Themis: a powerful robot of mysterious alien origin. She, along with linguist Vincent, pilot Kara, and the unnamed Interviewer, protected the Earth from geopolitical conflict and alien invasion alike. Now, after nearly ten years on another world, Rose returns to find her old alliances forfeit and the planet in shambles. And she must pick up the pieces of the Earth Defense Corps as her own friends turn against each other.
A thrilling conclusion to the end of one of my favorite science fiction series.

Rose Franklin, Vincent Couture and his daughter Eva have returned from space almost ten years later. Instead of a war between aliens and humans, they are now in the middle of a war between world powers, as countries fight for control of the giant robots, and have strictly regulated who exactly is considered human.

Friday, December 6, 2019

[Review] The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: March 10th 2010

Goodreads Synopsis:
Adrift after her sister Bailey's sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey's boyfriend who shares her grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs... though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode.
Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart.
As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.
I read The Sky is Everywhere directly after All the Bright Places, and the subject matter is so similar (protagonist coping with loss of sister), that it's really going to be hard to separate myself from the two and not compare them.

Even though the two are super similar in premise, Lennie is coping with her sister's death in an entirely different way. Even though life was supposed to move on, Lennie isn't, or not in the most expected way. There's no one else who could understand her grief besides Toby, Bailey's boyfriend. And there's now a new kid at school - Joe, who complicates Lennie's feelings further. Lennie was supposed to share the woes of being a teenager with Bailey. But now that Bailey is gone, she's stuck in some kind of limbo, expressing her feelings through poetry, introduced at the beginning of every chapter.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

[Review] Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene

Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene

Series: Amber & Dusk #1
Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: November 27th 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:
Sylvie has always known she deserves more. Out in the permanent twilight of the Dusklands, her guardians called her power to create illusions a curse. But Sylvie knows it gives her a place in Coeur d'Or, the palais of the Amber Empress and her highborn legacies.
So Sylvie sets off toward the Amber City, a glittering jewel under a sun that never sets, to take what is hers.
But her hope for a better life is quickly dimmed. The empress invites her in only as part of a wicked wager among her powerful courtiers. Sylvie must assume a new name, Mirage, and begin to navigate secretive social circles and deadly games of intrigue in order to claim her spot. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is as it appears and no one, including her cruel yet captivating sponsor, Sunder, will answer her questions. As Mirage strives to assume what should be her rightful place, she'll have to consider whether it is worth the price she must pay.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The moment I found out it had an enemies to lovers trope in it, I was all for what followed. Plus, I thought that the journey of a heroine to reclaim her inner strength is a tried and true quest of both physical and emotional growth.

Monday, December 2, 2019

[Review] The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Rating: 4.5 stars

Published: November 5th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth.
What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians--it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also those who are intent on its destruction.
Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly-soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose--in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
This was an intense, super abstract ride. I essentially equated The Starless Sea to "Alice in Wonderland on crack" because you're thrown into a mystical world amped up by a thousand. It's a story within a story within a story. Zachary Ezra Rowlins discovers a book called Sweet Sorrows, and finds that he is featured within its pages. He had a chance as a child to open the door to the Starless Sea, but chose not to. Now, as an adult, he has that chance to enter through that door, and start his adventure.

Monday, November 25, 2019

[Review] The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

Series: The Merciful Crow #1
Rating: 3 stars

July 30th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
A future chieftain.
Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.
A fugitive prince.
When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.
A too-cunning bodyguard.
Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?
This book was so hyped up on my TL, but then it ended up being rather disappointing.

Fie is part of the Crow caste, which has the ability to steal magic from other castes. It's the teeth of the dead that allow them to use such magic. The Crows are sent to collect the bodies of Crown Prince Jasimir and his bodyguard Tavin, but they may have gotten more than what they bargained for...

Friday, November 22, 2019

[Review] All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Rating: 5 stars

Published: January 6th 2015

Goodreads Synopsis:
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
TW: Suicide, self-harm, abuse

I read this after Foolish Hearts - contemporaries really are out to get me.

Theodore Finch is thinks of endless ways to die. Violet Markay thinks of getting out of Indiana, leaving behind her grief following her sister's death. When the two become partners for a US geography project, they help each other heal and cope with their shared trauma.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

[Review] Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Series: The Shadow Game #1
Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: April 10th 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:
Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.
Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.
Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.
Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…
And she’ll need to play.
Enne visits New Reynes with one purpose - to find her missing adoptive mother. She enlists the help of Levi, street lord of the Scarhands. Levi is also using Enne for his own purposes - to complete a master con before time is up in ten days.

Just like with Daughter of the Burning City, I was bombarded with a wave of information and it took me some time to process it. But unlike Foody's first book, I was able to piece together the information and understand the world much better in Ace of Shades. It was still a bit confusing, though.

Monday, November 18, 2019

[Review] Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Rating: 5 stars

Published: May 14th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?
Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.
I've been recommending everyone this book for the past month. It's so good.

Also, it's set in an alternate timeline where we had competent world leaders! I wish we had that timeline.

Anyhow - After a faux du pas at a royal wedding, Alex, the President's son, and British Prince Henry must forge an unlikely friendship to show the tabloids/media that the US and UK are still allies. But this friendship slowly develops into something more, and so, Alex and Henry hide their blossoming romance from the press, as it could potential derail Alex's mother's reelection campaign.

Friday, November 15, 2019

[Review] The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Series: The Kiss Quotient #2
Rating: 4 stars

Published: May 7th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.
With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.
Another enjoyable romance by Helen Hoang!

This time, we're with Michael's cousin Khai, who has recently lost his best friend Andy. Khai is autistic, sensitive to touch, and believes that he is immune to love. His mother wants to change that, and goes off to Vietnam to find him a bride. She meets Esme, a housekeeper with drive, and so, chooses her to come to America on visa. If she can convince Khai to fall in love with her over the summer, she can stay.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

[Review] Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune

Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: June 11th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
At the news of her mother's death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn't spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco's Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She's even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother's restaurant.
The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant's fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother's cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around--she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.
Natalie returns home, following the death of her mother, and in her memory, works to revitalize her corner of San Francisco's Chinatown, by reopening her grandmother's restaurant. Natalie has had an estranged relationship with her mother, who suffered from agoraphobia. With the help of old neighbors and friends, Natalie hopes to rekindle her passion for cooking and return to her roots.

Monday, November 11, 2019

[Review] Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Rating: 5 stars

Published: December 5th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis: 
When Claudia accidentally eavesdrops on the epic breakup of Paige and Iris, the it-couple at her school, she finds herself in hot water with prickly, difficult Iris. Thrown together against their will in the class production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the goofiest, cutest boy Claudia has ever known, Iris and Claudia are in for an eye-opening senior year.
When Claudia accidentally eavesdrops on the epic breakup of Paige and Iris, the it-couple at her school, she finds herself in hot water with prickly, difficult Iris. Thrown together against their will in the class production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the goofiest, cutest boy Claudia has ever known, Iris and Claudia are in for an eye-opening senior year.

Smart, funny, and thoroughly, wonderfully flawed, Claudia navigates a world of intense friendships and tentative romance in Foolish Hearts, a YA novel about expanding your horizons, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and accepting--and loving--people for who they really are.


This book was perfection and everything I love in contemporary - normally a genre I don't even read, too! I've always been a bit iffy with books set in HS because of the age gap between reader and characters - I haven't been able to relate to one until Foolish Hearts.

For the last four years, Claudia has been mostly a wallflower at her all girls preparatory school. That is, until she overhears the breakup of the most popular couple in school - Iris and Paige. Suddenly, she's thrusted into the spotlight as she is forced to work together with mean girl Iris and popular guy Gideon in the school performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. She's used to spending her time with her only friend Zoe, and her siblings, Alex and Julia. Now Claudia has to navigate the ups and downs of friendships and romance in her final year of high school.

Friday, November 8, 2019

[Review] The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez


The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Rating: 2 stars

Published: June 11th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen—especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.


Sigh. 

This book made me tired. Here's why.

On a superficial level, The Friend Zone is about Kristen Peterson, who must fight off a growing attraction to Josh Copeland, who will be the best man at her best friend's wedding. She's in a long-distance relationship with Tyler, who works in the military overseas and who will be coming home soon. Kristen also believes that she and Josh would never work out, because, in the long-run, Josh wants a large family, and Kristen cannot do that, with her big secret: after years of painful, almost life-threatening periods, she's about to have a procedure that will prevent her from having children.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

[Review] Slay by Brittney Morris

Slay by Brittney Morris

Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: September 24th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the "downfall of the Black man."
But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for "anti-white discrimination."
Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?
Kiera Johnson leads a double life. By day she's an honors student at her school and one of the only black students at Jefferson Academy. By night she's the creator of SLAY, an mmorpg card-game. She's careful to keep the two lives apart, until one day, someone is killed over the game, causing a public outrage that might just reveal her secret.

Monday, November 4, 2019

[Review] When the Stars Lead to You by Ronni Davis

When the Stars Lead to You by Ronni Davis

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ARC
Release Date: November 12th 2019 

Goodreads Synopsis:
Eighteen-year-old Devon longs for two things.

The stars.
And the boy she fell in love with last summer.
When Ashton breaks Devon’s heart at the end of the most romantic and magical summer ever, she thinks her heart will never heal again. But over the course of the following year, Devon finds herself slowly putting the broken pieces back together.
Now it’s senior year, and she’s determined to enjoy every moment of it as she prepares for a future studying the galaxies. That is, until Ashton shows up on the first day of school. Can she forgive him and open her heart again? Or are they doomed to repeat history?

TW: suicidal ideation, depression, abuse

I mentioned this before on Twitter but I just am really enjoying contemporaries lately and they're normally not my cup of tea. But they've been tackling a bunch of serious issues and have really well-developed characters.

My latest contemp is When the Stars Lead to You, and it follows Devon, aspiring astrophysicist, who dreams of having the best summer ever. She meets Ashton, and the two have a perfect summer romance, until he disappears from her life without as much as a goodbye. Though Devon is devastated, she picks up the pieces of her heart and mostly moves on, and wishes, a year later, to have a perfect senior year. But when Ashton comes back into her life, as a fellow student of Preston Academy, that might be an obstacle in her perfect year.

Friday, November 1, 2019

[Review] The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Series: Montague Siblings #1
Rating: 5 stars

Published: June 27th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Because three months later, I still continue to love Good Omens, if you loved the show/book/radio broadcast as much as I did, you're going to love Gentleman's Guide.

Henry 'Monty' Montague, his best friend/long time crush Percy, and his younger sister Felicity, embark on a grand Tour of Europe. Monty initially thinks this would be the perfect time to spend with Percy before he goes off on law school, and to spend the year doing any sort of sordid debauchery. But he is wrong - his father wants him to use the time to mature into a proper lord. However, plans change when Monty steals a small box from the Duke of Bourbon. Now on the run from hired men seeking the box, Monty and his friends have a different kind of tour, one full of pirates, alchemy, and dead people.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

[Review] The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory 

Series: The Wedding Date #3
Rating: 4 stars

Published: July 16th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
Maddie and Theo have two things in common:
1. Alexa is their best friend
2. They hate each other
After an “Oops, we made a mistake” kiss, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa’s wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they’re comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won’t fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn’t looking.
But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don’t fall in love.

The Wedding Party just reminded me how much I adore romances? This was so cute.

Theo and Maddie are complete opposites (supposedly), but must work together for the sake of their best friend Alexa's wedding in a few months! When they first meet after some time, sparks fly, and they assure each other it won't happen again... until it keeps on happening. They devise up a plan to stop this little arrangement the moment Alexa gets married, but they don't take into consideration the feelings that emerge.

Monday, October 28, 2019

[Review] The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson

Rating: 3 stars

Published: July 9th 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:
In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life...until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.
That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother's death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.
But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.

Anthia, or Thia, is Princess of Rhodaire, who is forced to marry the crown prince of Illucia, a country whose Queen attacked Rhodaire's capital city several months prior. This attack kills Thia's mother and her aunt Estrel, and it leaves Thia suffering from depression.

Friday, October 25, 2019

[Review] Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

Rating: 4 stars 

Published: May 3rd 2016

Goodreads Synopsis: 
Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.
These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.
Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.
But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.
A novel about moving on, accepting, and finding yourself, as corny as it sounds. This really pulled at my heart - though not really for the romance, but for the loss of friendship, as Sloane struggles to put herself together after her best friend and boyfriend sleep together twice behind her back, and now her best friend is pregnant. But luckily for Sloane, she can avoid her troubles over the summer when she goes to Hawaii to stay with her mom, and runs into old friends and new. One new friend, Finn, might be just the guy to help her get over her ex-boyfriend, Tyler. But Finn has some skeletons in his closet.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

[Review] Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Series: Song of the Current #1
Rating: 4 stars

Published: June 6th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:
Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will.
Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.
The Oresteia family has spent generations on the river, hearing the voice of the river god. Caro thought she would be next in line after her father, but has not yet heard the god's voice. But now Caro is tasked to deliver a mysterious box, and becomes embroiled in the politics and deceit of several nations. Without her father and without her river god, Caro must battle the waters alone.

Monday, October 21, 2019

[Review] Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Series: The Blood of Stars #1
Rating: 3.5 stars

Published: July 9th 2019

Goodsreads Synopsis:
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

I've been reading so many Asian-inspired fantasies by #ownvoices authors and I am all for this. This Project Runway x Mulan crossover (with a little bit of Uprooted in there) was a delight from start to finish.