[Review] These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 1534457690
Published: November 17th 2020
Rating: 4 stars 

[Blog Tour] ARC Review & Mood Board/Tour Stop: City of Spells by Alexandra Christo

City of Spells by Alexandra Christo

Imprint: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 352
ISBN: 1250318408
Published: March 9th 2021

Tour Hosted By: Book Terminal Tours

Rating: 3.5 stars

(I received an ARC from the publisher free of charge from Netgalley, but this does not impact my review in any way.)

[Blog Tour] ARC Review & Mood Board/Tour Stop: The Poetry of Secrets by Cambria Gordon

 

The Poetry of Secrets by Cambria Gordon

Imprint: Scholastic
Pages: 416
ISBN: 1338634186
Published: February 2nd 2021

Tour Hosted By: Book Terminal Tours

Rating: 4 stars

(I received an ARC from the publisher free of charge, but this does not impact my review in any way.)

[Blog Tour] ARC Review & Mood Board/Tour Stop: Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

 

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

Imprint: Scholastic
Pages: 300
ISBN: 1407180290

Published: January 5th 2021

Tour Hosted By: Book Terminal Tours
Rating: 4 stars

(I received an ARC from the publisher free of charge, but this does not impact my review in any way.)

[Review] Followers by Megan Angelo

Followers by Megan Angelo

Rating: 4.5 stars

Published: January 14th 2020

Goodreads Synopsis:

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the profound moment that changes the meaning of privacy forever.
Orla Cadden dreams of literary success, but she’s stuck writing about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Orla has no idea how to change her life until her new roommate, Floss―a striving, wannabe A-lister―comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they so desperately crave. But it's only when Orla and Floss abandon all pretense of ethics that social media responds with the most terrifying feedback of all: overwhelming success.
Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity―twelve million loyal followers―Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything, even horrible things, to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.
Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.

I'm full of thoughts about this book, because it's the type of book that leaves you thinking for a long time afterwards. A contemporary scifi that discusses the effects of social media and privacy? Fantastic.

I ended up rating it higher than my initial 4 stars because it's really sticking to me how good this is. And it did a great job of utilizing unlikable heroines, because the whole time I wasn't sure if I was rooting for Floss and Orla, but then at the end they definitely swayed me over to their side.

Floss and Orla are like if Snooki from Jersey Shore and Kim Ki-Jeong from Parasite decided to plot a heist together. They want to play the system of social media - Floss wants to be famous, and Orla wants to be a writer. But that isn't easy when the world of influencers and celebrities and fame exists. So they con their way through it. They're a perfect team, each so self-absorbed in their own ideas of fame that it blinds them to the consequences. And there are so many consequences.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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...

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.