Review: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I may not be a chess player, but I really loved how this book delved into so many layers when it came to chess competitions. I know most probably won't think chess is a sport like football, but i wholeheartedly understand how this is just as involved as any other sport. 

I loved seeing the schedule made for training for chess. The fact that Mallory couldn't understand why exercise was needed was comical (sitting in one spot for that long is HARD!). Seeing a male dominate sport having a female player flying through the ranks made me proud. And how Mal realized her stepping away from chess helped her not get bullied and intimidated by other members and showed her to really focus on her game rather than the ugly things said about her gender. 

The family dynamics for both Mallory and Nolan were real and sad. They have two different scenarios going on but both have impacted each character to their core. I'm glad they both were able to find a safe space with each other in the end. 

They're were a lot of prep statements and moments in this book that resignate deeply when the reader stops and takes a moment to think about them. This is only the 2nd book I've read by Ali Hazelwood, but she definitely dives deep into a lot of moments in her stories. Very glad i decided to read this and experience chess at a whole other level of my own experiences. 

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Review: Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review. 

Omg. Omg!!!! So much happened in this book. In this duology really!!!!! The surprises never stopped. Inez's life never calmed down for a second. How that woman survived the heartache she had to go through? I'll never know. She seemed too understanding during all the reveals and maybe because she had to be but I'm sure she was haunted by some of these events for years to come. 

Whit. Ugh he annoyed me like I thought he would and then he made my teary eyed. He's a complicated man and I was so emotional watching him this whole series. 

I loved this series so much. There are still moments here and there but there was adventure, emotion, archeology, betrayal (So. Much. Betrayal!), and love. I can see myself rereading this in my future to take my time and find the little details I missed. I'm so glad I waited to binge read and I'm so glad I loved this series! 

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Review: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

So much happened in this book, my brain is still trying to wrap itself around everything. Inez is such a strong character but she is left in the dark too much and has become a pawn in so many schemes. Seriously I don't know how she has the will to keep going after finding out everyone around her is just lying and using her left and right. She is so sweet and naive but fierce and passionate and all of those things meld together makes for a horrible disaster. She's very bold too, and I love her spirit so much!

And the betrayal of her own flesh and blood? I understand her revenge 100% and would be right there with her. 

Whit is going to tick me off, I already know. Hopefully he's not yet another person to betray Inez. I could see her going on a spree of revenge if that were to happen. 

I'm so glad I waited to read this book once I had the ending novel to dive into, because that ending was brutal and I need to see how this all ends! 

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Review: The Encanto's Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz

The Encanto's Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

I really thought i would like this novel more than I did. And the beginning chapters were fantastic, even though extremely fast pace with little information. But once MJ was in her fathers kingdom, it went downhill from there. 

She has 1 month to learn about a country she's never been to, learn a royal system to become queen, go to school, and find her royal magic. That's a lot of pressure.

 But what does MJ do? She zones out in class, sleeps in late, roams to the town to frolicking with Nix, stresses over a boy... she didn't study or read books about protocols she's needs to know. She doesn't take being a queen seriously until she was treated like a child. I get she wants to change things, but in order to do that, she had to know what the current law is to then change!

Basically MJ was a spoiled brat who didn't know what she was doing and her immaturity was too much for me to handle. After the ending and then reading about vampires for book 2, I thought i could try to read it to see what progresses, but love triangles are annoying for me and it seems like even if Lucas is stuck, he's not putting up much is a fight for MJ if he's getting married to another girl. And neither is MJ fighting that hard? I think book 1 is enough for my patience. 

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Review: Artifice by Sharon Cameron

Artifice by Sharon Cameron
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

This book had a rough start for me. I had a lot of difficulty with the terms used and just words explaining something that meant nothing to me, so trying to figure out what Isa was talking about was hard to follow. After awhile I got the hang of it, or enough to get by. And I liked the message of the story and what good deeds Isa was doing. I'm not sure i could been as brave as she was but desperate times call for crazy acts of desperation. 

The twists and turns with Michel and Wiilem got a bit old after awhile. Then again I'm sure it was really hard to know who to trust in those circumstances. 

I really loved the ending and how determined Isa was in her decisions. 

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Review: Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman

Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

There is so much heavy stuff in this book, i was a bit surprised by that. Sol is a wonderful person. She is 16 and doing more than most adults are. The fact that she gets up at 5am and has a 1 hour commute to school across the boarder? That alone shows her determination to make sure she achieves her goals. And then to take on a part time job and work as many hours around her schooling that is allowed? At really awful times? I don't know how she did it. 

I also could feel her sadness and loneliness and tiredness throughout this book. Seriously, I can't even comprehend the level of emptiness she felt. I just wanted to hug her and make everything better for her. 

I hate that her fault asked her to do this extremely massive thing as a teen. I get why she was the only one who could do it, having been born in America, but that was too much responsibility for Sol. 

A very eye opening novel to me. Glad I read it. Puts a lot of small things in my life in perspective. 

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Review: Invisible Son by Kim Johnson

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

This is a powerful book. Discussing in detail how COVID 19 and Black Lives Matter impacted Andres life was really heartbreaking. And it brought back a lot of memories of that time in my life. Then to add the mystery of Eric and the hypocrisy of his neighbors household? This book packed a lot of sensitive subjects that will make any reader feel every emotion. I wasn't ready for this level of brutal honestly that Kim Johnson delivered.

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Review: Heroes by Alan Gratz

Heroes by Alan Gratz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

This is a very quick read. I can see why a lot of students like reading Alan Gratz's novels because it's all about history but with a splash of fun and a story to go along with it. This was the first one I've read and I was entranced into the story from the start. 

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Review: Half City by Kate Golden

Half City by Kate Golden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been hearing a lot about this book lately and I'm glad I got the chance to read it early. The beginning was a little slow for me, but once Viv got to Harker, I was locked in. I love how unique this book is compared to other books I normally read. I also love how strong Viv is. She knows exactly who she is and what she meant to do, but she decided to try Harkers because she can always learn more. She's smart and catches on to things very quickly. 

Reid is intriguing and I love how he is an abnormality of this world. The attraction between these two is intense. 

I adore all of Viv's new classmates and Penny. Her mother and sister are too judgemental for my taste and James is an idiot. I thought the lies Viv was telling her family were too much and there's no way they couldn't have figured out she was lying to everyone. 

But overall I'm surprised at how much I liked this book and I'm already excited for book 2 to find out what happens after that ending! 

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Review: Royal Blood by Aimee Carter

Royal Blood by Aimee Carter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read for Battle of the Books 26

I adored the beginning part of this book when we first met Evan and she's taking a serious risk to help her roommate that she never talks to. That Evan was bold, determined, fearless.

Then the Evan we get for the rest of the book is, to me, a shell of herself. Which is understandable. She's thrust into this world she had no knowledge of our how to play the game properly, so she stumbles so much. I missed seeing the confident woman she truly is. Every once in awhile she'll come back out but it's definitely missing because of all the rules and etiquette. And also because of the royal family. Those people really are messed up and they treated Evan like crap even though it was Alexander who made his choice all those years ago. Taking it out on Evan is cruel. 

So surprisingly I actually really enjoyed this novel. I thought about continuing the series but will need to wait until the 3rd book is out so I can binge read them. 

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Review: The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read for Battle 26

At first I struggled with this book because of the 3 viewpoints and different locations/time frames. I also struggled because the world in 1933 is not so different from a possible world in our near future and it was a lot to take in knowing this has happened and could very well happen again. 

But I stuck with it to see how each characters stories unfold. And I'm so glad I got to the end because I was moved by the ending. Moved in sadness and happiness and just pure emotion honestly. What each of these characters went through, are going through, is life changing. One of which I did live through.

The message in this book is powerful. I'm really glad I read it. I know I won't forget about these characters for a long time to come. 

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Review: The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutchinson

The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutchinson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Read this for Battle or the books 26. 

I thought it was unique and a quick read. Some surprises that caught me off guard. Overall it was a good story. 

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Review: Hart Street Lane by Samantha Young

Hart Street Lane by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Diving into a Samantha Young novel is like coming home, each and every time. I read this book in one sitting and adored these characters so much. I was sad to see it end! 

Baird is wonderful. He fell first, love at first sight, years ago but he knew she was taken and decided to check his ego and be her best friend, even with his strong feelings. I loved that he came up with the game plan to lead into telling Maia his true feelings. And I love that he's always there for her when she needs him. His teddy bear composure really made me feel the love he had for Maia and how deep he truly cares for her and that was so wonderful to see!

Maia's situation with her ex-fiancee hit a little too close to home for me, but she did what I did. Grew into herself, realized the mistake she was about to make, and focused on herself and what made her happy. She was determined not to live someone else's life again and took charge of her own goals and I love that for her. Her bully at work was awful and I would never have kept the composure Maia did in any of those situations. 

And both characters had a lot of growing from past trauma that did cause their story to be a little bumpy. But because both were so madly in love (but let's face it, Baird was king of the love club), they were able to help one another through their trauma. 

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this next installment in the 2nd generation series and I can't wait for more by this incredible author! 

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Review: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh. My. Lanta! I honestly can't believe how much I loved this book! I went in pretty blind but got immediately ensnared by this story and almost finished in one sitting!

Odessa is one amazing woman. Being forced into a marriage she wasn't expecting, leaving her family and hometown, learning to adapt to a whole new culture. Learning to fight and evade monsters. Seriously, this book kept me on the edge of my seat and Odessa really grew throughout this journey.

It's hard to talk about the love interest without spoiling anything. Let's just say, from the moment of the wedding, i knew exactly what had REALLY happened and having to wait so long for the reveal? Torturous. And the amount of lies and deceit and secrets the Wolfe family has? Insanity. I figured it about half. But the other reveals? Didn't see them coming.

I cannot wait for the next book to come out. Seriously, this has become a high anticipated release for me now!

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