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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