Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After being changed into a Fae, instead of a mere human, Feyre is having a rough time transitioning into this new person - this new being. Everything is louder, brighter, stronger, more intense. And honestly? Feyre isn't sure how she feels about being a faerie. Especially because she kept her mortal heart.

And now she is constantly being reminded about the choices she had to make Under the Mountain because of Amarantha's evil. Because of her mortal heart and conscience, Feyre isn't fairing too well. She just wants to go back to what she loves to do, but is finding that to be hard. Now that Tamlin has his full High Fae powers back, he is all about protecting Feyre and making sure that she wants for nothing.

But that is not Feyre, and the more she pushes, the harder he pushes back and makes her a shell of the person that she is.

When Rhysand comes on Feyre and Tamlin's wedding day to uphold the bargain she made with him, Feyre was almost relieved because of the suffocation she was experiencing, knowing she would be stuck wearing jewels all day and sitting on her ass doing nothing useful.

But her hatred for Rhysand was still in full force after what she went through Under the Mountain. When Feyre isn't with Rhys for the week time frame, she is still somehow communicating with him because of the bond he put on her with the tattoo, so she at least has one person to talk to when left alone in the Spring Court castle.

Then everything changed: Tamlin locked her inside of the house and wouldn't let her leave. Feyre was having a mental break down when Rhysand and his cousin Morrigan rescued her from the blackness she conjured. Because when she was remade as a Fae, she got all 7 High Fae's powers and had no idea how to contain them.

Now, she is at the Night Court for however long she wants to be there. Because now the Spring Court is more of a prison than a paradise, and Feyre cannot be in that type of enviroment. And the kicker? Rhys is letting Feyre go with him on missions and visits and is actually telling her what is going on with the King of Hybern's plans of attacking the mortal world - of her family's world.

The longer she stays in the Night Court, the more that Feyre realizes that everyone is judging Rhys wrongly. Sure, most of it is his doing, but she is getting the real Rhysand and now Feyre has to figure out who is the real Rhys, and what she is going to decide to do in the end about which Court she wants to represent.

Because one thing is for sure: the King of Hybern is on a mission to end the world and he is going to take Feyre down with him.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG! OMG! SERIOUSLY!! THIS BOOK IS JUST----AAAAHHHHHHH!!

Okay, I'm breathing now. I think.

Let's just start with the big elephant: Rhysand. He was so evil and conniving and hard to read in the first book, but his intentions were good. I did get that feeling about him. But this book?! It tore me to pieces when she was staying in the Night Court. I mean, I was blushing and barely breathing during some of the scenes with those two and the tension was just off the charts.

I want Rhysand! He's definitely a book boyfriend after this book!

Also? Tamlin? What he did to Feyre by locking her up in the house and treating her no better than a pet dog or cat? That is just wrong on so many levels. For the fact that Feyre wouldn't get out of bed to eat - and not even that on some days - and she was withering away into nothing right before his eyes and she is supposed to be a Fae and be immortal for life? He was abusing her so much and didn't even know it and that is just so wrong. I was hating him more and more and more at the beginning of this book and I was so, so, so glad that Feyre was saved by Rhysand.

Okay, there was SO MUCH that happened in this book!! Yes, it's 600 pages, so of course things are going to happen, but I had to remember how the book started off and then I got pissed about Tamlin again.

Sarah J. Maas's writing is impeccable. Amazing. She had me on the edge of my seat reading this entire book in 1 day and I am sitting here typing, wishing I was already diving into the 3rd book right this minute. This storyline is just amazing and the world she has created is just fantastic. I am so jealous of these characters that they have this live and just want to find a way to go there. And try to be with Rhysand, but that's beside the point.

Feyre continues to be a badass, though probably less because she's Fae and can do stuff more easily than when she was a human and did just as amazing, great things. But she is constantly ignoring ancient rules to do what she thinks needs to be done, rather than what is expected. She doesn't care about the consequences - she just wants to do the right thing. Having been in situations with her family when they were poor and starving and cold, she wants to help people rather than judge them and I love that so, so much.

I so love this book and I know after reading this that I am going to be buying these books for my own personal collection because I already know that I want to re-read them in the near future. They are fantastic and I cannot wait to read the 3rd book to see how it ends!!

I did just add that this is a New Adult book because there are a lot of ... details ... that some parents might not want their teens to read, but I'm still going to recommend it to everyone I know because it is just fantastic!

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Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Feyre's life is pretty hard recently. Her family is poor - after they used to be on the other spectrum of the social status - and Feyre is the only one who is bringing in money or food into the house. And she did this because of the vow and promise she made to her mother when she was dying: Feyre will protect and take care of her father and two older sisters.

So Feyre learned how to hunt in the woods behind their hut to bring in food, and to hunt and get supplies from the market. Even though the woods are practically off limits because that is where the faeries are and could snatch her up at any minute. But Feyre has no choice in the matter - she must do what needs to be done so her family can be fed and warm.

When Feyre sees a doe that will bring a lot of meat and her coat would bring a lot of money, Feyre thinks she's hit the jackpot. That is, until she sees the giant wolf stalking the same doe. Feyre knows that the fae can shape shift into animals, but she can't tell if this is a faerie or just an abnormally large wolf, so she kills the wolf and the doe, and takes both skins and the doe carcus home, knowing that the wolf skin will bring them a lot of money.

But Feyre judged wrong, because the wolf that she killed was a fae, and now she has been taken as a life for a life because of her misjudgment into the fae land. Surprisingly, though, not as a victim, but rather to just live in Prythian for the rest of her life with her capturer Tamlin.

The longer that Feyre stays with Tamlin, though, the less she feels like a captive but more like a guest - a human guest who is getting some weird reactions from the faeries - but a guest none the less. And she is even allowed to go hunting with Tamlin's friend Lucien, even though she could easily try to escape.

Things are not as they seem in Prythian when dark, evil creatures keep trying to attack the mansion that Feyre is staying at. There is a long, dark history that has happened to the world of the fae, and even though Feyre doesn't realize it, she's smack dab in the middle of the mess. Only Feyre can save the entire fae population, but she's just a lowly, breakable human who is in way over her head when it comes to the faerie land. But because she has grown feelings for Tamlin, she needs to decide if this immortal world is worth everything she has - because it might just take her life.

Okay. So. I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!!!!

And I read it because of a funny story:

In Jennifer L. Armentrout's new (unpublished as of today) book "If There's No Tomorrow", the main character is a book reader and is currently reading a book about a guy named Rhysand. I got so curious about this character, I decided to look him up and low and behold, it's Sarah J. Maas's series!! (I only looked it up because she was wanting to read the Paper Princess book by Erin Watt and I've already read that, so I knew it was a real book and assumed this one was too :) )

And I instantly went to find all 3 books in this series, because when JLA is having her characters read this book, I knew they had to be good!!

And it was amazing! I loved it! I loved the beginning, even though a lot of readers said it was too slow paced for them. For me, it was great because we really got a chance to get to know Feyre and her personality, her loyalty, her determination so by the time she got to Tamlin's house, we knew that she wasn't just going to meekly stand by and be a prisoner.

The little moments when you could tell that Feyre was starting to like Tamlin was so full of tension and I was just like, be with him already!!! But she is a very stubborn girl and took her sweet time.

When she was sent back home and saw how well Tamlin took care of her family, my heart was gone and given to Tamlin on a silver platter. For a High Fae to do that to a human family - a species so below the fae that they are like scum - was heartbreaking and so so sweet. And then when she went back for him?

Sigh, there are so many feels going on right now inside of me that I'm a gushing mess!! But I'm so excited that I was introduced to this series and I am extremely glad that I have the other two books to dive into, because I cannot wait to see what happens next with the unexepected way things ended for Feyre. Waiting for 2 years to be able to fly through this books is the reason that I torture myself for not starting the books until the series is finished :)

I am DEFINITELY going to recommend this series to my friends and patrons who want to read YA at my library because it is a great book that was written so well with so many twists and turns that I feel like others will love it just as much as I did :)

Thanks JLA for the recommendation and thank you Sarah J. Maas for writing this!!

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Review: Manners & Mutiny

Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophronia is well on her way to be finished at her unique school, but she is so wrapped up in the political outbreak in London that she doesn't have time to think about doing actual school assignments. No, now she is mixed up with the Picklemen who are out to destroy the supernaturals, her contract with the dewan werewolf and what Soap is up to, and fielding off one of the influeniental vampires in the area.

So when the school goes down in a hard landing - a school that is not supposed to land ever - Sophronia decides that she is going to stay with the ship to see what the issue is. Turns out, this is the time where all of the plans that the Picklemen and Flywaymen have been doing is going to be acted out. And now Sophronia, along with the Headmistress who knows nothing of the espionage aspect of her school, a crazy vampire teacher, and the sooties who are hard at work are there to save not only the school but also London.

And so goes Sophronia to use all of the knowledge that she has learned over the years at her school to try and save the world from mass chaos and possibly war.

Not too much pressure, right?

This is Sophronia's biggest and most important mission yet.

This was a great ending to the series! I loved everything about it and I loved all of the action and planning and exploding and chaoticness! It was pretty fantastic. I also enjoyed that Sophronia got injured and became a real person because of that. Every other book she barely got hurt and it was too much good luck for one girl to have, so it was nice that she got some consequences to her actions during this big battle.

Also? My Team Boy that I was on? I kinda switched. Sophronia did not pick my man. And if you want to know who she did pick, just go to my other reviews from book 1-3 and you will know who she ends up with. My boy that I was rooting for became pretty pathetic in the end. Granted, we never got to hear his side of the story, but he also betrayed Sophronia when she really needed him to stick with her - especially because he was pursuing her hardcore. Instead, other team boy became a badass and picked up his game, so I was very impressed and very happy that he became more vocal and physical with his attraction toward Sophronia. My Team Boy did the opposite, really. So I actually was happy about who Sophronia ended up with.

This was a really great series and I'm glad that I got a chance to read it finally. I don't know if I will read the other two series that Gail Carriger wrote that is about the same world as this series. Maybe later, when I'm feeling in the mood for one of these books again, but for right now I'm very happy and content with ending this series and being done with this world for a little while.

I think a lot of teen and adult females will really love this series because Sophronia is such a strong, brave, and independent woman who many females will aspire to become. Okay, we won't become her, but we can pretend we are Sophronia, right?

I will definitely have this series on my list when recommending new books to teens at my library!

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Review: Waistcoats & Weaponry

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophronia is once again in the middle of a city crisis. This time, she is at home visiting her family because of her brother's engagement party, when all of the mechanical machines went haywire and were programmed to sing the national song for the British. And then, one of her friends needs to go to Scotland to be with her werewolf pack during a crisis.

So, of course, Sophronia is all for an adventure of getting her friend home and then she just happens to stumble upon the issue with the mechanical machines when she steals a weird looking train.

Sophronia is definitely not a boring girl at finishing school, that's for sure.

Now, Sophronia, Dimity, Soap, Felix and Sidheag are trying to figure out what to do with the information they have stumbled upon the train.

Sophronia is seriously one of my favorite characters! She is so sharp and is always piecing together all of the clues to figure out what is going on. She is my hero! And she's so funny and quick with responses when in a situation. I would hope that I would have acted like her during that time period, but probably, in all reality, I would have been a blibbering mess.

I love Sophronia and Felix together! But after this book... I don't know. Felix is a pansy. Soap is not my favorite for Sophronia, but the way that his story concluded at this end of this book was just...ugh! Poor guy. Even though he really wanted that to happen anyway.

I love, love, love this series and can't wait to see how it ends with the 4th book!

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Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies

Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophronia learned so much from her first year in Finishing School, and she was extremely excited to go back after her sister's Ball. But when her class takes their exams and she was ostracized because she has had the best 6 month marks out of all of the students at the school, Sophronia now lives in a world where everyone is ignoring her.

But that doesn't stop Sophronia from doing what she does best: spying and snooping around on the ship. In fact, she snoops even more so, especially on the teachers. Because there is something going on that the teachers are hiding from the students. And if there is anything Sophronia is good at, it's finding out information that people want to keep hidden.

Plus, to top it off, BOYS are on the ship! Evil geniuses in training are now going to travel with the finishing school to go to London for a special viewing. While this gives the girls a better target to work their etiquette on, Sophronia is finding that she had to fend off advances from Felix, that sly little devil. But a very high class little devil that all of the other girls are trying to get his attention. For some reason, though, his eyes are on Sophronia - or as he likes to call her, Ria.

While Sophronia gets a few tries of practice, she is more on a mission to find out what the new device is that was brought on the ship, why there is a fortune teller there, and who is trying to kidnap her best friend?

This series is killing me! I seriously was laughing so hard at the end of this book with the scene at the vampire hive and there was just chaos and madness and so much going on. Sophronia was able to follow it all and keep up with what was happening, but my god it was just too funny for me!

While I don't understand everything that is talked about in this novel because I didn't grow up in this time period, or even study this time period, I am still really, really enjoying this series!

The romance is a bit too much, I think. I would be more than happy to have no romance and just be in the mind of Sophronia because the way her brain works is amazing. I would never be able to thrive in a school like hers, though I would certainly try! I do have to say, the thing with Soap is just not working out for me. I really hope she doesn't end up with him. I don't know why, I just don't really want that to happen. And for some reason, I really love the idea of Sophronia and Felix together. I think that would be a great pair because they would always be challenging each other, and Sophronia definitely needs that in her life to keep her content and interested. Maybe that's why I don't think Soap is a good fit - he wouldn't challenge her as often or as well as Felix would.

Anyway, I'm definitely enjoying this and I love, love, love Bumblesnoot! I was so sad when he visited someone else for a little bit. But I think it's because I love animals, even if it's a mechanimal!

Diving into #3! I definitely recommend reading these! :)

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Review: Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sophronia is not up to times with how a proper lady is supposed to act. In fact, she is a complete embarrassment to her mother and family and the only thing that her mom is thinking about is to get the curious 14 year old out of her hair so she can plan for a ball for another daughter.

So against Sophronia's wishes, she is sent to Finishing School to learn proper etiquette and become the lady that her mother wants her to be. But from the very start, Sophronia realizes that the Finishing School is not quiet what she was told...

Instead, it is a finishing school for Etiquette, but also about how to kill people while being a proper lady about it. So the girls at this school (which is located in a blimp flying all over the world so no one can find their secret location) are being trained on the proper hankerchief to use, but also on which method works best on how to kill a vampire and a werewolf. And they are also being taught by a vampire and a werewolf.

Sophronia, who was hating the idea of coming to this school, is realizing how GOOD she is at this school. Well, for the espionage aspect anyway. She is a very good snoop, has a curious mind, and is very upfront on her questions - because she wants to get the answers.

And one of the older students is keeping a secret from the teachers, so now Sophronia has made it her mission to figure out where Monica is hiding the item in question, and how Sophronia can get to it before she does.

This has always been on my list of books to read, and I just happen to grab all 4 books in the series at once so I knew it was time to finally read it and see what all of the hype was about. And I loved it!

I really loved Sophronia! She is a spunky, curious, and such an odd girl that one can't help but admire her abilities that she's figuring out at this school.

And she has a lot to learn at the beginning, since she had no idea that this school even existed. Otherwise she would have tried to find a way inside of the school a long time ago!

It does take a few pages to get into the story of the book since it's set in an older time period and I don't really know what the proper etiquette is for them, but Sophronia doesn't really care about that nonsense too much. Well, not before she's had the proper training anyway!

Also, I loved how Sophronia doesn't judge people by who they are in society. I love it when she visits the sooties and they are just normal people to her instead of the hired help and the "colored" people (I hate that term...). Instead, she loves their enthusiasm and she is always bartering with them. She treats them like humans rather than servants.

The mechanical aspect of this novel is something else. Sometimes I can't quiet picture what is going on because it gets a bit too technical for my brain, but I know it's something fancy.

I also love Vieve as well! I can't wait until she is forced to go to the etiquette school and has to dress like a girl!

I'm very intrigued on what is going to happen in the rest of the series, and I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read this!

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Review: Always Red

Always Red by Isabelle Ronin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

The moment Red realized that she may have pushed Caleb too far and he may disappear forever, Red realized her mistake: she wants him. She wants to be with him. She doesn't want him to walk away. But now, it's not Caleb fighting for Red, but the other way around. Because Red pushed him away one too many times and said cruel things to protect her heart, but not realizing that she was breaking his heart instead.

So now Red is on a mission: get Caleb back. She can't live without him and she is determined to make him understand that she needs him and will do anything for him now. The first few times she attempted to find him, he was gone. Nowhere to be found. Then, when Caleb finally came back, Red was looking at a stranger. He was so emotionless and distant.

But Red was not to be taken off course and she was going to make him listen to her - once everyone in their lives stopped interfering. Especially that good for nothing Beatrice-Rose. She was also determined to get Caleb - but she was missing one thing: Caleb never loved her like he loved Red.

Emotions are running high, friends are mistaken as enemies and time may be running out for them. Danger is lurking in the most unusual person of their lives and Red and Caleb's connection is stronger than ever. But is it stronger than the forces that are trying to tear them apart?

This ending was amazing. Seriously. I could have had all of this content into one massive book and I would have been a happy camper. But why am I complaining, since I got both book 1 and 2 at the same time with no waiting period, so it really was one big book for me! :)

I love these characters, I love this story, I love the backstory and how it wrapped up in the end, I loved how fast pace these two characters are with one another. I just love this. Thank you Isabelle Ronin for writing this great novel! I may just have to buy the physical book when it gets released in September & November!

The suspense with the side characters was great. It was obvious, but it was supposed to be and then the finale? Wowzas. I don't want to get on Red's bad side AT ALL!!

And neither on Caleb's bad side either, to be honest. They are both a force to be reckoned with and they are soulmates.

I feel so much for Red. I know Caleb has had some bumps in the road with his dad, but it is nothing compared to what Red went through when she was a kid and they were living with her father. I'm glad the author didn't get into too much detail about what happened and how she was abused, but the flashbacks were enough to show that he was an evil, evil man.

I loved the ending of this book so much and I just heart everything about this! I even liked Damon (I especially love his name!) and always felt so bad when Caleb was threatening his life. I hope Damon finds his one true love soon! And I really want Theo and Beth to get their shit figured out and be together already. Oh, and don't get me started on Kara and Cameron!! Their story is the one I want to read about the most out of anyone! I do hope the author is going to do spin off stories?!?! :D

I'm so so so glad that I downloaded these two books on a whim and read them right away!! It is such a great story and it was written beautifully. I devoured Caleb and Red's story like a girl needing her next fix and I regret nothing.

I am definitely recommending this novel to all of my friend.

Thank you to all of the Wattpad readers who read this and made this possible to be a book because it definitely deserves it!

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Review: Chasing Red

Chasing Red by Isabelle Ronin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

When Veronica gets kicked out of her apartment because she hasn't been able to make the rent for the past two months, instead of sobbing into her small belongings, she decides to go get drunk and dance the night away. But she never expected that she would find her salvation at the dance club.

Veronica has been through too many downs and not enough ups. So when Caleb takes her to his apartment after she gets extremely drunk and throws up not once, but twice in his brand new car, she waits for what he expects as payment. But instead of Caleb making her pay up, he offers her the spare bedroom in his apartment free of charge. Because Veronica will not take it for free, she decides to cook his meals for him.

Caleb is tired of his meaninglessly life and wants something more. He's tired of girls throwing themselves at him but wants a chase for the right girl in his life. And just when he thought that, Veronica magically appears on the dance floor in a stunning red dress that makes his eyes never leave her.

And after an adventurous night of when they met, Caleb knew that his wishes were coming true. Although he didn't realize exactly how much he was going to have to fight to keep Red in his life, because she was making it nearly impossible to get close to her, when all he wanted to do was give her everything in the world: including himself. But he asked for a chase, and by golly he was going to chase her until she caved to him.

But the romance between Red and Caleb is not easy. No, it is, in fact, very difficult. The more Caleb gets an inch of Red, the more he needs, craves. And the more that Red lets down her guard, the more scared she gets that she is turning into her mother and she is waiting for Caleb to start acting like her father.

When everything seems lost and broken, that is when Red finally knows what she wants. But by then, she may have lost everything in her life that was worth keeping.

I seriously found this book on Edelweiss yesterday. YESTERDAY!!! And the synopsis hooked me like a guilable fish and I just kept thinking about it and thinking about it and I just said, "FINE!! I must read this!"

And it is the best book that I have downloaded from Edelweiss. I'm so glad that I found it and was able to download the copy of this and the second book right away. I instantly fell in love with it and I was on the roller coaster of my lifetime.

I loved every single minute of it. Sure, did I want to shake both Caleb and Red? Especially Red? Yes, most definitely. But that is real life. Things aren't perfect between a guy and girl falling in love, especially if they have a bad past they need to get over. This book depicts life so perfectly and how one person can only have her trust broken one too many times before she gives up on love.

But when the right person comes along and the sun starts to shine again, there is always hope for the one person in your life to finally find you. And this is that book on so many levels.

I love Red. She is strong and determined and so so brave. I would have been a miserable mess if I got kicked out of my apartment with nowhere to go. I would have given up on life and said fuck it, I'm done. But not Red. She had her moment at the club and then started right back up to find a new job, continue to go to school, and kept her mind open to possibilities.

And Caleb. Gah he's sexy. Basketball player, man whore, but underneath it all he just wants to find a purpose for his life. He wants to be with someone who will challenge him and complete him. And he makes the fight for Red's heart the sexiest thing ever that I don't know how she turned him down so many times. I think I would have caved without meaning to, but boy would I have enjoyed it!

I seriously loved this book. The chemistry between the two set the pages on fire and the tension between them could have cut glass. But it was seeing them change who they were into who they want to be for the other one that really had my heart pounding in my chest a mile a minute. They knew that the other person was who they were meant to be with and didn't even know they were changing. If it wasn't for trust issues. this book could have been complete, but as I said, life is all about up and downs and that is why I loved this book.

Now I'm off to read the conclusion and get lost into their story for one more time. But believe me, I will be reading these two novels over and over again in the future!

Definitely read this when it comes out in September! It's amazing!

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Review: P.S. I Like You

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lily is an odd 17 year old. She lives a crazy life and she has more important things on her mind than the mindless life in high school where bullies get away with crap and the decent students get blamed for things they didn't do. No, Lily's mind is in another universe. She is creating her own clothes, taking care of her two younger brothers, listening to unique, amazing bands, and writing her own songs - one lyric at a time.

When she gets a scolding from her Chemistry teacher and is told never to bring her notebook full of lyrics in again unless she wanted him to take it from her, Lily needed another way to distract herself during this awful class. After writing a song lyric on her desk and coming back the next day to see that someone else wrote the next lyric, she soon realized that there was a fellow classmate who liked the same music as her.

And then, what began as lyrics of a song became letters under the desk. Now, instead of Lily dreading Chemistry, she now can't wait for that class to read the next note.

Just when Lily was wondering who the mystery writer was and if she wanted to meet this person in real life, she actually finds out who it is. And boy, could she not have been more surprised if she had guessed every guy in all 3 chemistry classes.

Now, Lily will need to decide how to take this information and all of the secrets she knows of him to decide what she is going to do. Because as much as she loves talking to the guy on paper, he definitely doesn't act that way in real life. But Lily is going to have to come out of her shell one way or another if she wants to make some of the biggest decisions of her life.

I. Love. Kasie. West. Seriously! I don't know what she does or how she does it, but every one of her novels is just...gah it's just what I need. It's light, but so intense. It's fun, but so serious. It's adorable and sweet and just makes me feel so good after I read her books! I adore all of them so much!

I went to look at all of the books that I've read of hers and they are all 4 or 5 star ratings that I've given them. I seriously just can't get enough! :)

Lily is hilarious to me. She is such a goody two-shoes but yet she has such a rebellious streak inside of her that comes out very rarely and so unexpectedly! And when she lets loose and goes wild I just have to laugh out loud because it's so out of character for her, yet it's what makes Lily, Lily!

I love the aspect of songs connecting Lily with her writer friend (I'm going to try very hard not to give anything away, even though it's probably pretty obvious what happens. I'm all about non-spoiler reviews!). I'm not really that much into songs, but the thought of music impacting two people's lives enough for them to bond over it is inspiring! And I know it happens everyday :)

The teen angst and romantic suspense that happens in this novel just makes me want to burst! Seriously, the tension between those two made me cheeks all red and I was gushing at the seams!

I'm so glad that I finally found this book at my library so I could finally read it and be caught up on my Kasie West books! Now I have more to look forward to when they are published and I certainly won't be forgetting this unique story line anytime soon!

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Review: Return to the Dark House

Return to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ivy has been away from the Dark House for a few months now, and she was released from the hospital for 2.5 weeks. She has learned that no one will really listen to her story and the FBI and the police are not really believing anything she is telling them anymore. Plus, they aren't telling HER anything, so she is getting nowhere to finding out more about her almost-killer at the Dark House.

And her nightmares have become daily. They sometimes come when she is just daydreaming. She can't realize when she's in real life and when she's imagining things. Ivy is slowly becoming crazy, because she knows that it is not over with the Dark House killer.

Then Ivy gets contacted via email again by the Nightmare Elf address - just like before. The second film has begun and Ivy is needed to be the main actress in the movie. And if she doesn't star in it - without telling anyone what she is doing - then all of the survivors from the first Dark House will just have to be cut.

This time Ivy is prepared to do what she has to do to save the teens she met and befriended at the Dark House. She is not scared anymore - but she is scared of losing Parker and the others. Ivy is going to fight her way to the end of this nightmare and save as many of her friends as she can.

When Ivy and Taylor go to the new Dark House - the boarding school - they were underestimating what the Nightmare Elf was going to do. And Ivy is going to have to fight with every bone in her body and bleed from everywhere in order to ensure that she can save everyone. Even if it means that she might not survive herself...

Oh wow! I seriously love this series! Seriously! I wanted a creepy, horror book and I was blessed with TWO in a series that were amazing and scared the crap out of me. The writing was amazing and it kept me engaged the entire time I was reading the book. There was never a moment where I was like, "this is just me reading a boring book". It was suspenseful, edge of my seat suspense that I couldn't get enough of. There were some moments, actually, where I had to wait until it was daylight outside to continue reading because it was a bit too much creepiness for me at night! Ha!

I was so invested in this story line and I really want more, even though I saw that the author stated that a third book was in the plans, but things didn't go the way she wanted and it's only going to be two books. I can deal with the ending of this book, but I would be the first one on board for another novel in this series.

I was thoroughly creeped out and my mission was successful. I am definitely going to recommend this to my book club and see if anyone else gets creeped out as much as I did! :)

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Review: Welcome to the Dark House

Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

When an email goes out to fans of director Justin Blake, who created the Nightmare Elf movies, wanting their biggest nightmare in an essay for a chance to win a spot to meet Justin in person, face their nightmare and get a sneak peak on the new movie he is currently directing.

So for seven lucky people, this is going to be a dream come true when they email their nightmare in 1,000 words or less.

And so Natalie, Ivy, Shayna, Taylor, Patrick, Frankie, and Garth all arrive at the Dark House - the place they will be staying during the weekend getaway. All of the contestants have their own nightmares that they don't want to talk about, and all are there at their own discretion. Some are even there against other people's wishes. But for one reason or another, each of these teens have a reason for wanting to meet Justin Blake and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Because Justin creates horror films, there is definitely a lot of tricks and scares along the way. But soon the contestants find out that not all of the tricks that are played are supposed to be funny. In fact...many of the scares that happen are meant to scare them...to death.

The more they are at the Dark House, the more they realize that they are not safe. But now they have to play the game and pass facing their fears - otherwise they may never leave the Dark House alive...

For some reason, I've been really wanting to read a horror, scary book, even though I really don't enjoy those books too often. But I have finally found one! At last!

Sure, there might be scarier ones out there, but this one creeped me out just right without making me go into an asylum institution so I'm okay with that :)

I seriously think it's Ivy's story that got me the most. Probably because hers was the one that was explained the most at the beginning of the book, and I was reading that part late at night in my bedroom and it was just too real for me at the moment, so I shut the book instantly and thought of happy things.

The other characters we find out their nightmares, but they didn't really creep me out as much because they weren't explained as well as Ivy's, I think.

If I were any of those kids, I never would have submitted an essay to that place because it is creepy as hell. That's not my thing, but I know that there are lots of people out there that like that kind of thing. But after reading about what happens to all of the contestants? I'm happy being a scardey pants :)

I'm so excited for the sequel novel and to see how things get wrapped up. I did just read that Stolarz wanted to make this a trilogy, but things didn't work out so I'm hoping that there isn't a lot of unanswered questions left at the end of the book. I can only hope that it will be a satisfactory ending for this great, creepy novel!

So glad I finally got around to reading it! And I'm going to recommend it for my bookclub to read! Maybe around Halloween... hehe

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Review: Just Dreaming

Just Dreaming by Kerstin Gier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

After defeating classmates who are trying to ruin her life, Liv feels that she has narrowly escaped in one piece, along with everyone who she is close with. But she's not fooled into thinking that she has made it out of the danger zone, because said classmates are still running loose among the dreamland.

And Liv and company (specifically Henry and Grayson) are trying at their wits end to figure out a solution without actually killing someone in real life. Because, going to prison for life? Not really on their bucket plan.

Liv also has to worry about how her mother and Ernest's wedding is going to go, since they are just have a quick engagement and are getting married in a few months. Which is making some future family members (*cough* Broker and Florence for instance *cough*) none too pleasant to be around during the waking hours.

And with Anabel and Arthur being the evil doers that they are, things at school are becoming very tense. Especially since they both are learning how to advance on their dream powers and are now using Liv, Henry and Grayson as target practice...

But the three of them need to get very clever on how to defeat them, because Arthur has created a plan that will end Liv forever. And nobody wants that to happen.

Oh, and don't forget, Secrecy knows all. But Mia may know more than Secrecy does... She is, after all, the next Sherlock Holmes...

I seriously loved this series. Not as much as the Ruby Red series, but this was definitely right behind it! Liv has definitely grown as a character and isn't as naive as she once was during the first novel. And she is one smart little cookie!

Though I do have to say, Mia is smarter and I can only imagine what she has in store for her in her future! I wish that she had her own story - especially when the special someone finally makes her get out of her "I hate boys" stage and she falls hard. That would be an awesome book/series and I would be the first in line to read it! (I'm pretty sure Mia is my favorite character out of the bunch! :) )

The way that Kerstin Gier interweaves and mixed all of the information into a way that just made so much sense at the end was phenomenal. I actually kept up with some of the things that was going to happen before it actually happened and felt really proud of that!

And the reveal of Secrecy? Lets just say that I pretty much guessed it. It is a twist, but I'm happy with the result and happy with my guesses :)

Henry and Liv are such a great couple, even when they are having their moments. And boy are they really blondes! Some of the things they did and said to one another made me want to smack their heads against one another and I just wanted to yell "TELL THE TRUTH!! TRUST EACH OTHER!!" Of course, I couldn't do that, but the eventually did what I told them to do, so it worked out in the end.

I'm so glad that I got around to finally reading this series and I'm so glad that I got this book as an eARC! It was definitely worth the (very, very) long wait that I, as an American, had to wait for the translated version.

But I will be waiting for more translations to come my way by Kerstin Gier because she is definitely on my radar as an author to be reading for the future!

I think loads of readers would enjoy this series and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone who likes YA :)

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Review: Dream On

Dream On by Kerstin Gier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Now that Liv has survived the dreaded night in the cemetery, things are going pretty smoothly for her. She's transitioned to life in London, has a handful of friends (both wanted and unwanted) and is very happy being with Henry.

What could possibly go wrong in her life?

Well... seems that things are too smooth in the dreamland. Because even though Liv doesn't need to be in that world anymore, her curious mind keeps taking her back there over and over again to explore the new doors and absorb new information. Plus, she can see Henry there during the night, so it's like they are never apart from each other. Or that's what Liv thinks anyway...

But when a mysterious man appears and won't give his real identity, Grayson, Liv and Henry realize they need to figure out who is trying to crash their place and more importantly, why? And even though Anabel is no longer around Liv in person, that doesn't mean that she couldn't appear in their dreamland at any minute - though it does seem like she's disappeared everywhere.

The thing that tips Liv over the edge, though, is that someone is making her younger sister Mia sleepwalk and try to jump out of windows. Mia has nothing to do with the dreamland or any of Liv's problems, but now that someone has threatened her little sister, she is going to do whatever it takes to protect her at all costs.

I dove right into this novel after the first book and was not disappointed in the least bit! I loved this second novel of the series. There was just enough romance (much better than the first book, in my opinion), just enough mystery, and just enough adventure to keep me captured in this novel until I got to the last page - which didn't take long at all!

I have to admit, I was guessing over and over again who the person was who was messing with Mia and I didn't even come close - which was a very refreshing change of pace for me. In fact, it was so obvious, but I was making it way more complicated than it should have been. Thankfully, Liv is much smarter than me and was able to figure it out in the end.

I like the atmosphere that Liv and Mia have now come to expect when living with the Spensers. At first, of course, it was weird, and Florence still has her moments more than less, but seeing the two families together and how they have their own stories together now is pretty amazing. But throwing in the grandmother who is a nasty piece of work was the tip of the iceberg. Hearing Liv and Mia (especially Mia!)'s comments about the grandmother is priceless.

This book was very enjoyable and I'm so looking forward to the third and final book of the series! And I'm very intrigued to find out who this Secrecy is. I've had so many guesses, but knowing my luck with this series, I'm probably not even close to guessing right!

Definitely read this series! I think you'll really like it!

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Review: Dream a Little Dream

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liv and her sister Mia have been traveling all around around the world between their two parents. Both parents love to explore, so every time they go to visit one parent after another, they are always going to a new country with new people and new experiences. This time is no different when they go to live with their mother for the school year in London.

But things may be this time around when their mom introduces them to her new boyfriend. Who they are moving in with...with his two children...who go to school with Liv and Mia... And it seems that their mom is really happy, so maybe she will be sticking to London for longer than a year. Which means that Liv and Mia better start getting along with their new brother and sister.

And the school is significantly better for Liv this time around. She's had her fair share of bullies and so far that hasn't happened at this school.

The one unique thing about Liv is her ability to have very vivid dreams. She's even been having unusual dreams lately, but when she sees the same boys from her dreams at her school, Liv is realizing that maybe they aren't normal dreams. Especially when she knows information that she got from her dreams that she didn't know when she was awake.

It turns out that the 4 boys - 4 of the most popular boys at her school - is doing dark magic to summon a demon. But they need another person to join their group, and after seeing her in their dreams, their eyes are now on her to be the 5th one.

But some things are not as they seem and Liv is a very inquisitive person who needs all of the answers to the mysteries of the world. However, some things might be better left unanswered because the answers aren't always what Liv wants to hear...

I've been wanting to read this series for a long time and when I saw all 3 books at my library at once, I snatched them up real quick to finally read it! I loved Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red series and was so excited to dive into this new world of hers!

And overall I really enjoyed it. There were a few things here and there that could have been better. Especially the romance between Liv and one of the 4 boys. That seemed a bit stilted and awkward and them BAM they are together. I mean, really? Give me some angst and passion before they are magically at each others hips, okay?

The scenes where she is dreaming is not quite clear at first which makes it clunky when I finally do realize that this is a dream scenes versus a awake scene. I think Gier wanted to keep the reader guessing at to what was happening, but after so many times I was just getting a little frustrated by the end of it.

The twists and turns were great and I loved learning more and more about the boys's secrets. And not all of them are revealed yet, so I'm very excited to learn even more in the next novel. Also, I really hope that the identity of Secrecy will be revealed by the end of the series, because I really want to know who this person of so much knowledge is and how (s)he figures everything out.

I think tons of readers will enjoy this book and I'm now going to dive right into the second novel!

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Review: Shadow Girl

Shadow Girl by Liana Liu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Mei has been working one way or another for the past few years and has everything planned out. First she started as a camp counselor and learned how to deal with hyper, wild children. Then she would talk to those kids parents about how she was doing tutoring throughout the summer and throughout school, getting those same kids that she has already learned about their behaviors. She would take on no more than 5 kids for each semester, and she would do tutoring in the summer too, for those who were struggling a lot.

So basically Mei was playing the system and making lots of money from it. Which was nice since it was just her mom and her so they needed all of the money they could get.

And there was no way that Mei was going to pass up a tutoring gig that paid over twice as much as her last tutoring kids last year. Plus it was just one girl and Mei was going to be living with them. On an island. Getting lots of great food and being able to go to the pool or the beach when she wasn't tutoring.

But Mei knew that she was only an academic tutor and wasn't to get any special treatment - even though she was getting some extra perks. And not everything was going as smoothly for the Morrison's as they wanted people to believe. Ella is a smart girl but she seems to get the answers wrong on purpose. Her mother, Vanessa, is always trying to spend money and throw parties, but her husband Jeffrey is never around. He's always back in the city working and 'tries' to come to the island every weekend to visit. And Ella's older brother Henry is annoying Mei crazy.

And then there is the matter of Eleanor...the 8 year old girl who died on the island with the original owners. But Mei doesn't believe in ghosts, even if Ella is convinced Eleanor is there all of the time.

Mei just needs to make it through the summer without anything too weird happening so she can get back on track. But the longer Mei is gone, the more she is changing, and the more she may be wondering if the island is really haunted or not...

This was a very interesting, and intriguing novel! I wasn't sure where it was going, and honestly I'm not quite sure what the overall message behind the book is actually about... I mean, there were a lot of factors going throughout the novel, but then it had an abrupt ending and a hint of mystery at the end that never really resolved anything.

I loved seeing Mei get to experience new things and live her own life for once. She was stuck at home with her mom paying the bills and worrying about things from day to day, but she was able to just relax and do things that she wanted to do just for fun. Being around Ella and Henry helped too because they were able to convince her to hangout with them and just be a kid for once.

The whole supernatural aspect of this book was a bit odd for me... I get what the author did at the end to make the reader think, but it just wasn't really there for me to be honest. Though if this was made into a movie and had the suspenseful music, I may be changing my tune.

The Morrison's are an interesting family and they all have their issues and quirks. I honestly wouldn't want to live their lives of money and riches because it makes them spoiled and elite. And I think Mei got that feeling too, being on the other spectrum of the scale for money and fame.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It definitely has left me thinking about the whole book and what really happened, so it did it's just right where I'm still thinking about it. I'd actually be interested to read another book with these characters to see what happens after this ending. See if they reconnect again or not.

I think a lot of readers will enjoy this book and I will definitely be recommending it when it releases in December 2017!

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Review: Pacifica

Pacifica by Kristen Simmons
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

I admit, the word pirate got to me. I am a sucker for pirate novels and have a high expectation of what the novel should consist of. And the way this novel starts? Not at all to do with pirates. And I understood that, so I kept trucking along through the book, but when I got to 40%, I just couldn't do it anymore. It was all political, giving the reader the backstory of what happened to the world with global warming and why they are making poor people go to this new island, this new world, for a better life.

But I was. Just. So. Bored! I couldn't handle the political aspect anymore, and then the characters were freaking out over people they met for 2 seconds. I had just gotten to the blackmail part when I decided I was skimming the novel more than reading it, and if it did get to the pirate stuff, I was already so disconnected from the story that it didn't even matter.

I haven't read Kristen Simmons other novels yet and I have been wanting to, so eventually I will pick them up and give them a try - just like I did with this one.

I wish I had liked it more because the synopsis and the cover really sucked me in. Maybe later I'll try it when it's published and see if I can be a bit more invested in the story to finish it. Especially since it's a stand alone and I love reading those, with no impatient waiting for the next.

I'm glad that I got an eARC of this book and I think other readers will enjoy it a bit more than I did!

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Review: If There's No Tomorrow

If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss and from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Lena has everything all planned out for her senior year in high school. She is applying early for college, she is going to see her best friends, Abbi, Dary and Megan, all of the time, and she is going to try to tell Sebastian that she has been in love with him since she saw him at age 8 when she moved in next door.

And all was starting to go on the right track...well mostly. But it's not going the way Lena wants it to. Especially when she kissed Sebastian and instead of kissing her back, he ran away and avoided her.

But all of these things became pretty insignificant to Lena after the car accident. After 4 people died and Lena was the only one to survive. When Lena knew she could have stopped it, but didn't and now she is paying the consequences.

I was so excited to get this ARC! I love JLA and was really looking forward to this book! And I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. It even made me cry a little bit...

This is a very emotional novel and I could not even imagine how Lena dealt with the situation at hand. I can completely understand why she thought the way that she did and why she acted the way she acted, even though I wanted to just slap her and make her see reason after a period of time.

All of JLA's guy characters make me swoon, and Sebastian was no exception. Seriously, I was flushed reading some of the scenes with him in it and I always get a kick out of how jealous I get when a character gets the hot guy and I'm at home realizing that he's not real and I'll never have him in my life. Guess that just means I'll have to re-read the book over and over, right? HA!

Lena not only had the issue with her classmates and best friends, but also home problems with her father, who she hasn't talked to or seen in 4 years. So when he shows up, Lena doesn't want to deal with that drama as well.

I laughed through this book. I cried through this book. It is very emotional and heartbreaking to read about Lena's story, but it makes the reader - or at least me - realize what is important in life and to not waste even a single second of your life. Because you never know what will happen tomorrow - or even today - and you don't want to have regrets of something you didn't do or didn't say.

Another thing I love about JLA is how almost all of her characters love to read. And when they love to read, I mean they LOVE to read and gush about the books they are reading, which is something I do every day. So now that Lena was reading to specific books, I'm going to go hunt down the one I haven't read yet: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. The other series I recognized right away and have already read: Paper Princess by Erin Watt.

When JLA does these little hints in her books, that means she loves them and is recommending them to the world. So I'm listening, JLA. I'm gonna go get Maas' series now and devour them, because if you love them, I know I certainly will :)

This book is very emotional and for some it might be very hard to read, depending on what you've been through in life. But there is a great message in this book that I think everyone will relate to and I am going to try my hardest to listen to and act upon.

I'm so glad that I got a chance to read this early and I can't wait for the physical copy to be released September 5th so I can add it to my ever growing collection of JLA books :)

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Review: Crazy House

Crazy House by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Out of the two twins, Cassie is the good twin and Becca is the wild twin. Cassie wants to follow the rules of her cell and is always in the house between 10p and 6a. Not a minute out of that time frame. Becca though... well Cassie woke up one more and Becca wasn't in the house. So she's definitely a rule breaker.

But when Becca doesn't come home for over a day, Cassie knows that Becca is in trouble rather than being a trouble maker. Still, Cassie does the right thing and reports Becca is missing, but no one in her town will listen to her. Instead, they think she is starting to cause trouble just like the rest of her family and she starts to get shunned by the authorities.

Meanwhile, Becca has been kidnapped and taken to a prison...that is death row. Becca has no idea what she has done, but she is not going to take this treatment lightly. In fact, she fights, and fights, and fights. Only when the final straw has happened does Becca start to follow the rules - but unwillingly.

Because no one will help Cassie, she decides to take matters into her own hands and leaves the comfort of her home. But when she crosses the border, Cassie then gets kidnapped by the very same people!

Now the sisters are made to fight each other, fight other kids, and watch kids get injected and die right before their eyes. Since they are together now, and know that the other is somewhat safe...well at least alive...they are determined to find a way out of this prison and back to their lives before.

But all of what they have been put through was for a reason. And when they find out why, they realize that they really know nothing at all about their own lives.

This was an...interesting book. I was really intrigued by the title, then by the synopsis. And to top it off, it's a standalone book! No waiting around for the sequel!

But it was an odd adventure once I got to the very end. It seems like they said it was a stand alone, but the way it ended makes all of the readers speculate when the next book will be released. And to be honest, if there is a sequel, I probably won't pick it up.

I mean, I enjoyed the book for the most part. I loved how dedicated Cassie was to finding Becca and I loved how both sisters knew they had to fight to survive, no matter what their personal opinions are. But it was just the ending, when the "big reveal" happened, that the book became lost to me. Because I called most of the "secrets" throughout the book and it was just another typical dystopian novel to me.

And, I dunno, it just didn't captivate me as much as I was hoping for. Because Patterson wrote this book, I flew through it. His 2 page chapters really make a reader fly through a book, no matter what the book is. But I was just waiting for that moment that I really clicked with the book and it didn't happen at all...

So I'm glad I got a chance to read this, but I've read better by him and I've read better dystopian novels as well. I think readers will be thrilled if the authors decide to write another novel, but I'm content with what I've read and now know what the novel is about without the mystery appeal behind the synopsis.

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Review: The Siren

The Siren by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

80 years ago, Kahlen's ship was a hostage to the Ocean and her sirens. Everyone on the ship was jumping overboard because of the beautiful song they were hearing from afar. Kahlen's parents and younger brothers were part of the human lives that were taken to appease the Ocean. Kahlen would have been another person if she hadn't resisted the song long enough to pray to live.

The Ocean heard her and spared her life to make her one of her daughters, one of her sirens, for 100 years. Kahlen agreed, not realizing what she was committing herself to, and has done the Oceans bidding ever since.

But after 80 years, Kahlen is not sure she can live being a siren any more. She does everything that the Ocean wants her to do, but it destroys Kahlen little by little every time she has to sing the song to capture another human life. She even has nightmares about some of the victims - even though the Ocean has told her that she should not remember anything about the song.

The only thing that Kahlen has ever wanted in life was to get married and have a family. And Kahlen thinks she may have found the one she wants to be with: Akinli. The bad part is that she found him 20 years too soon. By the time Kahlen is out of her time with the Ocean, Akinli will be 40 years old whereas Kahlen will still be a girl at age 19.

Even though Kahlen knows it's wrong, she just wants to spend time with Akinli, even if it's just for a day. But the more that Kahlen is around Akinli, the more she wants what she can't have. And the more she is upsetting the Ocean, who can do anything she pleases to makes sure she gets what she wants...

When an impossible event happens, many people, including Akinli, the Ocean, Kahlen and her sisters, are going to have to make important decisions to fix the situation. But one thing is for certain: things are not going to be the same as they once were.

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now, so I was very excited to see it on the shelf at the library and instantly grabbed it! I haven't read too many stories about sirens, but enough to know what they are and what they do, so I was very excited to read this version. Especially since I love her "Selection" series so much!

And while you fellow "Selection" lovers out there are picking this up, I want to let you know now that this isn't as amazing as that series. I really liked it, don't get me wrong, but it's just not quiet there yet. Which makes sense since Kiera Cass wrote this book before the Selection series.

Kahlen is such a kind hearted spirit, so it makes sense why she has always had an issue with singing the song to kill humans. She doesn't want to ends lives - she wants to be able to live her own alongside them! So I definitely feel really bad for her and couldn't imagine having to go through that every year when they did a major song. I think I would have asked the Ocean to end my life a long time ago when I realized what my duty was in life.

It was nice seeing the other sisters and how they were dealing with their lifestyle. They all have their own issues but they all found ways of dealing with them. Kahlen, only wanting to be a wife and mother, couldn't do what she loved because they were forbidden from the Ocean. The other girls loved to party, paint, explore - something that they could do from day to day.

Akinli is such a sweetheart! Seriously! Kahlen couldn't talk, but did that stop Akinli? Not in the slightest! He was always finding knew topics to talk about and making sure that he was very attentive of Kahlen's answers and mannerisms. I'm sort of jealous of Kahlen that she had all of his attention!

Overall, this was such a sweet novel about love. Not only between Kahlen and Akinli, but also between Kahlen and the Ocean. There are all kinds of love out there in the world, and this novel touches on 2 different kinds of love that exist in the world.

I'm very glad that I finally got to pick this up and explore Cass's first novel published :)

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Review: Royal Bastards

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tilla wants one thing in the world: for her father to recognize her as his daughter again and legalize her status, rather than keeping her be a bastard as his castle. But after 16 years, she's not sure if he will ever do that.

When the Princess Lyriana visits the Western Providence, Tilla doesn't realize that her whole life is going to change. And it starts when Lyriana wants to sit at the bastards table with the kids, rather than with the diplomatics at the Lords table. Because the Princess wants to have a little fun, Tilla takes her to the beach with her half-brother Jax, another bastard Miles, and a stranger Zell from the Zitochi clan. It was just supposed to be a night of fun, laughter, and getting to know everyone, but instead all 5 of them witnessed a terrible act that is intended to start another Great War.

Now Tilla and her crew need to get Lyriana back to the Kingdom to her father before they are captured and killed. Along the way, secrets are exposed, tensions run high, and friendships will be betrayed.

One will betray the group. One will die with a kiss on their lips. And all will be changed for good because of the actions they take throughout the long travels they are partaking in.

This was a great novel! I have to admit, the title really captured me and ensnared me. I don't think it would have mattered what the book was about, I was ready to read it the second I saw that title. But then I read the synopsis and instantly knew that I had to read this book, even though it's the first in a series and the other books haven't even been written yet. I broke my rule because that's how excited I was by this book!

And I was not disappointed either! This book was full of mystery, adventure, secrets, romance abrewing, and bravery. It had everything I was wanting and more. I loved all of the characters...well most of them. I'm not going to tell you who I didn't like because that may ruin something for readers while reading :)

Tilla is just an ordinary girl. Zell is the warrior and is pretty badass. Jax is the goofball, but also the muscle since he is built like an ox. Lyriana is royal and magical. Miles is studious and insightful. But out of all of them, Tilla is my girl. She is the bravest out of all of them because she is completely normal and is only doing what she thinks is best for the world. Then she makes herself better by asking Zell to train her to fight, to defend herself when the shit hits the fan.

I'm so glad that I decided to go against my rules and read this now! It was a great story and I am committed to these characters now. I will be waiting with lots of impatience for the rest of the series and will be making sure that my library purchases it right away!

I definitely recommend this to all my friends! :)

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