Category: ya

ARC, Four Star Book, LGBT, retelling, thriller, ya

She’s Too Pretty to Burn ARC Review

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An electric romance set against a rebel art scene sparks lethal danger for two girls in this expertly plotted YA thriller. For fans of E. Lockhart, Lauren Oliver and Kara Thomas.

The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They’re artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic Mick: the perfect subject, and Veronica’s dream girl. The days are long and hot―full of adventure―and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won’t survive.

Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power.

– Goodreads

4.5 stars for this twisty thriller! Unreliable narrators abound, you never know who you can trust. Mick, Veronica, and Nico are all messed up. You could see any and all of them being the killer at some point.

I read Wendy’s Kill Club and loved it, so I was super excited to delve into her YA work! This is an amazing YA thriller. The character read at a teenage level. There’s problems with parents, friends, sports teams. All this on top of installation art – which happens to be illegal, and oh yeah, murder. Multiple murders.

I read this in less than a day, which is a feat for me. I could not put it down. I couldn’t figure out who to trust, and that just made me want to read it more and more.

The ending was great. It wrapped up nicely, but still left you wondering. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I felt it was the perfect ending.

Definitely recommend if you love unreliable narrators or ya thrillers!

Will you be checking out She’s Too Pretty to Burn on March 30, 2021? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time..

ARC, fantasy, Four Star Book, LGBT, ya

Scapegracers ARC Review

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Title: Scapegracers
Author: Hannah Abigail Clarke
Publisher: Erewhon
Publish Date: Sept 15, 2020
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An outcast teenage lesbian witch finds her coven hidden amongst the popular girls in her school, and performs some seriously badass magic in the process.

Skulking near the bottom of West High’s social pyramid, Sideways Pike lurks under the bleachers doing magic tricks for Coke bottles. As a witch, lesbian, and lifelong outsider, she’s had a hard time making friends. But when the three most popular girls pay her $40 to cast a spell at their Halloween party, Sideways gets swept into a new clique. The unholy trinity are dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, and now–unbelievably–Sideways’ best friends.

Together, the four bond to form a ferocious and powerful coven. They plan parties, cast curses on dudebros, try to find Sideways a girlfriend, and elude the fundamentalist witch hunters hellbent on stealing their magic. But for Sideways, the hardest part is the whole ‘having friends’ thing. Who knew that balancing human interaction with supernatural peril could be so complicated?

Rich with the urgency of feral youth, The Scapegracers explores growing up and complex female friendship with all the rage of a teenage girl. It subverts the trope of competitive mean girls and instead portrays a mercilessly supportive clique of diverse and vivid characters. It is an atmospheric, voice-driven novel of the occult, and the first of a three-book series.

– Goodreads

4/5 stars for this new witchy series!

Sideways is the weird kid. She does magic under the bleachers for a can of coke. Then, the coolest girls of the school invite her to a party and pay her $40 to do some magic. Things get wild, and the girls get closer than they ever thought they would.

I loved the relationship between this new coven – The Scapegracers. It seemed so authentic to a teenage friendship. Sideways never really had friends, so while she relishes their attention, she is also questioning why they want her around. Do they really like her, or want her for her magic? It made me remember some of the teen friendships I had and how I felt. The language used in the book felt very authentic too. Just the slang and terms they used. It was very 2020’s teenager.

The magic system was very interesting. There were witchchasers, who aim to take magic, and girls who hunt witches, too. You don’t really know who you can and can’t trust.

I can’t wait to see where book 2 takes our new coven! Definitely recommend if you like witchy books, strong female friendships, and something spooky!

What’s your favorite witchy book? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, Four Star Book, Historical Fiction, Horror, ya

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene Review

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Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beatrix Greene has made a name for herself in Victorian England as a reputable spiritual medium, but she’s a fraud: even she knows ghosts aren’t real. But when she’s offered a lucrative job by James Walker—a scientist notorious for discrediting pretenders like her—Beatrix takes the risk of a lifetime. If her séance at the infamously haunted Ashbury Manor fools him, she will finally have true financial freedom. If she fails, her secret will become her public shame.

But James has his own dark secrets, and he believes only a true medium can put them to rest. When Beatrix’s séance awakens her real gift—and with it, a vengeful spirit—James finds that the answers he seeks are more dangerous than he could have imagined. Together, with a group of supernatural sleuths, Beatrix and James race to settle the ghost’s unrest before it strikes— or else they might not make it out of the haunted manor alive.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins, along with Ash Parsons and Vicky Alvear Shecter, weaves darkness, death, and a hint of desire into this suspenseful mystery for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Crimson Peak.

– Goodreads

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene was a perfect book to start off the spooky season!

Beatrix is a fake. She pretends she can see and talk to spirits. People pay her to talk to spirits for them, but she rationalizes it by saying she’s giving them comfort.
So what happens when Beatrix is hired for a job at a haunted house – and realizes her powers are real?

This horror story was so well balanced. There was character developments, friendships, and even a romance.

The first 30% is definitely slower paced, but didn’t read slower. Once they got to Ashbury Manor the action really picked up and it was so hard to put down. Three people wrote this novel, but it was so seamlessly done you couldn’t tell.

Definitely recommend for horror lovers or those who want something spooky this fall!

Preorder link here!

Are you planning on reading The Haunting of Beatrix Greene? What’s your favorite spooky read? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, Horror, mystery, ya

October TBR

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Okay. Trying this again!! So this month, Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge has added in reviews for points! During our chat with Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner, they said the best way to support authors (for free!) is to write reviews – especially on merchant sites! I’m very excited about this edition and can’t wait to write some reviews!

I’m about 50% into my first book of the month, The Haunting of Beatrix Greene. I am loving it so far and can’t wait to see what happens the last half! Here’s the rest of the books I plan to read:

So as you can see, a lot of witchy and murder books! Our theme at Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge this month is Something Wicked! Plus, witchy, spooky books are one of my favorite ways to celebrate fall!

What’s on your fall TBR? Any spooky books I should add? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

fantasy, Four Star Book, ya

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Review

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For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

– Goodreads

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was one of my most anticipated books of 2020! The cover is GORGEOUS. I was intrigued by the West African folklore – I’ve never read a book with that folklore before!

The story was so interesting. I loved the premise of Malik trying to kill Karina to save his sister. But Karina might also kill Malik if he wins Solstasia! It was a story of who will kill who first so that made it very tense at times. And of course they fall in love, so will either actually kill the other?! It kept me on the edge of my seat.

The characters were all likable. They were well written. I love books that switch POV’s. I loved seeing the same struggle from both Malik and Karina’s point of view. All the side characters were interesting as well. My favorite was Tunde. He was so charming.

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star for me, was that I felt the ending kind of dragged. There was twist after twist after twist. It just seemed to keep going and going. If it was a little more concise it would have been a 5 star for sure!

Have you read A Song of Wraiths and Ruin? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, blog tour, contemporary, Erotica, fantasy, ya

⛱️ June TBR ⛱️

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I could not bring myself to set up a tbr this month. I mean, I kind of have one? I have 21 books I want to read. I mean, I know I’ve been reading 12 a month, so that’s a little over half, but dang. I just can’t decide! Too many good things!

First let’s take a look at this month’s Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge!

I am so excited to be on the Autumn Court! We had a twist this month – it’s actually Seelie vs Unseelie! Unseelie FTW! Now, let’s get into these books I can’t wait to read.

There you have it. My super huge tbr. What do you think? Do we share any of the same books? What is your first book for June? Let me know in the comments below!
I’m starting with Seven Endless Forests!

Until next time…

adult, ARC, blog tour, contemporary, fantasy, mystery, New Adult, Romance, Sci-Fi, thriller, ya

🌞 May Wrap Up 🌞

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Guys I am so proud of myself this month! For the first time ever, I finished all my arcs releasing this month! This is giving me a huge boost of motivation to keep it up!

I competed in both Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge and the Bookemon Readathon. I finished criteria in WWRC, which I’m always excited about. I ended up reading 12 books again this month! I also read a few books over 600 pages, which is kind of unheard of from me!

My favorite read this month was From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout. I couldn’t put it down. My least favorite was probably The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. I just had a lot of trouble with the pacing and found myself getting bored.

Here’s what I ended up reading this month!

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
Great conclusion to the series! It made me sob in the shower.

The Stone of Sorrow by Brook Carter
🌞🌞🌞
I still can’t get over this cover.

Sisters of the Perilous Heart by Sandra L Vasher
🌞🌞🌞
The virus in this book was SO interesting!

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
This was a second close to being my favorite read of the month!

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
🌞🌞.5
I wish I liked this one more than I did. I really wanted to.

This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf
🌞🌞🌞🌞
My fave thriller of the month! It got CRAY!

Breath like Water by Anna Jarzab
🌞🌞🌞🌞
This book was so beautifully written. The descriptions were swoon-worthy.

Out Now by Saundra Mitchell
🌞🌞🌞🌞
Such a fun grouping of LGBT short stories!

The Dark In-Between by Elizabeth Hrib
🌞🌞🌞🌞.5
This is an AMAZING debut! I loved it!

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
The only way to describe my fave read this month : 🔥🔥🔥

Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon
🌞🌞🌞
Blog tour excerpt coming June 2!

Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally
🌞🌞🌞🌞
Super cute, quick contemporary!

🌞 Stats 🌞

🌞 Goodreads Goal : 53/120. I am FOUR books AHEAD of schedule! WHAT?!
🌞 I read 12 books again, same as last month, but I read 5025 pages! Almost 1k more than last month. I had some chunkers! My average rating was also up from last month – 3.88!
🌞 Genre wise, I read six fantasies, two contemporaries, and two thrillers, and one each of scifi and anthology!
🌞 This was a very YA fantasy heavy month – 5 of them! In total I read 9 YAs, two adult and one new adult book.
🌞 And my ARCs! I am so proud to say I finished all eight May arcs! I have 10 next month. I think I can do it!

🌞 Yearly Goal Check In 🌞

🌞 Goal of 10 books a month : I passed this again with 12! I hope to keep up the momentum!
🌞 TBR Posts : I missed last Sunday! I’m still trying to figure out a system for blogging and working out and cooking all with a three year old. My husband helps, but let’s face it. My kid is a momma’s boy! I’ll get there eventually!
🌞 Words & Whimsy : I got to chat with a great MG author this month, Sarah Mlynowski! It was so much fun and she was so knowledgeable!
🌞 Words & Whimsy Reading Challenge : Team Gaia won the Broken Worlds edition! Next month is a theme everyone is sure to love – be sure to check it out!
🌞 Mithah Reads : This poor little blog. I have so much to catch up on! I’m going to make more of an effort this month, I pinky promise!

What did your May reading month look like? What was your favorite read? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

Anthology, ARC, blog tour, Four Star Book, LGBT, ya

🌈 Out Now Blog Tour 🌈

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🌈 Title : Out Now
🌈 Author : Saundra Mitchell
🌈 Publisher : Inkyard Press
🌈 Publish Date : May 26, 2020
🌈 Genre : LGBT, Anthology
🌈 Book Form : E-ARC
🌈 Pages : 416
🌈 Dates Read : May 17 – May 19
🌈 Rating : 🌈🌈🌈🌈

Thank you to Inkyard Press for an invite to this blog tour and a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

A follow-up to the critically acclaimed All Out anthology, Out Now features seventeen new short stories from amazing queer YA authors. Vampires crash prom…aliens run from the government…a president’s daughter comes into her own…a true romantic tries to soften the heart of a cynical social media influencer…a selkie and the sea call out to a lost soul. Teapots and barbershops…skateboards and VW vans…Street Fighter and Ares’s sword: Out Now has a story for every reader and surprises with each turn of the page!

This essential and beautifully written modern-day collection features an intersectional and inclusive slate of authors and stories.

– Inkyard Press

Before I get into these stories, I just want to say you do not need to read All Out in order to enjoy this! These are all short stories spotlighting various LGBT characters and are all amazing in their own right! There were 16 short stories in this anthology. They explored so many sexualities.

My favorite story was a tie between What Happens in the Closet and The Coronation. What Happens in the Closet is about vampires who crash a homecoming dance. Austin gets locked in a closet with his arch-nemesis while hiding from them. They are not the sexy vampires we know and love. Of course, while in the closet, they find love.
The Coronation is about a trans boy and girl who are being given to the Gods but they decide to fight back. This read very much like a fantasy that picked up right when the action started. Once it ended I was yearning for a whole book!

There weren’t any bad stories in this book. There were some that featured gods and goddesses, some that read like ya contemporary love stories, and fantasies. There is something for everyone in this book! It was 416 pages long, but didn’t feel like it. I flew through it!

I recommend this to anyone who is LGBT, loves their stories, is an ally, or who wants to learn more about different sexualities. You will be sure to find a story you love.

Can’t wait to get your hands on Out Now? Order it here!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound
Books-A-Million | Apple Books | Google Play

Saundra Mitchell has been a phone psychic, a car salesperson, a denture deliverer and a layout waxer. She’s dodged trains, endured basic training and hitchhiked from Montana to California. She teaches herself languages, raises children and makes paper for fun. She is the author of Shadowed Summer and The Vespertine series, the upcoming novelization of The Prom musical, and the editor of Defy the Dark. She always picks truth; dare is too easy. Visit her online at www.saundramitchell.com.

Until next time…

ARC, fantasy, Sci-Fi, three star book, ya

👑 Sisters of the Perilous Heart ARC Review 👑

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👑 Title : Sisters of the Perilous Heart
👑 Author : Sandra L Vasher
👑 Publisher : Mortal Ink Press, LLC
👑 Publish Date : May 5, 2020
👑 Genre : YA, Fantasy
👑 Book Form : E-ARC
👑 Pages : 395
👑 Dates Read : May 4 – May 8
👑 Rating : 👑👑👑.5

Thank you to Netgalley and Mortal Ink Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do to save a sister?

As the last mortal kingdom of Kepler resists the Immortal Empire, its young queen faces a devastating attack. Queen Vivian is two minutes into her reign when an arrow pierces her heart and infects her with the Immortality Virus. But she has too much magic to become immortal and not enough to survive. She must find more magic fast, or she’ll die.

Meanwhile, another young mortal faces an uncertain future of her own. Carina is fleeing for her life, but her magic is a tracking beam for immortals. She must learn to harness and control it, or she’ll be captured and killed. Then she meets the queen of South Kepler.

Vivian needs Carina’s magic, and she can offer safe haven in exchange. But can Vivian trust this common girl? Carina isn’t on the kingdom’s registry of magicians. What if she’s a Northern rebel? A spy for the Immortal Empire? And will the truth be revealed in time to save them both?

– Goodreads

I just feel kind of meh about this book and I hate that. I haven’t read a lot of fantasy lately, but this month has kind of fell flat for me.

Humans have escaped to the planet Kepler to escape those with the Immortality Virus – which is a mixture of influenza and AIDs. (This I thought was super interesting). Immortals are here though – and they’re fighting to take over the planet. This isn’t a cute immortality virus like vampires normally have. This makes you go crazy and lose empathy.

Queen Vivian has just been crowned. And less than an hour later, someone tries to take her life. She is infected with the immortality virus, so she and her two brothers go off in search for a cure.
Carina has been hidden at a convent for most of her life with her sister. She has magic, but isn’t allowed to practice. Someone figured out where she is, so they are trying to capture her to put her powers to their use.
Paths cross. Stuff happens.

I don’t remember much of this book. I’m thinking back on reading it, and I can’t really remember anything? There was a romance, but it’s not jumping out at me. I think the last 15% or so picked up. It was enough to make me want to read book two, but not like RIGHT NOW.

I know this review has like, nothing really but a synopsis, but I swear to you guys. Nothing is sticking out about this book. I’m so sorry!

I would say give this a try if you like fantasy/sci-fi. It wasn’t bad by any means.

Have you read Sisters of the Perilous Heart? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…

ARC, blog tour, contemporary, Four Star Book, Romance, ya

🏊‍♀️ Breath Like Water BLOG TOUR 🏊‍♀️

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🏊‍♀️ Title : Breath Like Water
🏊‍♀️ Author : Anna Jarzab
🏊‍♀️ Publisher : Inkyard Press
🏊‍♀️ Publish Date : May 19, 2020
🏊‍♀️ Genre : YA, Contemporary, Romance
🏊‍♀️ Book Form : E-ARC
🏊‍♀️ Pages : 416
🏊‍♀️ Dates Read : May 16 –
🏊‍♀️ Rating : 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️.5

Thank you to Inkyard Press for an invite to the blog tour and a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This beautifully lyrical contemporary novel features an elite teen swimmer with Olympic dreams, plagued by injury and startled by unexpected romance, who struggles to balance training with family and having a life. For fans of Sarah Dessen, Julie Murphy and Miranda Kenneally.

Susannah Ramos has always loved the water. A swimmer whose early talent made her a world champion, Susannah was poised for greatness in a sport that demands so much of its young. But an inexplicable slowdown has put her Olympic dream in jeopardy, and Susannah is fighting to keep her career afloat when two important people enter her life: a new coach with a revolutionary training strategy, and a charming fellow swimmer named Harry Matthews.

As Susannah begins her long and painful climb back to the top, her friendship with Harry blossoms into passionate and supportive love. But Harry is facing challenges of his own, and even as their bond draws them closer together, other forces work to tear them apart. As she struggles to balance her needs with those of the people who matter most to her, Susannah will learn the cost–and the beauty–of trying to achieve something extraordinary.

This book so was so beautiful. It was lyrical, it was descriptive, it was heartbreaking and joyous. And it was so so real.

First let me get out these trigger warnings. I don’t do them often, and nothing is super graphic, but I do want to mention the book contains struggling with mental health and self harm.

Okay, so. Susannah is a world champion swimmer. The summer after she won, she hit a growth spurt, and hasn’t been the same since. Dave has always been her coach. He’s an Olympian, so he knows what it takes to get there. This year, he hires a new coach, Beth. Susannah swears she won’t swim for her, but after finally having enough of Dave’s abusive behavior, she swims for Beth and gets better. But does she have what it takes to make the Olympics?

Along with swimming, this book mainly features Susannah’s relationship with Harry, another boy on the swim team. It is her first love. I love books about first love. The feelings are all new and exciting, and you’re just fumbling around, and it’s just great. Their relationship turned out to be so much deeper than I expected. It’s nice to see a deep, meaningful relationship between high schoolers.

Breath Like Water also showed some strong family bonds. The relationship with Susannah’s parents and sister was a huge part of the book and I loved it. I feel like I don’t get a lot of that in ya contemporaries, so it’s always a nice surprise when I do.

If you love ya contemporaries, with strong familial bonds and a backdrop of sports, this book is for you!

Want to read Breath Like Water right now? Buy it here!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound
Google Play | Apple Books

Anna Jarzab is a Midwesterner turned New Yorker. She lives and works in New York City and is the author of such books as Red Dirt, All Unquiet Things, The Opposite of Hallelujah, and the Many-Worlds series. Visit her online at annajarzab.com and on Twitter, @ajarzab.

Are you planning on reading Breath Like Water? Have you already read it? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time…