Source: eARC from Publisher

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Sep 11

{Review+Giveaway} TWO DARK REIGNS by @KendareBlake

Two Dark Reigns is the third book in the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake. The Three Dark Crowns series is a young adult fantasy series that I freakin’ love! Full disclosure, I binge read this series and it is currently all I can think about! I need the next book fiercely. Three Dark Crowns is a series that is darkly addicting and I want more more more. I will say, I am very glad that I read this series back to back because this world is vast and complicated and reading the books one right after another helped me pick up on many world and characters nuances that I am sure I would have missed out on if a year of more had passed between my readings of book 1, 2, or 3. This review is nearly impossible to do without spoilers but because I don’t want to ruin anything for you, I will talk in general about what I like about this series. To do that first,… Read more »

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Aug 29

{Review+Giveaway} DRAKON UNCHAINED by N.J. Walters

Drakon Unchained is the fifth book in the blood of the drakon series by author N.J. Walters. This book can be read as a standalone, but it is part of a larger interconnected series. I have not read the previous books in the series, but boy oh boy do I wish that I had. Mostly because I enjoyed this book so much, that I wish I had read them all in order. I didn’t have too many issues jumping into this world in the fifth installment, but I do think if I had read books 1-4 first that I would have had a better foundational idea about the workings of the Knights of the Dragon, which is a secret society that is integral in all novels of this series. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Drakon Unchained, and I plan on grabbing the first four books immediately and diving right back into the series. If this book seems like a storyline that you would enjoy, I would encourage you to grab… Read more »

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Aug 22

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Mirage by @SomaiyaDaud @Flatironbooks @FierceReads

Mirage is the first book in a series by the same name by Somaiya Daud. Mirage is a young adult fantasy/ sci fi series about a world that is actually the moon of another planet, called Andal. I loved the set up. Immediately it had a star wars type vibe, but the comparison does not go very far. Because Mirage is a masterpiece all of its’ own. Somaiya Daud did such a fantastic job weaving this story! I am seriously still mesmerized by it. As I said before, Mirage is set on a moon world, called Cadiz. Here we meet Amani, who is kidnapped and taken to the planet Andal, where she is forced to train to become the princess’ Body Double. I was completely swept up in this story, and a large part of that was due to the intricate world building. Cadiz is heavily Moroccan inspired and Somaiya Daud really did a fantastic job creating this vast world. She immediately sucked me in and held me captive for the… Read more »

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Aug 20

{Mini Review+Excerpt+Giveaway} Fling Club by Tara Brown

Fling Club is the first book in the Serendipity Series by Tara Brown. This book was so much fun! As you will see below, it was influenced by Cruel Intentions and Gossip Girl, and being that I am huge fans of both of those movies/series, I knew this was going to be the perfect fun summer read. And it totally was. I am already itching for the next book in the Serendipity Series! I will say, that while it shouldn’t come as a surprise, a book that is inspired by Gossip Girl does have a flair for the dramatic. So if that is not your thing in romances, then this might not be the book for you. But if you don’t mind overly dramatic characters, and can read the book for what it is- a guilty pleasure fun read, then I think you will enjoy it. We meet a lot of characters in Fling Club, but the one that sticks out the most is Cheery. I do love a good revenge plot,… Read more »

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Aug 17

{Release Day Review+Giveaway} Unleashed by Bella Jacobs

Unleashed is the first book in the urban fantasy series by Bella Jacobs. It is the first book in the Dark Moon Shifters series, and I have to say the overall plot line for the series sounds excellent. Unleashed was a solid first book, but it did a lot of groundwork laying before any of the real fun started. As a result, I felt like most of the time I was reading, waiting to get to the next parts. But I don’t think that will be the case in the second book and any of the other books, because now we really know who all of the players in the story are and we know what they are trying to accomplish. And it is a big plot line. They are trying to basically save the world. In Unleashed we meat our heroine, Wren, who is pretty happy living in a cult. It seemed bizarre to me, but she was. Then she is taken from her house and is on the… Read more »

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Aug 08

{Mini Review+Giveaway} Someone I used to Know by Patty Blount

Someone I used to Know by Patty Blount is a young adult contemporary novel that deals with a serious issue. Someone I used to Know looks at the aftermath of dealing with your life after a sexual assault. One of the things I admire most about author Patty Blount is that she is not afraid to deal with tough issues. Someone I used to Know is not a fun read by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it a light, breezy story. It is a heavy narrative, but it’s an important one. Someone I used to Know is a novel that will stick with me. It is a novel that I will remember, but be warned that it does deal with rape, so if that is something that is upsetting for you to read about, this is going to be a difficult novel for you. Our main character is Ashley. And honestly this novel was hard for me to get through, but I loved Ashley so much that I wanted to hear… Read more »

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Aug 06

{Review} Playing her Secret Crush by Casey Griffin @CGriffinAuthor

Playing her Secret Crush is a young adult contemporary romance by Casey Griffin. I have read an adult contemporary romance from Casey Griffin, called Must Love Wieners (a rescue dog romance) and it was so cute and funny. I really enjoyed it, but this was my first young adult novel I have read by her. And I am happy to report that this book was just a cute, though in a different way. Playing Her Secret Crush is a young adult best friends romance featuring best friends that love to play a role playing type of computer game together. It hit so many of the things I love to see in my young adult contemporaries- gaming, best friends romance, and the matchmaking tropes. Playing her Secret Crush is a fun read, perfect for summer time. Playing her Secret Crush is the story of best friends Katie and Alex. Katie and Alex have been best friends for years, they bonded over the illness and death of Alex’s older brother and the… Read more »

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Aug 05

{Review+Giveaway} Forget You, Ethan by Whitney G.

Forget you, Ethan is a new adult contemporary romance by author Whitney G. (as an aside, I guess this title has had some goodreads controversy surrounding its’ release date. I don’t know anything about that and I just heard about this book a month or so ago, so I am coming in way after all of the release date changes have happened. But since I didn’t know about any of that while I was reading the book, those events did not affect or impact my opinions on this novel.) I really enjoyed Forget You, Ethan. Whitney G is an author I have read a few times, and her writing style is always pretty funny. Forget you, Ethan is described as a “friends (to enemies) to lovers romance”, which as you probably know by now is usually a hit for me. I love a good bantering story with lots of URST, and Forget You, Ethan hit the mark for me. While it didn’t knock my socks off, it was a solidly… Read more »

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Aug 03

{Review+Giveaway} Step into Magic by Day Leitao

Step into Magic is the first book in the middle grade fantasy series, Portals to Whyland by author Day Leitao. I thought Step into Magic was a solid first book in the series. In some ways, it was solidly in the middle grade category,, but in other ways I did think it was a little busy for a middle grade book, but I will get more into that in a bit. Step into Magic was a fun story about our main character Karina who find a pair of magic shoes, which leads her to a magic land. I really enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to pick up the second book in the Portals to Whyland series. Karina is fourteen, and what fourteen year old girl would not love to get swept away to a magical world to go on an adventure? What I loved about Step into Magic was that I was instantly hooked with the story. There was no slow start, we got to dive right… Read more »

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Jul 23

{Mini Review+Giveaway} DIVE SMACK by Demetra Brodsky

Holy Cow! That’s what I have to say about Dive Smack. Dive Smack is a young adult physiological thriller by author Demetra Brodsky, and this book totally blew my mind. It has been awhile since I have read a thriller. I have been in a big fantasy kick lately, but it was really nice to switch things up and dive into this twisty thriller that really grab s a hold of you. I don’t love to read a ton of physiological thrillers, but I am always on the lookout for a good one. One that keeps you thinking long after you turned the last page. And that is what Dive Smack was. Demetra Brodsky did a fantastic job with this debut novel! My favorite part of Dive Smack were the characters. Theo is fantastic. Watching the toll this plot takes on him and watching the plot unravel and progress was fascinating. Dive smack started out a little slow, but boy oh boy is it a novel that really builds. It just… Read more »