Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me with an ARC of Dark Skies in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I love Jensen’s writing and her storytelling. It’s beautiful, captivating and always a welcome retreat from reality. I meant to read Dark Skies right after I had finished Dark Shores, but life had other plans. The Details I don’t know how it is possible, but Dark Skies was even better than Dark Shores, which I thought impossible. Jensen was able…
-
-
The Iron Raven
The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of The Iron Raven in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I had the strangest déjà vu when I first saw the name and the cover of Kagawa’s newest book. I swear I saw this book years ago and put it on my to-read list. Goes to show how one can be truly mistaken. Regardless, I have heard of the author’s other series, The Iron Fey, and the first book has been on my to-read list for a very…
-
This Golden Flame
This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of This Golden Flame in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have been looking forward to reading a good YA fantasy book for a while. I patiently worked my way through my to-read list until I got to This Golden Flame. And I really very much enjoyed it. The story had a few surprises up its sleeve that added a lot to the fantasy/adventure aspect. Without further ado, let me jump right in. The Details I want to…
-
Send Me Their Souls
Send Me Their Souls by Sara Wolf My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist Finally! I got my hands on a copy of Wolf’s latest in her Bring Me Their Hearts trilogy, Send Me Their Souls. So long I have waited to finally find out what happens to Zera and company! I was excited and happy and a little giddy to get all cozy on the couch and be transported back to this wonderful fantasy story. The Details Well, I’m not sure how to say this. I’m kind of sitting here shrugging my shoulders and one word keeps coming to mind: “meh”. I read other reviews just to see,…
-
Dark Shores
Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist Actually, I’m going to start off right away with the verdict: I absolutely loved Dark Shores. I have loved Jensen’s writing ever since The Malediction Trilogy was published beginning back in 2014. Then in 2018 The Bridge Kingdom came out, which I was unable to find a copy of for some mysterious reason. So, I never had a chance to read it and for a few years I lost track of Jensen’s published works. Until I saw Dark Shores pop up on NetGalley. Giddy like a schoolgirl, I requested a copy to read and review, and…
-
Anno Dracula
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist A dear friend of mine sent me Anno Dracula as a birthday present. He hasn’t read it himself, but said that a story about vampires and murder, set in Victorian London would be totally up my alley. And he wasn’t wrong, which makes this review a little difficult to write. It is true. I’m a sucker for murder mystery, Victorian London stories and throw in some Gothic elements (i.e. a vampire or two) and I’m all yours. So, why did this story fall short? I shall explain below. The Details I was so excited to start this…
-
Aurora Rising
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist The time stamp says I read Aurora Rising in May of this year. I didn’t write the review until a few months later, because I didn’t really know how I felt about it. And I guess by December this hasn’t changed, so I’m finally going to post this review. 70%! 70% of Aurora Rising was absolutely fantastic. Then, it had to take a most spectacular nosedive. My god why?! I have been in a bit of a sour mood, since I finished this story yesterday afternoon. For good reason, too. I feel more than a little duped…
-
Kingdom of Sea and Stone
Kingdom of Sea and Stone by Mara Rutherford My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of Kingdom of Sea and Stone in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Can I tell you a secret? I truly struggle writing book reviews for sequels and Kingdom of Sea and Stone is no exception. There it is; I said it. I keep staring at my computer screen, wondering what I should include and what I should leave out. At the very least, this is still a review and not a summary or your Wednesday evening…
-
Brightly Burning
Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am a sucker for space stories. Throw some young adult plots with a sprinkle of classic literature retelling and I’m a very happy reader. Brightly Burning is all that. It is a retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre…set in space with quite a bit of young adult drama. Yes, please! The Details As with the author’s other retelling (The Stars We Steal) I was excited trying to figure out what character was based on the characters in the original classic and also what changes were made to…
-
The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC of The Orphan of Cemetery Hill in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I had Fox’s first novel, The Witch of Willow Hall, on my to-read list ever since it came out in 2018. Being the hopeful optimist that I am, I kept making plans to read it any day now. Well, the road to hell is usually paved with good intentions. So, sadly, I hadn’t been introduced to her writing until the publisher was so kind…
