Crown of Coral and Pearl: A Book Review

I went into this book not knowing anything about it (I didn't even read the synopsis). And I completely loved it. The story is fascinating: each generation, the princes of Ilara marry the most beautiful girl from an ocean village. But when Nor goes in her sister's place, she discovers the dark secrets of Ilara and finds out that her people are in danger. There's so much more to the plot, and so many characters I grew to love.

I loved the sea aesthetic coupled with a formidable mountain castle. Nor is a strong character and it's easy to get lost in her point of view and engage with the story. Also, the slow-burning, chemistry-filled romance in this book is divine. This book has everything: sea folklore, tension, betrayal, magical reefs, sisterly bonds, romance, political intrigue, and hope. It's an uplifting book, and one I think I would return to.

Mara Rutherford's writing is fantastic. As I said, it's easy to get lost in her writing and in the story. The plot moved effortlessly. My only reservations are that I wish it had a little more resolution and a little more romance. I wanted to see their bond strengthen, especially at the end, and I felt that this book is missing that. But still a well-told, entertaining book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4.5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, NetGalley and Inkyard Press, for the ARC! This book will be released on August 27, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

100 Days of Sunlight: A Book Review

Abbie Emmons's debut novel, 100 Days of Sunlight, is a charming love story between two teenagers: a temporarily blind girl and a boy with no legs. After Tessa becomes temporarily blind after a car crash, Weston begins to help her write poetry for her blog, not telling her that he doesn't have legs. But he can understand her disability like no one can, and their relationship grows from its rocky beginning. At the heart of this book, these two teenagers are figuring out how to love themselves, trust each other, and overcome their fears.

I love the idea of this book. The premise caught my eye, even if the plot was a bit predictable. The book started off pretty rocky for me though. I couldn't connect to the characters because they didn't seem believable--Weston was too happy and Tessa was too annoyingly mean. There were also pages of unnecessary dialogue and exposition that didn't move the plot along, so that was hard to muddle through. But by the middle of the book, the characters had changed enough that I was interested in finishing (even if the ending was a bit predictable, as I mentioned before).

If I had to choose a couple words to describe this book, it would be cute, slow moving, predictable, and conventional. Is it worth reading? I would say yes to those who live for contemporary.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 3

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC! This book will be released on August 7, 2019.

Beasts of the Frozen Sun: A Book Review

Another fantastic Viking-themed story! This book, written by Jill Criswell, has gods, magical gifts, chilling warriors, and so much action I could barely put it down. The story follows Lira, a soul reader who saves an enemy warrior from death. As Lira and Reyker's forbidden bond grows stronger, they discover that the threat from an evil warlord grows stronger, and they must find a way to save themselves, their souls, and their people.

This book has so many elements to it. Even the synopsis falls short of doing this book justice. There's incredible relationships, twisting magic, and vengeful gods. The plot continues to build until the last page, leaving me wishing for more. I know without a doubt I'll be continuing with this series because I absolutely love Lira, Reyker, and the world building. I think it's one of the best Viking reads I've read, and I wouldn't hesitate to group it with Sky in the Deep and Warrior of the Wild.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Would I recommend? Yes! This book is for readers who love Vikings, fantasy, battles, and the enemies-to-lovers trope.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, for the ARC! This book will be released on August 6, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Dark Soul Experiments: A Book Review

This book surprised me. It has such an interesting plot! Ren, a normal sixteen-year-old, is transported in the past when a boy gives her charm bracelet. She soon discovers that her soul has been cursed, splintered, and reincarnated for a long time, and that she is forced to die too early in each lifetime. As she starts to discover each of her past lifetimes, she starts to uncover the secrets of her past and present, she has to decide whether the experiments will help her future or doom her present. It was a page turner for me! I think the plot is the strongest part of this book—it is solid and engaging. I think I'll be reading the next books in this series when they come out!

I do have some reservations. There were a good number of punctuation and grammatical mistakes, and some of the characters didn't seem to have a life outside of the story. But all in all, this book surprised me and I'm glad I read it.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3.5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 3.5 (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads)

Would I recommend? Yes.

Thank you, Bre, for the ARC! This book gets released on August 6, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Girl He Used to Know: A Book Review

I'm forever grateful to my bookish friends who lead me to books like this (Sarah, I'm pointing to you!). The Girl He Used to Know touched me so deeply, gave me so much hope and happiness, and made me sob after finishing it because I didn't know how to understand all the emotions I was feeling. If nothing else, this book made me FEEL, more than any other book I've read so far this year.

The characters in this book are so real that I often thought about them outside of reading. First and foremost, I believe this book is about Annika overcoming her struggles with autism and fear, and how Jonathan helps her and loves her unconditionally. They bring out the best in each other, and they struggle together. I think their relationship is one of my favorite literary relationships of all time. I can't get enough of it.

There are things in this book that I never saw coming. There were parts when I cried, laughed, and smiled because my heart was full. This is a book I will always remember, and probably reread every year. The writing is wonderfully compelling and easy to understand and get lost in. Tracey Garvis Graves wrote a remarkable book, one that both entertains and educates (especially about autism). This book is so dear to my heart and I can't give it anything but a solid five stars.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Would I recommend? Yes, yes, yes! Though content warnings include some swearing and explicit (but matter-of-fact) sex scenes.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for the review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Tiger at Midnight: A Book Review

I've been longing for a young adult fantasy focused on Indian culture and mythology ever since The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck. And this book, by Swati Teerdhala, fulfilled every longing, every expectation, and rekindled my love of Indian-themed books. The best part? It's a trilogy! I'll be waiting not-so-patiently for the next books to come out.

Besides the rich Indian culture and mythology, I loved the characters. Kunal is an endearing character—easy to love, understand, and root for. I think it's because he is incredibly loyal and has goodness deep in his bones. It's interesting to watch his character development as his world crumbles around him. Esha, on the other hand, is as morally gray as they come. She seeks revenge and is a fierce fighter. But she too is easy to love and root for. Together, Kunal and Esha have an amazing, dynamic relationship as they play cat and mouse and discover secrets that could threaten everything they know. Their witty banter wasn't cliche (I so hate cliche, witty banter. But theirs was believable and clever), the passion between them was undeniable, and the issues holding them apart was captivating. The characters are the strongest element of this book, and that's the reason why I give this a solid five stars. I want to return to Kunal and Esha again soon, and can't wait to continue their story.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Would I recommend? Yes! Especially if you love the enemies-to-lovers trope, mythical fantasy, Indian culture, political intrigue, and slow-burning romance.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!