A Wicked Magic: A Book Review

This book has all the witchy, spooky vibes. When Dan and Liss become witches, they try to change their lives with magic. But magic has consequences, and a spell gone wrong takes Liss's boyfriend away. The story is set on the northern Pacific coast, and at its core, the book tells the story of friendship. 

I enjoyed learning about the magic, and I particularly liked Alexa, Dan's friend, and her growth through the story. I almost wish the whole book was just about her. I liked the atmospheric setting and the descriptions of magic. But still, this book didn't engage me like I thought it would, and I didn't love the plot with the evil magic guy and kidnappings. But it's witchy and dark and spooky, which lives up to the title.  

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

Thank you, Razorbill and NetGalley, for the review copy!

*Trigger/Content Warnings: f-words, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts

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

Shielded: A Book Review

Wow I loved this book! If you're looking for a solid fantasy with secret magic, enemy mages, a slow-burn romance, disguised royals, a warrior princess, and an intriguing plot, look no further. Shielded is super entertaining and fun to read and reminded me a lot of Sorcery of Thorns and Kiss of Deception. It echoes a lot of YA tropes and conventions, which make it familiar and perhaps a little predictable, but I still think it's worth the read. I can't wait for the next book.

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

Thank you, Delacorte Press and NetGalley, for the review copy!

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

Set the Stars Alight: A Book Review

One word to describe this book: WONDER. Amanda Dykes has a compelling author's note at the end of this book where she talks about wonder: "an aching word, a thing radiating hope if we will but pay attention and be amazed at the miracles of this life, of this very world." 

This book has two stories. One is about Lucy, a marine archeologist, and Dash, a forensic astronomer. After the two childhood friends reconnect, they try to find a ship called the Jubilee, lost in 1811. The other story is about a boy named Frederick, a sailor in 1811. I loved watching how the two stories overlapped, reminding me how stories in history fade and become warped over time. The characters in this book have full hearts, the setting is homey England, and it honestly felt like a cozy Hallmark movie or a book club read. The story moves at a crawling pace though, so you'll need some patience to make it to the end. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4.5
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Bethany House and NetGalley, for the review copy!

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

Goddess in the Machine: A Book Review

I don't often read sci-fi. But when I pick up a sci-fi like Goddess in the Machine, I wonder why I don't read the genre more often! I was absolutely enthralled with this book. It starts out tense: Andra wakes up from a cryonic sleep after her journey across the galaxy, but she's a thousand years too late and everyone on the planet keeps calling her "Goddess." Andra has to figure out what went wrong on the spaceship, where her family is, and why everyone thinks she's deity. 

I think the plot is this book's strength. There's so many plot twists and so much tension. Andra is also a great character, and I LOVED how she was described as "chubby." We need more explicit body diversity in YA lit. Also, Johnson creates her own language in this book: an evolved version of English. The slang is hard to get used to at first, but by the end of the book, you feel like you've learned a second version of English. It's incredibly clever. All in all, this book surprised me, and I'll definitely be reading its sequel. 

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

Thank you, Razorbill and NetGalley, for the review copy!

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

Hunted by the Sky: A Book Review

THIS is the YA fantasy I've been waiting all month for. Hunted by the Sky has rebels, magic, Indian culture, a slow-burn romance, politics, and prophecy—what's not to like? Once the plot starting really moving, I couldn't put it down. It's been a looong time since I've read and finished a book in a day. This book deserved all my attention today and all my love in the future.

First of all, this book is set in medieval India. Need I say more? By now, you probably know about my obsession with India. I loved all the descriptions of Indian food and saris. Bhathena creates such a vivid world with her descriptions and details. Second, Gul and Cavas are such wonderful characters with high goals. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing their relationship grow more in the second book; I felt it was a little lacking in this book. But I think that's due to the plot that has a lot of intricate details going through it. I can't wait to see how things develop in Rising Like a Storm. Overall, this was a solid YA read that I'll be recommending to everyone, especially those who like The Tiger at Midnight, We Hunt the Flame, and Dance of Thieves. 

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

Thank you, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley, for the review copy!

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

Forest of Souls: A Book Review

Although this book wasn't as good as I was expecting and it moves a bit slowly, it has an expansive world with magic, politics, and cool creatures. It also has a killer main character, Sirscha, who has a distinct voice, and I really liked her from the first chapter. She has great drive and shows how even though she came from nothing, she worked hard to become strong and important. I do wish the book moved a little more quickly in the middle, and I wish it had some romance. But it sets up what I think will be an impressive series. I'm hoping the next book will have romance, more magic, and more of her past. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Page Street Publishing and NetGalley, for the review copy!

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

The Kinder Poison: A Book Review

This book reminds me of We Hunt the Flame, Ashlords, and Tiger Queen. The Kinder Poison follows Zahru, a peasant with insignificant magic, as she gets caught up in a deadly race across the desert between heirs of the kingdom battling for the crown. It took a bit for me to get into as the beginning is very slow, but the middle of the book has lots of twists I didn't see coming. Zahru also has some nice character growth, and I enjoyed learning about each of the heirs. It did drive me crazy that Zahru had soooo many chances of escape that she didn't take, making her kindness look like weakness. However, there was enough action to keep me interested, and enough intrigue to make me look forward to the second book. But somehow, I still don't feel like this book deserves four stars. Maybe because it seemed underdeveloped with the romance (there's some instalove and also a suggestion of a love triangle?), I'm still a little confused on how the magic works, and the story overall didn't seem polished. (Also, I still don't know what "Kinder" in the title refers to, especially because that's the word for "children" in German.)

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

Thank you Razorbill and NetGalley for the review copy!

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

Beyond the Break: A Book Review

Three words to describe this book: Christian, cutesy, and conventional. Lovette (what a name) is banned from swimming and surfing in the ocean after her brother's near-fatal surfing accident. She also loves God a lot and signed a purity pledge when she was twelve, saying she doesn't want to kiss anyone until the preacher says, "You may now kiss the bride." But then hunky Jake Evans walks into her life, and she knows she's toast. 

First of all, you have to be really Christian to enjoy this book. There's lots of religious theology, lots of quoted scripture, and lots of "if you have sex before you're married, you're damned" talk. For me, it was too much. Too didactic. A little too problematic, especially with views about sex and kissing. (I don't care what people's views are on this, religious or not, but it drove me crazy that Lovette judged others for their actions.) In general, Lovette just felt like a judgy, Christian teenager who thought she was better than everyone else because she's good at surfing and has a great relationship with God. 

There were also other small things I didn't like. The first chapter is horrible and has really nothing to do with the entire book. There's also a scene in the book that's a carbon copy of a scene in the book/movie A Walk to Remember (which is also Christian, so I'm pretty darn sure the author "borrowed" the scene). Also, Lovette makes a huge deal about how she hates lying in the first couple chapters, but proceeds to do it throughout the whole book without a second thought. And the plot just moves really slowly. This book just wasn't for me. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 2
Overall: 2

Thank you Penguin Workshop and NetGalley for the review copy!

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

Queen's Peril: A Book Review

I'm such a Star Wars nerd and a big fan of Padmé, so this book was perfect for me.  This book really boils down to Padmé and her relationship with her handmaidens, and how their training helped them win the war against the Trade Federation. It was also my first Star Wars book, and I'm surprised how much I liked it. I've always avoided Star Wars books because I was afraid of them ruining the movies, but I loved the behind-the-scenes details in this book.

As for the writing of the book, I liked the shifting points of view from several characters, and I liked how E.K. Johnston summarized the parts that are in The Phantom Menace and went deeper into the parts of the plot we don't see in the movie. It kept the story moving and made it interesting. I do wish we had more details into what Padmé thought about Anakin though—there's barely anything in the book about them meeting and becoming friends. But what a great book. I think I'll be reading more Star Wars books from now on!

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

Thank you Disney Lucasfilm Press and NetGalley for the review copy!

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

Beach Read: A Book Review

This book? Definitely worth the hype. Let me give you three reasons why:

1. This book has the BEST writer's/character's voice I've read in a while. I was completely sucked into January's life from the first sentence: "I have a fatal flaw." She's a totally relatable character, and even when she's not relatable, you can't help but watch the train wreck that's inevitably going to happen. She's clever, witty, salty, and she strikes a perfect balance of naivety and realism. Honestly, she's one of my favorite character I've had the pleasure of stalking. I didn't want to un-stalk her at any point.

2. If you're looking for a new OTP, you need only pick up this book. I don't want to say too much, but the passionate tension between January and Gus is strong enough to exist off the page and make you remember their witty and sometimes-deep conversations when you're doing all the mundane things in your life. Also, the whole deal with them both being writers is something so fascinating to me, and them swapping genres for the summer and teaching each other about their genre tropes made my writing-nerd heart sing. I can't say enough about January and Gus (besides the fact that I still feel like their names belong in some YA romance novel that involves cancer or another life-threatening disease).  

3. If my number two reason didn't cook your grits, this one better. This book isn't just about romance. Obviously there's other plot-lines, but get this: they are interesting plot lines not because unique and crazy things happen but because January seems like a real person, and you want to be involved in every detail of her life. Her character growth (and Gus's, actually) is incredible.

These three reasons should be enough to encourage you to pick up the book, especially if you already like romances and reading about angsty writers who live somewhat solitary lives. It's a perfectly lovely book that dives deeper than just romance, and really makes you wonder if you're the optimist or the pessimist in life. I promise, it's enjoyable to read this book. 

(Some may wonder why I'm not giving it five stars. It takes an incredible contemporary/romance/non-fantasy to make me give something five stars. While I really enjoyed this book, I can't imagine I'd read it again anytime soon, and it didn't make me feel as much as I wanted to. It's just an incredibly good book. Hence the longest review I've ever written.)

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

*Content Warnings: f-words, a couple explicit sex scenes

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy!

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

Forged in Fire and Stars: A Book Review

What instantly drew me into this book was the idea of the Loresmith: a blacksmith blessed by the gods who defends kings and queens through the ages. The story starts out with high stakes: the kingdom's Loresmith killed during a battle to overthrow the regency, and everyone thinks that the Loresmith becomes extinct. But the Loresmith had a daughter no one knew about. In short, the story follows Ara as she becomes involved with the lost prince and princess to restore their kingdom. 

The most unique thing about this book is the writing. It feels similar to J. R. R. Tolkien's writing; it has that similar fanciful feel like some old bard is telling the story over a campfire. Because of this, I struggled to see into the characters' hearts and minds and connect to them. I was constantly reminded that this is simply a story being told. I couldn't escape into the world like I normally do when I read fantasy. 

Andrea Robertson sets up a nice series with this one, so a lot of the book is spent on world-building while the characters continually travel. The plot meanders a lot, and some things just don't make sense at first. But I still felt mildly interested in the plot and characters, so it wasn't hard to finish. In sum, this book simply wasn't remarkable enough for me to fully engage with it. But I may pick up the sequel. 

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

Thank you Philomel Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

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