Edward and Amelia: A Book Review

Marriage of convenience always draws me in, but the sweet romance and lovable characters in this book kept me fully entertained. I loved that both the main characters had their secrets—it created the perfect tension without being annoying. And honestly, the guy MC was such a cinnamon roll. I loved all of his POV chapters and his intent on being the best husband. If nothing else, read this one for the cinnamon roll.

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

Thank you, Covenant Communications, for the ARC!

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

The Stardust Thief: A Book Review

I was not expecting this book to be an absolute RIDE! It combined all my favorite things from previous desert-themed books like The Wrath and the Dawn, We Hunt the Flame, and Rebel of the Sands. It has many stories from One Thousand and One Nights, tons of jinn, magic and relics, and an intriguing quest full of hidden identity, secret politics, and desert traveling. The characters are magnificent and truly have a lot of growth through the book. Although there's no romance in this one, I have very high hopes that this book sets up the stage for a fantastic romance in book two. And the writing was superb: detailed and flowing and easy to get lost in.

Honestly I expect this book to be a huge hit once it releases. I can't wait to read books two and three! Definitely pick this up if you want a sweeping desert fantasy with jinn magic and fantastic characters and world building.

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

Thank you, Orbit Books, for the ARC!

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

Breaking Time: A Book Review

Hello, most gorgeous cover of all time. But unfortunately, Breaking Time fell into the category of "story didn't quite live up to gorgeous cover." There's always a risk of that happening, but honestly the story had a lot to live up to with this cover. It's just breathtaking. 

Basically, this book just felt lacking for me. The characters were okay, but the romance didn't feel fully developed. There were several plot conveniences that were ridiculous (what kind of national library keeps their special collections completely unlocked with no security cameras?) and I was kind of confused about the magic and exactly what Klara could and could not do. And there were some cringy pieces of dialogue. 

Overall, it had a lot of potential! I'm just being picky at this point. I think this book will find a home with many readers out there—I'm just not one of them. Except I won't forget this cover anytime soon. 

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

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for the ARC!

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

The Hunger of the Gods: A Book Review

I'm surprised how quickly I settled into this book. John Gwynne's epic-fantasy writing style was instantly recognizable, and while I didn't love it in the first book, I really enjoyed it in The Hunger of the Gods. I also enjoyed the faster pacing of the plot and all the points of view we got, especially from unreliable narrators and the people on the "evil side." 

But the best part of this book is undoubtably the Viking setting, culture, and details. The fighting scenes are incredibly detailed and accurate as far as I can tell, and I love learning about the different weapons and all the cultural sides too. Gwynne also does a great job incorporating gods and their magic through their bloodlines. It's not too heavy handed, and the gods don't overpower the characters or the plot. 

Also, this book ends on a cliffhanger, so I definitely need the last book now!!! And also I LOVED having a section at the beginning that details all the events of the first book so you could remember. Seriously every sequel needs this. 

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

Thank you, Orbit Books, for the ARC!

Content/Trigger Warnings: tons of detailed violence and torture, death, kidnapping, slavery, innuendos, closed door scenes

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

Wind Daughter: A Book Review

Joanna Ruth Meyer's writing is so dreamy and definitely fitting of a fairytale. I enjoyed being back in the same world as Echo North, and Wind Daughter felt very much like a sequel rather than a companion novel. We get to see the main characters from Echo North and see Satu finish what they started. I would definitely recommend reading Echo North first.

I will say that I appreciated seeing a sensitive character rep in Satu, but it made her voice feel extremely young. I felt like I was reading a middle grade fantasy rather than YA (Satu seemed much younger than seventeen). And I thought this book was extremely predictable. The romance was also underdeveloped with the main characters being enemies most of the book and insta-love towards the end. It just didn't work for me. 

Overall, I liked it because it continued on the magic and lore of Echo North and we got to see Echo and Hal living their lives after. I liked the pacing of the book and the magic. But a lot of things fell short for me with the characters and romance. I think this might be my last Joanna Ruth Meyer book. While I like her writing style, her recent books haven't lived up to my expectations. 

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

Thank you, Page Street, for the ARC!

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

All My Rage: A Book Review

All My Rage is such a powerful story with several important themes: immigration, racism, family, forgiveness, friendship, loss, and love. What I especially loved about this book is that it's a character-driven novel. You really get to know Salahudin and Noor on a deep level—their dreams, weaknesses, struggles, and their relationships with others. I also loved the perspective from Salahudin's mom, Misbah, and seeing how her immigration from Pakistan to America affected her as a wife and mom. 

This book needs to be read by everyone. Seriously. The story added to my perspective and it made me want to be a better person who's quick to forgive and quick to love. I think this book has special value for teens too in how they view and treat one another and how they achieve their dreams. Absolutely loved it!

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

Thank you, Razorbill, for the ARC!

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

The Ogress and the Orphans: A Book Review

Heavens, this book was quite preachy. I’m not quite sure what to make of it, but I didn’t enjoy having life lessons shoved in my face while trying to enjoy characters and story. Because this story was told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator, there's many sentences and paragraphs purely devoted to talking about kindness and judging and all sorts of feel-good life lessons. It very much distracted from the story and the characters, making them seem less important. If I wanted to read a self-help book about being a good neighbor, I wouldn't pick up a middle grade fantasy. I'm just confused how any child or teenager would find this book entertaining enough to keep reading. 

All that being said, does this book carry an important message? Of course. Is the story itself interesting and heart warming? Yes. So it does have some merit. And I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who appreciate the preachiness and moralizing nature of the story. I'm definitely not one of those people (I prefer my books' themes to be represented in the characters, not shoved at me in random sentences and paragraphs by a self-righteous narrator). Anyways, this obviously wasn't the book for me, which is a shame because I adored The Girl Who Drank the Moon. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 1
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Algonquin Young Readers, for the ARC!

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