Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf

5 Stars!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

“I am no flower to be ravaged at your whim, angry wolf—I am your hunter, bow cocked and ready.”

              Wow this was so much more than I was expecting! It was so original, dark, and yet still incredibly fun and humorous. I loved how Zera’s internal struggles were showcased, making her connection to the reader in me practically instantaneous. The plot continued to surprise me and I loved it!

              Zera is Heartless--literally. Her heart was removed and placed in a jar by a witch, making her an immortal slave with a dark hunger for flesh. Finally, after three years of being a monster, the witch offers her a chance at freedom, not only for herself but also for the two younger children enslaved with her. All she has to do is win the heart of the Crown Prince... and then take it from his chest and put it in a jar to replace hers on the witch's shelf. Zera thinks this will be easy, what's the life of one arrogant and selfish noble in exchange for three lives regained? Then she meets Prince Lucian and finds he is so much more than she first thought. He may appear cold and harsh, but he's also brave, wise, dedicated to his people, and devastatingly handsome to boot. With only two weeks to complete her task without getting caught, it turns out navigating the ridiculous customs of court will be the least of her troubles.

              One thing’s for sure, Sara Wolf sure knows how to construct a strong and witty heroine! I couldn’t get enough of her verbal (and literal) sparring with Prince Lucian. They work well together, and I really liked how their relationship developed. One of the other aspects I loved is how “secondary” characters such as Lady Y’shennria and Malachite weren’t just there to help move the plot, they also had complex backstories and really added something great to the story. Don’t just Bring Me Their Hearts, bring me the sequel!

Phoenix Fire (Phoenix Cycle #1) by S.D. Grimm

4 Stars!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

"Some of us embrace the light, even when it shines bright on the darkness inside of us."

             This was honestly one of the hardest books I've ever had to rate. I considered giving it 3.5 stars, but ultimately gave it 4 because I really did like it anyway. The plot was just so cool and different. Imagine if Buffy had Sam and Dean as her brothers and you might just begin to grasp Ava, Nick, and Cade's family life. Then, you have to add on the fact that they're Phoenixes, a race of beings with supernatural powers reborn over and over again to hunt what goes bump in the night.

             Ava has spent most of her life bouncing from foster home to foster home, never feeling quite like she belongs. Until, one dark  night, Wyatt Wilcox comes crashing into her life. Suddenly, she starts getting flashes of memories from countless lives she has lived with only three constants: two brothers she doesn't know but feel like home and Wyatt and the deep, confusing feelings she has for him. She has questions, but the mysterious Wyatt tries to play things close to the vest; warning her to stay away while simultaneously pulling her closer. After her brothers, Nick and Cade, show up on the scene, she gets some answers and some training, but is still kept largely in the dark, which is the worst place to be. Because, not all Phoenixes are good and the Dark ones are out to get them.

             This has the potential to be a 5 star series, but this first book did have some problems. The story appeared to jump a little sometimes and important was sometimes only half given/explained or missed altogether. This was partly because it was narrated by Nick, Cade, and Ava, who were all at different information stages and experiencing different kinds of flashbacks. I really enjoyed Cade's parts, but I think he should of just had his own book or novella because they just added to my confusion. The flashbacks themselves were also sometimes problematic because they tended to blend in too much to the rest of the text and I had trouble separating the past from the present off and on. However, issues aside, this was a good book. I just adore the Phoenix angle and complexities Grimm has going. Also, I absolutely love Wyatt and really liked that the author was able to keep his secret a surprise (at least from me). I can't wait to find out what happens next! The battle isn't over and if they want to win, they'll have to fight fire with fire...Phoenix Fire that is!  

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The Emerald Lily (Vampire Blood #4) by Juliette Cross

4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Juliette Cross, and NetGalley for the ARC!

"Perhaps I was born to be a warrior, not a princess."

                      I am so unbelievably unprepared for this series to be over! I loved everything from their creative fairytale retelling aspects to the way every book seemed to outdo the last. I honestly would be ecstatic if there were ever a spin off series or even a novella (maybe involving Grant and Katya? That could be interesting)! Even still, this was a spectacular, fiery, and heart-pounding finale and I'm grateful to have followed along for the ride!

                      Sent on an urgent mission from the Black Lily to rescue Princess Mina of Arkadia from her imprisonment in a bloodless sleep by the wicked Queen Morgrid, Mikhail finds the previously passive and gentle royal to be the last thing he expected. Their blood kiss awakens feelings that neither of them can deny. Mina finds that she is meant for so much more than she ever dreamed while Mikhail finds that he is tempted in more ways than the Captain of the Bloodguard or his own personal vendetta should allow time for. But, they don't have much time to figure things out. A war is coming. Battling secrets, prophecies, magic, and rabid vampires, can they emerge victorious?

                      I am having such a hard time deciding which of these books is my favorite. Honestly, I could argue with myself for hours on this. I wish this book had been longer but Mina and Mikhail are pretty amazing together as is. I love that the quiet and docile Mina turned out to be the fiercest of them all. That final battle was made up of some serious badassery. However, not everyone made it out unscathed. Will our heroes finally prevail against the tyrants of Izeling and the Glass tower? Will humanity be saved? Or will Queen Morgrid succeed in plunging the world into darkness and leave nothing on their graves except a single Emerald Lily?

Sea of Strangers (The Ryogan Chronicles #2) by Erica Cameron

4 Stars!

Thank you to Chapter by Chapter, Erica Cameron, and Entangled Teen for the ARC through NetGalley and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour!

"We're fighting to get home... to keep the salvageable pieces."

               I've been so excited to read this book it wasn't even funny. I loved Island of Exiles and couldn't wait to see where Khya's adventure took her next. This has honestly been one of the most original and intricate series I've ever read. I adore the interesting dynamic Khya and Tessen have and welcome the refreshing break it gives readers from the old cliches.

               Khya and her people have been lied to their entire lives. Yorri is not dead. The Miriseh are not gods. Ryogo is not the heaven they get to go to if they serve them well and the Miriseh do not guard its gates. Each one of these lies has been shattered to leave one truth crystal clear: they must kill Varen. However, the one thing he didn't lie about was being immortal, so Khya and allies have traveled to the real Ryogo in search of the secrets Varen had hidden there before he was exiled five-hundred years ago. Many of the Ryogans still fear magic even if they don't believe the legend of the bobasu, so Khya and her friends are being hunted even in the land they're trying to help save. In order to save Shiara, Ryogo, and her brother, Khya will have to make sacrifices and learn to be the leader she always wanted to be.

               Because it's apparent that this series is going to go on for a bit, it makes sense that a lot of this book would be a set up for the ones to follow, and it was, but a lot of really important things happened too and there are a couple of interesting plot twists. I like that Erica Cameron doesn't skip steps to get to where she's going, she takes her time to build her plot which makes the world she's shaping so much more rich and developed. The only problem I had was I feel like Khya and Tessen's relationship was a little more....muted than it was in the first book. I mean, it was there and they interacted often, but it just seemed to me that something was missing. Still, they're one of my favorite pairings. I'm usually a total sucker for a hot alpha male, but this relationship was just so different and interesting. It was the epitome of an equal relationship that is so rarely seen in writing. I love that, while Khya often takes control of the romantic interactions in their budding relationship, Tessen is in no way seen as meek or submissive; he is confident and capable of holding his own. And, while Tessen was originally the one constantly pursuing the prospect of a relationship, he respects her wishes and boundaries. So, I'd love to see more of that brought back in the next book. If they survive that long. Will they make it home to save Shiara or will they remain forever adrift, hunted in Ryogo amidst a Sea of Strangers?

Seize Today (Forget Tomorrow #3) by Pintip Dunn

4 Stars!

Thank you to Chapter by Chapter, Pintip Dunn, and Entangled Teen for the ARC through NetGalley and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour!

"The future, after all, is yours to embrace or defy."

       I can't say that I ever expected this book to revolve around Olivia Dresden, but it was definately one of the most interesting POVs to conclude the series with. I think it turned out to be an excellent decision. While I'm sad to see this trilogy come to a close, I've certainly enjoyed this wild ride Pintip Dunn has taken us on.

       Olivia Dresden has always been a shadow of a person. She's never been the daughter her mother, the Chairwoman, wanted, nor is she brave or strong like Callie or Jessa; instead, as a precognitive, she sees a million pathways spread out before her, a world of possibilities at her feet, but is always unsure of what path to take. Not many people know, however, that her visions of the future come with an expiration date: May 4th, which is just a few weeks away. Faced with the looming fate of uncertainty, Olivia decides that it's time to finally act and rebel against her mother's genocidal scheme. She teams up with Ryder, an alluring boy from the Underground with a mountain of trust issues to try to help the people she's admired all her life to save the world she's only seen from the outside. Together, they face the biggest enemy of all--Fate--in a race to keep their timeline from unraveling for good.

       While I wasn't expecting this to be Olivia's book, I ended up being so glad it was! I felt like I gained such a deeper understanding of this rich and complex world that Dunn has created by getting to experience it through her eyes. The ending wasn't what I was expecting, nothing about this book was really, but it had substance and I have a feeling it will be staying with me for days to come. I do wish that there had been a little more romance between Ryder and Olivia like there was with characters in the first two books, but I understand that that wasn't the main priority while they were trying to save the human race. I also loved getting to watch Olivia getting to grow as a person; going from an unsure girl into a true heroine who can stand up for what's right no matter what it costs her. She did have to make some awful tough decisions along the way, though. When you see all the directions, all the possible moves on the board, it can be difficult to keep from getting distracted. So, will Olivia be too caught up in trying to predict the outcomes to remember to play the game, or will she challenge fate by just trying to Seize Today?

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Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

4 Stars!

Thank you to Chapter by Chapter, Meg Kassel, and Entangled Teen for the ARC through NetGalley and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour!

"This town is marked, making her marked. Both are fair game."

        I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. The synopsis is seriously vague. But, I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. Honestly, I would have loved this tale to be a series and am a little disappointed that it appears to just be a one off! Black Bird of the Gallows is a haunting mix of mysterious curses, creepy characters, risky romance, and dangerous adventure that will have you buzzing for more!

        Angie Dovage had a traumatic childhood that has left her with a need to go unnoticed. Though she is an extremely talented musician, she even shields herself behind a disguise when her colorful alter-ego Sparo when she takes the stage as a DJ at the local club. But, when the mysterious and magnetic Reece Fernandez moves in next door, he seems to notice everything about her and appears to like what he sees. However, wherever Reece goes, death and destruction are soon to follow. Angie's curious about the secrets the boy next-door is keeping. She wants to know why there's suddenly strange crows lining her street and weird bees that seem to be making people crazy, and she's cure Reece has the answers. Her town has been marked, but for what?

        I loved how original this story was! Cursed crows, harbingers of death, and Beekeepers are certainly all new ones for me. On the down side, it did feel a little rushed. I would have liked it to be a little more spread out and some more explanation about aspects like what it being a "marked" town really means and how the magic of their curses came to be and functions. Still, I really enjoyed this cast of characters and their wild adventure. Angie and Reece are drawn to each other like moths to a flame, but will they be strong enough to weather the storm that's coming? Because the Black Bird of the Gallows is in town and not everyone will be alive by the time it moves on.

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Zero Repeat Forever (The Nahx Invasions #1) by Gabrielle Prendergast

4 Stars!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC!

"Maybe the world will end, he signs. Maybe the sky will fall... Maybe snowflakes will rise and time will stop moving."

               I have mixed emotions on this one, probably would've only given it 3 stars if the last 1/4 hadn't made me want to read the next one. I was expecting Defy the Stars meets the post-apocalyptic setting of Angelfall, something along the lines of "alien/other boy no one thinks could possibly be capable of human emotion is teamed up with supposed enemy who is a badass girl trying to save everyone"... But that's not what I got. I partially blame the misleading synopsis for my disappointment on that front.

               Okay, to be fair, the synopsis was accurate on a bare-bones level, but perhaps what really threw me off was all the ways this book defied the norms of others like it; in ways that were both good and bad. My main grievance was that I'm pretty sure I wasn't even a big fan of the "heroine" Raven most of the time. Instead of the badass hero of the apocalypse I was expecting,  she was just a kinda mean and selfish problem child with anger issues, who just "happened" to know martial arts. I wanted someone a bit more noble, but perhaps thisis a more realistic representation and that's why I was unnerved. I have mixed feelings about how the Nahx were described as well, mostly because they weren't actually described very much at all. It mentions the full body armor that obscures their face briefly, but not in depth. On one hand, I like that it gives readers a bit of freedom of imagination, but on the other I really wanted answers and waiting until the end to "see" Eighth's face nearly killed me. But, I really liked the incorporation of their own sign language and the intricacy of the of world Prendergast has created.

               If anything, there were several parts of this book that reminded me of the movie Warm Bodies most of all. One of the shining aspects of this piece is that is the farthest thing from insta-love that I've ever read. It's definitely a slow burn "romance" whose flames were almost snuffed out on several occasions. I love this because it let the main focus be what it should be: survival. It was very refreshing to see a "relationship" go at a normal pace for the situation it was in, instead of immediately jumping on the "star-crossed lovers" bullshit bandwagon or looking like a case of Stockholm Syndrome. I'm very curious to see how the next one continues to play out! Personally, I'd love to see things move a little faster in different areas now that the stage is set!

Remember Me Forever (Lovely Vicious #3) by Sara Wolf

4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Chapter by Chapter, Sara Wolf, and Entangled Teen for the ARC through NetGalley and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour!

"You try to stop all these injustices and save people from them. But you never try to save yourself."

       Wow, I can't believe it's really over. This trilogy snagged me from the get go; I loved the originality and the character's crazy antics that were often ridiculous beyond belief, but endearing all the same. It's not often you can find a book that will make you laugh out loud with one line and absolutely rip your heart to shreds with the next, but this can. I'm so grateful to have been able to follow Isis and Jack on their funny, action packed, and heart-shattering adventure.

       Isis Blake hasn't been the same since Sophia's suicide. She blames her self, just like she always does. Still, she does her best to put on a brave face and avoid thinking about Jack Hunter, who disappeared after the funeral and hasn't been seen since. Instead of going to Stanford, she decides to stay close to her mother by attending good old Ohio State, but she can't seem to catch a break. Her ex-boyfriend, rapist, and overall embodiment of her own personal hell, Will Cavanaugh, has left Florida for Ohio and is intent of continuing his torture of Isis.

       Meanwhile, a previously guilty and self-destructive Jack Hunter has been recruited by Vortex. The private company has sent him undercover as a college student to help bring down a malicious hacker wanted by the government. His target: Will Cavanaugh. Isis and Jack had never expected to see each other again, but they're thrown together anyway and their feelings are more intense than ever. They'll have to work together to bring down the demons that haunt them, both the physical ones and those harder to reach that inhabit their very memories. Even if they succeed, do they have a chance together or is there simply too much between them?

       I really felt that this was a perfect ending to Isis and Jack's story. Other than the last few chapters feeling a little rushed, I have absolutely no complaints other than that I wish it could have went on forever. I know that this series will stay with me for a long time. Isis, Jack, and all their friends have a way of getting under your skin in a way that practically screams, "You'll Remember Me Forever."

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Defy the Stars (Constellation #1) by Claudia Gray

5 Stars!

Thank you to Bonnier Zaffre and Hot Key Books for the e-ARC through NetGalley!

*Received in exchange for an honest review*

"Your soul is bigger than your programming."

               I. AM. OBSESSED! This is one of the best books I've read this year, if not ever. Seriously, I thought the Firebird trilogy was great, but this blows them right out of the water and defied all expectations! The level of brilliance and thought that so obviously wen into every single character and plot point is astounding. It's just the right balance of sci-fi adventure, thought provoking commentary, and humor that's bound to make you addicted!

               When Noemi, a Genesis soldier, boards the spaceship she thought was abandoned in order to try to help her critically injured friend she is surprised to encounter Abel, a type of high-tech robot made to look like a human and known as a "mech", who had been stranded there for the past thirty years. When he announces that Noemi now his commander, she is more than a little wary, but the knowledge he possesses may help her save her home, so she has no choice but to bring him on a journey across space. On their travels, Noemi realizes that Abel isn't anything like the twenty-five other types of ruthless mechs developed by the people of Earth, he's smarter, faster, and so self-aware aware that she is constantly surprised by his behavior. Is it possible for a machine to have a soul? Meanwhile, getting to know Noemi causes Abel to question everything he thought he knew about humans, machines, and his place between them. Is it possible that he has been on the wrong side of this war between Earth and Genesis? Does he possess the power to change his mind and, therefore, the future of both their worlds?

               I love that Abel doesn't fully realize how human he really is at first. He just thinks he's malfunctioning. Also, the slow-burn romance between him and Noemi that develops as his more human traits emerge is so fitting. The universe it's set in, the way it came to be and functions, is so believable too. It's a future I can see happening if the way we take care of our planet doesn't change. Knowing that is chilling, but the thrill I get from the realistic aspect to a sci-fi piece is absolutely worth it. It's a truly gripping and unforgettable tale; I can't wait to see where their paths take them next! Are Abel and Noemi's fates set in stone or can they Defy the Stars?

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

4 Stars!

A special thank you to Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review!

"Pain flares in every word…The kind of pain that isolates. The kind of pain you’re certain no one else has felt, ever.”

             This was not exactly what I was expecting, but still a good story. Jules and Declan are easy to like and makes you root for them to figure out a way to heal. In a mix of tragic and hopeful, Letters to the Lost has a lot to say about loss, grief, and guilt, and how sometimes you need someone going through the same thing to help pull you out of the dark.

             Juliet doesn't expect a response to any of the letters she leaves at the Cemetery. Her mother's dead, but somehow writing to her makes Jules feel closer to her, even though everyone else in her life seems to think it's time for her to start moving on. Yet, she sees a scribbled reply to one she left on her mother's grave, she's blindsided with a rush of emotions ranging from anger at the invasion of her privacy to a glimmer of hope that maybe there's someone out there that understands what she's going through.

            Declan knows he probably shouldn't have replied to that letter he came across while mowing the cemetery lawn as part of his community service, but it was like that girl knew exactly how he felt. Now neither of them can stop writing to the other under the protective anonymity, telling more to each other than they've ever thought of saying to someone in real life. And it seems to be working, slowly they seem to be bringing each other back to life. But do they really want to stay in that protective bubble forever? Or do they take a chance and see if they're able to make that same connection in the real world? What if they're not the strangers they think they are?

            I'm torn here. On one hand, I like that the book made it more about working through grief and finding the strength to open yourself up again instead of about the potential relationship between Declan and Juliet. Yet, my inner romantic was screaming for a little bit more to happen between the two. But, I get why things happened the way they did. It was a little dramatic and angsty at points, but was understandable considering everything they had had thrown at them. Follow their journey for yourself and see if Juliet and Declan can manage to lead each other away from their grief and out into the light, or if they're just writing Letters to the Lost.

P.S.: I can't wait for Rev's book! He was my favorite character!