One Of My Favorites....

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

by Brigid Kemmerer

Hardcover, 496 pages

Expected publication: January 29th 2019 by Bloomsbury YA

ISBN: 9781681195087

ARC from Publisher!!!

About:

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. (Goodreads)

Rating: 5 Stars!!!

Review:

Go order this book right now!

I loved it so much, I plan on reading it again soon!

It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast…. To an extent.

We have a cursed Prince who lives in a castle away from everyone else, but he doesn’t have any magical clocks and candlesticks helping him out. All he has left is one Commander from his Royal Guard. His castle does clean itself, provides food and has some other magical occurrences going on though. Our Prince is also not a beast for most of the book. How his curse works is at the end of each summer/fall season he becomes a new beast who tears apart loved ones and local villagers. After a bit of terror or if he dies the season restarts back to summer/fall. Those who die at his hands do not return. The only way to end the curse is for him to find someone who will love him and who he can love in return. Over 300 seasons and over 300 girls later and still no luck. Enter Harper, the new kidnapped victim from D.C. brought to the parallel world of our Prince. She has cerebral palsy, but that doesn’t stop her from doing everything she can to run away. She’s not really like Belle from the Disney versions. Harper isn’t really book smart, and I don’t think a fancy library would have interested her enough to stay locked away in a castle. What Harper is though, is one tough and caring chick. Right from the start she tries to rescue a different girl from being kidnapped and ends up the victim instead. During the book she fights with anything she can get her hands on, makes daring escapes, and saves so many people.Did I mention it's written from both Harper's and the Prince's perspectives? Well it is! And that makes it even more amazing!

This book follows the Beauty and the Beast formula…. kind of ? I don’t want to give too much away. I will say that there’s that twist at the end of the book that leaves me begging for the next book right now! The author mentions on Goodreads that there’s a second book planed (Thank God).

The writing of this book is wonderful and kept me hooked.  Even though it’s a longer book (it tops out at almost 500 pages), and there are a few questions that I feel weren’t explained, it is such a quick read it will have you begging for more. The characters are wonderful and I loved them all.

I’d recommend this to any teen who loves Beauty and the Beast or who just wants a great Fantasy read! I’m just disappointed I read this book early and I don’t think much in 2019 will be able to compete with this book lol.

Don't mind me until I get book number two....

Thank you so much to the publisher, Bloomsbury, for sending me an ARC of this book complete with rose petals! It made my day, week, month, and possibly year! This book earned my five star rating all on its own though! :)

(Maybe I'll Take Both If It's The Price Rehen!) 

Tough Girls Kick Butt!

Warrior of the Wild

by Tricia Levenseller

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: February 26th 2019 by Feiwel & Friends

Original TitleWarrior of the Wild

ISBN: 9781250189943

Netgally

About:

How do you kill a god?

As her father's chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: to win back her honour, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying. (Goodreads)

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I loved Levenseller’s kick butt female lead in her Daughter of the Pirate King series. This book is no different.

I felt for Rasmira and how her father expected her to be tough and boyish. I had a similar experience growing up, except I feel like I had it a bit better and I might have accepted it a bit better than she did. There’s some confliction in Rasmira’s character. She wants to be tough and be a great leader someday, but at the same time she resents her Father and Mother for treating her the way that they do. She also seems to enjoy the fighting, but at the same time wishes sometimes she could act like a girl.

The betrayal Rasmira experiences is heart breaking. It’s not only her family but the boy she thinks she loves who hurt her. I loved how that set the stage for the rest of the book. It’s not just a straight romance. Rasmira has to learn to trust again after so much has been taken away from her.

I also loved how clever Levenseller was with creating the God. I really don’t want to give anything away to potential readers so that’s all I’m going to say there. Read the book and you’ll completely see what I mean.  

Overall, this was a great quick adventure read. I’d probably give it to older readers who enjoyed the author’s first books or who are looking for a smart kick butt heroin.

Wickedly Amazing!

The Wicked King

(The Folk of the Air #2)

by Holly Black

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: January 8th 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780316310352

Edelweiss

ABOUT:

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

RATING: 4 Stars

REVIEW:

Book number two in this series is surprisingly just as good as the first one. Jude and Cardan are back and this time they’re running the show. Or well, Jude is making Cardan do what she wants. More political twists and turns lay ahead of future readers of this book. Of course the King wouldn’t be Wicked if he didn’t do some horrible things throughout the book. I’m not one to spoil stories for people so I’ll leave it there.

If you enjoyed the Cruel Prince (book one in the series), you’ve got to get your hands on this one. And plan to get your hands on book three when it comes out at well because this one ends in a cliff hanger.

Overall, I’d say if you enjoyed book one read this one too! And if you haven’t read book one yet… what are you waiting for?!?

Wait! What's Going On?

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

(Mara Dyer #1)

by Michelle Hodkin

Hardcover, 452 pages

Published September 27th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

ISBN: 9781442421769

Library

About:

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong. (Goodreads)

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:

Such a good warp your mind kind of book.

Strange things seem to happen around Mara Dyer. Is it just her PTSD or is it something more? Strange things happen to Noah to. Put the two of them together and you’ve got one strange mystery and seems to turn into something more than just two teens suffering from trauma.

I loved the feeling of this book. You never know what’s real and what’s in Mara’s head until you get further along in the story. Things get creepy and dangerous fast in this read.

Mara and Noah share a love hate relationship. At first it seemed a bit annoying but by the end of the book I loved both of the characters. The parents in the book I sort of wanted to smack, but that’s typical in YA novels.

Overall, this was an entertaining read for the month of October. A bit spooky. A bit of a mystery. A psychological thriller. More mature teens might enjoy it more, but younger teens looking for a creep factor might like it too.

Just A Little Bit Of Pixie Dust.....

Unhooked

by Lisa Maxwell

Hardcover, 342 pages

Published February 2nd 2016 by Simon Pulse

ISBN: 9781481432047

Library/ Met Author at Anderson’s YA Conference

About:

For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.

But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.

The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.

With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself? (Goodreads)

Rating: 3 Stars

Review:

I’m a huge Peter Pan fan…. Let me alter that a bit…. I’m a huge Captain Hook fan.

At first glance this book seemed right up my alley. A more modern retelling of the story. One where Hook is not evil but Peter might be.

All my hopes were dashed when they gave Hook a completely different name (Rowan) and a metal magic arm instead of a hook.

The first chunk of the book before Gwen gets kidnapped is slow. Once she gets to Neverland things are predictable and not well developed. I did enjoy how each chapter started with a little piece of a soldier’s story and how that story tied in, but I wish there was more to that.

I did like Rowan (aka wannabe Hook). He was rough, tough, and handsome. But he was not quite Hook. There wasn’t really much that I liked about Gwen. There wasn’t much I liked about Peter. All of the other characters we never really learned much about so they were useless.

This book gets points for sort of being unique. The mother and Gwen’s background play an interesting part of the story.  Rowan’s background was interesting as well. I wish that both were explained more though.

Overall, I give this book only three stars. It had potential, but missed the mark and was under developed. It could be that I’m a huge Peter Pan nerd though. I think teens who enjoy retellings could easily get into this book, but I’d give them titles like Everland or Peter and the Star Catchers first.

Off To Neverland!

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

by Christina Henry

Paperback, 292 pages

Published July 4th 2017 by Berkley Books

ISBN: 9780399584022

Library/ Bought

About:

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.

Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.

Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever.(Goodreads)

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

I loved this book. It is a perfect dark retelling of Peter Pan staring my favorite pirate Hook (Jamie)! This is the story of how Jamie was once a Lost Boy. In fact he was Pan’s first and favorite lost boy, until things get so bad that Jamie rebels and tries to escape. That’s a big “No” in Pan’s book! This book explains how Jamie becomes the Captain that everyone knows him as today. It’s violent, unexpected, heart touching and perfect. Be warned if you read this book you may never look at Peter Pan (the character) the same way ever again! He is not the fun loving Disney character you might be picturing right now. And Hook isn’t a middle aged, mustache wearing, crocodile hating, evil pirate.  He’s actually a cute teen trying to survive the dangers of Neverland and keep his friends alive.

If you even remotely enjoy fairytale retellings then pick up this book ASAP! Know that it’s not for those who are hard core “Neverland is a happy place and Pan is the best” believers. Pan in this book will shred all of those beliefs with his sword!