King of Scars

King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo (2019)

king of scars

YA Fiction | Fantasy
3 StarsBlurb:

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army. Continue reading

The Wrath & The Dawn

The Wrath & The Dawn (The Wrath & The Dawn #1) by Renée Ahdieh (2015)

the wrath and the dawn

YA Fiction | Romance | Fantasy
3.5 StarsBlurb:

One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.  Continue reading

Blood for Blood

Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2) by Ryan Graudin (2016)

blood for blood

YA Fiction | Historical (WWII) | Sci-Fi
4 StarsBlurb:

There would be blood. Blood for blood. Blood to pay. An entire world of it.

For the resistance in the Third Reich, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against Hitler’s army, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost.  Continue reading

Tess of the Road

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (2018)
-eARC Review-

Tess of the Road

YA Fiction | Fantasy
3.5 StarsBlurb:

“In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can’t make a scene at your sister’s wedding and break a relative’s nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.  Continue reading

The Crown’s Game

The Crown’s Game (The Crown’s Game #1) by Evelyn Skye (2016)

the crown's game

YA Fiction | Fantasy
3 Stars
Blurb:

“Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.  Continue reading

Cover Reveal | Crooked Kingdom

This is a belated post and I apologize but can we please shuffle past my bringing of totally late news and just talk about how utterly AWESOME this cover is??????? If I ever publish a book I want _____ to be my cover artist as well because clearly he/she does an absolutely stellar job. (I tried utilizing Google to find out who the artist is but Google has failed me. Or perhaps I’m just not searching deep enough…).

*drum roll*  Continue reading

Passenger

Passenger (Passenger #1) by Alexandra Bracken (2016)

passenger cover
YA Fiction | Time Travel | Romance
4.5 stars
Blurb:

“passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. Continue reading