YA

YALLfest 2016

~ Angela ~ 1 Comment

YALLfest banner 2016.jpg

This year I was lucky enough to go to YALLfest in Charleston, SC with a couple friends! We’d never been before but I was super excited to hang out and meet my favorite authors. There was a huge turnout for the event and while that was exciting it also meant very long lines. There were so many authors I wanted to meet but I couldn’t carry all those books and I knew it’d be next to impossible to have the time to see them all anyway so I managed to get my list down to 7 or 8 top authors. Well, did I mention how long the lines were? Yeah. They were intense so unfortunately I only actually ended up meeting 3.5 authors.  Continue reading →

Between the Lines

~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

Between the Lines (Between the Lines #1) by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer (2012)

between the lines

Teen Fiction | Contemporary/Fantasy Romance

0-stars-dnf
Blurb:

“Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.  Continue reading →

An Ember in the Ashes

~ Angela ~ 9 Comments

An Ember in the Ashes (Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir (2015)

An Ember in the Ashes

YA Fiction | Fantasy
5 stars
Blurb:

“Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.  Continue reading →

Gilded Cage

~ Angela ~ 6 Comments

Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James (2017)
-ARC Review-

Gilded Cage

Fiction | Urban Fantasy | Dystopia
4.5 stars
Blurb:

“For readers of Victoria Aveyard and George RR Martin comes a darkly fantastical debut set in a modern England where magically gifted aristocrats rule and commoners are doomed to serve.

NOT ALL ARE FREE.
NOT ALL ARE EQUAL.
NOT ALL WILL BE SAVED.

Our world belongs to the Equals—aristocrats with magical gifts—and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England’s grandest estate lies a power that could break the world.  Continue reading →

Witch’s Pyre

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Witch’s Pyre (Worldwalker #3) by Josephine Angelini (2016)

Witch's Pyre

YA Fiction | Paranormal Fantasy
4.5 stars
Blurb:

“Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be. She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know.  Continue reading →

Crooked Kingdom

~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo (2016)

crooked kingdom

YA Fiction | Dark Fantasy
5 stars
Blurb:

“Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.”
–Goodreads  
Continue reading →

Beware That Girl

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Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten (2016)

Beware That Girl

YA Fiction | Psychological Thriller
4 Stars
Blurb:

“For fans of We Were Liars, The Girl on the Train, and Gone Girl, this powerful psychological thriller with multiple mysteries is set against the backdrop of the megawealthy elite of New York City. Toten delves into the mesmerizing yet dysfunctional world of those who manipulate but seem ever so charming. With its gripping pace and Hitchcockian twists, Beware That Girl will keep readers guessing until the very last line.

The Haves. The Have-Nots. Kate O’Brian appears to be a Have-Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of—some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. Oh, and she’s also a masterful liar.  Continue reading →

Cease & Desist

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Cease & Desist by Stephen David Hurley (2016)
-eARC Review-

Cease and Desist

YA/NA Fiction | Contemporary | Thriller | Supernatural
3.5 Stars
Blurb:

“What if the secret to being charismatic were actually a gene you could inherit, and pass along to your children. What if this “X-factor” could make you a star? Welcome to the world of Cease de Menich, a sixteen-year-old actress in New York City who gets cast as Joan-of-Arc in a reality-drama, only to discover her “acting gift” has been passed down through her bloodline for almost six-hundred-years. Cease finds the plot of the drama reveals dark secrets from her past–an abusive mother, a brother who committed suicide–and the reader must decide if she’s a reliable narrator or a terrified girl who’s succumb to the pressure of fame and the abuse of her past.  Continue reading →

A Monster Calls

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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (2011)

A Monster Calls

Everybody Fiction | Contemporary | Paranormal
5 stars
Blurb:

“The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.”
–Goodreads  Continue reading →

Toward a Secret Sky

~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

Toward a Secret Sky (Toward a Secret Sky #1) by Heather Maclean (2017)
-eARC Review-

Toward a Secret Sky

YA Fiction | Paranormal | Romance
3.5 Stars
Blurb:

“Toward a Secret Sky by New York Times bestselling author Heather Maclean is a new breed of YA novel: an intelligent adventure-quest crossed with a sweeping, forbidden love story. A mix of reality and possibility, this fast-paced thriller will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer and Dan Brown as it leads the reader on a breathless flight through the highlands of Scotland, the secret city under London, and history itself.  Continue reading →