The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh | book review

✧ This review is spoiler-free! ✧

“When life becomes difficult. the only source of strength we have is love. Love of others, love of self, love of life in its entirety.”

Renee Ahdieh, The Beautiful

Title: The Beautiful
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Series: The Beautiful, #1
Published: Oct. 8, 2019
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Reader
Category: young adult
Genre: fantasy, paranormal, romance
Pages: 448
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Goodreads page

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Synopsis

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as Le Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sèbastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of Le Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sèbastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

The Brightest Night by Jennifer L. Armentrout | book review

✧ This (short) review is spoiler-free! ✧

“Never.”
“Never come for me.”
“Never look for me.”
“If you do, I will take everything from you.”

Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Brightest Night

Title: The Brightest Night
Series: Origin, #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: October 20, 2020
Publisher: Tor Teen
Category: young adult
Genre: fantasy, aliens, romance
Pages: 512
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Goodreads page

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco | book review

✧ This review is spoiler-free! ✧

“Love is the most powerful magic. Above all else, remember that. It will always guide you where you need to go.”

Kerri Maniscalco, Kingdom of the Wicked

Title: Kingdom of the Wicked
Series: Kingdom of the Wicked, #1
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Published: Oct. 27, 2020
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Category: YA
Genre: fantasy, magic, witches
Pages: 372
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Goodreads page

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Synopsis

Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…
And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems…

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

Grace and Glory Cover Reveal a.k.a. when a book cover is more photogenic than I am

Good morning/afternoon/evening/whatever time of day it is right now! If you’re new here, you might not know that Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors. I believe she’s the most-reviewed author on this blog at the time I’m writing this.

So you might have guessed how excited I was when I saw that the Grace and Glory (a.k.a the last book in The Harbinger trilogy) cover was revealed today!

Drum roll, please….

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Book Review

“Your heart, Poppy? It is a gift I do not deserve.” He placed his hands on his knees as he lifted his gaze to mine. “But it is one I will protect until my dying breath.”

Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

Title: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
Series: Blood and Ash, #2
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Genre: new adult, fantasy, romance, supernatural
Pages: 697
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)
Goodreads page

This review is spoiler-free!

Fangs by Sarah Andersen | ARC Review

I was given a digital ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Fangs
Series: standalone
Author & Illustrator: Sarah Anderson
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre: humor, relationships, comics
Pages: 112
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page

This short review is spoiler free!

 

 

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Synopsis

A new gothic romance story from the creator of the enormously popular Sarah’s Scribbles comics.

Vamp is three hundred years old but in all that time, she has never met her match. This all changes one night in a bar when she meets a charming werewolf. FANGS chronicles the humor, sweetness, and awkwardness of meeting someone perfectly suited to you but also vastly different.

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins | Book Review

“We have to face difficulties to find out what our true strengths are. How we come back from failure is a very valuable test.”

Wendy Higgins, Sweet Evil

Title: Sweet Evil
Series: Sweet, #1
Author: Wendy Higgins
Published: May 1, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA fantasy, romance
Pages: 464
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Goodreads page

This review is spoiler-free!

Synopsis

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.
Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker | Book Review

Title: Mooncakes
Series: standalone
Author: Suzanne Walker
Illustrator: Wendy Xu
Publisher: Oni Press
Genre: YA fantasy, graphic novel
Pages: 256
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 stars)
Goodreads page

This short review is spoiler-free!

Synopsis

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]

Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Book Review

Title: Rage and Ruin
Series: The Harbinger, #2
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: YA, fantasy, romance
Pages: 576
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page

There are no spoilers of Rage and Ruin in this review!

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell | Book Review

“If you can’t trust people with nose rings
to be open-minded, who’s left?”

Title: Wayward Son
Series: Simon Snow, #2
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Genre: young adult, fantasy, adventure, LGBTQ+
Pages: 356
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Goodreads page

This review has no spoilers.