Review: What the Woods Keep

Title: What the Woods Keep

Author: Katya De Becerra

Date of Publication: September 18th, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

On her eighteenth birthday, Hayden inherits her childhood home—on the condition that she uncover its dark secrets.

Hayden tried to put the past behind her, and it worked. She’s getting ready for college, living in a Brooklyn apartment, and hanging out with her best friend and roommate Del. But now it’s all catching up with her: her mother’s mysterious disappearance a decade before, her father’s outlandish theories about a lost supernatural race, and Hayden’s own dark dreams of strange symbols and rituals in the Colorado woods where she grew up.

As soon as Hayden arrives at her hometown, her friend Del in tow, it begins: Neighbors whisper secrets about Hayden’s mother; the boy next door is now all grown-up in a very distracting way; and Hayden feels the trees calling to her. And among them, deep in the woods, Hayden will discover something incredible—something that threatens reality itself.

My Review:

I just knew I had to read this book when I saw the cover and read the blurb. Plus tress… trees… and trees!!

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Right off the bat, the writing draws the reader in with its alluring words. Hayden is an interesting character, and you really never know what’s going on exactly with her. She’s well developed and as the story goes on you find out more! There’s present stuff, some past stuff, and a whole lot of I need to find out what’s going on.

The book pretty much had everything—friendship, mystery, creepiness, and a dash of romance. Trust me, you’ll want to get lost in these woods!

 

What’s your favorite horror book?

Review: Children of Blood and Bone

Title: Children of Blood and Bone

Author: Tomi Adeyemi

Date of Publication: March 6th, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.

My Review:

Right off the bat this ended up being just an okay read for me—not awesome but not terrible. I thought the snow leoponaires were a very cool concept, and the characters were good, but I just didn’t get the magic system.

There was so much magic talk going on, and I got confused. It also felt like more YA fantasy books tossed in—girl with white hair and magical powers. Can there maybe be like blue hair next time? I did like the diversity in this book, and Zelie held an anger that was rightfully so.

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Also this book is long! I think it would have held my attention more if it had been a hundred pages shorter. I feel like most people will probably like this book, and I wish I would have fallen in love with it because that cover is gorgeous!

How does this book sound to you?

Review: To Kill a Kingdom

Title: To Kill a Kingdom

Author: Alexandra Christo

Date of Publication: March 6th, 2018

Goodreads Summary:

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

My Review:

Loved this awesome take on the Little Mermaid! Lira was utterly vicious, and it was amazing! She pretty much is a siren who rips out the hearts of princes each year for her birthday—with her freaking bare hands!

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When Lira becomes human, she’s pulled on board a ship by Prince Elian. He was great, too! He wasn’t your standard, boring prince. He was fierce and ready to do whatever needed to be done for his crew and humanity. The romance is a slow and beautiful build, and the connection between Elian and Lira is lovely—even with all the hate she has!

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This book was so much fun, and definitely one of the better retellings I have read. The characters were strong, and the side characters were excellent. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

How does this book sound to you?

 

 

Review: Wild Beauty

Title: Wild Beauty

Author: Anna-Marie McLemore

Date of Publication: October 3rd, 2017

Goodreads Summary:

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

My Review:

First, let me complement the writer’s beautiful and fabulous writing! But, I don’t know man. Sometimes the stuff got a little too abstract for me, and I wasn’t sure what was going on.

I didn’t really connect to the story or the characters as much as I would have liked to either. There was a whole lot of flower talk and the girls all had flower names, which if you like flowers that’s a plus.

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When Fel came in to the picture early on, things got very interesting, but then it quickly faded for me. Again, this probably just didn’t work for me because a lot of times with overly descriptive writing, I just wanted the story to move along a little faster. I am most likely the odd one out on this one.

How does this book sound to you?

Review: The Faerie Ring

Title: The Faerie Ring

Author: Kiki Hamilton

Date of Publication: September 27th, 2011

Goodreads Summary:

The year is 1871…

Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring is a reservoir that holds a truce between the English royals and the world of the Fey. But there are many who want the ring, including the mysterious Rieker, a handsome pickpocket who has been watching Tiki, and a rebel group of UnSeelie fey who would do anything to break the truce…

A delicious blend of urban fantasy and heart-stopping suspense, the story of THE FAERIE RING takes you from the gritty slums of London to the glittering ballrooms of the Royal Palace to the menacing Otherworld – in a spellbinding tale of mystery and suspense where nothing is what it seems…

My Review:

Since running away from her aunt’s home after her parents died Tiki has been living alone with a group of orphans.  She pick pockets and steals for survival. Tiki comes across a ring that she steals and later finds out it belongs to the queen. Rieker is a boy from the streets that she is not sure whether to trust or not, and there is not only the royal family wanting the ring, but the fae as well.

I absolutely loved the setting of this story, and the fact that it is set in the 1800’s in England is the absolute best. You add fae to that mix, and it is the perfect blend. Tiki was a well rounded character, and I love the fact that she would do anything for her group. They weren’t just a group of orphans but a real family. It felt like the lost boys, but with girls in the mix. When Clara who Tiki found in a pile of trash as a baby gets incredibly sick she has to take her to a hospital, and the only way she knows how to keep her safe is to get money from the stolen ring.

Rieker was a bottle full of mystery, and my favorite thing was learning everything about him including all of his secrets. I just hated that Tiki kept going back and fourth with whether to trust him or not to trust him when at least to me it was obvious that he was trustworthy and really cared about her.

The few fae that we meet in this book were a bucket full of crazy and were not good at all. Larkin! I didn’t know what to do with her, but she was entertaining in all her parts in the book.

This was a fun read and while it would have been nice if it was a little darker I really liked it and can’t wait to read the next book.

 

How does this book sound to you?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Beauty of Darkness

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Breaking the Spine, that discusses upcoming releases that we are super excited about!

Date of Publication: August 2, 2016

Goodreads Summary:

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous – what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson’s combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

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If you haven’t started this series yet then you must.  It is so good!

What book are you waiting for?

Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie Week

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week’s topic is Freebie Week, so I am doing a flashback. My top ten books of 2015.

2015 was a great year for books!  There were so many I wanted to put in my top then!

What was your favorite book from 2015?