My Review
I have heard nothing but good things about Kasie West books over the years, and while I have a few, I’ve never managed to find time to pick one up and read it until now. After finishing it, I have … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Synopsis
In this irresistible story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.
Only he doesn’t come. No one does.
Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?
Synopsis
The once-future Queen of Hearts, Princess Dinah, has been exiled from Wonderland. Her vicious father who she always feared has framed her for a brutal murder and turned the kingdom against her.Now hiding in the mysterious Twisted Wood with only her war steed at her side, Dinah is faced with a choice – to leave Wonderland forever or stay and fight for the throne.
A chance encounter with a long-lost enemy of the kingdom brings Dinah more allies than she ever could have imagined. But before battle, Dinah must confront truths about her heart and her destiny – no matter how dark those secrets may be.
Revolution is rising in Wonderland. Dinah’s war has begun.
My Review
Last year, I picked up Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes, and I thought it was one of the most impressive and exciting YA fantasy novels that I had read. Even still today, that book remains one of my favorites, … Continue reading
Synopsis
Mary B. Addison killed a baby.Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a church-going black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say.
Mary survived five years in baby jail before being dumped in a group home. The house isn’t really “home”—no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home. There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary?
In this gritty and haunting debut, Tiffany D. Jackson explores the grey areas in our understanding of justice, family, and truth, and acknowledges the light and darkness alive in all of us.
My Review
Allegedly was one dark and twisted book that was a total page turner for me. It made me go from hating the narrator, to loving her, to not having any idea how I felt. It’s probably one of the darkest … Continue reading
Lifers Author: M.A. Griffin Publication Date: January 31st, 2017 Publisher: Chicken House (Scholastic) Pages: 288 Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook Find It: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads Synopsis: Fear haunts the streets of Preston’s city: a girl has disappeared. Preston is drawn … Continue reading
Synopsis
How do you live your life if your past is based on a lie? A new novel in both verse and prose from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins.For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire.
Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.
Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago.
What is Ariel supposed to believe? Is it possible Dad’s woven her entire history into a tapestry of lies? How can she choose between the mother she’s been taught to mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years?
In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the very first time.
My Review
This is the first book written by Ellen Hopkins that I have had the chance to read, and let me start this review off by telling you that it definitely won’t be my last. Sometimes it can be hard to … Continue reading
Synopsis
Ansa has always been a fighter.As a child, she fought the invaders who murdered her parents and snatched her as a raid prize. She fought for her place next to Thyra, the daughter of the Krigere Chieftain. She fought for her status as a warrior in her tribe: blood and victory are her way of life. But the day the Krigere cross the great lake and threaten the witch queen of the Kupari, everything changes.
Cursed by the queen with fire and ice, Ansa is forced to fight against an invisible enemy—the dark magic that has embedded itself deep in her bones. The more she tries to hide it, the more dangerous it becomes. And with the Krigere numbers decimated and the tribe under threat from the traitorous brother of the dead Chieftain, Ansa is torn between her loyalty to the Krigere, her love for Thyra, and her own survival instincts.
With her world in chaos and each side wanting to claim her for their own, only one thing is certain: unless Ansa can control the terrible magic inside her, everything she’s fought for will be destroyed.
My Review
For those who know me, you’ve probably seen me gushing over Sarah Fine’s The Impostor Queen since before it was even published last year – it was instantly one of my favorite books. To be completely honest, this is only … Continue reading
Synopsis
Fighter, Faker, Student, Spy. Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan.Now Reagan has to decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she's always wanted? And does she even have a choice at all?
Find out if you are ready to join the Black Angels in the captivating and emotional page-turner, You Don't Know My Name, from debut novelist Kristen Orlando!
My Review
You Don’t Know My Name is described in the synopsis as a “page turner,” and let me point out how true this is! I couldn’t put this down, and before I knew it, I had read through the entire book. … Continue reading
Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Raychel is sleeping with two boys: her overachieving best friend Matt…and his slacker brother, Andrew. Raychel sneaks into Matt’s bed after nightmares, but nothing ever happens. He doesn’t even seem to realize she’s a girl, except when he decides she needs rescuing. But Raychel doesn't want to be his girl anyway. She just needs his support as she deals with the classmate who assaulted her, the constant threat of her family’s eviction, and the dream of college slipping quickly out of reach. Matt tries to help, but he doesn’t really get it… and he’d never understand why she’s fallen into a secret relationship with his brother. The friendships are a precarious balance, and when tragedy strikes, everything falls apart. Raychel has to decide which pieces she can pick up – and which ones are worth putting back together.My Review
After the Fall was one of my most anticipated reads for 2017. I love books that deal with real issues, even if they are difficult to get through, and this book definitely was difficult to get through at times, because … Continue reading
City of Saints and Thieves Author: Natalie C. Anderson Publication Date: January 24th, 2017 Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Synopsis: In the shadows of Sangui City, there lives a girl who doesn’t exist. After fleeing the Congo as … Continue reading
Synopsis
“Even if everyone thought I was lying, why couldn’t they just leave me alone? I hadn’t asked for any of them to believe me. I hadn’t asked for them to worship me.I hadn’t asked them for anything.”
Mina is top of her class, girlfriend to the most ambitious guy in school, able to reason and study her way through anything. But when she finds herself pregnant—despite having never had sex—her orderly world collapses. Almost nobody believes Mina’s claims of virginity. Her father assumes that her boyfriend is responsible; her boyfriend thinks she must have cheated on him. As news of Mina’s story spreads, there are those who brand her a liar. There are those who brand her a heretic. And there are those who believe that miracles are possible—and that Mina’s unborn child could be the greatest miracle of all.
My Review
I read this book ages ago, so why haven’t I reviewed it yet? It kind of got lost in my “to-review” pile, and I just kept pushing back a review for it. But I realized that I need to get … Continue reading
