Book Review: Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer

 

Goodreads Summary: With her death foretold, Althea Zoltaire only has three years to become what she's always dreamed of being: a warrior legend.
Women are forbidden to wield blades, so she has trained in secret her entire life. Now racing against the clock, she fights to secure her place in the elite guild charged with the protection of the five kingdoms.

The sparring and hazing of the new trainees border on deadly, but even more dangerous is her growing attraction to Wilder Hawthorne, her unwilling warrior chaperone.

All around them, schemes are afoot and darkness looms.

Will Althea pass the perilous initiation test and take her place as a champion of Thezmarr – or will the invading evil snatch away her dream before it starts?
Goodreads Ratings: 4.21 stars with over 46,000 ratings

Genre Listing:  Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Fiction, High Fantasy, Adult, New Adult

Goodreads/Story Graph Challenge: 3/30

2025 Reading Challenge: #46 Read a Fantasy novel (See the entire challenge here) 

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well on this frigid January evening. I just finished the audiobook Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer and wanted a quick review while it was fresh in my mind. One of my goals for 2025 is to get back in the habit of reviewing each book. We'll see how it goes. As I mentioned in my 2024 overview, I suspect a lot of my books in 2025 will be audiobooks. I think this will add to my review content, as I can comment on narrators and delivery. 

I got Blood & Steel in my audible library early last year. However, because I was binging the Wandering Inn series, I didn't have the opportunity to listen to it. I'm really loving the increase in fantasy novels with strong female main characters lately. Blood & Steel follows twenty-four-year-old Alchemist Althea, who desperately wants to be a warrior. Of course, there's a prophecy, and it scares the men in the society, so women aren't allowed to wield blades. Althea really spoke to me as a main character. I really appreciated the grit and determination that she showed in the story. I find a strong-willed, stubborn female character relatable, and Althea was no exception.

Plot-wise, the storyline was predictable. It wasn't bad, and in fact, I really enjoyed it. I just wasn't ever surprised when listening to it. There were points when listening to it that I guessed what was going to be said next, almost verbatim. There was a lot of repetition in the dialogue. The story was enjoyable, but it didn't stand out from any other fantasy I've read. For the Romantacy smut readers, I'd rate it 1/2 of a chili pepper. There was some sexual tension, but aside from one scene, nothing particularly spicy. 

The narration was decent. It's mainly a female narrator, though a male narrator also has a few chapters. My only real issue with the narration was that the female narrator had an American accent but was using the word 'arse.' It's not a big deal, but it kept taking me out of the story at first because it didn't fit with the voice. 

Book Review: Pestilence by Laura Thalassa

 

Goodreads Summary: They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.
When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn's town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed.

Too bad no one told her Pestilence can't be killed.

Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he's eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she's with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her… and hers towards him.

And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she'll have to sacrifice her heart in the process.

From bestselling indie author Laura Thalassa comes a dark fantasy romance between the Horseman Pestilence and Sara, the girl who shoots Pestilence down only to realize he can't be killed. He takes her as prisoner, but the longer they're together, the more uncertain their feelings for each other grow.

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, New Adult, Dystopia

Goodreads Rating: 3.89 stars with over 100,000 ratings

Goodreads/StoryGraph Challenge: 19/40

2024 Reading Challenge: #25 Read an Enemies to Lovers story (See the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I picked up Pestilence a while ago. It was an interesting concept, and I really enjoyed Laura Thalassa's Unearthly series. Plus, the cover was pretty. I picked up the other 3 for the pretty covers while Target was having a sale recently. 

I enjoyed the story. I wasn't expecting any great work of literature, but I was entertained. Honestly, that's what I hope for with a book- entertained and gets me out of my head. This succeeded in doing so. I liked Sara as a character. I thought she was funny and relatable. Pestilence was a little dry in personality, but that seemed fitting. The story is basically sexy Stockholm Syndrome in an apocalyptic setting. 

The scene setting was pretty basic apocalypse stuff - abandoned houses, some with electricity, some without. I was confused that there was still TV, but I'm probably overthinking this. For the Romantacy readers - this is probably a 1 or a 2 on the spice level. I'm unfamiliar with the rating system, and it's likely subjective. The sex scenes don't really happen until the last 40% of the book, and they're pretty tame. There are 3-4 scenes, if that. The religious overtures were surprisingly light, considering the premise. It's mostly presented as humans had some of the story of God, but not all of it. I never felt like it got preachy, which was good. I probably wouldn't have finished it if it did.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It's good for a light Fantasy/Romance read. If you want to be entertained for around 400 pages, I recommend it. I'll probably read the rest of the series eventually since I have all four books.

Book Series Review: From Blood and Ash Books 2-4 by Jennifer Armentrout

 

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their June so far. I will jump into the post without doing all the typical Goodreads info. Since I will be talking about three books at once, it will be challenging to do all of that, making this post extremely long. I'll provide some of the information as I go, if I can think of a succinct way. If you want to see my review of the first book, you can find it here.

The genre listing for this series is: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, and High Fantasy, and it covers books 30-32 for my Goodreads yearly Challenge. For the 2023 Reading Challenge, I ugh... got a little creative with how I fit these in there. For Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, I listed that as the Folklore prompt since I feel like Vampires/Werewolves/mythology kind of fits into that. I put The Crown of Gilded Bones as a book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself. There's a lot of discussion of relationships that I found inspiring. The War of Two Queens was more straightforward, and I could slot that in for A book that involves a lot of traveling. You can find the entire 2023 challenge here. I'll eventually get around to doing an updated post of where I'm in the challenge. My Goodreads challenge for the year is done. I was going to increase the goal, but I'm going to count it all as extra since it's arbitrary anyways.

(If you can't tell by the fact that I burned through 4 books (all over 600 pages) within a few weeks, I really like this series. So much so that it has dethroned the His Fair Assassin series by Robin LaFever as my favorite. I am OBSESSED with From Blood and Ash. I don't know if I have ever been this captivated by a series. All I have thought about since I started this series is reading more. Sadly, book five isn't out until July. To tell you how obsessed I am, I was actually considering buying it on audiobook to listen to them while I work. I can't do audiobooks well, so this is a big deal. I've already got book 5 pre-ordered.

I love the writing style and how it's fantasy and romance but uses modern-day language and slang. It makes it really engaging and easy to connect with the characters. I love seeing actual character growth for all of the characters. I love that Poppy is a badass. I love that Casteel is arrogant but also extremely sweet. I adore how Kieran is with both of them. The Blood Queen feels like a proper villain that you can understand their motives but also hate and want to root against. I could go on and on and on and on some more about how much I love this series.

If you like fantasy/paranormal/romance, read this. It is so worth it. I will caveat this with, if you do not like very descriptive violence or sex scenes, you will probably not enjoy this series. It definitely gets more violent and sexual as it goes.

Book Review: Serpent & Dove Trilogy by Shelby Mahurin

 

Goodreads Summary: Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

Goodreads Summary: After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and Church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

Goodreads Summary: The spellbinding conclusion to the New York Times and IndieBound bestselling trilogy Serpent & Dove. This stunning fantasy take on French witches and forbidden love is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.
Evil always seeks a foothold. We must not give it one.

After a heartbreaking loss, Lou, Reid, Beau, and Coco are bent on vengeance more than ever before—and none more so than Lou.

But this is no longer the Lou they thought they knew. No longer the Lou that captured a chasseur's heart. A darkness has settled over her, and this time it will take more than love to drive it out.

Book Reviews:

Hello Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I recently read the Serpent & Dove Trilogy by Shelby Mahurin. I was traveling for work when I finished them and didn't have my laptop, so I needed to wait until I could get home to review the books so you get a combined review for all three books. Honestly, I would have done this format anyway because I burned through it. Fortunately, this series is a trilogy, so I have it penciled in for reading prompts 21, 22, and 23, respectively. If anyone is from Indiana and needs something for the home state prompt, Shelby Mahurin is also from Indiana. You can find the entire 2023 reading challenge here.

I enjoyed the trilogy, but Serpent & Dove was my favorite. I stayed up until 5 am reading it and forced myself to sleep with around 50 pages left. I enjoyed getting to know Lou and Reid as they got to know each other through their forced circumstances. Plus, I really liked the dynamic between Reid and Lou and how they balanced each other. It was a comical relationship to read, but also sweet, and I liked the growth in their relationship. I felt like Reid tamed Lou and made her a little less selfish, and she showed him how to live and find purpose. 

Blood & Honey was a middle book for me. I enjoyed it, and a lot happened, but at the same time, it felt like nothing happened. I don't know if that makes sense, but it was a bridge to Gods & Monsters. With the entire trilogy, I didn't know where it was going. There wasn't anything that I found overly predictable, which was nice. 

I know that not everyone reads Prologues or Epilogues, which I never understood. I always read them. I highly recommend reading the epilogue for Gods & Monsters. It gives the trilogy the sweetest ending ever. I had to try hard not to tear up on the plane reading it. 

I recommend this series if you like Paranormal/fantasy/romance stories. The magic system was interesting, and I liked that everything had a balance. I'm definitely going to look into other books by Shelby Mahurin. This is a good option if you want a series with a true ending. I just checked Goodreads; a spinoff series will launch in September.

Life stuff, if anyone cares:

As I said, I went to Miami for the week for work. I like to play photographer occasionally, so here are some photos I took there. Before leaving, I also went to a Blink-182 concert, so enjoy some pictures.

Miami Airport

View from my hotel room.

Blink-182 concert, mainly I just think this is a fun concert shot (though, I do adore Blink <3)

Book Review: Shadow Lands by Stacey Marie Brown

 

Goodreads Summary: I no longer walked in the gray ... I had fallen into the darkness.

With Brexley on the run and Istvan rebuilding his power in the safety of Ivanenko's territory, those who have escaped the prison are dealing with the bloody aftermath and trying to regain any hold they can on Budapest. But in Markos's absence, Sonya makes a claim for the throne and takes control of the city.

When the rebel's hideout is attacked, they are forced to flee the city they call home, heading East to destroy Istvan's rise in Ukraine.

And locate Kovacs.

Warwick is not the only one after Brexley. Beasts, humans, and fae are hunting her to seize the one item that can save or destroy not just the country but the world.

Brexley's powers are growing, but she is finding even she can't control the dangerous nectar because the more she advances her own powers, so does the nectar, containing too much magic for one person to handle.

In this final installment, Brexley, Warwick, Killian, Caden, and Scorpion fight for love, freedom, life, and their country.

Fire ignites, beasts kill, death rises . . . And every life is on the line.

Between life and death, deep in the shadows, there is The Grey...
And The Wolf ready to obliterate the world for her.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.98 stars with over 6,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy, Dystopia, Paranormal, New Adult

Goodreads Challenge: 20/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #60 Free Space! Pick any book. (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! As always, I hope everyone is doing well. Life updates, in case anyone is interested. My husband and I are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. We're not really doing anything super exciting; just going out to dinner tomorrow night. Other than that, no significant updates. 

So onward to Shadow Lands. This is the sixth and final book in the Savage Lands series. I really enjoyed the series (obviously, as I burned through all of my free space on the challenge). Even though I enjoyed the series, I'm glad to finish it. There is at least one spinoff series, but I don't know if I will read it. That may be something for future years' challenges. 

Shadow Lands was an interesting change from the rest of the series, which predominantly followed Brexley's point of view. The final book, however, alternates between most of the core characters, including Warwick, Caden, and Scorpion. This gave a lot more depth and insight into their feelings. I especially liked getting more of Scorpion's back story.

The story came full circle and ended in a way that finalized Brexley's part of the story and makes room for the spinoff series(s). For the most part, it ended well for everyone. Regarding the things that didn't end well- WHO HURT YOU, STACEY MARIE BROWN. OMG. 

My favorite characters in the series were Opie and Bitzy. They are the best versions of sassy sidekicks. Esmeralda, though not a sidekick, was also fantastic. The literary world needs more Sassy Old Ladies who are sick of everyone's shit, including the ghosts they can communicate with. 

What really made me love this series are the characters, the humor, and the adventure. The actual writing leaves a lot to be desired. I don't know if that makes sense, but the actual story is fantastic; the writing is slightly above mediocre. All of the books really needed another round of editing. There were a handful of incorrect words or typos in each book. It also really needed someone to check it with a thesaurus. As I've said, the books are pretty spicy, and I'd consider them borderline erotica. The sex scenes got very repetitive, especially in Shadow Lands. They were all described in the same way with the same words. This sixth book ultimately boiled down to a forest orgy for a decent part of the book, and all of the characters who had sex scenes were explained the same way. How they felt in their relationships was described in the same way, for the most part. It got old, especially by book six. 

I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes New Adult and Fantasy Romance. I feel like ACTOR fans would like it. That being said if you're easily put off by typoes, repetitive word usage, or gratuitous sex scenes - probably best to stay away.


I'm giving it four moons solely for how much this series entertained me. Because I really did enjoy it a lot.

Book Review: The Octunnumi Fosbit Files Prologue by Trevor Alan Foris

 

Goodreads Summary: The Octunnumi does not exist.
Fosbit and any files relating to a Fosbit do not exist.

The Tarelen peoples that protect and provide sanctuary for the Avitens of Fethrist are not real.

The abilities of the Tarelen peoples with their heightened skills, living in their Utopian world are myth, their purpose here mere tales; rumours of their reincarnations enabling them to live many lives… ridiculous!

And there is definitely no magic.

None at all.

No, really, there isn’t.

Magic is not a thing.

There are also no hidden worlds or mythical beings coexisting just out of sight.

Equally, there are no secret access points to these hidden worlds that don’t exist, and there is no, 'unfinished business from the past' that is set to destroy, well, anything.

There is no disaster looming.

Anyway, regardless of any potential threat that may or may not be present, this publication, The Octunnumi and any reference to any other beings is a work of fiction.

And for the record, Scariodintts, should they exist, are perfectly lovely beings whose purpose in life is grossly misunderstood.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.08 stars with over 8,000 reviews

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, New Adult, Science Fiction

Goodreads Challenge: 9/48 (Oh hey. I'm behind, shocker)

2022 Reading Challenge: #20 Read a book with a black cover (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

I would normally use this section to tell you about a book I read, but I can't do that because this book doesn't exist and it most definitely does not contain magic. So instead, for this review, I'm going to type in hypothetical thoughts. Because as the description said, it's all just rumors. I most certainly did not order a book that can only be obtained from the author's website that I knew nothing about. It was most certainly not shipped from Europe at the cost of $60. All of this would imply that it existed... 

Okay, that is really hard and I can't do that for the full review. Props to Trevor Alan Foris for being able to write out a description like that. 

Anyways, the whole thing with this book is that as far as I can tell it's only sold on the website, which can be found here. It ships from the UK, I believe so it does take a while if you're in the US. Not including textbooks, it is the most expensive book I have ever bought. It's also the most beautiful. The book it's self is black with a gold title. Every page in the book has decorative steampunk borders, and it's lovely. The appeal for me was purely astethic and the fact that it was a total mystery as to what it was about. Another great feature is that the dictionary is an actual bookmark. Genius.

Here's a look at the prettiness.

I honestly don't want to really talk about the story. Well, I take that back. I do want to talk about it, but I want to help preserve the mystery more. I find that just to be such a cool concept and really as much of the story as the actual story and experience.

What I liked about the story is the uniqueness and cleverness of it. There were a lot of moments that I really had to think about and take it in. I've never ready anything like it. The hardest part for me was that a lot of the time I felt like I was getting half of the story. I don't know if that was because it was a prologue or because it took me so long to read. I just felt like so often I didn't understand what was going on or how the world or magic worked. The only way I can think to explain it is like I was on the outside looking in and everything was fuzzy. Given the secrecy, maybe that was intended. 

I think I'd like to read this again sometime and try to get a better understanding of what happened. I liked the story, and there were parts that I found funny. I just was also really confused a lot. Given that it cost me $60, it's unlikely that I'll acquire the rest of the series when it comes out. Which is unfortunate because I do want to read more. Now that the mystery is gone, I just can't bring myself to spend that much on one book again. I'm hoping that it will come out on kindle at some point. Overall, reading it felt like an actual experience and I'd recommend it or someone who is looking for a book outside of the norm.

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

 

Goodreads Summary: Meet Celaena Sardothien.Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

Goodreads Ratings: 4.18 stars with over 700,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Magic, New Adult, Adventure

Goodreads Challenge: 37/50

2021 Reading Challenge: Read a book for under $5 (find the complete challenge here) 

Book Review:

Happy Saturday, Readers! I finished Throne of Glass late last night and thought I'd go ahead and get this post out of the way before I have to be productive. Apparently, I've had this book on my kindle since 2019. I got it on sale at the time, so it felt like a good fit for the Under $5 prompt.

Part of me was a little hesitant to read this. I recently joined a book recommendation group on Facebook, and Sarah J Maas's books are getting major hype. More so her other series, but this one as well. I went in this preparing to be let down because of all the attention her work was getting. I must say, I'm glad I didn't let the popularity sway me. 

First, let's get the things I didn't like out of the way. It's a YA Fantasy/Romance, so of course, there's a love triangle and swooning where it just seems ridiculous. There's also a lot of needless mention of how attractive someone is, including Celaena. Everyone in a YA Fantasy must be a model; it's an unwritten rule. No one wants to read about ordinary people that you can't even see. I thought the plot was pretty predictable, but it made sense. I didn't feel like any big plot twists just blew my mind. All that being said, I really did enjoy Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas.

The story kept me entertained. At first, Celaena came across as extremely arrogant, but I think the trials put her in her place a bit and made her grow. By the end, she seemed more like just an eighteen-year-old girl who has had to do terrible things to survive. I do feel that there was more telling that she was an assassin than showing, however. What I mean by this is because we meet Celaena after she's arrested and been enslaved. We just get told she's an assassin. It's reinforced by the number of times she's just referred to as "The Assassin." Sure, she can fight and threatens death a lot, but that's about all that gets shown. 

The love triangle wasn't anything to write home about, but I feel like most love triangles in books. It's not that I'm against romance in books. I feel like I read a ton of it. I just want it to make sense and not be there for the sake of being there. I feel like the only purpose it served was to create a little drama and break down some of Celaena's walls. This could have been just as easily accomplished with friendships, as seen with her relationship with the Princess (the likelihood I'm going to pell her name right is slim.) Anyways, I was neutral towards the slight romance, but it went just about how I expected it to go.

I'm inquisitive to see more of Celaena's backstory and how the banned magic will come into play more in future books. I think there was just enough of it in this first book to get me curious and wanting more. It will be interesting to see how the story progresses. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I wasn't obsessed with it, but it was entertaining. I needed something light and uncomplicated to cleanse my mind from how confused I was from my last book, so Throne of Glass fit that need pretty well. I'll probably read the other books eventually, but it's not anything I'm making a point to do right away.

Review of Aaru by David Meredith

Goodreads Summary: "

…Death and the stillness of death are the only things certain and common to all in this future…" -Friedrich Nietzsche

Rose is dying. Her body is wasted and skeletal. She is too sick and weak to move. Every day is an agony, and her only hope is that death will find her swiftly before the pain grows too great to bear.

She is sixteen years old.

Rose has made peace with her fate, but her younger sister, Koren, certainly has not. Though all hope appears lost Koren convinces Rose to make one final attempt at saving her life after a mysterious man in a white lab coat approaches their family about an unorthodox and experimental procedure. A copy of Rose’s radiant mind is uploaded to a massive supercomputer called Aaru – a virtual paradise where the great and the righteous might live forever in an arcadian world free from pain, illness, and death. Elysian Industries is set to begin offering the service to those who can afford it and hires Koren to be their spokes-model.

Within a matter of weeks, the sisters’ faces are nationally ubiquitous, but they soon discover that neither celebrity nor immortality is as utopian as they think. Not everyone is pleased with the idea of life everlasting for sale.
What unfolds is a whirlwind of controversy, sabotage, obsession, and danger. Rose and Koren must struggle to find meaning in their chaotic new lives and at the same time hold true to each other as Aaru challenges all they ever knew about life, love, and death and everything they thought they really believed.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.96 stars with just over 60 reviews

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, New Adult, Fantasy

Get the book: Amazon

Review:

First things first, I received an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Thanks, David for sending me a copy of your book! Readers, if you think that the name David Meredith sounds familiar I've also reviewed his book Reflections of Queen Snow.

I made a point to finish this book last night because I knew I only had 15% left at most. I've been trying to gather my thoughts on Aaru. I'm very conflicted on how I feel about this book because a lot of parts in this book shook me to my core for very different reasons. Aaru starts by following Rose, who is a teenage girl bedridden in a hospital, dying of cancer. During the first few chapters, I cried a lot. Rose passing really pulled at all of my heartstrings and then at first I resonated with Koren a lot. It brought back an influx of memories from when I was 17, and my mom passed. I related to Koren in the wake of Rose passing, because once upon a time, I was her. Death of someone close to you can definitely change you. David Meredith has an outstanding ability to play with a person's emotions.

On the flip side, of this, there were some emotional scenes that I honestly could not handle. I found the entire portion of the story with "Magic Man" completely repulsive. I almost didn't finish the book because of it. A lot of me taking so long to finish this book was because I had to put it down and get away from this character. I'll be honest, I was angry at the author for asking me to read this. The thing is, it's not that it was badly written. It's because of how flat-out creepy and terrifying Magic Man was as a character. It just took me putting the book down for a month or so to realize it. I'm still repulsed, but I'm assuming the intent, and really it makes for an incredibly well written and vile villain.

My slight interest in psychology is kicking in with this book. I'm trying to tame it, so I don't go full nerd on everyone. I really liked the concept of being able to save one's spirit and be able to communicate with the person still after death. I'm a little bit obsessed with death and the spirit world, so this really peaked my interest. I really liked how the residents of Aaru were able to create everything, and some even had obligations to welcome new residents.

There were some things that I generally disliked about the book as well. The way that Askr's accent was typed out made his scenes very hard to read for me. I think it could have just been explained once and then just assumed. I also didn't really like how Koren was portrayed once she got famous. At first, I thought that it didn't seem realistic, but then when I came back to the book, I realized that is probably how fame happens, especially given some of the tragedies that befall child stars.I think this goes back to me being repulsed by Magic Man.

Overall, Aaru sent my emotions on a complete rollercoaster. I'm really impressed with David Meredith's ability to make his books so emotional. I want to hate this book because of how repulsed I was with half of it, but I can't because it was incredibly well written and was a really interesting story. I would say that if you do read it, to really prepare yourself properly.

Book Review of The Story of Awkward by R.K. Ryals

Goodreads summary: If you are looking for a happy book about beautiful people, this is the wrong story.

If you are looking for a narrative without emotion, without regrets, and without mistakes, this is definitely the wrong story.

This is by no means an uncomplicated tale about uncomplicated people. It is by no means sweet or light.

This story is ugly.
This story is complicated.
This story is emotional.
This story is tragic.

In short, this story is about being awkward.

Peregrine Storke is an artist with an odd sketchbook full of pictures she’s drawn since she was a child. It is a book full of strange sketches and awkward characters, for there is no better way to hide from bullying and life than to create a world of your own. With a stroke of her pencil, she has given life to a spectacled princess, a freckle-nosed king, a candy-loving troll, a two-horned unicorn, and a graceless fairy.

At nineteen, Peregrine leaves her home, her sketchbook, and awkwardness behind. But what happens when something goes wrong in the world of Awkward? Trapped inside of her complex realm with the bully she thought to leave behind, Peregrine discovers there is nothing worse than falling for your own villain.


Goodreads rating: 3.93 stars with 903 ratings

Genre Listings: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Paranormal, Fairy Tales, New Adult, Coming of Age

Get the Book: Amazon- Paperback

Review:

Edited 12/1/2016

There's something wonderful about picking a book at random and it being the exact book you needed to read. When I started this book, I didn't know much about it. I just thought the cover and title were quirky and that I'd give it a shot. The Story of Awkward, however, ended up being a gift from the book Gods. This book is very likely going to have a place near and dear to my heart for years to come. That being said, it is not a  great book. It's a very entertaining story that pulls at the heartstrings, but it still has some flaws. Which, I guess is fitting since it's a story about embracing those flaws. My mind is spinning with contradictions right now.

Let me start out this review with a disclaimer: If you do not like overly cheesy stories, this may not be the book for you. Despite the description saying it's ugly, emotional, and tragic; it's a very sweet story.

The Story of Awkward is a very short read, to the tune of 265 pages. Despite the issues it tackles, I found it to be a very light, and at times even a comical read. In the beginning, of the story, we get a very brief overview of the torment Perry has gone through. I found her to be easy to relate to. It's not an overwhelming amount of character depth, but I feel like it's enough. Perri threw her torment into her drawing and created a fictional world where she belonged. I think that's what made me relate to her, but instead of pictures I threw myself into books (shocking, right?). Perri's real-world is shaken when she finds out that her fictional world is real and needs her.

She's thrown into saving the world she created with Foster, her best friend's brother and one of her tormentors. This is where the story gets pretty cheesy. To save her world, Perri has to admit a lot about herself, learn about herself, and even learn to forgive Foster. From here out, the story is cliche. I think it might have meant to be cliche, though. Despite the cheesiness and predictable storyline, I still found it endearing.

Going back to my initial comment about needing to read this- I did. Even at 27 years old I still struggle with my awkward quirks. This book is about accepting those quirks and has a great message. This is a journey about going from wanting to forget the past, to realizing the past is what shapes you. I admired that, even if it was cheesy.

Aside from Perri, Foster, and Elspeth, there isn't much character development. I'm oddly okay with that because I don't know if giving Nimble, Herman, and Weasel more development would have improved anything. I did get slightly miffed because once they were away from the swamp Herman seemed to disappear like the author forgot about him completely. I found myself wondering where he was and it distracted from the story, even though he wasn't a big part of the story.

I wanted to hate Foster. I did. He ended up being sweet, funny, and just as damaged (if not more so) than Perri. He ended up being my favorite character in the story. There's a particular scene that turned me for him. I won't give too many details because I don't want to give spoilers, but it involves Foster grabbing Perri's hand so that she won't be afraid of the dark. I awed, probably out loud. Yeah. I'm a sap, I know.

The amount of highlights I've made for this book is ridiculous (have I mentioned how much I love that feature on Kindle?). Here are some of my favorites:

"Her name was Nimble because anyone who isn't naturally graceful should be given a graceful name."

"Even when we grow up, the child remains. It's the child that shapes the adult. What happens to you when you are young shapes what you become later. Whether you think you belong here or not is beside the point. The little girl that drew Awkward still lives inside of you."

"It isn't about being awkward. It's about not being ashamed to be awkward. It's about embracing what makes us different. Perfection and Stereotype are threats to that."

"Love isn't roses. It's the little square caramels and a root beer from the gas station because he knows that's your favorite snack. It's watching a musical with you without groaning. It's handing you your glasses at night because he knows you're too blind to find your way to the bathroom without them. Love is awkward." - This is probably my favorite quote in the book. I'd like to do something artsy with this quote and put it on my wall. It's lovely and imperfectly perfect.

"Silence was louder than noise. I often filled it with awkward, nonsensical conversation." (Oh, good. I'm not the only one. <__<  >_>)

"In the real world, we did a lot of things in the real world, princes didn't rid on stallions and save princesses from towers. In the real world, they smelled a lot like dirt, sweaty skin, and cotton candy. In the real world, they were friends first. They didn't fall in love over a first kiss and no conversation. IN the real world, they were kind of awkward."

"You couldn't attack someone with something they'd learn to deal with."

"There are moments when tears are all you have, when crying releases everything and leaves you fresh. It gives you a clean slate to work with."

"Princes should never be perfect. They should have nightmares. They should be picky eaters and made queasy by the sight of blood. They should be blunt and occasionally a little arrogant. They should be loyal and determined. Most of all, they should be awkward and real."

Overall I enjoyed this story. There were some flaws, but it wasn't anything that turned me off of the book. I felt this was a cheesy, cliche, but an endearing story that pulled at the heartstrings. I'm very happy to have read it. It was wonderful spending this snowy Sunday with these characters.

Four out of Five moons.

Book Review of Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Goodreads Summary: Fifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society.
To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.

Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.

Constant darkness.

Brutal and savage violence.

Excruciating pain.

Every day is a fight for survival.

But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole.

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.
Goodreads Rating: 3.91 with over 2,900 ratings.
Genre listing: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance, New Adult, Fantasy, Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, Action, Sociology, Abuse
Get the Book: Amazon, Book Depository

Review: 

Edited 12/1/2016

I finally took the plunge and invested in Amazon's Kindle Unlimited. I've been tossing around the idea for awhile, and finally decided to go with the free trial. I think that the price is going to be worth it. What's been happening with that unread folder is that I'll read two chapters and just delete whatever book it is because I can't get into it. There's a ton of books I want to read that have come out recently, so I'm hoping that they'll be listed on unlimited.

I found Branded on Unlimited. It was my third choice, but I kept having issues with books and stuff. Honestly, I should have kept looking. The premise behind this book sounds awesome. The government's fallen and in an attempt to create a perfect society the crimes are the seven sins and offenders are sent to what is called the hole. The hole is a prison where the sinners work and live. It's disgusting and surrounded by death and war. This prison is where my interest fades.

I love the idea behind this book, but I was left unsatisfied. We follow the story through Lexi Hamilton's eyes. She's falsely accused of lust by her mother and is sent to the hole. However, she's the one sinner who is protected. Her gallant protector is Cole. I hate to ruin the surprise for everyone, but Lexi and Cole fall madly in Luv. I typed it that way on purpose, and yes it hurt to do so. It's no wonder she got branded with Lust.

I found Lexi and Cole to be empty. I felt completely disconnected from them, and I got the impression of them just being placeholders. I found Lexi to be a weak character and female in general. She constantly needs to be saved by Cole, Bruno, Sutton, Zeus, or Keegan. By the time she learns to fight, I was so ready to be done with the book that I didn't care. I thought Lexi was going to be this bad-asses take no crap kind of female lead, and the more the story goes on, the more child-like and weak she becomes. The strongest character in this book is Alyssa, who is barely in the story.

I wanted to see more of the struggles in the hole. The action seemed rushed so that the authors could talk more about how dreamy Cole is. *Gag*. Because of her pedestal position of being protected, I just don't think Lexi gave us that great of an understanding of the hole. Also, I don't trust Cole at all. I just don't get his transition from being an asshole to hanging onto Lexi's every whim.

I ended up putting this book down for a few days. I was disconnected beforehand, but when I picked it back up, I just wanted the book to be over with. It had a lot of promise but falls short in so many ways. There's no character depth, no real reason for us to care about the hole, and is more focused on the relationship between Lexi and Cole that readers don't get a true sense of the Revolt. The Revolt is just thrown in all of the sudden to the point where it seems forced and forgotten. I read it and was like "Oh we're revolting? meh." That's not a good sign. As a reader, I need to care about why characters are revolting, and I didn't believe in this book. It was very obvious to be an afterthought in the story. The two best characters in this book aren't even the main characters. One is barely in the story (Alyssa), and the other is a dog (Zeus).

Two out of Five moons.