Collapsed by Jenetta Penner

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Collapsed by Jenetta Penner
A world of Cobalts and Scarlets, full of prejudice and poverty, is the setting for Tenlyn’s story. Ten is looking forward to her birthday because it’s also the same day that she’s scheduled to take a test that might open the door to her future. Her best friend Kalib is an artist and also a huge financial supporter for his family since his father died. He also takes the test, surprising everyone, since he hadn’t told a soul. Both Ten and Kalib pass the exam and go on their way to the Scarlet world. They receive different assignments. Kalib becomes a courier while Ten becomes a governess. Kalib visits Ten secretly one time in the middle of the night and tells her that things might happen but he doesn’t explain. The next day, sentries arrive, place handcuffs on Ten and take her in for questioning because of a Cobalt situation. She’s forced into signing a document against Kalib and then returns home. She decides to take Kalib’s advice and find his employer. Once she meets Mr. Robinson, she’s thrown into the rebellion and commits to help. She discovers more secrets that completely surprise her. Intrigue, loyalty and integrity bring grit to this dystopian story for young adults, 4 stars!

Crave by Tracy Wolff

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Fun supernatural read for young adults.
Grace has recently lost both of her parents. She’s now becoming a resident of Alaska so she can live with her extended family, her uncle and her cousin Macy. She’s in a bit of a culture shock from the small population and extremely cold weather, since she’s just traveled from San Diego. But when she arrives at Katmere Academy, her new home, she’s astounded. It’s an elegant castle where students reside and her uncle is the headmaster. Grace feels out of place and she can tell which students “run” the school. It seems to be run by the Order, with Jaxon Vega as the leader. Jaxon helps Grace more than once and she starts falling for him. Strange and dangerous things keep happening around and to Grace. She believes that she’s getting to know her fellow students and who she can trust until information is revealed about her parents. The danger surrounding Grace increases to the point where her life is in danger. The book started out cheesy with the silly chapter titles and the almost instant swooning but it’s still a fun read. The depth occurred through character development and a bit of mystery. I enjoyed Jaxon’s perspective at the ending because it helped me understand the situation better. I am curious about and anxious to read the sequel and unravel more of the background of the fun characters. 4 stars for this young adult supernatural fantasy!

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells

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Shatter the Sky Book 1

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells surprised me with its immense world building and strong characters!
Maren and Kaia have a good relationship and Kaia wants to travel and explore when she’s old enough to. Maren plans on traveling with her. Plans change when Kaia is taken as a seer to possibly be a dragon trainer. Maren decides to leave too by telling her parents that she needs to be out on her own and independent. She’s not completely honest with them. She’s planning on rescuing Kaia. She heads to the dragon fortress and asks and then manipulates her estranged uncle for a job. She becomes the new food taster. Maren is noticed by the Aromatory, Neve, who raises baby dragons until they bond with their lords. Neve uses scents to train and appreciates Maren’s ability to pick up scents that most people can’t detect. While working, Maren meets Sev, who seems friendly but with a hidden story of his own. Things progress and Maren and Sev find each other running away to escape capture and probably death. They decide to help each other and end up discovering so much more about the empire than they ever could have guessed! The ending left me worried about the characters and their safety and I’m looking forward to the sequel, Storm the Sky. A fantasy adventure that will take you for a ride, 5 stars!

Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka

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Thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read and review Everything I Thought I Knew by Shannon Takaoka!
Damn good book! Mind-blowing, thought-provoking, and beautiful.
Chloe has cardiac arrest while running during cross country practice. She’s always been healthy but the doctor found her heart defect after her heart attack. She’s placed on the transplant list and receives a heart on December 18th. Chloe’s life changed dramatically after her heart defect was found. She had good grades, college goals, and future plans. Now she has to attend summer school to catch up and, for some reason, she craves surfing. She buys a board and gets the phone number of a young man who gives lessons. His name is Kia. Chloe learns to surf and the two of them build a relationship together. She hunts down the donor of her heart and she questions everything she’s ever known. A magnificent story, 5 stars!

The Institute by Stephen King

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A cop, Tim, from Florida needs a change, so he leaves and heads north to see where life takes him. Luke Ellis lives happily with his parents until they’re shot, unknown to him, and he’s kidnapped. He’s taken to The Institute where children are experimented and tested on for telepathic and telekinetic abilities. The treatment isn’t kind and any empathy they do get seems to be for manipulative purposes only. Stephen King’s writing tends to pull me completely under and into the story and I became immersed in the children’s Institute lives and their well-being and mistreatment. The characters are laid out and built up with depth, as is the author’s way, and I was rooting for Tim and Luke the whole time. Another aspect of Mr. King’s writing is the philosophical pondering that always takes place when I read his books. The Institute made me stop and think about the greater good and how perspectives differ drastically. The children of the Institute had quirks, talents, and innocence until the experimenting drained them of everything. Thought-provoking and intense dystopian, 5 stars!

All These Monsters by Amy Tintera

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In a world being endangered by scrabs (human killing creatures), Clara is ready to do anything to get away from her abusive father, so she decides to join a scrab fighting army. The privately funded army has recruits across the globe. Clara goes to Paris and London with her team. She trains, battles scrabs and builds relationships. One of her relationships turns out toxic while others feel like she belongs to a good family. Dynamics between characters and the world-building create a mix of intrigue, danger and suspense. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m struggling to wait for the second book of this duology. 5 stars for a dangerous adventure ride!

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

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Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

Fairytale retelling of Snow White with a pro-feminist twist that questions negative comments and the doubts they create. Princess Sophia has a kind heart and a selfless personality. She cares about everything and everyone. Her stepmother, Queen Adelaide, berates Sophia for being soft and weak and therefore will undoubtedly make a terrible ruler. Adelaide commands the huntsman to kill Sophia and take her heart but, amazingly, she survives. As she struggles to live and recapture her heart, Princess Sophia meets many people of different backgrounds and circumstances and she helps everyone in anyway she can. A tale of courage and confidence, 5 stars!

Send Me Their Souls by Sara Wolf

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Send Me Their Souls by Sara Wolf
Zera is with Lucien, Fione and Malachite as they try to figure out how to stop Lucien’s sister’s rampage. She’s focused on destroying everything and everyone in the kingdom. The group travels and learns more about the Bone Tree and learns of the Glass Tree and its intensity and oddity. They begin to understand that the Bone Tree is taking over Varia’s mind and overpowering her judgment, causing her to seek and destroy. The group researches for solutions to stop the destruction while hoping to protect Varia at the same time. The dynamics of the characters and the loyalty make me laugh and warm my heart. Sara Wolf has a knack for endearing characters. The ending of an adventurous fantasy trilogy, 4 stars!

Reverie by Ryan La Sala

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Reverie by Ryan La Sala
This fun fantasy adventure has a variety of characters set in different worlds or “reveries”. The story opens as Kane struggles with memory loss and frustration because he’s been accused of reckless behavior, destruction of property and possibly murder but he doesn’t remember any of it. He digs deeper into solving the mystery of his life and discovers that he was part of a group called “Others”. The more he reveals, the crazier everything gets. Dreams from individual minds come to life and most people are swept into the reverie while the Others have special powers of illusion, strength and cleverness to guide people safely through the dream world. The story also has a drag queen reverie guide that adds flair as well as lesbian side characters and Kane, who is the gay main character. These characters add perspective, kindness, diversity and a broad array of personalities to Reverie. A fun adventure fantasy geared towards young adults. The relationship scenes aren’t detailed and are a small part of the Reverie world. 4 stars!

What the Dead Want by Norah Olson

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What the Dead Want by Norah Olson

Gretchen receives a call from her great aunt Esther, who asks her to visit the Axton Mansion where Esther is residing. Gretchen takes an eight hour ride to the desolate and decrepit mansion. She’s surprised by the state of the home but shocked by her aunt. Gretchen can’t decide if Esther is an alcoholic or is suffering from dementia or both. She’s even more surprised by Esther’s background. The mansion and town are haunted by the terrible happenings of the Axton ancestors during the civil war era. Abolitionists against racists and the racists won the violent battles. Satisfyingly spooky, 5 stars!