Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

Posted on by lynndellwatson

513ro5gmukl._sx329_bo1204203200_

Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down!  So good, I actually read it twice already!
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to read and review Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart!
Serina and her family await Signor Pietro to make his choice of one of the community’s young women who will travel to Bellaqua, join others from different provinces, and vie for the opportunity to be a Grace for the royal Heir. Sera’s mother is thrilled when she’s the one who’s chosen, but her siblings Nomi and Renzo seem to feel otherwise. Sera’s unsure how her father feels. Sera has learned to be happy with the lack of options given to women in Viridia but Nomi openly hates the idea.
The Heir, Malachi, chooses three Graces every three years. This will be his first year of choosing Graces. The Superior has forty Graces and everyone assumes he will step down and let the Heir rule Viridia. At the ball, Nomi wanders into a palace library and notices a beautiful copy of the book Renzo taught her to read with, when they were younger. Reading is forbidden for women but Nomi loves to read. She slips this book into her clothes and as she’s going back to the ball, runs straight into the Heir and his younger brother Asa. The Heir demands to know what she’s doing and she coyly answers that she was using the restroom and if he needs it she points to where it is. Nomi can’t fathom how she could have been so rude to the Heir and she’s sure she’s going to be sent home. Sera is the only young woman the Heir dances with at the ball. He makes his decision afterwards, choosing two women and then Nomi instead of Sera! Grace and Fury is fast paced and full of intrigue! This magnificent book twists and turns with suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat! Once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. Fantastic writing, unique storyline and intriguing characters make Grace and Fury a must-read- 5 stars!

This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada

Posted on by lynndellwatson

39989947

Intriguing sci-fi and the best science fiction series I’ve read!
Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review This Cruel Design by Emily Suvada!
Cat, Cole and Leoben are hiding while resting and waiting for Cole to heal from the explosion. Cat is also waiting for her tech to start working again. She is with Cole in the forest when they both see Virtual Reality videos replaying from her past. She realizes that she’s missing six months of her life with no recollection or records of where she was or what happened to her. Cat is discussing this with Cole when Leoben’s Jeep is hit and explodes. Cat finally meets Anna and together the group works with Mato, another coder, to find Lachlan’s hideout. Changes keep occurring to the virus and it seems to be mutating too quickly for a vaccine to work or be adjusted. Every time I think that Cat can’t have any more surprises, the author proves me wrong. Another twisting book in the This Mortal Coil series and I’m looking forward to the next and third installment, 5 stars!

Analiese Rising by Brenda Drake

Posted on by lynndellwatson

39863558._UY630_SR1200630_

Mythological fun!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Annaliese Rising by Brenda Drake!
As the story opens, I immediately relate to Annaliese when she doesn’t want to dissect her frog in biology class. I had that same problem when I was in high school, but that’s where our similarities end. Suddenly, she’s bumped from behind by a classmate and falls into the frog and tray. Then the frog comes to life and hops across the classroom, seriously freaking everyone out! The story becomes more mysterious and interesting when Analiese witnesses an elderly man’s death and fulfills his dying wish by meeting his grandson Marek, passing on his leather bag as requested. Marek and Analiese travel to Europe while following clues that Marek’s grandfather left for him to find. Analiese discovers that she’s a Riser, a person that brings people back to life. Marek discovers a huge part of his grandfather’s life that he knew nothing about, while Analiese uncovers her heritage and family history. Analiese Rising is a mysterious fantasy full of riddles, codes, ciphers and clues! I enjoyed all of the fun and mystery and the mythology was an added bonus! Readers that have enjoyed the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan should find this book right up their alley, 5 fun, adventurous stars!

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Posted on by lynndellwatson

Dance of Thieves_FINAL 9.18

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson tells the story of Ten who has been an impressive thief since she was ten years old. She’s now a soldier for the queen and goes by the name Kazi. She encounters Jase, who has recently been made ruler due to his father’s unexpected death. Kazi and Jase become prisoners together when they are captured by labor hunters. The two of them are very similar in personalities and demeanor and at first, they drive each other crazy. They’re both clever, strong and loyal with banter that is fun and intelligent. With Kazi’s thieving background, she helps orchestrate their escape. Their relationship gets more complicated and more interesting from there. The story also becomes more complex, bringing in the backgrounds of Kazi and Jase and adding side characters and different kingdoms’ ideals and history. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kazi and Jase and being on the sidelines of their tumultuous relationship. With interesting side characters and wonderful world building, I sped through the book and the ending left me wondering and anxiously awaiting the sequel! 5 solid stars!

The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

Posted on by lynndellwatson

33158541._UY630_SR1200630_

The Wicker King by Kayla Ancrum blew me away and I am still processing it! Wow, an interesting, twisted story about two teen boys, their acquaintances, family lives and their long-lasting friendship. The relationship between the young men becomes increasingly unhealthy and worries their friends, who try to help them. Things get worse before anything changes and authorities intervene. Food for thought in so many ways, 4 stars!

Snow White’s Mirror by Shonna Slayton

Posted on by lynndellwatson

swmirror_fc_web

Snow White’s Mirror by Shonna Slayton is another wonderful fairytale creation! Shonna Slayton perfects historical fiction. Now she’s combining historical fiction with fantasy to create fun and intelligent fairytale stories. Billie has traveled with her uncle to secure her inheritance after her father’s death due to heart failure. She believes that her uncle is keeping things from her as well as gambling away her father’s estate. They stop at a mining town and meet cousin Lou. She oversees a mine with beautiful turquoise veins running through and she does all of the work by herself. Uncle Dale tells Billie that he’s searching for a special mirror that will grant wishes. Billie wants to help her ailing mother, so she wants to find the mirror also. The character pool grows to include Winn, an interesting local young man; Matron, a kind but questionable local businesswoman and Fremont, a relative with dwarfism that has also been missing for a while. Billie discovers more about cousin Lou and stumbles upon an odd window that seems somewhat like a mirror inside Lou’s shack. Billie’s life grows much more complicated than she ever thought it could. I love this book and highly recommend it to fairytale and historical fiction readers, 5 stars!

For Every One by Jason Reynolds

Posted on by lynndellwatson

35297455-_sr1200630_

Encouragement in poetry form!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review For Every One by Jason Reynolds!
A quick read poetry book giving encouragement to dreamers and sharing the author’s own experiences with having a lifelong dream. 4 stars for the portrayal of the struggling that goes hand in hand with having a dream.

After the Fire by Will Hill

Posted on by lynndellwatson

51wyjft2bxfl-_sx329_bo1204203200_

Gripping realistic fiction for young adults!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review After the Fire by Will Hill! The story opens during an attack and the main character, Moonbeam, is running for her life. She’s a resident of a community made up of fellow followers of The Legion and their leader is Father John. The fenced in community is under attack by the Government. Eventually, the attack is over and Moonbeam is at a rehabilitation center for mental and physical healing and also to learn to return to what she knows as the Outside. Moonbeam tells her story and the story of her fellow community members, Legionmates, through her interviews with a therapist and a government agent. The whole time I was reading this book, I kept thinking about the Waco Siege and its similarities to the Legion community. As I read the author’s note at the end of the book, he explains his reasoning for writing about the fictional character of Moonbeam and I was impressed with how delicately and respectfully he dealt with the similarities to Karesh’s religious community near Waco, Texas and how he honors the followers. The idea of one person gripping so many people and convincing them to sacrifice everything for that leader is curious and interesting and very sad. Will Hill handles this content well and breathes life into the characters and the tragic events that they lived or didn’t live through. 5 stars for this gripping realistic fiction story for young adults!

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

Posted on by lynndellwatson

34842042

A wonderful historical fiction fantasy!
Thanks to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for the opportunity to read and review The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth!
Evie is the youngest of the three children in her family. Her brother James and sister are both college age so she’s traveling to school on her own this year, which is 1949. She reminisces about the times the three of them were together. Five years ago, they huddled in their shelter during the war bombings in London. Evie wished they could be anywhere but there and because of this wish, they were drawn into Woodlands. The Woodlands become their home for most of their teenage years and for Evie, it turned into the home where she felt like she truly belonged. Once the three siblings return to their London home, they each struggle to readjust. In London time, they were gone for only a moment even though years passed in the Woodlands. Evie goes through dark spells of depression, especially during the winter and one day no one can find her. Everyone fears the worst and they try to move on but Evie’s sister is consumed by guilt and blames herself for Evie’s unhappiness. This beautiful story has the perfect book cover portraying its multidimensional world. A wonderful fantasy, 4 stars!

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Posted on by lynndellwatson

34810320

A heartbreaking mystery!
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review Sadie by Courtney Summers!
Sadie seems lost. She’s searching for her stepfather to exact revenge for her younger sister’s murder. As the story is told, Sadie’s background unfolds. She’s had a life of abuse and neglect along with several “stepdads”. Sadie raised her younger sister Mattie since their mother was usually high or nonexistent in their lives. Sadie is a difficult book to review because I don’t want to give anything away. The intensity and pain broke my heart but the unconditional love that Sadie has for Mattie warmed my heart back up again. Sadie’s stutter made it difficult for her to make friends and her tragic life made it impossible for her to even keep or have friends. She lives in painful loneliness and only has the idea of vengeance to keep her going. A difficult to put down mystery, Sadie pulled 100% of my attention until I finished reading the book, 5 heartbreaking stars!