The Thought Spot

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced reading copy of Arena by Holly Jennings! Arena contains nothing but fighting for the first chapter, then the fighting is explained. A team (Defiance) is participating in a virtual reality gaming tournament. Kali is the main character, and after the team captain (Nathan) dies from a drug overdose, Kali becomes captain. Virtual reality fighting uses gamers and athletically trains them to be on teams that compete for worldwide viewers and sponsors. Rooke replaces Nathan on the team at the same time Kali is promoted to team captain. Arena is about virtual gaming but also so much more: the interesting and dynamic characters; the problems gamers have to face with sponsors, athleticism and keeping what is virtual separate from what is true reality; addiction; the relationships between the characters and handling celebrityhood. I consider Arena by Holly Jennings in the New Adult genre due to some swearing, violence and intimate scenes. Wonderful writing makes the story flow! I will be watching for future books by Holly Jennings!

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the arc of Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan! Tell the Wind and Fire is a take on A Tale of Two Cities with a bit of magic involved. Lucie’s boyfriend, Ethan, has a doppelganger named Carwyn. Ethan lives in the Light city and Carwyn is from the Dark city. Lucie’s parents are both non-existent in her life. Her mother disappeared (she was punished for using magic to heal people) and her father was tortured and drained of his blood and dark magic use. Lucie’s father has some lucid moments but not many. She gets involved in the rebellion unknowing who is leading it. The dynamic characters make this a wonderful book! I also appreciate the author’s note at the end of the book that explains her reasoning for basing her story on A Tale of Two Cities. Highly recommended for fantasy readers as well as readers of Charles Dickens.

Thanks to Viking Books for Young Readers for the arc of Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton! Amani, a gun-shooting young woman living in the desert, brings this story to life! After the first chapter, I was hooked and thought to myself, “This is fantastic!” Amani lives with her aunt and her family. Amani’s uncle wants to either find a husband for her or marry Amani himself; he already has several wives. Amani has lived with them since her mother was hanged almost a year ago for shooting the man they were residing with. A foreigner comes to town and he and Amani leave together. The story is equal parts adventure and fantasy with a touch of clever wit thrown in that adds some fun. Stories and Amani’s adventures teach the reader about the mythology of her world. Rebel of the Sands is the beginning of a series that I definitely want to read!

The cover is gorgeous!

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ebook of Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan! This story is told in alternating points of view – Tyen’s and Rielle’s.

Tyen is at an archeological site when he discovers a living book – a person (Vella) transformed into a book by a powerful sorcerer. He took her knowledge and flesh and literally made her into a book and used her skin for the cover and pages, hair for the binding and tendons for the glue. At this point I was very interested in the book! When it abruptly stopped and changed to Rielle’s story, I was a little thrown. I wasn’t sure why the transition took place.

Rielle’s story is completely different from Tyen’s. Rielle is middle class but she and her family believe that it will be difficult for her to find a husband. She falls in love with an artist but is afraid to use magic to prevent pregnancy. Magic is forbidden in her world.

I rate Thief’s Magic three stars because it’s difficult to see a correlation between Tyen’s and Rielle’s stories and because of the abrupt change from one story to the next. Maybe reading the rest of the series would help tie the two worlds together better?

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the arc of Holding Court by K.C. Held! I had so much fun reading this book and I hope that the author is planning on writing more.

The beginning reminded me a bit of the 1980’s movie, Sixteen Candles with Molly Ringwald because of the quirky main character and the awkward teenage feelings and actions, but with a modern day feel. Add a mystery to the story and it becomes very interesting and suspenseful. I was delighted when the characters quoted The Princess Bride. This books is nostalgic and fun! I also learned about European castle architectural terms. All in all, Holding Court is a wonderful book and I would read it again!

I thoroughly enjoyed the Illusive series by Emily Lloyd-Jones, which consists of two books- Illusive and Deceptive.

Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones is a story with a bit of dystopia, mystery and sci-fi wrapped into one! Fun characters and snappy dialogue make Illusive an entertaining read. Powers received from a vaccination changed a small percentage of the population. These changed people are choosing to help the government or help themselves by becoming criminals. I like how the author reveals Ciere’s past; a little at a time. The suspense builds up continually and the unpredictability kept me on my toes. I am looking forward to Deceptive, the second book in this series!

Deceptive by Emily Lloyd-Jones dives into action immediately. Ciere and Alan are working with the mobsters, Daniel is working with the UAI and Devon has an internship. They all eventually end up working together, in one way or another, to stop the kidnapping of immunes. The characters have grown since Illusive and they continue to mature throughout Deceptive. By the end of the book, they have all found where they belong. This series is enjoyable and I really liked the characters!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the arc of Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter! The beginning narrates Della’s turn into a vampire, how her cousin Chan helped her and the reaction of her family. The second story is about how Della met Steve and the beginning of their relationship. The third story introduces Chase’s family before the fatal airplane accident and how Chase turned into a vampire. The fourth story is about Miranda, her mother and Tabitha and the witch competition Miranda and Tabitha are taking place in. The fifth and last story is about Fredericka, a were who was raised with Lucas’ pack. The Fredericka story ended the book perfectly with heart warming romance. These stories are fun insights into the Shadow Falls characters and can be read after Eternal and before Unspoken without spoilers!

What a great start to a new series! This sneak peek of an interesting world and dynamic characters feels like a more mature Princess Academy (Shannon Hale) and is similar to The Selection by Kiera Cass because of the competition and etiquette training. The sneak peek ends at an intense part and I definitely want to finish the book! Adelaide will soon be forced into an unwanted marriage. To avoid this, she takes the place of her house servant in attending The Glittering Court; a place that trains young women to be sold to the highest bidder. These young women are taught etiquette and dancing and given an education to prepare them for marriage to a man who is well off. Along the way, Adelaide learns some mysterious things about Cedric, the young man who set up the contract with her house servant.

The sneak peek was quite a chunk of the book, enough that I grew to care about the characters and now I am anticipating the release so I can read the rest!

Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek is a fantasy in a steampunk world with a fairy tale touch! A hag steals a boy and replaces him with a machine, all unbeknownst to his family. As the children (Edna and Harrison) walk to the park, they pass vendors, beggars and storytellers. The story they hear explains the existence of the hags and other creatures. While listening to this story and watching her brother’s actions and pallor, Edna realizes Harrison is not himself and soon learns he was stolen by a hag and taken to a work factory. While trying to find her brother, she meets the mysterious Ike. Ike vows to help Edna rescue Harrison and many adventures ensue! Ike conceals secrets and so does Edna, but their relationship becomes more intimate and they began to truly trust each other. Cogling is a fun adventure with a bit of romance!