Black Canary Ignite by Meg Cabot and Illustrated by Cara McGee

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Action, adventure and awesome illustrations!
Thanks to DC Comics and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Black Canary Ignite by Meg Cabot, illustrated by Cara McGee. This seven chapter graphic novel tells the story of Detective Lance’s daughter, Dinah. Dinah’s mother is the Black Canary and she helped fight crime before Dinah was born. Dinah has inherited her mother’s Canary Cry, a supersonic voice. Dinah tries to control her power but it’s not easy. Fun origin story full of action, adventure and colorful illustrations, 5 stars!

Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd

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Fairytale Twist!
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd!
Bringing a twist to the regular fairy tales, Grim Lovelies tells the story of the often forgotten side characters. Anouk is a servant of Mada Vittora’s household. Anouk is also an animal transformed into a human by the witch she serves. Mada Vittora keeps the pelts of all the animals she’s turned into humans, all to serve her. Anouk, Luc, Beau and Cricket are all trapped this way. Beau discovers the Mada’s body after she’s been killed, so he and Anouk flee to Cricket’s apartment and then the three of them are on the run. The three of them haven’t heard from Luc for quite some time. They run to another witch that’s the enemy of their Mada, hoping for help in staying human. Mada Zola helps them plot to steal a spell from the Royals and things just get more complicated from there. Loyalties are tested and stretched and a new beginning ends the book, 4 stars!

Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

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Friendship, love and perseverance!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz!
Two teen main characters meet at the hospital while they’re getting treatments and they become immediate friends. Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and Sasha has Gaucher Disease. Both illnesses have horrible consequences and daily struggles. Isabel and Sasha have such different personalities that they sometimes they struggle to get along, but mostly they are perfect for each other. I giggled many times while reading this book because of the humor, which is balanced out well with the tough reality of what Sasha and Isabel have to deal with on a daily basis because of their “invisible” sicknesses, their school lives and family dynamics. I’m impressed with this book, its maturity and realistic portrayal of what life deals out, 5 stars!

Veiled By Desire by Candace Robinson

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Strong characters!
Veiled By Desire by Candace Robinson, is the sequel to Clouded By Envy. This sequel happens much later in time than the first book of the Laith series. My heart went out to Tavarra because she believed in love, felt cheated and then her entire life was shattered by a horrible transformation.
Rhona is mistreated and my heart goes out to her and her friend Perin, also. I love when loyalty is strong between friends and when the bond cannot be broken. Tavarra meets Rhona and they work together to improve the lots they’ve been given. I enjoyed this sequel much more than the first and I think it’s because the characters were more relatable and the struggles seemed more harrowing, somehow. 4 stars!

Clouded by Envy by Candace Robinson

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Tragic story of how envy can take its toll.

I received a digital copy of Clouded by Envy by Candace Robinson, as an author request to voluntary read and review.
Clouded By Envy tells the story of Bat-like siblings, from the planet of Laith, adopted by a different animal after their mother abandoned them, are sent away to grow up and be independent. Bray has the power to change into human, size and all. Her brother Brenik is jealous of that and thinks he’s useless. His envy grows to the point of extreme anger and he decides he’s going to do whatever it takes to become human. He is turned into a human-looking creature, a vampire. Everything becomes too much for him to handle and he runs to Bray for help. Things become even more complicated and tragic and Branik does the only thing he believes will stop the chain of horrible events. 3 stars for this unique story of envy.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

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Historical New Orleans setting!
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh opens as a ship with young women pulls into New Orleans harbor. these women want to start new lives. Celine and Pippa are heading to a convent when they spot an interesting young man, who seems to stop traffic wherever he goes. Some of these young women, Celine, Pippa and Anabel, will work at a convent until they get married. They raise funds for the convent and teach the students. While they’re selling the items they’ve made, they’re approached by Odette, who seems rich and states that she’s willing to pay anything for a good seamstress. Celine sews well and she’s thrilled about the job offer. The only thing holding her back is the curfew she’s supposed to keep. Once she goes with Odette and meets her associates, she’s drawn into another world. Celine meets creatures that she didn’t know existed and her life completely changes. A mysterious fantasy set in New Orleans! 5 stars!

Find Me Their Bones by Sara Wolf

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Love, loyalty and sacrifice!
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to read and review Find Me Their Bones by Sara Wolf!
The second book in this trilogy feels much calmer than the first. I want to know more about Varia and how she came into her position and knowledge at this point in her life. More opens up about Lucien and l’m hoping the third book will address my questions and other readers’ questions. Yori and Malachite are both interesting and entertaining and Zera still has the sense of humor that I enjoy. The suspense and danger didn’t seem as intense but the witch fire scene built up the action and we get to see vulnerability in some of the characters. I’m looking forward to the next book and I hope it brings the story and these characters full circle. 4 stars!

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte!

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Fantastic debt novel by Astrid Scholte!
Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte!
Quadara is a nation divided into quadrants. Each quadrant plays a part in the nation’s economy. Archia provides crops and natural resources;Eonia develops medicine and technology; Ludia provides art, fashion and entertainment; Toria arranges imports and exports. The story is told in alternating points of view between the queens and Keralie, Kera for short. When Iris, an 18-year-old Queen is murdered in the Palace Garden, the mystery begins. Kera is a thief working for Mackiel. He’s sent her to steal a comm case containing memory chips. The messenger she steals from is smart and ends up tracking her down at the auction house. Mackiel becomes cruel and Kera escapes with the messenger, Varin, after dissolving the chips in her mouth, watching and absorbing the memories. She sees a palace full of blood and murdered queens. Varin and Kera go to the palace to help find the assassin and share the chips as evidence. They realize that they’re ahead of the assassin when they reach the palace and they try to warn the queens of the danger they’re in. The mystery builds as the queens are murdered, one at a time. The twists are enjoyable and I love Kera and Varin. Unique world building and storyline filled with dynamic characters, 4 stars!

The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts

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A lighthearted story that takes on a few serious issues!
Bookworm Crush, by Lisa Brown Roberts and Entangled Teen, opens as Amy is sneaking around town at night. She sneaks out to decorate for a social media challenge so she can win a meeting with her favorite author. The winner also receives a scholarship. Toff happens to drive by as Amy is running scared because she heard a noise and falls. He stops to help Amy, not knowing that he’s Amy’s crush. Since it’s past curfew, a police officer pulls them over to question the reason they aren’t home. They feign a relationship, pretending that they lost track of time. Amy’s terrified of getting in trouble but Toff plays it cool and the police officer lets them go. Toff takes Amy home and her brother notices the two of them as she’s sneaking into the house. Her brother Brayden assumes they’re dating. This is the beginning of Toff having his eyes opened to Amy. He coaches her for the author competition and helps Amy build her “swagger”. His confidence rubs off on her and together they create fun, interesting social media posts. Meanwhile, Toff’s father is remarrying and Amy’s father is looking for a job. This lighthearted story takes on a few serious issues and character growth, 4 stars!