The New York Times bestselling Arc of the Scythe series continues with thrilling stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge!
There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.
Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman—returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between. Gleanings shows just how expansive, terrifying, and thrilling the world that began with the Printz Honor–winning Scythe truly is.
I received this book as part of the tour from Turn the Page Tours. You can visit their website at https://turnthepagetours.wordpress.com/ to see what tours are happening, as well as what tours you can sign up for. Thank you for letting me be a part of the tour.
Review: It’s been a while since I got to read a dystopian. Getting to read this reminded me what is so interesting about dystopians. They are filled with what ifs and what could be.
I am glad that this book brings readers back to the world of Scythe because it felt like there could always be more stories within this world.
Each of the stories was interesting to read and got to see more of the world from the first three books. Each story gives your more of this world, as well as expands on the lore that makes everything feel bigger than it did in the trilogy. Something else I loved was getting to see what happened after The Toll, to see what has changed and what was going on with the characters, including the world.
The writing was amazing. I enjoyed getting to read each story from the different authors. Getting to read what they created for the world and read their writing to get a sense of their writing style. Everything came off the page, creating the world so easily in my mind. Also, the characters were done so well and came alive in my mind. This book just kept me hooked the entire time.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this collection. It made the world feel even bigger than it felt before, expanding the stories and the characters as well. I highly recommend this book if you have read the three books in the series and are wanting more.
The lush and pulse-pounding sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Witch Haven follows Frances and her fellow witches to the streets of Paris where family secrets, lost loves, and dangerous magic await.
Months after the devastating battle between the Sons of St. Druon and the witches of Haxahaven, Frances has built a quiet, safe life for herself, teaching young witches and tending the garden within the walls of Haxahaven Academy. But one thing nags; her magic has begun to act strangely. When an opportunity to visit Paris arises, Frances jumps at the chance to go, longing for adventure and seeking answers about her own power.
Once she and her classmates Maxine and Lena reach the vibrant streets of France, Frances learns that the spell she used to speak to her dead brother has had terrible consequences—the veil between the living and the dead has been torn by her recklessness, and a group of magicians are using the rift for their own gain at a horrifying cost.
To right this wrong, and save lives and her own magical powers, Frances must hunt down answers in the parlors of Parisian secret societies, the halls of the Louvre, and the tunnels of the catacombs. Her only choice is to team up with the person she swore she’d never trust again, risking further betrayal and her own life in the process. -From Publisher Website(https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Witch-Hunt/Sasha-Peyton-Smith/9781534454415)
I received this book as part of the tour from Turn the Page Tours. You can visit their website at https://turnthepagetours.wordpress.com/ to see what tours are happening, as well as what tours you can sign up for. Thank you for letting me be a part of the tour.
Review: I enjoy reading fantasy books and I especially love it when it is a duology. Because I get to figure out what happens to the characters, get to know the ending, and not have to wait too long for the next book.
The ending is so worth the wait. I did read both books back to back and I found the ending to be the perfect one for this story. It wrapped things up nicely. So, I hope the rest of you will think that as well.
I enjoy the world of this book. I found it to be fascinating and interesting, as well as the setting of the book. Something I found cool was it took place in a contemporary setting on earth, just in the 1900s. Which I was so happy to see as I have been wanting to read a book like this and this book gave me what I have been looking for.
I found the writing to be really good in this book and the first one. The author did a good job at keeping me reading, as well as keeping me in the world. I just wanted to keep reading. Not only that, but the author made her characters come off the page and really enjoyed them. I especially was enjoying the main character and getting to see where their story would, including seeing how they would be with the characters around them.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the duology as a whole. I highly recommend these books if you are looking for a fantasy book with witches and in a contemporary setting just in the 1900s.
About The Author:
Sasha Peyton Smith is the New York Times best-selling author of The Witch Haven and The Witch Hunt. She’s passionate about well-curated road trip playlists, soup recipes, and stories about complicated girls. Originally from the mountains of Utah, she now lives in Washington D.C. with her partner and collection of porcelain hands. You can find Sasha online at sashapsmith.com.
Lizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, she’s done it… and made a mess of it too. One mistake she’s never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.
Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it’s back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him she’s got an unexpected bun in the oven, he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child’s life… except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. He’s never going to make that mistake again.
Through a series of mishaps, totally “platonic” single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences.
Thank you to Turn the Page Tours for letting me be a part of this tour so that I can review this fantastic book. You visit their website at https://turnthepagetours.wordpress.com/ if you want to check them out. Thank you again!
Book Review: Romance books are always my favorite book to read at any time of the year. No matter what I am always in the mood to read a romance book. And this book was so so good. It reminded me why I loved romance books so much.
Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was a book I couldn’t put down. I needed to keep reading to see where the story was going to go and what would happen. When I would have to put it down to go back to work or to go to bed, I wouldn’t want to stop reading it. It was an addicting read that I’m so happy got to read.
When it comes to the characters, I found them interesting. They really came off the page and I found myself wanting to know where they would end up. Especially where the relationship between Lizzie and Rake would go. Lizzie herself stood out the most on the page, as well as from all of the other characters. I found her to be relatable since I also have ADHD, which can be really hard to live with. So getting to see more of that rep and seeing a character living with it, made me feel like I was being represented in a book.
The writing was really great and was another reason why I couldn’t put the book down. Mazey Eddings did a great job of bringing her story to life, as well as having her characters feel alive on the page. I also think she did a good job with the ADHD rep that she put into her book. I will definitely be reading more of her books, including reading the book she had previously published before this one.
Overall, I really really enjoyed my time with this book. I can’t wait to read more work from this author. I hope that you decided to pick up Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake and that from reading this review you will pick up this book.
Thank you and happy reading!!!
About The Author:
“Mazey Eddings is a neurodiverse author, dentist, and (most importantly) stage mom to her cats, Yaya and Zadie. She can most often be found reading romance novels under her weighted blanket and asking her boyfriend to bring her snacks. She’s made it her personal mission in life to destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain. With roots in Ohio and Philadelphia, she now calls North Carolina home.” -From The Author’s Website(https://mazeyeddings.com/about-me/)
Giveaway:
Below is a link for you to enter in a giveaway to win one of three copies of this amazing book!
CW: The book deals with themes of domestic violence, but there are no depictions of domestic violence
POSSIBLE ULTIMATE TOUR EXPERIENCE TICKETS: An Unforgettable Sidekick, Represent, Snark It Up, Love Actually, A Villain You Love To Hate, A Gate To Another World
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Book Blurb
Miya’s world ended in Black Hollow.
It’s been three years since the Dreamwalker upended her life and left her with a heavy burden. A fledgling to the ethereal realm, Miya stumbles into the nightmares of those haunted by spectres. Little does she know, one of them is coming for her, clutching a dark secret abreast.
Kai has found a new purpose with his companion, but the price is his freedom. Bound and beholden to Miya, he struggles to adjust to his new role as her vanguard.
Meanwhile, Mason discovers he may be a pawn trapped in a web of schemes. Was his time in Black Hollow an accident, or was it only the beginning of some greater machination?
As Black Hollow’s bloody stain spreads beyond its wooded borders, Miya fights to evade a past she barely understands. The Dreamwalker’s legacy is a vise grip, and it isn’t letting go. Primordial horrors draw near, fables come alive, and long-buried histories rise from the grave, ready to hunt.
Sharpen your claws and bloody your teeth. There’s fear to be sown.
Book Review: I read the first and second book back to back for this tour, which I am very happy I got to because after reading the ending to the first book, I wouldn’t be able to wait for the sequel because I would need to know what happens next.
This series, especially The Echoed Realm, was really amazing and different among the other books I have read. What A. J. Vrana has created feels different, not giving me the feel that I have read something like this before. The author brought in a creative world, as well as interesting characters.
While reading I didn’t dislike any of the characters. I did enjoy reading about them and wondering what was going to happen to them, including where they would end up in the end. I do wish we got to see more of certain characters, to see them interreacting more with the characters we know and love from the first book.
The writing was amazing. A. J. Vrana did a great job writing this book, including the first one. She draws you in within the first sentence of the book and keeps you hooked through out. I do think that the sequel went by quick with its pace. Which did work at times but sometimes it felt like the book could have slowed down at certain points. While that did take me out of the book a little bit, it still a great written book that will keep you reading.
The relationships in this book were done well. I enjoyed reading about Miya and Kai’s relationship, seeing that grow from the first book. It was also nice getting to see new relationships form and grow.
One other thing I enjoyed the most about this book, besides the stuff I had talked about above, was that this series is urban fantasy because there haven’t a lot out lately and getting to read this brought back that love of reading an urban fantasy. So thank you, A. J. Vrana.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, as well as the first book. My rating for this book is 4/5 stars. I would say that if you enjoy reading urban fantasy and want something new brought to that genre, then this series is for you. Just remember that there themes that are dark, so just make sure you are okay with that before reading.
I would like to mention that all the way at the bottom of this post is a giveaway that you can enter to win a poster of your choice and it’s international. I highly recommend entering for your chance to win a free poster with amazing art on it.
Have fun reading!!!
A. J. Vrana is a Serbian-Canadian academic and writer from Toronto, Canada. She lives with her two rescue cats, Moonstone and Peanut Butter, who nest in her window-side bookshelf and cast judgmental stares at nearby pigeons. Her doctoral research examines the supernatural in modern Japanese and former-Yugoslavian literature and its relationship to violence. When not toiling away at caffeine-fueled, scholarly pursuits, she enjoys jewelry-making, cupcakes, and concocting dark tales to unleash upon the world.
After solving the case of Truly Devious, Stevie Bell investigates her first mystery outside of Ellingham Academy in this spine-chilling and hilarious stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.
Amateur sleuth Stevie Bell needs a good murder. After catching a killer at her high school, she’s back at home for a normal (that means boring) summer.
But then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines, formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls—the site of the notorious unsolved case, the Box in the Woods Murders. Back in 1978, four camp counselors were killed in the woods outside of the town of Barlow Corners, their bodies left in a gruesome display. The new owner offers Stevie an invitation: Come to the camp and help him work on a true crime podcast about the case.
Stevie agrees, as long as she can bring along her friends from Ellingham Academy. Nothing sounds better than a summer spent together, investigating old murders.
But something evil still lurks in Barlow Corners. When Stevie opens the lid on this long-dormant case, she gets much more than she bargained for. The Box in the Woods will make room for more victims. This time, Stevie may not make it out alive.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Book Review: I enjoyed this book so so so much. As someone who hasn’t read the original trilogy before this book, I loved it a lot. After finishing this book, I wanted to immediately read the trilogy to know more about how these characters started out and how their relationships grew. So…it’s a good thing that I have bought the trilogy to binge.
The first thing I want to mention is that I as it has been mentioned you can read this without having have read the trilogy. It doesn’t spoil the mystery that gets solved and only referencing it without spoilers. Though, you will be spoiled for relationships like how close of friends they become and love relationships. So you won’t get to see those things like start and then grow. More like continuing to grow.
So…the mystery was done really great. From reading the first page I was immediately hooked and through out the book was looking for clues to solve who had done it. It was interesting getting to see things get reveled and going back and forth of who the murderer was.
The characters were so amazing. Especially Nate. I loved a lot of his dialogue, as well as every other character. Stevie was a great heroine and detective. I got a good sense of her, her thoughts, and how she went by solving the mystery. She really came off the page, while also finding some things that I connected to her with. I did enjoy getting to see her relationship with her friends, as well as her boyfriend. Though there were sometimes that I did wonder why her boyfriend was in this book, but I could just be feeling that way from not having had read the original trilogy.
The writing is A+. This is my first Maureen Johnson book I have read and it was great, making me want to read more of her books. Especially this trilogy. She knows how to write a mystery, keeping me wanting to know more. As well as keeping me wondering who had done it. Her characters came off the page and her scenes were great at making me both laugh and be on edge.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the trilogy to see what happened, as well as seeing these characters grow into how they are in this book. If you enjoy a good mystery and interesting/fun characters, then this is the one for you.
Below I have a list of five of my favorite quotes for the books and at the very bottom is a giveaway you can enter to win a copy of the book.
Have fun reading!!!
Five Favorite Quotes:
1.) “And remember, if these coasters I’m looking at are telling the truth, it’s always wine o’clock somewhere.” (Page 21)
2.) “I call it the Bounce House because that’s where I host all kinds of creators and we bounce ideas around. We call them Think Jams.” (Page 55-56)
3.) “I think it’s going to be great,” he said. “Murder camp, living in a tree, not seeing anyone. This is my summer. This is when I shine.” (Page 62)
4.) “Take it down a notch, sign,” Nate said. “Why are you yelling about owls?” (Page 84)
5.) “I’m just telling you the tropes.” (Page 134)
Author Bio:
Maureen Johnson is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle (now on Netflix), and several works in the Shadowhunter universe with Cassandra Clare. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian, and she has also served as a scriptwriter for EA Games. She has an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and lives in New York City.
The year 2020 may be over, but that doesn’t mean things have gotten any easier. With mixed feelings about no longer carrying the secret title of being the Empyreans’ Chosen, Val returns to her realm and her people only to find more danger lurking in the deepest, darkest shadows and threatening to destroy the Empyreal world.
Everywhere she turns, betrayal isn’t far behind, and with an ever-growing list of bad guys, trust is a precious commodity. Yet allies from unlikely places come forth as more mysteries about her life are brought to light. Val will be tested and forced to confront the truth of her past and the unknown future, all while attempting to save the soul of the man she loves.
With demons of all kinds on the loose, the looming threat of war with Purgatory, and Gabe’s eternal damnation hanging in the balance, will Val ever learn who she really is and where she came from? Will she ever be crowned Empyrean Queen, or will deeply buried secrets be her undoing?
Empyrean Queen is the final book in the Origins duology.
*Please note that this duology does contain consensual sex on the page.
*A note from the author: Though this book does not seek to make light of COVID-19 or trigger anyone with a personal experience with the virus, one of the settings is America in the year 2020, so COVID-19 is mentioned and acknowledged throughout the story.
Book Review: This book review will focus more on the second book, but I will give my thoughts about the first book. This will be spoiler free as best I can without giving anything away.
I just want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed this book, as well as the first one. This book did a great job at keeping me reading and turning the next page to see what would happen.
I thought the world created was interesting and did a great job at doing something different for the fantasy genre. It was also interesting to read about on the page with how people live, that there is a human world that watch over, and things like that.
The characters were great. I loved reading about them and wanted to know what would happen to them in the end. Val was a great female character. She was another character that I found was a strong female who wasn’t afraid to feel how she did and would do what she believed to be right. I also enjoyed the romance in the book and thought it was done well.
I also want to mention that the writing is really good. I could not put this book down with one of the reasons being the writing. The author did a great job and they really made their story come to life on the page.
The ending wraps up everything nicely.
My rating for this book is a 5 out of 5 stars.
If you enjoy fantasy, want a short series, and a a quick read with great characters, then this book is perfect for you. There is also a giveaway going on below, so scroll down and enter.
Have fun reading!!!
Five Favorite Things about Empyrean Queen:
1.) The world because it feels so new and interesting compared to the other fantasy stories that are out within that genre.
2.) The writing. The author makes her characters and scenes really pop off the page, making it easy to imagine in my head as I read the book
3.) The dialogue. In this book, including the first one, the dialogue did a great job of showing me more of the characters and it was enjoyable to read to imagine what the characters’ voices would sound like.
4.) I liked that this book and the first one didn’t shy away from what had happened in 2020 and having it be that it carried a weight. I love when books aren’t afraid to say that “yes, this happened” or “yes, this year was a very tough one”.
5.) Magical beings/creatures. I enjoyed reading this different twist of this because it brought something new.
Author Bio:
MK is a fantasy/urban fantasy author who lives with her husband, kids, & furbabies in a small Midwestern town. She loves coffee and craft beer and has an unhealthy mug obsession. When she’s not writing, she loves going on camping adventures with her husband. Her favorite part is the journey and no trip is complete without visiting all of the micro breweries!
To find all of her social media hideouts, use the link below. Cheers!
I’ve been told I was as useless as a weed most of my life. Mainly by my worthless father.
But I’d suffer anything to give my kid sister a better life—the minute I turn eighteen, I’m getting us the hell out of here. And some hot stranger telling me I am the key to stopping a war between Heaven and Hell isn’t going to change that.
Let the world crumble and burn, for all I care.
Draven is relentless, though. And very much a liar. Every time his sexy lips are moving, I can see it—in the dip of his head, the grit of his jaw—even if my heart begs me to ignore the signs.
So what does he want?
I need to figure it out fast, because now everyone is gunning for me. And damn if I don’t want to show them what happens when you let weeds thrive in the cracks of the pavement…
We can grow powerful enough to shatter the whole foundation.
Book Review: First, I want to say that this book is amazing. I knew instantly that I was going to like this book as there hasn’t been many YA Urban Fantasies coming out in awhile.
I really do think Molly E. Lee did a great job with her creating both her world and her characters. She really made it shine on the page. That’s what really drew me was the world being set in Chicago and getting see this new twists on demons, as well as other creatures and just hell itself. I think that’s one of the great things about this book is that it feels different compared to other books I have read within this genre.
The characters have been done really well. Harley is a great female character that was strong that I could relate to with having anxiety and dealing with almost the same things. Not only that, but she is the type of female character that I have been looking for. I have been looking for a female character that has flaws, but is also strong at the same time and continues to grow. Reading her story made me want to grow as a person. I will also mention that there wasn’t one side character that I felt like I wasn’t interested in. Also I enjoyed the romance in this book, as well as the love interest.
The writing in this book is fantastic. The author’s did a great job making scenes and characters come off the page. It really made the book even more enjoyable for me.
Now onto the dark themes because there are some. I still do think that this is a great book and if you are wanting a great YA Urban Fantasy book, then this would be a perfect book. Just know that there are some dark themes and that it might be triggering. Just keep this on your radar if you are still interested in reading the book.
The rating I would give this book is 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a really great book with some really fast pacing, but at times it felt like things were a bit too fast at times and there wasn’t enough time to let things sink in.
If you are a fan of Cassandra Clare and are looking for a new YA Urban Fantasy, then this would be a perfect book for you.
Also, don’t forget to enter the giveaway all the way at the bottom, as well as information about the author.
Have fun reading!!!
Five Favorite Things From The Book:
1.) The in-depth characters that will hold a special place in my heart.
2.) I love how many references are put into this book because I loved every single one of them.
3.) That it is set in the city of Chicago which I know very well.
4.) The writing is amazing and made me enjoy the book even more
5.) It was Urban Fantasy, which is something I have been craving for a long time.
Molly E. Lee is an author best known for her romance novels, the Grad Night series and the Love on the Edge series. Molly writes Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.
Today’s post is about the Blog and Bookstagram Tour going on for the third book in the series, Covet. I am doing a spotlight post about it. I have posted a picture of the the cover below and the covers for this series look gorgeous. I love Covets bright red cover and the image on it that makes me wonder what might happen in this next book. Another thing I can’t wait to see is the chapter titles, as that is one of things that keeps drawing me in to see what Tracy Wolff titles her chapters.
Below I have also put in information and the description of Covet, as well as the order the books should be read in if you are interested in reading them. Also info about Tracy Wolff, including her website and where you can follow her. There is a giveaway posted at the bottom too if you want to enter to win a copy of Covet.
Thank you for taking the time to scroll through my blog post. I hope you are enjoying Covet and it’s everything that you are hoping that it is.
BookDescription:I may have reached my breaking point. As if trying to graduate from a school for supernaturals isn’t stressful enough, my relationship status has gone from complicated to a straight-up dumpster fire.
Oh, and the Bloodletter has decided to drop a bomb of epic proportions on us all…
Then again, when has anything at Katmere Academy not been intense?
And the hits just keep coming. Jaxon’s turned colder than an Alaskan winter. The Circleis splintered over my upcoming coronation. As if things couldn’t get worse, now there’san arrest warrant for Hudson’s and my supposed crimes—which apparently means alifetime prison sentence with a deadly unbreakable curse.
Choices will have to be made…and I fear not everyone will survive.
The Crave series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 Crave
Book #2 Crush
Book #3 Covet
Book #4 Court
Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff is a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night. A onetime English professor, she now devotes all her time to writing dark and romantic stories with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines. She has written all her sixty-plus novels from her home in Austin, Texas, which she shares with her family. tracywolffbooks.com.
Living in Santa Isabella, home of the five-time College World Series champs, The Quakes, Evie has grown up loving baseball. Her dad has been the head coach for as long as she can remember and her happiest memories were on the baseball diamond. But baseball broke her heart, in more ways than one, and she’ll do anything to avoid it.
Now Evie is in college and she can’t avoid baseball anymore. Working for her dad brings her face-to-face with Austin Young, the new shortstop who has transferred in from Texas. Austin throws her off her game with his dedication to baseball and his irresistible Southern charm. The chemistry between them is undeniable and Evie finds herself falling for the baseball player
But Evie has her own secrets that are holding her back and they just might cause baseball to break her heart all over again.” -Goodreads
Review: I LOVED THIS BOOK! I super enjoyed it and read it within like two days. I couldn’t put it down.
I am a big romance reader and love reading romance stories. Though I have never read a sports romance before. I was always afraid that I would need to know how the sports work, which I only know the basic info about them. That’s one of the things I loved about this book. As I read it I was told enough about the sport in the book to understand it without getting lost.
I loved the characters in this book. I loved Evie, Austin, Drew, Sydney and enjoying the side characters. I really enjoyed Evie’s character and watching her interact with the characters. I wanted her to get the happy ending she deserved. I wanted her dream, her wants, to be achieved. I was swept away by Austin. I fell for him as soon as he got on the page.
The relationship between Evie and Austin was done perfectly. I wanted to keep going to see where their relationship would go, what kind of relationship they would have and just how they fit together. I loved reading them building each other up and helping each other.
Something I want to mention, this is a new adult romance. There are sex scenes, which are well written and perfectly placed in the book. It doesn’t feel like those scenes come out of know where.
The book was a really fast read. The writing was well done.
I highly recommend reading this book. If you enjoy romance-especially sport romances-and new adult books, then read this book. It’s really good and romance lovers should read it.
Happy reading!
Recieved an ARC from booksprout and gave an honest review.
When it comes to finding a young adult fantasy book, it is really easy to find one since there has been a lot published over the years. Thought the hardest to find is a book that feels different over the years. There have been some I’ve found and a lot of them have pushed the genre to stand out. A young adult fantasy book that I recently read that feel different is Shielded by Kaylnn Flanders.
Don’t worry this book review will be spoiler free, and I will try to keep the talk of somethings of the story to a minimum. But, this is all my opinion, so I highly recommend for you to read the book if you are interested.
Shielded follows out main character Jennesara or Jenna, a princess whose kingdom is losing a war. Since she isn’t in line for the throne, with being the second born, the king has planned an arranged marriage to have a chance at winning the war. She then sets off to this kingdom, only to get ambushed and must survive while finding out things that could change everything.
Now from that description it sounds not that different, but it is the meat of the story that makes it different.
The main character Jenna is really interesting and smart. She cares deeply about her family, as well as her kingdom, doing anything she can to help. The side characters and the love interest were done well. They all came off the page, being characters that didn’t blend together.
Something I want to briefly mention is the romance. I really did like the romance in the book and thought it was done well, but I do wish that it didn’t feel like insta love after just meeting like what felt like a couple of days since the first time they met.
As for the magic, it is easy to understand. There is no big explanation for it and the author does a great job of showing it to the reader. I am really hoping that the companion sequel to the book goes into even more detail because the magic system does sound interesting.
The setting is quite interesting though has that regular fantasy setting of castle and stuff. I would love to see more of the world in the companion sequel.
The writing presented in the book is simple and makes the read of the book go fairly quickly.
While I did enjoy this book, there was something that I think that could have made it better. I did like how fast pace it felt, but I did feel like there were some scenes that could have slowed down. This would have been great for the scenes that had the love interest, so I could see that love blow. Instead of it feeling like it happened within a blink in the eye.
Another thing I would have loved to see is more of the family dynamic between Jenna, her brother, and their father the king. While it is nice to see that in the beginning of the book, I do think seeing more of it in the beginning would have a bigger impact for what happens later on.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I could not put it down and I just wanted to read it till the end to see what would happen. I think this is a great young adult fantasy to read if you are looking for something different mixed with some familiar things. Also, again, if this book sounded interesting to you or you love fantasy, then I recommend you to read this book and give it a shot.
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