Review: Fake It 'Til You Break It

Fake It 'Til You Break It by Meagan Brandy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Epic

Epic by Sarina Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'll never get enough Wesmie! Seriously, I could just live in a world where they exist. And Blake?! LOVE HIM!

This was a fun little look into the lives of some of my favorite characters. Just so much fun!

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Review: Daughter of the Pirate King

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank god for buddy reads. Seriously. This is helping me knock out my TBR faster than anything I've done in the past.

Daughter of the Pirate King came with a high recommendation. I thought the hype might have been overdone, but then I read it.

Excellent adventure, excellent story. Excellent cast of characters who are smart and quick and an absolute delight to be around.
For the most part.
This is a story about pirates, after all. And is there really such a thing as a good pirate?

Alosa is probably one of the coolest, most ass-kickiest (just making it up as I go here) heroine I've had the pleasure of reading. She's strong, she knows what she wants, she takes absolutely zero flack from anyone.
And IT. IS. AWESOME.

Riden just might be the most swoonworthy pirate I have ever had stumbled upon. Seriously, where is this man in my real life? He's strong, smart, kind, and loyal. Good lord, is that man loyal. And smart. And, I could be wrong, but based on Alosa's descriptions and thoughts I bet I'm not, not bad on the eyes either.

These two are an interesting sort. Not friends, yet not enemies. Each seems to have a mutual respect for the other.

It's fascinating.
It's fun.

This is one of the best books I've read. I kinda want to read it again, but I need to read Daughter of the Siren Queen before I dive(HA!) into a reread.

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Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was not expecting that!
I haven't read a good "who done it" in years. And I used to devour them.
This had everything I didn't realize I wanted to read at this time.

Strong female.
Swoony, smart male who realizes women are capable of thought.
A classic case that needs to be solved.

I didn't understand the Thomas Cresswell hype.
But now I do.

Audrey Rose is strong and stubborn and she just wants to be as free as the men in society.
And Thomas Cresswell knows she is capable of everything he is. He values her. And--what's that?!--he likes her for her MIND.
Unheard of. I know.

But that just makes it all the better.

I will say I had a list of suspects in this book. I wasn't sure who the culprit was, which made the book all the better.


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Review: The Siren

The Siren by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Huh.
So, I'm not sure how I feel.
I didn't hate it.
I didn't love it.
I'm somewhere in between.

The story was interesting, but I had so many questions as I listened to this.

And they were never really answered.

But the story was sweet enough, if you could ignore the plot holes.

And the characters were adorable and a bit...spritely.

I didn't hate it.
But I didn't love it either.

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Review: Obsidio

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm searching for the words to express how I feel.

I'll be back with a review.

I think I've got it now.
Maybe.

I honestly don't know.
I laughed and cried. I fell in love.

I was torn apart and shot down and destroyed.
I was given the chance to be greater than others.
I was given the chance to do something greater than myself.
I was shown a world that terrified me.

I wanted to be friends with Kady and Ez, Nik and Hannah, Ella and AIDAN, and Asha and Rhys.
I am just so blown away with this cast of characters, the storyline, the developing plotlines, the underlying tension. The pain and the hurt and the betrayal. The...everything.

Is everything an option? Can I love everything about a book? A series?
Because I do. Even the dark parts, the torturous parts, the corrupt parts. Because without those the rest of the story couldn't be beautiful.

This book will be on my yearly reread shelf for as far as I can see. It's amazing.

I'll add here that I did the audio of this series. The audio is a full cast narration that surpasses all of my expectations. This is the series I'll forever tell people to listen to when they ask for an audio rec. The full cast had so many of my favorites--even if they aren't listed anywhere beyond "full cast" on the cover. Seriously, there are some surprise gems in the narration. And I couldn't have enjoyed a book more.

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Review: Wicked Saints

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Maybe it's me, not the book. I just did not connect with a single thing that happened.

Was it the tropes? Was it the writing? Was it the overall theme?

I have no idea.

Could the disconnect be because I just finished off five of the best books I've ever read and therefore this just didn't check those boxes for me?

It's fantasy. There's magic. There's a girl and a boy and another boy. There are side characters and a journey. There is hidden magic and blood magic and lies about magic.

Yeah, I'm having a hard time understanding my struggle.

Maybe you'll love it, maybe you won't. But don't let my subpar review convince you either way.

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Review: Gemina

Gemina by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't even know where to begin with this. I devoured these books. As soon as I finished Illuminae, I had this downloaded and ready to go.

Nick and Hannah are our main duo in this book. And just when you think it isn't connected to Illuminae in nothing more than name, it proves you wrong.

The twists. The turns. The freaking emotion in this story!
I laughed because it's funny.
I cried because it's sad.
I hurt because I'm pretty sure I had some serious attachment to characters I was not supposed to be attached to.

At the same time, WOW! My mind is blown. This whole book...just...no words.

So, tell me, what are you willing to do to save your universe and the universe of others?

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Review: Scythe

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So. Wow.
I've read the reviews. I've seen the recommendations. I've even bought all three books in audio. I've trusted the fans.

And I was not let down with my blind-ish trust in others.

HOLY MOLY WHAT WAS THAT?

I swear, Neal Shusterman has the power to make you fear the future. I read his Unwind dystology ages ago. I've been terrified of his brain ever since.
Because his futures? They feel like real possibilities. They feel like we are just years away from these possibilities. I'm fairly certain that, given enough time, this is what our world could look like.
Of course, given our current state of panic over a coronavirus, maybe we aren't quite to the place where Scythe is. But it's still terrifying.

Gah, have I even mentioned the characters? Probably not.
They are all human. Some are Scythe. Some are just regular people, hoping they don't meet their end on this day. Because the choice isn't theirs. You don't get the choice at all. The Scythe has the power. The Scythe is who will decide your fate.

Yep. That's it. I'm out. There are so many crazy things in this book and my review is just a long-winded rambling, so I'm done.
I already have book 2 downloaded. I'm ready to see what happens.
Because...is that a vigilante Scythe out there?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

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Review: Trouble

Trouble by Adriana Locke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Penn Etling. Man, where have you been my whole life?

Dogwood Lane, apparently. Out there living his own life, refusing to believe he could fall in love, yet subconsciously holding on to the memories of a girl from long ago.

Penn broke my heart while simultaneously making me fall in love with him. His humor, his heart, his...ability to love and care for others (not where you thought I'd take that, now was it?!).

Because he does have a huge heart on him. He'd give you the shirt off his back. He'd fix your steps without you asking.

Because he's that kind of guy.

You want this story.
No one does small town romance like Adriana Locke.

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Review: All Geek to Me

All Geek to Me by Allie York
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is such a light, fun read. I absolutely adore Nora and her besties. Seriously, they're the kind of friends I only wish I had. They're all snarky and fun and completely supportive. They love hard and they are loyal.
They also know when Nora needs a good kick in the pants when Mr. Hot Cop (okay, he has a name, but I like to call him Hot Cop) comes around.

If you're looking for a funny, sweet, sexy romance, this is the book for you.

Because WYATT.

Wyatt. Oh, he's sooooo swoonworthy. Seriously ladies, he's hot, he's a cop, and he's a single dad. He checks all my little boxes and then brings his A game in pursuit of Nora.



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Review: Illuminae

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Am I not merciful?"

I'll admit I went into this with nothing more than a strong love for another book this duo co-wrote and a lot of recommendations and praise along the lines of "It's great!" and "Listen to it."
And I found myself doing just that.

Listening, obviously. The narration for Aurora Rising was so spectacular I knew I needed another that had a full cast narration. And let's be real, AR was so amazing I just had to read another book by this powerful duo.

It took a moment to get the format of this book. Not written in a traditional sense, but rather told through transmissions, interviews, and text of varying degrees, Illuminae is like nothing I've read before.
And I mean that in so many ways.
It wasn't just the style and the flow of the words. It was the content. Yeah, sure, space has been done. The world resting on the shoulders of few has been done. I'm sure AI has been done--although I haven't really read it before. And given that I've just listened to a full cast narration, we know that isn't new either. But I do think it made this book that much better.

I picked up this book because Johnathan McClain is one of the narrators and I have a strong love for his voice. I've had this sitting in my audible library for what feels like forever.
And now, here in 2020, as I have made the decision to get back to my love of YA, I took the plunge and listened to this.

HOLY FREAKING COW THIS BOOK IS FANTASTIC.

Kady. Ezra. James. Aiden. And everyone else you meet aboard the Hepatia and Alexander. The lives that are intertwined, the stories they have to tell, the way they tell them. GAH. I don't have the words to really and truly describe what it felt to listen to this.

I was on the edge of my seat. I was tense. I was scared and nervous. I found myself laughing because the banter is funny. I found myself crying because death is painful. I found myself falling in love--which was a bit unexpected, yet also beautiful.

I don't know how to tell you this is a must read book. If you haven't gathered that from everything else I've said, let that be the takeaway now.

READ THIS BOOK.
Because, after all, "Am I not merciful?"

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Review: Aurora Rising

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was not prepared for this book. I had heard good things. All good things. But I just wasn't sure. I mean, I'm not a fan of sci-fi and I haven't really read a YA book in ages.
Yet here I am, reading another sci-fi book. The third of the year for me. And I think I might be on my third YA book as well.

So, I guess it's safe to say I don't totally hate sci-fi. Which, now that I think of it, was always silly to say because I've never put one down. I just struggled to pick them up.

That's neither here nor there though. I guess you want to know my thoughts on this masterpiece.

I listened to this book. I think I should start there. It's a full audio cast, which means each character is narrated by a different person.
That alone is pretty kick-ass.
The fact that Johnathan McClain and Steve West are two of those narrators is just an added bonus. They're two of my favorites.
Two of my go-to men for books.
And they're both here.

The characters in this book are all different. Each a little quirky, each a little unique, each with a different skill set.
This book is set in a future I will never see, unfortunately.
But this world--this universe--that is created in these pages is wild and beautiful and I loved flying through the stars, flying through the fold, learning a new language, meeting new people and seeing that there are others out there. Similar to us, yet different. Filled with the ability to love and laugh and learn and move just like humans. The ability to cry.
Because we all cried. Including me.

But for all the scientific-ness of this book, there's a magic to it all too. A bright, burning light of that something special that makes a book stand out from the others.

That's Aurora Rising.

The crew.
The ship.
The mission.

I'm on the hunt for a special edition of this book. I'm fairly certain they exist and I need it.
This book will be in my forever collection.


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Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know I'd enjoy this so much. Seems ridiculous, really. It has things I enjoy; MM, angst, royalty. I mean, it should have been a given.

But I was scared. I was scared because the hype surrounding this book was...well, overwhelming.
Yet, the hype is not wrong. It's spot on.

This book has angst.
It has enemies to friends to lovers.
It has royalty.
It has angst.
This book has MM romance.

Which seems silly that I still have to say MM when discussing this romance, but really MM romance just has a little something extra that I don't find in MF romance. There's something about the broodiness, the angst, the...truth of it all.
Because there's so much truth here.
So much underneath.

Henry and Alex have to fight for their truth, their love.
And they shouldn't have to do that.
They should be able to love freely.

I like to think one day it will be normal. No one will bat an eye or care.
And I think it would be easier if we had prominent people who weren't afraid to be themselves.

But really, you didn't come for that and if you've made it this far you probably just want to know what I thought.

I LOVED IT.
There. That's what you have to know.
I LOVED IT.


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Review: The Christmas Pact

The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I realize it's a short story. A novella, if you will. I knew it would have to progress quickly to leave you satisfied.
But I just wasn't feeling it.
I don't know why, but the romance just didn't hit me where I wanted it to.
It left me wanting.

The narration was great though. Sebastian York and Andi Arndt nailed it.

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Review: Otherearth

Otherearth by Jason Segel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

That ending though! OMG!

I seriously had this downloaded and ready to go before I finished Otherworld. I knew this was a book I'd need and I didn't waste any time queuing it up.

That being said I am so freaking in love with this world. Or earth. Or Otherworld...earth? I have no idea. I am just completely consumed, I do know that. I would say it's a world I'd want to visit, but no. No I do not want to live in this virtual reality world where you don't know what's real and what's not.

Seriously. Is it happening? Is it real? What is going on?

I didn't feel like this the entire time, mind you. I think that's important. I was going along, thinking Simon was gonna save Otherworld and come out a winner. But by the time the ending jumped out and attacked me, I wasn't sure which way was up.
I didn't know what was real.
I didn't know what was virtual.

I need book three right now.
I know I can read it, but I really want Jason Segel to read it to me. So, I'm impatiently waiting for Feb 18 when that audio hits my phone.

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