Worth the Wait, an all-new second chance small town romance from Karla Sorensen, is LIVE in Kindle Unlimited!
You know what I don’t have time for? The brooding, dark-eyed former love of my life showing up when my life is finally settling down.
I don’t have time for Hunter Buchanan and that intense look in his eyes. The way he loved me so perfectly all those years ago.
I’m the one who asked him to leave back then, my attempt at saving him from the chaos of my screwed up family.
I didn’t expect him back in Green Valley, looking better than before and with an empty ring finger. And I definitely didn’t expect him to still be in love with me.
I don’t have time for the things I feel around him, or how amazing it is when he touches me.
Most of all, for the broken heart I’ll have if I have to say goodbye again. I survived him leaving once before, but I don’t think I can do it again.
So there’s only one thing I can make time for… staying away from Hunter Buchanan.
‘Worth the Wait’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #4 in the Love At First Sight series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
Karla Sorensen has been an avid reader her entire life, preferring stories with a happily-ever-after over just about any other kind. And considering she has an entire line item in her budget for books, she realized it might just be cheaper to write her own stories. It doesn’t take much to keep her happy…a book, a really big glass of wine, and at least thirty minutes of complete silence every day. She still keeps her toes in the world of health care marketing, where she made her living pre-babies. Now she stays home, writing and mommy-ing full time (this translates to almost every day being a ‘pajama day’ at the Sorensen household…don’t judge). She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two exceptionally adorable sons and big, shaggy rescue dog.
I was provided an ARC via the author and Smartypants Romance, all opinions are my own.
While this is listed as the 4th book in the Love at First Sight series, you can read it as a standalone. Each of the books in the series follows a different member of the Buchanan family as they navigate love and the family "curse" of falling in love with their soul mate the first time they meet. This particular story follows Hunter, who has been mentioned in the previous installments, and fans of the series have been long awaiting his story. If you are just starting with this book, I highly recommend reading the previous books, but you don't need to read them to get to know Hunter and Iris.
Hunter and Iris fell hard for each other in high school, but Iris' rough home situation caused her to push him away. Now after years of being apart and growing into capable adults, Hunter and Iris find themselves back in Green Valley at the same time and reunited by Iris' younger brother and ward Theo. Hunter never stopped loving Iris, but he's trying to respect her wishes to be friends and not push her boundaries. He knows that his big feelings for her scare her and she didn't grow up in a kind, loving, accepting family environment until moving in with her Grandmother. Iris still has feelings for Hunter, but she is 100% committed to taking care of her brother. That means getting her business off the ground and protecting him from their mess of a mother.
I loved Hunter and Iris together. Iris slowly comes out of her shell and into her own as she lets Hunter back into her life. I love how fiercely protective of her brother she is. I feel like the author did a great job describing Iris as a person who suffered at the hand of a manipulative and abusive parent, and still shoulders the burden of that. It is easy to criticize Iris and say she needed to let people in and help carry the weight of her burdens. That is part of her journey and I think it was portrayed very well. I felt like there was the right amount of slow burn and angst to this story.
I really enjoyed the side characters. Theo and Maxine were great additions to add some comic relief. I also enjoyed getting to see the characters from the previous books to let readers know what they are up to.
If you are looking for a bit of an angsty second chance romance, I highly recommend this one!
I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. I do think the narrator did a great job with the book, she was able to give a distinct voice to all of the characters and bring life into all of the dialogue.
Parts of this were really cute and cozy, while parts of it felt a bit over the top. Lily was a bit too immature for my taste. The overuse of "Obvi" in this book grated on my nerves after a while. She also drops alot of F-bombs. Perhaps a younger reader wouldn't mind those types of expressions. I think it was an attempt to keep things light and comical and connect with a millennial audience. Lily's inability to communicate with everyone in her life is also a turnoff for me. I'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope in general, which is a big part of the book when she's dealing with Tristan. With both of them being writers, they are terrible communicators.
This follows 25 year old journalist Lily the night after she has been accidentally turned into a vampire. She doesn't remember what happened only that she has a thirst for something a bit different than her usual cravings. Fast-forward to Lily finding her maker Tristan and getting pulled into all sorts of vampire drama. Despite the fact that Lily is a modern millennial and Tristan is kind of old fashioned, they have an instant connection. Tristan is always trying to protect Lily, so in turn she is always angry at him for treating her like a damsel in distress. When they aren't fighting they are making moon eyes at each other.
I was really excited to read this as it sounded like a great body positive paranormal romance, however almost every chapter we are hit over the head with Lily's negative body image, negative self-talk, jealousy of people around her, and inability to accept that people actually accept and like her. She is constantly reminding us that she is damaged goods in some way. Every time you think she's made a step forward in her self acceptance journey, she takes several large steps back into the negative self talk. I'm glad that Lily's best friend finally called her out on, and again she is called out by Evan the Vampire Hunter later. That being said, she does eventually come around and find self acceptance of not only her situation of being a vampire but also being worthy and loving the body she has. I wish that revelation ha occurred much earlier in the book not in the final chapters. I wanted more of the book to be about her loving herself and being smart and sexy and powerful for eternity.
Overall, this book was fun. It was a quick and easy listen. It cozy if you are looking for something to read going into spooky season that isn't scary. While I wanted something a bit different from this book, I think there is an audience out there that will love it.
I was provided an audio arc of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. I thought both narrators did a good job with their parts. I do wish the male narrator was a bit more ominous sounding, I don't feel like his voice fit the part. Then again that could have been a very deliberate choice. Having just watched a documentary on the BTK killer recently, which the author mentioned in the book, he was just a regular guy on the outside. Little did his friends and family know the monster that he was on the inside, similar to our killer in the book.
Let me first start out by saying I know nothing of the podcast that the author co-hosts, so my desire to read the book and my thoughts have nothing with that. I thought this thriller was great until it wasn't. The abrupt ending kind of ruined the whole experience for me. I am not a fan of books that end on a cliffhanger without wrapping up enough to stand on it's own. This feels like it is setting us up for another book in a series. I can't find anything announcing another book, so that kind of irritates me. The audiobook clocks in around 6 and half hours, but the that includes about 30 minutes of the acknowledgements and interview with the author. I feel like this needed another hour or two to really be a substantial thriller and knock it out of the park. It has good bones, but it was missing something. I do think that the author did a good job with the clinical aspects of the book, brining her knowledge of true crime and autopsy into play nicely.
As many other reviewers have mentioned, the characters all lack development. There is alot of description given to the reader about what things smell like and look like, which is fine but I like well developed characters too. There are times that the descriptions get a bit repetitive. If there is a 2nd book I'd like to get to know the characters more and see more development of both Wren and Jeremey. I like other readers want to know what drives them versus just seeing them at work.
Overall, this was fun and I think the author has a ton of potential. The twist was creative and the pacing was good. I do wish it was a bit more developed in places, especially the ending. I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for us in the future.
“If you’d rather call for a tow, that’s fine.” A faint smirk settles on his
lips. “But let me give you a little heads-up.”“What about?”“It’s almost seven o’clock on a Friday night. Tucker, your savior tow truck
driver, is currently occupying the last barstool at the Wet Whistle, knocking
back cold ones left and right. He ain’t coming to get you until tomorrow
afternoon at best. So if you wanna wait it out, I’d find a blanket. It gets
cold around here at night.”He knows he made his point. The smugness in his features gives him
away.I wish I was ballsy enough to wait for Tucker or, at the very least, call
this guy’s bluff. Unfortunately for me, I listen to too many crime podcasts,
I’m scared of the dark, and I really, really
just want to get to the hotel tonight and take a hot bath.“Suit yourself,” he says, turning like he’s going to leave.“Wait.”Against my better judgment, I unlock the door. I climb out of the car before
I can think about it.That’s my second mistake today.
Blurb:
This grumpy hero makes things hard for the nanny.You know what? I’m over him.His moods.The verbal sparring.Those biceps that look like they were cut from marble.Okay, maybe I’m not over him being shirtless.Chase Marshall is a single dad with a daughter to love, so fighting with me
shouldn’t be a priority. But he can’t seem to stay away.The lingering looks when he thinks I’m not watching.The seemingly innocent touches while making breakfast.The smirks gracing his lips after I’m irritated by his antics.He’s ridiculously sweet to his daughter. I even catch glimpses of how
charming he could be to me—if he wanted to.But that’s the problem. He acts like he doesn’t want to. That he doesn’t want me.He does. It’s in the innuendos, the way he places his hand in the small of my
back—the almost kisses while we’re putting away groceries. The way he comes running when I
see a spider and checks on me before he goes to bed. Even if he does grumble about it.I might not be totally
over my boss, but I’m going to make him think I am.Let’s see how frustrated Mr. Marshall gets now.
From USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a grumpy/sunshine,
blue-collar single dad, nanny romance. This small-town romance is a standalone
novel with tons heat and even more heart.More Than I Could is a standalone in the Coming Home series where one
author a month will be delivering a brand-new story about coming home.
About the Author:
USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and
breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the
flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a
large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You
can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy
in her pocket.
I was provided an audible code via the author, all opinions are my own.
This was more of a romantic suspense which is a bit different than what the author typically writes and I'm here for it. I'm used to her more rom-com style of writing with the Mason Family series and now the Carmichaels so this was a bit of a surprise. This is Adriana's first book, and it has recently received a new cover and the audio has been re-recorded, and it now includes The Connection as a bonus epilogue. The narrators both did a great job with their chapters, I very much enjoyed the narration.
This follows Jada, who has recently divorced her abusive husband and has moved home to Arizona to start over. The last thing she wants in her life is an alpha male playboy like Cane Alexander to barge into her life and complicate things. Cane is a one night stand kind of guy, but there is something about Jada. His best friend and co-worker, Max is seeing Jada's sister, so they are often at the same place at the same time, so Cane is determine to get Jada to spend time with him. She isn't interested, but eventually he wears her down. They fall into easy banter and their attraction and chemistry overshadow their desire to not enter into a relationship.
This follows some pretty standard romance tropes. Cane does some really stupid things in an effort to deny his feelings for Jada, and Jada forgives him a little too easily. Jada naturally has trust issues after dealing with her jerk of an ex, and Cane has some relationship baggage as well so it takes them some time to figure out trust and communication. Their road to happiness isn't an easy one, especially as Cane's family has made some enemies along the way and Jada has gotten caught in the crossfire of their family feud. Cane being the overprotective alpha that he is does what he thinks is best to protect her, which of course isn't necessarily the best thing for their relationship.
This is fairly steamy, so I would say it is definitely NSFW. If you are listening to the audio, I'd recommend listening to this with headphones on if you are concerned with little ones, co-workers, or anyone else overhearing anything you wouldn't want them to hear if you know what I mean.
Overall this is a fun, fast paced romance. It was a quick listen, and I was totally invested in the story. I'm really looking forward to reading Max and Kari's story, I loved them as side characters. There is obviously something holding them both back from taking the next step and I'm anxious to find out what that is.
I was provided an Audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. The narrator was amazing and did a wonderful job with all of the characters and there were quite a few.
This was wonderful! I love mythology of any kind and this brings the mythology to life with the gods and goddesses, or Dioses being present in many scenes and their children competing in a high stakes trial. Every decade the 10 chosen demi-gods or semidioses compete in a trial to restore the power to the Sun Stones that keep the darkness and the Obsidian gods at bay. Typically only the children of the Gold Dioses compete, but this year Teo and Xio, two Jades have been chosen to compete. Teo and his best friend Niya team up to help Xio make it through the trials. As the trials go on Teo finds himself ranking very well, and being rewarded for making good choices and choosing teamwork over violence and betrayal. As the trials go on Teo begins to notice that something is off with the competition as the competitors are acting strangely, and everyone else seems to be ignoring it and accepts it as Sol's will. I won't spoil anything, but Teo's hunch is spot on and he is right to question things.
This was action packed, laced with humor, and has great commentary woven in. Thomas does a great job with the world-building, taking the time to describe all of the various mytholological figures as well as the setting. The author put so much love into making sure the culture was well represented from the clothing the competitors wore to the food they ate. I truly felt transported while reading this. The character development is also well done. Teo has to deal with some self-acceptance issues as well as questions about right and wrong, new and old friendship issues, and his issues with the trials. We also see some great development from Aurelio and I hope to see more of him in book 2. This does leave off on a bit of a cliffhanger, but knowing it was a duology from the start I expected that. I am so anxious to see where the next installment takes us.
If you liked Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, Cemetery Boys, The Maze Runner, or any books like those I think you will love this. It has a wonderful diverse cast of characters, while being action packed and touching moments. This has some great discussions about body dysphoria, acceptance of self, loneliness, friendship, and doing what is right when things are hard. I'm so thankful to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners for allowing me to review this wonderful book. I cannot wait for book 2!!!
I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
I was really looking forward to this book after loving Sadie. This has that same ominous feeling as Sadie, but is not told in the same mixed media format. This book is pretty heavy and does have alot of triggers. I'm not sure how I feel about this book even after sitting with it for a bit. It is an uncomfortable read for sure, and it has several unlikable characters. This is going to be a difficult one to review without spoilers.
Georgia is 16, and she has big dreams. She dreams of working at the exclusive members only club in her town, Aspera. She wants to be an Aspera girl, but unfortunately she doesn't know what that entails. Her mother worked at Aspera, but she kept much of her work a secret from her daughter. This of course had the opposite effect and make it look glamourous instead of dangerous to Georgia. With her mother having lost her battle with cancer, she can't giver her the facts and tell her the truth of the club and the wonders and dangers that lie within.
At the heart of this story, Georgia is naïve, immature, and trusting of everyone around her. She takes everything everyone tells her at face value and believes them. So when she gets caught up in a murder investigation, she finds herself in situations that she really should never be in. While you think that the investigation might be the main focus, there is a much bigger much more sinister plot happening around her. Speaking of the plot, it was kind of all over the place. One moment we are with Georgia and Nora as they are "investigating" the murder, the next minute we are with Georgia as she is trying to better her position and "live her dreams" at Aspera. Georgia is being groomed and manipulated by the people she thinks are protecting her and she doesn't even know it. My biggest issue with this book is the flow of the varied storylines, they didn't feel cohesive and the ending was abrupt. The message and overall plot was good, but it didn't deliver in the end for me. Perhaps it was messy by design as was the message and content of the book. It doesn't deliver on atmosphere and the emotional aspects. It gives you that squirmy, icky feeling and I always had that feeling of waiting for the jump scare to happen. Georgia finds herself in several messy and ugly situations. You aren't sure if you want to hug her or shake her. As an outsider looking in you can't imagine why she can't see the danger right in front of her, but as a realist you know that kids/people get sucked into these kind of situations all the time in the real world. People, kids especially, get caught up in the promise of wealth and better things, especially when it comes from an adult they trust.
Overall, this was just ok for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't dislike it either. The message was haunting but the execution was not to my taste. I would caution readers to look up trigger warnings before diving in as this has many when it comes to grooming, SA, manipulation, etc.
The enemy is closing in and everything is on the line.
THE REVENGE, the must-read finale to The Insiders Trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is out now!
The Revenge is the taut, edgy, sexy, explosive conclusion to The Insiders trilogy by New York Times and USA Today bestseller Tijan!
Bailey and Kash were used to living in the shadows. Now they are thrust into the public eye. Together, they can do anything, but undeniable danger and seemingly insurmountable challenges threaten the love and passion that binds them.
1. Bailey is reeling from the greatest loss she has ever suffered.
2. Enemies are closing in.
3. Even bigger secrets and twists are coming to light.
Win or lose, for Bailey and Kash, everything is on the line.
I didn’t recognize the night guard, but he straightened from the wall where he was positioned when I stepped into the hallway.
“Where is he?” I asked, before he could say anything.
His hands came together in front of him and he stood even taller. He nodded forward. “In the basement gym, ma’am.”
Ma’am.
I grinned at that, literally hearing Chrissy chuckling next to me. “You’re just like me now, girly. Ma’am. What a hoot.”
Yeah. A hoot.
I padded past him and headed for the elevator that went past the main section of the house. Going inside, I hit the basement floor, and there were two guards waiting for me.
I paused, seeing Josh as he was eyeing me. “Don’t you ever sleep?”
He grinned. “I sleep when your man sleeps.”
I narrowed my eyes.
His grin deepened. “So that’s rarely, ma’am.”
I bared my teeth. “Don’t you start with that ‘ma’am’ shit.”
He just laughed. “Would never entertain the thought, ma—”
I growled.
He amended, still chuckling, “Bailey.”
I scoffed, “Better.”
If anyone had asked me where the gym was on the Chesapeake estates, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I would’ve rolled my eyes and said something sarcastic like, “Of course there’s a gym; it’s alongside the Olympic-sized pool,” but now I knew exactly where it was, and it was right next to an Olympic-sized pool, though the pool was only two lanes wide. It wasn’t built for playing and horsing around, not like the pool outside, which had a complete slide with it.
Heading farther toward the gym, I was shocked to not hear sounds of grunting and punching from inside. Instead, the door to the pool was open.
“He had some extra energy to work off.”
I glanced sideways, not having heard Josh walking beside me.
“I honestly don’t think he’s human.”
Josh’s mouth twitched. “You might be on to something, Bailey.”
We came to the door and he stepped forward, checking the room before nodding for me to go ahead. I stepped inside, feeling the humidity and breathing in the chlorine before I noticed Josh shutting the door. A second later, I met his gaze through the door’s window, and he gave me another polite smile before pressing a button. The window frosted over.
Looking to the corner, I saw the camera’s light switch from green to red. Josh was giving us complete privacy, and only when that was all done did I seek out where Kash was. He was at the far end, turning, flipping, and coming up a few paces away, heading my way. I went to the edge and sat down, putting my feet in the water.
I didn’t have long to wait, enjoying the view as Kash’s arms were cutting through the water, his shoulders and biceps bulging from the motion.
I forgot how he was a fish in water.
His head was perfectly in alignment with his shoulders, and every fourth arm swing he raised his mouth up for air and went back down. He went past me. I thought he was going to keep going, but at the last second, his hand snaked out. He latched on to my ankle and tugged me into the water.
I shrieked before I was eating chlorine. “Agh!”
He grinned, the water pulsating between us, and he maneuvered me back until I was against the pool wall. “What are you doing down here?” His eyes were alert, taking me in as he placed both hands on either side of me, trapping me.
The buoyancy kept me floating, but then Kash was moving his legs under me and I was completely resting over him. My legs straddled his, and he hooked one ankle around the other, tugging me to open even wider for him.
Heat flared in me, boiling my blood, but when I thought Kash would bend his head, finding my throat, he didn’t. He moved his head back, sinking so he was on the same eye level as me, and he tugged at his sweatshirt. “Nice shirt.”
I grinned, feeling a laziness intertwining with the warmth in me. “It was this or a robe. This was closer.”
“Really?”
I nodded, enjoying the teasing look in his eyes. It was dark, but it was there. “Really.” My voice hitched on a soft sigh with that one. He grew sober, his head moving back so he could take me in more fully. “You look good.” His eyebrows dipped down. “You look like you again.” His hand moved, and he touched a wet finger beside my eye. “I see you again.”
My throat swelled up, my chest filled with an ache that was bittersweet.
“Woke up.”
“I can see that.” His head cocked to the side, but he didn’t say anything further. He was still holding me in place, and as he settled back, I knew he was waiting for me. He was waiting for whatever I was going to say or do, for whatever path I was going to put us on because that’s what I felt in that moment.
I was awake.
I said, “I know you’ve been waiting for me.”
That somber expression settled back on him and his hand went back to the pool wall, trapping me in again.
“I’ll never forget what they did to her, what he did to her, but I wasn’t myself. You gave me that time. You knew I would come back to me and I did. I’m here. Me. And I’m ready for the next chapter.”
Hunger licked my insides, lighting that fire again.
It grew, jumping up, and it was engulfing me.
I sunk down on Kash’s legs, and the higher that blaze built in me, the more I wanted him. But I wanted more.
I wanted blood.
About Tijan
Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new series from north Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.
This grumpy hero makes things hard for the nanny.You know what? I’m over him.His moods.The verbal sparring.Those biceps that look like they were cut from marble.Okay, maybe I’m not over him being shirtless.Chase Marshall is a single dad with a daughter to love, so fighting with me
shouldn’t be a priority. But he can’t seem to stay away.The lingering looks when he thinks I’m not watching.The seemingly innocent touches while making breakfast.The smirks gracing his lips after I’m irritated by his antics.He’s ridiculously sweet to his daughter. I even catch glimpses of how
charming he could be to me—if he wanted to.But that’s the problem. He acts like he doesn’t want to. That he doesn’t want me.He does. It’s in the innuendos, the way he places his hand in the small of my
back—the almost kisses while we’re putting away groceries. The way he comes running when I
see a spider and checks on me before he goes to bed. Even if he does grumble about it.I might not be totally
over my boss, but I’m going to make him think I am.Let’s see how frustrated Mr. Marshall gets now.From USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke comes a grumpy/sunshine,
blue-collar single dad, nanny romance. This small-town romance is a standalone
novel with tons heat and even more heart.More Than I Could is a standalone in the Coming Home series where one
author a month will be delivering a brand-new story about coming home.
About the Author:
USA Today and Washington Post bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and
breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the
flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.She resides in the Midwest with her husband, sons, and two dogs. She spends a
large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You
can find her outside if the weather's nice and there's always a piece of candy
in her pocket.
THE REVENGE, the sizzling and thrilling conclusion to the Insiders trilogy
from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is now available!
The Revenge is the taut, edgy, sexy, explosive conclusion to The Insiders
trilogy by New York Times and USA Today bestseller Tijan!
Bailey and Kash were used to living in the shadows. Now they are thrust into
the public eye. Together, they can do anything, but undeniable danger and
seemingly insurmountable challenges threaten the love and passion that binds
them.
1. Bailey is reeling from the greatest loss she has ever suffered.
2. Enemies are closing in.
3. Even bigger secrets and twists are coming to light.
Win or lose, for Bailey and Kash, everything is on the line.
Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and
unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly
real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life
and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers
including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and
Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new series from north
Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.
I received and ARC of this book via Edelweiss+, all opinions are my own.
If you are looking for a creepy book set during Christmas time, this is the one for you. This novella is atmospheric in just over 100 pages. It tells the story of Ro and the the ghosts of her Christmases past and present with a group of acquaintances. The group decides to tell ghost stories at dinner and things get weird.
This did a great job giving the creepy vibe you want from a horror book. THe author did a great job with the setting and the setup for the reveal. It isn't overly graphic and I didn't find it to be scary, but it does deliver on atmosphere and creep factor. I don't want to give anything away, so if you are looking for something spooky set around the holidays check this one out.
I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
This is the second book in the Forestborn duology, and I would highly recommend reading Forestborn first. This is a follow on to the first book, and really wouldn't make sense if you read it as a standalone. This book follows Rora and Helos directly after the events of the first book as they both take different paths to save the kingdom and the people they love. Rora has a plan to awaken magic througout the land and hopefully save those afflicted by a lethal magical illness called the throes. Humans are being infected with magic because magic has no where to go in a world where magic is being irraticated, so it latches on to humans who aren't compatible. Rora find out in the first book that bringing the magic back to the land may just be the cure to the illness that is plaguing the humans and one of her best friends. Helos chooses to join the fight as a healer. He isn't a fighter and action taker like Rora, but he still has some big decisions ahead of him.
I thought the character development was great in this book. The world building was a big part of the first book, where as this installment focuses more on Helos' development as I expected it would. Rora's character does still see development and we do get to know Wes and Fin a bit better, but Helos is really the star of the show here. Again there is a bit of romance, but it isn't the main focus of the plot.
I do feel like parts of this book were repetitive especially as we switch between points of view between the two siblings. Often times things that are happening in Rora's chapters are recapped in the next chapter with Helos and vice versa. I often found myself thinking "Didn't I just read that" and I would go back a few pages to make sure I hadn't lost my place and it turns out it was the same thing from the other sibling's POV. The additional perspective and detail was good in some situations, but it felt repetitive in others.
This duology has some great and inventive elements, that I really enjoyed. I thought the plot was interesting and I enjoyed going on this journey with the characters. If you are looking for a creative YA fantasy, check this duology out.
I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
Alex is a single mom who tries her best to take care of her two kids. She's got a teenager and a baby, so trying to tend to both of their needs is hard. She grew up in an abusive household, so when she was old enough to get away, she did and never went back. As an adult, she's found herself escaping her own abusive relationship to protect herself and her kids. Alex moves her family to an eco-village in an attempt to hide out until she can figure out what to do next and hopefully start over. The residents of the village are mostly all friendly and the location seems like a great place to make a fresh start for Alex and the kids. Shortly after they move in, weird stuff starts to happen in their new home that seems to be tied to a local legend involving the old abandoned farmhouse on the land the village sits on and a witch. Alex's son Ollie seems to be a target of the threats, and Alex is determined to get to the bottom of who is sending strange packages and weird notes to her and her son. She isn't sure who to trust
This story alternates between Alex's POV and Renee's POV and eventually their stories come together. Renee's chapters take place several years before Alex's arrival in eco-village and they tell a similar story to Alex's trials with her own teenage son. He is obsessed with technology, gaming, and the internet. His story is very similar to what Alex is experiencing with her own son especially when it comes down to receiving weird and creepy packages. Renee's story unfortunately ends with her son going missing leaving and eventually forming the legend of the witch taking children. I did appreciate the twists and the reveals that occured in learning what was really going on. I had part of the story figured out but other parts I did not, and I really appreciated the way the author crafted this thriller so you didn't know what was coming next. You weren't sure if there was a witch or what was happening until the very end.
Overall I enjoyed this. I didn't particularly care for Alex's character until the very end. You don't really get to know and understand her until late in the book. Early on she is always running away from her problems and making emotional decisions in the moment. As you get to understand her character you understand why. I also could have done without the romance sub-plot. Other than that I thought Renee and Alex's storylines came together nicely in the end and the author did a good job mirroring Gabe and Ollie's experiences.
I was provided an print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.
This book started off slow for me, but once I settled in I really enjoyed it. If you liked The Scorpio Races and The Hunger Games, I think this is a good book for you. It mashes up the race aspect and the mythical creature aspect of The Scorpio Races with the brutality and politics of The Hunger Games. There is a large focus on the caste system that is in place, and our main character Koral and her family are victims of that system. They are permitted to hunt and breed maristags and sell them to the upper class. This allows them to have barely enough to survive, but because they interact with the upper echelon of society, they are outcast by the lower class as sellouts. What is a maristag you ask? It is a fantastical and violent creature of the water, that can also walk on land. They are enormous, scaled, and have antlers. I have a hard time envisioning exactly what they look like but hope as this book gains popularity we see some fanart of the maristags and the creatures mentioned in the book. The author did a good job describing them on the page, but I know there are some extremely talented artists out there to life. The world building was great, the author does a great job describing the creatures and the setting. Koral's family are "hunters" and they capture maristags and raise them for the rich to compete in teh Glory Race every 10 years. The race is extremely violent and competitive. The winner gains riches and fame, while the rest of the population celebrates and gambles on who will win.
While I thought the world building and the concept of the plot was really interesting and I loved the action, I do think that the character development suffered a bit. Koral panics in every situation and that carries on throughout the book, despite the fact that she does many brave things to save herself, her family, and the people around her. It is very clear that she has been put down at home but by by the caste system, and that oppression has shaped her as a person. She doesn't believe in herself, and often doesn't think through her decisions. This unfortunately leads to Koral getting herself tangled up in some pretty rough political situations that she is not equipped to deal with. I hope there is more to this tale as I would really like to see Koral develop, as she only just started to come into herself at the very end of the book and I would love to see her continue to shine.
This book has an open ending so I expect that there is a book 2. I've got lots of unanswered questions, but if this truly is the end it did leave me fairly satisfied. I have enough information that I can imagine my own ending for Koral and Stormgold, but I would much prefer a concrete conclusion and hope that the author gets to keep telling this story.
Overall, I really loved this! It was unique and action packed. This leans on the darker and more violent side of things, so be sure to check out trigger warnings.
