Review: Breaking Badlands by Scott Reintgen

Breaking Badlands by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! Loved it! If you love fairy tales you need to read this series! This entire series is a love letter to stories and the things that make readers love them. I love the references to popular series, many of which I've read myself. I also love that each element that makes up a story is either a character or an element in these books. The author was so creative in how he put this whole series together and I can't recommend it enough. This may be targeted towards middle grade readers but I recommend it to book lovers of all ages. A good story is a good story no matter how old you are!

This is the third and final installment of the Talespinners series, but I feel like each of the stories can be read as a standalone. I adored Saving Fable and Escaping Ordinary, so I highly recommend reading them, I think you could get away with starting anywhere in the series. I'm a bit of a traditionalist so I like to read things in order, but if you started with this one I think you'd be OK. The author does a great job giving you enough back story from the previous books so you don't feel confused. It has been quite some time since I've read either of them, and I was able to read on without breaking out my copies to refresh my memory.

This final installment takes Indira on a much different quest than we've seen in the past. She yet again has to save Fable and much like in the past she has her friends at her side to help her. This time she has to go into the unknown of Fester, where the antagonists live and train for parts in stories. While there Indira learns that not everything in Fable and Fester is as black and white as it has been made out to be, and with the help of an unlikely aide she learns that the key to saving Fable, her friends, and stories in general might be a little grey. I don't want to spoil anything.

I loved that we got to travel to Fester and see Indira play a bit of a different character in this book. We also got to see the villians in action. There were some great action scenes and some great characters in this. We also have appearances from our beloved characters from the previous books that India wouldn't have been able to be the hero she is today had it not been for them. They all play a critical part in this story and there are some pretty good twists that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for providing me an ARC. I'm honored I got to be a part of Indira's journey! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Review: Bloodsworn by Scott Reintgen

Bloodsworn by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.  This was published on February 16, 2021 so you should be able to find it at your favorite retailer now.  

This a was awesome. I wasn't sure how this was going to play out after Ashlords ended. Ashlords was more focused on the races, where this is focused on the aftermath and the political unrest that was hinted at in the first book. Much like in Ashlords the story is told from the perspectives of Pippa, Adrian, and Imelda who each have an important role to play. War has been brewing for a very long time between the Ashlords and the Longhands with the Dividians caught in the crossfire. Our three leads learn the many secrets of the long standing hatred between their people in an unexpected place, the underworld and home of the gods. As they learn more, they uncover the solution to ending the war between their people for good.

I really love this series. Our three main characters are faced with alot and they quickly have to grow into leader and guide their people to victory whether they want to or not. They have to unravel the clues that are left for them in order to build a better world for their people. We do get quite a bit of character development from each of the, but I loved Pippa's transformation the most. Her persona from the beginning of book one to the end of book two was awesome and unexpected. Unlike in book one we don't get as much of the alchemy and phoenixes. The phoenixes are still a part of the story, but their rebirths and the alchemy surrounding their abilities isn't discussed in much detail in this installment. The focus is on the action of the characters and the strategies they are developing and the decisions they are making in the course of the war. I feel that is worth mentioning because it is a bit of a different focus from the first book. It also slows down the pace a bit because there is lots of strategizing and discussion vs action. There are some great action scenes in this, but it isn't the same as the fast paced action as in the race.

Overall I loved this duology and can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next. His books are so creative and unique! This is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, An Ember in the Ashes, and other darker or dystopian YA.
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Review: Escaping Ordinary by Scott Reintgen

Escaping Ordinary by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just as awesome as Saving Fable which I also loved!  This series is so fun.  While this is the second book in the series, and reading the first book would be helpful in getting to know Indira's backstory and the magic system and the workings of the world, I feel like you could probably read this as a standalone.  The storyline is not really connected to Saving Fable, and while there is some overlap of characters they are on a completely different adventure.  You should still read Saving Fable because it is excellent.

If you like middle grade, have a young reader, or are in need of a whimsical adventure story pick this up.  As a mom of a young reader I love that this has such great messages about teamwork and friendship, and encourages such a love of reading.  I love how vividly Reintgen describes the reader's connection to the story, and gives life to his characters.  As you read want all of the characters to get selected for their own story because you come to like them so much.  I recommend this series to everyone who is looking for a good fantasy story because it makes me remember why I love reading and it is so much fun.

Much like in Saving Fable, Indira and her friends are on another journey that goes haywire and they have to save the land before everything is destroyed forever.  This time they are up against a powerful foe, and Indira and her team have to learn to work together and use their strengths to complement one another or they will fail and some of our most beloved stories will be lost forever.  Again I loved that this is a nod to not only book lovers, but books in general.  It has references to other great books and some of the other heroes that Indira and her team encounter on "The Hero's Journey" tutorial are characters everyone will recognize.   I was glad to see that some of my favorite characters were back to help Indira on this quest and that they will hopefully be back in the next book.  

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Ashlords by Scott Reintgen

Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this! If you like darker YA fantasy this is the book for you! Scott Reintgen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I've loved all of his books to date.

This comes out January 21, 2020.

This follows three points of view, which is not usually my favorite, but Reintgen does a very good job making sure you are able to keep track of what is happening with each character and each of their storylines so you don't get confused. There are plenty of different plotlines happening in this book, but again he does a very good job of making sure things don't get muddled.

While the race is the center of the story, there is so much more to this book. There is political intrigue, mythology, magic, and plenty of corruption. The most unique part of the book is the phoenixes themselves. Each morning the rider must mix together a unique mix of their horses ashes and alchemical powders to give their horse various attributes ranging from strength and endurance to armor and the ability to defy gravity. The riders must also be trained in combat because after the sun goes down their phoenix burns to ashes only to reborn at sunrise the next day. To win the race each competitor must protect their ashes from the other race contestants because they will try to poison any ashes they come across as well as fight any competitor to near death. Only the strongest and most cunning will make it to the finish line. Alliances will be broken by trusted companions, and they will be formed with bitter enemies.

The story follows Imelda aka The Alchemist, skilled in alchemy she is from a poor region and tribe and admitted to the race on scholarship. She is not expected to win, but she is a favored by the working class. She is a bit of a social media sensation and gives the poor hope that they may one day do something more. Knowing that she can't fight her way to the finish line against her competitors, Imelda comes up with a plan of her own to compete in the races.

The we have Pippa, daughter of two former race champions. She has trained her entire life to win the race when it was her turn to compete. She is favored to win, and there is no reason not to. Pippa knows that she can win the race, but she has plans of her own. Nothing works out as planned and she must use all of her training to get out of the race in one piece.

Our last competitor is Adrian aka The Longhand, he is a competitor from an outcast tribe if you will. His people broke off from the Ashlords after a very ugly war many years ago and Adrian winning the race will be the catalyst his people need to take back what they lost all those years ago. He has also been training his entire life for this race, but what he doesn't know is that he is also a pawn in a much larger machine.

I can't wait for the next book. While this didn't end on a cliffhanger and closed off nicely, there are still plenty of unanswered questions and lots of things left to unfold in the next book. I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment! I'll be recommending this book to my fantasy loving friends!

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

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Review: Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen

Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was amazing! I loved this so much. I'm not a huge middle grade reader but when I was provided a copy of this via Netgalley because I read and enjoyed Reintgen's other YA sci-fi works, I jumped on a chance to read this. I have a young reader at home and this looked like a good option for him. I'm going to order him a copy and suggest it to his school librarian.

This follows Indira Story, a fantastic character, who may lose her way but she always finds it again and never gives up. She is resilient and you can't help but love her and cheer for her on her journey to become a hero. Indira is a character who is waiting to become a hero in a story. When we meet her she is hoping to be chosen to go to the famous city of Fable so an Author might pick her to be a hero or a character in a book. She makes her way to Protagonist Preparatory, a magical school, where she takes classes aligned to her skills as character. She also makes some interesting friends and gets adopted by The Penningtons. I have to say Mrs. Pennington is the sweetest motherly character. She gives the best advice, is always there for Indira and her son Patch, and she is always making something delicious to eat. Everytime she was on the page it felt like she was giving you a warm hug. I just loved her character so much! Indira is determined to get a hero role in a story and works very hard on her studies, but she learns from her advisor that feedback from her instructors isn't great. Disheartened by this news, Indira loses her motivation for about 5 minutes, but in true hero fashion she seeks good advice and goes on a quest to get her mojo back.
When she returns to school determined to prove her advisor wrong, strange things begin to happen. Indira knows something funny is going on in Fable and she is determined to get to the bottom of it.

This story was so fun to read. I loved that each character or type of character was an element of a book. I also loved all of the references to other popular novels. There was so much humor and light in this book that I was smiling or laughing most of the time I was reading it. I can't wait to read more in this world and get to see what adventure we get to go on next.

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Review: Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen

Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen
Narrated by : Sullivan Jones (Narrator), Kyla Garcia (Narrator), Alex Romashov (Narrator), Keong Sim (Narrator)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like this was the perfect ending to the series.  I'm sad to see it end, but I'm so satisfied with the ending.  I wasn't sure what to expect because in Reintgen's own "review" he said "You are not ready" and he pointed out that your favorites aren't safe and people die.  It isn't often that authors really go there, but he did and it was really well done.  This series needs so much more recognition in the YA Sci-fi community.

The audiobook cast was A+! I wasn't sure how I'd feel about finishing up the series on audio since I previously read ARCs of the series, but the cast was perfect!  They did an amazing job bringing the story to life and their personification of the Imago and the Genesis crew was spot on!  I'm going to check out other things they've narrated because all four of them were very talented.

This follows Emmett and Morning and the rest of the Genesis crew as they try to escape Babel and the impending end of the world. Babel didn't plan on the moon's colliding when they came to take over the Imago's planet to mine Nyxia. The Genesis team has made a pact with the Imago to fight against Babel and return to Earth to expose Babel. The story is told from several perspectives, Emmet and Morning which I expected, but we also get Longwei's perspective, and Anton's perspective as they have both left the crew and infiltrated Babel's domain in different ways. This basically picks up right where the last book leaves off. The crew and the Imago are recovering from Babel's last attack, Anton and Longwei have taken their respective places within the Babel network in an attempt to help their friends get home safely. As Emmett and Morning lead the crew on the ground toward the ships that will take them off planet, things do not go smoothly and they decide to split up. As is typical nothing goes to plan and the group finds themselves not only fighting for their lives against Babel but fighting the clock as the moons collide and the world ends. Meanwhile Defoe isn't giving up so easily and he is determined to win at any cost.

The world building, creativity of all of the creatures that Reintgen creates on the planet, the character development are all fantastic. I also appreciated that the author wasn't afraid to put the characters in danger. You weren't sure if your darlings were going to come out alright until the end. There were some plot points that kind of wrapped up a bit too quickly or could have been explored or explained in a bit more detail. Overall, I really don't have much to criticize. I just really liked the whole series.

This is a great YA sci-fi series and I highly recommend it. It has action, it is a bit on the violent side, great friendships, good humor, and it just overall a good story. I look forward to reading more of Scott Reintgen’s work in the future.


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July Wrap Up

I did pretty good with my reading this month.  I didn't do so well with my reviews, but I got the ones done I needed to.  I'll add and update links to reviews if and when I get additional ones posted.  I read some really great ARCs, I checked off a few reading challenge prompts, and listened to several good audio books.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I was going to use this for a book about mental health for my reading challenge but I ended up using it for my book about a real person prompt.  This was a pretty interesting read.  Sylvia Plath wrote much of this about her own mental health and her recovery.  I understand she didn't want this published in the US as she didn't want to offend the people in the novel that were part of this time in her life.  I can see why so many people recommend this and why it is an important mental health read.
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• Review
• This was a fairly original retelling.  It isn't at all what I expected, but in a good way.  I loved the writing.  Its a bit slow paced, but stick with it, the ending is worth it.  I loved the mythology and history that is woven into this beloved tale.  This is out July 31st.
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• Review
• This was awesome!  The story continues on the planet of Eden, with the teenagers who fought in a Hunger Games like tournament of sorts to make it to the planet.  The winners get to mine nyxia for the corporation they are working for and build ties with the planet's inhabitants.  This story is full of politics, action, adventure, friendship and so much more.  
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• Review
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heir's subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  The Heir picks the handmaiden not lady in waiting, and the story kind of takes off from their.  Both sisters end up in the opposite place of where they intended and they both have to fight for what they believe is right.  I couldn't put this down.
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
• Review
• I received a paperback ARC of this from Wednesday Books.  It is so captivating.  It is told in mixed media format in the form of traditional novel style and in podcast format.  I picked it up and couldn't put it down.  There are going to be actual podcasts to go with it and I highly recommend it.  This is another one I was drawn in and couldn't put it down.  I really loved this.  This comes out September 4th and you should definitely pick it up.
• Beard in Mind and Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
• DSB Review
• BIM Review
• It is no secret that I love Penny's books and the Winston Brother's series is no exception.  Beard in Mind follows Beau, one of the twins, while Dr. Strange Beard follows the youngest Winston Roscoe.  I've had Beard in Mind on my TBR forever so it was fitting I read it prior to Dr. Strange Beard.  I used BIM as my mental health prompt book for my reading challenge as the female main character suffers from OCD and it is discussed at length in the book.  Highly recommend Beau and Shelly's story.  I received an ARC of Dr. Strange Beard for review and I love Roscoe and Simone.  This is out as of today and so many unexpected things happened in this installment.  We learn some things about some of the side characters, and as always the Winston family is there to provide comic relief and lots of love and support. 

Audiobooks

• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• Review
• I think this is the best book in the series by far.  I loved where this one ended and how the story progressed.  I can't wait for the next book.  This picks up where the last book left off and we follow 3 perspectives, Laia, Helene, and Elias.  We also get a cameo of the Nightbringer.  I loved how the story moved along.  Helene is one of my favorite characters.
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
• This was a little slow for me.  It was a good detective story, but I found the pacing slow and found myself losing interest frequently.  I just wasn't interested in the story or the characters.  I figured out who did it early on, and the build up to the reveal just wasn't exciting enough to keep my attention.  This completes a reading challenge for a book written by a woman using a male pseudonym.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• This took me forever to get through.  It was pretty long.  I think I need to go back to reading Clare's books vs listening to them.  I read them much faster than I listen to them.  The narrator was great, but there is so much going on in this with the different plot lines it was hard for me to follow on audio and the timing I had for listening to this wasn't good.  I just didn't have the time to give this good attention.  It is a good followup to Lady Midnight and the plot is progressing nicely.  
• 39 Clues by Rick Riordan
• I was going on a long drive with my kids in the car so I needed something elementary/middle grade appropriate to listen to on our trip.  It isn't very long, but I enjoyed it.  It has good humor, and is perfect for young readers.  While I don't think I'll carry on with the series, my 8 year old has picked it up and I'll hopefully get updates from him.

Review: Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen

Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This released on June 17th, 2018.  I know this review is up late, but life has been a bit hectic lately.  Anyway...here is my review and I highly recommend this series.

I loved this sequel to Nyxia. This follows our main character Emmett a he lands on an alien planet after a Hunger Games style competition in space. Emmett and the other members that won their spots to land on Eden must work together to mine Nyxia, a rare but spectacular substance that really has no bounds in its application. Babel, the corporation that funded the mission and has contracts with the locals, is up to something and Emmett and his comrades know it. The Genisis crew doen’t know who to trust, they just know that Babel has betrayed them, and the Adamites aka the Imago are keeping something as well. The Imago, will only work with children as they are sacred to their culture, so Babel has sent teenagers to the planet to mine nyxia and forge relationships. The story shifts from a play to win game to that of an Avatar style game of political intrigue where the big corporation wants something from the planet, but the locals want something too. The Genesis crew is stuck in the middle not knowing who to trust.

Once on the planet the crew of teenagers keep up their end of the bargain, they mine the nyxia, make nice with the locals, and stay friendly with Babel. They also trying to figure out what is going on with Babel and the Imago. They know that there are holes on both sides of the story, they just don’t know which side is the worse ally. On top of the secrets being kept, within the ranks of the Imago, there is a rebel faction that wants to use the teenagers to get to Earth to start over. This causes the Imago to speed up the timeline for Emmett and his friends. They quickly come to learn about the Imago, their culture, and eventually their real plans. They also learn more about the promises Babel made on their behalf. In the meantime the Genesis crew has made some plans of their own in an attempt to get more information about what Babel is doing and what they have planned. We are left on kind of a cliffhanger, but there was a ton of action and quite few twists that I didn’t see coming. I’m anxious to read the next book in the trilogy to see what happens next and how everything play out.

I really like all of the characters and their development so far. We know the Genesis crew from book 1 already, but many of them continue to develop here in book 2. Relationships both romantic and platonic develop, and there are some characters that completely change their tune. The Imago are well described and each of them have a personality. The world building is great too. The creatures on the alien planet were described well as well as the surroundings and activities of the Imago culture.


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July TBR

I've got a bunch of ARCs that I've had for a while that come out in July that I need to read.  I'm actually really exited to read all of them.  I've either just been busy with other review copies or just reading other things for my challenge prompts or overwhelmed by life.  Once I get through my July  ARCs I have some challenge books I want to read but I don't want stress out about it. 

What are you planning to read in July?  Any recommendations for me?  I've been reading thrillers and retellings as of late. 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I'm reading this for a book challenge about mental illness.  I picked it up at my library sale and it isn't terribly long.  I hope to get through it fairly quickly.  I've heard nothing but good things about this book.  I started it this past weekend and so far so good.   
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• This is the 3rd Little Mermaid retelling I've got on my docket.  I've had the ARC for a while and the book comes out in July.   I think this is the 3rd month it has been on my TBR.  I actually it today and the first chapter looks really promising.  This one tells the origins story of the Sea Witch so it is a little different than the others I've read.  I'm really excited to get to it. 
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• I really loved the first book and I'm excited to see how the story plays out.  There is kind of a Hunger Games/Avatar kind of storyline where a bunch of teens compete for spots to go to a new planet to interact with the native lifeforms because they won't hurt children. The "crew" is supposed to mine Nyxia a new and awesome compound with endless possibilities.  At the end of book 1 they were headed to the planet.  This releases in July as well.
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heirs subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  Sounds really interesting.

Audiobooks

I have a couple of things on hold but who knows what will come in when.  I have a fairly long wishlist on Hoopla and there is always something interesting available to listen to in the available now section at the library if none of these work out.  The waiting list is pretty long for a couple of these since they are new releases and popular books.

• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• I'm using this to fill a challenge prompt with a weather element in the title.  The last 2 books kind of dragged on for me so I'm hoping audio will help with the pace.  I really like this series and I'm anxious to see how it plays out.  This should be a pretty epic conclusion and I really have no idea how its going to end.
• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• This is another new release, and I've only listened to the books.  I love the narrator and I can't imagine reading it any other way.  I really like this series and how it has progressed.  I'm excited to see where the characters go from where they left off in the last book.
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• I listened to The Thief in June and really liked it.  I loved the mythology, the characters, and the politics.  Hopefully the rest of the series is just as good.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• I recently picked up Lady Midnight and having read all of the previous Shadowhunter books, I'm looking forward to continuing in that world.  It seems to have a very similar story line from the original series with a few new twists.  I've started this one already and it picks up pretty much where Lady Midnight leaves off.  It is fairly long so it will keep me occupied for a while.
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love Greek mythology.  I've heard a couple of reviews that this book is a bit slow and I find that audio helps with slower paced books sometimes.  I've also heard really great reviews about this so I'm excited to get to it.  
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• I've read most of Lu's other books, and I've been meaning to get to this one for a while.  I need a cyberpunk book for my reading challenge and this one should fit nicely.  I've heard mixed reviews, but I'm hopeful.