ARC Review: FOR THE WOLF (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten

FOR THE WOLF (Wilderwood #1)

by Hannah Whitten

Release Date: June 1, 2021; Orbit

From Goodreads:

The first daughter is for the Throne.

The second daughter is for the Wolf. 

For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn't the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood. 

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. 

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again. 

ARC Review: A WAR OF SWALLOWED STARS (The Celestial Trilogy #3) by Sangu Mandanna

A WAR OF SWALLOWED STARS (The Celestial Trilogy #3)

by Sangu Mandanna

Release Date: June 29, 2021; Sky Pony

From Goodreads:

A prince without his kingdom. 

A kingdom without its princess. 

The destruction of the stars themselves. 

War is destroying the galaxy. Esmae has vanished without a trace. A terrifying, ravenous beast is devouring the stars one by one. Titania is offered a gift that may well be a curse. Alexi, the exiled prince, is asked to pay a heavy price for his mistakes. And far, far away, on a dark, mysterious planet, a sleeping god stirs awake. 

War or family. 

Pride or peace. 

ARC Review: THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN by Ava Reid

THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN

by Ava Reid

Release Date: June 8, 2021; Harper Voyager

From Goodreads:

In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant. 

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered. 

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother. 

ARC Review: DON'T HATE THE PLAYER by Alexis Nedd

DON'T HATE THE PLAYER

by Alexis Nedd

Release Date: June 15, 2021; Bloomsbury YA

From Goodreads:

By day, Emilia is a field hockey star with a popular boyfriend and a mother obsessed with her academic future. But by night, she’s kicking virtual ass as the only female member of a highly competitive eSports team. Emilia has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving, which hinges on them staying completely separate. 

When a major eSports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to the male-dominated gaming community. But her perfectly balanced life is thrown for a loop when a member of a rival team—Jake—recognizes her . . . 

From an exciting new talent, this sweet and charming YA romance will win the hearts of gamers and non-gamers alike.

ARC Review: UNDER BLACK SKIES (Beneath Black Sails #3) by Clare Sager

UNDER BLACK SKIES (Beneath Black Sails #3)

by Clare Sager

Release Date: May 25, 2021

About the book:

Enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies. Now they’re ‘just friends.’ Sure.

Reunited with her crew, Vice is on the hunt for Drake’s treasure. But there’s a good reason it hasn’t been seen in two hundred years – it’s hidden by fiendish clues and deadly traps. To keep her crew – her family safe, she can’t afford a single misstep. That’s easier said than done with a distraction like Knigh Blackwood around. 

Knigh might not sail for the Navy anymore, but he’s found a new place in the world – home with Vice on the Venatrix. Even as he longs for more than ‘just friends’, he battles with demons from his past and one from his present. To save his family, he needs money. Lots of it. A legendary treasure would be the perfect solution. 

But traps and troublesome feelings aren’t the only dangers they face. When treachery strikes at the heart of pirate-kind, no one is safe: not their home, not Knigh’s family, not even the Pirate Queen herself. 

ARC Review: THE SHAADI SET-UP by Lillie Vale

THE SHAADI SET-UP

by Lillie Vale

Release Date: September 7, 2021; G.P. Putnam's Sons

From Goodreads:

In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian-American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they’re a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead. 

High school sweethearts Rita Chitniss and Milan Rao were the golden couple, until the day he broke her heart. Now, six years later, Rita has turned her passion for furniture restoration into a career and has an almost-perfect boyfriend, Neil. The last thing she needs is for Milan to re-enter her life, but that’s exactly what happens when her mother, an unfailing believer in second chances, sets them up. Milan is just as charming, cocky, and confident as he was back in school. Only this time, he actually needs her business expertise, not her heart, to flip a hard-to-sell house for his realty agency. 

ARC Review: THESE FEATHERED FLAMES (These Feathered Flames #1) by Alexandra Overy

THESE FEATHERED FLAMES (These Feathered Flames #1)

by Alexandra Overy

Date Published: April 20, 2021; Inkyard Press

From Goodreads:

A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale 

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm. 

But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned. 

As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

ARC Review: AGAINST DARK TIDES (Beneath Black Sails #2) by Clare Sager

AGAINST DARK TIDES (Beneath Black Sails #2)

by Clare Sager

Date Published: September 23, 2020

From Goodreads:

Enemies. Lovers. Enemies once more. Now they must work together to survive.

Notorious pirate Lady Vice has lost everything: ship, crew, and friends. Even her body has betrayed her, leaving her magic weak. To make matters worse, she’s stuck at sea with the man who stabbed her in the back. 

Knigh Blackwood is no longer a captain, no longer a pirate-hunter, no longer … anything. All he has left is the woman he betrayed, and she’d rather cut out his tongue with his own dagger than forgive him. 

There’s just one thing that might make up for what they’ve lost: Drake’s treasure. But they’re not the only ones searching for clues and the elusive X that marks the spot. Between them and the treasure stand a scheming duke, a former lover, and a sea monster thought the stuff of legends – not to mention Vice and Knigh’s complicated feelings for each other. 

ARC Review: LUCKY GIRL by Jamie Pacton

LUCKY GIRL

by Jamie Pacton

Release Date: May 11, 2021; Page Street Kids

From Goodreads:

A hilarious and poignant reflection on what money can and cannot fix 

58,642,129. That’s how many dollars seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won in the lotto jackpot. It’s also about how many reasons she has for not coming forward to claim her prize.

Problem #1: Jane is still a minor, and if anyone discovers she bought the ticket underage, she’ll either have to forfeit the ticket, or worse . . . 

Problem #2: Let her hoarder mother cash it. The last thing Jane’s mom needs is millions of dollars to buy more junk. Then . . .

Problem #3: Jane’s best friend, aspiring journalist Brandon Kim, declares on the news that he’s going to find the lucky winner. It’s one thing to keep her secret from the town — it’s another thing entirely to lie to her best friend. Especially when . . .