ARC Review: SUNKISSED by Kasie West

SUNKISSED

by Kasie West

Release Date: May 4, 2021; Delacorte Press

From Goodreads:

A lighthearted and swoony contemporary YA romance by fan-favorite author Kasie West about a girl who finds that a summer spent at a family resort isn’t as bad as she imagined…and that falling in love is filled with heartache, laughter, and surprises! 

After being betrayed by her best friend, Avery is hoping for a picture-perfect summer. Too bad her parents have dragged her and her sister to a remote family camp for the entire summer. And that’s not even the worst part. Avery also has to deal with no internet, a cute but off-limits staff member, and an always-in-her-face sister. 

But what starts as a disaster turns into a whirlwind summer romance as Avery embarks on an unexpected journey to figure out what she truly wants and who she wants to be.

ARC Review: BLADE OF SECRETS (Bladesmith #1) by Tricia Levenseller

BLADE OF SECRETS (Bladesmith #1)

by Tricia Levenseller

Release Date: May 4, 2021; Feiwel & Friends

From Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power. 

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims' secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees. 

Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world's known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely. 

A teenage blacksmith with social anxiety accepts a commission from the wrong person and is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she's ever made.

ARC Review: 10 TRUTHS AND A DARE by Ashley Elston

10 TRUTHS AND A DARE

by Ashley Elston

Release Date: May 4, 2021; Disney-Hyperion

From Goodreads:

It's Senior Week, that magical in-between time after classes have ended but before graduation, chock-full of gimmicky theme parties, last-minute bonding, and family traditions. Olivia couldn't be more ready. Class salutatorian and confident in her future at LSU, she's poised to sail through to the next phase of her life. 

But when the tiny hiccup of an unsigned off-campus P.E. form puts Olivia in danger of not graduating at all, she has one week to set things straight without tipping off her very big and very nosy extended family. Volunteering to help at a local golf tournament should do it, but since Olivia's mom equipped her phone with a tracking app, there'll be no hiding the fact that she's at the golf course instead of all the graduation parties happening at the same time. Unless, that is, she can convince the Fab Four--her ride-or-die cousins and best friends Sophie, Charlie, and Wes--to trade phones with her as they go through the motions of playing Olivia for the week. 

Sure, certain members of the golf team are none too pleased with Olivia's sudden "passion" for the game. And sure, a very cute, very off-limits boy keeps popping up in Olivia's orbit. But she is focused! She has a schedule and a plan! Nothing can possibly go wrong . . . right?

ARC Review: GILDED SERPENT (Dark Shores #3) by Danielle Jensen

GILDED SERPENT (Dark Shores #3)

by Danielle Jensen
Release Date: April 27, 2021; Tor Teen

From Goodreads:

From bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen comes a thrilling new novel in the Dark Shores world, a series that Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel." 

THEIR BATTLES ENDED IN VICTORY 

Lydia returns to Mudaire to enter training at the healing temple. But instead of fighting to save lives, she’s convinced she is doing more harm than good. She delves into the history of the gods only to discover a truth that will change her life forever. 

His birthright as commander of the Royal Army is finally in his grasp, but Killian feels anything but victorious. Burdened by his past, he embraces the darker side of his mark—and in doing so, risks starting a war. 

BUT THE WAR HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN 

Having defeated the tyrant Urcon, Marcus struggles to form a lasting alliance with the Arinoquians. But he is plagued by the knowledge that there is a traitor among his friends, and it could cost him everything that he’s fought for. 

ARC Review: DOWN COMES THE NIGHT by Allison Saft

DOWN COMES THE NIGHT
by Allison Saft
Release Date: March 2, 2021; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:

He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness. 

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself. 

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.

ARC Review: OF WICKED BLOOD (The Quatrefoil Chronicles #1) by Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz

OF WICKED BLOOD (The Quatrefoil Chronicles #1) 
by Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz
Release Date: February 2, 2021; Twig Publishing

From Goodreads:

NO REST FOR THE WICKED . . . OR THE CURSED. 

SLATE 

I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt. 

Scratch that, I did mean to steal it. 

Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses. 

If any of us fail, I’m dead. 

I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill right about now. 

The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel. 

CADENCE 

I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft. 

Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right? 

Wrong. 

The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster. 

But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well . . . he becomes something else to me. 

Something frustrating to live with but impossible to live without. 

Something I will fight for, no matter the cost. 

*Warning: profuse cursing (and not just the magical kind).

ARC Review: THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong

THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS (These Violent Delights #1)
by Chloe Gong
Release Date: November 17, 2020; Margaret K. McElderry Books

About the book:

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River. 

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. 

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal. 

Blog Tour & ARC Review: THE INHERITANCE GAMES (The Inheritance Games #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

THE INHERITANCE GAMES (The Inheritance Games #1) 
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Release Date: September 29, 2020; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:

A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists, perfect for fans of One of Us is Lying and Knives Out.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. 

ARC Review: THE SILVERED SERPENTS (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi

THE SILVERED SERPENTS (The Gilded Wolves #2) 
by Roshani Chokshi
Release Date: September 22, 2020; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:

They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope. 

Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God. 

Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all. 

ARC Review: DATING MAKES PERFECT by Pintip Dunn

DATING MAKES PERFECT
by Pintip Dunn
Release Date: August 18, 2020; Entangled: Teen

From Goodreads:

The Tech sisters don’t date in high school. Not because they’re not asked. Not because they’re not interested. Not even because no one can pronounce their long, Thai last name—hence the shortened, awkward moniker. But simply because they’re not allowed. 

Until now. 

In a move that other Asian American girls know all too well, six months after the older Tech twins got to college, their parents asked, “Why aren’t you engaged yet?” The sisters retaliated by vowing that they won’t marry for ten (maybe even twenty!) years, not until they’ve had lots of the dating practice that they didn’t get in high school. 

In a shocking war on the status quo, her parents now insist that their youngest daughter, Orrawin (aka “Winnie”), must practice fake dating in high school. Under their watchful eyes, of course—and organized based on their favorite rom-coms. ’Cause that won’t end in disaster. 

ARC Review: THE PRINCESS WILL SAVE YOU (The Princess Will Save You #1) by Sarah Henning

THE PRINCESS WILL SAVE YOU (The Princess Will Save You #1) 
by Sarah Henning 
Release Date: July 7, 2020; Tor Teen
Young Adult, Fantasy

About the book:

A PRINCESS 

A STABLE BOY 

A QUEST 

When her father dies, Princess Amarande is given an ultimatum: Marry the leader of one of the four neighboring kingdoms, or lose her crown—and possibly her life. And to force her hand, her beloved, the stable boy Luca, is kidnapped. 

But Amarande was raised to be a warrior, not a sacrifice. 

And nothing will stop her from saving her true love and rescuing her kingdom. 

ARC Review: HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH by Amy Fellner Dominy

HOW TO QUIT YOUR CRUSH
by Amy Fellner Dominy
Release Date: May 4, 2020; Entangled: Crush

From Goodreads:

Mai Senn knows Anthony Adams is no good for her - no matter how hard she might crush on him. She’s valedictorian; he’s a surf bum. She’s got plans, he’s got his art. Complete opposites in every way. Vinegar and baking soda, they once joked. A chemical reaction that bubbled. 

Yeah, they bubbled. Maybe still do. 

Good thing Anthony’s got the perfect plan: two weeks to prove just how not good they are together. Whoever can come up with the worst date—something the other will seriously hate, proving how incompatible they truly are—wins. 

Like taking a snake-phobe to the Reptile House at the zoo (his idea). 

Or a cooking class where they don’t even get to eat the food (her idea). 

Exclusive Excerpt and Review: ANNOUNCING TROUBLE by Amy Fellner Dominy

ANNOUNCING TROUBLE
by Amy Fellner Dominy 
Release Date: August 5, 2019; Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush)

About the book:

I may know everything there is to know about baseball, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or like him. Garrett Reeves: sidelined player and the embodiment of everything I’ve learned to hate about baseball. He’s gorgeous, he’s cocky, he’s laser-focused on getting back in the game, no matter the cost. 

When he convinces me to call games alongside him, our chemistry heats up the booth. We’re good together, whether I want to admit it or not. I’m finding that I like baseball again, but even worse, I’m liking Garrett. A lot. 

But when he has to decide between our future and a new shot at his dreams, I know baseball will win out every time. 

ARC Review: ANNOUNCING TROUBLE by Amy Fellner Dominy

ANNOUNCING TROUBLE
by Amy Fellner Dominy 
Release Date: August 5, 2019; Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush)

About the book:

I may know everything there is to know about baseball, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or like him. Garrett Reeves: sidelined player and the embodiment of everything I’ve learned to hate about baseball. He’s gorgeous, he’s cocky, he’s laser-focused on getting back in the game, no matter the cost. 

When he convinces me to call games alongside him, our chemistry heats up the booth. We’re good together, whether I want to admit it or not. I’m finding that I like baseball again, but even worse, I’m liking Garrett. A lot. 

But when he has to decide between our future and a new shot at his dreams, I know baseball will win out every time. 

ROMANOV by Nadine Brandes #Review #ARC #Netgalley

ROMANOV 
by Nadine Brandes
Release Date: May 7, 2019; Thomas Nelson

From Goodreads:

The history books say I died. 

They don’t know the half of it. 

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before. 

Nastya’s only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn’t frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . . 

TO KILL A KINGDOM by Alexandra Christo #ARC #Review #Netgalley

TO KILL A KINGDOM
by Alexandra Christo
Date Published: March 6, 2018; Feiwel & Friends

From Goodreads:

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever. 

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young #ARC #Review #Netgalley

SKY IN THE DEEP
by Adrienne Young
Date Published: April 24, 2018; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:

Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart. 

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago. 

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family. 

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

Underrated Books I Love So Much #TTT

Hi and welcome to Top Ten Tuesday- a weekly event hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Follow this link for more info =)

This week's theme is Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads aka Books I'd Relentlessly Persuade Everyone to Read. If I could just convince one of you to read any of the books featured, I'd die happy. Lol

Seriously though, please check these books out if you haven't already. I tried to include a diverse list of books so I really think there's one for everyone. Happy reading! =)

Just click on the book covers for more info...

1. The Ryogan Chronicles by Erica Cameron

I first saw Island of Exiles up for request on Netgalley. I love the cover and I was super intrigued with the short description. So I thought why not?

I had no idea what I was in for. I had no idea this would turn out to be one of my most loved trilogies. Anyone looking for a diverse, unique and exciting read, this book is definitely for you! Trust me, you wouldn't want to miss this!

DARK OF THE WEST (Glass Alliance #1) by Joanna Hathaway #BlogTour #ARC #Review #Giveaway

DARK OF THE WEST (Glass Alliance #1) 
by Joanna Hathaway 
Release Date: February 5th 2019; Tor Teen
Fantasy, Young Adult

About the book:

He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner's Curse in Joanna Hathaway's Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.

Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.

A PACK OF BLOOD AND LIES (The Boulder Wolves #1) by Olivia Wildenstein #ARC #Review #Netgalley

A PACK OF BLOOD AND LIES (The Boulder Wolves #1)
by Olivia Wildenstein
Release Date: April 18, 2019; Twig Publishing

From Goodreads:
The primal rule of winning: don’t fall in love with the contender. 

Three months shy of her eighteenth birthday, Ness is forced to return to Colorado. Even though it’s been six years, and the wolves of her all-male pack don’t recognize her, she recognizes them. People who shun others because of their gender are hard to forget.

Especially Liam Kolane—son of Heath, the crudest and cruelest Alpha to have ruled the Boulder Pack. Liam is as handsome as he is infuriating, as kind as he is punishing, and he makes Ness’s traitorous heart race, which isn’t good. After all, he’s a Kolane. Like father like son, right?

When Heath dies, Liam vies to become the new Alpha and no one dares challenge him.