Book Review: Iron Flame (The Empyrean #2) by Rebecca Yarros

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end. (From: Goodreads)

Book Review & Excerpt: Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

Sparks fly when an occult expert and a disgraced archeologist become rivals with benefits in this steamy opposites-attract romance from “go-to author” Rosie Danan (The New York Times Book Review).

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she’s pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired.

     Fresh off a scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed “curse breaker” to threaten his last chance for professional redemption (or his traitorous heart). After he fails to get Riley kicked off his excavation site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even.

     Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep ending up on top of each other. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.

Book Review: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. (From: Goodreads)

Book Review: House of Pounding Hearts (The Kingdom of Crows #2) by Olivia Wildenstein

I MEANT TO CAPTURE THE PRINCE’S HEART . . . AND ENDED UP WITH A KING’S.

My desire to sit upon the Lucin throne led me to revive an ancient, winged monarch; one I deemed a friend until that friend duped and imprisoned me.

Lorcan claims he’s holding me captive for my own safety, but then he also claims I belong to him. Slumbering for five centuries has evidently given the Crow King severe delusions.

We may share an unfortunate mind-link, but we are still masters of our own destiny, and I intend to steer mine away from the Sky Kingdom and its prophecies . . . away from him.

I quickly find out there is no escaping the possessive male. In all honesty, I’m no longer certain I want to.

Get swept away in the second installment of a slow-burn shifter fantasy series full of heartbreaking deceit, wicked supernaturals, and alpha males. (From: Goodreads)

Bookish Unboxing | OwlCrate 2019 June Box: Libraries of Wonder

Good afternoon, everyone!

I don’t usually post on weekdays but since I’m suffering from gastroenteritis, a.k.a. the stomach flu, these days, I’m gonna seize the precious chance to share my latest bookish unboxing with you. 🙂 Even though I wasn’t feeling quite perky, I did regain some energy after sleeping for hours.

Anyways, please let me present my first ever OwlCrate unboxing for you! As you know, I’m a huge fan of bookish subscription boxes and after trying out a couple of them this year, I’m pretty confident to say that OwlCrate is by far the most satisfying box among them all. Everything in June, 2019 OwlCrate has totally blown me away–even more than that in Once Upon a Book Club April, 2019 box–and I can’t contain my excitement any longer!

Let the unboxing party begin!

Bookish Unboxing | Fairyloot February Box: Beast and Beauty

Hello, guys!!!

Yep, you read it right! I just received my first ever bookish box two weeks ago and I could barely contain my excitement even talking about it right now!!!!! If you knew me well, you’d know that I’m obsessed with all kinds of bookish unboxing videos, blog posts, and bookstagram feed. To be honest, I’ve been eyeing these book boxes for YEARS, pretty much ever since they came to existence. Hence, color me surprise when I can FINALLY afford one with the money I earned!!! ❤

Long story short, I decided to treat myself with a Fairyloot box partly because I wanted to reward myself in celebration of the hectic yet overall thrilling 2018, considering everything insanely crazy and unbelievably incredible happened last year that totally changed my life, and partly because the February theme was Beast and Beauty, one of my few favorite fairytales of all time. The theme piqued my interest immensely so I placed my order without second thought.

Anyway, let’s get my very first unboxing started, shall we?

Read-to-Review: Golden Skies (The New Order #1) by Juan Zapata

 

A man-god and his army of religious zealots swarmed the South nine years ago. As a child, Malik watched severed heads falling, blood spurting onto concrete, and his dear grandfather run through by a black sword.

But there’s peace…somewhere. At least that’s what Malik tells himself as his body is ripped apart by whips at a religious conversion camp. That’s what his best friend whispers as he frantically creates new force jetpacks to rescue Malik.

Yet when war bursts through the skies, and the sky troopers, assassins, and heroes fall—when the world comes crashing down—Malik Zzoha stands strong amidst the sands, infidel of the state number one.

Golden Skies is the first book in the The New Order trilogy. (From: Goodreads)

Read-to-Review: Destiny’s Gambit (The Voyages of Jake Flynn #1) by R.J. Wood

A resourceful boy takes a glowing sailboat across the stars to search for his long-missing parents and becomes the target of pirates and an evil cabal with a sinister agenda.

Twelve-year-old Jake Flynn’s parents disappeared when he was a baby. On his twelfth birthday, the mystery of why his parent’s disappeared begins to unravel for he discovers a glowing talisman with a message from his father.

Jake is directed to a derelict sailboat, and he watches in awe as the talisman magically knits ropes and sails for it out of golden energy. Awash in light, the boat sails up into space, and the voyages of Jake Flynn begin.

During his quest to find his parents, Jake will encounter space pirates in tall sailing ships, channelers that can wield energy like magic, and evil cabalists led by a sinister snake-woman. Assisted by a young healer and her aged protector, a spirited cabin girl and salty space captain, Jake learns that he can too channel, and that he is central to stopping the cabalists from resurrecting a long-dead evil.
Puzzles, a pirate asteroid, walking the plank, fantastic magic, trapped treasure caves, multiple planets, and great ship battles – Jake must experience them all on this epic adventure. By the end, he will discover the truth of his destiny, understand that family transcends blood lines, and find that his own needs are sometimes less important than those of others.

Like other popular fantasy series, The Voyages of Jake Flynn: Destiny’s Gambit can appeal to the young and old alike. (From: Goodreads)

Review & Giveaway: The Judgment (Emerge #2) by Melissa A. Craven

The prophecy’s about you, Red…

Allie Carmichael has been haunted by those words for months. After dropping a huge bombshell and then leaving her in limbo, Greggory McBrien still hasn’t given her the answers she craves. The knowledge of her past and the absence of both Gregg and her father have left Allie an angry, twisted mess of emotions. She still feels an immeasurable amount of guilt for her mistakes that left her scarred for life and her friend, Quinn a captive of the Coalition. Allie finds herself constantly dancing on the edge of losing control of her power, too afraid to confide in anyone––even her handsome and broody best friend, Aidan.

A chance encounter at a dangerous nightclub reserved for Unproven Immortals, gives Allie and her friends the missing piece of the puzzle. If they have any hope of bringing Quinn home, they have to act quickly.

As Allie approaches her seventeenth birthday, the nightmares that only Aidan can keep at bay, return with a vengeance and she vows to finally face them on her own. But she struggles to understand what her clairvoyant gift is trying to tell her. When she finally begins to truly understand her gift, she fears it might be too late––and this time the price for her mistakes will be too high.

Last time she was afraid. This time she’s angry.  (From: Goodreads)

Read-to-Review & Giveaway: Gray Hawk of Terrapin by Moss Whelan

 

Gray Hawk of Terrapin is a heart-wrenching Y/A fantasy by Moss Whelan that introduces Melanie (Mool) Fraser.

Ever since her father’s death, Mool has been talking with an imaginary green lion named Inberl. When Mool’s mysterious uncle gets sick, she and her mother take the train from Vancouver, Canada to the inner world of Terrapin, where Inberl is arrested because he’s looking for Gray Hawk. Springing into action, Mool sets out to rescue Inberl.

Mool’s know-it-all cousin, Olga, helps track down family friend Parshmander who might know how to save Inberl. They corner Parshmander at home, where they overhear mention of Gray Hawk, but the girls are captured and interrogated. Upon release, Mool feels success when she sees a secret map, finds a hidden bridge and crosses it with Olga. On the other side of the bridge, they find a secret city that keeps Terrapin at war.

Prepare yourself for a wrenching journey laced with evil, chronicling histories of cruelty, kidnapping, and false imprisonment in search of meaning and justice.