Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Three words:

I WANT MORE!

This is seriously one bad ass novel I've come across in a while! If you enjoy 

Urban Fantasy 

Postapocalyptic world

Indian folklore

Indian mythology

Monsters

Magic

Former reservation

Supernatural

Badass protagonist

Medicine man

and 

much more

Then you're so going to enjoy this novel!  I can't believe I didn't request this from Net Galley!  What is wrong with me?  At this moment, I'm glad I purchased this compelling novel when it was on sale, and it's so worth it!  This is staying on my shelf.

Seriously, the author needs to write many novels with this gifted monster killer.  The author shouldn't have this problem because there are so many stories in folklore she can use with Maggie.

This seriously reminds me of Mad Max, and Supernatural put together with great plots, sarcasm, save the innocents, etc. Rebecca did an excellent job with the landscape, folklore, Navajo names, and much more!

You won't regret getting this novel.

Like I said I want MORE!

I'm giving this fantastic novel a low five stars.

  

Immortal Girls by Griffin Stark

This broke my heart.  Seriously.  I was looking forward to reading this.  Look at this gorgeous cover!  It's what caught my attention.  The synopsis got me.

With that being said, the idea and concept were great!  However, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters at all. Too short.  There were some words which were repetitive and unnecessary.  A one thousand-year-old girl acting so childish is unbelievable.  Many factors made me cringe a lot as I read on. The ending felt too rushed.  

I applaud the author for taking the courage to be self-published.  However, before being published, this book needed an editor, mentor, beta readers, and so forth for this book to be successful.  

If this book were rewritten and edited, I'd give it another shot reading it. 

I'll have to give it two stars.  I feel horrible, but I need to be truthful.

I received this self-published ARC from Net Galley, Thank you!

Stranded on Thin Ice by Sharon Cassanolochman

Oh my goodness!  There is something nostalgic about being a twelve-year-old kid, stuck between being a kid and being a teenager. It is where a circumstance or an event can force us to grow up or remain innocent...

I could not put this book down. I devoured but yet savored the story.  I was rooting, cringing, and was scared for this young hero and his friend. I was able to connect with Tanner easily from the start.

I was impressed with the author's knowledge of ice fishing and how she managed to bring it to life through a book without boring me.  I could feel the texture of the ice. I could feel the glare coming from the ice reflection; I could feel the bitter cold from the wind chill. I could feel the warmth from the little hut. I can almost feel the line in my hands from ice fishing.  The author has done it with emotions. Even though this book was short, it didn't feel short.

This is the story of ice fishing, an adventure which lasted several hours appeared to be a lifetime of these two young boys, an unlikely friendship, father and son relationship, and ingenuity.

The last two chapters.....WOW!  It is all I can say!

This book is a must for everyone of all ages and genres.

This wonderful novel gets four stars from me. 

I received this ARC from Ontario Shore Publishing LLC through Net Galley.  Thank you!

Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins

The illustration of this book cover is beautiful.  I love the colors along the five females and dragon in the background. It conveyed beautifully with this story.

If you enjoy

Journey

Adventures

  Fast paced actions

Princesses

King

Strong women

 Heirs

Villians

War

Thrones

Elemental Mage

Warrior

Zealot

Violence

War

Sarcasm

Hints of romance

and of course,

Dragon

Then this epic fantasy is for you if you're an adult.  Finally!  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy YA Fantasy, but it's nice if we have adult fantasy from time to time. The author does not hold back on her awesome characters.  Raw, gritty, down to earth, bar none truths, flaws flavored them which make them impressive and realistic.

First of all, I did not know this was a second book after The Daughters of the Storm. I need to read that book to make sure I didn't miss anything crucial before the third book comes out. The story starts four years after the first book. It focuses separately on  Bluebell, Rose, Ivy, Ash, and Willow at first before intricately woven together in this magical storytelling spell.  The author managed to keep my interest in this fast-paced novel with her rich and complex characters without losing me one bit.

I practically devoured this book within a couple of hours. There were 464 pages.  I love it!  I don't know why this book isn't even pushed hard publicly.  I saw this book has a lot of high praises and high reviews rightfully so.  We need to spread the news how fantastic this book is!  I can't wait to get my hands on The Daughters of the Storm and when the next novel comes out.

Do yourself a favor, get.this.book.  Don't take my words for it.

At this moment, I'm going to give this magical novel a four star until I read the other two books.

I received this entertaining ARC from Del Rey through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased review. Thank you!

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees

First of all, this illustration is gorgeous! I was drawn to it before I even read the synopsis.  After reading this novel, I'm still drawn to the cover of this book.

Where do I start? How do I begin?  This story is unique and original.  I want to say it's some form of a fairy tale retelling.  In a way it is, but in a way it isn't.  I haven't read any review on this novel yet.  I have a feeling there will be a lot of mixed reviews on this.  But you know, that's okay. Why?  Because it will be one of the most talked books of this year.  Mark my words.

What I mean by unique, this book is divided into two different stories which will throw you off.  It did throw me off at first, but I kept on because it was interesting.  The accounts held my interest.  It is a very dark fantasy novel if you're into that type of thing.   

This is not for light or fast reading.  Just take your time and enjoy it.  There is some area where it's lyrical and magical reading and some area where the writing just weird (but the one I read is an advanced reader's copy, and it's not final, so hopefully it will improve.) 

As I said, it was one of a kind and kept my interest, but it's not something I would reread in the future.

I'll give it a 3 and 3/4 stars.

Interesting, I just found out it's for YA and kids.  

I received this unique ARC from Random House Children's /Delacorte Press through Net Galley. Thank you!

Carolina of Orange-Nassau by Moniek Bloks

 Wow!  I want to say this author did an excellent job on researching on little known Dutch Royalty. I've heard of her from time to time when I read histories.  I had no idea many of the royalties descended from her across the European County.

This book was exciting and quick to read and understand. The only problem I had was to keep the family lineage and names straight.  I wish it had a royal lineage tree where I could refer to when in doubt.

 I adore history — one of my favorite subjects of all time. I almost didn't read this book because she was a princess. Truthfully, I can't stand a lot of Queens and Kings during those periods because they were selfish and in their worlds while my ancestors were murdered (beheaded and hung) or thrown in prison for their beliefs.  A couple of my ancestors were falsely accused of being witches.  They did nothing to help them or others.  

I understand why people are fascinated by Carolina because She's the "Grandmother of the European Royals (13 lineages).  Even though she died at a young age of 43 years, I don't find her that interesting.  Sure she was involved in music, children, redecorating, her young brother, etc., but what has she contributed to?  What has she done that makes her stand out.

The author was fortunate to examine and study all of her letters, along with her husband and relatives to get a clear picture of her personality and her life.  I would so dearly love to read those letters.

This book is an interesting read for a history buff.  There are famous figures there.  I would recommend to anyone who interested in royal history,

I'd give it a low four stars

I received this new ARC from Job Hunt Publishing, Ltd/ Chronos Books through Net Galley, Thank you.  I quite enjoyed this part of history!

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Of all of the WWII novels books I've read, this indeed is an exciting novel.  Why? Because it involves the girls undercover on dangerous missions.  I love it!

This novel alternates past and present.  The woman tries to solve the mystery of what she discovered in an abandoned suitcase underneath a bench at Grand Central.  The other story of some girls being recruited to be undercovers and their training.

What's involved:

Recruitment

Mystery

Old photos

Radios

Deciphering

Codes

German

French

American

Embassy

Betrayals

Friendships

Romance

Loyalty

Want more? Then read this book. It's different because the females are in action this time.

Pam Jenoff has done her research thoroughly.  I know for a fact, it has to be a difficult novel to write.  You'll see what I mean once you read the book.

I did not want to put the book down when I had to sleep or go to work.  I would look forward to going home to finish the book.

I'm going to give this book a high four stars. It'll stay with me for a long time. Plus, I intend to keep this book on my bookshelf. 

I won this print ARC from Bookish First.  Thank you!

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Confession:

Of most of all the classic books, I have never read Pride and Prejudice.  Don't shoot me!  At the time, I wasn't really into romance.  Believe me; I've learned a lot of classic books. Pride and Prejudice wasn't one of them.

Good news:

I will purchase and read Pride and Prejudice soon!

With that being said, you all can stop yelling or gasping or gaping at me!

Unmarriageable supposedly is a unique retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan.  I don't know how closely it followed the original story.  I'll have to wait until I read that dang book to differentiate both of them.

I truly enjoyed this version.  I love seeing the Pakistan culture.  The sisters made me laugh and love the sarcasm.  It is full of humor and entertaining.  It kept me interested until I finished the book.

I am going to leave this here for now until I finish the actual Pride and Prejudice to review more on Unmarriageable.

I'd give the book a low four stars for the moment.

I received this humorous ARC from Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased book. Thank you!

How I Became a Spy by Deborah Hopkinson

This book was such a delight to read!  It is gear towards preteen and teenagers.  Adults will enjoy reading it.

It tells of a young boy during WWII and how he learned to be a spy.
I enjoyed learning how to be an amateur spy such as how to decipher a code, how to tell if someone is following you and how to lose the person.
This young hero has captured my heart. This story helped my imagination grow bigger.  I imagined being with him in the book.
This book that will help the YA understand the era of WWII and how it was for kids during that time. They will be able to see the horrors, courage, unlikely friendship, war, etc. through this brave hero's eyes.
I strongly recommend this novel for all young kids who are learning about WWII.  This is the novel which will pique their interest strongly, encouraging them to learn more about this era.
As I was reading this delightful novel, I felt like a kid all over again but yet being forced to mature as the war went on.  This is what reading a book should do to a reader, and this author did a great job of it.
I'd give this book a low four stars

I received this lovely ARC from Random House Children's/ Knopf Books for Young Readers through Net Galley. Thank you!

The White Stag by Kara Barbieri

This is truly a pure fantasy world. Truly another world which I thoroughly enjoyed, My only regret is that I didn't read it sooner.

  I was surprised that this book isn't a stand-alone book. I honestly thought it was until I researched the author.  But then looking back on the last chapter, I should've known the way it ended.  I''m piqued more than ever how the second novel in this Permafrost Series will be.

Just to be fair, this novel is pretty dark.  If you enjoy

 Goblins

Fantasty world

Monsters

Action

Fights

Sarcasms

 Survivor guilt
Self identity struggle

Light romance

Wolves

   Magical land

  Self Loathing and angsty heroine

then this is it for you.

I'd have to warn you, even though the author did a good job crafting her story, her story has many twists to it.  For example, the goblins are not what we expect of them in her book. There will be flashbacks of her horrible past, rape and torure and ect. So, for some of the sensitive readers out there, may want to read with caution.  It isn't too detailed.

This novel is about trials, errors, trust, loyality, empowerment, self discovery, triaumph , deep regrets, and rebirth.

This novel is raw, gritty, haunting and honest which will challenge you to think.  This novel came across as an allegory to many things we deal with in real life.  This is maybe why some readers have a hard time reading this or just DNFing it.  I'm interested seeing how the rest of the series turn out. 

I'm going to give this novel a low 4 stars.  

I received this beautiful haunting ARC from  Wednesday Books/ St. Martin's Press through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased review.  Thank you!

Happy Ever...After by Seb Earl

This is a journey of an angry woman who was raped 8 years ago whose life is spiraling out of control. Taking her best friend's advice, she reluctantly  looks for a flat so she can move out of her parents' house after living there for 8 years.  She finds one and she can finally begin her healing journey on her own.  There's ups and downs as she navigates through her everyday life's priblem, including  dating. She realizes that she's going to be okay throughout the whole process.

Enjoyed this book.  Emotional  of ups and down.  Was entertained through out the book.

High 3 stars from me.

Received this ARC from Cameron Publicity and Marketing Ltd through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. Thank you!

The Drums that Beats Within Us by Mike Bond

I was surprised  to see a book of published poems by Mike Bond.  I'm more familiar with his action-packed mystery novels. I've read and reread his poems.  You can tell his passion is strong with the nature and animals.

I thoroughly  enjoyed most of his poems and it was refreshing to see Mike write outside of his genre.  I look forward to more of his works.

4 stars from me.

I received  this ARC from Big City Press through Net Galley  in exchange for my honest and unbiased  review . Thank you!

Deliver Me by Karen Cole

This is about a young woman who finds out accidentally that she's pregnant when she hasn't been sexually active for a long time.  She believed that she's been raped and she can't rememer.  She sets out to find out who's been with her at the party. This journey takes a toll on her as she tries to find out the father's identity of her unborn baby.  She is also getting freaked out because the father of her unborn baby is her stalker who's been leaving notes and presents for her.  It's been a roller coaster ride for her.

I wasn't happy how the ending played out with hardly any emotion in it.  For that reason, I'm going to give it a high 3 stars.

I received this ARC from Quercus Books through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review . Thank you!

Cimarron Girl by Mike Blanc

This book was a delight to read.  It's an eye account of a young girl experiencing the Dust Bowl and the Depression.  The book is actually targeted  towards young children.  The kids will understand the book and its history .  The illustrations  are wonderful  along with the actual photos from that era.  It will have the children interested and have them ask more questions  about the book.

I recommend  this book to any kids and parents.

I'd give it a low 4 star from Vania Books through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review  Thank you!

The Christmas Window by Melissa McClone

I adore this cover!  Cuteness overload!

This novel reminds me of any love story which starts out to enemies to lovers romance.  You know, the kind you see on Hallmark. 

It's a sweet and heartwarming story which involves puppies!

'If you like

small town

romance

Christmas

contest

puppies

decorations

then you'll love this book.

I'd give this book a high 3 stars

I received this cute ARC from Tule Publishing through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Thank you!

Shadow of the Fox by Pamela Gibson

First of all, there's another book out with the same title but they're by different authors and are in very different genres.

This novel is a historical novel which takes place in Southern California during the mid-1800s before and during the war between US and Mexico over the lands in California.  This is about a young woman who most people would call old maid if she's not married by a certain age.  She only wants to marry for love.  She works on the ranch with her wealthy father.  She finds out that her marriage is arranged with her father's neighbor whom she despised.  She makes plans to run away to avoid marrying the man.  She hired a man whom she's met in England at a ball which turned to be a disaster back then.  

I love the fact how the author described the areas and what was the cause of the war and anything historical.  It was very realistic. However, this book felt unfinished which leads me to believe this is a book in a series.

At this moment, I'm going to give this book  3 stars until I can finish all the books in this series.

I received this interesting ARC from Soul Mate Publishing through Net Galley. Thank you!

A Gift From the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson

   First of all, I had no idea this book is part of the series.  However, this can be a stand-alone novel.  

This is about a young mother and her son living in a small town with the infamous Comfort Food Cafe.  She struggles to learn about herself and her friends she's made in this town.  She's had a rough childhood and does not care for Christmas.  This is about her personal emotional growth and how she evolved.

This is a humorous and emotional novel.  I thoroughly enjoyed it very much.  I'd give it a low 4 stars.

I received this heartwarming ARC from Harper Impulse and Killer Reads  HarperCollins through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review, Thank you!

The Leading Edge of Now by Marci Lyn Curtis

  Warning: Rape is discussed in this book.

I LOVE love love this book.  This book is great for the YA and teenagers.  I will highly recommend this book to anyone.

Marci has written a brutally honest and emotional novel of a young teenager who is learning about herself.  She has gone through hell and back.  She struggles as she moves back in with her uncle after being an orphan for three years.  She struggles with her new neighbors who happened to be her close friends before she became an orphan.  She struggles thinking her ex-boyfriend had raped her but it turns out it wasn't the case as she tries to remember who had raped her on that fateful memorial's day at a party.  She struggles with the death of her father.  This is her year of learning about herself as she realizes that she has to find her truth, face her truth, and speak her truth in order to heal and come out okay. 
The book isn't just based on sexual assault. This book focuses on many things that YA and teenagers deal with nowadays.  I enjoyed the wry humor from Grace.  I was able to relate to her because she was real as real can be.
I promise you won't regret reading this novel.
I'm giving this book a high 4 stars

I received this ARC from Kids Can Press through Net Galley for in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.  Thank you!

The House of Gold by Natasha Solomons

I got all excited when I first read the synopsis because its' setting during WWI and the family saga and I adore historical novels.
The first half is pre-war and talks of Greta, arranged marriage, and the workings of banks. The second half is the beginning and during the war.
I was not able to relate to any of the characters. There were a lot of areas were just boring and tedious.  I tried to like or even enjoy the book.  It took me weeks to finally finish this book which is unheard of me.

I'll give it a low 3 stars.

I received this ARC from Penguin Group Putnam through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased honest review. Thank you!

Ghosts of Christmas Past by Laura Briggs

This novel is loosely based off The Christmas Carol. I happened to like Christmas Carol so I thought I'd give this book a try.  This book is about adoption, alcoholism, music, fame, accident, and etc.

The book will alternate between the times.  Will Libby let her ghosts of past drag her under or save her?  With all of her poor decisions she's made in the past,  will she ever be able to save herself? 

It is an inspirational novel.

This is a quick and enjoyable read but also haunting because it can be relatable to many of us in this world.

I'd give a 3 3/4 stars

I received this ARC from Pelican Book Group through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.  Thank you!

Chrismasius by Billie Bates

This is an adorable Christmas book for kids.  I wouldn't mind reading this to any kid.  The illustrations are beautiful and entertaining.

The meaning/message it's trying to convey in this story is clear and concise where the children would easily understand.  The rhymes caught me off guard because I did not expect that at all.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Get this for your kids.  This book would be a classic for years to come.

I'll give it a low 4 stars.

I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours through Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. Thank you!

The Scarlet Cord by Eliza Master

Warning This book contains a lot of graphic sexual imagery.   With that being said, I didn't know the meaning of Shibari was.  I had assumed it was the main character's name.  

Shibari is the Japanese art of sexual bondage. 

I was disappointed with this book because of the cover displays one kick-ass woman with a gun and the synopsis portraying a strong woman.  It really bugged me how the main character was thinking and having sexpractically  24/7 with anyone in the book. It even got where it was getting creepy in the last quarter of the book.  The author thought of everything to sexualize the main character.  I'm not understanding why sex is very important in this book.

I'm not against sexuality.  It's the way the woman was portrayed in this book. that I'm trying to comprehend.

I'm giving it 2 stars.

I received this eARC from Wayzgoose Press through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased reveiw. Thank you.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

First of all, look at this gorgeous cover!  When I first saw it, I knew I had to read it before even before reading the synopsis.  

This book was such a joy to read.  It's a fantasy adventure/mystery.  I LOVE being surrounded by ancient artifacts, relic, mystery, ballrooms, illusions, magic, sweets, nerds, secret societies, ball dresses and etc.  It's all there. Treasure hunts are in there. The characters are wonderful!  I love them all. I was able to relate to most of all of them. They were witty, funny, intelligent, nerdy, lovable, loyal, and much more.

I honestly thought it was going to be a stand-alone book until the end.  The way it ended.  Now I have to wait!  It's that good.  

I really enjoyed the wild ride on this adventure and am looking forward to Book 2(I have no idea what the name of the title is but the author had confirmed that she's working hard on her 2nd book.). Many of you guys will really enjoy this book because it has humor, adventure , treasure hunts, and many more.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

This book gets 4 stars from me.

I received this eARC from Wednesday Books through Net Galley and ARC print from Bookish First in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.  Thank you!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Wow!  This book had me transfixed for 3 hours! I could not put it down!  First of all, may I applaud Alex on his well written first novel.  It's pretty amazing for a first published novel.

This book started out with a bang which I enjoyed.  And then I drowned into the story.  I literally gasped out loud in some places in the book.  My dog even looked at me weird.  I don't know if this book should be called a thriller.  It should have its own genre!  Seriously!  There were some shockers that left me stunned.  The ending was brilliant. I literally did an applaud after a minute after finishing this novel. If Alex can write this well where I'm literally glued to the pages for hours without interruption ( such as coffee, ahem!) I will most definitely read his future novels.  I look forward to reading more of it.

If you guys think it's some hype, I promise you it's not.  Think of  The Wife Between Us and  The Anonymous Girl.  Don't get me wrong, I love these two books, but this The Silent Patient tops these two books in my opinion.  It just may be one of the top psychological thrillers of 2019 and deservingly so.

Oh yeah, I won this awesome ARC through Good Reads.  This review was entirely voluntarily my own and unbiased. Thank you, Celadon Books and Good Reads!!

The Afterward by E.K.Johnston

This is one of the unique novels I've read in a long time.  This is a high-level fantasy adventure novel with a love story between two young women.  The book alternates between before and after.  Which is why I said it's a unique novel.    

This is a love story between an upcoming female knight and a thief.  I was hoping for more interactions from other characters in the book.  I was hoping for more background stories on the other characters and how they came together.  It solely focused more on these two female characters.

I enjoyed it, but I wish there were more. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Fantasy genre.  This book would be great for those who enjoy romance with fantasy romance. 

This book gets 3 3/4 stars from me.

I won this book from Dutton Books for Young Readers through Bookish First.  This review is solely my own and unbiased.