Posts Categorized: Mustread

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The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine

December 8, 2015 Lily B Review 21 ★★★★½

The Impostor Queen (Untitled, #1) by Sarah Fine
Series: Untitled #1
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books on January 5th 2016
Genres: Young Adult High Fantasy
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Rating:
Heat Rating: one-flame

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.
But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.
Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

I think I am in love with Sarah Fine’s writing and I have Ali @ My Guilty Obsession to thank for that. The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine ended up being a buddy read with Ali, to whom I am thankful for introducing me to Fine’s writing.

I loved The Impostor Queen, a well crafted story about a sixteen-year-old girl named Elli who is a Saadela and the next in line to take over when the Valtia of the Kupari passes and leaves her magic to be passed on to the Saadela. When Elli’s Valtia suffers a terrible tragedy and the young girl ends up witnessing the horrid moment of her Valtia’s final breath, the Elders blame Elli for rejecting the magic when it does not enter her. With a help of her handmaiden, Mim, Elli escapes the temple and the cruel fate that awaits her and disappears beyond the village walls where she is rescued by a boy named Oskar.

Now Elli is living among the very people the Elder’s have been trying to force out of the mines, while trying to learn about her own ability that she is asked to keep a secret by the mysterious old healer.

I won’t lie. The story started out kind of slow, but this is a high fantasy, and it is kind of expected. When the story finally picked up, and boy did it pick up, not only was it impossible to put down but I found myself wanting to savor it. I admit, I was a little disappointed and sad that the book has ended. I went through a book withdrawal and it’s been a long while since any book has caused such a reaction out of me.

Fine’s writing is brilliant, her imagination runs wild in the beautifully crafted magical world. I love that there are two forces that make up the magic, fire and ice, and how the two effect the Valtia as well as the magic wielders.

The plot itself was amazing and interesting. It had me so hooked, I wanted and needed to know how it was all going to turn out, what was going to happen next and how Fine was going to leave us at the end of the book. I was so glad to learn that this is part of the series, though as of right now Goodreads lists the series as the Untitled. I also loved that the ending did NOT feel like a cliffhanger.

Let’s talk about Elli for a second. Elli lived a sheltered life in the temple because she was being molded to do what the Elder’s wanted her to do. The only knowledge she really had about anything was what the Elder’s wanted to tell her, so she comes off very naive. Boy does she learns her lessons quickly when she is forced out of the shelter of the home she knew forever and onto the streets and into the winter cold. I really enjoyed watching Elli develop as a character. Her struggles when she is brought to the camp are real. The fact that she suffers a physical “disfiguration” maker her character appear flawed, but at the same time very human.

Though the book is listed under glbt genre under Goodreads, and does have references to it (Elli’s love for her handmaiden) the book mainly follows the romance between a boy and a girl.

Oskar was amazing. Brownie points to him for taking Elli in. Their meeting in an unusual circumstance ended up being quite entertaining. I loved their interaction and the slow simmering romance that had me holding my breath more than once.

The world-building in this book was remarkable, original and very interesting. It is one of those fantasy novels that you cannot help but fall in love with everything, the writing, the world-building, the well fleshed out characters, it just keeps you wanting more. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I cannot wait to see where this story goes from here, because the ending totally blew me away.

If you enjoy a high fantasy novel with an incredible world, with talented writing, what are you waiting for? I strongly recommend this book.

Review: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

November 14, 2015 Lily B Review 26 ★★★★½

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Stand-Alone
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on November 10th 2015
Genres: Young Adult Mystery Thriller
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Rating:
Heat Rating: half-flame

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.
Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.
After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.
But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.
As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

Estella Goodwinn has witnessed a terrible crime and upon agreeing to testify against the man who is sitting in jail, she must enter the witness protection program in order to keep her from the dangerous crime world the man is involved with. Because Danny Balando is pissed, and his connections in the cartel will want to find the girl who tossed him in jail.

I am completely stunned by this book, Becca Fitzpatrick really blew this one out of the water for me. She took the main character, made her utterly unlikable and through careful character development and growth, swiftly changed how I felt about Stella. At the beginning I wanted to grow at how inconsiderate and ungrateful Stella was. These people were putting their lives on the line to protect her and kept hitting the wall of snob that this character came built with. I wanted to throttle her. I literally put the book down for a few days because I was so angry at how she was handling her situation. After calming down, I plowed on, because despite my utter hate for Stella’s character, Becca Fitzpatrick’s writing was absolute perfection. Her way with words really knows how to pull you in, and her talent for writing really shines through the book. Once I was engrossed and trapped, I could NOT put this book down.

Mystery, secrets, lies and the mix characters of Thunder Basin, Nebraska made this book a real page turner. I loved seeing Stella grow and develop as a character. I love seeing her shed her jaded ways and accept Thunder Basin for what it was and the people surrounding her as friends. I also came to admire her as a character. In the end, I saw her for what she was, at the beginning a scared and lost girl who lashed out at everyone because she was losing her identity and growing into a strong and remarkable woman. I was glad to see her refuse at being pushed around when she ran into her troubles with Trigger and proud that she took action instead of letting the guy get away with everything he was getting away with, just because of who he was to the town.

I admired the way she treated the character’s close to her, including Inny and Chet. The growth of trust and relationship building between her and Carmina, the woman who took her under her wings when she entered the protection program.

There was just so much going on, never really a dull moment. The secrets and lies Stella told really were taking a toll on her and made her question her morals.

Learning about Carmina’s past, really made you feel for the character. It’s devastating, it’s poignantly sad and it touched my emotions on so many levels. It left me a bit startled that after everything she went through, she wasn’t a more jaded character.

The romance in this was slow-burn and I loved it. I was so glad because it was such a refreshing change from all the recent insta-love. Because of Stella’s previous relationship that she had to leave behind, and all the lies she has to keep secret, her and Chet’s relationship starts as friendship that very slowly blooms into something more. It was believable and fantastic because I totally adored Chet. He has his own share of demons in the closet, things in the past that he has to live with because a part of the town does not seem to want to let him forget. He is such a strong, moral character with a heart of gold. The way he felt he needed to take care of his brother was both as heart breaking as respectable. The ending only made me love him ever more.

Chet was a good guy - a great guy. He didn’t deserve the deception and heartache that would come from getting involved with me.

Despite Stella’s mother being a sorry excuse for a human being and bringing all this trouble coming down on top of her daughter’s head, there was still a strong sense of family in this book, especially when Carmina and Stella started to form a deeper bond. The care was obviously there, especially a moment that moved the bonds of their relationship and made it stronger.

Another part wanted to hug her. Maybe even shed tears of gratitude. She had my back. I wasn’t alone.

I didn’t like Stella’s mother’s character, she was a junkie who Stella as a minor ends up taking care of because the drug addiction and depression was so strong she could not function as a normal mom.

A glimpse of blue sky, a singing bird on the windowsill. Or, in my case, not having the weight of caring for my mom dragging me under. What if Thunder Basin was my chance to come up for air?

I think the only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because everything happened in the end so quickly, all the actions and the sense of forbodding that was happening in this book exploded and wrapped up rather quickly. I was also confused with what happened to Reed, the author never really touched on that in the wrap up.

Outside of that. I really enjoyed the masterfully writing that kept me turning the pages late into the night. Even if it did give me a couple of black circles under my eyes, it was totally well worth it. I adored it all and can’t wait to see what Fitzpatrick has in store for me next.

I leaned my back against the wall and shut my eyes. I rested a hand on the windowsill and let the cool air wash over my clammy skin. I breathed deeply, trying to plant my feet solidly in Thunder Basin.

My problems receded into the shadows and life seemed simple again. I felt cool, sweet relief. Tonight Thunder Basin didn’t feel like a prison. It felt like a set of open doors at the end of a long, painful road, beckoning me closer.

Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

October 30, 2015 Lily B Review 24 ★★★★

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Series: Stand-Alone
Published by Kathy Dawson Books on August 18th 2015
Genres: Young Adult Paranormal, Young Adult Magical Realism
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: Own Copy
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Rating:
Heat Rating: half-flame

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably accident-prone. Some years it’s bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it’s just a lot of cuts and scrapes. They know what they need to do—stock up on bandages and painkillers, cover sharp table edges with padding, banish knives to locked drawers, switch off electrical items. They buckle up, they batten down.
But this accident season—when Cara; her ex-stepbrother, Sam; and her best friend, Bea, are seventeen—none of that will make a difference.
Because Cara is starting to ask questions. And the answers were never meant to be found.
A haunting, untethered, addictive read that perfectly captures that time in our lives when our hearts crack open and the raw secrets of our true selves burst forth—whether we are ready or not.

This book, wow, I am pleasantly surprised! I honestly picked this one up because it sparked my attention and it looked like it might be an enjoyable read for the Halloween season. I got everything I wanted to wrap up in a nice package and delivered! Boy did this book deliver. Moïra Fowley-Doyle writing is hauntingly beautiful and creepily atmospheric! I was hooked, totally hooked from the start and once I got to the Halloween party and the last what 40%? I could not put this book down. I totally needed my sleep, but it was hard to let go I needed to know what happens in the end. I found myself chomping through the pages until I hit the end.

So let’s raise our glasses to the accident season,

To the river beneath us where we sink our souls,

To the bruises and secrets, to the ghosts in the ceilings,

One more drink for the watery road.

It’s October therefor it’s Accident season, something that has been plaguing the Cara’s family for years. They have lost many loved ones due to the season so Cara’s mother is exceptionally protective. Unfortunately, not a lot of kids in school believe them so they get a bunch of funny looks every time something happens and they get a little more banged up.

I loved the character’s in this book, including the secondary and supportive. I thought they really added to the book as a whole and deepened the already creepy plot. Bea is Cara’s friend, who reads tarot cards. I really enjoyed her character and the whole tarot card reading was a kind of a great addition to the story. Like the rest of the characters in the book Bea isn’t any different. She has her secrets and she hides them all behind her tarot cards, but she is an excellent and supportive friend to Cara.

Sam is Cara’s ex-step-brother who is also plagued by the accident season even thought they are not blood related. I found that oddly interesting. I liked Sam, he is very protective of Cara and has his own demons when it comes to his father.

Alice is the older sister of Cara, and is very troubled and probably sees things more clearly when it comes to the accident season over Cara.

The story itself was creepy and hauntingly beautiful, the writing was fantastic a bit lyrical and filled with magical realism. The story was fast paced and I did not find it dull, even with the well done descriptions, especially all the scenes in the haunted house. Cara’s comparison to the changelings that shed their human skin for one night a year was so different and freaky. Alice’s struggles with the boyfriend was well done, especially in the situations like this, not only was it realistic it was a bit frightening in its own way.

The mystery behind the Accident season had me hooked until the very end. Especially wanting to know more about this mysterious girl named Elsie, who happens to pop up in all of Cara’s pictures, no matter where she takes them.

Accidents happen. Our bones shatter, our skin splits, our heart break. We burn, we drown, we stay alive.

There is romance in this book, it’s a bit unusual. I was honestly mostly surprised this subject made it into the YA genre. I was recently amused to myself how popular it is right now. It’s a bit taboo, but it works. My husband and I had a discussion about it, because I did not know it was considered a taboo, given the circumstances, but I get it.

The teens in this book felt realistic, even if I was particularly grumpy that they drank and smoke. Looking back at my teen years, I realize it is part of the “teen culture” it does happen, and it’s stupid to remain ignorant.

I am still lost about this, metal, tin? Man that Cara has several run’s in with. I am not sure that part was ever explained fully.

Overall, if you are looking for at least one book to read this Halloween, I do strongly recommend this one. The hauntingly beautiful creepy writing, the characters, the mystery and the magical realism wrap this book up nicely and make it worth the read!

Review: The Goodbye Witch (A Wishcraft Mystery #4) by Heather Blake + Giveaway

May 11, 2014 Lily B Review 22 ★★★★★

The Goodbye Witch (A Wishcraft Mystery, #4) by Heather Blake
Series: A Wishcraft Mystery
Published by NAL on May 6th 2014
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 299
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Rating:
Heat Rating:

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

As Enchanted Village’s resident Wishcrafter, Darcy Merriweather has the power to make other people’s wishes come true, but what she really wishes is that she had the power to uncloak the invisible man who’s stalking her best friend.... Darcy’s closest friend and fellow witch, Starla Sullivan, hoped she’d never see her ex-husband, Kyle, again. Two years ago he tried to kill her, and he has been a fugitive ever since. Now Starla claims to have seen him back in Enchanted Village, but it seems she’s the only one who can see him. To everyone else, her ex is invisible. Darcy only wishes his motives were as transparent as the rest of him. Since the police can’t arrest someone they can’t see, it’s up to Darcy to find the secret behind Kyle’s latest disappearing act—before he does something they can’t see coming….

Enchanting and magical!Darcy Merriweather is a resident Wishcrafter in an Enchanted Village. What does that mean? She has the power to grant people their wishes, as long as it’s approved by the elders. But now, the only thing Darcy wishes is that she had the power to help her best friend a fellow witch uncover her invisible husband.Starla never really thought she would see her ex-husband again. Not since the night he tried to kill her. Which in turn had left a lot of unanswered
questions. How could the man she fell so in love with, change before her very eyes?

When her ex’s family turns a cold shoulder on Starla and accuses her of making the thing up, things only turn for the worse when Kyle (the ex) turns up dead in Starla’s home. With mounting evidence turning up against, it’s up to Darcy to put this one to rest.

This was very original. I love the uniqueness of this series and how it’s done. I especially loved the little magical town, full of very interesting characters. From familiars that talk to people with special powers living among people who do not have any. Darcy was charming, a loyal friend, trusting and compassionate. I totally fell in love with her character and wished I had her powers - heh wished.

The way the mystery turned out I thought was unique as well. Blake has crafted a really alluring series. I had the most difficult time putting this one down. I really wanted to know the big secret behind what happened to Kyle and why he treated Starla the way he did. What I got in return was news so heartbreaking, I could almost feel Starla’s shattering pain and the unfairness of it. Especially since he is now gone.

By the end of the book I found myself in tears. Not only for Kyle, but for Darcy’s best friend as well. I was so glad that the real ending was pulled together so well, and surprising kind of beautiful. With a touch of romance and some magic, this was a very heartwarming and really enjoyable read. In the end, I found myself wishing I could live in the enchanted village.

So my loveliess. Thanks to the publisher I have for you today (1) copy of The Goodbye Witch Just fill out a really quick raffle and comment below.

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Winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize. Giveaway ends May 13.

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