Review: The Iron Flower (The Black Witch Chronicles #2) by Laurie Forest

GoodReads Blurb:

Elloren Gardner and her friends were only seeking to right a few wrongs, but their actions have propelled them straight into the ranks of the realm-wide Resistance against Gardnerian encroachment. As the Resistance struggles against the harsh rulings of High Priest Marcus Vogel and the Mage Council, Elloren begins to realize that none of the people she cares about will be safe if Gardneria seizes control of the Western Realm.

With tensions heating up in Verpacia, more and more Gardnerian soldiers continue to descend upon the university…led by none other than Lukas Grey, now commander of the newly rebuilt Fourth Division base. Though Elloren tries to keep him at arm’s length, Lukas is determined to wandfast to her, convinced that she has inherited her grandmother’s magic—the prophesied power of the Black Witch. As his very nearness seems to awaken a darkness inside her, Elloren finds it more and more difficult to believe that she’s truly powerless, as her uncle always claimed.

Caught between her growing feelings for the rebellious Yvan Guriel and the seductive power offered by Lukas Grey, Elloren must find a way to stay true to what she knows is right and protect everyone she loves…even if that means protecting them from herself.

My Review: 5 stars. 5 stars all day long

Where do I start with this? I know! So I bought this book on release day. That was months ago. It has sat on my shelf for the better part of 7 months. Why you might ask? Because that means that the next book will be closer to me and not as far away. I have this thing with collecting series that I really love, I want them all in hard cover with the dust jackets intact and not damaged in any way at all. This is one of those series that I will own every single book in hard cover (minus the novellas I will have a hard copy of those though)

Laurie Forest has this way with words, you get so sucked up into the story that it feels like you are watching it play out right in front of you, and I for one am 100% down with that. The characters are flawless, the plot and story is amazing and riveting and just wow. This has to be one of my top 5 all time favorite series that I have ever had the pleasure to read. So far every one of the books have all been a solid 5 stars for me, and this one is no different. Even with so many sensitive subjects that this author touches down upon, still so damn good. SO GOOD!

I anticipate that the next installment in this series I will have all of the same feelings. I can’t wait!!

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?

Goodreads Link ——–>Here!<——–
Amazon Link: ——–>Here!<——–

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore, through amazon kindle, or through Scribd subscriptions for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

January reads that should have had a review

This is post 2 of the catch-up, the first review was a stand alone review the rest will be in block format with links on where you can get them along with a small review and star rating! I am finding that I do enjoy this style of review but its not my favorite, I love long form but just haven’t really had the time to review all that much. So let’s get January out of the way and move on to February!

Alright let’s get into the books shall we?

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #2)

Rating: 5 stars.

If you like Frankenstein, if you like vampires, then you will like this. Jack and Jill went down the hill, opened a door and stepped into a different land. I have nothing but love for this series. Its perfection and to be fair I hope she isn’t done with them. When I finished the first book in this series I didn’t even hesitate to get this book and then bought all of the other books right away! So good! I really do suggest you give them a read!

Goodreads Link ——–>Here!<——–
Amazon Link: ——–>Here!<——–

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore, through amazon kindle, or through Scribd subscriptions for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Beneath The Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #3)

Rating: 4.5 stars.

Cupcakes and raindrop. Candy Canes and lemon drops. Come to a world that is made entirely of sugar, to fight off an evil queen and to rebuild……. someone? Will you jump through doors to put together a literal person? Well I did. And I enjoyed everything about it. This book was again fantastic! I sound like a broken record haha! Seanan McGuire is a genius!

Goodreads Link——–>Here!<——–
Amazon Link:——–>Here!<——–

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore, through amazon kindle, or through Scribd subscriptions for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #4)

Rating:  5 stars.

This book was so dangerously dark. Had a spark of mystery and a thriller all in one. Very very much enjoyed this read/listen. There was so many different fantastical aspects to this book, and it also feels like you could just jump in and read this one and not need to know the backstory of anything else. This could actually be a stand alone novel, even though its part of the series. Fantastic read! Fantastic author!

Goodreads Link ——–>Here!<——–
Amazon Link: ——–>Here!<——–

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore, through amazon kindle, or through Scribd subscriptions for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Lying In wait by Liz Nugent

Rating:  3 stars.

I’m kinda meh about this one. To be fair this is a thriller and they aren’t really my speed, however this one actually felt very slow and wasn’t all that suspenseful to me. The writing was really well done and that’s why it’s getting a 3 star review, but it’s also the first in my donation pile to donate to my local value village or rotary club for their book drives. I dunno I just wasn’t a fan.

Goodreads Link ——–>Here!<——–
Amazon Link: ——–>Here!<——–

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore, through amazon kindle, or through Scribd subscriptions for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Review: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire

Goodreads Blurb: 

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost. 

My Review: I gave this audiobook 5 stars.

I started listening to this book on my way to work in January, I found that I was getting pulled right into the moment of it. The characters are so well done and so well played that you get to see the story right before your eyes. The fantastical elements played really well with this whole series. I found that there was enough darkness to it to make it interesting to me, yet enough light to let my daughter read it also.

When you are reading this it’s been almost a month since I have finished this series. I will be posting reviews for each of those books also. They will be in block form style so that I can get them out of the way for my January reads and jump right into February reads (I’ve got 3 under my belt so far yay me! ).

So while I have fallen behind on blogging, but that is okay because I have fallen in love with reading again so it should pick right back up again 🙂

Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore or a paid subscription for my enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Review: The Traitor’s Game (The Traitor’s Game #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Goodreads Blurb: 

Nothing is as it seems in the kingdom of Antora. Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won’t stop her from being drawn back into her father’s palace politics. He’s the right-hand man of the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this all too well – and they snatch Kestra from her carriage as she reluctantly travels home. The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the immortal king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected. Simon, one of her kidnappers, will have his hands full as Kestra tries to foil their plot, by force, cunning, or any means necessary. As motives shift and secrets emerge, both will have to decide what – and who – it is they’re fighting for.

My Review: 5 stars

Holy Crap this was good! I really really enjoyed both the audio version of this novel along with the ebook copy of it (I couldn’t get enough I had to keep going after I was done work) this was so good. The characters were very well developed, there is compassion there, a villain (or a few of them actually) there seems to be a little bit of a love story going on there, though I don’t think they really realize it at all, which is cute but needs to be worked on. Either way, when the second book hits the shelves I will be picking this one up!

I have very much enjoyed listening to audiobooks on my way to and from work, it has been a nice reprieve of the music that I usually choose to listen to, and when you get a really good narrator it feels like the story just comes alive. Descriptions were on point, plot on point, I can’t really fault anything of this book so far. Can’t wait to see what the next installment holds.

 

Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

 

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Crown of Ruin (Crown of Death #3) by Keary Taylor

Goodreads Blurb: 

Logan has returned to Roter Himmel. Once a peaceful haven for the Royals, it is now a kingdom of chaos and distrust. The people may love their queen, but she has never ruled them on her own.

Sevan has seen Cyrus work miracles long ago, and learned his methods herself. His curse has sustained stronger than death before but the visage of Cyrus’ demise is undeniable. Still, Logan refuses to believe this is the end. Cyrus keeps appearing to her in strange dreams, rambling that she must prepare—that the day is coming when night will rule the day.

While the entire world of vampires watches, Logan will take on the weight of the crown, the certainty of impending change, and the threat of war.

They all should have known better than to test her. She’s had multiple lifetimes to prepare for this…

All hail the Queen.

My Review: 4 stars

I didn’t realize that I haven’t written the review for this book yet. I’m sorry! I guess there has been a lot on my mind lately. So for the past couple of weeks, I have been kind of doubling up on my reading, I have been listening to audiobooks on my way to work and back and then picking up the novel portion of it when I get home. With this novel though I wanted to listen to the whole thing, that’s the main reason why it has taken me so long to complete it. With audiobooks, I only have 1 hour of listening time per day that I am able to really complete, whereas with a physical or ebook copy I have all evening at my disposal, let me just say this, the audio version of this novel is spectacular. The narrator fo this novel, really really knows how to tell a story, I found it to be really easy to listen to, really easy to follow along and really feel like I wasn’t missing anything. I also have to note that I listen to audiobooks at 2x speed so that way I can get through them a little bit faster and I don’t lose motivation to finish it.

there was more than enough flair and drama in this novel that it was just superb. Keary Taylor really knows how to write a series! I do have to say though that I am procrastinating for the final book, I really don’t want this world to end, I have grown to know all of the characters of this whole universe (of these novels) and I really don’t want to have to let them go! Would I recommend this series?? Oh hell yes I would, I would 10 times over recommend this series to anyone that just wants a quick easy, really good read! These books are so underrated that is for sure!!

 

Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

 

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Crown of Blood (Crown of Death #2) by Keary Taylor

Goodreads Blurb: 

This is not the first time Logan has died. This is not the first time she has fallen in love with Cyrus. Logan is not even the first name she has been given.

Logan fell irreversibly in love with Cyrus, but she needs time to cope with the ramifications of his choice, one made thousands of years ago. She needs time alone to piece herself together. She has to face the woman who brought her into this immortal world. And the feeble attempt on Cyrus life doesn’t sit right with her. She wants answers—who tried to kill him and why?

Past sins are never easy to forgive, but as memories surface, staying away from Cyrus begins to feel impossible. There are a million reasons she’s fallen for him, over and over. Through everything, Cyrus has fought for her, death after death.

A love like this has never been seen before. And love has never been this complicated.

 

My Review: Oh this book has me going through all of the feels right now. It took me a couple of days to finish it, however that was due to work and home and no time really to just pick it up which was a bummer as this would have been a read that would have taken me only a couple of hours it was that good.

There is a way that Keary Taylor writes her novels. She makes the characters so personable, people that you could just go and talk to and get to know, have coffee with them.  The way that she describes the surroundings makes you feel like you are in that place. She is an amazing story teller and I’m not quite sure why she isn’t on the top best sellers lists.

Off to the next book in the series!! I can’t wait!!
Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

 

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Crown of Death (Crown of Death #1) by Keary Taylor

 

Goodreads Blurb: 

Years of bad luck have made Logan Pierce a little bitter, but it all goes from bad to worse the night she witnesses two immortal beings rip a man’s head off with their bare hands.

Her life is wrecked overnight by a single man—Cyrus, who seems to think she’s someone important in his bloody world. But they won’t know the truth until she’s dead, and he’s very anxious to help her get there.

But Logan isn’t going down without a fight. She makes him a deal. She will die, but first he must spend a month getting to know her, a month to change his mind. What she doesn’t expect is a month filled with displays of incredible wealth, spontaneous trips across the country, and unbelievable acts of immortal power. And as Logan spends her last days with Cyrus, she stops seeing the monster and begins to see a lonely, broken man she can’t walk away from. If she isn’t careful, it won’t just be her life she loses at the end of the month, but her heart as well…

Crown of Death is a new standalone series set in the House of Royals world. It is not necessary to have read the House of Royals Saga to start this series.

 

My Review:  5 stars

Where do I start off? Keary Taylor is one of the few authors that opened my mind to the indie world of books, consistenly putting amazing work out there for pennys to the dollar, and I will read each and every one of them. Consistency is key when it comes to such a large saga of books, they have to be engaging, they have to flow nicely and the plot has to be good. They all have to have their differences but need to tie in together. She has done that so far.

Characters are on point, 100% on point actually, plot also right there. The way that she tells a story, makes you get into it and kill that reading slump that you might have been in (yah that was me). She creates a world where you can just dive in and really live! I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, and might just start it today!

Reading slump gone? Yah I think so!!

 

Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

 

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore or Amazon for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

January 2018 wrap up and February 2018 tbr (late posting)

So this month went by really fast! I feel so accomplished! I managed to almost complete my whole January TBR list! I’m so pleased with myself! I got some much-needed rest and relaxation (right I was kidding myself for like an hour), and I got to book nerd and introvert (again really kidding myself!) Something that I desperately needed (and still very much do.) I needed to just get away from life for a little bit and just be. Mainly to prevent burn out, but I also needed a mental health break for myself.

There are a lot of people out there that take others for granted. Me being able to go away for a couple of days seriously wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for my co-worker. I gave him less than a week’s worth of notice and he was still able to just take my shifts. it is very much appreciated.

Alright on to the wrap-up portion! So if you haven’t noticed, all of the books that I set myself up to read for January (minus one) I have completed and written reviews for.

So what did I take from January? I have taken the fact that I have MADE time in my life to pick up a novel. To get away for a couple of hours and just read. I have MADE goals for MYSELF and stuck with them. I have challenged MYSELF and added extra things that make ME happy. I am very proud of the goals that I have accomplished.

For February, I have decided that I will attempt to read 3 books. I think that I can make enough time for myself to be able to do that. I take pride in my blog. I take pride in reading, and being able to read whatever I want on my downtime. I will continue the practice as it is a very good stress reliever for me. Now the question is, what books shall I read?

When this post goes live it will be February 15, 2018 (I missed a few weeks in there with stress and not really being able to pick up a book) So because of that and because this is a short month I have decided to try to only read 3 books this month. According to my Goodreads, I am behind by 5 books so far to keep on track with my Goodreads challenge and I would like to get that ball rolling again. I feel that January I did really well in trying to complete the goals that I set myself up to do, unfortunately, February I kinda dropped the ball on that and let life just take over.

So on to the book choices!!

Drum roll, please! I have decided that these are the 3 books that will be reading for February!! I am hoping to have the reviews out for you as soon as they are finished or at least within a couple of days 🙂

1.Wintersong (Wintersong #1) by S. Jae-Jones

2.Song of the Current (Song of the Current #1) by Sarah Tolcser

3.All the Rage by Courtney Summers

I am very excited to read these! They have been on my bookshelves for quite some time and I will be happy to get them finished so that I can move over to more of my TBR shelf.

Happy reading everyone 🙂

Review: The Becoming of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #1) by Michelle Hodkin

 

Goodreads Blurb: In the first book of the Shaw Confessions, the companion series to the New York Times bestselling Mara Dyer novels, old skeletons are laid bare and new promises prove deadly. This is what happens after happily ever after.

Everyone thinks seventeen-year-old Noah Shaw has the world on a string.

They’re wrong.

Mara Dyer is the only one he trusts with his secrets and his future.

He shouldn’t.

And both are scared that uncovering the truth about themselves will force them apart.

They’re right.

 

My Review:  2.75 stars (rounded up to 3 stars on goodreads)

Ugggg where do I start with this? I wanted to like this book so much. I wanted to jump right in and just read the story and feel like I left off with the last trilogy. Sadly that is not the way that it happened. Sadly this book kinda sorta, really sucked.

The characters are GOOD. They have a good relationship with each other. They have good dialogue, they have good (and bad) thoughts and emotions and they just mesh really well. Really well. My review is not based on the fact that it is told in Noah’s view and not Mara’s either. I actually thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of this book. Michelle Hodkin writes VERY well. This book just felt very much like a prologue, not the beginning book to a trilogy. It felt way too rushed, and just left so many questions that just didn’t make me feel good in my tummy.

I will continue the series. Mostly because I can’t start a trilogy and not continue it. I can’t start something and not finish it. It’s a fault. I understand this.

 

Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

 

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.

Review: The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin

 

Goodreads Blurb: Mara Dyer wants to believe there’s more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

 

My Review:  4.5 stars

The final installment of this trilogy was really good. Really good. I loved the way that this played out. I enjoy the fact that in the end it was all tied up, and yet, it left things open to the imagination. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the descriptions. I especially enjoyed the dialog. There were quite a few times that this novel had me laughing out loud. There were a couple of times that this novel had me crying.

This was once again a book that when I picked up took me only 2 days to complete. I don’t know why I didn’t listen to the reviews before and just go out and buy them sooner. These were such good books. I can’t wait to start the next trilogy that Michelle Hodkin has created. The Becoming on Noah Shaw, I own the first book in that trilogy, the other 2 haven’t been released (written) yet.

This was a hell of a ride. I need to listen to good reads a little bit more sometimes. Only 2 books left on my January TBR! and there is still over 15 days left! Maybe I will up my TBR list and try to get 2 more books in! I mean why not? I was behind in December so I just might catch up on those reads 🙂

Happy reading everyone!

 

Where to buy:   AMAZON

Link to Goodreads page:     GOODREADS

 

** This book was bought by me at my local bookstore for enjoyment and review purposes. This review is of my own opinion.