Lynette Noni: The Prison Healer

 

In the first in a series, Lynette Noni show the length a girl has had to go to to survive ten years in prison.

I had not heard of Noni or this series before, but I am extremely happy that I picked this book up and that the trilogy is completed as you better believe I will be picking the next book up ASAP. This book had me hooked from the beginning mainly with Kiva's character and what she has been forced to do and then as the plot unfolds I could not turn the pages fast enough. There are deadly trials in this book, but I found they were secondary to the overall plot as Kiva waits to be rescued (she has been waiting for ten years) and her dedication to figuring out a deadly illness that has appeared in the prison. The ending of the book, the twist I don't think anyone will see it coming, it was so well done.

Kiva is both liked and hated within the prison as she has had to do anything to survive in a prison since she was seven. This means that she has spied for the warden, been loyal to the warden therefore against the prisoners, manly those who are part of the rebellion. But Kiva is also the prison doctor so those who hate her also need her and Kiva does everything in her ability in order to help them.

This book is considered YA but due to the fact that Kiva has had to grow up really fast in order to survive in the prison, I do not feel like she reads as a teenage character. She is wiser than her years and you can tell that she has seen some things and survived a lot of things.

The world building is okay. I understand most of it, but due to the fact that Kiva was 7 when she was imprisoned, we don't get much about the outside world. We know there is a rebellion going on, that would seek to usurp the current ruling family and that members of the royal family have elemental powers. So the world building that we do get is that within the prison and the lives that people have there. I think the farther we get into the trilogy more will become known, so this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It is fast paced YA fantasy that I think adults will also enjoy. It's a completed trilogy so no waiting for the next books to come out and you'll want to next book on hand after the cliffhanger at the end of this book. To me this is YA fantasy done right.

Enjoy!!!!

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Freida McFadden: The Inmate

 

Freida McFadden show that one night of love can turn to horror in a heartbeat:

This is the first book that I have read by McFadden and I get why people flock to her books if they are like this one. This book was very much a popcorn thriller, one where a reader is kept guessing as to what happened in the past and what is going to happen in the present. I personally am one that enjoys two timeline and each gets equal time in the book. I also think that McFadden does a great job with the pace of the book and giving nuggets of information each time.

I don't think that i was the biggest fan of Brooke, but I think that she does the best that she can when she was younger, but I am not going to lie a totally question most of her decisions as an adult. I can understand moving back to her hometown and why she chose that but her choice of where to work was just crazy to me. I felt like Brooke did not question anything enough, once again as an adult and not when she was a teenager. She should have known better as an adult.

One thing that i guess that you need to dispel belief a bit is that they would let Brooke work as a nurse in a place where the person who attempted to kill her in. I feel like there are way too many red flags and liability issues before a prison would let her work there. And this point is not consistent in the book at times it seems like where she works is aware of her past but then it changes at a different time. I will say that nearing the end of the book, I was starting to get the "just get on with it" feeling. Though I really enjoyed the epilogue, that was a nice twist that McFadden threw in there.

I think that this was a good introduction for me to McFadden and I look forward to reading another book by her.

Enjoy!!!

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K.L. Speer: Bones

 

In the first in a series, K.L. Speer shows the strength of a woman who is just trying to survive and maybe just maybe heal:

I read this book a few months ago and I am still thinking about it. I think that tells you how much I enjoyed this book. I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book, I was craving a dystopian book. This book deserves so much more hype that it has gotten, it had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish and going through all the feelings within this book. This book is also Dark, with little signs of hope along the way but mainly a dark. If you ever thought that healing powers could not be used for darkness, this book is going to change that perspective. 

Bones is such a strong character, where there are times you love her, hate her and just feel horrible for her and what she has experienced in her life starting as a child. You can understand why her mental health is not good and how she is just trying to protect herself, she is broken for most of the book. She does have a heart though when it comes to trying to protect children. In all, all Bones wants to do is survive and she does whatever she can to do that.

My one criticism is that there is a lack on world building, so if you need a book with strong world building you will want to skip this one. I am hoping more of the world is explained in book 2. I mean we don't even get an explanation as to why or how Bones has received the powers. This makes the book much more character driven.

I think this will be one of my top reads for this year. I love the Bones as a character and the darkness that Speer has throughout this book. I cant wait to read the second book in the series.

Enjoy!!!!

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Elise Kova: Prince of Swords

In the second book in her Arcana Academy series, Elise Kova show what it takes and the sacrifices that need to be made when you want to remake the world:

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, it was probably one of my favourite reads last year with the extremely unique magic system set around the tarot cards and how they are wielded. That said I felt like this book fell short for me. The beginning and the last 25% were very strong but the middle aspect is where Kova lost me.

This book lacked the political intrigue that i really enjoyed in the first book as well as the suspense with Clara not wanting to be found. Is there some of these aspects in this book yes, but they are very much at the beginning and end of the book and they fall to the background in the middle. The main aspect of this book is the relationship between Clara and Kaelis and while this is important, especially with the ending, I found it cause the book to drag a bit for me.

Clara’s resilience is tested multiple times within this book and her ability to adapt is her new reality and situations is astounding. As much as this book was about Clara’s and Kaelis' relationship. I still feel like I don’t know him as a characters I do wish we had some  POV from him.

I honestly adore the magic system in this book and I love that Kova has a glossary in the back of the book that explains which each card can do and what each set has an affinity for. I loved that we get even more cards in this book.

While this book did not meet my expectations, I will for sure be reading the next book in the series. I can’t wait to see how Kova will have the ending of this trilogy play out. I think there are some interesting aspect coming and I for one cannot wait to read them.

Enjoy!!!!

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Ana Huang: The Striker

 

The first in a series Ana Huang shows that the one you're not supposed to want may just be the best person for you:

This is the first book that I have read by Huang and I really enjoyed this story, and to make it better I read it during the World Cup, so it was just a fitting time to dive into it. This is a fun easy read, that had just the right amount of spice and while this book is on the longer side for a sports romance book (it's just shy of 600 pages), I did not really notice it's length until the very end.

For some reason I keep finding romance books where the FMC is a ballerina and for me other than Scarlet's injury, a lot of the women in this industry are portrayed the same and have very similar storylines. So while I enjoyed Scarlet as a character and her perseverance through all that has gone through, I felt like I had read her character before.

Asher was a surprise, I loved him as a character and he is so much more than the playboy that he is portrayed as. He is totally a golden retriever of a man and I loved every second of him. To top it off, he has such a huge personal journey in this book and you cant help but love him more. My one thing that I could deal without is the amount he calls Scarlet Darling, but that is just a me thing.

This book has some great tropes in it; Rival's sister, forced proximity, trainer and trainee, he falls first.

If you are looking for a sports romance, that is not hockey but still has similar flare of sports and MMC attitude then I recommend this book. I really enjoyed it and looking forward reading the next book in the series featuring Scarlet's brother.

Enjoy!!!

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Elliot Ray: Heist in Paradise

 

In the first in a new series Elliot Ray some thieves get more than the bargained for on an Island Heist:

The Premise of this book got me. I mean who wouldn't want to read a book about an unhinged merry Band of thieves, that are okay with doing some bad things but at the same time end up having some heart as well. I enjoyed how Ray brought Jax's team and Olivia together on the island, as i didn't expect that to be the set up that Ray went with. I also appreciated that Ray went for a darker subject manner a few times in the book which I was not expecting. I was also not expecting how Ray had the plot unfold there are a few surprises along the way.

This book is very much insta-lust between Jax and Olivia so if that is not your thing you will want to avoid this book. I will say that while you feel the tension between Jax and Olivia and at a later point Olivia and Madoc, the true tension is between Jax and Madoc. I personally wish that this was more of a Jax and Madoc story and just left Olivia out of it. Does she add to the story, yes her reasons for being there are solid, but I think that Ray could have had a similar plot without her. Now this book does end on cliffhanger, so I feel like the next book will explore this relationship more.

Madoc is by far my favourite character. He is the unhinged secondary MMC in the book, who has the darker side and knows how to get things done. Also to me it seemed like most of the banter in the book is associated with him or about him. Other than Madoc, I you don't really get to know the secondary characters, even though we get Jax's POV, the side characters are just there. I wish we got more information about who they are and how they ended up being in Jax's crew.

Overall, this was a fun quick read, that is fairly spicy and a bit of mystery throughout with a cliffhanger ending that will want you to pick up the next book.

Enjoy!!!!

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