Review: Gilt Hollow

Read if you like: bad boys and sweet girls, angsty romance, dark thriller vibes in your contemporary, and an underlying mystery.

Gilt Hollow | Lorie Langdon

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Released: September 27th 2016
Pages: 304
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Willow Lamott’s best friend is a murderer, and no one in the small town of Gilt Hollow will let her forget it. For four long years, she’s tried to fade into the background—but none of that matters when Ashton Keller comes striding into school, fresh out of juvie and fueled by revenge. The moment their eyes meet, Willow no longer feels invisible. Drawn to the vulnerability behind Ashton’s mask of rage, she sinks deeper into his sinister world and begins to question whether he’s a villain, a savior, or both.

Ashton thought he wanted vengeance, until Willow reminded him what he’d been missing. Now he longs to clear his name and become the person she sees in him. But the closer they get to uncovering the truth, the darker the secrets become, and Ashton fears his return to Gilt Hollow will destroy everyone he loves, especially the girl he left behind. 

A bad boy out for revenge against those who wrongfully convicted him. A best friend trying to live in the aftermath of defending him. An angst-ridden, emotional romance, and a quest to clear his name PLUS death threats, secrets, and a conspiracy? Damn, I should have read this book sooner. I loved the characters, the little quirks of Halloween parties and the record shop and the motorbike, and all the details made this book something more and bigger than a regular mystery. I really loved it.

4.5 stars

Review: This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story

Read if you like: angsty romances, flawed characters, and people who don't believe in happily ever afters getting their own HEA.

This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story | Kheryn Callender

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Diverse, Queer
Released: October 30th 2018
Pages: 304
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

A fresh, charming rom-com perfect for fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Boy Meets Boy about Nathan Bird, who has sworn off happy endings but is sorely tested when his former best friend, Ollie, moves back to town.

Nathan Bird doesn’t believe in happy endings.

Although he’s the ultimate film buff and an aspiring screenwriter, Nate’s seen the demise of too many relationships to believe that happy endings exist in real life.

Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.

After a painful mix-up when they were little, Nate finally has the chance to tell Ollie the truth about his feelings. But can Nate find the courage to pursue his own happily ever after?

This is the kind of contemporary book I always know I'm going to love. Cynical grump meets sunny Labrador of a person and they FALL IN LOVE. But this has the added element of the two of them having been best friends when they were younger, then one of them moving away and all sorts of complicated stuff between them. 

I loved Bird and Oliver James, they are so sweet. But I mostly loved how messy every relationship was in this book. Nate did not have a damn clue what he was doing friend and romance wise, and he messed up constantly, and I LOVED how realistic it was. Characters in books sometimes seem to know exactly how to have besties -  and KEEP them, which always seems the hardest part - and how to be good people that others want to date. Nate was a mess, a little too harsh sometimes, and he snapped before thinking, but I loved how honest this book was. 

And he still got his happily ever after.

4 stars

Review: These Rebel Waves

Read if you like: the most unique fantasy world and magic system you'll ever find, characters so complex you love them (so much!) and the biggest plot twist you'll never see coming.

These Rebel Waves | Sara Raasch

Series: Stream Raiders

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Queer, Diverse
Released: August 7th 2018
Pages: 474
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Adeluna is a soldier. Five years ago, she helped the magic-rich island of Grace Loray overthrow its oppressor, Argrid, a country ruled by religion. But adjusting to postwar life has not been easy. When an Argridian delegate vanishes during peace talks with Grace Loray’s new Council, Argrid demands brutal justice—but Lu suspects something more dangerous is at work.

Devereux is a pirate. As one of the outlaws called stream raiders who run rampant on Grace Loray, he pirates the island’s magic plants and sells them on the black market. But after Argrid accuses raiders of the diplomat’s abduction, Vex becomes a target. An expert navigator, he agrees to help Lu find the Argridian—but the truth they uncover could be deadlier than any war.

Benat is a heretic. The crown prince of Argrid, he harbors a secret obsession with Grace Loray’s forbidden magic. When Ben’s father, the king, gives him the shocking task of reversing Argrid’s fear of magic, Ben has to decide if one prince can change a devout country—or if he’s building his own pyre.

As conspiracies arise, Lu, Vex, and Ben will have to decide who they really are . . . and what they are willing to become for peace.

This is honestly one of my favourite books, and I wasn't even sure if I was gonna like it. But the characters - Lu, ex-rebel-assassin, Vex, rogue pirate, Ben, heir to a kingdom he hates, and a pirate crew who are AWESOME - sucked me in. I love the whole gang, and there was a moment at the end where it was Avengers-level epicness.

Plus everything else is darn cool too - magic that's formed by using PLANTS, an island recovering from war, a kingdom that revolves around being pious and where being sinful can get you burned for witchcraft, PIRACY, a war in the making, and a really unique, fascinating world that's written so well. I loved this, and those plot twists at the end only made me love it more. But seriously. So-and-so is WHO??? And WHAT just happened to the main character?? I need the next book right now, and would start reading it immediately if I had it.

Extra note to say there's a tonne of POC in this, queer characters (FOUR! Not just a token one. Four!), and Vex is visually impaired!

5+ stars

Review: Renegades

Read if you like: fascinating superpowers, characters you fall hard in love with, and thrilling, multi-faceted plots.

Renegades | Marissa Meyer

Series: Renegades

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Superhero
Released: April 5th 2018
Pages: 576
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

I did not predict how much I'd LOVE this book. A secret underground group of villains? A goody-two-shoes hero love interest who can draw things and make them REAL? A kickass ensemble cast, where everyone is interesting and stands out? PLUS a villain-t0-hero character arc? THIS IS EVERYTHING.

Not to mention Adrian's dads are adorable, I love his little brother, and the plot is just outstanding. And THAT ENDING. You need to read this book, seriously. I can't wait for book 2!

5 stars

Review: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy

Read if you like: fun, fast-paced adventures, pirates, and science- and book-loving historical ladies.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy | Mackenzi Lee

Series: Montague Siblings

Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Adventure
Released: October 2nd 2018
Pages: 512
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Felicity Montague is through with pretending she prefers society parties to books about bone setting—or that she’s not smarter than most people she knows, or that she cares about anything more than her dream of becoming a doctor.

A year after an accidentally whirlwind tour of Europe, which she spent evading highwaymen and pirates with her brother Monty, Felicity has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of Callum Doyle, a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh; and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.

But then a small window of hope opens. Doctor Alexander Platt, an eccentric physician that Felicity idolizes, is looking for research assistants, and Felicity is sure that someone as forward thinking as her hero would be willing to take her on. However, Platt is in Germany, preparing to wed Felicity’s estranged childhood friend Johanna. Not only is Felicity reluctant to opening old wounds, she also has no money to make the trip.

Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid. In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that will lead her from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.

I knew I'd love this because the first book became one of my favourites of last year, and I'm so glad it lived up to expectations. Feminism and fury and a girl who wants to be a physician when the world just wants her to give up, PLUS pirates and sea dragons and girls being supportive friends and Montagues being supportive siblings, AND a giant, slobbering dog and a ship's canon battle for good measure. There's nothing this book doesn't have. I loved every bit of it.

5 stars