Les Petites Revues [#18]

Another week, and another week of meh books. 

Les Petites Revues [#17]

I think I need a break from YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi, I've been underwhelmed lately. 

Les Petites Revues [#16]

This week we have two completely different books by the same author, a coming-of-age tale, and MURDER. 

Les Petites Revues [#15]

This week I bring you nothing but YA! We've got a conclusion(?) to a YA fantasy about beauty, a sci-fi retelling of Anastasia, and a book that's marketed as fantasy but is more of a sci-fi murder mystery. 

Les Petites Revues [#14]

It seems I had my expectations set a little too high for these reads. 

Les Petites Revues [#13]

Another week of mini reviews. I can't believe I started doing mini reviews barely six months ago, why didn't any of you tell me that this was an option!

Anyway, this week I bring you a heart-pounding mystery, charming conclusion, and a slow fantasy.

Les Petites Revues [#11]

January releases are starting off strong! This week I bring you a twisty adult fantasy, intense heist, and sweet adult romance. 

Les Petites Revues [#8]

I think I'm really digging these mini reviews guys! This week, I bring you a not-so-YA fairytale, a summer cute opposites-attract romance, and a Christmas romance with not a lot of Christmas. 

Book Review: The Proposal

Title: The Proposal 
Author: Jasmine Guillory 
Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: October 30, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: e-ARC

When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn't the hard part--they've only been dating for five months, and he can't even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans...
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik's rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He's even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik's social media blows up--in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can't be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes...(goodreads)

The Proposal was entertaining but not as memorable as The Wedding Date. 

Les Petites Revues [#5]

I recently devoured the first books in the Bad Bachelor series by Stefanie London and can't wait to read the final installment. 

Book Review: Rule

Tile: Rule (Rule #1)
Author: Ellen Goodlett
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 11, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC

The king is dying, his heir has just been murdered, and rebellion brews in the east. But the kingdom of Kolonya and the outer Reaches has one last option before it descends into leaderless chaos.
Or rather, three unexpected options.
Zofi has spent her entire life trekking through the outer Reaches with her band of Travelers. She would do anything to protect the band, her family. But no one can ever find out how far she's already gone.
Akeylah was raised in the Eastern Reach, surrounded by whispers of rebellion and abused by her father. Desperate to escape, she makes a decision that threatens the whole kingdom.
Ren grew up in Kolonya, serving as a lady's maid and scheming her way out of the servants' chambers. But one such plot could get her hung for treason if anyone ever discovers what she's done.
When the king summons the girls, they arrive expecting arrest or even execution. Instead they learn the truth: they are his illegitimate daughters, and one must become his new heir. But someone in Kolonya knows their secrets, and that someone will stop at nothing to keep the sisters from their destiny... to rule (goodreads).

Rule had a Pretty Little Liars twist with an ending that raised more questions than answers. 

Book Review: Mirage

Tithe: Mirage (Mirage #1)
Author: Somaiya Daud
Genre: Young Adult | Sci-Fi
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Source: ALA Annual 
Format: ARC

In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.
But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.
As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death (goodreads).

Mirage was mostly set up for the next book. 

Book Review: Toil and Trouble - 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft

Title: Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft
Author: Various
Genre: Young Adult | Short Stories | Witches
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: August 28, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC

A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era.
Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
Glinda the Good Witch. Elphaba the Wicked Witch. Willow. Sabrina. Gemma Doyle. The Mayfair Witches. Ursula the Sea Witch. Morgan le Fey. The three weird sisters from Macbeth.
History tells us women accused of witchcraft were often outsiders: educated, independent, unmarried, unwilling to fall in line with traditional societal expectations.
Bold. Powerful. Rebellious.
A bruja’s traditional love spell has unexpected results. A witch’s healing hands begin to take life instead of giving it when she ignores her attraction to a fellow witch. In a terrifying future, women are captured by a cabal of men crying witchcraft and the one true witch among them must fight to free them all. In a desolate past, three orphaned sisters prophesize for a murderous king. Somewhere in the present, a teen girl just wants to kiss a boy without causing a hurricane.
From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely--has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored (goodreads).

Understandably, there are hit-or-misses in anthologies, but this one had more misses. 

Book Review: These Rebel Waves

Title: These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders #1)
Author: Sara Raasch
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Source: ALA
Format: ARC

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 (goodreads). 

These Rebel Waves needed to slow down a bit. 

Book Review: #murdertrending

Title: #murdertrending
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Genre: Young Adult | Thriller
Publisher: Freeform
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC

WELCOME TO THE NEAR FUTURE, where good and honest 8/18 citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society’s most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0.
When eighteen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realizes she’s about to be the next victim of the app. Knowing hardened criminals are getting a taste of their own medicine in this place is one thing, but Dee refuses to roll over and die for a heinous crime she didn’t commit. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she’s innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman’s cast of executioners kill them off one by one (goodreads)?

#murdertrending was shocking but believable.

Book Review: Grace and Fury

Title: Grace and Fury
Author: Tracy Banghart
Genre: Young Adult | Historical Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Source: ALA
Format: ARC

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.
Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace--someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir's eye, it's Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding.
Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything (goodreads).  

Grace and Fury started weak but had a stronger second half. 

Book Review: Follow Me Back

Title: Follow Me Back (Follow Me Back #1)
Author: A.V. Geiger
Genre: Young Adult | Mystery | Thriller
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Source: Publisher
Format: Physical

Tessa Hart’s world feels very small. Confined to her bedroom with agoraphobia, her one escape is the online fandom for pop sensation Eric Thorn. When he tweets to his fans, it’s like his speaking directly to her…
Eric Thorn is frightened by his obsessive fans. They take their devotion way too far. It doesn’t help that his PR team keeps posting to encourage their fantasies.
When a fellow pop star is murdered at the hands of a fan, Eric knows he has to do something to shatter his online image fast—like take down one of his top Twitter followers. But Eric’s plan to troll @TessaHeartsEric unexpectedly evolves into an online relationship deeper than either could have imagined. And when the two arrange to meet IRL, what should have made for the world’s best episode of Catfish takes a deadly turn…
Told through tweets, direct messages, and police transcripts (goodreads).

Follow Me Back was suspenseful. 

Book Review: Sweet Black Waves

Title: Sweet Black Waves (Sweet Black Waves #1)
Author: Kristina Perez
Genre: Young Adult | Retelling | Romance
Publisher: Imprint
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC

Not you without me, not me without you.
Two proud kingdoms stand on opposite shores, with only a bloody history between them. 
As best friend and lady-in-waiting to the princess, Branwen is guided by two principles: devotion to her homeland and hatred for the raiders who killed her parents. When she unknowingly saves the life of her enemy, he awakens her ancient healing magic and opens her heart. Branwen begins to dream of peace, but the princess she serves is not so easily convinced. Fighting for what's right, even as her powers grow beyond her control, will set Branwen against both her best friend and the only man she's ever loved (goodreads). 

Sweet Black Waves was a romance that did not live up to my expectations. 

Book Review: From Twinkle, With Love

Title: From Twinkle, With Love
Author: Sandhya Menon
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.
When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.
Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?
Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you (goodreads).

From Twinkle, With Love was charming. 

Book Review: The Traitor's Game

Title: The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game #1)
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy 
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: February 27, 2018
Source: Library
Format: Physical

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 (goodreads).

I nothing this book.