Tag: Witch (Page 2 of 2)

BOOK REVIEW – Cursed (Beholder #1) by Christina Bauer

November 29, 2017 / Jen / 4 Comments

Cursed (Beholder #1)
by Christina Bauer
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Most days, Elea couldn’t care less about being a witch, even if she does have special powers over spirit and bone. Why bother with incantations when you’re a farm girl? Elea only uses her Necromancer magic to speed up chores and scare off suitors.

Everything changes when the evil Necromancer Tsar curses Elea. Now, she only has five years left before she burns as a ghost, tortured for all eternity. They say there’s nothing she can do, but Elea disagrees. Embracing her Necromancer ability, Elea trains as a magical assassin. Her goal? Kill the Tsar before his curse kills her. After years of preparation, Elea’s finally ready to strike.

That’s when everything goes horribly wrong.

A handsome warlock named Rowan steps up to help. Elea wants him as an ally, but she can’t ignore the mixed-up feelings that come with every one of Rowan’s crooked smiles. An assassination mission is no time to fall in love, but Elea’s heart may have other ideas…

Review:

After I had so much fun devouring Christina Bauer’s Wolves and Roses, I knew I had to try her other series. I thought Cursed would have a similar vibe and be filled with tons of fun and snark. But once I read the first few chapters, I realized that these two series were worlds apart. While Cursed was an adventure that was filled with magic and heartfelt characters, it was impossible not to notice the darkness that permeated throughout certain parts of the story. This was an entirely different type of fun, and I’m so glad I gave Cursed a try.

After so many years of hard work, the time had finally come. I would either defeat the Tsar… Or suffer forever in fire.

Elea watched her one true friend die a horrific death. He was cursed by the Tsar, and not only would he continually burn to death for all of eternity, but she would die from the same curse in five years. To destroy the curse, and set her and her friend Tristan free, she must kill the Tsar. By the second chapter we jumped ahead five years where Elea had completed her training to become a Grand Mistress Necromancer. With only one week left to live, she was ready to find and take down her target, the Tsar.

Right now, my mission hinged on Rowan’s trust in me.
And mine in him.

I absolutely loved Elea! She definitely didn’t have an easy path in front of her, but she was tough and resilient. She always tried her hardest, no matter how dire her circumstances were. And I loved that she thought things out and tried to make the best decisions. She was someone I would want next to me in a battle! Thankfully luck seemed to be on her side when a man named Rowan came into the picture. He was a Caster who wanted to get rid of the Tsar too.

“I suppose I was worried.”
“You’re over six feet tall and large as a barn. Plus, you can cast spells that affect me, so you’re strong in magick as well. I can’t imagine what you’d have to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worried for myself, Elea.”
The impact of his words seeped in. He was worried about me. – Alea and Rowan

I still have a lot to learn about Rowan, but the little that I do know, I love! He was brave, loyal, fierce and I saw so much good in him. I couldn’t help but notice that Rowan and Elea had a lot of similar traits and would make a fabulous couple *smiles hugely*. While there was definitely chemistry between them, Elea was set on her goal and tried her hardest not to succumb to his charm. But I have tons of hope that that will change in the future. They were too magnetic around each other for it not to go anywhere!

The sun dipped so low behind the church, it almost touched the horizon.
Panic chilled me to the core. The curse was happening.
The fires awaited me, and there was nothing I could do.

As Alea and Rowan worked together, a lot of action came their way. But there were also slower moments, friendships developed, and clues were discovered about what was truly happening. There was also a twist that made me feel awful for Alea, she was definitely put through the ringer! So by the end of the book I felt like there was a little bit of everything to be found in Cursed. And that ending left me excited to see where the rest of the series will take me! So if you enjoy books about magick, with strong heroines, then definitely check this book out!

PS There were some typos in this book. But I emailed the errors to the author and they are to be fixed. 🙂

*Book was kindly provided by Christina Bauer in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Cursed #1 Review: Jen	Concealed #2 Reviews: Jen	Cherished #3 Review: Jen
Crowned #4 Review: Jen	Cradled #4.5 Review: Jen

BOOK REVIEW – The Secret Fire (The Secret Fire #1) by C.J. Daugherty, Carina Rozenfeld

August 11, 2015 / Anna

The Secret Fire (The Secret Fire #1)
by C.J. Daugherty, Carina Rozenfeld
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.

Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.

There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

They have eight weeks to find each other.

Will they survive long enough to save the world?

➱ Would I have enjoyed The Secret Fire more if I hadn’t read plenty of paranormal young adult books before? Definitely. Sadly, as much as I would want to, I can’t unread all these books and that’s why I can’t ignore all the annoying tropes that spoiled my read.

PART ONE : DO NOT LIKE

Indeed Taylor, the MC, is so perfect and annoying I want to puke. Like, really. Let me draw a little list, okay?

✅ She’s a straight-As student and only think about studying, because of course, that’s how the majority of teenagers are.

✅ She’s top-volunteer of the year (really, she won an award or something) but you know what? She didn’t show me an ounce of her so-called kindness when it comes to the way she handles her relationship with her best friend. No. She’s condescending towards everyone, and she wants us to think that she’s a paragon of virtue and made me roll my eyes almost as often as Snowhite in Once Upon a Time (aka. every time she opens her mouth).

✅ She thinks she’s not attractive (SPOILER ALERT : She is). She complains about her hair which is curly blond and here’s her explanation :

“Blonde hair should be straight and silky.”

Are you for real?

✅ She dates some perfect golden boy and she has no idea why he’s interested in her.

✅ She blushes all the freaking time. Of course she does. Sigh.

Frankly, I hated her chapters and I don’t know if the author’s writing is to blame but I didn’t like at all the way the characterization was handled : too many useless details about Taylor (like, the countless tea descriptions : I DON’T CARE), and not a drop of interest toward the other characters (mostly Tom, the one-dimensional boyfriend, and Georgie, the hot best friend, who isn’t slut-shamed but who is still mostly defined by her looks and her lack of interest in studying).

“He looked dangerous. And that danger had a magnetic force.”

Oh, please. Not that again.

Give me a wounded boy, okay. But please don’t think I’m stupid enough to find normal that the female lead realizes things about him in 2 seconds when SHE OBVIOUSLY CAN’T. I’m sorry, that’s not how relationships work. Anyway, I did enjoy his chapters more than Taylor’s ones. Indeed 1)the storyline is way more interesting there (it includes gun shots, gambling, and general deception) and 2)he’s completely fucked-up. Of course I ship that, duh.

However as much as I liked his character at first, from the moment that he *really* met Taylor his behavior screamed FRAUD to me : I mean, come on.

First Taylor decides to go to Paris (aka in a foreign country) for 2 days a)after talking with him online only TWICE, b)without telling anyone where she is. Does it not break some elementary safety rules to you? Because to me that’s beyond stupid and dangerous. I don’t care if your teacher asked you to tutor him. He could be a psychopath for all you know.

Their attraction is cliché, unconvincing and sometimes beyond ridiculous : we’re offered a lot of blushing, staring, OMG what it is happening to me!! kind of stuff, and frankly, I was laughing and screaming HORMONES! Sigh. Does nobody talk about hormones to teenagers these days? I’m starting to wonder.

Frankly, I kept rolling my eyes every time they talk to each other/think about each other. Everything sounds so CLICHÉ. Really, we are spared none of it.

✅ The descriptions they make of each other are roll-eyed worthy. For real, I was choking on the cheese.

Taylor about Sasha : “He had the longest lashes she could ever remember seeing. Like black feathers against his cheeks.” Of course he does. Because he’s a cat or something.
Sasha about Taylor : “She had even, white teeth and full pink lips, and when she smiled she lit up as if illuminated by some inner light. She was one of those people.” I’m not even gonna comment on that.

✅ She blushes for no reason every time he looks at her/talks to her/whatever. No reason I said.

✅ “She liked the way her name sounded when he said it.” Enough said.

✅ Their interactions are silly, juvenile, and again, cliché. Example?

“He chuckled. “And you’re just some English girl with a leaf in your hair.”
“There’s a leaf in my hair?” Reaching up, she felt for objects.
“Here, let me.” Leaning towards her, Sacha pulled the leaf from a curl carefully. Her hair felt incredibly soft beneath his fingertips.” Nah, I didn’t see that move coming. *roll-eyes*

Oh! And she smells like sunlight! What is it, I don’t know, but apparently, it’s a great smell.

Conclusion :

“How do you spend one day with someone and decide they belong in your life?”

I don’t know, you DON’T?

I mean, why fucking bother? We have :

✅ The best friend who is only here to show how much fucking better Taylor is supposed to be. As I already said, I didn’t like at all the patronizing way Georgie is treated by Taylor, and for me her role is strictly restricted as how her actions can manipulate the reader into thinking that Taylor is worth it. It didn’t work on me.

✅ The boyfriend who turns into a jerk the minute she meets Sacha. *rise eyebrow* How convenient.

✅ The teachers whose behavior screams trouble from the start.
In my opinion the whole premise is wobbly : the whole “I want you to interact” plot stank of put-up job from the start. Just sayin’.

✅ The families who make a special appearance sometimes but just disappear when – well again, when it’s convenient.

The premise sounded really interesting to me, especially on Sacha’s side : a boy who can’t die whatever happens because his death is planned for his eighteen’s birthday? Paris and London settings? Count me in. Unfortunately it lacked some depth to really enthrall me and I found myself reading their story only as a distant witness : I didn’t care about their fate that much, especially in Taylor’s case (goddammit, this girl made my head ache)

PART TWO : NOT BAD

I thought that the paranormal aspects were pretty good and original, and therefore were by far the better part of the book. Indeed the only moments I felt invested in the story where when Sacha tried to deal with the frightening creatures and the impact of his family’s curse on his life. Taylor’s intake would have probably been captivating too – too bad the girl made my head bleed. I really liked how it was linked to medieval witches hunt and frankly, I can see how this book could please a lot of readers if you manage to get over the overused tropes submentioned and the cliché phrasing, that is.

Indeed the action in the last 30% kept me on the edge of my seat :
– Sacha’s struggles and discoveries captivated me and made me want to learn more and more about the creatures he faces and the characteristics of his curse.
– The events started to be less predictable and their shocked factor increased.
– Even Taylor’s chapters improved grandly : indeed her Mary Sue status is FINALLY put aside and she starts to become a heroine I can like, making me hope for her role in the sequel. From her relationships with other characters (most of all Louisa, who I enjoyed a lot) to her inner thoughts and decisions, I can’t deny that she grew on me a little bit.

✘ I still have a problem though : If I always liked Sasha and if Taylor’s behavior improved in the end, I still hate them together. I’m sorry, but I can’t help, they make me gag and they feel fake to me when they’re together.

Finally, I’m not sure that I will give the sequel a try, but if I do I hope that it will be more free of these annoying tropes that spoiled most of my read. Look, I know that tropes are useful, but really, the Mary Sue one? The insta-something one? They don’t add anything to a story in my opinion, and even worst, they waste it.

*arc kindly provided by Bookouture through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

BOOK REVIEW – Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

May 20, 2015 / Jen / 0 Comments

Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2)
by Danielle L. Jensen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Beneath the mountain, the king's reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cecile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king's power. Or his manipulation.

Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cecile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted.

Review:

***I did NOT like the final book in this series. It was missing everything that I had previously fallen in love with. And that’s not even the worst part. Worst of all was that ending. That ending left me completely unsatisfied and utterly depressed. You can see my review of Warrior Witch here – Warrior Witch: 1/5 Stars***

*Spoilers for Stolen Songbird*
Hidden Huntress was mysteriously intriguing, and it was entertaining trying to unravel the questions that surrounded Tristan and Cecile. There is so much more at stake, and it felt as though their trials were insurmountable. But at times, I found myself distracted. Because honestly, I was desperately racking my head as each page passed trying to figure out how in the world they were going to find their way back together again. While I whole-heartily love Tristan ad Cecile separately, I desperately missed their chemistry. The way they were capable of making my heart clench and then become elated on a single page, sigh. Together they were intoxicating. So while I struggled in the middle of the book, I was without a doubt happy to be drawn back into their world!

Upon escaping from Trollus and healing, Cecile has taken residence with her mother in Trianon. By night she performs and by day she hunts for the witch who has cursed the trolls. While she knew it would be a near impossible search, what she doesn’t count on is that she is still within the grasp of the King. And his incessant need to be freed from Trollus. But Tristan isn’t able to protect or help her, because he is being held captive within his own city that he was once destined to rule. With their lives continually piling up with obstacles, how can they ever start to dig themselves out?

Even though situations were changed, Tristan and Cecile still contained all of the same attributes that made me love them in Stolen Songbird. Cecile was still daring and brave. The decisions she had to make were difficult and at times selfless. And I love that no matter how hard or dark times got, she still pushed ahead. She still searched and never gave up trying to find a way to be with Tristan again. I was rooting for her on every single page!

Oh, and Tristan, how I love you! This time we got to be in his head so much more! His thoughts, agony and suffering were ours to behold. Nothing was held back and we got to understand every single tiny part of him. How he wanted to be a better person, err troll, for not only Cecile but everyone else in Trollus that is counting on him. I did miss his witty, sarcastic side, but circumstances definitely wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.

So yeah, I did struggle in the middle. I started to ache for Tristan and Cecile to be back together again because I desperately needed their chemistry to be on the pages I was reading. Yes I know that I am being whiny but my goodness, the way they were written in Stolen Songbird together was phenomenal. It was impossible not to miss that feature while starting this book. But, and this is a big but….the characters are strong enough to stand on their own and the mystery was still a lot of fun! Ohhhhh, and the way this book ends?!?! It looks as though we will get to experience the peril that elated yet terrified me in Stolen Songbird! I am counting down until the final book is released next year! I. Can’t. Wait!

*ARC kindly provided by Angry Robot Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Stolen Songbird #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Hidden Huntress #2 Reviews: Jen	Hidden Huntress #3 Reviews: Jen

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BOOK REVIEW – Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

May 6, 2015 / Jen / 2 Comments

Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)
by Danielle L. Jensen
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

Review:

This book was beautifully intoxicating. From the feeling of being in past generations from their dialect, to characters that enchanted my heart, to the intricate storyline that kept me glued to the pages, it was impossible not to become lost in their twisted world. I was completely blown away by how much I loved this book and how Cecile and Tristan’s happiness, sorrow and horror became mine. Everything that filled these pages was perfection and what I always hope for when picking up a book!

Does a troll know sadness, anger, or happiness? Can a troll love another troll? Or are they as cold inside as the rocks they were buried beneath? – Cecile

Cecile is destined for fame with her opera voice, and her mother has been grooming her for her destiny. But before her departure to start her new life, she is kidnapped and taken to Trollus. A city that is trapped underneath a mountain where the trolls have lived for over 500 years because of a witch’s curse. They are hoping that by creating a union between Cecile and one of their own, a prince, that the prophecy will be fulfilled and that freedom will become theirs for the taking. But Cecile has her own plans, and those include escaping. But while plotting her escape, her feelings for the troll Prince, Tristan, start to bloom. For what shall she do?

And I was done with crying – tears accomplished nothing but exhausting me further and I needed my wits about me if I were going to escape this place. Perhaps not today, tomorrow, or even the next day, but I would stand beneath the sun again. I swore it to myself. – Cecile

Cecile is now on my favorite heroines list. She was daring, brave, smart and a fighter who truly cared about the hardships of others, even if they were trolls. Her feelings and reactions to situations felt so real and honest that I had such an easy time slipping into her shoes which helped me become further lost in the story. But my favorite thing about her? That she doesn’t lay down and die when her situation is dire. She plots, plans and bids her time. Time that is sometimes filled with Tristan, sigh.

If I wasn’t careful, she would be my undoing. – Tristan

You MUST meet the troll Prince, Tristan. I was all kinds of questionable about falling for a troll BUT he is sexy, infuriating, haughty and sarcastic. His actions sometimes made you swoon and other times made you want to punch him in the face. But the swoon worthy moments I promise are worth his jerky moments! Not only do we get those swoon worthy moments, but we also get a few chapters here and there that are from his perspective. Plus add in the fact that we get to know what his emotions are from Cecile, once they have bonded, and clearly we can see that there is a lot going on underneath his indifferent facade. When you combine some of the acts he did without hesitation and the emotions he radiated, it solidified what an amazing troll he was and kept me hoping that he had feelings for Cecile. He always tried to wear his mask of indifference when it came to her, but the more it slipped, the more I fell for Tristan.

“They aren’t ugly.” I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “More like beautiful things that have had the misfortune of being broken.” Tristan turned his face back to me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes and felt it in my heart. – Cecile

I had a feeling that I was going to love this book, but so many things still took me by surprise. The peril was through the roof intense. It was the type of situations where you can’t read fast enough yet you also want to slow down because you are terrified about how much more horrific everything is going to turn out. I panicked, I cried, and I even yelled at my book. Those multiple scenes turned me inside out. And then on the flipside, the banter and fighting between Cecile and Tristan had me laughing so hard I had tears pouring down my face. I desperately wanted them to defy the odds and be together. And I won’t ever forget the setting of Trollus, it felt so real and vivid. So without a shadow of doubt, Stolen Songbird is going on my favorites list!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Stolen Songbird #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Hidden Huntress #2 Reviews: Jen	Hidden Huntress #3 Reviews: Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Half Bad (Half Life #1) by Sally Green

August 13, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Half Bad (Half Life #1)
by Sally Green
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

I cry sometimes. I don’t know why, but it keeps happening. I’m just looking at the stream, say, which runs through the dark brown mud and yet is clear and bright and soundless, when I realize that I can taste tears. There are so many they run into my mouth.

Okay, I think this is going to be more of a mini-review-which, in all reality isn’t fair to this book at all. It’s more the circumstances of: A) A new computer system and keyboard here at work and B) Just not enough time to intricately dive into why the story ticks as it does, so it’s almost just better to scrape the surface.

“…No one buys this baby toys or presents, because everyone knows it isn’t wanted. No one gives Mother presents or flowers or chocolates, because they all know she didn’t want this baby. Nobody wants a baby like this. Mother only gets one card but it doesn’t say ‘Congratulations.'”
Silence.
“Do you want to know what it says?”
I shake my head.
“It says, ‘Kill it.'”

This story was pretty badass, if I’m being honest. I do believe what the reviews say is true, though: While the second half was very good as well, the beginning just had something far more sinister going on and I couldn’t help but to really love all the trials that our main character went through. I think this is the part where I claim to be a masochistic monster who only enjoyed the moments where Nathan is ridiculed and almost, to a point, tortured by his other classmates. I will admit there is a tiny monster in me who, while cringing and tearing up, finds extreme satisfaction in seeing how a person responds to the struggles in their life and what emerges from these horror stories-I’ve always found these generally make the best stories, don’t you think? I mean, how else would Nathan overcome the urge to either be a white or black witch? I want him to consider being that bad, bad black witch that everyone so fears-it’s kinda cool to think that he might become a monster (hey, like me!) and then ultimately have to fight that reality to overcome the evil lurking inside him. But I just don’t see that happening…for more reasons than one.

I just say, “Can I have permission to go to the bathroom, please?”
He doesn’t say anything, so I throw my jeans on the floor, get on my knees and say, “Can I have permission to go to the bathroom? Please?”
He doesn’t say anything but drops to his knees with me and hugs me. We stay like that. Him hugging me and me stiff with anger at him, wanting to hurt him too.
After a long time I hug him back, just a little.

Nathan is inherently good. He is half white and half black, so therefore he is the center of attention and labeled ‘unfit to be a member of society’. One of the reasons he is so negatively frowned upon is that his father is a murderous, evil black witch who kills all in sight-Nathan’s mother is a white witch, so that makes him half white and half black. Only his family is nice to him and defends him. It was beautiful to see the support he received from his family, namely his older brother. I loved that he was always there for his little brother when he was being ridiculed by the other kids at school. It really warmed my heart to see that support. And then…there’s Annalise. She is the beautiful, perfect, and popular white witch-and she likes Nathan. In fact, she is Nathan’s only friend. It was sweet to see them connect and fall for one another…but utterly sad because there is no way for them to be together. Her brothers make it a point (this is where my monster emerged) to Nathan that he needs to stay away from their sister…and they didn’t use words. But isn’t the best kind of romance…the forbidden kind?

“Are you sorry you met my sister?”
And I know as soon as he says that, the way he says it, that he hasn’t finished. It isn’t over. He has no intention of stopping there. And nothing I can say will make any difference. All I can do is hate him.

I don’t know. I just didn’t really know what to expect from this novel and I went in almost completely blind and it took me forever to read because I bought the hardback-and I do think that always hurts my reading experience, but I also found that I immensely enjoyed most of it and can’t wait to see what happens to Nathan…his father is the most evil witch known to man and he has Nathan on his radar. And what about Annalise? Can she be trusted? Should he be fraternizing with his enemy by blood? I just don’t know. So, because I can’t stand to type another word on this keyboard, I will wrap this up. This was a fun look at a different type of paranormal-the kind very rarely explored with both good and evil witches (not the kind in capes, pointy hats, or riding brooms, mind you) and a darkness so all encompassing that I hardly saw any light within in the story-but it was there…albeit in small doses.

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

Jen	Chelsea
Arielle	Cassie

BOOK REVIEW – Cursed (Beholder #1) by Christina Bauer

Synopsis:

Review:

After so many years of hard work, the time had finally come. I would either defeat the Tsar… Or suffer forever in fire.

Right now, my mission hinged on Rowan’s trust in me. And mine in him.

The sun dipped so low behind the church, it almost touched the horizon. Panic chilled me to the core. The curse was happening. The fires awaited me, and there was nothing I could do.

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BOOK REVIEW – The Secret Fire (The Secret Fire #1) by C.J. Daugherty, Carina Rozenfeld

Synopsis:

“Blonde hair should be straight and silky.”

“He looked dangerous. And that danger had a magnetic force.”

“How do you spend one day with someone and decide they belong in your life?”

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BOOK REVIEW – Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

Synopsis:

Review:

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BOOK REVIEW – Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

Synopsis:

Review:

Does a troll know sadness, anger, or happiness? Can a troll love another troll? Or are they as cold inside as the rocks they were buried beneath? – Cecile

And I was done with crying – tears accomplished nothing but exhausting me further and I needed my wits about me if I were going to escape this place. Perhaps not today, tomorrow, or even the next day, but I would stand beneath the sun again. I swore it to myself. – Cecile

If I wasn’t careful, she would be my undoing. – Tristan

“They aren’t ugly.” I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “More like beautiful things that have had the misfortune of being broken.” Tristan turned his face back to me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes and felt it in my heart. – Cecile

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BOOK REVIEW – Half Bad (Half Life #1) by Sally Green

I cry sometimes. I don’t know why, but it keeps happening. I’m just looking at the stream, say, which runs through the dark brown mud and yet is clear and bright and soundless, when I realize that I can taste tears. There are so many they run into my mouth.

“Are you sorry you met my sister?” And I know as soon as he says that, the way he says it, that he hasn’t finished. It isn’t over. He has no intention of stopping there. And nothing I can say will make any difference. All I can do is hate him.

I do have a secret, though. A secret so dark, so hopeless, so absurd that I can never share it with anyone.

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Right now, my mission hinged on Rowan’s trust in me.
And mine in him.

The sun dipped so low behind the church, it almost touched the horizon.
Panic chilled me to the core. The curse was happening.
The fires awaited me, and there was nothing I could do.

“Are you sorry you met my sister?”
And I know as soon as he says that, the way he says it, that he hasn’t finished. It isn’t over. He has no intention of stopping there. And nothing I can say will make any difference. All I can do is hate him.