ARC Book Review: The Lion of the Sea (The Maiden Ship #2) by Micheline Ryckman

February 4, 2021February 5, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 243 pages
Author: Micheline Ryckman
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Release Date: February 9th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

“Perhaps the present, no matter how messy, is the perfect time to live.”

Family is not always blood, and home is where the heart is. It took Dain Alloway years to understand these foundational truths. Now the captain of The Maiden, surrounded by the found family he loves, Dain sets out to end a centuries-old genocide and prevent an oncoming war. But when the girl he loves is torn from his arms, Dain might be forced to choose between saving just her, or saving them all.

The Lion of the Sea is the second novel in Micheline Ryckman’s, The Maiden Ship, series. This YA fantasy adventure is chalk full of action filled scenes set upon the high seas. You’ll rejoin a loveable cast of characters from the first book and meet some nasty pirates and alluring mermaids along the way.

Thank you to the author for an eARC. All opinions are my own!

AN ADVENTURE.

Oh wow, I didn’t realize how much I missed these characters! This is one of my favorite groups of friends/found family. Everyone has such personality and make me so happy when I read it. I love the new members added in (except for Dain’s Mom, definitely curious if she gets a redemption arc) and what they brought to the story.

It was nice to see a little separation between Dain and Sable to allow for some personal growth. BUT, I did miss the romance a bit. I wanted more between them. Gratefully, the ending gave into that so I’m excited for book three and what it will hold. I’m curious about where the sub-plot with Dain is going with his siren friend. I’m not sure I’m into it, though I’m trying to keep an open mind.

There was action and mystery happening all over. I love that we finally got to meet some characters discussed in The Maiden Ship and that they got a little bit of the spotlight. The brother/sister duo was interesting too. I just enjoyed meeting so many new people!

The mythology and magic system are inventive and easy to follow. There’s not much information on how it all works, yet I don’t find that distracting from the story. I love how this is set-up on the high seas. I love a good book out on the ocean. Adding in the different locations they went to really made for a well rounded novel.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy
Language: very little
Romance: kisses, hinted closed door scenes
Violence: physical, magical, kidnapping

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Book Review: The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

February 3, 2021September 10, 2020 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Mystery/Thriller
Length: 371 pages
Author: Riley Sager
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: July 3rd, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she–or anyone–saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings–massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

Yet it’s immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp’s twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present. And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

WELL, THAT WAS THRILLING.

Thank you, I’ll be here all week.

ANYWAYS. This really was a fantastic thriller. Probably the first one in awhile to really capture my attention AND hold it the entire time.

What really worked for me was the setting. The creepy camp where girls disappeared? Totally works. I found myself spooked at times and really questioning what was happening and how reliable the narrator was. The blame rotates well and makes it hard to figure out who truly did what.

The final reveals were practically a blindside. I had my eyes one character who I assumed was the culprit and was surprised when the truth started rolling out. It was WILD. The background information and history woven behind the camp added so well to the overall vibe of this mystery.

And those last few pages? Sealed the deal. It took this book to a whole other wicked level and I was freaking out and loving it.

I usually have a hard time staying invested in thrillers, by about halfway I start to skim for the final reveal. I felt The Last Time I Lied, held my attention well and was letting out just enough details to keep me going while also adding some odd and bizarre antics to the story.

Overall audience notes:

Thriller / Mystery
Language: some
Romance: kisses / make-outs
Violence: a scene where a character “peeks in” on a love scene, physical altercation, murder
Content warnings: mental illness, gas-lighting

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Book Review: Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle #1) by Rosaria Munda

February 1, 2021September 7, 2020 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 448 pages
Author: Rosaria Munda
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books
Release Date: October 15th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Game of Thrones meets Red Rising in a debut young adult fantasy that’s full of rivalry, romance… and dragons.

Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone—even the lowborn—a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.

Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn’t be more different. Annie’s lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee’s aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.

But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city.

With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he’s come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs.

From debut author Rosaria Munda comes a gripping adventure that calls into question which matters most: the family you were born into, or the one you’ve chosen.

WHY THE LOVE TRIANGLE.

Ugh.

I’ll get this out of the way first. There’s a bit of a love triangle woven in. I don’t like it.

Anywho, the rest of the story? GOOD. I liked it! I want to read book two. Interesting story line with an exiled prince that nobody knows about. Working his way up the ranks, deciding where he wants to be. All good things that made me love Lee. I also really liked Annie. She’s a sweetheart who can also lay it down when needed. They are the real ship here and I demand them to be together.

Oh hey, also, DRAGONS. I loooove dragon books. I was looking for a bit more from the dragons, but they are definitely in this story a lot. They have an interesting history too, and I like the way they were woven in.

There’s plenty of action, and some slower spots too. It really read as young adult fantasy. Which can be positive or negative depending on how you feel about about the genre. I still enjoy it even if some things bug me. I found this easy to get into and the background and world information to simple to grasp. The character stories were intense and made me angry and upset for them.

I’m curious where this will continue because there’s definitely pieces at work.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult fantasy
Language: little light
Romance: kisses
Violence: dragon fire, murder, physical altercations, dragon fights
Content warnings: losing loved ones

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Book Review: Majesty (American Royals #2) by Katharine McGee

January 29, 2021September 7, 2020 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: YA Dystopian / Contemporary
Length: 370 pages
Author: Katharine McGee
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 1st, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Is America ready for its first queen?

Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we’re looking at you Daphne Deighton.

As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her “party princess” persona…and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace–and Prince Jefferson–at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne’s carefully laid “marry Prince Jefferson” plans.

A new reign has begun.

THIRD BOOK PLEASE?

That’s what I need after seeing how this one ended. Book three. THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE.

I thought this was a good follow-up to American Royals. The drama is wild as ever and so many things continually happen that keep you turning pages. Not to mention, I love the shorter chapters and quick pace.

I adored Beatrice’s story line. Without a doubt the best story in here. Beatrice came into her own as a queen. I loved that she got to say a proper good-bye to those who deserved it and made a true love connection with Teddy. They were precious and I absolutely ship them. Both of them together are such a match. I would have loved a longer book just to get more of their (and other’s) relationships.

Daphne Deighton. I can’t even talk about her. I hated the way her story ended. I got the vibe of it and why it was written that way, but it still screwed over too many people and I just want her to get her due. She just drags down this book.

Sam’s story was positive and I’m grateful for her character arc because whoa, I was struggling with her attitude. I love that she really grew up and fought for what she wanted. Sam worked things out well and I love her relationship with Marhsall.

Nina’s POV fell by the wayside here. She kinda fit into everything, kinda didn’t. I did like the way things ended up for her and that she took time to figure out what she wanted before making a decision. I think if there’s more to the story we’ll get even better insight for Nina.

This installment was shorter than the first when I think it needed to be longer. There was good stuff here, just needed some longer stories to really connect with everything rather than flying by.

Overall audience notes: