Tag: delacorte press

ARC Book Review: The Thirteenth Child by Erin A. Craig

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Horror
Length: 512 pages
Author: Erin A. Craig
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 24th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.

All gifts come with a price.

Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.

When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.

But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?

From the astonishing mind of Erin A. Craig comes the breathtaking fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for— what does a life well-lived mean, and how do we justify the impossible choices we make for the ones we love?

Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted ARC.

CHARACTER DRIVEN.

If you love character driven books (like I do), then this is a must read. It is heavy on the development of Hazel and I loved her journey. This was extremely atmospheric and had the right gothic vibes that I was swept into this world with ease.

I loved all of the pieces put together with complicated families, meddling gods who don’t have it all together, bargains and mistakes and betrayals of those closest to you. It’s a slower read that takes its time and you see the path that is woven from Hazel truly just trying her best.

It was a little too slow for me in the beginning because we got a lot of Hazel growing up from 6 to 13 to 18, but after that I found myself pretty much glued to my book because I was loving this read. I really liked the sub-plot romance too. There was good character development in that situation and I loved the way he stuck by Hazel as the kingdom unraveled. Merrick was someone I couldn’t get enough of either. He had such a unique story line with Hazel and I don’t remember having come across a story like this or quite as intricate as Hazel and Merrick’s relationship.

Gorgeous writing as always. Craig is one of my favorite fantasy/horror writers in the young adult category. A must read for the fall!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Horror
  • Language: low, scattered throughout
  • Romance: heated makeouts
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction, multiple scenes with medical concerns depicted, parental abandonment, loss of life, murder

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Serpent Sea (The Spice Road Trilogy #2) by Maiya Ibrahim

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 512 pages
Author: Maiya Ibrahim
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 17th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Get swept away by the sequel to the instant Sunday Times bestseller Spice Road! In this romantic, action-packed fantasy set in an Arabian-inspired land, Imani and Taha must save their home from an invasion after the magical enchantment that hid them from the world is defeated.

Imani is a magic-wielding warrior sworn to protect her land from the monsters that roam the desert. But an even worse enemy now threatens the Sahir. As the powerful Harrowlanders march south with their greatest weapon—spice magic—Imani knows it’s only a matter of time before their invasion of her land begins . . . and it will be a losing battle for her people.

But Imani also knows that one way to fight magic is with monsters. If she can restore Qayn’s stolen powers, together they can summon a supernatural army to defend the Sahir from the Harrowlanders. Forming an alliance with a djinni king is risky, but Imani will do anything to save her people, even embarking on a dangerous quest beyond the sands to find the magical jewels of Qayn’s lost crown.

As Imani journeys far from home, she will discover monsters that warriors have only heard about in myths . . . monsters that can strike at any moment. Meanwhile, her rival, Taha, has been captured and is on a dangerous mission of his own.

One wrong move could cost them their lives—and everyone they love. But they may find that there is more than meets the eye crossing the Serpent Sea . . . and betrayal cuts deeper than any dagger.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, critically acclaimed author Maiya Ibrahim dives into the complexities of love and war in her richly imagined Arabian-inspired fantasy.

Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted ARC.

MIXED THOUGHTS.

This genuinely started strong. After being mixed about book one I was hopeful this would rise to the occasion, and it did…for a bit. The beginning had me intrigued and I love this whole cast of characters. There’s a good found family quality and Imani is a strong FMC. I can easily cheer her on and I liked seeing the growth in her character. I also loved having Taha’s POV too. It was a solid contrast to Imani’s journey and getting to see what was happening in other parts of the world too.

The middle took a veer of a sub story that I was bored by. I am still puzzling out why it was added as it didn’t fully connect back into the main story. Maybe it does in book three? I don’t know. The hunger games-esque moment felt out of place amongst the rest of the book. I do think the magic system is interesting and mapped out well. I love that I can understand what’s happening amongst the spices and tea and monsters.

You may see this called romantic. It is not. And that was a big letdown for me too. There IS ROMANCE, but it is maybe 10% of the story. I would have loved to see more development in this arena because I thought it was going to play a bigger role.

I’ll still read the third book because I am intrigued enough and the last quarter picked up some necessary speed. I am very curious how everything will come together.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: loss of life, brief torture, weapons violence

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two total opposites. One race through the Great Outdoors. In this grumpy-sunshine teen romance from the author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay Friends , the trail to true love doesn’t always come with a map.

Natalie Hart has always been loud, unfiltered, and unapologetically herself. But then comes her freshman year of college, when she loses her merit scholarship and gains one pesky little anxiety diagnosis.

Hesitant to take out more student loans, Natalie decides to shoot her shot and applies to Wild Adventures , a popular outdoorsy reality show. Sure, Natalie prefers her twelve-step skincare routine to roughing it on the Appalachian Trail while competing in challenges against other college kids, but that scholarship prize money is calling her name. High risk, high reward, right?

Enter Finn Markum, her randomly assigned, capital- O Outdoorsy teammate whose growl could rival a black bear. These partners have more friction than a pair of new hiking boots. Or is it flirtation? Turns out falling in love might be the wildest adventure of all…

Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted ARC.

UH, I LOVED THIS.

I really didn’t have any kind of expectations going into this, I was just genuinely hoping to like this book and it ended up hitting me in the feels on many levels.

I adored the grump x sunshine set up. I loved Natalie. She made me laugh and want to hug her. I felt that 19 years old, trying to figure out the next step, and having to do it mostly alone. Not having the best parent connection and struggling with anxiety (the anxiety rep was amazing y’all). Meeting her match in Finn, the cutest grumpy cinnamon roll. I loved him and that even without a POV I got a great background and depth of self and I loooooved the banter between them. And also how they worked through apologizing and communicating. It wasn’t a linear road, nor was it wildly dramatic and blown out or proportion. I love the realness of it all.

The setting was fun. I liked the trek through a portion of the Appalachian Trail and the reality show worked well into the story. Even as a main part of the atmosphere I don’t think it overwhelmed the character driven story about Natalie.

This surprised me in all the best ways. I constantly found myself wanting to pick it up and enjoy it. Made me smile and swoon, and I appreciated the themes throughout too.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low-moderate
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent (off page, recounted – cancer)

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) by Maiya Ibrahim

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 464 pages
Author: Maiya Ibrahim
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country’s greatest threat.

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. She has garnered the reputation as being the next great Shield for battling djinn, ghouls, and other monsters spreading across the sands.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation’s coveted spice–a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Despite her brother’s betrayal, there isn’t a day that goes by when Imani doesn’t grieve him.

But when Imani discovers signs that her brother may be alive and spreading the nation’s magic to outsiders, she makes a deal with the Council that she will find him and bring him back to Qalia, where he will face punishment. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission.

Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes–and in her own heart–but will she find her brother?

THOUGHTS.

This book has me feeling multiple different ways.

What did I like? I didn’t mind that Imani was an unlikeable character. Those tend to be my favorites AS LONG AS there are signs that they understand the need for change and growth in their own life. And I thought by the end Imani was starting to showcase some of that (and it’s a series, we’ve got time). The magic system is cool, needed more world building overall but I like what I know so far. I liked the sibling dynamics too. It came off as real with the bickering and also protecting them at all costs kind of vibes.

The romance has me the most up in the air. It definitely went a different way than I expected and I’m soooo very curious where that’s going to lead. I don’t mind not knowing after one book, it has me intrigued enough to read book two.

I don’t love traveling tropes and this was in abundance. Run over here, go over there, meh. It had one too many moments where I wanted them to stop moving for a second and lay some groundwork. And I need more Qayn. LOTS MORE Qayn.

I’m not upset I read this, I do think it’s a bit over hyped though. And I will be picking up the next book at least!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and weapons violence, magical violence, torture (off page), animal death

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph