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ALC Book Review: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom (The Three Realms Duology #1) by Amelie Wen Zhao

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Amelie Wen Zhao
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In a world invaded by demons, one girl will face the ultimate test when she is forced to enter into an ancient, deadly competition for the chance to save her mother’s soul… before she loses her forever. From the New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass.

Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.

Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practitioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life—the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.

Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.

The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all . . . for herself and for all the realms.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

DON’T LET ME DOWN.

Here we are at the ending of another first book from AWZ. I have unfortunately felt let down two times over with the last book in her trilogy and previous duology. SO PLEASE. LET BOOK TWO BE GOOD. I liked this book y’all. I am maintaining hope.

The idea was a concept I’ve read before but I enjoyed the spin and take on the story line. There’s a little bit of a competition which moved the plot well enough. The romantic banter felt a little forced on the audiobook but when I was physically reading I liked it a lot more. It’s a good enemies vibe and there were enough movement and turns in the last few chapters that absolutely have me questioning where this will go.

The characters were well crafted, I do still very much enjoy the writing style and I’m looking forward to the sequel.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one vague open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: loss of loved ones, war themes, creature attacks

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Book Review: Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: December 31st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A swoony new romance from the author of Sunkissed! When her football-player boyfriend and now ex lands the podcast job she’s been dreaming of, a girl takes matters into her own hands by enlisting the help of his nemesis to get revenge.

Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school’s podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out—and uses her idea—she’s left confused and betrayed. 

Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost. 

By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen’s spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen’s cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can’t let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?

Thank you to Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

NEW KASIE WEST FAVORITE.

Well I was just absolutely charmed with this book y’all. At the core is a true young adult novel with a lot of relatable themes and content that’s appropriate for this age group. I loved the the teenage drama wasn’t over the top and lent itself to many great moments of character growth and self reflection for Finley.

And I was smitten with the romance. It was so sweet and also showcased mistakes and communication and hearing each other out. I loved the support Theo gave Finley in her endeavors and his kind nature. The banter was cheeky and fun and I loved the chemistry between them.

I also loved that Finley worked on her friendships, finding out what the next life step was and realized the true nature of being a vengeful person can become. All of the grandma content was really sweet and I was very involved in knowing her story. It was a great addition to the plot and seriously, this book was an absolute gem.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: a grandmother in the early stages of dementia

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Book Review: The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Dystopian Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Jill Tew
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Release Date: October 8th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Serpent & Dove meets Arcane in this dystopian romance debut that follows a cunning memory merchant who deals a little extra happiness on the side and the handsome rookie officer on her tail!

In 2460, eighteen-year-old Liv Newman dreams of a future beyond her lower-class life in the Metro. As a Proxy, she uses the neurochip in her brain to sell memories to wealthy clients. Maybe a few illegally, but money equals freedom. So when a customer offers her a ludicrous sum to go on an assignment in no-man’s-land, Liv accepts. Now she just has to survive.

Rookie Forceman Adrian Rao believes in order over all. After discovering that a renegade Proxy’s shady dealings are messing with citizens’ brain chemistry, he vows to extinguish the threat. But when he tracks Liv down, there’s one problem: her memories are gone. Can Adrian bring himself to condemn her for crimes she doesn’t remember?

As Liv and Adrian navigate the world beyond the Metro and their growing feelings for one another, they grapple with who they are, who they could be, and whether another way of living is possible.

Thank you GetUnderlined for the gifted copy.

UNDERRATED.

Alright y’all. I have seen no one in my book circles pick this one up (yet) and I gotta say, this needs to change!! I really liked this book and (while I can’t figure out if it was a standalone or a sequel is coming) it reminded me of why I used to read a lot of dystopian books circa the earlier 2000’s — now I feel old.

ANYWAYS. I thought the ideas and world building in this book were cool. I loved the division throughout and how each one worked inside this mega city corporation. It had this haunting edge of something that could actually happen and an intriguing look at how things would function.

The romance is a bit fast paced but it was charming. I thought it was sweet and loved that it stayed to true YA. There were a few romantic tropes I loved and there was good chemistry between Liv and Adrian. I’m very impressed with this debut and definitely will be reading this author’s next book!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Dystopian Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: The Cheerleaders (The Cheerleaders #1) by Kara Thomas

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Thriller
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kara Thomas
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: July 31st, 2018
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

GOOD ENDING.

That ending really brought this whole book together for me. Gosh I’m still thinking about it. This is the way I enjoy thrillers coming to a close, with that last gasp scene that makes you look at the story/a character in a different light.

There was one plot point I didn’t love in this book that still doesn’t feel like it was a necessary aspect. Luckily it was a small piece or I think I would have had a harder time reading. It’s a great and fast paced audiobook. One that I got through in a day.

I liked the complexity of the story and wow it hits some hard themes too. It’s messy and filled with characters that you can’t decide whether you like them or not. I’ve really enjoyed reading through multiple Kara Thomas books and plan to continue with new releases. I like the way she crafts thrillers a lot.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Thriller
  • Language: low
  • Romance: innuendo, mentions of nights together
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: murder, suicide (off page, recounted), statutory rape, pedophilia, abortion, death of loved ones, gun violence, car accident, domestic violence

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