Tag: into the churn

Book Review: A Churn in the Virtual Society (Into the Churn #3.5) by Hayley Reese Chow

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sci-Fi Romance Novella
Length: 238 pages
Author: Hayley Reese Chow
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Release Date: September 16th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Virtual Society is blowing up. (Figuratively.)

When Micah Belanger saw the word “disputed” pop up after her beloved Belethea Race Royale team won the biggest race in ’verse, all of VSoc heard her shriek. Add in four attempted murders, and she’s on a (virtual) warpath to set the record straight—as any true fangirl would.

Lowell Coppen, of The Royaler Review, is also concerned with the murderous rumors behind the latest BRR, especially with warnings of a system-wide war rippling through VSoc. Determined to shed light on the truth, Lowell, a self-proclaimed objective voice, forges a begrudging alliance with Belethea’s most manic fangirl. If their secret arrangement comes to light, it’ll ruin them both, but if they don’t get the story right, the lies could bring Belethea to its knees.

And falling in love isn’t helping at all.

Thank you to Whimsical Publishing for the gifted audiobook.

I’LL MISS THIS SERIES.

I have loved every book in this series from Hayley Reese Chow and have been excited to read this final installment (please make sure you have read all of the other books to understand everything in here!!).

I loved this look into Micah and Lowell’s lives and seeing the entire trilogy from their perspective in short bursts. There romance is really sweet and this was an easy read to listen and enjoy (I also thought the dash of sound effects were perfect for this type of book!).

I will definitely be reading whatever HRC writes next.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi Romance Novella
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Into the Abyss (Into the Churn #3) by Hayley Reese Chow

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Sci-FI Romance
Length: 312 pages
Author: Hayley Reese Chow
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Release Date: March 18th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

It was never just a race…

Four months after dark syndicate interference in Crion’s inaugural race royale, Ezren and Foster have settled into their roles as ambassadors on the BRR council.

Though begrudgingly working beside their would-be murderer, Ezren and Foster have struck an uneasy truce as Calderon mentors them in Casollan politics for the upcoming BRR. While Foster counts down the days until they can walk away from the council, Ezren is conflicted as she weighs their ever-growing positive impact.

However, when a high-profile murder upends the whole system, Casolla’s fragile peace balances on a knife blade of disaster. As the deadly conspiracy unfurls, a new race begins, and blood spills among the stars. With both their lives and Casolla’s future hanging in the balance, Foster and Ezren will have to decide who they’re meant to be or risk losing their world to the darkness forever.

Run. Drive. Fight. Rise.

I’M GOING TO MISS THEM.

I have adored this series so much and didn’t expect this last book to pack such a punch for me but that goes to show how incredible HRC has crafted these characters and story. I loooove Ezren and Foster so much. They have beautiful chemistry and a strong desire to work together (rather than petty problems pull them apart, BLESS). They fought for each other in multiple ways and my heart was in my throat throughout many chapters because things got INTENSE.

And I love this whole cast. The found family trope was executed to perfection where I felt drawn to everyone and emotionally invested in where they landed (praise the epilogue).

The antagonist aka the final boss was predictable, yet I was still drawn to how the plot unfolded. Seeing how they got there, what caused the fallout, and the eventual demise were exactly what this book needed. I loved how the entire series got wrapped up, it feels complete and I can put it down knowing I enjoyed the heck out of every page.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: moderate blood/gore depiction, physical & psychological torture, loss of life, murder, kidnapping

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ARC Book Review: Into the Churn by Hayley Reese Chow

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Sci-Fi
Length: 367 pages
Author: Hayley Reese Chow
Publisher: Whimsical Publishing
Release Date: April 4th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Earth was tame. Belethea is not.

Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s deadly storms with the dream of giving her backwater planet open teal skies. But when budget cuts threaten to shut down her mother’s lab, Ezren enters Belethea’s Race Royale, the system’s deadliest and most lucrative race. To win, she’ll have to run, drive, and fight her way across Belethea’s barren landscape while navigating its savage and volatile storms. With her planet’s future, and her family’s, on the line, she can’t afford to lose. But first, she’ll have to convince her handsome royale partner that their planet is worth saving.

Foster Sterling is a jaded ex-prodigy royaler still reeling from his partner’s death in a training accident. When Ezren Hart comes charging into his life, her passion reminds him of what he once loved about racing and his dream of returning pride to their planet. Still, no matter how fast they go, they can’t outrun the mysterious string of deadly accidents following them like a curse. As Foster falls harder for Ezren, he races to piece the clues together. But with time running out and their survival on the line, he’ll have to decide if their dreams are worth their lives.

Perfect for fans of underdog heroes, slow-burn romance, and high-stakes sci-fi, INTO THE CHURN races across a new planet of savage storms and dazzling tech. Fall in love with Ezren and Foster as they battle side-by-side to save their scrappy world on a ruthless interplanetary stage where appearances are everything, speed means survival, and the only thing deadlier than the storms are the other racers.

Thank you to Whimsical Publishing for the eARC.

CAPTIVATING.

I just wholeheartedly enjoyed this book. It was a fantastic young adult read and as a standalone I thought it encompassed everything needed to close off story lines and feel satisfied by the book as a whole.

The romance was SO DANG SWEET. A super low angst, unlikely partners to friends to lovers. I loved all of the tender forehead and temple kisses. The encouragement Foster and Ezren gave each other to keep going and the way they took care of each other. They were a partnership you wanted to cheer for and cheer for them I did!

And it was absolutely filled will ALL the action. Brutal storms and intense physical matches that sped the pace and my heartrate. I kind of love race themed books because you never know quite who’s going to actually win and how that plays into the story itself. I liked the mystery aspects within the sub-plots that brought this entire book together. Everything was well balanced and I continually wanted to pick this up and see what happened next.

Easily recommend. Fits perfectly into the YA category as well (i.e. appropriate for the actual age group). Wonderful characters, high action, adorable romance and an all around great read.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Sci-Fi
  • Language: a little, light
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: med-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: near death experiences, loss of life, physical altercations, blood depiction, major weather systems

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