simon teen – Page 5 – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 523 pages
Author: Lauren Roberts
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.

Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites.

The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished in order to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.

Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be overly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can in order to stay alive and out of trouble. Easier said than done.

When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilyas princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites’ powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is—completely Ordinary.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN.

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME I SHOULD READ THIS SOONER. Good heavens this is EVERYTHING I love about enemies to lovers young adult fantasy romance. I was already thinking it was a five star read a quarter of the way through. And it DELIVERED.

I loved the banter between Paeydn and the prince. And the amount of scenes were I was kicking my feet can not be charted. There was a fantastic balance of intense action scenes mixed in with the soft and tender. I was smitten with them and can’t wait to see where this relationship goes.

Paedyn was amazing. I loved her. She was strong and capable, and when she went there she WENT THERE. I was impressed with the turns this book took and how it continually kept me guessing. There’s some subtle Hunger Games vibes that I fit well and the competition was fierce.

THE ENDING THOUGH. I am a sucker for an incredible, make me shout kind of cliffhanger shocker. IYKYK why this is one of my favorite endings. I will now be telling anyone who will listen that this is the next fantasy book they need.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy
Language: low
Romance: make-outs
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of life, murder, mentions of child abuse, torture, loss of loved ones

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fiction + Fantasy
Length: 560 pages
Author: Chloe Gong
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: September 26th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion.

Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back.

But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?

When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mother’s traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasion—but the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, it’s not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

DID NOT LET ME DOWN.

You know when you’re waiting for your most anticipated 2023 release and that Netgalley approval finally comes through? THIS IS THAT BOOK FOR ME.

And I loved it. I loved it so much. I am constantly pulled in by Chloe Gong’s writing style and the way she tells a story. Captivated by this spy/agent thriller and all of the relationships in between.

LET ME TELL Y’ALL. The romances are subtle, they are not the main plot, but gosh dang it, I was absolutely smitten with ALL OF THEM (and there’s three so YAY). Every nuanced look or little touch, the glances and swoony confessions and kisses. I ate it all up. Surrounding the romances are such loyal and strong sibling and friendship bonds. I love that this has a found family vibe where everyone was looked after, old friends showed up, and past grievances were resolved.

The plot is entertaining and gasp inducing. I loooove that it’s a multi-POV set up and the flow from character to character. The betrayals and losses, the way my husband asked me if I was going to bed soon and I responded with, I’m at 85% and I don’t know who’s going to survive so NO I AM NOT. My emotions have been invoked, my love for this series is intense and I beg of y’all to give it a chance.

Overall audience notes:

YA Historical Fiction + Fantasy
Language: little
Romance: kisses
Violence: high
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, murder, gun violence, weapons and physical violence, bombings, war themes, torture, medical experimentation, amnesia