Tag: young adult fantasy

ALC Book Review: Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Author: Laura Steven
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue meets This is How You Lose The Time War in this fantastical love story that defies death as two souls reincarnate through the centuries.

They’ve loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They’ve killed each other in every one.

Evelyn remembers all her past lives. She also remembers that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being whose soul―and survival―is tethered to hers.

The problem is that she’s quite fond of the life she’s in now, and her little sister needs her for bone marrow transplants in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she’ll have to:

1. Find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life―before they find her first.
2. Figure out why she’s being hunted and finally break their curse.
3. Try not to fall in love.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

A BIT BLAND.

I am an Addie La Rue fan so jumping onto reading this. I did think the audio production was good and I enjoyed the narrator. No qualms there. I more or less had issues with the storyline.

The whole premise surrounding the I have to kill you to save you was fine, until the repetitiveness of the story drove me wild. Over and over again Evelyn asks Arden why are you doing this and over and over again Arden saying you just have to trust me. Without a stronger mystery plot holding everything together it felt like I was going in circles.

Some of the flashbacks were interesting and I didn’t mind the writing style. There’s a fated quality that works out well enough. I would try another book by this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: vague fade to black
  • Violence: mild – moderate
  • Content warnings: a loved one with cancer

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2025

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The month of love. And a lot of good books! I love seeing all of the covers together at the end of the month.

  • Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
  • [ARC] You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon
  • Here’s the Thing (The Seddledowne #4) by Susan Henshaw
  • [Short story] The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez
  • [ALC] A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
  • Sweet Wicked Vows (A Wicked Dade Brothers Book #1) by Rachel Donnan
  • Kingdom of Claw (The Ashen #2) by Demi Winters
  • [ARC] If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley
  • A Crown So Silver (Fair Folk #2) by Lyra Selene
  • We Redeemed the Rain (Meadowbrook Ranch #1) by Ashley Dill
  • [Short story] Please Be Mine by K. Sinko
  • [ALC] Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods
  • [ARC] One More Wish (Sugar Valley #2) by Lindsey Lanza
  • Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft
  • [Novella] A Churn in the Dark (Into the Churn #2.5) by Hayley Reese Chow
  • The Rose Bargain (The Rose Bargain #1) by Sasha Peyton Smith
  • Beautifully Broken Control (Sutter Lake #4) by Catherine Cowles
  • [ARC/ALC] The Scorpion and the Night Blossom (The Three Realms Duology #1) by Amelie Wen Zhao
  • Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen
  • The House of My Mother by Shari Franke
  • Beautifully Broken Redemption (Sutter Lake #5) by Catherine Cowles
  • [ARC] The Emerald Alliance (The Otherworlds #3) by Courtney Millecam
  • The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Volume #8) by Beth Brower
  • [ALC] The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season #5) by Samantha Shannon
  • [ARC] The Serendipity (Only Magic in the Building) by Emma St. Clair
  • The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
  • [ARC] The Magic of Light by Jordan Abitz
  • [ALC] Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
  • [ARC] Secret or Shutout (D.C. Eagles #4) by Leah Brunner
  • Under Your Spell by Laura Wood
  • Taken With Trouble (Caught in Chaos #2) by Jenessa Fayeth
  • We Will Be Heroes (The Vigil & Ante Files #2) by Megan McCullough

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Book Review: Into the Sunken City by Dinesh Thiru

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Dystopian
Length: 368 pages
Author: Dinesh Thiru
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: January 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the slowly sinking city of Coconino, Arizona, the days are long, the money is tight, and the rain never stops.

For Jin Haldar, this life is nothing new—ever since her father died in a diving accident, she’s barely made ends meet for her and her younger sister, Thara.

Enter Bhili: a drifter who offers Jin and Thara the score of a lifetime—a massive stash of gold hidden in the sunken ruins of Las Vegas.

Jin knows it’s too dangerous. She stopped diving after her father’s accident. But when her sister decides to go, Jin’s left with only one choice: to go with her.

A ragtag crew is assembled—including Jin’s annoyingly hot ex-boyfriend. From there, a high-stakes heist ensues that’s beyond even Jin’s wildest fears. Crumbling ruins, sea beasts, corsairs, and a mysterious figure named João Silva all lie in wait. To survive, Jin will have to do what she promised herself she’d never do again: dive.

MEH.

That’s how this book made me feel. And honestly even sitting here writing this review after just finishing the book I don’t have a lot to say? It kind of went in one ear and out the other without ever engaging me.

The general idea and story line were interesting. I liked the underwater dystopian aspects and the diving was cool too.

What I didn’t like was the main character. I found her constantly frustrating. Every time I thought we were moving steps forward she flung herself backwards and I was exhausted by the end of it to where I just didn’t care what happens.

Overall audience notes:

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

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Book Review: On Wings of Ash and Dust (On Wings of Ash and Dust #1-6) by Brittany Wang

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 502 pages
Author: Brittany Wang
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 30th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A rebel pixie princess. A deadly competition between five faerie clans. Will she win the crown or die trying?

Pixie pirate Quinn may be an outlaw, wanted by all five faerie clans, but she prefers it that way. All she wants is to finally become a captain and bury her true identity beneath the rolling waves. But when the sudden death of her twin brother causes her to plot a vengeful heist, a shocking betrayal unmasks her for who she really is—her people’s last living heir.

Her only hope of escaping certain death for her crimes is taking her brother’s place in the Ethodine: a dangerous competition for the faerie crown.

In a series of death-defying trials, Quinn faces off with the heirs of four rival clans:

A mute beast tamer.
A flirtatious merman.
A half-blind artist.
And a pompous princess.

But as dark secrets unravel and an ancient prophecy entwines their fates, rivals must become allies before there’s no world left to rule.

LOST ME.

There was nothing inherently WRONG with this book, it just lost me in the middle so much that I don’t think I ever recovered. The initial premise was intriguing, and then everything felt…predictable. I could map this out and with nothing holding it up otherwise things started to drag.

The main character finally gets around to doing something. There’s a cute little slow burn romance. A found family and an evil queen. A lot of the hallmark moments you see in young adult fantasy. I thought the audio narrator did a fantastic job though.

Will I read more by this author? I’m not sure yet.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: none-low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high

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