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Heist Royale

Thieves’ Gambit #2

By Kayvion Lewis

Coming November 12, 2024

(4 / 5)

Heist Royale is the sequel to Thieves’ Gambit, taking place around 6 months after the events of the first book. It has the same fast pace and nonstop thrills that kept it interesting and exciting. I was happy to see the return of several characters from the first book while still meeting some new characters too. I did find that I didn’t love this book quite as much as the first one… I felt like a few parts of the book just didn’t seem to piece together like I thought they should. Plus, some of the reveals were things that I saw coming, so it just didn’t have the shock factor. By all means, Heist Royale was still a good read that I enjoyed, but maybe my expectations were a little too high going into this one.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Nancy Paulsen Books, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Heist Royale! All opinions are completely my own.

If I Stopped Haunting You

by Colby Wilkens

Coming October 15, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Four months after rival authors Pen and Neil have a rather public fight that results in one throwing a book at the other, they find themselves on the same writer’s retreat in Scotland. With the castle they are staying at rumored to be haunted and feelings between them getting complicated, can they survive the whole week together?

If I Stopped Haunting You was an interesting combination of spicy romance with paranormal activity and some horror elements. The settings gave the story a creepy undertone that was fitting, and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions. The story begins with Pen acting a bit childish and impulsive, which doesn’t give the best first impression, but I ended up enjoying her character anyway. I liked that the book alternated between the points of view of both of the main characters, which helped me understand and like them both better. For the most part I liked the story, though it lost some momentum for me for maybe the last third of the book – characters seemed to make some illogical choices given the circumstances, and the ghost mystery was resolved in a way that left me a bit underwhelmed. A few things seemed to go unexplained too, though I can see how it adds to the mysterious atmosphere of the story. Of note, I appreciated the insight into the experiences of Indigenous authors, an ongoing theme throughout the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free review copy of If I Stopped Haunting You! All opinions presented in my review are completely my own.

September 29, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Icon and Inferno

By Marie Lu

Coming June 11, 2024

(4 / 5)

Icon and Inferno is the 2nd book in the Stars and Smoke series. Pop superstar-turned-spy Winter Young and agent Sydney Cossette team back up a year later for another mission for the Panacea Group, this time in Singapore.

Icon and Inferno had a similar feel to the first book, with action, mystery, romance and thrills. I read the books together, but enough background information is given catch you up if it’s been a bit. Once again, I enjoyed the complicated relationship between Winter and Sydney, and the addition of their exes added extra tension. There are surprises along the way, though I’ll admit to having my suspicions about some of the things that happened beforehand. There’s a lot of action, and while sometimes it feels a little unrealistic, it gives it the kind of excitement you feel while watching a movie. It was definitely a quick read that was hard to put down. I’m not sure if there will be another book in this series, but I’d love to read more by the author, Marie Lu.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for the free review copy of Icon and Inferno! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

April 3, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Romance Thriller Young Adult 0

Stars and Smoke

By Marie Lu

Paperback edition releases tomorrow!

(4 / 5)

19-year-old Winter Young is a huge global pop star, but he still yearns for something more in his life. Unexpectedly, he is approached by a secret agency with a mission to get intel on a crime boss while performing at a private birthday concert. He is paired with Sydney Cossette, a young but effective recruit of the agency.

I had the opportunity to get an early copy of the new paperback edition of Stars and Smoke, which includes new artwork and a bonus scene. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst; all opinions in my review are solely my own.

I really enjoyed reading Stars and Smoke. I thought both of the main characters were interesting and felt relatable in their own ways, with complicated pasts. The banter between Winter and Sydney was fun and I enjoyed the development of their relationship along the way. The “pop star turned spy” concept was interesting and done well. There was a lot of action, and parts of the story even had a cinematic feel to them. I was expecting some kind of twist along the way and thought I had it all figured out, but it turns out the book was still able to provide surprises. This was one of those books where, once I started getting close to the end, I couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and reading more by this author!

I received a free review copy of the book. All opinions are completely my own.

April 1, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Mystery Paperback Thriller Young Adult 0

The Encanto’s Daughter

By Melissa de la Cruz

Coming soon on March 5, 2024!

(4 / 5)

The Encanto’s Daughter is a young adult fantasy story that follows MJ, a teenage girl who has been living in our world but is actually half-encanto. After the death of her father, MJ must return to the fairy world of Biringan to take her place on the throne as Queen.

This story jumped right into action in the first chapter, with MJ trying to escape capture by insurgents from the fairy realm. Since she has been living in the human world, we are able to experience the wonder of Biringan through MJ’s eyes. She only has a matter of weeks to prepare for her coronation, so I enjoyed watching MJ transition from being a normal high school student to the leader of an island nation. This book has a sense of mystery to it, as MJ suspects that her father was actually murdered. It kept me wondering who MJ could and couldn’t trust. There’s also a bit of romance weaved in, although it’s less than I thought there might be. The Encanto’s Daughter is the first book in a duology, so I thought it did a good job resolving the issues presented in this book, while leaving a bit of a cliffhanger in the Epilogue to build anticipation for the next book. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the story continuing.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and BookishFirst for the free ARC copy of The Encanto’s Daughter! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

January 16, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

Lunar New Year Love Story

By Gene Luen Yang & LeUyen Pham

Coming soon on January 9, 2024!

(5 / 5)

Lunar New Year Love Story is a graphic novel that follows a Vietnamese-American teen, Valentina, over the course of a year. According to her grandmother, her family has always been unlucky with love, and Valentina fears that she’s destined to the same fate.

I don’t usually read graphic novels, but this one caught my interest when I was able to get a sneak peek of the beginning. I’m really glad I gave it a chance, because I loved the story. The illustrations are great, conveying the emotions and personalities beautifully. While on the surface this book seems to be about Valentina trying to see if she is doomed to never find true love, there is so much more to it. It explores family relationships, friendship, grief, and finding forgiveness for past mistakes. Another central theme of the book is lion dancing, which is a hobby that Valentina starts and really enjoys. I enjoyed learning a bit about Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean cultures. I was really impressed everything about this book!

Thank you to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group and BookishFirst for the free advance copy of Lunar New Year Love Story! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

December 29, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

Draw Down the Moon

By P.C. Cast; Kristin Cast

Available April 2, 2024

(3 / 5)

It’s a modern-day world where magick exists, but only for a small portion of the population who are Moonstruck. Mundanes (non-magickal people) do not even know it exists. In our story we meet Wren, who is Mundane but knows of the magickal world because her late parents were part of it, and Lee, Wren’s best friend who is magickal. Recently graduated, Wren is fine with being Mundane. But the moment she turns 18, everything changes for Wren, and now she’s attending a magickal school with her friends, Lee and Sam. On the surface it seems like an amazing place, but the more she learns, the more Wren realizes that something is very wrong here. Meanwhile Lee is under a lot of pressure from his family to excel.

I really wanted to love this book, but for some reason it just didn’t grab my attention like I hoped it would. It felt like something was missing for me, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. In the end, I think it might just be written for a younger audience than other books I usually read. I will say that it gets more interesting as the story goes on. It’s the first book in a duology, so it’s pretty obvious there’s still more left to this story when the book ends. I’m curious about where things will go next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free advance review copy of Draw Down the Moon. All opinions expressed in my review are solely my own.

December 10, 2023 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

Chicano Frankenstein

By Daniel A. Olivas

Available on March 5, 2024

(3 / 5)

Chicano Frankenstein is inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and takes place in the near future. In this world, people can donate their bodies for reanimation after they die, helping maintain a dwindling workforce. Memories are wiped and physical features are changed, and parts from multiple donors can be combined, making them a different person. But there’s a lot of controversy surrounding reanimation, especially within the US government.

This book was an interesting combination of the Frankenstein, modern politics, latinx culture, and marginalized populations. The story follows an unnamed reanimated man and Faustina, who have a budding relationship. Intertwined through their story are various interviews and presidential conversations discussing the reanimated and what rights they should have in our society. It has a similar feel to recent political controversy, so this book probably won’t be for everyone.

“The man” seemed to have a very logical, almost a robotic, feel to him, and he actually reminded me a lot of Star Trek: TNG’s character, Data. It’s understandable though, given that he has no history or family, and basically became a clean slate only 3 years ago. Through his interactions with Faustina, I think his character grows, and he starts to feel more human.

The book has a very abrupt ending, leaving me feeling like there were things I still didn’t understand or feel were resolved. It felt like things were starting to get really interesting, to suddenly come to a screeching halt. Maybe that’s the point, since it keeps you thinking, but it just didn’t work for me. In the end, the book fell a bit short for me, but it definitely had some interesting concepts in it.

Thank you to Forest Avenue Press and Edelweiss for the free review copy of Chicano Frankenstein. All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

December 1, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Sci-Fi 0

These Deadly Prophecies

By Andrea Tang

Coming soon on January 30, 2024!

(5 / 5)

These Deadly Prophecies brings us to a modern world where sorcery is a viable career option. Our narrator, Tabatha, loves the occult, and is the apprentice of Sorcerer Solomon, one of the most well-known sorcerers in eastern America who specializes in prophecies. Unfortunately, Sorcerer Solomon prophesized his own death, and the book begins where his life ends. But who murdered Sorcerer Solomon?

I was absolutely enthralled with this book. I loved Tabatha as the narrator of this story, giving her account of what happened. Her narrative is engaging and full of excitement. At times she addresses the reader directly, which makes the story feel even more real. I think the fact that Tabatha is not originally from the sorcery world makes her very relatable to readers, explaining the intricacies of sigils, spells and traditions.

This book really takes on the feel of a murder mystery, as Tabatha teams up with Solomon’s youngest son, Callum, to try to find out who committed the murder. This book had me making my own theories then changing my mind as I learned more, just like the characters did in the book. The book really kept me guessing until the very end when everything was revealed. I enjoyed the interactions between Tabatha and Callum and enjoyed both characters a lot. There’s also a cast of side characters who are diverse and add to the charm of the story.

I felt like this book was very well written. It was nearly impossible to put down, and I ended up staying up until 2am to finish the story – once I got so far into the book, I just couldn’t wait until the morning to find out the solution to the mystery and how things would end. I’ll be seeking out more books by Andrea Tang for sure!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the free advance copy of These Deadly Prophecies. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and all opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

November 11, 2023 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Mystery Young Adult 0

Sneak Peek: These Deadly Prophecies

By Andrea Tang

First Impression: (5 / 5)

I had the opportunity to read the first few chapters of These Deadly Prophecies, which will be releasing in February 2024. A modern-day sorcerer has been murdered, and now his apprentice, Tabatha and youngest son, Callum are going to try to figure out who is responsible.

The premise of this book sounded interesting, and from what I’ve read so far, I think it’s a book I’d really enjoy reading. Written from Tabatha’s point of view, it almost feels like you’re a friend that she’s telling her story to. The sorcery and murder mystery aspects are interesting and make me want to keep reading. I want to find out who the murderer is!

October 11, 2023 by danimae1981 eBook Fiction First Impression Young Adult 0