family

Ex Marks the Spot

By Gloria Chao

Coming December 31, 2024

(4.5 / 5)

It’s always been just Gemma and her mom, with no other family or connections to her heritage in Thailand. When she finds out that her grandfather has recently passed and left her a trail of clues that lead to Thailand and a possible inheritance, Gemma can’t pass up on the opportunity. But the only way to get there is to ask for help from her ex and biggest rival, Xander.

Ex Marks the Spot was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down and really enjoyed reading. At first I thought Gemma, our main character, felt a bit young and was a little petty in her rivalry against her ex, Xander, but it allowed for an incredible amount of character growth. I really enjoyed the treasure hunt feel of the story, with various puzzles presented along the way. I couldn’t fully appreciate all of them since I don’t know Mandarin, but since Gemma doesn’t either, it didn’t take away from the story at all. I loved all the vivid descriptions of landmarks and food in Thailand, and found myself looking up more information along the way since it all sounded so amazing. While there’s a romance that develops along the way, I think the themes of finding heritage, learning family history, the true meaning of family, learning to understand others, and figuring out who you are were the shining themes of the book. I also enjoyed the story within the story while Gemma learned about her grandfather’s past and the challenges he faced in life. After reading this book, I definitely want to read more by author Gloria Chao.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Ex Marks the Spot! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

The Last Creation

The Last She #3

By H. J. Nelson

Coming December 3, 2024

(4 / 5)

The Last Creation is the 3rd (and presumably final) book in the The Last She series. I really enjoyed the whole series, though I think I liked the first two books a little more than this one. I thought it was interesting to follow the perspectives of 4 different characters (Ara, Kaden, Sam, and Sevyn), and Sevyn gave some interesting insight into the Creation, who are basically the villains of this story. The book starts with many of the characters separated (again) and converging in Boise, though this part took longer than I was expecting. There’s definitely an ominous tone to the story with the impending doom of the Creation coming. Many of the characters are faced with very difficult choices to make, and it was interesting to see how these characters have grown and changed over the course of the 3 books. Some parts were downright heartbreaking, while others gave a sense of hope. The book ended with a couple things that felt a bit unresolved, leaving me a bit disappointed, though admittedly it kept me thinking for a while after reading it. If another book eventually comes out for this series, I’ll definitely want to read it.

Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Last Creation! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

November 4, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

A Cruel Thirst

By Angela Montoya

Coming December 17, 2024

(4 / 5)

Lalo has been turned into a vampire, but he is determined to undo the curse and not lose his humanity. Carolina wants to hunt vampires with the rest of her family, but her parents would rather arrange a marriage and life of safety for her. Will the two be able to work together to rid the world of vampires?

I enjoyed reading A Cruel Thirst. It integrates a lot of common vampire lore while also providing explanations for its origins, stemming back to gods and the first vampire. I liked both of the main characters, with Lalo being rather dramatic and terrible at being a vampire while Carolina was strong, spirited, and independent. The relationship that develops between them had the right amount of push and pull to keep it believable and interesting. I thought the Latino background of the characters was enhanced with the use of Spanish words throughout the story, but in a way that someone who doesn’t know the language can still understand the meaning. Overall, I felt that this story was done really well, and I look forward to reading more by the author.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Joy Revolution, and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Cruel Thirst! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

October 13, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance Young Adult 0

The Bletchley Riddle

By Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin

Coming October 8, 2024

(4 / 5)

It’s 1940 in Britain, and World War II has begun. After their mother disappeared when Poland was invaded, presumed dead, teenage siblings Jakob and Lizzie find themselves working in Bletchley Park. Jakob is working with some of the brightest minds in Britain, trying to break Germany’s encoded messages. Meanwhile, Lizzie is convinced that their mother is still alive and is determined to find out what really happened to her.

While I typically don’t read a lot of middle grade books, The Bletchley Riddle really kept my interest. It was hard to put down, and despite being 400 pages, I felt like I was flying through the book. Lizzie was definitely my favorite of the two protagonists, with a spirit and determination that kept the story exciting. I went into the book with little knowledge about Bletchley Park or the World War II codebreaking efforts, so I enjoyed the insight into such a historically impactful place. We even get to meet some real people who were part of the effort, such as Alan Turing, which gave the story even more validity. I thought the explanations of the Enigma machine were explained in an understandable way, even though it obviously was quite complicated. It was a nice touch that some puzzles/riddles were included in the book, so I could try to solve them along with the characters.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of The Bletchley Riddle! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

September 27, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Historical Kindle Middle Grade 0

This is Not a Holiday Romance

By Camilla Isley

Coming September 4, 2024

(3.5 / 5)

Nina does not get along with her brother’s best friend, Tristan, and the feud has been going on for 15 years. When she finds out Tristan will be spending the week with her family for Christmas, Nina is livid. With some unexpected feelings brewing, is it possible for things to change between these two enemies?

Camilla Isley is an author whose work I really enjoy. This book didn’t turn out to be one of my favorites by her, but it was still a cute, quick, light story that was perfect for a vacation read. Of the two main characters, I liked Tristan but found Nina to be a bit childish, especially in the beginning. Some of the pranks between the two were funny, but others were too vindictive for my taste. I did enjoy the romance aspect of the book, and it kept my interest easily enough. Parts of the book were predictable, but this wasn’t the type of book that I was expecting to produce a bunch of surprises. I’m wondering if this book will be the first in a series, since the epilogue seems to open the possibility for a couple more storylines.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of This is Not a Holiday Romance! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

August 21, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance Women's Fiction 0

When the World Tips Over

By Jandy Nelson

Coming September 24, 2024

(4 / 5)

Dizzy, Miles, and Wynton are siblings whose father disappeared 12 years ago, and each are facing their own challenges. Then a mysterious rainbow-haired girl appears, affecting each of the siblings in their own ways.

When the World Tips Over is a book that dives deep into the dynamics of family, following a story that spans generations. Through the book, we follow the perspectives of 4 different characters along with notes from some other characters, plus the story of a family’s ancestors. It’s a lot to keep track of, but all of these pieces are interweaved in a way that slowly reveals a bigger picture while holding a feeling of mystery and destiny. There’s a sense of magical realism throughout, which gives the characters and story an almost fairy tale type feel. The book is quite long, and at times I felt like it was moving much slower than I prefer with not a lot of action… but I think that it’s just the type of book this is: very introspective and focused more on the characters than the plot. It was sometimes a bit depressing, yet thought-provoking enough to keep me wanting to read more, even when I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going. There are certainly some interesting surprises along the way that I didn’t see coming!

Thank you to Penguin Teen, Dial Books, and BookishFirst for the free review copy of When the World Tips Over! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

July 14, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Paperback Young Adult 0

The Blood Traitor

The Prison Healer #3

By Lynette Noni

(4.5 / 5)

The Blood Traitor is the third book of the trilogy, The Prison Healer, and it didn’t disappoint. I really liked the sense of adventure this book had, exploring so much more of this fictional world than we did in the previous books. The different kinds of relationships that developed between characters were interesting and sometimes surprising. There was a good amount of action and drama, keeping me engaged and wanting to read to the end. After the previous books, I’d come to expect some interesting twists along the way, so there were some things I suspected before they were actually revealed, but I still managed to get surprised too. This was a worthy ending to a series that I really enjoyed reading and hope to read again in the future.

June 26, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

The Gilded Cage

The Prison Healer #2

By Lynette Noni

(4 / 5)

After how The Prison Healer ended, I went into the 2nd book of the series with the thought “I have a feeling this won’t end well.” Once again, we are following Kiva, joined by some familiar characters from the last book and some new ones as well. I definitely had some strong feelings and intuitions about some of the characters that turned out to be validated along the way. Kiva faces some tough decisions in this book, and honestly, I sometimes was cringing at her choices, even though it’s also what I was expecting. Over the course of the book, I made a lot of theories about reveals that might happen later in the story – some of those turned out to be right, some not quite, and a couple complete surprises along the way. The Gilded Cage was a book that thoroughly kept my interest, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next in the 3rd book!

June 23, 2024 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Hardcover Young Adult 0

Attached at the Hip

By Christine Riccio

(4 / 5)

I thought this book was a fun read. As a Survivor fan, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the fictional spin-off show, Attached at the Hip, that is the base of the story. It really did have that Survivor feel to it, with the unique twist of being tethered to another player. In the beginning, I found the main character, Orie, to feel very immature, but that also allowed for a lot of character growth along the way. I really enjoyed the relationship building between Orie and other contestants from the show, and how complicated it became when they had to routinely vote someone out. The book kept me engaged, and it was hard to put down… I was always excited to see what would happen next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Attached at the Hip! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

April 26, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

A Wedding in the Sun

By Leonie Mack

Coming May 17, 2024

(4.5 / 5)

Jo and Adrián are on a flight to Spain to attend the wedding of their ex-spouses, not something either of them is looking forward to. When the plane has to make an emergency landing in France due to bad weather, the two “exes” end up traveling together, trying to get to their destination despite everything going wrong along the way.

A Wedding in the Sun was a quick and enjoyable read. I really liked both of the main characters, who felt so imperfectly human. While they are going through some incredibly difficult situations and are understandably stressed, over time they are both able to admit to their flaws and accept each other as they are. Both characters go through a lot of growth as they process the grief from their previous marriages ending. Despite so many things going wrong on their journey, there’s also a sense of optimism about the positive experiences they wouldn’t have had otherwise. I loved the adventure of the road trip, from the Pyrenees mountains to the beaches of Spain.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of A Wedding in the Sun! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

April 23, 2024 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0