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Would you like to know what makes me happy? Young adult science fiction does and These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is a respectable addition to the genre. The book centers on heiress Lilac Laroux and Major Tarver Merendsen, who survive when the spaceliner, Icarus, crashes and are stranded on what appears to be an uninhabited planet. Throw in some mystery and science, and voila! These Broken Stars.

I think one of the first things that should be addressed in this review is all of the hype around These Broken Stars. According to Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman’s newsletter, their novel is the most requested book on Goodreads. That is a pretty high standard to live up to, but I feel like it takes away from this book. The hype monster builds, builds, builds These Broken Stars up, and it’s left a little bit shaky. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad book but not something that I would’ve knowledgeably spent a year on pins and needles waiting for.

I liked the characters in These Broken Stars quite a bit. Lilac is an über-rich debutante who is on a pleasure trip with her best friend and bodyguards-in-bodices on her daddy’s ship, the Icarus. Tarver Merendsen is a major at the ripe old age of nineteen-twentyish who comes from humble roots. Of course, they’re thrown in together at the start of the novel for a rocky start to build intrigue, and there is more to them than it would seem to one another. (It’s not a bad thing.) What I liked best is that there is an air of mystery about the “more”. Where did Lilac get those tricks up her sleeves? And how in the hell did Tarver Merendsen go from soldier to major on the battlefield?

The world-building is where I got a little hung up in These Broken Stars. I read and loved Skylark by Meagan Spooner, so my expectations were pretty astronomical (see what I did there?) of how the setting and plot unfolded together. I just had too many questions about how things worked. For instance – terraforming. If it was only partially terraformed because of the particular trees used, why were there animals. If there had to be a mirror moon thingy, then they could not occur naturally, right? Yes, I’m one of those weird people who wants to know how the science works. I wanted to pat Lilac and Tarver on the head, tell them they’re cute, and send them to make out in a cave so I could LEARN THINGS. And then again, I may’ve missed the forest in this book because of all the damned trees in the way.

The long and short of it is, These Broken Stars is a good book, but not what I thought it was hyped up to be. I will be rereading it when I get my finished copy, and maybe it will be All The Things for me like Skylark was. Or – more hopefully – I’ll be able to judge it against itself and not a book by one of the authors. If all else fails, I’ll have a pretty piece of literary artwork to face out on my bookshelf.

3.5/5 Stars

I've always imagined that winning the lottery is an exciting and pulse-pounding experience. Until the people and things around you become creepy, and then downright scary. When all the family starts showing up with their secrets and airing of dirty laundry, things start to go downhill. Finally, the batshit crazy muthatrucker that nobody has ever heard of comes along, demanding things and waving his gun around, pretty much ruining any good times to be had for everyone. This lottery metaphor pretty much sums up April Genevieve Tucholke's debut, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

Violet and Luke White already have money... Well, they came from money, so they don't suffer from the sudden wealth from a lottery win. They are so broke with their parents in Europe that they are forced to rent out their guesthouse. Violet is socially awkward and has only two friends, so a love interest and ally in the new renter is like a windfall for her. Having River around and interested in her - not the sexy neighbor, Sunshine - is exhilarating for the girl. Well, until things get weird.

Apparitions in dark tunnels? Check. Ghosts communing with the living? Check. Kids running around the cemetery with stakes, claiming to have seen the Devil himself there? Check. (That's where creepy starts going scary.)

To this point, it all works for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. It's mysterious and exciting. Sure, there's an instalove, but I like Violet - let her have it. She's a good kid, she'll figure out how messed up the situation is. But who always comes along, ruining such a wonderful evening? Yep, you guessed it - the family.

I like secrets and drama as much as the next person, but there were enough family members popping into this story to put The Bold and the Beautiful (an American soap opera) to shame. (And I don't think Violet and Luke's grandmother was named "Freddie" - it was Brooke Forrester, I shit you not.) And as with any soap opera worth its salt, things got strange and silly very quickly.

As I would with winning the lottery, I enjoyed Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea until the family showed up. They were tiresome and distracted from the story. It was creepy, chilly, and suspenseful until about sixty percent of the way in, when it just got absurd. Sometimes, family just ruins everything. Being as it was an ARC that I was reading, hopefully the final copy was cleaned up.

While Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was not a lottery win for me, I do think Tucholke is a writer worth watching. I'll give the sequel a chance, and I'll be keeping an eye out for any future projects for her. There are a lot of positive reviews for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and I recommend that you check some of them out.

- 2/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

Review to come

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please.

Being as a tend to read a lot of young adult novels, it is easy for me to forget out delicious a well-written piece of literary fiction can be. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is a beautiful novel that satiated my adult reading hungers. Journeying with Li Lan through the spirit world and watching her meet various spirits unfold the mysteries surrounding the Lim family and her own was mesmerizing.

Li Lan is very similar at first to many of the female characters that pop up in the young adult novels that I have been reading of late. She is book-smart and isolated from society, both due to her father. Li Lan then suddenly has the attentions of not one but two wealthy suitors, but, unfortunately, the one who is pursuing her the most ardently is a dead man. However, she is not the sort of young person to take the easy way out, and she does not at any point in The Ghost Bride. Instead of only searching for a way for her to reenter her body, she helps Er Lang on his quest to discover the corruption in the spiritual government that has become tied up with the Lim family. Although she believes herself to be falling in love with Tian Bai, she is also determined to find out if it was he who killed his cousin (and her other suitor), Lim Tian Ching. Li Lan also wins the "Awesome Heroine of Awesome" award from me because of who she chooses at the end of the book.

Oh, the world-building of The Ghost Bride was fascinating! Before reading it, I had only heard of the practice of marrying a live person to a ghost once before when I read Bearing an Hourglass by Piers Anthony. That one was not set in Asia (as far as I can remember), but the concept was not surprising to me when I started The Ghost Bride. I was drawn to the book because of this, and the symbolism of the title ended up having quite a few layers. (Saying too much about that is a little spoilery.) Adding magic, ghosts, mythology, and history to this made The Ghost Bride a true pleasure read. The spirits and superstitions were described in such a way that I felt like I was missing anything, though I am not terribly well-researched in Eastern religions or mythology. Choo could have been making everything up, as far as I know, but I did not have any gabs in my understanding of what was happening. Malaya in the 1890s and the spirit world were both intriguing places for my mind to explore with Li Lan.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo is one of the most gorgeously written novels that I've read this year. I had it read in no time, despite the fact that I usually try to take my time and savor literary pieces when I can get my hands on a good one. The mixture of mythology, magical realism, and historical fiction was truly a delightful spectacle for my imagination.

- 4.5/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received a copy of the novel from the publisher through TLC Book Tours in exchange for an unbiased review. It has in no way affected the outcome. All expressed opinions are awesome, honest, and courtesy of me.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please.

Rose Fitzroy woke in a time not her own. She had been placed in stasis and was forgotten for sixty-two years. Along with facing the overwhelming loss of everyone and everything that she used to know and love, Rose is forced to adjust to her new life as a multi-planet and multi-billion dollar corporation. The real truth behind her situation is layered in such a way that all of it is not revealed until the last pages. Who really is Rose Fitzroy? Why was she forgotten for so long?

I did not think that I would like Rose at first. She was so weak and accepting of being pushed around in her new world. Hell, she didn't even want to tell her foster mother that someone had tried to kill her because she didn't want to be a bother! HOWEVER, as I got to know Rose and her situation better, my heart went out to her and was broken. There are other characters in the book, but Rose is so completely at the forefront that hey merely shine lights on facets of her life. Xavier is the boy who was left behind and had loved her his whole life (and she him). Bren woke Rose out of stasis and showed her nothing but kindness, taking her under his wing at school. Otto... Well, Otto was a bit of a surprise in all things and proved to be my favorite supporting character.

As for the world-building, it's quite easy to believe there is a giant corporation that owns almost everything *cough* Amazon *cough* and it makes since that it would be the pioneer of colonizing moons and planets in our solar system. The history of the company and what happened while Rose slept was fascinating and realistic. The Dark Days were terrible and the pace in which the information was given merged perfectly with Rose's changing life.

A Long, Long Sleep is an excellent example of what YA novels have to offer readers, and I recommend it to lovers of science fiction and/or fairy tales of any age. Fans of Cinder will adore A Long, Long Sleep, and I have already been pushing it into people's hands. If you've read this far down into the review, do yourself a favor and read A Long, Long Sleep.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please.

It only seems fitting that the Greek gods are dying in today's world, and Kendare Blake takes that idea and runs with it in Antigoddess. Hermes' body is consuming itself, Athena is growing feathers internally, and the other gods are in equal decline. Even the Greek heroes of old have been reborn, but they have no memories of their past lives or knowledge of their identities. As a mythology nerd and a huge fan of Anna Dressed in Blood, I was immediately drawn to the novel.

The concept of Antigoddess was intriguing, but it was the execution of it is what made it shine. Every time Athena pulled a feather through the skin in her mouth or Hermes was even described, I would cringe. Blake was able to open my imagination, and I could almost feel the feathers and emaciation. The pacing did drag some through the middle, but the ending was glorious. Blake does not hesitate in killing her characters off most gruesomely, and that is exciting in itself. There was also the mirroring of the events regarding the Trojan War that rocked my socks.

Antigoddess' characters were just as interesting as the concept. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare, had not been worshipped in years and looked very like the typical teenage girl, right down to the purple streaks in her hair. She knew that she was dying, but was not willing to die - or even allow her brothers to, for that matter - without a fight. Watching her step minisculely away from her hardened virginal stance to open her heart was sweet to watch. Hermes was a good balance to his sister Athena's hardened nature and was much more human. Cassandra and Aiden were an abnormally well adjusted couple who were happily in love on the other side of the country. He was fully aware of her psychic abilities and supportive of them, though he was a bit boring. When these characters were brought together, it did not seem forced, and the story-lines melted together nicely.

However, despite all of these great things about Antigoddess, I never really got into it. I did not realize this until the end. The scenes at the end were well-written and exciting, but I found myself not caring about the outcome overmuch. I have been crying at the drop of a hat while reading lately, and I did not get emotional at all during the last battle in the book. This was surprising to me because I was one hundred percent into Anna Dressed in Blood.

Even though I was not caught up in the events and characters of Antigoddess, it was still an enjoyable read. I think fans of Blake's previous work and Greek mythology in general will eat up this novel. As for me, I am still interested in seeing what comes next in the Goddess War series.

- 3.5/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please.

Promises of a willful daughter, wizardry, and vendettas brought me to Black Spring by Alison Croggon. I've never read Wuthering Heights because everyone says I should, but the idea of a retelling excited me nonetheless. Sadly, I found Black Spring to be a very dull and unsatisfying read. I was nearly convinced to give up on the book about five pages in, but I enforced my fifty page rule. Thankfully, the narration of poor little rich boy, Hammel, did not last long. The majority of the story was told by Anna, the best friend and servant of the doomed Lina.

Though Black Spring centered on Lina's life, Anna was the only character worth a damn in the novel. Lina was a tantrum-happy, spoiled brat who treated everyone around her poorly, and never once did she draw the slightest bit of sympathy from me. Her foster brother and soulmate, Damek, was uninteresting in the beginning and progressed into something much worse. I have never in my life been so torn between indifference and hatred for characters. They were awful to the extreme and deserved the misery in life that came to them. Seriously, it was all of their own construction. Anna was kind and good enough to put up with her beastly friends, and I hope there is a special place for her in literary Heaven since she abstained from drowning Lina and/or Damek.

The world-building was an even bigger disappointment. Yes, it was partially from my own expectations, but I felt very misled by the synopsis. The wizardry in the novel was minimal - it was just some cranky, evil geezer named Ezra wandering around the story, asserting his will and enforcing The Lore. The threat of his wrath loomed over Lina and her family, but that's about it. When he did act, it was underwhelming. As for the vendetta, I began thinking it was some dark and mysterious curse that was plaguing the Northern villages as I read Black Spring. Nope, it was just a blood feud where opposing families take turns killing each others' men until they're all dead or the king and wizards say they can stop. Even that managed to be dull. There was an ominous feeling about looming events in the book that kept me reading, but it sputtered out. I just couldn't care enough about Lina.

I know I've been ranty about Black Spring, but the novel is not completely without merit. I am sure that fans of gothic or Victorian literature will eat up the story that read true to the time period it's paying homage to, but it definitely was not for me. To be fair, I hated Jane Eyre the first time that I read it, and it later became a favorite. Maybe Black Spring is something I would have to acquire a taste for as well.

- 1.5/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

Review to come

It's not very often that I stay up all night to finish a book, but Alienated was a story impossible to step away from. The mixture of logical science fiction, teen issues I remember too well, great characters, young love, and imaginative world-building all blend together in such a way that I was determined to finish it, while dreading to reach the final pages.

I've always imagined that alien contact would be met with a mixture of suspicion, fear, and excitement, but more so of the first two if the beings were further advanced than ourselves. (They pretty much had to be if they made contact with us.) Alienated handled it so well that I never really had to suspend disbelief. The way events played out in the story were just as I pictured.

Other aspects of Alienated's science fiction that I appreciated were the handling of evolution-caused differences between the species and the technology given to Earth by the L'eihr. Some of the variations between humans and L'eihr (who were nearly identical on a DNA level) were their food preferences, emotional capacity, and coloration. This comes from the differences between the two planets, as well as man-made influences. There were no gaps in explanation, and nothing kept me scratching my head.

I suppose since the characters are so important to Alienated, I should talk about Cara and Aelyx instead of geeking out on the fantastic writing. They are each given a point of view in the story, in alternating chapters, giving the reader insight to their emotions and the ability to watch them grow as events unfold. This was vital to the story. Their relationship with each other felt natural, without any of the gag-worthy instalove. Additionally, every character - not just the main ones - was well-developed and integral to the progression of the story.

I think science-fictional realism, like in Alienated, just might be the new, hot trend in YA (I'm seeing a lot of it), but Alienated is the best that I've encountered so far. It has one of the best stories and execution that I've read this year. If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, run - do not walk - to grab it.

5/5 Stars

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

The main focus of my history degree and religious studies has been focused on Western Europe and the Crusades, so I have never heard of Xenia of St. Petersburg prior to reading The Mirrored World. The story of her life is told by her cousin, Dashenka. It begins with the fire of 1736 in St. Petersburg, when Xenia, her mother, and sister Nadya move in with Dashenka's family, and ends around the turn of the century. The book takes the reader through Xenia's childhood, marriage, and finally her years of wandering after being widowed.

Dashenka was an interesting character to use to tell Xenia's story. "Dasha" was a girl who did not always do as she was told, namely teaching herslef to read against her family's wishes. I think a bit of her rebelliousness lended to her ability to be Xenia's best friend throughout life. (I cannot tell you if she is based on a real person or not. I tend to suspend disbelief in most historical fiction and take things at face value, so as to not disrupt my enjoyment of the story.) Dasha grows up with Xenia and Nadya, and she is taken out into society at the same time as the other girls to save money and take advantage of the celebrations of German princess Catherine being wed to Grand Duke Peter. Because of this, Dasha has a first row seat to the progression of Xenia's relationship with Andrei Feodorovich. It was clear on every page how much Dasha loved Xenia, as she always allowed Xenia her quirks and never truly tried to change her, even when times were rough.

Xenia is a figure that was intriguing and heartbreaking. In her marriage to Andrei, she was spoiled by his position in court and his love for her. He learned of her "otherness" early in the story and carried on with her regardless. Andrei bought her anything that she showed interest in because he loved to make her happy. Upon his sudden and very unexpected death, she went over the brink and became the crazy woman who doted on the poor that she is known for. It makes me wonder if her determination to give away all of her possessions and wealth to others comes from her wishing to atone for delight of material things while her husband lived.

While I enjoyed reading about the two women and other characters in The Mirrored World, I was never able to really connect with either of them. I pitied them when they suffered losses and found myself laughing out loud at one point in the book, but I read the story almost as I would a history lesson. Yes, it was interesting and engaging, but these were just two women living their lives in Russia.

There were many historical references throughout The Mirrored World, which helped me with the progression of the story. Though I was unfamiliar with Xenia, I was well aware of many of the events mentioned. I was able to keep track of the years, even when they were not offered in the story. The time frame of The Mirrored World went across three empresses of Russia, and the brief reign of Peter III. Various wars are mentioned, but the novel mainly focuses on Xenia's transformation into the saintly figure.

The Mirrored World was a good book and kept my interest, but I lacked that connection with the characters. I sympathized with both Xenia's and Dasha's losses throughout the book, but I did not feel pulled into their lives. However, the historical portion of the novel and the beautiful writing style made up for it, and I will be reading more novels from Dean.

- 3/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received a copy of the novel from the publisher through TLC Book Tours in exchange for an unbiased review. It has in no way affected the outcome. All expressed opinions are awesome, honest, and courtesy of me.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please

There's not enough deep space science fiction in YA, and I did not realize that I was missing it until I read Starglass by Phoebe North. There are others out there similar to it, namely Across the Universe by Beth Revis, but Starglass had a story all its own. Phoebe North spins the Jewish diaspora and makes it a sort of human diaspora in the world-building of the novel. I thought of that comparison because Asherah, the spaceship in the novel, exists to preserve Jewish culture. Yes, it's got a lot of religious influences in the story, but the world-building was unique and intriguing, so it all works. Oh, and there is this twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I love when those things hit me unexpectedly.

Terra was the main character in the novel, and I instantly connected with her because I felt sorry for her. Starglass starts out with her mother's funeral. This event lays the seeds for everything that happens to her three years down the road. It leaves her feeling very isolated because her family is no longer one with four people: father, mother, son, daughter. (That's how ALL families are made up on the ship.) When the story picks back up when she's fifteen, her dad is a verbally abusive jerk, her brother is married to an alright girl of a higher station, and she is waiting to find out what her job on the ship will be. Terra is hoping for a job as an artist, but she ends up in botany with a woman who did not want a tahmid (apprentice). She also has a lot of weird dreams about her bashert (soulmate) that not even BEGIN to make any sense until the end of the novel. The long and short of it is that she's a strong girl who makes it through a crappy three years, loyal to her friends and family, tries to do the right thing even when it's hard, and never stops questioning what she is doing or why. The last part has a lot to do with the murder she witnesses, but I don't want to spoil anything. Let's just say that things begin to spiral after that.

In case it hasn't come across clearly, I loved Starglass. However, there were a few things that I did not quite understand in the book. The letters to Terra, the daughter of one of the Earth-born passengers on the ship, throughout the novel helped with the suspense, but they threw me off at times. The current Terra's dreams were definitely confusing, and it was not until maybe 95% into the book that I saw the purpose in them at all. There is a social ladder that is a borderline caste system on the ship, but the job-based rungs of that ladder were vague. Some people married outside of their job level, but others acted like it was forbidden. *scratches head* These things did not detract much from my enjoyment of Terra's story, and the version of Starglass that I read was an ARC, so maybe it's changed.

All in all, Starglass was a mystery about a society shot into space and where it went wrong, and a coming of age story for Terra, who is faced with the constant struggle of doing what she believes to be the right thing. The religious aspects of the story sets it apart from other science fiction novels that I have read. Starbreak, book two, is due next year, and I am anxiously awaiting it.

- 4/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received the book for reviewing purposes as a part of Itching for Books Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. The advance digital copy was provided to the tour by the publisher, which has in no way affected the outcome. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

I am a long-time fan of Robin McKinley's work, ever since I was in middle school, and I've read quite a few of her novels. (Most of them multiple times, and we're not going to talk about The Hero and the Crown.) When I started Shadows, I had my heart set on the world-building or characters to rival those beloved reads. Instead, I got a story which, if I had to wrap it up with ony one word, is "meh".

Maggie, the main character, has been living with her mom and brother since her father died. She is a sweet and somewhat mature teenager - except for the minor fact that she hated her new stepfather, thought he was creepy, and broadcast those feelings spectacularly. However, she wasn't a bad kid, and her sense of loyalty and responsibility that drove her actions throughout the novel. The supporting characters were Maggie's family - Mom, Val, and brother Ran; Takahiro and Jill, her best friends; Mongo, her feisty rescue dog; and Casimir, the droolworthy Oldworld guy who happens to be working at her favorite restaurant. The best character Hix, but I'm not going to spoil that for you. Each of the characters had a lot of potential, but their relationships with one another lacked depth (except for Hix). A prime example was when Maggie kissed a person in the novel, and he was suddenly her boyfriend within seconds. No explanation, conversation, etc. - just a sudden relationship on the next level.

As for the world in Shadows, it was almost like a US, Britain and Canada all mixed together. I could never really wrap my mind around where the book was set. The world was different from our own (the various countries were called things like Newworld, Oldworld, Farworld, Midworld, etc.), but it was close enough that it can be called an alternate reality. Alternate to which place? I have no idea, but I digress. Newworld, where Shadows is set has given up all magic, and the government changes people's genetics so no magicians can pop up. Oldworld and other countries still depend on magic, so crossing the borders between them requires paperwork and the kind of stripping that would make the TSA proud. There are silverbugs and cobeys that mess things up everywhere, and each location handles them in their own way. The world was interesting, and I kept turning the pages to learn more about it, but I finished the book with nearly as many questions as I started with. I couldn't wrap my mind around Shadows. It was fascinating, but it left me scratching my head.

Another thing about Shadows that stood out to me was the lack of tension. Even the battles, government shenanigans, and the climax never really had me at the edge of my seat. I don't know if it was because I didn't connect with the characters, was confused about what was going on, or just never felt a sense of danger for the characters. I guess this is just a thing that sucks about me as a reader - too much or too little tension really affects my enjoyment of a book.

Though I did not enjoy Shadows as much as I hoped, there is no denying that McKinley is an exceptionally gifted writer. The world and characters were imaginative, and I know there are many fans of her work that will eat this one up. It was a fast read, and I'm sure I will give it another chance in the future to see if what was standing in the way of my full enjoyment of the story was me.

*To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

The Hunter is the seventh book in the Highland Guard series by best-selling author Monica McCarty, but can be read as a standalone. This is what I have done, though I have not yet read the other books in the series. (I will.)

This is not going to be a particularly easy review for me because the book was enjoyable enough to read. I enjoy reading historical romance novels from time to time, and I like the happily ever after that most of them offer. This book was no exception. It had wonderful writing, world-building, characters, and enough history to make me a very happy reader. However, there was a scene very early on in the book that gave me a bad taste in my mouth. When the two main characters (Ewan Lamant and Janet of Mar) first meet a little ways into the book, she is being detained by English soldiers. When I say detained, I really mean that Janet (posing as Sister Genna) and her companion are about to be raped by those soldiers. Yes, that's not my favorite plot device, but it is relevant to the time period. What really got me was before Ewan stepped in to rescue her and save the day (da-duh-duh-ta-da!), he had to take a minute to lust after Janet standing half-naked in front of her would-be rapists. I would have liked him a lot better if he would've just jumped right in to save her instead of admiring the view. It completely disrupted the enjoyment of the book because I kept giving Ewan the stink eye.

Apart from that one issue (which I am sure many of you will not have with the book), The Hunter good. The love story was well-paced, and they were not jumping in bed or confessing their undying love immediately. The progression of their relationship (aside from them graphically checking each other out mentally) was slow and believable. I did give Ewan the stink-eye for the whole book, but I appreciate time he took with Janet, his acceptance of her feisty, independent nature, and taking his time in ravaging her. (That's not a spoiler - heroines always have to be ravaged by their soul mate in the Scottish Highlands.) He was almost honorable, but... Yep, still giving him the Look. As for Janet, she had a lot guilt and scars from her past, and those made the work she was a doing a priority. She's a strong woman with a very dangerous job in a warzone, and she's admirable in her resolve.

I think The Hunter is a good Scottish romance that will sweep you off your feet, even though I was a bit of a grouch about Ewan. I enjoyed everything else in the book, and I will be reading the rest of the series. I think fans of the genre will love McCarty's final book in the Highland Guard series and will certainly swoon over the steamy romance.

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received a copy of the book from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. It has in no way affected the outcome. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please.

A Spark Unseen is the sequel to to last year's The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron. Katharine Tulman has grown up a little (it's been a year or two since the events in the first book), and dear Uncle Tully is still what most people would consider to be insane. Unfortunately, an invention from the last novel proves that Uncle Tully is a genius, and two governments are after him. It becomes necessary for Katharine, Mary, and the wonderful lawyer Mr. Babcock to "kidnap" Uncle Tully, fake his death, and whisk him away from Paris. There is intrigue, murder, betrayal, bothersome neighbors, a hot French guy, and an imperial ball. Oh, and the hired help isn't as creepy by half.

I enjoyed A Spark Unseen more than its predecessor, probably because the main character was not constantly questioning her sanity. Katharine has a clear head (for the most part) throughout the novel and must do her best to enter Parisian society while looking for Lane - all while keeping her uncle hidden. The help in this novel is also nowhere near as scary as in The Dark Unwinding, but the family Katharine found in the house is still not anyone that I would've liked coming home to. As with TDU, you could never tell whether many of the new characters were good or bad, but it lacked the tension. (Trust me, I enjoy it a lot better when I'm not trying to read ahead because of anxiety attacks.) Plot twists were also plentiful, but not to the point of confusion. I liked the writing in this novel a lot. The one thing thing that was "meh" about the story was the resolution of the romance. It was far too easy, and I don't think the one-sided knowledge was really fair.

Cameron's writing in A Spark Unseen sucked me in and transported me to Victorian England and Paris. The descriptions of everything from the house in Paris, the side streets, and the catacombs made me feel like I was right there with Katharine. One of my favorite scenes of the book was Napoleon III's ball, which I could almost see. The descriptiveness was beautiful.

I'm glad I did not skip A Spark Unseen since I liked it so much better than the first book. I think any fans of historical fiction and mysteries of all ages will enjoy the series.

- 4/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

Review originally posted on Bibliophilia, Please.

In Alexandra Coutts' debut novel,Tumble & Fall, the story is told in alternating points of view of three teenagers: Sienna, who was just checked out of rehab by her dad; Zan, who is still mourning the death of her boyfriend from ten months previous to the story; and Caden, who was brought up on the wrong side of the tracks and is starting to drift into the wrong crowd. There is also a host of secondary characters that I enjoyed just as much as the leads because of their complexities, and they were also necessary for the development and growth of Sienna, Zan, and Caden. Oh, and there's an asteroid in the background that everyone is waiting to hit the planet, but Tumble & Fall isn't really an apocalyptic or science fiction book. You aren't going to see rioting, cults, or Bruce Willis riding a nuclear warhead into the sunset (which is referred to many times in the book). The world had been essentially given six months to live. Humanity was aware of the asteroid Persephone's impending collide with the planet, and those six months were wrapping up during the timeframe of the novel. There was no expected "last hurrah" from any of the world's governments. The diagnosis for everyone is terminal, and it's almost time for them to die. How in the world I did not expect, even for a moment, before reading this book that I wasn't going to cry is beyond me. This is mostly a contemporary novel - with an asteroid. You may have trouble suspending belief about the lack of full-scale rioting and looting, but I think everyone has pretty much accepted what's coming.

Staying on track, the book is mainly about the characters and the journeys they take as they prepare for the end. Sienna is trying to come to terms with how her illness affects her everyday life, how much she is like her dead mother, her father's new romance with Denny, and falling in love with Owen out of nowhere. (Really, it's out of nowhere. Yes, I'll grant them that the world is ending, but two or three days is a bit ridiculous.) She is probably my favorite character in Tumble & Fall because of how self-aware she is. My heart breaks for her because of her illness and that she had to carry so much weight. Zan is a bit less likeable for me. She finds a girl's phone number in her dead boyfriend Leo's book that he was reading when he died, and she decides she is going to track the girl down. Zan also drags along Leo's best friend, Nick, for the ride. While her determination to find Vanessa is applaudable, I was still shaking my head at her. If her love and trust of Leo was so complete, she should have left things alone. However, that wouldn't have made for a very good story. Finally there's Caden who is kidnapped by his long-lost father within the first few pages of the book. His dad is what you would get if you combine Richie Rich with a mob boss. Caden's journey consists of him learning family secrets and deciding what family really means to him.

In the end, Tumble & Fall is just a book about family, finding yourself, and going through the stages of grieving. I enjoyed it a lot since it's made pretty clear in the beginning of the story that this isn't about people getting rescued - it's about going home and saying goodbye. If you are able to connect to any of the characters in the book, I can almost guarantee that you will tear up. I know I was quietly sobbing in the breakroom at work.

- 3.5/5 Stars -

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.

*sigh* Perfect, review to come...