Recent Reads

 Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid (2025)

In a dystopian future, Inesa's mother has sacrificed her to the Lamb's Gauntlet in order to get rid of her debt.  In this livestreamed assassination, Melinoe, a trained assassin, will hunt down Inesa; however, neither of them expects that they'll have to work together to survive the wasteland and that feelings might develop in the most unexpected of circumstances.  I really liked the premise of this - a bit Hunger Games, a bit Running Man - but the execution really fell short for me.  It felt really dated, like I was reading something from 20 years ago that was trying to depict the future.  The constant references to tablets and Melinoe's physical upgrades (like her robot eye) didn't feel fresh.  And the plot holes and just overall inconsistencies - for instance, the author indicates that Melinoe's upgrades make her body temp colder, yet Inesa says something about her "warm body" later, and Melinoe explains that the rulers in charge can't do Gauntlets all the time, because it would diminish their effect, yet Inesa's Gauntlet is literally just a couple days after another one ends.  Also, we come across at least two parents that willingly sacrifice their CHILDREN to the Gauntlet to alleviate their OWN debt - so gross, sacrifice yourself!  However, I liked Inesa's brother and the tension he brought to the story, and while a lot of readers will have a problem with the ending, I appreciated that it was more open-ended and not your typical happy ever after.  3 stars

The Divorce by Freida McFadden (2026)

Seemingly out of nowhere, Naomi's husband Jeremy asks her for a divorce and kicks her out of their house.  Naomi is predictably upset, but even more so when she finds out that Jeremy has a new girlfriend, Veronica, and she becomes obsessed with saving her son Teddy from the secrets she uncovers.  I'll be honest, I've read so many Freida McFadden books because she has a huge backlist and there always seems to be one available when I need an audiobook.  I have been loving thrillers this year, so her books usually scratch that itch.  That being said - do I love her books?  Not usually.  Are they entertaining?  Yes, but also wildly implausible and totally bonkers, and not generally in a good way.  That brings us to The Divorce, my latest McFadden book.  For the first half or so, I was on board.  I really felt for Naomi and the cruel way Jeremy treated her, basically tricking her into moving out and then filing for divorce out of nowhere.  The way it seemed like he was gaslighting her was truly infuriating.  But then we get to the second half of the book and things started to go off the rails.  As is typical with McFadden books, no one is who they appear to be at first, so when we get a second POV (Veronica), the entire story changed.  Naomi went from having my full sympathy to being unlikable.  I did, however, enjoy the theme of mothers doing whatever it takes for their children.  3 stars

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Recent Reads

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca (2024)

Looking for a new start, Cassie buys a house in a small town called Boneyard Key.  She likes her new town - and also Nick, who owns a local coffee shop.  But when she discovers her house is haunted, will she stick around?  This has been on my TBR since last fall, and I finally got a chance to read it - unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed.  Is it bad that I was more interested in the ghosts than the two main characters?  Cassie and Nick were just bland - I never really felt like I got a clear picture of who they were or what they wanted, or if they were truly on the same page as each other.  I thought the backstories of the ghosts haunting their homes were much more intriguing; there's a twist involving the ghosts that I clocked almost immediately and I was disappointed that it took the characters so long to realize it.  Cute idea for a seasonal romance, but didn't really work for me.  3 stars

Sally's Lament by Mari Mancusi (2024)

In this installment of the Disney Twisted Tales series, Mari Mancusi explores what might have happened if Sally had discovered Christmas Town instead of Jack Skellington.  Sally is entranced by the village, but she soon discovers an evil undertone to the cheeriness of the town.  I have to admit, I'd never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas before I read this book, but I love this series and so wanted to try it.  For me, this was an incredibly successful story.  I felt like there was enough background from the original movie incorporated that I understood the basic premise, and I enjoyed Sally and Jack's adventures in Christmas Town.  Both Sally and Jack feel a bit stunted in Halloween Town, so figuring out the mystery of this new place and helping new friends along the way really helped them.  I thought the writing was fantastic and the story was clear (some of the Twisted Tales can get a bit convoluted).  And don't get me started on that last chapter - so many happy tears!  5 stars

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Recent Reads

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan (2024)

Rae is dying from terminal cancer when one day she is approached with a mysterious offer - a chance to live by first entering the fantasy world of her favorite book series and retrieving a flower.  With nothing to lose, Rae takes a chance and wakes up as a character in the story, with the world around her feeling all too real.  She's been cast as one of the villains, and she'll have to be truly devious to keep herself from being killed.  I really enjoyed this book!  It took me a little bit to really get into it - the writing is very dense, to create this fantasy world - but the concept is amazing!  A chance to meet some of your favorite characters and experience their world?  Awesome!  As Rae makes it further into the storyline, things are not quite as she expected, and even her own actions will have serious consequences.  I admired Rae's ability to maneuver this world while still being herself, and the cast of characters around her are both terrifying and extraordinary.  I'm excited to see where Brennan takes the story next!  4 stars

Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose (2025)

After spending her childhood unhappily helping her doomsday-prepping dad, Casey left as soon as she could and hasn't looked back.  That is, until a zombie apocalypse surges through the nation and she's forced to return to her childhood home.  There, she finds her father had continued his prepper ways and is now thriving, somewhat, while offering refuge to several other people, including Casey's childhood nemesis, Blake.  This book had a little bit of everything, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  There's some science fiction, with the zombies, and of course plenty of gore comes along with that.  There's action and drama, as the survivors fight to keep their home safe.  Casey and her father are able to work on their damaged relationship, and I definitely shed some tears there!  And Casey and Blake finally find some common ground and, in working together, love blossoms.  After an explosive ending, I'm hoping for a sequel!  4.5 stars

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Quick Reviews

A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing (2023) 

Ivy and Wes have had an on-again, off-again relationship for 10 years - even though they've had some good times, it's a mostly toxic, dysfunctional relationship.  Years ago, during one of their many blow-out fights, an innocent bystander paid the price - and now, a detective is looking into it.  I'm slowly stepping back into the mystery/thriller genre, and this was a good one!  Wes and Ivy are so terrible together, but they just can't help themselves, and now their bad deeds are coming back to punish them.  I liked that the story moved back and forth between Ivy and Wes, because we definitely needed both of their POVs.  The pacing was really good, as well, although the story didn't have as many twists as I expected.  While there were some little surprises, it was a bit predictable - the main draw was watching how Ivy and Wes tried to stay one step ahead of the detective who seems determined to bring them down.  4 stars

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (2023)

After her parents' tragic deaths, Inez travels to Egypt to find out what happened to them and maybe even also continue their work, despite the efforts of her uncle and his assistant to stop her.  This one was a bit of a mixed bag.  Let's start with the things that didn't work for me - the fantasy elements and magic system.  I knew this was a fantasy going in, but much of these elements just felt hokey to me.  Everyday objects are imbued with magic and memories - the memories thing was cool, especially when Inez was able to access memories from Cleopatra, but the random objects that did magical things, like a shoe bursting into flame like a torch?  It felt silly.  The "romance" also felt a little off to me; Inez comes across as very young and naive, and her reactions to Whit were often immature.  But, I loved the setting - traveling through Egypt with Inez and the other characters, the archaeological dig, the history.  Parts reminded me of The Historian, which features another young woman searching for her father, history, and some mystical elements.  I think there were some good twists, and it definitely sets itself up well for the next installment.  4 stars

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Review: The Light Between Worlds

The Light Between Worlds
Laura E. Weymouth
Published October 23, 2018

Five years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were transported to another realm called the Woodlands. In a forest kingdom populated by creatures out of myth and legend, they found temporary refuge.

When they finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves.

Now, Ev spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes.

Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a place in this world. She shields herself behind a flawless exterior and countless friends, and moves to America to escape the memory of what was.

But when Evelyn goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under. - from Goodreads

The Light Between Worlds has a lot in common with the classic The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe - a group of siblings are whisked away from WWII England and find themselves in a magical land.  After joining in a war for several years, they are transported back to the moment they left.  The Light Between Worlds, however, explores what happens to the siblings after they return.

The story is told from three main POVs - Evelyn, Philippa, and flashbacks to the time in the Woodlands (there is also a brother, Jamie, but the book is more focused on the sisters' relationship).  I loved the first half of the book, which is told from Evelyn's point of view.  Just 11 years old when she finds herself in the Woodlands, Evelyn spends her formative years there, so when they return to London and she is back to being 11, she feels lost.  It came across so clearly that she immediately felt at home in the Woodlands, and her life back in the real world would never be the same.  Although she tries for many years to fit in, there is a desperation running through Evelyn's story that is hard to ignore.  Philippa, unfortunately, is not as interesting as Evelyn.  She even says herself at one point that things just generally work out for her.  After Evelyn disappears, Philippa comes home to England and, without even trying, lands herself a job and a suitor.  I just wanted to know more about what happened to Evelyn.

The thing I loved most about this book was the beautiful writing.  It's elegant and feels a little poetic, but contains none of the over-the-top purple prose that I often dislike.  There are so many emotions running through the story; at times it felt melancholy and resigned, at others wistful.

If you're looking for a lot of action, you won't find it here.  There are hints of it in the flashbacks, but this book is more about the characters than anything else.  One thing I did want more of, though, was better world-building of the Woodlands.  It seemed really similar to Narnia, so I was hoping for some differences. 

4 stars

Mini-Reviews: Snow White Retellings

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C.J. Redwine (2016)

Princess Lorelai has been in hiding since her stepmother Irina used her magic to gain control of the kingdom of Ravenspire, but after years of watching Irina destroy the land and people, Lorelai knows it's time to make her move and take back her crown.  Irina, though, has enlisted Kol, newly-crowned king of Eldr, to hunt down Lorelai in exchange for her help in defeating the ogres destroying his own kingdom.

I was expecting this story to be a dark retelling of the Snow White tale, but unfortunately it was bland and unoriginal.  Lorelai is such a flat character, I found myself not really caring if she succeeded or not.  The huntsman aspect of the story is wasted, because Kol allies with Lorelai almost as soon as Irina unleashes him.  Many of the plot points felt like they were pulled from other sources, tv shows, and movies.  The writing isn't bad, but it is repetitive - how many times can an author use the word "slammed" in one book?

One thing that redeems this book a bit is Irina - I much preferred the chapters from her POV than from Lorelai's.  She's wicked in the best ways and just plain more interesting than the other characters.  I could have used more of her character!  2.5 stars

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (2017)

A character-driven retelling of the classic Snow White story.  Princess Lynet has always admired her stepmother Mira, but when her father names Lynet as the new queen of the southern territories, the relationship between the two women is fractured.

The story moves back and forth between the points of view of Lynet and Mina, including flashbacks to earlier in Mina's life, allowing the reader to truly get to know each character.  Magic is infused in the story through Mina's father, who not only replaced his daughter's dying heart with a glass one, but created Lynet out of snow at her own father's command.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mina's character; she believes she is incapable of loving anything or being loved, yet there are moments in her life that would prove otherwise.  I liked that she wasn't the typical villainous stepmother; in fact, I don't think she was really a villain at all.  Her relationship with Lynet is complicated, but at the heart of it is love.  And as much as this story is about these two women, much can be said for the theme of father-daughter relationships, because both Mina and Lynet are treated so poorly by their controlling fathers.

The story moves extremely slowly and there isn't a lot of action, but those readers looking for a more elevated version of the Snow White tale won't be disappointed.  4 stars

4 Fantasy Series I Need to Start

I don't read a ton of fantasy, but it's a genre I've been getting into lately more and more.  I've been adding a lot of fantasy series to my TBR, and here are just four of the many that I really want to start soon:

 

The Ravenspire series by C.J. Redwine, starting with The Shadow Queen.  This series looks like it has dark fantasy/fairy tale retellings, starting with Snow White and moving onto Rumpelstiltskin.

Daughter of the Pirate King series by Tricia Levenseller.  I mean, it's pirates!  I don't read enough stories about pirates.

 

Rebel of the Sands series by Alwyn Hamilton.  I read an awesome review of the first book in the series over at Book Reviews by Di and I knew I had to read it, too.  She describes it as "the Wild West meets the Middle East with a huge fantasy spin" - that sounds amazing!  Plus, I can't get enough of that cover.

Reawakened series by Colleen Houck.  Egyptian-inspired fantasy?  Yes, please!

Have you read any of these?  Which should I read first?



Review: Dividing Eden

Dividing Eden (Dividing Eden #1)
Joelle Charbonneau
Published June 6, 2017

Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.

But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option: to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.

As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.

With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal? - from Goodreads

I love books about royalty, and with the added twist of twins and the fantasy element I've been craving lately, I dove right into Dividing Eden.  However, while it started out strong, the story and characters lost their way and I ended up disappointed.

Princess Carys is strong and stoic.  She has spent her life protecting her brother and helping him hide his secret from the rest of the kingdom, but she's also facing her own struggles, namely an addiction to a painkilling medicine.  Prince Andreus is a womanizer but he also has a big heart for those who are suffering.

After the king and crown prince are killed and the queen renounces the throne, the Council of Elders of Eden is ready to name a new king, even though two heirs remain.  Apparently, no one knows which twin was born first; therefore, neither can be crowned.  Until someone points out that the law says the heirs can battle each other in a series of trials, with the winner receiving the crown.  At this point I was super excited - I couldn't wait to see what trials the twins would have to go through and how they would retain their strong relationship while battling each other.  Some of the trials turn out to be kind of lame and seem to have little to do with ruling a kingdom.  They also move through them so quickly that it was hard to get invested.

Unfortunately, the issues kept coming.  The whole beginning of the story leads us to believe the twins are so close, yet Andreus is swayed by another character during the trials and turns on Carys so quickly, it's really unbelievable.  It totally contradicted what we know about Andreus.  Many of the secondary characters are shady but interchangeable.  Honestly, I kept getting a lot of them confused.  There is a twist of magic at the end that to me seemed to come out of nowhere and isn't supported by anything else in the book (the author gives an explanation, but I wasn't buying it).  Plus, I kept getting a Game of Thrones vibe, with winter approaching and creatures that come out of the woods with the cold.  The writing is also very repetitive - how many times in a chapter can we be told that Andreus has a secret?

Overall, I wanted to love this story - the idea is unique but it also has so many elements that I normally like.  And while I want to see Carys and Andreus find the strong bond they once had, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series.

2.5 stars