REVIEW | The Last of the Firedrakes

Series: The Avalonia Chronicles #1
Author: Farah Oomerbhoy
Genre: young adult, fantasy, romance, adventure, magic, 
Published: August 15, 2015
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn't seem so bad. 

AVALONIA is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms - including killing anyone who stands in her way. 

Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora's arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dead. 

With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.

[REVIEW] Salt to the Sea

Series: N/A
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, romance, adventure, survival
Published: February 2, 2016
Publisher: Philomel
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Winter, 1945. Lithuania, East Prussia, Germany, Poland.

Four teenagers. Four secrets. Each born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies... and war. 

As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast seeking to escape the chaos and terror of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom. 

Yet not all promises can be kept. 

Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope.

[REVIEW] UnDivided

Series: Unwind #4
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, adventure
Published: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a dark military plan for him. But below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Connor, Risa, and Lev uncover these shocking secrets, enraged teens begin to rise up, demanding justice and a better future.

But more trouble is brewing. Starkey's group of stroked kids are growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. If they have their way, they'll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad - which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future. 

The finale to the New York Times bestselling futuristic thriller dystology that Booklist called, "Perfectly poised to catch the Hunger Games wave, and based on an even more plausible dystopian scenario," is unexpected, unsettling, and startlingly unconventional.

[REVIEW] Tsarina

Series: N/A
Author: J. Nelle Patrick (Jackson Pearce)
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, fantasy, magic, adventure, romance
Published: February 27, 2014
Publisher: Razorbill
Purchase: Amazon

Imperial Russia swirls with rebellion.

But Natalya's first love and heir to the Russian throne, Alexei Romanov, whispers a secret in her ear: Hidden within the Winter Palace lies a Faberge Egg enchanted by the powerful mystic Rasputin. With it, the Romanovs will never fall from power. The Reds will never triumph over the Whites. And one day, Alexei will ascend the throne and Natalya will be beside him - the tsarina of Russia. 

But when the Reds raid the Winter Palace, the egg vanishes and the Romanovs are captured. Natalya must find the egg to save Alexei, her way of life, and her royal future. She's forced to ally herself with an enemy - a young Red named Leo who wants the egg for his own purposes. As they brave a war-battered landscape of snow and magic, Natalya realizes that the world isn't as simple as it seemed back in Saint Petersburg. Nothing - not friends, not politics, not even love - is as clear as Red and white. 

[REVIEW] Earth & Sky

Series: Earth & Sky #1
Author: Megan Crewe
Genre: young adult, science fiction, fantasy time travel, aliens, adventure, romance
Published: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Skyscape
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Seventeen-year-old Skylar has been haunted for as long as she can remember by fleeting yet powerful sensations that something is horribly wrong. But despite the visions of disaster that torment her, nothing ever happens, and Sky’s beginning to think she’s crazy. Then she meets a mysterious, otherworldly boy named Win and discovers the shocking truth her premonitions have tapped into: that our world no longer belongs to us. For thousands of years, life on Earth has been at the mercy of alien scientists who care nothing for humans and are using us as the unwitting subjects of their time-manipulating experiments. Win belongs to a rebel faction seeking to put a stop to it, and he needs Skylar’s help to save the world and keep the very fabric of reality together. Megan Crewe’s latest tale takes readers on a mind-bending journey through time with a cast of unforgettable characters.

[REVIEW] UnSouled

Series: Unwind #3
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, adventure
Published: October 14, 2014 (first published October 15, 2013)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, the last safe haven for AWOL Unwinds. But for the first time, they're not just running away from something. This time, they're running toward answers, in the form of a woman whom Proactive Citizenry has tried to erase from history itself. If they can find her, and learn why the shadowy figures behind unwinding are so afraid of her, they may discover the key to bringing down unwinding forever.

Cam, the rewound boy, is plotting to take down the organization that created him. Because he knows that if he can bring Proactive Citizenry to its knees, it will show Risa how he truly feels about her. And without Risa, Cam is having trouble remembering what it feels like to be himan. 

With the Juvenile Authority and vindictive parts pirate on the hunt, their paths will converge explosively - and everyone will be changed. 

[BOOK BLITZ] Earth's End

Series: Air Awakens #3
Author: Elise Kova
Genre: young adult, fantasy, magic, adventure, romance
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Published: February 11, 2016
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | The Book Depository

A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood. 

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance. 

Book Three of the Air Awakens Series

[REVIEW] UnWholly

Series: Unwind #2
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, adventure
Published: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

The Harvest Camp revolt was victorious, but the war on unwinding is just beginning.

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa, and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp, people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. But even as the future of unwinding is brought into question, AWOL kids are still fighting to make it to their eighteenth birthday. 

Connor has his hands full running the Graveyard, a safe haven for kids like him who escaped unwinding. Risa, paralyzed from the waist down after the attack on the camp, is afraid that she may be more of a burden than a help. And Lev finds himself involved in an underground movement to rescue tithes, where he is practically worshiped as a god. 

One of them will be betrayed. One of them will go on the run. And one of them will cross paths with Cam, a teen who doesn't exist. A twenty-first-century Frankenstein's monster, Cam is made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds. 

And none of them will be ready for the startling truth behind unwinding... 

[REVIEW] Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: young adult, fantasy, mystery, horror, historical fiction, time travel, supernatural, paranormal, adventure
Published: June 4, 2013 (first published June 7, 2011)
Publisher: Quirk Books
Purchase: Amazon

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As out story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its decaying bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive.

[REVIEW] Beastly Bones

Series: Jackaby #2
Author: William Ritter
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, supernatural, adventure
Published: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

The highly anticipated follow-up to the “rich world”* of the “lighthearted and assured debut,” featuring an “irresistible character” whose first thrilling and original adventure “demands sequels.”* 

“I've found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I've known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.” 

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. 

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad's Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer. 

Praise for Jackaby: 

“Ritter's debut skillfully blends science with the supernatual and balances whimsy with violence.” —*Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

“Toss together an alternate 19th-century New England city, a strong tradition of Sherlockian pastiche, and one seriously ugly hat, and this lighthearted and assured debut emerges, all action and quirk.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review 

“A riveting mash-up of mystery and folklore, with vivid details and striking turns of phrase. And Jackaby is an irresistible character.” —The Horn Book Magazine

[REVIEW] Throne of Glass

Series: Throne of Glass #1
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: young adult, fantasy, high fantasy, romance, magic, adventure, mystery,
Published: August 2, 2012 (first published January 1, 2012)
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught. 

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

[REVIEW] Born of Shadow

Series: The Shadow Wars #1
Author: Sarah Benson
Genre: young adult, fantasy, adventure, romance
Published: August 18, 2014
Publisher: Createsapce
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

On her seventeenth birthday, Kami receives a mysterious artifact and a ticket to visit her estranged grandparents in Egypt. When she arrives, no one is there to meet her. Alone and in an unfamiliar country, she quickly discovers her missing grandparents are only part of a greater threat. Whispers of strange creatures made of a shadowy substance can be heard among the nomads of the desert. A new queen has quietly come to power, given strength by a powerful evil unleashed when she opens an ancient jar. She won't stop until she finds the remains of Alexander the Great, convinced that his body holds the secret to her becoming a god. Kami must rely on a band of misfit friends she makes along the way to save her grandparents and stop the queen. But does the handsome boy she just met have answers, or is he part of the reason for her grandparents' disappearance?

[BOOK BLITZ] The Keepsake

Series: The Empress Chronicles #2
Author: Suzy Vitello
Genre: young adult, historical fiction, fantasy, romance, adventure, supernatural
Publisher: words in a hurry press 
Published: October 1, 2015
Purchase: Link Here!

In this second Empress Chronicles book, Liz and Sisi continue their intertwined journey through time. On the heels of discovering a magical locket in the empress diary, Liz comes to understand its very special power: the wearer must speak the truth. Not only that, but it turns out that there are three lockets, each with their own magic and power. 

Meanwhile, Sisi realizes that she’s communicating with a girl who lives 150 years in the future. A girl who knows what awaits her if she marries the emperor: lack of personal freedom and a legacy that will refer to her as the "reluctant empress." 

With the world's future hanging in the balance, the two heroines must work together to thwart Lola, whose ambition to rule the Habsburg Empire will rewrite history, and lead to a terrifying new version of reality. 

[REVIEW] Pawn

Series: the Warchild #1
Author: Ernie Lindsey 
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, post apocalyptic, fantasy, adventure, action, thriller
Published: June 12, 2014
Publisher: JCL Publishing
Purchase: Amazon

The world ended long before Caroline Mathers was born, but that doesn't mean life stops for the fourteen-year-old army scout for the People's Republic of Virginia. 

With a civil war brewing on the horizon, she slinks through the forests surrounding her encampment, monitoring the woods for nomadic bands of criminals, all while keeping a watchful eye on her dangerous northern enemies from the Democratic Alliance. 

Caroline's worst fears come true the day she hears the terrifying boom of distant drums beating to the war rhythm, echoing throughout their quiet valley. With some help from two unlikely allies, Caroline leads her people in a breathtaking retreat, praying they'll find salvation in their capitol city. Along the way, haunting dreams may reveal a look into her mystifying past. 

The first book of the Warchild trilogy series is a young adult dystopian thriller full of fast-paced action and teen adventure, perfect for those who enjoy the undeniable strength of the human bond. 

[REVIEW] The Infinite Sea

Series: the Fifth Wave #2
Author: Rick Yancey
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, aliens, post apocalyptic, romance, fantasy, adventure
Published: September 16 2014
Publisher: Putnam

HOW DO YOU RID THE EARTH OF SEVEN BILLION HUMANS? RID THE HUMANS OF THEIR HUMANITY.

Cassie Sullivan and her companions lived through the Others' four waves of destruction. Now, with the human race nearly exterminated and the 5th Wave rolling across the landscape, they face a choice: brace for winter and hope for Evan Walker's return, or set out in search of other survivors before the enemy closes in. Because the next attack is more than possible - it's inevitable. 

No one can anticipate the depths to which the Others will sink, nor the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate. 

[MINI REVIEWS] Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Weren't You and I + CRESS

Series: N/A
Author: Albert Espinosa
Genre: adult, science fiction, fantasy
Published: July 2, 2015
Publisher: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, GRIJALBO
Purchase: Amazon

Can you imagine a future where everyone has given up sleeping? 

From the creator of the television series Red Band Society and author of the international bestseller The Yellow World comes this uniquely special novel.

What if I could reveal your secrets with just a glance? And what if I could feel with your heart just by looking at you? And what if --in a single moment-- I could know that we were made for each other? Marcos has just lost his mother, a famous dancer who taught him everything, and he decides that his world can never be the same without her. Just as he is about to make a radical change, a phone call turns his world upside down.

Albert Espinosa has a peculiar talent for generating immediate congeniality around him, for shifting people's moods toward the positive and for reconciling them with themselves and the world, when needed.

[REVIEW] Secret of the Sevens

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Series: N/A
Author: Lynn Lindquist
Genre: young adult, mystery, adventure, contemporary
Published: June 8, 2015
Publisher: Flux
Purchase: Amazon

Everyone at Singer, a boarding school for underprivileged kids, knows the urban legend of the Society of Seven. Decades ago, the original members of the secret guild for elite students murdered the school's founder and then perished in the fire they lit to hide the evidence. Or so the story goes. 

Talan Michaels doesn't care about Singer's past. He's too focused on his future and the fact that he'll be homeless after he graduates in May. To take his mind off it, he accepts a mysterious invitation to join a group calling itself the Sevens.  

He expects pranks, parties, and perks. Instead, he finds himself neck-deep in a conspiracy involving secret passages and cryptic riddles about the school's history. Even worse, he's now tangled in web of lies someone will kill to keep hidden.

“At the end of the day, it’s Talan and his endearing combination of bravado and vulnerability, coupled with the crackling chemistry he shares with Laney, that will keep readers turning the pages. A satisfying read for secret-society fanatics and romantics alike.” – Kirkus Reviews 

[REVIEW] the 5th Wave

Series: The Fifth Wave #1
Author: Rick Yancey
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, aliens, post apocalyptic, fantasy, romance, adventure
Published: May 2013 (first published January 1, 2013)
Publisher: Penguin Group Inc.

After the 1st Wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. After the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th Wave, just one rule applies: TRUST NO ONE.

Now it's the dawn of the 5th Wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker, may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother - or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. 

From award-winning author Rick Yancey comes a gripping epic of catastrophic loss, unthinkable odds, and unflinching courage.

[REVIEW] Such A Secret Place

full tour schedule can be found at Itching For Books

Series: Stolen Tears #1
Author: Cortney Pearson
Genre: young adult, adventure, fantasy, magic, dystopia, 
Published: April 1, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Raids splatter across the news--Arcaian soldiers are stealing magic left and right, using it against the people they steal it from. 

When sixteen-year-old Ambry Csille's brother gets taken in one of these raids, her utter fear and panic should be enough to invoke tears in any normal world. But for Ambry, tears are a thing of the past. 

Because of a spell, people can no longer feel emotion; not enough to cry, and definitely not enough to defend themselves against the tyrannical soldiers stealing her people’s magic. A rare vial of enchanted tears chooses Ambry to reverse the spell, and soon she finds herself the target not only of the Arcaians, but of battle-scarred Talon Haraway, who wants the tears for his own reasons. 

All Ambry wants is to rescue her brother, but when her tears get stolen, Ambry determines to work with Talon to get them back. Any day the Arcaians could drink her tears. Any day they’ll succeed at draining her people's magic completely, and all hope will be gone—not only for her brother, but for her world.

[REVIEW] Dreamscape: Saving Alex

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Series: N/A
Author: Kirstin Pulioff
Genre: young adult, adventure, fantasy, magical realism, coming of age
Published: April 15, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Alexis Stone is used to getting away from life’s frustration with Dreamscape, a video game she's loved since childhood. As her family prepares to move, a sleepy night of gaming pulls her into the world like never before. Trapped in Dreamscape’s realm, Alex is about to learn that being a hero has consequences… and this time, the stakes are deadly. Will helping the rebellion cost her everything she knows and loves? Or will she betray them to save her own life?