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.

[BOOK BLITZ] Remembrance

Series: Transcend Time #1
Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: young adult, science fiction, romance, fantasy, time travel, magic
Publisher: Dreamscape
Published: July 27, 2011
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from 1815, England ... but she doesn't realize it until she meets her soul mate from the past and he triggers her memories to gradually return. 

When Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school, she feels a connection to him, like she knows him. But he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching Drew is more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind? 

Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, but fighting fate isn’t easy, and she’s determined to unravel the mysteries of the past. 

[REVIEW] Girl of Nightmares

Series: Anna #2
Author: Kendare Blake
Genre: young adult, horror, paranormal, ghosts, fantasy, romance, supernatural, urban fantasy, magic
Published: June 17, 2014 (first published August 7, 2012)
Publisher: Tor Teen
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live - not walk around half dead, pining for her. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep, and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong... Therese aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor. 

[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] Air Awakens

Series: Air Awakens #1
Author: Elise Kova
Genre: young adult, fantasy, romance, magic
Published: August 27, 2015
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond... 

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war. 

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

[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

[BOOK BLITZ] Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows

Series: Elementals #1
Author: Michelle Madow
Genre: young adult, fantasy, mythology, magic, witches, romance
Publisher: Dreamscape
Published: January 26, 2016
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBookstore

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!  

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy. 

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance. 

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world. 

[REVIEW] Red Queen

Series: Red Queen #1
Author: Victoria Aveyard (@victoriaaveyard)
Genre: young adult, fantasy, magic, romance, dystopia
Published: February 10, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Purchase: Amazon

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood - those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods. Mare steal what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army, she gambles everything to win his freedom. A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own - an ability she didn't know she had.

Except... her blood is Red. 

To hide this impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard - the leaders of a Red rebellion. Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince and Mare against her own heart. 

From debut author Victoria Aveyard comes a lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal.

[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?

[BOOK BLITZ] Glittering Shadows

Series: Dark Metropolis #2
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Genre: young adult, science fiction, dystopia, horror, zombies, fantasy, magic, lgbt
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: June 16, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

The revolution is here.  

Bodies line the streets of Urobrun; a great pyre burns in Republic Square. The rebels grow anxious behind closed doors while Marlis watches as the politicians search for answers—and excuses—inside the Chancellery.  

Thea, Freddy, Nan, and Sigi are caught in the crossfire, taking refuge with a vibrant, young revolutionary and a mysterious healer from Irminau. As the battle lines are drawn, a greater threat casts a dark shadow over the land. Magic might be lost—forever.  

This action-packed sequel to Dark Metropolis weaves political intrigue, haunting magic, and heartbreaking romance into an unforgettable narrative. Dolamore's lyrical writing and masterfully crafted plot deliver a powerful conclusion. 

[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] the Lost Kingdom

full tour schedule can be found at Itching for Books.

Series: the Elements Series #1
Author: Stephanie Beerden
Genre: young adult, fantasy, magic, supernatural
Published: April 28, 2014 (first published December 1, 2012)
Publisher:

A Prophecy made long ago, announced the arrival of the new Ladies of Elements. 

And now almost a millennia later, it finally came true … 

All her life Arima thought she knew who and what she was. That is until the day of her sixteenth birthday came and her world is turned upside down, when she’s told she’s not a White Witch but Lady Spirit. And that she is the one that has been foretold, will unite the Five Ladies of Elements once again and save Ilendia and the Other Lands from Ahriman, the Demon King. 

At first Arima refuses to accept her new fate, but when Shanums come and destroy her village and kill her loved ones, she has no choice but to flee and fall right into the destiny she never wanted. 

As she grudgingly starts her journey into the unknown, she is accompanied by her unicorn familiar Sirrim, Blythe, a Vampire with a dark past and Myrddin, a mysterious Ljosalfar. 

And the longer her journey lasts, the more Arima begins to realise that she can’t escape her own destiny and she must learn to control her powers and learn to be a Lady for the sake of the Sisters she doesn’t know and the people of Ilendia and the Other Lands. 

However, things get more complicated when Arima comes into the possession of a key. Her instincts compel her to go towards danger when she discovers that the key she holds, can unlock the legendary kingdom of Eléssima, the home of the Ladies of Elements. 

She will have to make the choice to follow her instincts … 

…or stay on the path that has been laid out for her.

[Waiting on Wednesday] The Young Elites

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: The Young Elites #1
Author: Marie Lu
Genre: young adult, fantasy, dystopia, science fiction, magic, paranormal
Expected Publication: October 7, 2014

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.  

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites. 

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.  

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.