Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

A secret agent and a pop star work together to find evidence that could stop a world war. There is romance, action and a whole lot of danger. There is a big twist in the end and I loved reading this. (I’m fairly certain there will be a sequel and I can’t wait!)

Winter is the most famous pop star in the world while Sydney is one of the most talented secret agents at Panacea. Panacea is a large group that is separate from the CIA and works to keep the world safe. When Winter becomes an agent and Sydney is to work with him as a partner (pretending to be a body guard), things start getting intense very quickly.

Marie Lu has always been one of my favorite authors. I feel like it’s so easy for me to lose myself in her books. Her writing is very smooth with characters that I can’t help but fall in love with. Lu always keeps the plot moving fast, keeps it exciting, and, in few words, helps me visualize everything very clearly. I’m pretty sure this is Marie Lu’s first book without any fantasy, a NA thriller/romance.

Out March 28, 2023!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for this opportunity!

🌟Arc Review 🌟 Reclaim the Stars by Zoraida Cordova!

Thank you Netgalley for this incredible read!

Reclaim the Stars features 17 short stories all by different Latin American authors! These stories are scifi/fantasy focusing on the diaspora of the Latin people. I can honestly say that I loved every single story in this collection and I couldn’t pick a favorite if I tried.

What is so spectacular about these stories are the connections found and forged. Whether family or finding a new community that accepts someone as family. Also, these tales are full of universal feelings that define us all… love, friendship and more than anything else, hope!

I cannot recommend this enough and it’s hard for me to see anyone disliking this gorgeous short story collection. Do yourself a favor and grab this book!

Comes out February 15th!

🌟 Arc Review 🌟 Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan, Tor/Forge for this amazing arc that I loved dearly. 💙

I was prepared for another charming and endearing T. J. Klune book but I was not expecting the emotions that I would go through while reading this incredible tale that so loudly speaks of love and kindness during the hardest event of a person’s life… death. Accepting death, either facing your own mortality or a loved ones… so yeah, I might have been hugging my fat cat and crying just a bit (slightly) at the end.

When I first met Wallace Price, I knew he was not the best dude in existence (he sucked). He is firing a great employee for making one single mistake. It was unfair, it was harsh and it was cruel. 2 days later, Wallace dies in that same office from a heart attack. When he arrives at his own funeral, he is astonished that there are only 6 people there (including himself of course). However, one of them can actually see him. He meets Mei, a reaper, there to help him on his way towards dealing with his death. When he arrives at a very unique tea house he finally meets Hugo, the ferryman. It is here that Wallace finds a new way to live, a new way to exist, as he begins to accept his death.

This story has an incredible depth to it. Looking at life, the meaning, a way to look into death itself. And, through all of this serious topic, this book still retains that kind-hearted charm found in all T. J. Klune books.

I highly recommend this! Be prepared to face some existential questions Klune approaches in such a graceful manner. Also be prepared for possible triggers, grief, death, loss, suicide.

I hope everyone finds this book at a perfect time, right when you need it like I did.

Look for this on Sept. 21st!

🌟 Arc Review 🌟 She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

This book is simply a masterpiece.

Tragedy came in the form of Bandits.  The girl (the only name she goes by at this point) was soon completely alone after the murder of her father and the death of her brother. Soon after burying their bodies she learns that she can see ghosts.  Taking on her brothers name, Zhu Chongba, she travels to a monastery and begs admittance.  This is her final hope for survival and it is also where her true story begins.

This story is so meaningful for various reasons: gender dysphoria, feelings of not belonging,  complex characters, and dark and brutal themes of war. 

I highly recommend this read and I don’t think I’ll ever forget these characters or this harrowing tale.

ARC Review, In the Ravenous Dark by A. M. Strickland

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc! ❤

In the Ravenous Dark by A. M. Strickland is an intense and dark story full of dangerous magic and romance.
Rovan lives in Thanopolis with her mother and has been hiding that she is a blood mage her whole life. However, all of that changes one day at the market place when Rovan’s current lover is in danger and she uses blood magic to save her. The story continues with Rovan becoming a member of the life at the palace and mixing with royals while learning more about what exactly being a blood mage in Thanopolis entails.
One of my favorite aspects to this book was the way A.M. Strickland wrote about gender and sexuality. I love how Rovan and her friends were able to talk about this and be who they truly are, at least around each other.

Get ready for a fast paced and action packed story full of magic and love!

Victories Greater than Death by Charlie Jane Anders, ARC Review

Tina is just your average teenage girl… whom is also an alien with a beacon in her chest that will go off when it’s time to start her new life… in space. And yes, it’s just as cool as it sounds!
When Tina’s beacon goes off, her and her best friend, Rachael, make a run for it. They are soon surrounded by the enemy aliens (super creepy enemy aliens), but they are still doing their best to escape. Luckily, a friendly face appears… or, at least, a face that doesn’t look murderous, Yatto the Monthaa. Yatto (they/them) takes both Tina and Rachael to The Royal Fleet… and things get even more exciting.
This story is a tale of the best group of misfits working together, a tale of what it means to really be a hero, and ultimately a tale of peoples coming together to fight oppression. I couldn’t help but cheer everyone on at the end, but don’t worry…. there will be more! And I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Dark Shores by Danielle L Jenson, A Quick Review

Teriana is part of the crew of her mother’s Maarin ship, The Quicense.  But when the land they are currently trading with gets a new leader and finds out there is more to this world than the Cel, Teriana and her people are in a world of trouble.  
Marcus, a commander of one of the most dangerous legionnaire armies, is tasked with going with Teriana and travelling from the shores of the East to the dark shores of the West. 
This book includes an awesome trip by sea with a sea serpent and battles between the gods and more magic.   Not to mention… romance!
Can’t wait to read book two!