About the Book:

Title: Of Princes and Promises

Author: Sandhya Menon

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release Date: June 8, 2021

Pages: 304

Genre: YA Contemporary, YA Fantasy, YA Romance

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the second installment in a brand-new series set an elite boarding school that’s a contemporary spin on fairy tales, this one a delightful, romantic twist on The Frog Prince.

Caterina LaValle is determined to show she’s still the queen of Rosetta Academy. Sure, her crown may be slightly askew after her ex-boyfriend, Alaric, cheated on her, but she’s a LaValle. She’ll find a way to march right back in there, her hands clutching the strings to the whole puppet show. This time, she’s going to be untouchable.

Rahul Chopra knows that moment he shared with Caterina LaValle at the winter formal meant something. Surely she feels it, too. He’s a little uncertain how someone like him (socially inept to a point way past “adorkable”) could fit into her world, but he’s loved Caterina for years. He knows they’ll find a way.

When Caterina finds out Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she knows she cannot arrive without the perfect date. But the thought of taking another superficial St. R’s boy exhausts her. The solution? Sweet-but-clueless Rahul Chopra and a mysterious pot of hair gel with the power to alter the wearer into whatever his heart desires.

When Rahul tries it, he transforms instantly into RC—debonair, handsome, and charming. But transformation comes with a price: As Rahul enjoys his new social standing, the line between his two personas begins to blur. Will he give up everything, including Caterina, to remain RC? Or will this unlikely pair find their way back to each other?

Review:

*I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Of Princes and Promises is the second book in the Rosetta Academy series. Sandhya Menon is an auto-buy author for me, and I love her books so much. She always manages to bring a smile to my face. This installment did not disappoint!

Caterina wants to show that she’s still the creme de la creme of Rosetta Academy after the big breakup with her boyfriend Alaric. She hopes to take back her “crown” and her status. Rahul believes that the dance he shared with Caterina at the winter formal means something, and he’s convinced that she feels that way too. He’s a little uncertain of how he could fit into her world, but he’s adored her for so long. His hope is that they’ll find a way to be together.

When Caterina finds out that Alaric is taking a supermodel to the upcoming gala, she knows she must find the perfect date to accompany her. The thought of taking another one of the fake boys from the school doesn’t appeal to her however. She decides to take Rahul, who is sweet and often oblivious. Caterina takes him to her personal assistant at a small local boutique. There he is transformed into who he dreams of being, by a mysterious pot of hair gel.

When Rahul tries the hair gel, he is turns into the handsome, charming, and cultured RC. He and Caterina hit the social scene and cause quite a stir. Rahul and Caterina discover that the transformation comes with a price however, as the line between Rahul and RC begins to blur. The question is, will Rahul give up everything to become RC, or will he come back to the ones he loves?

I liked watching the character development of Caterina and Rahul throughout the book. Rahul is such a sweet boy and I loved  him from the get go! Such a cinnamon roll. It took awhile for Caterina to grow on me though. She was really only looking out for herself in the beginning. I really loved the overall message that it’s okay to be true to yourself and who you are. Definitely pick this one up ASAP! A fun and fresh new take on the Princess and the Frog that you’re sure to enjoy.

About the Author:

Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels with lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been featured in several cool places, including on The Today Show, Teen Vogue, NPR Book Review, Buzzfeed, and Seventeen. A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado.

 

Check out the other stops on the tour! 

Sunday, June 6th

bookstacksandliterature.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/solaceinreading_

Monday, June 7th

www.ashleighsbookshelf.com

thindbooks.wordpress.com

Pub Day, Tuesday, June 8th

www.instagram.com/youarethelibrarian

Wednesday, June 9th

bookishgirlmagic.blog

Thursday, June 10th

www.instagram.com/@booknerdmaggie

www.bookcrushin.com

Friday, June 11th

amanisreviews.wordpress.com

Saturday, June 12th

www.instagram.com/@brunettebibliophile

www.crazykidjournal.com

Sunday, June 13th

abackwardsstory.blogspot.com

decklededgess.wordpress.com

About the Book:

Title: Legendborn 

Author: Tracy Deonn 

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books 

Release Date: September 15, 2020

Pages: 501

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA retellings 

Synopsis:

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight. 

Review:

Amazing retelling! I love Arthurian stories, so I was very excited to pick this one up, and it did not let me down. This is easily one of my favorite reads from this year so far! There’s amazing world building, a unique magic system, and a diverse cast of characters that I fell in love with.

After a tragic accident in which she loses her mother, Bree Matthews doesn’t want anything to do with her home or her memories. A residential program for bright high school students at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape, until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. There’s a demon flying around feeding on human energies. A mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” attempts and fails to wipe Bree’s memory clean.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s buried memory with a hidden connection. On the night her mother died, there was another Merlin at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there may be more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she decides that she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth. She decides to infiltrate the Legendborn by becoming one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, who is Legendborn, but holds a grudge against the group, and has exiled himself. Their partnership pulls them deep into the society’s secrets and closer to each other. A magical war is coming, and Bree must decide how far she’ll go for the truth.

I thought this was an incredible debut by Deonn. I was very impressed with how she handled grief and trauma, social issues, and racism. I highly recommend this one, and I am super excited for book two!

About the Author:

Tracy Deonn is a writer and 2nd gen fangirl. She grew up in North Carolina, where she devoured fantasy books and Southern food in equal measure. After earning two degrees from UNC-CH, Tracy worked in live theater, video games, and K-12 education. When she’s not writing, Tracy panels at SFF conventions, reads fanfic, arranges doggy playdates, and keeps an eye out for ginger-flavored everything.

About the Book:

Title: House of Earth and Blood 

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Pages: 803

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Adult Romance, New Adult, Urban fantasy 

Synopsis:

Bound by blood.
Tempted by desire.
Unleashed by destiny.

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love. 

 

Review:

Wow! Just wow! I absolutely loved this adult urban fantasy from Sarah J. Maas. I didn’t think she could come close to the ACOTAR series for me, but she truly did with this one. I was’t sure what to expect going in, other than I knew there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. It definitely lived up to the hype for me. The beginning is a little slow, but once you get past that, things only get better! There’s amazing world building and characters, the things I’ve come to expect from Maas.

Bryce Quinlan has what some would think is the perfect life. She works all day and parties all night. Then a demon murders her closest friends, and she is left wounded and completely alone. When the accused is in jail, and the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself involved in the investigation. She swears she will do whatever it takes to avenge the deaths of her friends.

Hunt Athalar is an infamous Fallen angel, who is now enslaved by the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His strength and skills have been used for one purpose only, to assassinate his boss’s enemies without question. But with a demon wreaking havoc throughout the city, he’s offered an incredible deal. If he helps Bryce to find the murderer, his freedom will finally be within his grasp.

Bryce and Hunt work together digging deep into the underbelly of Crescent City. They discover that there’s a dark power at work that threatens everything and everyone important to them. They also find that there’s passion between them that could set them both free, if they would only allow it to.

I just love Bryce, who is such a strong female main character. I love the absolutely sassy and brooding Hunt as well. One of my other favorites that I adore is the overprotective older brother, Ruhn Dannon. I appreciated the importance of friendship is this book, and also how the grieving process was handled in this one.

I can’t wait for the next book! If you haven’t picked this one up yet, I highly recommend it.

About the Author:

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram.

About the Book:

Title: Windwitch 

Author: Susan Dennard 

Publisher: Tor Teen 

Release Date: January 10, 2017

Pages: 384

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

Sometimes our enemies are also our only allies…

After an explosion destroys his ship, the world believes Prince Merik, Windwitch, is dead. Scarred yet alive, Merik is determined to prove his sister’s treachery. Upon reaching the royal capital, crowded with refugees, he haunts the streets, fighting for the weak—which leads to whispers of a disfigured demigod, the Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

When the Bloodwitch Aeduan discovers a bounty on Iseult, he makes sure to be the first to find her—yet in a surprise twist, Iseult offers him a deal. She will return money stolen from him, if he locates Safi. Now they must work together to cross the Witchlands, while constantly wondering, who will betray whom first?

After a surprise attack and shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely escape with their lives. Alone in a land of pirates, every moment balances on a knife’s edge—especially when the pirates’ next move could unleash war upon the Witchlands.

 

Review:

So happy to dive back into this world! A great follow-up to Truthwitch. Our characters find themselves separated from each other in this second installment.

Prince Merik is believed to be dead, after an explosion destroys his ship. He’s been badly burned from the explosion, but he’s alive and determined to prove his sister’s treachery. He reaches the royal capital, where the streets are filled with refugees, and he begins fighting for the weak, and haunting the streets. There are whispers of a demigod, The Fury, who brings justice to the oppressed.

The Bloodwitch, Aeduan finds that there’s a bounty on Iseult, and he wants to be the first one to find her. When he does find Iseult, she offers him a deal. She will return the money that was stolen from him, if he will help her to find her Threadsister, Safi. They must work together, and they both wonder who will betray the other first?

After a surprise attack and a shipwreck, Safi and the Empress of Marstok barely make it out with their lives. They find themselves in a land full of pirates, and the pirates’ next move could start a war in the Witchlands.

Overall, a great sequel! I’m excited to read Sightwitch and Bloodwitch as soon as possible!

About the Author:

 

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. With a masters degree in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.

She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Witchlands series as well as the Something Strange & Deadly series. When not writing, she can be found slaying darkspawn on her Xbox or earning bruises at the dojo.

You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.

About the Book:

Title: The Crown of Gilded Bones 

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Publisher: Blue Box Press

Release Date: April 20, 2021

Pages: 645

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Adult Romance 

Synopsis:

She’s been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…

 

Review:

I am so happy that I decided to buddy read this amazing series this year with a friend. The Crown of Gilded Bones is an amazing continuation of the From Blood and Ash Series. Hold onto your hats, as you’re in for a crazy ride! You may think you know how this book is going to play out, but you’re most likely wrong. There are lots of twists and turns in this one. The ending too! Still not over it!

The plot in this one was even more developed, and character development continues. We even get to meet new characters, who are pretty amazing! I also enjoyed the new settings and scenery that are described in this already amazing world. There are some awesome battle scenes, and some action packed adventures! We get more information on the gods in this world too, which is pretty fascinating. I loved all the swoony scenes between Casteel and Poppy too, of course! They have become one of my favorite OTP’s.

If you’ve read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, then you definitely need to pick this one up ASAP! I honestly don’t know how I’m going to wait until next year for the next book.

About the Author:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.