About the Book:

Title: Lakesedge 

Author: Lyndall Clipstone 

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co. (BYR)

Release Date: September 28, 2021

Pages: 384

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Synopsis:

A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.

There are monsters in the world.

When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.

There are monsters in the woods.

As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…

There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.

Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under. 

Review:

 

 

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

This book was everything I had hoped it would be and more! It’s darkly seductive, lush, gothic, mysterious, romantic, magical, and utterly bewitching. I can’t believe this is the author’s debut, as it was that amazing! 

Violeta Graceling (Leta) and her brother Arien are orphans that have been taken in by a woman who lives near the edge of the forest.  Arien begins showing signs of dark magic, and Leta has been desperately trying to protect him. When the young Lord of the Lakesedge estate, named Rowan, comes to their town to collect the tithe, he takes them in to mentor Arien. Lakesedge is a mystifying old estate that is rumored to be cursed and haunted by a monster of the lake. Rowan urgently needs Arien’s help to control the darkness, known as the corruption, from taking over. Leta longs to know what secrets Rowan has been keeping. She discovers that the estate and the monster aren’t what they seem.

As Leta begins to fall for Rowan, she finds that he is bound to the Lord Under, the death god that lurks in the dark waters of the lake. Leta soon finds herself unexplainably drawn to this sinister creature. 

To save herself and Rowan, Leta needs to confront her past which includes a connection to the Lord Under. 

Just wanted to mention that the author has posted some content warnings for readers that you might want to check before reading this book. 

I need book two like now, and every edition of this book! Please add this one to your TBR, preorder and request from your local library. Perfect read for the fall, with all its spooky vibes! Coming September 28, 2021. 

 

About the Author:

Lyndall Clipstone writes YA Gothic about monsters and the girls who like to kiss them. A former youth librarian, she has a Bachelors in Creative Writing and a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Management. She is represented by Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

About the Book:

Title: Starlight 

Author: Lauren Jade Case 

Publisher: Lauren Case 

Release Date: August 17, 2021

Pages: 323

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Synopsis:

Review:

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

Okay, I have to admit that what initially attracted me to this book was it’s gorgeous cover. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into it. I am happy to report that this book exceeded my expectations, and I devoured it in a couple of days! There’s great world-building and a fun magic system in this debut from Lauren Jade Case. Perfect for fans of The Mortal Instruments or the Folk of the Air Trilogy, this story is sure to captivate you with its magical charm.

Natalia Whitebell just wanted to have a simple celebration on her eighteenth birthday. Instead, she winds up seeing a giant scorpion, a wolf, and a body on her doorstep. Not exactly what she had in mind. It all disappears too, in the blink of an eye.

When she finally gets to celebrate with her best friend, they overhear gossip from the Island locals that there’s a new family that’s moved to town, and there’s also a large dog running wild, but that’s all the information they get.

Natalia thinks that she’s been seeing things and completely losing it, until she’s attacked in her home a day later.

Rescued and taken in by the new family in town, she learns that the world isn’t as black and white as she’d always thought. There are Monsters and there are Creatures out there, and she is one of them.

She struggles to reveal her true form, sealing her deal with trouble, and must come to terms with living the life she was always meant to live. She needs to accept the truth and take help from her father, the new family, and one boy especially. But there is a darkness hiding, just waiting for her to unfold.

I just loved journeying through this story with Natalia. She had so much thrown at her, and she faced it with courage and bravery. She begins to discover so much about herself and her past, and she handles it all with grace. I really enjoyed all the side characters as well. I grew quite attached to the family that Natalia finds herself involved with, and I just loved her Dad and her BFF!

After that ending, I can’t wait for the next book! I think if you’re a fantasy fan that likes witches, vampires, and other mythical creatures you’ll enjoy this one. Add it to your TBR now, it’s out on August 17, 2021.

About the Author:

Lauren Jade is a writer from a seaside town in England. She loves writing and reading fantasy, but also sci-fi and dystopia. When she isn’t writing, she can be found reading or talking on face-time with her best friend about future projects. STARLIGHT is her debut novel and will be the first in a trilogy. 

 

About the Book:

Title: Bloodwitch 

Author: Susan Dennard 

Publisher: Tor Teen 

Release Date: February 12, 2019

Pages: 464

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Synopsis:

Fans of Susan Dennard’s Witchlands series have fallen in love with the Bloodwitch Aeduan. And now, finally, comes his story.

High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets.

The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past. 

Review:

Wow! This is the best book in the Witchlands series to date! I feel as though it keeps on getting better and better. An action packed adventure full of all the feels. I am definitely a lifelong fan now.

This picks up where Windwitch left off, where we follow our returning cast of characters, with a bit more of a focus on Aeduan. We get to know the characters so much better, and I really loved that about this one. Vivia and Ryber have become new favorites. I love that friendship is still such an important theme to the story as well. I love Safi and Iseult’s friendship so much! Aeduan has grown on me even more, which I didn’t think was possible.

If you’re a fan of this series, definitely pick this one up. I highly recommend it. I am so excited to read Witchshadow, which is releasing on June 22, 2021.

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: Sightwitch 

Author: Susan Dennard 

Publisher: Tor Teen 

Release Date: February 13, 2018

Pages: 224

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Synopsis: 

 

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard, Sightwitch is an illustrated novella set in the Witchlands and told through Ryber’s journal entries and sketches.

Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch…

Before Merik returned from the dead…

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world. 

 

Review:

This was a great companion novella to the Witchlands series! Definitely read it after reading Truthwitch and before reading Bloodwitch. It contains some amazing insights into this world! I really enjoyed the diary entries, drawings, maps, and illustrations. 

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive her gift of foretelling. The call never comes, and she finds herself the only Sister without the Sight. 

Time passes, and one day Sisters who already have the Sight are summoned to the mountain and never return. Ryber must save her Sisters, as she is the only one left. It’s a dangerous undertaking as she doesn’t have the Sight, and she has no idea what awaits under the mountain.

On her journey under the mountain, she meets a captain called Kullen Ikray who has no memory of how he came to be there. They decide to journey together in search of answers. What they discover will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

If you’re a fan of the Witchlands series, I definitely recommend this one! It was a quick and enjoyable read. 

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: Unhinged Special Edition (The Underworld Saga, #1)

Author: Chani Lynn Feener 

Publisher: Independently published

Release Date: November 28, 2020

Pages: 450

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal, YA Mythology 

Synopsis:

The Underworld is real.

Spencer Perry knew it was a long shot when she started searching for a way into the Underworld, the ancient Greeks resting place for the dead. But three months ago her boyfriend died and now she’ll do anything to get him back, even make a deal with the devil himself. Only, Hades isn’t what she expected, and neither is the proposal he offers. In exchange for Micah’s resurrection, all she has to do is spend every night for the next year down below. From the very first meeting the god makes her feel things she shouldn’t, but she takes the deal anyway, knowing in the end it’ll be worth it. Except, as soon as their bargain begins, strange things start happening. People are being attacked by invisible forces, and all signs point to the God of the Underworld being responsible. Has Spencer inadvertently unleashed hell on earth?

 

 

 

 

Review:

This was my first book by Chani Lynn Feener, and it did not disappoint! I loved this one! I was drawn in immediately when I learned it’s a Hades and Persephone retelling, and I love the new covers with artwork by Jemlin Creations. It has such a fun setting, as it takes place in our world, and the Underworld. 

Spencer Perry is in the summer before her senior year of high school, when she loses her childhood friend and love of her life, Micah. Three months after his death, she is determined to do anything to bring him back, including going to the Underworld and making a deal with the devil. 

Hades isn’t anything like what Spencer thought he would be, and his proposal isn’t either. To resurrect Micah, she just has to go to the Underworld every night for a year in exchange. She makes the deal with Hades, even though she felt things she shouldn’t at their first meeting, as she knows it will all be worth it in the end. After Spencer makes the deal, strange things start happening. People are being attacked, and signs point to the god of the Underworld as the culprit. She begins to wonder what exactly she has unleashed. 

I enjoyed Spencer as a protagonist, her two BFF’s Sydney and Quinn, Micah, Charlie and Hadrian so much. I’m super excited to continue reading the series, which includes three more books. It was fast paced, imaginative, and had some great twists. If you like Greek Mythology or fairytale retellings, I really think you’ll enjoy this one. 

About the Author:

Chani majored in Creative Writing at Johnson State College in Vermont. To pay her bills, she has worked many odd jobs, including, but not limited to, telemarketing, order picking in a warehouse, and filling ink cartridges. When she isn’t writing, she’s binging TV shows, drawing, or frequenting zoos/aquariums. She is the author of the Xenith trilogy, and the teen paranormal series, The Underworld Saga, originally written under the pen-name Tempest C. Avery. She currently resides in Connecticut. 

Have a question? Check her blog! https://chanilynnfeener.wixsite.com/a…

Find her on Instagram @TempestChani

About the Book:

Title: Lore

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: January 5, 2021

Pages: 480

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Mythology

Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

 

 

 

 

Review:

This was my first book by Alexandra Bracken. I must say that I really enjoyed this one, as it was very fast paced, action packed, and feminist. It is set in modern day New York City, and I thought it was a neat retelling. I think if you enjoy Greek Mythology, this will definitely appeal to you.

The Agon begins every seven years. Nine of the Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, and are hunted by descendants of their ancient bloodlines, as a punishment from Zeus. These descendants will seize the gods immortality and divine powers after killing them. Melora “Lore” Perseous ran from this world after her family was brutally murdered by a rival line, and she turns her back on the promises of the hunt and all it’s glory. She pushes away her thoughts of revenge against the man, now turned god, who is responsible for their deaths.

As the next hunt is about to begin in New York City, Lore is sought out by an old friend, Castor and the wounded Athena, who is among the last of the original gods. The goddess shows up at her doorstep begging for help. Athena offers Lore an alliance against their mutual enemy, and a way out of the Agon. Lore’s choice to bind herself to the goddess may come at a very steep cost.

I definitely found myself cheering for Lore. She has a very complex past, and we see as the story goes along what exactly makes her tick. She is definitely a fierce and compelling character. I really wished there had been more one on one time with the gods in this one. That is one of the things I was disappointed in.

Hope you pick this one up! A fun read for sure.

About the Author:

Alexandra Bracken is the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of The Darkest Minds series and Passenger. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study English and History at The College of William & Mary in Virginia. After working in the publishing industry, she now writes full time. You can visit her online at http://www.alexandrabracken.com or on Twitter (@alexbracken).