#BookReview: The Night King’s Court by Elisa A. Bonnin

Synopsis: Caraval meets Flowerheart in this rich and immersive cozy fantasy, where dazzling magic, lush descriptions, and a sweet sapphic romance cast an irresistible spell. 

Ida’s father went missing without a trace seven years ago, last seen at the court of the enigmatic Night King, which comes to life only after dark with magic and revelry.

So when a position opens up for a new court Luminaire, Ida doesn’t hesitate. She inherited her gift for enchantments from her father—and with this position, she’ll use it to find him again.

Ida is swept into the king’s collection of magical beings, those who bring light and entertainment to the Court’s midnight gatherings—and swept away by the Court, where faerie gardens edge into underwater masquerades, dreaming revels offer blissful escapes, and life is a mesmerizing euphoria.

Yet a sinister thread interrupts Ida’s nights of decadence. Memories go missing, the castle’s magic takes on a malevolence, and Ida can’t seem to leave the boundaries of the court itself.

Enlisting the help of the king’s breathtakingly beautiful daughter Lenore, Ida must unravel the castle’s secrets… before this enchanted world destroys her.

#BookReview: What the Gods Left Behind by Zephyr Trillian

Synopsis: For those born with godblood, life begins with a collar and ends with obedience.

When Wisterly escapes her lord’s service, she can't stay visible for long. Her silver collar marks her as an Acolyte. If the guards see her, they'll drag her back—and she’d rather not discover what punishment awaits.

Desperate and hunted, she runs into Mordred, a Guild thief with his own troubles. He offers to help after one last job: stealing the Box of Pathways, a divine Artifact only the godblooded can handle without going mad. With few other choices, Wisterly accepts.

But some treasures are better left alone. When she touches the Box, something wakes inside and takes control. Even worse, the heist goes sideways, leaving them hunted by the Grand Council and the Guild alike.

Now Wisterly and Mordred are fugitives with a capricious power. To stay free, they must outwit their pursuers and discover if the Box will save them—or destroy them both.

#BookReview: Virgo Rising (Zodiac Defenders #1) by Jermaine Bell Jr. @thenatural71

Synopsis:  Zodiac signs are not horoscopes, they are living, breathing entities in Drokeo Bay with power. Serenity desires nothing more but order without chaos. Typical Virgo. However…

When a dream shows her the genocidal evil that is Argasis the 13th, she must kill him before he executes his one sign repopulation utopia comes to fruition. Failure is a road that leads to death and the loss of her loved ones, all because her and 11 others are vessels for the zodiac signs.

Can she really slay Argasis and not lose herself in the zodiac war? Or was her fate already written at birth by the stars above?

#BookReview: Come As You Are by @missdahlelama

Synopsis: Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Everett “Evie” Riley arrives at Camden Academy ready for a new beginning - one far away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, the sister who stole him, and the best friend who let it happen. But her fresh start is stopped in its tracks when she's accidentally placed in an all-boys dorm, with no choice but to stay.

When rumors and gossip about Evie's housing predicament spread like wildfire, she decides the only way to survive is to lean into her questionable new reputation... but she's definitely going to require help. Her grumpy emo dorm mate Salem Grayson isn't exactly her first choice, but he does need her help to repair his relationship with his parents every bit as much as she needs his to learn how to be cool. And so they make a pact - he'll teach her how to be bad, if she teaches him how to be good.

It's a flawless plan, except while Salem thrives academically, even romantically, and - annoyingly enough - even physically, Evie's quest feels like one dead end after another, and the girl she's becoming certainly doesn't feel remotely cool. But when Evie realizes what she wants more than anything, she'll have to contend with her thrice-broken heart and figure out how to become someone capable of chasing happiness.

Dahlia Adler’s Come As You Are is about refusing to accept less than you deserve, and realizing that the best relationships are with people who know exactly who you are.

#BookReview: Salvación by @sandraproudman

Synopsis: In this Latinx young adult fantasy inspired by Zorro, Lola de La Peña becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic it contains...if she doesn't fall in love with a boy in his company first.

Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal sicknesses and wounds. But secretly, she is Salvación, the free-spirited lady vigilante protecting her town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety.

But one night, a woman rides into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja (red salt), a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with, and Señor Hernández, the man who wields it. When Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong men and promises to return Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule. All Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land. 

Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola—as Salvación—races against time to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn't seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans—even teaming up with Alejandro, whom she doesn’t fully trust but can’t help falling in love with.

#BookReview: All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow

Synopsis: A sexy, dark romantic thriller—with a shocking twist—by the author of Everything We Never Said.

River Santos is stuck—in her job at the diner, in her dead-end town, in her grief. Her father died in a house fire just a few months ago, her mother has been MIA for nearly a year, and the only people she can count on are the aunt she lives with and her best friend Tawny. 

Things feel like they’re turning around when Logan—the hot guy at the diner who’s always ignored her—seems interested. It’s complicated by her ex-boyfriend Noah, who she really needs closure with, and the fact that Tawny doesn’t think either of them is good enough for River… but the tension between River and Logan can’t be denied.

But love takes a backseat when new information surfaces about the fire. After all these months trying to move forward, River is forced to rethink everything… including the idea that maybe it wasn’t an accident after all. But who would commit this deadly act? And why?

River isn’t sure who to trust or who to turn to, but she needs to figure it out, fast. Because someone has more than love on their mind. They want revenge.

#BookReview: Seven Deadly Thorns by Amber Hamilton @amham_writes

Synopsis:

Deluxe limited edition will include stenciled edges, patterned endpapers, and a designed case cover!

The Cruel Prince meets Powerless in this dark academia romantasy that will tattoo itself onto your heart.

In the cursed Kingdom of Aragoa, the punishment for magic is death.

Even the students at Vandenberghe Academy aren't spared. When Viola Sinclair's deadly shadow magic is discovered, the queen gives her assassin a new assignment and a new cursed tattoo: seven-thorned rose on his arm for the seven days he has to hunt Viola down and kill her. If he doesn't, he will be the one to die.

The assassin is Roze Roquelart--entitled prince, arrogant fellow student, and the one person Viola hates more than anyone. Roze should revel in the chance to end her life, but he desperately needs something from Viola and her magic. And he's willing to spare her life--and fake their engagement--to get it.

Forced to work together, Viola and Roze must contend with deadly threats, dangerous secrets, and an impossible attraction. Will they give in to their deepest desires, even if it means destroying Aragoa--and risking both their lives?

HER WORST ENEMY. HIS ONLY CHANCE.

Be swept away by the sizzling, irresistible enemies-to-lovers romantasy with magic more destructive than your darkest nightmares.

#BookReview: The Iron Dreamers by @modernday_eratosthenes

Synopsis:
Uncover the Truth Behind the Dream

When 17-year-old Lexi Carvalho is abruptly taken from her small-town existence, she awakens to a startling Earth was destroyed centuries ago, and her previous life was merely a simulated reality. As one of 700,000 "Iron Dreamers," Lexi's mission is to address the immense challenges that humanity faces aboard a vast space station. Recruited by the enigmatic Artemis to apprehend a saboteur threatening humanity's remnants, Lexi confronts her deepest fears and questions the nature of her existence in this dystopian science fiction tale.

Entrapped in a simulation. Selected for a perilous mission. As Lexi's world unravels, she navigates a crumbling reality where illusions and truth intertwine. The boundary between simulation and actuality blurs as she discovers that the technology meant to safeguard life might also dominate it. Each step brings her closer to a revelation that could either rescue humanity or lead to its demise. This young adult dystopian novel is ideal for fans seeking YA sci-fi books about simulated realities and narratives featuring strong female leads in sci-fi.

The fate of humanity hinges on a perilous secret. Artemis offers Lexi a chance for answers—but at a significant cost. In a world where reality is fabricated, whom can she trust? Lexi's journey through layers of deceit challenges her to outsmart formidable adversaries and uncover her true purpose. Readers will be captivated by this science fiction adventure that delves into women in sci-fi, blending dystopian thrillers with strong female characters.

Inside, you'll 

A thrilling blend of dystopian fiction and sci-fi intrigue. A strong female protagonist navigating a mind-bending reality. A captivating mystery that questions the nature of existence. When reality is a lie, what is the truth?

If you liked Red Rising, Scythe, or books on simulation theory, you’ll love The Iron Dreamers.

#BookReview: Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

Synopsis:
From critically acclaimed author Shveta Thakrar comes a beautifully imagined contemporary fantasy about two teens, one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape, who find themselves embroiled in a twisty world of court intrigue when they venture into a forest ruled by yakshas, mysterious woodland spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.

Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas to admit her into their enchanted forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.

After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.

Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman named Sulochana. In return for helping restore her reputation, Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.

But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.

#BookReview: We Are the Beasts by @gigi.griffis

Synopsis:
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#BookReview: The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah

Synopsis:
In this sapphic Snow White retelling, if Snow is to save her kingdom from being ravaged by the Blight, she’ll have to kill the Evil Queen’s daughter…if she doesn’t fall in love with her first.

When her glass coffin unexpectedly shatters, Snow White awakens to anything but a dream. The land is rotting. The animals have mutated. In the twenty years that have passed since Snow bit into the poisoned apple, the kingdom of Roanfrost has transformed from a luscious wild land to a blight-ravaged nightmare. In search of answers and a way to restore her kingdom to its former glory, Snow sets out on a dangerous journey that will test the strength she never knew she had.

Friends will become foes.

New alliances will form.

The Queen with the blood red lips will stop at nothing to seize her power as well as her heart.

If Snow has any chance to survive and restore not only her kingdom, but all of Garedenne, her only option is to become the Seasonkeeper and access the life-giving magic that will heal the plague. But the path to becoming the Seasonkeeper is more treacherous than she could ever imagine—because the wild things have awakened and Snow’s darker impulses yearn to set them free.

#BookReview: Order of Swans (The Blue Swan duology #1) by Jude Deveraux

Synopsis:
In this spellbinding, fantasy-rich novel, a woman is swept into a world where she has the power to alter fairy tales, and change a kingdom’s destiny…

To Kaley Arens, a PhD student and expert in folklore, fairy stories have always had a power and an allure beyond mere entertainment.

It’s only when Kaley accompanies her lifelong friend Jobi on a visit to his home that she realizes how much she still has to learn. Bellis isn’t the remote island that she believed it to be. It’s another world—a stunningly beautiful and seductive one, with its own royalty, its own rules, and inhabitants who breathe life into the tales she was taught were fiction.

Kaley’s presence is no simple holiday. She has a mysterious connection with Jobi and with Bellis, and abilities that may help determine this world’s fate. Tasked with locating a lost prince, Kaley and her companions—the enigmatic Tanek, a member of the Order of Swans, and Sojee, Kaley's colossal bodyguard—journey through a land both thrilling and terrifying, where the uncanny and the familiar go hand in hand.

But in fairy tales, heroes and villains are easy to discern. Here, nothing is quite as it seems. And though Kaley is discovering that she can change the outcome of the fairy tales she knows so well, her own story is unfolding in ways impossible to predict, with a destiny she could never have foretold…

#BookReview: Collision (Better #1) by Carrie Leighton

Synopsis:
There is no rose without a thorn. There is no passion without torment.

Vanessa Clark, a second-year college student, has a visceral love of books and rain and an unbreakable bond with her best friends. Marked by her parents' difficult divorce, she found comfort in Travis, apparently the good guy that all mothers—including hers—would like next to their daughter. With him she hopes to be able to build a happiness that she has been missing for too long now. After two years, however, even that love seems to have cracked and only rubble remains in Vanessa's heart. At least until, in class, she meets new classmate Thomas Collins for the first time.

With a body covered in tattoos, green eyes in which it is all too easy to get lost, and a troubled past, Thomas is an explosive mix of charm and arrogance. He and Vanessa, so different from each other yet deep down so similar, fit together like pieces of a puzzle, giving life to a tormented relationship, made up of moments of passion and glimpses of tenderness, furious quarrels and reconciliations.

But Vanessa wants more, she dreams of true, romantic and all-encompassing love, the kind of love story told in the novels that she never gets tired of reading. Thomas, on the other hand, shuns every bond, feeling as though a perennial tangle of thorns is agitated in his chest. And yet, if understanding each other is difficult, parting is impossible.

#BookReview: Breath of the Dragon (Breathmarked #1) by @therealshannonlee @fonda.lee

Synopsis:
The first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy duology based on characters and teachings created by Bruce Lee!

Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Earth to a new protector. Eager to prove his skills, Jun hopes that a win will restore his father’s honor—righting a horrible mistake that caused their banishment from his home, mother, and twin brother.

But Jun’s father strictly forbids him from participating. There is no future in honing his skills as a warrior, especially considering Jun is not breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin. Determined to be the next Guardian, Jun stows away in the wagon of Chang and his daughter, Ren, performers on their way to the capital where the tournament will take place.

As Jun competes, he quickly realizes he may be fighting for not just a better life, but the fate of the country itself.

#BookReview: Dating and Dragons by @kristylboyce

From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that's sure to win you over!

Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign— this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members.

Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering—and bantering—intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!

#BookReview: You're Dead to Me by @amychristinepar

Gossip Girl meets Happy Death Day in this YA horror novel following high school outcast and anonymous social media gossip Ruby, who comes face-to-face with her own ghost dressed in a blood-splattered prom dress. With less than a week until the dance, Ruby must unmask her killer—or die trying.

Ruby is a scholarship senior at elite Oleander High School with a chip on her shoulder and an attitude to match—which she puts to good use as the infamous local anonymous gossip blogger ReputationKiller. When she’s outed as the voice behind the account, the entire town turns against her.

But after she’s scared witless by a vision of her own ghost dressed in a blood-splattered prom dress, she is faced with an awful truth. Someone out there doesn’t just hate her—they want her dead.

With less than a week until the prom, Ruby starts investigating. Turns out Oleander Bay isn’t the picture-perfect resort town it purports to be. With so many secrets, scandals, and people hell-bent on covering them up at all costs, the murderer could be anyone. Can Ruby beat the clock counting down to prom—and her death—and survive the night?

#BookReview: The Last Creation (The Last She #3) by @h.j.nelson

The final installment of The Last She series finds Ara, Kaden, and Sam reunited . . . only to face their toughest adversary yet: the Creation, a selection of clones who are hell-bent on destroying humankind. It’s up to the three of them to save what’s left of humanity before it’s wiped out . . . again.

In the final installment of H.J. Nelson’s dynamic The Last She series, Ara, Kaden, and Sam risk everything to save what’s left of the world when it’s threatened by the Creation. 

Ara and Kaden are above ground. Now that they know the truth, they want nothing more than to move forward. To find their way in this new world, together. They also want to find their way back to Sam, who is both alive and back with the clan. They all want their happy-for-now ending.

The Creation have other plans. They, too, want to exist above ground—but in a world that does not include humans. The battle will happen and only one side can win. Will Ara be the last one standing again, or can she, Kaden, and Sam save what’s left of humanity?

#BookReview: Suitor Armor (Suitor Armor #1) by Purpah

Secrets hide behind every corner of the castle walls in the first volume of an exciting Webtoon romantasy graphic novel that follows the budding romance between a lady-in-waiting and an enchanted suit of armor.

While humans and fairies are at war beyond the castle walls, Lucia’s life is dedicated to helping prepare Lady Kirsi for her upcoming wedding to King Reimund.

Lucia’s time at court takes a dazzling turn when she accompanies Lady Kirsi to a royal tournament that calls together all of the kingdom's brave knights for a competition of strength and wit. A magically animated suit of armor, brought to life by Norrix the court mage's complicated enchantment spell, enters the ring and challenges the winning knight. Lucia is immediately attracted to the armor's dark, mysterious charm and lovingly names him Modeus. Bonded by their mutual status as outcasts within the kingdom, the two begin to develop an unlikely yet thrilling connection and sparks (both metaphorical and magical) fly.

The truth is, Lucia is hiding a dangerous secret about her own identity. She is the enemy: a fairy. She fears being exposed to the whole human kingdom, but she desperately desires to learn more about herself—especially with the arrival of a winged visitor who has infiltrated the castle walls for reasons still unknown...

Complete with original behind-the-scenes content and a bonus storyline exclusive to the book, this first volume includes episodes 1–17 of the greatly successful Webtoon webcomic Suitor Armor and sets the stage for a grand adventure in magic, romance, mystery, fantasy creatures, friendship, self-discovery, and more!

#BookReview: Where the Library Hides (Secrets of the Nile #2) by @isabelibanezbooks

Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers into her parents' recent and mysterious deaths. But all her searching led her down a perilous road, filled with heartache, betrayal, and a dangerous magic that pulled her deep into the past.

When Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.

Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

#BookReview: The Forest King's Daughter (Thirstwood #1) by Elly Blake

For fans of Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black, The Forest King's Daughter is an enemies-to-forbidden-lovers romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Frostblood.

Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely demon boy. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket…or so he thought...because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the demon queen and forest king declared war.

Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of demons at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it's only a matter of time before the war they've escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest folk and demons alike grows in the shadows.

From the author of the Frostblood Saga comes the first book in an enchanting, adventure-filled fantasy series about the daughters of the powerful forest king, sure to leave readers breathless and desperate for more.