#BookReview: Darling by K. Ancrum

Synopsis: A teen girl finds herself lost on a dangerous adventure in this YA thriller by the acclaimed author of The Wicker King and The Weight of the Stars—reimagining Peter Pan for today’s world.

On Wendy Darling’s first night in Chicago, a boy called Peter appears at her window. He’s dizzying, captivating, beautiful—so she agrees to join him for a night on the town.

Wendy thinks they’re heading to a party, but instead they’re soon running in the city’s underground. She makes friends—a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And she makes enemies—the terrifying Detective Hook, and maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light. Can Wendy find the courage to survive this night—and make sure everyone else does, too?

Acclaimed author K. Ancrum has re-envisioned Peter Pan with a central twist that will send all your previous memories of J. M. Barrie’s classic permanently off to Neverland.

An Imprint Book 

#BookReview: The Curse That Binds Us (The Devil of Roanoke #1) by @katiehayoz

Synopsis: Some curses can’t be outrun.

The secret to Redd’s past is locked away in a 400-year-old box that mysteriously appears every year on her birthday. For her entire life, her mother has kept them running from whatever lurks inside it. But Redd’s had enough of not knowing who she is. So when the box shows up where only she can find it, she opens it…and awakens a link to the evil her mother fought to keep dormant. 

John lives in an old-fashioned village, a place of exquisite beauty and abundance. But such splendor demands that the villagers commit dark and unspeakable acts. When the link with Redd is unlocked, the village council believes they have an alternative. John is sent to find the one girl who could possibly save them…by making the ultimate sacrifice. 

Eleanor sets off from England to America in 1587, pregnant and desperate to leave her ties with the devil behind. But when the captain of the ship refuses to take her and the other settlers further than Roanoke Island, what should be the beginning of a better life turns into a horrendous struggle to survive. Eleanor’s desire to see her daughter live at any cost will curse her and everyone around her for centuries to come…

Follow as Redd, John, and Eleanor's stories twine together in a mash-up of dark contemporary and historical fantasy. The Curse That Binds Us delves into the nuances of good and evil, the price of loyalty, and the extremes we will go to for those we love. 

#BookReview: Heart of a Witch (Embracing Darkness Collection) by Rebecca L. Garcia

Synopsis: A vengeful fantasy standalone romance perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and A Touch of Darkness

I’d never particularly liked humans, but I’d never wanted to kill one. Until now.

Hidden in a kingdom that hates witches, I’m forced to hide what I am. With my sister working in a secret dark magic club, and our family’s shop gaining unwanted attention, things couldn’t be worse when the notorious witch hunter, Damian Shaw, comes to town.

When my sister shows up dead, and my family’s name is called into question, we’re forced to adopt new aliases and leave the home we cherished. As I watch my life fall apart, I vow to destroy the hunter responsible, but his punishment would not be swift. Death was too easy.

Redforest is a quaint town, with a church, pretty shops, and like any good town, a dark past. When my family and I move in, I set my sights on the Shaw family, quickly learning everything I can about them. Damian’s son, Elijah, is the hunter’s greatest pride. His heir. His confidante. The only family he trusts.

I come up with a plan. I am going to shatter every good thing in Damian’s life, ending with his son. My goal: make Elijah Shaw fall in love with me, twist him into the very thing his father hates, then kill him.

With my heart challenged, the attraction growing, I find myself trapped in a deadly game. In a twist of fate, Elijah might just end up being the death of me.

Embraced by Darkness is a collection of standalone books set in the same world without an overarching plot, which means you can start with any books in the series and pick and choose which ones you want to read. This collection of novels follows different couples as they go from enemies to friends to lovers, while facing dangerous obstacles in a world split between humans, shifters, witches and gods, set in two kingdoms that separate them.

#BookSirens: Forbidden Healing (Chronicles of the God-Sage #1) by Rachael Watson

Synopsis: A mysterious deity, power-hungry priests and two young people fighting to stay alive.

Kyla Tarthwen longs to join the ranks of the religious elite, the God-Sage’s Sacred Core. But Kyla has a secret that could kill her. When an acolyte is murdered during Kyla’s initiation, Kyla wonders if she is next. Can she do what it takes to secure her place in the Sacred Core, before the religious elite turn their watchful eye on her?

Marlowe Tide is grieving the deaths of his parents, executed as traitors to the God-Sage. He is desperate to keep his sister safe. But Valora is a healer, and healing is a crime. She ought to be dead already. When Kyla Tarthwen arrives at Marlowe’s door on a mission for the God-Sage, can Marlowe save his sister?

When Marlowe and Kyla meet, events take place that will change the course of both their lives, if they don’t kill each other first…

#BookReview: Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7) by @SJMass

Title: Kingdom of Ash

Series:  (Throne of Glass, #7)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: Hardcover, 984 pages
Published: October 23rd 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

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Synopsis:  Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

#BookReview: Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by @SJMass

Title: Tower of Dawn

Series:  (Throne of Glass #6)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: Hardcover, 672 pages
Published: September 5th 2017 
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

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Synopsis: In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

#BookReview: Heart of the Impaler by Alexander Delacroix

Synopsis: Ilona Csáki has no desire to marry the voivode's eldest son, but love and marriage are the least of her worries. 

The royal family's enemies have already tried to put an arrow through her back—and if anyone discovers her blossoming feelings for her betrothed's cousin Andrei, and younger brother, Vlad, she may just wish they'd succeeded.

Beneath the shadow of impending war, the only battle that will be deadlier than the one for Ilona’s life will be the one for her heart.

In this dark, historical YA debut, two young men—one scarred and dutiful, the other wickedly magnetic—fall for the same young woman. But is it safe for her to love either of them back?