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The Poison Season
The Poison Season
Mara Rutherford | 2022 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If an outsider somehow makes it onto Endla they’re given a choice of death: the Forest or the lake.

Leelo was born and raised coexisting with the Wandering Forest located on the small island of Endla, and as much as she loves her community, she struggles with the fact that because her brother is an incanto, one without magic, he will be exiled by his next birthday.

When Leelo sees an outsider on the verge of drowning, she knows what she’s supposed to do - but in an instant, Leelo betrays everything she’s ever grown up. This leads to discoveries and consequences for both Leelo and the outsider, Jaren. But, as they grow closer, Leelo begins to question every fabric of her life.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel - a creepy, evil forest that kills outsiders? Sign me up! Mara Rutherford did an amazing job at world building in this novel and establishing Leelo as a character. Because of how established she was, when Leelo begins to question her beliefs and lifestyle, it makes the book all the more interesting. It also gives you a bit of a chance to piece together your assumptions of the puzzle pieces Leelo is gathering and it was kind of fun to be able to say, “I knew it…”, when some of it came together.

The romance aspect of this novel is kind of what I would expect from a YA - not exactly instant love, but it was kind of close to it. But, Leelo and Jaren were sweet and I actually enjoyed their relationship and how they learned about each other and though it felt a little rushed, I still was rooting for them.

Overall, I think anyone who loves a good fantasy romance would greatly enjoy this book. And, even if you don’t like romance novels, I still think fantasy readers would enjoy the world building Rutherford has done.

*Thank you Inkyard Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
  
How to heal a gryphon
How to heal a gryphon
Meg cannistra | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Usually, when one turns thirteen, you take an oath to be a guaritrice and use your powers to heal humans. But Giada doesn’t feel drawn to that path, instead, she knows her calling is to heal vulnerable animals, even if that goes against the hundred years of her family’s tradition.

When a group of witches takes her brother, Rocco, down into the magical underground city of Malavita in an attempt to get something they want, Giada is the only one who can rescue him. With the help of her best friend, Alessia and her new familiar, Sinistro, Giada must do everything she can to save her brother, or risk losing him forever.

This book was a quick and engaging read for me - I didn’t want to put it down. I loved Giada and her spunk and love for animals. Giada was who she was and she wasn’t going to change for anybody. I especially enjoyed her love for herself and her body. She would talk about her chubby tummy and how much she loved having it.

I feel like this book is perfect for middle grade readers as Meg Cannistra creates this magical world set in Italy, but it’s not overly complicated. There are all kinds of magical animals and beasts mixed with potions and practices. Not everything is laid out right in front of you, and Giada lets you know stuff as it goes along, which I feel like works well for this story.

I could easily see this becoming a series as we follow Giada in her studies and beyond. Plus, I would be interested in seeing this magical world outside of Italy too.

Overall, this is a cute and wonderful middle grade fantasy novel that I can see readers of all ages enjoying.

*Thank you Inkyard Press and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
  
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Ali A (82 KP) rated Unseelie in Books

Jan 19, 2023  
Unseelie
Unseelie
Ivelisse Housman | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A few years ago, there was an accident in Seelie and Isolde’s home village and ever since, they’ve been on the run. Seelie is an autistic changeling trying to understand and control her unpredictable magic - it doesn’t help that she finds it almost as difficult to fit in with the humans around her. Her sister Isolde, is an amazing pickpocketer and uses her skills to keep them alive. When a heist goes wrong, the twins find themselves in a larger mystery than they expected and discover secrets of the history of both faeries and humans. With new companions on their adventure can Seelie get control of her magic in time to protect her sister.

“The perfect start to any morning. Who needs coffee when you have the icy shock of mortal terror?”

I was pretty excited to read this book portraying an autistic main character written by someone who is on the spectrum themselves. It is a wonderful portrayal for children and young adults to see themselves represented, especially in a fantasy, magic filled world like we see in Unseelie. Seelie’s character is honest and true, and you see this world through her eyes - with and without overstimulating events.

Each of the four main characters were fun to meet and learn about - though I am hoping we get to see more flushed out history of both Raze and Olani in the next book.

The pacing of this novel was a bit slow in places, especially in the middle and then the ending kind of hit you fiercely. I didn’t realize this would be a duology until the last few pages, especially since nothing really wrapped up and you were kind of left with unexplained events and a cliffhanger. That being said though, I am super excited for the next book in the series and will for sure be waiting for that to hit the shelves.

*Thank you Inkyard Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Blood and Stars in Books

Sep 24, 2017  
Blood and Stars
Blood and Stars
Jaime Lee Mann | 2017 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
No cliffhanger (0 more)
Children's Fantasy
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Finally, after leaving everyone on tenterhooks, the fifth book in the Legend of Rhyme series is here. Blood and Stars by Jaime Lee Mann continues on from the tense ending to book four, finally resolving a lot of loose ends. With all the favourite characters from the series, this book transports readers back into the fantasy world of Coraira for more adventure and magic.

Blood and Stars is split into four stories, which eventually all merge together in an explosive climax. Firstly, as expected, the main characters, twins Ariana and Asher, have found themselves separated from each other once again. With Ariana destined to rule Coraira, legend suggests that Asher will be the opposite – a ruler of darkness. But, is there a chance he can be saved from this fate? Meanwhile, the present ruler of Coraira is dying. The only person who could potentially save Calla is her evil twin sister Elora, the infamous witch in the previous books. Can she be trusted enough with such an important task?

Concurrently, in the ethereal world of the mermaids, readers are reintroduced to the mer-queen, Starla and her apprentice, Teagan. Abandoned at birth, Teagan is hoping to discover what happened to her parents; however, her curiosity leads her into the lair of a sea witch. Be that as it may, some dangerous situations result in silver linings.

Eventually, with the majority of the book already concluded, another character is brought back into the story. Grimblerod is still under the curse of an evil king, but he now has hope that it can be broken. As long as his love for Freya does not fail, Grimblerod’s patient determination will lead him back to where he belongs.

With a mix of new and old characters, Jaime Lee Mann smoothly draws her fans back into the storyline with a (mostly) happy ending. There are a couple of things left incomplete, but nothing that will majorly irritate readers. There is no dreaded cliffhanger.

As it may have been some time since children read the last book, or parents and teachers are only just being introduced to the story, the author has provided an in-depth character guide in the end pages to bring everyone up to speed.

Blood and Stars was a more straightforward story than previous books. It resolved more issues than it created. There will be a final book coming (hopefully) soon, but there is no way of guessing what it will feature.

Legend of Rhyme is a series suitable for girls and boys. Mildly scary in parts, the adventure of the twins and their companions will entertain children and their parents. With discussion questions at the end, the books make readers think more about the storyline and help them to understand and interact with the narrative. This is certainly a series for young fantasy lovers.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Don't You Cry in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Don't You Cry
Don't You Cry
Mary Kubica | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first book that I have read by Mary Kubica and I wasn’t disappointed. I thought I knew how the story was going to pan out and that it would be somewhat predictable, however I was very wrong! This is a mystery/thriller book told from 2 alternating points of view, Quinn and Alex. Our narrators are both young adults and from different parts of the states with very different backgrounds. Whilst Quinn’s flatmate Esther has just vanished in the middle of the night, Alex meets a mysterious girl who he refers to as Pearl. This story has so many twists and turns you don’t know who is good and who is bad at times and when you think you know whats going on, it changes once again. This book is definitely a page turner as I wanted to know what happens to Esther and I needed to know what happens between Pearl and Alex.

Esther Vaughan has vanished in the middle of the night leaving no note or any reason why, her flatmate Quinn is perplexed, has she been such an awful flatmate that Esther had to up and leave, is Esther really sweet and innocent as she makes out to be? When Quinn goes digging for information she starts to uncover clues and things she never knew about her friend.

Alex Gallo is working in a little cafe/diner/restaurant as a dish washer, when an unfamiliar girl enters the shop, he is instantly intrigued by her and plus she is easy on the eyes. He wants to know why she is there, in the town where nothing really happens. He tries to investigate, however he also has his work and errands he does for the local agoraphobic, Ingrid.

There is also a rumour about a local house across the road from Alex that has been neglected and uninhabited. The reason being,…. it’s haunted by a young girl, Genevieve. Genevieve was a troublesome child who picked on the other children in the neighbourhood.

I really enjoyed Mary Kubica’s writing style, it was definitely a page turner,all the characters were well-developed. It is a slow read but you are still gripped reading it and wanting to know more. I only had some minor problems with the book which are personal opinions, 1. Quinn annoyed me a bit as she is so self-centred. 2. when the plot was beginning to unravel I got a little bit confused with what was happening. Apart from that I really enjoyed it and will be definitely looking into her other books that she has published which are ‘Pretty Baby’ and ‘The good girl’

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a suspenseful thriller/mystery.

Overall I rated this 4 out of 5 stars

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**