Week 7 Review: Honor Among Thieves

From Goodreads:
Meet your new favorite kickass heroine in this daring YA series by New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, a thrilling yet romantic futuristic adventure perfect for fans of Claudia Gray's A Thousand Pieces of You.

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that's made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn't much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she's headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth's dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she's assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

My first review of Honor Among Thieves
My Review:
I don't know how much I can say it, because I absolutely love this book! The world is so creative and interesting, I love Zara and Nadim, and with Bea, they go on one heck of an adventure! What's not to love? Loved it so much!

I remembered the feelings of frustration, of the unbearable unfairness that Zara faces. With the crime boss after her and all, just oh, the emotions! Totally felt the same this time, but a bit better, knowing what's to come!

The bond between Zara and Nadim is just beautiful. They're both young, and this is the first time it's happened to both of them, and while that caused some danger when he fell asleep, that connection was just amazing to read!

Zara is smart and scrappy, she doesn't want the easy but rule filled way, she wants her freedom. And she learns more about herself and the world by getting it. There's mysteries and problems to solve, and I can't wait to read about them!

This book was just so fantastic, so incredible, and I'm so glad that Honor Bound is coming out next week! Must read it! I've waited 16 months for it!

Authors: Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre
Series: The Honors #1
First Read: October 21st, 2017
Read: February 15th, 2019
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading because I loved this book! And it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Published: February 13th 2018

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Review: The Cerulean

From Goodreads:
Sera has always felt as if she didn't belong among her people, the Cerulean. She is curious about everything and can't stop questioning her three mothers, her best friend, Leela, and even the High Priestess. Sera has longed for the day when the tether that connects her City Above the Sky to the earthly world below finally severs and sends the Cerulean to a new planet.

But when Sera is chosen as the sacrifice to break the tether, she doesn't know what to feel. To save her City, Sera must throw herself from its edge and end her own life. But something goes wrong and she survives the fall, landing in a place called Kaolin. She has heard tales about the humans there, and soon learns that the dangers her mothers warned her of are real. If Sera has any hope to return to her City, she'll have to find the magic within herself to survive. 

My Review:
Wow, I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the world and the rules that governed it. Well, some of them, and maybe some of them were distorted, which was something that this book questioned, and hopefully we'll see more of in the sequel!

For me, my favourite POV was Sera, and my least favourite was Leo's in the beginning. Because his culture was very male-centric, and women weren't allowed to take out money of their own accounts without a male with them. Boo! But his connection of Sera opens his eyes, which was a welcome change for me!

I do have some suspicions about what's going on with the High Priestess, and the bond. We're given some hints, and from those, I have some guesses about what happened, and I hope I'm right, both for self-patting on the back, and for the characters. Can't wait to find out if I'm right!

I was kinda expecting something to go seriously wrong. Tree did set herself on fire, but that wasn't the bad guys interfering. Which makes me think there'll be a reckoning pretty early on in the sequel. And I can't wait to read it!

This book was really fantastic, I enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Author: Amy Ewing
Series: Untitled Duology #1
Read: February 15th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: February 5th 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Reviews: Turf Wars, Part 1, Turf Wars, Part 2, Turf Wars, Part 3

From Goodreads:
Relishing their newfound feelings for each other, Korra and Asami leave the Spirit World . . . but find nothing in Republic City but political hijinks and human vs. spirit conflict! 

A pompous developer plans to turn the new spirit portal into an amusement park, potentially severing an already tumultuous connection with the spirits. What's more, the triads have realigned and are in a brutal all-out brawl at the city's borders - where hundreds of evacuees have relocated!

In order to get through it all, Korra and Asami vow to look out for each other - but first, they've got to get better at being a team and a couple!

From Goodreads:

Recovering from the fight and furious for revenge, Triple Threats member Tokuga solidifies his ties with the duplicitous Wonyong. Meanwhile, when Republic City's housing crisis reaches its peak, Zhu Li sets her sights on the biggest public figure in the city—President Raiko—in a bid for the presidency! With her friend's success, the future of the spirit portal, and the wellbeing of Republic City's citizens at stake, can Korra remain neutral and fulfill her duties as the Avatar?

From Goodreads:

When Asami is kidnapped, Korra sets out to the Spirit Wilds to find her. Now teeming with dark spirits influenced by the half spirit-half human Tokuga, the landscape is more dangerous than ever before. The two women must trust in each other and work together if they are to make it out alive. Their fate is revealed in this stunning, action-packed conclusion to The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars!

My Review:
Yes, I enjoyed reading this series so much! The Legend of Korra is a favourite tv show of mine, and this is set right after, and that it's official stuff, it's part of canon, yeah!



Loved reading these, and I can't wait for more with Ruins of the Empire!

Author: Michael Dante DiMartino, Illustrated by Irene Koh
Series: The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars #1, 2, 3
Read: February 14th, 15th, 15th, 2019
Source: Online
Reason Why: Loved the TV show, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books, and Turf Wars, Part 3 is a End of Series 2019 Book!
Publisher: Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics
Published: July 26th 2017, January 17th 2018, August 22nd 2018

Turf Wars, Part 1:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Turf Wars, Part 2:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Turf Wars, Part 3:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

From Goodreads:
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets the 1700s in this hilarious and swashbuckling stand-alone teen historical fiction novel. 

A young bisexual British lord who embarks on an unforgettable Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend/secret crush stars. An 18th-century romantic adventure for the modern age written by This Monstrous Thing author Mackenzi Lee.

Henry "Monty" Montague doesn't care that his roguish passions are far from suitable for the gentleman he was born to be. But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quests for pleasure and vice are in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family's estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

So Monty vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty's reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Witty, dazzling, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is an irresistible romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love. 

My Review:
This book was a really fun read! There are some serious moments, like with his father, when they're attacked by Highwaymen, boarded by pirates, and slavery. Oh, and eating a human heart. Can't forget about that! And then there's the relationship between Monty and Percy, it's so special!

I couldn't help but love Monty. He got into so many scrapes but he was running from himself, basically. Because his father and his life told him that he wasn't worth anything, and Monty just wanted to get away from that. Plus he was witty and overly fond of his dimples.

Between the two of them, Monty and Percy don't fit very well in society of their time. They're both gay, which, depending on where they were, could get them killed. Percy had epilepsy, which they didn't understand as well as they do now. And he was biracial though his mom which made people think he was lesser than. Which he wasn't. Percy was a delightful ray of sunshine!

The trio has a lot of adventures on the road. Mostly because Monty stole something from the Duke of Bourbon. So while they go on a different tour then was planned, they do go to a number of European cities and see a lot of culture. If not what was planned!

This book was a really fun and adventurous book, and I can't wait to read the sequel! I want to see how Felicity ended back up with their parents!

Author: Mackenzi Lee
Series: Montague Siblings #1
Read: February 14th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Loved her first book, and it sounded really good, and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Published: June 27th 2017

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Reviews: Archangel's Kiss, Weapons Training, Archangel's Consort

From Goodreads:
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find that she has become an angel-and that her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, likes having her under his control. But almost immediately, Raphael must ready Elena for a flight to Beijing, to attend a ball thrown by the archangel Lijuan. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan's power lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena...

From Goodreads:
A short story about Jessamy and Galen.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Guild Hunter series, this story features Galen, Weaponsmaster to the Archangel Raphael, and Jessamy, Historian of the angelic race and teacher of their young.

For Guild Hunter fans, this story takes place during Archangel’s Kiss, after Galen has just completed a training session with Elena.

From Goodreads:
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil… 

A vampire has attacked a girls' school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders. The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear. 

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed… 

My first review of Archangel's Kiss, Weapons Training, Archangel's Consort
My second review of Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's Consort
My Review:
I enjoyed reading these books so much! I guess I'm on something of a Nalini Singh kick right now! I'm going to be reading more of both series, because they're both just so freaking good, and most of them, I've only read once. Well, these two full length ones, I've now read 3 times, but still.

I'd forgotten how far Elena and Raphael had come in their relationship since the beginning. And that they hadn't really had a firm base before the final showdown with Uram. So there were some power struggles, and learning who the other person was. Which was really fun to read again!

Both these books had pretty important mysteries. Who was killing to try to get onto the Cadre? And was Caliane still crazy? I remembered the first, that was pretty easy, but I kinda thought that she had killed those people, though she wasn't crazy. So that was fun to go through again!

They also were pretty hard hitting, emotionally. Elena was confronted with her nightmares of the one who tortured and killed her family. And Raphael had to deal with the memory of his mom walking away from him while he lay broken. Not fun, not easy, but good reading!

Loved reading these, and I can't wait to reread more!

Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #2, 2.5, 3
First Read: March 26th, 26th, 26th, 2016
Second Read: April 10th, 10th, 2017
Read: February 13th, 13th, 13th, 2019
Source: Own, Free
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Books!
Publisher: Berkley, Penguin Group (USA)
Published: February 2nd 2010, February 2013, January 1st, 2011

Archangel's Kiss:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Weapon's Training:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Archangel's Consort:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Reviews: Mine to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure

From Goodreads:
Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

From Goodreads:
Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy--cool, calm, emotionless...at least on the surface. Inside, she's fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety, but to the lethal danger of a sniper's embrace.

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard's rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian's agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules... 

My first review of Mine to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure
My Review:
I really enjoyed reading these books again! Both Talin and Clay, Ashaya and Dorian are great couples, and their romances were really awesome to read! Plus there was world developments, like the Forgotten, and the Human Alliance. Oh, and Pure Psy.

Reading these two back to back was pretty great, because they had pretty linked plots, with the kids and the various projects that the Psy council wanted them to do. Well, plus Jude blowing up the one lab in Caressed in Ice. They went together really well!

The fact that Talin and Clay had history together, they kinda have the longest relationship. True, that they did spend 20 years apart. I loved their banter, the typically kinda mean descriptors that they had for each other!

I'd forgotten a lot about Hostage to Pleasure. Like the fact that her son was technically her nephew. Or that Henry Scott and that side plot. So it was really great to read it again. I did remember things like the Human Alliance attacking, and that Ashaya used her abilities so that Dorian could shift! 

Loved reading these books again, they were so great, and I can't wait to reread more!

Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #4, 5
First Read: April 5th, 5th, 2016
Read: February 11th, 11th, 2019
Source: Own
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2016 Books!
Publisher: Berkley, Berkley Books
Published: February 5th 2008, September 1st 2008

Mine to Possess:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Hostage to Pleasure:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Review: Ruins of the Empire, Part 1

From Goodreads:
Korra must decide who to trust as the fate of the Earth Kingdom hangs in the balance!

On the eve of its first elections, the Earth Kingdom finds its future endangered by its past. Even as Kuvira stands trial for her crimes, vestiges of her imperial ambitions threaten to undermine the nation's democratic hopes. But when Korra, Asami, Mako, and Bolin don't all see eye-to-eye as to the solution, drastic measures will be taken to halt a new march to war!

Written by series co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino and drawn by Michelle Wong (Goosebumps: Download and Die), with consultation by Bryan Konietzko, this is the official continuation of the beloved television series! 

My Review:
Yes, I loved reading this! I loved spending more time in this wolf of the Avatars! And because I found this one, I found out about the first one, Turf Wars, which I'm going to have to read! I just love Korra and the gang!

So the Earth Nation is becoming a democracy, which is a pretty big deal. Since not everybody wants it, they want to remain a monarchy. And it's a rocky process, since some of Kuvira's forces didn't stand down. And that some people don't seem to realize that this is a time for change, not new paint on the same old walls.

We got to see Kuvira be put on trial, and be in her head. I honestly forgot about her, since it's been so long since I've watched the show. But her actions in the show are pretty important to what's going on in this collection of stories. So I really enjoyed being in her head!

I knew going in that this was only part 1. And so the cliffhanger, evil ending, yeah, I wasn't surprised that it was there. The specifics, I kinda guessed once the bad guy made his move. It's going to be interesting to see how Team Avatar fights back against this threat!

Such a fantastic story, and I can't wait to read more!

Author: Michael Dante DiMartino, Illustrated by Michelle Wong and Vivian Ng
Series: The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire #1
Read: February 10th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Loved the show so much, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Dark Horse
Expected Publication: May 21st 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 7 Review: Dark Queen

From Goodreads:
Jane Yellowrock used to hunt vampires, but now she must fight--and win--beside them.

As Enforcer to the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans, Jane Yellowrock stakes her reputation and her life on keeping her territory safe. But Leo has been issued a blood challenge by the emperor of the European vampires, who seeks to usurp all of his power and possessions. If Leo loses the match to the death, the city will be forfeit, and the people of New Orleans will suffer the consequences. Jane can't let that happen.

Preparing for the duel requires all of Jane's focus, but with so much supernatural power in play, nothing goes according to plan. She has to rely on herself and the very few people she knows she can trust to stand and fight. Only two things are guaranteed: nothing is sacred, and no one is safe.

My first review of Dark Queen
My Review:
Yeah, I really enjoyed reading this book again! I remembered most of the big bits, like her brother and the ending of the book, and some smaller things like the front that the Louisiana vamps put on. I did forget things like the formation of Clan Yellowrock, so it was great to read this book again!

Jane has been through a lot though the course of this series. She's developed more friendships, fell in love twice, put down roots. It's something that she reflects on a few times in this book. Which makes sense, there's been a lot of build up to this fight, and not everybody makes it out alive, so the reflection made sense.

This book is part politics, part mystery, and part fights. Of the machinations of Leo to consolidate his power base. To finding out about the lemon scented vampires. And of course, the big gathering and face off. It came together really well!

We recently go the synopsis of Shattered Bonds, and it looks like the healing with her knocked out child bone DNA is going to be bigger than I though. I thought it would be dealt with pretty quickly. Apparently not, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen!

This book was amazing, I loved reading it, and I can't wait to read more!

Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #12
First Read: April 3rd, 2018
Read: February 10th, 2019
Source: NetGalley, Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: May 1st 2018

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars