Week 51 Review: Divine Rivals

From Goodreads:

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in this epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

My Review:
Oh man, this was such an amazing read! I love Rebecca Ross's writing, her stories are just so compelling, and I had such a great time with this book! Enemies to lovers is a favourite trope of mine, and I loved watching it play out in this book! 

Rebecca Ross has written some really fantastic books in the past, and with this book's synopsis, I knew that this book would be just as good. And boy, it was, I loved learning about the magic, as well as the enemies to lovers romance! 

I utterly adored their romance. They both work at the paper, but they don't get along.When he magical gets the letter that she wrote to her brother, and replies, it's the start of something more, and watching them from this connection through their letters to one another was just fantastic! 

The supernatural stakes of this book, with dealing with this war, it was a pretty huge task. I loved watching Iris undertake it, with the horrors and traumas of war, which Rebeca Ross dealt with excellently. The way things ended, yeah, I'm glad this is (I think) a duology so I can have more, and see where it goes from here! 

This was such a great read, and I can't wait for the sequel! 

Author: Rebecca Ross
Series: Iris at the Front #1
Read: December 22nd, 2022
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Sounded really great and I love her writing, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Expected Publication: April 4th 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: Ghosts & Garlands

From Goodreads:

Victorian novelist Miranda Hastings is in London for a modern-day Christmas with the man she loves, and they want to see everything. Luckily, they have friends who are going to make sure they get their wish. They're sent on a whirlwind holiday adventure, following their friends' mysterious messages…until an encounter with a ghost who was part of an infamous gang of highwaymen. Murder, mystery, and a ghost in need? Now that’s Miranda's idea of a holiday treat.

My Review:
Oh man, I loved reading this story! I love this series and Kelley Armstrong's writing so much, these holiday stories after the main story, that give hints and introductions to the next book in the series is so great! And we got to see Miranda and Nico in the present!

Miranda's adventure started off because she wanted to go to the future like her sister did, but ended up going to the past. Now we finally see her in the present, with Nico, and I really enjoyed their holiday story!

I love the idea that everybody came up with a series of places for these two to go to, to go on an adventure to explore modern day London. There were some really touching moments, like going to the shop that Rosalind ran before she married August! 

Of course this book introduced the idea of the next book, I believe it's Portia's, with Highwaymen, with the side quest that the pair go on. I can't wait to see how her story is going to unfold, and with whom she'll fall in love with! 

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait for the next book in the series! 

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: A Stitch in Time #3.5
Read: December 1st, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Kla Fricke Inc
Published: November 15th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: The Poisoner's Ring

From Goodreads:

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona's body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker's assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray's oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman's weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it's as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

My Review:
I absolutely loved reading this book! Kelley Armstrong is an auto-buy author for me, I just love all of her books! I loved this latest installment in this series, seeing Mallory settle in this time, with people who know that she's from our time. Plus the latest mystery was really compelling!

There's still a bit of conflicted feelings with the whole time traveling thing, and how promises and secrets were kept. They do work though things, but it wasn't as smooth as it was for a moment there. But that just means growth with the characters! 

A poisoner's ring, the type where there's a poisoner, and the women who need their help passes on the information after they've been helped, not a ring on the finger that holds poison, is such an interesting idea. Watching the investigation unfold, all the layers and secrets, finding the connections-with the personal angle of Annis, Gray's other sister. I couldn't put it down! 

A small but important question is surrounded her return. How she's going to get back, what she's going to get back to, and, if there's some way she could come back and forth at will. To get the best of both worlds, her family in the present, and these friends she's made in the past. There was some talk about it, but I have no idea how it might be accomplished, and I can't wait to find out! 

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait for book 3! 

Author: Kelley Armstrong 
Series: A Rip Through Time #2
Read: November 20th, 2022
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Expected Publication: May 23rd 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 46 Review: My Imaginary Mary

From Goodreads:

It's aliiiiiiiive! New York Times bestselling authors of My Lady Jane are back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley.

Mary may have inherited the brilliant mind of her late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but she lives a drab life above her father's bookstore, waiting for an extraordinary idea that'll inspire a work worthy of her parentage--and impress her rakishly handsome (and super-secret) beau, Percy Shelley.

Ada Lovelace knows a thing or two about superstar parents, what with her dad being Lord Byron, the most famous poet on Earth. But her passions lie far beyond the arts--in mechanical engineering, to be exact. Alas, no matter how precise Ada's calculations, there's always a man willing to claim her ingenious ideas as his own.

Pan, a.k.a. Practical Automaton Number One, is Ada's greatest idea yet: a machine that will change the world, if only she can figure out how to make him truly autonomous . . . or how to make him work at all.

When fate connects our two masterminds, Mary and Ada learn that they are fae--magical people with the ability to make whatever they imagine become real. But when their dream team results in a living, breathing, thinking PAN, Mary and Ada find themselves hunted by a mad scientist who won't stop until he finds out how they made a real boy out of spare parts.

With comic genius and a truly electrifying sense of adventure, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn the classics on their head in this YA fantasy that's perfect for fans of Frankenstein and The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

My Review:
This was such a fun book to read! I was wondering if this was going to be set in the same world as My Plain Jane, and the villain from that book was briefly mentioned, since I'm fairly certain he was a real person. But alas, this is not a world of ghosts.

Oh, this combination of characters and world was so fantastic to read! Mary, the author who wrote Frankenstein, and Ada Lovelace, who did the math for the first theoretical computer, and the magic that made Pan, it was so interesting to read! 

This world with the fae, of people who can do magic, was so interesting to read! And that, between the two of them, they manage to bring Pan to life, well, I had to know what was going to happen next, because this felt like it as going to at least inspire Frankenstein. So that was great to read! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the romances in these books! Pan was just an absolute sweetie! But I also really enjoyed the friendship between these two, they were both smart, capable women, they worked well together, and it was a really great friendship for the both of them!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait for Mary #3! 

Authors: Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows
Series: Mary #2
Read: November 13th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love their writing and this series, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge, Historical Fiction 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: August 2nd 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 45 Review: Strike the Zither

From Goodreads:

An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and identity, from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it's no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren's honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren's followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.

My Review:
Oh, this was such a fantastic read! I've never read Three Kingdoms, I'd never even heard of it before this book. But to have inspired this book, it must've been pretty great! I absolutely loved reading this book, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Zephyr was ruthless and brilliant, and oh, was she an amazing character to read about! She's the strategist of the underdog, and some of her moves-including ones that make her seem like she's betraying Ren-were downright insane in how she managed to get things to go her way! 

That mid-book twist? I wasn't expecting the book to go in that direction, but it made for such an interesting story. I had no idea how things would progress from there, but I loved watching how things unfolded from there! 

The intricate plots and politics that were going on where just incredible. This world is not kind to the people, and combined, that just made for an addicting plot. And oh, that ending and that reveal? That was hard, and fantastic, and with certain information know-and others not-it'll be so interesting to see where things go from here! 

This was an incredible read, and I need book 2 now! 

Author: Joan He
Series: Kingdom of Three #1
Read: November 5th, 2022
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, Historical Fiction 2022 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book!
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Published: October 25th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 44 Review: Forbidden

From Goodreads:

In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden's tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden's turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe's leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family's position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden's heart. 

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden's heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb's increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden's every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying. 

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family's survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

My Review:
I had a pretty great time reading this book! I was putting it off for some reason, but I finally picked it up and started reading it, and I had a really great time with these characters, trying to fight for their love. It as a really fantastic story! 

This book was rich and atmospheric, set in the Mesopotamian desert, where it's very hot, and it's not somewhere that I've read a lot from. The culture and the history of this tribe, set in this location, was an amazing backdrop for this story! 

It wasn't supposed to be Jayden, and it wasn't supposed to be Joreb being the future ruler. But when the older son dies, they are the ones to marry. And this is an awful situation for Jayden, because it elevates her family-but it means she marries a monster. Which is not cool.

I really enjoyed her and Kadesh together. He's nice and kind, basically the opposite of Joreb, and the kind of person a good percentage of the population most would prefer in a romantic partner. With the way things ended, I'm so excited to see where their story goes from here! 

This was a great read, and I can't wait to continue on! 

Author: Kimberly Griffiths Little
Series: Forbidden #1
Read: October 31st, 2022
Source: Edelweiss/Bought
Reason Why: Sounded really good! And it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book!
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: November 4th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 43 Review: Reader, I Murdered Him

From Goodreads:

In this daring tale of female agency and revenge from a New York Times bestselling author, a girl becomes a teenage vigilante who roams Victorian England using her privilege and power to punish her friends' abusive suitors and keep other young women safe.

Adele grew up in the shadows--first watching from backstage at her mother's Parisian dance halls, then wandering around the gloomy, haunted rooms of her father's manor. When she's finally sent away to boarding school in London, she's happy to enter the brightly lit world of society girls and their wealthy suitors.

Yet there are shadows there, too. Many of the men that try to charm Adele's new friends do so with dark intentions. After a violent assault, she turns to a roguish young con woman for help. Together, they become vigilantes meting out justice. But can Adele save herself from the same fate as those she protects?

With a queer romance at its heart, this lush historical thriller offers readers an irresistible mix of vengeance and empowerment.

My Review:
Well I couldn't put this book down! The idea of a female taking revenge for all the wrongs done, and in a historical setting when things were harder for women, yeah, I had to read it! Plus the title address us readers, I had to pick it up!

I haven't read Jane Eyre. I'm not one for classics. But this is a retelling of it, from Adele's perspective, of Mr. Rochester's daughter, the one that Jane is brought there to teach. And that is about the first third of the book, of Adele's childhood. The later thirds were set afterwards, and that's when things really get going! 

Watching Adele gather up her strength and fight for her friends was such an excellent journey! The fact that these girls aren't protected, are hurt and hunted by those that are supposed to be protecting them, is infuriating. So it was really great to see Adele step up to the plate! 

The twists and turns that this story takes! I mean that reveal at the end, and the subsequent ending? That was really unexpected, but it was set up throughout the book, so it was really well done. It does make me wish that things could've been different, but alas! 

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Betsy Cornwell! 

Author: Betsy Cornwell
Read: October 28th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book, SAC 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Clarion Books
Expected Publication: November 15th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 43 Review: Meddling Kids

From Goodreads:

With raucous humor and brilliantly orchestrated mayhem, Meddling Kids subverts teen detective archetypes like the Hardy Boys, the Famous Five, and Scooby-Doo, and delivers an exuberant and wickedly entertaining celebration of horror, love, friendship, and many-tentacled, interdimensional demon spawn.

SUMMER 1977. The Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in Oregon's Zoinx River Valley) solved their final mystery and unmasked the elusive Sleepy Lake monster—another low-life fortune hunter trying to get his dirty hands on the legendary riches hidden in Deboën Mansion. And he would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids.

1990. The former detectives have grown up and apart, each haunted by disturbing memories of their final night in the old haunted house. There are too many strange, half-remembered encounters and events that cannot be dismissed or explained away by a guy in a mask. And Andy, the once intrepid tomboy now wanted in two states, is tired of running from her demons. She needs answers. To find them she will need Kerri, the one-time kid genius and budding biologist, now drinking her ghosts away in New York with Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the club. They will also have to get Nate, the horror nerd currently residing in an asylum in Arkham, Massachusetts. Luckily Nate has not lost contact with Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star who was once their team leader . . . which is remarkable, considering Peter has been dead for years.

The time has come to get the team back together, face their fears, and find out what actually happened all those years ago at Sleepy Lake. It's their only chance to end the nightmares and, perhaps, save the world.

A nostalgic and subversive trip rife with sly nods to H. P. Lovecraft and pop culture, Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids is a strikingly original and dazzling reminder of the fun and adventure we can discover at the heart of our favorite stories, no matter how old we get.

My Review:
This book was a lot of fun to read! I really enjoy Scooby-Doo, it was a great part of my childhood. And this takes the same premise, a group of kids who investigate various goings on in this town, but they've disbanded, and it's years later and they're coming back together. Kinda like the 2002 Scooby-Doo movie.

The way this was written was so hilarious! I loved the humor, and the references, and the pop culture. It was so easy to read this book, even though there was some meanings that were layered that were a little hard to grasp sometimes.

This is the story of the group now when they're adults, where life hasn't always treated them kindly, who look back at the time when they solved these mysteries with fondness. Besides the last case, there was something fishy about how that all played out.

I really enjoyed watching the band get back together (with a canine descendant of the original canine member) as they learn more about this case. The synopsis mentions Lovecraft, which while I've never read, I known the geist from mentions in the collective culture. It was dark and spooky and I enjoyed it so much! 

I had a really great time reading this book, it was really entertaining! 

Author: Edgar Cantero
Read: October 22nd, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book and a SAC 2022 Book!
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: July 11th 2017

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 41 Review: The Sinister Booksellers of Bath

From Goodreads:

Return to the enchanting world of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London in this sequel by Garth Nix, bestselling master of teen fantasy, where once again a team of booksellers must fight to keep dangerous magic under cover before the stuff of legends destroys our world.

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.

This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

My Review:
I had a fantastic time reading this book! I loved the first one, but it did stand on it's own. So that we got a chance to be in this world again was really great, I loved spending this time with these characters again, and the adventures that they got up to!

I just love the idea of booksellers keeping this hidden world of magic from the rest of the world, keeping us safe. It's such a fun idea, and with the left and right and even booksellers. I'm just so glad that we got a sequel! 

Dealing with this latest threat, with a map that takes them to a suspended in time estate, and learning the cost to keep it suspended. Of course it's a case for the booksellers, and I loved watching them investigate, while also working on preventative measures.

Susan just wants to be normal. But her dad is an Ancient Sovereign, and she has some special abilities. I'm hoping that we'll get a 3rd book, because the thing with the bracer, and the deal that Susan made, I want to see more how everything will play out! 

This was another entertaining read, and I can't wait to read more by Garth Nix! 

Author: Garth Nix
Series: The Left-Handed Booksellers of London #2
Read: October 14th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love his writing and the first book, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books 
Expected Publication: March 21st 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 41 Review: Fateful

From Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It's 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they're sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He's in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it's because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec's past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

My first review of Fateful
My Review:

I had such a great time reading this book again! I enjoyed reading it the first time, but its been a while, and I had a chance to read it again, so I took it. What else is the point of owning all these books that I've read, if I'm not going to reread some of them again?

This story of werewolves-while on the Titanic, is such a great read. There's the tense nature of being stuck on a ship, they're contained, but there's also the looming dread, because we know the ship is going to sink. Which is going to cause all sorts of chaos.

Tess is the maid of a noble family-one that has a title, but has lost most of the wealth, and are now looking at ways to bolster the family coffers, mainly by having their children get married, and bring in money that way. But her plan is to walk away once they arrive in America, to start a new life for herself.

Of course things get complicated when the nefarious Mikhail accosts her, and she gets dragged into this world of werewolves. I loved watching everything unfold, with her and Alec, and dealing with the Brotherhood, it was all so entertaining to read!

This was an excellent read, and I can't wait to read more by Claudia Gray!

Author: Claudia Gray

First Read: November 2nd, 2011

Read: October 11th, 2022

Source: Own

Reason Why: Rereading, and it's a Historical Fiction 2022 Book and a SAC 2022 Book!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Published: September 13th 2011

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 39 Review: Little Wrecks

From Goodreads:
In this haunting and explosive debut, Meredith Miller explores the truth behind three girls on the cusp of adulthood, and all the shocking realizations that come under the guise of growing up. Perfect for fans of I'll Give You the Sun and Girl in Pieces.

Ruth, Magda, and Isabel are different from everyone else. They can see beneath the seemingly perfect, cookie-cutter exterior of their small town of Highbone, Long Island. They know that below the surface, each house is filled with secrets, indifference, and violence.

These girls refuse to become willing participants of these fake lives. Instead, they are determined to fight every condescending comment, every unwelcome touch, and every lie they've been told.

When the opportunity to commit the perfect crime appears, the girls finally start to see their way out of Highbone. But for the first time, Ruth, Magda, and Isabel are keeping secrets from each other. As they drift apart, the weight of reality starts to set in. These girls can't save each other. They might not even be able to save themselves.

My Review:
This book, oh man, this book. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wish the word literary was in the synopsis, so I wouldn't have picked it up, because I don't do well with literary, and that is what this book is. Bah.

The synopsis was interesting, with the girls not wanting to be a part of these fake lives, to escape the violence that simmers in their town, and the harsh realties of being female, and growing up female, in this world. It was contemporary, well, historical contemporary, so I was a bit nervous about it, but oh, it was more than that that made this book not for me.

Meredith Miller had a way with words. The way she described things was just a little bit out there, that things were bigger and more expansive. And I had a hard time going along with that, my brain doesn't want to accept that.

This is a book about a group of friends who steal some drugs, and then everything that unfolds from there. We see their different lives, the things going on, and I just wanted to give these girls a hug. It was at times scary and others awful, the situations that they got into! Romantic relationships and family ones sometimes can really mess you up! 

This reading experience of this book has me scared to read How We Learned to Lie, which is apparently set in the 80's, and this is set 4 years after the Vietnam war, so 1979-and they're set in the same town. But I'd like to read more of my review books...

Overall the story was great, but yeah, this book wasn't for me. 

Author: Meredith Miller
Read: September 24th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a DAC Book, Historical Fiction 2022 Book and a SAC 2022 Book!
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: June 13th 2017

4/5 Hearts

0/5 Books

0/5 Stars

Week 38 Reviews: Walk On Earth a Stranger, Like a River Glorious, Into the Bright Unknown

From Goodreads:

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? 

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. 

Includes a map and author's note on historical research. 

From Goodreads:
After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn't given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he'll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The second epic historical fantasy in the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, the acclaimed author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. 

From Goodreads:

The stunning conclusion to Rae Carson's New York Times–bestselling Gold Seer trilogy

Leah Westfall’s journey has been one of ever-present peril, hidden magic, harsh realities, loss, life, determination, and love. She has searched for a place to belong and a place to call home, and people who can accept a girl with magical powers that prove to be both blessing and curse.

Rae Carson has been lauded as one of YA's best writers of fantasy, and fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and Westworld will be riveted by the conclusion of this remarkable historical fantasy trilogy.

Leah is poised to have everything she ever dreamed of on the long, dangerous journey to California's gold fields—wealth, love, the truest friends, and a home. Thanks to her magical ability to sense precious gold, Leah, her fiancé Jefferson, and her friends have claimed rich land in California Territory. But their fortune makes them a target, and when a dangerous billionaire sets out to destroy them, Leah and her friends must fight back with all of their power and talents.

Leah's magic is continuing to strengthen and grow, but someone is on to her—someone who might have a bit of magic herself. The stakes are higher than ever as Lee and her friends hatch a daring scheme that could alter California's history forever.

With a distinctive heroine and a unique interpretation of American history, Into the Bright Unknown strikes a rich vein of romance, magic, and adventure.

My first review of Walk on Earth a Stranger
My Review:
Oh, these were such amazing reads! I read the first book a while ago, and then just never continued, so I had to reread before continuing, and I'm so glad that I did because boy, this series is so fantastic! I enjoy these characters and their stories so much! 

I forgot a lot about Walk On Earth a Stranger, which is why I needed the reread. I loved getting to know these characters and their struggles again, though oh, there are some really heavy losses! I loved the family that they became, and that Glory was what they built! 

A big part of this series is about women's rights, and slavery. Of how those who aren't white men are treated terribly, from African Americans to Native Americans to Chinese. Of course slavery is the worse, but being a women in those times, they were considered property, of their family, or their husband, and they couldn't own anything. So I really enjoyed those discussions, they really brought up some emotions! 

The villains in these books, it was oh, so satisfying to watch them go down! The fact that what they were doing was almost always technically within the law, was infuriating, so it was really great to see them being taken down, they were just so awful! 

Loved reading these books so much, and I can't wait to read more by Rae Carson! 

Author: Rae Carson
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #1, 2, 3

First Read: December 12th, 2015
Read: September 21st, 21st, 22nd, 2022

Source: Own/Library, Edelweiss/Bought/Library, Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Historical Fiction 2022 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book, And Like a River Glorious and Into the Bright Unknown are WoW Books, and Like a River Glorious is a WTC Book! And Into the Bright Unknown is a End of Series 2022 Book!
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: September 22nd 2015, September 27th 2016, October 10th 2017

Walk On Earth a Stranger:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Like a River Glorious:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Into the Bright Unknown:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars