The Fiction Feature

The Best Laid Plans – Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

High school senior Keely Collins takes on firsts, lasts, and everything in between in this sweet, sex-positive rom-com for fans of Meg Cabot and Jenny Han.

It seemed like a good plan at first.

When the only other virgin in her group of friends loses it at Keely’s own eighteenth birthday party, she’s inspired to take things into her own hands. She wants to have that experience too (well, not exactly like that–but with someone she trusts and actually likes), so she’s going to need to find the guy, and fast. Problem is, she’s known all the boys in her small high school forever, and it’s kinda hard to be into a guy when you watched him eat crayons in kindergarten.

So she can’t believe her luck when she meets a ridiculously hot new guy named Dean. Not only does he look like he’s fallen out of a classic movie poster, but he drives a motorcycle, flirts with ease, and might actually be into her.

But Dean’s already in college, and Keely is convinced he’ll drop her if he finds out how inexperienced she is. That’s when she talks herself into a new plan: her lifelong best friend, Andrew, would never hurt or betray her, and he’s clearly been with enough girls that he can show her the ropes before she goes all the way with Dean. Of course, the plan only works if Andrew and Keely stay friends–just friends–so things are about to get complicated.

Cameron Lund’s delightful debut is a hilarious and heartfelt story of first loves, first friends, and first times–and how making them your own is all that really matters.

My Review:

Full disclosure, I’m not much of a romcom person. I love Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, but otherwise most romcoms I read are 3-star reads. I picked up this book because I read a “First Look” on BookishFirst a few months ago and was captivated, and the rest of the book had the same effect.

This book was just like a lot of romcoms, interesting in a frustrating way. If I had to pick on one thing, it would be that it seemed like there was always some giant lie going on. I learned about all of the characters, but Keely was an unreliable narrator. However, that does make for a more interesting story when the story reaches its climax.

I would recommend this book to people who like romcoms in general, because it’s really just a modern, friends-to-lovers romcom. I do think it didn’t really live up to the much more captivating concept you see on the dust jacket, but I would say that it’s worth a read.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

The Wicked Deep – Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

My Review:

I had high expectations for this book, so I’m not overly surprised that it didn’t necessarily rise to meet them. While I enjoyed this a lot, and certainly much more than Winterwood, Shea Ernshaw’s other book, I felt like it left something to be desired. That being said, I did think it was still good.

One thing that I didn’t like was the predictability. While I enjoy making guesses, I don’t love actually being correct in these cases. In reading this book, I felt like any assumption was basically correct. With some of these, it felt much too obvious to be true, but it was. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable read.

I’d recommend this book to people who like to be able to figure out a good mystery. The twists and turns could be predicted, but it’s still captivating. The entire concept of the town and the past was so appealing to me that I’m not surprised I thought this book would be a little better. It’s not perfect, but definitely not a waste of time.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

The Mercies – Review

Goodreads Synopsis:

After a storm has killed off all the island’s men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft.

Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband’s authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are pushed together and are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them with Absalom’s iron rule threatening Vardø’s very existence.

Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1620 witch trials, The Mercies is a feminist story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization.

My Review:

I liked this book much more than I thought I would. I’m not a huge historical fiction person but this book was pretty enjoyable. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’ll read anything Claire Legrand even briefly mentions and she did say good things about this book and I was driven to read it. I did actually expect this to be really tedious but it was interesting and paced not too fast or slow. The characters were likable and I loved seeing what their lives were really like then.

I’d recommend this book to people who like historical fiction, but it’s also a great feminist book. I wouldn’t say it reads like fantasy, but there were some similarities that captured my attention somehow. While there was a little romance, the story was mostly about the women of the island fending for themselves and after the arrival of Ursa and Absalom, trying to survive without being accused of witchcraft. This is a great book that portrays some of the struggles of women hundreds of years ago.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Winterwood – Review

Hey guys! I know I haven’t been very timely with updates but I’ll try to get two more reviews out this week other than this one. My reading has been slowing down a lot because what is time anymore?

Goodreads Synopsis:

Be careful of the dark, dark wood…

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.

From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic,where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.

My Review:

I don’t totally know how I feel about this book. I definitely like The Wicked Deep (by the same author, different world) much better, but I don’t know what I found wrong here. Overall, I didn’t really like how everything unfolded. It was just really confusing and it just felt like it was meant to mystify the reader, more to confuse than make them think. However, it was an interesting read, and definitely got entertaining when the pieces all fell together. I did actually like this book, but a friend of mine really didn’t and mentions that a lot, so my opinion is semi-tainted.

I would recommend this book to people who like urban fantasy. It does take place in the modern world, but there is very little modern technology mentioned. This reads like a high fantasy, so I would recommend this to the people who like those two. I did like that there were some supporting characters, but not enough to make it truly confusing.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn – Review

*This book was provided as a physical galley as part of a giveaway by WBReaderFest and Flat Iron Books.

Goodreads Synopsis:

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

My Review:

I thought this book was pretty good. It was a little complex, but I loved the role of fairytales and myth in the plot. I also liked the mystery that was in so many places. You never know if someone is telling the truth or even if what you know is true.

If I had to choose one thing to complain about, it would be the speed. At the beginning, everything seemed to be going too fast. The synopsis of this book really only covers the first third and while Soraya is making her choice for most of the book, so much happens so soon that it’s hard to keep track.

This book was good but not necessarily one that I’d recommend. However, it’s good for people who like to explore myth and legend and like not-quite fairytale retellings. While I didn’t love this book, it was worth reading. I was really happy to win this book and be able to read it early.

Overall, I would give this book,

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Preorder this to read the book when it’s released on July 7th, 2020!

All the Stars and Teeth – Review

Goodreads Summary:

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.

She will reign.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer — the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder — and more peril — than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.

My Review:

Wow. I mean, WOW. I loved this book! I had very high expectations with it being an OwlCrate book, and it really delivered on those. First of all, I love the world-building. It was really complicated and rich, but at the same time easy to understand, which I really admired. Supporting characters actually had personalities that you could see being developed throughout the book. There was sort of a love triangle, but not at all in an annoying way, and overall it was pretty uncomplicated in the romance department. I certainly had my guesses on what would happen, but Adalyn Grace really made this unpredictable. I also loved how she developed the characters, specifically Amora. Amora didn’t know everything that was going on, but also didn’t read to me as naive. In addition to this, I loved that while Amora would murder someone if they deserved it, she was neither the innocent, basic girl, nor the sassy, conceited one that we see too much of when most authors right about empowering women. Finally, Bastian. I really do love his character, and not just because he’s like a better version of the love interests that a lot of mainstream authors love to write: smooth, handsome, but also caring. You really get a great look into Bastian’s backstory and while there was a LOT about him revealed, it fit with the plot and never seemed to be just for the drama.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would listen, but mainly people who like a lot of fantasy pirate books, fantasy in general, mermaids, etc. This really catered to a lot of different fantasy tropes and I really felt like Adalyn Grace did a good job doing so. I’m forcing all of my friends to read this book because I absolutely loved it.

I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Cemetery Boys – Review

*This book was provided as a physical ARC by YALLSTAYHOME and Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

My Review:

This book is a masterpiece. I was overjoyed to win this ARC and even more so to be reading it. I loved everything about this book from the concept, to the characters, to the representation galore. It’s hard to make my thoughts about this book coherent because I’m still reeling! I loved that some characters seemed like stereotypes, but were far from it. I loved that this book was so unpredictable. It was also really sweet and relevant and I held on to every word.

I’d pretty much just recommend this book. Yadriel and Julian definitely reminded me a lot of Adam Parrish and Ronan Lynch from the Raven Cycle in terms of personalities and I loved that. This book is so worth the read! I’m making all of my friends read this because it was SO GOOD. Aiden Thomas did an amazing job on this book!

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Review

Goodreads Summary:

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

My Review:

Originally, I thought this book looked pretty mediocre. It still wasn’t a masterpiece, but I liked it. I thought I had it all figured out with this book, but I didn’t know anything in the end. I’m good at guessing twists, but not analyzing the evidence for murder mysteries. One thing I didn’t like about this was why Pip looked into the murder. I didn’t feel like that felt natural. Yes, she knew Sal, but not like a best friend, and so many bad things happened to her and people around her in the end! However, this was definitely captivating.

I would definitely recommend this book to people who like murder mysteries and realistic fiction. This is very intricate and well thought-out, and it’s a good read. I was a little hesitant on whether or not I could get into this book at the beginning. Now I know it’s definitely worth the read. You’ll never guess how everything fits together!

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Bone Crier’s Moon – Review

Goodreads Summary:

Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.

Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.

Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.

Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.

My Review:

As always, OwlCrate never disappoints. I absolutely loved this book. It was so good and completely unpredictable. The characters had amazing backgrounds and this showed romance, but also the loyalty and love between friends like sisters. I never would’ve been able to come up with anything like this. The world building was confusing at the beginning, but you can quickly learn what’s supposed to be going on, the difference between fact and fiction, especially as some of the characters are still learning too.

I would recommend this book to people who love the fantasy genre (obviously). I would also add in people who like myths and folklore. With this book, it’s impossible to know what’s true and what never happened at all. It questions loyalties, feelings, and more. I can’t wait to force my friends to read this book.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Twin Daggers – Review

*This book was provided as a digital galley by NetGalley and Blink.

Goodreads Summary:

Aissa’s life is a web of carefully constructed lies. She and her twin sister, Zandria, are Magi spies, a magical people most believe to be extinct. And they’re on a mission for revenge.

This action and adventure spy thriller—a fantasy spin on “Romeo and Juliet” from New York Times bestselling author MarcyKate Connolly—is perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Elly Blake and is about to become your new obsession!

By day, Aissa and Zandra play the role of normal young Technocrats eager to fulfill the duties of their new apprenticeships. By night, they plot their revenge to retake their city from the Technocrats. But then Aissa is given a new mission: find and kidnap the heir to the Technocrat throne, who is rumored to be one of the Heartless—a person born without a working heart who survives via a mechanical replacement—and has been hidden since birth.

Aissa is more likely to be caught than to be successful, but she’s never been one to turn down an assignment, even if the hunt is complicated by a kind Technocrat researcher who is determined to find a cure for the Heartless. But when Zandria is captured by the Technocrats, Aissa will do anything to get her sister back. Even if it means abandoning all other loyalties and missions … and risking everything by trusting her sworn enemies

My Review:

This book pleasantly surprised me. I didn’t expect anything amazing and it wasn’t AMAZING per se, but it was pretty good. I really liked the character development and all of the twists and turns that made the story go. It was definitely a little predictable, but my prediction for the end was really only half right so I can’t say it’s that bad. I really liked the sort of blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I don’t love sci-fi but the prevalence of the fantasy and magic in this book made it worthwhile.

I would mainly recommend this book to people who love that kind of “born enemies” trope, which isn’t necessarily me, but I did like the execution here. It’s also good for people who like fantasy or sci-fi genres in general, but mainly fantasy. Again, this book was a little predictable, but not completely. It wasn’t amazing, but it was enjoyable and that’s really what matters.

Overall, I would give this book…

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.