The Fiction Feature

The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

After becoming engaged right before her new fiancé’s death, Vika grapples with her newfound wealth and other parties who might want it.

My Review:

This book looked like Where Dreams Descend, what was I supposed to do? NOT request?

Hello and welcome to The Stars Between Us, a book about Vika, a girl who gets engaged to a very rich man somewhat unwillingly and then he dies and she’s just rich. A true girlboss. Vika could be annoying at times, but she was honestly a fun character. You can tell this author thought about what the actual response to newfound wealth like that would be, which is reflected in Vika completely forgetting about her family and acting like her sister is horrible for disapproving of Vika leaving them behind to cope without her new fortune or old salary. I actually did start that sentence thinking I’d compliment Vika, but I stand by it nonetheless. ANYWAYS, I did really like the other characters. Sky was very earnest in an endearing way (towards the middle and end, at the beginning he was straight up creepy and it was weird), but I thought his attachment to Vika was strange given the side of her he was shown and his own actions toward her. My favorite character was Mira because I think she was the only one that wasn’t horrible at one point. I’m being really negative to these characters, but seriously, I didn’t hate them.

In terms of relationships, some made so much sense and some made very little. To begin with the most prevalent, I went back and forth on Sky and Vika. In the beginning, maybe Vika was judgemental, but Sky was genuinely being so creepy in the way he was watching over her. I was not a fan! By the end, though, I genuinely thought they worked really well. I think one of the most interesting relationships to watch, though, was Hal and Mira. One changed so much while the other largely stayed the same while receiving what she’d dreamed of, and it was interesting to see how they evolved, both together and individually.

Plot was definitely my least favorite part of this book. Don’t get me wrong, the plot wasn’t bad at all; it progressed exactly as it should’ve, but that’s the issue with it. It was SO predictable, almost every single element. SPOILERS IN THIS SENTENCE: Of course Leo’s alive, of course Hal wasn’t in the will, of course Archer is a villain! It’s so obvious and that definitely bothered me. Again, it wasn’t BAD, it just could’ve had a lot more that was a lot less predictable. I still enjoyed the book, though.

Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend this book, but if you’re already planning on reading it, I’d just advise you that it’s super predictable and a little annoying to read about in terms of Sky and Vika’s actions towards the beginning. I still liked it, though.

⭐⭐⭐/5

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede – ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

After multiple partners and the loss of the trust of those around her, Alessa, a girl with the ability to kill those she touches, must find a way to hone her powers and gain the loyalty of potential spouses before she defends her island from apocalyptic beetles.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this book. I knew I’d like it, but it was beyond amazing.
First of all, characters! They were all so deep and dynamic, which I absolutely loved. Alessa, the main character and Finestra, discovers so much about herself throughout the story. She doesn’t compromise her values, but she becomes more powerful than ever before, and she doesn’t need anyone to do it, even though her actual magic does need practice with others. The love interest, Dante, is the kind of mystery I actually wanted to read about. He never made Alessa feel anything less than amazing, and he would do anything for her, even when he did have secrets to keep. The background characters, specifically Kaleb, also made so much progress and I loved them all by the end.
In terms of plot and pacing, this was still amazing. There was a clearly timeline from about halfway through, but I was caught up in what was happening, not waiting for the action to hit constantly. I read this book in less than a day because I was so totally engrossed in the story.
This world was inspired by Italy, which I was pretty neutral on, except for the “old language”. I didn’t hate that they used an old language, I just thought it was hilarious that it was literally modern Italian and I could translate it on my kindle as I was reading the ebook.
Basically, READ THE BOOK. It somehow captures the vibes of both Shatter Me and Beyond the Ruby Veil in the best way possible, and I loved every second. There’s healthy romance, dynamic characters, and a plot that’ll have you totally enthralled to the very end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Stand-In by Lily Chu – ARC Review

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca (LOML) and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!

One-Sentence Summary:

After being mistaken for a popular Chinese actress, Gracie Reed is hired by the woman to impersonate her in exchange for the money to help her mother.

My Review:

I really did adore this book. It’s not often that I can say that there was nothing in a book that I didn’t like, and while I don’t think this one was perfect, it was amazing.

First as always, characters! Gracie is such an amazing main character. She’s driven, but also relatable. If she had just collapsed after losing her job, she wouldn’t have been quite as good of an MC, but she not only found a very different job, she started working really hard at a passion of hers. The other characters are also so amazing and have so much depth. I absolutely loved Fangli and Sam. They were so different from Gracie, but they also had valuable points of view.

Interpersonal relationships are next! Because this book takes place in Canada and two of the main characters are from China, it’s really interesting to see how their culture affects their relationship. There are really important friendships in this book as always, but it also explores tough relationships with family, the obvious romantic relationship, and how mental health can affect these, too. The relationships between Sam and Fangli and Gracie and Fangli were my favorites, but the romance had me on the edge of my seat.

Lastly, plot! Although the plot didn’t stand out as much as the characters and relationships, it was pretty amazing. Everyone’s actions were usually insanely valid, and only a little bit predictable. I don’t really have much to say about this aspect in particular, but I loved it just the same.

I’d absolutely recommend this book to people who want to read fun romance/fiction books that touch on really important topics like sexual assault, mental health, familial relationships, and more. There wasn’t a single moment that I didn’t like this book or its characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨/5

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen – ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

When a court seer dreams of a Fate telling her that either she or her rival (the prince) must die, she has to decide where her feelings and loyalties lie.

My Review:

I don’t know if you’re allowed to swear in a NetGalley review, so I’ll censor it all, but HOLY F*CK. This BOOK. When I heard about this deal, I was intrigued. My excitement sort of paled as there were less updates on it, but BOY was that renewed.
I knew from the first few pages that this book would be AMAZING. A morally gray witch and her “enemy,” the prince? GOLD. (I say “enemy” because they hate each other and wish for the failure of the other, but they’d never hurt each other or anything [👀]). First of all, I’m in love with both of them. Violet is so amazing because she’s GENUINELY morally gray. She lies, a LOT, and while she has close friends, she’s not eager to sacrifice herself or help others above herself. She’s where she is because she had the good eye and quick thinking to get her there, not by chance. Although her ability is genuine, Violet manages to keep the readers and her patrons on their toes with her frequent white lies and unwillingness to reveal the secrets she finds. The most important thing to her is that she’s in control of herself and fearless, and I love that so much.
With Cyrus, I love him for different reasons. He’s strong and capable, but also caring and smart. He’s simultaneously selfish and selfless in every decision he makes, which is really cool to see. He, Camilla, and Dante are amazing characters, and while I do love Violet the most, they’re all AMAZING.
While the world wasn’t really the focus of the story, it was easy to follow along. It was a tad hard to remember all of Violet’s different visions and some of the dark magic elements, but nothing worth complaining over. Once again, this book is superior to all others.
In terms of romance, HOLY HELL. My love for Violet and Cyrus individually is trumped only by my love for the two of them together. As two rivals and two sensible (and a bit self-serving) people, these two have a really interesting romance. There’s a lot of obliviousness, but it’s SO worth it. Violet and Cyrus have easily become one of my favorite bookish couples of all time. Their romance is both simple in their feelings for one another and complicated in their positions and agendas. IT’S JUST SO GOOD!!!
Overall, this book is f*cking phenomenal. Easily my favorite of 2022. I’d recommend this to literally everyone, but mostly fans of really loose retelling elements and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. I’d read this book a million times, it’s SO GOOD.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Twin Crowns by Katherine Webber and Catherine Doyle – ARC Review

Twin Crowns - By Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber (hardcover) : Target — Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber

Thank you to Balzer + Bray from HarperCollins’ Childrens and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

During simultaneous journeys of self-discovery, princess twins Wren and Rose switch places (against Rose’s will) so that Wren can bring her agenda to the throne while Rose learns about her heritage and past.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this book. I wouldn’t really call it a fantasy romcom like in the pitch, but I definitely want more books like this.
The characters were so likable and their banter especially was amazing. There wasn’t a single character that I was supposed to like and didn’t, and they were all so fun to watch! Rose is a very classic spoiled princess and Wren a typical “you’ll never get me to wear a dress” rebel, but they both have so much depth and character development. If there’s one thing these authors did the best, it’s the character relationships and how they evolve.
The plot was also insanely captivating. When you hear about it, the plot sounds SO stereotypical modern royalty romcom, but it’s absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t call this book unpredictable, but it’s spectacular.
I’d totally recommend this to people who like innovative books from classic YA fantasy plots. This book was a great experience and I’d absolutely read a sequel and more from these two! Although the book itself has a somewhat tired premise, it was executed incredibly well.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho – ARC Review

Thank you to Disney Publishing and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

Years after Elena makes a deal with her best friend to go to prom with him, the now-k-pop-idol returns unexpectedly to keep his promise.

My Review:

I actually first found this book when the deal was announced, so I'm really glad it met my expectations! I'm actually not really a big k-pop fan, but my sister was for a while, so I understood a lot of the stuff surrounding it and the specific group in this book, which was nice (although it's pretty straight-forward anyways).
First of all, since this was a romance novel, the romance! I really loved both main characters, Elena and Robbie. Elena is really passionate and tries to inform and help people whenever she can, and Robbie is fully willing to lend a helping hand to aid her cause. They're so fun what with their reminiscing and flirting. I did think the romance was a bit y/n and, "Remember when we were [age] and [x] happened? Haha, fun times!" but it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the book. There were a lot of blushing and a hint of miscommunication, but again, not bad enough to really count.
In terms of characters, we really have everyone. The character types include: Hungry, Energetic, Grumpy, Sunshine, Flirty, Clueless, Largely Irrelevant, and Driven, and I loved that while they had a lot of dimension, I felt like I got to know the characters pretty well.
Overall, I thought the book was a bit Wattpad in terms of the plot, but that's mostly because of the longing glances, stuttering, and miscommunication (I always flinch with the miscommunication trope but again, it wasn't that bad). However, I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a fun, quick romcom, especially since this took me about an hour and three quarters.

⭐⭐⭐✨/5

How to Be the Best Third Wheel by Loridee De Villa – ARC Review

Thank you to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

After all of her friends have gotten into relationships, Lara wonders if there’s more to her relationship with childhood-friend-turned-enemy James.

My Review:

This book pleasantly surprised me. I expected it to be entertaining at the very least, but I really liked it!
While I did think the characters were very “over the top teen,” I did think that they were relatable besides that. I liked Lara’s inner turmoil over knowing exactly what she wanted but not knowing if she could do it. There was some great development between the various friendships and relationships, but they did all start at ROCK BOTTOM. I was so surprised at how mature and healthy the ending of the book was since I rarely see anything like that in romance novels, but I liked it!
For the bad, it was really just that I thought it was cringy. Do I relate to James using Desmos instead of learning graph patterns? Hell yeah. But most of the other teen stuff was kind of weird. They were all so enthusiastic, but in a romcom way, not a passionate teen way. I also HATED the way everyone treated Lara. I understand that it was the point, but her friends were horrible in ditching her at every turn to be with their boyfriends, and I feel like while they were better later, nothing could make that up to me. The same was true for Lara’s family excluding her, but they didn’t even notice.
Overall, I really liked this! I’d recommend it to people who want a very quick, readable romcom with a lot of cringy yet funny characters. I personally relate to Carol with her violent tendencies.

⭐⭐⭐✨/5

The Valkyrie’s Daughter by Tiana Warner – ARC Review

The Valkyrie’s Daughter by Tiana Warner (formerly The Helheim Princess)

Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review!

One-Sentence Summary:

A human amongst Valkyries, Sigrid tries to prove herself and reach the destiny she saw for herself in the future by finding the legendary horse Sleipner.

My Review:

Overall, I really liked this book. Sigrid was likable, as were her friends, and the story was overall interesting. There wasn’t a lot of depth to a lot of it, but I really enjoyed seeing how the characters moved forward. The relationship between Mariam and Sigrid was really well-developed.
If I had to critique one thing, it would be that the book doesn’t really elaborate on mythology. Sigrid herself doesn’t really know much about what goes on in the Nine Realms, which is fine, but I don’t love reading books inspired by mythology where the lead doesn’t even learn much about what’s happening besides what’s relevant to her. Also, Sigrid isn’t a valkyrie but she is equally obsessed with horses, so she’s just a horse girl (not a bad thing just funny).
I’d probably recommend this to people who like subtle mythology. It’s all there, just not with the intensity of other mythology-inspired books. This was definitely a really readable book and a positive experience, it just didn’t feel very special. I honestly just don't have much to say, but I'd call reading this book a positive experience.

⭐⭐⭐✨/5

Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill – ARC Review

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing this book as a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Summary:

When marketing intern Reese teams up with the culinary intern to make a video for her bosses’ cooking channel, she deals with rivalry, romance, and the troubles of being an online presence– especially as a woman.

My Review:

I didn't only adore Love from Scratch, I loved the experience of reading it.
The characters in this book are absolutely amazing and nothing if not sweet. Honestly, "media personas who get shipped by everyone" is one of my favorite tropes, especially amongst secret relationships. Reese, our lovely POV MC, is a marketing intern at the Friends of Flavor cooking channel before she makes a video with the culinary intern and their vast public support leads the Friends to give them their own channel and make it into a competition to see who gets the fall internship position. Reese is such a powerful character and a great role model. She's so persistent, but also vulnerable, but she's never portrayed as weak. Meanwhile, Benny is incredibly sweet and supportive for Reese and in general. I loved seeing them and the other (non-sexist) characters in this story and they made it so fun.
I really loved how Hill did the relationships in this book. Although the main point is obviously Benny and Reese's romance, she shows that there's a lot of importance in friendship between women, both in Reese and her friends back home and her colleagues. Going back to Benny and Reese, their relationship was SO CUTE. While they were competing, that didn't stop the two from being incredibly supportive of one another and so loving. However, their relationship isn't shown as perfect! It showed that support includes speaking up, regardless of past teachings and normalized negative behavior. Their dedication to one another was too cute and so powerful. Reese's friendship with the other women at Friends of Flavor, especially standing up against sexism together, was so beautiful to see.
As I mentioned before, this plot as two purposes: Our lovely romance between the nicest people ever and calling out sexism in internet spaces and harassment. There was a perfect balance of "Look at how cute!!!" and "Men with bigger platforms could be doing more." Between the rivalry, romance, and outside factors, I can't really say anything about this plot other than how good it was. I couldn't help but be so happy and so sad at the same time when reading.
I would absolutely recommend this book to contemporary and romcom fans. It's cute and funny, but also relevant in such a digital age where people with experiences like Reese's both with the Friends and in high school are there witnessing and being victims of cruelty. I absolutely loved this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len – ARC Review

Thank you so much to Epic Reads for providing this book as a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review!

One-Sentence Summary:

After tragedy strikes her family, Joan must team up with family and former enemies in an attempt to thwart her family’s killer just after finding out about her own powers.

My Review:

I mean, damn. This book is nothing if not interesting.

As always, we shall start with characters! I actually really liked all of the main characters, especially Joan, Aaron, and Nick. They were all very mysterious, but clearly in a purposeful way. I hated a lot of background characters, but it was clear I was meant to. Aaron was probably my favorite since I don’t love POV characters, but everyone was actually really great! I’d definitely read more about these guys.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, this book was certainly intriguing. A lot of the family dynamics were super complex, and there’s a lot of emphasis put on trust or lack thereof. Some stuff really seemed to come out of nowhere with the romance, so my favorite parts were the friends. Joan and Aaron bonding as survivors and with others made me really happy for them that they could find some solace in their tragedies. I couldn’t really get a strong hold on Nick and Joan, but I liked both individually as characters. Only a Monster really kept me on my toes with everything!

Plot and worldbuilding were definitely the strangest here. I did enjoy both, but the last few chapters did make me a bit mad. It just seemed like what Joan was thinking and feeling was literally untrue, but I guess I got where she came from? VERY strange regardless. I loved the magic here, it made the power of the monsters both desirable and deadly. Overall, this plot was full of twists and turns, but the worldbuilding was immaculate.

I’d definitely recommend this book to dark fantasy fans looking for things like love triangles and time travel. Only a Monster actually took a lot of tropes that I don’t love reading about and made it into a huge success for me. Thank you again to the publisher and I can’t wait for the sequel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5