Category Archives: Romance

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Review: We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

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We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya #2)
Hafsah Faizal
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Published January 19, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About We Free the Stars

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.

As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.

Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, WE FREE THE STARS is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.

My Review

I started listening to the audiobook version of WE FREE THE STARS last year, but some health stuff happened and I just found it really hard to focus on the story (a me problem, not an issue with the book) so I put it aside for a long time. Recently, I decided I was ready to pick up the story again, so I started at the beginning and listened all the way through.

The story picks up where WE HUNT THE FLAME ends, and it follows three main points of view: Zafira, Nasir, and Altair. I loved the romance between Zafira and Nasir, but I think Altair was still my favorite character. He’s the one who always has some witty or snarky thing to say, and I especially loved the banter between him and Kifah. Kifah might have been my second-favorite character. Ha.

I feel like WE FREE THE STARS strikes a really great balance between the keeping up the momentum of the plot and exploring the relationships between characters. Zafira’s relationships with her sister and her best friend are both deeply important to her, and I loved the scenes that gave us insight into those. I also loved the relationship between Nasir and Altair as brothers and what that bond means to each of them since both grew up isolated.

Though it took me a long time to finally finish reading this book, I am so glad I read it. I loved the beautiful story world and the relationships between all the characters. I think fans of Renée Ahdieh or Sabaa Tahir will enjoy the Sands of Arawiya books.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Characters are coded Middle Eastern. Kifah is asexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
So much romantic tension between Zafira and Nasir. Lots of intense kissing.

Spiritual Content
The Sisters of Old provided magic to all the people of Arawiya. Some characters have magical ability.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Multiple battle scenes. References to torture.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Blood and Feathers by Beth Revis

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Blood and Feathers
Beth Revis
Scripturient Books
Published on July 6, 2022

Amazon | Kindle Vella | Goodreads

About Blood and Feathers

Sine is the spare, not the heir, to her father’s kingdom near the lands of wild magic. Her family guards the wall that keeps the monsters out.

Rigby was born on the other side of the wall, one of the monsters who wears a human face.

Sine will do anything to keep the wall up and protect her people. Rigby will do anything to tear the wall down and break the bonds that hold his people back, no matter who he must betray…or sacrifice.

In this epic fantasy novel by NY Times bestselling author Beth Revis, the bonds of family, friendship, and love are tested as the truth of magic–and the price paid for it–is discovered after generations of deceit. Originally uploaded on Kindle Vella.

My Review

I started reading BLOOD AND FEATHERS when about half the episodes were published on Kindle Vella. The story immediately hooked me. It’s my favorite thing that I’ve read by Beth Revis so far, so I continued reading as each new episode came out, all the way to the end.

I love the symmetry of it. BLOOD AND FEATHERS is told from two perspectives: Sine, who wants to protect her kingdom and her brother Jude most of all. And Rigby, who will do anything to protect his sister and his people. From the beginning, those desires are in direct conflict with one another, so everything that happens to benefit one creates a challenge for the other. I couldn’t stop reading– I really wanted to see what would happen if they ever ran into each other and shared information.

There are also great side characters in this book. Princess Sine decides that she needs her ladymaids to also be combat trained, since she’s found a threatening note which seems to indicate she’s in danger. As she pursues companions with training, she builds a really cool team of allies that I loved so much.

I felt like this story kept me on the edge of my seat. Even though I’ve reached the end, I am still thinking about it, and I really want to know what is going to happen next. The way it ends pretty much promises a follow-up, so I will definitely be on the lookout for that.

Content Notes for Blood and Feathers

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Some characters are described as having bronze-toned skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Magic keeps Sine’s kingdom safe, but it comes at a high price.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Multiple scenes showing battles. Some gruesome descriptions of magic rituals.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill

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The Stars Between Us
Cristin Terrill
Wednesday Books
August 2, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Stars Between Us

There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real.

The only blight on Vika’s lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika’s past who works for her benefactors. She doesn’t like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will’s heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they’ve been looking for. But Sky isn’t who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.

In THE STARS BETWEEN US, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.

My Review

I’ve read both of Cristin Terrill’s other books, and I enjoyed them both– her debut more than the second book, but both still good. So, when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I needed to read it. I loved the sci-fi elements of her first book, and the suspense/mystery elements of the second book, and THE STARS BETWEEN US looked to combine them both. Seemed like a sure win to me! Plus, I admit, the description “Dickensian” definitely left me intrigued.

I think my favorite thing about the book is that I felt like Cristin Terrill wasn’t afraid to play around with the usual stereotypes and push them further. We’ve all seen the strong-willed, pushy heroines, and the lovestruck heroes.

In THE STARS BETWEEN US, Vika is not only pushy and driven. Sometimes she’s straight up unkind. In the moment, she feels sure of her accusations and her words. Later, she often realizes how her words sounded and the ways she may have been wrong.

I loved that Sky was unapologetic about his feelings for Vika. Sometimes he seemed embarrassed or afraid, but he never apologized for loving her, and I loved that. He tried to do what she asked, not assume that he knew more than she did or that he could do something else and she’d understand later. He gave her space. I liked that.

The plot of the story kept me hooked all the way through. I had a list of suspects and really enjoyed the back and forth game of trying to figure out who the saboteur was and why.

All in all, I’d call this my favorite of Cristin Terrill’s books so far. I think fans of STARFLIGHT by Melissa Landers or ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA by Diana Peterfreund will really enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity and pseudo profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Explosions. One boy attacks another.

Drug Content
Alcohol is served at fancy dinners and parties.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE STARS BETWEEN US in exchange for my honest review.

Hello, Goodbye by Kate Stollenwerck

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Hello, Goodbye
Kate Stollenwerck
SparkPress
Published August 2, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Hello, Goodbye

Fifteen-year-old Hailey Rogers is sure her summer is ruined when her parents force her to spend a few days a week helping her grandmother, Gigi. Although she only lives across town, she never sees her grandmother and knows little about her. But Gigi is full of surprises–and family secrets. Throw in the gorgeous boy down the street, and Hailey’s ruined summer might just be the best of her life.

Then tragedy strikes, lies are uncovered, and Hailey’s life suddenly falls apart. After unearthing clues in an old letter written by her great-grandfather, she takes off on a road trip to solve the family mystery with the only person she can trust. In a forgotten Texas town, the past and the present collide–and Hailey is forced to choose what she truly values in life.

My Review

I liked a lot of things about this book– most especially the relationship between Hailey and her grandmother, Gigi. One of my favorite things is all of the layering within that relationship and the things that it brings up for Hailey in her relationships with other people like her mom and even Blake.

I struggled with Hailey’s judgments about Bree, another girl in her grade, who, admittedly, isn’t very nice to her. Hailey sums her up with some cutting remarks about her being a busty, ditzy girl. I would have liked less of the cliché reasoning there and maybe more depth? Something that wasn’t judging the girl by her appearance and making some ugly assumptions.

One thing that I thought was cool about the story is that Hailey is a runner, but she runs cross country. I don’t really know much about running, but the only other books I can think of with a runner in them are runners who run track, and I didn’t even realize cross country was a totally different thing. So it was cool to learn more about that and what her training looked like.

On the whole, I liked the exploration of family relationships and Hailey’s exploration of new relationships and independence. I think readers who like books by Kasie West should check out HELLO, GOODBYE.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Hailey is Jewish (this comes as a surprise to her– her family attends a Baptist church). She learns that her great-grandmother was a Holocaust survivor. The “gorgeous boy down the street” is also Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl. References to other characters hooking up. Reference to a girl having sent nude photos of herself to a boy, which she gets in trouble for doing.

Spiritual Content
Hailey attends a Hanukkah celebration. References to attending Baptist church.

Violent Content
A man threatens others with a gun.

Drug Content
Hailey sees other teens drinking alcohol, but she sticks with Dr. Pepper. She helps clean up a girl who has had too much to drink and is sick.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of HELLO, GOODBYE in exchange for my honest review.

Review Love Times Infinity by Lane Clark

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Love Times Infinity
Lane Clark
Little, Brown Books
Published July 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Love Times Infinity

The swoon of Nicola Yoon meets the emotional punch of Elizabeth Acevedo in this breakout debut novel that answers big questions about identity, family, and love.

High school junior Michie is struggling to define who she is for her scholarship essays, her big shot at making it into Brown as a first-generation college student. The prompts would be hard for anyone, but Michie’s been estranged from her mother since she was seven and her concept of family has long felt murky.

Enter new kid and basketball superstar Derek de la Rosa. He is very cute, very talented, and very much has his eye on Michie, no matter how invisible she believes herself to be.

When Michie’s mother unexpectedly reaches out to make amends, and with her scholarship deadlines looming, Michie must choose whether to reopen old wounds or close the door on her past. And as she spends more time with Derek, she’ll have to decide how much of her heart she is willing to share. Because while Michie may not know who she is, she’s starting to realize who she wants to become, if only she can take a chance on Derek, on herself, and on her future.

My Review

LOVE TIMES INFINITY is another one of those books where I feel like the cover copy just does not do it justice. I feel like it really leaves out the emotional depth and deep soul-searching and pain that Michie wrestles with. It implies that her family issues are a simple estrangement when in fact, there’s something much darker and more complex in play.

When I started reading the book, at first, I struggled with Michie’s self-pity. I felt empathy for her because obviously a LOT in her life is a struggle, but I wanted to be like, okay but isn’t there a bright side here somewhere?

As I got to know her, though, her down-on-herself attitude suddenly made so much more sense. It became clear how over and over she self-sabotaged because she couldn’t move past a deep wound. She also holds deep beliefs in some really destructive ideas about herself.

But those ideas, her believing them, all of that made sense from Michie’s point-of-view. As the circumstances of her life and the blooming relationships around her force her to confront those ideas, Michie began to experience a transformation. I LOVED that. So many scenes had me crying because they resonated so deeply: hurt, forgiveness, new self-love. The author captured those moments beautifully and perfectly.

The story also explores some ideas about abortion. Michie has complicated feelings about the issue because she feels like lots of people would have told her mom to abort her. She wonders if her mother wishes she had. Michie’s feelings only grow more confusing when she hears rumors that a girl at school has had an abortion, and she isn’t sure how to feel about it. Michie is pretty careful to try to separate her personal feelings from legal or broad mandate ideas. She also allows readers to explore a complex issue from an interesting perspective.

Content Notes

References to rape without details. Mentions of self-harm and suicide attempt.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Michie is Black. Her best friend JoJo is Persian. Derek is Black and Latino.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to rape. Michie attempted suicide in the past.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol. References to smoking pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of LOVE TIMES INFINITY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Darkening by Sunya Mara

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The Darkening
Sunya Mara
Clarion Books
Published July 5, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Darkening

In this thrilling and epic YA fantasy debut the only hope for a city trapped in the eye of a cursed storm lies with the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince terrified of his throne.

Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen’s soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman’s axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen’s soldiers—led by a paranoid prince—catch up to Vesper’s father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate.

Even arm herself with her father’s book of dangerous experimental magic.

Even infiltrate the prince’s elite squad of soldier-sorcerers.

And even cheat her way into his cold heart.

But when Vesper learns that there’s more to the story of her mother’s death, she’ll have to make a choice if she wants to save her city: trust the devious prince with her family’s secrets, or follow her mother’s footsteps into the Storm.

My Review

It took me a couple chapters to really get into this book, but once I was in, I was completely hooked. I love Vesper’s character. She feels things so passionately, and she never gives up. Even though she has a complicated relationship with her dad, she still loves him and will do anything to save him.

I also loved the prince and both of his closest warriors. I liked that they didn’t turn out the way I expected them to. They had a lot more depth to them than I anticipated, and I liked the way Vesper built tenuous but deep alliances with them.

Also– the Storm. Filled with magic, strange beasts, fierce winds… the descriptions of it carried me away every time. I love that there’s so much more to it than Vesper initially believes.

In the story, anyone who encounters the Storm and lives bears some kind of “curse”. This can be a physical abnormality, like a disability or something less visible, maybe bearing a kind of magic. I had mixed feelings about a scene early in the book where a whole group of Stormtouched (storm cursed) people get killed because they harbored Vesper and her dad. It did feel a little bit like the only purpose those characters served was to humanize Vesper and make her a more empathetic character and driven for revenge on behalf of her murdered friends.

The story features other characters who are Stormtouched, so that isn’t the only representation of them. I don’t feel like I have the expertise to really speak to whether that early scene had issues. In any case, it left me with mixed feelings.

On the whole, I enjoyed the fast-paced storytelling and the unique approach to magic as well as the deepening layers of history revealed as the story progresses. I loved the cast of characters, and I really want to see where the story goes next.

Content Notes for The Darkening

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Characters are described as having brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
The Regia rules by carrying the spirit of a Great King from the past. Trained warriors use ikons, symbols they inscribe to create a kind of magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes. In two scenes characters fight opponents to the death in an arena.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE DARKENING in exchange for my honest review.