Sixteen-year-old Scottish-Italian Livia feels like an outsider, working in her ailing grandmother’s bar in Rome. Smug local boy, Guilio, works there too, and quickly becomes Livia’s nemesis. She is not going to be the cliché foreign girl who has a summer romance. But as Livia navigates family drama, newfound friendships and… Giulio, she starts to see the city (and herself) in a new light.
This was a quick, fun, read, but nothing unexpected. It all resolved about like I expected—with the added bonus of great scenery and lovely little local details. Lots of family drama and teenage angst, but this was an entertaining, cute read.
Bruna De Luca lives in Scotland. My Roman Summer is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Scholastic | Chicken House in exchange for an honest review.)
Octavius the Maestro. Fola the Brain. Bilal the Olympian. Perdita the Artist. Romeo the Failure.
These are the five heirs of the illustrious billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and viciously trained with their father’s infamous “Button Method” to prove his hypothesis for creating prodigies—child geniuses—the Button siblings have had no choice but to be brilliant according to their father’s impossibly high standards.
Until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball.
Now, all who attended the ball are required to stay in the Button Manor while the police investigate. But the officers have their work cut out for them—each of the Button siblings has something to hide, but The Heirs aren’t the only ones with secrets. After all, Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies. . .
This felt a tiny bit like The Inheritance Games—except I liked all the heirs in those books. This? Not so much. Romeo was the only one here I actually liked. The other four I was ambivalent about at best. Leontes Button was obviously a horrible person, so I didn’t feel bad for him. This was an interesting sort of closed-room mystery with lots of red herrings, but it didn’t take me long to read and it held my interest. As long as you’re not expecting terribly likable characters, you should be good.
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a bestselling author. The Heirs is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.)
Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Werth is trapped in what feels like a never-ending nightmare. She’s the only person onboard Aloha Airways Flight 1333 who’s stuck in a 28-minute time loop, one that repeats over and over again. During each loop, four things always happen:
1. The Internet goes out and the pilot warns of upcoming turbulence.
2. There are five minutes of moderate shaking.
3. A woman in the very last row collapses.
4. The plane tilts forward and begins to nosedive.
When Orion James –the cute boy who’s been asleep the entirety of each cycle– wakes, it triggers an alarming change in the events Evelyn has come to count on. As the two grow closer and learn to trust each other, they discover there’s more to the loop than they initially realized. They must discover the hidden clues, piece together the moving puzzle, and save everyone onboard –before it’s too late.
This was a solid read! I liked the mystery of what was going on, and I loved how the characters dealt with their own issues in 28-minute increments. I can’t imagine how maddening doing the same 30 minutes 400 times would be—especially with it ending just before the plane crashed! I liked the action, the characters, and the mystery. This would be a fun weekend read!
Rachel Reiss lives in California. Seconds to Spare is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
She saved the prince. Now she must survive his world.
Lyria and her mother have been on the run from the human kingdom of Verdinae for as long as she can remember. She’s an elf born with magic—a double offence in a kingdom determined to eradicate both. Under her mother’s watchful protection, Lyria learns the rules that keep her alive: stay inside, stay hidden, stay safe, and above all stay calm, lest her magic flair out of control.
But when she finds a human boy being attacked by a deadly monster in the forest, Lyria risks everything by using magic to save him. She doesn’t expect his broken body to survive, and she definitely doesn’t expect him to be the crown prince.
Offered a position at the palace as the royal apothecary, Lyria seizes the chance to step into the light and prove to her mother she can control her unwieldly magic. But Verdinae is not the paradise it at first seems. The nobles are ruthless, the secrets are deadly, and Cygnus—the brooding royal healer—seems determined to expose Lyria’s every flaw. As she navigates a world of glittering gowns, deadly secrets, and stolen kisses, Lyria must keep her identity hidden. . . even from the prince who’s falling for her.
But beneath the palace lies a darkness far more dangerous than any secret. And when Lyria and Cygnus uncover a hidden world that could change everything, she must decide who to trust and how much she’s willing to risk for a love that was never meant to be.
I enjoyed this read, and would be interested in reading more, but…Lyria had some issues. She believed everything her mother said—I can kind of understand this, but when she got out into the world and realized her mother hadn’t been honest with her, she still believed everything Finn said…even with evidence he was lying. She tends to overreact to things in big ways. And, even when evidence is right in front of her, she completely ignores it and is then shocked when it slaps her in the face later.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and history of this novel, and I liked Cygnus a lot, but Lyria kind of got on my nerves.
Sasha E. Sloan is the author of The Ruins Beneath Us.
(Galley courtesy of Disney Publishing Worldwide | Disney Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.)
Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival’s resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show. Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King’s army.
Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father’s corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father’s trail of lies is the only girl he’s ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival.
Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she’ll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don’t die easily, and the commander’s secret isn’t the only thing they’ll need to confront.
This was an okay read. The dark carnival setting was fascinating and a lot of fun and was really the highlight of the book. Esmerelda and Ignacio felt pretty one-dimensional and their “conflict” could have been solved in one five-minute conversation instead of them continuously running away from each other. I liked the secondary characters quite a bit and would enjoy reading more about them.
Angela Montoya lives in California. Carnival Fantástico is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s Books | Joy Revolution in exchange for an honest review.)
Untrained and barely armed, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forest and kill the deadly beast that has been attacking her fellow villagers as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought. When one beast turns into two, she fears her death is at hand, but unexpected aid from a scarred, strikingly handsome man with dangerous moonlit magic means a second chance at life—and an opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.
After being rescued and healed from her fight in the forest, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. Riela soon learns Garrick is not a mortal mage at all—he’s a powerful Etheri sovereign who has been locked out of his kingdom in Lohka for nearly a century, and his powers are weakening.
Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets connecting Riela’s past to Lohka, the tenuous threads of trust between them begin to fray because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.
I just enjoyed this read. I liked the world and the culture and the characters. Did the “twists” surprise me? Not really, but I’ve read a lot of fantasy. That didn’t make me enjoy it less, though. I liked Riela’s spunk and her determination—even when I knew it was going to lead to some stupid decisions. Would I read more, just for fun? Absolutely!
Jessie Mihalik lives in Texas. Silver & Blood is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon in exchange for an honest review.)
From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.
Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?
Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…
I had not read the first The City of Fantome book, but that didn’t end up mattering. The writing was so skillful and details from the past were worked in so seamlessly that I had no problems staying up-to-speed.
I loved these characters and this world! The mythology was interesting, and the culture was fascinating. So much sarcasm and snark made me snort frequently. I can’t wait to read more!
Catherine Doyle is from Ireland. The Rebel and the Rose is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.)
When recent high school graduate Hazel Lejeune gets the lead role in a slasher film, it feels like a dream come true. This is her chance to break into the industry, build her reel, and prove to her mom that this “gap year” can turn into a career. So what if it’s set in the nothing town of Pine Springs, Louisiana–the same place her father, the Pine Springs Slasher, was convicted of a series of murders fifteen years ago?
But when Haze arrives on set, she gets much more than she bargained for. The shoot is plagued with suspicious “accidents.” Mentions of her dad dot the entire script. And then, a gruesome murder shocks everyone to the core. Now, it’s clear there’s a real killer on set—one who’s determined to finish the film at all costs. But is this merely a copycat, or is the wrong Slasher behind bars?
As the body count rises and reality blurs with fiction, Haze must unmask the killer before she becomes a real-life final girl…or before the killer flips the script and makes her the next victim.
I’m not into watching horror or slasher movies. At all. Ever. So, I’m not sure why I decided to read this. The premise was eye-catching enough to get my attention, I guess, and I’d read one of the author’s other books. Solid writing here, and I liked the characters—mostly. Living in a town this small is my own personal idea of terrible, and the author captured it well.
However, the why of everything the MC did completely escaped me. Going off alone after the first murder happened? Spending any time at all with people you barely know after the murders started? Going out into the woods/bayou/wilderness alone at night to the house of a creepy man? Come on. I need believable characters to have at least a little bit of common sense.
Olivia Worley is from New Orleans. Final Cut is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
18-year-old Allegra Brooks has skyrocketed to fame after starring in a hit television show, and she’s the overnight success that everyone’s talking about. They just don’t know she’s autistic. Now, all she wants is a normal teenage summer.
Her destination for escape is the remote Lake Pristine and its annual Book Festival, organized by the dedicated but unfriendly senior bookseller, Jonah Thorne.
In small towns like Lake Pristine, misunderstandings abound, and before long the two are drawn into high-profile hostility that’s a far cry from the drama-free holiday Allegra was craving. Thank goodness for her saving the increasingly personal emails she’s been sharing with a charming and anonymous bookseller who is definitely not Jonah Thorne . . .
I enjoyed this read. I mean, I enjoy most books centered around bookstore (not all), so it had that going for it, but I liked Allegra and Jonah, too. I’ll say I did not care for Allegra’s dad at all, and her mom was barely in the story, so it wasn’t just because her dad was still pining over that lost relationship. He was just kind of a jerk, and I never really understood why. I liked how we saw so much of Allegra and Jonah’s struggles separately, as that gave me a much better glimpse into their minds and lives—and what it can be like for neurodivergent people.
Elle McNicoll lives in London. Wish You Were Her is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Terra Slater might not know anything about her birth family or where she comes from, but that’s never stopped her, and she fully intends her senior year to be her best yet. Until the dark and mysterious Thorne Wilder―a magical bounty hunter―moves to town, bringing revelations that wreck all of her plans.
When Terra learns she is a golem, not born but crafted from mud and magic by a warlock, her world is upended. Worse, Cyrus Quill, the warlock who made her, is a fugitive, on the run from the witches who want to hold him accountable for his past crimes. But Quill’s sentence is death, which would unravel the threads of magic that hold Terra―and all of the other golems that he crafted―together.
Desperate to save herself and her friends, Terra strikes a deal with Thorne and his coven to preserve the warlock’s life and his magic. If she can prove her worth to the coven by mastering the magic within her, the golems will survive. If she can’t, they’ll perish along with Cyrus. As Thorne helps her to see and manipulate the tapestry of magic that surrounds them, their unexpected alliance evolves into something more and Terra comes to understand the depths of her magic, her humanity, and her love for the people most important to her.
I thought this was a unique concept, and I enjoyed it! I don’t think I’ve ever read anything where the protagonist is a golem and I enjoyed the worldbuilding here—and how Terra didn’t have a clue she wasn’t human. The way she physically melted/fell apart under stress was a great manifestation of how most of us feel on the regular. This was a bit of an enemies-to-lovers read, mixed up with magic and mythology, and it was a fun read.
Jenny Birch is from Pittsburgh. Woven from Clay is her new novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 