Nightblood by Elly Blake (Frostblood Saga book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Frostblood, and Fireblood, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Ruby's world has changed more than she ever could have imagined. She's in love with a powerful Frost King. She's the heir to the Fire Throne. And she may be a Nightblood--the spawn of a vengeful deity hellbent on releasing his wraithlike Minax from their prison. Once freed, these beasts will roam the earth, devouring every last person until he or she is nothing but an empty husk. But Ruby is able to control the Minax to a degree, and now she, her beloved Arcus, and her friend Kai must find a way to bring Frostbloods and Firebloods--sworn enemies--together to make a stand against a foe more deadly than any they've faced.

In this heart-pounding finale of Elly Blake's gorgeously written and action-packed Frostblood Saga, the fate of Frostbloods, Firebloods, and all of humanity is at stake.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I was pleasantly surprised by how this series ended. Arcus and Kai play major roles in helping Ruby to free the Minax from her body and defeat Eurus. With several twists and turns, jaw-dropping revelations and a satisfying ending, fans will not be let down. A great fantasy series for those fans of Sarah J. Maas and Victoria Aveyard.

Visit Elly Blake’s website.

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West

“Talking to other people isn't Kate Bailey's favorite activity. She'd much rather be out on the lake, soaking up the solitude and sunshine. So when her best friend, Alana, convinces Kate to join their high school's podcast, Kate is not expecting to be chosen as the host. Now she'll have to answer calls and give advice on the air? Impossible.

But to Kate's surprise, she turns out to be pretty good at the hosting gig. Then the podcast gets in a call from an anonymous guy, asking for advice about his unnamed crush. Kate is pretty sure that the caller is gorgeous Diego Martinez, and even surer that the girl in question is Alana. Kate is excited for her friend ... until Kate herself starts to develop feelings for Diego. Suddenly, Kate finds that while doling out wisdom to others may be easy, asking for help is tougher than it looks, and following your own advice is even harder.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book was probably one of the best I've read from this author lately. I wasn't really sure where all of the characters were going, I was surprised by the direction Kate Bailey's life took. Not immediately sure we reach boy's attention was focused, I think everyone was able to overcome what each perceived as inescapable obstacles. Kate really grew as a character who saw that there was more than one path available in her future. Casting old grudges aside and seeing other others problems more clearly, Kate's Awakening isn't overnight or sugar-coated. One of the best parts of the book is the open ending for the Raider to ponder the future of each of the characters you will grow to love.

Visit Kasie West’s website.

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Dread Nation book 1)

“Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.” - taken from Goodreads.com

You know you have found an absolutely great book when the first paragraph begins “The day I came squealing and squalling into the world was the first time someone tried to kill me. I guess it should have been obvious to everyone right then that I wasn't going to have a normal life.” Jane McKeene is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy but quite liberal female white plantation owner in Kentucky. After the war between the states was derailed and the shamblers, aka zombies, started roaming the United States. The war shifted focus to one in which some people tried to get Society to go back to the way it was prior to the war were others we're trying to forge a new country.

How can a zombie book with a wickedly good twist on the American Civil War with a mystery thrown in be side-splitting hilarious? Jane's voice is outstanding as she relates not only her current situation but takes the reader through her backstory before she came to Miss Preston's. The first part of the book begins each chapter with an outtake from a letter Jane has written to her mother white the second half of the book has outtakes of letters that Jane's mother wrote to her. Each chapter's title begins with the words “In which I …”

Dread Nation is one of the best books I've read this year. With all the shot shocking revelations and twists and turns that come at the end, readers will be anxiously awaiting the next book in Jane's adventure.

Book two is expected sometime in 2019. Not soon enough for me.

Visit Justina Ireland’s website.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before series by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before - book 1

“What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once? 

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This trilogy has been on my TBR pile since the first book was published. I loved Jenny Han’s Summer trilogy and it remains one of my favorite series. With the Netflix movie adaption looming on the horizon, I decided that I needed to at least read the first book before watching. I knew that I would kick myself for not reading this sooner and I was right.

I adored Lara Jean Song Covey. The middle of three sisters, she and her older sister, Margot, act as mother figures for the youngest, Kitty, Their widowed father is a doctor and he supports his daughters. Not overly apparent in the book at first, but the Covey family lives in Charlottesville, VA. Lara Jean writes a letter to each of the boys she harbors a crush on to get over her feelings. She addresses each letter, seals it in an envelope, and places them in a hatbox, never to be mailed to their recipients. 

Mayhem strikes Lara Jean's life when someone mails letters in the hat box to the five boys she loved once in the past. One of the letters is mailed to her next door neighbor Josh, who was just dumped by Margot before she left for college in Scotland. To keep Josh from school every that she still has feelings for him, Lara Jean kisses Peter Kavinsky, one of the recipients of her letters.

When Laura Jane confesses to Peter why she kissed him, the two decide to fake a relationship to keep Josh in the dark as well as make Peter's ex-girlfriend jealous. As you can imagine, with the passage of time feelings begin to develop between the two.

Thank goodness the trilogy is complete because the endings of both books one and two do leave the reader hanging.

P.S. I Still Love You - book 2

“Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.

She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.

When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?” - taken from Goodreads.com

Always and Forever, Lara Jean - book 3

“Lara Jean is having the best senior year. And there’s still so much to look forward to: a class trip to New York City, prom with her boyfriend Peter, Beach Week after graduation, and her dad’s wedding to Ms. Rothschild. Then she’ll be off to college with Peter, at a school close enough for her to come home and bake chocolate chip cookies on the weekends

Life couldn’t be more perfect!

At least, that’s what Lara Jean thinks…until she gets some unexpected news.

Now the girl who dreads change must rethink all her plans—but when your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?” - taken from Goodreads.com

Wasn't really sure where the story was going to go in the beginning but by the last pages, I was crying. Glad I got to read the entire series all at once.

Visit Jenny Han’s website.