Slayer by Kiersten White (Slayer book 1)

“Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.”- taken from Goodreads.com

I have a confession to make I have never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Neither the movie nor a single episode of the television series. I blame college and grad school for this lapse. Even without the background knowledge of the Buffyverse, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Just like Nina, I wasn't sure who to believe or trust until the shocking end.

Thank goodness that Nina's story concludes with book two, Chosen that is already out.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland (Dread Nation book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Dread Nation, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene hoped her life would get simpler: Get out of town, stay alive, and head west to California to find her mother.

But nothing is easy when you're a girl trained in putting down the restless dead, and a devastating loss on the road to a protected village called Nicodermus has Jane questioning everything she thought she knew about surviving in 1880's America.

What's more, this safe haven is not what it appears - as Jane discovers when she sees familiar faces from Summerland amid this new society. Caught between mysteries and lies, the undead, and her own inner demons, Jane soon finds herself on a dark path of blood and violence that threatens to consume her.

But she won't be in it alone.

Katherine Deveraux never expected to be allied with Jane McKeene. But after the hell she has endured, she knows friends are hard to come by - and that Jane needs her, too, whether Jane wants to admit it or not.

Watching Jane's back, however, is more than she bargained for, and when they both reach a breaking point, it's up to Katherine to keep hope alive - even as she begins to fear that there is no happily-ever-after for girls like her.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Deathless Divide or in which we hear Katherine Deveraux's side of the story. I started this audiobook zombie apocalypse about a week before the COVID-19 lockdown. I had to stop for a while before I could pick it back up. One of my favorite lines from this book made me laugh. “What kind of muttonhead reads Revelations at a time like this.” Told and completely different yet somewhat similar story as the first book, this book not only brings a satisfying conclusion to Jane and Katherine’s story but also provides the reader with the ultimate story of what friendship is.

Visit Justina Ireland’s website.

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen (Loveboat, Taipei book 1)

“When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?” - taken from Goodreads.com

Well, this book is it is not exactly what I was expecting (it doesn't take place on a boat) and that was a good thing. I was deeply entrenched in Ever Wong's story of self-exploration in both herself and her culture. The only problem I had was how the love triangle played out and whose heart was broken. I thoroughly enjoyed how the story ended so I am not sure what the second book will be about. 

Book two is expected in 2021.

Visit Abigail Hing Wen’s website.

Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally

"A new swoon-worthy romance following a couple's love story on the same date over four years. 

Every May 7, the students at Coffee County High School take a class trip. And every year, Lulu’s relationship with Alex Rouvelis gets a little more complicated. Freshman year, they went from sworn enemies to more than friends after a close encounter in an escape room. It’s been hard for Lulu to quit Alex ever since.

Through breakups, make ups, and dating other people, each year’s class trip brings the pair back together and forces them to confront their undeniable connection. From the science museum to an amusement park, from New York City to London, Lulu learns one thing is for sure: love is the biggest trip of all." - taken from Goodreads.com

I have adored the author's Hundred Oaks series and was a bit nervous that this book wouldn't live up to my expectations. Boy, I'm so glad how wrong I was. Lulu and Alex's complicated love story is told over four years of high school but only on May 7th, the day of their annual field trip. Besides the present day, readers are given flashbacks to important events in their lives that occurred during the year.

I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed but it was the end of the day. I really hope the author writes an epilogue for everyone taking place on May 7th a few years in the future.

 

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (The Aurora Cycle book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Aurora Rising, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Book Series Recaps if you need a refresher of the first book.

“Our heroes are back… kind of. 

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well. - taken from Goodreads.com

I don't know what to say. All kinds of bombs were dropped throughout the book but I never saw coming. And the heartbreak. The authors pull no punches here as everyone was fair game. But that ending! I'll be gripping the edges of that steep cliff until a still yet unnamed third book comes out.

Visit Amie Kaufman’s website.

Visit Jay Kristoff’s website.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer (Cursebreakers book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first book.

“Find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.” -  taken from Goodreads.com

After the cliffhanger ending from the first book, readers will find that Rhen and Harper play minor roles in this second part of the story. Commander Gray and Lia Mara, the eldest daughter of Karis Luran, voice this part of the story. Gray is the only person that knows who the true heir of Emberfall is and he is determined to hold that secret close. Lia Mara will try just about anything to keep the peace between Syhl Shallow and Emberfall. When their paths unexpectedly cross, the two must rely on each other to escape Emberfall and take their chances with Karis Luran.

Some readers may find the beginning of this book slow or disappointed that Rhen and Harper have minor roles, but so many additional details and plot twists occur that if you thought the cliffhanger from the first book was bad, then this one is going to kill you. 

The trilogy will conclude with book three, A Vow So Bold and Deadly, on January 12, 2021.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer (Cursebreakers book 1)

“Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.”- taken from Goodreads.com

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales and this retelling has taken over the top spot as my favorite retelling. I loved all of the creative twists and turns that the author used to make the story her own. Harper is pulled into the story when she tries to save a girl on the streets of DC from being kidnapped by a man. The next thing she knows Harper finds herself in Emberfall, the "beauty" in this retelling. Harper is a strong character who fights for what she believes in. The "beast', Prince Rhen, is human at first and not the monster until much later in the story.

I really wasn't expecting all the shocking reveals and plot twists that came at the end. And that cliffhanger! I am glad that I was able to immediately pick up the next book in the trilogy, A Heart So Fierce and Broken.

The story is continued in book two, A Heart So Fierce and Broken.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.