Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

 

“Shouldn't a girl get to star in her own love story?

Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It's inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college's acting requirement in the smallest role possible.

So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.

Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare's R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Once again I was blown away by these authors’ story. Set against the backdrop of a school production of Romeo and Juliet, Megan Harper, aspiring director, is the school's biggest flirt. All of her ex-boyfriends have gone on to find true love after their relationship end. So she never takes her relationships very seriously. Now with college on the line with the need for an acting credit on her transcript and her family situation is in for some dramatic changes, Owen Okita is the last boy she would usually fall for.

When Megan sees Will building a set for the play, she decides that he will be her next boyfriend and it list Owen’s help in the end ever. Ever the rehearsal of the play, Megan begins to realize that she deserves to be happy and some of the best things in life are right in front of her 

Visit Emily & Austin’s website.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (Vespertine book 1)

 

“The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.: - taken from Goodreads.com

I adore every fantasy book Margaret Rogerson has previously written but Vespertine is a bit different. The beginning of a new series, unfortunately, this book dragged along at different times. Artemisia is a Gray Sister, attending to the dead to keep their spirits from inhabiting and wreaking havoc in the world. Possessed as a young child and saved by the sisters, she is comfortable with her way of life. When her convent is attacked, it is up to her to save and eventually weld the holy relic hidden in the catacombs. Artemisia and the revenant soon make a formable team as they begin to grow comfortable with one another.

With a bit of a cliffhanger, readers will definitely want to learn how the battle between good and evil may play out. Book two’s publication date is unknown at this time.

Visit Margaret Rogerson’s website.

Steelstriker by Marie Lu (Skyhunter book 2)

 

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

“As a Striker, Talin was taught loyalty is life. Loyalty to the Shield who watches your back, to the Strikers who risk their lives on the battlefield, and most of all, to Mara, which was once the last nation free from the Karensa Federation’s tyranny.

But Mara has fallen. And its destruction has unleashed Talin’s worst nightmare.

With her friends scattered by combat and her mother held captive by the Premier, Talin is forced to betray her fellow Strikers and her adopted homeland. She has no choice but to become the Federation’s most deadly war machine as their newest Skyhunter.

Red is no stranger to the cruelty of the Federation or the torture within its Skyhunter labs, but he knows this isn’t the end for Mara – or Talin. The link between them may be weak, but it could be Talin and Red's only hope to salvage their past and safeguard their future.

While the fate of a broken world hangs in the balance, Talin and Red must reunite the Strikers and find their way back to each other.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Picking up six months after the ending of Skyhunter, Talin’s transformation into a Skyhunter is now almost complete. She tries to resist the impulse to willingly comply with the Premier’s demands. With Red and her Striker friends, can they free everyone from the Premier’s dictatorship?

Definitely, a dark tale for our current times that fans of the previous book will want to see how the story concludes.

Visit Marie Lu’s website.

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

 

“A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks…

A first meeting. 

Long-time friends. 

Bitter exes. 

And maybe the beginning of something new.

When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities take flight.” - taken from Goodreads.com

A great concept of six interconnected stories that take place in New York City one night during a blackout. I really liked half of these stories better than the other half. This book started off strong with Jackson’s story starting off and it is continued throughout the book between the other stories. Stone’s story arc was fabulous and tied in great with Jackson’s. The middle stories lagged a bit for me but Nicola Yoon’s story was a fabulous ending to the book. 

The stories are as follows;

The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson

Mask Off by Nic Stone

Made to Fit by Ashley Woodfolk

All the Great Love Stories....and Dust by Dhonielle Clayton

No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Angie Thomas

Seymour and Grace by Nicola Yoon

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer (Defy the Night book 1)

 

“The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.

King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents' shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King's Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion--it's the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most--but it's still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King's Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it's even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was an incredible start to a new fantasy series. Tessa Cade lives in a kingdom where people are dying and there's not enough medicine to go around. She witnessed her parents’ death by the King's Guard for distributing the much-needed medicine. Fortunately, she was kept from the same fate by Weston Lark, who is her new partner in “crime”. Together, they steal the needed moonflower petals to brew the elixir and distribute it to those who are in need. When Weston is caught and executed for his crimes, Tessa this determined to continue on even as sparks of a revolution swirl around the kingdom. When Tessa is caught sneaking into the palace, everything she thought she knew is turned upside down. 

I really cannot wait to see where this story will go. Book two’s publication date will be determined at a later date.

Visit Brigid Kemmerer’s website.