Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 7 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

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


“The graphic novel adaptation of Cassandra Clare's bestselling The Mortal Instruments returns with the seventh installment! The Mortal War may be over, but peace doesn’t last long as tensions begin to rise between Downworlders and Shadowhunters…” - taken from Goodreads.com


This is the seventh volume in this graphic novel series retelling that begins the storyline of City of Fallen Angels. The final page does offer a teaser for an eighth volume that readers can hope will conclude the story. Release date is not yet known.


Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer (Fortuna Beach book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! Readers of the first book in the Fortuna Beach series have already met the Barnett family. Jude is the brother of Pru from Instant Karma and her best friend Ari is the other main character. Failure to read the first book will not hamper your enjoyment of this one.


“Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.


Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible.


But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend―who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?” - taken from Goodreads.


Jude is hopelessly in love with a girl, Maya, who is completely out of his league and everyone at school knows it. One night while working at his parents’ record store, Jude finds an expensive D&D die and suddenly his luck changes for the good. With everything going his way, Jude asks Maya to go with him to a popular concert that he won tickets to and she agrees. Jude’s good luck goes horribly wrong when he loses his lucky die. Down on his luck, he soon realizes that maybe his longtime crush isn’t the girl of his dreams. But when Jude finally opens his eyes and listens to his heart, will he be able to change his luck?


Visit Marissa Meyer’s website.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang

 

“Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.


All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft..."


Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them... that is, until they're accidentally sent out.


Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate…” - taken from Goodreads.


Sadie Wen is an overachiever, determined to better her life. She is a good girl who is determined not to rock the boat. Sadie has taken out her frustrations with her classmates by responding to what she truly feels in unsent emails that reside unsent in her draft folder. Unfortunately for her, her drafts are mistakenly sent, the majority of them addressed to Julius Gong. Julius is her school rival in everything. When most of the school turns against her, Julius stays by her side. Can enemies become friends and even go beyond?


Visit Ann Liang’s website.

Monday, April 8, 2024

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le (The Last Bloodcarver book 1)


“Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure.


When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she's captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder.


But as Nhika delves deeper into their investigation amidst the glitz of Theumas’ wealthiest district, she begins to notice parallels between this job and her own dark past. And when she meets an alluring yet entitled physician's aide, Ven Kochin, she’s forced to question the true intent behind this murder. In a society that outcasts her, Kochin seems drawn to her...though he takes every chance he gets to push her out of his opulent world.


When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not who he claims to be, and that there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, she must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And -- if she's willing to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears -- to save herself and the ones she's vowed to protect.” - taken from Goodreads.


Nhika is known as a bloodcarver but she prefers the term heartsooth. Basically she is able to alter human anatomy through touch. Purchased by a wealthy family to heal the last living witness to the murder of their patriarch, she soon discovers that she is in more trouble than she ever thought. Finding help from the one person Nhika never suspected or trusted, can she help solve a murder before she becomes the next victim? Readers will be eagerly anticipating the final book after that jaw dropping ending.


Book two, His Mortal Demise, is out March 18. 2024.


Visit Vanessa Le’s website.

Thursday, April 4, 2024

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black (Stolen Heir duology book 2)


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


“An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.

 

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.



 

With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom.” - taken from Goodreads


As The Stolen Heir was told from Suren’s POV, this book is pure Oak. Continuing the story, the race is on for Oak to discover who is plotting against his sister and the throne. The ending includes action with Jade and Carden.


Visit Holly Black’s website.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, 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.


“As the long-lost heir to the Jinn throne, Alizeh has finally found her people—and she might’ve found her crown. Cyrus, the mercurial ruler of Tulan, has offered her his kingdom in a twisted exchange: one that would begin with their marriage and end with his murder.


Cyrus’s dark reputation precedes him; all the world knows of his blood-soaked past. Killing him should be easy—and accepting his offer might be the only way to fulfill her destiny and save her people. But the more Alizeh learns of him, the more she questions whether the terrible stories about him are true.


Ensnared by secrets, Cyrus has ached for Alizeh since she first appeared in his dreams many months ago. Now that he knows those visions were planted by the devil, he can hardly bear to look at her—much less endure her company. But despite their best efforts to despise each other, Alizeh and Cyrus are drawn together over and over with an all-consuming thirst that threatens to destroy them both.


Meanwhile, Prince Kamran has arrived in Tulan, ready to exact revenge. . . ..” - taken from Goodreads.


This is the book where all of our characters come together and the real story begins. I didn’t know going into this book that there would be five books total, but that’s a good thing. The action really picks up when everyone arrives in Tulan. Cyrus is having trouble keeping his secrets a secret, Alizeh is trying to do what is best for the Jinn, Kamran is looking for vengeance, and Hazan is being mysterious. Once again, readers are loft with another cliffhanger. This series is perfect for fans of the author’s Shatter Me series.


Book four is due out in 2025.


Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.

Monday, March 25, 2024

These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, This Woven Kingdom, 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.


“With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.


Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught about Jinn.


Kamran’s grandfather lays dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.


Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus’s deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfillment of her own destiny tantalizingly close, she’ll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.


Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn’t yet become the queen of Tulan.” - taken from Goodreads.


This book was more about Alizeh and Cyrus. Now in Tulan with Cyrus, Alizeh is trying to figure out what kind of deal he has made with the devil. Meanwhile, Kamran is trying to find his new normal since the murder of his grandfather while trying to keep his crown. Lots of twists and turns take place as once again, this book ends in another cliffhanger.


Book three, All This Twisted Glory, is out now.


Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.

Monday, March 18, 2024

The Getaway List by Emma Lord

 

“The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List ― a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away ― will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future.


Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.” - taken from Goodreads.


Feeling suffocated by her overprotective mother who is trying to make sure her daughter doesn’t make the same mistakes that she did, Riley abruptly goes to New York the day after her high school graduation to see her childhood friend, Tom. Much to her mother’s displeasure, the weekend visit turns into the entire summer when she realizes how much her mother has manipulated her friendship with Tom. With her future suddenly in her sights, can Riley see past everything that she feels has held her back to decide which path she will take?


Visit Emma Lord’s website.


Monday, March 11, 2024

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (Letters of Enchantment book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Divine Rivals, Stop! I don’t want to ruin one of my favorite stories for you.


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

Check out Book Series Recaps for a refresher of the first book.


“Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.


Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.” - taken from Goodreads.


This was a satisfying conclusion to this duology. Separated by Dacre, Iris and Roman work to get back to one another and stop the war from coming to their home. In a race against time, can Roman and Iris halt Dacre’s takeover of Oath before it’s too late? Readers will devour the last pages to see how the story ends.

 

Visit Rebecca Ross’ website.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill

 

“Amir Trudeau only goes to his half brother Marcel’s birthday party because of Chloe Danvers. Chloe is rich, and hot, and fits right into the perfect life Marcel inherited when their father left Amir’s mother to start a new family with Marcel’s mom. But Chloe is hot enough for Amir to forget that for one night.


Does she want to hook up? Or is she trying to meddle in the estranged brothers’ messy family drama? Amir can’t tell. He doesn’t know what Chloe wants from him when, in the final hours of Mardi Gras, she asks him to take her home and stay—her parents are away and she doesn’t want to be alone.


Amir never gets an answer to his question, because when he wakes up, Chloe is dead—stabbed while he was passed out on the couch downstairs—and Amir becomes the only suspect. A Black teenager caught fleeing the scene of the murder of a rich white girl? All of New Orleans agrees, the case is open and shut.


Amir is innocent. He has a lawyer, but unless someone can figure out who really killed Chloe, it doesn’t look good for him. His number one ally? Marcel. Their relationship is messy, but his half brother knows that Amir isn’t a murderer—and maybe proving Amir’s innocence will repair the rift that’s always existed between them.


To find Chloe’s killer, Amir and Marcel need to dig into her secrets. And what they find is darker than either could have guessed. Parents will go to any lengths to protect their children, and in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths.” - taken from Goodreads.


Who killed Chloe Danvers? I love a good, suspenseful mystery and this book succeeds on all levels. Amir, the oldest son of Martin Trudeau, is resentful of his younger half brother Marcel. Their father left Amir’s mother for Marcel’s mother and became a famous restaurateur. Marcel throws an extravagant sixteenth birthday party that Amir has no desire to attend, that is until he receives a text from Chloe Danvers, a hot girl from their school. At the party, Amir leaves with Chloe when she asks him and stays the night at her house since she is afraid to be alone. Amir agrees. Falling asleep on her couch, he wakes up to go home before his mother comes home from work. Unfortunately Amir finds that someone has killed Chloe. Fleeing her house, Amir’s life is turned upside down when he is charged with murder. Feeling hopeless, Amir finds that the brother he doesn’t want to be around is the one person determined to prove his innocence. Can Amir and Marcel repair their relationship in order to find the real killer? 


Visit Jumata Emill’s website.

Monday, March 4, 2024

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom book 1)

 

“To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.”
- taken from Goodreads.

This is the first book in a trilogy that is inspired by Persian mythology but readers may be able to relate more to the familiarity with the fairy tale, Cinderella. Alizeh is working as a servant to survive since the assassination of her parents. Keeping her true identity a secret becomes even more complicated when Crown Prince Kamran sees her and believes she is a spy. Full of twists and turns with an incredible cliffhanger ending, fans will be eager to start book two immediately.

Book two, These Infinite Threads, is out now.

Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.

Monday, February 26, 2024

The Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli (The Crimson Moth book 1)

 

“On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.


Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe - a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution - who she can't help but find herself falling for.


Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?” - taken from Goodreads.


In this gender-swapping take of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rune Winters depicts herself as a boring socialite to everyone while concealing her true identity. Masquerading as the Crimson  Moth, Rune is determined to save every witch she can after sacrificing her own grandmother to save her own life. When she fails to rescue the one witch she promised her grandmother she would save, Rune decides that her best course of action to find the necessary information is to “court” Gideon Sharpe, her best friend’s older brother and a witch hunter, Using each other to in an attempt in uncover elusive information, Rune and Gideon soon turn from enemies to lovers while trying to glean information from one another. With feelings in the way, the ending is a jaw dropping, high stakes reveal to set up the next book in the series.


A great series starter for fans of Shelby Mahone's Serpent and Dove trilogy.


Book two is not yet published.


Visit Kristen Ciccarelli’s website.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard (The Luminaries book 2)

 

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


“Winnie Wednesday has gotten everything she thought she wanted. She passed the deadly hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries, and overnight, she has become a local celebrity.


The Girl Who Jumped. The Girl Who Got Bitten.


Unfortunately, it all feels wrong. For one, nobody will believe her about the new nightmare called the Whisperer that's killing hunters each night. Everyone blames the werewolf, even though Winnie is certain the wolf is innocent.


On top of that, following her dad's convoluted clues about the Dianas, their magic, and what happened in Hemlock Falls four years ago is leaving her with more questions than answers.


Then to complicate it all, there is still only one person who can help Jay Friday, the boy with plenty of problems all his own.


As bodies and secrets pile up around town, Winnie finds herself questioning what it means to be a true Wednesday and a true Luminary―and also where her fierce-hearted loyalties might ultimately have to lie.” - taken from Goodreads.


This book picks up where the last one left off.  Winnie is still full of questions surrounding her father's bombshell confessions and what exactly is happening in the forests of Hemlock Falls. Lots of things occur like discovering her father's clues, growing closer to Jay Friday, and her family’s return to The Luminaries, but even more secrets are uncovered. With one mystery now discovered by Winnie, the conclusion to this trilogy is set up nicely for the next volume. 


The trilogy will conclude with The Whispering Night on October 1, 2024.


Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Betting on You by Lynn Painter


“When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.


Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.


Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?” - taken from Goodreads.


Can a boy and a girl just be friends? That’s the bet Bailey and Charlie make when two co-workers continually flirt with one another. As Bailey and Charlie become fast friends, the lines begin to blur between friendship and something more. Will Bailey and Charlie’s friendship survive when their feelings turn towards romance or will it crash and burn?


Visit Lynn Painter's website.

Friday, February 9, 2024

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

 

“Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.


But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.”  - taken from Goodreads.


This book was a Regency-inspired story set in a fantasy world where Niamh is a talented seamstress that can infuse memories and emotions into her creations. Her ability is also the reason that her life will be short-lived as is killing herself the more she uses her powers. Being named as the seamstress for the prince’s upcoming nuptials is an opportunity that her family cannot pass up. What Niamh doesn’t expect is to uncover palace secrets and to fall for the prince himself. Prince Christopher or Kit is infuriating to most everyone and is particularly unhappy to be marrying a woman he has no interest in but to be a good political match. As Niamh works on the wedding wardrobe, her and Kit’s feelings for one another get in the way. Can forbidden love win in the end?


Visit Allison Saft’s website.

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

 

“You must work twice as hard to get half as much.


Adina Walker has known this the entire time she’s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy—a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It’s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything.


And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she’s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater’s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.


But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn’t quite right with both the Remingtons and her competition, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish’s stakes aren’t just make or break… they’re life and death.


Adina knows the deck is stacked against her—it always has been—so maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.” - taken from Goodreads.


When a split second decision costs you everything you have worked for, to what lengths would you go to redeem yourself? That is the question that Adina Walker must answer in order to get her desired future back. She lost her composure and it cost her everything, including her acceptance to Yale. Her only hope to regain everything that she has lost is to secure an invitation to the Finish, a high stakes game sponsored by the uber wealthy Remington family. The winner gets the power and wealth of the family behind them. When she receives an invitation, Adina is ready to take back what was taken from her. But when a shocking event occurs the first night, Adina quickly realizes that she is in over her head and the outcome could be either life or death. Will Adina survive the Finish or die trying?


Visit Joelle Wellington’s website.