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.

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.

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.

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.

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.