The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Greatest Game book 1)

 

SPOILER ALERT! This is a spin off series of the previous series, The Inheritance Games. Events in this book take place after the events that take place in the book, The Brothers Hawthorne. 

“Seven tickets. An island of dreams. The chance of a lifetime.

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game requires one of seven golden tickets to enter. With millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.

Some of the players are in it for the money. Some for power. Some for reasons all their own. Every single one of them has secrets. Amidst it all is Grayson Hawthorne, tasked with a vital role in this year’s game. But as tensions rise and the mind-bending challenges push the players to their limits—physically, mentally, and emotionally—it soon becomes clear that not everyone is playing by the rules.” - taken from Goodreads.

This new Inheritance Game series picks up following the events that transpired in The Brothers Hawthorne. Heiress Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne Brothers hold an annual competition called the Grandest Game to distribute the wealth that she inherited. This year's competitors all have ties to the Hawthorne family, including the surprise player Grayson and his half-sisters. As the mysteries deepen and the stakes are raised higher, who will survive this year's competition unscathed?

This book does end on a cliffhanger that will be resolved with book two, Glorious Rivals, due out July 29, 2025.

Visit Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ website.

Under the Surface by Diana Urban

 

“Ruby is terrified to cave to her feelings for Sean and risk him crushing her heart.

Sean is pumped to spend a week with Ruby in Paris on their senior class trip, and he’ll wait however long until she’s ready to take things further.

But when Ruby’s best friend sneaks out the first night to meet a mysterious French boy, Ruby goes after her with two classmates, but caves to another temptation: attending mystery boy’s exclusive party in the Paris catacombs, the intricate web of tunnels beneath the city, home to six million long-dead Parisians. Only they never reach the party.

Underground, as something sinister chases them, they get lost in the endless maze of bones, uncovering dark secrets about the catacombs… and each other. And if they can’t find a way out, they’ll die in the dark beneath the City of Light.

Aboveground, Sean races to find the girl he loves as a media frenzy over the four missing teens begins.” - taken from Goodreads.

On a school strip to Paris, Ruby is excited for two things. One is to get some incredible footage for her YouTube channel and the second is to possibly make a leap of faith on her feelings for her classmate Sean. When Ruby's friend Val sneaks out to meet a boy she just met, she and two other girls leave the hotel to bring Val back. But upon finding her with Julien on their way to a secret party in the catacombs below Paris, the girls decide to join. Soon an injury leads to the group becoming lost amid the maze of bones as they soon discover that they are not alone. Can Sean figure out what happened to the girls before something sinister happens?

Inspired by a news article about a couple of teenagers lost beneath the City of Paris in the catacombs, join the race to see if Ruby and her friends make it back to the surface. 

Visit Diana Urban’s website.

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

 

“Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing - she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that's always made her feel like she belonged.

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is? Her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi. And the one thing she maybe, possibly, secretly wants more than anything? For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together. But that was seven years ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers. The boy she shared all her secrets with. The boy she used to love.

Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans, online haters, and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants - even if she can't stop thinking about Robbie's smile...right?” - taken from Goodreads.

This is a cute story about a childhood promise that is upheld through the years and across an ocean. Elena loves volunteering at the local community center but when a budget shortfall threatens its closure, she starts an unpopular campaign at her school to save the center by donating part of the outrageous fortunes students spend to go to the prom. Elena’s life is upended when her childhood best friend and current K-pop sensation Robbie Choi shows up at her school unexpectedly with an over-the-top promposal.

What begins next is a chance to reconnect with one another while trying to find a way to support the community center with a prom thrown in the mix.

A companion novel, Wish Upon a K-Star, is due out April 29, 2025.

Vist Kat Cho’s website.

Fangirl, Vol. 4: The Manga by Rainbow Rowell

 

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

“Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can’t let go…

Cath and Levi are officially dating—finally!—but Cath still has a lot on her plate as the end of freshman year approaches. She only has a few more weeks to save her grade in Fiction Writing, her twin sister, Wren, is acting increasingly reckless, and an unexpected reunion with her mother has thrown everything off-balance. Plus, with the release date for the last Simon Snow novel looming, Cath is struggling to focus on anything except finishing her epic fanfiction—including her relationship with Levi.

In this final volume of Fangirl , Cath must decide whether finding her own path forward means walking away from Simon Snow for good.” - taken from Goodreads.

This volume finishes up the manga version of the book Fangirl. I will say that this is an incredible graphic rendition of the book. Well worth the read!

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller (Shadows Between Us book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! This book is a companion to The Shadows Between Us and is a continuation of the story.

“Chrysantha Stathos has won.

By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has gathered important secrets, earned her father’s constant care, and become a wealthy duchess—all by age nineteen. Now, she is only one elderly, dying duke away from having all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.

Turns out her little sister somehow snatched the true victory away from her: Alessandra is wedding the Shadow King, the most powerful man in the world. Meanwhile, after the death of Chrysantha’s no-good, lecherous husband, a man claiming to be the duke’s estranged grandson turns up to inherit everything that should be hers.

Chrysantha is enraged. There is no way that she’s going to let some man take everything from her. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive and alluring with mysterious powers… No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.” - taken from Goodreads.

Chrysantha thought she won but her younger sister Alessandra is about to wed the Shadow King. She is wed to an elderly duke that she hopes will soon die so that she can be free to live her life the way she wants. Her plans go awry when an unknown grandson shows up claiming Chrysantha's inheritance and freedom. Enraged that her chance at freedom is slipping away, she is determined to prove that Eryx is an impostor, no matter how handsome or mysterious he is. Alessandra and the Shadow King do make an appearance in this book 

Visit Tricia Levenseller’s website.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I Lin

 

“Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.” - taken from Goodreads.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book and where the story was headed. By the end of the book, I was confused by all of the Chinese mythology that had been thrown in. I couldn’t keep up with where the story was going. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. Overall, I will probably give the author another try.

Visit Judy I Lin’s website.

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington

“Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?” - taken from Goodreads.

A creepy yet cheesy horror film like thriller that will shock readers by the ending. This book does start off super slow in building the plot and the action really doesn’t start until around chapter five. The best parts of this book are the friendships and Devin trying to repair the bond with her sister Dru.

Visit Joelle Wellington’s website.

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace (Belladonna book 3)

 

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

“Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.” - taken from Goodreads.

The last book in this trilogy tells the story of Blythe and the deal she made with Fate. Trying to make the best of the situation, Blythe finds herself drawn to Aris as a haunting realization starts to occur to her. Signa and Death do play minor roles in this book. The ending was a huge surprise to me and felt a bit rushed but overall was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Visit Adalyn Grace’s website.