Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou (Threads That Bind book 2)

 

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

“It’s been five weeks since Io left Alante to follow the golden thread, and she’s no closer to finding the god on the other end. She spends her days in constant, grueling travel and her nights worrying over the fate-thread she shares with Edei—which seems to be fraying. Making matters worse, she and Bianca soon realize that their only lead has shaken them off, snapped the golden thread, and disappeared.

But not before Io gathers some crucial clues. Her investigation leads her to a new mystery, a rash of sibling disappearances across the Wastelands that seems to be connected to the murders in Alante. And all signs point to Nanzy, the golden city, as the center of the whole conspiracy.

As Io and Bianca make their way to Nanzy, they make powerful enemies, find allies new and old, and uncover a horrifying plot that traces back centuries. The more Io learns, the more she begins to suspect that the future of the world may truly rest on her shoulders. But she will have to determine how much of the future is her choice—and how much is simply her fate.” - taken from Goodreads.

This second volume picks up after the events of the first one. I did find that it had a bit of a slow start with just Io and Bianca chasing down their only clue to the events that transpired in Alante. The story really picks up once more of the characters from the first book come into play. Still at the heart of the story, Io must learn who she can and can’t trust when the final showdown occurs. This was a good conclusion to this duology.

Visit Kika Hatzopoulou’s website.

Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Inheritance Games book 4.5)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t started this series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“There is nothing frivolous about the way a Hawthorne man loves.

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret.

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.” - taken from Goodreads.

That Night in Prague (novella) - a Jameson and Avery story

The Same Backward as Forward (novella) - the story of how Toby Hawthorne and Hannah/Sarah (Avery’s mother) met and fell in love.

The Cowboy and the Goth - inside look at two of the least known characters in the book, Nash and Libby 

Five Times Xander Tackled Someone (and One Time He Didn't) - complete hilarity via Xander 

One Hawthorne Night - in which Grayson must atone for ignoring his brothers, karaoke style 

What Happens in the Treehouse - the brothers Hawthorne throw Nash a unique bachelor party

$3CR3T $@NT@ - Christmas with a Hawthorne twist

Pain at the Right Gun - a surprising revelation to what really happened in Prague.

Book two in the Grandest Game spin-off, Glorious Rivals, is expected on July 29, 2025.

Visit Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ website.

The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 8 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

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

“Jace’s nightmares are getting worse, as is his fear of hurting the one he cares for most. But he can’t avoid Clary forever... Meanwhile, Simon receives a note threatening his girlfriend’s life. When the Shadowhunters track down its source, what they find might be the most sinister thing they have ever encountered...” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the eighth volume in this graphic novel series retelling that concludes the storyline of City of Fallen Angels. The final page does offer a teaser for a ninth volume that will start the story with City of Lost Souls. Release date is not yet known.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

The Rival by Emma Lord

“At long last, Sadie has vanquished her lifelong academic rival — her irritatingly charming, whip smart next door neighbor, Seb — by getting the coveted, only spot to her dream college. Or at least, so she thinks. When Seb is unexpectedly pulled off the waitlist and admitted, Sadie has to compete with him all over again, this time to get a spot on the school’s famous zine. Now not only is she dealing with the mayhem of the lovable, chaotic family she hid her writing talents from, as well as her own self doubt, but she has to come to terms with some less-than-resentful feelings for Seb that are popping up along the way.

But the longer they compete, the more Sadie and Seb notice flaws in the school’s system that are much bigger than any competition between them. Somehow the two of them have to band together even as they’re trying to crush each other, only to discover they may have met their match in more ways than one.” - taken from Goodreads.

A cute rom-com about a boy and a girl who have grown up together since birth. Academic rivals, Sadie is glad to leave Seb behind to attend college alone. Unfortunately, her dream is short-lived when she runs into Seb at an interest meeting for the school’s famous zine. With only one spot open, Sadie finds herself once again competing against Seb. But soon the two frenemies find themselves drawn to each other. 

Visit Emma Lord’s website.

The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears

 

“Deep within the imperial palace at Timbuktu, Amie has suffered a devastating loss. Once the daughter of a prosperous salt merchant Amie’s life was cruelly overturned in a matter of months. At sixteen, Amie now finds herself disinherited, framed for a scandalous crime, and forced to serve Princess Mariama of Mali . Her father, Emperor Sulyeman, has created a series of impossible trials for his daughter's suitors. When they fail, he publicly boils them alive, littering Mariama’s path to marriage with ninety-nine corpses.

At first, Amie’s life at court is drudgery—the chores are difficult, the servants despise her, and Princess Mariama is prone to mood swings—but the more she learns about the princess's circumstances, the closer the two girls become. Amie and her intended, Kader, plan to escape Timbuktu and make a new life far away from the shadow of death that has fallen upon the emperor’s court, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to the princess in ways she doesn’t understand.

When a mysterious discovery forces her hand, she must choose between fleeing with the boy she loves or helping the princess to end the trials forever. Amie will need to draw on all of her strength and courage to make the perilous journey through the desert to seek the aid of an exiled god in a final, desperate attempt to take charge of her own destiny.” - taken from Goodreads.

Set in medieval Mali and based on a Malian fairy tale, Amie’s world comes crashing down when she is accused of infidelity and her engagement to her sweetheart is broken. Disowned by her parents, she becomes a lady in waiting for Princess Mariama. The two become close friends and Amie comes up with a plan to save Mariama's 100th suitor from certain death. Unfortunately, her newest suitor is Amie's beloved, Kader. Determined to save them both and create a future for themselves, Amie is forced to choose between Kader and Mariama.

This book had a great premise, but the ending felt a bit rushed for me.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons (Death Games book 1)

 

“Four years ago, five kids started a game. Only four survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Dax, Maddy, Emerson, and Owen—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the tunnel where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or all of them, Ian included, will be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out of Meido alive.” - taken from Goodreads.

If you can make it to the second half of the book, the story really ramps up and will draw you in. A Jumanji type game that is steeped in Japanese folklore, readers will want to know what really happened to Ian four years ago and what secrets will be uncovered as the game unfolds. I wasn’t expecting how the story ends and will probably pick up the second book to see how this series ends.

Book two, She Waits For You Beyond the Dark, is due out March 11, 2025.

Visit Kristen Simmons’ website