Sightwitch by Susan Dennard (The Witchlands book 0.5)

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

“Sightwitch is an illustrated novella set in the Witchlands and told through Ryber’s journal entries and sketches.

Before Safi and Iseult battled a Bloodwitch...

Before Merik returned from the dead…

Ryber Fortiza was a Sightwitch Sister at a secluded convent, waiting to be called by her goddess into the depths of the mountain. There she would receive the gift of foretelling. But when that call never comes, Ryber finds herself the only Sister without the Sight.

Years pass and Ryber’s misfit pain becomes a dull ache, until one day, Sisters who already possess the Sight are summoned into the mountain, never to return. Soon enough, Ryber is the only Sister left. Now, it is up to her to save her Sisters, though she does not have the Sight—and though she does not know what might await her inside the mountain.

On her journey underground, she encounters a young captain named Kullen Ikray, who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Together, the two journey ever deeper in search of answers, their road filled with horrors, and what they find at the end of that road will alter the fate of the Witchlands forever.

Set a year before Truthwitch, Sightwitch is a companion novella that also serves as a set up to Bloodwitch, as well as an expansion of the Witchlands world.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I literally devoured this book in one day. Learning the back story of Ryber and Kullen was neat but the information they learn on their journey leads to a shocking revelation that I uncovered once I started reading Bloodwitch. Definitely worth the read. 

The Witchlands series continues with Aeduan’s story, Bloodwitch. 

Visit Susan Dennard’s website.

Visit the Witchlands’ website.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (Nikolai duology book 2) (Grishaverse book 6)

“Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.” - Taken from Goodreads.com

SPOILER ALERT! Even though this book is the start of a new duology, the main and several supporting characters are introduced in previous books set in the author's Grishaverse. In actuality, the story takes place after the events of Crooked Kingdom.

Told from the viewpoints of several different characters, three main POVs are characters from Bardugo’s previous books. Readers will find themselves sucked back into the perils of Ravka since the defeat of the Darkling. A bit slow at times for me, the action quickly picks up during the last third of the book. Knowing that there was likely going to be a major cliffhanger at the end, I never could have imaged the fireworks this first installment provided. 

Book two is due to be published in 2020.

Visit Leigh Bardugo’s website.

Visit the Grishaverse.

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer (Renegades book 2)

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

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

“Time is running out. 

Together, they can save the world. 

But they each other’s worst nightmare.

Nova’s double life is about to get a lot more complicated:

As Insomnia, she is a full-fledged member of the Renegades, a syndicate of powerful and beloved superheroes. She works with Adrian’s patrol unit to protect the weak and maintain order in Gatlon City.

As Nightmare, she is an Anarchist - a group of villains who are determined to destroy the Renegades. Nova wants vengeance against the so-called heroes who once failed her when she needed them most.

But as Nova, her feelings for Adrian are deepening, despite the fact that he is the son of her sworn enemies and, unbeknownst to Nova, he has some dangerous secrets of his own.

In this second installment of the Renegades trilogy, Nova, Adrian, and the rest of their crew – Ruby, Oscar, and Danna -- are faced with escalating crime in Gatlon City, while covert weapons and conflicting missions have Nova and Adrian questioning not only their beliefs about justice, but also the feelings they have for each other.

The line between good and evil has been blurred, but what's clear to them both is that too much power could mean the end of their city – and the world – as they know it.” - taken from barnesandnoble.com

If you thought the cliffhanger at the end of Renegades was murder, you don’t know what it’s like to hang on by your fingertips. Archenemies definitely doesn’t suffer from second book boredom. Readers/listeners get to delve deeper into the lives and backstories of Adrian and Nova as the two grow closer as she continues to set her plan in motion. With that brutal ending, the stakes will be even higher with the concluding book to the trilogy, Supernova, due out on November 5, 2019.

Visit Marissa Meyer’s website.

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Jesse Lachlin is cursed. 

“So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland.

Scarlett Copeland is psychic.

Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head… “ - taken from Goodreads.com

Another great read from Katie McGarry about two star-crossed lovers who grew up together as children. Jesse Lachlin truly believes that his life is cursed. So much so that he devastates his best friend and the girl he loves, Scarlett Copeland, in order to keep her “safe”. When both of their lives reach the point of implosion, Jesse and Scarlett find themselves drawn to one another in their times of need.

A bit different from her previous books, I’m looking forward to the next installment in this series.

Visit Katie McGarry’s website.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo

“Love has a way of finding you.”

“Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is another book that I pulled off of my TBR pile and I literally devoured it in days. Clara Shin is a prankster and pulls the ultimate prank when she is crowned Junior Prom Queen by reenacting the blood scene from Carrie. Getting into a fight with Rose Carver, her enemy, a fire breaks out, putting an end to prom. To compensate for the damaged cafeteria, Clara's dad makes her work on his Korean Brazilian food truck over the summer. Rose's parents think that this is a good idea and make her work on the KoBra as well 

Slowly, Clara and Rose learn to work together and discover that their perceptions of one another are false. In Clara's life is turned upside down when a cute boy named Hamlet enters her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of two girls and their burgeoning friendship. The romance play as a secondary part in the story.

Visit Maureen Goo’s website.

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

“The woods
The stars
And the boy who broke her heart”

“Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was a unique take on a romantic tale of friends/neighbors becoming significant others and the many uphill challenges they faced to finally be together again. Thrown together during a glamping trip gone wrong, Zorie and Lennon soon find themselves stranded in King’s Forest National Park. Their friends abandon the two of them after Zorie and her friend Reagan have words. With nowhere really else to go, the two hike through the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to reach Condor Park, where Zorie is to meet a friend for a star watching party. The further they hike, Zorie and Lennon reveal the pain from the past year being apart and realize their feelings for one another still remain. 

What truly makes the story different is that the author drew several maps outlining Zorie and Lennon’s journeys. Definitely loved reading this book! 

Visit Jenn Bennett’s website.

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan (Ignite the Stars book 1)

¨Keep your enemies close¨

“Everyone in the universe knows his name. Everyone in the universe fears him. But no one realizes that notorious outlaw Ia Cocha is a seventeen-year-old girl.

A criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot, Ia has spent her life terrorizing the Olympus Commonwealth, the imperialist nation that destroyed her home. When the Commonwealth captures her and her true identity is exposed, they see Ia’s age and talent as an opportunity: by forcing her to serve them, they will prove that no one is beyond their control.

Soon, Ia is trapped at the Commonwealth’s military academy, desperately plotting her escape. But new acquaintances—including Brinn, a seemingly average student with a closely-held secret, and their charming Flight Master, Knives—cause Ia to question her own alliances. Can she find a way to escape the Commonwealth’s clutches before these bonds deepen?” - taken from Goodreads.com

OMG! I don't know what it is about a strong-willed but flawed female main character with a space setting, but those books are becoming my new fav of mine. Told from three different POV, readers are quickly immersed into the life of Ia Cocha, Brinn Tarver and Knives at a prestigious military academy where the Commonwealth sentences Cocha for her crimes. The generals reasoning is who better to fight are the Commonwealth when it's most notorious criminal is only a 17-year-old girl. Loved where this story took our three heroes on separate but intertwined soul-searching journeys to reach that climactic conclusion.

Not exactly a cliffhanger but I'm super excited to see where these three characters go next.

Book two, Explore the Skies, is to out on September 9th, 2019. 

Visit Maura Milan’s website.