*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young

Age Category/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: April 24th, 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
 

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating. 

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Badass Viking” Stars

After what felt like a lifetime of me staring at this stunning cover and waiting for this release, the day came and I got to read this baby. It was so worth the wait.

I've seen some people say this is just like every other YA Fantasy out there, but I can't agree.  For me, Sky in the Deep was a breath of fresh air. Just like another favorite of mine this year, To Kill a Kingdom, this book brought something different to a flooded market by taking us back to Viking Age and focusing on characters, their inner journey and themes like family.

And, can we talk about Vikings and how freaking cool they are?

Sky in the Deep brings us two clans who are sworn enemies and fight each other every five years in the name of their gods: the Aska and the Rikki. 

Our protagonist is a strong, badass, 'I'll go to battle even when my ribs are broken and I can barely hold my weapon' Aska warrior, Eelyn. I love Eelyn. I love her loyalty to her people, to her family, her love for her best friend and her "supposed to be dead brother". I love that she doesn't turn into a midless girl around a especially hot Viking guy (more on him later). I love that she slowly opens up to the world around her and, even unsure of what she's doing, helps people find a way out of the vicious circle they had gotten themselves into.

Eelyn is the true definition of badass Viking in my book.

You know what I also love? How these Vikings were not sexist. Girls were strong and as valuable warriors as guys, and I'm always here for more of that. From the very start, we had Eelyn and her best friend and fighting mate Myra at the front of the battle, because that's where powerful women belong. They kicked some serious butt, bled and kept on moving, and I was cheering.

Here's a Viking girl kicking some ass to make your day better:

In this battle, Eelyn meets Fiske, a Rikki warrior that almost kills her. What stops him is the reappereance of Eelyn's brother, who she thought had died years ago. Turns out he survived and joined the Rikki. Captured, Eelyn in forced to live among the enemy until she can find a way back home.

Now, we have to talk about Fiske, the hot Viking warrior.

Fiske for me brought me a bunch of incorrent YES, PLEASE, MORE from the moment he first showed up and it only got better after that. The "I'll kill you", "No, I'll kill you" dynamic  between Fisk and Eelyn brought all the feels because I'm obsessed with a good enemy to lovers trope. These two quickly turned me into the captain of the JUST KISS ship.

Of course I also love to be tortured, so I was more than happy to get my slow burn romance and wait forever for that kiss to come. *sighs* My life was complete.

Aside from the awesome romance, this book also gave me great family dynamics. We had Eelyn trying to understand Iri's choice while battling with her love for her brother and her loyalty to her family. Her amazing relationship with her father, who was supposed to have a cold heart, but was all warm and loving inside. Her dynamic with Fiske's little brother, who helped her understand and look differently at her so-called enemies. There was a lot to love in this story, and a huge part of that is the focus on the characters (especially Eelyn) and their journeys.

Don't get me wrong. Sky in the Deep has some amazing fighting scenes, but it's still a character-driven story at its heart. With that tone, a strong female lead, a forbidden, love to hate romance, a beautiful and complex enough world to elevate the story, this has easily been one of my favorite YA Fantasy reads of the year. Oh, and it's a standalone.

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - Lennon Reborn by Scarlett Cole

Title: Lennon Reborn

(Preload #4)

Author: Scarlett Cole

Publication date: May 1st, 2018

Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Swerve

From the queen of heart-pounding, sexy, emotional romance Scarlett Cole comes Lennon Reborn, a stunning, shattering rock star romance in the Preload series.

Lennon McCartney is not a broken man. Because being broken implies being whole once. When a horrific accident deprives him of the one thing he loves—his talent as a fierce and explosive drummer—Lennon is left with a life chained by an abusive mother, by crushing guilt over a tragic past. A life he doesn’t want.

Dr. Georgia Starr is a legend. She’s one of the most successful neurosurgeons in the world, coming from a long-line of respected New York doctors. Her life is built around solving complex medical cases in order to bring relief and hope to sick children. But the one problem she can’t solve is how to live her life. How to be shake loose the burden of being her elitist, arrogant father’s daughter. How to be free.

Can a man who despises his life and a woman who desperately needs to live find the answers, and love, with each other?

**Warning: Deals with dark themes and deep personal struggles.**

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4 “Grey's Anatomy with Rock'n'Roll” Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Swerve!

Here are the things I've said about this book before it was probably even written:

"I'm still so very much in love with all the band members, and dying to get my hands on the next titles. I'm guessing Lennon's story will reduce me to ashes, so I'm here...not-so-patiently waiting for that." - Review of Elliot Redeemed.

"While I have to say Lennon’s book is the one I’m most anxious about, I had a good time reading Nikan Rebuilt. It was a little different than what I expected, and maybe lower on the suspense and angst vibe than the previous titles in the series, but it was a pleasant read." - Review of Nikan Rebuilt.

So, yeah, I've been anxiously awaiting Lennon's book for a long time.

I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint.

Sure, it wasn't as angsty as I had imagined and sort of hoped for, but it was still a great and emotional read.

Lennon and Jordan are my favorite Preload members, so I couldn't be happier that Scarlett chose those two to start and end this great series. I'm sad to see all of them go, but at least I got to do it while finally learning more about Lennon, the drummer who acts like a jerk but is made of insecurities, trauma and a lot of love for his bandmates.

The story starts with a BOOM when a tragic event brings a huge chance into Lennon's life, forcing him to stay away from the only thing he thinks makes life worth living. I won't get into details because I believe going in blind is the best strategy, but I'll say I was shocked and a little pissed at the author for adding that trauma to Lennon's already long list. Having sad that, this choice made perfect sense considering everything Lennon believed about his worth and everything he learned throughout the book.

What followed were scenes that made me tear up. I got extremely emotional when he first realized what had happened and broke down, when he grieved what he had lost, when Petal stopped by and when he got a picture of her holding something he gave her...

I have to say this, though. I missed more of interactions between Lennon and his bandmates/brothers. I wished there had been more of that. The few interactions we got between them were stellar, especially the epilogue.

But since this is a romance, it makes sense that most of the book was focused on Georgia, the amazing woman tragedy brought into Lennon's life. With everything going on, Georgia was exactly the person Lennon needed to help him stay strong and go on with his life--she was extremely smart, patient and understanding. She didn't understimate his pain and suffering. She didn't try to sugarcoat the situation. She stayed by his side through all the bad moments and they finally got their well-deserved happy ending.

Again, I wished their relationship had been a little more angsty, but I was satisfied with the way things played out. I was also satisfied that, despite being a major influence in Lennon's new life, Georgia wasn't the only answer. It was Lennon's love for his family, as well as for Georgia, that made him want to adapt to his new life and keep going.

There were tons of touching messages and moments in this story and in the series overall. I'm so happy I got to read it from start to finish, and that the epilogue was the perfect addition. After everything those guys went through, they deserved their happy ending.

 

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

*Grabby Hands* Release & Review - Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Love and Other Words
Author: Christina Lauren

Age Category/Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: April 10th, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
 

Love, loss, friendship, and the betrayals of the past all collide in this first fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).

The story of the heart can never be unwritten.

Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.

But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

4.5 "Eleven Years of Angst" Stars

Why is this book being marketed as WF when it's so clearly a romance. An awesome, slow burn, BFF to lovers, single POV Contemporary Romance? I don't get what's happening, but who cares because I really, really loved this book. I would've added another "really" (and probably the missing half star) had it not been for the big reveal. That was so bad that I spent a while contemplating retrieving the half star I already gave.

I realize this is a bad start to a review for a book I loved, but...

I absolutely LOVED 99% of this book, and I knew I'd probably love it from the beginning. 

I could not have connected with the voice more, since it was told in first person present tense from the perspective of a character that was instantly likable. It didn't hurt that Macy's mother was Brazilian (though I caught some pretty evident Portuguese mistakes in the book. Just saying) and that I always get Grey's Anatomy's vibe when I see the word "resident".

Macy became a favorite quite fast. I loved her maturity (even when she was running away from the love of her life after running into him after 11 years) and her personality. But if I'm being completely honest, Elliot was the star of this story for me.

Elliot who loves to read and knows pretty words and wears glasses and listen to his best friend talk abouth periods without acting all grossed out. Elliot was perfection. He's the kind of friend I wished everyone had in their teens. He is the friend that becomes your person (another GA's reference that hit me in the feels). I wish he was my person, too.

Throughout the entire thing I was madly in love with Elliot. And I was madly in love with narrative choice. I often dislike when books alternate between chapters in the present and past tense. It takes me out of the story and feels like too much backstory. Until it's done right. Here, it was done perfectly.

I can't imagine this story having the same impact if we didn't go back in the past and met Elliot when Macy did. If we didn't go with her every step of the way as she found in Elliot the best friend a person could ask for and the kind of love that can never, ever die.

I just have to put it out there: They're love was epic. 

Proof of that is that after eleven years apart--eleven years with no contact whatsover--the moment they see each other, they know that's it. They know their love never died, and what Elliot did next was just... Damn it, boy, you were going hard after my heart.

All the angst involving Macy and Elliot reuniting and rediscovering their love was just perfection. So was watching them fall in love for the first time through the "Then" chapters. I also loved how they deal with their present relationships in a mature, no-cheating-involved way. How Macy's relationship with her father was so sweet and loving and healthy. How Elliot's family was loud and loving and welcoming. Just talking about all of that makes me want to reread the story.

But then, the big reveal about what tore Elliot and Macy apart eleven years ago comes toward the end. And BOOM. I feel like an air-leaking balloon. It's almost painful to think about how wrong that reveal was. How unjust to the love story and to the characters. It's actually so unbelievable that I'm trying to convince myself the authors/editors and everyone involved just overlooked the fact that they inserted a segment of a different book in this lovely story. It just doesn't fit THIS story at all.

I could understand the second part of the reveal, and I even thought there was a way to make that second part the only reveal needed (the only excuse needed) for those two to be apart for so long. But the first part needs to go, so I'm deleting it and twisting the reveal in my head so it doesn't spoil the perfection that was this book.

Despite that reveal, I still highly recommend this book, especially for fans of slow burn, angsty romance that hits you right in the feels!!!

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.

Release & Review - Risen by Cole Gibsen

Image and blurb from Goodreads

Title: Risen

Author: Cole Gibsen

Release Date: March 27th, 2018

Age Category/ Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Fans of Vampire Diaries and Twilight will be thirsting for this latest vampire addiction…

My aunt has been kidnapped by vampires, and it’s up to me to save her. Only…I had no idea vampires existed. None. Nada. I’m more of a reader than a fighter, and even though I’d been wishing to escape my boring existence in the middle of nowhere, I’d give anything to have it back now if it meant my aunt was safe. 

Then there’s the vampire Sebastian, who seems slightly nicer than most of the bloodsuckers I’ve run into so far. Yes, he’s the hottest being I’ve ever come across, but there’s no way I can trust him. He swears he’s helping me get answers, but there’s more to his story. Now I’m a key pawn in a raging vampire war, and I need to pick the right ally.

But my chances of surviving this war are slim at best, when the side I choose might be the one that wants me dead the most.

Goodreads

Buy Links: Amazon

2.5 “Teen Vampires” stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Entangled Teen.

I'm still waiting for that new vampire book series that will leave me as obsessed about these mythical creatures as the first three seasons of The Vampire Diaries or the first time I read Twilight did.

Then I saw Risen on NetGalley and it used those two titles as comps: "Fans of Vampire Diaries and Twilight will be thirsting for this latest vampire addiction…"

Of course that led me to searching Youtube for Stelena videos.

That led to major hangover after.

Anyway, Risen delivered on some of its promises, but it unfortunately didn't create a vampire addiction. The main character didn't have an interesting enough personality to hold my attention, the romance was too insta-lovey, and Sebastian wasn't the badass vamp guy who made me fall madly in love with him. I also had problems with the dialogue and how stilted it felt at times.

Even though Risen didn't turn out to be as exciting as I was hoping, I'm someone who has been waiting for YA paranormal to come back for a long time and I'm not ready to give up. So bring on the next vamp book!

*If you liked this review (or not), if you read the book (or not), come say hello and leave your comments bellow.