Sorcery of Thorns

Sorcery of Thorns 

By: Margaret Rogerson

This book is about a girl named Elisabeth who lives in one of the Great Libraries of Austermeer and has been told her entire life to be wary of sorcerers. She is training to one day become a deputy -- a fearsome warrior who protects and guards the grimoires of the land from harm. However, one day one of the grimoires is sabotaged and Elisabeth's involvement in ultimately killing the grimoire means that she is a suspect. Elisabeth is forced to journey to the capitol under the protection of sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Once she reaches the capitol, Elisabeth discovers that she has stumbled upon a centuries old conspiracy that could end life and she knows it. 

This book is perfect for fans of young adult fantasy. I thought the concept was super unique. I love books (obviously) and the idea of books being alive is such a captivating theory. Also, the way that Elisabeth is able to communicate with the books in a way that no one else can was such an interesting concept and urged me to keep reading to find out the reason. The fact that it wasn't the reason that I suspected was also very refreshing because it kept me on my toes. 

I also enjoyed that the love story of Elisabeth and Nathaniel constantly took a back seat to Elisabeth learning and growing for herself and overall wasn't one of the main focuses of the book. Instead, where other books might have focused on a budding romance, this one focused on friendship and alliances which I believe is altogether more wholesome. Also Elisabeth's friendship with Silas is just goals (as goals as you can get when it comes to friendship with a demon). 

I liked the giant conspiracy evil plot thing that was happening. It was actually really interesting to think about and I liked how the reader keeps figuring out bits and pieces and the whole thing doesn't fit together until the end. 

Lastly I really liked the ending because it was kind of a cliffhanger but in the way that means that the reader can interpret the end to be what they wish it to be, and not in a way that means there is another book coming out that you have to read or else you will feel empty and incomplete for the rest of your days. No, that's just me? Okay then. Anyway, I'm fairly certain that this book is a standalone which is great because that doesn't mean you have to a year for another book to come out and then wait until you can get it from the library if you're like me and your parents refuse to let you buy every book you want to read because money. So yeah, really liked the book. It was super good. Would read a sequel if one is made, although I doubt that one will be because the ending was kind of perfect. Check it out!

Modern Love Series

I've been in a rom com phase recently and I've had a hard time finding rom coms with substance but the Modern Love Series by Alisha Rai is the perfect solution. This series examines love through the lens of overcoming trauma and focuses on personal growth while wrapping it up in a rom com package. Another thing about the series that I enjoyed is that most of the characters are people of color which is very refreshing after reading book after book with Caucasian protagonists.

I'm going to review the books in the series in the order in which I read them, despite the fact that that's not the actual order of the series :)

Girl Gone Viral

This book is about a young woman named Katrina who experienced a traumatic childhood under the control of her overbearing father, and then encountered another traumatic experience later in life (don't want to say what so you can find out for yourselves) that left her craving complete anonymity and seclusion. However, when a photo of her goes viral on the internet, threatening her peaceful life, her bodyguard (who she happens to have an enormous crush on) takes her to spend a few weeks at his family's farm, away from the prying eyes of society. The only issue with this arrangement is that now they will be alone together for an indefinite amount of time, which is not an ideal situation with anybody, much less a guy you like.

I really liked this book because as I mentioned at the beginning, it features characters from various ethnicities: Thai, Punjabi, African American, etc. I also liked it because it focused on Katrina's personal growth and her struggle with anxiety, and how she was able to start overcoming that anxiety that once prevented her from leaving her house. It also examined Katrina's breakthroughs in how she viewed herself and her increased self-confidence by the end of the book.

Girl Gone Viral deals with PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks (though not super graphically) so if any of these topics are triggers for you, you may want to check out a different book. I, however, enjoyed seeing Rai deal with these issues that are so prevalent in society today.

The Right Swipe

This book is technically first in the series but it doesn't matter too much because the books are only loosely connected by character relationships.

The Right Swipe is about dating-app creator Rhiannon Hunter and her quest to buy a competitor called Matchmaker. The twist, Matchmaker's newest spokesman is Samson Lima, former star football player, and also the man that ghosted Rhiannon after an amazing night. As Rhi and Samson continue to interact, Rhi's anger at Samson ghosting her is slowly replaced by growing feelings that the cynical entrepreneur finds hard to ignore. Before their relationship can go anywhere though, Rhi must first decide if her feelings for Samson are worth the risk of getting hurt.

Again, I liked the diversity found in this novel. I also like the personal growth in the face of trauma that was examined, similar to Girl Gone Viral. Additionally, Rai examines issues such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by multiple traumatic blows to the head that can be seen in many football players who receive numerous concussions. I thought that was really interesting because I hadn't heard of this issue before. Oh also, there was a really eccentric character named Annabelle. Loved Her! #StrongIndependentWomenWhoUseGlitterOnEverything

The Right Swipe deals with issues such as the trauma of sexual harassment, loss, and CTE (again not super graphically) so if these topics are uncomfortable for you, I suggest that you tread carefully.

The Guinevere Deception

The Guinevere Deception

By: Kiersten White

First of all, wow. Just wow. This book- I am speechless. 

The Guinevere Deception is perfect for fans of the old stories of King Arthur and the knights of Camelot. However, it tells the age-old tales with a twist never before seen. Taking place in an incredible fantasy world, this book is the perfect mix of action and suspense, with just a dash of romance to keep you on your toes. Now to the description: 

Magic has been banned from Camelot, and with it Merlin, the kingdom's greatest defender against magical threats. In order to continue to protect Arthur and Camelot, Merlin sends his daughter, pretending to be the foreign princess Guinevere, to marry Arthur. Guinevere must protect Arthur and Camelot, but in a kingdom praised for its order and justice, there are many secrets for Guinevere to unravel, including the secret of who she truly is. 

This book was great. First of all, I loved how Kiersten White took the familiar stories of Camelot and twisted them so that they were almost unrecognizable. I knew the world and I knew the people, but at the same time they were all incredibly different. Second, the plot twist. I did not see it coming and I was shook. You have to understand, I read a LOT of books, to the point where I can generally predict plot twists so when I don't see a plot twist coming, I know that the book is very special and unique. And this plot twist- pure genius. Low key, it probably should have been predictable but the way that White tells the rest of the story leading up to it, it becomes totally unexpected. Actually, come to think of it, there were quite of few unexpected twists. But you know what they say: the more the merrier. And lastly (although there are many many more reasons to like the book beyond the ones touched on here), I loved how the book did not center around romance. Sure, there were hints of it here and there, but the reason this book was so unique was that Guinevere's story didn't revolve around Arthur. Kiersten White weaves an engaging story without having to introduce a love interest. Instead, she focuses on Guinevere's quest to find herself, and the friendships and connections she makes along the way. White included love in this novel, just not the kind that is most common in novels of this genre. 

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the REST OF THE SERIES ISN'T OUT YET. I just about died when I finished the book because I had this epic theory and I was so sure I was right but THEN the book ENDED. AND the last paragraph of the book contradicted my theory and now I am DECEASED!! I JUST WANT THE NEXT BOOK TO COME OUT ALREADY!! 

November 10th can't come soon enough....