ARC Review: Words Composed of Sea and Sky by Erica George

“i hope that when people look for something that is left of me, all they’ll find is you.”

erica george

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 25th 2021

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Historical Fiction | Romance

Page Count: 368

Source: I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!

Goodreads Summary: This modern summer romance set on Cape Cod features two young adult poets divided by centuries.

Michaela Dunn, living on present day Cape Cod, dreams of getting into an art school, something her family just doesn’t understand. When her stepfather refuses to fund a trip for a poetry workshop, Michaela finds the answer in a local contest searching for a poet to write the dedication plaque for a statue honoring Captain Benjamin Churchill, a whaler who died at sea 100 years ago. She struggles to understand why her town venerates Churchill, an almost mythical figure whose name adorns the school team and various tourist traps. When she discovers the 1862 diary of Leta Townsend, however, she gets a glimpse of Churchill that she didn’t quite anticipate. In 1862, Leta Townsend writes poetry under the name Benjamin Churchill, a boy who left for sea to hunt whales. Leta is astonished when Captain Churchill returns after his rumored death. She quickly falls for him. But is she falling for the actual captain or the boy she constructed in her imagination?

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ARC Review: Gutter Girl by Lynn Rush & Kelly Anne Blount

this is why people always act so ridiculous in the movies when they’re getting swept off their feet by their crush. he kissed the english language right out of my brain, yet again.

lynn rush & kelly anne blount

Series: Twin River High #1

Release Date: May 10th 2021

Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Romance

Page Count: 294

Source: I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!

Goodreads Summary: Star football player Jace Rovers has a secret. And not just any secretโ€”a shocking secretโ€ฆ He writes romance. The kind with swords. And dresses. And kissing. Nobody knows. Not the other kids at Twin River High. Not his overbearing parents. And certainly not the millions of fans whoโ€™ve read his book on the writing platform Scribbles. And thatโ€™s the way he plans to keep it. Except suddenly one of the other football players grabs his notebook in jest and starts reading a kissing scene out loudโ€ฆand Jace knows heโ€™s busted. But then McKenna Storm, resident goth girl who avoids the spotlight like a virus, snatches up the notebook and tells everyone she’s the author. And lucky for Jace, she later agrees to continue the ruse…for a price. Heck, he’d give her anything not to reveal his secret. But when they start to fall for each other, he knows he’ll have to keep the biggest secret of allโ€”his darkest character is based on herโ€ฆ

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Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

โ€œwhen everyone knows youโ€™re a monster, you neednโ€™t waste time doing every monstrous thing.โ€

leigh bardugo

Series: Six of Crows #1

Release Date:ย September 29th 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | High Fantasy | Romance | Adventure

Page Count: 465

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right priceโ€”and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he canโ€™t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who canโ€™t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kazโ€™s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destructionโ€”if they donโ€™t kill each other first.

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Book Tour & Review: Sunkissed by Kasie West (+ a book-inspired playlist!)

“and sometimes is all i need, and more than i deserved. so i read into every sign. because sometimes, yes this time, sometimes brought me you.”

kasie west

Series: Standalone

Release Date: May 4th 2021

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | Contemporary | Romance

Page Count: 320

Source: I received an advance reader’s copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in collaboration with TBR and Beyond Tours. Thank you!

Summary: A lighthearted and swoony contemporary YA romance by fan-favorite author Kasie West about a girl who finds that a summer spent at a family resort isnโ€™t as bad as she imaginedโ€ฆand that falling in love is filled with heartache, laughter, and surprises!

After being betrayed by her best friend, Avery is hoping for a picture-perfect summer. Too bad her parents have dragged her and her sister to a remote family camp for the entire summer. And thatโ€™s not even the worst part. Avery also has to deal with no internet, a cute but off-limits staff member, and an always-in-her-face sister.

But what starts as a disaster turns into a whirlwind summer romance as Avery embarks on an unexpected journey to figure out what she truly wants and who she wants to be. 

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Review: Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

it was wrong to justify what sort of hurt mattered and what didn’t. anything that left scars came from hurt. only now was she realizing the scars she bore and had trained herself not to see.

janella angeles

Series: Kingdom of Cards #1

Release Date: August 25th 2020

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | High Fantasy | Romance | Mystery

Page Count: 464

Source:ย I received an advance reader’s copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!

Goodreads Summary: In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes. As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.

The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove sheโ€™s the best no matter the cost

The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told

The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide

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Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

na razrusha’ya. i am not ruined.ย e’ya razrushost.ย i am ruination.”

leigh bardugo

Series: Shadow and Bone #3

Release Date: January 17th 2014

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | High Fantasy | Romance | Adventure

Page Count: 422

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destructionโ€”and claiming it could cost Alina the very future sheโ€™s fighting for.

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Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

“why won’t you leave me alone?” i whispered one night as he hovered behind me while i tried to work at my desk….”because i’d be alone, too,” he said.

leigh bardugo

Series: Shadow and Bone #2

Release Date: June 4th 2013

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | High Fantasy | Romance | Adventure

Page Count: 432

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: Darkness never dies. Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

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