Siena (The Forestfolk #1) by Zoe Blessing Review

A bit different than the usual paranormal books I read, Siena is a story of a fifteen year old girl who’s only known captivity her whole life. As a child, she discovered her ability to heal, and after her loud mouth half brother blabbed about it, her mother was executed for hiding her secret, and she’s been a slave ever since. She often wonders if this is all life has for her.

5/5 Stars 186 pages
Published April 21st 2017 by Pennydragon Press

Told through the first person viewpoint, we really get the nitty gritty of Siena’s life and slavery in the beginning of the book. Pushed around by everyone in her compound, they use her powers and don’t care about her health or safety. She knows why people keep their abilities a secret, being called an horrible names. Little does she know that everyone else is just jealous of her power. 

One night, her compound is raided by a neighbouring one while their warriors are out scouting. They take down everyone in their path. Except for Siena, who narrowly escapes with her life. She finds a new home and a new life with the Forestfolk, originally a refuge camp in the middle of the woods. They accept her and her gift with welcoming arms. But bad things are happening to the people that were captured from her original camp, and she can’t stand around and let it be. She has to do something about it.

Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into with this book, but once I started it I completely devoured it, finishing it in just a few hours. I couldn’t get enough. The kindness in the hearts of these characters, even though they’re fictional, gives me hope for the people in our real lives. It’s a story of blossoming in the right conditions, and doing whatever you can to stay there. And if something bad happens, just keep going, and it’ll be okay eventually. You’ll find people who love you for you, and I think that’s the moral of the story.

If you’re looking for something very different in the way of magical powers and the woods, then this is the book for you. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book, and really just suck myself into that one as well. This book really taught me a lesson that I hope stays with me for a while, if not forever, at least.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can here on Twitter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Leonardo 2 by Stéphane Levallois Review

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into with this book, and even though I had read the description, It really didn’t prepare me for what really happened. In this graphic novel is a collection of breathtaking works of art, and they are woven into an equally breathtaking story. I never thought scifi could blend so seamlessly with this style of art, and really Leonardo Da Vinci in general, but here I am, blown away and in awe of this book. I really enjoyed it, if you haven’t gotten the message yet.

5/5 Stars 96 pages
Published October 15th 2020 by NBM Publishing

In the future, Earth has been ravaged. The only people left are aboard The Renaissance, a ship circling the planet. But they’re not safe yet. An intergalactic ship has been tormenting the survivors with threats of war and destruction, and they’re going to keep their promise. And the only hope that humanity has, is that by cloning Leonardo Da Vinci, they wish to tap into his genius and allow him to create weapons of mass destruction. However, things don’t go exactly how they could have hoped.

With a beautiful art style unlike any of the other graphic novels I’ve read I think ever, this is a book that would really stand out on my shelf. Not only because of the art, but also the story. Woven together are pieces of their present day Leonardo 2 putting his master plan into place, and snippets of the original Leonardo’s life. He’s haunted by his past mistakes, and hopes to correct them in this new life he’s been given. And I think that’s exactly what he does.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Overall, I don’t think I’m going to forget this graphic novel for a really long time. I want to re read it, and hold it in my hands, and that’s why I hope I can buy it sometime in the future. I would love to let my friends and family borrow it. I want everyone to know about it. And that’s really just that. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I can’t recommend it enough. Definitely check it out if you see it around, I think you’ll learn some new facts about Leonardo Da Vinci, just like I did.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the creator, you can on Instagram, here.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

The Cup and The Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1) by Day Leitao Review

5/5 Stars 256 pages
Published October 15th 2020 by Sparkly Wave

If you know me, you know that I never used to be into books about magic, or sword fighting, or potions or things like that. But it’s books like these that have been changing my mind. A solid read, this story is full of mystery, questioning, a brave character that just keeps proving her own doubts wrong, and of course a lot of confusion. But all of that confusion doesn’t make for a bad story, in fact it made for an amazing story. And of course, I can’t wait for the next book after that insane cliff hanger of an ending. I really loved this book.

Photo by Emre Kuzu on Pexels.com

Following a seventeen year old girl named Zora, she hasn’t really found her footing yet in life. Teaching children to sword fight for as long as she can remember has made her a very good fighter in The Dark Valley, the only place in their world where shadow monsters spawn from darkness. So, they don’t let there be shadows anywhere. Always wearing tight fitting clothes, never using blankets or wearing skirts, and keeping furniture close to the ground as well as lights on at all times. Her life is about to change though, when her boyfriend starts pressuring her for something she’s not ready for, and she realizes that he’s been cheating on her. He doesn’t love her, and she’s humiliated, and sometimes when that happens, you need to take revenge swiftly, because if you think about it for too long, than your chance will be gone. And that’s exactly what she does.

Photo by Jou00e3o Gustavo Rezende on Pexels.com

She steals his letter out of his bag that he foolishly has been too confident to sign his name on, proving that he’s the champion of The Dark Valley, and giving him acceptance into The Royal Games, and this year, competing for The Blood Cup against the other strong champions. But what she doesn’t realize until she gets there, is that there’s something bigger at play, and someone’s out to get her. Not only because she’s the smallest, and not because she’s the only girl, but because she’s getting in the way of their plan. And that’s not good for anyone.

Photo by Maria Pop on Pexels.com

Like I said earlier, I haven’t always been into full fantasy stories like these with potions and sword fighting and enchantments, but books as great as these are making me really enjoy them. Once I started this book, I couldn’t get enough, and because it’s not as long as other books I’ve been reading lately, I really tore through it, and enjoyed the entire ride. Especially the ending, because I really didn’t have a clue that any of that stuff was coming. I think my favourite character is Zora, because she’s just so tough, an even when she’s not sure of herself, she’s able to face her fears, and her anxiety, and really power through it to get what needs to be done, done. I also love the cover. I think it’s beautiful, and I really love the whole aesthetic of it. I would love a copy of this book for my collection, to look at, to re read, and of course, let my friends borrow to see if they would like it as much as I did. I think if you like stories about perseverance, a strong young woman who faces her fears, and a very interesting storyline, than this is something you should check out next.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, with my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can do so here on Twitter.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Echoes of War (Echoes Trilogy #1) by Cheryl Campbell Review

5/5 Stars 400 pages
Published September 10th 2019 by SparkPress

Here’s another book I knew was going to be right up my alley before I even started it. Following a young woman in her 20’s named Dani, it shows her world, one torn apart by war, as an alien military has ravaged Earth for the last few decades. Though the Echoes, an alien race who had integrated themselves into the human population for hundreds of years, were living just fine before their military counterparts began trying to extinguish the human race, everyone opposing the Wardens are being torn apart. It’s all anyone can do to just barely survive.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Living with her uncle Jace, Dani’s life as a scavenger has been hard. Always watching her back, she’s risking her life every day just trying to go out and steal food. It’s a little help that her boyfriend is part of the military defending their territory from the Wardens, but they’re not innocent either. They scoop up anyone they can to recruit them to fight for them, including other scavengers like Dani. Whether they’re an Echo or not. And even though the Wardens are Echo Military, they do horrible experiments to their own people and are genocidal against the humans, which is a lot worse than just being forced into the Military. No one can win this war, it seems like.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

That is, until Dani comes along. After losing her life, she regenerates as a young ten year old girl and must grow up all over again. Usually Echoes keep there memories with them when they regenerate, but Dani’s different. Her and Jace relocate to a small town and start fresh there. And Dani’s determined to change the way the world is, because she’s not the only one sick of the war.

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Pexels.com

This book was amazing, and like I said, I knew from reading the description that I would love it immediately. It’s action packed, heart and gut wrenching, and the story isn’t one that’s used up and repeated. As you might know if you have followed my blog for a while, or even if you just read my blog name, I love books about aliens and/or the apocalypse. Everything about them intrigues me, and this book was no exception. I read it in just under a day, and I’m very thankful that I have the second book in the trilogy ready to go.  I can’t wait to start reading it, and I have high hopes for it because of how much I loved this one.

Photo by Michael Herren on Pexels.com

If you’re into books about aliens living among humans, and also a war against those same aliens on a war torn Earth, then this is the book for you. And if you don’t, I highly suggest giving this one a chance. I just loved it so much that I want everyone I know to check it out. It’s not so gory that it makes you shy away from it, but it’s still action packed and interesting. The characters are easy to imagine, and somehow they’re very realistic although their world is nothing like our own. I just can’t get enough. I hope we get to see more of Brody, Oliver, Dani, Mary, Hattie, Miles and everyone else I love in the next book, and I’m going to start it right after this.

If you’d like a copy, you can grab one here.

And here’s a link to the author’s Instagram, if you’d like to keep up with them!

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re having a great day and are staying safe.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez Review

5/5 Stars 368 pages
Published September 15th 2020 by Algonquin Young Readers

Something you don’t know that you need a book until you read it. This is that book for me. Though I’m usually into paranormal and scifi books, sometimes I just need a good real life book that makes you feel good. It takes you through heartaches and the happy times, and just all the ups and downs of real life. It feels good to take a break from everything and read something like that, with a happy ending, when things don’t always feel like they’ll have a happy ending.

Following a seventeen year old girl named Camila, and her life in a small town in Argentina, it shows her life as she hides what she really wants in life, to play soccer. At home, she’s smothered by her abusive father, shell of a mother, and soccer star brother. She just wants to carve her own path in a life that’s been planned out for her. Known on the soccer fields as Furia, she does exactly that.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Through the story we see her ups and downs. Reuniting with a now celebrity first and really only love. Dealing with her father. Getting a job teaching English to children at a church. Growing distant with her best friend. Things like that, and much more. It’s real, it’s raw, and it’s just what I never knew I needed. Sometimes it’s just nice to escape your own life, and get to live through someone else, even if they’re fictional.

Photo by manu mangalassery on Pexels.com

This is a story of persevering through whatever life throws at you. It’s about following your dreams, no matter how hard it might be to reach them. I honestly think everyone should read this book, because it’s just uplifting even when it gets hard. I’m so glad I got the chance to check it out, and I highly, highly recommend it. It was a much needed break from all the supernatural things I read, a really down to earth book and I hope that you like it as much as I did.

If you’d like a copy, you can grab one here.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, if you’d like to keep up with them.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe. Lets chat about this book in the comments!

Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1) by Janella Angeles Review

5/5 Stars 464 pages
Published August 25th 2020 by Wednesday Books

Though I forgot to post a review on the publishing date, I did not forget about the content of this book. It has a beautiful cover that I’d love to have on my bookshelf, and inside the cover is an equally beautiful and well written story about a girl getting out of her cage after years and years of oppression. Though, it’s not the usual kind that you would think of.

Kallia has been a showgirl and using her magic inside a casino for as long as she can remember. Her only escape from the owner she used to trust but now dislikes is her greenhouse, and she’s willing to throw that away to follow her dream of being the only famous female magician. The problem is, is that the owner is a master of illusion, faking friends and even people she would have liked to think of family, and that makes it very hard to get out of his grasp.

Photo by Leo Cardelli on Pexels.com

Though she loves showing off her powers and gaining a crowd, she really just wants to make a name for herself outside of that world she’s in, without a mask on. Even after escaping from the house and through this insane forest that tries to trick her into losing her mind, she faces horrible sexism and insults from the judges. But one of them is different.

Taking the world by storm is something she can do easily, showing off her insanely powerful magic tricks and spells, full of illusion and music and just life, but what she can’t do easily, is fight off her past. Especially when it’s trying to hunt her down and bring her back to the world she fought so hard to escape from.

Photo by Rafael Guajardo on Pexels.com

Everything about this book was so well put together, and left me wondering what could possibly happen in the next installment. I can’t wait to check it out. I don’t have any questions left over aside from that one, and I didn’t for even a minute think that there was something out of place or missing from it. I’m so glad I got to check it out, it was everything I wanted and more, and books like these make me rethink my usual opinion about books about magic.

If you’d like to grab a copy of the book for yourself, you can do so here.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author on Twitter, here’s a link to that.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to chat about this book in the comments, if you’d like to also. Hope you’re doing well and staying safe!

Not a Drop to Drink (Not a Drop to Drink #1) by Mindy McGinnis Review

5/5 Stars 309 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books

After I finished the last apocalyptic fiction book I read, I really was just wanting more, and then scrolling through my e-reader I stumbled on this book. First of all, let me just say that I love this book cover so much more than any of the other’s I’ve seen lately. It’s just so interesting and fitting for the story inside that I just want a copy for my bookshelf to look at. And re-read, of course.

Following a young teen girl named Lynn, it tells her story through the third person viewpoint at her family’s farmhouse, they’ve lived in it for generations. Though, this isn’t just another young adult book about a girl on a farm. The world she lives in is a desolate one, running out of water and ravaged by disease in the cities. At the beginning of the book it’s just her and her mother, but that quickly changes.

Photo by Saunak Shah on Pexels.com

In this book, she has to face a lot of hard situations. Death, is the biggest one. Also, living in a world where her mother is the only person to trust and everyone else should be shot dead is a hard mindset to work herself out of. Protecting her home’s pond is all she’s ever known, that and hunting, killing, and just basically surviving for the most part. But she’s strong, and she can do anything she puts her mind to.

Photo by Octoptimist on Pexels.com

After discovering a small family of a pregnant mother, an uncle, and a young girl thrust into her arms, she has to not only take care of herself, but now a small child. With help from her only trustworthy neighbour, she learns to open up to the outside world and really grow into a live that isn’t just about surviving, and I think that’s something that everyone should learn, even if it’s not as extreme as the problems in this book.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

From the moment I picked it up, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put it down. Finishing the entire thing in just two days, I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen next when I wasn’t reading it. It’s one of those books where you start it and you just can’t stop. I laid in the bath for almost 3 hours reading it, and after that I read it to go to sleep, when I woke up, and then all afternoon again. It’s everything I could want and more in a book, and I really mean it when I say I want a copy for my shelf. All the questions I had about it were answered by the end of the book, and though it ended at a very nice spot, I did notice that there’s a sequel, and I’d love to check that out, if I could get my hands on it.

If you’d like to get a copy for yourself, you can do so here.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, if you’d like to follow them.

Thanks for reading! I can’t get this book out of my head, and I have a feeling that you won’t be able to either if you ever check it out. If you’d like to chat about it, I’d love to in the comments! I hope you have a good day, and stay safe.

Failsafe (Failsafe #1) by Anela Deen Review

5/5 Stars 200 pages
Published May 20th 2018 by Fine Fables Press

This book, unlike the last book, was something that was right up my alley, and something I knew I was going to love from the moment I started it. In a time where humans haven’t lived outside a computer for many, many generations, their world is claustrophobic and dangerous. Outside of their settlements live drones that shoot to kill on site, and although they can grow their own food, they can barely grow enough for everyone, especially now when the supplies have stopped being delivered.

 

Sol is different, however. Though she has epilepsy, she doesn’t let that stop her from changing the world that they know, and trying to save everyone she know, and more. She’s not afraid of going out into the Interspace, and her unique dreaming ability lets her know where and when the drones are going to be around, and where the supplies should be. But this comes with a cost to her health, both physical and mental.

 

Though she lives in a time where people aren’t able to chose their mates due to the very little genetic differences between everyone in their settlement, everything changes when she meets Echo one day while out on a supply run. Though he’s not like anyone she’s ever met, and she’s a little scared to trust him at first, he proves himself to be an

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

amazing and very strong companion. The two will do whatever they need to do to change the world as they know it.

 

This book was exciting and interesting, and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Though I wanted there to be a sequel, I think that it ended at such a place where I’m happy if there isn’t ever one. The characters and the story were both really easy to imagine and get sucked into, and though this doesn’t happen very often, I don’t have any questions or complaints or even thoughts leftover that I’m wondering about. In my eyes, this was a perfect book to get me out of my reading slump, and I think it’s something that I’d love to read again and again, that’s just how much I loved it.

 

If you love stories about young adults who want to change the world, no matter how different it is from out own, then you’re going to love this, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Definitely check it out if you get the chance, and it’ll make a beautiful addition to your collection! I’d love to check out other books by the author because of this one.

 

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here.

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, if you’d like to keep up with them!

 

Thanks for reading! I’d love to chat in the comments if you have anything you’d like to talk about, this book or any other topic! Hope you have a good day, and stay safe!

 

**I’ve been informed by the author that there will in fact be a sequel!** Patiently awaiting that.