Review: Haunting the Deep - Adriana Mather

Haunting the Deep
Adriana Mather
Series: How to Hang a Witch, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers for the eARC I received via Netgalley!

Honestly, Adriana Mather has the coolest family history ever, and I'm kind of jealous.

Haunting the Deep follows Sam Mather as she is recovering from her How to Hang a Witch trauma and trying to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, normal isn't in the cards for her. When her school's spring fling dance is decided to be a Titanic theme and her history class dives into studying the Titanic, Sam gets thrown back into the world of magic and ghosts.

One of the coolest things about this series is the history woven into the stories. The Titanic is something that I never really studied in school, so it was really cool to learn more about what the Titanic was like as well as about some of the people who were on the ship. While the scenes depicted on the ship were fiction, most of the people were real, and it's heartbreaking when you really examine the tragedy.

I was also very excited to see the whole crew back for this second book! While there is a bit of Jaxon and Elijah, the focus of this book was definitely on friendship. Sam becomes closer with the Descendants at the start of Haunting the Deep, and their friendship crew throughout the book. I really enjoyed seeing Sam become a part of this girl squad since there wasn't much for female relationships in How to Hang a Witch (I mean, they all hated her so makes sense) and also because it meant more witchy business and MORE WITCHES IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER!!!!!

As for Jaxon and Elijah, fans of the romantic aspect from the first book may be disappointed - they were both kind of jerks for a lot of the book, which is understandable in the context of the story since Other Things were happening. I am still super conflicted about what team I'm on, so I'm interested to see where it goes in the next book.

Similarly to how the first book dealt with bullying, Adriana Mather wove elements of choice into this story. One thing that was really prominent in all the characters was the idea of what you think is right for someone being different than what is right for them. Explored through many different characters and situations, it was a really interesting thought to explore and very well done.

Overall, Haunting the Deep was an extremely satisfying follow up to How to Hang a Witch. The sequel delivered on the same suspense, excitement, and magic promised by the first book, and I simply could not put it down until I was done. I highly recommend both How to Hang a Witch and Haunting the Deep to readers who love witches, ghosts, history, and good books because this is a quality series.

Do you think Jack and Rose both could have fit?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Spellbook of the Lost and Found - Moïra Fowley-Doyle

Spellbook of the Lost and Found
Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Magical Realism
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it’s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won’t talk about.

Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they’re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets.

When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it’s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found . . .

Olive, Rose, Ivy, Rowan, and Hazel are all searching for things they've lost, both tangible and intangible. But as they hunt for what is missing, things are also found.

"If you don't get lost, you'll never be found."

Fowley-Doyle won me as a fan with The Accident Season, and she delivered more of what won my heart in Spellbook of the Lost and Found. I was once again treated to her beautiful prose with its ethereal quality, that kept me mesmerized from page one. Fowley-Doyle has such a talent for creating atmosphere in her stories with descriptions that are so vivid. I really felt like I was in each and every situation with the characters. This book, much like her last book, puts the reader in a little darker place, which fit perfectly with a story about secrets and losses. And BONUS! There were times it was feeling a little reminiscent of The Craft, which is a plus in my book.

"Be careful what you bargain with; Every lost thing requires a sacrifice -- A new loss for every called thing found."

But it's not just the writing that is great, Fowley-Doyle gives us a great story too. I loved navigating my way through this tale, as she slowly fed me breadcrumbs to follow. I was engrossed in the stories presented by each of the three narrators, one from each group of friends, but I did not see a connection. As the story played on, two groups merge, and then I was really scratching my head about that third group. I did not figure out the connection until about two pages before the reveal. So, Fowly-Doyle deserves quite a pat on the back, for once again delivering a twist I really didn't see coming, and later, hitting me with one I REALLY didn't see coming.

"Maybe we need to lose some things to make room for others."

Every character in this book was interesting and jumped off the page. Fowley-Doyle always does such an incredible job fully realizing her complex characters. This was, by no means, a simple feat in this book, as there were quite a few major players in this story.

"I kiss her neck until I forget everything but this feeling and honestly it's a lot less like losing my heart and more like finally being found."

There is a big overarching theme of loss in this book, and I loved all the different angles Fowley-Doyle chose in her exploration of loss. Loss of tangible things, of self, of friendships, of trust. She also posed the idea, that not all loss is bad. Loss of a bad habit, of addiction, of a heart. But, there was also this idea of things found: physical items, a heart, independence, a friend, a sister, one's self. This book just left me thinking about so many things!

"Be careful what you wish for; Not all lost things should be found."

This book has some diversity, mostly in the sexual orientation realm. Two of main characters, Rose and Olive, are bisexual, and another, Hazel, is a lesbian. In addition to being bisexual, Rose is also half Indian, and it becomes a minor point of discussion with respect to ethnic beauty, which I found interesting. There is also a bit of feminist centered discussions, and a bunch of other important talk, which I will not reveal, because I don't want to spoil anything here.

"I've lost my heart. Not all losses are bad."

Overall: An captivating tale of love, loss, friendship and family filled with an air of mystery and magical realism.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. I also would like to thank GoodReads and the publisher, as I won a physical copy through a GoodReads giveaway. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

Do you have a favorite book that features magical realism?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Daughter of the Burning City - Amanda Foody

Daughter of the Burning City
Amanda Foody
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Thanks to Harlequin TEEN for the ARC I received at BookExpo!

When I read the blurb for Daughter of the Burning City, I knew that I needed to make it a priority to grab at BEA - having loved Caraval, an endorsement from Stephanie Garber really sold me on this carnival-centric book. After reading the book, I can say that it definitely did not disappoint me, and I loved every second of it.

"Wicked, wicked to the core, the city will burn forevermore."

Daughter of the Burning City follows Sorina and her Freak Show in the traveling city of Gomorrah's festival. Sorina is an illusion worker, which immediately intrigued me since I had just recently finished The Rose Society, but besides just projecting illusions into the minds of others, she can also create living illusions. These not-so-imaginary creations are Sorina's family and are a part of her show's act, but everything changes when one of her illusions ends up dead.

The city of Gomorrah is a fascinating setting for the story. I think the idea of a carnival always has two sides - the excitement of the performances paired with a sort of creepy undertone, a darkness behind the flashing lights. The city of Gomorrah is built in a similar way. The uphill area is family friendly, filled with fun performances, including Sorina's Freak Show. On the other hand, the downhill is a dark place filled with pickpockets, prettywomen, and assassins. As the proprietor's daughter, Sorina will someday inherit the job, but this story follows her as she is exploring the downhill for the first time as part of her investigation into her illusion's death.

I loved the layers that Amanda Foody built into Gomorrah as well as the surrounding cities. The cities outside of Gomorrah, in a way, mimic the city itself: there is the Upmountain, filled with religious zealots and wealth, and the Downmountain, a place seen by the Upmountainers as filth. Additionally, the Upmountain disciples of Ovren view jynx workers like Sorina as devil workers, unclean and unnatural. Now imagine the Upmountain and drop Gomorrah, a city of sin, in the middle. Besides the dynamic of the city itself, Amanda Foody was able to add in elements of the world around them while still crafting a mystery and romance and much more. IN UNDER 400 PAGES!!! Honestly, iconic. There was no point where I felt like the world building was forced or hard to follow - it was all laid out in a way that made it easy to understand and natural.

As for the characters, I was amazed by how vivid each of the characters were. Even though Sorina was the main character, her illusions and other secondary characters were still so real. Even a pickpocket who wasn't heavily involved in the story was still given layers, leaving me caring for him even though he was kind of a crook. Sorina's illusions' lives didn't revolve around her - they all had lives of their own.

Sorina was a really interesting character in that she had a lot of insecurity that she had to work past. Sorina was constantly second guessing herself, letting others who she viewed as smarter than her take the lead in situations where she was fully competent. I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the book, finding her way and the confidence to ask the hard questions and find the hard answers.

And then there was the romance. I don't want to give too much away, but it was definitely unexpected in some ways. Regardless to the circumstances, it was super swoony and there was humor and support and basically it was an ideal, healthy relationship in the end, which is really nice to see in YA since I feel like a lot of romance focuses on the struggle rather than the support.

Overall, Daughter of the Burning City was a brilliantly crafted story filled with mystery, magic, and so much more. While I personally had a bit of a rocky start getting into it, this book quickly grabbed my attention and drove me crazy when there were pieces of the puzzle that I wasn't seeing. Filled with solid character building, flawless world building, a quick pace, and enticing mystery, this book will not disappoint.

If you had a circus act, what would it be?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: The Darkest Corners - Kara Thomas

The Darkest Corners
Kara Thomas
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Delacorte Press and First in Line for the ARC I received at YALLFest!
Full disclosure: I'm reviewing this book four months after reading it because I'm the worst.

The Darkest Corners follows Tessa as she returns to Fayette, Pennsylvania, the place she used to live before Bad Things happened. Tessa and her former friend Callie witnessed a murder, and neither of them were the same after. Callie's family was torn apart, her cousin being the murder victim, and Tessa's mother and sister ended up abandoning her, which meant her being sent to live with her grandmother in Florida. But when Tessa returns to Fayette and reunites with Callie, they start to think about the murder again, wondering if things didn't happen quite how they had thought before.

There are so many layers to the mystery of The Darkest Corners. At first it seems like there's only one real mystery, but then there are multiple mysteries, all entangled together. There were so many things happening throughout the book, and it was all so fascinating. Peeling back each layer and learning more about what was truly happening kept me flipping the pages straight through to the end.

While the book was super thrilling and shocking, there were some moments that I was just like, "Really?" Some of the plot points were a little farfetched, but it sort of adds to the style of the book. Kind of like a soap opera or tele-novella - it was like the worst possible thing would always happen next. And I couldn't look away.

I wouldn't say I fell in love with any of the characters, but being a mystery/thriller, I feel like that's kind of a good thing. The back cover of my ARC says, "By the last page, there will be no one left to trust," and I think that's a really accurate portrayal of how I felt about the characters. With all the twists in this book, I wasn't sure if I could trust any of the characters.

While thriller isn't a genre I usually grab for, I'm really happy I had the opportunity to read The Darkest Corners. It was absolutely thrilling, and the ending was so crazy and then I totally freaked out at the end of the epilogue. So creepy. This definitely isn't a predictable mystery, and I highly recommend this!

What's one of your favorite thrillers/mysteries?
Let us know in the comments!

Review: dotwav - Mike A. Lancaster

dotwav
Mike A. Lancaster
Series: (It seems like it will be a series to me, but it is not listed as a series on Goodreads)
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Science Fiction
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Sky Pony Press for the ARC!

I'm not going to lie, this was a strange book - strange being the main word that comes to mind when I think of it. While it was strange, I still ended up enjoying this book.


The main premise of dotwav is that somehow, music is being used for mind control. Now I don't know about you, but this is what came to mind for me:

That's right - the Josie and the Pussycats movie aka one of the best movies ever. Combine the musical mind control with a teenage spy, and then I couldn't stop thinking of Totally Spies aka one of the best shows of all time (although slightly mind numbing).

Ok, I'm going to (mostly) stop with the irrelevant references now since the book is really nothing like Josie and the Pussycats and Totally Spies.

Anyway, dotwav follows teen spy Joe and hacker Ani as they team up to crack the mystery of teen disappearances that seem to be linked to a new type of music. As their investigation continues, things get become stranger than they could have expected.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that there were a lot of really interesting ideas in it - I don't want to give too much away, but the author took a concept and spun it in a way that I had never thought about before. While it was kind of out there, it made me think a lot about human expectation and the way we see the world. There was also a lot of ~science-y talk~ which was pretty cool.

As for the characters, I really enjoyed how spunky Ani was. Starting from the very beginning of the book, Ani was a force to be reckoned with, showing her fierce intelligence and ability to think on her feet. Ani is one of those characters that is just really cool because she can just do SO MANY THINGS.

The cool thing about Joe was that he had this sort of microchip embedded into his brain that helped him do ~spy things~. I could try to explain it, but I don't really know where to start with it beside just saying that it helped with memory and his ability to learn skills. I don't know if something like that is actually possible but it was really cool. While Joe is technically an equal partner in the duo, I thought he made a good sidekick for Ani (who is really cool).

Overall, I'd say the main reason this book falls a bit short is that there might be one too many things going on in the book. The author had so many great ideas, but throwing them all into one book can be a bit overwhelming. I kind of felt like this at times:

I also wasn't thrilled by the abrupt ending, but I am interested to see where the plot goes from here if there is another book coming out. I'd definitely recommend this book to science and spy story fans!

Did you watch Totally Spies? Which spy was your favorite?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Gemina - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Gemina
Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 
Series: The Illuminae Files, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Action
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC I received at BEA!

Guys. GUYS. THIS BOOK. Gemina. GEMINA. IT WAS SO GOOD.

As I'm writing this review, it is the end of May and I have just finished reading Gemina because after receiving an ARC at BEA this year, I could not resist reading it as soon as possible. While I am so happy I didn't have to wait a long time to read this epic follow up to Illuminae, I also hate myself because now I'll have to wait extra long to read the next book, which is going to be torture considering how much I LOVED Gemina.

For those of you who haven't read Illuminae, you need to get on that ASAP, and you can read my review for more details on why that book is awesome. Continue on to find out why the sequel is equally awesome.

Like Illuminae, Gemina is told through a dossier, this one following Hanna Donnelly and Niklas Malikov as their home comes under attack. As if hostile invaders weren't bad enough, there are also alien predators and a broken wormhole to deal with. Basically, things are pretty messed up.

"The universe itself depends on you.

... No pressure."

I absolutely LOVED Hanna and Nik! I think I liked Kady a little bit better, but Hanna is still a really strong heroine - she kind of reminded me a little bit of Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson books. On the other hand, I liked Nik a little bit more than Ezra, which I think is, in part, because he is more present throughout Gemina than Ezra was throughout Illuminae. Nik's humor is so great, and I loved all his interactions with Hanna and his cousin Ella.

While in Illuminae Kady and Ezra knew each other and had a relationship before the book started, Hanna and Nik aren't really friends at the beginning of Gemina. It was really cool to see how the two are brought together throughout the book, despite the unfortunate circumstance. There were so many ups and downs for them - it was a wild ride.

I also really loved Nik's cousin Ella. While she isn't present for most of the action, she's an absolute riot whenever she interacts with anyone. She's the really cool background hacker who keeps everyone alive. It's great. AND KADY'S DAD! I actually screamed when he was introduced because I was so excited. It was fun hearing him talk about Kady after having read about her through Illuminae.

Gemina did not disappoint when it comes to the same thrilling action, romance, and humor readers of Illuminae will expect. All the twists and ~science things~ were so much fun to follow, and it was such a great second book that left me starving for book three. Readers of Illuminae will not be disappointed by Gemina, and if you haven't read Illuminae yet, you should get on that. This is definitely one of my favorite series, and I highly recommend it. Can't wait for book three!

Frobisher better watch her back.

- Kiersten

If your home was being invaded and you could only save one thing, what would it be?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Nevernight - Jay Kristoff

Nevernight
Jay Kristoff
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle, #1
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Thomas Dunne Books for the eARC I received via NetGalley!

After reading and absolutely loving Illuminae and Gemina, I was really excited to get approved for Nevernight. Jay Kristoff, once again, did not disappoint with this one!

Nevernight follows Mia Corvere, an orphan who wants nothing more than to avenge her family's murder. The book begins as Mia sets off for the Red Church, a school of assassins, in hopes to become a Blade of the Lady of Blessed Murder. While the acolytes navigate the brutal lessons in swordplay, poisons, seduction, and theft, someone in the Church is murdering the acolytes.

I really loved the world that Jay Kristoff built in Nevernight. The title comes from the fact that this world has three suns and almost no night time as we know it - all three suns only set about every three years. It was so interesting to read about a world like this, seeing how it changed the dynamic of the world and even the terminology. The suns are also deeply rooted in the religion of this world, and I really enjoyed how detailed all the myths were in the book. Hearing the myths in Nevernight was reminiscent of how I feel reading Greek mythology tidbits in Percy Jackson books - it felt like such a real thing that a society could be built around, especially with the main god feeling so threatened by having sons.

In terms of the style of Nevernight, it definitely gave me some Game of Thrones vibes (I've only watched the show, so I can't speak to the actual writing of the ASOIAF series). When I started reading Nevernight, I couldn't help but have Arya Stark feels towards Mia - a young girl navigating a city on her own, learning to be brutal every step of the way. Of course the story itself is completely different, but I think that it would appeal to a similar audience.

I've seen some people saying they felt like the writing of Nevernight was dense, but I really enjoyed the writing style. It had such a fantasy feeling, and I particularly loved the voice of the footnotes. The voice of the footnotes reminded me of the introduction to the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney - you're in a room filled with pleasant portraits, and as the room descends, the portraits extend into macabre portraits of death with this creepy foreboding voice signaling your doom. The other thing I really enjoyed about the footnotes was the way it made the book feel like the chronicling of a legend rather than a novel; as if Mia's adventures were so noteworthy to be worth eternalizing in print - and this was only the beginning.

As for Mia, I absolutely LOVED her! Mia is fierce, snarky, cunning, and calculating, but she is also compassionate, kind, and fiercely loyal. While this book is about Mia training to be a deadly assassin, Mia is still a damaged and unsure young woman. Mia struggles with her feelings towards other people, trying to remain brutal and ruthless even though maybe she isn't those things. With a sidekick called Mister Kindly, there's just something so charming about Mia. Finally there is a rival with Celaena Sardothien for my favorite assassin.

There has been some debate about whether or not this book is YA, so I figured I'd put my two cents in on the subject. The main character of the book is technically a young adult - Mia is 16-years-old. There is a lot of mature content in this book, which is why many people feel like it is more of an adult novel; however, I feel like there's a certain coming of age story built into this that could be meaningful for a young adult audience. I would say, in general, that if you feel comfortable watching Game of Thrones (or you feel comfortable letting your child watch Game of Thrones for parents), then this book will be ok for you in terms of content.

Honestly, I can't even believe Nevernight - it was SO GOOD! I'm so excited to see where this series goes and to read even more from Mr. Kristoff. I highly recommend this new series to all fantasy fans - especially fans of Throne of Glass, Game of Thrones, and A Girl of Fire and Thorns!

I seriously need to check out The Lotus War series now. I NEED MORE JAY KRISTOFF BOOKS IN MY LIFE.

Also, some shameless self promotion of my Nevernight bookstagram picture:

A photo posted by We Live and Breathe Books (@wlabb) on Jul 27, 2016 at 3:58pm PDT

- Kiersten

Who is your favorite fierce heroine?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Whatever. - S.J. Goslee

Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@ked
S.J. Goslee
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Roaring Brook Press for the ARC won through a Goodreads giveaway!

I must admit that Whatever is the first book focused on coming out that I've read - it's not because I'm opposed to reading this kind of book, I just seem to gravitate more towards dystopian and fantasy, which usually doesn't focus on this topic. Though I can't compare it to other books on the topic, I thought Whatever was awesome!

Mike Tate is such a teenage boy. I'm serious. I swear I was friends with Mike Tate in high school. He doesn't (externally, at least) care about much - he just wants to be cool, hang out with his friends, live his life, and all that. Unfortunately, one of his best friends has other plans for him: student council! On top of this, apparently he drunkenly made out with a boy at a party. Basically, things are getting Confusing for Mike.

I absolutely loved Mike and the other characters in Whatever. Mike kind of reminded me of Scott Pilgrim in the way he was super casual and low key, but also internally freaking out. He kind of just went with the flow, figuring things out when he needed to. And his inner monologue was so fun to read.

All the guys in Mike's friend group had distinctly different personalities, but they were still teenage boys through and through. Cam was my favorite of these friends - he wore Hawaiian shirts, wanted to bring back the fanny pack, and frequently injured himself while attempting death-defying stunts. Basically, he was hilarious.

Lisa was such a great female character to compliment Mike - she was definitely a spitfire, and wouldn't take no for an answer. It was also nice to see college as something Lisa was thinking about as a junior. The reason Mike gets involved in student council is because Lisa wants to be president for her college applications. I recently read a thread on Twitter about how college is a Big Deal for high school students (which it is), so seeing it in this book made me like !!!!this!!!!

As for the plot of the book itself, I really enjoyed how it had a sort of meandering quality. It wasn't fast paced, at a full spring towards a specific journey - it helped support how Mike didn't really have a destination in mind, because life doesn't really work like that. In terms of the coming out aspect, I liked how S.J. Goslee mixed the reactions of the people in Mike's life. Sometimes people have trouble adjusting to changes, but the main point that Mike made was that him being gay or bisexual (not entirely sure what he landed on in the end) didn't change his friendships, it just changed him.

All in all, Whatever is definitely a must read! It reads so natural, and it's honestly so funny. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mike's journey, especially since he's so different from any character I've ever read before. I can't wait to read more from S.J. Goslee in the future!

Also, I posted a pretty ~rad~ (in my obviously objective opinion) photo of this book on Instagram (@wlabb), so you should check it out :)

- Kiersten

What are some of your favorite LGBT+ reads?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies - Laura Stampler

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies
Laura Stampler
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Thanks to Simon Pulse for the eARC I received via NetGalley!

When Harper gets the chance of a lifetime to intern at Shift magazine in New York City for the summer, she couldn't be more excited; however, there's a catch: she's going to be the dating expert. This wouldn't be a problem if Harper actually knew something about dating, but she doesn't - that was always more of her best friend Christina's expertise. But now, Harper is off to the city to fake her way through this internship.

Harper is a shy girl who has never really stood out, but now, thrown completely out of her comfort zone, Harper has to try to find the confidence to show how extraordinary she really is. Fortunately for Harper, being in a new city surrounded by new people allows her to reinvent herself with the help of "Aunt" Vee, her mother's college roommate with whom she's staying for the summer. Aunt Vee helps Harper learn what's what when it comes to fashion so she can survive at Shift. Aunt Vee also has an overweight pug named Princess, who is the main reason Harper connects with her first friend in New York.

Ben is the boy who walks Princess in an attempt to get her into shape for the pug prom at the end of the summer. Harper and Ben almost immediately hit it off and his friendship is invaluable in helping her figure out what she's doing while Christina's busy working back home.

At Shift, Harper doesn't get along well with the other interns at first, but she gradually becomes very close with them, helping her with her dating conquests. Harper is finally starting to find her place after always feeling like a misfit.

I really enjoyed all the characters of Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies - there were so many different personalities in play, but something about all of them made sense for the city and their internships at Shift. Even their boss was amusing, always coming through with a Miranda-Priestly-esque critique.

The entirety of Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies was a fun ride. There was never a dull moment, sticking with the fast pace of New York City. It reminded me a lot of the TV shows Jane by Design and The Carrie Diaries, which I absolutely loved. It was such an adorable coming of age story!

If you're looking for a fun, quick read this summer, Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies is a great choice. I loved reading Harper's blog posts and going along with her on her crazy adventures. This book is full of great humor and sweet moments. I highly recommend this incredible debut, and I can't wait to read more from Laura Stampler!

- Kiersten

What are some books set in New York City that you love?

Let us know in the comments!

Triple Review: Illuminae - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Illuminae
Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff 
Series: The Illuminae Files, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Action
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC I received at BEA!

Last year at BEA, I got one of those gorgeous Illuminae ARCs they were giving out but never got around to reading it. Going into Illuminae, I knew very little about it. I knew that it was written as a dossier, that it was supposedly really good, and that it was MASSIVE. After reading Illuminae, I am so happy that I did because it was absolutely incredible!

Illuminae follows Kady Grant and Ezra Mason the lives they know are torn apart. Their home has been attacked, there's something strange going on, and a heavily armed ship is coming to kill them. To say the stakes are high would be an understatement. 

The dossier style of Illuminae made the book go by a lot faster than I anticipated based on looking at it. With the plot broken up into these smaller documents, it made the "just one more chapter" complex even greater with "just one more file," and I just could not stop reading - I ended up finishing this book in a little over 24 hours. When going into this book, I think it's definitely necessary to give it a good, solid chunk of straight reading to get into the way the story is told and the plot, but once I was hooked, I couldn't stop.

Speaking of the style of Illuminae, I've heard that the audiobook narration is really great and I'm sure the ebook is fine as well; however, I think the visual element of this book is absolutely wonderful. From the layout to the different artwork, I don't think my reading experience would have been the same without the full experience of reading the physical book (which is not something I would usually say since I generally prefer to read ebooks).

Getting back to the book itself, I absolutely loved the characters. Kady is so cool, and Ezra is so sweet. I also really enjoyed a lot of the supporting characters, including Byron and Syra. I also really enjoyed AIDAN, who becomes a huge part of this book as it goes on (and it's kind of insane and will blow your mind like BOOM).

All in all, I have no complaints about Illuminae. I absolutely LOVED it, and I'm so happy that I was able to get an ARC of Gemina at BEA this year, although the wait for book three is going to be agonizingly long. Illuminae is an incredible science fiction story filled with humor, romance, humor, action, and did I mention it's funny? Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff absolutely nailed it with balancing all the elements in this story, and it's definitely a must read!

- Kiersten

Noor's Review of Illuminae

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Never have I seen such poetry in a dossier (except maybe in the word dossier, which happens to be my favorite word, but that's not what I meant).

When I picked up Illuminae at BEA 2015 I was really intimidated. It's a huge book and I'm not necessarily opposed to huge books but it was a huge ~sci-fi dossier book~ and I was really not sure what to expect, especially since I often find many science fiction books a bit much (wondering if taking a Science Fiction class next semester will make me hate the genre completely or appreciate it more...we shall see).

Anyway, like Kiersten mentioned in her review, the dossier format made the book a much faster read than I assumed it would be, and also had a nice rhythm of longer, more textual documents vs short ones you could flip through quickly. It made the pacing very unique because there would be parts where it was mostly instant messages and emails back and forth from characters and you were just getting info, figuring out what was going on, nothing too heart-racing, but then something big would happen and there would be short bursts of pages with like small sentence fragments on them and it really contributed to the sense of either urgency or safety.

Also, keeping with the discussion of the length, many longer books tend to slowly pace themselves because there's a lot of space for things to happen, and sometimes this can be a little boring, but I didn't think Illuminae was slowly paced at all. I agree with Kiersten in that I think you have to power through a chunk of it all at once in order to really get into the world and find yourself enraptured by the story. I actually tried to read this months ago but I was busy with life things so I would read one file and then hours later read another and then a day later read three more and I didn't get into it so I decided to just read it later. This time though, I read it in huge chunks (I'm pretty sure I read half in one sitting and half in another) and I felt like the book flew by. Every scene either someone was attacking or someone was learning secret ship information or someone was dying. It was a heart-racing book, truly.

I really loved all of the characterization and how even though the book wasn't traditionally written, you still learn so much about the people on the ships. Kady had the most focus and I thought her attitude was brilliant. She was the right amount of ~I'm gonna do what I want and not comply with your rules because screw that~ without becoming a shallow has-no-flaws Badass Girl Who Saves the World Despite Having No Talents. Kady is a total genius, but we know she can learn more because Byron (another computer hacker on board, like Kady) treats her like his protege. She's tough and sarcastic but also frazzled and vulnerable. She's a great character who I can't wait to explore in Gemina.

And on the flip side of Kady's antisocial computer-genius pink-haired glory is her ex, Ezra. Ezra was the sweetest, drawing hearts and roses through text for Kady via email, and teasing (and getting teased by) his fellow pilots, and just being so good-hearted and funny. The most interesting character, though, had to be AIDAN, the artificial intelligence running things on one of the ships. I know it's weird to treat an AI like a character, but we delved so much into AIDAN, and those parts were my favorite to read. I wanna go back and reread it just to experience the AIDAN parts again.

So the characters are great, the story is exciting, and one last thing: the writing was so wonderful. While I thought the book would probably be enjoyable because so many people were raving about it, I didn't expect eloquence from a dossier. I figured the book was good because of the content, not as much the way the content was relayed. However, there are documents where characters write things like incident reports and surveillance summaries and even journal entries, and some of the internal monologue is so gorgeously written it makes me wanna cry. Also, everything involving AIDAN was so spectacularly written I had to slow down and savor it. One of my favorite quotes in the book is actually from an IM conversation, so it's not even like only the more narrative-style documents are well-written: "You have me. Until every last star in the galaxy dies. You have me."

Anyway, as you can see, I thought the book was absolutely phenomenal and I'm still in my mourning period (I believe it's been two weeks) so hopefully I stop mourning sometime before Gemina comes out so I can experience the sequel in its glory.

- Noor

Amrutha's Review of Illuminae

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Wow guys, I've had this book sitting in my house since BEA LAST YEAR but I only read it this week. I don't even need to tell you guys how much I regret that choice because Illuminae is one of the books of the year. Decade. Whatever. The fact that this is a series with action and romance and everything means it has a really good shot at being famous world wide and I'm honestly really excited for when that happens, because Illuminae is the real deal. When they were giving it out last year they had hyped this book SO MUCH and literally we had gotten so many copies of this book that I thought it would be alright at best because why would they hype it up so much? Wrong. Like Noor said too, I was a little put off by the size of the book (I'm not like, afraid of reading large books) but the format and the Sci-Fi (which isn't really my style) seemed a little scary. If you're dumb like me, just put everything aside and go get this book. Okay now I'll stop rambling and actually talk about the story:

Noor & Kiersten both touched upon this so I won't spend too much time on it, but the dossier format was honestly really really cool and made the book go by a lot faster. I agree with Kiersten and Noor that you've got to commit to the book for a little bit so you can see how the book is constructed and really commit to it. But if I really enjoy a book I won't put it down and will read it in one shot, so that's what I did for this -- took me a good few hours even with the format being spaced with messages and designs and smaller documents.

Ya'll know I'm really character driven, and so is this book -- you wouldn't think it would be, seeing as it's in a file format, but honestly, it is. The construction of Kady and Byron and Ezra. I've griped so many times about how the female leads of books like this have to end up being basically perfect or a total bitch in order to accomplish whatever it is they need (there aren't many but that seems to be a flaw in a lot of them): NOT KADY THOUGH. Kady, like Noor said, doesn't seem to have any ~special~ talents or anything. She's written as an honest to goodness badass who is both really cool and really smart (REALLY REALLY SMART) but also like lowkey vulnerable. Byron and Ezra were really cool to read too what with Byron's knowledge and Ezra's romantic interest. AIDAN is an AI "character"? Don't know if it's appropriate to acknowledge AIDAN as one but totally agree with Noor that his parts were some of the best to read. Nothing beats a ballsy female protagonist for me though. I saw a different review talking about how so many of the people in charge in this novel are women, and how it took her a moment to notice that they were women because their voices weren't written differently. I just want to acknowledge how cool that is, and how I didn't notice how I also assumed the women in charge were men until I kept reading.

This is a story about corporations and love and computers and a virus and humor and is set in 2575 so there is ~all the technology~. This book didn't really seem like it was for me, but you might not necessarily think it's for you either. FORGET THAT and read this. I have an ARC of Gemina waiting for me and if I had known how much I loved Illuminae I'd have been all over it already. Look forward to a review of that soon.

- Amrutha

Have you ever read a book written as a file?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: The King Slayer - Virginia Boecker

The King Slayer
Virginia Boecker 
Series: The Witch Hunter, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the eARC I received via NetGalley!

Last year when I read The Witch Hunter I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the fact that I loved the book was the only thing I remembered about it when I approached its sequel. While some things came back to me as I was reading The King Slayer, I spent a lot of the time I was reading trying to grasp at vague memories from the previous book. I wish I could have remembered more or had reread The Witch Hunter before going into The King Slayer because I think it would have helped me to enjoy it more.

Since I remembered very little going into The King Slayer, I spent a lot of time trying to grasp onto the characters that I had loved, according to my review of The Witch Hunter. I enjoyed how much Elizabeth evolved throughout the book. After having her entire world view changed in The Witch Hunter, I didn't expect to see her change as much as she did, but given some of the events near the end of the previous book as well as some revelations in The King Slayer, Elizabeth and John had much to work through. I didn't find either of the characters super compelling, but I enjoyed their growth.

In The King Slayer, we also get our first real glimpse at Malcolm, the king. To be honest, I wasn't really satisfied with the way he was portrayed, particularly in regards to some things brought up in the previous book. Additionally, I wish George had been more present in this book. The one character I mentioned really enjoying and wanting more of in my The Witch Hunter review was George, and he was almost entirely absent from the book.

One thing I can say for certain is that The King Slayer did not disappoint when it comes to steady action and excitement. There were so many twists and turns throughout this book before it reached the end. However, despite all this excitement, I found that I wasn't particularly invested. The characters were not as interesting to me in this installment as they were in the previous, so I had trouble caring what happened to them, especially because, knowing this was the finale, I was pretty confident everything was going to work out.

Overall, The King Slayer is not a bad finale to the duology - it is action packed, and the magical element of the book becomes even more interesting as the plot progresses. I think the main thing that took away from the book for me was that the beginning of the book could have done more to support my memory of The Witch Hunter. The Witch Hunter series is definitely worth a read, but I highly recommend reading the books close together or rereading the first book before moving on to The King Slayer.

- Kiersten

Do you reread books before reading the sequel?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: The Loose Ends List - Carrie Firestone

The Loose Ends List
Carrie Firestone 
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC received at BEA!

Ya'll, I'm back. And as luck would have it, the first book I'm actually reviewing in a really long time ended up being a not so great one (sigh). I /promise/ I'll review something I really enjoyed soon but for now stick with me as we delve into The Loose Ends List, which Kiersten picked up as an ARC from this years BEA (which I sadly could not attend because finals and 1500 miles away). 

Alright, so I'm not going to lie to you and say that I was super excited to read this book at the start -- I wasn't, but I'm all about giving things chances because you never know what you might love, right? Wrong. So the premise of the book is that our main protagonist Maddie is a girl who lives a pretty cushy life and then one day before she makes her way to college, her Gram who is apparently on the brink of death, decides that her whole family should go on some cruise so that they might have the summer of their dreams and cope with the grief to come or something. This wasn't the issue I had with the book, it seemed kind of confusing but a lot of books have weird family backgrounds to make the plot work, so I genuinely thought that might be interesting. What concerned me was this:

Soon, Maddie is on the trip of a lifetime with her over-the-top family. As they travel the globe, Maddie bonds with other passengers and falls for Enzo, who is processing his own grief. But despite the laughter, headiness of first love, and excitement of glamorous destinations, Maddie knows she is on the brink of losing Gram. She struggles to find the strength to say good-bye in a whirlwind summer shaped by love, loss, and the power of forgiveness.

What is posted above is from the blurb. Read this and tell me right now that Maddie falling in her "first love" with Enzo on some death cruise doesn't scream insta-love to you. BUT NONETHELESS, I read the book.

Alright so you guys might have been confused about the death cruise -- don't worry, Gram didn't set them up for a depressing Carnival cruise while everyone else around them partied away happily. This is some sort of ominous cruise in which everyone can "die with dignity." I honestly still think its a pretty weird concept but unique enough, and it was honestly the most interesting thing about the book, so thats where this book's points come from.

Anyway, whilst dying with dignity, our characters travel the globe -- the descriptions of the actual countries were cool but the descriptions of the people who lived in the countries weren't. More on that later. But the actual discussion of death in all of this was done pretty well in my opinion; the book would've benefitted greatly if only death was more relevant and Enzo as a character was just completely cut out.

Okay now that I've sufficiently explained the only real perks about the book, let me tackle what I wasn't a fan of. I've read quite a few reviews of this book that discuss how funny it is and honestly, while I'm all for a well placed penis joke, this was just ridiculous. I am a person who laughs out loud at books when they are funny, and I promise you I didn't laugh even once during this book. Alright, moving past the humor, the characters: Maddie was honestly so annoying. Her instalove with Enzo was predictable and so quick that it didn't make any sense to be her "first love." Everything outside of the death conversation was just so /predictable/. Instalove. Maddie was a rich white girl from a rich white family who did rich things. Her friends and family are described through flat static descriptions -- slut. alcoholic. the nice one. overly honest grandma. the virgin. The humor was so centered around these stereotypical/archaic ideas of what people should be -- I'm not joking when I say 99% of the humor was about penises and poop (Maddie has IBS for literally no real reason other than to make some crude jokes). 

The plot was vaguely interesting but the characters were honestly written so statically that I had no interest in even trying to like them slowly over the course of the book. Overall, not a fan. However, this book has really great reviews and I only saw a few that saw the book from my point of view, so there's a pretty good chance you might like it! Let me know how you feel so I have someone to talk about this with :)

- Amrutha

How would you tie up your loose ends?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Museum of Heartbreak - Meg Leder

Museum of Heartbreak
Meg Leder 
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC I received via NetGalley!

Museum of Heartbreak follows Penelope Marx as her world is being sort of turned upside down. She's been living a happy life, devoid of a lot of change. But then things start to change - Pen doesn't get along with her best friend Audrey's new bestie, the new boy in town seems to be interested in her, and things with her other best friend Eph are getting Weird. Pen struggles to accept that things are changing, experiencing many different heartbreaks in the process.

Penelope is sort of clueless when it comes to navigating change - it's kind of like "Stick to the Status Quo" is the theme song to her life - she's fully content with having her two best friends and continuing to love the things she's always loved, and she doesn't understand when her friendship dynamic starts changing. Pen is certainly stubborn and stuck in her ways, but at the heart of it, she's scared - she's not sure what's going to happen with her relationships and it's terrifying. The way Meg Leder portrays all of Pen's emotions - happiness and giddiness turned sadness, rage, bitterness, and more - perfectly captures her complete heartbreak.

Besides Pen, the supporting characters of Museum of Heartbreak are also extremely well built. I think it's fair to say that everyone knows a Cherisse and a Keats, but even more, the way Pen's friendships with Eph and Audrey evolve and change is something I think everyone can relate to in some way. I absolutely loved Eph!!! He was Best Friend Goals. And then, of course, there were Grace and Miles, who were so sweet and well developed even though they weren't a huge part of the plot. A+ character development from Meg Leder all around.

The introduction into this book is so cute, especially once you get to the end and it comes full circle. Each chapter of the book corresponds to one item that Pen has put in her "Museum of Heartbreak," and at the end we find out why she decides to "curate" this museum. Such a fun concept, and the way all the chapters were labeled with photos was so cute!

All in all, Museum of Heartbreak is simultaneously an extremely heartbreaking and heartwarming story; it definitely gave me all the feels. This is by far one of my favorite contemporary, coming-of-age stories I've read in a long time, and I highly recommend it! I loved this debut, and I look forward to reading more from Meg Leder!

- Kiersten

What's your favorite kind of dinosaur?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Into the Dim - Janet B. Taylor

Into the Dim
Janet B. Taylor 
Series: Into the Dim, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC I received via NetGalley!

Hope has been homeschooled her entire life - she has a photographic memory, and her mother has schooled her a very specific way so that the knowledge wouldn't overwhelm her. When Hope's mom dies in an earthquake, her aunt reaches out to her and Hope ends up going to visit her mother's family in Scotland. When she gets there, she finds out her mother isn't actually dead - she's trapped in England in the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine - and Hope needs to travel back in time to save her.

The way the time travel aspect was explained and portrayed was absolutely wonderful. I really enjoyed the detail Janet B. Taylor included with the science aspect behind the time traveling, as well as how much work went in to preparing to travel to a different time. From the proper way to walk, to the proper dialect, to the correct clothing - everything was so precise and well thought out.

I really enjoyed the time period of Eleanor of Aquitaine. I had no knowledge of this period prior to reading this book so I can't really say if any of the historical basis was accurate (I'm hoping that it is) but the political elements of the time were really interesting to learn about.

Hope wasn't a particularly outstanding heroine, but I enjoyed seeing her interact with her newfound family. These people took her in and made her a part of their group without even really knowing her. Given Hope's sheltered past, she was never able to make friends or interact with anyone her age. Seeing her friendship with Rachel, Collum, and Phoebe.

The thing about Into the Dim that was most unexpected to me is that most of the book happens in present day. While this makes sense given that Janet B. Taylor needed to set up the background of the plot, have Hope travel to Scotland, and show the training involved before time traveling, I really wish there had been more of the historical aspect of the book. Everything in the first half of the book felt really elaborate and thoroughly explained, but some of the action in the second half while they were time traveling felt rushed. I wish the things that happened had just been stretched out a bit more - fleshed out with more detail.

Overall, Into the Dim wasn't an outstanding book, but I really enjoyed it while I was reading it. From the time traveling element to the promise of a bigger conspiracy in future books, Into the Dim was worth the read!

- Kiersten

If you could travel back in time, when would you travel to?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Tell Me Three Things - Julie Buxbaum

Tell Me Three Things
Julie Buxbaum 
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Delacorte Press and First in Line for the ARC I received at Yallfest!

I have no idea how to talk about this book, but I'm going to do my best because I need to talk about this book and how amazing it is.

After reading the blurb for Tell Me Three Things I was immediately intrigued. At the beginning of the book, Jessie has just moved to Los Angeles and is dealing with a lot. It's been about two years since her mother died, and her father has just remarried and relocated them from their old life in Chicago. If that wasn't bad enough, she's starting her junior year at a fancy prep school where she is struggling to fit in. Luckily for her, an anonymous friend wants to help her get acclimated at her new school. While Somebody Nobody could be an elaborate catfish, Jessie ends up finding a true friend through their conversations.

There's something so relatable about Jessie. Even if you've never lost a parent or moved to a new school or had an anonymous online friend, it's easy to connect with her feeling of not belonging. At its roots, Tell Me Three Things is Jessie's coming of age story. The way Julie Buxbaum portrayed such a wide range of emotions through Jessie was absolutely beautiful, and I think there's something everyone can connect with.

One of the most gripping parts of Tell Me Three Things is the mystery of who Somebody Nobody is. While I had my guess somewhere in the middle, Julie Buxbaum did an amazing job at keeping me guessing the entire way through. I actually shouted "NO WAY" at one point because she had me convinced I was wrong.

As for the romance aspect of the book, it was absolutely adorable!!!! (I had an English teacher once say that you should rarely use exclamation points in formal writing, and when you do you should only use one, but honestly it was so adorable the extra exclamation points were entirely necessary and I stand by them.) There was so much "aw"-ing and swooning while reading this. I loved how the connection built and the friendship bloomed into the romance.

Honestly, I have no complaints about Tell Me Three Things. I knew after the first paragraph of this book that I was going to love it, and it exceeded my expectations. With a wonderful balance of mystery, romance, humor, and heartfelt moments, Tell Me Three Things is absolutely a must read and is now one of my all time favorites!

- Kiersten

Bonus: I'll tell you three things about myself!
(1) I just got a sweatshirt that says "I don't care" and has a unicorn on it
(2) My BookCon passes were mailed out yesterday (yay!)
(3) I just enrolled for my classes for the first semester of my senior year this morning (unreal)

Tell me three things about yourself in the comments!

Review: Not That Easy - Radhika Sanghani

Not That Easy
Radhika Sanghani 
Series: Virgin, #2
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Penguin Group Berkley for the eARC I received via Netgalley!

It has taken me a long time to write this review, mostly because I was dreading it. I had high hopes for Not That Easy after thoroughly enjoying Virgin. However, while Virgin had a lot of humor, feeling like an episode of MTV's Awkward., Not That Easy was kind of sad and cringe-worthy.

In Virgin, Ellie is a 21-year-old university student trying to lose her virginity. Now in Not That Easy, Ellie is determined to go through her "slutty phase." While there is absolutely no problem with her taking control of her sexuality, it kind of felt more like desperation and seeking validation through something she couldn't even really control. She actually writes a column for an online magazine about her embarrassing sexual experiences, which wouldn't be terrible except for that it was for an unpaid internship. Seriously. Girl sold herself to her job for free. Throughout Not That Easy, Ellie ends up losing her sense of self, eventually making huge mistakes that she really regrets. Despite these mistakes, I think the worst part about it is that at the end, it doesn't feel as though Ellie has changed or learned all that much.

Another thing that bothered me was that at some points it felt like the book turned into a Cosmo article. Obviously this book was about a 22-year-old exploring her sexuality, but it was very graphic and kind of uncomfortable at times. Additionally, Ellie was really shallow and it made it a lot harder to sympathize with her.

Overall, I really wanted to enjoy Not That Easy - I was hoping for all the humor from Virgin - but in the end, it missed the mark for me. Perhaps it's just for people of a different sort of humor than myself.

(On a side note, I just noticed that this book is titled Bitch in France, and I think that's really appropriate.)

- Kiersten

What sequel were you excited for but ended up disappointed by?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Persuasion - Martina Boone

Persuasion
Martina Boone 
Series: The Heirs of Watson Island, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal, Southern Gothic
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

Thanks to Simon Pulse for the eARC I received via Edelweiss!

After reading Compulsion a while back (review here), I was anxiously awaiting the next book in the series, Persuasion. Admittedly, it took me longer than I wanted to get around to reading this book, and even longer for me to write this review, but all in all, I'd say Persuasion was a solid second book in this series and definitely worth the wait!

After the events of Compulsion and a trip to San Francisco, Persuasion picks up on Barrie trying to navigate event more of the strange magic of Watson Island. While Compulsion spent a lot of time on the mystery of her ancestors and the Watson gift, Persuasion continued to expand on the history of the magic, diving more into the Beaufort gift as well as the Colesworth curse. The addition of Obadiah and his unique magic was also really great. The magical element in the plot of Compulsion is one of the things I loved the most about it, and it was great to get even more of that in Persuasion.

While the character building was really great in Compulsion, Martina Boone went even farther in Persuasion, incorporating more relationship building between all of the different characters. Barrie's relationships with Eight, Pru, Cassie, and Seven were really put up for examination in this book, showing Barrie's continued growth into this new life. Additionally, there was even more about the Beaufort and Colesworth family dynamics, which added more to the way Eight and Cassie are understood.

Overall, I'd say Persuasion is a little bit slower than Compulsion in terms of action, but it did a great deal to delve deeper into the magical history of Watson Island and set up what will happen next. Persuasion was definitely a satisfying second book in The Heirs of Watson Island series, and I can't wait to see what Martina Boone has in store for Illusion!

- Kiersten

Would you rather be able to find lost things or sense other people's desires?

Let us know in the comments!