so adorable I can’t even come up with a actual title

Written in the Stars – Alexandra Bellefleur

Romance, contemporary, fiction. 

Rating 11/10

Darcy never wants to be involved with love after her disastrous relationship that left her jaded. However, her brother sets her up with one blind date too far and she tells him that she can’t attend this speed dating because she is already into the blind date, his business partner, Elle. Her brother is happy that she found a potential partner. Elle is not amused with the lie that Darcy told and both agreed mutually that they will fake it until an expiration date. However, the stars have different plans for the two. 

I saw this trending and of course I had to read to see what the hype is all about. All I can say is that I think the hype was not enough. I love this fake it trope that leads to actual love and romance. This was really sweet and I found it so adorable. Love sometimes happens and one has to be fully prepared. My heart melted so many times while reading this and I can’t get enough of this romance. I wish this was longer but a standalone is just perfect and the length here was good. There are an awful lot of constellations and astrological references which all makes sense and I was like wow the author is into this stuff or did a lot of research. I felt myself rooting for Darcy to like being into the stuff but she gives in at some point. This book would be great for astrological enthusiasts. I loved this book and definitely would reread this book and or gift to others.

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this was really fun to read :)

To Kill A Kingdom – Alexandra Christo

Fantasy, sirens, young adult, fiction. 

Rating 9/10

Lira is a princess siren who loves to collect hearts. This is a part of her tradition to collect prince hearts. Prince Elain wants to destroy all siren kind as he travels the seas but only one or two at a time does not suffice. He falls into the ocean nearly drowning and she saves him. Her mother punishes her by taking away her siren song and she has to bring back his heart. However, she seeks the same thing that Prince Elain wants and both make a deal. 

I’ve seen this book all over tik tok and wanted to know what was the hype. Immediately on the first page I knew. All I can say is that this book is violent in a sense that it is appropriate for the genre of this book. This is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of taking out hearts from bodies and the author really does describe with a lot of detail. There are some mermaids but mostly this focuses on sirens which not many fictional novels mention nor have them featured. The world building was acceptable that helped the protagonists forward towards their goal. I enjoyed this novel a lot and I would recommend it for anyone who loves sirens, blood and gore, and violence. The author really went into this novel and I loved it.

truth and freedom

In the Afterlight – Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Ruby and the Legion of Children team figure out a way out of Los Angeles, California where the united states government took control and sent the national guard to blow up Los Angeles. As time progresses romances are formed, and more truths come forward. Getting out was the hardest part and the harder part is breaking kids out of the camps wasn’t going to be easy and will require sacrifices to be made. Once they had gathered necessary people and information, everyone is informed on how the kids changed. All are disgusted and angered, just enough to fuel the need to go and rescue more children from the camps. Ruby must make hard choices to guarantee safety of all the kids in those camps. She does this all for them and for herself.

This last installment of the series really messed me up in the head and I had to second guess my theory of how kids were changing. I was right about my theory of Vida and Chubs and their romance that blossomed. I mean certain circumstances make odd bed fellows. Overall, the entire series was really good to read and I highly recommend binge reading. The characters and the plot blend well in a balance that can’t be expressed. I cannot express more words for how much I loved the book series. I reread it the series twice before writing this blog.

the race to find the cause of this power inducing disease

Never Fade – Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Ruby goes to work for the League of Children under the promise she made to them and made them promise that Liam would not be harmed. She undergoes training and is sent out on a task by Liam’s brother. To find Liam to retrieve this flash drive containing sensitive information regarding why kids got sick and how they got sick. To flee from the scene, from the League of Children, she must escape from the assignment to find Liam. She is accompanied by Jude, another member as well as Vida. When she does find him, she must make a deal with the Blue Tribe and ends up breaking him and a few others out. Last time she saw him, she had erased most of her from his memory from him and he is slowly remembering. Once he regains his memory, Chubs tells him that he has become a skip tracer in order to remain safe. Liam is livid and understands why they had to do that, and he confesses to Ruby he is very much in love with her. He wants them to stay together because he loves the group and cares for the group. On their way to the assigned location that Vida said that one of the League members wanted them to meet somewhere in Colorado. Once they arrive there, it’s not what they had expected, it was the Slip Kid who is making them an offer they should not refuse. She sees what’s on the flash drive and the truth of the illness is shocking.

This one was interesting, and I loved the action. Including character development that made me smile at some characters interactions also. I can’t believe that Ruby’s powers grew and have more range with what she has. I sort of liked the new characters Vida and Jude. Vida more so because she seems very psychotic but with reason. The interactions between Vida and Chubs I can see grow into a romantic relationship. Anyways I really love this second installment of The Darkest Minds. I cannot wait to finish the third book as well as the novellas to see more of these characters and see how this all plays out.

kids die or have powers from a disease?

The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian, young adult, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Ruby wakes up on her tenth birthday changed by a disease that has been killing off kids and ones who survived were sent to rehabilitation camps. The government is afraid of the kids who survive the disease rather than the dead kids. Her parents sent her off and she lives at the camp until she reaches sixteen. During that time, she had laid low and had manipulated, with her powers, to have her be labeled as a green even though she is orange. Orange and red labeled kids were killed or erased, fearing that she did what she had to do. The camp is thrown into panic after they use this device that harms only orange and red labeled kids and not the others, she is sent to the infirmary. Her fate was sealed with the camp, but a doctor sneaks her out after telling her that she knows Ruby’s secret. After Ruby sees some suspicious behavior and overhears the woman talking with this man, Ruby must make a run for it after she saw the man’s memories of him killing a kid. She finds this kid that leads her to other kids who are trying to find the Slip Kid to find and or contact their family members. Ruby comes to trust this group of kids named Zu, Chubs, and Liam. As they journey to safety, she comes to terms with who she is and what she is ought to become while empowering her newly found friends. Once they meet with the Slip Kid, all hell breaks loose, and sacrifices are to be made to survive.

Immediately as I was looking for new young adult novels to read, I was contemplating this novel and series due to the fact this is dystopian apocalyptic genre of young adult. I was expecting this to follow the same clichés, but I was wrong. This is like nothing I have read before and I come to love the book so much. My boyfriend had surprised purchased The Darkest Minds boxed set and I intend to reading them all plus the collection of short stories. I took my time reading this first installment of the trilogy and I cannot stress enough the fact I found my new favorite young adult series. I had read a lot of young adult series but none of them can hold a candle to this one. A very fast paced and descriptive book that keeps the reader on their toes, and when one expects one outcome there is a different outcome. I do recommend this novel.