Review: Gild by Raven Kennedy

Title: Gild (The Plated Prisoner, #1)
Author: Raven Kennedy
Genre: Fantasy, Adult 
Publication Date: October 16th, 2020

Kindle, 303 Pages

Summary: 

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule. Gold. Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold. Even me. King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe. Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck. Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong. Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left. The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page. Please Note: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and non-consensual sex. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. This is book one in a series.

**Content Warnings: Rape, Death, Kidnapping***

I've been eyeing Gild for quite some time and it was one of the first books I downloaded with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Gild has flooded Tiktok in the recent weeks and had me intrigued. Several people have pitched it for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas so I was curious to see if it lived up to the comparison. While I did give me ACOTAR vibes, this story is stunningly different and whole lot darker. Gild is not a book intended for young audiences, for it contains dark and heavy scenes.

Auren is a royal saddle, meaning she is one of King Midas's concubines. He rescued her from a harsh reality of living in the slums and fending for herself. She is his precious. His Gold-touched. His Gilded pet. Auren trusts Midas with her life, but everything changes one faithful night when a dark deal is struck, leaving Auren with no choice but to obey her savior and King. 

I really enjoyed Auren's character. I will admitted the first chapter or so I was a little hesitant but she quickly grew on me. She's caring and has a strong desire to help others, which is something that stood out to me. She proves this point several times with in the novel in some hilarious ways and in other heart touching moments. I am excited to see Auren's growth over the next books in the series considering where this book left off, there is so much potentail for her character and after everything I've read in Gild I'm sure I am not going to be disappointed. 

There is so much I want to discuss but because of spoilers, I can't. But go into it keeping in mind that this book is very heavy on character development and plot development. It does get sow at points, but the action scenes balance it out very well. If you are looking for all of Gild to focus on Fae for it's entirety, it isn't. The Fae aren't mentioned until the end, building the story line up for another book. 

Overall I really enjoyed Gild and I can't wait to see what the second book is going to have in store for Auren and Midas! 

Mini Reviews: The Famoux by Kassandra Tate & The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Title: The Famoux // Author: Kassandra Tate // Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian // Source: Wattpad Books via NetGalley // Publisher: Wattpad Books // Publication Date: January 19th 2021 // Add it to Goodreads

Summary: Fame can be deadly. Out of the wreckage of environmental collapse, the country of Delicatum emerged. Its most popular celebrities are the Famoux, uniquely beautiful stars of a reality TV show called the Fishbowl. In a world still recovering from catastrophe, they provide a 24/7 distraction. Sixteen-year-old Emilee Laurence is obsessed with the Famoux—they provide a refuge from her troubled home life and the bullies at school. When she receives an unimaginable offer to become a member herself, she takes it. Leaving behind everything she’s ever known, Emilee enters a world of high glamour and even higher stakes. Because behind their perfect image lies an ugly truth—an anonymous stalker has been dictating the Famoux’s every move, and being popular really is a matter of life or death.

I think it is safe to say the first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover to The Famoux and then when I read the synopsis I was sold. The Famoux was a fresh taste to the dystopian genre, that we haven't seen in so long. My only complaint is that I feel as if the pacing was off in some points and that the climax of the story sort of stemmed from something that could have been introduced earlier in the book. But other then that I did really enjoy The Famoux and I am eager to see what is next.  

Title: The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep // Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz // Genre: Contemporary,  // Source: Wednesday Books via NetGalley // Publisher: Wednesday Books // Publication Date: March 16th 2021 // Add it to Goodreads

Summary: Bestselling author Laurie Faria Stolarz returns with a thrilling novel where an eighteen-year-old girl's search for answers lands her in one of the most terrifying situations imaginable. Four days… Trapped in a well, surrounded by dirt, scratching at the walls trying to find a way out. Four days of a thirst so strong, that when it finally rains, I drink as much as possible from the dripping walls, not even caring how much dirt comes with it. Six months… Since my escape. Since no one believed I was taken to begin with – from my own bed, after a party, when no one else was home. Six months of trying to find answers and being told instead that I made the whole incident up. One month... Since I logged on to the Jane Anonymous site for the first time and found a community of survivors who listen without judgment, provide advice, and console each other when needed. A month of chatting with a survivor whose story eerily mirrors my own: a girl who’s been receiving triggering clues, just like me, and who could help me find the answers I’m searching for. Three days… Since she mysteriously disappears, and since I’m forced to ask the questions: will my chance to find out what happened to me vanish with her? And will I be next?

When I learned that this was set in the same world as Jane Anonymous I was really excited to see how the two were going to have to do with each other, but I really love how Stolarz brought up the familiar elements of Jane Anonymous with a whole new story. 

This book is full of twist and turns, things you never saw coming and things that make you second guess yourself over and over again. Terra's story is told in the present and the before. Before being when she was abducted. Throughout the entire story everything that we learn and see Terra do makes you question if she is a reliable character or not (I am not spoiling anything, I am going to leave that up to you to find out!) 

But overall this was one of my favorite books of 2020 and I am excited to see what everyone else is going to think of it and if there will be more novels set in the Jane Anonymous world. 

Review: The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Title: The Host 
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Publication Date: May 6th 2008

Summary: 

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

I think we are at a point in time that everyone has either heard of or read The Host. I first read The Host before we created The Book Bratz (which was almost 8 years ago!) so I never actually reviewed it, so I decided that when I was rereading it that it was going to get a proper review. Being 22 and reading it versus when I was 14 and reading it gave me a very different perspective on a lot of things with in this novel but also took away lessons that I didn't realize were there previously. 

I always love a good science fiction novel. Especially ones with aliens, rebellions and romance. That will always be my weak point. Stephenie Meyer whipped up just that. The world building in the novel was amazing and I could see everything clearly as if I was in Meyer's head as she was writing. The world isn't  unlike our own, the Souls (the aliens) didn't change much, all they did was take over their Host (the humans) bodies and establish peace and a world with no violence or conflict. Wanda even says several times through out the novel that humans were on a collision path to destroying their planet if the Souls hadn't stepped in. 

I loved the complexity of Wanda and Melanie's character(s.) Typically when a Soul takes over a Host, the Host's mind disappears, leaving room for the Soul. But in Wanda and Melanie's case both minds are there. Melanie refuses to disappear, desperate to protect Jared and Jamie from the hands of the Seeker who is so desperate to crush the Human rebellion. Seeing the development of Wanda and Melanie's relationship throughout the book is incredible, they go from enemies, to two minds that are on the same sides to almost sisters. It teaches an important lesson that sometimes your enemies can become your best friends. (Not in all cases, but in this one.)

The biggest lesson in this book that I didn't take away the first time is: Finding the place in where you belong. The whole novel we watch as Wanda struggles to fit in with Jeb and his people. Find the right balance with her friendship with Ian and blooming friendship with Jared. Because she is an outsider she constantly struggles with the thought of whether she actually belongs there, no matter how many times she is reassured that she is. It isn't until the last hundred or so pages of the novel does this lesson really hit hard. Wanda learns she is accepted and with being accepted she knows she has to make an incredibly hard choice. (I won't lie, I was crying like a baby at this.) 

Overall I loved The Host even more the second time around! Though I would love to see more of these characters and what would be in store next for them, I believe Meyer left this book off the way she did because the ending gives hope to the rebellion. All the loose ends are tied up neatly and I couldn't have asked for a better ending. I am so grateful that I decided to pick this book up again. I definitely plan on rewatching the movie now! 

Review: Memento by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Memento (The Illuminae Files #.5)

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 20th, 2020

eBook, 84 pages

Summary: From New York Times bestselling authors Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff comes an Illuminae prequel digital novella that gives readers a hair-raising glimpse into the calamity that befell the invincible AI system known as AIDAN–and the daring young programmer who would risk her life to keep it from crashing. AIDAN is the AI you’ll love to hate. The advanced AI system was supposed to protect a fleet of survivors who’d escaped the deadly attack on Kerenza IV. AIDAN was supposed to be infallible. But in the chaotic weeks and months that followed, it became clear that something was terribly, terribly wrong with AIDAN…

WHAT. HOW. NO. ADIAN. *internal screaming*

The Illumimae Files is one of my favorite series of all times so I was super bummed when I missed the preorder incentive for Aurora Rising and didn’t get Memento. I was thrilled when I heard that they would be publishing it!

Memento is a story all on its own. We learn things about ADIAN we never knew before. I was always curious at what point AIDAN had developed a sense of self awareness and we finally get that answer in this novella.

We also get to see the beginning of the attack on the Kerenza colony and how everyone including ADIAN reacts, especially after the damage it sustains.

Overall I really loved this novella and I can’t talk about much more without spoiling it. But it’s a great introduction or addition to an already amazing series.

ARC Review: Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

Title: Five Total Strangers
Author: Natalie D. Richards
Genre: Thriller, Mystery 
Source: Sourcebooks via NetGalley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 
Publication Date: October 6th 2020

Summary: 

A hitched ride home in a snow storm turns sinister when one of the passengers is plotting for the ride to end in disaster. When Mira flies home to spend Christmas with her mother in Pittsburgh, a record-breaking blizzard results in a cancelled layover. Desperate to get to her grief-ridden mother in the wake of a family death, Mira hitches a ride with a group of friendly college kids who were on her initial flight. As the drive progresses and weather conditions become more treacherous, Mira realizes that the four other passengers she's stuck in the car with don't actually know one another. Soon, they're not just dealing with heavy snowfall and ice-slick roads, but the fact that somebody will stop at nothing to ensure their trip ends in a deadly disaster.

Content Warnings: Death, stalking, talks about drug use, drugs, car accidents, near death experiences

I want to take a moment to appreciate the cover of this book. It is quite simple, but at the same time the contrast of the red font against the snowy background makes it stand out. The cover matches the vibe of Five Total Strangers perfectly. I know if I passed it in the bookstore, I would be inclined to pick it up. 

What happens when you are stranded at an airport on Christmas Eve, desperate to get home in time to spend the holiday with your grieving mother? Mira is desperate to get home, the kind of desperate that she takes up an offer from her seatmate Harper and her "friends" to travel home by car in a snowstorm with them. But not everyone is who they seem to be and soon Mira is in a fight for her life. 

I really want to call Mira stupid for accepting the ride with people she barley knew, but desperate times call for desperate measures. A year ago her aunt Phoebe passed away, who happened to be her mother's twin. Mira's mom hasn't handled her death well and with the anniversary approaching and their favorite holiday happening Mira is desperate to be there. I understood Mira's desperation, Harper had given her a sense of security and she felt as if she took this ride it would get her to her mother quicker. She never expected to storm to thicken and for the events that would unfold to happen. I enjoyed that the story takes place in such a super short time frame. 

Five Total Strangers was a quick read, it flowed nicely and it had enough surprises and thrills to keep you wanting more. As a thriller lover, the story didn't stand out as different, but it was entertaining nonetheless. 

ARC Review: Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos

Title: Throwaway Girls 
Author: Andrea Contos 
Genre: Mystery, Thriller,
Source: Kids Can Press via NetGalley
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: September 1st 2020

Summary: 

Caroline Lawson is three months away from freedom, otherwise known as graduation day. That's when she'll finally escape her rigid prep school and the parents who thought they could convert her to being straight. Until then, Caroline is keeping her head down, pretending to be the perfect student even though she is crushed by her family and heartbroken over the girlfriend who left for California. But when her best friend Madison disappears, Caroline feels compelled to get involved in the investigation. She has her own reasons not to trust the police, and she owes Madison — big time. Suddenly Caroline realizes how little she knew of what her friend was up to. Caroline has some uncomfortable secrets about the hours before Madison disappeared, but they're nothing compared to the secrets Madison has been hiding. And why does Mr. McCormack, their teacher, seem to know so much about them? It's only when Caroline discovers other missing girls that she begins to close in on the truth. Unlike Madison, the other girls are from the wrong side of the tracks. Unlike Madison's, their disappearances haven't received much attention. Caroline is determined to find out what happened to them and why no one seems to notice. But as every new discovery leads Caroline closer to the connection between these girls and Madison, she faces an unsettling truth. There's only one common denominator between the disappearances: Caroline herself.

*Content Warnings: Talk of suicide, conversion camps, disappearance of a loved one, implied sexual assault, anxiety attacks*

It's been a few days since I've finished Throwaway Girls and I still can't form a coherent sentence on much I loved this book and its characters. I read 75% of this book in one sitting because I just had to know: What happened to Madison? It takes a lot for a book to hit me on a personal level and Throwaway Girls did just that. 

Caroline is so close to freedom that she can taste it. She can't wait to get away from her parents who can't accept who she is, the fancy prep school that is smothering her and trying to forget the girl who ran off to California and broke her heart. Everything changes when Caroline's best friend Madison goes missing. Not trusting the police herself Caroline takes matters into her own hands and learns that she didn't know as much about Madison as she thought she did. In her search, Caroline comes across multiple missing girls who aren't from good parts of town and are assumed to be "runaways." But Caroline learns pretty quickly that there is a common denominator between all these missing girls: herself. 

I think my favorite aspect of this book is that we get occasional POV chapters from an unknown character who isn't revealed until the end, when all the huge secrets are beginning to unfold. I spent most of the book thinking that this POV was one character, when it really wasn't a character I was expecting at all. I think in Cantos doing this is added a lot more depth to this character that we might not have gotten to see otherwise. 

There is so much to talk about but so many ways this book can be spoiled at the same time. But I will give it this: It makes you think. It makes you think about all the missing girls you see in the news and how they are assumed to be runaways because they aren't from the ideal situations. The stigma that is surrounding girls who don't come from middle class or upper class families and them gaining justice.

Cantos debut novel is a strong one and I am excited to see what she is going to have in store for her readers next. Throwaway Girls left me on the edge of my seat for the whole story, desperate to know how it was going to end. Throwaway Girls is perfect for fans of Sadie and other books that fall under that genre. 

ARC Review: Greythorne by Crystal Smith

Title: Greythorne (Bloodleaf #2)
Author: Crystal Smith
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Source: HMH Books via NetGalley
Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers
Publication Date: September 1st 2020 

Summary: 

Princess Aurelia’s life is turned upside down when the kingdom she thought she saved turns to ruin, a loved one is tragically killed in a shipwreck, and her home country refuses to respect her brother’s legitimate claim to the throne. With no place left to call her own, Aurelia returns to Greythorne Manor—her best friend’s family mansion—only to get swept up in a coup d'état on the night of her brother’s coronation. With everyone turned against her and enemies closing in on all sides, Aurelia has nothing left to lose in a mad fight to protect the only people she has left—her family. But in her darkest moments when all seems grim, will Aurelia find a spark of hope from a love she thought long lost?

*this review contains spoilers from Bloodleaf, so please read at your own risk* 

Check out my review of BLOODLEAF here! 

It has been a few days since I've finished Greythrone and I am still in complete and utter shock with everything that happened in this novel. Bloodleaf was my favorite novel of 2019 so it was no surprise that I was going to love Greythorne, but honestly I am obsessed and I need to know what is going to happen next. Crystal is a masterful story teller who uses fast moving plots and beautiful imagery to keep her readings craving more. Plus, THAT ENDING. 

At the end of Bloodleaf Aurelia has witness the fall of Achlev and pulled Zan back from the reaches of death. Just when we thought that their story could get a happily ever after, Dominic Castillion has just enrolled his plans to take over what is left of the fallen kingdom of Achlev and Renalt. Greythorne picks up a few months after the end of Bloodleaf.  Due to Aurelia's mother dying as part of the blood cloth magic that saves Aurelia from death, it leaves her young brother Conrad as the heir to the throne. But all isn't as it seems as Aurelia returns to Greythrone manor for Conrad's coronation. The tribunal is back and they are set on taking the Renalt kingdom for themselves. With Kellan, Onal and a some new characters Aurelia sets off on a journey into the Ebonwilde to end this all once and for all. 

The revelations in the first couple of chapters had me gasping and flipping through the pages of this book as fast as I could. Smith managed to further the plot with events that happened after Bloodleaf ends and before Greythorne start, but seamlessly weaves them in. I did not predict half of the revelations of the things that were going to happen. One revelation in particular had me crying at 2a.m. because just how can this be happening!? 

I loved that we got to see Aurelia begin to explore her magic and its boundaries more in Greythorne. Though magic is frowned up, many know that Aurelia is a "witch" so she doesn't have to hide it as she once did. In Bloodleaf, if you were suspected of being a witch then the Tribunal would have you hung. I think it was interesting too to see Aurelia struggle with knowing what the right thing to do is, but knowing that in certain situations she can't use her magic in the ideal way. 

Onal has always been one of my favorite characters. Shes blunt, cranky and straight up doesn't put up with anyone's bullshit. In Greythorne we learn a lot more about Onal, her beginnings and her purpose in the castle. I'd loved seeing that bond that Onal and Aurelia continued to build in this novel. 

THAT ENDING. WHAT. The ending of Greythorne is the biggest cliffhanger that I have read in a long long long time. I'm itching to get Ebonwilde into my hands to know what is going to happen to these characters next. BUT THE PAIN. Overall I loved Greythorne as much as I loved Bloodleaf, possibly even more and I can't wait to see what heartbreak Smith has in store for us next. 

Review: The Glare by Margot Harrison

Title: The Glare
Author: Margot Harrison
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror
Source: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers via NetGalley
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 14th 2020

Summary: 

After ten years of living on an isolated, tech-free ranch with her mother, sixteen-year-old Hedda is going back to the world of the Glare-her word for cell phones, computers, and tablets. Hedda was taught to be afraid of technology, afraid that it would get inside her mind and hurt her. But now she's going to stay with her dad in California, where she was born, and she's finally ready to be normal. She's not going to go "off-kilter," like her mom says she did when she was just a little kid. Once she arrives, Hedda finally feels like she's in control. She reunites with old friends and connects with her stepmom and half-brother. Never mind the terrifying nightmares and visions that start trickling back-they're not real. Then Hedda rediscovers the Glare—the real Glare, a first-person shooter game from the dark web that scared her when she was younger. They say if you die thirteen times on level thirteen, you die in real life. But as Hedda starts playing the so-called "death game"—and the game begins spreading among her friends—she realizes the truth behind her nightmares is even more twisted than she could have imagined. And in order to stop the Glare, she'll have to first confront the darkness within herself.

Content Warnings: Suicidal thoughts, self harm, suicide, death, underage drinking, drugs, psychological torment, murder.

Dark Web. Psychological Thriller. Horror. Alright, I was sold immediately. I am really glad I gave this book a shot, I enjoyed it so much more then I thought I would. I stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

For the past 10 years of her life, Hedda has lived on a ranch isolated from society and technology by her mother who is protecting her from "the glare" which is any from of technology with a screen, mainly cell phones. Now 16 years old, Hedda is going back to California to live with her dad, step mom and step brother in a world full of technology that she has no idea about. Shortly after arriving and being reintroduced to technology Hedda begins to have flash backs from her childhood and that dark things that happened because of technology and the final straw that led her mom to whisk her away to their isolated ranch. Exploring her belongings from childhood Hedda comes across a link to a game from the dark web and begins to play. But urban legend says if you die 13 times on level 13, you will die in real life too and Hedda just died for the 13th time. 

I think The Glare brings up a good discussion on technology in this day and age. There is no set time frame of this book so I am going to assume present day (2018/2019) which would make 10 years ago 2008/9. Tablets were only released in the last decade for Android ('08) and Apple ('10), which would mean that when Hedda was 6 years old this technology was still fairly new. It also talks about a social media that is used and most of the characters have used as children. But we live in a day and age now that this isn't unheard of, children using Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and having cell phones. The internet can be a dangerous place and I think The Glare does a good job in showing that, even if 99.9% of children don't have access to darkweb games.

The Glare actually refers to the game that circles on the Dark Web that played a huge part of Hedda's childhood. When Hedda is introduced to the game and then introduces it to her friends is when the story begins to get interesting. The horror and creepiness of this story really does creep up on you, at first I was like "this isn't that scary" and then suddenly my dog was making noise outside my room and I was paranoid that one of the creatures from The Glare was behind my door. The later half of The Glare is unpredictable and the action keeps happening and as more of the secrets behind The Glare are released the more I needed to know. 

Overall I really enjoyed The Glare and I am really content with how the story ended. Margot did a great job in keeping her readers invested in the story as well as addressing the issues in current day society about technology. If you love sci-fi, horror and thrillers you should check out this book! 

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