ARC Review: Otherworldly – F.T. Lukens

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, LGBT

Pub Date: Apr 02, 2024

Review:

What happens when a non-believer in the supernatural gets tangled with a magical being? Why, something absolutely wonderful! I guess that already gives you a hint of how much I enjoyed this book.

In a modern world mixed with the supernatural, people believe in Gods and Goddesses. Ellery have reason not to believe, not since their region has been stuck in a five-year-winter and everyone’s prayers went unheard. So when their path cross with Knox, a magical familiar, it upends their world and everything they believed in. And so starts a surprising partnership and a quest to save the world.

Otherworldly had such an eclectic cast of characters and they were all an absolute delight! I loved Ellery and Knox and Charley and Zada. I had such a fantastic time getting to know them all, their joys, the touching moments, their ordeals and their triumphs. How unlikely allies ended up becoming friends.

This was my first book by F.T. Lukens and it had an intriguing plotline with smooth, engaging scenes and plot twists which made it a pleasure to read.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook review: I also listened to the audiobook and the three narrators Em Grosland, Kevin R. Free & Natalie Naudus did an excellent job making the narration a blast!

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Otherworldly – F.T. Lukens
Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.
Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.
Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they definitely don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.

 

ARC Review: Kill Her Twice – Stacey Lee

Rating: 3/5 🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult Historical

Pub Date: Apr 23, 2024

Review:

Hard enough when you’re Chinese and a girl – let alone when you live in Chinatown in Los Angeles, 1932 and the majority of the city wants to demolish it. The Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—try their hardest to keep their father’s small business afloat and make ends meet. Then their friend, Lulu Wong, who made it as an actress and got out, is murdered. Worried Lulu won’t get justice and with Chinatown now at a higher risk of getting demolished, the girls set forth to investigate her murder themselves.

I liked the characters a lot though it took me a while to get into the book. May could be a bit trying but I understood her reasons for doing what she did and not going along with Gemma’s harebrained ideas. Gemma was a hoot, despite her recklessness or maybe because of her recklessness.

I enjoy Stacey Lee’s writing style a lot and the only reason for the 3 stars is I seem to have lost interest in the mystery genre and I get tired of too many red herrings. That said, the ending was a good one and that final plot twist was pretty clever.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Kill Her Twice – Stacey Lee
Blurb:
Los Angeles, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically anyone, especially to the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it’s Lulu whose body they discover one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills mansion where she moved once her fame skyrocketed.
The sisters suspect Lulu’s death is the result of foul play, but the LAPD—known for being corrupt to the core—doesn’t seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to the possibility of a police cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.
Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat a Chinese girl fairly—no matter how famous and wealthy—the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a coldblooded murderer.

 

New Book Releases – 30 April 2024

Hola, Book Dragons, look at this gorgeous book! Happy Book Birthday to Sound The Gong, the sequel to Strike The Zither.

I love how the cover of Sound The Gong matches the cover of Strike The Zither. Both covers have a beautiful harmony.

Kingdom of Three #2 – Sound the Gong – Joan He
Blurb:
From New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, comes the dazzling and sweeping conclusion to The Kingdom of Three duology, Sound the Gong, the breathtaking sequel to the critically-acclaimed Strike the Zither.
All her life, Zephyr has tried to rise above her humble origins as a no-name orphan. Now she is a god in a warrior’s body, and never has she felt more powerless. Her lordess Xin Ren holds the Westlands, but her position is tenuous. In the north, the empress remains under Miasma’s thumb. In the south, the alliance with Cicada is in pieces.
Fate also seems to have a different winner in mind for the three kingdoms, but Zephyr has no intentions of respecting it. She will pay any price to see Ren succeed—and she will make her enemies pay, especially one dark-haired, dark-eyed Crow. What she’ll do when she finds out the truth—that he worked for the South all along…

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What about you guys? Any new releases you were anticipating today?

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

New Book Releases – 23 April 2024

Hola, Book Dragons, look at these beauties! *excited scream* Happy Book Birthday to:

Kill Her Twice – Stacey Lee
Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes a YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles’s Chinatown.
LOS ANGELES, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically everyone, especially the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it’s Lulu when they discover a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived after her fame skyrocketed.
The sisters suspect Lulu’s death is the result of foul play, but the police don’t seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to a cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.
Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly—no matter her fame and wealth—the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded murderer.

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Song of the Six Realms – Judy I. Lin
Blurb:
Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, weaves a dreamy gothic romance worthy of the heavens in Song of the Six Realms.
Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.
With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.
But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.
The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

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What about you guys? Any new releases you were anticipating today?

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

New Book Releases – 16 Apr 2024

Hola, Book Dragons, happy Book Birthday to this gorgeous book!

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods – Molly X. Chang
Blurb:
She has power over death. He has power over her. When two enemies strike a dangerous bargain, will they end a war . . . or ignite one?
Heroes die, cowards live. Daughter of a conquered world, Ruying hates the invaders who descended from the heavens long before she was born and defeated the magic of her people with technologies unlike anything her world had ever seen.
Blessed by Death, born with the ability to pull the life right out of mortal bodies, Ruying shouldn’t have to fear these foreign invaders, but she does. Especially because she wants to keep herself and her family safe.
When Ruying’s Gift is discovered by an enemy prince, he offers her an impossible deal: If she becomes his private assassin and eliminates his political rivals—whose deaths he swears would be for the good of both their worlds and would protect her people from further brutalization—her family will never starve or suffer harm again. But to accept this bargain, she must use the powers she has always feared, powers that will shave years off her own existence.
Can Ruying trust this prince, whose promises of a better world make her heart ache and whose smiles make her pulse beat faster? Are the evils of this agreement really in the service of a much greater good? Or will she betray her entire nation by protecting those she loves the most?

What about you guys? Any new releases you were anticipating today?

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Monthly Ephemerals – April 2024

Hola, Book Dragons, pretty late doing this post in the middle of the month but April’s not over yet.

My Latest Ephemeral – Queen of Tears

Who else is watching Queen of Tears? I mostly started it coz I wanted something new to watch but it’s been an emotional journey so far and I’m very invested in this Kdrama. Hope ya’all give it a try.

New Book Releases – 1st half of April

These are the new releases I looked forward to in the first half of April. What about you guys?

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Anticipated New Book Releases – 2nd half of April

And these are the new books I’m looking forward to in the 2nd half:

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Are these books on your radar?

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Here are the 3 rules for the blog meme:
1 – Do the post at the start of every month.
2 – Feature your latest short-lived obsessions, ahem, ephemerals. (Beloved books, TV shows, movies, Kdramas, a good news – anything you’re anticipating.)
3 – Credit the creator of this tag (yours truly 😉 ) & have fun!

Back on track – 7 Yr Bloganniversary – 13 Apr 2024

Hola, Book Dragons, how is everyone doing? I haven’t been here awhile but I really want to be here again. I want to blog again and today, I found myself feeling grateful. Just grateful for where I am right now, who I am, having a job. Despite bad days and bad episodes in my life, I have to remind myself that things can always get worse. So I want to be grateful for what I have in the now.

I need to give thanks for what I have right now and remind myself that things can always get worse.

Coincidentally, it’s also my 7-year Bloganniversary! I registered with WordPress 7 years ago. I figure that’s gotta be a sign to get back to blogging again. Here’s to hoping this time it sticks.

Hope ya’all have a good weekend. Be safe and strong.

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Book Review: Dark Memory (Dark/Carpathians #33) – Christine Feehan

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy

Published on: Oct 03, 2023

Review:

I love the Carpathian (Dark) series. Every new instalment leaves me wanting more. Christine Feehan crafts such excellent plotlines! Just look at how far the Carpathians have come. The books started with the Prince and some key characters to introduce the Carpathians and the lifemate concept. I love how Christine Feehan then introduced the different story arcs in such a seamless way that all these new characters and their backstories blended in so well, as if they’d always been part of the Carpathian world. Case in point, my darling Dax. (see Dark Storm).

My review of Dark Memory would have been incomplete without mentioning the story arcs. You can see that seamless integration in Dark Memory with a new female MC, Safia, who is so fierce and courageous and how she fit in perfectly with Petru. I loved it! I was amazed at the plotline & Petru’s backstory broke my heart.

And of course, we have the latest story arc interwoven with Safia & Petru’s story, leaving us with the anticipation of when, when, when! I, for one, am waiting with bated breath for the next Carpathian book & of course, the much-anticipated conclusion.

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Dark Memory (Dark #33) – Christine Feehan
Blurb:
Safia Meziane has trained since birth to protect her tribe, the family she holds so dear. All along she told herself the legends she was raised with were simply that. But now, she must call upon all of her skills to fight what lies ahead. Evil has come to their small town on the cost of Algeria, evil that Safia can feel but cannot see.
She is terrified she will not be able to protect the ones she loves. As her family’s “chosen one,” she has always believed she would face this task alone—until her family reveals she has been promised to a warrior who will join her. An outsider. A Carpathian. . . .
Petru Cioban is one of the oldest Carpathians in existence, and he has spent all that time without the soothing presence of his lifemate. For two thousand years he has waited for this woman to be reborn, only to find her in the sights of a monster he has fought before, a vampire risen again to finish a battle started centuries ago.
Now, Petru must face his greatest enemy and his greatest shame. He has no hope that Safia will forgive his betrayal once the memories of her past life return to her. But he will not make the same mistake again, even if he has to sacrifice everything for the woman who has claimed his immortal soul.

 

e-ARC Review: Random in Death (In Death #58) – J.D. Robb

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Thriller, Crime, Romantic Suspense

Pub Date: Jan 23, 2024

Review:

I’ve been a J.D. Robb fan for more than two decades and I still love the In Death series. It struck me this time around, just how easy it feels to read an Eve Dallas and Roarke book, how easy it is to fall into the story. Even when some of the newer releases didn’t quite hit the epic mark, reading them was still like wrapping myself in a comfort blanket.

I’m glad to say Random In Death was pretty good. I enjoyed re-visiting all of my favorite side-characters especially Jake whom I’ve got a soft spot for. I really like him for Nadine and I like the dynamic between them.

As for the case itself, it was an interesting one, with a good plotline though heartbreaking to see those young lives with so much brimming potential squashed too soon. The best part was the way people, families came together to stand with the ones lost.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Random in Death (In Death #58) – J.D. Robb
Blurb:
In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
It’s the last night of her life.
Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.
And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.

New Book Releases – 23 Jan 2024

Hola, Book Dragons, happy book release day!

In Death #58 – Random in Death – J.D. Robb
Blurb:
In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.
It’s the last night of her life.
Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.
And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.

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What about you guys? Any new releases you were anticipating today?

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn