e-ARC Review: Silver in the Bone (Silver in the Bone #1) – Alexandra Bracken

Rating: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Arthurian, Magic

Publication Date: Apr 04, 2023

Review:

How cool is this cover? I loved it from the moment I saw it and I couldn’t wait to read this book. A quest for a magical relic, Arthurian lore, magic, mayhem, and let’s not forget, curses. All the criteria for a fantastic story.

I loved all the characters, and Tamsin’s definitely my favorite. The odds were stacked against her but she never quit. She kept going on, one foot in front of the other, even when the problems seemed insurmountable. And that sarcastic point of view? Brilliant! I enjoyed the banter between the characters a lot.

The book was a bit slow at the start but picked up pretty fast. Excellent plot-line which wowed me away. All the twists and turns gripped my complete attention and I definitely did not see them coming. Secrets woven within secrets and red herrings that kept you guessing. I couldn’t believe all the things that happened in this story!

This was my first book by Alexandra Bracken and I enjoyed it so much, I read it in one sitting! I’m already super excited to read her other books. Plus, I can’t wait for the sequel of Silver In The Bone.

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

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Blurb:
A series opener inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!
Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside. But after her thieving foster father disappeared without so much as a goodbye, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.
Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.
As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother. . . .

 

Book Review: When You Wish Upon a Lantern – Gloria Chao

Rating: 2/5 🌟🌟

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Published on: Feb 14, 2023

Review:

This was my first book by Gloria Chao & I really wanted to like it but though I love the cover, unfortunately, the book fell below my expectations.

The story had a lot of potential and I loved the plot, the characters, and even the unpleasant characters had their role in it. I loved the kindness depicted in the story with the wish-granting.

I really did enjoy some of the touching scenes but the writing felt lengthy and dragged the inner dialogue a bit too long until I wanted to grab Liya & Kai and give them a good, hard shake.

That said, I think the values interwoven in this story, the kindness, the sense of community, and friendship made the book worth it.

Thanks to Penguin Teens Canada for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Blurb:
Acclaimed author Gloria Chao creates real-world magic in this luminous romance about teens who devote themselves to granting other people’s wishes, but are too afraid to let themselves have their own hearts’ desires—each other.
Liya and Kai had been best friends since they were little kids, but all that changed when a humiliating incident sparked The Biggest Misunderstanding Of All Time—and they haven’t spoken since.
Then Liya discovers her family’s wishing lantern store is struggling, and she decides to resume a tradition she had with her beloved late grandmother: secretly fulfilling the wishes people write on the lanterns they send into the sky. It may boost sales and save the store, but she can’t do it alone . . . and Kai is the only one who cares enough to help.
While working on their covert missions, Liya and Kai rekindle their friendship—and maybe more. But when their feuding families and their changing futures threaten to tear them apart again, can they find a way to make their own wishes come true?