Betrayed: Ruby’s Story Review (Destined #4)

The Destined series takes a turn from Ella’s family and friends and tells the story of Ruby, a local news reporter. She was determined to figure out who was dealing the drugs that were killing the people in her city one by one. Someone was choosing to prey on the poor and those who had lost everything in the plague by giving them a drug that would “take their problems away.” Ruby wanted to save those in her city, and to do so, she would have to travel outside of the city and do an interview with a member of the Wolf Clan, and finally figure out who has been bringing the drugs into the city.

This story started a bit slowly than the other books in this series, but it sped up around halfway through. Ruby spends the first part of the story lost in the woods as she tries to find her way to the Wolf Clan, and she meets a mysterious figure there who gives her help along her journey. This Wolf refuses to trust her, but he also won’t leave her outside the city limits to die on her own. Once Ruby reaches the city, she learned more and more about the Clan, the drug dealing, and the truth behind her city.

This was the only story in this series where I didn’t quite agree with the pairing. I did not think that the Wolf and Ruby were a good match for one another, even though it was painfully clear from the beginning of the story that they were supposed to be. I wanted Ruby to be with someone as passionate about their craft as she was passionate about her journalism, and although Wolf was passionate about his Clan, it did not seem equal. I just didn’t connect with Wolf much, but it could be just me!

Overall, this was unfortunately probably my least favorite book so far in the series, but that doesn’t mean much because I have given every other book a perfect rating! I still quite enjoyed this one, even if I didn’t love it as much as the others. I can’t wait to see how Ruby, this unique and ambitious character, will be included in the future books of this series.

I would recommend this book series to anyone looking for a unique fairy-tale retelling series full of action, adventure, and romance.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 books.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Recent Additions To My Bookshelf

I have added quite a few books to my temporary/permanent bookshelf lately, temporary being Kindle Unlimited Shelf. Here are my Top Ten Books that have been added to my bookshelf and that I plan to read or have read recently!

1 Nissa: A Contemporary Fairy Tale

I have finished this book already, and I absolutely loved it. My full review is coming soon, I was just lucky enough to get it when I saw that it was free from someone on Instagram I think. Great book!

2: Pathways (Kingdom Chronicles Book 1)

I don’t know anything about this book besides the fact that it is a Princess and the Pea retelling and it was free on Kindle Unlimited. I can’t wait to check it out!

3: Beauty and the Beast (Timeless Fairy Tales Book 1)

Another book that I don’t know much about besides the fact that it is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and that it is free on Kindle Unlimited. Can’t wait to get started!

4: A Dance of Silver and Shadow: A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Beyond The Four Kingdoms Book 1)

And yet another classic fairy tale retelling on Kindle Unlimited! I wanted to give all these new authors a chance, and I cannot wait to dig into these stories. I can already tell that they are going to be good.

5: Hunted: Alba’s Story (Destined #5)

I’ve already finished and loved this book, so I can’t wait to write my review for you all. This was the last book currently published in the Destined serries, so I am looking forward to the sixth book which is probably coming out fairly soon.

6: Odriel’s Heirs

An author recently emailed this book to me, so I am interested in checking out this YA fantasy novel!

7: Death Warden

Another YA fantasy novel sent to me by an author that I absolutely NEED to get around to reading. It sounds amazing!

8: The Fight for Magicallus

I don’t read children’s/middle grade fantasy books much, but this was another book sent to me by an author that I have been enjoying so far. Can’t wait to write my full review of it.

9: Awakening the Vampire

I received this book a while back and never got the chance to actually read it, so I am looking forward to finally finishing this book in the Shadow-Walkers series. Hopefully I will have thi sreview finished for you all before the end of next month.

10: Once Tales, Myths, and Legends of Faerie

Another book sent to me by an author. I’m determined to stay on top of these rquests in 2020, so I can’t wait to get to this book either.

I hope you all enjoiyed my list, and thanks for reading!

Twisted: Belle’s Story Review (Destined #3)

Belle was in Ella’s story as one of the privileged students at the Royal Academy. She was also hurt in the attacks, but her family had the money to actually fully heal her. At least, that is the story told in Fated, Ella’s story.

The truth is that Belle was only pretending to act like a stuck-up privileged student to try to bring down her abusive father. She hates her father and was looking into his finances at the bank to see why her family stayed rich during the plague when all the other families took a financial hit. She thinks that she is onto something when the attack happens, and, and the brain damage she gets from the blast causes her to lose part of her memory. Her father refuses to let a healer heal her fully, and chooses to threaten her into submission. Without complete memory of what she was trying to achieve and who she was close to, Belle also has to deal with the prince trying to hit on her. He seems rather close to her, but she can’t even remember why.

I didn’t like Belle in Fated very much, but she only showed up for a brief moment. I wasn’t sure what to expect in a book that would be completely about her, but I knew that I wanted to finish the series. This book was a pleasant surprise.

Belle wasn’t as stuck up as I originally thought she was. She was only acting rude to Ella in order to make her father believe that she was on his side. Everything she did was an act to keep her father on her side, even though she was working against him. I was so sad when she lost her memories, she had been doing so well and was so close to her goal and then everything disappeared before her eyes because of the memory loss. She was one of the strongest “rich girl” characters that I have ever read in a story before, so I hope to see more of her in the books to come.

The only small complaint I had about this story was how much time Belle spent confused. It was kind of annoying after a while as a reader from Belle’s POV to know what she was supposed to be doing, and still see her wandering around, confused and in pain from her unhealed injury. I was only frustrated for a small amount of the book, but it was worth mentioning.

Another thing worth mentioning was that I couldn’t see much of the chemistry between the prince and Belle. They were an okay couple, but I didn’t love them as much as the couples in the previous two books. Overall, I think that this book would rank at the bottom of the books in this series, but because the series is so good, I think it is still a 4 star read.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new Beauty and the Beast retelling.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 books

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Discoveries I Made In 2019

I made a few bookish/life discoveries in 2019, so here are my top 4 from the past year!

1. Some of the best Webtoons are in the Canvas section.

I usually would go to the featured section of Webtoons by default, thinking that I was seeing the best ones. Then, I ventured into the Canvas section and had a blast. Some of the best stories came from these independent authors that I hadn’t known about, but they were hidden in the Canvas tab. The Canvas tab also doesn’t have the annoying coin system, where it can cost up to 50 cents just to read a chapter one week ahead. I could do a whole rant about the coin system, but that’s for another post. Long story short, if you have Line Webtoon, make sure to check out the Canvas section from time to time. I am going to make sure to review the Canvas Webtoons in some of my upcoming Webtoon Wednesdays to show them off.

2. The_WriteReads on Twitter

This community of bloggers run by The_Write Reads is amazing, I love seeing new amazing posts and supporting other bloggers. The huge blog tours that I have been on through The_WriteReads are also lots of fun. I would definitely recommend following if you are a fellow blogger!

3. Small Bookstores Near Where I Live/Go To School

I didn’t have any bookstores near my old house, but I have a couple that I want to check out since I moved. My school is near NYC however, so I end up commuting a lot, and I have made a habit of always stopping by local small bookstores to see what they have to offer. If you want to see some of the bookstores I popped in in 2019, check this and this IG posts about the store and this IG post about the haul.

4. Take A Break!

I really learned to take a break in 2019. I was moving from September to November, and then I had to try to adjust to commuting to and from school/work from my new house which was over an hour away by train. It was a crazy past few months, and I kept trying to force myself to read. Eventually, I had to re-learn how to enjoy reading, which made me not post as much. But I think this was my biggest bookish discovery, re-learning how to enjoy reading. Take a break if you need to, you will thank yourself.

Thanks for reading my albeit-late Top Ten Tuesday, and I hope you all have a good night.

Hidden: Rapunzel’s Story Review (Destined #2)

Zel is a mage with the Touch. If she touches someone, she can drain the life out of them. She has been under the control of an evil witch for years, and she can’t leave because the witch holds her True Name. Anything her mistress tells her to do, she has to do it. Every time she tries to escape she is caught and punished for it. When she isn’t trapped in her Tower, she is forced to murder people at her mistress’ demands.

When a man randomly climbs up to her tower, Zel knows she will be punished when he is found. But she just can’t force him to go away when he is willing to help her. No one has shown her kindness in years, but he wants to help her escape.

I have to be honest, I never felt much towards the Rapunzel story as a child. It was one of my least favorite tales, some girl up in a castle all her life and then BAM prince to take her away. I didn’t even like Tangled when it came out! But I definitely gained a fondness for the story after reading this retelling of the book.

Zel can take care of herself, and she would leave the castle if her mistress ever gave the chance. She has tried to escape multiple times, but she just can’t break free of her true name being used. The man who comes into her castle can help her create a plan to escape, but she still has to be the one to do it herself. She has to be able to build up the strength to fight back. She has to think of herself as worthy of being saved before she can save herself. Eventually, the man isn’t even helping her to escape much, but instead he is more like the princess in the castle, waiting for Zel to return from another one of her expeditions.

This book also explains a lot of the things that made Zel act the way she did in Fated. I never really understood why Zel was so scared of being caught at the bakery, but once you see her body count in Hidden, you know the danger. There are entire clans after Zel who would want to do to her family what she did to theirs, they do not care that Zel wasn’t even in control of her body as she killed people.

This book moved smoothly, and I was excited to keep reading as I was in the thick of it. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to Zel next, and I finished both books 2 and 3 in the same day while commuting to work! This Destined series will draw you in and will not let you go until you hear the stories of all these girls.

I would recommend this series to anyone looking for a new fairytale retelling series.

Overall Rating: 6 out of 5 books

Fanfiction Friday: Lvely Vmin

I haven’t done a Fanfiction Friday in a long time, but while I was in my reading slump, I was reading fanfiction and threadfics through Twitter almost daily. I was so inspired by some of these authors that I created a second Twitter in case I ever wrote threadfics of my own. The one author that kept me coming back was lvelyvmin or Em. She writes fanfiction mostly about Taehyung and Jimin of BTS, but she sometimes writes stories about the other members of BTS.

I love hybrid fics, but most fanfiction in this genre are just for wolf hybrids so that the stories can focus on heats and ruts. Em isn’t like this. She writes hybrid stories for different animals, and none of them really focus on the sexual sides of those animals, but instead focus on the sweet and unique characteristics of each species.

Along with writing threadfics on Twitter, she writes beautiful full-length Archive Of Our Own stories. She also makes AMAZING moodboards for almost all of her fics, big or small, and you can view them all in the master threads linked below. Here are my top 4 favorite fics of hers. If you want to view a full list of all her fics on Archive of Our Own, threadfics on Twitter, and story ideas, click here.

https://twitter.com/lvelyvmin/status/1205690778816782337

The bear hybrid universe that Lvelyvmin has created is beautiful. Tae is a bear hybrid, and he struggles to date as many people view him as “boring” during his hybernation. Jimin loves him for who he is, and is willing to learn everything about bear hybrids to support his boyfriend.

This master thread includes short stories about Vmin’s early relationship, and stories of them more established down the line. My favorite stories in this universe are about Vmin adopting other bear hybrid children. No one wants bear hybrid children in this world as they are considered to be burdens because of their hybernation. Vmin want to help as many children as they can fit in their family, as Taehyung knows what they need and how to take care of them.

https://twitter.com/lvelyvmin/status/1206046660331212801

Lvelyvmin’s panther hybrid universe is just as good as the bear universe. Jimin is the hybrid this time, and he is persecuted by society because he is a predator. The society views predators as being dangerous, so no one wants to be with them. Tae is a sweet human who loves Jimin for the sweet man he is. Jimin would never hurt anyone, and Tae is determined to prove that to people. He also has a son, who Jimin immediately falls in love with. They face prejudice from society as everyone thinks that Jimin shouldn’t be trusted around children. Whenever Jimin stars to feel down, Tae always reminds him of what a good father he is. The little mini stories included in this universe are amazing, I would definitely recommend that you read all the threads in the master thread linked above!

https://twitter.com/lvelyvmin/status/1206749174483558400

This adorable fic is actually on Archive of Our Own, and it is about Jimin, a makeup Youtuber, and his tattoo artist boyfriend. This was one of the first full-length fics that I read from lvelyvmin, and I loved it. The two are both artists and they fit each other perfectly, and I loved both fics written about these two characters. The first one I read was when Jimin was doing a “boyfriend does my makeup” challenge with Tae. Tae is a tattoo artist, but he is an artist nonetheless, and the entire video is just Jimin realizing how much his boyfriend really pays attention to and supports his makeup career. Definitely a must-read.

https://twitter.com/lvelyvmin/status/1189338748443594754

I love universes where someone is a supernatural being trying to protect their very human partner. Tae wants to make sure that Jimin isn’t actually hurt by the dangerous ghosts and demons around them, but he also wants to allow Jimin to keep his dreams of his supernatural show. So he has to toe the line between allowing Jimin to see “proof of supernatural beings” and scaring the real ghosts away. I hope that this au is expanded on even more, or maybe into a full fic, but we will see what happens!

Thanks for reading these recommendations, I hope you like Lvelyvmin’s stories as much as I did!

Fated: Cinderella’s Story Review (Destined #1)

Ella is the only non-mage in her household. Her stepmother Zel has to stay hidden because she is a powerful mage. She was under the control of someone who held her True Name and was forced to kill many with her powers in the past, so she has many enemies. Now that Zel has two twin daughters who are also mages, she has to make sure that she and her girls stay hidden. If Zel is arrested, the family will be torn apart. So Ella does all in her power to keep the bakery running to support her family. She is also studying at the Royal Academy to try to get a better job to move her family out of the small apartment at the bakery. A mage named Weslan shows up at the bakery looking for protection, and his staying at the bakery threatens Ella’s family’s safety. When a bomb goes off during her final exam and she is hurt, her chance for graduation goes out the window. Ella has to pick up the pieces of her life and find a new way to protect her family.

I have run this blog for 3 years now, and I have read countless fairytales and fairytale retellings throughout my entire life. Something just always draws me to these stories of love and fantasy. I can say, hands down, that this is the best fairy tale retelling series I have ever read. At first I was thinking it would be second only to Court of Thorns and Roses, but the other books in this series continued the fairy tale retelling theme, and it quickly bumped its way up to first place for that category.

Ella isn’t your typical Cinderalla. Zel isn’t cruel to her. She isn’t forced to work for her stepsisters. She does all the work that she does simply because she loves her family and would do anything for them. She wants to get a job by graduating from the Royal Academy so that they can live more comfortably. She would work every day that she lived if it meant that they were safe, and she wouldn’t let anyone get in between her and her family. This is what made her so admirable to me. Family came first, in everything, and she was willing to work hard to keep them safe, even if it stressed her out.

I would also say that this fairy tale retelling deviates some from the original story, which I enjoyed a lot. There is an entire story about Mages versus those with no powers. Those who hold the True names of mages can force them to do their bidding, which means that the Mage population is greatly oppressed in this world. This story is woven delicately in and out of the original Cinderella tale, to make a unique and powerful one of its own. This is what made it my favorite fairytale retelling of all time, and that’s how this book dragged me out of my reading slump.

This story flows perfectly from scene to scene. I don’t believe that the POV ever shifted from Ella, but if it did, it wasn’t confusing in any way and fit right into the rest of the story. There were no dead points in the story or characters that I found to be irritating, so everything made for a very pleasant read.

I won’t spoil anything else as this book was a quick read for me and I don’t want to give any major plot points away. I would recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy novels or who wants to read a fairytale retelling. This entire series is free through Kindle Unlimited, and book 6 is coming out this year, so I am extra excited to see what Kaylin Lee has in store!

Overall Rating: 6 out of 5 books

Webtoon Wednesday: My Deepest Secret Review

Warning: This review will have some mentions of animal abuse, so if this bothers you, I suggest that you don’t read this review or this Webtoon!

I typically don’t like Drama/Thriller Webcomics or Webtoons, but I found myself drawn to this one. Emma is a sweet girl who has a boyfriend named Elios. They met while working at a coffee shop and have been together for several months, but Emma is still too scared to get close to him. He is so handsome, everything he does makes her freeze up, but she loves being his girlfriend. Emma thinks that her boyfriend is perfect and could do no wrong. The readers see another side of Elios.

In the first episode, a stray cat pees on Emma’s shoes and grosses her out. Emma leaves to clean off her shoes in the shop, leaving Elios outside with the cat for a few minutes. As the two pass a trashcan, readers see the body of the cat laying next to the can, spattered in blood. I was totally not expecting this for the first episode, but this was how readers know that something is definitely not right with Elios.

This Webtoon will bounce back and forth between the POVs of Emma, another character that she meets in the beginning episodes, and a general POV that just gives more information about the story from no specific character’s viewpoint. There are some points in the story where you can see what Elios is doing, but there isn’t anything besides a few flashbacks that are actually from Elios’ POV so far. I’m expecting more of his POV to be in the next season, where things kick up a notch from the look of the cliffhanger.

The only complaint I have about this comic is that it seemed to be moving a bit slowly. We are 39 episodes in, and the author is currently on a break, but I don’t think that Emma thinks that anything is really off about Elios yet. Only a bit off, even though readers know he has done a lot of messed up things already. I also wish we knew a bit more about what happened to Emma when she was a child. We only have flashbacks of some sort of traumatic experience, but I feel like telling the full story of her childhood would greater enhance the reader’s understanding of why Elios has latched onto her so and why she feels so connected to him.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this Webtoon to anyone looking for a dramatic thriller with some horror elements.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 paintbrushes

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I actually don’t have ten books for this list, as I typically don’t usually anticipate books coming out. I always get surprised when new books come out, and I typically don’t find myself waiting for the next book of a big series! I also always have books to read, so I don’t really find myself waiting around for a specific book to come out. But I want to try to do all the TTTs for 2020, so here are my top 5 books that I am looking forward to reading this year!

1) House of Earth and Blood

I love Sarah J. Maas’ Court of Thorns and Roses series, and I don’t know when the next book in that spinoff series is coming out. While I was in the process of looking for the next ACOTAR book, I found out that Maas is going to be coming out with an entirely new series about Angels and Demons in March of this year! I personally haven’t finished the Throne of Glass series, so I hope to be able to finish those books and then pick this one up when it comes out. Read the synopsis by clicking the book cover!

---

2) The Chosen #2

I really do enjoy Taran Matharu’s books, and I was lucky enough to be on a blog tour for the first book of this series, The Chosen. I didn’t absolutely love The Chosen, but I definitely liked it a lot and I think that this series has a lot of potential. I can’t wait to see what book 3 has in store for Cade. Read the synopsis by clicking the book cover!

---

3) Masters’ Mistress

I read the prequel to the Angel Eyes series many months ago, and I absolutely loved it. These books do not romanticize slavery in any way, the men of this world are beaten and broken because they lost the war and have been abused by the women of the world for so long. Jake’s Redemption was an amazing read, I wasn’t expecting the prequel to be so fleshed out. I actually forgot that I was only reading a prequel to the main series after a while. Now, I am excited to see what will happen to rebellious Bret and kind Angel in the next book of this unique series. Read the synopsis by clicking the book cover!

---

4) The Damned

I loved The Wrath and the Dawn, but I haven’t finished that series yet. I loved Flame In The Mist, but I haven’t finished that series either even though I got Smoke In The Sun signed by Renée Ahdieh! I haven’t even STARTED The Beautiful yet, but I know that I am going to love it. Therefore, I know that I am already excited for The Damned to come out next year. Read the synopsis by clicking the book cover!

---

5) The Gilded Ones

This book I had no idea about until I started creating this list, but I am super excited for it. This book is about a 16 y/o girl named Deka who lives in fear of her blood ceremony. If she has red blood, she will become a member of her village. But on the day of her ceremony, her blood runs gold, and she will face the consequences of her impurity. Then she is offered a place in an army of girls who also have the “impure” blood, and so she has to leave the village she has always loved. I am actually going to try to get an advance copy of this book if it pops up on Netgalley, so wish me luck! Read the synopsis by clicking the book cover!

---

Thanks for reading my Top 5 picks for next year, which books are you anticipating?

Let It Be Me Review (Love Unexpected #1)

Megan has been a live-in nanny for Adam’s son Charlie for 5 years. She dreams of being a teacher, and she has been trying to find another job for years. When she finally gets the job she wants, she wants to help Adam make sure that Charlie has a good nanny. Someone who actually cares about him and won’t leave him again like his mother left him.

But Adam doesn’t think that a nanny is good enough, he wants a wife who will actually be committed to staying with him and his son. Now, Megan has to work as a matchmaker to find Adam a woman who will fit both him and his son. Adam thinks that he can just find a wife like a business transaction, a situation that will just be mutually convenient for both himself and the woman. Megan knows that in order for Charlie to have a good childhood, there needs to be love in the home. Now, she just has to prove to Adam that she is right.

I have read quite a few boss-employee romances before, but this one was extra special because there was a child involved. Charlie’s childhood was at stake here, as his dad couldn’t be there for him when he was overworking himself in his office job. Without a nanny, no one would be there to supervise and care for Charlie as he grew. Charlie was already feeling isolated because his dad was always busy with work; losing Megan would be devastating for him. Megan is hurt when Adam just wants to marry as a business transaction and not for love, so she could just try to set Adam up with anyone to hurt him. But instead, she actually cares and tries to find Adam a good match for Charlie’s sake.

The only thing that bothered me slightly about this book was how it woudld drag on and on sometimes. I would get tired of seeing Adam and Megan stuck in the same spot chapter after chapter. They could both tell their feelings for each other were real, but by the middle of the book they kept dancing around the subject. Eventually I just wanted them to either part ways or get together, as I didn’t think they wer a good match. Then things changed and I was back on the Alex x Megan train.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new adult family romance novel.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 books