Every Heart a Doorway by, Seanan McGuire

                          

2.5 Stars Well peeps.... this was not my favorite... while it was creative, diverse, inventive...and a little entertaining, MEH- just not my cup of tea. It was very weird and kind of confusing at times. In saying that, I am willing to try the next in the series because I heard it was better than this one. Plus, the one thing this book did have going for it, was that it was extremely short. First of all... the writing was nice but... I still don't know exactly who was telling the story and that was pretty annoying. When told from multiple POVS, knowing the narrator would be great. Secondly, I felt like with multiple people getting murdered there was no depth to the people reacting to said deaths. The living characters were just like OH... such n such is dead, NO EMOTION and they were supposedly close to these people?!? WTH?? INSERT weirdness here. I just didn't get it. There were other things that just were OVER the top and in my opinion unnecessary. The only character that was interesting was the first to die. The murderer was way too obvious and so where is the fun in that? THEN- there was that moment that Chronicles of Narnia was mentioned and DISSED…. ... NO THANKS- MAJOR POINTS off for that.

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

3.75 stars
“I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred, and this is the tale of a blood feud. It is a tale of how I will take from my enemy what the law says is mine. And it is the tale of a woman and of her father, a king. He was my king and all that I have I owe to him. The food that I eat, the hall where I live, and the swords of my men, all came from Alfred, my king, who hated me.”

HELLO Uhtred.....



I'm not the biggest fan of Historical Fiction books. I had interest in the TV Show and wanted to read the book first. I powered through the first half of this one, by Part 2, the book was redeemed since the pace picked up. Also, I think, since by the second half, Uhtred was getting older, he had a lot more going on, therefore, making him WAY more interesting . There were LOTS of blood and battle scenes- which were done fabulously.



I think I would have enjoyed this one even more if the characters, besides Uhtred and Ragnar, had more depth to them. I needed a little bit more of something and I just cant put my finger on it. I really enjoyed following Uhtreds story though, and I will probably give book 2 a go later on. Although, I will admit- the ending made me want to pick it up sooner than later. I will say- regardless of my personal attention span- Bernard Cornwell is an Epic Story teller and Author. I am not giving up on him just yet!

Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars!!

Dark Epic Fantasy- Engaging from the start!

I was not sure when I added this to my TBR what to expect. I did not read the Powder Mage series so this was my first Brian McClellan Novel. It sounded pretty interesting- so when I opened the book to start, I was pleasantly surprised from the very first page. Starting out with a bang- literally from the prologue- This book took a hold of my attention and immediately, I was invested.

The world building was amazing and the characters are top notch. They are so skillfully crafted, and extremely dynamic, that the characters almost felt like I actually knew these people, or they were like family. They all have very distinct personalities that were very interesting and engaging. One of my favorite Characters was Ben Stykes and I am pretty sure he is making my list of top fantasy character favorites !

The pace of he book moves along perfectly and is continuously changing from one event to the next. With a unique magic system and full of twists and turns this one should keep readers on their toes. I'm totally looking forward to jumping back in this world with these characters in the rest of the series!

Gemina by, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

                         

4 Stars!!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Will someone give these authors a ◼️ lollipop 🍭??!!! Once again... story, characters, the format... ◼️ing BRILLIANT. These books are one of a kind and I love it!

Consumed by JR Ward

3.5 Stars!!!
“The strong do not wallow. They move forward.”

A book about Firefighters.... Say what..?!?!?! Count me in...


This was my first J.R. Ward book. I came across the free prequel on my kindle and was immediately hooked. I couldn't wait to finish it! It started out with a BANG and so action packed.


BUT.... here's the thing- I really enjoyed the story overall, but for me, the climax of the book took place so far in the beginning that it kind of lost some of its mojo along the way. Its like the most exciting thing happens and then after, everyone gets depressed and what initially drew me in - was no longer present. I get that the main theme of this book was romance and overcoming hardships, but I guess I was hoping it would be more about romance while putting out fires. That wasn't really the case, it ended up being more of a mystery. So... yeah it wasn't totally what I was expecting but, its ok! It worked and still was an enjoyable read.

The Conspiracy of Us by, Maggie Hall

                                

4 Stars!! Did somebody say Conspiracy??? I really liked this one!! I went into it not having a clue what it was about. I honestly saw the word CONSPIRACY and was sold. I may like to put on my shiny hat from time to time..... The Conspiracy of Us was such a great mix of so many of my favorite themes. You got a girl who has grown up her whole life having to move around a ton- but everything she has been told about her life.... may be a lie. She goes on a quest to find out who she is and it turns into sort of a treasure hunt- so kinda has some National Treasure vibes . There is a lot of action and the pacing is just fantastic. You never really have time to be bored. There is a little romance - oooh la laaa and History!! Ancient Civilizations and Secret Societies.... I mean come on... what else could a bookworm ask for??? I really enjoyed all the mystery and the thrill of finding out new information. The MC is very likable and you cant help but want to jump in the book and try to help her find out more about herself. I was honestly surprised that more people haven't read this series. I saw some people compare it to Gossip Girl and I honestly wouldn't go that far... its not super dramatic... I think it was written fabulously and it holds its own. I really hope the rest of the series continues at the same pace and it stays exciting! So if you are looking for a good mystery filled with history-romance-conspiracy-and action... You should totally try this one!

Map of Fates by, Maggie Hall

4 Stars!!
"It's seductive, being wanted," he said. "Its what makes us less careful."

First of all... that ending.

WHAT IS HAPPENING>?!?!?

Second of all... book 2 was just as exciting and entertaining, if not more, than book 1. Look these books aren't talked about a whole lot. They aren't like SUPER AMAZING but they are SUPER FUN. I like a good mystery and something that keeps me guessing the whole time. I enjoyed the plot twists and the story change ups. The characters are highly entertaining and maybe I'm the only National Treasure/Conspiracy geek out there...


but I'm doubting it. Just sayin' If you're down with NT you'll be down with these books :P

And lastly- My heart went through some issues this go round.... My precious feelings were on the line a lot of times in this one and I need closure... which I am hoping the author does a great job of in the next book!