THE STEEP & THORNY WAY/WINK POPPY MIDNIGHT/UNICORN TRACKS

The Steep & Thorny Way

by Cat Winters

From Goodreads:


Scene: Oregon, 1923. Dramatis personae: Hanalee Denney, daughter of a white woman and an African American man Hank Denney, her father—a ghost Greta Koning, Hanalee’s mother Clyde Koning, doctor who treated Hank Denney the night he died, now Hanalee’s stepfather Joe Adder, teenage boy convicted of accidentally killing Hank Denney Members of the Ku Klux Klan Townspeople of Elston, Oregon Question: Was Hank Denney’s death an accident…or was it murder most foul?


What I thought:

The writing is beautiful. The story is brilliantly crafted. I loved everything about the book. The setting was a character in itself. The friendships were perfectly drawn. Really, I have only nice things to say. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who likes YA and adult novels.

My Rating: *****

Find it on Goodreads.

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Wink Poppy Midnight

by April Genevieve Tucholke

From Goodreads:

Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.

What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.

What I thought:

I loved this book. I have so many feelings but can't put them into words without giving spoilers. Ugh! Love the multi-POVs. Short chapters kept the action moving. Love the WTF atmosphere. Overall just yes, read this book. 

My Rating: ***** 

Find it on Goodreads.

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Unicorn Tracks

by Julia Ember

From Goodreads:

After a savage attack drives her from her home, sixteen-year-old Mnemba finds a place in her cousin Tumelo’s successful safari business, where she quickly excels as a guide. Surrounding herself with nature and the mystical animals inhabiting the savannah not only allows Mnemba’s tracking skills to shine, it helps her to hide from the terrible memories that haunt her.

Mnemba is employed to guide Mr. Harving and his daughter, Kara, through the wilderness as they study unicorns. The young women are drawn to each other, despite that fact that Kara is betrothed. During their research, they discover a conspiracy by a group of poachers to capture the Unicorns and exploit their supernatural strength to build a railway. Together, they must find a way to protect the creatures Kara adores while resisting the love they know they can never indulge.


What I thought:

Fell in love with the characters here and fantastic world building. Mnemba's story was touching and I loved the relationship between her and Kara. I wanted them to make better decisions regarding putting themselves into danger, and there was a moment or two that left me shaking my head, but, for the most part, I was swept away by this story and definitely recommend it.

My Rating: ****


Find it on Goodreads.

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That's all for now. Follow me to catch all my reviews and giveaways and drop me a comment to let me know what you think. You can find me on twitter @chellypike.


Happy Reading,

Chelly

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RATING SCALE:



5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you.

4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book.

3* = Good. I liked it. Go ahead and touch it. 

2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect.

1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

Waiting on Wednesday! A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING by Jessica Cluess

A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire #1)

by Jessica Cluess

From Goodreads

I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she's brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city—and the one she loves?

"Unputdownable. I loved the monsters, the magic, and the teen warriors who are their world's best hope! Jessica Cluess is an awesome storyteller!" 
—Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author

"A fun, inventive fantasy. I totally have a book crush on Rook." 
—Sarah Rees Brennan, New York Times bestselling author

"Pure enchantment. I love how Cluess turned the 'chosen one' archetype on its head. With the emotional intensity of my favorite fantasy books, this is the kind of story that makes you forget yourself." 
—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

"A glorious, fast-paced romp of an adventure. Jessica Cluess has built her story out of my favorite ingredients: sorcery, demons, romance, and danger."
—Kelly Link, author of Pretty Monsters

This book has been on my radar for some time now and I can't wait to get my hands on it. The release date is Sept. 20th. which is getting closer. Yay! Anyone else dying to read this one? 

Find it on Goodreads for links to preorder! 

Happy reading,

Chelly

NEVERNIGHT by Jay Kristoff

Nevernight (The Nevernight 

Chronicle #1)

by Jay Kristoff

From Goodreads:

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, a sixteen year old Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic — the Red Church. Treachery and trials await her with the Church’s halls, and to fail is to die. But if she survives to initiation, Mia will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the only thing she desires.

Revenge. 

What I thought:

This is one of those books that people seem to LOVE LOVE LOVE or HATE with a thousand burning suns (or maybe just three). *Shrugs* I fall into the LOVE camp, but there is something to be said for the latter. Mainly, some of those DNF reviews are hilarious. Some are actually in the voice of the book's narrator, which, again, hilarious. But it also tells me the book spoke to them...just not in a way they liked.

Ahem.

The beginning is a little tricky. Time-shifty and complicated.  The reader is tossed right in; left to sink or swim. I like complicated. I like dark. This book is both. I read it at a slower pace than my normal. First, because I wanted to savor it. Second, so I didn't miss anything. As far as pacing, the book really picks up about a third of the way through and hauls ass until the end. 

The story is clever and so well done. It's vivid and gory in a delightful way. Did I mention it's dark? Yep, dark. The voice here is fabulous. Like, I fell in love from the first page. There's a large cast of characters and they are all unique and fully fleshed. I had an "aha" moment about 75% of the way through, where I knew what was going to happen next, though it made it no less enjoyable when it actually happened. 

But, holy shit, I did not see that ending coming. At all. Late in the story, some of the...happenings (no spoilers here) felt a tiny bit too anticlimactic, which stifled some of the feels I might've had in the feels department. Of course, I don't know if the finished version changed anything. Overall, I'm 100% on-board with this series and can't wait to see where it goes.

I give it 5 ***** glowing stars, because I will definitely read it again. I loved it so much, I pre-ordered a copy for my bookshelf so I can pet it. (Don't judge me.) This is not a YA book. YA protagonist, yes. YA content, not so much. It's dark and not for the faint of heart, but if that's your thing, you need this book in your life. If you're not sure if dark and complicated is your thing, start with this book. 

Find more reviews and links to buy on Goodreads. And leave me a comment, tell me what you think. 

Happy reading,
Chelly
@chellypike

*I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  

RATING SCALE:

5* = OMFG loved it. Will read it again. Touch my book and I will cut you.
4* = Really good. Highly recommend. Miiiight reread. Maybe. Don't touch my book.
3* = Good. I liked it. 
2* = Not for me, finished but struggled. Didn't connect.
1* = DNF. Couldn't do it.

THE CASQUETTE GIRLS by Alys Arden

The Casquette Girls (The Casquette Girls #1)

by Alys Arden

From Goodreads

Seven girls tied by time.
Five powers that bind.
One curse to lock the horror away.
One attic to keep the monsters at bay.

After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal. But with home resembling a war zone, a parish-wide curfew, and mysterious new faces lurking in the abandoned French Quarter, normal needs a new definition.

As the city murder rate soars, Adele finds herself tangled in a web of magic that weaves back to her own ancestors. Caught in a hurricane of myths and monsters, who can she trust when everyone has a secret and keeping them can mean life or death? Unless . . . you’re immortal. 

My Review

Let me preface this by saying that I'm very hesitant to read anything set in New Orleans. Very hesitant. I've been burned before. People who write New Orleans who've never lived here tend to get sooooo much wrong that it's painful to read. 

Alys Arden is not one of those writers. She gets everything right. 

I found THE CASQUETTE GIRLS by accident. B&N had their book fair and some of their events were sort of advertised and some weren't mentioned online at all. I got there early for an advertised event (which never ever happens) and Alys Arden was doing a talk/book signing. Kismet. Fate. I'd say karma, but that'd take me in the wrong direction. Ahem.

New Orleans is beautifully done. Post-storm New Orleans at that. I could've read this for the setting alone, but, sigh, the characters... The first quarter, maybe less, of the story has a lot of character development and setting, with snippets of intrigue and a nice slow-build on the fantasy elements. We get to know Adele as she gets adjusted to post-storm living. Things start a little slowly, but when they pick up, OMG, they pick up. I lost sleep. Plenty of sleep. And I don't regret it.

This story feels so true to New Orleans, and the characters are so alive that I found myself comparing them to actual people. Even secondary characters. They are so lifelike it feels like she plucked the off the sidewalk and stuffed them between the pages. I love how she weaves history with fiction to create such a rich, nuanced story. I am DYING for the next book in this series, THE ROMEO CATCHERS, and highly recommend this book, especially to those who love YA, fantasy, and New Orleans. 

Find links to buy and more reviews on Goodreads.

Follow my blog for more reviews and let me know what you think. What are you reading? What's your most anticipated book of 2016? 2017? Give me a book recommendation. Find me on twitter @chellypike. 

Happy Reading,

Chelly

The Matchmakers of Minnow Bay

by Kelly Harms

From Goodreads:

A young painter, Lily has reached a crossroads in her life. Her career hasn't taken off, her best friend may no longer be the trusted friend she thought, her boyfriend is a disappointment, and now she can't keep up with the rising cost of living in the city. With no one to turn to, Lily is forced to move from her beloved apartment, but while packing she comes across a piece of mail that had slipped to the back of her junk drawer: a letter detailing further action needed to finalize the annulment of a quickie Vegas wedding. Ten years ago!

Lily decides it's time to turn over a new leaf and the first item on her list of things to fix is getting the annulment... but you can't just send a reply ten years later, "Hey by the way we are still married." This is something that must be addressed in person. Lily takes to the road to track down her husband - the charming, fun, and sexy man she connected with all those years ago - Ben Hutchinson.

Ben Hutchinson left a wealthy dot-com lifestyle behind to return home to his family and the small town he loves, Minnow Bay. He's been living off the grid and the last thing he expects is a wife he didn't know he had to show up on his doorstep.

By chance, Lily arrives at the magical Minnow Bay Inn, and there she will discover not just a place to lay her head, but new friends, a thriving art community, and maybe even the love of her life.

What I thought:

This is not a genre I usually read and now I'm wondering why this isn't a genre I usually read. The big picture items here are art and small towns, of which I know very little, but I was sucked into this story about old friends and new friends and learning who to trust and who to forgive. I love Lily. We have nothing in common but I connected with her because she's so alive on the page. The second-chance-at-love trope is one of my favorites, only after the enemies-to-lovers trope, which this story sort of...straddles. Ahem. Very well done and I highly recommend it. It's five stars for me. *****


Find more reviews and links on Goodreads.

Follow my page for more reviews and let me know what you think. What are you reading? What's your most anticipated book of 2016? 2017?

***WRITERS!!! I have a monthly GIVEAWAY. Winner gets a free 25 page critique. To enter, just leave a comment on any blog posted during the month and I'll choose 1 winner from all the comments. ***

Happy reading,
Chelly
@chellypike

*I received an eARC copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley

Waiting on Wednesday: THE READER by Traci Chee

Waiting on Wednesday:

The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold #1)

by Traci Chee

Expected publication: September 13th 2016 by Putnam

From Goodreads:

Sefia knows what it means to survive. After her father is brutally murdered, she flees into the wilderness with her aunt Nin, who teaches her to hunt, track, and steal. But when Nin is kidnapped, leaving Sefia completely alone, none of her survival skills can help her discover where Nin’s been taken, or if she’s even alive. The only clue to both her aunt’s disappearance and her father’s murder is the odd rectangular object her father left behind, an object she comes to realize is a book—a marvelous item unheard of in her otherwise illiterate society. With the help of this book, and the aid of a mysterious stranger with dark secrets of his own, Sefia sets out to rescue her aunt and find out what really happened the day her father was killed—and punish the people responsible. 




Anyone else dying to read this one? What else is on your list of must-have-this-now books?

Happy reading,
Chelly

AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White

And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1)

by Kiersten White 

Goodreads Blurb:

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken. 

What I thought:

The story starts at the very beginning with Lada's birth. Then her brother Radu is born a year later. We skip ahead four years. Lada is 5 and Radu is 4. Their father is scheming for political gain, barely noticing them. He's absent most of the time and their mother leaves. Raised by the nursemaid, Lada is allowed to run free and we see the girl she's becoming. We skip ahead another six years. Lada is 11 and Radu is 10. 

Following an infant from birth to age 11 should be tedious, but OMG it isn't. The writing here is fabulous, visual and dynamic, with not a word out of place. 

Lada is a daughter instead of son in a world where men have all the power and women are items to be traded. Lada knows her place and refuses to accept it. She fights for everything a daughter can't have, and I love her.  I am a huge sucker for the anti-hero and Lada has that in spades. She is a fighter. She's dark and surprising and she knows what she wants.

Her brother Radu is everything she isn't: pretty, gentle, soft-spoken, and emotional. But they're both vulnerable, which is why this is such a powerful story. The first half of this book is character-driven and the second half is plot-driven, which I think is absolutely necessary here. First, given Lada's nature, we need to know why she is the way she is in order to feel for her. Second, without seeing the process, the end results would be unbelievable. 

And the ending! OMG the ending. I need the next book right now. I loved this book from cover to cover and give it five dark stars. 

Find it on Goodreads for more reviews and links to buy.  Find me on Twitter @chellypike. I love comments.  Are you dying to read AND I DARKEN? What's your most anticipated book of 2016?

Also, for a chance to win 3 shiny new books, enter my June Giveaway here.


Happy Reading,

Chelly

*I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.