The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C.J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1)  by C.J. Redwine

Release Date: February 16, 2016

Publisher: Balzer And Bray

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 400

Summary:  Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

My Thoughts:  I really liked this one a lot. It did take me a little bit to get into it but once I did I was hooked. It probably really took me until about page 50 or so to be fully engrossed.

We are introduced to Lorelai who has been on the run. With her brother, and another guy; a mentor of sorts. She is heir to a kingdom but everybody thinks she is dead and it’s the only way she’s been kept safe all these years. However, Lorelai is ready to take back her kingdom and start standing up to the person who's in charge right now. She’s stronger than ever and growing into a nice young women.  

We also meet Kol. Kol is a special kind of person or is he really a person? I loved that part of the story. And he’s sent to kill Lorelai. Talk about awkward. But the chemistry between them, whoa.

So much stinking awesomeness happen in this one. I don’t even really know where to start this review. I really don’t. I really loved the plot. I loved how it took place. I loved how it was constantly moving around.  I loved ALL the characters, even the ones to hate. They made it pretty easy to hate. I liked all the side characters such as Kol’s friends.

I really did enjoy this one but I don’t want to give away spoilers. I don’t want this one to be ruined. I highly suggest this one if you like action!

Overall:  Liked it!  She is badass and he is pretty dang hot! And the plot didn’t hurt either!

Cover: Love it! I’d definitely pick it up if I saw it in a store!

What I’d Give It:

Reign Of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign Of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304

Summary: Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.    

My Thoughts:  Oh man, I wasn’t sure what to think before I read this one. I had read a lot of good reviews so I was expecting a lot but I was afraid that wouldn’t happen.

But, wow Reign Of Shadows hooked me from the very first page.  WOWZERS!

We are introduced to Luna who has lived in a castle most of her life with another man and women. A man and women older than her but not her actual parents. They have raised her and looked out for her. All they want is her to be safe.  I really liked both of them!

Luna’s world is pretty unique. Most of the day is dark so Luna isn’t outside very much. The world building in this one is so neat. I loved it! Reading all the different details were so unique.

Luna has a very strict life. She’s not allowed outside very much. She’s not allowed to do much but to help with the daily chores and to make sure she stays alive. She’s also learned how to fight and keep herself safe.

One day, Luna is outside and meets two boys and a girl. The one who stuck out the most was Fowler.  Oh Fowler! He was the strong and silent type. Fowler was such a good character. He was funny, witty, but also very stubborn. I instantly fell in love with him and stayed in love with him throughout the whole book. I loved him!

Honestly, I laughed so many times during this one and gasped a lot of the rest of the time. There were so many twists and turns. Wow.  And even a few tears!

Overall: The first few books I read this year were just so-so. But I hope my reading year is more like this book! Exciting and enthralling. I want to say a lot more about this one but I don’t want to give away everything and this one was so good to me! I loved this one so much!

Cover:  Love it! I like the colors! It fits.

What I’d Give It:

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Publisher:Disney-Hyperion

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Summary:  Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.

When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world--and each other--the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe..

My Thoughts:  I really liked Starflight a lot! I think I liked this one more than Landers other series!

We are introduced to Solara and Doran. Both come from different social worlds. Solara has always had it rough while Doran was pretty much rich. They get thrown into each other’s lifes pretty fast. Man, they had such chemistry, I loved it. Even though they bickered a lot I could sense the tension.

Doran picks Solara to go on board with him but the tables get turned a month later when Solara uses a device on him to make him forget who he was for a little while and the tables are turned.

Gosh, I want to write a lot about this one but it’s another one where I feel like I’ll just give you spoilers.

I loved the plot and I loved all the characters once again. That’s the problem. I want to to tell you all their stories but I feel like this is one where I want to keep my lips sealed and let you find out for yourself. It was so freaking good.

I’m just going to tell you to pick it up when it’s released. It was amazing and I loved all of it! I loved the pirates even!

Overall: Doran= HOT! Solara=Badass! Loved this!

Cover: Not sure if I saw the final cover or not! But the black with the yellow is cute as well!

What I’d Give It:

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Age Group:  Young Adult

Pages: 368  

Summary:    For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.

When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.

Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

My Thoughts: My first debut of 2016, even though I read it in 2015. And, I liked it. It was weird!

We are introduced to Breezy who is on the run from home. Well technically, nobody is missing her since she’s already dead. Breezy was murdered and not even her family knows she came back alive (or kind of) and is out wandering the world. Breezy is kind of like a zombie (or at least to me) but not a bad zombie. Breezy can also sense if someone is a killer. And this has helped her so far.

Breezy runs into another girl and becomes friends with her. The other girl is a supernatural too. Actually, really she runs into a lot of them. She meets a boy named Zeke who is also a ghoul. I really liked Zeke (and even his brother Jake). Zeke was always there for Breezy when she needed him even though he didn’t know her really well.

I just love the name Breezy and I think this was a wonderful world to dive into. I think the world building was probably the best part of the novel. I never knew what would happen next or what we would find out was real and what wasn’t.

I think this could be a wonderful series and even though I felt like not much happened in this one, a lot did to set it up for a series if it goes that way.

Overall:  This one was a bit weird for me but I still enjoyed it. I liked finding out more about ghouls and more about all the other things that did exist. I also liked that Breezy could sense things and she knew usually who to trust and who not too.  I’d say this is probably a 3.5 cupcake rating or maybe even a 4.  I generally don’t read much horror so this was a good change for me.

Shallow Graves was extremely creepy and I don’t read much horror! Extremely creepy!!

Cover:  Like it! It would spark my interest.

What I’d Give It:

Burn (Four Sisters #2) by Elissa Sussman

Burn (Four Sisters #2) by Elissa Sussman

Release Date: January 19, 2016

Publisher:  Greenwillow Books

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272

Summary:   After helping to rescue Princess Aislynn, Elanor has finally rejoined the rebel camp she calls home. Stolen from her parents at a young age and forced into service by the Wicked Queen, Elanor now wants nothing more than to see the queen removed from power. But Elanor has secrets, mistakes she’s spent years trying to forget, and the closer the rebels get to the throne, the harder it is for Elanor to keep her past hidden away.

With fellow rebels on her side—including Princess Aislynn, Thackery, and the handsome and mysterious Matthias—it is time for Elanor to make a decision. Will she protect her secrets? Or risk everything to save the people she loves?

The thrilling companion to Elissa Sussman’s masterful and original fairy tale, Stray, that will appeal to readers of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and fans of Wicked, Into the Woods, and the Disney princess movies.

My Thoughts:  I debated between giving this one a 3 or 4 cupcake rating. I liked it but I didn’t like it as much as the first one, Stray.

We are reintroduced to Elanor. You may remember her vaguely from Stray. When I started this one I didn’t know it was more of a companion than a sequel, but I still liked it.

Well, Elanor is out to make the world a better place and to force Josetta out of rule just like many others. She’s a great fighter and a true leader. We also meet a new boy named Matthias. I was so happy once he became a big part of the story. The first part of the book he isn’t really around very much. I just loved his personality and the way he talked.  

I also loved the secondary characters. So many of them I just enjoyed the time with.

I really liked Elanor as a character. She was brave but also really nice. She stood up for herself a lot now! She has gotten really strong!

Overall:  I liked this one! I think I did like Stray a little bit more but I enjoyed Burn as well. I want to know more about Mathias! I really liked him!

Cover: Like it! Its pretty!

What I’d Give It: