Beauty and Beastly by Melani Karsak
This book was a little difficult for me to wrap my head around, but very enjoyable. It is set in the 1800's in England, however there are robots, or automatons as they are called. This is the first steampunk book I have read. This genre is a little out of my comfort zone. I did truly enjoy the retelling of the classic Beauty and The Beast. It was also a fairly easy read, I would recommend it to any young adult who like fairytale retellings or steampunk.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
I used this book for the PopSugar Challenge prompt A Novel Based on a Real Person. I had been watching a tv show called American Ripper on the History Channel and found my interest in Jack the Ripper peaked. I loved that this book had historical photos from the time period and locations of the Jack the Ripper killings. While this book was a fictional tale about a girl who works to solve the case of Jack the Ripper, I was impressed with the amount of fact that was included. This book really pulled me in, I look forward to reading more books by this author. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult books, or murder mysteries.
Whispers and the Roars by K. Webster
Wow, just wow. This was my first book of K. Webster's. I don't want to give too much away, but this book is absolutely amazing. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of research she put into this book to be able to portray her characters the way she did. Going in blind is best, so I am not going to put much more information in this review. This is a dark romance. It contains violence, strong sexual themes, and abuse. None of this is glossed over, so it could trigger some emotional distress in the reader. With my personal experiences I still found it enjoyable, and even comforting that a writer could write something that felt so real. The parts that were similar to my experiences were so well written that while they did trigger some memories, making it to the end of the book gave me hope. Given this I would recommend this for adults only, due to content. If you suffer from PTSD you probably shouldn't read it.
Stolen by Eden Winter
I enjoyed this short paranormal romance. An elf and a human stealing heavily guarded jewels for a vampire mafia. What's worse? The elf falls for one of the vampires. This story is very action packed and fast paced. I actually wish the author would have slowed it down a little, and made it a longer book. All in all it was a fun, if short, read.
Oasis: Origin Phase Cycle Book 3 by R.T.W. Lipkin
When I started this book I didn't think I was going to like it, let alone be able to finish it. But I gave it time and am glad I did. It turned out being a pretty good book. So many things happening at once. This book takes place in a dystopian future. Robots look and act like humans. While technology seems to have advanced, society and culture appears to have regressed, in my opinion. So while this book was not my normal cup of tea I did eventually find it interesting. I do not think I will look into the other books in this series. I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I used this book to fulfil the PopSugar Challenge prompt A Book Published in 2018.
Spirits, Stilettos, and a Silver Bustier by Deanna Chase
This was a fast paced book about a medium named Pyper. She is investigating 2 murders with the help of her friends Kane and Jade, and also a ghost named Julien. This book was fun to read. I mean how can you go wrong when murder, magic, ghosts and love are involved.
The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan
This book is set in a not so distant future, where a new ice age is upon us. This was quite possibly the first book I have read with a transgendered character. In this book we join Stella, her (his) mom Constance and Dylan. Dylan has recently lost his mom and grandma, and moved to the trailer park next door to Constance and Stella. This book follows them as they learn how to survive, and interact with each other as the weather gets colder and harsher. This book is amazingly well written. It offers insight to the mind of a transgendered teen, as well as her mother and someone who becomes a close friend. The characters are all wonderfully written and developed. I feel like while I don't see the climate change happening so dramatically in the short amount of time between now and the time period this book is set in, this book still helped open my eyes to some subjects that I was not well educated on.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Such an amazing story. This book is full of adventures. I loved following first Atreyu then Bastian on their adventures through Fantastica. There are lessons to be learned, and adventures to be had in the The Neverending Story. A great book for any age. If you enjoyed the movie you will love this book.
The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright
This book was amazing. I loved following Ivy's search for the truth in the past, while also following Kaine's search for the truth in the present. Both searching for answers to the same mystery. It was intriguing, and exciting. So hard to put down. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
This book joins two cancer patients as the fall in love. They enjoy the journey of life together, learning to make the most of what they have. This book is heart breaking, it is beautiful, it is a must read. If you have seen the movie, the book is so much better. You will cry, you will laugh, you will get mad. All of those emotions help to make this and incredible book.