Heir of Ashes by Jina S. Bazzar

Heir of Ashes – The Roxanne Fosch Files 01

Book Blurb:

At the age of twelve, Roxanne Fosch had a perfectly normal life.

By the time she was twenty-two, she was being hunted.

After being trapped for years within the clutches of the Paranormal Scientists Society, Roxanne escapes and embarks on the dangerous quest for the truth about her past. Soon, she discovers that she’s not human – and a rarity even among her Fae peers.

Hunted by PSS scientists keen to exploit her extraordinary abilities, and dangerous factions whose plans she cannot fathom, Roxanne realizes that everything she’s ever known is a lie.

Genre: Fantasy, urban fantasy

Level of romance: There’s a romantic subtext in Heir of Ashes, but the plot mostly focuses on Roxanne’s quest. From 1 to 5, with 5 being hot, I’d say Heir of Ashes get a 2.

Target audience: Young adult, new adult

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Heir–Ashes-Roxanne-Fosch-Files-ebook/dp/B07B1JBMCW/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42754035-heir-of-ashes

And here’s the link for the trilogy on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PB7FT4Z?

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly

Author: Jamie Pacton

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity:f/f relationship, mixed race couple, bi character, non-binary character

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (underage smoking, underage drinking, drug abuse TW, child abuse TW, language)

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Pages: 384

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Working as a wench ― i.e. waitress ― at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But the Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other wenches join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval―if they don’t get fired first.

Moxie meets A Knight’s Tale as Kit Sweetly slays sexism, bad bosses, and bad luck to become a knight at a medieval-themed restaurant.

Review: Holy cow I absolutely love this book! It was fast paced and absolutely amazing! The writing was well done; the author was able to convey so much with showing rather than telling, especially with Alex who is a non-binary character. The characters were all well developed and I loved the back stories and world building the author wrote into this book. I expected it to be a simple story with an over-arching romance, but the main focal point was the knighthood and I really appreciated that in this novel, especially one making a point about gender norms and feminism (which argues equality for all, not just those who identify as female). I also want to brag about the romance, which is mixed race (some people are still against that in 2020, isn’t that wild?) and is very sweet. Jett doesn’t come to the rescue of Kit. While he’s a help and he definitely aides Kit and the others, he doesn’t steal the show from Kit. That’s something I don’t see a lot in YA books, from either side, and I really appreciated this change in the norm. This book is definitely one of my faves of 2020! Great job Jamie Pacton!

The only issue I would say that I had is that sometimes the time jumps were a bit disjointed. 99% of them were separated by a little icon in the book to symbolize time breaks, but there was one or two in there that wasn’t and vice versa there were one or two times where the book was separated but it was the next action right before the “time jump”. Also, there were little plot points that were kinda swept under the rug. I wish that Kit had invited Jett and Layla into her house and I kinda wish that Len didn’t have a “redeeming” arc but meh that’s life, men get all the credit -_-.

Verdict: I highly recommend this read!

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book and then bought my own copy! Thanks! All opinions are my own!

 

Book: Dragon Pearl

 

Author: Yoon Ha Lee

 

Book Series: Standalone

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Diversity: This is Asian based!

 

Publication Date: January 15, 2019

 

Genre: MG Sci-Fi Fantasy

 

Recommended Age: 10+ (some violence and death, scary moments)

 

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

 

Pages: 312

 

Amazon Link

 

Synopsis: THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD MIN comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you’d never know it by looking at her. To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times.

Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.

When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.

Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.

 

Review: Overall, I really liked this book! It was parts fantasy and parts sci-fi! I loved the combo that Yoon Ha Lee came up with and it was fun to read! The characters were well developed and the writing was well done. The plot was also intriguing and kept me interested all throughout the book.

 

However, the book felt circular a bit. The pacing was slow and the characters repeated the same info multiple times. The book was a bit too simple for middle graders in my opinion, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The book just felt really slow and I kept wondering when we would get to the point. I also felt like we needed more world building.

 

Verdict: It was a good book, but had some slow moments.

Primal Instincts by Peter Gulgowski

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the author! Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Primal Instincts

Author: Peter Gulgowski

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: LGBT characters, m/m romance

Publication Date: May 8, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore, romance)

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 211

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Bred for entertainment, designed for war.

Nick Davis awoke in a facility with no recollection of how he got there. Memories of his life before this moment are few and blurred. Now, his survival depends on his ability to shapeshift into a wolf for a televised battle to the death known as The Primal Battle.

His prison—the Institute.

His directive—to be a ruthless hunter.

But where does humanity fit into the merging of science and media?

Desperate to unravel the mysteries of his past, Nick uncovers a sinister secret the Institute would kill to keep hidden. They think they know him down to the very code of his DNA, but true power lies in the unpredictability of freewill.

To survive the Institute, he must play their game. Yet Nick knows the cost may be too high. Can he fight the animalistic rage of his genetic programming to cling to the human roots he knows exist within him? Or will what’s left of his humanity be lost to the allure of violent chaos?

Review: The book was good overall. The characters were well developed and the world building was well done. The plot was intriguing and it kept me interested throughout the novel. I like the storyline overall. It’s unique and definitely for the Hunger Games and Red Rising lovers out there.

However, while I liked the LGBT representation I did feel like it was a bit forced. They weren’t the ideal match and their continued romance felt like it existed for the sake of existing. The ending was also rushed and very open ended, so possibly there’s another book in store but I’m not sure. I also didn’t like the slow pacing of the novel and I think the book could have pulled off a faster pace. Also, it’s a really short book. I think it could have been better if expanded.

Verdict: A good book!

Title: Primal Instincts
Author: Peter Gulgowski
Release Date: May 8th, 2020
Publisher: Self-Published

Genre(s): YOUNG ADULT FICTION–Dystopian, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Primal-Instincts-Peter-Gulgowski-ebook/dp/B085J2H2HX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31WIEWCM63WWH&dchild=1&keywords=primal+instincts+peter+gulgowski&qid=1588123568&sprefix=Primal+Instincts%2Caps%2C317&sr=8-1

Author Bio: Born in August of 1996, Peter Gulgowski was an avid reader from early on. Having always had a wild imagination, it only came naturally for Gulgowski to come up with imaginary worlds and the people who live within them. Having started writing novels at only fourteen-years-old, Gulgowski published his debut novel, ‘The Government’, at eighteen.
Now, at twenty-three, Peter Gulgowski continues to make a name for himself in young-adult fiction, writing across an entire spectrum of genres.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading, listening to music, cooking, and playing video games.

Links:
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15397371.Peter_Gulgowski
Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Gulgowski/e/B01HH8G0II/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Website – https://www.petergulgowski.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/petergulgowski/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/petergulgowski
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsgL-DSJ6VW5I0bXfeom0gA

MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE THE TOUR SCHEDULE AND/OR THE LINK TO THE TOUR SCHEDULE IN YOUR POST! https://bellesbookishtours.wordpress.com/2020/04/28/tour-schedule-primal-instincts/