Shadowscent by P.M. Freestone

November 4, 2019February 2, 2020Leave a comment

Shadowscent

Author: P. M. Freestone
Series: Shadowscent #1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Across the Aramtesh Empire, scent is everything. Prayers only reach heaven on sacred incense, and perfumes are prized status symbols. 17-year-old Rakel has an uncanny ability with fragrances, but her skills aren’t enough to buy her dying father more time.

Ash bears the tattoos of an imperial bodyguard. When his prince, Nisai, insists on a diplomatic mission to an outer province, Ash is duty-bound to join the caravan. It’s a nightmare protecting Nisai on the road. But it’s even harder for Ash to conceal a secret that could see him exiled or executed.

Rakel and Ash have nothing in common until smoke draws them to a field of the Empire’s rarest flower. Nisai’s been poisoned, flames devour the priceless blooms, and the pair have “suspect” clinging to them like a bad stench. Their futures depend on them working together to decipher clues, defy dangers and defeat their own demons in a race to source an antidote . . . before the imperial army hunts them down.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I picked up an ARC at BookCon 2019 because the premise sounded interesting. I had mild expectations but it blew me away. It’s equal parts mystery and fantasy. I don’t think I’ve read a book that focused so much on scents before. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the descriptions of scents, but I quickly learned which ones were really important.

This book focuses on two characters. Rakel is on the run because she’s being falsely accused of attempting to kill the prince, Nisai, and the only way to save her and her father’s lives is to find an antidote to a poison she didn’t create. Ash is the Prince’s Shield and has sworn upon his life to protect Nisai. He has to determine if his duty to protect the prince means he stays put as the commander orders, or if he must run (and look guilty) to find an antidote. He chooses to run because that’s the only way to help the prince.

I liked Rakel right away. She was making tough decisions and doing what she needed to do in order to save her father from the Rot, a disease that slowly consumes the person affected. She’s determined and confident. She knows she’s one of the best and she’s not afraid to prove it. She puts everything on the line to prove she’s the best and get a good job to send money and medicine back to her father.

Ash has a mysterious background that gets brought up a few times until the reveal at the end. I enjoyed how he had to decide on how best to protect Nisai. He’s sworn to protect him and will lose his life if he fails. Nisai was poisoned and it seemed like nobody was looking for the antidote so Ash decides it’s his duty to go find the girl and discover what she knows. Unfortunately for him, Rakel doesn’t know much and only had advice from a mysterious person who told her to find a place that doesn’t exist if she wants to save the prince. With no other option, the two journey together. Obviously, they don’t really trust each other but Rakel pushes forward since this is her only chance to prove she’s innocent and to save her father.

I didn’t like how the book ended. It was wrapping up nicely but so many things were revealed and the last line is almost along the lines of “ok, let’s get started.” But we just finished! I generally don’t like when books end in a way that means the characters are going to take an immediate action. Regardless, this book surprised me and I really enjoyed it. I’m excited for the sequel.

The Rise of Kyoshi

October 7, 2019February 2, 2020Leave a comment

The Rise of Kyoshi

Author: F.C. Yee
Series: The Rise of Kyoshi, book 1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

F. C. Yee’s The Rise of Kyoshi delves into the story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom–born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world’s history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. The first of two novels based on Kyoshi, The Rise of Kyoshi maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I picked up this book because I love Avatar the Last Airbender. I know who Kyoshi is…or I thought I did. Being a sequel, I thought I knew what would happen. I didn’t. Kyoshi’s life does not follow the “normal” life of an Avatar. I love this book so much and was surprised several times. So much for thinking this was an easy read to just get background info on a character I thought I knew.

I loved the different personalities (especially the ones who clashed!) and their development as the story progressed. Things wrapped up well for most characters and I’m really excited for the next book. I highly recommend this book for fans of Avatar and for those who have never watched an episode. The history of the Avatar and the reincarnation is explained well so anybody who hasn’t seen an episode can also enjoy the story.

There are minor spoilers ahead (all happen really early in the story, but stop reading if you want all the surprises as you read).

We meet Kyoshi as a young child then again when she’s a young adult working at the Avatar mansion. The last Avatar died and his Team Avatar promised to find and train the new Avatar and do better (Avatar Kuruk died young). Problem is, they can’t identify the next Avatar. A while after Avatar Kuruk dies, they declare they’ve found the new Avatar. There are lots of twists and reveals as you go through the story, but you also get to know Kyoshi as a person, not just as the Avatar.

Kyoshi was abandoned and lived on her own in the Earth Kingdom, with only a chest with a few objects from her parents. She is despised by the locals but makes friends with a few who also work in the Avatar mansion. She doesn’t fight back when challenged by other kids, which upsets her best friend, Rangi, daughter of the Avatar’s firebending master.

I really enjoyed watching Kyoshi go from a frightened, orphaned girl, to learning who she is, to deciding how much she’s willing to let her personal feelings determine her path.

I still want to know more about Kyoshi’s parents – why they left her, why the chest, what significance do the items have, where did the items come from? I hope these are answered in the next book since I feel it was not explained well in this one, but maybe they aren’t that important. I really want to know why her parents left her. Did they know she was the Avatar and couldn’t be with them because of their chosen lifestyle? (I’m assuming this if I don’t get additional answers since they are described as caring about family above all else, but they abandoned her.)

Nemesis by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge

September 9, 2019February 2, 2020Leave a comment

Nemesis

Author: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Series: Circuit Fae #4
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

What would you do if your beloved girlfriend suddenly became your worst enemy? That dilemma’s all too real for Syl Skye.

As the last princess of the fair Fae, Syl is all things brightness and sun and white flame. But even though she’s Summer incarnate, she’s drawn to Rouen Rivoche, the dark Fae princess-assassin of the Winter Court.

They should be mortal enemies, but they’re best friends. Girlfriends. In love.

That is, until an old enemy puts Roue under a dark spell that makes her forget all about Syl, their lives and their love. Now Roue rules Dark Faerie as a cruel and cold Queen, and she wants nothing more than to destroy Syl and her fair Fae people.

Worse, both opposing Faerie realms stand on the brink of utter destruction, and only their queens, Syl and Rouen, can save them—and only if they can put their differences aside for two seconds and fight together as allies.

But how can you fight against an enemy when your true nemesis is on your team?

View on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Spoiler warning: this review contains minor spoilers for the series, but none for this specific book. If you’ve read this far in the series, you’re good to go.

Every book in this series gets better, and Nemesis is no exception. I discovered this series right before Inimical (book 3) released. If you’ve read this far in the series, you know that is the WORST one to end on because of what happens to Rouen. It was painful waiting for an entire year for the next main installment after reading 1 – 3 back to back. I’m so excited Nemesis is here and we can finally save Rouen! (I hope!)

Nemesis is shorter than the other books in the series but so much happens! There’s lots of action and tension since, you know, Dark Rouen wants to eliminate Syl and take over all of Faerie. Do yourself a favor and read it in one sitting. Don’t get to about 50 pages from the end and have to go to bed so you can go to work because that is NOT a good stopping point! 😅

Throughout Nemesis, we get background information on some characters we’ve met before, meet a handful of new ones, and the dark Fae kids return! The background info-reveals affect both Syl and Rouen which changes how they tackle their current situation. I suspected who a character really was when they were first introduced in an earlier book and I celebrated when I found out I was right…then I read a few more sentences and DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! 😱 Celebration to shock in 3 sentences.

Per usual, Syl and Rouen are excellent together. Their entertaining banter lightens the tense action scenes, even with Rouen under a spell. I really loved Rouen’s struggle now that her dark side is in control. She remembers her feelings for Syl but her dark side wants more power and doesn’t really care about Syl. Enter Jarden (yes, that puca!!) who decides to gift Rouen with a way to control Syl and become Overqueen of all Faerie. Rouen’s dark side can’t turn down the offer of more power, even though Rouen knows Jarden can’t be trusted. It’s never good when Jarden enters the picture and you know it’s terrible for Syl that she’s helping Rouen.

Syl learns the fair Fae will wake soon and thinks it’s great because they can stop the dark Fae. Then she learns both Faerie realms will perish in seven days when they wake. It’s not a lot of time, especially when Dark Rouen knows she has to kill Syl to prevent Faerie Armageddon and has no problem doing it.

During all this chaos, Syl and Rouen also grow in their relationship. Syl refuses to give up on Rouen even though Dark Rouen has control and decides Syl is a rival to eliminate. Rouen struggles between her feelings for Syl and trying to be the queen her people need. Syl learns some things about Rouen that impact their relationship, but they work through all this while also trying to figure out how to save their people. The ending is perfect.

There are a couple loose ends (mostly, I’m not giving up on a certain character who got swept up in one of the battles!). I’m assuming these will be handled in the final book which releases in 2020. I hope it ends with them on a Disneyland trip because they deserve a vacation after all this. 😉

Books in this series

Swap’d by Tamara Ireland Stone

August 5, 2019February 3, 2020Leave a comment

Swap’d

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Series: CodeGirls#2
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

After her Click’d catastrophe, Allie Navarro is determined to redeem herself. So when the class gets an assignment to create a mobile game from recycled code, Allie pairs up with Courtney, her best friend from CodeGirls camp, to create the perfect app: Swap’d.

Kids buy, sell, and trade stuff at school all the time. Candy. Clothes. Video games. Slime. Why not make a fiercely competitive, totally anonymous, beat-the-clock game out of it?

Once Swap’d is in full-swing, Allie is certain that it’s the answer to all her problems. She’s making quick cash to help Courtney buy that really expensive plane ticket to come visit her. It’s giving her an excuse to have an actual conversation with her super-secret crush. And it looks like she might finally beat her archenemy-turned-friend, Nathan. She’s thought of everything. Or… has she?

The second book in the Click’d series by New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone weaves together middle school friendship, first crushes, and serious coding skills in another fun, fast-paced, and empowering novel that will have readers cheering Allie on from the first page to the last.

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I actually enjoyed this more than Click’d. This story picks up after Click’d with Allie deciding if she wants to go to the same summer camp as last summer or to a new summer program at a high-profile company. She wants to do both, but she can’t. She hesitates sending her application for the summer program and doubts whether she would even be accepted. She’s afraid to tell her best friend since they were planning on going to CodeGirls together again.

Allie mentions she’s going to a game convention as part of the reward she got for being in the competition with Click’d. Her friend loves games and wants to go with her. They look up prices and their parents say it’s too expensive.

In school, Allie’s class is given an assignment to reuse code in a short amount of time. Allie needs a solution to get enough money to help her best friend from CodeGirls to visit for the game convention. She combines her two goals – the class assignment will be one that can raise enough money to purchase plane tickets. The two work together to build an app, reusing code from their summer projects. It seems like they’re going to do it, until Allie’s teacher informs her of something and Allie has to choose to ignore it, or continue and get the money. They are so close!

I love how this dilemma reminds Allie of what happened with Click’d and she has to make that tough decision again: does she move forward and get the money to bring Courtney there, or does she shut it all down and tell Courtney they don’t have the money? I like how this series handles these ethical issues that many coders have had to deal with in their careers. Sometimes it’s hard to look the other way.

Books in this series

Click’d by Tamara Ireland Stone

July 29, 2019February 3, 2020Leave a comment

Click’d

Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Series: CodeGirls#1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Allie Navarro can’t wait to show her best friends the app she built at CodeGirls summer camp. Click’d pairs users based on common interests and sends them on a fun (and occasionally rule-breaking) scavenger hunt to find each other. And it’s a hit. By the second day of school, everyone is talking about Click’d.

Watching her app go viral is amazing. Leaderboards are filling up! Everyone’s making new friends. And with all the data Allie is collecting, she has an even better shot at beating her archenemy, Nathan, at the upcoming youth coding competition. But when Allie discovers a glitch that threatens to expose everyone’s secrets, she has to figure out how to make things right, even if that means sharing the computer lab with Nathan. Can Allie fix her app, stop it from doing any more damage, and win back the friends it hurt-all before she steps on stage to present Click’d to the judges?

New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone combines friendship, coding, and lots of popcorn in her fun and empowering middle-grade debut.

View this book on Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Click’d is a great MG story about a girl who writes code and struggles with doing what’s right vs winning a competition. It’s the kind of story I wish I had when I was younger.

Allie loves writing code and she’s one of the best in her class. She’s always competing with Nathan, another top student who always seems to just barely beat her. Their teacher sponsors them both in an important contest that can get them and their app a lot of publicity. The problem? Allie gets a little competitive and releases her app to her school the week before the competition.

She watches the data as more people join and she’s exciting seeing her classmates using the app at school. Everybody loves it! However, one of her friends shows her a bug and she only has days to fix it before the competition. She tries to hide this from her teacher/sponsor and Nathan. She can’t let Nathan know there’s something wrong with her app and she definitely can’t tell her teacher in case she decides to pull Allie from the competition. As her app becomes more popular, the chances of the bug happening increases. Her friends encourage her to disable the app but if she does that, she can’t be in the competition. She promises her friend she’ll solve it before anybody finds out.

Nathan and Allie spend their lunches in the computer lab working on their projects. Neither admits they have a problem. Even though they’ve known each other a long time, they start opening up the more time they spend together. Eventually they each admit they have a problem in their app. They work together to try to fix both apps before the competition.

Allie had to face some tough decisions around her app: does she keep it live knowing it has a bug that sometimes shows personal information? Should she ask for help? Who should she ask for help? How does she explain what she did to her friend who was hurt by the bug?

I didn’t expect the ending but I appreciated it. As a coder, I related to Allie’s challenges and enjoyed watching her learn from her mistakes. She had to make a lot of decisions throughout the story and accepted that she made mistakes by the end.

Books in this series

Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy

July 8, 2019February 3, 20201 Comment

Once and Future

Author: Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Series: Once and Future duology #1
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

This inclusive retelling of King Arthur is sassy, entertaining, funny, stressful, exciting, heartbreaking, and really all the feelings. I loved Ari from the beginning. The other characters were hit or miss for me. It’s a little hard to keep track of everybody since several characters are introduced early on and Merlin tries to associate them with their original Arthur personality (e.g., Lancelot but nobody in the group is named Lancelot). The characters stick together for most of the story so you do get to know them all better eventually.

The internal and external conflicts keep the action going so it was difficult to put this book down. The characters always seem to under some sort of threat so it keeps the plot moving along.

I enjoyed how Ari’s story unfolded. She doesn’t recall her past and you gradually learn it throughout the book with her. I love how she does what she feels is right and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect the people she cares about, even if it means sacrificing herself or something she cares about.

I wish Ari and Kay’s mothers had more of an active role. They seemed to only be present as a means of motivation for Kay and Ari, or to keep them in check. They are there and not there at the same time.

Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait for the conclusion in The Sword in the Stars in 2020.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

May 13, 2019February 3, 2020Leave a comment

The Priory of the Orange Tree

Author: Samantha Shannon
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

A world divided.

A queendom without an heir.

An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

View this book n Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Priory of the Orange Tree is everything I love about fantasy. The worldbuilding is amazing and the characters are well developed. Bonuses for LGBTQ rep and several women as lead characters. There is so much in this book (which is why it’s so long!). Even at 850 pages, there are no wasted words. Everything keeps moving toward the ending. The LGBTQ relationships were treated no differently than straight relationships; they are part of the world just like everybody else.

You get a full belief system from three major cultures, politics shaped from those beliefs, love, betrayal, and so much more all under the threat of the Nameless One returning to destroy everything (or save the world, depending on what you believe).

The character arcs are great. I loved when some characters traveled to other locations where they hold vastly different views or when characters learned new information that challenged their core beliefs. You could feel the characters struggling to justify or adjust their beliefs based on these interactions.

There are many plotlines to follow as the characters are in various locations with very different beliefs and cultures. The beginning can be a bit overwhelming due to the number of characters, beliefs, and locations that are introduced, but I quickly got the hang of who was where and what their current goal was.

While I didn’t like all the POV characters, I loved most of them. I fell in love with Ead right away and she probably gave me (and a couple of the characters) the most stress. She began as my favorite and remains so after finishing the book. I love her determination and how she focuses on doing what she believes is right. She also doesn’t care for court manners, which puts her in conflict with some other characters.

I love how everything wrapped up at the end while leaving room to return to this world and characters. I would have gladly continued reading just to inhabit this world for a little longer. I really hope there’s a plan to have more books set in this world.

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

May 6, 2019February 3, 20201 Comment

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

Author: Sabina Khan
Reviewer: Renee

Content warnings

rape (including with a minor), domestic violence, homophobia, exorcism, forced marriage, drugging

Summary

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali tries her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents’ expectations, but lately she’s finding that harder and harder to do. She rolls her eyes instead of screaming when they blatantly favor her brother and she dresses conservatively at home, saving her crop tops and makeup for parties her parents don’t know about. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life in Seattle and her new life at Caltech, where she can pursue her dream of becoming an engineer.

But when her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend Ariana, all of Rukhsana’s plans fall apart. Her parents are devastated; being gay may as well be a death sentence in the Bengali community. They immediately whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh, where she is thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition. Only through reading her grandmother’s old diary is Rukhsana able to gain some much needed perspective.

Rukhsana realizes she must find the courage to fight for her love, but can she do so without losing everyone and everything in her life?

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

Rating: 4,5 out of 5 stars

I cannot recommend this book enough. There are many themes that are so important not just for those who directly relate to Rukhsana but also for others who can learn and help those who do.

I couldn’t put this book down because Rukhsana always seemed to be at risk and I wanted her to have the safety and freedom to just exist and be happy. I found the dialog funny, especially Rukhsana’s thoughts when talking with a character who had much more conservative views than herself. The beginning has many lighthearted moments but it gets heavier as the book goes on. Many people can benefit from reading this story and will be able to relate to one or more themes.

I do think the end wrapped up a bit too quickly. More time could have been spent showing that things won’t be perfect after a few weeks of talking or trying to change.

Disclaimer: While I love the themes discussed in this book, I do not have any real-life experience with most of them. I do not come from a family who forced their beliefs on me and have been privileged to have freedom when it comes to deciding what to do with my life (though my mom is anxiously awaiting the prospect grandkids…)

Rukhsana struggles constantly to keep her two lives separate – the good conservative Muslim daughter at home and the “normal” American when out with her friends. She loves both her worlds, but finds herself constantly hiding or defending one over the other.

I love how Khan not only shows Rukhsana’s struggle, but also points out how difficult it is for her friends to understand what she’s going through. Rukhsana is constantly trying to explain to her friends how she can’t just tell her parents “no” or “escape.” They keep thinking she’s overreacting, even the friends she’s known for years and are familiar with her family.

One of my favorite parts is when Rukhsana has had enough and ends up telling everybody that she understands things are difficult for them but she’s tired of always being told she needs to understand what everybody else is going through when nobody has considered what she has gone through or what she feels. I felt this was a very strong moment in the story because it’s when Rukhsana decided to stop trying to explain herself to people who just didn’t get it and put it on others to consider how she feels.

Hopefully those who do read this book come away with learning to show more compassion and empathy for people who have different perspectives. Too many people brush aside the feelings/opinions of others simply because they are unwilling to try to understand why somebody feels/thinks the way they do. Again, while most of this book doesn’t directly relate to my real life, this message resonates strongly with me. I see and experience people viewing things through their blinders without considering why anybody would have a different perspective. It usually turns into being told “I don’t see why you don’t just agree with me” instead of “can you explain what you mean because I don’t understand.”

I also liked how forgiveness wasn’t just given. It had to be earned. Some characters lost Rukhsana’s trust and had to earn it back. She wasn’t going to just give it to them for a happy ending. She was upset and let them know how much they hurt her and she couldn’t just forgive them even if they regretted their actions because it was too late. The reverse was also true; Rukhsana lost trust with some people she cared about and had to earn it back.

I don’t usually do warm and happy feelings but this book thawed my heart a little.

Dreamer Babble | Under-Hyped books

March 28, 2019February 2, 2020Leave a comment

Young Adult books that need more love!

There’s no surprise that this team loves YA fiction. We read it. We talk about it. We follow it on social media. And, sometimes, we just don’t see enough attention cast towards our favorites. Or at least we think there should be more.

Here are several books that we here at Dream Read Repeat feel need a little more love.

The Young Elites

Author: Marie Lu
Picked by: Marlou

Why should more people read this book?

Simply put? Because it’s awesome!

The villain is the main character but she’s not really a villain but just a girl who’s always been treated awful and decided she didn’t need anyone in her life telling her what to do. She thinks she’s a hero and that she is saving her country from a corrupt ruler. It also has a very interesting magic system that has always stuck with me even if I can’t quite remember the details of the story anymore.

For people who like…

People who like Shatter Me will like this trilogy!

Find it on Goodreads.

Books in this series

Timebound

Author: Rysa Walker
Picked by: Inopinion

Why should more people read this book?

Time travel, a love story (or three), a World’s Fair with a serial killer! This is a great start to an energetic series. Each book in the trilogy advances the overall plot to stop the end of the world. It gets better and better with each book.

For people who like…

People who likes the straight forward and demonstrative writing styles of Marissa Meyer, Brendan Reichs, or Marie Lu or if you like anything time-travel-y will enjoy this series.

Find it on Goodreads.

Books in this series

The Wicker King

Author: K. Ancrum
Picked by: Fox

Why should more people read this book?

Amazing writing style that blends the borders between reality and fantasy. Visually beautiful. Heartbreaking. Multilayered.

For people who like…

People who like books with unconventional storytelling will like this one.

Content Warnings

Abuse, hallucinations, dysfunctional relationships

Find it on Goodreads.

Photo used with permission from @FoxCloudsBlog

Other books by this author

Moribund

Author: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Picked by: Renee

Why should more people read this book?

Fast paced enemies to lovers story where Rouen, the dark Fae princess, is under a Contract of Blood and Bone to kill all fair Fae sleeper-princesses. The problem? Syl is the last sleeper-princess and they kind of have feelings for each other. Dark Fae and fair Fae are also supposed to be mortal enemies, but they can change that, right?

For people who like…

Urban fantasy and Fae stories.

Find it on Goodreads.

Books in this series

Rekindled by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge

March 26, 2019February 2, 2020Leave a comment

Rekindled

Author: Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
Series: Circuit Fae #3.5
Reviewer: Renee

Summary

Syl Skye, newly crowned Queen of Fair Faerie, would be psyched to be the ruler of her Summer realm, except for two things.

First, her girlfriend Rouen Rivoche became Queen of Dark Faerie, the Winter realm. That would be great except the Winter realm’s always been at war with Summer. By tradition, that makes Rouen Syl’s mortal enemy.

That said, love can break past old hatred, right? Especially with a new foe about to attack them both.

Ah, no.

Which brings us to Syl’s second problem. Rouen’s under a dark spell and doesn’t remember Syl, their lives, their love. Worse, if Syl doesn’t break the spell by the next new moon, Rouen will forget her forever.

To defeat their foe, it’ll take two soul-bound queens whose hearts and minds act as one. Trouble is, no one has ever broken the dark spell Rouen suffers from.

Good thing Syl isn’t the type of queen who gives up easily.

View this book on Goodreads.

Review

This series owes me many hours of sleep, and this book is no exception. I strongly recommend dedicating a couple hours to read in one sitting because there is honestly no good place to say “Okay, I can stop here and come back later.” There is so much tension! (Make sure your device can handle when you will inevitably tighten your grasp while reading.)

If Syl and Rouen’s problems weren’t enough on their own, the dark Fae kids return to help…or cause havoc. Or maybe both. That Chuck E. Cheese scene! 😂 Rouen defending the dark Fae kids against unfair gaming machines. 😂 The new characters are also great (sounds like Laguna may make a return in Nemesis). We also get Glamma’s point of view a couple times!

You will find yourself smiling, laughing, hoping, and dreading what happens next. Now I need a time machine to take me to September because ROUEN!!! 😭😭