Reviews written by Olivia F

"The Kiss of Deception" is the story of Lia, a princess who has been betrothed for an alliance. The morning of her wedding, Lia runs away to a small township where she works as a barmaid. Both an assassin from a rival kingdom and the prince she was supposed to...

“The Six” is an intriguing sci-fi book about Adam Armstrong, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and is nearing his death at 17 years of age. His father, Tom, began working with AI in an effort to be able to save Adam. The book begins when Adam is playing with a...

"The Crown's Game" is not quite what I expected. It portrays two magicians-in-training, Vika and Nikolai who both want to be the tsar's sorcerer. To do this, they must compete in the Crown's Game against each other where one will wind up dead. For me, the story just fell a...

"The Black Key" is an intense finale to the Lone City trilogy. Violet has escaped the city and is training other surrogates about their powers and the legacy of the Palladin. I read the second book right after its release, so I wasn't sure if I would remember enough to...

"The Lost and the Found" is the story of Faith Logan, who has lived her life in the shadow of her missing older sister who disappeared while they were playing in the sandbox at 6 years old (when Faith was 4). Fourteen years after her disappearance, her sister Laurel appears...

"Weregirl" takes the reader through a fantastic supernatural mystery within the small town of Tether. Tether's water supply had been contaminated by a chemical company, resulting in an abnormal amount of cancers and other illnesses. The company went bankrupt and another company stepped in to "study" the children who might...

A fantastic sequel, "A Torch Against the Night" begins exactly where "An Ember in the Ashes" leaves off. Laia and Elias are fleeing to begin their quest to rescue Laia's brother from Kauf prison. The whole book takes place along their journey, alternating viewpoints from Laia, Elias and Helene. I...

“Follow Me Back” is an engaging YA thriller. Tessa has been diagnosed with anxiety and agoraphobia, delaying college to live with her mother and stay in her room after an event in New Orleans. She only sees her therapist and boyfriend, Scott, and is making slow progress (e.g. sitting in...

"The Glass Spare" follows Wil, the youngest child of a warmonger king. One day, her life changes- in a dispute, her pulse races and her touch turns a human into a gemstone. With a twist on the King Midas touch (with any precious gem), Wil is at first intrigued and...

"The Witch of Willow Hall" was a fascinating book, perfect for Fall! Lydia is the middle daughter of a wealthy family in Boston. Her older sister, Catherine, is the beautiful sister, and while Lydia could live in her shadow, she forges her own path, mainly doting on her younger sister...

"Sadie" was a surprisingly emotional and difficult read- even more than I expected based on the description. The book is told in two ways- through a radio series investigating Sadie's disappearance and through some chapters which tell of Sadie's activities in the present. Sadie disappeared after her sister, Mattie, was...

"The Star-Touched Queen" is a beautifully written story with lyrical prose that pulls you into this fascinating story. Maya has always lived with a curse hanging over her head related to her marriage. As such, she has resigned herself to never being married. However, fate has other plans for her...

"Seize Today" was a great finale to a fantastic YA sci-fi/romance series. This third book wraps up all the plot lines we've been exposed to in the first two books as well as provides a new romantic couple for us to enjoy (but this is a much smaller part of...

"Defiance" follows Rachel and Logan, who live in a city-state where the Commander rules with a brutal totality. Women are second-class citizens and treated like property. Rachel is under her father's protection until he disappears and the Commander puts her under Logan's protection. Rachel and Logan have a past, where...

"Deception" continues Rachel and Logan's story as the survivors of Baalboden head into Wasteland to make a new life for themselves. Logan is coming into his own as a leader, while Rachel is wallowing in grief and regret. In terms of overall plot, we know that there is a traitor...