Reviews written by Olivia F

"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 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...

“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...

"The Shadow Queen" is a fantastic retelling of Snow White. Lorelai is a young princess when her mother does and her father remarries her aunt, Irina, a powerful mardushka (witch). Irina puts the kingdom under a spell using magical apples and soon everyone will listen only to her. Lorelai is...

I have some mixed feelings. "The Collector" follows Dante in the first person- he is telling us his story. Dante died two years ago, and since death, he has worked as a collector for the "Boss Man" aka the devil. Dante and 5 others wear cuffs that allow them to...

"The Darkest Minds" is a YA dystopian that felt very similar to others out there- but the twist being a disease has killed most of the preteens/teens and left only those with special psychic abilities. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy it- I'm always in for a...

"Never Fade" continues the Darkest Minds series with what felt a bit like an intermediate book. Beginning after the end of the first book, when Ruby is now with the League, trained and running missions, we meet a whole new cast of children with special abilities who live and work...

"The Darkest Legacy" continues The Darkest Minds series after the resolutions of the trilogy. This time, we follow Suzume (Zu). Zu has been working for the government, trying to help get the country back on track and work within the system to protect the Psi. However, what she is beginning...

"Exo" is a really interesting YA sci-fi that follows a 17-year-old human a hundred years after Earth has been taken over by an alien species. The Zhree have taken Earth as a colony after a terrible war with large loss of human life and now rule it in "Rounds" or...