Monday Minis – May 13th

Well apparently I’m not very good at doing this more than once a month haha. The past few books that I’ve read have been amazing and fun and it feels good to be on this streak of great books. I’m gonna include a selection from the past month or so. Maybe you’ll find something to add to your list!

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The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
on January 19, 2010
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 363
Format: eBook
Goodreads

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY�ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED… 

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home. 

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth. 

For Meghan is the daughter of a mythical faery king…and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

There were a decent number of popular YA tropes in this but for some reason they didn’t bother me at all? I really enjoyed this – it was super fun and fast paced and interesting. Even though I haven’t read A Midsummer Night’s Dream I thought it was cool to read about characters from that (Oberon, Tatiana, Puck). I can’t resist a bad boy/enemies to lovers trope so of course when Ash came in I was like hell yeah. But at the same time, there isn’t much substance for their relationship. I hope that’s developed in future books more. I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time and I’m glad I picked it up. It’s exactly what I need right now – something not very heavy, with funny banter, and some romance. I foresee myself binging the series now haha.

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Published by Harper Voyager on February 5, 2019
Genres: Science Fiction, Romance
Pages: 448
Format: eBook
Goodreads

A space princess on the run and a notorious outlaw soldier become unlikely allies in this imaginative, sexy space opera adventure—the first in an exciting science fiction trilogy.

In the far distant future, the universe is officially ruled by the Royal Consortium, but the High Councillors, the heads of the three High Houses, wield the true power. As the fifth of six children, Ada von Hasenberg has no authority; her only value to her High House is as a pawn in a political marriage. When her father arranges for her to wed a noble from House Rockhurst, a man she neither wants nor loves, Ada seizes control of her own destiny. The spirited princess flees before the betrothal ceremony and disappears among the stars.

Ada eluded her father’s forces for two years, but now her luck has run out. To ensure she cannot escape again, the fiery princess is thrown into a prison cell with Marcus Loch. Known as the Devil of Fornax Zero, Loch is rumored to have killed his entire chain of command during the Fornax Rebellion, and the Consortium wants his head.

When the ship returning them to Earth is attacked by a battle cruiser from rival House Rockhurst, Ada realizes that if her jilted fiancé captures her, she’ll become a political prisoner and a liability to her House. Her only hope is to strike a deal with the dangerous fugitive: a fortune if he helps her escape.

But when you make a deal with an irresistibly attractive Devil, you may lose more than you bargained for . . .

Like a 4.5 really but I’m rounding down because it was amazing but not like one of my faaavs, yknow? Anyway, this was GREAT. I loved Ada, the main character. She’s badass in so many ways – since she’s from a powerful family, she’s been trained in martial arts/self defense, so she kicks ass. But she’s also really good with numbers, and super smart politically. Like, she’s a great manipulator and negotiator and I love it. So great to see a multifaceted character. Loch is your typical hot, strong, bad boy but he’s a softie sometimes. I wish he had a little more depth I guess? I loved that Ada had such a strong relationship with her siblings – I actually wish we got to see more of them. But I love good family relationships. The pacing was really good, and was just fast enough to keep me reading but not like breakneck speed. I loved it!!! The plot was really cool too – I love the mix of war/physical fights with the political fights that Ada had to wage. I’ll definitely be reading the next one! (Also just FYI if anyone didn’t know, this is scifi but also romance so if you aren’t into romance then I wouldn’t recommend it)

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Published by Bloomsbury YA on January 29, 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 496
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 1681195089
Goodreads

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

I was surprised that I loved this so much! Probably like a 4.5 rating actually! It’s one of the better Beauty and the Beast retellings out there, namely because it focuses on so much more than romance. I loved the main character, Harper. She has cerebral palsy, which I haven’t seen before in a main character so I’m very happy that this is being shown in books. There is a line where she says something about her particular case (she has a limp and problems with her left leg) and she says something alone the lines of “I was born with this and I’ll die with it, now teach me something I can do regardless of it.” She knows her limits but is never seen as less than. It’s like how many people view themselves not as disabled but differently abled. THANK GOD the romance was not instant. It was actually pretty realistic!! It started with trust and feeling was built up from there, and it was great. I loved that as I said, the story was a lot more than romance. It had a lot to do with what choices you can make given what you have, even though nothing seems like it will help. The characters growth over the book was great to see. I actually kind of wish this was a standalone, it would have been great as one. But alas, I am stuck and will have to read the sequel haha (though really I’m not actually complaining)

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
Published by Forever on April 9, 2019
Genres: Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Goodreads

The New York Times bestselling author of Pucked and The Good Luck Charm delivers a Hollywood happily-ever-after where a famous heartthrob falls for his ultimate fangirl in this sexy standalone romantic comedy.

Talk about an embarrassing introduction. On her first day of law school, Kailyn ran - quite literally - into the actor she crushed on as a teenager, ending with him sprawled on top of her. Mortified to discover the Daxton Hughes was also a student in her class, her embarrassment over their meet-cute quickly turned into a friendship she never expected. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming either...

Now, eight years later, Dax is in her office asking for legal advice. Despite her anger, Kailyn can't help feeling sorry for the devastated man who just became sole guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister. But when her boss gets wind of Kailyn's new celebrity client, there's even more at stake than Dax's custody issues: if she gets Dax to work at their firm, she'll be promoted to partner.

The more time Kailyn spends with Dax and his sister, the more she starts to feel like a family, and the more she realizes the chemistry they had all those years ago is as fresh as ever. But will they be able to forgive the mistakes of the past, or will one betrayal lead to another?

Ahh this was cute. I loved that the characters acknowledged that their meeting was a “meet cute” haha. Very meta. I loved the relationship between both Dax and Kailyn and Emme and Kailyn. I thought the hardships that Dax and Emme experienced through their journey after their parents died was well done. It was realistic in that there were good and bad days, and the message that of course things won’t be better right away, and that they’ll never be quite the same. It was a good pick me up book!

Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
Published by HarperTeen on March 5, 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 647
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0062381032
Goodreads

In this indispensable conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shattered Realms series, master storyteller Cinda Williams Chima delivers spellbinding action, bittersweet reunions, and dazzling revelations.

Warrior Alyssa ana’Raisa would do anything to protect her home, the Fells, and her legacy, the Gray Wolf line. But as a prisoner of Empress Celestine, Lyss is forced to turn her fearsome talents as an army commander against her beloved homeland. Refusal would swiftly lead to her death, and her death would end the Gray Wolf line.

In Lyss’s absence, Fellsmarch Castle swarms with intrigue, deception, and a primordial threat. Destin Karn, a southern spymaster with a hidden agenda of his own, might be the queendom’s only hope of defeating the forces aligned against the Seven Realms . . . as well as the enemies within the castle.

Whew so many things happened! I don’t want to say much since obviously it’s the fourth (and last) book of the series so spoilers abound for the previous books. I will say, we got some reunions that were amazing and I’ve been waiting for for a while. I did not expect the plot twist of who ended up being behind some of the betrayals/murders/etc, and I thought that was actually really well done. TBH though I’d probably rate this like 4.5ish bc it felt a little too long, but then also the resolution with Celestine at the end felt really really rushed! Like, she was set up from the beginning to be the main villain, and I did love that it was more complicated than that but the whole story with her and the magemarked just felt like it was kind of blown off to the side and wrapped up too quickly. Ah well. A lot of my enjoyment of this book just comes from the fact that I adore the first series and I love this world, so being back in it feels really just, happy to me. Overall, I loved this series but it will never overtake my love for the first series (Seven Realms).

Air and Ash by Alex Lidell
Published by Danger Bearing Press on May 2, 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 265
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0998760412
Goodreads

Born to privilege.Trained for command.Destined for danger.

After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission--and fails.

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battle worthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile's blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

I read that this was rec’d for Tamora Pierce fans but it also had pirates and well, yep. It got me haha. I loved it!!!! I love Nile, the main character. I love a good SLOW BURN ROMANCE. And the romance wasn’t that unrealistic either (in that it didn’t seem to move too fast). I’m intrigued by the magic – if you have a gift it also comes with serious mental or physical side effects that can basically cause you to be a cripple/die early. Rima (the incompetent captain of the ship that Nile runs off to) is INFURIATING and I hope he gets what’s coming to him in future books. He suuuuuucks. I do wish it was longer though! It went by too quickly 🙁 definitely getting the sequel ASAP.