Tag: YA

Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults
Book genre block - "Royalty" two small crowns

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I thought this was such a fun retelling for Marie Antoinette. I loved the historical facts that were woven into the story and updated to have a futuristic feel. In this reimagined story, Marie Antoinette is marrying into a royal family and a country filled with turmoil.

The author did a great job of sticking with the major situations and issues happening in the OG Marie’s life. I found myself getting really stressed out as we got closer and closer to that awful beheading. I have to say, Allyson did a great job with the ending…no spoilers! But I was happy with the entire story and the wrap up.

Continue reading “Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin” →

American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults
Book genre block - "Royalty" two small crowns

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When I read American Royals, I fell in love with this alternate United States world. I loved the characters, the family, and the problems. I, of course, gobbled up book 2, Majesty, when it came out, and THEN, book 3 came out, and I was ecstatic!

This book was such a growing point for so many characters. Like the other books, the story is told through a variety of POVs. I enjoyed each of them and found myself particularly interested in the growing friendship between Nina and Daphne. Daphne is one of my least favorite characters in this series, and I almost found myself liking her in this book.

Continue reading “American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee” →

Contest of Queens by Jordan H. Bartlett

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I absolutely loved this one! It’s got…
Far off places, daring swordfights,
magic spells, a prince in disguise

Okay, did you catch that Beauty and the Beast reference 😉. But this book really has

Far off places, daring trials and tasks
magical creatures, a girl in disguise

This was a fantastic YA fantasy that I did not want to put down! I loved the characters, the development of the story, and the contest!

Continue reading “Contest of Queens by Jordan H. Bartlett” →

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Fairy Tale Retelling 💕 LGBTQ+ Rep 💕 Strong Female Lead 💕 Breaking Conventions

This is the second book in the Fracture Fables series, and I loved it just as much as the first one! I would absolutely recommend reading book 1 in the series, A Spindle Splintered. It’s fantastic, and it really sets up what happens in this book.

Zinnia is our MC through this series. She’s got a rare medical condition that she knows is going to eventually kill her, but when she falls into fairy tale versions of Sleeping Beauty, her health improves, and she finds that she gets to be the hero for the fated Sleeping Beauties. But something goes wrong one day, and she ends up in a Snow White story. Now she’s got a whole new set of problems to work out!

Continue reading “A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow” →

Kingdomless by Michelle Garyfalakis

Published on by shejustlovesbooks3 Comments
Welcome to the blog tour for Kingdomless hosted by Iread Book Tours!
Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This was such an exciting start to a new series! I loved the characters, the setting, the atmosphere, and the world!

The story follows Raelle, a girl without an origin story. She washed up on the shores of the West with no memory, and King Wren found her, and brought her into the folds of his family. For 10 years, Raelle felt completely at home and loved, except for the queen. The queen had never accepted Raelle, and on her birthday, the queen secretly betroths Raelle to King Veras of the North.

Continue reading “Kingdomless by Michelle Garyfalakis” →

A Measure of Serenity by Bryan K. Prosek

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Copy of Science Fiction with pink background and oversized moon with reflection in water
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Wow, this book was so interesting, and also kind of terrifying LOL! Serenity is a genius and then some. Looking for her dad on the Harvard campus, she accidently falls into another version of reality, and there is danger everywhere…

This is a YA story, but Serenity is such a mature young lady, it didn’t even feel YA. She is such a different main character. With her incredible intelligence she observes things others miss, and it makes her narration fascinating.

Continue reading “A Measure of Serenity by Bryan K. Prosek” →

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This story was so fun. It lived up to book 1 in every way for me. I loved the continuation of Izumi’s story, and the new characters we are introduced to!

In Tokyo Dreaming, Izumi is living in Tokyo, and her mom is there with her, which I was so happy about! When her father, the Crown Prince of Japan, proposes to her mother, it creates quite an uproar in Japan. It is not considered a good match, based on how Izumi behaves. So, Izumi becomes determined to follow rules and turn herself into the perfect Japanese Princess.

Continue reading “Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean” →

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults
Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water

Rating: 4 out of 5.

So, I picked this book up only because of the cover. I didn’t read what it was about, I was just like that looks awesome, and I wasn’t wrong, YAY! 🤣

This is a YA fantasy about a young girl, Joan, who finds out she’s a monster and the boy she was on a date with is a monster-hunter. Unfortunately, the way she finds out is pretty awful, and she has to run for her life!

Continue reading “Only a Monster by Vanessa Len” →

The Fear by Natasha Preston

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Person peeking through hole titled "Thriller"
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Well, I just thought this book was absolutely fantastic! I’ve enjoyed Natasha Preston’s books for years, and this one was another great read!

When a post about sharing your biggest fear of how to die goes viral, peoples start dying, and it’s in the way their worst fear was described. This was absolutely terrifying!

Continue reading “The Fear by Natasha Preston” →

What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Block - "Horror" creepy house in woods
Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What We Harvest was an absolutely fantastic book that had elements of family and friendship, magic, and creepy horror. It was the exact amount of horror I can handle too! 🤣 This was an outstanding debut from Ann Fraistat!

Wren lives in Hollow’s End, an old town set in the backdrop of present day. The town has four farms run by four founding families, and each one has its own special element that helps drive revenue and tourism for the town and families. Something has gone wrong in Hollow’s End though. A blight is taking over the crops, sucking the life right out of them, but it’s more than just the crops. People and animals have begun to go missing, and now they are showing up again, but they are shells of the humans they once were, and they are dangerous.

Continue reading “What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat” →

These Deadly Games by Diana Urban

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Person peeking through hole titled "Thriller"
Book Genre Block - "Young Adult" with 4 young adults

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Wow! This book was a fantastic story filled with surprises and twist after twist! It was fast-paced, and layered one thing on top of another creating this story-web that was impossible to put down!

Crystal and her friends are so close to qualifying for a video game tournament. They are spending all their free time trying to earn a final spot for the game. Then Crystal gets a message that her sister is being held hostage, and she needs to “Play a Game”. It’s clear that the kidnapper is holding all the cards, and Crystal has no one to turn to. The kidnapper can see and hear everything she’s doing through her phone. She can’t tell anyone, or her sister will die. So, she starts following the directions, but it’s turning into a game with deadly consequences!

Continue reading “These Deadly Games by Diana Urban” →

All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue

Published on by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment
Book Genre Tag "Fantasy" with image of fantasy world of mountains and water

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Wow, I really got sucked into this book! It’s full of magic, friendships, mystery, and first romance all wrapped up in a coming of age story. When Maeve discovers some old tarot cards, she finds that she has a knack for them, and begins giving readings to all the girls in school. When one goes wrong and someone important to her disappears, she finds that a chain reaction of events has begun and she needs to tap into her unknown magical powers to fix everything.

I loved Maeve’s journey in this, and it is what kept pushing me to read. She is learning so much about herself and her friends. There’s some great LGBTQ representation in this one, and I enjoyed that Maeve is learning how to best support the people in her life.

Continue reading “All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue” →