Title: Cast in Firelight
Series: WICKERY, #1
Author:  Dana Swift
Published Date: January 2021

GOODREADS SUMMARY

Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.

Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who's mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.

Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery's most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.

Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross...and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.

Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery's fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it's complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.

The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Susan Dennard, and Mary E. Pearson. 

MY THOUGHTS

I cannot explain how much I enjoyed this book. I read so many negative things and issues about POC and insensitive marketing, but I am so glad I never paid attention to the issues about this book, because it was really good in my opinion. DAMN GOOD I can't hardly put it down. The world-building was incredible. The flow of the story was very fast paced, no info-dumps and no dull moment. Every chapter made me twist in anticipation of what will happen next. 

The ending too was really good. Not a Cliff-hanger but an open ended one that offers a lot more adventure for readers to watch out for. The banter between the main leads are also funny, enjoyable and sweet. I did root for them from the very beginning. The love and hate between main leads can sometimes gives as the cliché feeling but I bet some agree with me that we quite enjoy it at some point. In these book, I enjoyed it. And it really tells a lot.

Overall, Its a great read! I am already waiting for the second book and cannot wait to know what will happen next and what crazy adventure this duo will face. Fantastic Debut for the author!

P.S. Some readers could really be toxic sometimes. When something doesn't align with what they believe in, or what they thought was right, they tend to backlash to the Author. And it is so, so wrong in so many levels. Why can't we just set aside all our prejudice and just enjoy reading the way it was before when all this social media platform was still not available. Picking a book and not knowing what to expect is the best feeling. Not letting other people's judgement cloud your opinion regarding the book sometimes will amaze you.

Please. NO KEYBOARD WARRIORS. Vent your sentiments elsewhere.

GOODREADS SUMMARY

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh. 

MY THOUGHTS

The first thing I noticed about this book is the cover. It was really gorgeous and I barely paid attention to the description. So imagine my happiness when @definitelybooks sent me a review copy. Hooray!

Mulan meets Project Runaway is kinda’ overly exaggerated for me. Being a person who grew up watching Mulan so many times, it has no resemblance from Mulan other than Maia pretended to be a boy in behalf of his father. Other than that, it ended right there.

The story started good. The first part was really exciting for me, and I could barely put it down. With all the competition and the tasks given to the contestants and the obstacle Maia was facing with her contenders are really enough for me to be so into it. But then when second and third chapter had began, I started to drift off my reading pace. It started to become a little bit dull for me, there are some chapters where I find good, but there are also some scenes I got so bored. Specially am not very convinced on how a person will be able to capture the Sun, the moon and the stars. But then again I love Maia and Edan’s love story. The love story between Maia and Edan developed a little bit rushed for me, but still I could still feel the chemistry between the two. Its palpable even at the end of the book. So yeah, I may read the second book but not because of the story, but because I am so intrigued on how will the love story of the 2 character will go through.

Ranking: 

GOODREADS SUMMARY

Celebrated author Sarah Kuhn reinvents the modern fairy tale in this intensely personal yet hilarious novel of a girl whose search for a storybook ending takes her to unexpected places in both her beloved LA neighborhood and her own guarded heart.

If Rika's life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale--being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts' business--she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn't quite fit the princess mold.

All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America's reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of hope and happiness--searching for clues that Grace is her long-lost mother, exploring Little Tokyo's hidden treasures with cute actor Hank Chen, and maybe...finally finding a sense of belonging.

But fairy tales are fiction and the real world isn't so kind. Rika knows she's setting herself up for disappointment, because happy endings don't happen to girls like her. Should she walk away before she gets in even deeper, or let herself be swept away?

MY THOUGHTS

The beginning of the story was good. The book has an interesting character (Rika). Although I can't say that I am a fun of her temper. What really makes this book dissappointing is that, 50% of the book was a little boring and slow at times. I enjoyed the town of Little Tokyo and some of the interesting cultural things the town engaged in like the festivals. But for me, there are times that some things are being repeated all the time. The whole story felt like redundant, as if nothing had happened at all. I also had a difficulty infusing myself in the story. 

What really kept me from not finishing the book is the revelation of knowing if Grace is her mom. I was hoping for a really interesting twist at the end that I would not have seen coming but… The ending was predictable. 

Although I would totally say that some young readers might enjoy this. I don't think this was a bad book but I just don't think it was for me. It has wide discussion and representation of biracial individuals, family, racism and self-identity. 

Thank you so much @times.reads for sending me a complimentary copy of this book. 

From the bestselling co-author of the Illuminae Files comes the thrilling finale in the LIFEL1K3 trilogy--hailed by Marie Lu as "a breathless, action-packed exploration of what humanity really means."

Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you're on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves--and each other--was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war--this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus's army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn't stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not be who you think they are.

Now that the final book is here, new readers will have a blast binging the whole series. And I would like to thank @times.reads for sending me the whole series to read and review. 

TRUEL1F3 was a good. The characters have always been one of the best point of this series. All of them has this very strong personality. Even the other supporting characters are good that will definitely make you root for them. It is fun, the pacing was really good, and action-packed in my opinion which is consistent even in the very first installment of this series. 

What am still contemplating about is what and where everything goes wrong in this final installment. I initially loved it and was content, but the more I thought about it the more and more that I realized that it was kind of rushed and though it wrapped up well, I feel like it could have been better. It was the ending that kept me from giving it a five star. The consequence just don't match up. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate TRUEL1F3. I think fans of this series are going to enjoy it and love it as much as the other novels in this series. I just felt a bit disappointed with the ending.

Overall I did expect a lot more from TRUEL1F3. It felt rushed at some parts. But, I did enjoy TRUEL1F3 and I am glad I got to read the conclusion. 

Title: DEV1AT3
Series: LIFEL1K3, #2
Author: Jay Kristoff
Published Date: June 2019

Lemon Fresh has seen better days. 

After the climactic battle in Babel, she finds herself separated from Ezekiel and Cricket in the wastelands. Lemon’s abilities to manipulate electricity mark her as a deviate, and deadly corporate operatives are hunting her to use as a weapon in the war between BioMaas Incorporated and Daedelus Technologies. Instead, Lemon finds herself falling in with a group of fellow deviates—a band of teenagers with astonishing abilities, led by an enigmatic figure known as the Major, who may hold the secrets to Lemon’s past.

Meanwhile, Cricket finds himself in possession of the puritanical Brotherhood, a religious cult set for a head-on collision with the Major and his band. Searching for Lemon, Ezekiel finds a strange ally in an old enemy, and uncovers a plot that may see him reunited with his beloved Ana.

And inside Babel, a remade Eve hatches a plan to bring an end to the world. 

I really enjoyed this sequel! Finally! The side kick takes the center stage! The first book was really good, and this sequel certainly did not disappoint me. I can't believe I just read this now. It was so refreshing that the majority of this book was base on Lemon's point of view. After the first book ended, I was really saddened on how everything turns out for Lemon and Zeke. 

There is a different alternating POV's in this book. At every angle, the readers where able to take grasp on what every character was going through. Although the main lead, Eve, lost all my sympathy in this book, I still hope she will be able to find her true self at the the last sequel. The climatic ending was really good. The plot, pacing and the action packed scenes really got me so hooked. There are robot battles. A mixture of Robots, X-men like humans, and human-like robots all mixed into the chaos of this post-apocalyptic world.

I am so happy that the last installment was already out, and I do not have to wait for so long. I am also very thankful for @times.reads for gifting me the whole series. Will be picking up the 3rd book in no time.