An Ember in the Ashes

Run, don't walk or jog to the nearest place that sells books and GET THIS ONE!! This is the story of Elias and Laia. Laia is a scholar and Elias is a mask. They should not meet. They have no future together. They are for all intents and purposes, enemies. A Mask has killed Laia's family and thrown her brother in jail. She is determined to free Darin. In order to do this, she must ask for help from the Resistance that was once led by her parents. But if she wants help, she must do something for them. She is sent to be a slave to the Commandant of Blackcliff. The Commandant is EVIL, and most slaves who are forced to serve her end up maimed, broken or most often dead. Then there is Elias Veturia, reluctant soldier and even more reluctant son of the Commandant. He had been left in the desert to die when born and was raised by a Tribal family. When the Masks found him at six, he was brought to Blackcliff and raised as a future Mask. He does not want this life and plans to run, but something stops him. He finds himself in competition to become the next Emperor. He and Laia cross paths and there is a spark between them. Their fates seem destined to be joined. When Elias chooses to go against the grain, his life is put in forfeit. Laia decides she needs his help to save her brother. Oh boy, is this a fantastic book. I loved every page of it. Yes, there is the possibility of a love story between Laia and Elias, but there is also the chance for Helene and Keenan to get in the way. The characters are all so layered and interesting. I am left wanting MORE!! It is told in alternating chapters by Elias and Laia and it's so nice to see into both of their souls. I hope you take my advice and pick up this gem of a novel and start your summer off right. Can't recommend this enough. Happy reading my friends!

The Red Queen

     Mare Darrow is a Red. The lesser of the two societies. The Reds serve the Silvers. The Silvers have powers- powers of fire, water, invisibility, mind control, etc. Mare and her family are under the Silvers thumbs, where you must have a job or be conscripted into the army. The army where Reds go to die. Her brothers have already been conscripted and she is next. One night while she is out pickpocketing, she meets Cal. He finds her a job in the Silver city. Little does she know, he is the crowned prince. An accident reveals that Mare has powers of her own. A Red with the powers of a Silver cannot be allowed to live- unless she is controlled. Mare finds herself the future bride of Cal's younger brother Maven. She must live her whole life pretending to be something she's not in order to save her family. When the Scarlet Guard contacts her to help with a Red rebellion, Mare risks it all to help. Maven joins the fight, telling her he wants to bring Reds and Silvers together. She is torn between the brothers and her hometown love Kilorn. As Maven pulls her farther away from Cal with his promises, Mare decides that she will do anything to help her people, even if it means betraying Cal. The plan for the Coup is set, the soldiers in place, sides are taken and the players will fight to the death for their beliefs. Unfortunately for Mare, not all on her side can be trusted and betrayal cuts deep. I love these books- future kings, capable damsels, betrayal, hometown boys, saving the less fortunate. This is a great new series that I look forward to continuing as soon as that is possible. 8 days left of school and then the real reading begins!! Happy reading my friends!

The Court of Thorns and Roses

So the second member of my desert island authors list is Sarah Maas. When I saw that she had a new book out and it wasn't starring Chaol and Celaena I was disappointed. Well, no more! Her new series is the story of Feyre, a girl who is struggling to support her family. The humans live at the mercy of the Fae and Feyre is bitter and angry that her ungrateful family is starving. When she finds a wolf in the woods and kills it, her troubles really begin. The wolf was a Fae in disguise and now she must pay the debt for killing him. Tamlin, Lord of the Spring Court, comes to claim her and she must live her life on the other side of the wall as a "guest" of the Fae. Feyre is not happy about this and schemes to find a way to leave. But the more time she spends with Tamlin and his best friend Lucien, the more she is entranced by their world. Tamilin is struggling to keep his people safe from her and the mysterious blight that is destroying the Fae kingdoms. Little does Feyre know, she may be the answer to all Tamlin's problems, but will he sacriice her to save his people? This is another great book by Maas- part Cinderella, part Beauty and the Beast, all set in the land of Fairies, where you know better than to eat or drink and certainly to never make a bargain. Where even the villains may just save your skin- even if only for themselves. This book is for the reader who loves a self-sufficient, driven damsel who will take her fate into her own hands to save the ones she loves, whether they want her to or not. I will say it is for a mature reader as there are some racy scenes not for the younger kids. The ending is great, you could stop here and be satisfied, but I am in for the duration and looking forward to see how Feyre resolves her feelings of guilt and the deals with the consequences of her bargain. Tamlin is an epic fictional boy and Lucien an epic best friend of the fictional boy. Thirteen days until summer, which will find me at the beach, in New Orleans and at the lake, always with a book in hand. So happy reading my friends.

White Hot Kiss

Gargoyles and demons- what could be better? Layla has been raised by the Wardens- a group of gargoyles who protect the world from demons. Zayne is a Warden and her best friend/crush. Layla works for the Wardens as she is half Warden. She can tag demons for the Wardens to vanquish. When she turns 17 things start to get a little wonky. All of a sudden, the demons are after HER and she doesn't know why. Then she meets Roth- all hotness and bad boy. He saves her from a demon- of course come to find out he is the Crown Prince of demons- you know who's son. Layla finds herself drawn to him as she tries to fight her half demon side. She has to stop herself from taking souls and generally doing terrible things. Roth lets her be herself for the first time. She comes to trust him, against her better judgement and they decide to work together to find out who is trying to stop the apocalypse. But if the Wardens and especially Zayne find out what she is doing, she is going to be so grounded. Is it possible for Roth to be telling the truth? Can Layla trust him? All she knows is that when he kisses her, she feels like herself for the first time in her life. But what about Zayne? Doesn't she still have feelings for him? An ultimate sacrifice must be made to save Layla, but who will make it? And will Layla be able to live with the result? This is a typical supernatural love triangle good v. evil type story that you will love if that is your thing. It's definitely for a more mature audience.  So enjoy- and happy reading my friends!

The Sorcerer Heir

Ahhhh. That took way too long to finish. But well worth it! The final book of the Heir Chronicles finds Jonah and Emma trying to recover from a night of chaos. No one knows what happened or who is to blame for the deaths on Halloween. Was it the wizards? The savants? The shades? And what on earth is the secret that Gabriel Mandrake is hiding? Emma begins to delve into her family history and doesn't like what she finds. Jonah continues to punish himself for his deadly touch. Kenzie is getting sicker and sicker. The shades are lasting longer and longer in their stolen bodies. This brings all the heirs together to solve the problems across the lines of the guilds. Seph, Madison, Jack, Ellen and Leesha all make appearances to bring peace to the supernatural world they live in. You can't start with the end, so go back to the beginning with the Warrior Heir and get to know Jack and Ellen. You won't be able to put it down, but never fear, there will be four more to keep you going through the summer months. This book is for you if you love action, adventure, magic and romance. And it has the most dreamy boys imaginable with strong girls to keep them company. No damsels in distress here. If I was on a desert island and could only have a couple of author's books to keep me company, Cinda Williams Chima would be one of the them. Onward- this one book a month pace has got to go!! Happy reading my friends!