Girls of Paper and Fire

This book is definitely for a mature reader. That being said, this is a society of three castes. The demon caste- where demons are the highest level of society. The moon caste- where humans have some demon features. And the lowest caste- The Paper Caste- where the members are completely human. Every year the Demon King chooses 8 girls from this caste to be his concubines. They are taken from their homes and trained to serve the king. Lei has already faced the terror of this ritual as her mother was taken years ago. When they come for her, she does what she must to save her father. Lei becomes a Paper Girl and begins her training. What she finds is worse than she imagines. She fights against her fate and in the process falls in love with one of the other Paper Girls-Wren. If they are found out she will be executed. On top of this she refuses the King when he calls for her. She then must face his wrath. As she and Wren get closer, secrets are revealed that may end the reign of the King. But if things go wrong- they will forfeit more than their lives. This was a disturbing story of abuse and societal oppression. The power dynamic is horrifying when that power is so abused. I don't know that I would put this on my shelf as to the mature subject matter, but it was a very good read. Happy reading my friends!

Children of Blood and Bone

Zelie is the daughter of a Reaper mother. But magic is gone and all Zelie is now is a diviner, not a full maji. And she and her people are brutalized by the government who fears them. She and her brother Tzain are determined to protect their father after their mother was taken away in chains and hung. Amari is the princess of the realm. She and her brother Inan are being groomed to rule one day. But her father is an evil dictator and has continually shown his daughter the harsh cost of his love. When he kills her attendant, Amari decides she can no longer abide by his rule and steals a scroll that just may be the key to bringing back magic. Inan is sent to track her down at all cost. When Zel and Amari's paths cross, the race to bring magic back begins. As all the pieces of the puzzle are hunted down, Zel is betrayed by one she thought she could trust and the cost might be the loss of magic forever. The group must find a way to work together and overcome horrendous odds to bring their world back into balance. This book was a great adventure. It deals with loss, love and the oppression of anyone who may be different. The characters are multi-faceted and the story moves at a brisk pace. You never know what is coming around the next turn. Give it a try and you won't be sorry. Happy reading my friends.

Dread Nation

What was the War Between the States really about? Zombies of course. A virus has swept the nation and Shamblers are everywhere. Luckily for the citizens of America Miss Preston's School of Combat is there to protect them. Jane is an African American girl who has been sent to train at the school. She is outspoken, determined and headstrong. She doesn't really want to become an Attendant to a rich white family, but she really has no choice. All girls like her are sent to schools like this. When a family goes missing, Jane finds herself on a mission with her ex- Jackson to help him locate his sister along with her frenemy Kate. Where they wind up is not what they had been hoping for. They wind up prisoners to some Survivalists who are using the girls to defend a wall to a settlement. No weapons, little food and suspicious leaders make Jane's job all the harder. The more she finds out, the worse trouble she is in. This was an interesting take on the zombie genre. Civil war times, racism, and the undead roaming the west. It was modeled after the situation Native American children were put in to assimilate them to American culture. The things we do in the name of civilization. I enjoyed the story of Jane and her friends. No damsels in distress here! Happy reading my friends!

What If It's Us?

Arthur believes in fate. Ben doesn't. Arthur is living his New York dream as a summer intern for his mother's law firm. Ben is living his New York nightmare, being in summer school with his ex boyfriend. When Arthur and Ben meet at the post office, sparks fly, but fate intervenes and they are separated before they can exchange numbers. Neither thinks they will find each other again. But their friends convince them to give it a try. When all the puzzle pieces come together, Arthur and Ben find each other and begin the summer romance dreams are made of. Everything is perfect  and they fall in love. Like that ever happens!!! As Arthur tries to maneuver his first romance, everything that can go wrong does. But Ben and Arthur are not the giving up kind. First dates, first kisses, first fights, first breakups all consume one summer in New York. This book is adorable, funny and heartwarming. Ben and Arthur are both completely believable and their circle of friends only add to the story. There is even a much deserved Hamilton component that made me laugh. It is a contemporary story that is highly relatable in these Instagrammable times. It was easy to root for them even though the end of the summer looms large and Arthur must make the trip back to his home state of Georgia. Do long distance romances work? Can two boys who met one summer make it work? Will they be able to overcome the odds to be the couple that lasts? Read this delightful book to find out. You won't be sorry. Happy reading my friends!

Muse of Nightmares

Sarai and Lazlo are facing the most difficult time of their relationship. See, Sarai just died, Lazlo just became a god and Minya sees her chance to finally get revenge on Weep. They are at Minya's mercy- if Lazlo doesn't do what she says. Minya has threatened to let Sarai disappear. But Sarai does not want Lazlo to kill everyone in Weep and is willing to die to protect everyone. Lazlo, though, will not let Sarai go. Meanwhile, Eril-Fane has come to the Seraph and finally met his ghost daughter. This is the first time the god spawn has been around humans. Luckily Minya has been taken care of by some sleeping potion or all hell would have broken loose. Sarai is committed to finding a way to help Minya and when she finds herself in Minya's nightmare, life changing revelations are revealed. Sarai decides she must find a way to change Minya's self destructive dreams to save everyone- can she become the Goddess of Dreams?  Meanwhile, the story of Nova and Kora is shared. The sisters' story may be the leverage Sarai needs to solve the story behind Minya's wrath. It has the potential to destroy them all. Or save them all. This novel is so many things. It is beautifully written, the number of quotes I have typed up to save is almost a page. It is a love story on so many levels- between many couples, between a father and daughter, between gods and humans, between brothers and sisters and maybe even between worlds. And that is the biggest OMG I had as I realized what Laini Taylor had done to tie my two favorite series together. It is so hard to keep that to myself as I wait for my friends to read this. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, I'm jealous- start there. Then find Strange the Dreamer and meet Lazlo and Sarai in their former states. Then reserve a weekend to pour over the pages of this gem. You won't regret a minute and may find yourself looking at the sky and wondering where the portal to other worlds may be. Happy reading my friend!