Warcross

Marie Lu has written some of my favorite all time characters. June and Day. Her Legend series really wrecked me for a while. Then I didn't love her next series. But Warcross is a whole other ballgame. (It's playoff time for my Yankees so bear with the sports metaphors) In this series, Emika is a hacker who has turned bounty hunter to make a living. See, Warcross is a global phenomenon (think Fortnite on steroids) The whole world plays in VR created by the elusive Hideo Tanaka- teen genius. Emika has long admired him from afar. Just when she is on the brink of being on the streets, she finds herself glitches into the game and all of a sudden the whole world knows her. And Hideo offers her a job- find out who is hacking his game. He makes her an offer she can't refuse and she is suddenly the most watched player in the game. As she and Hideo get closer, more danger than they can imagine is on it's way in the form of Zero, the hacker determined to take out the game and possibly Emika and Hideo as well. The closer she gets to Zero, the more danger she is in. But who is Hideo really? And whose side should she really be on? I loved this book, and look forward to reading the sequel Wildcard. The issues brought up in this book are timely and scary. The more we connect to our technology, the less we seem to be connecting to each other. Would we notice if it started to take over even more of our lives? Would we notice too late to stop it? Yikes. I think kids will love the video game component of this novel. That and a little romance makes it a perfect read for a weekend day. Happy reading my friends!

Stormcaster

Any time a new Cinda Williams Chima book is out, I drop everything and immerse myself into her world. Storm caster is the third book in this spin off series. The children of Han and Raisa are coming into their own as their powers and responsibilities are unleashed. This story starts with the tale of the Stormcaster Evan Strangward, the pirate with powers even he doesn't understand. He brings the warning to Raisa and Aidan that Celestine is coming to take  over the Seven Realms. But can he get them to trust him in time to stop the Empress. She has bloodsworn soldiers at her back and they are mighty hard to kill. Lyssa- future Queen is being held captive by Celestine and has been tasked to lead the army of the undead. What choice does she have?  And then there is Jena and her dragon swooping in to bring news of Lyssa's brother. All these characters must breach their circumstances and find a way to common ground. But that may be hard with everything stacked against them. So, I am still bitter that Han was killed off in book one, he is one of my all time favorite boys, but he makes an appearance- albeit briefly, in this one. With the promise of more Han in the future, I look forward to continuing this series. I love Evan and find his storyline wonderful and timely. If you haven't read any of these books get in your way back machine and hit up the Demon King so you get the whole story. You won't be sorry. Happy reading my friends!

One Dark Crown

The sisters are back and fighting for not only the crown but their very lives. Arsinoe, Mirabella, and Katherine, as different as can be. They are fated to kill each other and Katherine is the most determined to be the victor. She came back from the Brecca Void a tad bit wrong, She will stop at nothing to take out her sisters and will feel no remorse when it happens. Led by the poisoners, she will stop at nothing to win the crown. Mirabella and Arsinoe are not quite so determined to kill each other. In fact Arsinoe has a plan to escape the island altogether and live a life as a normal person. Their trusty friends are at their sides, Jules and Joseph, Billy and Madrigal all work towards protecting the Queen they love the most. This sequel to Three Dark Crowns is filled with twists and turns, evil intentions and great sacrifices made in love. If you like a twisted fairy tale with evil queens, dastardly deeds and family ties, you may enjoy this dark series. I find the premise rather unique and can't wait to see who winds up with the crown. Happy reading my friends.

Everless

Jules Ember has been banished from her home at Everless. She and her father had to run for their lives when Liam Gerling realizes Jules can stop time. Her father tries to keep her safe by staying far away from the Gerlings. In Sempera, people pay for things with years of their lives. They turn their blood into coins that can add a day, week, month or year onto your life. But only the rich can afford these coins. The poor sell off their time in bits and pieces, getting old before their time. Jules notices her father fading fast and decides to take a job at Everless to earn the blood coins. She runs into her childhood friend Roan Gelding and is happy to be back in the castle. But her father finds out and uses the last bit of his energy to come and warn her away. He tells her to stay away from the Queen at all costs. The Queen who has been alive for 500 years. The Queen who is at Everless to marry her ward to none other than Roan Gelding. Mystery after mystery unfolds and those she thought to be friends betray her and those who she had sworn were enemies may be the only ones she can trust. When the truth of her birth is revealed, she will have little choice but to run for her life, but will it be too late? This was an interesting look at the haves and the have nots, with actual time at stake. Jules is an interesting character, not 100 percent likable in my opinion, but you still find yourself rooting for her. Liam, well I'll let you figure him out for yourselves. Looks can be deceiving. I enjoyed this one and will follow up with the story when it is available. But it is back to work, so the reading will slow down as I meet my new kids and fill their heads with books! Happy reading my friends!

Heart of the Storm

This is the final book in the Undertow Trilogy.  Lyric has been held captive by the insane Prime, Minerva in the Great Abyss. Husk has been assigned to guard her. He is Rusalka but can communicate with Lyric. They find themselves connected mentally and each fear Minerva and her wrath. Husk helps her escape and she goes in search of her family. She must warn them that something world ending is coming. The Tardigrade. They want nothing more than to kill everyone on the planet. Lyric and her ragtag bunch of Alpha's must unite all the humans if they want to defeat this threat. Along the way, Lyric finds herself in quite a few perplexing situations. She's the new Prime, she is expected to lead the charge and she has something else major going on that I  won't spoil. She is also stuck in a love triangle with Riley and Fathom. Does she go the safe route and stay with Riley or does she follow her heart and figure out a way to deal with Fathom? None of that will matter though, if she doesn't figure out a way to kill the enemy. I really liked this series and am hopeful with the ending that things will work out as they should in my mind. I liked the message about being united as people as we all want the same things. It was an uplifting message to see all the different groups come together to take on evil. We could use a little of that in our world today. Happy reading my friends.

Conviction

For a long time it has been just Braden and his dad. His mother left when he was young and his brother Trey has left for New York to open his own restaurant. Braden has plans to become a major league pitcher and he has the skills. Everything is going along until the night his father is arrested for running over a policeman. And Braden was a witness to the crime. Now he must decide what he will stay on the witness stand. Will he tell the truth or will he say what is expected of him? His father demands loyalty. After all, he is the only one who will ever love Braden. At least that is what he leads Braden to believe. Braden questions his faith in God and his faith in his radio show host father. When Trey is forced to come back to take care of Braden while his father is in prison. Their relationship is troubled at best. Braden needs Trey and Trey needs to be anywhere but in his father's house.  The truth about what happened the night of the accident and the truth about why Trey left are slowly revealed as the plot unfolds. Braden is damaged beyond belief as those who deal with abuse usually are. He just wants to do what everyone expects of him. But these expectations threaten to overwhelm his life and well-being. This book was troubling on many levels. I felt for Braden and his traumas. I felt for Trey and his traumas. The decision Braden makes troubled me as well. But I think in the end there was a glimmer of hope for his future. This is a deep read on many levels but one I would definitely recommend. Happy reading my friends!

Ash Princess

I picked this on up on the tables at Costco- you know- what the heck|! And happily, I really liked this novel. I'm a sucker for a princess who has to do some growing up to take back her country from an evil conqueror. Add a little bit of old (now handsome) friend who may help rescue her and a prince who is willing to go against his evil father and you have a recipe for a lovely few hours of reading. Thora watched her mother- the Queen of Astrea- being killed by the evil Kalovaxians. For some reason they keep her alive and give her the title of Ash Princess. The Kaiser likes to keep her around to receive the punishments when rebels try and interfere with his new country. Thora learns to be invisible as much as she can, but it is hard as she is watched every minute. Cress is her only friend, unfortunately, it was Cress's father who killed Thora's mother. So really, Thora has no one she can trust. Until Ampelio- her mother's former Guardian, is dragged into the throne room and she is forced to kill him. With his reappearance, she realizes the rebellion has arrived to save her. But as with all damsels in distress, it really is all about saving yourself. So with her old friend Blaise and his friends Heron and Artemisia, a plan is formed which involves killing her only friend and the Prinz who she may have accidentally fallen in love with. Terrible things happen while the plan is underway and blood is on everyone's hands by the last page. Not only that, but a new enemy has been made who may be more powerful than Thora can imagine. Stepping into her role as Queen will not be an easy one because nothing is ever black and white. I look forward to the continuation of this series in 2019- thanks Laura Sebastian. Summer is winding down so I better get on to the next book on the shelf. Happy reading my friends.