Book Review! Between Ink and Shadows by Melissa Wright

Between Ink and Shadows (Between Ink and Shadows #1) by Melissa Wright

Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Fantasy Romance)

Narrator: Mary Jane Wells
Date Published: April 25, 2022
Publisher: Self

She’ll win back her freedom, even if she has to steal it.

Nimona Weston has a debt to pay. Her father’s dealings with the dark society known as the Trust cost Nim her freedom. There’s one way out of the contract on her life and that’s to bide her time and pay the tithes. But when the Trust assigns Nim to a task in the king’s own castle, her freedom is not the only thing she’ll risk.

Warrick Spenser has a secret. As king’s seneschal, he should be the last soul in Inara to risk association with dark magic, but long-hidden ties to the Trust are harder to shed than simply cutting the threads. When the Trust sends a thief to his rooms, Warrick thinks he’s finally found a way to be rid of them for good. But Nimona Weston is hiding secrets of her own.

Magical contracts, blood-debt accountants, and a deadly game. A dark and twisty fantasy that pits magic against kings.

Between Ink and Shadows is the first book in the Between Ink and Shadows series by Melissa Wright. This story was definitely interesting and unique. The first half was hard to get invested in, but I felt like things really got going in the second half. I loved the subtle attraction between Nim and Warrick. It was relationship that grew slowly, then bloomed quickly. You’ll see what I mean when you read it. The magic aspect was intriguing, and I don’t fully understand it yet. I would rate this a 3.5, but I’ll bump it to 4 since most scales don’t do halfsies. I feel like this series has a lot of promise. There are many directions it could go.

Between Ink and Shadows was kindly provided to me by Audiobookworm Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

Melissa is the author of more than a dozen YA and fantasy novels including The Frey Saga and BETWEEN INK AND SHADOWS. When not writing she can generally be found talking about a book, painting something from a book, or tucked between headphones listening to a book. It’s kind of a theme. She loves reasonable heroines in unreasonable situations, noble--if brooding--heroes, slow burn and sweet kisses, a lot of havoc, and a little magic.

To learn more about Melissa Wright and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Instagram, BookBub, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Mary Jane Wells is a British actress, writer, voice-over artist, and Earphones Award and Audie Award–winning narrator. A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, she held a recurring role on the BBC’s Half Moon Investigates and narrated the BBC Three television show My Children, which won a Scottish BAFTA.

To learn more about Mary Jane Well, visit her website.

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Book Review: Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Genre: Adult Fiction (Contemporary Mystery Thriller)
Date Published: June 29, 2021
Publisher: Dutton Books

Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe.

Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.

Meaning that she could very well end up as his next victim.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager was a thriller told from multiple points of view. You're mostly seeing through Charlie's eyes though. I'll be honest, I was aggravated through the first two thirds of this book because Charlie is the Queen of bad decisions. She had sooooo many opportunities for escape or rescue. I was ready to rate it a one or a two, then I got to the last third. This is about where I started figuring out who killed Maddie, but there were so many other things thrown in that you really couldn't predict. There's no way. So, even though I kinda knew some things, the things I didn't know kept the story rolling quite well. This last third of the book is what's responsible for the extra star or two. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed his style and how he helped you, not only get to know his characters, but also get inside their heads.

Hodder Books · SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Riley Sager, read by Kate Handford - audiobook extract

 

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently SURVIVE THE NIGHT and HOME BEFORE DARK. His first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and has been published in more than thirty countries. His latest novel, THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE, will be published in June.

A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is "Rear Window." Or maybe "Jaws." But probably, if he's being honest, "Mary Poppins."

To learn more about Riley Sager and his books, visit his website. You can also find him on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, BookBub, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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Book Review: Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance/Science Fiction)
Date Published: August 5, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.

Opposition is the fifth and final book in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Everything we've read in the previous four books has been building up towards this book. There are so many ups and downs throughout the story... never a dull moment. And, I'm talking about big ups and downs.  War is on the horizon. Actually, the war has already started really. Some character's... well character comes into question. The characters never let you down though. Good or bad, they bring this story to life and keep it alive. I know I've said this before, but having read some of the books from the next series in this world... I can't stress enough how much you need to read this series first. I really wish I would have done that, because going into this series, I already knew the futures of some of these characters. Sooo many spoilers. Not that it ruined my enjoyment of the book, because no, I still loved it like crazy. But, not knowing is so much more fun. I'm so glad there are more books that take place in this world with many of these same characters. It's a fictional world I never want to leave!

Check out my reviews of other books in this series...

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

# 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

To learn more about Jennifer L. Armentrout and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, BookBub, and Twitter. You can also check out her Goodreads page as J. Lynn.

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Book Review: Feral Queen by Alexis Calder

Feral Queen (Rejected Fate #3) by Alexis Calder
Genre: New Adult Fiction (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: April 14, 2022
Publisher: Self

Ivy's quest for freedom might cost her everything.

The war between the Shadows and the Umbras will tear the entire shifter community apart. All the packs have picked a side and if something isn’t done, it could mean the end of everything.

The feral shifters outnumber the packs and with Ivy’s encouragement, they are ready to bring down the system that has oppressed them for so long.

Ivy will fight with the feral shifters, even if it means fighting against her mate.

Feral Queen is the riveting conclusion in the Rejected Fate trilogy. 17+ for dark content, steamy scenes, and language.

Feral Queen is the third book in the Rejected Fate trilogy by Alexis Calder. There was so much left to be done after the last book, I didn't think it'd be possible to fit it all in and tie up all loose ends in just one more book. But my goodness, she did it. I questioned a few characters along the way. There are so many ways Ivy could be stabbed in the back by someone she trusts. I liked how the book handled those situations and characters. I'm so proud of Ivy. So proud! She had tremendous growth through this series. She was realistic and believable! There is lots of action. Fighting. Romance. Sooo much happens in this book... I just can't even. Because if I did, I'd give away some kind of spoiler. 

Feral Queen by Alexis Calder was kindly provided to me by Book Sprout for review. The opinions are my own.

Have you read the other books in this trilogy?

Check out my reviews of another series by this author!

Alexis Calder writes sassy heroines and sexy heroes with a sprinkle of sarcasm. She lives in the Rockies and drinks far too much coffee and just the right amount of wine.

To learn more about Alexis Calder and her books, visit her on Goodreads, Facebook, Facebook Reader Group, Twitter, and BookBub.

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