Book Review: Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair

Mountains Made of Glass (Fairy Tale Retellings #1) by Scarlett St. Clair
Genre: Adult Fiction (Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: March 7, 2023
Publisher: Bloom Books

"Could you love me?" he whispered. The question stole my breath and burned my lungs in the silence that followed.

I wanted to answer, to whisper yes into the space between us, but I was afraid.

All Gesela's life, her home village of Elk has been cursed. And it isn't a single curse—it is one after another, each to be broken by a villager, each with devastating consequences. When Elk's well goes dry, it is Gesela's turn to save her town by killing the toad that lives at the bottom. Except… the toad is not a toad at all. He is an Elven prince under a curse of his own, and upon his death, his brothers come for Gesela, seeking retribution.

As punishment, the princes banish Gesela to live with their seventh brother, the one they call the beast. Gesela expects to be the prisoner of a hideous monster, but the beast turns out to be exquisitely beautiful, and rather than lock her in a cell, he offers Gesela a deal. If she can guess his true name in seven days, she can go free.

Gesela agrees, but there is a hidden catch—she must speak his name with love in order to free him, too.

Mountains Made of Glass off the first book in the Fairy Tale Retellings series by Scarlett St. Clair. I thought this was going to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but as it turns out, it was kind of a mix out tales. The story and the characters were pretty well built. I liked that Gasela wasn’t this damsel in distress. It was also a bit of a naughty little story. I felt like the pacing was pretty good for a shorter story like this, except for maybe the romance it self. To me, it felt pretty rushed in the end. All in all? Pretty good. I’d be curious to see what’s next in this series

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair was born and raised in Oklahoma and is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation. She is the author of several books, including A TOUCH OF DARKNESS, KING OF BATTLE AND BLOOD, and WHEN STARS COME OUT. Originally self-published, Scarlett’s books ignited readers into a frenzy, and A TOUCH OF DARKNESS quickly became a TikTok-trending title.  Scarlett rocketed to the top of bestseller lists across the industry 2021, leading the prolific and popular author to sign with the Bloom Books imprint of Sourcebooks. 

Scarlett is published in more than 13 countries. With millions of copies of her books sold around the world, she is a global bestseller.

The author is a fierce advocate of inclusivity in all her creative endeavors; her books celebrate agency, sex positivity and female empowerment.

To learn more about Scarlett St. Clair and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter.

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Book Review: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is the first book in The Inheritance Games series. This kind of reminded me of the movie, Knives Out. Only it was more serious and not as goofy as the movie. Through an inheritance from someone she’s never heard of, Avery is thrown into one giant game with a bunch of people she doesn’t know, and they don’t know her either. I have no idea who to trust. Even after finishing this book, I still don’t trust a single person. Not even her sister or best friend. I’m looking at them all with squinty eyes as I read. And the more you find out, the shiftier these folks seem. It’s really a fun book. You get to solve some of the puzzles right along with the characters. This is a keeper, and I’m anxious to get started on the next book.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (who mostly goes by Jen) is the author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed young adult novels. She has advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science, including graduate degrees from Cambridge University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and Yale University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2012. Jen wrote her first published novel when she was nineteen-years-old and sold her first five books while still in college. In additional to writing YA novels, Jen has also written original pilot scripts for television networks like USA and MTV, and she is one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction and the imagination more broadly. Jen is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she holds a dual appointment in Psychology and Professional Writing.

To learn more about Jennifer Lynn Barnes and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Tumblr, and Twitter.

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Book Review: More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
Genre: Adult Non-fiction (Christian)
Date Published: January 1, 1977
Publisher: Living Books

With almost ten million copies in print, More Than a Carpenter continues to be the most powerful evangelism tool worldwide. Josh McDowell's timeless examination of the true nature of Christ and his impact on our lives is one of the best-selling Christian books ever. Written by a former skeptic of Christianity, it is a hard-hitting book for those who doubt Jesus' deity and his purpose.

More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell is the perfect book for skeptics and doubters. We all have questions. I know I do. This was like a Bible study for me to do on my own. Did it answer all my questions? No. Of course not, but it put a lot of things in perspective. It’s a short read that’ll leave you thinking for a long time.

Since beginning ministry in 1961, Josh has given more than 24,000 talks to over 10 million young people in 118 countries. He is the author or coauthor of 112 books, selling over 51 million copies worldwide, including More Than a Carpenter (more than 15 million copies in print worldwide), which has been translated into over 85 languages, and The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, recognized by World magazine as one of the twentieth century's top 40 books.

Josh continues to travel throughout the United States and countries around the world, helping young people and adults bolster their faith and scriptural beliefs. Josh will tell you that his family does not come before his ministry—his family is his ministry. He and his wife, Dottie, have four children and eight grandchildren.

To learn more about Josh McDowell and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter.

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Book Review: Cherish by Tracy Wolff

Cherish (Crave #6) by Tracy Wolff
Genre: Young Adult (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: May 30, 2023
Publisher: Entangled: Teen

The sensational conclusion to the massive #1 New York Times bestselling series…

It’s been over three months since my friends and I took down Cyrus. Three months where my biggest fear was what paper was due next... But I should have known it was too good to last. Now everything is falling apart.

The Vampire Court has no king, the Dragon Court has no heart, and the Gargoyle Court has me—a teenager in way over her head. And it’s the worst possible timing, because a threat is brewing just as the Circle is collapsing.

I have no choice but to return to the Shadow Realm and face the terrifying queen who nearly ended us…and make a deal with her to save Mekhi. But this time, I’m bringing my powerful friends with me—and Hudson. Except something is wrong with him, too. He’s keeping a secret—even from me.

All I know is that everyone’s life hangs in the balance. And it’s my fault—because I still owe the Crone a favor...and now she’s come to collect.

Cherish is the sixth and final book in the Crave series by Tracy Wolff. I had a really hard time getting into this one. I don’t know. I just felt like not a lot happened through three quarters of it. I was expecting a big finale, but it all kind of fell short for me. I still love Grace and Hudson. I like the overall conclusion enough, but I was disappointed in the draggy process of getting there. Maybe it’s just me, but I needed more significant action to carry me through to the end.

Have you read the other books in this series?

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Wolff is a lover of vampires, dragons, and all things that go bump in the night. A onetime English professor, she now devotes all her time to writing dark and romantic stories with tortured heroes and kick-butt heroines. She has written all her sixty-plus novels from her home in Austin, Texas, which she shares with her family.

To learn more about Tracy Wolff and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Book Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Siege and Storm is the second book in theThe Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. I'm loving this series. Just when you think things can't get worse for these characters, it does, and I have no idea how they're all going to get out of certain circumstances. There was a bit of a lag towards the middle of this book, but then things picked up again, and the situation got crazier. I love all the characters, even the bad ones. They all have layers. They all have flaws. They're all believable. I'm not sure if the romance aspect is a triangle or a square.. I really don't know what you'd call it, and I don't know whose team I'm on, because I like things about all of them. This is craziness!! But, I'm loving every minute of it!

Check out the other books in this trilogy!

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more.  Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. 

To learn more about Leigh Bardugo and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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