Book Review!! Fallen Demon by Juliana Haygert

Fallen Demon (Rite World: Fallen Angel #3) by Juliana Haygert

Genre: New Adult Fiction (Paranormal Romance)

Date Published: December 5, 2024
Publisher: Dark Witch Press LLC

I thought I'd already lost everything. Now, I might lose him forever...

The moment Levi vanished into the underworld to save me, my world shattered. Our bond is the only thing keeping him alive in that hellish realm, but it’s unraveling fast. The powerful magic I’ve been cursed with is more unstable than ever and its control is slipping through my fingers.

But guess what? Giving up isn’t my style. I’ll tear apart heaven, hell, and everything in between to get Levi back. With a war brewing in Elysium and Rhodes plotting to become king of everything, I’m caught in the middle of a nightmare—and this time, the fate of the world is at stake. Great timing, right?

Falling for Levi was never part of the plan, but now I’ll stop at nothing to save him. Because if I lose him for good, that’s one fight I won’t survive.

FALLEN DEMON is an intense and steamy paranormal romance set in the dark, dangerous world of Juliana Haygert’s Rite World. With epic battles, scorching passion, and forbidden love, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats!

Fallen Demon is the third book in the Rite World: Fallen Angel series by Juliana Haygert. Ariella goes through a lot in this one. She's forced to trust. There are unexpected plan changes. She's kept on her toes. She goes through some great realizations and character growth as well. As a reader, it took me until about halfway through to really feel invested. I felt like something was missing with Levi being MIA, but I'm weird like that, I suppose, but he helps carry the story. And, once he was back in the picture, no matter the form, all was well. The characters and worlds this author creates are detailed, well thought out, and pull you right into the characters’ lives. I'm anxious for what's next, because you just never know what will happen.

The ARC of Fallen Demon by Juliana Haygert was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Have you read the previous books in this series?

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

While USA Today Bestselling Author Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

To learn more about Juliana Haygert and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter.

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Book Review! The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
Genre: Adult Fiction (Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Avon Books

A bladesmith blessed by the stars. A prince with a dangerous secret. A god bound in shadows. From USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard comes a scorching new romantasy that will leave you spellbound.

“His Imperial Majesty King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”

When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.

But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.

When the rebels attack, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the Starkeeper. But Roshan is guarding secrets of his own. And with no control over the power stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of a dark god, an immortal whose interest might be the biggest threat of all.

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard reminded me a bit of The Selection, but the competition of it all is more deadly. It's fast paced with interesting characters that really kept my focus firm. I like the mythology that's delicately woven into the world building and the characters themselves. It does read more like a Young Adult story, which I'm fine with. If you've been on my blog for more than 5 minutes you know I love YA. There is a scene or two that pushes it into the adult realm though. It actually surprised me, because I thought I was reading a YA book prior to that. All in all, I was impressed with this one. I'm not sure if the author plans for this to be a series, but the potential is definitely there, and I'm here for it!

The ARC of The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard was kindly provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for review. The opinions are my own.

AMALIE HOWARD is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author, most notably of The Beast of Beswick, “a smart, sexy, deliciously feminist romance,” and one of O-The Oprah Magazine’s Top 24 Best Historicals to Read. She is the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and Scottish historical romance, My Rogue, My Ruin and What A Scot Wants, and has also penned several young adult novels, critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT selection. Of Indo-Caribbean descent, she has written articles on multicultural fiction for The Portland Book Review and Ravishly magazine. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. 

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

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Book Review: What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould
Genre: Young Adult Fiction (Horror/Thriller)
Date Published: December 10, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books

Yellowjackets meets Girl, Interrupted when a group of troubled teens in a wilderness therapy program find themselves stranded in a forest full of monsters eager to take their place.

Devin Green wakes in the middle of the night to find two men in her bedroom. No stranger to a fight, she calls to her foster parents for help, but it soon becomes clear this is a planned abduction—one everyone but Devin signed up for. She’s shoved in a van and driven deep into the Idaho woods, where she’s dropped off with a cohort of equally confused teens. Finally, two camp counselors inform them that they've all been enrolled in an experimental therapy program. If the campers can learn to change their self-destructive ways—and survive a fifty-days hike through the wilderness—they’ll come out the other side as better versions of themselves. Or so the counselors say.

Devin is immediately determined to escape. She’s also determined to ignore Sheridan, the cruel-mouthed, lavender-haired bully who mocks every group exercise. But there’s something strange about these woods—inhuman faces appearing between the trees, visions of people who shouldn't be there flashing in the leaves—and when the campers wake up to find both counselors missing, therapy becomes the least of their problems. Stranded and left to fend for themselves, the teens quickly realize they’ll have to trust each other if they want to survive. But what lies in the woods may not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other—and if the monsters have their way, no one will leave the woods alive.

Atmospheric and sharp, What the Woods Took is a poignant story of transformation that explores the price of becoming someone—or something—new.

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould is a story of survival. Many levels of survival: surviving the wilderness, their personal traumas, themselves, each other… and if that’s not enough, throw in a supernatural element as well. The romances didn’t do much for me. I feel like they took away from the story more than benefitting it. Thankfully they weren’t a focus through most of the story. I really wish we would have gotten more from the ending. Like a flash back to the woods with an incident with the search crew or something. Or maybe even having the survivors seeing “something” that made it out of the woods. I don’t know. It needed something. The ending just didn’t do it for me. Overall, I loved the premise. The execution just wasn’t for me.

The ARC of What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould was kindly provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley for review. The opinions are my own.

Courtney Gould writes books about girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. Her debut novel, THE DEAD AND THE DARK, came out Summer 2021 from Wednesday Books and won the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her second novel, WHERE ECHOES DIE, hit shelves on June 20th, 2023 and her next YA novel, WHAT THE WOODS TOOK, is forthcoming in Fall 2024. Her writing is featured in Indie Bestselling anthology THE GATHERING DARK and in the forthcoming THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES.

She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, Publishing, and Marketing. She now lives in Salem, OR where she continues to write love letters to small towns and haunted places.

To learn more about Courtney Gould and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads.

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Book Review: Light Magic by Juliana Haygert

Light Magic (Rite World: Fallen Angel #2) by Juliana Haygert

Genre: New Adult Fiction (Paranormal Romance)
Date Published: May 23, 2024
Publisher: Dark Witch Press LLC

I’m better alone than deceived …

In my wild pursuit of redemption, I struck a sketchy deal with a demon to get back my celestial wings. Surprise, surprise – I got played, ended up hurt and alone.

Now, I'm trying to snatch back my lost magic, untangle the mysteries surrounding Elysium, and scrub my name clean.

However, thanks to a fat bounty on my head, every stroll outside turns into a showdown with supernatural freelancers hungry for the jackpot. After a brutal brawl left me broken, I reluctantly called on a witch with healing mojo. And guess who shows up? Her brother, the two-faced demon who betrayed me not too long ago.

Plot twist: he's still bound to me, thanks to some unbreakable spell.

Fueled by equal parts rage and necessity, I'm flipping the script, hell-bent on breaking the annoying bond, reclaiming my magic, and taking down not just the backstabbing demon but also every threat aiming to wreck my world.

LIGHT MAGIC is a sizzling paranormal romance, set in Juliana Haygert’s kick-ass Rite World. This spellbinding urban fantasy promises a riveting blend of magic and suspense, leaving readers yearning for more..

Light Magic is the second book in the Rite World: Fallen Angel series by Juliana Haygert. I love Ariella and Levi's Hot-Cold, Argue-y bantering. They're a lot of fun! Like book one, there's a lot of action. Just when Ariella starts to feel comfy somewhere. Boom! She's found! Levi spent some time away this time around. He was missed, as I definitely like it better when he's around. These books definitely keep me entertained. We got some surprises and twists, and I look forward to seeing where things go next.

The ARC of Light Magic by Juliana Haygert was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Have you read the first book in this series?

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

While USA Today Bestselling Author Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

To learn more about Juliana Haygert and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Twitter.

Buy this book at: