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 of The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash

The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash
Genre: New Adult (Paranormal Fiction)
Date Published: January 4, 2016
Publisher: Self

After a vicious fight with her boyfriend followed by a night of heavy partying, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm room to find things are not the same as they were yesterday. She can't quite put her finger on it. She's sharing her room with a peculiar stranger. Amanda discovers she's registered for classes she would never choose with people that are oddly familiar. An ominous shadow is stalking her. Uncomfortable memories are bubbling dangerously close to her fracturing world, propelling her to an inevitable collision between fantasy and reality. Is this the mother of all hangovers or is something bigger happening? 

The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash was one of those books that really makes you think about life, your decisions, everything. I really wish it had been a full length novel, because there is so much untold story here. I needed some more history into the characters. I didn't connected with Amanda, because I didn't get to know her well enough. When I started to feel like I was getting past her introduction, the story was over. There is a twist at the end. I have to say, I had it figured out before she ever left her dorm room, but that didn't sway my enjoyment of the book in any way. Amanda kept getting flashbacks to different times in history. These were interesting, and I would love to know the connections between Amanda and the historical figures. Why those people? What did it mean for her? It could go so many different directions. I'm both frustrated and intrigued.

The History Major by Michael Phillip Cash was kindly provided to me by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter. His novels are best-sellers on Amazon under their genres – Young Adult, Thriller, Suspense, Ghost, Action Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror.

Michael writes full-time and lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wonderful wife and screaming children.

To learn more about Michael Phillip Cash and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

Book Review! Slumber by Christy Sloat

Slumber (The Slumber Duology #1) by Christy Sloat
Genre: Young Adult (Fractured Fairy Tale/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: March 16, 2015
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing

Not all princesses get their happily ever after...

They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.

I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.

I’m crazy. I’m not a princess. 

They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?

They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am. 

When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.

Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth? 

Slumber by Christy Sloat is book one in the Slumber Duology. There were things I liked and things I didn't. I know this was a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, so some things would be predictable by default, but I felt like this story never truly grew into its own. You get a lot of Maleficent's story too, which, I felt, closely followed the movie, Maleficent, in many ways. All the predictability left me disappointed. With that being said, it still had that literary enchantment that kept me reading.

Instead of being under a sleeping curse, Rory was imprisoned in an asylum. This was a unique idea, and could have made for a much more terrifying curse than sleeping. Not that Rory had it completely easy in the asylum, I guess I just expected a little more asylum type injustice from it. Sawyer was swoony. I enjoyed his character, Rory's memories of him, and their moments together in the asylum. I can tell the chemistry between them is pretty hot and heavy. I don't think this author is afraid of killing characters off, so I worry about him. I also enjoyed the fact that not all princes are charming, and there's not always a happily ever after for everyone.

I do want to know what happens next, so I'll probably read the second book, but I really hope there's a little more unpredictability thrown into it. Judging by the ending, I really think there will be.

Slumber by Christy Sloat was kindly provided to me by YA Bound for review. The opinions are my own.

Not all princesses get their happily ever after…

They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.

I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under.  I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.

I’m crazy. I’m not a princess.

They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?

They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am.

When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.

Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?

Christy Sloat is a SoCal born girl who resides in New Jersey currently with her husband, two daughters and Sophie her Chihuahua. Christy has embraced the love of reading and writing since her youth and was inspired by her grandmother's loving support. Christy passes that love of reading, writing, and creativity to her daughters, family, and friends. When you do not find Christy within the pages of a book you can find her being mommy, wife, crafter, and dear friend. She loves adventurous journeys with her friends and can be known to get lost inside a bookstore. Be sure to venture into her Past Lives Series, The Visitor's Series, and watch for many more exciting things to come.

To learn more about Christy Sloat and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.