Category: books

ARC, books, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: A Game Of Life Or Death by Triona Campbell

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Book Review: A Game Of Life Or Death by Triona Campbell

I think everyone knows that I love video games by now. I love playing them, and books that feature video games as a plot point are definitely a highlight for me. I’ve definitely had my eye on A Game of Life or Death for that very reason. I’m loving that we’re getting more video game-inspired sci-fi thrillers. Hell yes!

I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy of this book from Scholastic. It was a surprise for sure, and I certainly appreciated it.

A Game of Life Or Death follows 16-year-old Asha Kennedy as she discovers her older sister’s dead body in their flat, and her entire life falls apart. Asha is certain that something suspicious is going on, and with the help of her hacker friends, she begins to look into the hit video games studio Zu Tech where her sister worked. She infiltrates the company through the e-sports tournament for their new game SHACKLE, and through her investigation, she discovers that the game hides a monstrous secret.

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Adult, ARC, books, Review

Book Review: How (Not) To Marry A Duke by Felicia Kingsley

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Book Review: How (Not) To Marry A Duke by Felicia Kingsley

Every now and then, I stumble across a romance novel on NetGalley that I’ve never heard of but sounds a lot of fun. How (Not) To Marry A Duke was one such book. This was an audiobook that I was happy to get through super quickly, but I will admit…I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped in the end.

Jemma is a struggling makeup artist who, after losing her Grandma, discovers that she could inherit a family fortune. The only problem is she has to marry someone with a title to do so. She’s certain this will never happen as she wants romance. But then she meets Ashford, a duke with no money who Jemma’s lawyer suggests she marry. Eventually, she agrees, but when it gets out to the public that they’re married, they have to pretend to be in love for a year to keep their money.

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ARC, books, new adult, Review

Book Review: You’re A Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger Books1 Comment on Book Review: You’re A Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky
Book Review: You’re A Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky

We love a cheesy queer rom-com in this house, and after reading Never Been Kissed earlier this year, I’ve been desperate to get my hands on this one. I was lucky to get a physical ARC from Martina Pennetta and Sourcebooks Casablanca. I was expecting an e-copy through Netgalley, so that was a very pleasant surprise. This book was filled with queer joy and Hallmark cheese, but it also features a realistic depiction of anxiety, and that makes this a book that can’t be beaten.

Matthew has been exiled to his grandparents’ place with no cards, and no social media. After he bought an island with his parent’s money, he’s told he needs to learn a lesson. But he needs to get back before NYE for his party. He hatches a plan to get out of there but to succeed he’ll need to work with his handsome roommate Hector. But the holiday and town work their magic, and soon even a grinch like Matthew sees the good.

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ARC, books, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

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Book Review: Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

Goldy Moldavsky is an author whose books are usually pretty wild, and Lord of the Fly Fest was no exception. Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t stop. It was like a trainwreck but in a strangely enjoyable way. This book is out now, so you can buy or borrow a copy from wherever you like. But I personally got my audiobook through the publishers and NetGalley. So thanks for that.

Rafi is a podcaster desperate to make it the big time. She plans to do that by finding out what happened to the missing girlfriend of the famous musician, River Stone. To get that opportunity, she spent all her money on a ticket for Fly Fest, the exclusive music festival on a Caribbean island. But when they get there, the festival is nonexistent, and the guests are stranded. Rafi is okay with this if she can get that interview. But as things take a dangerous turn, she realises they need to get off the island if they wish to survive.

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books, Will I Like This Book?, Young Adult

Will I Like This Book? – Let’s Play Murder by Kesia Lupo

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Will I Like This Book? – Let’s Play Murder by Kesia Lupo

We’re onto the second to last sampler I got from YALC and another book that sounds right up my alley. I love video games though I’ve not got the money for VR and a thriller involving those sorts of things? Yeah, I’m definitely about that.

This book is being published by Bloomsbury and is due on the 13th of April 2023. It’s one I’ll definitely be preordering and reading pretty soon after I get it.

These samplers don’t have a summary on the back, so as I type this up, this is the first time I’ve read this book. But this book follows Veronica as she wakes up trapped with four strangers in a VR world. They’ve all been brought into The Game, a black market competition where they could win millions if they’re the first to solve a murder mystery. But when strange things start happening, and the players themselves start to die in both the game and the real world, Veronica has to decide whether to solve the mystery or whether she wants to win the game.

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Adult, books, spotlights

Spotlight: The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

by Rosina @ Lace and Dagger Books1 Comment on Spotlight: The Stars Undying by Emery Robin
Spotlight: The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

When I saw Orbit was publishing this book I was very excited. This is a sci-fi debut inspired by the lives of Cleopatra, Julius Ceaser and Marc Antony. Set in a world very different to our own with some fascinating worldbuilding, this book is heavily political and it’s one that I hope many people will love.

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Adult, ARC, books, Review

Book Review: Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

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Book Review: Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Last year I was lucky enough to be on the blog tour for Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, and this year? This year I’ve been lucky enough to get an early physical copy of Ocean’s Echo to read! I was so damn excited, and damn, as much as I loved Winter’s Orbit…I actually loved this one more. There was still plenty of politics, but I liked the energy between Tennal and Surit a little bit more and all the action.

Ocean’s Echo follows Tennal, a wealthy socialite and walking disaster who gets conscripted into the military after getting caught using his telepathic powers for illegal activities. It’s decided that he needs his mind bound to a lieutenant whose powers are his opposite. Surit isn’t sure he wants to control someone, but he’s pressured into doing it to get his parent’s pension. Surit needs to keep Tennal in the army, but all Tennal wants to do is escape.

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ARC, books, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: Wait For Me by Sara Shepard

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Book Review: Wait For Me by Sara Shepard

Though I wouldn’t say Sara Shepard is the best author, I’ve definitely read and enjoyed a few of her books. They can be a little ridiculous, but they’re generally easy reads. Wait For Me is a different type of story for Shepard. It is a reincarnation story, so I was definitely intrigued.
Thank you to Union Square and Co for allowing me to read this early through NetGalley. This was a quick read and the perfect break with all the fantasy I’ve been reading recently.

Casey Rhodes has many disguises, but as a 17-year-old sophomore in college and girlfriend of a highly eligible bachelor? She has to. So when she starts hearing voices, she runs to the seaside town of Avon, hoping to rest and reset without worrying anyone. But as the voices get worse, she starts to think she recognises people there, including Jake. They’ve never met before, but she swears there’s a connection, and he thinks so too. Casey and Jake decide to look into her memories together and to find out whose memories she actually has.

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books, Will I Like This Book?, Young Adult

Will I Like This Book? – Gwen and Art Are Not In Love

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Will I Like This Book? – Gwen and Art Are Not In Love

I’m back with another Bloomsbury book sampler from YALC back in July! I’ll be honest, I’d actually forgotten about this book until I saw a cover reveal on social media the other day. As soon as I saw the title, I was like, damn, I have a preview of this one and now I’ve read it? Yeah, I’ll definitely be preordering this one.

Gwen and Art Are Not In Love is a queer kind-of historical fantasy rom-com following two teenagers, Gwen and Art who have been betrothed since birth. The only problem is that they don’t like each other. On top of that, both Gwen and Art are trying to hide the fact they’re gay. When they both catch each other act, they reluctantly agree to be allies and pretend to fall in love to hide their true feelings. But as they grow closer to the people they like, the fakery becomes more difficult.

This book is coming out from Bloomsbury on the 2nd of February 2023.

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ARC, books, Review, Young Adult

Book Review: The Lighthouse by Alex Bell

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Book Review: The Lighthouse by Alex Bell

I’ve been reading more spooky books this year than I have any year before, and I’m glad that a few of them have been for review. Though this is a book that I’d have definitely picked up for myself. This is a fun but creepy-sounding horror novel set on a deserted island in a historical lighthouse. It gave me reminders of watching the St Augustine lighthouse episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved, and I easily read this in a single night. Thanks so much to Little Tiger for sending me a copy of this one.

Jess and Rosie are stuck visiting a remote Scottish island with their Dad’s new family for a summer. But from the start, they can tell that something is off about the lighthouse. Jess is counting the days until they can leave, until one day, Rosie disappears, and no one remembers her. Now she can’t leave until her sister is back but trying to find her could put her in more danger.

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