Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
Published: 11th September 2012
By: Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved Unspoken. From the fantastic characters to the interesting plot and the funny quips that had me laughing out loud while reading this. It's shrouded in mystery and angst and kept me intrigued throughout.

The Lynburns, the town's founders, have suddenly moved back to the big house on the hill. Kami, as editor of the school newspaper is trying to get the story on them. So when Jared Lynburn turns out to be the boy that Kami has spoken to inside her head ever since she can remember, it seems she has an inside source.

Then the attacks begin. Kami, who aspires to be an investigative journalist, wants to figure out who's behind them, she can't go to the police because they think Jared pushed her down the well. What secret's are the town, and the Lynburn's, hiding?

I adored Kami, I think she's my favourite female protag of all time. I just really took to her. I loved her crazy personality and totally enjoyed all her mad antics. Angela was great too and her snarky, sarcastic comments gave me some good laughs.

Jared was an awesome, leather jacket wearing, motor bike riding, mysterious bad boy. I feel we never really got to see the true Jared, he had walls built inside his head and didn't let Kami or the reader in.

While there isn't an actual romance in Unspoken, the relationship that Jared and Kami shared seemed filled with tension which I really enjoyed. I'm still not actually sure if they liked each other romantically as both their emotions towards each other seemed to change at times or their actions would contradict their thoughts. They do love each other deeply though, and I like to think that it will eventually turn romantic.

Which brings us to the cliffhanger ending. Why, why, why? It was just so cruel and I deducted a half star because of it. It was just too much for me. I can't believe I have to wait now until next June to see how things turn out.

Buy the book: The Book Depository/Amazon

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Hunting Lila by Sarah alderson

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
Published: 5th August 2011
By: Simon & Schuster UK
Source: Library

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where to start with how good this was and how much I enjoyed it? It wasn't even on my tbr until I started seeing some really great reviews for Losing Lila, which inevitably, brought Hunting Lila to my attention and also led me to Fated which I also loved and you can read my review of here. Needless to say, Sarah Alderson is definitely making an impression on me.

After Lila's mother is murdered, her father moves her away from California, and her brother Jack, who refuses to go with them. He stays behind with the family of his best friend Alex while Lila and her dad head to London. Lila, has a secret power, she can move things with her mind. When she gets mugged one day, and almost stabs her attacker in the eye with his own knife, using only her mind, she get's scared and flees to California, to Jack and Alex, who she's had a crush on for what feels like her entire life.

Alex and Jack are in the military. Jack meets Lila and takes her to stay at his house, telling her she can stay as long as she wants, but not indefinitely. He and Alex are part of a secret organisation of the military that Lila can't be privy to. But when Lila meets a weird homeless guy who tells her that she's in danger from the same people who killed her mother, and that Jack's unit hunts people like her, with powers, she wants to get away. Back to London and her dad before Jack and Alex discover what she is. But before she can, Desmos, her mother's murderer, and his gang, have caught up with her.

This book was epic. The characters were amazing and I was totally riveted to what was going on. It was unpredictable, leaving me with no clue as to the direction that it was going to take. Maybe naively so, but I was surprised to find out what the Unit did. I had something else in mind completely.

Lila was a really likeable protagonist, and Jack and Alex just totally swoonworthy. While there is some romance, it didn't wow me, and wouldn't have been one of my favourite aspects of this book. My favourite character would have to be Zuki, she seemed like a lot of fun and I found it amusing when she would speak out after reading what someone was thinking. I really enjoyed when we met with Desmos gang, and we got to know the capabilities of each of them. This book was even better once we met up with them. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them all in the sequel.

The ending of this was a bit harsh and I'm just thankful that Losing Lila has already been released and I'm not going to be waiting months to see how things turn out.

Buy the book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield
Published: 11th September 2012
By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: Netgalley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Clare and her mom have just moved back to her hometown of Winston having left it six years previous. But while she's been gone, the town has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. On the previous two Independence weekends, there have been incidences involving children. The first year, a little boy was murdered, the following year, a girl went missing on the same day. There's talk of a serial killer. Tourism has suffered. Now all the adults are worrying about the kids this holiday weekend and trying to organise events that will keep them all together.

Clare has a special gift that has passed down through her family. The curse began with the murder of her descendent Alma, who was shot in her dress shop by a jealous husband, along with the bride to be. Alma was pregnant at the time and the baby was delivered before she died. Clare can see the memories of clothes she touches, what happened to the wearer while they had it on, and how they felt at the time. Clare's hobby is creating new styles of clothing from old clothes that she picks up at flea markets, garage sales etc. Can you see where this is going? It was fairly predictable.

Clare comes across a badly destroyed denim jacket which happened to belong to the dead girl, Amanda. Clare can't let go and feels like the jacket wants her to help so she speaks with Jack, Amanda's boyfriend at the time, and Amanda's mother. Clare's best friend is acting weird, and Clare discovers that she's been keeping secrets from her about Amanda, she gets suspicious of Rachel's involvement in the girls death.

This was kind of suspenseful but there was a definite anti-climax when the truth was revealed. I had expected something a bit more sinister and so, was disappointed. There's a smidgeon of romance and even though I liked Jack, it just didn't light any fires in me. There would have been no difference to the book if the romance hadn't been there. Romance for the sake of a romance.

Overall, not one of my most enjoyable reads, but something did keep me turning those pages. If you're a fan of paranormal mysteries and thrillers, then you may enjoy this more than I did.

Buy this book: The Book Depository/Amazon

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Stacking the Shelves #19

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle) sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a good weekend so far. Today I'm sharing my book haul for the last two weeks. Thankfully, I seem to be keeping my requests to a minimum :) I usually manage to read about three books a week so receiving three a week seems like a good aim.

Click on the book title for more information

  

Ever by Jessa Russo (Netgalley)

Slammed by Colleen Hoover (Netgalley)

Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) by Colleen Hoover (Netgalley)

  

Wolf Pact by Melissa de la Cruz (Atom)

Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney (Harper Collins UK)

Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones (Netgalley)

I can't wait to see what you guys got. Leave me your links so I can go check them out. 

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Blog Tour: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan
Published: 13th September 2012
By: DIAL
Source: Penguin for Atomr blog tours


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a review of an arc copy.

Vee works as part of the behind the scenes cast of the play her best friend Sydney is starring in. She feels like she's always living in Sydney's shadow so when Sydney kisses the guy Vee's been crushing on, Vee decides to do something completely out of character, and auditions for the gameshow Nerve. After getting through the dares, she finally reaches the final with her partner Ian and 5 other players. But things don't seem right to Vee, and she begins to feel her life may actually be at risk.

Nerve started off okay, but I soon found myself getting bored with the dares. This only really picked up for me again when they reached the final dare, and in all honesty, not that much. There are seven people together in a room in a club, all relying on each other to complete their dares in order for them to win their prizes. Prizes which are very important to them, a final trip away with a dying father, for instance. So, not unexpectedly, things get heated between the group.

While Vee wasn't necessarily an unlikeable character, she was fairly bland and uninteresting. Maybe needing some more definition. Ian too, we learned very little about. Though we are told he is good looking, and he seems like a pretty decent guy, I still didn't find anything to write home about.

Out of nowhere, a romance springs up between them, after a matter of hours spent together. I felt it was a bit ridiculous and more annoying than anything else after such a short time. Ian keeps putting himself out there for her, even though he hardly knows her.

While I was interested in the way the game would play out, the whole thing was fairly dull. The main concentration is on the game, giving very little definition to any of the characters. Consequently, I found myself disinterested in the characters and uncaring as to their outcome. And open endings really aren't my kind of thing.

Despite my negativity, I do feel that this book will appeal to a lot of readers out there. It just wasn't for me. I think I was expecting a bit more depth.


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Spotlight and Giveaway: 

Dancing with Death by Andrea Heltsley

Murders have plagued the woods in the past, making them a place of fear. Eighteen year old Wendy and her friends become worried when a new string of murders come to their high school. After a horrible car accident, Wendy returns to school, going from wallflower to popular overnight. As the murderer edges closer to Wendy she realizes things are changing. She is afflicted with nightmares that are all too real and she herself is undergoing unnatural changes. Learning the truth about her past, could be the key to saving her future.

About Andrea
I am a biology nerd who decided it was more fun writing than dissecting. I have written three novels and four more will be out in 2013. I live on coffee and read like a robot. My husband and two italian greyhounds usually have to tear me away from the computer...imagine that. :)

Blog/Twitter/Goodreads

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You know the rules: grab your current read, open to a random page and share a two sentence teaser with us (no spoilers!). Be sure to tell us about the book, so we can add it to our TBR list!

This week my teaser comes from Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

After a quick shower, I padded out to the bedroom, yanked on the first clean pair of jeans I found, and grabbed a cardigan off the back of my desk chair. A slinky top would have been so much prettier, but the scars patchworking across my arms would have been visible. Apparently Olivia's healing touch didn't fix everything.

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Madly (Bk 1) and Madly and Wolfhardt (Bk 2) by M. Leighton

Madly published June 2011
Madly & Wolfhardt published 22nd July 2011
M. Leighton
Source: Atomr blog tours

I'm reviewing both these books together as Madly is really only a novella, introducing us to the characters and the world they live in and preparing us for book 2. 

Madly James is a mermaid princess doing an internship at the school in Slumber, together with her friend Jersey and her bethrothed, Aidan, also merfolk. This is so they can spend some time with the humans they are bound to protect. 

After their resident advisor, Lady Sheelagh is found murdered, Jackson a sentinel, and Madly's previous crush, assigns himself to protect Madly, as the lore have escaped. They are holding Madly's sister Truly as leverage against her parents, Warden Major and Warden Queen, who rule the mermaid world beneath the sea. And apparently, the only ones who can save them are Madly and Jackson. 

Madly and Wolfhardt kicks off here with the discovery that the first lore to arrive in Slumber is Wolfhardt. He is the wolf from the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The lore are connected to the fairy tales, with the modern day fairy tales being a retelling of what really happened with the lore in the past. 

Madly and Jackson have to find out who the relative of Little Red Riding Hood is. They find her and Madly tells her of her heritage and the danger she's in. 

These books didn't impress me at all. The world building was really bad. I know nothing about Slumber or Atlas or why they have to do an internship and why they protect the humans of Slumber, and, from my perspective, only the humans of Slumber? Is Slumber separate from the rest of the world? And why do the relatives of the lore reside there? There's so much that we don't find out the reasoning behind.

The characters are completely one dimensional. Madly is betrothed to Aidan and will apparently start to have really strong feeling fro him soon, though again, the author doesn't go into any detail about this. Anyway, next you know, Aidan is falling for and connecting with someone else and Madly is still head over heels for Jackson???  And one really annoying thing, Madly's parents and sister are being held capture and yet all her inner dialogue is about Jackson. She gives very little thought or worry to her family!!

I felt this book ended prematurely too. Where this left off and the next book started really felt to me like it should have been a continuation of this book. 

Needless to say I won't be continuing on with the series. I've read some good reviews of these books so there's obviously people out there who took a lot more out of these books than I did.

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Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
Published: September 4, 2012
By: Harper Collins UK
Source: Copy provided by publisher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carnival of Souls was a really slow starter for me. I was kind of confused about the Daimons and the Curs and exactly what they are. If I'm honest, I'm still slightly confused. I know they're fast and powerful, and that they can shape shift, though I'm not sure exactly what they shift into, is it a dog type thing, a wolf maybe? Kaleb is a Cur, who are the lowest class of Daimon and he describes himself as being like a mongrel or stray dog, but I'm not sure if that's just a metaphor.

Mallory has been raised by Adam, a witch. She doesn't know what she really is or the exact danger she is in, because of who her real father is. She is aware of Daimons though and has been trained to fight. Everything starts to change when Kaleb enters her life.

Every generation, a fighting competition is held in the Carnival of Souls. It's a fight to the death, and the prize is becoming ruling class, the highest caste (class) of Daimon. The fight is down to the last few contenders and Kaleb and Aya are still in.

My favourite character was Kaleb. He has done a lot of horrible things in his 17 years but I love how he wants to be a better person for Mallory. And he is so caring towards Zevi, who is part of his pack. The relationship they share is an interesting one.

Mallory was really sweet. She comes across as very young and naive, but that's probably because every time something has happened to her (being attacked by Daimons etc.), Adam has spelled her to think it wasn't real and forget about it. She is very much a loner and when things do get dangerous, she is not afraid to stand up and fight.

I didn't like Aya at the beginning, she seemed very cruel and heartless. But after learning more about her, I really came to like her. I feel that she is going to be an awesome character in the next book and I'm looking forward to seeing how things will play out between herself and Belias.

But then we have a cliff hanger. I really felt like this book was only getting to the really exciting stuff and then I was turning the last page. I'm expecting great things from the next book.

Buy this book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Spark (Elementals #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

Spark by Brigid Kemmerer

Published: 28th August 2012
By: Kensington
Source: Netgalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Gabriel's character in Storm so I was really looking forward to reading Spark and getting a look at things from his prospective.

He's having a hard time lately. He's failing math and unless he can pick up his grade, he'll be kicked off the basketball team. Nick, his twin, starts dating a girl he doesn't like, and when Gabriel picks a fight with her for no reason, things get heavy between him and Nick and they don't speak afterwards. He saves the lives of some people caught in fires, but then gets accused of being the arsonist who's starting them. Anything that can go wrong for him is, but the light at the end of the tunnel is Layne.

I found Gabriel to be quite witty and fun loving in Storm so I expected something different from this book, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it though, I really did. But Gabriel is having such a hard time and I really felt sorry for him. He is isolated from his family, and the only person he seems to have to fall back on is Layne.

I enjoyed the relationship build up between himself and Layne, it's exactly the kind of romance I enjoy. Both of them indifferent to start with and it gradually grows into something special.

The interactions between Gabriel and Nick really warmed my heart. They hadn't really made up but yet you could see how much Nick really cared for Gabriel. I have no experience with twins at all and I just loved the intimacy that the two of them shared.

Michael softens a little bit in this too, and I felt we were starting to see a little bit of the old Michael from Elemental. Things finally seem to be looking up for him and I'm hoping that everything is going to work out.

Hunter appealed to me a lot more in this book, I really started liking him too. I think it's probably because he wasn't part of the love triangle anymore lol.

But I really found myself missing Chris and Becca, especially Becca. I don't think I realised how much I actually enjoyed her character in Storm, until I was only catching glimpses of her in Spark.

Layne was a lovely character and such a sweetie. Her life seemed to be a struggle but she was strong and caring. She took care of her brother Simon who was deaf and who got bullied at school. Gabriel also builds up a friendship with Simon and it was really nice to see him also looking out for Simon. I felt both Gabriel and Layne had a lot of character growth in this and by the end, they are both more comfortable with themselves.

Spark has a lot going on, it's fast paced and exciting and I definitely recommend it. I'm really excited for the next in the series, Spirit, which is from Hunters prospective.

Buy the book: The Book Depository/Amazon 

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Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
Published: 24th April 2012
By: Kensington
Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wonderful! I managed to read this book in one day. Always a good sign, I think. This book moved at a fast pace and had enough action to keep me glued to the pages.

Four hot brothers, Michael, the twins Nick and Gabriel, and the youngest Chris. They all have a power of the elements. They are pure elemental's so they are extremely powerful. So much so, that other elemental's feel threatened by them and would like to see them dead. They constantly get beat up and harrassed by other families in the community who know what they are, especially Seth and Tyler, also elementals, but not as powerful.

Becca is leaving her self defence class one night, when she sees a guy being beaten up by two guys. The guy is down, seemingly unconscious, but they're still kicking him. Her phone is dead, and afraid they're going to actually kill him, she uses the only weapon she has, her car. She drives toward them yelling that she's called the police and this scares them off for a bit. The guy on the ground is Chris Merrick, from her school, but she doesn't really know him. Between the two of them, they manage to get Chris into the back of the car and get away. But this puts her in the line of fire from Seth and Tyler too.

Becca was a really likeable character who I took to straight away. She is emphatic and brave. Her and Chris seem to come together a lot now but their relationship kind of flashes hot and cold. The new kid, Hunter, also shows an interest in Becca, so we do have a love triangle which was annoying but worked out for me in the end :)

I really liked the Merrick brothers too. Michael is a bit of an ass in this so I was glad I'd read Elemental and got more of an insight into this character before starting Storm. Nick is a serious character who appears to be the more intelligent of the twins, while Gabriel would come across and more fun loving and carefree. They often switch places for tests and sports. And Chris was really cute and likable.

The next book in this series, Spark, is centred around Gabriel. I'm looking forward to finding out more about him and his powers as a fire elemental.

Buy the Book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You know the rules: grab your current read, open to a random page and share a two sentence teaser with us (no spoilers!). Be sure to tell us about the book, so we can add it to our TBR list!



This week my teaser comes from Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson. 

He kept his eyes on mine, his gaze unblinking, and I stared right back into the blue. He moved almost imperceptively and in the space between a heartbeat his lips touched mine.

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Stacking the Shelves #18

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle) sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews

A small haul again this week which I'm so glad of, I have a lot of catching up to do.

Click on the book title for more information

 

Iron's Prophecy by Julie Kagawa

Fade by A.K. Morgen

So, leave me your links so I can see what goodies you received this week :)

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No Mercy by Shannon Dermott

No Mercy by Shannon Dermott
Published: 24th July 2012
By: Wicked Truth Publishing
Source: Bought from Amazon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a novella in the Cambions series that should be read after Waiting for Mercy.

Warning - this book is intended for a mature audience. Excessive language and sexual situations may not be suitable for younger teens.

I'm not usually a big fan of novellas and rarely give them more than three stars, but when it has POV's from two of my favourite male characters from the Cambion series, Luke and Flynn, what's not to love.

No mercy is set back before either of the guys have ever spoken to Mercy, but they both admire her from afar. Flynn is afraid to make a move because she's one of the only girls who doesn't fall all over him, he is an incubus after all, and never short of female attention. And Luke, not sure exactly how Flynn really feels about her, and if it would upset him, won't make a move because, total guy thing, Flynn seen her first. He is kind of waiting for Flynn's permission.

The majority of this book is set at Flynn's family lakehouse where he's arranged to meet up with a girl, out from under the eye of his current girlfriend, Amanda. And Luke, being the great best friend that he is, is playing wingman, and keeping the girl's sister occupied. We get an inside look into how Flynn actually feels about his womanising, even though it's something he needs to do to. We also get a greater insight into the powers that Luke and Flynn possess and how they use them.

I really enjoyed this and it has left me longing for even more. I can't wait for the third book in this series and I just want to read the first two over again right now. When I finished this book I was thinking that the only thing that would have made it better would have been if it continued up to the spin the bottle game that starts off the series in Beg for Mercy. And lo and behold, the next morning I go to my inbox and find an email from Shannon's newsletter basically giving me just that, the spin the bottle game from the boys POV. In the book we just get Mercy's. And it was just as awesome as I thought it would be.

This is one of my all time favourite series and if you haven't read it yet, then why not? If you don't enjoy it, I'll eat my hat.

Beg for Mercy is just 99c on Amazon, snap it up!

Buy the Book on Amazon

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The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
Published: 2nd August 2012
By: Orchard Books
Source: Netgalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Alenna is shocked when she wakes up on the wheel, an island where kids who fail the GPPT test are sent. The GPPT is a test to identify future criminals and separate them from society. She was sure that she would pass.

She's heard the horror stories about the island, where the resident kids have a life expectancy of only 18 years. Scared and not knowing what to do, she starts to explore and comes across a boy who seems to have been dropped off at the same time as her, David.

As they try to find somewhere to spend the night, they are attacked by drones, wild kids who wear cloaks and paint their faces and are loyal to the monk. Alenna gets saved by Gatya, a warrior girl from one of the remaining villages not under the rule of the monk, but they can't save David and he is taken away by the drones, where they tell Alenna, he will either be killed or brain washed into their beliefs.

At the village, she meets Liam who she feels a connection with immediately and he apparently feels it too. This village is run by Viedman and he plans an expedition to head to the grey sector in the hope of finding a way off the island. This is an extremely dangerous trip where they have to cross into enemy territory and they know they won't all survive. But after hearing rumours that her parents were on the island, she knows she must go along if she is to ever find out what happened to her parents who were taken away when she was ten years old, and she was taken to an orphanage.

There was some info dumping on the first few pages which had my mind wandering but the story picked up when Alenna landed on the island, though I enjoyed the second half of this book more than the first.

I didn't feel the connection or the romance between Alenna and Liam until the end and he wouldn't have been my favourite of characters, but by the end of the book, which was surprising itself, I had warmed up to him a lot. It also took me a while to warm up to Alenna, but as her character grows throughout the story, I started to like her a lot more. She's courageous and emphatic and looks out for those around her.

The writing style was kind of odd at times when some of the sentences felt stunted, like there should have been commas instead of full stops, but really, it didn't take from my reading experience. This book wasn't amazing me at the beginning but something kept me going and I was looking forward to solving the mystery of the gray sector and the feelers. The last third of this book was when it really became interesting and the path it took me down was unexpected, but very welcome. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Buy the book: Amazon/The Book Depository

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. You know the rules: grab your current read, open to a random page and share a two sentence teaser with us (no spoilers!). Be sure to tell us about the book, so we can add it to our TBR list!


This week my teaser comes from Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr 

"If not for my sister, I'd be dead too. Evelyn saved me. I was so young, too young to fight, but after the wars, I waited. It took a couple of centuries, but then I saw my chance: I took what their ruler most valued, but I couldn't......I can't destroy it. Evelyn wants to use it as a weapon, but......"

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Stacking the Shelves #17

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, (and filling our kindle) sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process! Hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews

A small stack this week, which I'm glad of lol.

  

The Acropolis by R. K. Ryals

Blood Twist by Bonnie Erina Wheeler

Broken by A.E. Rought

What did you get this week. Leave me a link and I'll drop by.

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