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Friday, February 15, 2019

Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton












A sound awakens her. There's darkness all around. And then she's falling...
She has no idea who or where she is. Or why she's dead. The only clue to her identity hangs around her neck: a single rusted key. This is how she and the others receive their names—from whatever belongings they had when they fell out of their graves. Under is a place of dirt and secrets, and Key is determined to discover the truth of her past in order to escape it.
She needs help, but who can she trust? Ribbon seems content in Under, uninterested in finding answers. Doll’s silence hints at deep sorrow, which could be why she doesn't utter a word. There's Smoke, the boy with a fierceness that rivals even the living. And Journal, who stays apart from everyone else. Key's instincts tell her there is something remarkable about each of them, even if she can't remember why.
Then the murders start; bodies that are burnt to a crisp. After being burned, the dead stay dead. Key is running out of time to discover who she was—and what secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden—before she becomes the next victim


I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I love Kelsey Sutton, not gonna lie. Every single one of her novels has made me gobble it up quickly. I read Some Quiet Place- every damn year.

This book was amazing, the concept is unique, the writing and descriptions are great and the characters are lovely.

The idea that everyone in the Under is named after what the were buried with? Makes them feel so much more, gives them extra bits of personality.

The ending is not quite HEA and a little sad, but oh so brilliant. This book feels like a gothic romance and now I am sad I finished it so quickly. Like all her other novels I will buy this one in paperback too so it can live on my shelves with the rest of her novels.

Key is a great female MC, really wanting to live her life to the fullest. There is magic in the book which leads into my two tiny complaints: 1) the magic didn't have any real rules and could be considered overly convenient. 2) the main plotline is caused because one woman is jealous of another- which is a little overdone and trope-y. I enjoyed the book anyway.

The twist at the end I had figured out, but it's still a good twist.

This book made me feel dark and dank, a little sad and very romantic. But these are all emotions it's trying to make you feel after all 90% of the novel takes place underground.

So enjoy :)

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

The Cold is in Her Bones- by Peternelle van Arsdale
















Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.
Milla’s whole world is her family’s farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she’s forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.
Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself


When I heard this novel was a medusa retelling I knew I had to pick it up and read it. I was not disappointed. I am surprised it has such low ratings on Goodreads. I really enjoyed this.

Milla was a great character, forever trying to be who her family wants her to be but realizing she can't fake it anymore. She can only be who she is. Her relationship with Iris is really more like she's in love with her and less like a sister, so the reader can take it truly either way. (Though they call themselves sisters...I found this annoying. They have a chemistry between them)

Iris is this beautiful fantastic creature in Milla's eyes, which made me wonder, was she really this sparkling thing or did Milla (who'd never had a friend or even met another girl) just idolize her? The writing was superb, to make these the sort of questions I came away with.

Milla's brother Niklas was and a meh character; perfect, beloved by everyone and can do no wrong. He was the least interesting person in this novel.

Her parents are awful people (a common theme in YA).

They never say where this novel takes place, it's a very generalized puritan type time frame with villages, outhouses and no electricity. Which I found to be an interesting choice for the author. Focusing so much more on the plot and characters then where the story takes place.

The demon and Hulda, the magic of the snakes were all intense and very descriptive. Spiders I hate, but snakes? Never pay much mind to them, so the idea of having powers to talk to snakes is original. Outside of Harry Potter I don't see it much. However, there are wasps in this book to so: eeeeew.

The plot of this novel is simple and it is a fast read, but I really enjoyed it. It is written in parts and towards the end, there is an entire section I felt unnecessary, hence 4.5 stars instead of five.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Favorite Couples (Books and Video Games)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com
This week, cause Valentine's Day we are doing Top Ten Favorite Couples. I threw in a few of my favorite video game pairings- since I read smutty fan fic.



Rand T'Ash and Danith Mallow


Roarke and Eve

Eric and Tamara




John Taylor and Shotgun Suzie



Video Game Couples:

Cullen and the Inquisitor- Dragon Age

Garrus and Shepard- Mass Effect

Dorian and the Inquisitor- Dragon Age

Anders and Hawke- Dragon Age

Alistair and the Grey Warden- Dragon Age