YA

Reading Wrap-Up // Summerween 2023

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Hi Friends,
The Summerween readathon is over, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you should go read my Sunmerween TBR post. But, for the week of Summerween, I ended up reading 3 books, and completing all the prompts.

‘Lying in the Deep’ by Diana Urban
I was originally going to read ‘Every Last Fear’ by Alex Finlay for the ‘Read a Thriller’ prompt, but I had this audiobook on my Libby, so I decided to pick this one up. It’s a YA thriller/mystery, more mystery than thriller, but it is categorized as a thriller, so it counts. I did end up finishing this book, but it wasn’t my favorite read.

‘Fence’ Vol. 2 by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad
I have become a big fan of this graphic novel series, so for the ‘Read a Graphic Novel, Manga, or Novella’ prompt I knew that I had to read volume 2. I finished this quickly, and enjoyed it.

‘The Haunting of Aveline Jones’ by Phil Hickes
This book filled two prompts: ‘Read a Book That Takes Place in the Fall’ and ‘Read a Book With Black and/or Orange on the Cover’. I really like this spooky middle-grade, and I can’t wait to read the other books in this series.

On the last day of the readathon, I ended up starting ‘Every Last Fear’. I only got about 20% into the audiobook, but so far it has me intrigued.

Let me know in the comments, if you participated in Summerween. Also, I vlogged each day of the readathon over on my TikTok account (@BooksWithBunny). Before you go hit the follow button, so that you never miss a post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue // Book Review

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About The Book
 A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget. France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3OdHNP2

My Rating

I had heard that this book was beautifully written with an addictive plot. Well, I do agree that that the writing was fantastic. V.E. Schwab is a wonderful author, but since I’ve read her Cassidy Blake trilogy, written as Victoria Schwab, I already knew that I loved her writing style. The writing might be one of the best things about this book.

Schwab has a way of pulling you into the story write from the first chapter. The book started off wonderful, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. In the book, we follow a young girl named Addie LaRue, who in 1714 makes a deal with a demon. One that has lasting consequences. She shall live forever, but never be remembered by anyone.

Now tell me that plot doesn’t sound intriguing? Of course, Addie does end up meeting a boy who, by some miracle. remembers her. And, thus a romance develops. I didn’t mind the romance, but I’m not actually sure if I liked Addie or her love interest, Henry. However, I enjoyed watching the fall in love and understand each. One of my all time favorite quotes is “The greatest feeling in this world is knowing you actually mean something to someone.” And, I think that describes their relationship.

On the other hand, we have Luc who is the demon that made the deal with Addie. The book shows that they share somewhat of a bond, but their relationship is more of want vs need. Although, I will say I have a thing for a dark, mysterious bad boy so I was team Luc. And, I have no shame in saying that.

“If no one heard it, did it happen?
If a person cannot leave a mark, do they exist?”

The plot was actually pretty heartbreaking, yet I didn’t find myself crying. A big message with in the story is that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Every choice has consequences and your life might be worse for it. That being said, love played a big part in the story mainly what you’d do for true love.

There was some LGBT representation in the book, but I would say mental health was very prevalent in the plot. Interestingly enough the mental health aspect worked well in this primarily magic realism story. Also, Addie had to do some questionable things throughout her life. Some of those things could be triggering to be. As I always say, please do your research, and look up trigger warnings before reading the book.

I think my major problems with this book, and the reason I didn’t rate it super high, is the pacing. The chapters were so long and the book it self felt very slow. As a reader, I am all about fast paced books especially when it comes to fantasies. And, this one just took me way too long to finish. Also, I’m normally fine with dual timelines but I found myself getting a bit confused with all the jumping around through time with in the story.

Overall, the book is a solid story, that I didn’t hate whatsoever. The plot was very interesting, and the writing was top notch. Not sure how I feel about the end, but I enjoyed my reading experience nonetheless. And, I will most certainly be reading more from this author.

In the comments, let me know if you think this book deserves all the hype behind it. Don’t forget to give this post a like, and share it with other book lovers. Support my little book blog by giving it a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Queen Of The Tiles // Book Review

- Bunny 1 Comment

About The Book
 They Wish They Were Us meets The Queen’s Gambit in this thriller set in the world of competitive Scrabble, where a teen girl, Najwa, is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend, Trina, when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages. As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3JPKLGS

My Rating

I hadn’t heard anything about this book before going into it. Also, I don’t really know anything about Scrabble, except that I would probably lose in a Scrabble competition. In the book we follow, Najwa who is competing in her first Scrabble tournament since her best friend’s death. Her best friend, Trina, was known around the teen Scrabble circuit as the Queen of the Tiles.

As you can probably guess, with this being a mystery thriller and all, that Najwa starts to wonder if her best friend was murdered for her ‘Scrabble crown’. Like in any sport, people will do anything to be number one. Najwa was an okay character, yet a little on the naive side, for my liking. But, we got to know a lot about her and her best friends relationship.

Let’s just say that in their friendship Najwa wasn’t the main character. However, Najwa didn’t really seem bitter about being the supporting character, but should could understand the desire to dethrone the scrabble queen. But, you could tell that she was still grieving the loss of her friend, and winning the scrabble competition, in honor of her BFF was her way of coping.

The mystery was interesting, and I didn’t want to put the book down. However, the plot in general was slow moving, and nothing really gripped me. Although, I did like learning more about Scrabble. It’s a pretty competitive and strategic game. One I’ve actually never played.

“And the idea that Scrabble is still there for me, grounding me through everything that’s going on, is comforting.”

Grief is a being topic in the book, which is a little strange for a murder mystery. And, I think the fact that it was such a huge plot point in the book could be why it felt so slow. More on the side of a contemporary vs a mystery. But, I will say that at its root it is a solid mystery thriller.

It’s hard to say if I liked the ending or not. Because, I’m someways it was completely expected and easy to see coming. On the other hand, it was a little shocking, especially since there were times when we were giving the element of an unreliable narrator. So I’m torn.

Overall, I found the book to be a pretty good read. The writing was nice and the plot was very well done. Although, I’m not sure if I liked the writing style enough to read more from this author. But, if you are newer to the YA mystery genre, I’d recommend this book.

In the comments, let me know if you enjoy a good game of Scrabble. Don’t forget to follow the blog to get notified whenever there’s a new post!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Anticipated Releases // Summer 2023

- Bunny 3 Comments

Hi Friends,
Today, I’m going to be talking about my summer anticipated book releases! This years has been full of amazing book releases. I cannot wait to read all of these books! I’m hopeful that I will get to at least some of these new releases this summer, because they all sound so good. But, I do want to preface that I only have limited knowledge of what each of these books are about. What can I say, I like to go into books a little blind.


Summer Rental by Rektok Ross (June 13th): This book is tag-lined as Mean Girls meets Scream, which is all I need to know. I believe that it’s a YA thriller about a group of friends trapped on an island with a serial killer. I’m thinking it’s going to be more of a campy thriller, which I can get behind.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager (June 20th): I’ve been wanting to get into Riley Sager books for a while now, and this one sounds amazing. The book takes place in the 80’s, where we’re following Kit. She is a home health aid for Lenora, an old woman that is unable to speak or move anything but her left hand, due to polio. Here’s the kicker, as a teenager Lenora was accused of killing her parents and sister, yet she was never charged with their murders. Soon Kit starts to suspect that Lenora might be more dangerous than she thinks. My interest is piqued!

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (June 27th): I’m not sure how I feel about this book, because it’s giving off serious ‘The Lake House’ vibes. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, ‘The Lake House’ is a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, in which they both live in the same house, but in different timelines, and somehow they end up communicating with one another. This book follows what seems to be a similar plot. Although, I didn’t love the movie, I know that Poston’s adult romance ‘The Dead Romantics’ was a big hit last year, so I want to give this book a chance.

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (July 4th): I’m actually very excited for this book, because the premise sounds really funny. This is an adult romance following a ghost writer and a C-list actor, who have a less-than-satisfactory one-night stand. Cue some “lessons in satisfaction” and it sounds like a winning plotline to me. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I’ve heard some good things about her books. Also, who doesn’t like mixing a little pleasure with business every now and again.

Ghosted: A Northanger Abbey by Amanda Quain (July 25th): As you can tell from the title, this is a Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin retelling. It is a young adult story about a high school senior, and there’s a ghost hunting element. That’s pretty much all I know about this book, which, according to GoodReads, has X-Files vibes to it.

One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus (July 25th): Why do I feel like I’ve talked about this book a lot? Probably, because it’s one of my most anticipated releases of the entire year. If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, then you know that Karen M. McManus is on of my favorite authors! She writes some of the best (at least, in my opinion) young adult mystery thrillers. This is the next, and possibly last, installment book is part of her ‘One of Us is Lying” series, and I could not be any more ready for it.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard (August 1st): This is a psychological thriller set in Ireland. It follows Lucy, who is trying to uncover what happened to her sister Nicki that disappeared a year ago. The book is inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances that took places in the 90’s. The fact that there’s a real world element to these books makes the plot even more exciting.

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine (August 1st): I was stoked to find out that Danielle Valentine was coming out with another horror novel. Last year, I read her book ‘How To Survive Your Murder’ in about a day. It was such a fun, campy, slasher horror book. However, this book is an adult thriller, which I’m typically more of a fan of. I also heard that it is the basis for the next season of American Horror Story. And, as a reader, I have to read the book before watching the show. It’s practically a law.

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney (August 3rd): I’ve only read ‘Rock Paper Scissors’, which I did really like. But, she is known as the queen of plot twists, so I’m looking forward to picking this book up. The book follows two crimes which, despite happening twenty years apart, are somehow linked. This book is said to have a lot of twists, and let’s face it, the twists are what make a good thriller.

Foxglove by Adalyn Grace (August 22nd): This is the sequel to ‘Belladonna’, which was a fantastic YA fantasy. The first book ended on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. Honestly, ‘Belladonna’ shocked me with how good it was, so I’m hoping that the next installment doesn’t let me down. Other than the fact that it’s a sequel, I actually don’t know much about the plot, but I’m okay with that.

There you have my summer 2023 most anticipated book releases. of course there are a ton more releases I want to get to, but these are the ones at the top of my list. In the comments, share your most anticipated book release with me. Don’t forget to hit the follow button before you leave.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

July 2023 // To Be Read

- Bunny 1 Comment

Hi Friends,
Happy July! I am excited to be doing my July TBR, and yes I know I said I was going to stop doing TBRs, but the planner girl in me just can’t stop. But, I want to make my TBR a little more fun. I found a numbered list of prompts from Pinterest, and used a random number generator to pick my prompts. Also, I used a random number generator between 1 – 10 to see how many to pick. Here’s the catch – I can only pick books off my physical TBR or audiobooks I own via Kobo or Audible. First up the random number generator gave me 6, which means I’m picking 6 prompts and reading 6 books. But, to make things more interesting if I get the same prompt, twice I have to add a book. Let’s see how this goes.

This first number I got was 8, which is ‘A Book Set In The Decade You Were Born’! I’m very happy for this because I’m a nineties girl and I just bought ‘Throwback’ by Maurene Goo on audiobook. It’s about a teen girl that is sent back to the 90s to help her teenage mother. I can’t wait for all the 90s references.
Related Post: The Way You Make Me Feel // Book Review

Next up, I got the number 3 and the prompt is ‘A Book Outside Your Comfort Genres’.
I decided to go with ‘Talking as Fast as I Can’ by Lauren Graham. I barely read memoirs, or rather, nonfiction in general, but I own this book and I am probably the biggest Gilmore Girls fan ever. And, it’s read by Lauren Graham, which is amazing.

The next number was 9 giving me the prompt ‘A Book That’s Been On Your TBR For 2 Or More Years’. This was more difficult than I thought it would be, because I’m only picking from my owned books. But, I decided to go with ‘As Old As Time’ by Elizabeth J. Braswell. This is a part of the Twisted Tales series, which is essentially a book series of different middle-grade/young adult Disney retellings. From the title you can probably guess that this book is a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ retelling.
Related Post: Part Of Your World // Book Review

Thankfully we got the number 22, because the prompt was ‘A Book By An Auto-Buy Author’. There are so many authors that have become favorites of mine over the last year. Originally, I was going to pick ‘One Of Us Is Back’ by Karen M. Mc Manus, since I pre-ordered the book. But, since it doesn’t come out until the end of the month, I’m going to go with something else. So, my pick is ‘Every Last Fear’ by Alex Finlay, which is the author of ‘The Night Shift’, a book that I loved.
Related Post: The Night Shift // Book Review

Luck was on my side once again, by giving me the number 15. The prompt was ‘Read A Retelling’. If you know me than you know I love retellings, so my pick is ‘The Wicked Ones‘ by Robin Benway. This is a retellings following the evil stepsisters from Cinderella. It happens to be another one of my Kobo audiobooks.

Last, but certainly not least, I got the number 28, which was the prompt ’Read A YA’. Simple enough. I am going easy on myself here, and pick a book that I just started, which is ‘Kisses and Croissants‘ by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau. This is a YA contemporary set at a ballet school in Paris.

The only thing left is to talk about my Novellic book club pick, which is ‘The Summer of Broken Rules‘ by K. L. Walther. You can join my Reading Rabbits book club on the Novellic app!

I hope you liked this fun little TBR! In the comments, share your July TBR. Don’t forget to follow my blog if you enjoy bookish content like this.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Recommended For You // Book Review

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About The Book
When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3NAvn3o

My Rating

This story follows Shoshanna, a teenage Jewish girl who works in a bookstore. However, during the Hanukkah season, she not only has to deal with a new rival employee, but her home life is also complicated. I found this book to be a surprising five-star. Shoshanna had a good her personality and found her to be very likable. Throughout the book, she dealt with her moms acting weird and ended up making many mistakes in her personal life.

However, it was also somewhat of a coming-of-age story, yet I did not find her to be as immature as people assumed she was being. Also, I love the main character with an entertaining inner monologue. Speaking of her parents, I liked how close she was to them. Her friends were likable, but the fact that one wanted to be a YouTube beauty influencer was somewhat annoying. However, I guess that everyone wants to be an influencer.

As for the romance, it was adorable! In the beginning, I did not like Jake at all, but in hindsight, some people do make a bad first impression. I liked seeing their relationship grow and develop feelings towards each other. I would say that it is an enemies-to-lovers and grumpy sunshine romance.

“Do you really not read books?”

Because they worked at a bookstore, there were many book references, including the mention of bookmas. There was even a fun, little book-selling competition element that I really enjoyed, and it helped fuel the whole enemies-to-lovers romance. And, it even ended up bringing them closer to each as well, which I loved!

Although the tone of the book is lighter, there are some heavier topics brought up. Shoshanna’s family goes through something and her world starts to spiral. However, the book notes that some people have it worse, and being grateful is important. Money is another factor in this book. The author does a good job showcasing that everyone has a different financial situation. Truthfully, money makes the world go around, and some of us struggle a lot more than others.

Overall, it was a sweet YA holiday contemporary, with some romance sprinkled into the plot. Therefore, if you are looking for a cute read for Hanukkah, I would 100% recommend this for you. Also, in the book, they mention that there are not enough Hanukkah holiday movies, but I love how that is starting to change.
Related Post: Eight Nights Of Flirting // Book Review

In the comments, leave a holiday book recommendation and let me know if you have read this book. Do not forget to like and share this post with others. If you enjoy bookish content, please hit the follow button.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Flight 171 // Book Review

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About The Book
 In this edge-of-your-seat horror novel, a four-hour flight takes a nightmarish turn when a supernatural creature gives a group of high school students a sinister ultimatum. Choose one among them to sacrifice before the end of the flight. Or the plane will crash. As the clock ticks down, the creature slowly unearths the passengers’ deepest, darkest secrets. The students must agree on a sacrifice, or there won’t be any survivors.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3CdJKnM

My Rating

Honestly, when I think about the fact that I read this book, I think, “why?” And also, “what did I even read?” This book is crazy (to say the least). I have no idea what the author was thinking when they came up with this plot, but at least it was slightly entertaining.

Seriously, the whole time I was thinking “what am I doing?”, but I just couldn’t put it down. There was so much going on, and it was so weird! It was a murder trial, which we jump right into at the beginning. We learn about tons of different characters, but mostly we follow Devon, whose twin sister, Emily, was killed in a hit and run.

One of my biggest problem, besides the mess of a plot, was that none of the character were very likeable, and the MC especially drove me crazy. Even the romance side plot was a little bit off. However, romance had to be the last thing on the authors mind when writing this book.

Honestly, a big pet peeve of mine from reading stories where a family member (or a best friend) passes away, is the fact that our main character always carries some intense guilt because they said or did something regrettable right before they lost them. People say things out of anger, people get in fights. And, if we lose someone, it isn’t our fault. So, to say the least, Devon was not handling her sister’s death very well.

“Life is made of regret. You survive long enough and sometimes it’s all that’s left.”

I feel like I’m having such a hard time explaining this book, because it really is just all over the place. We have Devon trying to solve the mystery of who hit her sister. We have a bunch of kids trapped on an airplane with some supernatural creature that wants to inhabit one of their bodies. Yeah you can see how this book is hard to put into words

Maybe it’s just because I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, but I just didn’t enjoy the plot. It was strange, and all the characters made me so irrationally angry that they were willing to sacrifice one of their own to save themselves. I wanted to throw the book across the room, if I’d even had a copy (I am an audiobook reader, and was not angry enough to throw my phone). But it does show that grief really can make you do some unspeakable things.

The ending was OK. It was probably my favorite part of the entire book (and not just because it was finally over). I would say the last 20% really picked up, and it had an open-ended cliffhanger kind of ending. And, after all was said and done, it really did make me afraid to fly. Not exactly sure I’ll get on a plane, like ever again.

Overall, if you’re a fan of the Goosebumps, with a little bit of the twilight zone thrown in, you might end up enjoying this story. As for the writing, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it, so I’ll probably be willing to give the author another try. Still, this book just wasn’t for me. There was a lot going on, and I didn’t enjoy either of the plots.

In the comments, leave me your sci-fi book recommendations! If you like book reviews, and other bookish content, please like this post and follow my blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

People Like Us // Book Review

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About The Book
Kay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet, but the past is past, and she’s reinvented herself entirely. Now she’s a star soccer player whose group of gorgeous friends run their private school with effortless popularity and acerbic wit. But when a girl’s body is found in the lake, Kay’s carefully constructed life begins to topple. Debut author Dana Mele has written a taut, sophisticated suspense novel that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3N4GpgW

My Rating

I thought this book was going to be your typical prep school, mystery/thriller type of YA novel. I will say right up front that I haven’t loved many of the books I’ve read that follow this format. However, I am happy to say that I did actually enjoy this one!

The main character Kay is likable and interesting. She has a secret that she has kept hidden for years, but after discovering a body in the lake on Halloween, someone is threatening to expose her past. The skeleton in the closet aspect of the book reminded me a little of ‘There’s Someone Inside Your House’ by Stephanie Perkins, but it was done way better in this book.

This book was so intense! There was murder, blackmail, and it even touched on how the police are usually more concerned about closing a case than actually solving it. Racial profiling was mentioned, student teacher relationships, cheating, suicide, revenge porn, and the list goes on.

I for one couldn’t put the book down! I had to know what was going to happen next. The writing was so good, and the plot just kept getting better. I didn’t really feel like it was another prep school rehashed. Although Kay was the stereotypical non-rich girl on a scholarship, which is a running theme when it comes to the main characters in most private school mysteries.

“Does someone who does one bad thing, even one really bad thing,
deserve bad things to happen to them?”

I had my suspicions on who the killer was and I will admit that I was wrong at first. It was a slow build up to the reveal, but the reveal was done very well. The ending was amazing! By the end, you realize that there were many tiny hints throughout the book that lead you to the murders identity.

I will say that the ending was kind of sad, and had a lot to do with bullying and mental health. That being said, I liked how the story was wrapped up even though some people might guess the killer from early on. So, if you aren’t someone that minds a little predictability than you’ll enjoy this book.

Overall, this book gave me ‘Pretty Little Liars’ meets ‘Gossip Girl’ vibes. However, I did read a review calling it a ‘fucked up sapphic mean girls book’ and I think that describes it way better. But, it is a great read for spooky season, and I did get a kick out of the ‘A Christmas Story’ Ovaltine reference.

I highly recommend checking out trigger warnings —(find here)— before picking thing book up. Don’t forget to like and share this post with others. If you are a book lover (like me) hit the follow button to get notified whenever there’s a new post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

People Like Us by Dana Mele

Dark And Shallow Lies // Book Review

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About The Book
A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent—and La Cachette’s dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3WGq05r

My Rating

This book is a very interesting take on the YA mystery genre, because it has a magical realism element to it. In the book, Grey returns to La Cachette, Louisiana to spend the summer in the same place that her best friend, Elora, disappeared from, 6 month earlier.

In La Cachette everyone has some kind of magical ability, from being a love psychic to an empath. However, Grey, just now seventeen years old, is learning to discover her own gift. As the protagonist of the story, Grey was just okay. She wasn’t horrible or unlikable, but I wouldn’t say I loved following her either.

In my opinion, this book is way more mystery based, because there were a lot of secrets going on. The mystery of Elora disappearance did keep me interested, but not enough to where I couldn’t put the book down.

“Welcome to La Cachette, Louisiana Elevation 3 Ft. Population 106 Living Souls.”

For me, the story as a whole just didn’t work. The psychic aspect of the story was a bit weird, and La Cachette was a very twisted place. There’s also another mystery from the past that somewhat ties into the current mystery. And, there’s a romance as well. It just had a lot going on.

My biggest con was the writing. I do understand that this is a debut novel, so I am trying not to judge it too heavily. But, the book didn’t come to life for me, and man, was it slow moving. I wanted the plot to pick up, but it never really did.

Overall, the ending was solid and I do think the author has the potential to write something really good. Nevertheless, I want to say the this book isn’t comparable to Karan M. McManus’ works (as it states on GoodReads), which might be a good thing for some people. Also, the story is pretty sad, and there are some triggering things talked about in this book. One being the murder of children.

Remember that StoryGraph is a great tool for finding trigger warnings for books. Don’t forget to show your support by giving the blog a follow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Finale // Book Review

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About The Book
Welcome, welcome to the Caraval’s Finale. All games must come to an end. With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3MUxFdi

My Rating

This is the final book in the Caraval trilogy, so beware that this review will contain spoilers. The book starts right off from where the second book, ‘Legendary’, ended. The dates have been released, and now everyone’s lives are at risk.

Something that was weird to me is that the whole second book was about Donatella’s desire to bring back their mother. However, she played such a small roll in this book. We didn’t even get to know anything about her. However, she did have a role in the overall plot without actually being in the story if that makes any sense.
Related Post: Legendary // Book Review

In the book, Donatella, Scarlet, Jillian, and Legend are trying their hardest to defeat the fates. That plot sounds amazing! And, although the book is fantastic, it was kind of slow moving. Tella’s whole story arc became all about her romance with Legend and Jacks (King Of Hearts).

I wanted there to be more fantasy, and less pinning for Legend. And, don’t even get me started on the slow burn between Legend and her. There’s even a sort of love triangle between her, Legend, and Jacks.

“There is nothing quite so precious as the love of a sister.”

On the other hand, Scarlett’s story arc was amazing. We learn something about her that left me stunned. Also, her and Jillian’s romance is super cute. But, I’ve always found Scarlett to be very likable. Not to say I don’t like Tella, because out of the two I actually relate more to her than Scarlett.

Now I did feel like this book had a lot going on, maybe a little too much going on. It was very plot driven, which to be honest the trilogy as a whole is more focused on the plot than characters. And, although there was a lot of packed into the story, it all came together at the end.

However, Tella’s story didn’t go exactly how I wanted it too. Let’s just say I’m a ‘villain gets the girl’ kind of reader. But, I liked how everything was wrapped up, and the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, the book was well written. The characters didn’t have much development this time around, but were still very likable, and the story was fantastic. Although, it didn’t give me that 5 star feel, I would still recommend it to any YA fantasy lover.

In the comments, let me know your thoughts on the Caraval trilogy. Don’t forget to follow the blog for more book reviews.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny