Just For Fins by by Tera Lynn Childs

Just For Fins by by Tera Lynn Childs

Release Date: July 3, 2012

Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 256 

Summary: When Lily Sanderson decided to remain Crown Princess Waterlily of the mermaid kingdom Thalassinia, she knew she couldn’t just coast along in the current. But since she’s spent the last couple of years on land—with gorgeous human Quince by her side—Lily’s not sure she has the fins to lead a kingdom. Even her maddeningly pretentious cousin Dosinia seems to know more about ruling than she does.

But Lily has to dive in deep to keep her promise to Tellin, her mer bond in name only, whose kingdom is suffering in the changing ocean climate. Lily knows this is a seven seas–sized problem: from sea animals dying to oil spills and threats to humans. They’ll need to create some serious waves to make the mer community aware and get it to join together to make things right. Even if that means facing one of the iciest queens in the mer kingdoms.

Just when Lily thinks her double life on land and sea can’t get any more complicated, an ancient mer law might separate Lily and Quince after all. It feels as if the pair is up against a solid tsunami wave!

In this third installment in the series that began with Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever, Lily will have to find a way to balance safety and justice for the mer people as well as for the humans she loves.

My Thoughts:  I was excited to read this one but it took me quite some time to actually get to it! It went on my tbr shelf and just didn’t stand out enough to pick it up. But, I did finally pick it up!

We are back with Lily who spends half her time under the water and the other half on land! She still has the same friends and family members! I really still love Quince. Oh Quince, how you are so sweet and cuddly! HA! I loved that Quince also had to do some trials to show how much he really loves Lily. Each trial was somewhat hard but he managed through them.

The plot of this one, I really did like it. Lily has to get everyone to come together and solve a big problem. I honestly don’t want to give too much away for this one. I also am glad we got to see Tellin again. I really do like him too.

I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read the next one soon!

Overall:  I think I liked this one a bit less than the first one but I still enjoyed it a lot. I really like Lily and all her friends/family. I’m excited to see what will happen next.

Cover:  Love it! I just love the colors of these covers!

What I’d Give It:

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

Release Date:  September 17, 2009

Publisher: Dutton Books For Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages:  256

Summary:   A confection of a novel, combining big city sophistication with small town charm. When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny's life isn't what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn't talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there's Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog's Hollow-like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again. A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life's unexpected turns.

My Thoughts:  This was definitely a cutesy novel and I needed just that!

We are introduced to Penny who works in her mom’s bakery. She just loves making cupcakes! Penny and her mother just moved to this new town and they are trying to fit in and make it work. Its hard. Penny’s dad still lives in their old town and she misses him a lot.

Penny meets a few friends who I really liked! She also meets a boy named Marcus. He is always running along her beach with his dog. Guess the beach has a lot of meaning for him as well.

I just loved Penny. She took being picked on quite well which I did hate seeing though. I hated the mean pranks that were pulled on her. I wanted to tell those mean girls off!

This one wasn’t too deep but yet it was. There were some important lessons throughout the novel but it was also a really cute book that you can just melt right into!

It was also quite short so I flew right through it!

Overall:  I really liked this one! It was a little young but I really liked Penny and her mom. And I liked her friends and Marcus!  A cute read! I'd say probably between a 3.5 and a 4 cupcake rating!

Cover:  Love it!! Aren’t those cupcakes so pretty? I just want to eat them right up!

What I’d Give It:

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) by C.J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1)  by C.J. Redwine

Release Date: February 16, 2016

Publisher: Balzer And Bray

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 400

Summary:  Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

My Thoughts:  I really liked this one a lot. It did take me a little bit to get into it but once I did I was hooked. It probably really took me until about page 50 or so to be fully engrossed.

We are introduced to Lorelai who has been on the run. With her brother, and another guy; a mentor of sorts. She is heir to a kingdom but everybody thinks she is dead and it’s the only way she’s been kept safe all these years. However, Lorelai is ready to take back her kingdom and start standing up to the person who's in charge right now. She’s stronger than ever and growing into a nice young women.  

We also meet Kol. Kol is a special kind of person or is he really a person? I loved that part of the story. And he’s sent to kill Lorelai. Talk about awkward. But the chemistry between them, whoa.

So much stinking awesomeness happen in this one. I don’t even really know where to start this review. I really don’t. I really loved the plot. I loved how it took place. I loved how it was constantly moving around.  I loved ALL the characters, even the ones to hate. They made it pretty easy to hate. I liked all the side characters such as Kol’s friends.

I really did enjoy this one but I don’t want to give away spoilers. I don’t want this one to be ruined. I highly suggest this one if you like action!

Overall:  Liked it!  She is badass and he is pretty dang hot! And the plot didn’t hurt either!

Cover: Love it! I’d definitely pick it up if I saw it in a store!

What I’d Give It:

Reign Of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign Of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304

Summary: Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

With lush writing and a star–crossed romance, Reign of Shadows is Sophie Jordan at her best.    

My Thoughts:  Oh man, I wasn’t sure what to think before I read this one. I had read a lot of good reviews so I was expecting a lot but I was afraid that wouldn’t happen.

But, wow Reign Of Shadows hooked me from the very first page.  WOWZERS!

We are introduced to Luna who has lived in a castle most of her life with another man and women. A man and women older than her but not her actual parents. They have raised her and looked out for her. All they want is her to be safe.  I really liked both of them!

Luna’s world is pretty unique. Most of the day is dark so Luna isn’t outside very much. The world building in this one is so neat. I loved it! Reading all the different details were so unique.

Luna has a very strict life. She’s not allowed outside very much. She’s not allowed to do much but to help with the daily chores and to make sure she stays alive. She’s also learned how to fight and keep herself safe.

One day, Luna is outside and meets two boys and a girl. The one who stuck out the most was Fowler.  Oh Fowler! He was the strong and silent type. Fowler was such a good character. He was funny, witty, but also very stubborn. I instantly fell in love with him and stayed in love with him throughout the whole book. I loved him!

Honestly, I laughed so many times during this one and gasped a lot of the rest of the time. There were so many twists and turns. Wow.  And even a few tears!

Overall: The first few books I read this year were just so-so. But I hope my reading year is more like this book! Exciting and enthralling. I want to say a lot more about this one but I don’t want to give away everything and this one was so good to me! I loved this one so much!

Cover:  Love it! I like the colors! It fits.

What I’d Give It:

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Starflight by Melissa Landers

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Publisher:Disney-Hyperion

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Summary:  Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.

When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world--and each other--the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe..

My Thoughts:  I really liked Starflight a lot! I think I liked this one more than Landers other series!

We are introduced to Solara and Doran. Both come from different social worlds. Solara has always had it rough while Doran was pretty much rich. They get thrown into each other’s lifes pretty fast. Man, they had such chemistry, I loved it. Even though they bickered a lot I could sense the tension.

Doran picks Solara to go on board with him but the tables get turned a month later when Solara uses a device on him to make him forget who he was for a little while and the tables are turned.

Gosh, I want to write a lot about this one but it’s another one where I feel like I’ll just give you spoilers.

I loved the plot and I loved all the characters once again. That’s the problem. I want to to tell you all their stories but I feel like this is one where I want to keep my lips sealed and let you find out for yourself. It was so freaking good.

I’m just going to tell you to pick it up when it’s released. It was amazing and I loved all of it! I loved the pirates even!

Overall: Doran= HOT! Solara=Badass! Loved this!

Cover: Not sure if I saw the final cover or not! But the black with the yellow is cute as well!

What I’d Give It: