Month: March 2020

REVIEW: Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

REVIEW: Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

April has lived in foster care since her mother left her with a note and a key April’s always worn around her neck but never understood. That key was the launching point for April’s adventure.

While on a museum visit, April recognizes that her key matches a Winterborne family heirloom – a jewel-covered box. She sneaks into the museum only to discover the key won’t turn. Then, she accidentally sets the museum on fire.

When April wakes up in the hospital, she finds her life has changed. Ms. Nelson represents the Winterborne Family Foundation, and they offer to take April in. She and four other kids are cared for at the huge and mysterious Winterborne mansion.

April is eager to see if her key will lead her to any answers about her mother, so she explores the mansion. As she slowly gets to know the other kids, she also discovers some mysterious goings on at the mansion. How far will a mysterious figure go to make sure no one believes what April says she has seen and to keep their own secrets?

Review

This was fantastic!! I only planned to get a few chapters in when I stared this. Next thing I knew, I was at the end. I could not put this down! The kids, the mysteries – all of it was perfect!

I am a sucker for a book with a great ensemble, and this has one. Each one of the kids has a story I would eagerly read. And even though I fell in love with each one just on the little I discovered in this book, it’s clear there is so much more to learn about each of them.

The mysteries are exceptional. Tons of twists and turns, including some at the very end. And even more unanswered questions to be addressed in future books.

And I hope there will be TONS of future books! This is the sort of book I would hand to every kid I know. This is for older middle grade readers (10+) and teens, I imagine due to the action and some violence involved in the mystery. I have yet to read an Ally Carter novel I didn’t love. But this is now one of my all time favorites. Fans of her previous books should run right out and get this one. You will not be disappointed.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

BOOK NEWS: March 31, 2020

BOOK NEWS: March 31, 2020

Posted on by Jaymie

How is it that we are already at the end of March?! Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids

Your Nose! – The latest board book from Sandra Boynton.
Hound Won’t Go (April 1) – In the middle of a walk, in the middle of an intersection, Hound decides he’s done.
Peanut Goes for the Gold – Picture book from Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye) about a gender nonbinary guinea pig with flair.
The Princess and the Petri Dish (April 1) – A princess who prefers petri dishes to curtsies gets a bright idea.
Rover Throws a Party: Inspired by NASA’s Curiosity on Mars – A lonely Mars rover plans a birthday party.
Pete the Cat’s Family Road Trip – Pete’s family explores America in this early reader.
Prance Like No One’s Watching: A Guided Journal for Exploding Unicorns – A funny activity book for kids from humor writer James Breakwell.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Dog Diaries: Mission ImPAWsible – Book 3 in the Dog Diaries series from James Patterson. Junior’s family goes on vacation and leaves him behind where he has his own adventure.
Fins (Sharks Inc.) – Book 1 in the Sharks Incorporated series. Three kids help Doc Ford protect sharks from poachers by tagging them for research. But their work puts them in danger where they will have to learn to work together.
The Great Upending (Older Middle Grade) – A struggling family plays host to a famous writer. While the kids are supposed to leave “The Mister” alone, Sara figures if they steal the ending of his series finale, maybe his publisher will pay them the money she needs for a life saving surgery. I’ve already requested this one at the library!
How to Make Friends with the Sea – A boy living in the Philippines with his zoologist mother has collected a slew of fears and anxieties as they have moved around over the years. When his mother takes in an orphan with a cleft lip, the boy finds that his fears fade when he focuses on helping the girl. I have requested this one, too.
Twilight Hauntings – First in the new Enchanter’s Child series by the author of the Septimus Heap series (Magyk, etc,) A girl with magic powers is betrayed by her foster sister because magic is forbidden. While the girl is able to escape the city, she finds that she is the target of creatures hunting for Enchanters and their children.
What Stars Are Made Of (Older Middle Grade) – A girl makes a bargain with the universe – she will enter a contest and if she wins and gives the money to her pregnant sister and her husband, that means their baby will be born healthy.
Wink – A boy with cancer longs to blend in, but that is no longer an option that is going to work out for him. Illustrated novel based on the author’s life.
We Are the Wildcats – The girls on a field hockey team on the evening before their first game host their usual initiation ceremony, but their coach takes things in a new direction.

Books for Adults

Before I Called You Mine (Trade Paperback) – A first grade teacher committed to international adoption has agreed to stay single through the whole adoption process. But as her match with a child becomes a real possibility, a new man drops unexpectedly into her life and could make her commitment to staying single waver.
Daughter of Cana (Trade Paperback) – Book 1 in the Jerusalem Road series by Angela Hunt. Twins working a wedding in Cana are amazed when a wedding guest turns rainwater into wine. When the brother decides to follow the teacher, his sister teams up with Jesus’ younger brother to trail the group until she can bring her brother home.
Dead in the Doorway (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 2 in the House-Flipper Mystery series. A Nashville house-flipper finds the perfect property for her next project. Too bad there’s that dead body blocking the entrance.
A Fatal Yarn (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 5 in the Knit and Nibble Mystery series. I love these just for the darling covers. I really need to read them soon. Someone is covering trees with yarn to hide the fact that the mayor has marked them for removal. When the mayor is murdered, one of the Knit and Nibble knitters is the prime suspect.
Gone With the Whisker (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 8 in the Bookmobile CAT Mystery series by Laurie Cass, not to be confused with the Bookmobile Mystery series by Nora Page. When Minnie’s visiting niece discovers a body at the Fourth of July fireworks, Minnie realizes it is a bookmobile regular. She and her cat Eddie are on the case!
Lily Barlow: The Mystery in the Mangroves (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Lily Barlow series. Back in Virginia to help her dad after a heart attack (and solve a murder), Lily is wrestling with whether she should stay there when she is drawn into another mystery. After reading the full description of this book, it seems best if readers start with the first book (The Mystery of Jane Dough) to get a handle on all the goings on here!
The Sunday Potluck Club (Trade Paperback) – Book 1 in a new series. A pair of grieving women who connected at an Anchorage hospital cancer ward start meeting on Sundays for a pitch in and inviting other grieving women to join them.
The Traitor’s Pawn (Trade Paperback) – An FBI agent tracking down a person selling government secrets is drawn into a kidnapping case when he realizes he knows the victim.
Colossians: A Biblical Study (Hardcover) – A Bible study by Joyce Meyer.
Midnight Mom Devotional: 365 Prayers to Put Your Momma Heart to Rest (Hardcover) – A devotional for moms. Great gift idea for Mother’s Day.

REVIEW: How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith

REVIEW: How to Speak Boy by Tiana Smith

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Is it weird to have a nemesis in high school?

Because Quinn Edwards does – Grayson Hawks. Handsome, smart, son of the governor. Her fiercest competitor in everything since he moved to town. Even when she beats him, he is always hot on her heels. Like with the captaincy of the speech and debate team. She couldn’t just beat him and have it all to herself. Nope, they had to be CO-captains.

Quinn’s best friend, Naomi, thinks Grayson likes Quinn. He flirts with her all the time! But Quinn thinks her friend is delusional. Even if he was flirting, Grayson is NOT to be trusted.

Assignments at their school are done by student ID numbers instead of name. So when Quinn gets someone else’s AP Government assignment, she starts exchanging notes with that person. All business at first, then turning playful. It’s thrilling to have this honest little relationship with a stranger – to say things she would never say to anyone else.

As Quinn struggles in some of her classes and bombs her first speech meet, her notes with #15211 have become a highlight of her day. Should they share who they are? Or is it better to leave things secret for now?

Review

This was darling! It’s You’ve Got Mail set in a high school around speech and debate team. I loved it! The chemistry between Quinn and Grayson jumps off the page. Even when she thinks she hates him, their banter and bickering shows there’s potential for something more.

I loved how the notes played out. At first, Quinn just enjoys them, but eventually she combs through them looking for hints. I loved watching the story unfold, watching her try to figure out who the hints lined up to.

Through the ups and downs, the warm moments and the trials, I adored Quinn and Grayson, both individually and together. They are my favorite sort of YA pair – smart, endearing, and kids you are always rooting for. Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

BONUS REVIEW: If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and William Morrow Paperbacks in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Laurie and Dan have been together since they were teens. They’re each other’s first and only love. They work together; they live together. And after 18 years as a couple, it’s time to have a family. At least, that’s what Laurie thought. Dan, however, is thinking he wants something else. No only does he not want kids, but he doesn’t want to be with Laurie any more.

After the break up and clear evidence that, instead of pining over her and wanting her back, Dan has moved on, Laurie can’t escape the aggravating scenario. Everyone at work knows. It’s clear that Laurie and Dan are at the top of the gossips’ list of hot topics. And it’s only getting worse.

Jamie Carter has an interesting and cynical view of long term relationships. And it could cost him a big move at work. The partners find his cavalier, different-woman-every-weekend lifestyle unsettling. They’ve actually come out and said he needs to find someone steady and conventional.

When Laurie and Jamie spend a couple hours trapped in an elevator and then go for a drink afterwards, the idea strikes. If they pretend to have a relationship together, he gets the respectable match the partners want, and Laurie can rub Dan’s nose in her own “moving on.” Once they both get what they want, they “break up.” Everyone wins. What could possibly go wrong?

Review

When I started this, I wasn’t a fan. I didn’t care for Laurie or Dan, and we didn’t really get any time with Jamie until the book was 25% done. My expectations for this to be like other fake relationship books did not serve me well either. This isn’t like other fake relationship stories.

This is really more of a self-discovery, self-recovery story for Laurie. And once I realized that, I grew to like it. I enjoyed watching her puzzle out the break up with Dan. Where did it come from? What signs did she miss? What does the break up say about her as a woman and as a romantic partner?

The foreshadowing of the fall out over this fake relationship is blatant. When Laurie’s friend challenges her about the lying and asks how she reconciles a fake relationship at work with her general integrity, it was startling. It put me on edge (in a good way) waiting for things to fall apart. It gave a whole new sense of the story at that point.

I also enjoyed the fact that the fake relationship was not physical. It allowed Jamie and Laurie to process her break up. If this had had a lot of physical moments rather than emotional ones, I think I would have liked the story less.

The change in Jamie’s philosophy of relationships was abrupt for me. The author uses it for the plot well – Laurie doubts the change is real, adding to the conflict between them. But I didn’t feel we got as much of Jamie’s transformation over time as we do Laurie’s. It’s really more HER story than THEIR story.

If you enjoy the fake relationship trope, but you want it to play out in some new ways, don’t miss this one. (Language, sexual references, off-page sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The K Team by David Rosenfelt

REVIEW: The K Team by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Corey Douglas is a former-cop-turned-private-investigator. His business partners are Laurie Collins (wife of much-loathed defense attorney Andy Carpenter), Marcus Clark, and Simon Garfunkel, Corey’s German shepherd. Corey and Simon worked together at the police department before retiring.

Their first case as a team is for local judge Henry “Hatchet” Henderson. He’s a tough, by-the-book judge who is being blackmailed for something he didn’t do. He’s been set up thoroughly. And if he doesn’t do what the black mailers want – something that is still a mystery – they’ll expose him with their fake evidence.

The “evidence” against the judge wasn’t thrown together on a whim. The planning goes back at least 18 months. And there’s a ton of money behind it, too. Who could have been targeting him for all this time? And why? What’s their endgame?

That’s what the K-Team has to figure out.

Review

I’ve been looking forward to this since I read Dachshund Through the Snow last year when readers first met Corey and Simon. And I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the new point of view character and seeing all of my favorites from the Andy Carpenter series.

The mystery here is fantastic! Tons of twists – some I saw coming and others that caught me completely by surprise. One even made me exclaim out loud. There were a lot of things to unwind in this case. It goes to the very last page, too. In fact, for awhile I thought the case might carry over to the next book, but it all gets settled in the end.

I would have loved more with Simon the German shepherd in this one. He doesn’t have a very big role in this case due to the nature of what was being investigated, but I still wanted more. I also wanted more development of Corey’s character. There were a few spots that felt either repetitive or over-explained. We got a lot of Corey waffling over his dating relationship and his concerns about some of the less-than-legal aspects of the investigation. Each of those pieces was a great part of showing us who Corey is, but they were covered often throughout the story.

If you enjoy top notch mysteries with law enforcement/legal system characters (and some great dogs), don’t miss this spin off – or the source material in the Andy Carpenter series. The author has two Andy Carpenter books releasing later this year – Muzzled (currently scheduled for a July release) and Silent Bite, a Christmas story (scheduled to release in October), and I will absolutely be reading both of them!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Chirp by Kate Messner

REVIEW: Chirp by Kate Messner

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Mia and her family are moving back to Vermont after two years in Boston. Two years Mia would love to forget. But now they’ll be close to her grandmother again and get to do all the things she remembers from when she was younger.

Mia’s parents are requiring her to choose two summer activities to keep her busy. They are quick to point out the gymnastics spot near her grandmother’s cricket farm. But Mia wants nothing to do with gymnastics these days. But she does sign up for a Warrior Camp nearby as well as a Launch Camp for Young Entrepreneurs. Mia thinks Launch Camp might help her come up with ideas to help the cricket farm.

Because the farm is in trouble. Gram is convinced someone is sabotaging her business – letting seagulls in, turning of the breakers to the freezers, etc. Mia’s parents think it’s more a run of bad luck – and a sign Gram should get out of the business. But Mia’s noticing weird things at the farm, too. And she’s determined to do whatever she can to help her grandmother.

Review

This was so good! There’s a TON of great stuff going on in this story. The cricket farm and the pieces on insects as a protein source for humans is fascinating (and creepy, in my opinion). Then there are the two camps Mia attends, the friends she makes there, and the things she learns at both. It’s obvious something happened at Mia’s gym back in Boston, and it feels bigger than just her broken arm. But it takes awhile for Mia to get to a place where she’s ready to address it, even in her own mind, much less tell an adult about it. And finally there’s the sabotage mystery. All of those pieces are woven together beautifully and seamlessly. Everything fits like an intricate jigsaw puzzle.

There are so many ways I could see teachers (and homeschooling parents) use this book in the classroom. It would be a great read-aloud and would also work for book clubs and reading groups. Kids could learn more about insects as food or about real cricket farms. They could learn about maker spaces or visit some. Students could learn about Warrior camps or business plans or a whole host of things that come up in the course of the novel.

In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a novel by Kate Messner. I believe she does a masterful job of addressing serious and important topics (in this case harassment and boundary issues) in age-appropriate ways. Her books give kids an opening to talk about real life issues and give them language for difficult topics. Be sure to check this one out – for older middle grade readers (10+).

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

BOOK NEWS: March 24, 2020

BOOK NEWS: March 24, 2020

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy Spring! It’s finally official, no matter what our weather might look like from day to day. I don’t know about you, but I am ready to celebrate SPRING! How about a new book or two to help us ring in the new season? Here are some of the books releasing this week:

Books for Kids

Bad Brows – A boy wakes up to discover his eyebrows have gone rogue.
Home Base: A Mother-Daughter Story – Mother’s and daughter’s stories are told side by side as the girl steps onto the pitcher’s mound and the mom pursues a new project as a brick layer.
When the Babies Came to Stay – A librarian takes home the four babies who arrived at the island, raising them around the library and turning them into a family. This looks lovely!

Books for Older Kids/Teens

The Derby Daredevils: Kenzie Kickstarts a Team (LGBTQ+) – Two girls who love roller derby have a chance to play in the junior league if they can convince three others to join them.
Disney Princess: Friends, Family, Fantastic – A collection of princess stories in comics format. The art work for these three stories looks fantastic!
The Only Living Girl: Beneath the Unseen City – Book 2 in the Only Living Girl graphic novel series starring one of the last human survivors of a cosmic disaster. In this book, Zee and her friends are looking for answers and a cure when people in the city are poisoned.
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks – Book 6 in the FunJungle/Teddy Fitzroy series. Teddy is drawn into a series of mysteries including a missing T-Rex skull from a secret excavation site and a black market on reptiles.
The Next President: The Unexpected Beginnings and Unwritten Future of America’s Presidents – Just think – there are at least 10 future Presidents of the United States alive today! What might they be doing? Some might be kids like you. I’ll say it again – you can’t go wrong with a book by Kate Messner!

Books for Adults

Bag of Bones (e-book, March 28) – Book 5 in the Press Pass Mysteries series, starring a secondary character from the first four books and her teenage daughter. When sixteen-year-old Maisey is taking down the Christmas decorations at her mall job, she discovers a bag of human bones. In order to keep her job – and help her mom keep hers as Media Relations Director for the mall – the two start investigating. This sound like a fun series.
The Honey Don’t List (Trade Paperback) – The latest from Christina Lauren. Melissa and Rusty Tripp are America’s home remodeling and design gurus. They’re about to go on a book tour together, but behind the scenes they can’t stand each other. Two assistants in the Tripp’s empire are tasked with going on the book tour with the couple to keep things on the rails. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
If I Never Met You (Trade Paperback) – Two co-workers stuck in an elevator hatch a plan for a fake relationship that will give the office something else to gossip about (besides her ex and his newly pregnant girlfriend) and give him a “respectable” relationship to impress the bosses. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
The K-Team (Hardcover) – A spin-off from the fantastic Andy Carpenter series! Andy’s wife, Laurie, and her investigation partner Marcus, team up with some characters from Dachshund Through the Snow to form an investigative team. Their first case is to help a judge who is being blackmailed. I’ll be reviewing this later this week.
Sunsets, Sabbatical and Scandal (e-book) – Book 10 in the Campers and Criminals Cozy Mystery series. This one focuses on a murder at a local diner.
The Enneagram and You: Understand Your Personality Type and How It Can Transform Your Relationships (Hardcover) – If you’ve spent any time around here in the last couple years you have probably seen me review other books on the Enneagram. I love learning more about it, and I’ll be reviewing this new resource soon.
The Everyday Life – Psalms and Proverbs (Leather) – Psalms and Proverbs with commentary from Joyce Meyer.

REVIEW: What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

REVIEW: What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Muiriel is 17. One more year and she ages out of the foster care system. She’s learned to pack light – to LIVE light – with the goal of getting to 18, beating the odds, and living healthy and free on her own.

Her social worker begs her to settle in for this final year of high school. Her eyes are on college for Muiriel, and she knows a strong senior year is important. Joellen has always been there for her, and her request seems simple enough for Muir to agree.

Muir’s new home across the Sound from Seattle seems too perfect. Too many signs of the few things she anchors her life to – her namesake John Muir, the wilderness, and independence. But it’s also all wrong. She’s the only placement in the house, so she can’t hide in the chaos of other kids. Her foster mom, Francine, lives on five acres of land out in the middle of nowhere, so there’s no city noise but tons of quiet. And Joellen is a ferry-ride away, so she can’t call for a quick escape. Even if she did, there were no other placements that would take her.

But maybe this last placement will give Muir something she’s refused to let herself hope for – a sense of home.

Review

“Not being perfect is for people who have families; you can screw up and they still keep you.”

This book was amazing! Excellent! Stupendous! I don’t know that I have an adjective for how much I loved this book. I’ve always had a soft spot for foster care stories, but this is so much more than that!

Muir is one of the best characters I’ve read in awhile. There’s a thread of her “packing light” philosophy that runs through the whole book and is brilliant. Her gradual shift from living out of her suitcase to setting things ON the dresser before putting something IN the dresser was a glorious way to SHOW how she’s feeling about her placement. The trinkets she carries from foster home to foster home illustrate her experiences and show why she has built these protective walls around herself.

The other characters are just as amazing. And there are fantastic tidbits about John Muir, as well as a sweet romance, and a skewering commentary about racism woven into this bigger story that is fantastic.

When I step back from the story I loved and think about how the author built it – her understanding of the out-of-home care system, her excellence in conveying Muir’s thoughts and feelings, the layers to the story itself and the characters – I appreciate the book even more. Do not miss this AMAZING story! (Language, off-page sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

BONUS REVIEW: Shake Down by Kendel Lynn

BONUS REVIEW: Shake Down by Kendel Lynn

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Elliott Lisbon enjoys life on Sea Pine Island, South Carolina. She’s the director for the Ballantyne Foundation which means, for the latest Foundation event, she’s only in charge of set up and centerpieces while the board handles the rest of the details.

Elli has contracted with Juliette Pete of Cake & Shake for 25 cake centerpieces for the Ballantyne Beach BBQ. The BBQ honors families who have helped the homeless community in the area while also raising funds for a new shelter.

After a few local mysteries, Elli is also working on her South Carolina PI licence. That comes in handy when Juliette’s maid of honor, Daphne, goes missing. Daphne’s gone off grid before, but the timing – with the wedding days away – is odd. Surely Daphne wouldn’t disappear when her best friend is counting on her.

Elli’s connections at the police station – her supervisor, Captain Sullivan, and her neighbor/boyfriend Lieutenant Nick Ransom – can’t do much about Daphne. She’s only been missing for a few hours, and she doesn’t live in their jurisdiction. But they’re working with the right authorities, and Elli gets the materials she needs to launch her first missing persons case.

As Elli starts investigating, the stories about Daphne don’t line up. She finds out Juliette and Daphne were on the same dating show – and Juliette won the fella. While Juliette believes she and Daphne are best friends and work partners, Daphne’s mom and boyfriend insist there’s more to the story. But with no word from Daphne, and hours ticking by, even those who at first figured she left town to avoid the wedding and her “broken heart,” are starting to look worried.

Review

This is book 5 in the Elliott Lisbon Mystery series, but the first book that I have read, and it was great! I’ll definitely be going back to check out the previous books.

There’s a HUGE cast of characters in this. I don’t know if it’s just all the folks from the previous books (so regular readers would already know everyone) or if it’s just for this case. It was hard to keep track of folks at times. Otherwise, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Elli is a terrific protagonist. She’s actively working to become a PI, and works somewhat cooperatively with local law enforcement. That gives this a different feel from most of the cozies I usually read.

I didn’t get a great feel for the Foundation work Elli does and the other “home base” pieces of the series, but I know I can go back to the previous books for that. And the mystery in this was so well written, I definitely want to go back and check those out. The case was perfectly paced and there were plenty of questions and twists to work through. Mystery fans should be sure to check this one – and the rest of the series – out! (Language, TW for the ending)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Crush the King by Jennifer Estep

REVIEW: Crush the King by Jennifer Estep

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Queen Everleigh has survived the Seven Spire Massacre and numerous assassination attempts. And she’s over playing defense. As all the kingdoms prepare for the annual Regalia Games, she’s ready to crush the king of Morta once and for all.

He’s the one who ultimately orchestrated the massacre. His illegitimate siblings comprise the Bastard Brigade who have tried to kill off the entire Blair line and conquer Bellona. If Everleigh can eliminate him at the Regalia Games, not only does she eliminate the threat to her kingdom and her friends, but she will show the rest of the world that she is not to be underestimated.

Review

This was perfection!!! It’s my first five star plus review of 2020.  I loved everything about this. All of my favorite characters were back for this – and we added some new ones.

There’s a TON going on here! We get some new backstory on Evie we haven’t had before. There are some new players adding into the plots to kill her. We get to meet all the other royalty in this world. And through it all, Evie is learning even more layers to what it means to be Queen, and what that role looks like when she is in it.

One of my favorite pieces in this is the way Evie starts to see her various responses to danger based on where the responses come from. There are techniques she learned as a gladiator and others she learned growing up as an orphan in the palace. She traces her plans to these sources – including one that is ALL her, all part of the legacy of her family and her people. She realizes that another queen might handle things in different ways, but she is best served by being herself and using her unique skills. I loved all of it.

Fans of the series should not hesitate to grab this one immediately. I had hoped there would be a last minute shake up to point us towards a fourth book. There was certainly a weird wrinkle in this that could have developed into something. But this wraps up in a completely satisfying way with no cliffhanger. There may be lingering questions, but it sounds like the author has wrapped up this particular story arc with this book. There may be future stories set in this world, though, and I can’t wait to read them.

If you’ve missed the earlier books in the Crown of Shards series – book 1, Kill the Queen, and book 2, Protect the Prince (♥♥♥♥½) –  and you love fantasy stories, you’ll want to scoop up all three right away. There’s plenty of royal intrigue and magic, amazing characters, and tons of scenes that will leave you frantically flipping pages. Don’t miss this series! (Language, sex, violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++