ARC Review: SWIFT THE STORM, FIERCE THE FLAME by Meg Long (2023)

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Year Release: January 17, 2023
Buy Links: Bookshop.org | Unabridged Books | Libro.fm

Review of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves (2022)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Read a NetGalley eARC
Content warning: gun violence, weather disasters, blood, explosions, loss of parents, colonialism, implied nonconsensual medical experimentation, mentions of torture. There is a wolf. The wolf experiences some peril, but the wolf does not die or suffer permanent injury

Once again, Meg Long takes the reader on a journey that is full of feeling, fun worldbuilding, and the complexity of friendship and surviving trauma. Sena and her wolf, Iska, are side characters in this adventure told from Remy’s point of view. It takes them to Maraas, a lush, jungle planet plagued by a hellstorm which rests the landscape every two weeks and the corporations at war with the syndicates. Remy searches for a good friend who she lost several years ago, and that might mean teaming up with the boy who betrayed their partnership at the same time.

Excellently paced, intriguing, and healing, I really enjoyed this return to Long’s slice of the cosmos, this time in stormy jungle rather than in a frozen tundra.

Continue reading

ARC Review: I’M THE GIRL by Courtney Summers (2022)

Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Year Release: September 13, 2022
Buy Links: Bookshop.org | Unabridged Books | Libro.fm

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Read an eARC from NetGalley
Content warning: statutory rape (graphic), child sexual abuse, kidnapping, car accident, vomiting, stalking, blackmail

Georgia Avis is a queer girl who wants one thing: to be one of the girls serving the rich and the famous as an Aspera Girl. She collects her modelling photos from But on her way home from collecting some headshots, she stumbles upon the body of a 13-year-old. What then starts is a passionate pursuit of the girl George is meant to be while the house of cards falls apart to reveal a rotten core that feels all too real.

Bleak in the way that exploring the way power and wealth take advantage of girls’ search for validation, this book is a search for autonomy starring deeply flawed, messy, compelling girls.

Continue reading

ARC Review: COLD THE NIGHT, FAST THE WOLVES by Meg Long (2022)

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Year Release: January 11 2022
Buy Links: Bookshop.org | Unabridged Books | Libro.fm

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Read a NetGalley eARC
Content warning: dog fighting, hypothermia, vomiting, blood, gore, loss of parents, child abuse, gun violence, colonialism

Attention all readers who once identified as wolf girls: this book is for you. On a frozen planet Tundar, Sena is scraping her way to survival while being caught between the competing interests of local gangsters and corporate overlords. An Iditarod-type race takes place every season, and she’s sworn off it as it claimed the lives of her mothers. But when she pisses off a gangster and steals his prized wolf, she must partake in the race for a chance to get off that rock.

A compelling relationship between a girl and her wolf woven throughout rad world-building that takes a hard look at the literal colonialism of taking over a planet for its resources.

Continue reading

Q&A with Krista and Becca Ritchie (The Last Hope Blog Tour)

AuthortoAuthor_RitchieI received an eARC of The Last Hope (2019) from Wednesday Books. This sequel and thrilling conclusion goes off Saltare as our soul-linked heroes, Mykal, Court, and Franny, are trapped on a ship. I can’t reveal too much because everything would be spoiler territory, but there’s a shady new guy named Stork, and conspiracy after conspiracy. The ending just fits the path laid ahead. Trust me, friends, it’s a good one!

Read on below for an interview with Krista and Becca about how they brought The Last Hope to its epic conclusion.

Continue reading

Reading Recap: August 2018

RRAugust2018In August, I frantically prepared for Pitch Wars, but managed to get a few good reads in. I don’t think I started a lot of book, so it was mostly me finishing up the ones I had started back in June. Continue reading

Q&A with Krista and Becca Ritchie (The Raging Ones Blog Tour)

AuthortoAuthor_Ritchie.pngI received an eARC of The Raging Ones (2018) from Wednesday Books. Because life got in the way, I haven’t finished it yet, but so far, I am enjoying this one. The Ritchie twins tell the story of a frozen planet where everyone who lives knows when they’ll day. Three teens have avoided this death day and are trying to get on a ticket to a Distant Star to escape the consequences. I really like these teens’ spiritual bond and dynamic. Read on below for an interview with Krista and Becca about how they brought The Raging Ones to the page.

Continue reading

Review: FROM THE EARTH TO THE SHADOWS (Blog Tour)

FromtheEarthtotheShadows

From the Earth to the Shadows (2018) is the second part to this urban fantasy starring Malin, a Valkyrie assigned to send immortals to Kurnugia when their time is up. Things haven’t been as they appear for quite some time. Picking up right where Between the Blade and the Heart (2018), left off, Malin and her friends are trying to find the answers to questions left unanswered in the wake of the murder of Malin’s mother, Marlowe, a fellow Valkyrie. A stacked sequel, there are battle scenes, tender moments, and questioned loyalties galore as the world itself hangs in a balance (4 stars out of 5). Thank you Wednesday Books for the eARC. Continue reading