Mini-Reviews: Supernova, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, & The Last Hope

Supernova by Marissa Meyer
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Source: Borrowed

All’s fair in love and anarchy…

The epic conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s thrilling Renegades Trilogy finds Nova and Adrian fighting to keep their identities secret. While the battle rages on between their alter egos and their allies, there is a darker threat shrouding Gatlon City.

The Renegades’ worst enemy is back among them, threatening to reclaim Gatlon City. Nova and Adrian must brave lies and betrayal to protect those they love. Their greatest fears are about to come to life, and unless they can bridge the divide between heroes and villains, they stand to lose everything. Including each other.

Intrigue and action will leave readers on edge until the final, shocking secrets are revealed.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Renegades series, but I have to admit that Supernova was a little underwhelming. I didn’t hate it, or even really dislike it, but I feel that compared with the rest of the series, it’s the weakest book.

It felt a little bit like the resolution of all the different plot points was just thrown in there and I was left feeling more confused than surprised. Everything that happened felt so convenient, without the suspense or high stakes feeling the previous two books had.

I will say that the epilogue floored me, though. I hope there’s a spin-off, or at least a novella, coming.


Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: June 13, 2017
Source: Borrowed

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you’ve got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.

The second book in the Wayward Children series follows Jack and Jill, twins who have absolutely awful parents. They fall into a portal world called The Moors, where they’re finally able to step outside of the very narrow boxes their parents have tried to shove them into and live happily. The world of The Moors is dark, and often scary, but it’s a place where Jack and Jill finally find love and acceptance.

I liked the commentary on gender roles and parenting, but the world of The Moors wasn’t my favorite and Jack and Jill aren’t my favorite characters in this series. Final verdict? This one was good, but I liked the first one better.


The Last Hope by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Rating: DNF
Links: Amazon • TBD • Goodreads
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
Source: ARC via Netgalley

A stunning conclusion to the sci-fi romance duology by writing duo Krista & Becca Ritchie, The Last Hope is filled with twists and turns you’ll never see coming.

Sacrifice all you have to survive.

Imprisoned for weeks on an enemy starcraft, Franny, Court, and Mykal have sat with an unfathomable revelation. But as they fight to stay alive, escaping prison means trusting a young mysterious stranger. He knows everything about their lost histories, and when answers aren’t given freely, the bonded trio are forced to join a mission. One that will determine the fate of humanity.

Legend says, a baby—the first of her species—has the power to cloak and teleport planets. Tasked with retrieving the infant, Court fears the baby is just a myth, and if they fail, they’ll never find the truth about their origins.

As Court and Mykal grow closer, their linked bond becomes harder to hide, and dynamics change when Franny begins to fall for someone new. Vulnerable and with no choice, the hunt for the baby sends the trio on a dangerous path to Saltare-1: a water world where their enemies can’t die and survival comes at a high cost.

Here’s the thing about Krista & Becca Ritchie — I used to be a really big fan of theirs. If you go back in my reviews archive, you’ll find reviews of every single book they’d written up until maybe two years ago. I’m not sure if my reading tastes changed or their writing changed, but this is the second book of theirs in a row that I’ve disliked.

They have a very distinctive, introspective writing style that I think lends itself pretty well to contemporary romance and not very well to fantasy. It was a little weird in The Raging Ones, but I was able to get past it. I couldn’t get past it here. The whole “I’m going to analyze everybody’s every move and what it means” thing was so tiresome. The plot barely moves. After five weeks, I was only halfway done and nothing had happened.

I saw another review that mentioned that it felt like the authors had spent all their time writing book one and then just before book two’s deadline, realized they had to write something. I agree. This is not the level of quality I expect from them, and I’m so disappointed that I had to DNF a book by authors who used to be my favorites.


Have you read any of these books? Are any of them on your TBR?
Let’s talk in the comments!

Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Book review: Tangled Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Tangled Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Links: Amazon • Goodreads
Publication Date: January 17, 2019
Source: I can’t believe I paid $5 for this

How to protect your heart:
Let your bodyguard have it.

Jane Cobalt is an American princess. The loyal and painfully curious twenty-three-year-old has inherited immense pressure to preserve the Cobalt legacy. But for Jane — sex, love, and life have been a series of royal failures.

After a friends-with-benefits ended in disaster, she’s sworn to a “no sex” hiatus for, well, eternity — and she has no intention of letting anyone in her bed and definitely not her heart.

Twenty-eight-year-old Thatcher Moretti is painfully professional. As the stern 24/7 bodyguard to Jane, thinking about unbridled sex with his sweet client is a sin. One that he keeps committing.

But the real act is a hard line he’d never cross.

When a family member betrays Jane’s trust, the media becomes obsessed with matchmaking the perpetually “single” Jane Cobalt and unwanted attention suddenly compromises her safety.

Thatcher would do anything to protect her, and one solution may level the threats:

Become the fake boyfriend to an American princess.

Entwined together with boiling chemistry, new “professional” parameters, and an oath, unsaid feelings threaten to rise and change everything.

​​The Like Us series is a true series, one continuous timeline, that follows a family of wealthy celebrities and the people that protect them.

There are some minor spoilers in this review.

Tangled Like Us was easily one of my most anticipated books of 2019. I love Krista & Becca Ritchie. I’ve read everything they’ve ever written. Normally I can devour one of their books in a day or two, even if it’s almost 500 pages. I’m not sure if my reading tastes have changed or if something was very, very different about this book, but I did not like it. I did not like it at all.

First things first, I cringed. I don’t think I’ve ever cringed while reading something that these two have written, but I was cringing so hard here. I mean, some of the things these characters say and think!

  • “I’m a valuable asset in our mission to have intercourse.”
  • “I think my heart just came, if hearts could cum.”
  • “I just can’t really tell the good sex from the bad ones.”

I’ve never noticed this kind of writing in Krista & Becca’s books before, and I’m wondering if they’re just too focused on their traditionally published YA novels to really dedicate the time to writing a good romance novel.

And now the language. I’m not really what you’d call a sensitive reader. Krista & Becca have written characters before that love to use profanity, and I was fine with it. Ryke Meadows, a main character in the Calloway Sisters series and a side character in the Addicted series, constantly drops f-bombs. It’s his thing and it made sense for his character and they weren’t weirdly out of place or anything. Thatcher constantly swears, and it’s weird. Like… “I stare straight ahead and breathe hot breath out of my fucking nose.” Let’s set aside the whole “breathing breath” thing (I’m rolling my eyes) and focus on the “my fucking nose” part. Who thinks like that? He just felt like a knockoff Ryke, almost like the authors couldn’t think of a new personality characteristic and just (poorly) recycled an old one. And, honestly, aside from being very strong and very attractive and swearing a lot, Thatcher doesn’t have much of a personality. He really fell flat for me.

The next thing I want to bring up is the suspension of disbelief required to enjoy this book. First of all, you have to set aside the whole idea that TWO PEOPLE who live in the SAME HOUSE have both decided to hook up with their bodyguards when it is expressly forbidden. Second of all, am I really to believe that Thatcher, who is Jane’s bodyguard and therefore likely in close proximity with her for the majority of his day, is so taken by the scent of her perfume wafting in his direction that he gets an instant erection that “strains painfully against [his] slacks?” I mean… come on.

Also, is there anything to their relationship other than physical attraction? Jane is constantly commenting on how sexy Thatcher is, and that’s fine and I’m happy that she thinks the guy she’s hooking up with is sexy, but does she see literally anything else in him? Is she attracted to his intelligence or his humor or his kindness or anything other than his rippling muscles? And Thatcher is really taken with Jane’s scent, as I mentioned above, but the same goes for him. Aside from the physical, is there anything he actually likes about her? Physical attraction is great, but there needs to be something more for a lasting relationship, and I’m just not buying it here.

And speaking of their “relationship,” which is really just them hooking up a lot… it happened too quickly. Given Thatcher’s outrage at Moffy and Farrow hooking up, you might think that he’d at least TRY not to jump into his client’s pants. But no, she’s like, “hmm, let’s have sex,” and he’s basically whipping his pants off as he screams, “YES, OKAY, LET’S DO THAT.” Where is the slow burn? Where are the conflicted emotions? Where is anything other than two horny people having sex?

The more I think about it, the more problems I have with this book — another one being that Krista & Becca seem to have completely forgotten the personalities of the characters from their previous books. I was looking forward to a glimpse of Connor and Rose, my favorite couple from the Addicted and Calloway Sisters series, and just… who were they? That was not Rose. There was so little of Connor that I can’t really comment on whether he was in character. Moffy and Farrow even seemed a little off with their usual banter falling flat.

This book was also at least twice as long as it needed to be. It’s a contemporary new adult romance and it’s almost 500 pages. 500 pages in which very little happens. Let’s be honest. There’s not a lot of plot here. There’s a lot of internal monologues and a lot of descriptions and not a lot else. This would have been better at maybe 250 pages. I know this is self-published, but it needed a ruthless editor to cut out a lot of the unnecessary information.

Finally, some more things that these characters actually say or think:

  • “I can control myself and my nine-inch cock.” (heavy sigh)
  • “His unwavering gaze stays fixed on me, and I watch him take a strong swig of water.” (Wow, he’s so manly that he’s even strong when he drinks water!)
  • “Oh my God. I’m on six months without sex, and I wonder if this is a symptom of dick starvation. It better not be because I’ve sworn to never let a man inside of me. Never again. Not after the last time.” (DICK STARVATION?!)

I’m not even sure if I want to continue with this series now. I mean, if I’m honest, I’ll probably read anything these authors publish. But I’m just so, so disappointed right now.

PreviouslyAddicted To You • Ricochet • Addicted For Now • Thrive • Addicted After All • Kiss the Sky • Hothouse Flower • Fuel the Fire • Long Way Down • Some Kind of Perfect • Damaged Like Us • Lovers Like Us • Alphas Like Us • Amour Amour • InfiniThe Raging Ones

#ps19: a book by two female authors


Have you read Tangled Like Us? Are you a fan of Krista & Becca Ritchie? Let’s talk in the comments!


Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

ARC review: The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie

The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie
Series: The Raging Ones #1
Rating: ★★★★☆
Links: AmazonTBDGoodreads
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
Source: ARC from publisher (via Netgalley)

In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds.

Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.

Until the day she does.

Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

Back in the day, I used to read a ton of YA sci-fi and fantasy. I think I kind of burned myself out on it because, recently, I really haven’t had much of a desire to read most books that fall into that category. But it’s no secret that Krista & Becca Ritchie are two of my favorite authors of all time, so The Raging Ones ended up at the top of 2018’s most anticipated list. I honestly wasn’t expecting to be approved for an ARC of this book, but it happened and I can’t thank St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley enough for the opportunity. I also went ahead and preordered it anyway because this is a book that I need to have on my physical bookshelf.

To start off, let me just say that I love the aesthetic of this world. It’s freezing cold, it has a lilac sky, and everybody knows exactly when they’ll die. Half of the world lives in opulence while the other half is fated to live fast and die young, all of this decided by their predetermined deathdays. This is such a concept and not one that I’ve really seen before. Leave it to these authors, I swear to god. Everything they write is gold.

One thing that I really dislike in a sci-fi/fantasy book is a lot of infodumping. It’s overwhelming, it takes me out of the story, and it’s often just unnecessary. I much prefer to be immersed in the new world and left to figure it out for myself. That said, I might’ve preferred a bit more information here because even after finishing the book, I’m unclear on how exactly a lot of things work. I mean, no spoilers, but I’m not sure that I 100% understand why the Saga 5 thing had to be a competition, how the emotional and physical link between our three main characters works, and how the whole deathday thing came about. Really, though, that’s a pretty minor criticism when you consider how much I truly enjoyed this book.

If you’ve read anything else by the Ritchie sisters, you’ll know how talented they are at writing three-dimensional characters. They could make me care about anybody, and that’s really saying something. I loved Court (I got a bit of a hybrid Moffy/Farrow vibe from him) and Franny, but Mykal was my favorite. I always root for an underdog, and I just wanted to protect this big, burly kid from all of the pain and suffering in the world. I love that this book focuses on a friend group of two males and one female and there’s no love triangle whatsoever. THANK YOU.

It’s so weird to me that this is considered Krista & Becca Ritchie’s debut novel when I’ve previously read fifteen of their books, but I guess that’s how it goes since this is their first traditionally published novel. For me, this really showed in the editing. It’s not that Krista & Becca’s books are usually poorly written or anything (they’re really not!) but everything in this book felt so much more polished. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s traditionally published and has therefore probably gone through a lot more rounds of edits or if it’s just because I’m used to reading a totally different style of book from them.

My mind is blown by that ending and I don’t know if I can reasonably be expected to wait until next year for the sequel. This book completely reignited my spark for fantasy and I honestly can’t recommend it enough.

Previously: Addicted To You • RicochetAddicted For Now • ThriveAddicted After All • Kiss the Sky • Hothouse Flower • Fuel the Fire • Long Way Down • Some Kind of Perfect • Damaged Like Us • Lovers Like Us • Alphas Like Us • Amour Amour • Infini


Have you read The Raging Ones? Are you a fan of Krista & Becca Ritchie?
Let’s talk in the comments!


Find me all over the internet: Goodreads | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Book review: Lovers Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Goodreads ⭐ Amazon ⭐

When we last saw Maximoff Hale, he was reeling from an untrue rumor that just wouldn’t die.  Surprisingly, Moffy’s entire extended family believed the rumor, which led to the revelation that Moffy was in a committed relationship with Farrow, his new bodyguard.

Now, as Lovers Like Us begins, the Hale family is scrambling to rebuild their public image.  No amount of denial has killed the salacious rumors, so Moffy and his cousins come up with a foolproof plan: an extended fan tour filled with meet and greets, photo ops, and Q&A sessions.

As Moffy embarks on the tour with Jane, Charlie, Beckett, and Sulli, Farrow is alerted to the presence of an unknown stalker who seems to want Moffy dead.  Can Farrow put his feelings for Moffy aside to keep him safe?

It’s no secret that I love Krista & Becca Ritchie.  Not only are they talented authors, but they’re so down-to-earth and nice.  I always love reading their books and LLU was no exception.  The anticipation for these books almost kills me – I preorder as soon as the link is available and then read as fast as I can.  Of course, then I’m kicking myself because I’ll have to wait months and months for the next Ritchie book, but I digress.

Anyway, I really enjoyed LLU.  I’m going to try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, so I apologize in advance that I’m not really able to discuss this in as much detail as I’d like.  I just think that it’s better for you to experience this book without knowing what to expect.

Things I liked:

  • Seeing Moffy and Farrow come to grips with the new reality of their relationship and learn to trust each other more and more.
  • My precious, pure, foul-mouthed Sulli. 💕
  • The love and acceptance and trust among the cousins.  I have at least thirty cousins, but I’ve never had this kind of relationship with any of them.  This book made me want to move closer to home.
  • Seeing the aspects of fame that I’d never really thought about, like fans dumping their whole life story and all of their problems on a celebrity at a meet and greet. I’m sure it happens in real life and how would you even deal with that?

Things I didn’t love:

  • We’re not supposed to like Dr. Keene, but his whole subplot actually made me very mad.  I thought he was terribly unprofessional and he unnecessarily endangered the health of his patient for petty reasons.

What I’m hoping for in Alphas Like Us:

  • I hope that Charlie finds himself and finds a way to be happy.  My heart just breaks for him.
  • Jane and Thatcher.  Honestly, I didn’t see the appeal in Damaged Like Us.  Now I need more THANE asap, please.  That conversation.  RIP me.
  • A speedy release? I’m not sure if I can wait months and months for the next installment!

Krista & Becca Ritchie can do no wrong in my eyes.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I will read (and most likely love) anything that they write.

Final rating: ★★★★★

Book blitz: Lovers Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Lovers Like Us (Like Us #2) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Publication Date: October 31, 2017
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Purchase: Amazon | iBooks

Twenty-seven-year-old Farrow Keene lives by his actions, and his actions say he’s the best at whatever he does. As a 24/7 bodyguard and the new boyfriend to Maximoff Hale, protecting the headstrong, alpha billionaire has never been more complicated. And one rule can’t be bent:

Keep your relationship secret from the public.

Farrow is confident he’s the best man for the job. But a twist in Maximoff’s fast-paced life sticks them with the rest of Security Force Omega and their clients.

On the road.

In a sleeper tour bus.

For four rocky months.

Sexual frustrations, check. Road trip drama, check. Awkward bonding, check.

But Farrow couldn’t have accounted for a high-risk threat (identity: unknown) that targets Maximoff before the ignition even turns. And it hits Farrow — someone has it out for the guy he loves.

Every day, Maximoff & Farrow’s feelings grow stronger, and together, they’ll either sink or swim.

Damaged Like Us (Like Us #1) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

 

Purchase: Amazon | iBooks

Don’t date your bodyguard.
It was the one rule he had to break.

Maximoff Hale is a force of nature. A ship unwilling to be steered. Headstrong, resilient, and wholly responsible — the twenty-two-year-old alpha billionaire can handle his unconventional life. By noon, lunch can turn into a mob of screaming fans. By two, his face is all over the internet.
Born into one of the most famous families in the country, his celebrity status began at birth.

He is certified American royalty.

When he’s assigned a new 24/7 bodyguard, he comes face-to-face with the worst case scenario: being attached to the tattooed, MMA-trained, Yale graduate who’s known for “going rogue” in the security team — and who fills 1/3 of Maximoff’s sexual fantasies.

Twenty-seven-year-old Farrow Keene has one job: protect Maximoff Hale. Flirting, dating, and hot sex falls far, far out of the boundary of his bodyguard duties and into “termination” territory. But when feelings surface, protecting the sexy-as-sin, stubborn celebrity becomes increasingly complicated.

Together, boundaries blur, and being exposed could mean catastrophic consequences for both.

About Krista & Becca Ritchie

 

Picture

Krista & Becca Ritchie are New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors and identical twins—one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek—but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. Now in their early twenties, they write about other twenty-somethings navigating through life, college, and romance. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.

They are the New Adult authors of the Addicted series and Calloway Sisters spin-off series, and you can find them on almost every social media, frolicking around like wannabe unicorns.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!