7 YA Reads Perfect for Fall!

Hello Folks! It is definitely Fall around here and actually starting to kind of feel like Winter… But if you are like me and are a mood reader or choose books that fit the weather outside, then you might enjoy this list! :) Here is my list of 7 books that you could read this Fall.

Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Goodreads Page

I first read The Raven Boys a few years ago during the Fall so maybe that is why I feel like one should read this series during the Fall. This book is magical and yet it’s not. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, then read this book and see for yourself. Either way, I really enjoyed this book and so did a bunch of other people! This is a fantasy series that follows a somewhat odd, yet endearing, group of friends in their quest to find a dead and magical King.

It really does feel like Fall when you read this charming book!

10 Books I Want to Reread Now!

Hey everyone! I have been in such a weird reading mood for the past few months. Well...really like all year. :(

I think that this is the year that I have reread so many books and hardly read any newly released or new to me books! I just really want to reread so many of my old favorites. I don't get it but I'm happy that I'm at least still reading.

Anyways, I figured that I'd make a list of books that I really feel like rereading...again. Are you in the mood to reread any books? Let me know!

Review - Flame Kissed by Alexis Radcliff

Flame Kissed (Seeking the Dragon #1)
By Alexis Radcliff
Published August 18th, 2017
47 pages

*I received an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*

Find this book here:
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Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

On a romantic night at a ski lodge, 17 year-old Ella Denton has the perfect opportunity to finally confess her feelings to her long-time crush, Nick Gauss, before she goes off to college. But before she has the chance, everything goes horribly wrong: Ella is kidnapped by a mysterious grinning monster-man to the heart of the Ether-Realm, a magical land with a strange red sky at the nexus of all possible worlds. She is placed in chains and taken to a golden city ruled by the dark and brooding dragon prince, Kaden Kolrath, and told that she is now his slave. 

It seems her fate is now to be lost forever in a strange land far from home, never to return to Nick or her family back home in Havery Falls. That is, until Ella discovers she carries a mysterious spark of power… a spark that could change everything, forever. 

Flame Kissed is the first book in Alexis Radcliff’s exciting new fantasy romance serial, Seeking the Dragon. It’s a short, 15,000-word novella perfect to knock out in a single, quiet evening, and one of five total episodes.

Review - Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

Without Merit

By Colleen Hoover

Published October 3rd, 2017 by Atria Books

384 pages

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IndieBound

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

Review - Sink by M.E. Rhines

Sink (#1)
By M.E. Rhines
Published July 31st, 2017 by Clean Teen Publishing

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*

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Amazon
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Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Obedience has always been a matter of survival for sixteen-year-old mermaid princess Pauline. Her mother is the tyrannical Queen Calypso, who rules the kingdom of Atargatis with an iron trident. To utter one word against her would mean banishment--or worse--so Pauline bites her tongue and minds her manners. But on the eve of her sister's merling-shower, all of that is about to change. Confronted with the truth about what happens to the human men who are betrothed to the mermaids of Atargatis, Pauline realizes she can stay silent no more.

Determined to end the queen's dark tradition, Pauline goes along on a search for shipwreck survivors, secretly planning to free them. But things get complicated when she finds herself inexplicably drawn to one of the men. Before she realizes what's happening, she has kissed him--and a kiss from a mermaid is not without consequences. Now Pauline will have to risk everything if she is to save the young man and thwart the queen's dark plans... 

Review - Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows #1) 
By Sophie Jordan 
Published February 9th, 2016 by Harper Teen 
304 pages

Find this book here:
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Amazon 


Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

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.

Review - The Victoria in My Head by Janelle Milanes

The Victoria in My Head
By Janelle Milanes
Published September 19th, 2017 by Simon Pulse
400 pages

*I received an e-arc of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*

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Amazon 
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Summary from Goodreads.com:

Victoria Cruz inhabits two worlds: In one, she is a rock star, thrashing the stage with her husky voice and purple-streaked hair. In the other, currently serving as her reality, Victoria is a shy teenager with overprotective Cuban parents, who sleepwalks through her life at the prestigious Evanston Academy. Unable to overcome the whole paralyzing-stage-fright thing, Victoria settles for living inside her fantasies, where nothing can go wrong and everything is set to her expertly crafted music playlists.

But after a chance encounter with an unattainably gorgeous boy named Strand, whose band seeks a lead singer, Victoria is tempted to turn her fevered daydreams into reality. To do that, she must confront her insecurities and break away from the treadmill that is her life. Suddenly, Victoria is faced with the choice of staying on the path she’s always known and straying off-course to find love, adventure, and danger.

From debut author Janelle Milanes comes a hilarious and heartfelt tale of the spectacular things that can happen when you go after what you really want.

Rating: 

So, it has definitely been awhile since I have typed up a review for this blog and I'm honestly feeling a tad bit rusty. :) Let's see how this goes though. 

The moment I saw the cover of The Victoria in My Head I knew I had to have it. The one thing that I love just as much as books (if not a tad bit more) is music. When I find a book about music? AMAZING! So I knew that I was going to want to read this before I even read the synopsis. When I found out that this book was about a girl named Victoria Cruz and how she dreams of being in a band I knew that I was going to fall in love. 

I wasn't wrong. The Victoria in My Head felt like a retelling of my own life. I could relate to Victoria in so many ways and I loved that! Victoria is Cuban American and while I'm Mexican American, there were so many similarities between her family and life and mine. And the main thing that I could relate to was her dream to be in a band. I absolutely LOVE to sing but I am dreadfully afraid of performing live so Victoria's journey was an inspiring one for me. 

But enough about me and more about how awesome this book was for being a debut for this author. This book was relatable (obviously) and it was real and fun. Victoria sounded like a real teenager and acted like one. She made mistakes here and there but they were normal for someone her age. I honestly had no problems with her character because I enjoyed watching her grow and gain confidence in herself. Her best friend and new friends were awesome as well. They were all unique and supportive when needed. 

The music aspect was just plain awesome but I'm sure you knew I'd say that. I loved watching Victoria and the band practice and grow together musically and as a group of friends. I felt like I was there watching them perform and like I could imagine performing myself. 

I was also pleasantly surprised with the romance aspect of this book. In the beginning, I thought I knew where it was going and then it changed course. 

If you can't tell, I really enjoyed this book! The conversations were witty and entertaining as was the whole book. The characters were great and I enjoyed the growth that they went through. I also enjoyed reading about Victoria's relationship with her family and the way they interacted. It reminded me at times about my family which is wonderful to see in books. And any book that has all of that AND music is an A+ in my book. :) I definitely recommend this book to music lovers and basically anyone in need of a pretty great read! 

Vanessa