[Caption] From the author of my one of my favourite time-travel series, Dream On (book two in her Dream series) is a different type of travel – dream travel.
Continuing from the first book, (spoilers ahead!) Liv spends time in the dreams learning to manipulate her surroundings and self with Henry. This book is a little bit sinister mystery -who’s sharing Liv’s personal life with Secrecy, and why is her sister sleepwalking into dangerous situations? It’s also got that cheeky humour that I’m beginning to notice as Kerstin Gier’s style.
It keeps you tuned in and turning the pages (especially towards the end). However, it does leave quite a few loose ends which I’m assuming will be wrapped up in book three. Loved the idea of dream sharing, and very curious to see it all tied together in the last installment. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
[Caption – formatted] A look at two @kasiewest novels that I read recently – By Your Side & On the Fence. 💏
In By Your Side, Autumn, who has protective parents, managed to gain their approvals to go away with her friends for the long weekend. Unfortunately, she’s stuck in the library 📚 with no phone 📵, and Dax – the anti-social assumed violent guy 💪 from her school.
It was EXTREMELY difficult to believe that one could be stuck in a public place like this. Won’t doors open from the inside? Regardless, the story was engaging and the situation allowed them both to be vulnerable with each other. Of all the Kasie West novels I’ve read, this one saw a lot more character growth – them having to reveal parts of themselves to each other that no one else sees, and in Autumn’s case, to her friends
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On the Fence was a “girl/guy next door” read. Growing up without a mother and in a house filled with a cop father and brothers, Charlotte (call her Charlie 🏀) was accustomed to being one of the guys. 🏈 Even with Braden – their next door neighbour. But, things change when they start having late night chats by the fence.
This particular plot was perpetually moving, never a slow/dull moment. Some of the characters from previous Kasie West novels made an appearance. There was that trademark banter that I’ve come to enjoy from Kasie West’s novels, but I also loved the family dynamics in this one
Overall, I’d call both of these “adorable beach reads”. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
[Caption] Poison Study, by Maria V. Snyder, was a thrilling fantasy novel. It’s got mystery, a brilliant assassin and a protagonist who is witty, loyal and just trying to stay alive. While it was long, it was never boring.
Yelena was a strong female lead, capable of looking after herself. Valek, a complex and brilliant partner to Yelena. He was ruthless until the end and completely loyal to his Captain and cause. Absolutely no insta-love, no love triangle, no hyper-focus on romance while Yelena is fighting (often times, literally) to survive. Which left ample room for character development and world-building.
My only complaint is General Brazell. As an antagonist he was cartoonish, and I’m still puzzled why he bothered educating his orphans, especially after we see how he got away with a few other incidences that I cannot get into because, spoilers! I have my theories, but I’d be curious what other readers think. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ve started a new thing on my Instagram where I write short reviews about books to which I would give 4 or 5 stars. I started this mostly because I didn’t want to write long reviews (read, I’m lazy), but I also wanted to share the books I really enjoyed reading with as many people as possible, and for me, Instagram is one of those social platforms that I use the most, publicly.
[Caption] Emmy & Oliver 👫 is a story about family, friendship and how a town is affected by a shocking crime.
Emmy and Oliver were neighbours and best friends when Oliver was kidnapped by his dad. Ten years after the incident, Oliver is found in New York and brought back home, but things cannot go back to the way they were because in ten years a lot has changed.
Robin Benway did a fantastic job showing the way the main characters were affected by the incident. Emmy’s family became overprotective, Oliver’s mom hysterical, and Oliver himself had a completely different perspective on the incident. I was pleased with the friendships (outside of Emmy and Oliver) but, I wished we saw more. When Oliver reappeared it was as though Emmy’s other friends took a backseat.
After reading this book I did listen to a few more Beatles songs. (Hello, Goodbye anyone?) It’s a quick and sweet read but grab some tissues, just in case. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .
