Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – April 28

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren. The expected publication date is May 18, 2021.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners returns with a witty and effervescent novel about what happens when two people with everything on the line are thrown together by science—or is it fate? Perfect for fans of The Rosie Project and One Plus One .

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely.

But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers:This Jess understands.

At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This is one number she can’t wrap her head around, because she already knows Dr. Peña. The stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess—who is barely making ends meet—is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. As the pair are dragged from one event to the next as the “Diamond” pairing that could make GeneticAlly a mint in stock prices, Jess begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist—and the science behind a soulmate—than she thought.

Funny, warm, and full of heart, The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Blog Tour Review: These Feathered Flames

Title: These Feathered Flames (These Feathered Flames #1)
Author: Alexandra Overy
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 20, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.

But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.

As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

Review:

Twin sisters are destined to become a queen and a Firebird. Once their fates were decided as children, Izaveta stayed with her mother to prepare to be the queen. Her sister Asya traveled with her great-aunt, the current Firebird. The role of the Firebird is to take something from someone who uses magic, to make sure magic remains balanced. This could be the caster’s heart or a limb. When the current queen, and the twins’ mother, dies suddenly when the girls are seventeen, Asya must return to the palace to reunite with her sister. Asya must find the source of the magic at the palace while Izaveta must convince the council that she is ready to be queen.

This story followed dual narratives of Izaveta and Asya. Both of them had fascinating stories. In their own ways, they had to prove that they were old enough and strong enough to fulfill the roles that they were born to do. Since they were teenage girls, they were overlooked and underestimated, but they had to stand up to their enemies.

There were tons of twists in this story. The death of their mother was kind of glossed over at the beginning, and it ended up being part of a twist at the end. Everyone had secrets that led to a fast paced, exciting ending. It ended on a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to read the next book!

I highly recommend this exciting new fantasy!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

About the author:

ALEXANDRA OVERY was born in London, England. Ever since she was little she has loved being able to escape into another world through books. She currently lives in Los Angeles, and is completing her MFA in Screenwriting at UCLA. When she’s not working on a new manuscript or procrastinating on doing homework, she can be found obsessing over Netflix shows, or eating all the ice cream she can.

Have you read These Feathered Flames? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Animals From Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Animals From Books. Here’s my list:

1. Gryphon – A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying

2. Phoenix – Crown of Feathers

3. Horse – Cuckoo’s Flight

4. Spider – Charlotte’s Web

5. Rabbit – The Tale of Peter Rabbit

6. Cat – Dear Sweet Pea

7. Flamingo – The Black Flamingo

8. Narwhal – Narwhal and Jelly

9. Bat – Megabat is a Fraidybat

10. Stag – Shadow and Bone

(All book covers from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Happy Pub Day – April 27

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

Gilded Serpent by Danielle L. Jensen

Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein

Trouble in the Stars by Sarah Prineas

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Rescue at Lake Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve

On This Unworthy Scaffold by Heidi Heilig

Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend by Ben Philippe

Letters Across the Sea by Genevieve Graham

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Riverdale: The Ties That Bind

Title: Riverdale: The Ties That Bind
Author: Micol Ostow, Thomas Pitilli (illustrator)
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Archie’s second original graphic novel features the world of CW’s Riverdale! Four interconnected stories trap each of our main characters in a unique high-stakes conflict over the course of a few pressure-cooker hours!

Jughead’s locked in and left behind with Moose at Stonewall Prep, Veronica is trapped with Cheryl at a nearby suburban shopping mall, Betty and Polly are stalked by a possible madman when a girls’ night goes horribly awry and Archie is held hostage by a ‘long lost relative’ of Fred’s who’s come to town seeking payback of any and every kind.

Will Archie and company even make it to sunrise? If they do, will they ever be the same again?

Review:

Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica all have encounters with a strange cult over the span of a few hours. Jughead and Moose are locked in their school library. Archie and Reggie are trapped in an escape room at school. Betty and her sister are stalked by a madman to an empty motel. Veronica and Cheryl are chased around a closed shopping mall. Each of these separate incidents are all connected to the same cult.

This was a great fast paced graphic novel. It was short, at just over a hundred pages, so I didn’t expect it to have such a detailed story. Each of the four main characters had a complete story told about their night being terrorized. Even though these stories were separate incidents, they were all connected by a group with the same cult tattoos.

The details of this group behind these events weren’t given so I hope there will be a sequel. Each of the incidents were connected, and some of the background of why they were being targeted was given, but I would have loved if there was a clearer solution. I hope there will be another graphic novel that explains this group who targeted Jughead and his friends.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.

Thank you Penguin for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Day Before by Micol Ostow

A Werewolf in Riverdale by Caleb Roehrig

Have you read Riverdale: The Ties That Bind? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – April 26

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Riverdale: The Ties That Bind by Micol Ostow, Thomas Pitilli (illustrator).

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Letters Across the Sea by Genevieve Graham.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – April 25

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 8 weekly blogging memes:

I also posted about the Frenzy Summer Preview event:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… These Feathered Flames

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.

But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.

As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Characters Who Would Make Great Ship Captains

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Characters Who Would Make Great Ship Captains. Here’s my list:

1. Mare Barrow (Red Queen)

2. Charlotte Fairchild (The Infernal Devices)

3. Rhys (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

4. Lila Bard (Shades of Magic)

5. Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows)

6. Theodosia (Ash Princess)

(All book covers from Goodreads)

Did you make a Six for Sunday list?

Review: The Sky Above Us

Title: The Sky Above Us
Author: Natalie Lund
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Philomel
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: April 13, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of We Speak in Storms comes a twisty, psychological thriller about three friends searching for the truth in the aftermath of a plane crash.

The morning after their senior year beach party, Izzy, Cass, and Janie are woken by a thundering overhead. Then they and their classmates watch in shock as a plane crashes into the water. When the passengers are finally recovered, they are identified as Izzy’s twin brother, Israel, Cass’s ex-boyfriend, Shane, and Janie’s best friend, Nate. But Izzy can feel when her brother is in pain, and she knows he’s not really dead. So she, Cass, and Janie set out to discover what actually happened that day–and why the boys were on the plane.

Told in alternating timelines and points of view, this powerful and captivating novel follows the three boys in the weeks leading up to that fateful flight, and the girls they left behind as they try to piece together the truth about the boys they loved and thought they knew. A spellbinding story about the ripple effects of tragedy, the questions we leave unanswered, and the enduring power of friendship.

Review:

The morning after a beach party, Izzie, Cass, and Janie are woken up by a plane flying overhead. They watch the plane crash into the ocean, and Izzy instantly knows who was on it. The victims are pulled out of the ocean: Izzy’s twin brother Israel, Cass’s ex-boyfriend Shane, and Janie’s secret boyfriend Nate. Each of these girls had a strong connection to the boys. They have no idea what would drive the boys to crash a plane, but they need to find out to get closure. This story is told through alternating timelines, with the boys’ stories before the crash and the girls’ stories after the crash.

This was a devastating story about grief. The girls mourned the loss of the boys in their own ways. The boys also had their own grief that they experienced before the plane crash. Shane had to mourn the loss of his relationship with Cass. Nate mourned the loss of his future soccer career after an injury. Israel experienced his death in a past life every night in a dream. All six of them, and their parents, had different ways of experiencing grief.

One fascinating part of this book was the experience Israel had of remembering his past life. He’d had dreams since he was a child of a man dying in a car crash. He knew that the man was him from a past life. There was a forum he used to speak to other people who also remembered their past lives. I hadn’t thought much about this phenomenon before reading this story, but the circumstances around the man dying, who Israel believed was him in a past life, made Israel’s claim quite convincing.

This was a tragic story that had me hooked from the beginning until the end.

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Stepping Off Place by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum

All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott

Have you read The Sky Above Us? What did you think of it?