Review: The Wicked Ones (Dark Ascension #1)

Title: The Wicked Ones (Dark Ascension #1)
Author: Robin Benway
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Disney Press
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: January 10, 2023
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

“Blood is blood…and one way or another, we all bleed.”

Drizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of house. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves―and each other―that they’ll be different. They’ll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.

But both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother, and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. On the cusp of the royal debut party―their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations―the sisters at last get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. But never underestimate the power a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood.

This first book in the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today.

Review:

Drizella’s and Anastasia’s lives were changed after their father abandoned them. They were left with their cruel mother, Lady Tremaine. Lady Tremaine remarried, but the man brought a stepsister who was idolized by him, so he didn’t have time for the sisters. After their stepfather died, their stepsister, Ella, was forced to do all the chores and cooking. When the Prince’s debut is announced, Lady Tremaine knows this would be the opportunity to find them each good husbands. However, as the sisters venture out of their home, they discover who they are on their own. Drizella wants to learn about science and Anastasia starts a secret romance with a palace groom. This story shows how they went from sweet sisters to wicked stepsisters. 

This was such a great villain origin story. The wicked stepsisters in the Disney movie Cinderella seem like they’re unnecessarily cruel to Cinderella. Though their anger is a little misguided towards her, this story shows how they were abused and tormented by their mother, leading them towards wickedness. This story followed a similar plot as Cinderella, with a ball at the palace at the climax. However, this story takes place before the events of Cinderella. 

The Wicked Ones is a fun Disney villain origin story!

Content warnings: death of parent, parent abandonment, child abuse, captivity

What to read next:

So This Is Love by Elizabeth Lim

Have you read The Wicked Ones? What did you think of it?

Review: Queen Bee

Title: Queen Bee
Author: Amalie Howard
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A teen girl seeking retribution against her backstabbing former best friend finds her plans slightly derailed once she catches the eye of a familiar, handsome marquess. Bestselling author Amalie Howard delivers a delightful, anti-historical Regency-era romp that’s Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo!

Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed—when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined.

Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.

With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.

In this complicated game of real-life chess, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or capture the king’s heart?

Review:

When she was fifteen-years-old, Lady Ela Davis’s life was ruined when her best friend, Poppy, spread a rumour about her. Ela’s father sent her away to a school, away from her friends and the boy she liked: Keston, Duke Ridley. Three years later, Ela returns to high society as the heiress Lyra Whitley. Her plan is to get revenge on Poppy by separating Poppy from her friends and removing her from her place at the top of society, while potentially claiming Duke Ridley for herself. 

Queen Bee is Bridgerton meets The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved the revenge plot. Ela was wrongfully accused of something, which led to her being removed from high society. It always bothers me to see people wrongfully accused of something when you know they didn’t do it. Though this revenge plot could be perceived as bullying, with the way that Ela manipulated things to pin on Poppy, I think Poppy deserved it in the way she was constantly trying to tear other people down to raise her status in society. 

Queen Bee is a fun story of vengeance. 

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death of parent, addiction, bullying, drug addiction

What to read next:

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Have you read Queen Bee? What did you think of it?

Review: Wait for Me

Title: Wait for Me
Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Union Square Co.
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Drowning in déjà vu . . .
 
Who is Casey Rhodes? Is she a no-nonsense realist or a hopeless romantic? A just-getting-by scholarship student or a sometimes-Cinderella dating the cool, cultured heir to a media empire and New York City’s most eligible? At seventeen years old and already in her sophomore year at NYU, Casey sheds disguises effortlessly. It’s how she navigates school and avoids the second-guessing that’s plagued her since she and her boyfriend Marcus got together. 
 
But then Casey starts hearing voices that terrify her so badly she flees to the remote beach town of Avon where she can sort through her thoughts and reset. But the voices only get more intense and are now accompanied by visions of places she’s never been and people she’s never met, like Jake who’s lived in Avon his whole life. There’s no way Casey could know him, yet she feels an immediate connection. And, crazier still: he feels it too. Together they search for answers, finding only questions—about their connection, Avon, Casey’s memories . . . And whose voice is she hearing inside her head?

Review:

Casey Rhodes is a seventeen-year-old sophomore at NYU. After she starts dating New York’s most eligible bachelor and heir to a huge media company, she starts hearing voices in her head. As the voices create flashbacks and memories that Casey doesn’t recognize, she has to get out of the city to figure everything out. She ends up in Avon Shores, where she recognizes everything despite never going there before. She meets Jake, who knows her already, though she doesn’t know where they met before. Jake helps Casey investigate where the voice and strange memories are coming from. 

This story had such an intriguing premise, and I was drawn into the story immediately. It was a very fast paced and easy read. I can’t talk much about the details without giving away the ending. I didn’t know how everything would be wrapped up at the end, and unfortunately I didn’t like the ending. Things that happened to solve the mystery seemed too far-fetched to be believable. If the story had a more realistic and logical explanation I would have enjoyed it so much more. 

Wait for Me is an intense psychological thriller.

Thank you Union Square and Co for sending me a copy!

Content warnings: death of parent, car accident, drowning, kidnapping, murder, amnesia, mental health disorders

What to read next:

Going Dark by Melissa de la Cruz

Have you read Wait for Me? What did you think of it?

Review: Belladonna (Belladonna #1)

Title: Belladonna (Belladonna #1)
Author: Adalyn Grace
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Gothic, Mystery
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 30, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.

Review:

Nineteen-year-old Signa Farrow was orphaned as a baby and has spent her years with a variety of different guardians who all met an early death. Signa can see ghosts, and she can also communicate with Death, who appears to her before her relatives die. After her aunt dies, Signa is sent to live with her distant relatives, the Hawthornes, at Thorn Grove. Elijah Hawthorne is coping with the loss of his wife by throwing extravagant parties. His son, Percy, is trying to take control of the family business, and his daughter, Blythe, seems to be suffering from the same illness that killed her mother. When the mother’s ghost tells Signa that she was actually poisoned and murdered, Signa has to solve the murder in time to save Blythe’s life. 

This was such an enchanting gothic mystery. The setting was gorgeous and evocative, with Thorn Grove filled with decadent architecture, food, and clothing. I loved the paranormal aspects, especially that Signa could communicate with death. I was really shocked at the twists and reveals at the end of the story. It ended on a thrilling cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to see what happens in the next story!

Belladonna is a beautiful gothic paranormal mystery!

Content warnings: poisoning, stabbing, death of parent, death of grandparent, vomiting, substance abuse (mentioned)

What to read next:

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Other books in the series:

  • Foxglove

Have you read Belladonna? What did you think of it?

Review: Two for the Road

Title: Two for the Road
Author: Chantel Guertin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Note: This is the Canadian title and same book as GIGI, LISTENING in the USA. For readers of Emily Henry, Gail Honeyman and Josie Silver, a tender, funny and wise new novel about a romance bookshop owner who embarks on the adventure–or misadventure–of a lifetime in search of her own happily ever after.

Sometimes there are detours on the road to love . . . 
Gigi Rutherford loves love stories. She reads them, she sells them at her romance bookstore, and she could spend hours imagining the meet-cutes of every couple she encounters. But beyond her shop’s walls, Gigi is out of stock when it comes to her own love interests. And instead of enduring bad date after bad date, these days she’d rather curl up at home with her favourite audiobook and the only man that makes her heart skip a beat: Zane Wilkenson, the smooth-voiced narrator that Gigi is convinced is her soulmate.

Then, she’s presented with the chance of a lifetime: a ten-day bus tour through the hills of the English countryside, taking in the sights and sounds of a world an ocean away from her bookstore–all in the presence of Zane, the man of her dreams, in person, as he leads the tour.

But things don’t go as planned. When Gigi arrives at the bus terminal in London, Zane is nowhere to be found. Until he shows up, she’s stuck with an eclectic group of fellow travellers she’d rather not be with on a long road trip: the recently widowed and chatty Charlotte; odd Francis, a walking Trivial Pursuit; Jenny, a true-crime-makeup YouTuber documenting every detail for her subscribers; and Sindhi and Roshi, a long-married couple that just can’t stop bickering. And then there’s the brooding bus driver, Taj, who Gigi finds infuriating but also incredibly alluring . . .

With heart and charm, warmth and humour, Chantel Guertin explores the meaning of love and family–and how, sometimes, the journey to yourself is where you’ll find everything you’ve been searching for.

Review:

Gigi Rutherford runs a romance bookstore in Ann Arbor. She’s had many bad dates from dating apps, but who she really wants is Zane Wilkinson, the narrator of her favourite audiobook. For Gigi’s thirtieth birthday, her friends surprise her with a trip to England to go on the bus tour that Zane guides as his regular job. However, when she arrives at the bus tour, Zane isn’t there. Gigi still goes on the tour, but she’s stuck hanging out with Taj, the brooding bus driver. Though the trip doesn’t start out as she planned, Gigi may still find what she was looking for. 

This was such a cute story. Gigi references a lot of novels throughout the story, which avid readers will recognize. I always love it when characters like to read. There were some emotional parts in the story, such as when Gigi talked about her parents’ deaths. I liked that some key parts of the characters’ pasts were kept from the reader until close to the end, which made their histories seem more mysterious. Gigi and Taj were a grumpy/sunshine pair. There was a little bit of enemies to lovers, which is one of my favourite tropes. 

Two for the Road is an exciting book about a fun England road trip and a cute romance!

Two for the Road will be published in Canada on March 28, with the same story being published as Gigi, Listening in the United States. 

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a physical copy and Kensington for sending me a digital copy. 

Content warnings: death of parents, car accident (mentioned), parental estrangement, early onset Alzheimer’s

What to read next:

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary

Have you read Two for the Road? What did you think of it?

Review: A Death at the Party

Title: A Death at the Party
Author: Amy Stuart
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 7, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this tense, spellbinding thriller set over the course of a single day, a woman prepares for a party that goes dreadfully wrong—for fans of Ashley Audrain and Lisa Jewell.

Nadine Walsh’s summer garden party is in full swing. The neighbors all have cocktails, the catered food is exquisite—everything’s going according to plan.

But Nadine—devoted wife, loving mother, and doting daughter—finds herself standing over a dead body in her basement while her guests clink glasses upstairs. What happened? How did it come to this?

Rewind to that morning, when Nadine is in her kitchen, making last-minute preparations before she welcomes more than a hundred guests to her home to celebrate her mother’s birthday. But her husband is of little help to her, her two grown children are consumed with their own concerns, and her mother—only her mother knows that today isn’t just a birthday party. It marks another anniversary as well.

Still, Nadine will focus just on tonight. Everyone deserves a celebration after the year they’ve had. A chance for fun. A chance to forget. But it’s hard to forget when Nadine’s head is swirling with secrets, haunting memories, and concerns about what might happen when her guests unite.

Review:

Nadine Walsh is hosting a sixtieth birthday party for her mother, the bestselling author Marilyn Millay. The hundred guest party is a success, with drinks flowing, beautiful decor, and delicious food. However, at the end of the party, Nadine is left standing over a body in her basement. This story follows the entire day leading up to the party, which Nadine spends rehashing events from her mother’s birthday party thirty years earlier when her aunt Colleen was found dead, up until the party with another dead body. 

This story was thrilling and fast paced. There were loads of hints of dark secrets to come in the first chapters. Everyone had secrets in their small community, and everyone was connected in some way. The story opens with Nadine standing over a dying man at the end of the party, but we don’t know who he is yet. There were so many possibilities as to who he could be that I was still guessing until the end. 

My only critique is that I want to know what happens next! I thought the story would still have a couple of more chapters when it ended. I would love to hear what happened after that final chapter. 

A Death at the Party is a great new thriller!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Tandem Collective for sending me a copy of this book. 

Content warnings: death, death of teenager, drugging, suggestion of sexual assault, mention of child pornography, extramarital affair

What to read next:

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

Have you read A Death at the Party? What did you think of it?

Review: Lessons in Chemistry

Title: Lessons in Chemistry
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo. 

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.

Review:

In the 1950s, Elizabeth Zott stands out as the only woman in the chemistry department at Hastings Research Institute. Most of the men who she works with put her down and don’t see her as an equal. The exception is Calvin Evans. Calvin is a famous chemist who falls in love with Elizabeth. A few years later, Elizabeth is a single mother with a hit TV show that teaches housewives how to cook with chemistry lessons. Elizabeth has become a success despite the men who tried to hold her back throughout her career. But there are still some secrets in her life and Calvin’s that she must learn to become the chemist she’s destined to be. 

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book but I’m so glad I read it. This is an original story about a woman who challenged the status quo in the 1950s in the US. She had to deal with sexism and assaults, which unfortunately isn’t all a thing of the past. I wish Elizabeth’s story and the sexism she experienced wasn’t still relevant today. Though many industries are more welcoming to women, a lot more work has to be done to actually achieve equality for women and people of colour. 

I highly recommend checking out Lessons in Chemistry for a unique read!

Content warnings: death of parents, suicide, rape, sexual assault

What to read next:

The Maid by Nita Prose

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Have you read Lessons for Chemistry? What did you think of it?

Review: Flowerheart

Title: Flowerheart
Author: Catherine Bakewell
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: March 14, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Tamora Pierce, this standalone YA debut is a stunning cottagecore fantasy romance about a girl with powerful and violent magic, which she must learn to control—or lose everything she loves.

Clara’s magic has always been wild. But it’s never been dangerous. Then a simple touch causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father’s chest.

The only way to heal him is to cast an extremely difficult spell that requires perfect control. And the only person willing to help is her former best friend, Xavier, who’s grown from a sweet, shy child into a mysterious and distant young man.

Xavier names a terrible price in return, knowing Clara will give anything to save her father. As she struggles to reconcile the new Xavier with the boy she once loved, she discovers their bargain is only one of the heavy secrets he’s hiding. And as she hunts for the truth, she instead finds the root of a terrible darkness that’s taken hold in the queendom—a darkness only Clara’s magic is powerful enough to stop.

Review:

Clara Lucas has wild magic. She has no control over it despite studying with masters for years. One day, she accidentally curses her father, causing poisonous flowers to bloom in his heart. Her only hope of saving him is learning how to do a blessing, but with uncontrolled magic, that will be difficult. Her childhood friend Xavier offers to help her for an incredibly high price. Clara agrees because she will do anything to save her father. However, she doesn’t know the dark secrets Xavier is keeping from her. The deal Clara made with him could impact their entire magical world, if she’s able to save her father. 

This was a tragic and beautiful fantasy story. Clara’s magic often manifested as flowers, so there was a lot of floral imagery throughout the story. Though the flowers were pretty, they could be dangerous like when they grew out of her father’s body, so they weren’t an innocent product of magic. 

There was a subplot about a drug that was going around their town. The drug was called Euphoria and was supposed to get rid of sadness, but it came at a price of consciousness. This was a powerful storyline about drug abuse. The drug may have removed that sadness, but it took away everything else that made them human. 

Flowerheart is a beautiful YA fantasy story!

Thank you HCC Frenzy for providing a physical copy of this book. 

Content warnings: child abandonment by parent, drug abuse, vomiting

What to read next:

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Have you read Flowerheart? What did you think of it?