Title: The Devil Makes Three Author: Tori Bovalino Rating: ★★★★½
Thank you to Page Street Kids for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley!
The Devil Makes Three promised dark academia and demons, and I am more than happy to report that it delivered on that promise! The eerie, atmospheric setting, descriptive writing, and compelling characters all come together to form a very impressive and thrilling read.
Tess is spending her summer working as the library assistant at her new boarding school. There she meets Eliot, a privileged posh student, and circumstances give her no other option than to allow him access to the off-limits grimoires hidden beneath the library. When the two of them accidentally release a demon, they must work together to save themselves and their loved ones.
The aesthetic of The Devil Makes Three is absolutely perfect. Tori Bovalino manages to seamlessly blend elements of contemporary, paranormal, and horror together to create a haunting story that can best be described as dark and creepy. The vivid storytelling makes it exceedingly easy to find yourself transported into the story.
The Devil Makes Three will give you chills, in all the right ways. This book is perfect for readers who enjoy dark academia, battling demonic powers, and eerie settings.
Welcome to my stop on the Lobizona book tour! Thank you to Wednesday Books for organizing the tour and allowing me to participate as a tour host!
Title: Lobizona (Wolves of No World #1) Author:Romina Garber Release:August 4, 2020 Publisher: Wednesday Books Genre: YA Fantasy
Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who’s on the run from her father’s Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.
Until Manu’s protective bubble is shattered.
Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past–a mysterious “Z” emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.
As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal. . . .it’s her entire existence.
I wasn’t sure what I should expect when I went into this, but Lobizona pleasantly took me by surprise. The synopsis doesn’t give much away other than the basic plot of the first quarter of the book, but there is so much more to this story! The writing was incredible, the story was captivating, and I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters.
The worldbuilding is what shines in this book. Romina Garber deftly combines magical realism with elements of paranormal fantasy; brujas, werewolves, a magical academy. And within that unique and enthralling setting she weaves Argentinian folklore. It was so excellently crafted and nothing short of perfect.
I really appreciated the themes in Lobizona and the issues that the author brought to life. The book heavily focuses on freedom, struggling to belong, prejudice, and misogyny. A lot of the internal conflict for Manu revolves around her attempts to figure out who she is and where she belongs. I’m completely invested in her story and I’m really looking forward to where the next book takes us!
★ ★ ★ ★
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Romina Garber is a NYT/International Bestselling YA author who also writes under pen name Romina Russell. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in Miami, Romina currently resides in Los Angeles but would much rather be at Hogwarts. As a teen, Romina landed her first writing gig—“College She Wrote,” a weekly Sunday column for the Miami Herald that was later picked up for national syndication—and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Virgo to the core.
Title: The Deck of Omens (The Devouring Gray #2) Author: Christine Lynn Herman Rating: ★★★½
Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley!
Last year, The Devouring Gray pulled me in with its atmospheric world and intriguing plot. I loved the Stranger Things + Riverdale vibes and the air of mystery within the pages made for a dark, eerie read. The Deck of Omens follows suit with the strong writing and interesting plot to create the perfect finish to this duology.
What is this book about?The Deck of Omens picks up not too long after the end of the events of The Devouring Gray. In the aftermath of subduing the Beast, Justin, May, Isaac, Violet, and Harper are left to sort out their messy relationships. Just when they thought the worst was over, the veil between Four Paths and the Gray begins to thin and corruption spreads across town.
What did I like? I’ll admit that usually reading sequels a year or more after I read the first book can be a struggle. However, it was so incredibly easy to fall back into this world and remember everything and everyone from the previous book within the first few chapters. My biggest complaint in The Devouring Gray was that I didn’t feel connected to the characters. That was not an issue in this book! I was much more invested in these characters and it made such a difference when reading.
I love how realistic the author writes these characters and their relationships with each other and their families. Christine Lynn Herman perfectly captures the complicated nature of human relationships: the hurt, the acceptance, the hardships, and the easiness.
What didn’t I like? I’m not sure if this was just me, but everything felt very rushed and chaotic in The Deck of Omens. The stakes were raised and the urgency was turned up a notch, but reading this felt like a whirlwind. That did make it harder to enjoy as I felt like I was being rushed along and couldn’t savour the plot and story as much.
Overall thoughts:The Deck of Omens will definitely please anyone who enjoyed The Devouring Gray. The superb character development, subtle romance, and atmospheric writing make this an excellent sequel and a wonderful paranormal series!
I hope you all are having a great weekend! #SixforSunday is a weekly meme hosted by Steph @ A Little But a Lot. This week’s theme is books featuring witches in honor of Halloween. A love a good paranormal book so this list was super fun to put together!
1.A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES This is one of my favorite adult paranormal series. It has a great mix of history, magic, witchcraft, vampires, demons, and all sorts of other fun elements. I really loved following the main character, Diana, as she is thrust into the supernatural world.
2. THE WITCH OF WILLOW HALL
This book was an enchanting gothic, historical novel that had me hooked from the beginning. The setting was very atmospheric and made it the perfect October read. The best way to describe this would be Jane Austen meets witchcraft and eerie paranormal activity. I definitely recommend this for anyone that wants a spooky period drama to read!
3. SERPENT & DOVE
I cannot gush about this book enough. First of all, the enemies-to-love fake marriage trope was amazing. I also really loved all the drama and enmity between the church and the witches. The author did an amazing job crafting and describing the society and the magical system in a way that was realistic and believable. The sequel is one of my most anticipated reads for next year!
4. THE WICKED DEEP
This is one of most atmospheric books I’ve ever read. It was a totally captivating story with a slightly creepy quality that made it both unique and thrilling. The plot was super intriguing and the end had a good twist that complicated a lot of things for the characters. While I absolutely hated one part of the book, the rest was so expertly crafted and had the spooky quality perfect for the Halloween season.
5. THE BONE WITCH I haven’t actually read this series yet, but there on my TBR when I have more free time and I have heard such good things about them. Tea is a witch with a gift for necromancy, and after raising her brother from the dead, her gifts make her feared and ostracized amongst the other witches in her community.
6. LABYRINTH LOST This is another book I haven’t read, but have heard a lot of great things about. The premise of this story is the main character, Alex, is a bruja who accidently performs a spell that causes her family to disappear, and so she must travel to the in-between world to bring them back.
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