Witch's Pyre by Josephine Angelini

Genre:  YA Fantasy Romance

Worldwalker Series, Book 3

Josephine Angelini's website

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Note:  This is the third and final book in a series.  You've been warned.

Description (taken from Josephine Angelini's website):

Two versions of the same world. Two versions of the same girl.
Lily Proctor has come a long way from the weak, sickly girl she used to be. She has gained power as a witch and a leader, found her way home, chosen to face battle again, and (after losing her first love and being betrayed by her new love) she has learned more about loss and grief than she ever wanted to know.
Thrust once again into a society different from anything they have ever seen, Lily and her coven are determined to find answers―to find a new path to victory, a way to defeat the monstrous Woven without resorting to nuclear weapons or becoming a tyrannical mass murderer like her alternate self, Lillian. But sometimes winning requires sacrifices . . . and when the only clear path to victory lies at Lillian's side, what price will Lily be willing to pay?

A series I fell in love with but over the years couldn't remember well enough.  This third book picks up right where the second one left off.  And if you can't remember exactly what happened in the last book, then you're kind of lost for the first half of the book.

Lily has left Rowan in his own miserable exile.  And now she's teeming up with the evil Lilian to help get rid of the Woven.  Wait a second, I can't exactly remember what happened in the last book.  Woven definitely rings a bell, but I'm super lost with where they belong in the plot.  Oh right, I'll catch up once I'm halfway in this story.  But wait, this whole plotline of being angry at the new love and losing the old love, wow I forgot a lot.  And it just didn't make sense to me.  But for some reason, I was still hooked in the story...  Must have been the good writing.

Yeah, this is a fun fantasy series to read.  But I'm definitely going to recommend reading them one right after the other, so you don't have the same problems I had.

Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Covenant Series, Book 3

Jennifer L Armentrout's website

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Note:  This is the third book in a series.  You've been warned.

Description (taken from Jennifer L Armentrout's website):

History is on repeat, and things didn’t go so well the last time.
Alexandria isn’t sure she’s going to make it to her eighteenth birthday–to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner… and so is Aiden.
If that’s not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time “training”–which really is just Seth’s code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time–she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome.
But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed… and destroyed.
Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate…

The third book in a series.  One where the love triangle cements itself, and you begin to take a side.  And we all get sick of one of the love interests.  Just your typical paranormal love triangle here.  But the story begins to evolve more.  Remember how this paranormal series is based on mythology?  Yeah, we get some more mythology happening here.

So I can't truly give the best review here.  Number one, I love paranormal romance novels.  So of course, I'm into this series.  But number two, it's your typical paranormal romance.  I haven't really found too many new things.  But the ending had me hooked and dying to read the next one.  So yes, same old, same old.  But I really like this same old.

Honestly, you'll know after the first book in this series if you want to stick with it.  But I definitely will tell die-hard young adult paranormal romance readers to pick this series up.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Genre:  YA Fantasy

Six of Crows Series, Book 2

Leigh Bardugo's website

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Note:  This is the second book in a series.  Fair warning...

Description (taken from Leigh Bardugo's website):

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Back in the Grisha world, one of my favorite fantasy worlds.  The heist that Kaz and his crew pulled off in the last story went terribly wrong.  And this story picks up immediately after that happens.  It follows the six people who are determined to get payback and money for their troubles.  Only thing is the whole world is watching this little city because everyone wants a piece of the drug: jurda parem.  Will Kaz and his crew be able to protect themselves and their city or will they sell out?

This book has a lot of action and so many angles that you're dying for more.  My only regret is not reading it closer to the first book and that whole other series.  I feel like there were a lot of things I couldn't remember and was kind of missing the insider knowledge.  Anywho, you pretty much fall in love with the characters.  But you want to know the reason why this isn't a five-pointer for me?  I was not a fan of the ending.  It ticked me off.  Like really ticked me off when I realized it was the last one in the series.  But I can't give it away (those who have read the book could probably understand my anger).

If you're a fan of fantasy, start with the first Grisha series and then pick this one up.  If you couldn't get into the first series, then just dive into this one.  While there is romance in this story, it's not the main plotline like the other series.

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Genre: YA Fantasy Fairy Tale

Jessica Khoury's website

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Description (taken from Jessica Khoury's website):

When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

Aladdin, the thief, has entered a city of diamonds in search of something.  He doesn't know it until he sees it, but it calls to him.  And Zahra, the jinni in the lamp, can hear his arrival.  When he finds the lamp, he knows he has found something important.  He doesn't realize what it is until he rubs the lamp.

Zahra has been tied to her lamp for thousands of years.  But when she's offered the chance for freedom, all she must do is trick Aladdin into helping her.  And Aladdin does exactly that all in the name of revenge.  But the closer Zahra gets to getting what she wants, the further Aladdin is from what he wants.  In the end, can Aladdin's wish be enough for happiness?  And will Zahra's power be enough to satisfy the thief and herself?

This is a beautiful fairy tale retelling.  And the romance starts very small until it releases at the right moment.  So it's not as annoying to read.  And the past that Zahra kept running away from?  I was so curious to know what happened until I finally knew.  But it still goes full circle to explain everything beautifully.

This is such a sweet standalone novel.  If you're a fan of Aladdin or fantasy novels, give this a try.

Half-Blood by Jennifer L Armentrout

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

Covenant Series, Book 1

Jennifer L Armentrout's website

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Description (taken from Jennifer L Armentrout's website):

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi–pure bloods–have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals–well, not so much.

Half-bloods only have two options: become trained sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.

Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden.

And that would kind of suck.

Alex has been on the run with her mother for three years now.  They've been in hiding from their kind as well as from daimons.  That is until a daimon finds them and kills her mother.  As she tries to find her way home, Sentinels who are highly trained fighters, find her along the way.

Now that she's back at the Covenant, a school for Hematoi and half-bloods, her guardian and the school must decide what to do with her.  She's behind and can be sent home to be a servant for Pures.  Or, as a Senitnel recommends, she can train for the summer and try to catch up to her class.  I think the choice is obvious here.  But there's a few secrets that people are keeping from her.

Yes, I will say this book sounds similar to The Vampire Academy, but who cares?  It's got the kick-ass fighting, the romance, the supenatural, and the mystery.  However, I was really confused with how the supernatural worked: pures and halfs?  There weren't a whole lot of powers going on.  And I had to keep reminding myself that the daimons weren't vampires.  But I still got into the story.

I'm glad I finally started this series.  It's an easy read, and I plan on continuing on.

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs

Genre:  Adult Urban Fantasy

Mercy Thompson Series, Book 9

Patricia Briggs' website

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Note:  This is a well-established paranormal series.  Read anything below at your own risk if you've never read these books.

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

This book starts out like any mature, normal paranormal romance series starts: with the main character poking fun of her love interest.  That is until the supernatural gets in the way and demands attention.  As the werewolves go to fight a troll on a bridge in order to protect their city, they find Mercy demanding more than she bargained for.

Mercy meets what appears to be a human child, but he was once stolen by the fae.  In the process of offering him protection, she finds herself at a crossroads.  The werewolves disagree with her decision and do not want to put themselves in danger for some human.  But the fae have a lot of reasons to want this child back.  And they also seem to be hiding a lot more up their sleeves.  Will Mercy's cunning and Adam's strength be enough to protect the ones they love?

This book was easy to read and did not let me down.  I had fun going back to Mercy's world and following the new paranormal disaster.  I also felt like a lot was left unsaid in this story that might continue on in the next.  And while there are new characters entering the spotlight, it all ties together nicely in the end.

A series I fell in love with years ago.  I must continue it...

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Genre:  YA Paranormal Fantasy

The Dark Artifices, Book 1

Cassandra Clare's website

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Description (taken from Cassandra Clare's website):

In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.

A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other — but they can never fall in love.

Emma Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, one in a long line of Shadowhunters tasked with protecting the world from demons. With her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of a secret Los Angeles where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries start turning up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were murdered years ago, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge — and Julian’s chance to get back his half-faerie brother, Mark, who was kidnapped five years ago. All Emma, Mark and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks . . . before the murderer targets them.

Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. As she uncovers the past, she begins to peel away the secrets of the present: What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents — and can she bear to know the truth?

Emma is a wreckless shadowhunter who always protects her loved ones.  She lives in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family.  The Balckthorn family consists of seven siblings: one stolen by the Fae to join the Wild Hunt, one in exile for being part Fae, and one left to raise the remaining four.  Emma would move the world for her parabatai Julian who is raising his siblings.  However there's only one passion of hers that is solely hers, and it is figuring out  who killed her parents.

After discovering a random mundane killing that was caused by something supernatural, Emma has to investigate.  There are too many similarities between this one and her parents' deaths.  When confronting Julian about it, something else is thrown into the mix that suddenly makes everything very personal.  And while they've been cautioned by multiple downworlders on how to handle this case, they focus solely on it and dive head-first into the investigation.

I tried very hard to write a convoluted review that gave away nothing.  I really enjoyed this book.  But honestly?  It's Cassandra Clare.  You already know if you love her books or not.  I definitely fall under the first category.  And while it took me a while to like a few of the characters, I still loved the book.  Until the next one.

Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong

Genre:  Adult Paranormal Short Stories

Otherworld Stories, Book 3

Kelley Armstrong's website

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Description (taken from Kelley Armstrong's website):

The first of three Otherworld collections pulling together previously published stories along with new material.

Collection Contents

1) Demonology – Adam’s mother discovers what he is
2) Stalked – Clay/Elena honeymoon story from “My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon” & The Hunter & the Hunted
3) Hidden – SubPress 2012 Elena/Clay novella
4) Twilight – my unfortunately-titled Cass story from “Many Bloody Returns”
5) Chivalrous – Reese’s backstory from SubPress’s long sold-out “Tales of Dark Fantasy 2”
6) Lucifer’s Daughter – Hope/Karl story from “Blood Lite 2”
7) From Russia with Love – Elena bonus story included with hardcover of Thirteen
8) Vanishing Act – brand-new Savannah/Adam novella set after Thirteen

I'm going to keep my review very short because obviously, you're not going to read this collection of short stories unless you've read the series...  One of my favorite series to read, and it's one of those where I definitely did not feel like the last few books were lacking.  I was so sad to see it end.  But these short stories give us a small moment to go back to this world and see how the characters are doing.

While I would like to say I had never read these short stories until picking up the book, I have no idea if that's the case.  Either I had read some years ago and it still felt fresh this time around.  Or they were new.  But I loved spending an hour in Elena's world.  And then jumping into Savannah's world.  While some of the stories regarded other werewolves that I wasn't as familiar with, I still wanted more.

Definitely worth your time if you're already a major fan of the Otherworld series.  I'm going to have to grab the next short story book.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Genre:  YA Historical Fiction

Jennifer Donnelly's website

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Description (taken from Jennifer Donnelly's website):

New York, 1890. A wealthy family. A deadly secret. A young woman with more to lose than she knows.

Josephine Montfort is one of the city’s most eligible heiresses, and as such, she understands the importance of doing what is expected. She knows that a suitable marriage and a comfortable life is what she should dream of—but her heart can’t help yearning for more.

But then Jo’s father dies violently, and her charmed life is suddenly shattered. His death appears to have been a tragic mistake, but Jo quickly discovers that the details of his death don’t quite add up. If her father’s death wasn’t accidental, could it have been suicide? Or worse….murder?

Jo is desperate to uncover the truth, but escaping her gilded cage is dangerous, and soon it’s hard to know who can be trusted. A chance encounter with handsome journalist Eddie Gallagher shows Jo just how dangerous digging up her family’s past will be—but some secrets can’t stay hidden, no matter how deep you bury them.

Jo is the editor of her school's newspaper.  All she dreams about is being a reporter like Nellie Bly.  Unfortunately, she spends her life in a rich woman's cage doing what's best for her family.  But when she's unexpectedly called home due to her father's sudden death, she can't leave it to rest.  She's determined to find out what happened in his final moments even if it means uncovering secrets.

When Jo shows up at her father's newspaper company, she meets a reporter called Eddie.  Eddie is looking for the next big story, and when he sees her looking for answers, he sees a future for himself.  As they agree to help each other, they get more than they bargained for.  As they're unlikely friendship evolves, Jo realizes the world isn't as nice as she was brought up to think it was.

This was a classic who-dunnit story set in early New York.  We got to see how sheltered a life an heiress can lead as well as how bad the slums were.  I loved seeing Jo break free from her cage.  And even though I had every plot twist and spoiler figured out, I still loved the writing.  And the ending was one I kind of love yet hate.  It's hard not to love it once you've fallen in love with the characters.

I love Jennifer Donnelly's writing.  It brings more to a story instead of just the plot.  I recommend you pick up at least one of her books.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Genre:  YA Science Fiction

Firebird Series, Book 2

Claudia Gray's website

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Note:  This is the second book in an amazing parallel-universe series.  Reading anything below might spoil plots from the first book.

Description (taken from Claudia Gray's website):

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents’ invention, to cross through to alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurt the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked, and his consciousness is scattered across multiple dimensions.

The hunt for each splinter of Paul’s soul sends Marguerite racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each dimension brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with every trial she faces, she begins to question the one constant she’s found between the worlds: their love for each other.

Ever since Marguerite has been using the Firebird technology her parents created, she's believed in souls and soulmates.  Every world involves a love shared between her and her boyfriend, Paul.  But when the original universe tries to recruit her, they use Paul against her.  And as she does their bidding in order to save him, she begins to question whether one soul across multiple universes is really the same person.  Can love travel past multiple universes?  Or do your surroundings and choices help shape who you love?

Marguerite is a perfect traveler in her world.  What that means is she has the ability to control other Marguerites from other worlds without the use of an addictive drug.  In essence, she is the perfect Firebird soldier.  And that's why the Triad from the original universe wants her working for them.  But what is their end goal?  What do they want?  And will Marguerite try to stop them when the time comes?  Or are her world's parents, Paul, and Theo more important?

I have decided I love this series.  This is probably one of my favorite parallel-world series.  It's got the romance, the action, and the moral dilemmas.  And you kind of have your favorite picks of the universes.  I was hooked from beginning to end.  And now I want the third book as soon as it comes out.  I have to keep my opinions short and concise, or else I'll start releasing plot spoilers (just imagine me bouncing around in the background yelling at you to read the book now).

This is an addictive series to get into.  And if you're looking for a multiple-world romance that isn't too gooey, then you might want to give this series a try.