SHORT REVIEWS (#1)

As I go about reading, I'm going to try posting long reviews as well as short reviews, depending on how much I have to say about a book and how much time I have. So, without further ado, here is the first of hopefully many short reviews.

AMNESTY

the resolution to the Amberlough Dossier by Lara Elena Donnelly

The revolution has come and gone, with Amberlough City striving to rebuild itself from the ashes. The Ospies have been ousted, and the very face of the nation has been changed in the process.
Now, a rising politician is determined to bring Amberlough’s traitors to justice.
Including double agent Cyril DePaul.
Everyone believes Cyril deserves to suffer for his crimes... except an old lover and an estranged sister. Soon, they become entangled in another web of high-stakes politics, underground crime, and personal deceit. Only the most extreme actions can save them from the iron reach of the law, before it is too late.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

This series is absolutely amazing. It's different and interesting and it takes turns that I didn't expect it to take. Like the last book, the ending leaves a lot open and I wished there was more of an official conclusion, but it was a fitting end for most of the characters in this story. 

OTHER WORDS FOR SMOKE

by Sarah Maria Griffin

The house at the end of the lane burned down, and Rita Frost and her teenage ward, Bevan, were never seen again. The townspeople never learned what happened. Only Mae and her brother Rossa know the truth; they spent two summers with Rita and Bevan, two of the strangest summers of their lives... Because nothing in that house was as it seemed: a cat who was more than a cat, and a dark power called Sweet James that lurked behind the wallpaper, enthralling Bevan with whispers of neon magic and escape. And in the summer heat, Mae became equally as enthralled with Bevan. Desperately in the grips of first love, she'd give the other girl anything. A dangerous offer when all that Sweet James desired was a taste of new flesh...

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

Recommended to me by my amazing friend Ana, I started this book with a lot of expectations and Other Words For Smoke definitely lived up to those. Thrilling, alluring, this book was just beautifully written with an amazing storyline and characters. It drew me in and refused to let go until the very end of the book.

HEARTSTOPPER: VOLUME TWO

the second part of Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. An LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the second volume of HEARTSTOPPER, for fans of The Art of Being Normal, Holly Bourne and Love, Simon. 

Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie's gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn't. 

But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family ... and himself. 

Heartstopper is about friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us. 

This is the second volume of Heartstopper, with more to come.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

A sweet, adorable follow-up to the first volume that made me smile and feel warm and really want to continue reading this series of graphic novels so badly. The art is cute and the characters - to me - got better in this volume in comparison to the first one.

THE TRUTH ABOUT KEEPING SECRETS

                                                                             by Savannah Brown

Sydney's dad is the only psychiatrist for miles around their small Ohio town. He is also unexpectedly dead.Is Sydney crazy, or is it kind of weird that her dad-a guy whose entire job revolved around other peoples' secrets-crashed alone, with no explanation?And why is June Copeland, homecoming queen and the town's golden child, at his funeral?As the two girls grow closer in the wake of the accident, it's clear that not everyone is happy about their new friendship.But what is picture perfect June still hiding? And does Sydney even want to know? THE TRUTH ABOUT KEEPING SECRETS is a page-turning, voice led, high school thriller. 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS:

Again, a recommendation by my friend Ana that was not generally a book I would normally pick up but I genuinely trust her judgment and this book did not disappoint me. Throwing twists and turns at the reader as you go throw it, this book was both touching and exciting as you try and figure out what's going on.