If you follow Caffeinated you know, I am picky about young adult reads and rarely do I ever read a contemporary romance. Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Lousie Gornall spoke to me from the synopsis to the cover and well here I am.
*Mutters* Why did I hold off reading Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas despite buying the book on release day? I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed the brilliant world and characters within the Throne of Glass series. I love how this series has evolved as different story threads have woven together. Queen of Shadows offered another addictive installment.
I was ecstatic when I picked up a signed copy of Heartless by Marissa Meyer at BEA 2016. I love her Lunar Chronicles series and have long been a fan of Alice in Wonderland penned by Lewis Caroll. Everyone loves to hate the antagonist the Queen of Hearts, who declared, “off with his head” at the slightest provocation.
The Reader by Traci Chee is the first novel in the Sea of Ink and Gold trilogy. A young adult fantasy filled with magic, darkness, suspense, and a world that was both dark and beautiful. Narrated by Kim Mai Guest, I found myself losing myself to this world and its characters.
Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is the second book in the riveting Illuminae Files. This young adult science fiction thriller takes us into deep space as it delivers non-stop action.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is the first in an unnamed trilogy. I had the pleasure of meeting the author at BEA and obtaining a signed ARC. Stalking Jack the Ripper was an engaging, dark, twisted and clever historical mystery that takes place in Whitechapel in the late 19th century as a young woman, along with her Uncle and his apprentice work to catch Jack the Ripper.
Nothing makes me happier than a stronger second book in a series and such was the case with A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir. This is the second novel in young adult dystopian fantasy series An Ember in the Ashes. (Which ironically was standalone, then duology and now there are two more books in the works) Brilliant, fast paced and exquisitely written the audio narrated by Katharine McEwan, Fiona Hardingham and Steve West was completely addictive.
