The Cellar By Natasha Preston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This Book Did A Great Job At Keeping My Attention

Ascendant by Kimberly Grey Review

Summary: For hundreds of years, war has raged across the realm of Guardian Angels. White-Wing against Black-Wing. Grace is the Saboteur, daughter of the White-Wing Spy Master, destined to end the war once and for all. But all of that is snatched away when she is captured by the Black-Wings. Trapped in their secret city, Grace finds herself questioning everything.

Going into this story, I already knew it was in my usual reading wheel-house. I’m always a sucker for fantasy stories, especially ones with complex conflict. This story was absolutely no exception.

I’ll admit that I became a touch worried at some points, having noticed some of the tell-tale signs of upcoming cliches that, while I always enjoy, I’ve seen written poorly too many times. Kimberly Grey pleasantly surprised me, however. Not only did Grey execute some of my beloved cliches, but they also lead some of them into outcomes I absolutely did not expect. And, let me tell you, I loved it.

Grace, as the main character, is a brilliant narrator to follow. Not only does she begin the story believing in her mission and the people alongside her, but the reader is given the opportunity to watch as her own understanding of the world, war, and everything around her actually develops. After all, Grace is still a child in this war, a child that has been misled and trained to be a soldier all her life. On top of that, she’s just an all-around lovable character and I really enjoyed my time with her.

On top of the complex conflict and lovable narrator and her development, I absolutely loved the focus on found-family in this story. It’s been a while since I had the opportunity to read a story with a well-written found-family element and, I must say, this was refreshing and incredibly satisfying. Grey could’ve easily written a romantic relationship between Grace and her new family member, but, again, pleasantly surprised me by creating a loving, sibling relationship. Thank you so much for that.

If this was already in Goodreads and Amazon, it would absolutely get a five-star rating from me (and it will receive those ratings as soon as possible). I highly recommend this book, and I’m excited to see this published so that more people can take in this story.

If you would like to learn more about this story, check out the “ascendant” tag on @authorkimberlygrey‘s page!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Legend Series (Legend, Prodigy, and Champion) By Marie Lu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is seriously one of the best series I’ve ever read. The author gets you hooked on the characters and you just want them to be happy and she does such a great job of using that against you 😒. Anyway, I say they’re a must read for anyone if you like some adventure, action, and romance!

It's the end of the quarter and I'm so stressed about all of my late work and my grades that I started crying when a guy dropped his pizza at lunch today. And then when he picked it up and continued eating it I cried even harder. @the-moss-ball

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book. The author did a great job of giving the main characters very easy to follow yet quite complex backgrounds and personalities. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and was very satisfied by the ending. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a nice YA novel and/or the author Sarah Dessen.

Fall Books

i am overcome with the urge to deal out unsolicited writing advice

There are few things better than falling asleep to the slow, steady breathing of your partner. Their soft snores as you slowly fade into sleep beside them. The slow rise and fall of their chest against you, their soft murmurs as you roll over. Such absolute comfort and peace, safety and love. 

Important things to Remember While Creating Characters

How they grew up shaped who they are now.

If your character lives a rough lifestyle, they should look like they live a rough lifestyle.

Knowing their mindset will make them more dimensional.

How they dress should depend on who they are and what they like.

Whether they like their job or not could say a lot about them (if they enjoy being a cashier, they probably like people. If they like fishing, they probably enjoy relaxing on a boat or by shore)

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this back in February and unfortunately didn't have time to review it until now. I absolutely loved it! The backgrounds of the characters are even more complex than books with linear timelines. The main character, Nix (I believe), was tempted by so many different things to try to save herself from an uncertain future or not even a future at all. Her problem solving was beyond something I've experienced in any other book. I highly recommend this book!