Review: Loki: Where Mischief Lies

Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Loki is still young and his stories have not yet happened … or have they? He knows that time is not linear and sometimes your future is someone else’s past. Everyone expects him to do bad things, even his father, Odin. The only person who believes in him is Amora and when she is sent away to Earth for something she and Loki did, he loses this one positive influence in his life. As time continues on Asgard without Amora, Loki slips deeper into darkness as his brother, Thor, is continually praised and loved. After magical murders are detected on Earth, Odin sends Loki to discover the source. He finds himself in nineteenth-century London and begins to learn more about himself and the secrets of his father.

Loki: Where Mischief Lies is a stand-alone novel about the creation of a character everyone loves to hate. Lee promises to write two more young adult novels about other Marvel characters but this book can definitely be read on its own. I love alternate storylines and character retellings, but this novel left me feeling that something was missing. It was still a good read, just not a great read. I don’t know who the other two novels will be about, but I will be looking for them to learn more about them.


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Review: The Liars of Mariposa Island

The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Elena’s mother keeps a very tight rein on her during the school year, but when summer comes, so do the Callahans and the freedom that comes with babysitting their children. It is the summer of 1986, the summer before her junior year of high school and the summer she meets J.C. Joaquin is Elena’s brother and he has all the freedom he could want, except he wants to leave Mariposa Island. He is now a high school graduate and is thinking of going to California to find their father.

The Liars of Mariposa Island is a stand-alone novel that chronicles the summer of these two siblings with flashbacks to the teen years of their mother and her experiences in Cuba and moving to the United States. Mathieu has taken a family with many secrets and even more liars and has crafted a story for the masses. Whether readers are looking for a coming of age story, a summer romance story or a fun book with just a little bit of history, they will be happy with these pages. Although I enjoyed this book, it isn’t as good as Moxie. We readers need to make sure we don’t judge one book based on other books by the same author. This is a totally different type of novel and must be enjoyed on its own merits.


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Review: American Royals

American Royals by Katharine McGee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After the Revolutionary War, the people of America asked General Washington to become their king. He accepted and two hundred and fifty years later his heir is still sitting on the throne. Introduce Princess Beatrice … she has been groomed her entire life to become America’s first queen regnant. Beatrice knows what is expected of her and her parents say it is time to find a husband. Her sister, Princess Samantha, is the spare to the heir. She thinks she has found a guy for her heart until her sister chooses him to be her boyfriend. Prince Jefferson is Samantha’s twin and the third in the line of succession. If the rules hadn’t been changed, though, he would be the next king. He has two girls who would like to become his princess and he is trying to come to grips with what his heart wants.

American Royals is the first book in the American Royals series. The story is told in alternating chapters by various characters and the reader will learn secrets that the other characters have to go without. There is the usual backstabbing and rumor milling, yet there is more at stake. These young adults have a realm that is watching every move and the love the people have can be very finicky. American Royals is a very fun read and those who enjoyed The Selection series will find these pages exactly what they were looking for. I can’t wait for the next book to be released!


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Review: Mind Games

Mind Games by Shana Silver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Arden has a side hustle at school selling memories. It doesn’t matter if you want to experience becoming a homecoming queen or want an easy way to study for a test; she has the memory for you. She feels like she has the best business in the school until she sees a new boy at school and asks for an introduction. She finds out that the boy isn’t new and has been her lab partner for years. Where have her memories gone? When she discovers that he has no memories of anything before that morning, she uses her hacking skills to try and uncover the truth behind the mystery.

Mind Games is a stand-alone science fiction thriller that grabbed my attention at the beginning and I couldn’t put it down until I turned the last page. I read A LOT of books and try to be stingy with my 5-star ratings, but I had a feeling that this was going to be a rarity. Silver has taken some modern science and interspersed it with more science fiction. This blend of truth and fiction gives the story just enough plausibility that readers will wonder if this might happen in the near future. I enjoyed this book so much I don’t want to limit my recommendation to only sci-fi fans. Everyone, just give it a try!


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Review: Into the Hourglass

Into the Hourglass by Emily R. King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everley is on a quest into the otherworlds. Their task … to find the sword of Avelyn that was stolen by Prince Killian. Yes, the same Prince Killian who killed her entire family and left her for dead. If they don’t find the sword in time … the seven worlds will collapse. Like all quests, the path before them is not safe and with her heart clock beginning to fail, Everley wonders if she will even survive this experience. Will Everley be able to retrieve the sword in time? What secrets will she discover along the way?

Into the Hourglass is the second book in The Evermore Chronicles. King has taken the fantasy world she created in the first book and has expanded it even more. The adventure is high and drama is rampant as Everley sails the high seas and enters forbidden landscapes. The characters learn about the truths behind some myths and everyone must face the unknown head-on. I recommend Into the Hourglass to everyone who has already read Before the Broken Stars. PLEASE … don’t jump into the second book without it.


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Review: Rebel Born

Rebel Born by Amy A. Bartol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Roselle is a strong warrior and the crowds are eagerly awaiting the Secondborn Trials in order to see her in action. That is until she is kidnapped during the opening ceremonies in order to give her an implant and make her a mind-controlled assassin. But there are other plans in the works and one of the scientists implants her with a different technology that makes her faster, more powerful and possibly immortal. Roselle is now helping the resistance group, but who can she really trust? Will she lose her humanity along the way?

Rebel Born is the third book in the Secondborn series. Bartol has taken the world she built in the first book and has exponentially expanded on the characters (and brought in a few more). Emotions are high and the intrigue is at maximum as Roselle and other characters fight against the social machine that wishes to control everything. Although I can’t find anything about a fourth book, Goodreads has it listed as a series and not a trilogy. Readers will be happy with the ending, but if you are like me … you want a little more.


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Review: Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life and Work

Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Life and Work by Victoria Ortiz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dissenter on the Bench is the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that is a must-listen for people of all ages. Ortiz chronicles RBG’s childhood, education, marriage, and career over several decades while also including details about some of her more life-changing cases as a lawyer and a judge. Larsen’s narration is dramatic yet not distracting which enables the listener to lose themselves in the larger story even if they are not normally fans of legal stories or non-fiction. This book shows that the future that was changed by Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life has been felt by all American’s, even if they are not aware of it. I recommend Dissenter on the Bench to everyone, no matter what genres you normally enjoy.

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