Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Review: The Nightmare Dilemma (The Arkwell Academy #2) by Mindee Arnett

Title: The Nightmare Dilemma

Series: The Arkwell Academy #2

Previous book in this series: The Nightmare Affair

Author: by Mindee Arnett

Publication date: January 2014

Published by: Tor Teen

Source: Won paperback ARC in giveaway

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Dusty Everhart might be able to predict the future through the dreams of her crush, Eli Booker, but that doesn’t make her life even remotely easy. When one of her mermaid friends is viciously assaulted and left for dead, and the school’s jokester, Lance Rathbone, is accused of the crime, Dusty’s as shocked as everybody else. Lance needs Dusty to prove his innocence by finding the real attacker, but that’s easier asked than done. Eli’s dreams are no help, more nightmares than prophecies.

To make matters worse, Dusty’s ex-boyfriend has just been acquitted of conspiracy and is now back at school, reminding Dusty of why she fell for him in the first place. The Magi Senate needs Dusty to get close to him, to discover his real motives. But this order infuriates Eli, who has started his own campaign for Dusty’s heart.

As Dusty takes on both cases, she begins to suspect they’re connected to something bigger. And there’s something very wrong with Eli’s dreams, signs that point to a darker plot than they could have ever imagined.

My rating: ★★★★☆

It had been a while since I read the first book in this series, I think almost 10 years, but despite that, I decided to not re-read it before going into this book. I love re-reading books but I have actually read The Nightmare Affair twice, so I thought I would be okay. And I was! I had a vague memory of what went on in the last book, but this book also did a pretty good job of touching on the important things that happened in The Nightmare Affair, so I was very happy about that.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Sunday Post #393: All Sorts of Chaos


Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!


Friday, March 15, 2024

Review- Dionysos: The New God (Olympians #12) by George O'Connor

Title: Dionysos: The New God

Series: Olympians #12

Previous books in this series: Zeus: King of the Gods (#1) | Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (#2) | Hera: The Goddess and her Glory (#3) | Hades: Lord of the Dead (#4) | Poseidon: Earth Shaker (#5) | Aphrodite: Goddess of Love (#6) | Ares: Bringer of War (#7) | Apollo: The Brilliant One (#8) | Artemis: Wild Goddess of the Hunt (#9) | Hermes: Tales of the Trickster (#10) | Hephaistos: God of Fire (#11)

Author: George O'Connor

Publication date: January 2022

Published by: First Second

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: In the final volume of the New York Times–bestselling Olympians graphic novel series, author/artist George O’Connor focuses on Dionysos, the god of wine and madness.

The Olympians saga draws to a close with the tale of Dionysos, the last Olympian, and maybe, just maybe, the first of a new type of God. His story is told by the first Olympian herself, Hestia, Goddess of the hearth and home. From her seat in the center of Mt. Olympus, Hestia relates the rise of Dionysos, from his birth to a mortal mother, to his discovery of wine, his battles with madness and his conquering of death itself, culminating, finally, in his ascent to Olympus and Godhood.

My rating: ★★★★☆

You thought Athena’s birth was weird? Wait till you read about Dionysos’s. Let’s just say that Athena wasn’t the only one to be birthed from a weird Zeus body part...

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Review: Ruin and Rising (Shadow and Bone #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ruin and Rising

Series: Shadow and Bone #3 | Grishaverse #3

Previous book in this series: Shadow and Bone (#1) | Siege and Storm (#2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publication date: June 2014

Published by: Henry Holt and Co.

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Soldier. Summoner. Saint. The nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

The Darkling rules from his shadow throne while a weakened Alina Starkov recovers from their battle under the dubious protection of the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Now her hopes lie with the magic of a long-vanished ancient creature and the chance that an outlaw prince still survives.

As her allies and enemies race toward war, only Alina stands between her country and a rising tide of darkness that could destroy the world. To win this fight, she must seize a legend’s power—but claiming the firebird may be her ruin.

My rating: ★★★★☆

It’s been two months since Alina last faced off against the Darkling and she is in rough shape.