We Rise From the Ashes Together

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Wings of Ebony, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it.
SPOILER ALERT

~Ashes of Gold~
Wings of Ebony
Book 2
By J. Elle
Amazon ~ Powell's

Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.

But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.

When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.


This was kind of a surprise pickup for me. I didn't love the first book, finding it just okay when compared to some of the other books surrounding the same sort of topics, so I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to return to Rue's world. But when ads described this as the conclusion to a duology—a surprise to me—I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and finish the series. So I went ahead and re-read Wings of Ebony and jumped straight in on this sequel.

We All Live Happily Ever After in My New World, Agrabah Ascendant

~A Whole New World~
Twisted Tales
Book 1
By Liz Braswell
Amazon ~ Powell's

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

Partly inspired by a certain internet movie reviewer, and partly because I am a bit of a fangirl, I decided I wanted to dedicate the month of December to all that is Disney! This series of reviews will focus on Disney-inspired media, obviously, and will hopefully expand over the years. This year I wanted to get the ball rolling on their Twisted Tales series, books that promise to reimagine the Disney stories we know and love as new, darker takes. Will they be successful, or will the originals' magic still hold?

Do You Wish to Know the Truth of the Divine?

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Axiom's End, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it. This book, however, will not be spoiled.
SPOILER ALERT

~Truth of the Divine~
Noumena
Book 2
By Lindsay Ellis
Amazon ~ Powell's

The human race is at a crossroads; we know that we are not alone, but details about the alien presence on Earth are still being withheld from the public. As the political climate grows more unstable, the world is forced to consider the ramifications of granting human rights to nonhuman persons. How do you define “person” in the first place?

Cora Sabino not only serves as the full-time communication intermediary between the alien entity Ampersand and his government chaperones but also shares a mysterious bond with him that is both painful and intimate in ways neither of them could have anticipated. Despite this, Ampersand is still keen on keeping secrets, even from Cora, which backfires on them both when investigative journalist Kaveh Mazandarani, a close colleague of Cora’s unscrupulous estranged father, witnesses far more of Ampersand’s machinations than anyone was meant to see.

Since Cora has no choice but to trust Kaveh, the two must work together to prove to a fearful world that intelligent, conscious beings should be considered persons, no matter how horrifying, powerful, or malicious they may seem. Making this case is hard enough when the public doesn’t know what it’s dealing with—and it will only become harder when a mysterious flash illuminates the sky, marking the arrival of an agent of chaos that will light an already-unstable world on fire.


No complicated backstory with this one. I follow the author on YouTube, read the first book, knew the sequel was coming out, and picked it up when it did. After the quasi-cliffhanger we were left, with regard to Cora and Ampersand's newly formed bond, it was really a no-brainer that I'd feel compelled to continue the series. And so I did.

Ebony Skin, as Smooth as Silk, Almost Glows It's So Radiant

~Wings of Ebony~
Book 1
By J. Elle
Amazon ~ Powell's

“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue's taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.

Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.

Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.


I believe I found this one through Facebook and/or new release emails from my library. Since reading Legendborn last year I'm really interested in reading fantasy woven into and around Black traditions and experiences. Other than reading the summary blurb, I really had no idea what I was getting into, or just how much this book would dig its claws into me.

You Are the Lightbringer, and Our World Is Growing Dark

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Furyborn and Kingsbane, or don't mind knowing MAJOR spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Lightbringer~
Empirium Trilogy
Book 3
By Claire Legrand
Amazon ~ Powell's

Queen Rielle, pushed away from everything she loves, turns to Corien and his promises of glory. Meanwhile, whispers from the empirium slowly drive her mad, urging her to open the Gate. Separated from Audric and Ludivine, she embraces the role of Blood Queen and her place by Corien’s side, determined to become the monster the world believes her to be.

In the future, Eliana arrives in the Empire’s capital as a broken shell of herself. Betrayed and abandoned, she fights to keep her power at bay—and away from Corien, who will stop at nothing to travel back in time to Rielle, even if that means destroying her daughter.

But when the mysterious Prophet reveals themselves at last, everything changes, giving Rielle and Eliana a second chance for salvation—or the destruction their world has been dreading.


I've made no effort to hide how much Kingsbane's ending affected me. In fact, I've mentioned in several other reviews how depressed I was, and how I didn't plan on ever reading it again, regardless of my tradition of rereading series leading up to the latest book. It was really thanks to the audiobook that I ended up revisiting both Furyborn and Kingsbane, partly to refresh myself on the characters, but mostly so I could give a review of the audio throughout the series. And I will say, thanks in part to the year of letting my wounds heal, and having the expectation of devastation in my mind throughout the reread, I entered into this final chapter with a bit more hope than I last left off.

For All We Knew, We Came From Pieces of Corn at the Beginning of Everything

~Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything~
By Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Amazon ~ Powell's

It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.”

Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home.

Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive.

As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous in this stunning and inventive exploration of first love, family, immigration, and our vast, limitless universe.


Though I planned to read this as one of the 25 Reads of December from RivetedLit, I actually missed the deadline for opening the book before the day was up, so I ended up picking this up from my library as both an e-book and an audiobook instead. This one caught my eye firstly from its gorgeous cover, and secondly due to its interesting premise which promised to blend immigration issues with aliens?! Bizarre? Maybe. But surely it had to be exciting, right?

The Civilization That Disproves This Axiom

~Axiom's End~
Noumena
Book 1
By Lindsay Ellis
Amazon ~ Powell's

Truth is a human right.

It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.

Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.


I've been following this author for a good while now. I thoroughly enjoy her video essays, her deep dives into the Transformers movies, her work with PBS, and especially her exploration of (and cynical look at) YA fiction with Awoken and Booze Your Own Adventure. So when she announced that she was releasing her own novel this year, I knew I had to jump on it. Obviously, yes, I am biased in that I already enjoy her content, and so went into the book expecting to enjoy it (ideally, one would go into every book they decide to pick up expecting to enjoy it). But by no means am I about to gush about it like it's a must-read for everyone, cause it's definitely not.

She Thought Redemption Was Her Escape, but It Was the Opposite

~Redemption Prep~
By Samuel Miller
Amazon ~ Powell's

Everyone knows Emma. Neesha’s her best friend, Aiden’s her basketball star boyfriend, and Evan’s her shadow, following Emma’s every move. She stands out, which is hard to do at Redemption Prep, a school where every student has been handpicked to attend its remote campus in the forest of Utah. So when she goes missing in plain sight, everyone notices. And everyone becomes a suspect, especially at a school with strict rules: Don’t skip mass. Don’t break curfew. Don’t go into the woods.

Emma’s disappearance ignites an investigation, and Neesha, Aiden, and Evan all want to find her—for different reasons. But they each have their own secrets to hide, and not everyone wants Emma to be found.

As the search continues, the students realize that they’re not the only ones trying to hide something. Redemption Prep has secrets, too—secrets bigger than any of the students could have imagined, and Emma could be the key to finding out the truth… if anyone can find her.


I don't remember how this first came across my radar, though I assume it was from a YA newsletter from my library. After reading the premise, I was interested, but after accidentally reading some up-voted low-score reviews, I was looking forward to some trashy fun. After all, it can't be a disappointment if you're expecting it to be bad, right? All I can say is be careful what you wish for.

Further Chaos With the Neverseen

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Exile and Everblaze, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Neverseen~
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Book 4
By Shannon Messenger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sophie Foster is on the run—but at least she’s not alone.

Her closest friends from the Lost Cities have gone with her to join the Black Swan. They still have doubts about the shadowy organization, but the only way to find answers is to start working with them. And as they settle into their new lives, they uncover secrets bigger than anything they’d imagined.

But their enemies are far from done, and unleash a terrifying plague that threatens the safety of an entire species. Sophie and her friends fight with everything they have—with new allies joining them—but every choice has consequences. And trusting the wrong person could prove deadly.

In this game-changing fourth book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must question everything to find a truth that will either save her world—or shatter it.


I was extremely exited for this one—after all, we're finally joining the rebellion full-time and getting into all the secrets. Right? ...Right?

No One Can Stop You On The Come Up, Dreamer

~On the Come Up~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.


After reading The Hate U Give, I knew I had to come back for more of Thomas's powerful stories. While not as familiar with hip-hop or rap music, I knew I had to at least give it a shot. This is my third time reading about the black experience—I'm sure there are better terms for it, but I like it better than Black Lives Matter, which some people are tagging these books despite them having little-to-nothing to do with the movement—and the third time I am in awe of how little I know about the world around me.

Thug Life Meant: The Hate U Give Little Infants F---s Everybody

~The Hate U Give~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.


I actually read this book a couple years ago, during my reading/reviewing hiatus. It was somewhat freeing, being able to read what I wanted without hyping up, defending, or analyzing my choices. I got through some good series that way. But I also know I took the easy way out when it came to this book. My GoodReads review was 3 sentences, basically saying everyone should read it for its message. After the tumult of 2020, I know that wasn't enough. So here I am, back again, revisiting Starr, Khalil, and the now three-year-old story that still feels like it could happen tomorrow.

A Wall of Fragmented Memories Blazing With Unstoppable Flames

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books, Keeper of the Lost Cities and Exile, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Everblaze~
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Book 3
By Shannon Messenger
Amazon ~ Powell's

Sophie Foster is ready to fight back.

Her talents are getting stronger, and with the elusive Black Swan group ignoring her calls for help, she’s determined to find her kidnappers—before they come after her again.

But a daring mistake leaves her world teetering on the edge of war, and causes many to fear that she has finally gone too far. And the deeper Sophie searches, the farther the conspiracy stretches, proving that her most dangerous enemy might be closer than she realizes.

In this nail-biting third book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must fight the flames of rebellion, before they destroy everyone and everything she loves.


Well, I was expecting things to heat up, but this was a little more than I bargained for. Dad jokes aside, I was excited to continue Sophie's saga and see where things headed to next. Only book 3 of this 8+ book series, and we're already approaching Deathly Hallows territory.

In The Darkness, I Imagine Light

SPOILER ALERT
This review is of the final book in the Shatter Me series, and is mainly for those who have read or are familiar with the five previous books (and 4 novellas), or don't mind knowing major spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Imagine Me~
Shatter Me
Book 6
By Tahereh Mafi
Amazon ~ Powell's

Juliette Ferrars.

Ella Sommers.

Which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.

The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.


We all thought this was going to be a trilogy, then it turned into two. I already went through an ending once, am I ready to hang up the series for good? Yes and no...

The Memory Thief Who Backstabbed the Shadows

~The Memory Thief~
By Lauren Mansy
Amazon ~ Powell's

In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal's" memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.

To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.


Definitely hesitant to start this one, what with my grandmother grappling with dementia, but since trying to skirt around the topic resulted in being blindsided by the last two books I read containing dying grandmothers (one who also had dementia), I figured maybe I'm better off diving straight into a story knowing that it deals with lost memories. It turned out I didn't feel much of anything...

Her Incandescent Heart of Flames

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, Crown of Feathers, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it.
SPOILER ALERT

~Heart of Flames~
Crown of Feathers
Book 2
By Nicki Pau Preto
Amazon ~ Powell's

You are a daughter of queens.

The world is balanced on the edge of a knife, and war is almost certain between the empire and the Phoenix Riders.

Like Nefyra before you, your life will be a trial by fire.

Veronyka finally got her wish to join the Riders, but while she’s supposed to be in training, all she really wants to do is fly out to defend the villages of Pyra from the advancing empire. Tristan has been promoted to Master Rider, but he has very different ideas about the best way to protect their people than his father, the commander. Sev has been sent to spy on the empire, but maintaining his cover may force him to fight on the wrong side of the war. And Veronyka’s sister, Val, is determined to regain the empire she lost—even if it means inciting the war herself.

Such is your inheritance. A name. A legacy. An empire in ruin.

As tensions reach a boiling point, the characters all find themselves drawn together into a fight that will shape the course of the empire—and determine the future of the Phoenix Riders. Each must decide how far they’re willing to go—and what they’re willing to lose in the process.

I pray you are able to pass through the flames.


I'll admit, I was kinda spooked for this one. The last 2nd-in-a-trilogy book I've read was Kingsbane in the Empirium trilogy, which was so utterly heartbreaking and full of despair it still has me dreading the prospect of returning to it. I was even put off the thought of returning to any unfinished fantasy trilogy for fear of a similar downturn. I mean, medieval-ish politics and revolution are rife for heartbreak, right? Well, maybe not as much as I'd feared.

Their True Magnificence Shines Beneath the Stars

~All the Stars and Teeth~
Book 1
By Adalyn Grace
Amazon ~ Powell's

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.

She will reign.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.


Recommended as a YA Book Club pick by my local bookstore, Jan's (Paperbacks), I picked this up partly for the cover and partly for the premise. I've never read anything featuring mermaids before and figured it was worth a shot. Little did I know, a mermaid doesn't show up until nearly halfway through the book.

They Called Me The Feather-Crowned Queen

~Crown of Feathers~
Book 1
By Nicki Pau Preto
Amazon ~ Powell's

I had a sister, once…

In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.

I promised her the throne would not come between us.

Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.

But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.

Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.

Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.

Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love’s incredible power to save—or to destroy. Interspersed throughout is the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister’s hands.

I read this through the RivetedLit (Simon Teen) 25 Reads of December, 2019. They grant free access to one book each day in December (up to Dec 25), but I've found that so long as you bookmark/open the book on the featured day, you can continue accessing it on that device afterwards... Don't know how long it'll last, but I have access to this one nearly a whole month past the free date.

Anyway, since I thought I was on a time-crunch, I jumped straight in without seeing much past the cover. And, let's just say, I did not expect a lot of what I got here.

Welcome To Artemis

~Artemis~
By Andy Weir
Amazon ~ Powell's

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.


Having not read Weir's previous book, The Martian, I didn't know what to expect. Would it be too science-y to get into? Would I get lost in too much detail? I heard it was about "a heist on the moon" but would it be enough to keep me engaged? Well...yes.

I Think My Feelings Are Warranted

SPOILER ALERT
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Shatter Me series, or don't mind knowing major spoilers for them.
SPOILER ALERT

~Reveal Me~
Shatter Me
Book 5.5
By Tahereh Mafi
Amazon ~ Powell's

This fourth companion novella to Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series is narrated by fan favorite character Kenji Kishimoto!

The explosive revelations in Defy Me have left readers reeling and desperate for answers. This fourth and final novella in the series will bring readers back to the world of the Shatter Me before the final novel installment hits shelves in winter 2020.

Another fun(?) romp with Kenji. While the events of these novellas could easily encompass a chapter or two in the main stories, I've loved getting to know Kenji more intimately. Picking up exactly where we left off, Kenji is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. We knew he did that to some extent, but it's different when we're directly in his head. I legitimately felt bad for him during his anxiety attacks.

His super weird romance with Nazeera was also super sweet. Even if they're going through kind of a rough patch in this story. You don't really think about how someone's upbringing could shape them until it's thrown in your face, and then it's all you can think about. I really do love how the author shows kids being kids, drama and all, even in the middle of a war. It's one of the reasons I vastly prefer Shatter Me to The Hunger Games.

I'll definitely be reading this again in my lead-up to the final(?) book of the series coming next year. I just hope we finally stop with the heart-wrenching, mind-bending cliffhangers!

Out of the Underworld and Back to Life

~Heir to the Underworld~
By E.D. Walker
Amazon

Feisty Frederica Fitzgerald is just one day shy of her sweet sixteen when she’s nearly run over by a tall, dark dreamboat on a big black horse. Freddy can deal with the running over part—no harm done. The problem is the rider, Mr. Sex Bomb himself: Polydegmon, son of Hades and heir to the Greek Underworld.

Freddy’s hooked on Polydegmon from the start (although dude, togas went out of style several thousand years ago), being near him is enough to make her tingle down to her toes. He’s got secrets he isn’t sharing, though, and trouble follows him closer than his own shadow: rabid dogs running around the suburbs, insane crows stalking Freddy and, worst of all, the feral fairies of the Wild Hunt trolling her hometown for their next bit of human game.

The closer Freddy gets to Deg, the weirder her life becomes, until Freddy discovers something about her own past that changes everything she ever thought she knew about herself. And her world…

This wasn't the book for me.