This is an entertaining YA Mystery/Thriller set on a billionaire’s swanky compound. Kat is a teenager that grew up fast and had to be older than her years. Her mother is a jewel thief working for a woman that rescued her and Kat in Vegas after a disastrous quicky marriage and divorce to a smarmy con-man. Jamie is planning to go straight, but owes her boss one last job at the billionaire’s birthday party. When they arrive at the location, they discover Jamie’s ex-husband and his son Liam there too. Liam was Kat’s step-brother for a hot minute while their parents were married. Neither has forgotten the other, and yearn to develop a relationship with each other again.
Sixteen-year-old Alexia has a secret; she’s a Varien—burdened with the gift of shooting stars through her skin. And after watching her best friend Sarai get falsely accused of murder upon changing into a Varien, Alexia wants no one to know. She keeps her secret tight and close until an accident with her strange abilities critically injures her father—threatening her identity to be revealed. Alexia flees and goes on the run to avoid death row. While in transit, she meets Greta, a quirky antique shop owner who promises her safety with other Variens in a realm called The Grove.
Alexia is skeptical, but once she learns Sarai has been kidnapped from prison and taken to The Grove to be sacrificed by Revenirs, a secret society of hitmen, she becomes intent on finding and saving her from another dire fate.
Greta introduces Alexia to The Grove and her new home at Malveaux Prep Academy and Sanctuary—a premier school for Varien teens to study and hone their knowledge and skill. There, Alexia rooms with a pyrokinetic hothead who can’t stop kissing her boyfriend and takes tours with her assigned campus mentor—a wise-cracking morphing teleporter named Kyle.
With the help of her newfound friendships, Alexia delves deeper into The Grove’s hidden history for clues on the present. All she wants is to find Sarai and save her. But the closer she gets to the Revenirs, the more danger she and her friends are in. Alexia must decide if friendship is worth the wrath of war, suffering, and even worse … betrayal.
For Legendborn and Gen V fans, The Gifted Society adds to the mosaic narrative discussion of who is allowed to harness power, adventure, and admiration. With its dark and light academia themes of fantasy and found family, it creates a world which provides a whimsical and sweet escape.
Tatiana White grew up on a creative diet of comics, poetry, film, essays, and books.
An advocate for diversity, Tatiana studied the mechanics of film, creative writing, and journalism with the overall goal of altering narratives and imagery imposed on black youths and adults. She achieved a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Communications and went on to work for various Bay Area media staples before returning to her first love: storytelling.
When Tatiana’s not toiling over her computer, she’s occupied with her life as wife to her college sweetheart and full-time role as mother of two girls (or mutants, as she likes to call them) and a cantankerous schnauzer.
A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband—but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries—in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.
Princess Ying Yue believed in love…once upon a time.
This was a fun YA Mystery/Romance. I didn’t realize this was book 2 of a series, but this book is a stand alone mystery so I didn’t feel too lost.
Sydney is a spy and Winter is a popstar. They had a fling a year ago on an undercover mission and went their separate ways, not expecting to see each other again. But now, the agency needs cover that only Winter can provide, so Sydney makes contact again. The timing couldn’t be better as damaging secrets of Winter plays out in the tabloids and he’s ready to get away for a bit. Their mission is dangerous and doesn’t go as expected, but that’s when their training kicks in.
This was a fun YA book about a former heiress taking revenge on the father that kicked her and her mother out of their mansion with nothing after the divorce. Barely scraping by, and with mounting medical bills piling up, Olivia spends months enlisting fellow high schoolers to enact the perfect plan of vengeance. Even better, it all takes place during her father’s third wedding. What could possibly go wrong?
I’m so excited to be a part of TBR Beyond Tours book tour of This Book Won’t Burn written by Samira Ahmed. It just came out on May 7 and as book lovers, you will NOT want to miss out on reading this powerful book.
If you’re against banning books, this book will make you mad, sad, happy, and hopeful. That basically sums up my feelings. My sister was an 8th and 9th grade English teacher for 40 years, and getting kids to read all kinds of books was a main focus. She bought books with her own money and set up a library of dozens and dozens (maybe even hundreds) of books in her classroom. She loaned books out to students and knew how to recommend just the right book to get a student interested in reading. I know that if she were still working at a school, hers would be the loudest voice of all.
Bradley and Celine used to be best friends when they were younger, until Bradley got popular as they grew older and a misunderstanding blew them apart. They are both smart, high achieving academics, but can’t stand to be in the same room together. So imagine their surprise when they are thrown together and must work together for a chance to win a scholarship.
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