From the Library of Mrs. Gardner

Oh. My. Venda. If you aren't reading the Remnant Chronicles, then what on earth are you reading?? This is absolutely incredible. After you oogle over this gorgeous cover, read my non-spoiler review below. Click to visit the Remnant Chronicles page on Goodreads! 1. Characters: New faces appear on the scene in this second installment, and I don't even have words to... I can't even type right now. I love everyone. The love interest is spectacular. I adore the main character, Lia. The villain is well-crafted and complex (but also simple?). The new side characters have incredible development. I absolutely love these characters. 2. Story: I've already said "I love" too many times in this review already, but I love everything here. In addition to the characters, the story continues to drive at a perfect pace. Slow enough to develop new characters and offer background info when necessary, but quick enough to keep things happening so that you're always t...

Ahoy there! I have no idea why I greeted you that way; this book is not set on a beach or near the sea or even mentioning a lake. Pardon my weirdness... let's get to the good stuff! While puttering through City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and waiting on The Heart of Betrayal by Mary Pearson to arrive on my doorstep (courtesy of Amazon), I decided to pick up a quick, 240 page contemporary last night and attempt to fly through it. And guess what? SUCCESS! I started this book around 7 pm and,  with minimal distractions, was able to finish around 10:30 pm. I am guilty of a few Bookstagram breaks, but eh- what ya gonna do. The cover of this book was what drew me in and, much like my previous read, I really knew nothing til I got it home and briefly skimmed over the synopsis on the back. If you look closely at the cover, you'll see that it says, "Fourteen Viewpoints, One Love Story." Interesting, right? Click the cover to read the synopsis on Goodreads! 1. Ch...

Asdfghjkl. Mush. That is how I feel after finishing Kiss of Deception. I'm an absolute mush puddle over this book. I can't wait to jump into this review and gush, so here we go! First- the cover. 😍 This book was basically a cover buy for me! I knew it was YA fantasy and I knew there was an aspect of romance, but other than that I really did zero research going into this. I barely glimpsed at the synopsis. Because LOOK at this cover, ya'll. Click the cover to read the synopsis on Goodreads! 1. Characters: What can I say? I love every. single. character. I love the main character, her friends, the love interests (although I definitely have a particular "team" I'm already on), the side characters. Everyone is incredibly well-developed and has depth as well as an air of mystery about them (which is a hard balance to keep). 2. Story: The pacing of this book really surprised me! I assumed it would be kind of difficult to get into since many fantasy work...

*Sigh* Summer reads make me long for the beach. What about you? I just finished reading What I Thought Was True and it's an absolutely perfect summer read. The setting, the characters... And just look at that cover! Does that not scream beach read? Let's dive into this review (pun intended). Click the image to read the synopsis on Goodreads!  1. Characters: Adore. Not a single character is perfect, but each feels real. I feel like I know  them. Like I just hung out with them for the summer- and I love that. The main characters have cute chemistry that doesn't feel forced. 2. Story: Honestly, without these particular characters and setting I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the story itself, which keeps me from rating this a full 5 stars. But it does flow nicely and is never dull. This is definitely a character-driven novel, though. 3. Author's Writing Style: Loved it! Easy to read, natural flow in first-person POV. I felt almost like I was reading a diary or...

Well, here we are. As sad as I am to see this series end, it's always a good feeling when things wrap up and all the loose ends come together to provide closure in a series. Click the cover to read the synopsis on Goodreads! NOTE: Beware of spoilers in the synopsis if you have not read books 1-5 yet! 1. Characters: Damen. What can I say? His character certainly showed his flaws in this book. Honestly though, it made him more real. He finally showed some insecurity, some selfishness, some  genuineness. There wasn't as much development between Ever and Aunt Sabine as I had hoped, but I'll take what I can get. I still really like Ever and I think many of the secondary characters finally received some due attention in this book. 2. Story: Here's where I got hung up on this one. I wasn't crazy about the middle of this book. Beginning, okay. Ending, satisfying. But the middle? I have to admit I skimmed over several parts quickly ready to move past them and ...

Whew! After a full weekend of Netflix, I finally sat down to read last night and again this morning and was able to knock out another great  book! Read below for a full review of my latest read, Night Star by Alyson Noel. So, once again, I have to point out that the cover of Blue Moon is still my favorite from this series. That being said, I really like the elixir bottle and what a central part of the story the elixir is in this particular installment. Click the cover to read the full synopsis on Goodreads! NOTE: Beware of potential spoilers in the synopsis if you have not yet read books 1-4. 1. Characters: So much more depth was added to Damen's character in this book! I really enjoy peeling back the layers of the main "cast" in this and letting my perception of them change with every new bit of information I get. The protagonist, Ever, is still likable even after 5 full novels- which I find pretty rare in longer series such as this one. I wish there was a li...

Well, I knew it couldn't last forever... Everything I've read lately has been amazing! I was overdue for an "average" read. Disclaimer: This book has two companion novels set before it, but after reading the FAQ on the author's website and seeing that she herself said it was not necessary to read those before reading Isla, I made the choice to go ahead and read it. I picked up this book in the bargain section of Books-A-Million which was why I bought it "out of order." Did this have an impact on the level of my enjoyment? I honestly don't think so. The characters from the previous novels are mentioned briefly in this one, but not enough that I feel I missed anything significant. So, here we go... Click the photo to read the full synopsis on Goodreads. 1. Characters: Let's just jump right in. The thing I did enjoy about this novel was the main characters. The love interest was cute and the characters seemed to complement one another well....

Devouring. That is the word for how I'm making my way through this series. After a slump through most of June, I'm finally on a roll and it's a result of this series which my husband, of all people (he's not a reader), picked out for me last weekend! I simply cannot stop reading. Let's dive into this review so I can pick up the next book... I still think the cover for Blue Moon is my favorite, but I like the consistency of the dark style across all the cover art from this series. The title has real significance in this story though, and I especially like that. Click the image to read the full synopsis on Goodreads! 1. Characters: I'm growing more attached to the characters with each installment of this series, though Ever has one particular friend who continues to make me roll my eyes. The chemistry between the main characters keeps developing in a positive way which I am so grateful for. Their relationship is beginning to feel more and more genuine an...

Oh, Morgan Matson- You've done it again! After finishing Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, I can't help but wonder why I waited so long to read it. This was the final work of Morgan Matson's that I hadn't read, and I wasn't sure if I would like it. Which is crazy considering I have enjoyed everything I've read by her. I am very excited to write this review though, so let's get going! First, as usual, I have to talk about the cover. I absolutely love contemporary covers, especially for summer reads like Morgan Matson's. There's just something happy about them, ya know? Click the photo to visit the Goodreads page for this book! Read the synopsis and add it to your to-read shelf! Alright, here we go- 1. Characters: It's safe to say I have a new literary crush. Roger is absolutely adorable!! The main characters have great chemistry, the colorful characters they encounter along the way are genuine and unique and the family relationships a...

First, again, I have to say the covers in this series are just beautiful. I think thus far my favorite has been Blue Moon's cover, though. (Check out the cover and my review of Blue Moon here .) Click this photo to view Shadowland's Goodreads page! Here we go! 1. Characters: As I had hoped, the love interest between the two main characters developed more in this book! Though I now have a least favorite character (more annoying than anything), a new character was introduced who I'm very excited about. I can't wait to see how relationships evolve throughout the rest of the series! 2. Story: The story just keeps getting better and better (and darker and darker). There have been a few significant turns taken that I did not expect, which I love. I think that with each book this series just improves, becomes more interesting and more intricate. You also discover just how connected everything/everyone is in a way that reminds me very much of Vampire Diaries. 3. Aut...

Here we go! Can we first talk about how beautiful this cover art is?? Click the photo to visit Blue Moon's Goodreads page, read the synopsis, and add it your "to-read" shelf! 1. Characters: I enjoy the variety of characters in this series so far, but I really hope the protagonist and her love interest get developed more in the rest of the series. 2. Story: This book very unique. Without spoiling any key points, I will say it definitely switched gears from the previous book and was unpredictable in a way that many YA fantasy novels/series aren't (at least in my opinion). 3. Author's writing style: I really like the author's writing style. I feel like she captures a realistic teen voice and the narration (first person POV) flows well throughout both the first and second books so far. I wouldn't mind seeing a POV change, but I think that's just because I've grown accustomed to it since it seems to happen more frequently in recent YA releases....