Quiet In Her Bones

“Ten years was a long time for evidence to age and fade. For flesh to disappear. For everyone to forget that Nina Parvati Rai had been a living, breathing woman who’d loved music and cooking and had a mind like a computer.
In another life she could have been a professor.
In this life she’d been a rich man’s wife.
Now she was just bones.”

Quiet In Her Bones tells the story of socialite Nina Rai who disappeared mysteriously one night and was never seen again. At the time, no one thought it was suspicious, just a trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband. But when her bones turn up in the forest greens that surrounds their wealthy neighborhood where secrets have been kept but now people are starting to ask questions and while the rich who live there may not want to know what happen, one person knows that something terrible happen. Her son, Aarav remembers the chilling scream that came from his mother that fateful night ten years ago and he’s determined to find out what happen to her no matter the cost.

Wow! What a fantastic murder thriller and I truly mean that. While this book had his downsides which I will get to in a bit, this was a truly exciting and gripping thriller that had me turning the page for more. The writing style was a bit different and while I did like it, there was also a downside to it as some of the writing was a bit over-sexualized and almost came off as though it was written by a man. While I understand that the author could’ve been intending it be portrayed a little over the top, it still felt a bit much. But, there were other parts of the book that helped me enjoy it as much as I did. I felt as though the characters were well developed and while there was a lot of them, I was invested in each of them so that’s always a good thing cause there’s nothing worse than under developed characters. Lastly, what made this novel so great was the twists throughout the book and usually with some thrillers, they can very predictable but not in this book and I think that makes this a true thriller. I recommend it if you like you suspenseful thrillers that keep you wanting more.

January TBR

Wow!! Can’t believe it’s January and I’m excited for this new year to begin so let’s get started with my picks for this month!

Adaline and the Sphere by Beady Vries
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Cold The Night, Fast The Wolves by Meg Long
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Sci-Fi

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig
Genre: Fiction, Historical-Fiction, Sci-Fi

King Of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Genre: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology

Nightrender by Jodi Meadows
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Read Between The Lines by Rachel Lacey
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance

Serendipity by Various Authors
Genre: Contemporary, Romance,

Take Me To Your Nerdy Leader by Hailey Gonzales
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance,

Things that Should STay Buried

“As above, so below. Trouble a star, watch it explode. The harbinger soars, the earth is bowed. There is chaos in the heavens, there is chaos in the soil.”

Clawing their way from their long-forgotten tomb, the Zodia are emerging ravenous to claim everyone born under the star signs. They are plotting to resurrect kingdoms no human knew existed, they are driven by a hunger for vengeance against the one who buried them: Aries. Larken is a natural born sprinter, but even she can’t outrun the darkness closing in. As time passes, they find themselves in a shelter in place order where some are following it and others acting like nothing is happening. Left with no other option, Larken”s brother calls for Aries in order to save his sister’s life.

I had actually planned to read this book a few months back but didn’t get to it before the end of the month. I’m glad that I decided to pick up for this month cause I really enjoyed it. I love anything astrology so I was super into the premise of the book and found it engaging until the end. I found the concept truly unique and interesting and while I did find it a little slow, it did pick up so I was happy about that because there’s nothing worse than a cool and interesting concept and the rest of the book is a dud. Another thing that made me love the book were the characters especially Larken as she very relatable throughout the entire book and I loved seeing the character development. This book was truly enjoyable so if you’re into fantasy and astrology, I highly recommend this book.

Cytonic

“I’m not exactly a “there are nuances to this situation” type of girl. I’m more of an “if it’s still moving, you didn’t use enough ammunition” type of girl.” 

Cytonic continues with the adventurous and brave, Spensa who has proved herself as one of the best star fighter pilots for the Defiant Defense Force in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from death at the hand of the Krell, a mysterious alien species that has been holding them hostage for decades. Not only that, she has traveled light years as an undercover spy to infiltrate the superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.

But, now the superiority, the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating human life has started a galaxy wide war. And Spensa knows the weapons that they plan to use: The Delvers which are an ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. But there is one thing that could saved them and it is Spensa herself, as she is cytonic and has faced and defeated a delver. She knows it’s not going to be easy but she is willing to do whatever is needed to keep her people from harm even if she risks losing her own life.

This was a truly enjoying book and I am looking forward to more even though it’s gonna be a long wai One of the best aspects of the book was the setting and character development as it was really well written as he really knows how to reel you in and make you beg for more. I have really enjoyed seeing the character development of Spensa because I think she’s a really great protagonist with relatable flaws and traits.This is a perfect set up for Defiant as it’s really the lull before the storm and while it had it’s downsides being slow paced at times, I think it does a good job of setting up what will happen. Go check it out if you haven’t!

Nutcracked

If there are two things that Georgie loves, it’s Christmastime and Ballet and this year is even more amazing as she is finally playing the part she was born to play in The Nutcracker as Clara. Her life long dream has come true as every time she dances with The Nutcracker, she enters a magical world where everything around her is larger than life. It’s so magical and amazing that Georgie can’t wait to return but what happens when the magic starts seeping into the real world and threatens to destroy Christmas for Georgie and her friends.

This was a cute book for the holiday season, I usually try and read books dedicated to the holiday as it’s always fun. Obviously, this is a middle grade book and I did like the characters, I found Georgie fun and adorable and enjoyed her relationship with her friends and The Nutcracker. The problem that I had with the book is that it started too slow and ended too fast. I felt like things were super slow and then all of a sudden everything got solved in such a short time that I actually had to reread the last few chapters to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I felt like it could’ve been fleshed out a little more with a few developments because that’s my big pet peeve with books. I’m not a fan of rushing things as it makes me feel like there I’m missing something but if you’re looking for a fun, cute, and quick read and you love retellings, then this is just for you!

December TBR

Wow, I can’t believe the year is already up! This year has flown by so quick and I am ready for it to be done. I am excited for the books that I’ll be reading this month and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, YA

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, YA

Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance

Greenglass House by Katie Milford & Jamie Zollars
Genre: Holiday, Fiction, Middle Grade

Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar
Genre: Fantasy, Holiday, Young Adult

Nutcracked by Susan Adrian
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Retellings

One Day In December by Josie Silver
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

The Other Merlin by Barbara Schnieder
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, YA

Seven Crowns by E.V. Everest
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

The Winter by Alice Oseman
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, YA

Winterhouse by Ben Gutterson
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction

Winterkeep by Kristin Cashmore
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

“A hero does not choose her trials. She steps into the darkness, then she faces what comes next.”

All her life, Spensa dreamed of becoming a pilot. Dreamed of being able to help her people and being able to find the truth of what happened to her father. Now having f those dreams, she is left with the crushing truth with her father but she’s not willing to give up on him and she’s certain there is more to the story and she’s determined to find out. When she makes it out of her protective shell of a planet, she heard the stars and she heard terrified her as everything she had taught as a child turned out to be a lie. Her world shaken by the truth, Spensa must do what is necessary to help her people and if she must travel to end of the galaxy then that’s what she’ll do.

Another terrific story of this series! I absolutely loved this book probably even more so than the first book and a big part of why I enjoyed it so much is the excellent development of Spensa who is a champion of authenticity, courage, and determination which makes her very relatable. Sanderson really knows how to craft well written characters and with Spensa, she’s so real that you find yourself in her. One of the things that I have enjoyed about the series is how Sanderson doesn’t just throw in themes for the take of it. They were important and the way he writes them shows that as the themes in this series are very relevant to real life with personal biases, prejudice, and individualism vs collectivism. How people should hear and listen to others even if they are different from you and that is something that we all need a reminder about. It really added to the story line and made me enjoy this book even more.

Highly recommend this series! I’m checking out the third book now cause it just came out!! I’ll have a review up soon hopefully but until then happy reading!

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

“People need stories, child. They bring us hope, and that hope is real. If that’s the case, what does it matter whether people in them actually lived?”

The remains of the human race have been crushed, defeated, driven to almost extinction on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. One such human, a young girl by the name of Spensa who longs to be a pilot may have found a way to achieve her dream while helping her people in the process. One day, she finds wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this could be her way out but there are more hurdles than she expected and this journey could alter the course of her for better or worse.

This was such a fantastic book! I had heard a lot of good things about this series so I decided to finally check it out and I’m so glad I did. I’m currently reading through the second book right now in anticipation of the third coming out next week. From start to finish, this book was excellent and I loved everything about it. Spensa is such a fantastic main character, with flaws and qualities that make her very relatable and I’ve been loving her character development along the way. It felt very real and I could empathize with her when she was tested with what was the right thing to do and how to go about it. I enjoyed the other characters in addition to Spensa. With the solid worldbuilding, rich and diverse characters, interesting plot and how everything came together to lead up to the second book, I highly recommend it. I am actually checking out his other books because this series reeled me in and I want more! Stayed tuned for my review on Starsight coming up!

No Exit by Taylor Adams

“Don’t fear the pros. The pros know what they’re doing, and do it cleanly. Fear the amateurs.”

On her way home, Darby Thorne gets stuck in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of her mother’s home in Colorado. With the roads impassible, Darby has no choice but to wait it out at a rest stop where inside are four strangers, vending machines, and a coffee maker. Desperate to get home, she heads back to her car where she makes a horrifying discovery, a young girl is locked in an animal cage in the van next to her car. There are more questions than answers as she finds no cell phone reception to call for help, one of her fellow travelers is a kidnapper, and not only find a way to save herself but the little girl before it’s too late.

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time! From beginning to end, I was hooked and turning the page in anticipation. I’ve been getting into thrillers more and more in the last year or so and it can be hard sometimes to find a great thriller as some can be cliche and predictable. But, this is not one of those books and I was glad that I decided to read it. From the writing, characters, plot development etc., I really enjoyed how they all fleshed together for a really good thriller with smartly creative plot twists that weren’t predictable and they also made sense. This will have you on the edge of your seat begging for more so if you’re in the mood for a good thriller, I would highly recommend this!