Book Review | The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

Title: The Last Namsara
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli
Publication: October 3rd 2017 by HarperTeen
Series: Iskari #1
Pages: 432
Genre: YA Fantasy
Copy: Bought
Summary: In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be dark—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death bringer. 

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up hearing in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. 

Book Review *SPOILERS* | Last Stand by Rachel E. Carter

Title: Last Stand
Author: Rachel E. Carter
Publication: February 7th 2017 by Rachel E. Carter
Series: (The Black Mage #4)
Pages: 452
Genre: YA Fanstay/Action-Adventure
Copy: Bought
Summary: He’s the Black Mage and she’s the traitor to the Crown.
Ryiah’s world was shattered the night she discovered King Blayne’s nefarious plans. Now, she has to betray the one she loves most in order to save the realm from war. Torn between love and duty, Ry finds herself on a perilous mission to help the rebels and convince the kingdom of Pythus not to honor its pact with the corrupt king of Jerar—all the while deceiving the most powerful mage in the realm, the very man sworn to protect the Crown and hunt the rebels at all costs: her husband.
She’s one step ahead, but sooner or later the curtain will fall.
Sooner or later, she’ll have to fight.
Witness the epic conclusion of The Black Mage series, and see just how far one girl will go to save her kingdom and the boy she loves—even when that boy has become the enemy.

Book Review (ARC) | Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

Title: Defy the Stars
Author: Claudia Gray
Publication: April 4th 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: (Untitled #1)
Pages: 512
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Copy: ARC provided by publisher & Face in a Book
Summary: Noemi Vidal is a teen soldier from the planet Genesis, once a colony of Earth that's now at war for its independence. The humans of Genesis have fought Earth's robotic "mech" armies for decades with no end in sight.
After a surprise attack, Noemi finds herself stranded in space on an abandoned ship where she meets Abel, the most sophisticated mech prototype ever made. One who should be her enemy. But Abel's programming forces him to obey Noemi as his commander, which means he has to help her save Genesis--even though her plan to win the war will kill him.
Together they embark on a daring voyage through the galaxy. Before long, Noemi begins to realize Abel may be more than a machine, and, for his part, Abel's devotion to Noemi is no longer just a matter of programming.

Book Review | First Year by Rachel E. Carter

Title: First Year
Author: Rachel E. Carter
Publication: January 24th 17 by Rachel E. Carter
Series: First of 4 Books (all of them have been released)
Pages: 252
Genre: YA Action/Adventure & Fantasy
Copy: Bought
Summary: Before the age of seventeen, the young men and women of Jerar are given a choice —pursue a trade or enroll in a trial year in one of the realm’s three war schools to study as a soldier, knight, or mage…
For fifteen-year-old Ryiah, the choice has always been easy. Become a mage and train in Combat, the most prestigious faction of magic.
Yet when she arrives, Ry finds herself competing against friend and foe for one of the exalted apprenticeships. Everyone is rooting for her to fail—first and foremost among them is Prince Darren, the school prodigy who has done nothing but make life miserable since she arrived.
Will Ry survive, or will her dream go down in flames?

Book Review (ARC) | Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

Title: Empress of a Thousand Skies
Author: Rhoda Belleza
Publication: February 7th 2017 by Razorbill
Series: First in a series (number of books tbd)
Pages: 344
Genre: YA sci-fi/fantasy
Copy: ARC provided from my local bookstore, Face in a Book
Summary: Empress
Rhee, also known as Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an, is the sole surviving heir to a powerful dynasty. She’ll stop at nothing to avenge her family and claim her throne.
Fugitive
Aly has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. But when he’s falsely accused of killing Rhee, he's forced to prove his innocence to save his reputation – and his life.
Madman
With planets on the brink of war, Rhee and Aly are thrown together to confront a ruthless evil that threatens the fate of the entire galaxy.

Book Review | Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Gemina

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Publication: October 18th 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Series: Illuminae Files #2

Pages: 608

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Copy: Bought

Summary: Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

Book Review | Crystal Crowned by Elise Kova

Title: Crystal Crowned
Author: Elise Kova
Publication: July 12th 2016 by Silver Wing Press
Series: Air Awakens #5
Pages: 400
Genre: YA Fantasy
Copy: Bought
Summary:
Long live Solaris. 

One bloodthirsty ruler has been overthrown by another, casting the shadow of death over the Solaris Empire. Vhalla Yarl stands upon the stage of fate, prepared to do battle one final time. Fragile alliances will be tested and new bonds will be formed as the world is reshaped. She fights as the champion of peace, but when the night is darkest will she be able to pay the price of a new dawn?

Top Five(?) Tuesday | 5 Of My Most Recent 5 Star Reads

Hi everyone :).  Today I thought I would do Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme created by the lovely The Broke and the Bookish!  This week's top ten are 10 of my most recent 5 star reads, but I decided to only do my most recent 5, because 10 seemed like too much (work lol).

*Disclaimer: I'm a pretty easy-to-please reader, so I give out 5 stars pretty often.  However, I always rate books truthfully, so these recent 5-star reads are all ones that I absolutely love and definitely recommend!!

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (ACOTAR #1)

Synopsis: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Why the 5 stars?: Okay so technically I haven't finished this one yet but I'm so in love with it so far that there's no way that this isn't going to be a 5-star.  Beauty and the Beast re-tellings are my weakness...