Review ~ Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi (Happy Release Day!)

About the Book: A hero's tournament. A defiant contender. Does one girl have the courage to take on Mount Olympus? 

Hope's world doesn't have room for heroes. She barely has time for schoolwork, swim team, and taking care of her ailing mother. But when she's invited to a mysterious tournament, the all-powerful hosts won't take no for an answer. 

Transported to Mount Olympus, Hope comes face to face with her new trainers - the pantheon of Greek gods. While other contenders train hard to gain a fighting edge, Hope searches for a way out. Instead, she finds a gorgeous shadow god who may just convince her to stay...

As each round unfolds, the ultimate prize draws closer - the granting of her heart's deepest desire. If she survives the final challenge, her mother's cure would be within reach... but only if Hope can ignore the tournament's dark purpose. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

# of Pages: 350

Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult

Age Range: 14+ (Some violence, not much detail though)

Favorite Quote(s)

"Mortal values such as love, respect and generosity are a hero's most precious weapon."

"Forget about the fall and focus on the ride. When you believe in yourself, you can do anything."

"If I ever needed to pick a place to hide, I would seek refuge inside a book."

"We as humans are the sum of our love, our fears, and our memories."

Review

Okay, I know that's a lot of favorite quotes, but I honestly couldn't pick just one. This book was so good, guys! I had pretty high hopes for this one since it's Greek mythology in the modern world (and if you didn't already know, I'm a huge Percy Jackson fan) and this book definitely did not disappoint! I would honestly love for this book to become a movie or tv show. It's written in a way that I actually felt like I was watching it instead of just reading it and I love when that happens!

I really liked how they addressed dementia in this book. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and I've never found a book that addressed anything like this before. As someone who knows what it's like to have to watch someone they're close to go through something like this, I believe the effect that it has on the people themselves as well as their loved ones was very well portrayed.

It was a lot of fun kind of comparing how a book that I love describes and portrays the Greek myths with how this one does, and even though there were differences, I enjoyed this portrayal just as much as any others that I've read! One of the things that I really liked about this book was that the author made sure to use the name Heracles instead of Hercules. Even though he's almost always known as Hercules, that's actually his Roman name and Heracles was first, which I think is a really interesting little fact. (Yes, I'm a major mythology nerd. 😂) I also feel like if I were ever in the challengers' position, I would at least have an advantage in the knowledge part of it and wouldn't have to do much research... Fighting on the other hand... I can shoot a bow? I can hit a target at least? 😂 (Also, speaking of bows, can I have Hope's, please? It sounds gorgeous! 😍)

I absolutely love when characters have a love for books! Ariadne was great in this book because of that, and I loved Hope's reaction to the library when she sees it for the first time! Honestly, that would be my exact thought process if that had been me. 😂

Honestly, there wasn't much about this book that I didn't like... Though, if Heath counts, I feel like he was the Cato (as in Hunger Games) of the competition... An absolute jerk until the very end of his story. He was still a great character with an important role in the story, though!

One thing that I will say I had a hard time getting into was the romance... I really like both of the characters, but I had a hard time with the idea of them being together. Yes, they're sweet, but I don't think I would have minded whether they ended up together or not. I would have felt sorry for Hope, but I wouldn't have been heartbroken myself if their story had gone differently. This book actually could have gone without romance between this couple entirely and I think it would have been just as amazing! I loved the friendships that were made in this book so much! Hope's relationship with each of the heroes as well as with Amy and Gabriel were great and I love the support (and teasing) that went on between them all! Also, I absolutely love the Pythia. 😂 She's a sassy little old lady and I love it so much. 😂

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the next one to come out! If you enjoy mythology or just fantasy in general, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Review ~ Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon (New Favorite!)

Hey guys! I am so excited to post this review... I seriously love ranting about new favorites, and this book has definitely made the list! 

About the Book: Olivia Brownlow is no damsel in distress. Born in a workhouse and raised as a boy among thieving London street gangs, she is as tough and cunning as they come. When she is taken in by her uncle after a caper gone wrong, he life goes from fighting and stealing on the streets to lavish dinners and soirees as a debutante in high society. But she can't seem to escape her past... or forget the teeming slums where children just like her still scrabble to survive.

Jack MacCarron rose from his place in London's East End to become the adopted "nephew" of a society matron. Little does society know that MacCarron is a false name for a boy once known among London gangs as the Artful Dodger, and that he and his "aunt" are robbing them blind every chance they get. When Jack encounters Olivia Brownlow in places he least expects, his curiosity is piqued. Why is a society girl helping a bunch of homeless orphan thieves? Even more intriguing, why does she remind him so much of someone he once knew? Jack finds himself wondering if going legit and risking it all might be worth it for love.

Olivia Twist is an innovative reimagining of Charles Dickens' classic tale Oliver Twist, in which Olivia was forced to live as a boy for her own safety until she was rescued from the streets. Now eighteen, Olivia finds herself at a crossroads: revealed secrets threaten to destroy the "proper" life she has built for herself, while newfound feelings for an arrogant young man she shouldn't like could derail her carefully laid plans for the future.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre(s): Historical Fiction; Young Adult; Classic Retelling

Age Range: 15-16+ (some violence, though not detailed; a few kissing scenes with some detail)

Favorite Quote(s)

Can the entire book be my favorite quote? 😂

Review

Okay, just... 😍

Now that I have that out of the way, I'll get on to the actual review. 😂 For days, I couldn't put into words how much I absolutely loved this book! I feel like I sped through it (I think that was partially helped by the promise of gifts at certain pages, thanks to Once Upon a Book Box. 😂) and I never wanted to put it down! I haven't read much historical fiction yet, but if they were all like this one, I would binge the heck out of that genre!

I absolutely loved the characters! Olivia and Jack were both so full of attitude and sass, which I love in books, and the secondary characters were all amazing as well! Even the villains were amazing villains. 😂 I actually haven't read Oliver Twist yet, but after reading this, I plan on picking it up soon! And the storyline was so good, guys. It never left me bored for an instant, there was always some kind of action happening and it always helped lead the plot along.

The one thing I do wish was that we got a little more between the last chapter and the epilogue. I was so happy with how it ended, and it was a very satisfying ending, but I would have loved to see how the characters got from the end of point A to point B. That may also just be because I was not at all ready for it to end. There's seriously no way for this book to ever have a sequel, but I still wish it did. 😂

After reading this book, I will definitely be checking out some of the other works written by this author! Her writing is amazing and she does a great job of keeping you hooked the entire time! If you haven't read this book yet, even if you're not sure if historical fiction is your thing, I highly recommend it! 

Review ~ Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope (Happy Release Day!)

Happy May 1st!! I can't believe that it's May already... 😱 My birthday is in four days, guys! 

But today is the birthday of a certain book, *cough* this one *cough*! So, happy release day to Song of Blood & Stone!! I loved being able to read an early copy of this through Netgalley and share my thoughts as part of the blog tour, and I'm already so excited for the next one!

About the Book: Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive - an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart. 

Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagramar is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and its people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps. 

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation. 

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

# of Pages: 384 (According to Goodreads. I read it as an e-book.) 

Genre(s): New Adult, Fantasy

Age Range: 17+ (Sexual references/scenes, some language)

Favorite Quote(s)

"Do what you think you can't."

"Woe unto he who trusts the odds. For he is defeated before he is begun."

Pros

• I am the type of person who absolutely loves poetic writing, and parts of this book definitely had it! (ex. "The melody of life and breath and heartbeats and change lay locked in a noiseless hush.")
• I really like how the racial issues between the two countries were addressed throughout the book, from beginning to end. A lot of it was very true to today's society.  
• The folktales at the beginning of each chapter were so unique and I loved so many of the quotes from them! I love the idea of putting them there and it was great how they matched the context of the chapter they started! 
• I absolutely loved all of the names! They were so unique and a lot of fun to say! (Especially Jack's full name. I love it!)
• The flashback chapters were probably some of my favorite scenes. I actually feel like I got attached to those characters faster than the MCs. 
• Just, Osar. 💗 He is the cutest thing!
• The weaponry was really cool! (aka, apple bombs)
• Also, love Usher. He's great. 😂
• This cover is absolutely gorgeous! 😍

Cons

• Though some of the writing was amazingly worded, there were also times when it sounded kind of amateurish. 
• I was very confused at first as to which country Jasminda was in and which country Jack was running away from. It took a few chapters for it to be clarified. 
• I honestly would have loved for this book to come with a map. This world sounds so cool and I'm really curious about the geography, but the way it's described makes it difficult to picture. 
• The love story in this book started out very much like instalove... While I can totally understand being attracted to someone immediately, I'm not a very big fan of suddenly being unable to stop thinking about someone that you've only exchanged a few sentences with, even if they did save your life. 
• From the synopsis, this book sounds like a YA, but I quickly figured out that it's NA by learning the MCs' ages and reaching some... interesting... scenes between the soldiers and the MCs... (two occurrences of attempted rape within nine chapters)
• Unfortunately, I was able to guess some of the plot twists... Though there were also some that I wasn't expecting, so that's a pro!
• I wish the book would have explained what "grol" meant. It's obviously an insult, but it never explains what the word means or why it's so offensive. 
• I really wasn't a fan of the amount of detail put into the love scenes, but I also haven't read many books with those scenes in them, so maybe that's why. I don't mind the love scenes, I would just prefer it to be a bit less detailed. (Though I did like that Jack was at least a gentleman and made sure she was okay with everything.) 

(Also, not a pro or a con, just something funny, but the number of times Jack was knocked out in this book was honestly hilarious. 😂😂)

Overall Thoughts 

Overall, this book wasn't entirely what I was expecting at first, but it steadily grew on me the further in I got! I actually ended up staying up until 5 AM in order to finish this book because I was so into it. 😂 The characters were amazing and I love how the ending seemed like a lot was wrapped up nicely and then all of a sudden there's a plot twist that changes everything. I am so excited to see where Jack and Jasminda's story (and just the story in general) goes through the rest of the series!