Sophie Reads YA: February 2020

February Summary

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What I've read this month:

Trial by Fire
Series: Raised by Wolves #2
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Published June 13th 2011 by Quercus Publishing Plc
Read: January 29-February 1 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Truly Madly Royally
Series: None
Author: Debbie Rigaud
Published July 30th 2019 by Point
Read: February 2-3 2020
My Rating: 3 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge, 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Taken by Storm
Series: Raised by Wolves #3
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Published June 7th 2012 by Quercus
Read: February 3-5 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Throw Like a Girl
Series: None
Author: Sarah Henning
Published January 7th 2020 by Poppy
Read: February 9-11 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

Foul Is Fair
Series: Foul Is Fair #1
Author: Hannah Capin
Published February 18th 2020 by Wednesday Books (eARC)
Read: February 6-14 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

I Hate You, Fuller James
Series: None
Author: Kelly Anne Blount
Published March 2nd 2020 by Entangled: Crush (eARC)
Read: February 15 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge, 2020 New Release Challenge

Long Way Home
Series: Thunder Road #3
Author: Katie McGarry
Published January 23rd 2017 by Harlequin Teen
Read: February 15-17 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

The Midnight Lie
Series: The Midnight Lie #1
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Published March 10th 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton (ARC)
Read: February 18-19 2020
My Rating: 5 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Love Beyond Opposites
Series: Grad Night #3
Author: Molly E. Lee
Published May 7th 2018 by Entangled Publishing, LLC (Crush) (eARC)
Read: February 21 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

The Duchess Deal
Series: Girl Meets Duke #1
Author: Tessa Dare
Published February 22nd 2018 by Mills & Boon
Read: February 21 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly
Series: None
Author: Jamie Pacton
Published May 5th 2020 by Page Street Kids (eARC)
Read: February 22 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge, 2020 New Release Challenge

The Governess Game
Series: Girl Meets Duke #2
Author: Tessa Dare
Published August 20th 2018 by HQ Fiction - GB
Read: February 22-23 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Wallflower Wager
Series: Girl Meets Duke #3
Author: Tessa Dare
Published September 5th 2019 by Mills & Boon
Read: February 23 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

The Princess and the Fangirl
Series: (Once Upon a Con #2
Author: Ashley Poston
Published April 2nd 2019 by Quirk Books (ARC)
Read: February 25-26 2020
My Rating: 5 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

Challenges Update:
2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge: 7 (12 total)
2020 New Release Challenge: 5 (9 total)
2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge: 6 (14 total)

Summary:

February has been as good as January was, and I'm really hoping this will mean well for the rest of the year, but I guess we'll see.

How have you done this month? Let me know below.

February

Stacking the Shelves: February 29th 2020

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3 Stars

Review: Zodiac (Zodiac #1) by Romina Russell

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Zodiac
Series: Zodiac #1
Author: Romina Russell
Published December 9th 2014 by Razorbill

Goodreads Synopsis
At the dawn of time, there were 13 Houses in the Zodiac Galaxy. Now only 12 remain….

Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, Rho can’t solve for ‘x’ to save her life—so instead, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories.

When a violent blast strikes the moons of Cancer, sending its ocean planet off-kilter and killing thousands of citizens—including its beloved Guardian—Rho is more surprised than anyone when she is named the House’s new leader. But, a true Cancerian who loves her home fiercely and will protect her people no matter what, Rho accepts.

Then, when more Houses fall victim to freak weather catastrophes, Rho starts seeing a pattern in the stars. She suspects Ophiuchus—the exiled 13th Guardian of Zodiac legend—has returned to exact his revenge across the Galaxy. Now Rho—along with Hysan Dax, a young envoy from House Libra, and Mathias, her guide and a member of her Royal Guard—must travel through the Zodiac to warn the other Guardians.

But who will believe anything this young novice says? Whom can Rho trust in a universe defined by differences? And how can she convince twelve worlds to unite as one Zodiac?

Embark on a dazzling journey with ZODIAC, the first novel in an epic sci-fi-meets-high-fantasy series set in a galaxy inspired by the astrological signs.
Goodreads

Review
I have kept hearing about this book for so long, and when I found a copy in my local charity shop, I decided to give it a go. Zodiac is set in space, where the 12 signs of the zodiac - you know the ones - are actually different worlds and star systems, called Houses. Each of the Houses have their own traits, and the main character, Rhoma, is from House Cancer. She's 16, a student, and has been trying to solve what should be a simple astrological puzzle, that is somehow stumping her. Whenever she looks at it, she sees something, a blur or shadow, that no one else can see, and they don't believe her. Well, when the 'shadow' starts causing different catastrophes across all of the Houses, Rho is lauded as a hero for seeing the pattern, and discovering the mysterious '13th House'. The Guardian of that house, Ophiuchus, is set on revenge, and it's up to Rho, her friend and guard, Mathias, and the mysterious Hysan Dax, an envoy for House Libra who may just be hiding something.

I did like this book, but there was just something to it that was lacking. It took me about three weeks to get through it all, and honestly, that's about as long as I'll give a book before I DNF it. Rho seemed like most other YA protagonists - the 'Special One', fated to save the world/universe, who people don't quite understand, but has love interest coming out of everywhere. Nothing actually made her special - she wasn't a character I loved. I did enjoy the idea of bring the Zodiac into a fantasy world, and Hysan was a good love interest and character, but he was probably the best of a bad bunch. The love triangle was annoying, as was the other love interest, Mathias, who I just found rude, and annoying, and detrimental to the whole story.

I've got the next book on my shelf, so will probably read it, but I'm not jumping at the bit to get to it.

Dates Read:

December 6-23, 2018

Rating
3 Stars

Melissa de la Cruz

Waiting On Wednesday: The Queen's Assassin (Queen's Secret #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

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Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is:

The Queen's Assassin
Series: Queen's Secret #1
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Published February 4th 2020 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Summary
Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Red Queen, this is the first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy-romance duet about a deadly assassin, his mysterious apprentice, and the country they are sworn to protect from #1 NYT bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia's deadliest weapon. No one alive can best him in brawn or brains, which is why he's the Guild's most dangerous member and the Queen's one and only assassin. He's also bound to the Queen by an impossible vow--to find the missing Deian Scrolls, the fount of all magical history and knowledge, stolen years ago by a nefarious sect called the Aphrasians.

Shadow has been training all her life to follow in the footsteps of her mother and aunts--to become skilled enough to join the ranks of the Guild. Though magic has been forbidden since the Aphrasian uprising, Shadow has been learning to control her powers in secret, hoping that one day she'll become an assassin as feared and revered as Caledon Holt.

When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they're forced to team up as assassin and apprentice to hunt down a new sinister threat to Renovia. But as Cal and Shadow grow closer, they'll uncover a shocking web of lies and secrets that may destroy everything they hold dear. With war on the horizon and true love at risk, they'll stop at nothing to protect each other and their kingdom in this stunning first novel in the Queen's Secret series.

Goodreads

Why I'm waiting:

I love fantasy books, and everything I've heard about this book suggests it's going to be a book for me.

Are you waiting for this book? Have you already read it? Let me know :)

2020 New Release challenge

ARC Review: The Midnight Lie (The Midnight Lie #1) by Marie Rutkoski

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The Midnight Lie
Series: The Midnight Lie #1
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Published March 10th 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton

Goodreads Synopsis
Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumors that the High Caste possesses magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, beloved author Marie Rutkoski returns with an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book was one that as soon as it was announced I knew I needed it. I adored Marie's debut series, The Winner's Trilogy, and hearing that this book would be in the same world, but also not, and would feature an LGBT romance, I was desperate to read it, and when my review copy arrived, I was overjoyed. As you'll see from the dates read, I took me less than a day, really, and I only stopped reading to eat and sleep!

In The Midnight Lie, our MC, Nirirm, lives on Ethin, where the island is split into kiths. You have the half-Kith, who are seen as the lower class, the Middling, and then the upper class, high-Kith. The half-Kith live in the Ward, behind walls and with a whole range of rules and regulations regarding what they can do, wear, and how they can live. Nirrim belongs to the half-Kith. She was found in an orphanage box and raised to be half-Kith. When she was 8, she was 'adopted' by Raven, and taken to work in her tavern baking, and later forging official documents. She's always felt different, but put that down to her eidetic memory, and thought nothing more of it until a stranger arrives in the Ward, and she begins to question everything. She's arrested for rescuing an Elysium bird, and grows closer to the stranger, Sid. As they work to find out what it is about the island, and if there is in fact magic in Ethin, they fall for one another, but Sid is hiding something, and is bound to break Nirrim's heart when she doubtlessly leaves.

Like I said, I couldn't put this book down, and wanted to read it at all times, but silly things like sleeping and eating got in the way. From the very first page, I was hooked, and I remembered just why I loved Marie's previous series as her writing and stories are breathtaking. Nirrim is an outstanding main character, and I really cared for her throughout the course of the book, as she learnt more about herself, and started to become who she should be, and not who Raven told her she was. She had so many skills and redeeming qualities, that it was inevitable that Sid would fall for her, and vice versa. Sid's character was secretive, and seductive, and I just loved her. To me, I worked out who she was quite early on in the book, but I liked the mystery surrounding her, and the way her affection for Nirrim slowly came out, as if she was fighting it, because she knew she would have to return home soon enough.

The plot of this story was smoothly done, with just the right amount of show, not tell, and intrigue to keep us hooked. Every part of the book was necessary, and I am so glad that this is a duology, because I need to know more from Nirrim and Sid, especially with how the book ended and the epilogue. Really, this was fantastic, and you should get a copy as soon as possible!

Dates Read:
February 18-19, 2020

Rating
5 Stars

February

Stacking the Shelves: February 22nd 2020

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2018 Contemporary Romance Challenge

Review: Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider

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Summer of Sloane
Series: None
Author: Erin L. Schneider
Published May 3rd 2016 by Disney-Hyperion

Goodreads Synopsis
Warm Hawaiian sun. Lazy beach days. Flirty texts with her boyfriend back in Seattle.

These are the things seventeen-year-old Sloane McIntyre pictured when she imagined the summer she’d be spending at her mom’s home in Hawaii with her twin brother, Penn. Instead, after learning an unthinkable secret about her boyfriend, Tyler, and best friend, Mick, all she has is a fractured hand and a completely shattered heart.

Once she arrives in Honolulu, though, Sloane hopes that Hawaii might just be the escape she needs. With beach bonfires, old friends, exotic food, and the wonders of a waterproof cast, there’s no reason Sloane shouldn’t enjoy her summer. And when she meets Finn McAllister, the handsome son of a hotel magnate who doesn’t always play by the rules, she knows he’s the perfect distraction from everything that’s so wrong back home.

But it turns out a measly ocean isn’t nearly enough to stop all the emails, texts, and voicemails from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, desperate to explain away their betrayal. And as her casual connection with Finn grows deeper, Sloane’s carefree summer might not be as easy to find as she’d hoped. Weighing years of history with Mick and Tyler against their deception, and the delicate possibility of new love, Sloane must decide when to forgive, and when to live for herself.
Goodreads

Review
I read this book on a whim, as I had been scrolling from my library's e-book catalogue, and the cover took my fancy. I had heard of the author on twitter and goodreads, but didn't really know what the book was about, but thought to give it a go. Sloane is in Hawaii for the summer with her brother, Penn, at their mam's house. Normally, she would love spending the summer in the sun, but this year she is tending to her broken heart, after discovering her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend. Now, she doesn't know how to forget about it, what with both of them plaguing her with messages and calls. She then meets Finn, who helps her to feel as if she can move on from her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend, but he's hiding things himself. Can Sloane recover her summer, and enjoy herself, or will her demons come back to haunt her.

This book was a quick read, and definitely helped to overcome the dreary English winter. Perfect for a summer contemporary, my main issue with this book was how much drama was in it. So much could have been dealt with a lot earlier if people actually spoke to each other, and listen, but that doesn't happen. The romance between Sloane and Finn started off fun, but soon got tiresome. Sloane was a good character - I especially loved how she dealt with the initial reveal of the cheating, but at times she got on my nerves. All in all, I enjoyed the book, but didn't love it. It's not a book I would re-read, and though I'm glad I did, it's not a book to shout about.

Dates Read:
January 15-16, 2018

Rating
3 Stars

Alexa Donne

Waiting On Wednesday: The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

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2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

ARC Review: The Upside of Falling by Alex Light

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The Upside of Falling
Series: None
Author: Alex Light
Published February 18th 2020 by HarperTeen

Goodreads Synopsis
It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she’s been secretly seeing someone.

Brett Wells has it all. Being captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in school, he should have no problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to bring to prom. When he overhears Becca’s lie, Brett decides to step in and be her mystery guy. It’s the perfect solution: he gets people off his back for not dating and she can keep up the ruse.

Acting like the perfect couple isn’t easy though, especially when you barely know the other person. But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew it was one for me, and I immediately pre-ordered it, and when I was sent a review copy from Harper360, I dove straight in. The fake relationship trope has always been a favourite of mine, and will probably be in the future too.

In The Upside of Falling, our MC, Becca, adores reading romance books, but is jaded against actual relationships or love, after seeing her parents disastrous relationship. She's 17, and has never been in a relationship, and when an old friend, turned quasi enemy, makes a dig at her, Becca decides to make up the fact that she's been in a relationship for sometime, but has been keeping it quiet. She doesn't know why she says it, nor who she could say is her 'boyfriend', but when Brett overhears her statement, he jumps in to play the role of boyfriend, and soon the two of them are in the deep end acting like a couple. Brett is football captain, and well known and popular around the school; the opposite of Becca. On paper, they really shouldn't work, but somehow they seem to find a way to grow close, first as friends, and later, as more.

I really enjoyed this book, and it was such a quick and nice read. Becca and Brett both had their issues, and weren't perfect, which made them more likeable and relatable. The only real issue I had with this book, which left it as a 4 star read, was the way that nothing really seemed to happen. It was fast paced, but didn't really take much time for everything to progress, and the plot was cute and fluffy, but that's about it. I would've liked a bit more depth, and bit more delving into Brett and Becca's lives and the lives of those around him. All in all, a really good debut, and I am looking forward to seeing what Alex brings out next.

Dates Read:

January 20-22, 2020

Rating
4 Stars