I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza is the product of a virgin birth.

This can be scientifically explained (it’s called parthenogenesis), but what can’t be explained is how Elena is able to heal Freddie, the girl she’s had a crush on for years, from a gunshot wound in a Starbucks parking lot. Or why the boy who shot Freddie, David Combs, disappeared from the same parking lot minutes later after getting sucked up into the clouds. What also can’t be explained are the talking girl on the front of a tampon box, or the reasons that David Combs shot Freddie in the first place.

As more unbelievable things occur, and Elena continues to perform miracles, the only remaining explanation is the least logical of all—that the world is actually coming to an end, and Elena is possibly the only one who can do something about it.

Shaun David Hutchinson’s books are such a specific mood. They’re incredibly weird and thought-provoking and unique and did I mention weird? There’s such a consistent vibe to them, and the same themes crop up repeatedly, which kind of makes me want to write a thesis about his books, but I’m not nerdy enough to do that just for fun. The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza, like many of his others, was an odd delight for me. Odd, because it’s not a happy book, but it felt to me like Roswell meets Wonderfalls, and the latter is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, so hell yes.

I received this book for free from Library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mercenary Kate Daniels must risk all to protect everything she holds dear in this epic, can't-miss entry in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series.

Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She's made friends and enemies. She's found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.

Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate's doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.

Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.

For her child.

For Atlanta.

For the world.

😭😭😭😭 The Kate Daniels series is over. I know ten books sounds like an eternity, but I really wasn’t ready. I love the whole cast and this series so damn much. Then again, I’m glad that Andrews planned out a story arc and stuck to it, so that the series as a whole is consistently strong and wonderful. With that said, Magic Triumphs was not one of my favorite installments. I’m hopeful it will grow on me with time, though, because it wasn’t what I was expecting and next time I’ll have a better idea what to expect.

February was a bit of a struggle to be honest, for reasons I don’t feel right discussing here. I’m fine, but I’m feeling emotionally drained and lacking creative inspiration but knowing that I need to get back to writing.

Based on the lack of blog posts lately, you can probably tell I’m not feeling particularly blog-inspired either. I’ve been trying to do three posts a week, but it’s so much harder to keep up when I’m only reviewing books that I was really, really into. Rather than forcing it, I think I’m going to try to embrace posting whenever I can and not berating myself for it, which historically is not something I excel at, so we’ll see.

However, I did do a ton of reading, and you can get the scoop here.

In case you missed it, I’ve Got You Covered is a monthly feature that has replaced the weekly Cover Snark posts I used to do. Instead of trying to find everything, I’m just looking for the gorgeous stuff. I miss the snark, although there’s a bit to be found here, but it takes less time to do one post a month than four.

Middle Grade

1. The Dragon Warrior – Katie Zhao

That middle grader is precious, down to the 80s retro shirt, which is so very now (tragically), and the dragon looks so boss. Hells yes.

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

Before I get down to it, I want to be clear that An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns are both standalones. They’re not even companions; they take place in completely different fantasy worlds. I’m reviewing them in the same post because I read them right around the same time and because I felt like it. Don’t get it twisted.