REVIEW: The Witches of the Glass Castle by Gabriella Lepore

Sixteen-year-old Mia's life is turned upside down when she uncovers her family secret—that she and her brother Dino are witches. 

Seeking refuge in an ancient castle, the siblings begin down a path that will change their lives forever. Suddenly thrust into a world where handsome warriors command the power of nature and peoples thoughts and actions can be manipulated at will, Mia and Dino struggle to navigate their own allegiances and do what they know to be right, even when everything around them seems beyond their control.

My Thoughts:

"Take a look around. These are your brothers and sisters. United as Arcana."

This book came highly recommended to me by a friend over on Instagram who was hosting a read-a-long, so I decided to jump on board and give it a go. I had one of Gabriella Lepore's other books on my Kindle, but hadn't managed to get around to it yet, so I was excited at the opportunity to read something of hers.

Mia and her brother Dino have their world rocked, when out of the blue they learn that they are both witches and are sent to Glass Castle for the summer to develop their abilities. Whilst Mia seems to take it all in stride, Dino struggles with it right from the very first. 

Dino was a character that I found a little bit hard to like. He was incredibly harsh at times and I just couldn't understand why. It is revealed to us part way through the book, but I think I could have liked him better if I had known his reasons a bit earlier in. I think his storyline was the one that I enjoyed the most though. He is faced with the toughest of choices and the much darker path, which was the most exciting aspect of the story for me.

I liked Mia, even though there were times that she came across as quite young and vulnerable for her age. I liked her willingness to embrace the changes in her and to take the initiative to learn more and understand it. 

And then she saw him. Another form of unspoilt nature, astonishingly beautiful in a way that she had never known before. It was Colt.

The romance between Mia and Colt didn't have me on board from the beginning. Colt is very short and abrupt with Mia and there were definitely no warm and fuzzy moments between them in the beginning. But I think Mia was a bit like me, in that she was intrigued by Colt. I wanted to understand him better I think. He is very cocky and self assured and has no problem telling everyone how great he is. Colt is a hunter and he has no room for love. But occasionally there would be a little moment where I could glimpse that Mia was affecting Colt and he wasn't quite sure how to deal with that. It was those vulnerable moments that kept me wanting to learn more about him. And by the end of the book, I was quite invested in the progression of their feelings for each other.

A moonbeam came through the open window, catching the blade with a deadly glint. And then, Colt struck.

I must confess that I haven't read a whole lot of books based around witches, but I think I would have liked a bit more insight into Mia and Dino's emerging abilities and a bit more of the witchy side of things. Spells and potions and such. But in saying that, it didn't detract from the story because there was always quite a bit going on.

The Witches of the Glass Castle was an enjoyable read that kept me entertained throughout. I'm really glad to hear that there will be a sequel and look forward to seeing how things progress with Dino and Mia's abilities and how Colt deals with this thing called love.

3.5/5 Witchy Stars.

REVIEW: Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

My Thoughts:

My name is Kit, but most people know me as the Perfect Killer.

I kill on order. I am everyone's assassin. I belong to no one but the grim reaper herself.

Before I was a reader of YA, I was a huge true crime fan. I loved trying to get inside the mind of the criminal and seeing what made them tick. What made them different to you and me. Was it an evil that they were born with or was it something that developed over time due to circumstance? The whole nature verses nurture debate. When I saw the synopsis for Dear Killer, I was immediately drawn to it. This sounded right up my alley. 

I will firstly say that I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it a great deal actually. But there were also aspects that I didn't like at all. And having read it some weeks back now, I've had time to reflect a little bit more and hopefully get across more accurately my thoughts on the book.

And I felt like laughing.

Because I was the queen of it all, a queen looking out over her kingdom, because they were all bent to my will and marched to the beat of my murderous drum. And of course they didn't know it, but I knew it, and that was what mattered.

Kit is the perfect killer. Or so she tells us, constantly. She commits cold blooded murder while telling herself that she is justified because the people that she is killing have done wrong to someone, somewhere. She shows no remorse, because she feels none. She is cold and calculated. Kit is a character that doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy. In fact you will more than likely despise her. I know I did for the most part. She thinks highly enough of herself to make up for that though. Her logic is skewed so badly. Her reasons for killing were not what I expected. The people that she is killing are not evil people who have committed heinous acts. She kills them for the most basic and flimsy of reasons. Barely batting an eyelid when she's done.

Another aspect of the story that bugged me was the drop off point for the letters. How is it that everyone in all of London knew where this place was, except for the police? The police with the investigators and resources to find out such facts. The police who have been delving into the case for such a long period of time. I really struggled with this aspect throughout the whole story. It got on my nerves that the police were portrayed as so completely inept.

Another issue that I had was Kit's friendship with the officer in charge of the investigation. The age difference between them made me question what basis the friendship had, I mean, she's still in school, not to mention that Kit wasn't the greatest at keeping her mouth shut in regards to the murders. And yet, he suspects nothing! She left clues, left, right and centre, but still he put his trust in her. He defended her and believed in her. 

The paradise of death, that crushing slicing burning sensation

That beautiful sensation

I'm lost and I don't mind because I am so alive

Because I am a murderer

Despite all the previously discussed issues I had with Dear Killer, and my dislike of Kit, I have to say that I did enjoy it. It was original and very different to most other Young Adult reads that you're likely to pick up. The writing was good and I was hooked by the story right from the very start. I'm not sure though, if my investment was due to my need to find something redeemable in Kit or not. And while nothing ever eventuated, I still enjoyed the time that I spent reading it.

Do you remember what I said about not enjoying murder? 

That was a lie.

3.5/5 Cold Kit Stars.

Copy received from the publisher via Edelweiss.

REVIEW: A Terrible Love (A Terrible Love #1) by Marata Eros

Jess Mackey is living a meticulously fabricated lie of necessity. She's left the secret tragedy of her past behind along with who she was and is forging ahead with a clean slate. Jess soon discovers that passion can't be left behind; her own and that of the one man that sees who she really is. Whose presence caresses her soul in a way that may breach the peaceful life Jess has made for herself.

Devin Castile sees a young woman that is the missing puzzle piece to his existence and who is also the victim to a heinous crime. Devin convinces himself that he can remain emotionally distant even while indulging his physical desire for her. When the lies that Jess has made crumble before their attraction and the truth is revealed, one of them might pay with their life... or their very being.

(Due to sexual content and language, this book is recommended for 17+ - Adult Contemporary Women's - New Adult Fiction)

My Thoughts:

I wouldn't trade this ride for anything. I know I'm playing a dangerous game with two men. One seemingly perfect and the other impossible to ignore. 

A terrible Love was at times a gripping story which turned out to be a much different read than I expected when I first started reading it. The book's description doesn't really touch on the depth and direction of the story to any great degree and I found myself looking forward to unravelling the layers of the story.

Jess Mackey is a girl on the run from her past. She's living under an assumed identity, living with the constant fear that her past will catch up with her. Two men are about to enter her life. One will offer stability, while the other offers passion. But the past always has a way of catching up with you, and evil is much closer that you ever could have thought.

Jess was a character that frustrated me at times. She made such a point about wanting to stay off the radar, but always seemed to be finding herself in situations where she was in the spotlight. A lot of the time it wasn't here doing, but she never did anything to tone things down. 

I want what I'm doing with Cas like I want my next breath. Right now, at this very moment, I feel like he's my food and drink.

For a little while I just couldn't get a grasp on Devin's (Cas) intentions. I couldn't read him at all. Was he just the proverbial bad boy. If he was truly after a no strings relationship, why did he keep turning up to protect Jess. Why did his actions seem to say so much more than his words? And then everything fell into place. Everything he did and said made perfect sense.

“We're terrible together."

"It's not about true love, Jess."

"If it were love then it's a terrible love.” 

While there is no instant love in this book, the attraction between characters is immediate, and I did find myself at times wondering what the appeal was between them. It appeared that they knew nothing about each other, besides their physical attributes. I know that's where most relationships start but I never felt that it moved much beyond that.

This book contained quite a bit of violence. Okay, there was actually a whole lot of violence. And for the most part it's directed at women. It did make me cringe on more than one occasion. Some of the characters were truly evil. The evil you see on the news reports on a regular basis. Sick and twisted evil. It always amazes me how such crazy and sick people function normally in society for so long. And that was the case here as well. I also found myself questioning why Jess didn't choose a different path at the beginning of the book? Maybe things would have turned out much differently if she did. 

The last portion of the book was by far what I enjoyed the most. There was an escalation in the storyline which had me eager to see how things were going to play out. It was suspenseful and intriguing and was enough to push my rating of this book up slightly. I will say that I'm looking forward to reading the second book in this series, which is Cas's point of view of events, to be able to better understand his interest in Jess.

3.5/5 Stars

Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster Australia for the opportunity to read and review A Terrible Love.

REVIEW: Scarred Love (Sulfur Heights #1) by M.S. Brannon

"I am certain, without any doubt, she was meant to be in my life. We belong to each other. I spent too much of my time consumed with what everyone else thinks of my feelings for Darcie, but the truth is, it was always supposed to be this way." ~Reggie Evans

Darcie Claiborne spent several years of her young life living with a monster, always fearing what he would do next. Clasping onto her last ounce of hope, Darcie releases a scream. It’s her final attempt to live; to survive the villain of her reality. Sweeping her up in his arms, Darcie’s knight in shining armor rescues her from the hell she’s been living; from the stepfather she's feared for all those years.

Reggie Evans has been forced to grow up before he’s ready when his mother dies of an overdose, leaving him responsible to raise his younger brothers. One fateful night, Reggie jogs by an old, run down house and discovers a young girl clinging to life as she screams for help.

Three years later, Darcie is healing and always protected by the man who saved her, but now she's fighting with something she isn't prepared to face. The growing love for the man who saved her life three years ago, the same man who’s nine years older. All the while, Reggie fights to protect Darcie from the demons of her past and new ones of her present.

**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language and sexual content**

My Thoughts:

Monsters tend to harbor the same cold look in their eyes. Located just behind the colored irises, lies a creature of pure evil and hate. They lurk in the shadows of their intentions, waiting for the right time to strike and then, they take the soul of their prey.

Darcie Claiborne has had a life filled with so many horrible events that it's any wonder she is able to move past it and have any sort of normal life. Terror and darkness were a part of her everyday life. But one day she is rescued by Reggie Evans. Her knight in shining armour. And she vows she will never be a victim again. She will never let anyone get the better of her. She will be a fighter.

Scarred Love is a book that has me torn. I had so many things floating around in my head as I was reading it. I was instantly drawn in by the books synopsis. I love dark, gritty books and this one seemed to tick all those boxes. Let me start by saying that the writing was great. I have no issues with that whatsoever. But I do have a few concerns with the characters. They are a group of very angry people. Yes I understand that they have all had really crappy lives, and have witnessed and experienced some horrific things. But they seemed to go from calm to crazy in a matter of seconds and everything was sorted with their fists. The amount of fighting and violence in this book was crazy and I felt that the characters didn't grow a whole lot beyond that throughout the story.

Normally, age difference between characters doesn't really bother me and for the most part it didn't this time around. I tended to forget that the age difference between Darcie and Reggie was almost ten years. Occasionally I would ask myself why a grown man would be interested in a seventeen year old girl, but these two have been through a lot together and I suppose that all of those emotions and events could lead to love. And I didn't question their love for each other. That all felt very real to me. Reggie was so caring and loving. I adored how he would do anything to protect Darcie and keep her safe. In fact he did whatever it took to keep his whole family feel safe and protected.

One of the characters that really stood out to me was Drake. I think he came across, to me at least, as a much more level person than anyone else, and I'm so glad that book two in this series is his story. I'm really interested to read what's to come for him.

Something that I love to read about is the bond between families. And whilst everyone in this family may not be related by blood, that makes no difference to them. Their deep connection and love for each other was such a great thing to read. Despite their bickering and fighting, they would do anything for each other. 

Scarred love definitely turned out to be deeply gritty and at times disturbing and hard to read because of the intense subject matter. But as I said, I like my books like that. Despite my issues with the characters anger, I really enjoyed this book and I think that was due to the authors writing.

3.5/5 Dark Stars

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eCopy to read and review.