Author: Jolie

I love to read. My favorite genres are women's fiction, romance, psychological thrillers, fantasy, young adult, steampunk, dystopian, LGBTQIA, and paranormal.

The New Dark by Lorraine Thomson

The New Dark

3 Stars

Publisher: be-ebooks

Date of publication: November 1st, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult

Number of pages: 221

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find The New Dark: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

“She thought she knew who she was and where she came from. Then her home was destroyed. Her brother lost amongst the ashes. And the boy she loves vanished. She owed her own survival to a mutant — the very forces behind the destruction. Now Sorrel will never be the same again.”

There is no “Before”, there is only “Now”. Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known …

Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, her boyfriend. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger. Can she survive? The only thing that keeps her going is Eli and David. They are out there somewhere. They must be alive. And if she has her way, she will find them.

THE NEW DARK is the first book in a new YA-trilogy and will be published in November 2017. The second and third books in the series (THE NEW DAWN & THE NEW DAY) will be released in 2018.

Lorraine Thomson was born in Glasgow. She won a UK writing competition and was short-listed for the Dundee Book Prize. She now lives in Ullapool on the rugged north-west coast of Scotland.

Follow the author on Twitter: @LGThomson1

Trigger Warning: remembrance of infanticide

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Dreams Manifest (The Depths of Memory: Book 2) by Candice Bundy

Dreams Manifest (The Depths of Memory Book 2) by [Bundy, Candice]

4 Stars

Publisher: Lusios Publishing

Date of publication: November 1st, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 412

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Depths of Memory

The Dream Sifter – Book 1 (review here)

Dreams Manifest – Book 2

Where you can find Dreams Manifest: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Reeling from the revelations of who she is or was, before her memories were ripped from her, Rai Durmah is faced with a new and more frightening threat. While scouting Az’Unda for potential Juggernaut settlement, Selector Brague of the Hegemony, who can end the human colony on a whim, encounters Rai Durmah and is shocked by her unusual abilities. Rai and her new family flee the scene, but Brague will not rest until he understands how Rai, a human colonist, developed her unique gifts. As she flees, Rai stumbles upon an ancient power that could change the face of Az’Unda and perhaps save the humans that live there. 

Caught between her adoptive family who doubts her loyalties, the alien Juggernaut, and a Guardian protector she fears, Rai desperately attempts to escape her pain and unwittingly unearths the answers to solve or destroy Az’Unda’s future.

*****

A distant human colony races to prove themselves before the powerful Hegemonic races declare their attempt a failure. Although they’ve been on Az’Unda for a little over 600 years and have used aggressive breeding practices, a horrible plague has reduced their life spans, left many women sterile, and created heartbreaking husks of the people they once knew and loved, known as Terrors. Little do they know they are about to face their greatest threat from one of their own–causing attention to focus on the ordinary and unremarkable Durmah Sept.

The Depths of Memory Trilogy in a set in a future where humans have fled Earth and struggle to colonize new worlds and prove their worth to the alien consortium known as the Hegemony. Beyond the colonist’s day-to-day struggles, they face a devastating plague which requires extreme and constant vigilance. Faced with internal and external threats, how far will the colonists be willing to go to save not just their colony, but humanity itself?

Trigger Warning: None

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The Dream Sifter (The Depths of Memory: Book 1) by Candice Bundy

The Dream Sifter (The Depths of Memory Book 1) by [Bundy, Candice]

4 Stars

Publisher: Lusios Publishing

Date of publication: August 15th, 2013

Genre: fantasy, science fiction

Number of pages: 578

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Depths of Memory

The Dream Sifter – Book 1

Dreams Manifest – Book 2

Where you can find The Dream Sifter: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Barren and shamed for her lack, Rai has no memory when she’s placed with an adoptive family, the large and prosperous Durmah Sept. Recurring nightmares pull her into another world–giving glimpses of a past she never recalls while awake. Rai fears for her new family’s safety in light of her mysterious past and newfound, bizarre abilities. Driven by a curiosity Rai can’t deny, she continues to search for the key to her fleeting bits of memory of people and places she has never seen. 

Aided by her new family and opposed by the formidable Temple Matriarchs and their Guardians, Rai pushes toward remembering and as she strives to know, realizes the horror of who she was and what she is. 

*****

A distant human colony races to prove themselves before the powerful Hegemonic races declare their attempt a failure. Although they’ve been on Az’Unda for a little over 600 years and have used aggressive breeding practices, a horrible plague has reduced their life spans, left many women sterile, and created heartbreaking husks of the people they once knew and loved, known as Terrors. Little do they know they are about to face their greatest threat from one of their own–causing attention to focus on the ordinary and unremarkable Durmah Sept.

The Depths of Memory Trilogy in a set in a future where humans have fled Earth and struggle to colonize new worlds and prove their worth to the alien consortium known as the Hegemony. Beyond the colonist’s day-to-day struggles, they face a devastating plague which requires extreme and constant vigilance. Faced with internal and external threats, how far will the colonists be willing to go to save not just their colony, but humanity itself?

The Depths of Memory Trilogy is a sci-fi/fantasy trilogy.

Trigger Warning: None

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Bound to a Spy (All the Queen’s Spies: Book 2) by Sharon Cullen

Bound to a Spy (All the Queen's Spies, #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 24th, 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Number of pages: 258

POV: 3rd person

Series: All the Queen’s Spies

Wed to a Spy – Book 1 (review here)

Bound to a Spy – Book 2

Lost to a Spy – Book 3 (expected publication date March 13th, 2018)

Where you can find Bound to a Spy: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A fierce Highland lass puts her life—and her heart—in the hands of a dashing British spy in this exhilarating romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Wed to a Spy.

Rose Turner’s mother sent her to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, to give her a better life. Raised with rowdy brothers in a notorious border clan, Rose has plenty of experience fighting and thieving—and practically none when it comes to matters of decorum and discretion. Without a single ally, she has little hope of making a good marriage to salvage her family’s reputation. But after overhearing several influential lords plotting to murder the King of Scotland, Rose meets a man after all: a handsome spy trying to shield her from danger.
 
As one of the Queen Elizabeth’s top agents, Will Sheffield has come up north to keep a close eye on the goings-on at Mary’s court. A consummate professional, Will notices Rose’s presence at the secret meeting . . . and he’s not the only one. The wild, naïve beauty has made a fearsome enemy—and only Will can keep her safe. But after an attempt on Rose’s life pulls them tantalizingly close, Will faces an agonizing choice between professional loyalty or powerful passion.

Trigger Warning: None

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The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz

The Midnight Dance

2 Stars

Publisher: MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, Swoon Reads

Date of publication: October 17th, 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk

Number of pages: 320

POV: Alternating between 1st and 3rd person

Where you can find The Midnight Dance: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When the music stops, the dance begins.

Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.

But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.

Trigger Warning: None

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Sun Warrior (Tales of a New World: Book 2) by P. C. Cast

Sun Warrior (Tales of a New World #2)

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: October 17th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Number of pages: 551

POV: 3rd person

Series: Tales of a New World

Moon Chosen – Book 1 (review here)

Sun Warrior – Book 2

Where you can find Sun Warrior: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The battle lines have been drawn and Mari, an Earth Walker, and Nik, a Companion, who were once from rival clans now find themselves fighting to save each other and their people from destruction.

Thaddeus betrayed his own people, killing Nik’s father and destroying their entire clan. But he wants more. He wants the power he believes Mari has stolen from him and his people and he will do anything he must to get them back, even if it means destroying everything in his path. There is only way to stop Thaddeus, but it means a harrowing journey for Mari and Nik into the heart of darkness. But if they hope to survive the coming fight, they have no choice but to believe in each other.

Trigger Warning: Talk of past rape, abuse of animals

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Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch (Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Book 1) by Vic Connor

Diary of Anna the Girl Witch: Foundling Witch by [Connor, Vic]

5 Stars

Publisher: Helvetic House

Date of publication: December 7, 2014

Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Paranormal

Number of pages: 284

POV: 1st person

Series: Diary of Anna the Girl Witch

Foundling Witch – Book 1

Wandering Witch – Book 2

Fighting Witch – Book 3

Where you can find Foundling Witch: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

What do you do when you discover you’re a witch… And that using your new powers destroys your soul a little each time? 

Set in the Swiss countryside, this story blends ancient folklore with a coming of age tale about a young witch on the brink of womanhood. 

Anna Sophia has always known she was different. She didn’t know just how different until now. 

On the eve of her 13th birthday — in the orphanage where she’s spent most of her childhood — Anna wonders about her past. She never knew her parents, doesn’t even know where she came from. All she has to go by is an unbelievable fairy tale her uncle used to tell: that she was found as a baby, tucked among a pack of bear cubs in the wilds of Russia. 

To make matters even more complex, Anna has discovered that she can see and do things that no one else can. So far, she’s kept her powers a secret, and they remain strange and frightening even to her. 

It’s only when Anna receives a letter from her mother — a mother she will never meet — that she discovers some of the truths about her past, and begins to uncover the possibilities in her future. As Anna continues to learn more about her secret abilities, she finds out that her neighbors are hiding something of their own: a plot to harm Anna and her friends. 

Can Anna Sophia use her newfound supernatural powers to stop them? Can she fight back, without endangering her own soul? And maybe, just maybe, is her own secret tied up with theirs? 

Through a story of otherworldly magic, Anna Sophia finds a sense of real-world belonging. With its cast of strong characters, an inventive setting, and engaging storyline, this fantasy adventure is a relevant novel for middle-grade children or young adults. 

Genre: middle grade / young adult adventure.

Trigger Warning: none

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Catching a Witch by Heidi Eljarbo

Catching a Witch: A Novel of Loyalty, Deception, and Superstition

4 Stars

Publisher: TCK Publishing

Date of publication: August 1st, 2017

Genre: Paranormal, Historical Fiction

Number of pages: 284

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Catching a Witch: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

What Would You Do to Save Your Best Friend from Burning? 
The year 1660 is when it all changed… 

That’s when a witch-hunter comes to Clara Dahl’s seaside village in Norway. She’s horrified to discover how fast her neighbors and friends are to turn against each other. She soon realizes her sleepy, little, picturesque corner of the world has been invaded by evil—and it has nothing to do with witchcraft. 

As neighbor turns against neighbor, Clara finds herself drawn into the fray, forced to do what she can to protect her friends and loved ones. An educated and upstanding minister’s daughter, Clara speaks out against the witch-hunter’s unjust treatment of those accused of witchcraft. She sees how he plays the villagers, using their superstitions and religious beliefs to make good people accept horrible things. 

When Clara’s best friend Bess is accused of being a witch, Clara must make an incredible sacrifice to save not only her friend but the entire town… before it’s too late. 

About the Book

In 1660, women had no voting rights, couldn’t own property, and were treated as second-class citizens. If that weren’t bad enough, many innocent women—especially poor women—were tried and executed for witchcraft. The people responsible for their deaths were often their own friends, family members, and neighbors. 

Catching a Witch is a story about a young woman who’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect the people she cares about most in this world. 

You’ll love this book if you enjoy… 

Historical dramas 
Witches and witch hunting 
Historical thrillers 
The history of religion and superstitions 
A story with a strong female protagonist fighting for what’s right 
Readers of similar books such as Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare will love Catching a Witch. 

Scroll up and click “buy now” to help Clara save her village from evil.

Trigger Warning: abuse of women, some graphic death scenes

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Berserker by Emmy Laybourne

Berserker (Berserker #1)

4 Stars

Publisher: Macmillian Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends

Date of publication: October 10th, 2017

Genre: YA, historical fiction

Number of pages: 352

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Berserker: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Are Hanne’s powers a gift from the old Norse gods, or a curse?

Her brother Stieg swears their powers are a gift from the old gods, but Hanne Hemstad knows she is truly cursed. It’s not Stieg’s fault that their father is dead, their mother has left, and their brother Knut has been accused of a crime he didn’t commit.

No, the fault lies with Hanne and her inability to control her murderous “gift”–she is a Berserker. When someone she loves is threatened, she flies into a killing state. The siblings must leave Norway for the American frontier or risk being brought to justice.

Aided by a young cowboy who agrees to be their guide, Hanne and her siblings use their powers to survive the perilous trail, where blizzards, wild animals, and vicious bounty hunters await.

Will they be able to reach their uncle, the one man Hanne believes may be able to teach her how to control her drive to kill? With Berserker, Emmy Laybourne, the author of Monument 14, presents her vision of an American west studded with Viking glory.

Trigger Warning: None

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Rafe, the Maverick (The Shamrock Trinity: Book 1) by Kay Hooper

Rafe, the Maverick (The Shamrock Trinity)

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 10th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 256

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Shamrock Trinity

Rafe the Maverick – Book 1

York, the Renegade – Book 2

Burke, the Kingpin – Book 3

Where you can find Rafe, the Maverick: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Heirs to a great dynasty, the Delaney brothers were united by blood, united by devotion to their rugged land … and known far and wide as THE SHAMROCK TRINITY. Powerful men… rakes and charmers… they needed only love to make their lives complete.

Rafe Delaney was a heartbreaker whose ebony eyes held laughing devils and whose lilting voice could charm any lady — or any horse — until a stallion named Diablo left him in the dust. It took Maggie O’Riley to work her magic on the impossible horse…and on his bold owner. No woman had jolted Rafe Delaney’s heart until this tiny dynamo had come to Shamrock Ranch; now her grace and strength made him yearn to share the raw beauty of his land, to teach her the exquisite pleasure of yielding to the heat inside her. Maggie was stirred by Rafe’s passion, but would his reputation and her ambition keep their kindred spirits apart?

Trigger Warning: None

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