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Review: The Dilemma by B.A. Paris

~ megs14malloy

The DilemmaThe Dilemma by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

B.A. Paris, my Queen.

Although very different from her prior works, I still really enjoyed this. Smaller in scope, yet quite intricate as a character study.

Following husband and wife, Livia and Adam, this story takes place during the course of one day. The day of Livia’s much anticipated 40th birthday party.

Adam and Livia were married very young and never had the chance to have the wedding of her dreams.

She has always looked on this party as an opportunity to celebrate not just her birthday, but also their relationship.

As the day arrives Livia is dragged down by a monumental secret she is keeping from her husband.

Unfortunately, she’s not the only one with a secret. Adam has a life-changing secret as well that he is choosing to keep from her.

The narrative alternates between the two as they struggle with their decisions to keep such important facts secret from one another. It is very introspective in a lot of ways, but there is still quite a bit of suspense.

Over the course of the story, the reader learns the true nature of their respective secrets and what those secrets could mean for the family as a whole.

As I mentioned above, this novel seemed smaller in scope compared to her previous novels. By that I mean, all of the action takes place at their home during the course of one day.

Her previous novels certainly covered larger geographical areas, as well as longer spans of time, making the stories seem more complex.

However, I think after you complete this one, and you sit back and think about what you have read, the real intricacies begin to come to light.

I cried reading this. The characters go through so much, it really moved me.

Although I would classify this as more domestic drama than psychological thriller, which is what I would classify her earlier novels, I appreciated it very much.

Her writing style is just so compelling and never fails to keep me glued to the pages.

B.A. Paris has a fan in me for life. I will always pick up every single thing she has published.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. This was absolutely one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint.

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Review: Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

~ megs14malloy

Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars, #1)Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

…no one left in the world to love her…only the promise of retribution.

On the debtor’s ship, The Brackish, young Silverfish, once known as Amaya, spends her days diving for pearls and counting down the moments until she can regain her freedom.

Things aboard the ship are far from smooth sailing. The Captain is cruel and treats his young prisoners with an iron fist.

When Amaya rescues a man from drowning, she fears she may be punished by further time added to her sentence.

And although that may be true, she’s taken with this mysterious stranger wrangled from the depths. When she begins to interact with him, Boon promises her unimaginable riches and the possibility of returning to the city of her birth.

With his help, she’ll be able to find out the truth about the cause of the downfall of her family, and in turn, seek revenge of her own.

Through an exciting series of events, Amaya is able to flee the ship and does indeed return to her hometown of Moray, a port-city with an even mix of old-world opulence and new-world problems.

Set up by Boon, she poses as a wealthy Countess in order to infiltrate polite society and bring down the man Boon feels responsible for his problems.

The man he seeks is Kamon Mercado, a high-society businessman, who has secretly fallen into hard times of his own.

His son, Cayo, once involved heavily in the Vice Sector, gambling, drinking and carousing, is trying to stay clean but definitely played his part in dragging the family name through the mud.

Amaya is directed to befriend Cayo and use him to get access to his father. Once she does however, she finds all may not be as easy as it once seemed.

This story is a gender-flipped retelling of the adventure classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, and I definitely felt the themes of that woven throughout.

I loved the back and forth between Amaya’s and Cayo’s perspectives, as they both pieced together the darkness and mysteries surrounding their lives.

I enjoyed so much watching their relationship grow and am definitely interested to see where it will go in the second book.

The setting of Moray reminded me quite a bit of New Reynes, from Amanda Foody’s, Ace of Shades. So, if you enjoyed those books, you should definitely pick this one up.

The Vice Sector, with it’s gambling dens and ruling Slum King, was steeped in danger and underhand dealings. Corruption is a major theme in this book, as is deception and individuals being used as pawns for other’s gains.

Additionally, I enjoyed the pacing and felt it was cleverly plotted, although some of the reveals felt a tad convenient. I did ultimately like the way it all came together. The conclusion was an nice set up going into the final portion of this duology.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this and look forward to continuing with the story!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to get my hands on it early!

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Top 10 Most Anticipated YA Releases for Q1 2020

~ megs14malloy

With 2020 almost upon us, it is time to start freaking out about the books soon to be released.

I already have a ton of great sounding titles on my radar but am keeping this list down to 10.

The YA titles listed below are all currently set to be released within the first quarter of 2020 (aka. release dates between 1/1/20 – 3/31/20). Without further ado, let’s get into them:

  1. Scavenge The Stars by Tara Sim – Because the Disney Book Group gods frequently bless me, I am currently reading this title, set to release on January 7th. This is a gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo!
  2. The Hand On the Wall (Truly Devious #3)  by Maureen Johnson – The final book in the Truly Devious trilogy, I know a lot of readers are anxiously awaiting this one. Johnson is the Queen of Cliffhangers so I need this book ASAP! This YA Mystery series is a ton of fun and a breeze to get through.
  3. One of Us is Next by Karen McManus – YA Mystery from Karen McManus, a follow-up to her 2017 bestseller, One of Us is Lying. I really enjoyed The Breakfast Club feel of the first book so am excited to get to this next installment of the drama at Bayview High.
  4. Ashlords by Scott Reintgen – This epic YA Fantasy follows phoenix horse riders who must compete at The Races; a modern spectacle that has replaced warfare within their society. Reintgen is the author of one of my favorite YA science-fiction series, The Nyxia Triad, so I am very interested to see him tackle fantasy!
  5. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller – A YA fantasy story where the synopsis proclaims that our protagonist, Alessandra is going to woo the King, marry the King and then kill the King to take his kingdom. Color me intrigued, that sounds fabulous!
  6. The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne – The synopsis for this YA science-fiction novel sounds very Jane Austen but set in space. I was a big fan of Donne’s 2018 release, Brightly Burning, so am excited to read a story from her again.
  7. Deathless Divide (Dread Nation #2) by Justina Ireland – Jane, Kate and the zombies return in the second installment of Dread Nation. Historical fiction with zombies? Who knew it would be so good? Me, that’s who! Really excited to get back into this story!
  8. All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban – This YA Mystery/Thriller brings a Breakfast Club-esque cast of characters, a locked room mystery and a bogus dinner invitation channeling Agatha Christie; totally on brand for me and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!
  9. Night of the Dragon (Shadow of the Fox #3) by Julie Kagawa – The third and final installment to pretty much my favorite YA Fantasy series. I am legit preordering like tomorrow and counting down the days until arrival. If you haven’t picked up this Japanese-inspired tale, you have plenty of time to read the first two books while you wait. You won’t be disappointed!
  10. A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell – This YA anthology consists of sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic.That’s all I need to know. Sold.

It also appears the cover game will still be raging strong in 2020:

Am I right!? Those are all gorgeous and I cannot wait for them to be gracing my shelves! What books are you most looking forward to at the start of 2020? Are any of these are your list? What do you think I am missing? 

I want to know! Comment below or contact me through any of my social media links. Until next time, Cheers & Happy Reading~