The Battle for Skandia

 The Battle for Skandia b4 by John Flanagan 294 pages

 Summary: Still far from their homeland after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, the Ranger's apprentice and the princess's plan to return to Araluen is spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive by a Temujai warrior. Though still weakened by the warmweed's toxic effects, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend, but an enemy scouting party has him fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until old friends make a daring, last-minute rescue. The reunion is cut short, however, when they make a horrifying discovery: Skandia's borders have been breached by the entire Temujai army. And Araluen is next in their sights.

If two kingdoms are to be saved, the unlikeliest of unions must be made. Will it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy? Or will past tensions spell doom for all?

The battles and drama are nonstop in Book Four of this hugely popular epic.

My Thoughts:  I enjoyed the 4th book because we got to focus on a country that wasn't Araluen and see how battles are fought basically between Scandinavians and Mongols which I thought was awesome. I loved how the author based the two countries on those two groups of people. I also enjoyed how Will basically has to start back at a lower level because of how long he hadn't been practicing his Ranger skills and seeing how dedicated he was to get the skill level back.

Flawless

 Flawless bk 2 by Sara Shepard 330 pages

Summary: Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya . . . as much more than a friend. And Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives.

And someone named "A" is threatening to do just that.

At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago . . . but then Alison turned up dead. So could A be Melissa, Spencer's ultracompetitive sister? Or Maya, who wants Emily all to herself? What about Toby, the mysterious guy who left town right after Alison went missing?

One thing's for certain: A's got the dirt to bury them all alive, and with every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all.

My Thoughts: Holy cow. It's amazing how much I connect more with these teen liars in the tv show than in the books. The books have them more shallow and mean like the popular mean you see in movie and shows. It's much harder to really care that they are being stalked by "A" but I want to keep going to see if i start to like them and see how much different it is from the show.

Apprentice to the Villain

 Apprentice to the Villain bk 2 by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 368 pages

Summary: Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs―Kingsley’s included―point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies...including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?

My Thoughts: This book was equally as hilarious and interesting as the first book! I just love the absurdity of The Villain and even Evie. The story takes an interesting turn in this book. If you want something that isn't too serious, but equally as funny I would recommend this series. Evie just says the most off the rails comments ever and then accidentally says a lot of innuendos as well. I just love her character so much! 

The Hemlock Queen

 The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten 400 Pages

Summary: In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten's lush, romantic epic fantasy series, a young woman who can raise the dead must navigate the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King's royal court.

The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side. Together they plan to cut out the rot from the heart of the sainted court and help the people of Dellaire. But not everyone is happy with the changes. The nobles are sowing dissent, the Kyrithean Empire is beating down their door, and Lore's old allies are pulling away. Even Prince Bastian's changed. No longer the hopeful, rakish, charismatic man Lore knows and loves, instead he's reckless, domineering and cold.

And something's been whispering in her ear. A voice, dark and haunting, that's telling her there's more to the story than she knows and more to her power than she can even imagine. A truth buried deep that could change everything.

With Bastian's coronation fast approaching and enemies whispering on all sides, Lore must figure out how to protect herself, her prince, and her country before they all come crumbling down and whatever dark power has been creeping through the catacombs is unleashed.

My Thoughts:  It was harder for me to get into this second book of the series. I really enjoyed the first and the fact that Lore seemed like an Anti-Hero to me. This book had a love triangle which was annoying to me. However, the storyline continued in an excellent way and I love the descriptions the author gives. 

Pretty Little Liars

 Pretty Little Liars Book 1 by Sara Shepard 286 pages

Summary: EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO HIDE - ESPECIALLY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS SPENCER, ARIA, EMILY, AND HANNA

Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling.

My Thoughts: I watched the show Pretty Little Liars when it first came out and I was a fan of it, even though at times it's very unbelievable and cheesy. Still a die hard fan though. However, I have never read the books and I decided, why not. The book was a great start to the series and of course those types of popular girls make me want to smack them, so the author did great with making me not like them at the beginning of the book. 

 

Lightlark by Alex Aster 

Rating - 🕮🕮🕮🕮

Lightlark follows the story of six rulers, each from a different realm. Every 100 years the island of Lightlark appears for only 100 days, so they may try to break the curses placed on each realm. The catch is one ruler must die to save them all. 

I was genuinely excited to read this book. 

I for some reason needed two weeks to read it, as it moved slowly. Then bam in the last five chapters the pace picks up. I also wished for more of a backstory on Azul and Cleo as they played a role but it felt more like a filler. It seemed most of the book focused on Celeste, Isla, Grim, and Oro. Which is fair as they are the main characters, but still. 

Maybe that will play into the second book if/when it releases. As the ending left you dangling off a cliff for a second. 

If that happens, I will probably still read it because I need to know what happens to Lightlark after everything. 

Thank you!! 

Pages-416