Bookworm Reads 2021 Part 8

Halfway Wicked by Dara Kent - Demon hunters, and sisters, Riss and Lily are twice marked - both Heaven and Hell claim their blood. In order to save their souls they have to kill as many demons as possible to hopefully cancel out Hell’s hold on them. When their friends start dying and Riss starts having more paranoid thoughts than normal she has to put aside her issues and find out who’s really going to help her free her sister’s soul. Nothing else matters but Lily’s safety to Riss, and she’ll do anything to keep her that way. The premise was good. I liked the idea and maybe later books will be better overall but this just felt like a LOT of set up and not enough fleshing out. But I enjoyed the characters, the spice level was excellent, language was a bit much for my personal taste but overall I’m hopeful for the next books to have more depth. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Letter to Three Witches - Cousins Trudy, Gwen and Milo all receive a letter from Tannith - another cousin that is always wanting to be the center of attention no matter what. On the premise of her moving away, Tannith tries to make some mischief between them all and chaos ensues. A cacophony of misunderstandings, Magic and mayhem make up this fast paced contemporary. This was cute! A little hard to follow on occasion but I enjoyed it enough to ensure the 4 stars! I love Gwen finding her inner power and standing up for herself. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

​Iron Widow - Holy crazy awesome!!! Zetian, born a girl therefore meant to be a sacrifice to the war effort with her spiritual energy to the pilots of the famous Chrysalis’. After the death of her Big Sister however she’s plans her revenge on the pilot that killed her, once she is successful in that attempt she is labeled the infamous Iron Widow. Paired once again with a male pilot, the Iron Demon, they have to work together to win the war and save themselves. This is so action packed and Zetian is a firecracker! I love her spark and her passion and her determination. She’s not timid ever and for that I admire her. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dromfrangil - A fun new fantasy series with a MC with a prosthetic arm and uses a cane! It was fun, had adventure, love, loss, friendships and is about finding your power while also helping others. Looking forward to more! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fools in Love - Very cute little anthology of love stories and the range was really nice to read and change between! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dating Dare - A steamy romance between two people that do not want to fall in love. After a drunken dare to 4 dates Tara and Seth start on a journey of desire and denying it as long as possible to save yourself from hurt. A game of cat and mouse ensues and it's fun to watch them figure out whether or not love is worth it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Female Preferred - Multiple POV little love story. Brigette and Connor couldn't be more different but when circumstances lead them to become roommates they form a friendship that could blossom into something much more and so special. Pretty good quick read though the changing POV was hard to follow sometimes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

​Beyond the Tracks - Another harrowing story of the horrors of WW2 and the experiences of Jewish people of Europe. The narrator was incredible and was a great performer. We follow Jakob and Ethan as they grow up through their experiences and the camps they lived in. For anyone that wants to learn more about the war, this is a fantastic historical fiction piece. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Accidental Gatekeeper - FINALLY a main character in a fantasy that isn't a teenager! I loved this book and Everly's story! She's snarky, too tired to do deal with people's crap and is fiercely protective of her daughter and it was a heck of a ride from start to finish! Loved this! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aftermath - ​A beautifully written story about trauma, heartache and loss. Even if the circumstances are different, loss changes people and can be hard to discuss. I loved the narrator and the emotion she brought to the performance Trigger warning: school shooting survival, loss of child, trauma responses. ​⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

​The Boi of Feather and Steel- Beautiful story yet again from this author! Love the LGTBQ representation in this. Love the characters. Loved everything about it and the narrator!? LOVED THEM!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Gatekeeper's Staff - Beautifully woven story based on Nigerian mythology and magic! TJ is the perfect coming of age character and his needing to live up to his sister's legacy?! Priceless! Narrator was wonderful and gave the story life and made it so entertaining!​ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️