Mini Reviews: When We Collided by Emery Lord, The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes

Title: When We Collided
Author: Emery Lord
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: April 5, 2016

Review

When We Collided completely took me by storm. I expected to love it based on my history with Emery Lord’s previous two books but this one affected me on a whole new level. It was definitely darker as it dealt with mental illness, love, loss, grief, shame, responsibility and other heavy themes. And because I fell so desperately head over heels for these characters, their emotional turmoil hit me hard. Vivi’s character was like few I have ever encountered before. She felt SO MUCH and had such a life force that it was impossible not to get swept up by her. Meanwhile, Jonah had a much more subtle presence but was just as moving in the way he tried to do right by everyone. And the way these two collided…. The title of this book couldn’t be more perfect. EVERYTHING about this book couldn’t be more perfect. It is a MUST READ in my book.

Title: The Long Game
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: The Fixer #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: June 7, 2016

Review

I simply cannot get enough of this series. The events in this book don’t seem all that realistic – so if that seems like something that might bother you, I don’t know if this one is for you – but damn if it is not so much fun to read. I love me some good ol’ blackmail, and sleuthing, and mystery-solving, and mind-games, and political maneuvering and this series has it all and more. I am also OBSESSED with these characters, Asher most of all, whose personality is similar to Adrian from the Vampire Academy series and Nikolai from the Grisha series. And last but not least, this book shocked the hell out of me. I did not see some of these twists coming and the ending was one hell of a ride. So yeah, I HIGHLY recommend this series.

Title: Frozen Tides
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #5
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: December 15, 2015

Review

Frozen Tides is the fourth installment in a series that I highly recommend for fans of Fantasy. With every sequel, Rhodes expands the already vibrant world, deepens the character profiles, spins new relationship ties and furthers the already magic-heavy political-savvy, and character-driven plot. I have enjoyed every single one of these books and have fallen in love with this cast of characters a little more each time. The main reasons I gave this book 3.5 stars instead of more is because 1) the Cleo-Magnus relationship went in circles and I am desperate for more between those two and 2) while I love politics, the main plot developments in this story were political based and I’ve come to expect more from Rhodes. But don’t weigh my criticisms too heavily because again, this series is wonderful and well worth a read.