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Gilded in Vengeance / Lyssa Mia Smith / Book Review

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GILDED IN VENGEANCE Two years ago, two girls attended a magical ball. One was given the sponsorship of a lifetime. The other was never seen again. But she's been waiting. Two years after being framed for fraud by the Society of the Charmed, Emmy Vallilo waits in her magic-proof cell plotting revenge. Because it wasn't just a coincidence or bad luck that the wealthy turned on her that night. She thought Grace was her best friend, but now she knows that Grace is the one who ruined her life, who took everything away from her. When her cell wall explodes one evening, Emmy jumps at the chance to be free. To seek vengeance, perhaps. She knows she should run and not look back, but... Jack Fontaine, one of the Society's (former) favorite sons, is waiting for her. He was framed, too, or so he tells her. And he needs her help for the revenge he has in mind. THOUGHTS This book was...
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November 2025

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November 2025 New month, new books for our TBRs! The weather's getting colder where I am, and that means book people stockpiling new releases and recommendations for the winter weather that's on the horizon. (Weather that never seems to snow us in long enough to finish our TBRs - alas!) This month's reviews contain some great highs and terrible lows, but there are even more new releases I'm excited about stockpiling for my TBR in the coming cold! Coldwire Chloe Gong From the Publisher: To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.” But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Acade...
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Most Valuable Player / A.M. Woody / Book Review

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MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Cameron Morelli is a god. A football god, anyway. And worse, he knows it. There's nobody he can't charm. That's part of his charm. So imagine his utter shame (and complete bafflement) when he's rejected by the team's new water boy, Mason Gray. Mason doesn't want anything to do with someone as arrogant as Cameron. Especially now, when he's still recovering from the last... relationship he was a part of. He's got enough on his plate without some arrogant, airheaded jock in the mix. But when Cam gets benched for his poor grades, Coach asks Mason to step in as a tutor. And for the good of the team, Mason agrees, even if it means spending more time together than either of them would prefer. THOUGHTS This book is kind of hard for me to review, because on the one hand, it was cute and cutesy and fun. Everything I could want...
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An Ocean Apart / Jill Tew / Book Review

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AN OCEAN APART Eden Lowell's barely getting by. In the flooded remains of Miami, now called the Marshes, each day is a struggle to survive. Resources are scarce: food, water, shelter. Any bad luck can mean the end. Unless you're a Cruiser, of course. The rich who left land before their luck ran out. The corporate lackeys who still have good jobs and luxury accommodation on ships sailing the world's too-salty seas. They might not live on land anymore, but they still take what they need. Which means even less for those still onshore, like Eden. When Eden learns that a local Cruiser bigwig is hosting a dating competition for her son and heir, she sees her chance to do something about this injustice. There's a sizable prize... and a lot of room to embarrass the corporate elite on their own livestream. But to infiltrate a competition like this, she'll need help. And a local political agitator known as the Ringmaster might be a...
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Wavelength / Cale Plett / Book Review

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WAVELENGTH Everyone in the world knows Admirer, a pop duo that's taken the world by storm. As one half of Admirer, Alexander Ash is one of the most famous teenagers in the world. But when the other half of this duo gets into some legal trouble, Alexander Ash vanishes... and Sasha is born. Sasha has wanted a way out of the spotlight for years. The only thing that saved their sanity was the fact that Alexander Ash only appears in public in a mask. With their brother on trial, the pressure to unmask was too much. It's the perfect time to vanish. Setting themself up in some nowhere midwestern town, Sasha plans to finish senior year in peace. But their plans for a quiet senior year falter when they meet Wavelength, a local alt-rock band with a lead singer right up Sasha's alley. Lillian has been struggling to keep Wavelength together even since she broke up with her ex-girlfriend (who's also an ex-bandmember). Inviting Sasha to be...
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The Transition / Logan-Ashley Kisner / Book Review

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THE TRANSITION Hunter's life is finally coming together. After years of fighting to transition, he's finally convinced his father to sign off on top surgery. He's one step closer to living in a skin he feels comfortable in. Except now, just days into his recovery, he's been attacked by some wild animal. When his dog doesn't come back in from a potty break, Hunter goes into the yard to investigate only to be bitten and dragged off into the trees. If his best friend Gabe hadn't been there to chase the beast off, he would have been a goner for sure. Hunter doesn't like hospitals, and he definitely doesn't like hospital bills. After disinfecting the bite, he decides its best to wait until he absolutely can't anymore. He's still mostly intact. But... something isn't right. Something is, in fact, very very wrong. He's changing... and his other best friend, a horror aficionado named Mars, knows just w...
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Hello Sunshine / Keezy Young / Book Review

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HELLO SUNSHINE Alex is missing. Alex is missing, and Noah is devastated. He never should have left for Bible camp. Maybe if he had stayed in town, Alex wouldn't have had a breakdown. Maybe their secret relationship would have been enough to keep him together. Alex is missing, and Sky is determined to find out what happened. They might have drifted apart since childhood, but she still feels responsible. Alex is missing, and Izzy feels guilty. She knew something was wrong, and she didn't tell anyone until it was too late. Alex is missing, and Jamie is angry. He's angry at his twin for disappearing, for running away without leaving any clues behind. He's angry at himself for not noticing that Alex was struggling the same way their mother was before she died. And he's angry at his mother and the "demons" she claimed were plaguing her. He's angry, but not at the demons... Because demons aren't real, right? ...
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