Mini Reviews #12 ♥ A Million Miles Away,The Opportunist, Mortal Heart & more.

A Million Miles Away
Lara Avery

Genre: Young Adult

Purchase: Amazon | Audible | Book Depository | Goodreads | Barnes & Nobles

Source: DRC sent via Netagalley through the publisher.
Thoughts: I haven't updated my blog that much since I was enjoying my summer vacation, however, now I am ready to be active again since University studies have started again! I have been doing a lot of reading these past months, so I shall be doing mini reviews today of hyped books, new releases, and upcoming releases. Mini reviews are getting pretty popular these days so here's to hoping we find some gems in stones. A Million Miles Away has been one of the highest anticipated reads this summer, at first I wanted to purchase the book but then I changed my mind after seeing the reviews.. and I was right. This novel is about identical twins, one twin by the name of Michelle dies in a car accident and her twin sister Kelsey feels all alone after her twin has passed away. Michelle had a boyfriend, Peter and Kelsey believes he should be aware of Michelle's tragedy however, she cannot tell him. Instead, she pretends to be her sister Michelle because she has developed a liking towards Peter. I love the concept of twins, and I love it even more when it gets twisted with mismatched identities - however, the plot was just wrong on so many levels. As a reader, I can understand Kelsey's pain - it's heartbreaking if a sibling dies, and I do believe the death of a twin is like literally losing your other half. Kelsey clings to Peter because he's the only person left close to Michelle. That's wrong, you should cling to yourself Kelsey. You're the closest. I didn't like the manipulation and pretending to be your dead, twin sister, I'm sorry but that is just disgusting. Kelsey has her own boyfriend too, so whoop whoop more wrong. The concept was interesting, but I found myself skimming some pages because the actual content and romance was rather sappy and dull, the book fell flat for me unfortunately. 

The Opportunist (Love Me with Lies Trilogy Book #1)
Tarryn Fisher

Genre: Contemporary, New Adult
Purchase: Amazon | Audible | Book Depository | Goodreads
Source: Gifted by my sister.
Thoughts: Olivia Kaspen has recently found out her former boyfriend Caleb Drake has lost his memory. Now Olivia must decide how far she wants to go along with this advantage to bring Caleb back into her life. The premise sounds quite vile, but it is fantastic. I have read the author's previous work Mud Vein which happens to be my all-time favorite New Adult book. Her characters always seem to be imperfect and selfish, yet you cannot help but always like them. They're unlikable, but they're relatable. Olivia doesn't sound as bad as the premise might make her seem like, she's actually quite intelligent, independent, she's selfish but she still cares about Caleb more than she cares about herself. Her actions might seem vile. but I never once thought she was a cunning and manipulative woman. I binge read this series in two days, all three books are told from different perspectives in this order: Olivia Kaspen, Caleb's current girlfriend Leah Smith, and finally Caleb Drake. I actually loved Olivia's character, she's witty and she is pretty badass. The male lead Caleb isn't so perfect either, it's really clear these two characters deserve each other. The romance and dialogue between the characters was just adorable and not cheesy like many New Adult novels seem to be. The story is told from flashbacks of the past and to the present, it all leads up to the awful yet amazing cliffhanger ending. This is one of the best series I have read in a long time, it's definitely one of my new favorites. 

Devoted
Jennifer Mathieu

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Book Depository | Goodreads
Source: Borrowed from the library.

Thoughts: Rachel Walker is devoted to God, however, now she is curious about the outside world her family has turned away from so she begins questioning what she believes in. This book was on my radar ever since I had heard about it, I always find the topic of religion fascinating since I happen to love and admire my own. I always find it intriguing when people who misuse religion are exposed too. I feel when religion gets misused, the people wouldn't be called religious at all, extremists yes and it resembles a dangerous, cult environment. It also happens to target mainly women and even little children - trying to justify misogyny with religion. Anyway without getting too deep and moving on, I couldn't help but be disappointed with this novel. Unpopular opinion, I expected much more than what I read, I never actually felt the despair and uncomfort Rachel felt, the premise is fantastic, the cover is gorgeous, and the title. The presentation is beautiful, however, the novel didn't make a strong impact on me as I would have liked.  I've read many books about cults so it can be hard to live up to my expectations. Devoted is more monologue with less action. The novel isn't much about religion, although yes, faith however, it focuses more on some of the people of the community and church who try to impose religion on others. It does have plenty of poetry in it which I honestly skimmed around. I love listening to poetry, but somehow I don't like reading it. The ending of this novel somewhat leaves the reader hanging, it's an open ending. The Truth about Alice by this author was more intriguing. If you haven't read that many books about cults you might like this one, however if you're looking for a more balanced emotional and action filled novel about religion and those who misuse it by creating a cult, I would recommend The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams.

Hidden Huntress (Malediction Trilogy Book #2)
Danielle E. Jensen

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Audible | Book Depository | Goodreads
Source: Gifted by my sister.
Thoughts: Hidden Huntress is the sequel of Stolen Songbird, now you can find my raving 5 butterfly rating review here. *This review has mild spoilers of the previous book.

Presentation wise, I like the black dress and darkness of the cover which unravels in the book, I'm not sure I understand why the head is chopped off on every book cover of this series. The titles are intriguing though, Stolen Songbird and Hidden Huntress. Recap: In the first book, Cecile is stolen from her family and sold to the trolls in order to break the curse that the witch Anushka put on them. Now, Cecile has finally escaped the dangers of the land Trollus, more like she was shoved out of there for her safety. Recovering from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and stages the opera stage every night. The first book in the trilogy was fantastic, however, the second book seems to suffer from second book syndrome which makes me honestly really sad. It's still a good read and it is beautifully written, although, it is quite dense and really long. There is less interaction between Cecile and her husband Tristan which as a reader I could not stand. The plot twist in the novel I had seen it coming in the beginning on who the witch Anushkha is so I wasn't as enthusiastic about it. The first half was disappointing, the second half was much better, although that ending was brilliant. Fantasy writers sure know how to make the ending of the book great, even if the other content might not be as strong. The third and final conclusion sounds exciting though, so here's to hoping that book might be as fantastic as the first book in the series, maybe even better. I hope the first book is as epic as the first one.

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin Trilogy Book #3)
Robin LaFevers

Genre: Fantasy, mature YA
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles | Audible | Book Depository | Goodreads
Source: Borrowed from the library.
Thoughts: Mortal Heart is the third and final conclusion of the His Fair Assassin series. This is the best series on Assassins ever. The genre is young adult, but it almost gives off the same vibes of an adult novel. This is a companion novel, it could be read as standalones but the series should be read in order since the previous characters come up as secondary characters now. Annith is an assassin nun and daughter of St. Mortain's. She has been training all her life since birth to kill those who have been marquee by the God Mortain. Soon, she discovers she is actually being trained to become a Seeress, the woman who receives callings from Mortain to order to the killings. Feeling disappointed and betrayed that she is not getting in on the action, she decides to act out in spite of what is going on. This novel is just fantastic - I'm a huge fan of the author's work. She twists her stories around so much, and you cannot comprehend what might just occur next. They books are kind of nasty yet fantastic. The characters as usual were imperfect yet strong, the ordinary characters created were beautiful. Each of the books in the series are different, and the characters are all incredible.  The world building plot blew me away, I actually put down the book to breathe it all in. Personally, the first book is my all-time favorite. The characters are like ordinary people except more badass. I loved the equal balance of the romance and the actual action. At some parts, the novel did seem to lag around a bit although, it does pick up it's pace eventually. The book could have been much shorter in length. This is a wonderful series, and I honestly feel it's actually underrated even though it has more than average ratings. It's not a series many people talk about though and it should be on everyone's lips! It's always disappointing to say goodbye to a beloved series, although it was worthwhile experiencing these ladies journeys.

Thank you for reading this! Have an amazing month of September - Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & drop by :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures.. 

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron 

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