Title: Verity
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Hoover Ink, Inc.
Publication date: December 7, 2018
Source: Borrowed
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Title: Verity
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Hoover Ink, Inc.
Publication date: December 7, 2018
Source: Borrowed
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Title: Fire and Cinder
Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #6
Author: Christina Bauer
Publisher: Monster House Books
Publication date: February 23, 2021
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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Title: Bandits and Ball Gowns
Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #5
Author: Christina Bauer
Publisher: Monster House Books
Publication date: November 10, 2020
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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Title: The Push
Author: Ashley Audrain
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication date: January 5, 2021
Source: Purchased
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Title: The Bully--A Paranormal Thriller
Author: K.J. Kwon
Publisher: KJ Books
Publication date: April 15, 2021
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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Title: Blood & Ink
Author: Stephen Davies
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Publication date: September 19, 2017
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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Part thriller, part love story, this contemporary YA novel is based on true-to-life events in Mali in 2012 and centers around the power of individuals to take a stand against terrorism.
Kadi is the 15-year-old daughter of a librarian in modern-day Timbuktu. Ali is the son of shepherds and has been conscripted by the Defenders of Faith, an arm of Al Qaeda. When these two teens meet, it's hate at first sight.
Forced together by a series of tumultuous events, their feelings slowly but persistently turn into something more, causing Kadi to let her guard down and Ali to discover her family's secret hiding place for the manuscripts her family is tasked with safeguarding. Kadi undertakes a dangerous operation to smuggle the manuscripts out of the city, while Ali and his military commander are soon in pursuit. Ali's loyalties will never be more in question than when Kadi's life is in danger.
There isn't anything better than learning. When I find out something I didn't know before by reading a book, I start looking further into the subject. When that book has action and a plot with interesting characters, it's even better. Blood & Ink is that type of book, which is based on real-life events that transpired in Mali in 2012.
Immediately when the two main characters meet, there is mistrust and a strong disliking, but Kadi and Ali go back and forth between understanding each other and feeling betrayed by the other.
The crux of the novel is that Ali has joined a movement in Islam called the Defenders of Faith, who are set on taking over Kadi's town and instituting strict laws because they view the people of the town as "godless." Differences between different sects of the Islamic faith are highlighted in this book, and I was left wanting to know more.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like Blood & Ink, but it's motivated me to learn about what happened in Mali in 2012 as well as learn about the different sects in Islam and how they're similar and different to each other.
*Thanks so much for visiting! I'm getting back into book review writing and posting, so keep coming back, I've got a lot of good stuff planned. :) *
Title: Echoes Between Us
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication date: January 14, 2020
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
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Echoes Between Us is bestselling author Katie McGarry’s breakout teen contemporary novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her.
Veronica sees ghosts—more specifically, her mother’s ghost, thanks to the blinding migraines that consume her whole life and keep Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting afterimages make her wonder if there is something more going on….
Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it all...including their lives?
Title: The Button
Author: Ellen Allen
Publisher: BookBaby
Publication date: July 2, 2020
Source: From the author for review
Title: Slippers and Thieves - New & Lengthened 2020 Edition
Series: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #4
Author: Christina Bauer
Publisher: Monster House Books
Publication Date: November 26, 2019
Source: Copy provided by publisher via NetGalley for review
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