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Book Summary
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner's Curse in Joanna Hathaway's Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.

Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around the world, Athan Dakar, the youngest son of a ruthless general, is a fighter pilot longing for a life away from the front lines. When Athan’s mother is shot and killed, his father is convinced it’s the work of his old rival, the Queen of Etania—Aurelia’s mother. Determined to avenge his wife’s murder, he devises a plot to overthrow the Queen, a plot which sends Athan undercover to Etania to gain intel from her children.

Athan’s mission becomes complicated when he finds himself falling for the girl he’s been tasked with spying upon. Aurelia feels the same attraction, all the while desperately seeking to stop the war threatening to break between the Southern territory and the old Northern kingdoms that control it—a war in which Athan’s father is determined to play a role. As diplomatic ties manage to just barely hold, the two teens struggle to remain loyal to their families and each other as they learn that war is not as black and white as they’ve been raised to believe. 

Flo's Review
I entered a Twitter contest just to win this book, and I was lucky enough to actually win! I was intrigued by the premise of Dark of the West as soon as I heard about it. This was a book about war, much in the vein of the Ember series by Sabaa Tahir. The horrible General in this book has the same 'Human life? Eh' vibe as the Commandant. He's also terrible, and also unfortunately related to the the kind, compassionate, hot leading male in the story. Athan (said male) not only has a strained relationship with his father due to their different world views  but also has interesting and complicated relationships with his siblings, which were interesting and painful to read. This family. Oy!

But you know who was an awesome character? Cyar! If we could all have friends like Cyar! The bond between Cyar and Athan is evident in their easy banter, in how they talk about each other, in what they would do to protect each other, in what they have already done and continue to do for each other. I honestly feel like I ship the bromance between Athan and Cyar over the romance of Athan and Ali. 

Speaking of the romance, Dark of the West to me was very much like a fantasy war story, in which one element is the romance. I felt like the marketing of the book elevated the romance aspect so that I was expecting it to play more heavily in the narrative. And maybe this was why I didn't feel as connected to or affected by the romance as I'd hoped. I definitely felt Athan's struggle as he worked through what he was feeling and how that affected what he was asked to do. Maybe it was Ali's side that was lacking for me? Ali as a character was okay, but she was definitely outshined by Athan, her mother, and some of the other characters in the story.

The pacing was excellent. I found myself doing the, "Just one more chapter," thing several times as I read. Having the map in the finished copy will definitely help the reader to keep all the locations in the story straight.

Joanna Hathaway loves flying in airplanes (per her bio), and that love and expertise comes through strong as she describes Athan's time in the air. There is one particular letter in the book that was so, so beautiful. Finally, the end of the book comes with a twist that I wasn't expecting, but then when I thought back about it, made perfect sense. So well done.

Dark of the West was full of elements that make a great story: stellar pacing, shocking action, slow-burning romance, questionable character loyalties, and a surprising ending. It publishes February 5th, 2019 from Tor Teen.

Yep, this was Seriously Wicked. Click here to read my review. It was fun book, and I enjoyed reading it, writing my review, and even posing for this crazy picture.

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Book Summary
The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.
In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning. 

Flo's Review
Let's do this review a little differently, okay?! Here are the top three things I liked about The Glass Arrow--

In third place, for the bronze... Kiran was full of surprises -- good ones: At least three times while reading this, Kiran did something that surprised me. But good surprises, so it was all good. It makes for an interesting read when you think you have someone figured out and then something drops and you realize that you do NOT. 

In second place, for the silver... the title: We discover why this book is named The Glass Arrow about 2/3 of the way into the story. I love the story behind it and how it relates to Aya.

And for the gold, the number number one thing I like most about the The Glass Arrow...

{Drumroll please...}

Book Summary
The only thing worse than being a witch is living with one.
Camellia’s adopted mother wants Cam to grow up to be just like her. Problem is, Mom’s a seriously wicked witch.
Cam’s used to stopping the witch’s crazy schemes for world domination. But when the witch summons a demon, he gets loose—and into Devon, the cute new boy at school.
Now Cam’s suddenly got bigger problems than passing Algebra. Her friends are getting zombiefied. Their dragon is tired of hiding in the RV garage. For being a shy boy-band boy, Devon is sure kissing a bunch of girls. And a phoenix hidden in the school is going to explode on the night of the Halloween Dance.
To stop the demon before he destroys Devon’s soul, Cam might have to try a spell of her own. But if she’s willing to work spells like the witch...will that mean she’s wicked too?

Flo's Review
First things first: how great is this cover?? I love it so much, I went for my own attempt at a recreation:

I had a broom, but it wouldn't stay up. #WitchProblems

Now that I'm all lightheaded from being upside down for so long, let me tell you about this book! I went into Seriously Wicked knowing nothing about the book's plot. (I like to read books that way when I can.) But because of that, it took me a while to get into. Because, for one (1) thing, Cam's voice is quite ... maybe snarky is the word? I didn't really mesh well with her tone and style at first. But as I read on, I discovered that (2) the entire story felt almost like a ... maybe parody is the word?

In that context, Cam's voice started to fit better for how she was telling this story. This book felt like it was meant to just be fun! For example, the witch spells are seriously crazy, like insane math word problems. Also, Cam is trying to decide whether she is falling for a boy or for the demon who is possessing him? And does the demon like her back? Or the boy? It is definitely a tongue-in-cheek story, and should be read as such. I love that it takes a subject that historically has a patina of darkness around it, and just makes it silly.

But interspersed in the fun are some real struggles. Both Cam and Devon spend a large part of the book struggling to come to terms with their true selves and what they can do; though, for different reasons. And this book reminds us that things -- and people for that matter -- aren't always as they appear.

At just over 200 pages, this is a fast read and will be perfect for the lazy, hazy days of summer. It comes out in May, so grab yourself the witches brew of your choice and get reading. Though I don't recommend doing it upside down on the bed.

Thanks so much to the kind folks at Tor Teen for the Advance Reading Copy of this book.