"The Bones of Ruin" by Sarah Raughley

A tightrope dancer with a mysterious past who can't die.

A tournament of freaks. 

A frightening destiny.

Welcome to "The Bones of Ruin".

Iris Marlow can't die. She also has no idea of who or what she is. Ten years ago, with no memories at all, Iris stumbled into a traveling circus tent and was able to secure herself an act as a tightrope dancer. 

During the last ten years, she has done everything she can to hide her secret. But when one of her show goes wrong and her secret is revealed, Iris finds herself pulled into a world of powerful elites who have their owns plans for her unique ability and they also may be the key to figuring out who she was before the circus.  Iris agrees to participate in a deadly tournament in exchange for information about her life before the circus.

Secrets, adventure. and murder abound as Iris discovers that she is not the only one in the city with unique abilities, and all of these individuals are somehow connected. 

This book had suspense, mystery, adventure, magic, tension and even a love square (like a love triangle, but with four people instead of three). This book is set in Victorian London and contains a variety of diverse characters that should appeal to a wide audience. 

While one big question is answered by the end of this book, there are many more that are left unanswered so I will be starting book two right away. I need answers about Iris and some of the other major players in the "Tournament of Freaks".

Overall, if you are a fan of the fantasy genre I expect you will greatly enjoy "Bones of Ruin". 

"A Cruel Thirst" by Angela Montoya

Move over Twilight, there is a new vampire book in town!

And I LOVE the cover!

I also love that the vampires in this book are monsters! They aren't romantically tragic figures, they are the undead cursed by a trickster god and forced to feed off the souls of the living. 

This enemies-to-lovers vampire story was unique, engaging and had excellent world building. Carolina, the female main character, is no awkward, whimpering human girl. She is a kick butt Latina vampire hunter who is descended from a long line of hunters, and her only goal is to prove to her family that she has what it takes to continue the family tradition and rid the world of as many vampires as possible.

Lalo, the male main character, is NOT a dark brooding vampire. He in fact is a slightly awkward, although handsome, bookworm who has never been in a fight in his life. That is, until he tried to avenge his parents' death by killing the vampire that brutally murdered them. However, instead of getting revenge, Lalo finds himself turned into the one thing he hates most in the entire world: a vampire.

Desperate to find a way to turn him back, Lalo and his younger sister journey to a remote pueblo after following clues from their research in hopes of finding and killing the first vampire, which in turn may rid Lalo of his curse.

This puts him on a collision course with Carolina, who would gladly stake him before lifting a finger to help him. But in a twist of fate, Carolina finds she needs Lalo's help and that they have a common enemy. As they work together to put an end to the evil that has plagued their pueblo and their lives, they find their lives and their hearts become irrevocably intwined.

Carolina was a great spunky female character with a lot of strengths and character growth, while Lalo was a warm cinnamon roll of a male character who just melted my heart each time he fought to do the next right thing. 

I loved the setting and the Latinx cultural influence as well.  Overall, I highly enjoyed this one and any Twilight fans will be sure to enjoy it as well!

"A Door in the Dark" by Scott Reintgen

 Wow, I definitely have mixed feelings about some of the events in this one, but there is no denying that this was a great story. 

If "Harry Potter", "The Unfortunates" by Kim Liggett and the movie, "Knives Out" had a baby, it would be this book. It is a fantasy, psychological thriller.

To sum up: 

Six gifted students from an elite magical school find themselves in a survival situation when a simple travel spell goes wrong. Now, one of them is dead, the other five are stranded in deadly forest far from civilization and tensions are running high as no one knows who they can trust.  While two of the students come from powerful and magically wealthy families, the other four are gifted scholarship students and each one of them has their own secrets and personal vendettas against the wealthy families. But with a dangerous monster stalking their steps, they have no choice but to work together in order to get back home alive.  As the danger stalks closer and the bodies begin to pile up, the surviving students have to make hard choices about what they will do in order to survive, and who they are willing to let die to further their own agenda. 

The main character is has major Hermione vibes. Ren is a brilliant and gifted magical student, but she has very few options for her future since she was born into the lower classes. She is determined to do whatever it takes to rise to the top, and the dark memories from her past won't allow her to accept anything less.

Ren's best friend is also low-born, but her rare magic has secured her a spot in one of the most powerful houses in the city. Their two fellow low born classmates, a gifted medical student and a wrestler with a bright future, are stuck with them in the deadly forest along with the sons of two of the most prominent and powerful families in the city.  So how are these four outcasts going to work together with their spoiled and entitled classmates without wanting to kill each other?

Well, you'll have to read the book to get the answer to that question. 

If you are familiar with Harry Potter at all, then you will slide right into this magical world and hit the ground running. Once the action starts, it doesn't let up. This book will make your heart pound, break, and stop completely before the story is over. 

I highly recommend it if you enjoy fantasy, horror, or thrillers. 

"Bring Me Your Midnight" by Rachel Griffen

 Romeo and Juliet.... but with magic.... and a better ending. 

What if Romeo and Juliet were both witches but from rival covens? 

If that catches your interest, then you will enjoy "Bring Me Your Midnight".

Tana Fairchild has her whole life laid out before her. As the only daughter of the coven leader on their island, it is her job to help bring peace between the witches who live on their island and the humans who live on the mainland. She follows all the rules. She only practices "low magic" during the day at her parent's perfume shop, she never practices magic after dark, and she would never practice the "dark magic" that taught the mainlanders to fear witches in the first place. 

The job Tana's parents have given her is simple. Marry the human governor's son and bring peace and protection to her coven. 

Tana has never questioned the path her parents set her on when she was just a child, but all that changes when she meets a stranger on their beach. A stranger who practices "dark magic" and he will make Tana question everything she has ever known about magic, her coven, and herself.

This book had a bit of a slow start for me as the world building and magic system was established and the characters were introduced. However, I am glad I stuck with it because I flew through the second half of the book. The magic system with it's two different types of magic was very original and well thought out, and the sweet romance in the story set my heart aflutter. I was content with the ending but I do feel like there could be more to the story. Maybe from another character's point of view.

Overall, I gave this one 4 stars.