Morning guys!

I’m here with another edition of my mini reviews… today’s edition is a BUMPER edition because I’ve got a handful of YA books that I thought I’d share some quick reviews of!

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Shadowscent: Crown of Smoke – P.M.Freestone

“In the empire of Aramtesh, scent has power. In the first volume, the prince was found poisoned in the temple, sparking a high-stakes quest for an antidote. In the explosive conclusion, Rakel and Ash are separated as the empire hurtles towards civil war, and everyone must choose a side.”

I loved being back in this world. I was really looking forward to reading this as I ADORED this world in the first book – it was so lush and brilliant. Being back with these characters was so brilliant. They were as bright and as bold and as daring as ever. Rakel and her crew have to take on a lot to save the people and the world they love and I adored being back with them. I’d forgotten just how rich and scent-filled this world was – it certainly is one of those books that is a whole experience! This series is brilliant if you’re looking for something filled with action and some incredible characters! Plus… I loved that the ending left a little bit of the door open to more (although this is only a duology… I’d love more from these characters)

Winterwood – Shea Ernshaw

“Rumored to be a witch, Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.“

I was a huge huge fan of Shea’s other book, The Wicked Deep, so when I saw this was available to buy (I think at the time I bought it it was only out in the USA?), I jumped at the chance. I was so excited to read more witchy goodness and with an intriguing blurb like that with secrets, magic, missing people and a strange woods, I knew I was in for an absolute treat… and my gosh was I right! This was a glorious story of a young witch who rescues a dead boy and all of the secrets, lies, magic and yearning that goes with her actions. This was a story dripping with power and love; wanting and wishing; finding yourself when you feel a bit lost. I ADORED Nora and Oliver and I didn’t see the magnificent twist coming… but it was PERFECT. This is one of those books that is quietly just brilliant and everyone should read it!

Five Little Liars – Amanda K. Morgan

“Nothing ruins summer vacation like a secret . . . especially when that secret is a dead teacher.
Ivy used to be on top of the social ladder, until her ex made that all go away. Tyler has always been a bad boy, but lately he’s been running low on second chances. Kinley wouldn’t describe herself as perfect, though everyone else would. Mattie is only in town for the summer. He wasn’t looking to make friends, and he definitely wasn’t looking to be involved in a murder. Cade couldn’t care less about the body, or about the pact to keep the secret.
With the police hot on the case, they don’t have much time to figure out how to trust each other. But in order to take the lead, you have to be first in line . . . and that’s the quickest way to get stabbed in the back.”

I’m always a bit apprehensive when books come out saying they’re perfect for fans of this book, or this book because it seems like they NEVER quite live up to the accolade… but fans of One of Us Is Lying will enjoy this! This is the brilliant story of a dead teacher and a group of teenagers who have everything to do with it, but want nothing to do with it! They each have their own secrets, their own motives and their own reasons for wanting nothing to do with it. This is full of twists, turns and deception between the characters and I LOVED it all. It’s fast-paced and the characters are all wonderfully developed and written. the multiple perspectives are done really well (because we all know this is something that can go tragically wrong). It’s one of those that leaves you wanting more… I TRULY NEED to know what goes down at the end. Mattie was my fave character for sure!

The Scam List – Kurt Dinan

“Meet the best teen con artist team around. Boone McReedy: high school conman, smooth-talking charmer, and the idiot who just got scammed out of $15,000 of his mom’s money. Darby West: ass-kicker, straight-shooter, and Boone’s ex-girlfriend. Now, they must team up to save their parents’ business, one con at a time. That is if they don’t kill each other first. Of course, they’re only going to scam people who deserve it. That’s a promise. Would they lie to you?”

This was one of those books that I saw on Netgalley and the title itself intrigued me… I knew NOTHING about it and I figured ‘why the heck not?’ and my gosh, it is ALL KINDS OF BRILLIANT. What happens when Boone, son of infamous con artist, loses an awful lot of money? He of course uses what he knows best, cons, to try and earn it back. Like I say, I knew nothing about this but I really bloody enjoyed it. The characters are brilliant and the story is full of intrigue and fun. I absolutely adored the interactions between Boone and Darby: they’re like a sexy, troublesome double act of con artists. You never truly knew where you stood with Boone. I loved the bits where Boone talked to me as the reader – they kept me hooked. This is gloriously smart and you were kept in the loop with Boone explaining the cons… but were you ever truly part of it!? If you’re a Netgalley user and this is still available, please go and request it!

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And that’s it for now! Four bitesize YA reviews! Something for everyone here!

Have you read any of these books?
What Netgalley unknown book have you read that you loved?
What are you reading at the minute?

Talk to me in the comments… I’d love to talk to you about these books! 

S x