Escape from the Isle of the Lost by Melissa De La Cruz

Escape from the Isle of the Lost is the fourth book in the Descendants series. It is the prequel to the movie Descendants 3. Once again Uma is up to her tricks in wanting to break the barrier around the Isle of the Lost. She works with Hades to lure Mal (who came back to the Isle with Evie, Carlos, and Jay to spread the word of the VK program) into opening up the barrier. On top of that Mal, Evie, and Jay are preparing to graduate Auradon Prep and get ready for the rest of their lives.

What I like the most about this series is how the books and movies work together to continue the story of Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. The novels show what happens between the movies and pieces together the storyline. The way the books and the movies work together to create the story of Descendants is unique. I have never come across another series like it. 

On top of the uniqueness of the series, De La Cruz is an incredible writer. I love reading her work and it always reads so fast. She writes using different perspectives throughout the novel so the reader gets the feel of what is happening with each character and the struggle they are going through. The different perspectives allow the readers to connect with each character on a more personal level and then you also get to see it on the big screen as well. 

I have listed the order of the series below in case you would like to read it from the beginning if you haven't been following Descendants already. 

1. The Isle of the Lost (novel)

2. Descendants (movie)

3. Return to the Isle of the Lost (novel)

4. Rise of the Isle of the Lost (novel)

5. Descendants 2 (movie)

6. Escape from the Isle of the Lost (novel)

7. Descendants 3 (movie)

Descendants 3 will be out on Disney channel August 2, 2019. I am looking forward to watching it, and I know many of you are too. Feel free to leave any thoughts you have in the comments below. Have a great day my lovelies!

Descendants 3 trailer

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A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

"When you can never die, do you ever really live?" ~Montgomery James. Juliet discovers that Elizabeth Von Stein is tied to Victor Frankenstein who discovered reanimation. Once Edward dies Juliet has to fight with her madness in order to decide whether or not to bring him back to life. Which makes the question above even more important especially in today's society. If we ever discover how to bring back the dead, should we do it? If we never die, do we ever actually live? It's just something to think about in today's society.

A Cold Legacy is the final installment in the Madman's Daughter trilogy and it does not disappoint. Shepherd draws from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley even more in this last novel but still makes it her own. I love how the novel has a little bit of a dark atmosphere but is still about a girl trying to figure out her own path instead of following other people's footsteps. On top of that, it is also about a girl who has suffered from so much but still keeps fighting for herself and her family.

Shepherd filled this last book with so many surprises and twists, it kind of made my head spin. However, I loved every one of those surprises and twists, she really knows how to keep the reader on their feet, which I think is an impressive feat. It is hard to keep reader's on their toes these days. I am extremely impressed with her work and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I hope you guys enjoy this book. Feel free to answer any of the questions above in the comments below. If you have any opinions or thoughts feel free to leave those as well. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16182308-a-cold-legacy

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Do you let the darkness inside take over you or do you keep it locked up deep inside? Does the curiosity of it entice you or do you ignore it? Juliet battles with the darkness that she inherited from her father as she fights to find a cure for herself. On top of that, she also fights to find a cure for Edward/the Beast. Edward is more like a Doctor Henry Jekyll while the Beast is more like an Edward Hyde. Juliet works to find a cure to get rid of the Beast while also trying to figure out what the King's Club is up to. It is hard to be the daughter of a madman.

Shepherd draws on from two different classics; Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson. She used both of these works in order to create her own quick-paced thrilling novel. The comparisons Shepherd made between these two classics were Brilliant. If you liked the two classics above you will definitely love Her Dark Curiosity. Aside from the comparisons that could be made Shepherd also used a lot of imagery which really helped in setting up the atmosphere of the book. It was also helpful with making what Juliet and Edward were going through come to life. There is also a twist at the end that will leave you astonished.

Her Dark Curiosity was another stunning work of Shepherd's. I positively love her writing and this novel. I relish in the fact that her work has connections to Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I think it is truly a beautiful work of art. I also look forward to reading the last book in the trilogy, A Cold Legacy.

Feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below. Also, feel free to leave any thoughts or opinions you may have. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from http://meganshepherd.com/her-dark-curiosity

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Just because we have the power and the technology to do something, does that mean we should do it? If we had the power to create creatures, especially ones that had traces of humanity, should we do it? Should we play God if we have the ability to do so? These are the questions that are starting to occur more and more as we develop more advanced technology.

The Madman's Daughter is similar to Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. Both novels have the same components of madness and creating things that do not belong in the world we live in. Doctor Frankenstein pieced together an abomination while Doctor Moreau created several abominations by using different organisms by often performing vivisections. Doctor Moreau has a darkness inside of him that his daughter Juliet inherited. Throughout the entire novel, she fights with her own darkness that lies within her.

The story starts out slow but quickly picks up its pace. Shepherd used imagery to set up the setting(s), atmosphere, and to reveal what Juliet was feeling. Imagery is the figurative language that was used the most from the beginning to end. However, there are plenty of comparisons to be made between this book and Frankenstein and there are even Shakespeare references thrown in.

Shepherd is a brilliant writer and I genuinely enjoyed her book. Her writing style was exceptional and easy to follow. Shepherd's work was simple with a layer of complexity hidden underneath. It was truly a great creation and I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the trilogy, Her Dark Curiosity.

Feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below. You are also more than welcome to share your thoughts as well. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089LOLW0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Come Alive by Karina Halle

A haunted house, voodoo, and zombies, oh my! Do you believe in voodoo? How about zombies? I am not talking about the ugly sore spotting limb falling off zombies either. Those are the typical zombies you find just about everywhere else. The zombies Halle created come from being in a drug-induced state. Do you think that these kinds of zombies could actually be created and exist in our world? Either way welcome to New Orleans where Dex, Perry, and Maximus take on a haunted house, a Bokor, and of course zombies.

Come Alive is written in Dex's perspective which was severely important in moving the overall series plot forward. There were a lot of secrets learned about Dex's past and his relationship with Perry that could not have been found out through Perry's perspective due to Dex's mysterious brooding personality. Even though the perspective change was slightly random it was necessary in order to move the series forward.

The characters have also become more well rounded as the series is coming to an end. Perry has become more confident with herself and her body. While Dex has begun to show more vulnerability, which has made him more relatable. Even Maximus has changed from being a "douchecanoe" to a completely caring guy who has a soft spot for the love of his life. As the characters grow and mature so do their choices in different situations just like in real life. Halle has worked hard to create relatable characters that readers can connect with. They even feel like real people and like they would be your best friend. I unquestionably love this about her writing. Halle really is an amazing writer.

The only thing that annoyed me about this book was that the first one hundred pages were essentially mostly erotica. I mean I get it Perry and Dex finally got together which is great, but they were constantly having sex which did not seem necessary for the plot. Perhaps it makes a really good romance novel? I don't know, but other than that it was another great novel. I would recommend it for anyone who was fifteen or older.

I hope you guys enjoy this book and feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below. Also, feel free to share any thought or opinions you may have. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143338-come-alive

Losing Brave by Bailee Madison and Stefne Miller

Sometimes we lose ourselves and have to find ourselves again, or perhaps we never really knew ourselves to begin with. After losing her twin, Dylan, Payton struggles to find herself again and deal with the encompassing grief that surrounds her. As Payton works on finding herself, she becomes obsessed with finding out who abducted Dylan along with figuring out the secrets that her brain keeps locked away.

The first half of Losing Brave is slow, and the plot seems pretty basic, but once you get past the halfway point the story gets extremely good. The plot gets thicker and a little more complex. The ending is incredible and absolutely shocking. You will not see it coming. This book is a really good read if you can get past the first half, once you do that it goes by fast.

Madison and Miller wrote an incredible story together that takes mystery to the next level. The ending was extremely surprising and unexpected. They did an amazing job at keeping the ending under wraps with only leaving a couple of breadcrumbs here and there.

The characters are easy to relate to especially if you have ever lost a family member or have ever been looked upon as an outcast. You will have no trouble connecting with Payton if you have ever lost yourself and have needed to figure out who you were again. It is not a simple task to find yourself again as Payton shows and that is an important message to understand.

This story is truly amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good mystery book and wants a surprise ending. It does not have any inappropriate language so it's a great read for anyone who is in middle school and above. I believe you guys will absolutely love it as much as I did.

I hope you guys enjoy Losing Brave and if you would like to share what you thought of the novel or about your experiences in life, feel free to leave a comment and just know that life gets better. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFKLJBR/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Into the Hollow by Karina Halle

Sasquatch and an epic romance, what could possibly go wrong? I mean is Sasquatch even real or just an urban legend? Into the Hollow is the sixth installment in the Experiment in Terror series that follows Perry and Dex's adventures with ghosts, demons, and now the mythical beast best known as Sasquatch or bigfoot. As they fight for their lives (once again) they work on rekindling their relationship.

Halle has written another gorgeous story with a strong plot and intertwining subplots that make the book soar. One thing that kind of bothers me are the new abilities that Dex and Perry have acquired through the veil, it just seems kind of random and thrown in. I'm hoping the purpose of the new abilities is shown in the next three books, so it won't feel so out of place. Another thing that bothered me was the number of grammatical errors in this particular book. It was still readable and extremely good, they were just simple errors that could have been fixed before it was published.

Other than that, it was an easy and a quick read. It does contain a few adult scenes and quite a bit of adult language, therefore, I would not recommend it to anyone under the age of fifteen or to anyone whose maturity is not quite there yet. For everyone else though I highly recommend reading this book and this series especially if you like the supernatural and thrillers. Although I do suggest starting with the first book because if you start in the middle then it might be confusing, and you might be lost and could even cause you to put down the book which would be a tragedy. The only downside is that these books are eBooks and to my knowledge cannot be found in hard copy form.

Feel free to answer the questions above in the comments below and any other thoughts or opinions you may have. I have also put the order of the series down below for your convenience. Have a great day my lovelies!

1. Darkhouse
2. Red Fox
3. Dead Sky Morning
4. Lying Season
5. On Demon Wings
6. Into the Hollow
7. Come Alive
8. Ashes to Ashes
9. Dust to Dust

Note: There are novellas between a few of the novels, but they don't have to be read to understand the main novels. They just go more in-depth about Perry and Dex and what they are going through.

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Copycat by Hannah Jayne

Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? This is the main theme that is brought up throughout the entire novel. I think it is the first one; art imitates life. We put our emotions and personalities into art in order to express a part of ourselves. It is how we deal with our everyday lives. However, in this novel life imitates art as a fiction story becomes a reality for the main character.

Copycat was an easy novel to read and I read most of it in one sitting. This book was hard to put down and it was easy to dive into this fiction world and stay there for a while. The ending of this novel kind of threw me though. I was not expecting the first part of the ending but I did see the second one coming.

I really liked this book but I thought the ending was a bit rushed. Other than that I thought it was a pretty good novel. The story within the story was original and unique. The plot was simple but still allowed the main character to grow a little bit which is extremely important.

This is a solid book for teens especially if you like murder mystery novels. It is not a scary story so if you are not into the thrills and chills, have no fear, it will not give you nightmares. If you are into the thrills and chills, I think you would still like reading it.

Feel free to answer the question above in the comments below. If you have any thoughts to share feel free to do that as well. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CP3ZBZQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

The Fall of Crazy House by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Dystopian novel? Check. Typical? Not a chance. Typical dystopian love story? Try a different novel if you're looking for that last part because you will not find that in this book.

The Fall of Crazy House is the sequel to Crazy House and continues the journey of Careful Cassie and Reckless Rebecca as they train to become the revolutionary dream team. The story takes place deep into the future where the United States has been separated into cells and unknown big cities. With each step out into the wilderness is the risk of death and failure and failure is not an option.

James Patterson has done it again by creating another page-turning novel that will keep you on your toes and up all night. It is a quick read with plot twists that will leave you stunned and saying "Oh My Atlanta." Patterson wrote an amazing action-packed dystopian novel that I could not put down and I absolutely loved every twist and turn that the characters faced.

There is a tad bit of romance in the book but it was needed in order to move the plot and storyline forward. Without a tad bit of romance, there would have been a completely different story. There are also hints throughout about how Global Warming is what ultimately changed the United States and is part of the reason why people had to live in cells. Even Patterson recognizes that Global Warming is an issue that we are facing and I think it is an important topic that needs to be paid more attention to.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BPWVT7S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Any Second by Kevin Emerson

What happens when a boy with a haunting past and a girl with crippling anxiety share the same traumatic experience? The characters reveal this answer as they fight to keep their heads above water in the currents of their new high school.

Any Second is a beautiful story that reminds us that there is a bomb inside of each of us that could go off at any moment. The bomb is often caused by feeling like an outcast and that can often lead to catastrophic events. However, when a group of outcasts finds each other, they can keep the internal bomb from going off. The important lesson is that even though we may feel alone, we are not. There is always someone who cares about you.

I highly recommend this book, especially to teens. It is a well-written story with a beautiful plot and lesson. It is also not the typical love story where characters experience a traumatic event which ultimately brings them together to fall in love and yadda yadda yadda. That will not be found in this story, so if you're looking for something new and different you have come to the right place.

Feel free to answer the question above in the comments below. If you would like to share your thoughts and feelings you are more than welcome to do that as well. Have a great day my lovelies!

The picture was taken from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B2P5KBN/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1