REVIEW: "The Cursed Soul" by K.C. Smith (Young Adult, Fantasy)

THE CURSED SOUL by K.C. Smith
	Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publication Date: October 3rd, 2023 Series: Waves of Sorcery, #1
Categories/Tropes:
Adventurers, Found Family, Magic
Description from Publisher:
Cursed. Forgotten. Reborn. Doraan and his entire crew are cursed to never walk on land again. For ten long years, they have roamed the sea, attacking and pillaging to survive. Doraan placed all his faith in his family to find a way to break their wretched curse, but when he discovers that his hope of freedom was nothing more than a dream, his world comes crashing down. Kamira is on the run from a life she never wanted. Finding shelter by stowing away on a ship docked far out to sea, Kamira disguises herself as a boy in the hope of making it to the ship's next port alive. Little does she know—their craft won’t be stopping at any port. Stuck aboard a vessel full of pirates with no destination in sight, Kamira fears they will not only discover that she is a woman but also a sorceress. Now she must face the threat of being thrown overboard–or worse, being turned in to the empire for hiding her outlawed gifts. As Kamira struggles to keep her identity hidden and gain their trust, Doraan sees her as a glimmer of hope for their cursed fate, even if it comes with a steep price. With danger at every turn, Kamira and the crew of the Cursed Soul must navigate treacherous waters in an attempt to not only save themselves but all of Emmoria.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
There are some interesting elements to this, but I think it also suffers from "Beginning Fantasy Series" syndrome where there is a lot of telling when it comes to building the world and that can drag the pacing down. It does kick up and then continue to ramp up to the end, with more action and a better understanding of the world. It ends on a cliffhanger that will be sure to drive readers a bit crazy until the next book. I really enjoyed the "found family" here with Doraan, Kamira, and Cormac. All of the characters have spirit in their own, unique ways, and they blend together well past the halfway mark when everything hits its stride. The political intrigue mixed with the adventure of pirates with heart make for an exciting tale. This is a great YA read (no triggers), especially if looking for something on the lighter side.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author:
Born and raised in Maryland, I spent a lot of my time escaping from my childhood into fantasy worlds. My heart holds a special place for YA fantasy as it got me through some hard times growing up. I spent a lot of time writing short stories in middle and high school. The journey to completing my first book has been long, but so worth it! I hope to write many more novels in the future. Currently, I still live in Maryland with my husband and our Chihuahua, Tank! I work full time as an Accountant, spending most my free time writing and creating! When not writing or reading, I enjoy rock climbing, which I do three times a week, and traveling the world!

REVIEW: "Spies, Lies, and Allies" by Lisa Brown Roberts (Young Adult, Romance)

SPIES, LIES, AND ALLIES by Lisa Brown Roberts
	Publisher: Entangled TEEN Genre: Young Adult, Romance Publication Date:May 1st 2018 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Nerd Romance
Description from Publisher:
Summers are supposed to be fun, right? Not mine. I’ve got a job at my dad’s company, which is sponsoring a college scholarship competition. I just found out that, in addition to my job assisting the competing interns, I’m supposed to vote for the winner. Totally not what I signed up for. My boss is running the competition like it’s an episode of Survivor. Then there’s Carlos, who is, well, very distracting––in a good way. But I can’t even think about him like that because fraternizing on the job means instant disqualification for the intern involved. As if that’s not enough, an anonymous informant with insider intel is trying to sabotage my dad’s company on social media...and I’m afraid it's working. Much as I’d love to quit, I can’t. Kristoffs Never Quit is our family motto. I just hope there’s more than one survivor by the end of this summer.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
So this was cute at times. It had a Breakfast Club vibe (as was obviously intended). There was a bit of everything, and a LOT of pop nerd culture references, even a visit to Denver Comic Con. Laurel's father owns a company and is a workaholic, so she begs him to give her a summer job, hoping to see him more. He agrees to hire her on to assist the interns he has hired as part of an internship-for-a-scholarship program he is starting. She spends the summer getting to know the interns, and more about herself, as well. It was an entertaining read, and I was invested in figuring out which intern would get the scholarship money. The scene where they all make confessions fanned those flames more, which was a goos thing. I wasn't a big fan of Laurel, though. She grew over the course of the book, but was still so very immature for someone who was 17. There were so mnay instances that she frustrated me by not just miscommunicating, but being literally silent when just a word (even via text or email) would have made a world of difference. She dialed the romance factor down significantly, as a result, which was disappointing. She and Carlos were so often angry at one another, and not in a sexy way! There were also some random comments on race or gender that seemed to come out from left field and served no purpose... And Laurel's dad was so quick to anger (like Carlos or Laurel, I suppose), biting Laurel's head off over things like her wanting to go to lunch with him. It was a bit sad, really. So, that all is to say that this was an enjoyable read, but not without some things that brought it down a bit, in my opinion. It is worth a read, but my expectations may have been a bit high (I've enjoyed this author's other books quite a bit!).
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About Lisa Brown Robert
Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way.

REVIEW: "Love in the Friend Zone" by Molly E. Lee (YA, Romance)

LOVE IN THE FRIEND ZONE by Molly E. Lee
	Publisher: Entangled Teen: Crush Genre: Young Adult, Romance Publication Date: August 14th 2017
Categories:
Best Friends to Lovers, High School, Nerd Romance
Other Books by Molly E. Lee
#1 My Review #2 #3 My Review #5 Review Soon! #6 My Review
Description from Publisher:
The only thing worse than not being able to tell your best friend you’re head over heels in love with him? Having to smile and nod when he enlists your help to ensnare the girl of his dreams. Braylen didn’t even want to go to Lennon Pryor’s epic graduation-night party, but when Fynn begs her to be his “wingwoman,” she can’t deny him. Talking up her BFF—how he’s magic behind a camera, with a killer sense of humor and eyelashes that frame the most gorgeous blue eyes in the history of forever—is easy. Supporting his efforts to woo someone so completely wrong for him? Not so much. Fynn knows that grad night is his last shot before leaving for college to find true love. And thanks to Bray, he gets his chance with the beautiful Katy Evans. But over the course of the coolest party of their high school careers, he starts to see that perhaps what he really wants has been in front of him all along. Bray’s been his best friend since kindergarten, though, and he’d rather have her in his life as a friend than not at all. Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains one epic party, complete with every high-schoolers-gone-bad shenanigan, and two best friends whose sexual chemistry is off the charts…if only they’d succumb to it.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
This was so much fun!! It takes a certain finesse to pull of a crazy party story and Molly has it! (No surprise there :) ). The tension between Fynn and Braylen was perfectly tantalyzing and teasing, and they were adorable with their best-friendness. Their interactions were so effortless, and the depth of affection so obvious. The diaogue is all so very natural, and I really loved all of the supporting characters, too. It was obvious that there is lot of setup for future books in the series, but in such a way as to make me impatient for them!! Randy may or may not get his own, but seriously, he is awesome nd I want more!! He would fit so well with certain other people who like to live on the EDGE. Ahem. I wondered how this would play out, being YA, and it is fantastic! The perfect mix of sweet and sexy. It also needs to be said that I am a sucker for good BBF romance and this checked every box!
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Molly E. Lee
Molly E. Lee is an author and editor best known for her debut novel EDGE OF CHAOS, and as a fourth year mentor at Pitch Wars - a program which connects promising writers to established authors in the community. Molly writes New Adult Contemporary and Young Adult Urban Fantasy featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.
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