Book Review: The Scorpion and The Night Blossom by Amelie Wen Zhao

Title: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom

Author: Amelie Wen Zhao

Series/Standalone: The Three Realm Duology (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Romantasy, Mythology

Pages: 400

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Year Published: 2025

Format: Physical (Library copy)

"In a world at war with demons, one girl will face the ultimate test when she is forced to enter into an ancient, deadly competition for the chance to save her mother's soul... before she loses her forever. From the New York Times bestselling author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night comes the beginning of a dark and opulent fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass. 

Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó- beautiful, ravenous demons- roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.

Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practicioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life- the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.

Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.

The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she's falling for or if he's the most dangerous player of all... for herself and for all the realms."

My Rating: DNF

I made it about halfway through this book before admitting to myself that I wasn't loving it. I think that the author's writing style in this wasn't for me. I felt that I was being told a lot of things without a ton of illusion; it was like being told something from a monster manual as opposed to another method. That being said, I'm not sure what would have made it better for me. I'd be curious to try some of her other work and see how I feel, if it's the writing style or just the form of this storytelling for this one, for me. I might pick this one back up in the future, but for now, it's gonna be headed back to the library. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: My Sweet Audrina by VC Andrews

Title: My Sweet Audrina

Author: VC Andrews

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Horror, Adult Fiction

Pages: 403

Publisher: Pocket Books

Year Published: 1982

Format: Physical Copy

"VC Andrews, author of the phenomenally successful Dollanganger series, has created a fascinating new cast of characters in this haunting story of love and deceit, innocence and betrayal, and the suffocating power of parental love.

Audrina Adare wanted so to be as good as her sister. She knew her father could not love her as he loved her sister. Her sister was so special, so perfect- and dead.

Now she will come face with the dangerous, terrifying secret that everyone knows. Everyone except....

My Sweet Audrina."

DNF @ 60%

My Rating: 1/5

I bought this book after I read Flowers in the Attic when I was in high school and finally decided to pick it up. This book did NOT age well. While I understand that language choices have changed over the past 40 years, I'm curious how this book was reprinted in 2011. I'm also curious as to how people didn't see where the twist was. After reading the first chapter I was pretty sure I knew exactly what was going to happen and after reading the spark notes I was correct about the twist. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: On These Black Sands by Vanessa Rasanen

Title: On These Black Sands

Author: Vanessa Rasanen

Series/Standalone: Aisling Sea Series (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Pirate, Romance

Pages: 436

Publisher: Crab Apple Books

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"He doesn't mind killing people... he just prefers to do it on his own terms.

But the pirates have no say in who they kill on this island.

The council orders. The pirates obey.

This arrangement has kept Declan from setting foot on these shores for years... until a bit of bad luck forces him to return.

But it may prove a lucrative stop, if the rebel's information is true.

Find the dagger. Escape this life.

But only if this damn stowaway doesn't ruin everything first."

DNF @ 43%

My Rating: 1/5

I really thought that I would enjoy this book, but I didn't expect it to read so Y.A. When I read something on Kindle Unlimited I'm here for adult romance or smut so the fact that this read so Y.A. made it not for me in the slightest. Every time I picked it up I put it right back down. The pining wasn't there, the plot was just ok and the characters didn't seem to have much personality other than being naive. Overall, not for me.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Open Season by C.J Box

Title: Open Season

Author: CJ Box

Series/Standalone: Joe Pickett Series (Book #1)

Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Western

Pages: 278

Publisher: Putnam

Year Published: 2001

Format: Audiobook

"Joe Pickett is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts, and the game warden- especially one like Joe who won't take bribes or look the other way- is far from popular. When he finds a local hunting outfitter dead, splayed out on the woodpile behind his state-owned home, he takes it personally. There had to be a reason that the outfitter, with whom he's had run-ins before, chose his backyard, his woodpile to die in. Even after the 'outfitter murders,' as they have been dubbed by the local press after the discovery of the two more bodies, are solved, Joe continues to investigate, uneasy with the sy explanation offered by the local police.

As Joe digs deeper into the murders, he soon discovers that the outfitter brought more than death to his backdoor; he brought Joe an endangered species, thought to be extinct, which is now living in his woodpile. But if the word of the existence of this endangered species gets out, it will destroy any chance of InterWest, a multi-national natural gas company, building an oil pipeline that would bring the company billions of dollars across Wyoming, through the mountains and forest of Twelve Sleep. The closer Joe comes to the truth behind the outfitter murders, the endangered species and InterWest, the closer he comes to losing everything he holds dear."

DNF @ 58%

My Rating: 1/5

I honestly have no idea why this was on my TBR at all. I thought I knew what I was getting into. I started it, I thought I would like it and the whole time I was just bored. Since Chick-Lit (unfortunately) is still a term we use, this is Boy-Book. This is something I think my friends' dads would like but I wasn't interested in the least. I would not recommend it if you like the style of books I enjoy, but if it intrigues you, you might as well try it!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Title: This Shattered World

Author(s): Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Series/Standalone: Starbound Series (Book #2)

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Romance

Pages: 394

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Year Published: 2014

Format: Hardcover Copy (Library)

"Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelenting war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as a prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that changes him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war."

DNF @ 85%

My Rating: 1.5/5

I think that if I had been able to keep momentum with this book I would have kept reading, but something happened around the 75% mark that just made this book drag for me. I don't know if it was the book or something outside of the book that just ripped me out of it but then I couldn't seem to get back in no matter how much I tried. As per my 2023 goals, if I'm not having a good time, I don't have to finish a book. I can leave it and that's ok. What are your thoughts on DNFs?

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Grumpy Romance by Nia Arthurs

Title: Grumpy Romance

Author: Nia Arthurs

Series/Standalone: Billionaire Dads Series (Book #1)

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Adult Fiction

Pages: 414

Publisher: Independently Published

Year Published: 2021

Format: Kindle

First Line: "I know something's off when I walk into my apartment."

"Holland Alistar is the gorgeous computer prodigy who took the real estate game by storm. 

Arrogant. Surly. Eyes of steel.

He meets me on the worst day of my life and gets his fern kicked. Literally.

I'm sure I'm getting sued. Instead, I get a job offer.

Turns out, managing Allistair's schedule- and temper- is actually his revenge. 

In the office, his eyes follow me everywhere. Is he going to fire me or devour me?

I can't decide what I want either. I plan his death on my off-time. I kiss him senseless in my dreams.

Hate and want. Push and pull. All we do is tiptoe around what' between us.

Until on chance meeting with his adorable daughter changes everything.

Suddenly, I'm seeing the softer side of Alistair.

But falling for him wasn't in my job description. And neither is stealing kisses in the office stairwell.

Can I keep my head on my shoulders when the office grump sets his sights on me? And what will happen if news of our forbidden romance gets out?"

DNF @ 85%

My Rating: 1/5

I know that this series is for someone. I've just determined it wasn't me. While I like a single-dad romance, and I don't hate the billionaire boss play, I didn't love a lot about this book. I feel like if you're dipping your toes into romance this might work for you. I would also like to make this clear for people reading THIS IS FADE TO BLACK ROMANCE! Which is perfect if you're not into smutty writing. Just not perfect for me. Classy, I know! I don't forsee myself reading any of her work in the future, but again if you want written like a rom-com romance, it might be worth giving a shot.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Title: Ruby Red

Author: Kerstin Gier

Series/Standalone: Edelstein Trilogie (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance

Pages: 322

Publisher: Square Fish

Year Published: 2009

Format: Audiobook 

"Although I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.

Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.

Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended- and rather eccentric- family in exclusive London neighborhood. in spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to 'the mysteries' and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesly. It comes as an unwelcome surprise when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past. 

She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century..."

DNF @ 80%

My Rating: 1/5

This was something that had been on my TBR for so long that I thought I should get to it to see if it was a series that I want to continue with or if it just wasn't for me. It wasn't what I wanted it to be. I felt like things were supposed to be happening but nothing was happening and we were already almost at the end of the book and nothing was happening. I felt like it was a lead-up to nothing. Super boring. Wouldn't recommend reading now when YA has expanded so much.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

DNF Review: Eating Her Christmas Cookies by Alina Jacobs

Title: Eating Her Christmas Cookies

Author: Alina Jacobs

Series/Standalone: Frost Brothers Series (Book #1)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 408 (Made it 35% of the way through)

Publisher: Self-Published

Year Published: 2018

Format: Kindle Unlimited

"Jack

In my perfect world, it would always be winter and never Christmas.

I despise the holiday. I hate carols, shopping and pretending to be a perfect family

I walked away from my family, or rather they walked away from me.

My heart is like ice-

See it creeping up the walls.

Oh, wait, no, that's royal icing.

I never should have allowed the Great Christmas Bake-Off to film in my tower.

And I never, ever, should have agreed to be a judge.

Chloe

I love Christmas! I love sparkly window decorations, heartwarming holiday movies and themed coffee.

Most of all I love Christmas baking.

Even though is company is sponsoring the bake-off show, billionaire Jack Frost claims he hates sweets.

But after he tastes my goods I know he'll come begging for more.

And wouldn't you know it, that night Jack Frost asked me to come up to his penthouse and give him a special taste of my Christmas cookies.

Against my better judgement, I went...

I baked him my signature gingerbread cookies and of course, he ate them up!

It should have been a Christmas miracle, but Jack Frost couldn't have come into my life at a worse time.

Not only am I broke, but this was my first Christmas after my Oma died.

Someone is trying to sabotage me in the Great Christmas Bake-Off.

I'm being stalked by a mall Santa.

Sleeping with one of the judges is a disaster waiting to happen. I needed Jack and his washboard abs about as much as I need that third sticky bun.

But when he says in his deep, sexy voice, "Can you make me some more cookies?" well stick a candy cane in me I'm done."

My Rating: 1/5 (DNF at 35%)

I'm starting this new review series because I can't keep forcing myself to finish things I know I'm not enjoying. Things like this. I normally would have pushed through but I was finding myself not reading because this was putting me off books. I just couldn't handle it. With all respect to the author, this was the worst thing I've ever read. This was far too long for what it was, there were stalkers that were never properly addressed, I didn't buy the romance, it was too cliche and none of it worked for me.  This book is 400 pages of going nowhere as far as I could tell. I made it 35% of the way and that was more than enough for me. Would NOT recommend it.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road

Author: Moira Young

Series/Standalone: Dust Lands Series (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Pages: 464

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Year Published: 2012

Format: Paperback Copy

My Rating: 1/5

DNF @ 70%

I won't bother wasting anyone's time with the description of this book. This book states that it is fast-paced though I've never been so bored. It says that the characters are smart and savvy though I've never felt that way. I guess some might believe it. There were no real plot twists and while there was the main goal, it didn't seem to be that urgent as our main character gets sidetracked frequently. The world is not well fleshed out. And it is completely two dimensional.

Needless to say not a fan.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny