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Enjoy mini reviews and ratings of my choices for my latest attempt to #SpelltheMonthinBooks!

Another month has come and that can mean only one thing. Some good fun brought to you @ Reviews From The Stacks. The rules are simple.

• Using books you’ve read or want to read. Spell out the month.. but avoid using ‘A’, ‘the’, ‘and’ so on.
• Follow the theme. This month is ‘Memoirs’ but I don’t read those so.. Anything will do.
• Share your post through the linkup Here or in a comment.

This time I’ve decided to participate using books I have read, enjoyed, and now recommend.

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(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through my links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

M ark of the Mage by R. K. Ryals

“Such a funny thing death is for mortals. You cry. You morn. You grieve. You get angry. But death is not always tragic, dear one. Sometimes death is the ultimate expression of love.”

Books never die, but they can be forbidden.

Medeisia is a country in turmoil ruled by a blood thirsty king who has outlawed the use of magic and anything pertaining to knowledge. Magery and scribery are forbidden. All who practice are marked with a tattoo branded onto their wrists, their futures precarious.

Sixteen year-old Drastona Consta-Mayria lives secluded, spending her spare time in the Archives of her father’s manor surrounded by scribes. She wants nothing more than to become one of them, but when the scribes are royally disbanded, she is thrust into a harsh world where the marked must survive or die

Witch an introduction like that.. Who could resist?

Five Stars!

No, really.. It’s that good.

• First: There’s obviously a certain dragon element(the cover kind of lets that cat out of the bag) and I do so love my dragons.
• Second: A book about a mad king who(for reasons of his own)bans books and pursuits of deeper knowledge for, what is most likely, dastardly purposes? You have my attention.
• Third: The characters. R.K. Ryals does an incredible job of creating fully fleshed and wonderfully endearing characters.

For fans of ya, fantasy, dragons, magic, and strong young women with a strength and determination that will bring a kingdom to it’s knees.

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A mber House by Kelly Moore ∘ Tucker Reed ∘ Larkin Reed

“This was Amber House, after all, where the past was never really over and done with.”

“I was sixteen the first time my grandmother died…”

Sarah Parsons has never seen Amber House, the grand Maryland estate that’s been in her family for three centuries.  She’s never walked its hedge maze nor found its secret chambers; she’s never glimpsed the shades that haunt it, nor hunted for the lost diamonds in its walls.

But after her grandmother passes away, Sarah and her friend Jackson decide to search for the diamonds–and the House comes alive.  She discovers that she can see visions of the House’s past, like the eighteenth-century sea captain who hid the jewels, or the glamorous great-grandmother driven mad by grief.  Sarah grows closer to both Jackson and a young man named Richard Hathaway, whose family histories are each deeply entwined with her own.  But when her ghostly visions start to threaten the person she holds most dear, Sarah must do everything she can to get to the bottom of the House’s secrets, and stop the course of history before it is cemented forever.

This book was stunning.

Five Stars!

With a captivating writing style similar to Erin a Craig’s ‘House of Salt and Sorrows‘, this gothic novel will recreate a timeless tale of love that spans the ages.

• First: Simply a beautiful reading experience. I couldn’t put it down and was driven to finishing it in one sitting.
• Second: There’s something about the atmosphere the author constructs that has an almost dreamlike quality.
• Third: I really enjoyed the novelty of an unpredictable ending.

This is definitely a love story. If books featuring mysterious family secrets that echo through time and end in a surprising plot twist? This is just what you’re looking for.

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R ecurve by Shannon Mayer

“Madness is a place where I hide from those who would silence me.”

Her magic is weak. Her ruling stepmother hates her. And now she’s her people’s only hope.

Frustrated by her pathetically useless powers, Larkspur can only dream of being accepted by true elementals. And as the bastard daughter of the king, she lives under the constant wrath of his jealous wife. When she’s falsely accused of attacking the cruel woman, she must choose between military service or banishment… and both lead to certain death.

Seizing her slim chance for survival, Lark embarks on training as a soldier for the unforgiving kingdom. But though she excels in her new role, it may not be enough to stay safe from a queen out for her blood.

Will she bow under pressure, or unlock the power to vanquish the vicious tyrant?

Maybe not as high praise as the first two but.. if you like fantasy fiction, this series won’t disappoint.

Four Stars!

Recurve has a lot of really appealing bits and pieces strewn throughout.
Think ‘Cinderella‘ meets ‘Lord of the Rings.’

Our poor main character is in a tough position. Surviving daughter of the murdered former queen.. Larkspur should be a favored princess. Instead she’s a target for her stepmother’s hatred and siblings disinterest. Her situation doesn’t improve much.. the story, however, does.

• First: I like that Larkspur is tough, she takes what life has thrown at her and keeps pushing forward.
• Second: The story builds momentum, sprinkling small surprises and bits of action that keep you reaching for more.
• Third: The characters themselves are unusual. While some come off as unlikeable.. others are uniquely unusual, easily making up for it.

Fairytale meets epic fantasy with a stubborn female protagonist, a wicked stepmother, and one woman’s struggle to belong.

C old Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

“I’d always thought of the monsters as my own sort of standoffish pets. If, you know, you thought pets that could eat you were cool. Which I totally did.”

It’s not as great as you’d think, living in a tourist town that’s known as “the most magical place in America.” Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power.

I try to keep out of it. I’ve got my mom’s blood-iron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick.

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend’s pawn shop, and I have to make a call—get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn’t. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I’m stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I’m going to end up just like her…

Because this book series has the potential be amazing.

Four Stars!

You’re either going to love or hate it.

The main character is likeable but young, making her growth throughout the book all the more apparent. There is the insta-attraction part but the author gave the relationship time to actually grow here..

Also.. I feel like Jennifer Estep did a great job with the old world mafia feel of the ‘Families,’ it added a certain amount of depth to the story and the circumstances her character’s face.

• First: I really appreciated that Lila wasn’t perfect. She has flaws and it makes her more interesting.
• Second: I’m a fan of warring factions. I like to see the how an author handles the complexity of the situations they’ve designed and I wasn’t disappointed here.
• Three: Jennifer Estep is a rare author capable of consistently good writing. If you love her other series ‘Elemental Assassin‘ and ‘Mythos Academy‘ you’re going to love this.

So there you have it. Monsters, magic, mobsters and mayhem. What’s not to love?

H ourglass by Myra McEntire

“Aren’t I supposed to be brave, fearless? Isn’t that what the world expects?”

“Screw what the world expects. Think about all the things you’ve faced. You cracked, but you didn’t break. You’re still standing. I’d call that fearless. You’ve already conquered so much.”

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

The cover drew me in and the story kept me there.

Three and a Half Stars!

That gives this series room to grow.

I love ghost stories. See the dead? Are dead? Raise the dead? And i’m there. Probably not the healthiest interest but who can honestly say they haven’t been fascinated by something unusual..

One snarky girl who sees more than most will soon pit herself against the secrets surrounding Hourglass, a ‘well meaning’ organization her brother has brought in as a last ditch effort to help her. But what are they actually up to and can anyone really be trusted?

• First: Emerson is pretty resilient. Even struggling with loss, her gift, and growing suspicion of ‘Hourglass’ she bounces back.
• Second: The relationship between her and Thomas(her brother) is heartwarming. He really does his best to be there for her.
• Third: Again with the characters. Their interactions with one another are highly entertaining, the smart mouthed banter really was a fun detail that had me laughing out loud.

Small Warning: Young characters, girl caught between guys, some cringe worthy hiccups in the writing.
Still makes for an interesting read, though.

I’ve only read the first book in this series. There are a few surprising twists(and some more predictable ones) in here that I just didn’t see coming. So I am curious enough to give the second book in this series, ‘Timepiece‘ a try.

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And that’s all folks!
I hope you find something you like and thank you for joining me in my #SpelltheMonthInBooks this March.

Have you read any of these books?
Did you enjoy them?