Spark of the Everflame Series: Book Reviews (NO SPOILERS)!

To start off, this book is a romantasy, which is short for romantic fantasy. And I really think this is one of the best fantasy books out there for a couple reasons (I’m going to try and not spoil anything)…

  1. First of all the cover though!!! I’m in love!! If you do start binge reading the whole series (like I did), you’ll realize the progression of the girl on the front cover change overtime to what she symbolizes in each book.
  2. Honestly, I loved all parts of this book. For those of you who are dragon girlies, I think you’ll love it too (Yes, there are gryverns involved!!!). It’s a slow burn and currently there are three books out, but the fourth book is coming out this year! It gives a Throne of Glass, but also kind of Hunger Games kind of vibe (trials and politics are more book two though).
  3. So for the gist of the setting: It is a mortal world colonized by the gods. The cruel offspring of the gods called the Descended rules over the mortals. Diem Bellator, our main FMC lives in the slums of the human villages as a healer.
  4. I won’t spoil anything, but a quick summary of the story is that pretty much a mortal rebellion is brewing and although the mortals are still undermined, they are gaining the attraction of the Descended. But I promise there are a lot of plot twists and way more found family kind of energy/trope, which I love sooo much!
  5. Even though our main female character (Diem) is the center of attention, the side character development is amazing! They didn’t develop too many side characters, a good six to seven, but they were developed really well and you were able to connect with each one! The author also really tried to incorporate diversity into the characters as well which I really loved. There are some brooding characters here and there (our MMC especially), but there were ones that were quirky and funny too that really hit the mark! Some people don’t like Diem because they think she’s too stubborn, but that is my favorite trait about her! Yes, there are some parts where the reader obviously knows what’s going on, but she just refuses to accept it. But don’t worry, she’ll figure it out, I promise!
  6. Also, I really think this is my favorite MMC of all time! In some of the romantasy books I read, the MMC was too over-protective, but in this book, he really gave her space and gave her time to figure out what she wanted to do with what was put on her at the moment. It is also a slow-burn romance and also a sort of enemies to lovers, but the hate was mostly one sided (mostly from Diem haha).
  7. In my honest opinion, the third book is the best one because it really goes into all of the trials they have to go through (the romance also starts to develop more heavily here). Book 1 was mostly world-building and book 2 was mostly court politics.

Lastly, I just wanted to end with a quick quote from one reader who read this!

Happy reading everyone!!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a fantastic read that has blown up on TikTok as one of the prized #BookTok books. That is where I first discovered the book before heading out to buy it at my nearest Barnes and Noble.

The story starts with one of our main characters, Monique Grant who works as a journalist at a magazine called Vivant. She is the storyteller that Evelyn Hugo, one of the most renowned actresses personally invited to tell her life story. Not some baloney that would sell copies, but the hard, cold, and raw truth. Monique is a regular, even a rookie journalist, not some big shot everyone knows. Why would Evelyn Hugo, someone who is known for not exposing her personal life into the public choose her to make her debut? That is a startling question with a soul crushing answer.

The layout of the story is very, very interesting and different. You would jump from Evelyn’s story to suddenly, it became the interview between Monique and Evelyn ending. As well as different gossip and rumour newspapers cutting between chapters. I really liked it as it dives into the story before abruptly cutting off at the suspense and making you never want to put it down.

This was a book that I could not put down. The mysterious and glamourous Evelyn Hugo has captivated me with her emotional take on Hollywood and how much many actresses had to sacrifice behind the scenes. The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo is a book that mainly will enjoy. If you like romance or psychological fiction, this is a must read.

The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

This story takes place in a private school called Niveus Academy where only the prestigious and elite kids go to. Two students named Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo look forward to their senior year in the school as they were both selected to be Senior Prefects, something that puts them both in a position of being valedictorian. But soon, their year starts to take a dark turn when someone named Aces exposes secrets to everyone online about the two of them that could destroy their perfect plans for college and their futures in total. At first, the entire thing seems to be a silly prank but then it evolves to the endangerment of these two children’s lives as they battle to expose Aces and get their lives back to normal. But who exactly is Aces? And why do they target Devon and Chiamaka?

Contemporary is usually not the genre I would like to read but books such as Ace of Spades became an exception for me. I heard a little bit about this book from my friends and Tiktok before actually reading it and it exceeded the expectations I had about it, which I taught would be impossible. This book is not for everyone as it has some very triggering language and scenes that turned my stomach. But this book has shown me a new outlet to how the world could be and how some people in this world need to fight just to exist peacefully in this world. The plot twists that occur in the middle and the end of the book captured my attention and I couldn’t put the book down for hours at a time. I believe that everyone who can read this book should as it explains many complexities within life and within our society as well. I would say that this book is one of my favorite reads of this year!

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.