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Exposed (Descendants Series Book 3) by Lea Cherry – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Exposed (Descendants Series Book 3)Exposed by Lea Cherry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amy’s whole life has been turned upside down and she feels lost. Her friends have abandoned her and everything she thought she knew about herself, and her family turns out to be untrue. Not only does she discover who she “really” is, but she learns who her father is and that the mother she thought was dead is not actually dead. Problem is that her mom’s soul is trapped in an ethereal state and needs to be reattached to her body. Amy sets out to rescue her mom but needs someone of Pure-blood to power-share to bring her mom back. The only one with this ability is the enemy and Amy must make a deal with him if she wants to save her mother. Will the risk be worth it?

This book is the third book in the Descendants Series and jumps right into Amy’s story. Admittedly, I have not read the first two books, but it was easy to follow along without feeling like I missed anything. The characters are well written, and the scenes are written superbly. Amy is stronger than she thinks when faced with adversity and betrayal. Rather than give up after her whole world was turned topsy-turvy, she chose to stand up and face the challenges head-on. A fantastic read that is full of mystery, magic, action, suspense, drama, and adventure galore.

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Creatures of the Night by C.A. King – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Creatures of the NightCreatures of the Night by C.A. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When an unusual anomaly in outer space opened up portals it brought with it a black mist that covered the earth. It also brought something far more sinister and deadly when it brought monsters and war started across the human race. The war raged on for generations and the remaining humans grew up training to fight and kill demons and monsters. In this new world they survived by forming clans where they could better protect themselves.

Zoe always knew that she was different and did not see things like others. In this new world she was expected to possess magic and men were expected to be warriors. Zoe knew that magic was no good if you were unable to protect yourself, so she also wanted to be a warrior. Instead, she must obey society’s rules and is sent off to the academy to hone her magic.

When Zoe meets a demon, it changes her outlook on everything. She has always fought alongside her family battling the black mist, demons, and monsters and never questioned why they do so. When she falls in love with a demon she starts to questions the rules and all that she has been taught throughout her life. Zoe begins to realize that maybe all demons are not the same after all. She is faced with the difficult decision of choosing between love and her family and friends. No matter which choice she makes she will lose something or someone that she loves. What will Zoe’s heart decide is best for her?

This book was well written and the scenes were described so vividly that you feel like you are part of Zoe’s journey. The character of Zoe really grows and develops as the story unfolds. She is smart, strong, feisty, and a force to be reckoned with. When Zoe meets a demon she becomes conflicted about what she has been taught and must make a difficult decision. She craves love but will she choose it over her own family. What a gut-wrenching decision to have to make. A great Dystopian Fantasy read with love, romance, adventure, supernatural, magic, demons, and monsters.

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Manipulator’s War (Ruarnon Trilogy Book 1) by Elise Carlson – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Manipulator's War (Ruarnon Trilogy, #1)Manipulator’s War by Elise Carlson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ruarnon has spent their life learning lessons in combat and how to run the kingdom they will one take over. As the non-binary heir to Tarlah they have had to work harder to impress their father who happens to be the King of Tarlah. When Ruarnon’s parents are abducted in the middle of the night they are thrust into the role quicker than anticipated and find themselves forced to make difficult decisions as they take over ruling the kingdom. In their new role Ruarnon finds that they are uncertain who to trust within the Royal Council and is also faced with the news that the neighboring kingdom wants to expand into Tarlah. Ruarnon is thrown headfirst into their role as heir to the throne and jumps straight into battling an ongoing war.

Meanwhile, Linh is on an excursion to Australia with her class when her and her classmates find themselves in a foreign land they do not recognize. As they try to find their way back Linh learns of a place that has a race that may have the knowledge to help her get back home. In her journey she stumbles onto a small island where monsters are attacking anyone and everyone. The monsters see everything as a target and annihilate anything that moves. Will she be able to escape to safety and find this race that will help her find her way home?

This book was action packed from the first pages as Ruarnon was thrust into their role as ruler of Tarlah. The storylines were entertaining, and I had to continue to read to see how the two were going to join together. I loved that the protagonist was non-binary and written from their perspective. The character of Ruarnon was written well and the author did a great job of including the struggles they faced as being non-binary without that defining them. It was an aspect of who they were, not what they were. A great read full of action, war, rivalry, betrayal, and even some monsters.

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