The Witch's Ambitions Trilogy by Kayla Krantz

Get 3 awesome fantasy novels by the talented Kayla Krantz for only $1.99

See how it all ends in the final installment of The Witch’s Ambitions Trilogy, set to release 8/15

After joining the Elemental Coven, young witch Lilith’s eyes were opened to the truth that the Council has always been desperate to keep hidden. With only two Covens still standing, Lilith’s world is in real danger of collapsing and so is the Elemental Coven. After a mysterious illness begins to infect the Coven, witches are dying and not even coven leader Willow’s power of resurgence is enough to save them.

After the Battle of the Grove destroys Lilith’s good leg, and her ability to walk, she faces an internal war about her future that consumes her, dragging her further and further into the darkness. Willow is desperate to help Lilith find the light because Lilith isn’t just her sister, she is the Elemental Coven’s last hope of survival. As the Sage’s ex-apprentice, Lilith is the only witch capable of taking down the ancient ruler. 

As the war destroys the last of the covens, Lilith knows there is only one way to end the chaos for good—a final showdown against the Sage that only one of them will walk away from.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S4GTVD7/

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Movie Night: Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel Review

So, I finally did it, and I am so happy! #Captainmarvel is everything I ever wanted and more. 

I was hooked from the start thanks to the action which always gets my attention, but what sold me was Carol's sass. I LOVE me some sass and the girl's got it. 

 

The Skrulls are quite interesting, their shapeshifting abilities are fantastic and the special effects were completely on point. There is an unmistakable parallel between the war wagging among Kree and Skrulls with the conflict of our day and age. One faction trying to suppress the other by any means necessary, crying out terrorism when one side refuses to become absorbed by a powerful empire.

The chemistry on screen between Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson was perfect. One of my favorite elements of the movie has to be them sassing each other. 

I love the relationship between Maria and Carol, how their friendship survives years of separation. Not to mention Maria is a total badass, a single mother, a great pilot, a voice of reason. We all need a friend like Maria. Although I must confess I totally ship them.

I got chills when this moment came. 

Now, I find it impossible to talk about this movie and not mention the controversy, the commentaries I came across on social media ranged from negative to downright misogynistic. And despite myself, I started to wonder if there was any truth behind the most common complaints.  
*"Brie Larson was a bad choice!" Erm, no. I knew she could pull off strong emotion after watching The Room and her acting was on point. 
*"She shows no emotion." Yet another lie prolonged by the smart edits done to show clips or pictures in the ones Carol is either holding back an emotion or simply not smiling. Oh, and she does smile btw, just not all the time because she is a warrior caught in the middle of a battle between two alien races, not a beauty queen.
*"Too much feminism." Not at all, it was perfectly balanced. There are no cringy lines about girl power or anything like. Carol is an unapologetic badass, a hero, her motivations are not based on any sort of romantic entanglements, so I guess that displeased some.

I was so satisfied with the way Captain Marvel portrayed a female hero. No over-sexualization, I had no idea how much I needed that until now. Brie is beautiful, and it's obvious, but there are no long pannings of her body to show off her curves, no oops-I'm-half-naked scene, no flirting to get out of a dangerous situation. 
While she does display intense emotion several times, there's no hysterical crying/screaming scene. Not all females become over-emotional when under pressure, and it needed to be shown. 

The most powerful scene in the movie ^

Overall, a great movie. I thought no movie could beat Captain America as a superhero origin movie, but I was proven wrong. The Stan Lee cameo and homage were beautiful. 

If you haven't watched Captain Marvel, you need to! And you can rent or buy it here with the extra content that is soooooooo worth it:

Buy with bonus content: https://amzn.to/2IFTsmm

Rent: https://amzn.to/2KfP2pP

Peter Green and the Unliving Academy by Angelina Allsop

Synopsis:

Fourteen-year-old Peter Green can’t remember how he died.

All he has are his pajamas, a silk tie, and a one-way bus ticket to Mrs. Battisworth’s Academy and Haven for Unliving Boys and Girls, a strange and spooky school for dead orphans like himself. But that’s all he needs: the Unliving Academy has everything, from vampires in the hallways, to monsters in the cafeteria, to ghosts in the basement.

And that’s just the teachers; the students are far stranger.

As Pete learns to fit in with his new supernatural schoolmates, he starts to discover his own uniquely undead abilities, and even begins enjoying his life after death…but he just can’t shake the feeling that he’s forgotten something (or somebody!) important. 

Somebody he left behind in the land of the living.

Somebody he loved very much.

Somebody who’s in terrible danger. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:

So I was looking for something different, something to get me out of a funk and this book has most definitely achieved that. With the Academy feel of Harry Potter and the crazy action of Percy Jackson, Peter Green and the Unliving Academy has earned its rightful place among my favorite books.

Pete is easy to relate to, bit awkward and can't talk to girls without forgetting his name. And memory is one of his main issues, he's forgotten something important but doesn't know why. The clues are scarce and he has to rely on instinct and the sporadic visions of a girl with brown eyes he wants to keep safe.

Fortunately, he makes friends with unique skills who help him navigate this new life, and he starts feeling more alive than ever even though he's technically dead. 

A charming book with a unique world and endearing characters that made me laugh and cry. I can't wait to see what comes next for Pete and company.

Take a peek here: https://amzn.to/2HT0zZB

Thanks to Maria Inot from TCK Publishing for the ARC! 

http://www.tckpublishing.com/

Phoenyx in Flames by Daisy St. James

Synopsis

As a child, Jane heard voices. Felt what others could feel. 

She was witness to the things that went bump in the night and could tell a person's deepest, darkest thoughts with only a touch. Until tragedy changed her life completely, thrusting her into the care of Hutton Grimshaw.

Esteemed chair member of The Order of the Flame, Hutton does what he must. Training young Jane to be the one thing the shadows feared. Now, at the age of twenty-five, she is known as Phoenyx, the world's deadliest supernatural assassin. 

The hard and fast rules change when she finds Judas, a vampire, suffering in a back alley with no memory of who he is, or why he's becoming more and more human every day. With a price on her head and the survival of humanity at stake, Phoenyx finds herself . . . Changing. Her true nature is slowly beginning to reveal itself and mysteriously, Hutton is the only one who seems to know why. 

After years of taking down the supernatural beings that plague her hometown of Crystal Haven, Phoenyx finds herself teetering on the fine line between good and evil. While her attraction to Judas begins to consume her, growing like a fire out of control, one thing becomes undeniably clear . . . 

If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.

***Contains mature subject matter, sexual content, 18+ readers only.*** 

Rating 4 stars

Review

Don't you just love an unapologetically badass female MC? I do, and Phoenix is just that. 
The secondary characters were great too, I love Cortez (demon) and I'm intrigued by Monroe (succubus).
There is no shortage of hot guys and steamy moments, and despite being fast-paced there was just enough description for me to fully imagine all the scenarios and characters.
There was enough action and mystery to keep me reading, I finished it in only two reading sessions.
Must confess I had a pretty good idea of what Phoenix would become near the end, but maybe that's because I have a similar character.
I'm intrigued by what comes next.

Take a look at Phoenix in Flames here: https://amzn.to/2LWPieL

THE CURSED KEY by Rebecca Hamilton and Miranda Brock

Synopsis:

A FORGOTTEN PAST, A DARK MAGE,

AND AN UNYIELDING CURSE.

Another team beat free-spirited archaeologist Olivia Perez to the dig of a lifetime, and now she’s left with the choice to wait for scraps or brave a dangerous, dusty tomb in hopes of finding other priceless artifacts. Her reward? A mysterious key she has no idea is cursed. Soon, Olivia realizes she’s brought home more than just an ancient rarity.

Malevolent visions begin to plague her. Unnerved by what they reveal, she casts away the key…unknowingly placing it into the waiting hands of a dark mage bent on destruction. Only when a shifter agent from the Paranormal Intelligence and Tracking Organization arrives searching for the key does Olivia realize what a huge mistake she’s made. 

Forced to team up with the ill-tempered shifter, her journey to reclaim the cursed key leads down a twisting path of dark histories, dangerous magic, and deadly obstacles. But Olivia’s efforts to take back the ancient relic before the dark mage can destroy the lives of humans, shifters, witches, and fae alike are thwarted by her own dark past…and a price steeper than what she’s willing to pay.

Fans of Tomb Raider and Ilona Andrews will love the blend of urban fantasy, magical adventure, and paranormal romance in THE CURSED KEY from Miranda Brock and New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Hamilton!

Get THE CURSED KEY HERE:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VZ37gE

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-cursed-key/id1459894682

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-cursed-key 

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cursed-key-miranda-brock/1131266178?ean=9781949112078 

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BEYOND THE BLACK - Through The Mirror

"Watch you spin in your veils of protection
Layer on layer of dark colors unwind
Shake them off but you never forget them
Show your scars to the mute and the blind

Only showin' your face to the lonely
Wear a mask for the masses so cold
Choosin' roads that are broken and stony
Let me tell you my dreams of our destiny

Speak to me, sing to me, bare your soul to me
Step through the mirror, join me inside
Run to me, stay with me, till eternity
Show me the face that you hide
You hide, oh"

Motionless In White - Disguise (Official Audio)

"Mirror mirror tell me who you see 
Am I you or me? 
I can never remember 
But you can’t hide forever 

I found myself by losing hope 
I lost my way to find a home 
I hid myself to stay alive
Now I’m ready to face my disguise"

Review of Metamorphosis by Ivy Logan

Synopsis

Amelia, Peradora's teenage heiress is a fashionista and boasts of 6 million followers on Twitter. In reality she is a bit of an introvert, a prisoner in a golden cage and her 'it girl' image is nothing but a carefully crafted, elaborate P.R. plan, masterminded by her guardian, Liam, the dictator of Peradora.

As secrets from her past dodge her at every turn, can Amelia choose between Adrian, the adventure junkie, her first love and Noah, the handsome bodyguard, and her best friend? Do they have secrets of their own, they're keeping from her?

Now Peradora, her beloved nation is in trouble, and a sorceress ancestor, grants Amelia the ability to shape shift. Will it prove to be a curse or a boon? Will the power be too much for Amelia to handle? And can it truly change who she is inside, a frightened girl, quite out of her depth?

As a stunning set of events unfold, will the truth set Amelia free or will she learn that some secrets are best buried in the past?

Review
Rating: 4 Stars
Amelia lives a double life, I might say a triple life.
Left orphan she is forced to live with her uncle, who is by all definitions a monster.
To the world, she is a spoiled diamond heiress, but the reality is far from that. She is a prisoner in a Palace and has had to endure a lot in her short life. 
She will lose friends, fall in love and be forced to make a decision: her heart, or her people?
Will she be able to use her newfound powers to stop the madness her uncle has enforced? 
Love, loss, and some great plot twists make this fast-paced book a must read for those who enjoy the mix of sweet paranormal romance and urban fantasy.