This Rebel Reviews:Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

Year of the Reaper captivated me from the first page. The main character Cas has been though a lot of both emotional and physical pain and one thing this book is about is healing. I love the hero and heroine and their romance. They have such deep connection. Plus their meeting was the first fantasy meet cute I have read. I was worried about the world building this being a fantasy standalone but it was really well done. I love that this whole book was told from Cas’s Point of View which is rare for me because I always feel like I am missing parts of the story but never felt like that in this book.

This book had some great twists I didn’t see coming. This book really shows the strength of the human spirit and no matter what life throws at us we can survive and come out the other side stronger. I also like how this book explored how life and loss can change you. The ending was perfection.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: Vampish: The Hunt by G.K. Derosa

Adult Paranormal Romance Series

Book 1

This book is amazing. I love the heroine Phoenix. She is kick butt, dedicated to her mission and is very loyal to the people she loves. If you have read Wolfish the hero Ransom will be familiar. Derosa has created an amazing world with Azar. One you you want to come back to time and time again. I loved the hero and heroines first meeting. It is one of my favorite scenes. This book has two of my favorite romance tropes enemies to lovers and close proximity. Ransom and Phoenix have amazing chemistry and the sexual tension is HIGH people. If you don’t like a lot of sex references or that makes you uncomfortable you should skip this one. The plot was smooth like butter. The writing was fang-tastic (Sorry, I couldn’t resist) and I adore all the characters. That cliffhanger was so cruel. I need the next book right now.

Rating: 5 stars

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This Rebel Reviews: The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

This book has TEETH and I love it. It has all of my favorite things witches, mystery, magic, angry girls and sapphic romance. I love both of the two main characters. Della and Natasha will both do anything to protect those they love. I really connected with that. I really felt for Della and her having to be the leader of her family because her father was too weak. I wasn’t very fond of his character. I love the mystery element to the story even if I figured out who was doing the crime very quickly. I also really love that Natasha was adopted at 10 years old and not as baby. My aunt was adopted when she was a teen by my grandparents and was happy to see that rep in this book. I love Della and Natasha’s relationship. Enemies to lovers is a favorite trope of mine. This book bought up a lot of injustices that women have to face at the hands of men and didn’t sugar coat it. I want the last two lines of this book tattooed on my soul. Go and read this book and remember that the river has teeth.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Young Adult Contemporary LGBTQIA+ Romantic Comedy

This book is so adorable and awkward. The main character Lou reminds me of Emma from Jane Austen expect Lou’s romantic plots are much more illogical and teen and Lou has doesn’t think she is the best thing sense crispy M&Ms like Emma. While I didn’t connect with Lou and her matchmaking I did connect with her and her low self esteem and insecurities. I was always like Lou never the princess always the Hot Dog Girl and I loved watching Lou find out being the Hot Dog Girl is even better then being the princess.

Seeley is the Lou’s best friend and I love her so much. She is always there for Lou no matter how crazy her ideas and always helps her with them. Seeley is best friend goals. I love how Lou and her father where so close and had such a great relationship. I want to see more great dad and daughter relationships like this in other books. If you love rom coms I can’t recommend this book enough.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Standalone Young Adult Dark Academia

This book is a dark twisted story full of ghosts, witches, murder, magic and secret societies. I couldn’t put this book down. I love the creepy haunted atmosphere that hung over the Dalloway school and how it’s history make Dalloway feel so alive like it was a character and not just a school. I love both the main character Felicity and her friend Ellis. But with Ellis you can’t help but became fascinated and a bit obsessed with her just like Felicity and the other girls at Dalloway are. There is just something about her.

I love the romance in this novel and think that Felicity and Ellis are soulmates. This book keep me guessing. The last few chapters get really intense and I had no idea how this book was going to end. This book was just fantastic and is going on my keeper shelf.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz

The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz

Standalone Science Fiction Novella

I usually think novellas are too quick and don’t have enough story and/or character development. Not The Cybernetic Teashop it has great fully flushed out characters and a story that is the perfect length. This book has amazing asexual representation and romance. This story is so charming and heartfelt. It is like having a perfect cup of tea.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver

The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver

Standalone Young Adult Contemporary

This book is about two siblings. One living and One dead and about living on when someone you love is no longer here. About how it is so hard to be the one left behind. The author did an amazing job showing Liam’s grief and how you can truly never understand a person’s grief even if you are grieving the same person. This book is a raw, ugly, and brutal portrayal of living with grief. I loved how the author had before and after chapters and how you have a better understanding of Liam’s and Ethan’s characters because of it. This book is heartbreaking but hopeful. While I didn’t love this book as much as the author’s first book. I really liked this one and think it is a very important book that will help others going though grief themselves.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Standalone

Rep: African American bisexual mc,African American lesbian mc, wlw, sapphic side character, character with asthma.

I adored You Should See Me in a Crown which was Johnson’s first novel and was so excited to get a copy of Rise to the Sun and it didn’t disappoint. I adore both Toni and Olivia and connect with both of them especially Olivia and her believing she is too much and will never be loved for herself. I love Olivia’s story in this book the most. I love seeing myself in her character and seeing her learning to start to let go of those negative thoughts gives me hope for myself. I also really love the friendship between Toni and her best friend Peter. His character was a ball of sunshine and positivity. I would love for Peter to get his own book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves amazing writing, two very different and lovable main characters who are so perfect together it hurts, and a heartwarming story about letting people in and loving yourself.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

YA LGBTQIA+ Contemporary

Standalone

My Review

I have heard great things about this book and it did not disappoint. I love Ruby and Morgan. I love how they are both so different put so perfect for each other. I also love how the author explored being out and proud and having a supportive family with one character and not being out and it being unsafe to come out to her family with the other. I couldn’t put this book down and love how it handled serious issues but still had an adorable romance. I also loved the side characters especially Billy Ruby’s Ex Stepfather and Morgan’s friend Aaron who needs his own book *hint hint to Jennifer Dugan* This book is full of sapphic love, the ups and downs of coming out and the courage to be who you are. I highly recommend it and will definitely be buying and reading Dugan’s other books.

Rating: 5 stars

This Rebel Reviews: Revenge by by Dani Hoots

*I was given this book for free to review by the author. All opinions are my own*

This book was amazing. I loved how the author mixed science fiction and western themes together well but do wish there was a bit more world building. This book has one of my favorite tropes found family. I fell in love with all four characters. Ellie with her strength and drive, Zach who is the sweetest cinnamon roll ever with a love for girly cocktails, Cor with his charm and secrets and Gabe with his love of hats and wish to belong. This book also shows that it doesn’t take but a small spark of hate to start to generations of it. One of my favorite scenes was when Zach and Gabe first meet(I was laughing so hard and really felt for Zach). I loved the LGBTQIA+ rep(Asexual,Bisexual,Gay) in this book. This book had some great humor and I didn’t see some of the twists coming. I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2.

Rating: 5 stars