The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #2)

by Mary E. Pearson (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

Intrigue abounds in this hotly anticipated sequel to The Kiss of Deception!

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia’s erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar’s interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there’s Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country… and her own destiny.

Quote 1:

“It was worth it, Lia,” He said. “Every mile, every day. I’d do it all again. I’d chase you across three continents if that’s what it took to be with you.”
― Mary E. Pearson, The Heart of Betrayal

Quote 2:

“He consumed me in a different way- the way his eyes made everything jump inside of me when I looked into them, his laughter, temper, the way he sometimes struggled for words, the way his jaw twitched when he was angry, the thoughtful way he listened to me, his incredible restraint and resolve in the face of overwhelming odds. When I looked at him, I saw the easygoing farmer he could have been, but I also saw the soldier and prince that he was.”
― Mary E. Pearson, The Heart of Betrayal

Quote 3:

“I walked up to Griz and poked him in the chest. “Let me make this perfectly clear to you. Though some might seek to make it appear otherwise, I am not a bride to be bartered away to another kingdom, not a prize of war, not a mouthpiece for your Komizar. I am not a chip in a card game to be mindlessly tossed into the center of the pot, nor one to be kept in the tight fist of a greedy opponent. I am a player seated at the table alongside everyone else, and from this day forward, I will play my own hand as I see fit. Do you understand me? Because the consequences could be ugly if someone thought otherwise.”
― Mary E. Pearson, The Heart of Betrayal

The Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter #1)

by Virginia Boecker (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Your greatest enemy isn’t what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king’s best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she’s accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that’s been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth’s witch hunting past–if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she’s thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

Quote 1:

“I’m quiet for a moment, enchanted by the idea of something stealing over you, settling into you, and telling you, with absolute certainty, who you are and what you’re meant to do.”
― Virginia Boecker, The Witch Hunter

Quote 2:

“Nicholas says that magic isn’t inherently good or bad, it’s what people do with it that makes it that way. It took me a long time to understand that. Once I did, I realized it isn’t magic that separates us from them, or you from me. It’s misunderstanding.”
― Virginia Boecker, The Witch Hunter

Quote 3:

“I look at him. He’s the same Caleb I’ve always known. Restless, ambitious, always yearning for more. It’s only now I realize how deep that plague of ambition has spread inside him. Like a disease, it rules him now: his thoughts, his actions, the things he chooses to see, the things he chooses to ignore. And, like a disease, one day it will be the death of him.”
― Virginia Boecker, The Witch Hunter

Rook

by Sharon Cameron (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

Quote 1:

“You are the variable in every equation, Mademoiselle.”
― Sharon Cameron, Rook

Quote 2:

“I think you are very beautiful,” René said, “especially when you are admiring mischief.”

“You must think that every time I look at you, then.”
― Sharon Cameron, Rook

Quote 3:

“She stared into the dark, motionless, envisioning again the reaction she’d seen when Madame Hasard told René that the money was gone. The way his fists had clenched on the back of his neck, the roughness of his voice that had not been from the rope. It had taken her a little time to analyze, but now she knew. What she had seen was more than shock or the loss of money. More than just pain. What she had seen was the loss of hope. And to lose hope, you must have had hope in the first place. René had been hoping to pay the fee. He’d been hoping to have her. And without the money, he thought he’d lost her. How ridiculous. What could the money have to do with it? How could René Hasard think any such thing, when it was perfectly clear that he belonged to no one but her?”
― Sharon Cameron, Rook

In the Time of Dragon Moon (Wilde Island Chronicles #3)

by Janet Lee Carey (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

An epic fantasy about dragons, dark secrets, Pendragons, and magic

On the southernmost tip of Wilde Island–far from the Dragonswood sanctuary and the Pendragon Castle–live the native Euit people. Uma, who is half Euit and half English, and not fully accepted by her tribe, wants to become a healer like her Euit father. But the mad English queen in the north, desperate for another child, kidnaps Uma and her father and demands that he cure her barrenness. After her father dies, Uma must ensure that the queen is with child by the time of the Dragon Moon, or be burned at the stake.
Terrified and alone, Uma reaches out to her only possible ally: the king’s nephew Jackrun, a fiery dragonrider with dragon, fairy, and human blood. Together, they must navigate through a sea of untold secrets, unveil a dark plot spawned long ago in Dragonswood, and find a way to accept all the elements–Euit, English, dragon, and fairy–that make them who they are.

Excerpt:

Jackrun’s eyes fell on my double-belted waist. I’d put on Father’s belt–missing Mother, missing Father, feeling alone on this strange new island full of English—and forgotten to take it off.

“If you have been given this power,” I said, “why hide it?”

Jackrun began pacing the bluff, keeping his path small, as if the grass caged him. “Just give me your promise.”

Never trust the English, Father said. I could not make promises so easily anymore. I needed to gather information as sure coin to use if I needed it. “I know some warriors in my tribe who would love to have such power.”

He barked a short, bitter laugh. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Uma.” His feet moved, his arms, his hands. “I have to get back,” he added, glancing toward the castle.

“And I have firewood to gather,” I said. You are the fox. They are the hounds. You must learn to survive.

“I’ll give you a hand,” he said. We headed down the hill. Summer stars winked above, a treasury of diamonds. On the beach I slipped off my shoes and felt the sand between my toes as Jackrun rolled up his sleeves, fell to his knees, and dug a hole with his bare hands to bury the dead bird he’d burned. When he was done, he patted the small mound with care as if he were tucking in a child.

He stood tall again, brushing off his hands. Green dragon scales covered his right forearm, each diamond-shaped scale the size of a coin. “I nearly burned Desmond tonight over that,” he said, looking down at his scaly arm. “Not my scales, but my sister’s. He insulted Tabitha. He called her neck scales repulsive. He said it in the middle of the feast, loud enough for everyone to hear. Tabby ran from the table in tears.” He swiped a hand through his hair, a swift, hard pass as a man skins an animal with a sharp blade. “He’s the same callus bastard he’s always been.”

I tasted the words callus bastard, liking the sound. The callus bastard had shed the blood of my people, the callus bastard whipped me and my father, the callus bastard slobbered on my neck, reached up the front of my dress.

Jackrun was on the move again, this time walking to the shore. Water hissed up to our feet, touched his boots and my bare toes. I pointed across the sea at the dragon flying under the stars, black as a torn piece of night. It might be Jackrun’s dragon, Babak, or Lord Kahlil. Too far away to tell. Dragons combine earth, wind, and fire in their bodies. They have a power like the sun. Jackrun had this same life force in him.
“You are the only one who can do what they do with fire.”

Jackrun’s mouth tightened. He hooked his thumb around the jeweled dagger at his belt. “You don’t understand. It’s dangerous. I’m dangerous.”

“You didn’t harm Prince Desmond tonight,” I said. “You ran outside before you burned him.”

“He deserved to burn.” His body was rigid. He glared down at me. I kept his gaze.

“Yes. He does.” Had I spoken the words out loud? For a moment his fire had released me.

“Uma Quarteney.” Jackrun’s gaze softened. Then he crouched to fill his hands with seawater and rinse his face. Water ran down his cheeks and chin, his wrists and arm scales. He looked calmer when he stood again. “You remind me of someone,” he said. “Someone I lost years ago.”

I waited for him to explain, taking in his thoughtful mouth, the weight of sorrow around it. But he never told me who he was thinking of. We circled the beach, gathering firewood.

― Janet Lee Carey, In The Time Of Dragon Moon

Lion Heart (Scarlet #3)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

The eagerly-awaited conclusion to the Scarlet trilogy delivers another action-packed and romance-filled adventure.

Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince’s clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?

Quote 1:

“I will always return to him. I can deny it all I like,” I told her in a whisper, “but when someone holds your heart, its impossible to stay away.”
― A.C. Gaughen, Lion Heart

Quote 2:

“Rob sidled up next to me. “You don’t have to come,” he told me. “We can do it.”
Glaring at him, I said, “I’m coming. For Heaven’s sake, I put on a dress and you lot think I’m a girl.”
― A.C. Gaughen, Lion Heart

Quote 3:

“You see the world as fixed and finite, and it is not. It is liquid and ever moving, and one act can change everything.”
― A.C. Gaughen, Lion Heart

Quote 4:

“David punched him across the face.
Allan dropped like a sack of potatoes.
I crossed my arms. “Was that necessary?”
“I won’t tolerate an insult to your person,” David told me, straightening his tunic. “But no. That was more for my enjoyment.”
“Well, now you have to carry him, you know,” I told David.
He raised a grim eyebrow to me. “Worth it.”
― A.C. Gaughen, Lion Heart

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1)

by Sabaa Tahir (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

 Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Quote 1:

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after. Such moments are tests of courage, of strength.”
― Sabaa Tahir, An Ember in the Ashes

Quote 2:

“There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that’s a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It’s damaged but it’s there. Don’t let them take it from you.”
― Sabaa Tahir, An Ember in the Ashes

Quote 3:

“Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.”
― Sabaa Tahir, An Ember in the Ashes

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)

by Sarah J. Maas (Goodreads Author)

Quote 1:

“Do you ever stop being so serious and dull?”
“Do you ever stop being such a prick?” I snapped back.
Dead–really, truly, I should have been dead for that.
But Lucien grinned at me. “Much better.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

Quote 2:

“Would you like me to grovel with gratitude for bringing me here, High Lord?”

“Ah. The Suriel told you nothing important, did it?”

That smile of his sparked something bold in my chest. “He also said that you liked being brushed, and if I’m a clever girl, I might train you with treats.”

Tamlin tipped his head to the sky and roared with laughter. Despite myself, I let out a quiet laugh.

“I might die of surprise,” Lucien said behind me. “You made a joke, Feyre.”

I turned to look at him with a cool smile. “You don’t want to know what the Suriel said about you.” I flicked my brows up, and Lucien lifted his hands in defeat.

“I’d pay good money to hear what the Suriel thinks of Lucien,” Tamlin said.

A cork popped, followed by the sounds of Lucien chugging the bottle’s contents and chuckling with a muttered, “Brushed.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

Quote 3:

“I was loosened, a top whirling around and around, and I didn’t know who I danced with or what they looked like, only that I had become the music and the fire and the night, and there was nothing that could slow me down.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

The Heir (The Selection #4)

by Kiera Cass (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she’d put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess’s life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can’t escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn’t expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn’s heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

Quote 1:

Rogue (Talon #2)

by Julie Kagawa (Goodreads Author)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

Ember Hill left the dragon organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of rogues. But Ember can’t forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that by doing so, he’d signed his own death warrant.

Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order’s headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember’s own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.

A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?

Quote 1:

“There are a dozen St. George soldiers hiding in that maze,” my trainer said. “All hunting you. All looking to kill you. Welcome to Phase Two of your training, hatchling.”

― Julie Kagawa, Rogue

Quote 2:

“The hardest thing about waiting to die is being torn between wanting more time and wishing they would just get it over with already.”

― Julie Kagawa, Rogue

Quote 3:

“Be polite,” Mr. Roth had said. Always a good plan when staring down an eighty foot dragon who could swallow you in one bite.

― Julie Kagawa, Rogue

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1)

Book Synopsis(Goodreads):

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Quote 1:

“The Darkest Minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.”
― Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds

Quote 2:

“Did you know…you make me so happy that sometimes I actually forget to breath? I’ll be looking at you, and my chest will get so tight…and it’s like, the only thought in my head is how much I want to reach over and kiss you.”
― Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds

Quote 3:

“I hugged him without any kind of fear or self-consciousness, fiercely, with a rush of emotion that almost brought tears to my eyes.
“I could kiss you!” Chubs cried.
“Please don’t!” I gasp out, feeling his arms tighten around my ribs to the point of cracking them.”
― Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds