Dual Reviews: The Girl From Everywhere & The Leaving Season

Hey, everyone! These two reviews are sooooooo long overdue. Mostly because one of them, I had trouble finishing it properly, but since I wanted to do a dual review post instead of two separate ones, the other has been put on hold too from publishing it. Apologies for not having put these up sooner, but better late than never, right? ;) Let me know what you thought of them, if you have read them, or if you plan to read these novels sometime in the future :) Without further ado, here are my thoughts:

Mini Reviews: The Last Time We Were Us & Autofocus

Hi, friends! It's been ages since my last reviews. There were quite a few very stressful months since I had to finish le thesis and graduate, but now I can try to get back on track with blogging since I'm all done with university [whooo *throws confetti*]. I hope you've all been reading great books and are thoroughly enjoying your summer! Here are two YA contemporary novels which I'll share my thoughts on today. Feel free to let me know what you've been up to and/or reading in my absence :)

Review: Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

Title: Assassin's Heart (Assassin's Heart, #1)
Author: Sarah Ahiers
Published: February 2nd, 2016 by HarperTeen
Read: December 9th to 18th, 2015
Add it: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

With shades of The Godfather and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a story of love, lies, and the ultimate vengeance.

I'd like to say that gorgeous covers don't allure me in, but they do! As soon as I read the blurb to match this beautiful piece of art, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it asap. This debut is a thrilling ride that's bound to capture the hearts of many readers. Lush with world building and a decent plot that's immersed with mythology, spiced with The Godfather's and Romeo & Juliet's influences, Assassin's Heart made for quite a thrilling read.

Dual Review: Every Last Word & For the Record

Hi, my loves! Long time no talk, eh? As you know, for the past year, I've been struggling with a huge, huge blogging slump + work and uni have been keeping me hella busy, but lately I've been feeling the urge to blog and I especially felt that as I was filling out answers to a tag that my friend Lisa tagged me to do. Can't wait to share it soon! Next week I'll be back with a blog tour for my favorite series in this entire universe, but today I have a dual review for you and I can't wait to see if we share any common thoughts（✿＾▿＾）

Review: Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Reckoning (The Sweet Trilogy #3)
Author: Wendy Higgins
Published: April 29th 2014
Read: July 4th to 8th, 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

Buddy-read this one with Rashika as well and, as a whole, I can say that this series is made of win. Light, fun, fast-paced and character-driven, Sweet Evil and its following novels bring you laughs and enjoyable reading experiences. While Sweet Reckoning wasn’t my favorite novel from the whole series, nor one of my favorite series endings, I did truly enjoy this read.

Review: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Peril (Sweet Evil #2)
Author: Wendy Higgins
Published: April 30th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.
When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

Buddy-read this gorgous thing with Rashika and had so much fun discussing it. Sweet Evil was one of the first YA books that I just about died while reading, because I was too busy swooning over the love interest. Yes, I’m fully team Kaidan and proud of it! While I adore Wendy Higgins to pieces, loved the first book a lot and know that the fans were satisfied with Peril, I was hesitant. Why? Well, I knew that Kai wouldn’t be in the first half that much, so I honestly didn’t know if Anna and her own adventures would be captivating enough to keep me hooked. Were they?