Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has always been a fighter--yet as a young teen, no one knew she was also a victim. Combining Kayla's powerful story of sexual abuse by her judo coach with science-based information from two renowned therapists, this unique book provides critical guidance for parents and professionals. Learn how to spot the signs that a child or teen is being groomed, why kids stay silent about their trauma, how they struggle with self-blame and the brutal betrayal of a trusted authority figure, and exactly what kind of help they need to recover. No one is more qualified than Kayla and her expert coauthors to explain the impact of child sexual abuse--and what you can do to keep kids safe.
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
Welcome to Weep.
In a star system dominated by the brutal Vathek empire, eighteen-year-old Amani is a dreamer. She dreams of what life was like before the occupation; she dreams of writing poetry like the old-world poems she adores; she dreams of receiving a sign from Dihya that one day, she, too, will have adventure, and travel beyond her isolated moon.
But when adventure comes for Amani, it is not what she expects: she is kidnapped by the regime and taken in secret to the royal palace, where she discovers that she is nearly identical to the cruel half-Vathek Princess Maram. The princess is so hated by her conquered people that she requires a body double, someone to appear in public as Maram, ready to die in her place.
As Amani is forced into her new role, she can’t help but enjoy the palace’s beauty—and her time with the princess’ fiancé, Idris. But the glitter of the royal court belies a world of violence and fear. If Amani ever wishes to see her family again, she must play the princess to perfection...because one wrong move could lead to her death.
The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling EMBER QUARTET.
Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.
Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.
And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion--even at the cost of his humanity.
I’ve been a huge fan of Sabaa Tahir’s work ever since I’ve first discovered her Ember Quartet back in 2016, when the first two installments of the series were released, so I was beyond excited to finally get my hands on this book! I have to admit I’ve nearly forgotten how good of a storyteller Tahir actually was, but this book made me remember exactly how much I loved both these characters and this magical world she has created—and then made me fall in love some more.
A Reaper at the Gates picks up a few months after the events of A Torch Against the Night with the Martial Empire on the brink of war—and on more than one battlefront. As was the case in the latter, the story is told from various points of view, and once again features the voices of Helene, Laia, and Elias. The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, needs to play a sort of a game of thrones, trying to balance between the ever more unstable Emperor Marcus and the cunning Commandant, Illustrians and Plebeians, in order to prevent the civil war that now more than ever seems inevitable, all the while trying to protect the Empire from the enemies outside its borders. In Marinn, Laia of Serra seeks a way to defeat the Nightbringer and protect her people from both the Martials and revenge of the jinn, while Elias is still stuck in the Waiting Place, forced to choose between his humanity and fulfilling his role as a Soul Catcher.
Helene’s part was by far my favourite. Apart from the fact that she is my favourite character in this series and one of the best female protagonists out there, I was genuinely interested in reading about all the politic intrigues and machinations of the Empire. I’m so glad she got an even bigger role in this book and I honestly can’t wait to find out what else Sabaa Tahir has in store for her. I really hope she gets to live through this all mess and finally finds love and happiness because she truly deserves it.
Laia’s part I’ve also enjoyed, although not as much as Helene’s considering it could get a bit dull from time to time. Still, I liked what Tahir has done with Laia’s character and I don’t mind that there were a few relapses to the “beginning of the book one Laia”, considering it gave her a chance to mature and develop a bit more as a person.
Elias’s POV was actually the one that kind of disappointed me. I used to love his character, the way he always walked the thin line between the person he was raised to be and thought himself to be and the person he wanted to be. But I have to admit I didn't really like the turn that his arc took at the end of the second book, and I'm afraid that continued in the third book as well. I could see that what he was going through was really hard for him and it's not that I didn't care about, but rather that most of the things I liked about him were "gone", he seemed a bit whiny and overall I just found his storyline much less compelling than the other two, especially Helene's.
Usually, one of my favourite parts of a book is when all the separate plotlines converge and every little seemingly inconsequential detail clicks into place—and that’s precisely what happened here. Sabaa Tahir really outdid herself this time because that ending was epic! The final battle was so tense and unpredictable that I honestly wasn’t sure who and if anyone was actually going to live nor how things were going to end; I literally couldn't stop turning the pages. After I was done, all I could do was just stare at the wall thinking about what I've just read—it was just that good. I'm quite satisfied with how most things were left off, especially *spoiler>* the alliance between Helene and Laia—I can’t wait to see how that turns out—*end spoiler* and I’m beyond hyped about seeing how everything resolves in the final book.
The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks and vampires. There the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. Through two centuries, however, there has been a frequent visitor to the Shadow Market from the City of Bones, the very heart of the Shadowhunters. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs, and his love, then and always, is the warlock Tessa Gray.Follow Brother Zachariah and see, against the backdrop of the Shadow Market’s dark dealings and festive celebrations, Anna Lightwood’s first romance, Matthew Fairchild’s great sin and Tessa Gray plunged into a world war. Valentine Morgenstern buys a soul at the Market and a young Jace Wayland’s soul finds safe harbor. In the Market is hidden a lost heir and a beloved ghost, and no one can save you once you have traded away your heart. Not even Brother Zachariah...
My opinion about Ghosts of the Shadow Market has varied quite a bit over time (as I was reading the novellas as they were being individually published throughout 2018), depending on both the novella I was reading and how big of a fan of the Shadowhunter universe I was at the moment.
I love the overall concept of it—a series of short stories spanning almost century and a half and following the mystery of the lost line of Herondales, with Jem as the protagonist. Ever since hearing about it, I was absolutely sure I was bound to love it.
(Possible Queen of Air and Darkness spoilers ahead)
Unfortunately, as it tends to happen with most of Clare’s latest work, the whole story was kind of watered down in the process, especially in the last two novellas with all the new QoAaD developments being almost randomly thrown in (mainly, Ty-situation and Janus—trying to keep it as spoiler-free as possible).
The Lost World, in particular, seemed quite unnecessary for the overall storyline. Yes, it was amazing reading about these characters and seeing how they were faring after what went down in QoAaD, but I honestly couldn’t see any other connection between it and other novellas—with the exception of that one scene which was kind of randomly thrown in and didn’t have much to do with the rest of the novella. As a stand-alone, sure, I’d love to read it, but as a part of this “collection” that some people will pick up wanting to know the story of the Lost Herondales and the First Heir, it’s simply irrelevant
Pretty much the same goes for Forever Fallen. I was really glad for all the Carstairs family scenes, as they really made a nice little closure and I loved seeing the dynamics of them living together. But frankly, I don’t really see the need for Janus’s part. Yes, it includes a Shadow Market scene—by the way, what the actual fuck was that whole thing with “an impenetrable glamour”?? I was completely weirded out—but does it have anything to do with anything the whole series of novellas is supposed to be about? Absolutely no.
Which brings me to another thing has kind of annoyed me about Clare for quite some time now, and now she’d done it again. With both The Lost World and Forever Fallen Clare basically did nothing for the storyline of Ghosts of the Shadow Market and everything to “foreshadow” (I don’t know if I can even call it foreshadowing because in my book foreshadowing means something much more subtle than what she did here) The Wicked Powers. And maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m overreacting a bit, but at this point, it honestly looks like she does everything she possibly can in order to compel people to buy and read her upcoming books. Which is fine and all—I completely understand that she wants to keep people interested and usually I love when people drop subtle hints about their upcoming series—but to me, this is just taking it too far and I honestly can’t stand it anymore.
That issues aside, I’d like to end this review on a positive note by saying that, as much as I disliked some things, there were a lot of things I enjoyed about this series as well. Cast Long Shadows, The Wicked Ones and The Land I Lost were my favourites, but most of the other novellas were really fun to read as well, and some of them really gave me major feels (I’d definitely recommend A Deeper Love and Through Blood, Through Fire if you are a Jessa fan)
Overall, Ghosts of the Shadow Market is not a bad book/collection of stories/whatever these are called and ultimately I’m glad I’ve read it.
Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.
The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.
Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.
Fall in love, break the curse.
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.
The highly anticipated third book in Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling EMBER QUARTET.
Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister's life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias's devotion--even at the cost of his humanity.
The thrilling second installment in New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.
It should have taken Juliette a single touch to kill Warner. But his mysterious immunity to her deadly power has left her shaken, wondering why her ultimate defense mechanism failed against the person she most needs protection from.
She and Adam were able to escape Warner’s clutches and join up with a group of rebels, many of whom have powers of their own. Juliette will finally be able to actively fight against The Reestablishment and try to fix her broken world. And perhaps these new allies can help her shed light on the secret behind Adam’s—and Warner’s—immunity to her killer skin.
Juliette’s world is packed with high-stakes action and tantalizing romance, perfect for fans of the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard and the Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken.
Ransom Riggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, raved: "A thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love, the Shatter Me series is a must-read for fans of dystopian young-adult literature—or any literature!"
Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.
Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.
But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.
Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.