Kindle Sneak Peek!

 Here is a Sneak Peek at my Kindle! As an Amazon Prime member, once a month, they offer free books and sometimes small bonus reads. Just one more perk to having Prime. (And a cheap way to add books to my library!)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Book 1 of The Lunar Chronicles) Book Review

This book is considered Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Dystopia, and Fairy Tales.

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with mature medical issues, including pandemics, deadly illnesses, medical abuse, death, grief, emotional and verbal abuse, and discrimination.  

"Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time."

Cinder is a story about Linh Cinder, a sixteen-year-old girl living in New Beijing. She is known as a gifted mechanic, but she has a secret. She is a cyborg! What does that mean? It means that Cinder is thought of as a second-class citizen, much like the inspiration for the novel, Cinderella. 

Like Cinderella, Cinder has an evil stepmother, Adri, who resents that she has to raise this cyborg and never misses a chance to remind Cinder of it. She and her two daughters, Peony and Pearl, mirror those of Cinderella's story. However, there is a twist. 

A deadly plague is ravaging the population of New Beijing. And the fate of Earth rests on Cinder. As a cyborg, she is property of her stepmother, and when the opportunity arises, Adri volunteers Cinder for the experiments being performed on cyborgs to try and find a cure.  

But there are some things even Cinder doesn't know. Secrets from her past are about to come to the surface, all while Prince Kai tries to navigate life as the heir to the throne, a deadly plague in his city. Both Cinder and Kai will be torn between duty and freedom as they try to find a cure before it's too late. 

The Review

I am not really sure how to give Cinder a review without giving too much away, but I will try. The story of Cinderella is often told for children; this feels like a more mature, almost PG-13 version. And I loved that. It has a creative twist on the traditional fairy tale, layered with darker elements that echo the original story. 

In many ways, I think this could be considered a "coming of age" story for Cinder. Throughout the novel and her journey, she grows significantly and begins to understand who she really is. She is a badass, resourceful, stubborn, and far from the typical princess. Honestly, she made my former tomboy heart very happy. 

SPOILER ALERT

After Peony catches letumosis (the plague), Cinder feels drawn to helping her. When she discovers that she is immune to the disease because of her cyborg parts, she feels like she can help save Peony, the stepsister who's always been kind to her. Unfortunately, Peony dies before anything can be done, which becomes a major turning point. 

Cinder is taken for testing and learns of her immunity. She also learns there are secrets from her past that even she didn't know. Dr. Erland reveals that she is a Lunar (from the planet Luna).  Naturally, they assume she is a fugitive of some sort. Dr Erland believes Cinder is a "shell", though she isn't, and soon her powers start to come back to her. 

Meanwhile, the evil Queen Levana arrives in the city, She is the ruler of the Lunars and has come to New Beijin to convince Prince Kai to marry her. Once he does, she will give him the antidote for letumosis, so the city's scientists can replicate it. But she has a deeper agenda: to kill Kai and control the Earth. 

As the story unfolds, Cinder's identity begins to surface, and she realises she is not just any Lunar, she is the lost Princess Selene, the rightful heir to the Lunar Throne. Queen Levana (her aunt), had tried to kill her, and for her safety, she was taken to Earth to hide. 

This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. While Cinder doesn't save the world just yet, she does find her strength, her identity, and her purpose. After escaping custody, she sets her sights on Luna and her rightful place on the throne.

I bought this book from Chapters / Indigo. And I read it for a Book Club, I put on. It took about 38 weeks, reading a chapter a week. 

Rating and Recommendation

I originally gave this book five stars; looking back, I downgraded that to four. I think I would probably go down to three and a half, but I am giving the book the benefit of the doubt and say a part of the problem is that I don't typically read fantasy. 

It was a good book. I enjoyed it, even though it's not typically my thing. I still recommend this novel to friends who like fantasy and twists on fairy tales. Or young adults just getting into reading. I think the theme of a Cinderella parallel is interesting and could really capture a young adult's attention. That being said, I do not think I would read this book again. There are other books in The Lunar Chronicles series, and I haven't looked into them yet. So the series didn't pull me in as much as I had hoped it would. 

I bought this book so I could read it. I don't regret buying it by any means, but I didn't have the urge to go out and buy the next books. If I do read the next books in the series, I will probably see if the library has them before making a decision on purchasing them for myself. (I must admit, though, seeing the box set does make me want to go out and buy it!)

Conclusion

I did a LONG book club for this novel on Creative Arts' website a few years back. I read one chapter a week and did a bit of a review per chapter. I think looking back now, that may have affected my review of the book. I gave it five stars at the time, though now I wonder if it was just a little bit of salesmanship, also. (No one wants to join a book club that's reading just an average book.) With that being said, years later, I still think about Cinder and Kai. It is a book that stuck with me. 

I don't tend to gravitate towards fantasy books (minus the extremely popular ones). But the concept of this one really pulled me in. So anyone who likes fantasy or twists on classics should definitely give this one a try. 

You can find Cinder in its respective mediums below: 

Cinder and The Lunar Chronicles are being adapted into an animated film by Locksmith Animation, along with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. The movie is slated to release in November of 2028

* Book cover image retrieved from the author's website. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

* Dragon and books provided by moimesfolies via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License

Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens - Book Review

This book is considered Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Romance, and Mystery

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with mature subject matter, including sexual assault, murder, injustices, and instances of racism reflective of the time. 

"In town, they tell the story of the Marsh Girl."

Where the Crawdads Sing is a beautiful book about Kya Clark, a young girl whom society forgot. Dubbed the "Marsh Girl", Kya grows up on the outskirts of Barkley Cove, a small fishing village in South Carolina. 

Kya's journey is a powerful coming-of-age story. As a child, with no formal education, and later as a young woman trying to navigate the world, she learns everything through observation and experience. From societal expectations to relationships, Kya's story is a rollercoaster ride of solitude and genetic propensity to being drawn to fitting in. 

Alone for most of her life, Kya relies on the marsh and its wildlife for survival and understanding. With only one day of schooling, she learns all she needs from the world around her. 

As she grows older, Kya begins to crave a connection. She is drawn to two young men from Barkley Cove: Tate Walker and Chase Andrews. Tate is kind, grounded, and familiar; his life and values align closely with Kya's. His father is a fisherman, and he knows the value of a hard day's work and has a love for the marsh as well. 

Chase, on the other hand, is Barkley Cove's golden boy. He is popular, charming, and from a well-respected family. He is the quarterback of the football team, and he is always surrounded by people. But Chase Andrews has a secret. He's been meeting up with the "Marsh Girl". 

When his body is later found at the base of a water tower, the question becomes impossible to ignore: what really happened?

The Review

In my opinion, the book has a slow start. It's heartbreaking to read about Kya's early life. This book is one of those rare books that hits differently depending where you are in life. I think if I had read it when I was younger, it may have evoked different emotions. That said, I think everyone can connect with the themes of Where the Crawdads Sing. Loneliness, survival, trauma, these are all very relatable themes and even if we haven't personally experienced these emotions are triggers we can typically empathise with.  

As the story progresses, I think most women can identify with Kya. She is experiencing life alone, and she is learning and growing into a young woman. Kya has to navigate life largely on her own, her first period, her first love, her first heartbreak, all without her mother and older sisters for guidance. She learns, at times the hard way, to trust her instincts.

When the Climax nears, the focus shifts more heavily to Chase Andrews and his death. By the time of his death, Chase was married to Pearl and had seemingly the perfect life. But only his mother really knew that he was still sneaking out to the marsh to visit with Kya. What happened to him? And what role did his connection to Kya play? 

SPOILER ALERT

When Chase attempts to rape Kya, everything changes. I believe Kya realises that she is not safe. She has invited a predator into her life, and he deceived her. She has seen this in nature and recognises that males like Chase Andrews will not stop. Unless they are stopped. Inspired by fireflies, Kya leads Chase to the water tower and leads him to his death. 

Kya proves to have grown into a brilliant young woman. She planned everything. Every minute of Chase's death was planned so that she had an alibi. Even though she was arrested and spent some time in jail, Kya was acquitted of Chase's murder after the evidence proved that she was meeting her publisher in the town over and there was no evidence she had made it to Barkley Cove and back in time to be seen at breakfast the next day. 

As I said, I think this book hits differently depending on a person's stage of life. I found myself shocked and, in a complicated way, proud of Kya when I learned that she had killed Chase. She recognised she couldn't live life in fear. While I don't support violence or vigilantism, I think many readers, especially those who have experienced sexual assault (or assault in general), can understand what Kya was feeling at that time. 

I read this book as an ebook. 

Where the Crawdads Sing was one of the books in a reading list for a course I was taking. While none of the assigned books initially sparked my interest, I had heard a lot about this one, especially with the release of the film adaptional. My course led me to a free PDF file from Internet Archive, I downloaded it, and read it on my Kindle Scribe. 

Rating and Recommendation

I originally gave this book four stars; looking back, I downgraded that to three and a half. As I mentioned, I had to read this book for school. And it was good for a school book, I was pleasantly surprised, and I think that biased my rating originally. As I was writing this review, I realised that I really had no desire to read it again. 

Typically, for my reviews, I listen to books I have previously read at double the speed, just as a refresher, as I write my reviews. A way to jog my memory about the book and my feelings about it. I borrowed this book from the library (Libby) and couldn't bring myself to listen to it. It didn't appeal to me. And that may be because I had to do such an intense dive into the book for school.

I am glad to have read it, it was a welcome surprise compared to some of the other things I had to read for school, but definitely not on my list or rereading go-tos, which is slightly embarrassing since I just put it on my favourites bookshelf last week! 

I didn't go out and buy this book. And to be honest, I didn't even put it on my wish list. I have the free PDF file, and that's good enough for me. If I ever did see it on sale (for a reasonable price), I probably would add it to my library, but it's not high on my list.

Conclusion

If you have never read it, it's definitely worth a try. A lot of people love this book. If Historical Fiction is your typical genre, you may be better suited to this book. If you can't get through the book, definitely check out the movie. 

There are many different themes to this book, so it does speak to a wide range of people. If you enjoy a little mystery in your stories, you may enjoy this one. That's what drew me to it in the first place. It's not a "whodunit", but there is a play on it. Also, if you are a new adult reader, especially a young lady, this may be a wonderful book for you. This is one of the only times I think I can say that I enjoyed the movie more than the book. 

You can find Were the Crawdads Sing in its respective mediums below: 

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022, directed by Reese Witherspoon and Laura Neustadter) is currently available on Netflix, though it is leaving soon! It is available to rent or own on Prime Video.

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

* Stack of books provided by anaterate via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License

Game Changer by Rachel Reid (Book 1 of the Game Changer Series) Review

This book (and entire series) is LGBTQIA+ themed. 

This book specifically is focused on two gay men (MM)

Other genres: Romance, Sports, Sports Romance

Before there was Heated Rivalry, there was Game Changer! 

In case you have been living under a rock the last few months, let me introduce you to the Game Changer Series by Rachel Reid. Gaining popularity, thanks to the Crave adaptation, the Game Changer Series has become an international phenomenon! But before Ilya and Shane, there was Kip and Scott. 

Kip Grady is casually going about his life, working as a barista at Straw and Berry, while living at home to help pay his way through grad school. Little did he know his life was about to change. 

Scott Hunter is the captain of the New York Admirals. And like any professional hockey player, Scott is going through a slump. Frustrated with how the season is going, Scott is ready to try anything to get back to his winning ways. One day, while out running, he stopped in a little smoothie shop. 

Blue Moon over Brooklyn, extra banana. That is Kip Grady's professional recommendation. And wouldn't you know it, Scott Hunter is a blueberry and banana fan. That night, Scott scored a hat-trick (3 goals), and the tradition began. Professional athletes are strange like that, keeping routines alive so as not to break the lucky streak. And with that in mind, Scott starts to frequently visit Kip at work to get his special smoothies. 

Known as one of New York's most eligible bachelors, pro hockey star Scott Hunter has a secret. Something that might derail his career entirely. He couldn't actually be seen with another man, could he? He had people who depended on him, but how much longer can he keep his love life a secret?

The Review

I must admit, I only started reading this series because of the Crave/HBO Max series Heated Rivalry. But I fell in love. I loved the slow burn that "Skip" (Scott + KIP) provided; there was a lot more romance and "meat" to the story. I enjoyed getting to know Kip, meeting his friends, and his family. It is such a sharp contrast to Scott, who is alone in life; he lost his parents young, and he doesn't really seem to have time for friends, though he does have teammates that he considers friends. He lives in a large penthouse and doesn't worry about money. The only thing Scott cares about is the New York Admirals, carrying his teammates to "the cup" and keeping his squeaky clean image. Kip, on the other hand, has long since come to terms with who he is, and everyone in his life supports him.

I think that's what I love about their story. Kip sees Scott as a pro-hockey player; he has money, he's handsome, has all kinds of things going for him. While Scott looks at Kip and sees everything he wants to be, free. Their relationship is hard to navigate, and it's heartbreaking to see how torn Scott becomes between his professional life and his personal life. 

SPOILER ALERT

Ultimately, Scott and Kip get their happily ever after in a very public way. And as a hockey girl, it made me screetch in delight. Every "tomboy" hockey girl has dreamed about the sexy hockey player making the grand gesture on the ice for them. For me, it was a certain Ottawa Senator, down on one knee with a dozen red roses and a wedding ring. Just me? Okay. . . Anyway, it is a wonderful ending to their story and a great start to the Game Changer series. 

I listened to this book through my local library (via Libby). 

The audiobook of Game Changer was narrated by Tor Thom. The first time I listened to the book, I didn't have a problem with the narration. In fact, I loved that Tor Thom did all kinds of different voices for each character. This really brought the characters to life in my opinion. Now that the TV series has come out, a lot of people seem to dislike Tor Thom's interpretation of Kip Grady. I must admit I understand. In the audiobook, Kip sounds very tough, like a hard New Yorker (with an accent), and a little barbaric in ways. That is definitely not what was portrayed in the TV series. While I do recognise that Kip Grady should probably have a New York accent, now that I know more about Kip, the accent used by Tor Thom definitely didn't suit the character. 

Tor Thom narrated Heated Rivalry (Book 2), as well as Tough Guy (Book 3), before being replaced. Many fans are now calling for the books to be rerecorded either by Cooper North (the person who took over narrating the series) or by the actors from the TV series. 

I don't care one way or another for a rerecord, but it is hard to deny that hearing Francois Arnaud (Scott Hunter) and Robbie G.K. (Kip Grady) reading their story would be amazing. 

Rating and Recommendation

I originally gave this book four stars, but that's because I had heard such great things about Heated Rivalry (Ilya and Shane's story). Now that I have listened to the whole series, I have changed my mind. Game Changer, for me, is a five-star book. I love the back and forth, the slow burn, the yearning for each other. I love that they have a love story, one that can make anyone (even a 30-something-year-old straight woman) want to fall in love like that. 

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I like Scott and Kip's story the best out of the original series. (By original series, I mean all the books before The Long Game. I consider this a sequel to Heated Rivalry, and naturally, now that I have fallen in love with Ilya and Shane, I can't be unbiased when reading any story involving them.)

After listening to this book, I bought it (and the whole series) from Indigo online. I also pre-ordered the next book in the series. 

Conclusion

If you are a fan of sports romance novels, of hockey, or just a fan of MM stories, you will love the Game Changer Series. Keep in mind, there are a lot of sexual scenes that are very detailed. If you offend easily or are under the age of majority, a different series may be better suited for you. 

You can find Game Changer in its respective mediums below: 

You can find Heated Rivalry (2025, directed by Jacob Tierney), Season 1, on Crave (CAN) or HBO Max (USA). 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley). 
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

Review System

Before I post any reviews, I want to take the time to explain my process when it comes to reviewing. Many people have different ways and styles. I am still trying to figure out the best way to make these blogs work. So far, this is what I have. And I think it will work well, at least for now. 

The Star System

                            

Since GoodReads uses a star system, I decided to use the same system on my blog to try to keep things less confusing. GoodReads does not offer half stars, but I will post half stars if needed here and indicate them in my GoodReads reviews. If I feel that a book leans more one way than another, I will choose that star rating and then explain why. 

Book Type

I read a lot of books. And I read them in many different forms. To indicate which way I have read them, I will add the following symbols: 

This symbolises a normal book. 

This symbolises an audiobook

This symbolises an ebook

My Library 

For each book, I will indicate how I got my hands on it and if I own the book itself. While this isn't very important, it shows my faith in the book. If I spent my own money on the book to have it in my collection, I think it is another piece of the review. One of the best endorsements I can give a book is owning a copy myself. 

It is in my personal library

It was a gift 

Advanced Reader Copy. This means I read a pre-published version of a book (for free) in exchange for a review. 

The Review

And finally, the review. I want to first highlight that everyone has different tastes. What may be a five-star book for me could be a two-star book for you and vice versa. With that being said I hope that, whether you agree with me or not, you can find something useful in my reviews. I hope to talk about the writing style, the plot, the flow, the look and feel of the book, etc. I also hope to compare books to each other so that fans of one can find their new "to be read" book. 

For audiobooks, I will be making comments about the reader. Again, this is just my opinion. I won't give a specific rating on that because, in my opinion, it is not a reflection of the book. Some readers make the book that much better; others can take you out of the book completely. Everyone is going to have a different experience when it comes to that, and that's okay, too. 

If I am reviewing a book in a series, I will do my best to link to the previous books in the series and the next book as soon as I review it. You can also search by tags or by author to find a book you are looking for. 

I will provide links to the books when I can, in the formats available. Some books may only be available as ebooks or may be out of print in certain formats, but I will do my best to link them when I can. The links will probably lead to Amazon. I am a member of the Amazon Associates Program and may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase. 

Note: As I stated before, trigger warnings (TW) will be posted at the beginning of the post. I will also do my best to write about the target audience for this type of book, the genre, etc. 

*Star system "sticker" provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley)

*The book type "stickers" provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley)

*My Library "stickers" provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley)

My Bookshelf (April 2026)

Check out my bookshelf! On the left are my favourites! On the right are books I want to read or am in the process of reading!!

These are some of the book reviews you can look forward to on this blog! 

Welcome Post

Hello and welcome to my blog! 

My name is Amy, though I write under the pen name A.L. Keegan. I am currently an unpublished author working on two novel series.

The first follows a teenage girl, Andrea Thomas, as she navigates life's tragedies, the complexities of love, and the dangerous fallout of a bitter ex-boyfriend. In the first three novels of The Thomas Family Series, watch Andrea grow into a young woman and face everything life has to throw at her - including being the only daughter in a large family.

The second is a spin-off of sorts, centred on an elite group of Special Agents within a fictional division of Canada's RCMP. The Missing and Kidnapped Children's Unit follows teams from around Canada - deployed across the country, as they work tirelessly to protect at-risk children and reunite them with their families. The first group of novels follow Eastern Ontario's Alpha Team with team leader Sean Patterson hunting down criminals and ghosts from his past. 

While I work towards publication, I wanted to create a space to share more of myself and re-establish an online presence. (You may have seen some of my reviews on Creative Art's website, where I did a spotlight, or their blog.) Writing reviews is something I truly enjoyed, and I am ready to return to it! I am excited to share my thoughts, not just as an author but as a reader and a lifelong lover of books! 

You can expect a wide range of reviews here. This includes everything from children's books to "smutty" romance. Because of that, I want to be upfront: I will be reviewing books across the full spectrum. I will review 50 Shades of Grey and Heated Rivalry, and anything in between. If that's not your cup of tea, there will still be plenty of other reviews and content you may enjoy more! 

I will also do my best to include trigger warnings should they apply to certain books, but I am only human. Please take your mental health seriously and take your triggers seriously.  

I am glad you're here, and I hope you enjoy this blog and the posts to follow!

A.L. Keegan