The Head of Medusa (Elementals #3) - Michelle Madow

ARC received in exchange for honest review.

The Elementals have to take down Medusa in this novel and then are betrayed by someone they thought they could trust. I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing a few times and then nearly threw the book across the room...well, I wanted to, but it was on my tablet, so that would have been a very bad idea...

So Nicole and company are really guided by the gods in this story and I was really happy that a lot of things really started going her way, but, of course, we can't have too much happy in a book like this, so there are a few times when things go horribly (irreversibly? - I refuse to believe it) wrong... I wanted to cry for them at least 3 times while I read... That, to me, makes it a really great read. If I can get so into it that I'm emotionally invested in the characters, I say it's amazing. And so it was! Then, the ending!!!!!

 I would have died if I didn't have the ARC of book 4 waiting for me. Had to immediately read it, so I cannot wait to tell you all about that!!

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass 2) - Sarah J. Maas

WOW!! The ending to this was so heart wrenching and intense. It confirmed my suspicions about Celaena and a few of the goings on in the story. As with any good novel, however, there are still questions to be answered....

I love Chaol. Yes, he's made a lot of mistakes, especially when it comes to Celaena, but you can almost feel how much he loves her!

Dorian is seriously getting on my nerves. I mean, yeah, it's good she has a friend and all, but he's going to destroy things with Chaol and probably with the kingdom if he keeps going the way he is. I truly hope he stays a better man than the king, but with this new power...I'm not holding my breath. Especially if Celaena continues to love Chaol instead. Men have destroyed worlds for less.

Celaena, oh Celaena...what are you doing?? I do get it, truly. She's been betrayed too many times to let things go. And the death of her soul-friend is simply too much for her to handle.

I truly believe that if they'd just try to be more open with each other they would stop hurting each other so much. A lot of their problems stem from trying to protect the other by keeping certain information secret rather than risking their hearts to share it. I sincerely hope they are able to get past this huge rift in their relationship.

Cannot wait to see what happens in book 3! How far will Chaol go to win her back and keep her safe? How much will Celaena sacrifice to keep her oath to Nehemia? And what is Dorian going to do about his magic??

The Perfect Fiancé (Matchmaking for Wallflowers #0.5) - Bianca Blythe

I received The Perfect Fiancé for free as a gift for joining Bianca Blythe's reader's list.

I adored this prequel novella to the Matchmaking for Wallflowers series. It was short and sweet, while the characters were still loveable. The plot was straightforward and you see what's coming well ahead of time, but it's still a pretty good read. The characters were believable and I truly liked Rosamund's attempt at matchmaking, even if the while affair didn't quite go to plan. I look forward to reading more about these wallflowers and the stories they have to tell.

Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

 I am so glad this book wasn't all about a girl getting selected by the Crown Prince to be participate in a contest of sorts. She's meant for far more than being a prince's plaything. I love Celaena. I love her drive and her need to never give up. She's had a hard life since she can remember, but this may be her greatest challenge yet - being the Champion of the Crowned Prince.

Will she survive her new position in a castle where no one trusts her? Or will she succumb to the pressures and try to run?

I thoroughly enjoyed the story with its mystery and magic. I truly hope she doesn't fall for the prince even if she deserves to be a queen. I know she would make a lot of changes if she had the power, but I also know that she could do better with another.

Only 4 books to read in order to find out what happens!!

The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals #2) - Michelle Madow

So, now that the crew is really on their way to stopping the Titans and understand the mission they've been given by the gods, things get really intense! I love that Nicole is the underestimated one of the group, when we all know what she can do. This particular book had a lot of emotional rollercoasters for me, but it still exceeded my expectations. She's really forced to make some tough decisions throughout the journey they take, but I feel that she did as well as she could with the resources she had. Yes, there were some mistakes made, but we all do that. If she was my friend, I would absolutely 100% stand behind her. Yes, I know, I'm talking about this story like it could be real. But isn't that the point? Don't we read to escape to another place some times? Well, if that's you, you really need to keep reading this series, because it gets even better!! It pulls you in and won't let go until you're finished. it's also not a long read (which is disappointing to me because I want more), but really transports you to this alternate reality. I love it!! And cannot wait to see how Nicole + crew succeed...

Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons #7) - Jessie Donovan

I really enjoy these alpha characters and the stories they come with. It's fun to see a series that isn't all about alpha men seducing their women, but also vice versa (and oftentimes the women are stronger characters than their men).There's a bit of a plot that runs through each installment in the series, but you could get away with reading them out of order - not that I'd recommend that... They're pretty short and I wish some of the scenes were more detailed, but they're pretty good stories all in all. 

The best part about this particular novel is Nikki. She's a badass Protector dragonwoman, but a lot of her community expects her to give it up to become a baby machine...

Enter Rafe, a human (hello...illegal in their world = big problems) she's been acquainted with for years, but all of a sudden things get kicked up a notch. There's a lot of big decisions and some trust issuesdue to their shared past, but these characters were each surprising in their own ways.

I can't wait to learn more about Dr. Sid, to be honest. She's so intriguing. Oh, and hopefully there's an Irish dragons spinoff soon! I'd love that.

Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult

"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." - Martin Luther King Jr.

I love that quote. I mean, I love MLK Jr. and what he stood for, but man, that quote truly sticks out. If you're gonna live by any mantra, that is one that you should really consider.

This book was hinged on the exploration of racial issues. The plot line features Ruth as the only black RN in the hospital in which she worked. She's a labor and delivery nurse and has been for the past 20 years, so she's obviously very good at her job. She loves her job and cannot imagine doing anything differently.

Enter Turk Bauer + his wife, Brit. They're at the hospital to deliver their first son. We soon find out that they are a white supremacist family and come from a big community of them. When Ruth is assigned to the family, she is not aware, as the first nurse had been white, so it wasn't an issue until now. Well, obviously they make a ruckus about not letting the black nurse touch them or their new Aryan son, which is discrimination, but the nurse in charge, Marie, is scared of repercussions if she does not grant their wishes due to patients rights. Which is the bigger issue? To Marie, clearly she's trying to calm the family; however, Ruth takes it personally and says some things in the heat of the moment that could come back to cause problems later.

One night, the hospital is understaffed and Ruth is called in to cover another nurse and then work a double. Her friend, a white nurse, is assigned to watch Davis, the new baby, during her shift, but when one of the other new mothers-to-be has an issue during delivery, both she and Marie are called away to help...leaving Ruth with Davis, who cannot be left alone due to his recent circumcision. That's when it all goes downhill...

This book was exceedingly difficult to read due to the controversial issues covered throughout the novel. I truly loved this story, but I cried at least eight times throughout. It is so unfair how people of color are treated differently just because they look different, and due to that difference some see them as 'less than'. Less what, though? Less intelligent? Not true if they can get college degrees and doctorates as easily as white people. Less cultured? Again, not the case. Look at MLK Jr. or Michelle Obama. No, they're no different than me or Billy Bob down the street. Some white people just need a scapegoat to make themselves feel better, more powerful. However, when I put myself in Kennedy's - the white lawyer - shoes, I find myself lacking. I am not explicitly racist, but by not talking about the issues, I'm part of the problem. By not allowing myself to call it a race thing, when it most definitely is, I'm perpetuating the issue. I do not know the best way to solve the issue, or even if it will be solved in the next few decades, but I DO know that I will do my best to be an ally when needed and to do my damnedest to not be part of the issue. I will never understand what it's like to be treated as less than due to the color of my skin. I will never understand what it's like to be written off because I am different than someone else - different than what they think I should be. I do understand what struggle is, what it's like to be in a situation because of circumstance. Applying that understanding, I can try to put myself in their shoes - though it'll never be a perfect situation. I can try to help.

One of my favorite lines from the book is "How many exceptions do there have to be before you start to realize that maybe the truths you've been told aren't actually true?" This really made me open my eyes. Reminds me of question everything, and maybe we should. Maybe we should interrogate everything we are presented and not take anything as fact. There's no need to be rude about it, but engage with new ideas and allow yourself to be open to change. Sometimes when you are so unwilling to change, you miss out on so many experiences that could alter your reality. It's striking to me how the biggest proponents of an idea or belief can be the biggest hypocrites.

This entire book has really made me rethink my own beliefs and prejudices. I have biases, I know, but prejudices was a new one for me. I was like Kennedy "I don't see color", but maybe I was as bad as the rest of them. All I can do from here on is be better. I urge you to read Small Great Things and let yourself be challenged.

ARC received in exchange for honest review.