Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) Tomi Adeyemi Published: March 6, 2018 (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Magic is dead—and so are the gods. That’s what people believe after the night the King killed every maji he could find, killing... 
To Kill a Kingdom Alexandra Christo Published: March 6, 2018 (Feiwel & Friends) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Lira is a siren princess—and she is deadly. She has been killing human royalty since she was 12, always ripping their hearts out of their chests to celebrate each birthday.... 
The Tombs Deborah Schaumberg Published: Feb. 20, 2018 (HarperTeen) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars Avery lives in a tenement and works with the other undesirable kids as a welder. Her mother is gone, taken away to The Tombs as a mental patient years earlier, and her father has... 
The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood #1) Melissa Albert Published: Jan. 30, 2018 (Flatiron Books) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Alice Proserpine has lived her entire 17 years on the run with her mother. Never really knowing why, but knowing that, sooner or later, bad luck always found... 
Unearthed (Unearthed #1) Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner Published: Jan. 9, 2018 (Disney-Hyperion) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars Mia Radcliffe is a scavenger—a literal treasure hunter—looting areas for any money she might get. Jules Addison is a rich kid from a well-known family,... 
The Last Namsara (Iskari #1) Kristen Ciccarelli Published: Oct. 3, 2017 (Harper Teen) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Asha is the daughter of a king—but few would dare call her “Princess.” She is fierce—she is the dragonslayer. Her own father set her on that path to save her, and the kingdom, from the ravages of the dragons and... 
City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) S.A. Chakraborty Published: Nov. 14, 2017 (Harper Voyager) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Nahri is a con—she uses her fake “talents” to “heal” those who may be possessed by spirits, and then she charges fees, steals what she can, and disappears. She does have some talent—she knows when... 
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) Holly Black Published: Jan. 2, 2018 (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Jude is human, but lives in faerie. As such, she is fully neither one. Tormented by faeries, raised by the man who killed her... 
This Mortal Coil (This Mortal Coil #1) Emily Suvada Published: Nov. 7, 2017 (Simon Pulse) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 5 stars Cat is a hacker—but she doesn’t just hack computers. She hacks genes, people’s DNA. Most people have been implanted with machines that control apps, and the apps control people’s features. Want a tail? Grow one.... 
Artemis Andy Weir Published: Nov. 14, 2017 (Crown) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars The Moon. Long a dream of mankind to not only visit, but maybe—someday—to colonize. In Andy Weir’s Artemis, that dream has become a reality. Let me say this before I go any further into this review:... 
