Author: Roshani Chokshi, Evelyn Skye, Sandhya Menon
Series:
Series #:
Genre: romance
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: yes

The town of Moon Ridge was founded 400 years ago and everyone born and raised there knows the legend of the young woman who perished at the stroke of twelve that very same night, losing the life she was set to embark on with her dearest love. Every century since, one day a year, the Lady of Moon Ridge descends from the stars to walk among the townsfolk, conjuring an aura upon those willing to follow their hearts’ desires.

“To summon joy and love in another’s soul
For a connection that makes two people whole
For laughter and a smile that one can never miss
Sealed before midnight with a truehearted kiss.”

This year at Moon Ridge High, a group of friends known as The Coven will weave art, science, and magic during a masquerade ball unlike any other. Onny, True, and Ash believe everything is in alignment to bring them the affection, acceptance, and healing that can only come from romance—with a little help from Onny’s grandmother’s love potion.

But nothing is as simple as it first seems. And as midnight approaches, The Coven learn that it will take more than a spell to recognize those who offer their love and to embrace all the magic that follows.

Review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

“Byron Frost might have the name and face of a poet, but he had the soul of a mechanical pencil.”

The BANTER oh my god.

AND THE NAMES IN THIS BOOK. MR. BRIGHTSIDE IS MARRIED TO ROSS GRIMJOY.

“Alexander the Great-Looking”!!!

“’Since no one got all ten right, no one gets the extra points. Alas. Maybe this upsets you, but I have found that bitterness only enhances the sweetness of existence…’ Mr. Brightside paused to look dramatically out the window.”

I am literally keeling over in stitches.

“Practicing my lurking. I’m interning with Krampus for the holidays”

I literally…cannot breathe.

And then you had beautiful lines like,

“She made him feel all five senses at once, and the bright light of her spirit consumed him.”

“Even though she was scared of the house, Ash swore he could smell the beginnings of Halloween magic in the air — clove and honey with a hint of moonlight to come.”

“The words dissipated from her suddenly dry mouth like fog burning up in the sun”

“I think Orion Parker may be my ‘solid, mortal man’ and I may indeed prefer him to the centaur I was holding out for”

This book was amazing. Normally I don’t like YA contemporary romances. But THIS BOOK. I was smiling and sighing all the way through it. I cannot explain how cute and atmospheric it is. This will be the perfect fall/Halloween read.

I loved ‘The Coven’ and their friendship. I like how supportive they were of each other, and in general I felt that the authors did an incredible job of selling both the friendships and the romances. I feel that their styles merged so wonderfully together, as they already had similar styles. It was a seamless blend that just hit the right tone and spot.

Plus, all the amazing one liners in the books. Onny’s story was definitely my favorite (I have a soft spot for “enemies-to-lovers” and grumpy hero. This was just so adorable and I can’t stop loving it.

A PERFECT witchy read for October.

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Author: Sandhya Menon
Series: St. Rosetta’s Academy
Series #: 1
Genre: contemporary, fantasy
Age Group: young adult
ARC?: no

Will the princess save the beast?

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?

His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…

As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending. 

Review

I got really tired of retellings, especially fantasy ones several months ago, and so I hesitated to read this one at the time. I am SO GLAD that I waited. Because I feel that I really wouldn’t have enjoyed this book if I had read it when I first wanted to. (Okay, February, but still.) I enjoyed this book, and I felt that it was a read I had fun with, and one that I liked. This is a 3.5 stars for me.

Now, I LOVED the writing in here. That alone is enough to convince me to try Menon’s other works. The writing was absolutely delightful and I feel the way that she depicted the characters made them come off the page with how she wrote them. It was also nice because we had two POVs, and they were clear, distinct voices. To me, that is a huge plus. Sometimes multiple POVs can sound the same because it is the author writing it, but this was not the case here.

The pacing for this book worked. We have nice pacing throughout the book. It is steady, consistent pacing. It isn’t action packed or fast, but there are events that happen that propel the plot forward. However, to me, the pacing was well done as it steps what is happening up the further along you get in the book all the way to the end.

This is pretty much a beauty and the beast plot line with a contemporary twist and I enjoyed that about this book! It was a different take without being too much of an exact replica. I also appreciated that there were multiple other characters who appeared and were fleshed out.


There were a lot of interesting subplots happening throughout this book, and it helped keep the book moving forward. To me, that was really successful. I like plots that keep me engaged.

Jaya is my love! I love Jaya’s character, and I think it was amazing to see a totally different take on “beauty”. We get to see a strong, young woman who is struggling to figure out herself. Jaya’s journey in this was really powerful, and there were some great moments with Jaya as she goes through her ARC.


The romance was low-key, enemies to lovers in this book. Yes, there was some romance, but to me, a big portion of this book was focused on familial duty, sisterhood and friendships. And that was all excellent.


Grey wasn’t my favorite character, but I still enjoyed his chapters. He’s broody, but has emotions and he has to deal with those. Grey also has a character arc, but I feel for me at least, his ending was a little sudden. I wanted to see a bit more progression like we did with Jaya.

I liked this book! I enjoyed reading it, and I got lost in the book for hours as I read it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys retellings, contemporary romance, or the enemies to lovers trope.

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