Reviewed by Kim Anisi for Readers' Favorite

The Last Suttee by Madhu Bazaz Wangu tells the story of Kumud who, at the age of only nine, had to witness the suttee of her aunt. A suttee happens when a wife follows her dead husband onto the pyre and is burned alive. It is believed that this will turn her into a saint and bring her family good luck for a few generations. And unfortunately, in some parts of India, a widow is still seen as worth nothing. A woman without a man is a burden on society. Kumud wants to change this and is working at an orphanage for girls. When she receives a phone call about a suttee that is supposed to happen in her old home town, Kumud knows one thing for sure: she cannot let it happen again. She leaves everything behind, but how will she change the old beliefs of people in a town that does not want to change?

When I picked up The Last Suttee by Madhu Bazaz Wangu, I wasn't quite sure whether I would like it or not. With cultural novels, there is always the danger that they might turn out to be boring, even though the idea itself is exciting. Fortunately, this wasn't the case here. The writing style made it easy to feel like you are right in the middle of the story. You get to know Kumud better and better with each chapter, and it's interesting to get an insight into her upbringing, her experiences, and why she ended up where we find her. Her story is revealed bit by bit, and not in one huge information dump. It's like getting to know a real person: you can know them for a long time, and still discover new things about them again and again.

Reading about Kumud always felt fresh and I definitely didn't get bored with her. She's an awesome character. Her journey is one full of courage, despair, hope, and resilience. I found the author a bit cruel at the end of the book. I can't give anything away, but you'll end up loving and hating her on a few pages because expected and unexpected, feared and hoped for events kind of mix themselves up in a way that plays havoc with your emotions a little. It definitely was a great reading experience as you couldn't be sure what would really happen until you arrived at the end!

Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

Angeline was meant to be a wallflower, a means for her uncle to show everyone just how beautiful his own daughter was. He wanted his daughter to marry Lord Cedric, but following a previous encounter, Cedric only had eyes for Angeline. He hated her and loved her. He wished for her demise, yet fought to keep her safe. His incubus bloodline wanted the pleasure of her virginity, and another part of him craved even more. It was all he could do to be near her. Biting remarks and hostile actions become the only way to prevent himself giving in to the temptation. Cedric seeks revenge, and he needs power to exact it, and the woman with him has a magic in her blood that sings to him. Can he resist her, or will he have to succumb to the part of himself that he tries to keep repressed in order to achieve his own ambitions?

In Cedric the Demonic Knight: The Cedric Series Book 1 by Valerie Willis, you watch Angeline's gradual transformation from a tearful, downtrodden whiner to a skilful, independent ranger. She feared Cedric, who treated her like despised and unwanted property, and yet she needed him. This book is written in a style that would welcome a young adult audience, and fans of L.J. Smith and Vampire Hunter D particularly will find something for them in the brooding, vicious bad boy Cedric, an incubus moroi cross blood creation nursing his own tragic past and fears. This is partly a tale of self-discovery as both Cedric and Angeline learn both who they are and about each other, and in part a supernatural quest for revenge as Cedric journeys across the land, slaying powerful and imaginative creations.

Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite

There is something mysterious about the invitation itself, both in the way it appears on paper and the strangeness of its content. It is a singular opportunity to embark on a journey to face her fears and have her most precious wish granted, and she’s only got until midnight to respond. As temping as it may seem, Hope would have loved to have nothing to do with the tournament, but then the hosts won’t let her have her way. She barely has time for anything, even her swim team and her studies, but she accepts the invitation and finds herself thrust onto Mount Olympus, where she faces the pantheon of Greek gods — her trainers.

Hope has to overcome many challenges, each one more dangerous than the one before. Two things seem to make her stay — the desperate hope of having a cure for her mother and the gorgeous and shadowy god who tempts her in ways she can’t understand. Can she ignore the distractions and become the unusual contender in a tournament of heroes? Olympian Challenger by Astrid Arditi is a novel that will delight young readers and fans of Greek mythology. The author has succeeded in creating or recreating a world where men and gods walk side by side and where the drama among gods can be filled with more cunning than a human has ever known. The writing is exceptionally fluid, fueling the already well-paced plot with great use of dialogues and descriptions. The author weaves humor into the narrative, crafting a story with a powerful conflict and characters that are as real as can be, even in their encounters with the gods. Olympian Challenger is a gorgeous read, as exciting as it is well-told.

Reviewed by Donna Gielow McFarland for Readers' Favorite

Underneath: A Merfolk Tale (The Under Series Book 1) by M.N. Arzú is a mermaid tale like no other. This deservedly award-winning novel begins as a half-drowned merman with a deep gash in his tail washes up on the coast of Maine. The comatose merman is rushed to ER where surgeon Gwen Gaston takes him under her protection and the medical staff try to figure out what to do with him. Meanwhile, the family of the merman, Christopher Brooks, son of billionaire Julian Brooks, is desperate to get him back without blowing their cover. It’s not long before the United Nations gets involved and the merman is moved to a secure location. Merfolk have politics, too, and Julian is not allowed his vote on the council -- he's just supposed to be patient and wait for a decision. The U.S. military gets involved, a video goes viral, and the whole world -- including a very tenacious reporter -- soon learns about the mysterious being. Some in power see the existence of merfolk as a threat (and take action accordingly), protesters try to “Save the Mermaid” and the family and a doctor who truly care try to figure out how to navigate the system to save Chris. It’s not an easy task.

I found Underneath: A Merfolk Tale to be very enjoyable, expertly written and extremely believable, except for the merman part, of course. But if a merman were really to wash ashore, this is exactly the sort of thing that would happen. The story reminded me of an old movie where an extraterrestrial comes to earth and is discovered by a child, except this story is for YA and adults (not because of the subject matter, but because of the complexity of the plot). Underneath: A Merfolk Tale gets more and more exciting as the plot thickens and M.N. Arzú is very good at dropping hints to gradually show a fuller picture of the merfolk society. There were times I was confused about the backstory, but Underneath is the first book in The Under Series so I expect it all makes sense in the end. I really enjoyed the bits of humor and layers of mystery. Underneath comes to a satisfying conclusion, but the story is far from over and the rest of the series is definitely going on my reading list. Highly recommended for lovers of science fiction, fantasy, mystery and good stories in general. I expect to some day see M.N. Arzú’s name on a national best-sellers list.