#nightbreaker

[ghostywind]

WIP Wednesday except it's Thursday in my life.

If I post this, surely it will magically complete itself, right??? A devastating look into my disorganised process.

[richincolor]

We have something for everyone this week! Which of these books are on your radar already?

Of Dreams and Destiny (St. Rosetta's Academy #3) by Sandhya Menon Simon Pulse

It’s senior year, and Daphne Elizabeth “DE” McKinley, the heiress to the McKinley hotel dynasty, is still licking her wounds after a painful breakup. She’s determined to keep her head down and her heart shuttered—even from new student Xander, no matter how dreamy he is. Then Rosetta Academy is swallowed up by a sudden and massive spring storm, and very strange things start happening. The students start to fall into a stupor, then a deep sleep…one by one. Soon, DE is racing against the clock to find the source of the strange spell and stop it before it claims the entire school. Could Xander’s help be the key to solving the mystery?

All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr Abrams

In the vein of Grown and The Poet X, a searing and defiant novel in verse about reclaiming agency after a sexual assault within the church community. Sixteen-year-old Amina Conteh has always believed in using her tongue as her weapon—even when it gets her into trouble. After cursing at a classmate, her father forces her to volunteer at their church with Pastor Johnson. But Pastor Johnson isn’t the holy man everyone thinks he is. The same voice Amina uses to fight falls quiet the night she is sexually assaulted by Pastor Johnson. After that, her life starts to unravel: her father is frustrated that her grades are slipping, and her best friend and boyfriend don’t understand why the once loud and proud girl is now quiet and distant. In a world that claims to support survivors, Amina wonders who will support her when her attacker is everyone's favorite community leader. When Pastor Johnson is arrested for a different crime, the community is shaken and divided; some call him a monster and others defend him. But Amina is secretly relieved. She no longer has to speak because Pastor Johnson can't hurt her anymore–or so she believes. To regain her voice and sense of self, Amina must find the power to confront her abuser—in the courtroom and her heart—and learn to use all the fighting parts within her.

Nightbreaker (Nightbreaker #1) by Coco Ma Viking Books for Young Readers

Fifteen years ago, The Vanishing thrust Manhattan into darkness, forever changing the City That Never Sleeps. Aboveground, resilient New Yorkers have adapted by clinging to the vestiges of their cosmopolitan lives. Below the streets--well, you never go underground unless you have a death wish. Or unless you're Rei Reynolds. By day, Rei attends the an elite New York prep school, but by cover of night, she's is a self-initiated warrior with a knack for hunting Deathlings, the deadly creatures that haunt Manhattan's subway tunnels and blood-soaked streets at night. All Rei wants is to avenge her parents, who were slaughtered years ago by the nightmarish monsters. The Tournament is the only path to the career Rei has always dreamed of--becoming a Maverick, the city's elite Deathling-killing force. Winning should be a breeze, but the one potential problem is fellow competitor Kieran Cross, Rei's infuriating ex with whom she shares a bitter history. But as the Tournament progresses--and the cutthroat betrayals mount--everything Rei believed about who she can and cannot trust is called into question. She soon becomes the target of everyone who wants to keep the city's ruling class in power, as well as those who seek to bring it down. In other words, Rei is positively and completely screwed. Coco Ma's exhilarating fantasy blends thrills and chills for an immersive read featuring the snarky, postapocalyptic heroine we all hope to be.

Shadow Coven (The Witchery #2) by S. Isabelle Scholastic Press

After defeating the Wolves, Jailah, Logan, Iris, and Thalia want nothing more than a summer of fun and relaxation. But there is no rest for the wicked, especially when Death comes for Iris. She is to become a Reaper, tasked with banishing souls who refuse to cross over. But Iris suspects there’s something more ominous going on when Mathew’s role as her tether grows sinister. Logan and Thalia are ready to prove themselves as witches. Except Logan still hears the howling Wolves and realizes that the Haunting Season may have awakened more than just her magic. And while Thalia wants to spend her days cleansing the Swamp for good, she finds herself heading to a place she swore she’d never go again: home. Witches have started going missing near Annex, and Thalia is convinced that her father is behind the disappearances. With the help of Logan and Trent, Thalia returns to stop him. Meanwhile, Jailah is focused on her internship with the Haelsford Witchery Council until she discovers a treacherous magic hidden beneath Mesmortes, and there are those who will go to great lengths to keep it buried. So, she turns to the only person who understands, even if it’s the one witch who hates her most. Separated by distance, the coven is surrounded by magical and mundane threats that must be defeated before they lose their witchery--and each other--forever...

Champion of Fate (Heromaker #1) by Kendare Blake Quill Tree Books

Behind every great hero is an Aristene. Aristene are mythical female warriors, part of a legendary order. Though heroes might be immortalized in stories, it’s the Aristene who guide them to victory. They are the Heromakers. Ever since she was an orphan taken in by the order, Reed has wanted to be an Aristene. Now, as an initiate, just one challenge stands in her way: she must shepherd her first hero to glory on the battlefield. Succeed, and Reed will take her place beside her sisters. Fail, and she’ll be cast from the only home she’s ever known. Nothing is going to stop Reed--until she meets her hero. Hestion is fiery and infuriating, but what begins as an alliance becomes more, and as secrets of the order come to light Reed begins to understand what becoming an Aristene may truly cost. Battle looming, she must choose: the order and the life she had planned, or Hestion, and the one she never expected.

A Crown So Cursed (The Nightmare--Verse #3) by L.L. McKinney Imprint

In the third book in L.L. McKinney's Nightmare-Verse trilogy, Alice gets one last chance to save Wonderland from itself. Alice and the gang are trying to recover from recent events—but members of her crew start having weird dreams. The same dreams. It seems the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they thought—because someone's building an army of Nightmares to attack the mortal world. But before Alice jumps into battle, she discovers she has a personal connection to Wonderland, and she must face what it means for the fight ahead. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

When a Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Qureshi Tu Books

After Zahra Paracha makes a decision at odds with her beliefs, her mother forces Zahra to make an impossible choice about her future. So Zahra runs away. A train and a plane ride later, she finds herself in New York, where she relinquishes her past in favor of a new future. There, she must learn who she is without the marionette strings of control in her mother's hands. There, she must learn who she wishes to become. On Long Island, Zahra stays at a bed & breakfast, unsure of her place in the world. Anxious, depressed, and grappling with guilt, she wanders aimlessly. She eventually visits the local masjid, where she is befriended by two sisters and drawn into the welcoming Muslim community there. It is in this place of safety that Zahra's healing truly begins--but can she create a home for herself when the foundation is built on lies she's spun to protect her from the past? When a family friend recognizes her, will everything come crashing down? As Zahra tries to build a life for herself in this new place, the heart of the matter becomes clear: she can't run away forever. Can she close the rift in her family and truly, fully heal? In this powerful novel from new voice Aamna Qureshi, a Muslim teen goes on a breathtaking journey to find her home and--more importantly--herself.

[autobot-bounty-hunter-blog]

Movie Night

@new-enforcer-in-town

Nightbreaker had just landed back on the planet Earth after being gone for a long while. He really did love this planet. Some of the inhabitants were jerks, some more than others, but most were pretty cool. He often enjoyed coming here because it got him away from his own kind, but at the same time there were still other lifeforms around. Much better than the weeks he often spent alone out in deep space.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t just a for-fun visit. This was business. He had a rogue bot to catch, and he desperately needed the money that would come from taking that bot in. As of then, though, he had no leads on his bounty, so he figured he might as well have a bit of fun before he started his search. As long as his target didn’t know he was here, everything would still be fine. He supposed he would just have to stay in his alt-mode for a while, maybe whip out his holoform to evade suspicion. Humans tended to notice when something wasn’t quite right, and he didn’t want his picture plastered all over their internet.

He saw, after he landed, that in that area it was currently evening, on the brink of nighttime. Taking tonight off wouldn’t hurt, as long as he stayed under cover. Stepping out of his ship, he transformed and flew around for a bit before eventually landing near one of those old-style drive-in movie theaters. A few of the humans at the edge of the theater looked startled and confused at the sight of a jet coming in to watch a movie. He quickly activated his holoform to deflect any intense suspicion, though a few humans still took pictures. He guessed he’d just be the new ‘Go home _____, you’re drunk’ meme, which was fine.

He kept his holoform active as the movie started, not really caring what it was. He liked most human movies anyway.

[autobot-bounty-hunter-blog]

Guess who's got a great aft.

Me. It's me guys, come on. Not everything is about Optimus.

[randgugotur-6]

𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟑 #𝐑𝐢𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐮𝐦 “𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫” #𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 #𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫 #𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 #𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐌𝐚𝐧 #𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰...

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐌𝐞𝐨, 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐧𝐭𝐳 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Nightbreaker | Author: Coco Ma | Publisher: Viking Books (2023)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb:

"Action-packed and utterly vivid, Nightbreaker leaps to life with its formidable world and spirited protagonist. As soon as you start reading, you won’t want to stop." —Chloe Gong, #1 NYT bestselling author of These Violent Delights Fifteen years ago, The Vanishing thrust Manhattan into darkness, forever changing the City That Never Sleeps. By day, resilient New Yorkers have adapted, clinging to the vestiges of their cosmopolitan lives. By night—well, you never go out at night unless you have a death wish. Or unless you're Rei Reynolds.

Rei attends an exclusive New York prep school, but unlike her classmates, she welcomes nightfall. That's when she can secretly hunt Deathlings, the deadly creatures that have prowled Manhattan's subway tunnels and blood-soaked streets since the Vanishing. After they brutally slaughtered her parents years ago, Rei is desperate for vengeance.

To get it, Rei must qualify for—and win—the Tournament, a competition to join the ranks of the city’s legendary Deathling hunters. Rei’s nightly pursuits should give her an advantage, but the other competitors are fierce, and in some cases familiar: enter Kieran Cross, Rei’s most infuriating rival . . . and ex-boyfriend.

As the Tournament progresses—and the cutthroat competition escalates—everything Rei believed about who she can trust is called into question. Soon enough, she’s caught in the crosshairs of the elite who want to keep the city's ruling class in power, as well as those who will stop at nothing to bring it down. Because sometimes it's not the monsters waiting in the dark you should fear . . . it's the ones who dare to walk into the light.

Coco Ma's exhilarating urban fantasy thrusts readers into an immersive world of thrills and chills, featuring the smart, sardonic post-apocalyptic heroine you’ll soon wish you could be.

Review:

In a city taken over by monsters, teens train to become hunters of these monsters... but one girl's training leads her down a darker path than she could have ever imagined. Fifteen years ago, The Vanishing happened in Manhattan, New York. The city was plunged into darkness and monsters known as Deathlings have plagued the city ever since. To defeat these monsters, people are trained to rigorously fight and kill them and they must compete and win the Tournament to make it amongst the ranks of the prestigious Deathling Hunters. Rei Reynolds has dreamed all her life of becoming a hunter, she's been hunting illegally outside of school hours, but her skills have not gone unnoticed. When the tournament comes around she finds herself face to face with her ex, Kieran Cross, a skilled rival and the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart out of nowhere. Rei's parents were murdered and she's been living with her aunt, a Master of the prestigious school that is involved in the Tournament... and the person who has hired Kieran to be her new assistant. As the tournament progresses Rei finds herself questioning everyone and everything she's every known as the secret of the Deathlings and how they came to be and what exactly is happening to the city begins to cause her to unravel. Who can she trust? Can she trust the system that she thought was meant to protect her or will the secrets of those in power cause her to break free? Will she finally find out Kieran's secrets and why he is so determined to protect her but why he broke her heart? This is the first book in a series and it gives off Hunger Games x Maze Runner vibes. The story is a urban fantasy that involves teens joining a deadly competition to fight against monsters while there is a group of higherups who run society watching them. The book has a pretty slow start and doesn't pick up until the 40% mark and I honestly didn't care much for the second chance romance between Kieran and Rei. The world building is really interesting and I am intrigued by the monsters/society structure that the story has going on. I liked the tournament aspect but I felt like a lot of the characters could have been fleshed out better because not a lot of them were all that memorable. I am curious to see where the next book goes and how the story progresses for Rei after the events of this book. Overall if you like urban fantasy novels with young adult tournaments and monster survival fights, definitely give this a go!

*Spoiler: Rei discovers that her sister is a halfling ( she consumed some of the deathling) and she ate their father (he sacrificed himself) and that her aunt (adopted mom) knew that her sister has turned. Rei also discovers that the deathlings can be part human. Kieran broke up with her because he wanted to protect her and he had a lot of other stuff going on but he's always loved her and is still in love with her. Rei also has her Token ( a magical artifact) taken by the board of Directors and they threaten to kill her if she exposes what she's learned about the things happening. *

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[jonathanpongratz]

New Book Release: Nightbreaker (Nightbreaker #1) by Coco Ma

    Blurb: Fifteen years ago, The Vanishing thrust Manhattan into darkness, forever changing the City That Never Sleeps. Aboveground, resilient New Yorkers have adapted by clinging to the vestiges of their cosmopolitan lives. Below the streets–well, you never go underground unless you have a death wish. Or unless you’re Rei Reynolds. By day, Rei attends the an elite New York prep school, but by…

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