Agent of Chaos (The X-Files: Origins, #1) by Kami Garcia | Rating: ★★★★★

It's no secret that The X-Files is one of my favourite shows of all-time. If you know me in real-life, my world pretty much revolves around it and you can catch me flailing over it daily. That's not an exaggeration. Also, I'm a massive fan of Kami Garcia's work--I would definitely go so far to say that she is one of my favourite YA authors.

While I had a little hesitance in picking up the origins of The X-Files, I also have very little self control and knew that the day would come where I'd probably binge read it faster than you could say Cigarette Smoking Man or The Lone Gunmen. Or, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder deserve better. I mean, listen, the point is... I love this series. I knew that it would be in good hands with Kami Garcia and boy, was it. I devoured this beauty and I definitely regret buying only a digital copy of the series. There are so many positives that can be said about Agent of Chaos.

Number one would be the accuracy in which Garcia portrays Fox Mulder. He is undeniably Mulder, in teenage form. Agent of Chaos zeros in quickly on the origins of Mulder and how he came to be the man we all know from the classic television series. What I loved most about a teenage Fox Mulder is that he wasn't watered down--ultimately, this was a coming of age story tied in with a mystery and how he came to Believe. Garcia has always done so well in developing her characters and making it so that they actually sound their age; in Agent of Chaos she had so much to live up to and tie together and she did so frankly and with grace.

The Dazzling Heights by Katharine McGee | Rating: ★★★★★

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Happy release day to The Dazzling Heights--one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 and at the tip top of my list of favourites of the year. After the shocking end--that death, that cliffhanger--in the stylish and intriguing first installment of Katharine McGee's dazzling series, The Thousandth Floor, I was completely and utterly hooked on what comes next. Although I was deeply saddened by the death of one character (who, of course, happened to be my favourite) I knew I had to get my hands on all future installments.

Between The Thousandth Floor and Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series, the Gossip Girl hole in my literature-loving heart is being filled slowly but surely. I'll start off by saying that Katharine McGee has this undeniably smart, sizzling and steamy (so much S!) quality to her writing that is fun and compelling. It's intelligent and mysterious. I feel instantly captivated by it and maybe a little nostalgic.

Reading The Dazzling Heights felt like I was reuniting a part of myself that had been long MIA. I anticipated the release not unlike I used to for new books in the Gossip Girl, The A-List, Pretty Little Liars and Private series.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas | Rating: ★★★★★

“Wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?” 

 Holy--sh*t. Oh my God. Out of curiosity, how the heck am I supposed to get over this book hangover? Because I'm at a loss. I'm completely consumed with thoughts of the aftermath of Dangerous Girls I fear I can barely sit still, let alone write a review of my thoughts. Let's just say... Abigail Haas knows how to not only pen a chilling tale, she knows how to compel her audience and leave them speechless when the curtain falls.

Seemingly ripped from the headlines. It is all about one crime, one vacation, one group of friends, one trip that changes everything . Two cases seem to have inspired the novel but this doesn't define it: Dangerous Girls is a force of nature in literature and a story all its own. In fact, it was one of the most captivating young adult novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading. There's a lot of complications that come with the restrictions one would have in writing a young adult novel--but this one doesn't have a problem with it.

The book got under my skin in the most deliciously dark way imaginable. It's that kind of feeling I got when I read so many others (yet so few when considering how many books I have read in my entire life): Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Fever by Megan Abbott, Wanted and The Good Girls by Sara Sheppard, Pretty Baby by Mary Kuba and My Sweet Audrina by V.C. Andrews. You're left feeling chilled to the bone after you close it and it doesn't leave your mind for days and days.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Rees Brennon and Robin Wasserman | Rating: ★★★★★ 

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

There's no shortage of companion novels these days amongst the young adult book series which dominate the scene. In the case of Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, it had a lot to live up to--even in a side by side comparison with its previous companion novel, The Bane Chronicles. Nearly a decade has passed since Cassandra Clare's publication of the first of six novels in The Mortal Instruments series and with that milestone, the world has expanded to multiple series, two companion novels of short stories, one film and one television adaptation. And there's more to come in the future.

With no signs of stopping, Cassandra Clare enlisted some help once more to expand her Shadow world and reintroduces us to our favourite characters from all of her series. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy primarily focuses on the events of fan-favourite, Simon Lewis, as he grapples with his newfound life as a Shadowhunter-to-be and struggles to regain his memories. Seeing Simon grow in his own short stories is a lot different from the growth--and loss--we saw in the original series run; it's bittersweet and promising, it's a new light on self discovery and armed with heartfelt prose and with humour.