Families can talk about Grace's transformation in Crush. What does she learn about her powers? How do they change her? Is she more of a hero in this book than in Book 1? Could she have been the hero without having powers? briefest moment, I see something there that makes me catch my breath. And also wonder if I’m imagining it. “Yes?” He circles his finger again, and the music switches from Flo Rida to the opening lyrics of Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance.” And it’s so clever, so ridiculous, so Hudson, that I can’t help bursting into laughter. Right before I decide, screw it, and let him dance me from one end of the laundry room to the other. When the song finally comes to an end, Hudson lets me go, and we both stand there grinning at each other. As we do, I can’t help but wonder what someone would think if they’d walked into the laundry room a few seconds ago and found me dancing around the machines by myself, singing to a song only I can hear. Probably that it’s just another weird human thing…or an even weirder gargoyle thing… which I guess it is, now that I think about it. Still, I’m a little hot, a little breathless, but a lot more relaxed than I was when I got to the laundry room, and maybe that’s why I finally ask him, “How did you know I love that song?” And just that easily, his smile fades away, leaving nothing there but an emptiness so stark that I feel it deep in my chest. Even before he answers, “So you really remember nothing of FirstLine - Being the lone human in a school for paranormals is precarious at the best of times.I, again, am not a young adult, rather a 40 something year old and I loved this book. I love that there are themes of adventure, danger, young love, heartbreak, triumph, compassion, coming of age and so many more relatable themes for readers of all ages. There is a cast of interesting characters that add so much depth to this story. You really get to know them while reading this series and attachments are made. I will admit that I have a team I am cheering for (Jaxson or Hudson), but won’t share that here because I know the depth of others loyalties! It runs deep for lovers of this series. You cannot help but be pulled into this story and escape from everything else while reading. I cannot wait for the next two books in this series. I highly recommend this series to readers of all ages!!! Read more says, “You can do this; it’s just clear you need someone with a little more…expertise.” Screw the candle. My face feels like it’s on fire. “Grace, are we doing this or not?” Macy asks. “Not,” I answer. “I can’t figure out what to do.” “Nobody knows how at the beginning,” Hudson says as he walks over to stand a foot to my side. “You can do this. I promise.” I turn to face him more fully. “You can’t promise that. You don’t know—” He gives me a soft smile. “I do know.” “How?” I ask, my voice breaking. “Because I won’t let you fail.” He nods to Macy. “Tell her to try again.” I hold his gaze, then take a deep breath. I swivel my head toward Macy. “Hudson says we should try once more, Mace,” I tell my cousin. “And then I’m calling it quits.” “O-kay,” she says, clearly not sure if she should be glad Hudson is encouraging me to try again or not. “Once more.” And then her eyes do that weird glowy thing as she sends another burst of power my way. “Ready?” Hudson asks, a grin slowly spreading across his face that sets butterflies loose in my stomach. “Ready for what?” He snaps his fingers. “For this.”

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Maybe we can do it this weekend?” “Yeah, sure. Just let me know what works for you.” “Great, thanks. And I’m sure I’ll want to take you up on the flying lessons.” I mean, I still can’t believe that I can fly. Me. Under my own power. Because I’m a gargoyle, I mean. When the whole “I have wings” thing came up earlier, the implication of being able to fly was there. But to think about it, to imagine Flint giving me lessons on how not to die while doing it… It’s more than a little overwhelming. Instead, I focus on something else. Giving the idea time to settle can’t be a bad thing. “But speaking of flying, I actually had a different question,” I say to Flint. He turns amused eyes my way. “Yes?” “You mentioned pixies. How many other species are out there? Are there a lot of other creatures that aren’t at Katmere, ones that I don’t even know exist?” “Definitely.” He grins. “More than you could ever imagine.” “Oh.” I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with that. My surprise must show, because Flint lifts a brow at me. “Was that not the answer you were looking for?” “I don’t know—I just… What other kinds of creatures are there? And why aren’t they at Katmere?” “Because Katmere’s teachers specialize in dragons, werewolves, vampires, and witches,” Flint tells me. “There are other schools out there that specialize in other magical creatures.” making their way to class. As we start to walk, I lean away again, grab hold of Jaxon’s hand, and thread our fingers together. I may not be able to kiss him right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. And it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with him any way that I can. Jaxon doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t object, either. And when I look up at him, I realize that the small smile he’s got on his face has an extremely goofy tint to it. Because of me. I’m the girl who turns badass vampire prince Jaxon Vega goofy. Not going to lie, it feels good. “So where am I walking you?” Jaxon asks as we finally reach the main hallway. “I don’t know. They switched my science class. I went from basic Chem to the Physics of Flight, but I don’t know why.” “Really? You don’t know why?” Jaxon asks, brow raised, a teasing glint in his eyes. “No.” I shrug. “Do you?” “I mean, I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the big, beautiful wings your alter ego carries around.” “My alter— Oooooh.” That has my eyes going wide. “You mean the Physics of Flight is about actually being able to fly?” “Yeah.” He looks at me incredulously. “What did you think it was about?”Cole?” I whisper, my hand going to my throat at the mention of the alpha werewolf. Macy answers grimly, “Cole.” “I couldn’t have.” I glance down at my blood-streaked hands with a new kind of horror. “I wouldn’t have.” I think, until this very moment, I was holding out for this being some kind of horrible feeding accident with Jaxon. Like, maybe this actually was my blood because I’d gone to his room last night and he’d bitten into an artery or something and then sealed it up like he did last time, after the flying-glass incident. I mean, of course, if I’m being reasonable, I know Jaxon would never be careless enough to bite into an artery of mine to begin with. He definitely wouldn’t leave me lying in bed, drenched in my own blood. And he sure as hell wouldn’t drop me into a sleep so deep that trying to get out of it felt like what I imagine surfacing from a coma would. But still, I think I would rather have all those things be true than to find out that this is another person’s blood I’m covered in. And that I might have been the one spilling it. “I know you wouldn’t do anything to Cole,” Macy soothes, but the look in her eyes says otherwise. Then again, the look in my eyes probably does, too. about how I’m supposed to spend the next hour and a half with the boy who, not very long ago, wanted me dead.

The Crave Series | Tracy Wolff

it.” “Byron’s parents have decided to donate…” He does a little drumroll on the dining table. “A bloodstone! And not just any bloodstone. It’s one of the queen’s favorites, from the royal collection, that she gifted his parents on the eve of his mate’s death.” Everything inside me stills as I remember the Bloodletter telling us that she would take care of getting the bloodstone to us. This must be what she meant. A glance at Jaxon’s face tells me he thinks so, too—and that he isn’t the least bit surprised by this bit of news, either. He obviously had a good idea what the Bloodletter would do. Which also makes his interest in playing Ludares right now —in the middle of everything we have going on—make so much more sense. If the only way to get the bloodstone is to win the tournament, then it looks like hell really has frozen over. I just need to figure out how not to be a total burden—and, oh yeah, how not to be the first death—on the Ludares field in the history of Katmere. questions/comments to start with, I say the first thing that pops into my head. “You changed your hair.” “What? Oh yeah.” She grins at me as she runs a hand through her short pink pixie cut. “I did it a few weeks ago when I was missing you. Kind of an homage, you know?” Of course it’s an homage, because she still thinks hot pink is my favorite color… “It looks fabulous,” I tell her. Because it does. And because she’s pretty much the greatest cousin and friend a girl could ever wish for. “So what class do you have next?” she asks, tugging me across the foyer toward the staircase. “Because I think you should blow it off and come hang in the room with me.” “Don’t you have a class now, too?” “Yes, but it’s just a review for the midterm on Friday.” She waves a hand in the air. “I can skip it to hang with my favorite cousin.” “Yeah, but your favorite cousin has art right now, and I don’t think I should skip it. I need to find out if there’s something I can do to make up for everything I missed.” I eye her ruefully. “I am not prepared to repeat my senior year.” “If you ask me, you shouldn’t have to make up anything. I mean, hello. Saving the world should get you straight A’s, like, forever.” I laugh, because it’s impossible not to when Macy is on a roll. And she is very definitely on a roll right now. “I wouldn’t exactly call it saving the world.” “You got rid of Hudson, didn’t you? It’s close enough.” My stomach tightens. That’s the thing. I don’t know if I got Keep Your Enemies Close, Unless They Bleed a Lot Jaxon turns to me and frowns. “What are you doing here, Grace? I told you where I was so you wouldn’t worry. I’ve got this.” “No, you don’t.” I shake my head and try to figure out how to explain how I woke up this morning. “Sure I do.” For the first time, he looks uncertain. “I didn’t have anything to do with Cole, and Foster knows it.” “I know you didn’t hurt Cole.” I take a deep breath. “I know you didn’t, because I’m pretty sure I did.” For long seconds, neither Jaxon nor my uncle says anything. They just kind of stare at me like they’re replaying my words in their heads over and over again, trying to make sense of them. But the longer they’re silent, the more confused they look—and the tenser I get. Which is why, in the end, I don’t wait for them to say anything. Instead I pour out the whole story, starting with the trip to the art cottage and ending with my blood-soaked clothes, which I pull out of my bag and hand to Uncle Finn. He doesn’t look excited about taking them, but then, who would? Especially when I just dumped a problem of massive proportions right onto his sturdy wooden desk. “Are you okay?” Jaxon asks the second I finally stop It's always interesting for fantasy fans to see variations on vampire and shapeshifter lore and how the rules of magic are applied. Less known is gargoyle lore, which starts to emerge in this installment.

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I Think I Had Amnesia Once… or Twice “Come on, Grace, wake up. You’re going to miss breakfast if you don’t get up soon.” “Sleepy,” I mumble as I roll onto my stomach and away from Macy’s annoyingly cheerful voice. “I know you’re sleepy, but you have to get up. Class starts in forty minutes and you haven’t even had a shower yet.” “No shower.” I grab my comforter and pull it over my head, making sure to keep my eyes closed so I won’t be blinded by the hot-pink fabric. Or give Macy the idea that I’m actually awake. Because I very definitely am not. “Graaaaaace,” she whines, tugging on the comforter as hard as she can. But I’ve got a death grip on the thing, and I’m not about to let it go anytime soon. “You promised Jaxon we’d meet him in the dining hall in five minutes. You have to get up.” It’s the mention of Jaxon that eventually breaks through my dazed stupor and allows Macy to pull my comforter down. Cold air rushes against my face, and I make a half-hearted grab for the covers, still without opening my eyes. Macy laughs. “I feel like our roles are suddenly reversed here. I’m the one who’s supposed to be hard to get out of bed.” I make another lunge for the comforter and this time end I’m Going to Wash That Psychopath Right Out of My Hair The Bloodletter assesses me for several seconds before she answers. “Every single paranormal finds a different way to build a shield inside them. They do what feels natural—what feels right—to them as they explore and grow into their powers. “At a different time, that’s how you would learn to build your wall. As a shield to keep your powers from adversely affecting the people around you.” “But I don’t have any powers,” I tell her, more than a little confused. “I mean, except the ability to turn to stone. I’m still skeptical on the flying part.” She smiles a little at that and shakes her head. “You have more power than you know, Grace. You just have to find it.” I have no idea what that means, but at this point, I’m willing to try anything. Especially if it means Hudson can’t hurt Jaxon again—or anyone else. “Is that how I build the wall or the shield or whatever you want to call it? By channeling my power?” “Not this time. Because you’re not trying to keep your powers in. You’re trying to separate yourself and your powers from Hudson and his powers. So while we would normally be talking about a shield, right now, we have to talk about a

Crush’ book review: Get ready for a *lot* of internal screaming ‘Crush’ book review: Get ready for a *lot* of internal screaming

Obviously.” I don’t mean to sound snarky; I really don’t. I know he just wants to help. But what am I supposed to do here? I can’t just go around assaulting people. The whole Idon’t-remember thing is going to get old fast. God knows it’s already old for me. Macy steps between us. “So what do we do, Dad? How do we stop this from happening again?” I wrap my arms around my waist and hold on tight. “You’re not going to call the police, are you? I didn’t mean to hurt him. Honestly, I still can’t figure out how I did hurt him. He’s—” “No one’s calling the police, Grace,” Jaxon tells me firmly. “That’s not how we handle things here. And even if we did, you can’t be held responsible for something you did when you weren’t aware. Right, Foster?” “Of course. I mean, we’re going to have to watch you, make sure this doesn’t happen again. You can’t go around assaulting other students.” “Even if they deserve it,” Macy interjects. “I know it’s wrong, but after everything Cole did to you last semester, I’m having a hard time feeling sympathy for the guy.” Jaxon snorts. “I should have killed him when I had the shot. Then this never would have happened.” “No, you shouldn’t have,” I scold him. “That’s a horrible thing to say.” “Horrible,” Macy agrees, “but also a little bit true.” I shoot her a what-the-hell look, but she just kind of shrugs, as if to say, What did you expect? Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close Lots of "f--k." Sprinklings of the rest: "s--t," "damn," "bitch," "douches," "ass," "bastard," etc.

Did we miss something on diversity?

But, I mean, this series is already so much fun to read thanks to all of its colorful characters. Crush features all those we came to know and love in Crave, including (of COURSE) Jaxon, Macy, and Flint. But we also meet a slew of new characters that add new elements and issues (not to mention loads of DANGER) into the mix.