Tag Archives: Review

Review: This will be Fun by E.B. Asher

Posted on by
Reply

We all know the stories of the heroes who finally win over their adversaries after years of fighting with each other. What happens after they succeed? Go back to regular life? For Elowen, Beatrice and Clare they each handled it differently. Elowen retreated to her treehouse and became a recluse. Clare reveled in his new celebrity, and Beatrice got married and lived a life as a rich wife. It’s coming up on the tenth anniversary of their victory, and they are all expected to attend the Queen’s wedding. The trauma of their shared experiences and the grief of losing the fourth hero on their team have kept them apart, but now they have to face it. This is a fun little adventure novel. They are forced together and deal with their trauma while also going on a new mission to vanquish the old enemy again. I liked it. They all had great chemistry with each other. Especially when they are fighting. Like most conflicts, a lot of their issues stem from misunderstanding covered in grief. They all had experienced great loss and are now really famous, and they all didn’t really know how to deal with it, so they went their separate ways. Over the course of their mission, they learn not only what happened with each other, but also, over time, they work through it and come out better. The ending seems like a happy ending for all, but a decision made by Beatrice, I have a feeling she is going to regret very soon. I’ll find out in the next book.

Review: Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake

Posted on by
Reply

I am not sure where to begin with this one. It’s a satire that follows Nina, a sophomore pledging to a sorority, and Sloane, an adjunct professor who is asked to be the Academic Advisor for the sorority. Nina is an ambitious student who hopes that joining The House will open doors because it has an abnormally high success rate of alumni who have become successful. Sloane is going back to work after giving birth and struggles with being a good mother. Before she had her child, she had a tenure track at a small private school, but now she’s only an adjunct professor because her husband has a tenure track job. The narrative goes back and forth between their points of view, and while they are both in different places in their lives, they are still grappling with how to deal with the unrealistic expectations of being a woman. Nina is only at the beginning of her journey, and being in The House and the sisterhood that comes with it all that she ever wanted, but she soon starts to realize that not everything is as it seems. Sloane meets Alex, who is a former sister of the sorority, and is immediately thrown by how perfect her life is and how easy things seem to come to her and her fellow sorority sisters. Well, Spoiler Alert, the answer is cannibalism. The sisters have been sacrificing people and absorbing their nutrients that come with it. It makes them look younger, work harder, healthier, and just more focused. The satire is not just about the girl boss ethos, but also the wellness trends. I found this book to be really intriguing, but not sure it stuck the landing. I have very mixed feelings about the ending. It came out of left field, but it also makes sense, but I wish it had gone in a different direction. So yeah, I enjoyed it but think it could have been a bit better.

Quick Review: The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

Posted on by
Reply

The Ex Hex was cute. I wouldn’t say it was as good as the last two witch books I read, but still entertaining. While in college, Vivienne had a fling with Rhys, and it ended badly. So bad, she drunkenly cursed him. Nine years later, Rhys comes back to town to renew the ley lines in the town, but because he is cursed, he ends up cursing the ley lines and the whole town. Vivienne and Rhys have to team up to figure out how to reverse the curse so they can straighten out the ley lines and get themselves out of this mess. They are both likeable characters, but honestly, they are not all that memorable separately. I can’t say that either really stands out to me, but they do have some cute banter back and forth. It’s just a good book, when you need something quick and whimsical to read that won’t make you think too hard. If that is what you are looking for, this fits the bill.

Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Posted on by
Reply

Sangu Mananna really knows how to write a cozy novel. Just like the last book I read, this one was comforting to read. Also, about witches who live in Britain, it is not a part of the same world. Mika has always been alone. She has been told it has been too dangerous for witches to hang out because it would cause too much magic, and that would alert witch hunters. So, it’s a surprise when Mika gets a job offer to teach three young witches how to control their magic. She agrees to move in with them and their adult caretakers and discovers that not only is it okay for witches to be together, but also that Mika herself is worthy of love. In this world, as soon as a new witch is born, their parents die, and they become orphans. Mika is taken in by Primrose, a powerful witch, but is raised alone with a rotating slate of nannies. As she grew up, she never stayed anywhere too long. Always moving so she cannot become attached to anyone. That is, until she meets the young witches of Nowhere House and Jamie, one of their caretakers. It’s a sweet book about found families and founding oneself. Mandanna’s writing style is just so crisp and accessible that you feel like you not only know these characters but are a part of their lives. I couldn’t help but feel comforted by the story and so happy that Mika had finally found the family she had always wanted. I hope that Mandanna writes more books like this because we all need a little comforting, cozy reads rightnow.

Review: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Posted on by
Reply

In the description of this book, they call it cozy, and it is. Reading it was like being wrapped in a warm blanket, even while reading on the subway. Sera was one of the most powerful witches in Britain, and then she cast a spell to resurrect her aunt, who died suddenly when she was a teenager. Fifteen years later, she is running her family’s Inn, housing the most unusual lodgers. There is a nosy, gardener, Matilda, Nicholas, who believes he is a real-life knight, a witch, cursed to live as a Fox and the Inn it’s self. Before she lost her powers, she magic’d the inn could only be found by those who needed it. Enter Luke and her sister Posey. Luke has taken responsibility for raising Posey, who is autistic. A smart girl, but she doesn’t understand why she has to hide her magic. Luke is also a historian who happens to arrive when Sera comes into possession of a spell to get her magic back. It is written in a language that not a lot of people know, but Luke does. This book touches on found family, depression, abuse, rascism and discrimination. Sera is half Icelandic and half Indian, and that alone is enough to ostracize her, but then she had all this power, and she didn’t, and was exiled from other witches. When once was once an apprentice to the other most powerful witch, and he was threatened by her power. He used his power not only to bully her but also others as well. He made sure that when she was exiled, no one would ever help her. Sera used to think that what made her worthy was her powers, but over time, she learns that she is more than her powers. Her new family may be unconvential but they truly love her, and she truly loves them. They are all a bit crazy, but it is also what makes each character so lovable. No one was one-dimensional. They all got their own little story arch and even if the ending is a little bit heartbreaking, it was still lovely because no matter what happens. They have each other, and that is worth more than all the powers and magic in the world.

Review: Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

Posted on by
Reply

I do love an unabashedly good fantasy novel. Multiple POV’s, magic, mythical creatures, an obvious bad guy, and an obvious good guy. Coryane and crew are in retreat and spread across the ward after the attack against Taristan goes very wrong. All is not lost, though. Coryane survived and has Taristan’s sword. Andrey has made allies with Valtik’s people. Charlie finds a spin, and Dom, Sigil, and Sorasa, have wreaked havoc on Erida’s castle. In the first half of the novel, our heroes are separated from each other and have to work to get back together. This gives each character a chance to grow and come into their own. For Corayne it was finding the strength in herself. She discovered that not only can she take care of herself, but she can also inspire others to help. This found family is strong, and they show that throughout the story. They may despair at times, but they never question each other. As for Erida and Taristan. We start to see a role reversal in them. Erida, becomes more obsessed with power and will do anything to get it. Taristan, was once like that, but discovered that Erida was the one thing he would give up power for. Twists and turns throughout the book kept me invested and had a satisfying ending to an entertaining trilogy. I look forward to what Victoria Aveyard does next.

Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Posted on by
Reply

I understand why this was such a talked-about book when it came out years ago. It’s very intriguing. In her grief of losing her brother, Fox, she finds out she is a Bone Witch by accidentally raising her brother back to life. She tells her story to a Bard while in exile. We do not know what she did to be exiled, but we know that she is someone with extraordinary powers. Tea tells her story from when she raises Fox, through her training as a Bone Witch. She is a little bit of an unreliable narrator because the events are all coming from her perspective. What we do learn is that she is someone who definitely chafes a little bit at authority and often questions her mentors. She also has a good sense of what is right and wrong and is a bit inflexible at times. She also has a lot of power and likes the power. A recipe for going rogue. I do like the world-building of this story. The witches are kind of like geishas in a way. They are trained in the arts and entertain in the tea houses. They are also trained in martial arts. Bone witches are revered but also feared. Makes sense because they can raise and control the dead, but they also have an important role in combating the Daeva, dragon-like creatures that, left unchecked, can destroy cities. I am intrigued to see where this series goes because we do not learn why she was exiled, but we get a little bit of a clue with one cliffhanger of an ending.

Review: Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Posted on by
Reply

This book was cute, if you can call a book about serial killers who kill other serial killers who fall in love. Sloane and Rowan are killers. However, they hunt other killers. It is a form of vigilantism. Going after people who have victimized other people who can’t defend themselves is an interesting moral code, but really, they do it because they like it. It gives them a rush. After a chance meeting, Rowan proposes a game. Once a year, they will meet up and hunt the same person. Whoever gets the kill first wins. Their banter between the two as they mock and goad each other is fun. They are attracted to each other from the moment they meet, but it shouldn’t surprise you that people who kill people for fun are not the most sociable or had a happy childhood. For years, they have played these games and ignored their feelings for each other. Once they do open up, the floodgates open, and oh boy, it gets spicy. It does take almost 2/3 of the book to get there, but worth the wait. It was a fun read, and I am looking forward to reading the next book that follows Rowan’s older brother and Sloane’s best friend. It’ll be a while before I can read it because it’s a long waitlist at my library, but I have other books to read in the meantime.

Review: The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

Posted on by
Reply
Version 1.0.0

This was a very cute book. Osric has an incurable condition, and Aurielle is the only one who has any chance of finding a cure. The problem is that they are from different orders that are opposed, let’s say ethically. Osric is a paid killer, and Aurelle is a healer. They are forced to work together because Osric agrees to pay an exorbitant amount of money to find research for a vaccine for a pandemic affecting children. Aurielle is the best at what she does, so her order’s leader tells her to do what she can to help him. With all traditional methods proven to be unsuccessful, she must study the old ways, which, of course, puts them in tight situations. Over time, they both start to learn more about each other and that they may have more in common than they thought. I love the banter between the two of them. They are both quick and cunning. It is quite amusing. Halfway through, they start to discover that the virus causing the pandemic might not have been an accident, and someone powerful is behind it, but who? That is the mystery for the next book, which I don’t think has been released yet. I am very interested in seeing how this will end and maybe get a little more than just a kiss between our new lovebirds.

Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

Posted on by
Reply

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a complicated story of three women from different eras. First, you have Sabine, who we first meet in Spain in 1532. She is a woman who craves independence, living in a time when that wasn’t really an option for them. She gets out of our small town by marrying up, only to find she has less freedom than before. Lottie, in London, 1827. Lottie, growing up in the Regency era, is being forced to marry and is desperate to get out, and finally, Alice in Boston in 2019. Alice is trying to make a new life after a tragedy. We go back and forth between their POV’s as we try to discover how they are all connected. Through their narratives, we see how they navigate their societies as women as they try to live life on their own terms. The thread begins with Sabine, who is turned into a Vampire because she is desperate to escape an unhappy marriage. She starts to travel as a widow because, in her time, it was considered appropriate for women to live alone. Lottie is also turned into a vampire because she sees it as a way to live the life she wants to live and love the woman she wants to love. The saddest of them is Alice, who is turned without her consent. Unlike Sabine and Lottie, who chose to be turned, Alice did not. Alice goes to a party, has a one-night stand with a girl, and wakes up a vampire. She doesn’t know how this happened or why, and is caught in a centuries-long battle that has nothing to do with her. This book is a good examination on historical struggles of women and the violence they have to endure. I do like the ending. It is not at all a happy ending but kind of a bit hopeful for Alice to exert her own authority as she now will move through the world on her own journey.