Month: September 2021

ARC Review: Once Upon a Broken Heart (#1) by Stephanie Garber

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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Goodreads | Pre-order on Waterstones

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.
But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…

Thank you so much to Hodder for sending me a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Caraval remains to be one of my favourite books, but sadly Legendary and Finale didn’t quite meet my the same 5 star rating. Which meant I was all the more curious when it came to Once Upon a Broken Heart. Would it have the same magic as Caraval did the first time I read it, or would it feel lacking like the rest of the series?

I have to say, this one didn’t let me down. Following a new point of view of Evangeline worked really well, and this one felt so different to the world of Caraval. Even though the world did feel familiar, it only made the whole reading experience reminiscent of being wrapped in a warm blanket. Stephanie Garber has used the story of the fates from Finale and expanded on a completely different side of it, which felt so clever and I really enjoyed reading it.

I really liked Evangeline as a main character and it was interesting to see a different relationship between two sisters, much like Scarlett and Donatella in the Caraval trilogy. We definitely glimpse some of the magic I felt with the original books, and it shone through in the location and my personal favourite parts – the animals and food. I always feel like food makes me feel so grounded in a story, and this one was no different.

I felt so enveloped in this story and struggled to put it down. Stephanie Garber has a knack of keeping the reader completely on their toes, and I read this over 2 days because it was so easy to read and absorbing! I’m so excited to be part of this new story and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Just a note to say although this story is a brand new series, I would recommend reading Caraval first. You certainly don’t have to and there is only minor spoilers for the original trilogy, but I would still say you’ll get more enjoyment out of the book by reading it after the Caraval trilogy.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Stacking the Shelves #56

On By Beth JonesIn Stacking the Shelves2 Comments

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga where we share books we’ve bought or received this week. Find out more and join in here!

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last posted a book haul, but I’ve bought and received even more than I thought I had – oops.

Bought

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Julia has followed her mum and dad to live on a remote island for the summer – her dad, for work; her mother, on a determined mission to find the elusive Greenland shark. But when her mother’s obsession threatens to submerge them all, Julia finds herself on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope…

I couldn’t help but pick this one up as soon as it came out – this husband and wife team have created such a beautiful book and I managed to grab a signed edition!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

He expected nothing. But they gave him everything . . .
Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.
Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days. But their guardian, charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. As Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose between duty and his dreams.

I also bought the beautiful Waterstones exclusive paperback of my favourite book of the year so far. It has yellow sprayed edges and I love it!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known. 

I also picked this one up because of wanting this beautiful edition with purple sprayed edges – I’ve been meaning to pick this up for a while and I couldn’t resist.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

In the world of Divergent, society is divided into five factions – Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent). Every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. Beatrice Prior must choose between staying with her family and being who she really is. Her choice shocks everyone – including herself.
During the initiation that follows, Tris and her fellow initiates undergo extreme tests with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them, Tris must determine who her friends really are – and whether she can trust the man who both threatens and protects her.
Because Tris has a deadly secret. And as growing conflict threatens to unravel their seemingly perfect society, this secret might save those she loves … or it might destroy her. 

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Goodreads | Waterstones

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Goodreads | Waterstones

I’ve been meaning to pick up and swap out my editions of Divergent with these 10th anniversary copies since their release, and I finally did it with some money on my Waterstones card as a treat to myself.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

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Goodreads | Waterstones

I also picked up this beautiful graphic novel series as the hardbacks are slowly going out of print and I wanted a matching hardback set. I’m hoping to get to them in autumn sometime!

Blood and Ash DELUXE SET – Community

Goodreads

A Maiden…
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.
A Duty…
The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.
A Kingdom…
Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

My beautiful Fairyloot set of From Blood and Ash also arrived and I love it. I haven’t read these yet but I hope I love them.

Gifted

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii’s brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den…
Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father’s death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii’s infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.
But Amara’s spirit is far from broken.
By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

I finally picked up a copy of this one as it was sent to the bookshop I work at by the publisher. One of my colleagues absolutely adores this book and it’s definitely convinced me to pick it up.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Hannah Ashton wakes up to silence. The entire city around her is empty, except for one other person: Leo Sterling. Leo might be hottest boy ever (and not just because he’s the only one left), but he’s also too charming, too selfish, and too devastating for his own good, let alone Hannah’s.
Stuck with only each other, they explore a world with no parents, no friends, and no school and realize that they can be themselves instead of playing the parts everyone expects of them. Hannah doesn’t have to be just an overachieving, music-box-perfect ballerina, and Leo can be more than a slacker, 80s-glam-metal-obsessed guitarist. Leo is a burst of honesty and fun that draws Hannah out, and Hannah’s got Leo thinking about someone other than himself for the first time.
Together, they search for answers amid crushing isolation, but while their empty world may appear harmless . . . it’s not. Because nothing is quite as it seems, and if Hannah and Leo don’t figure out what’s going on, they might just be torn apart forever.

Scholastic sent me a copy of this one after I requested it – thank you!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Aspiring actor August Greene just landed a coveted spot at the prestigious School of Performing Arts in New York. There’s only one problem: His conservative parents won’t accept that he’s transgender. And to stay with his aunt in the city, August must promise them he won’t transition.
August is convinced he can play the part his parents want while acting cool and confident in the company of his talented new friends.
But who is August when the lights go down? And where will he turn when the roles start hitting a little too close to home?

And I had another beautiful gift in the form of this one from Harper. I’ve read some great books from Harper so far this year and I’m excited for this one too!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

There’s nothing Marietta Stelle loves more than ballet, but after Christmas, her dreams will be over as she is obligated to take her place in Edwardian society. While she is chafing against such suffocating traditions, a mysterious man purchases the neighbouring townhouse. Dr Drosselmeier is a charming but calculating figure who wins over the rest of the Stelle family with his enchanting toys and wondrous mechanisms.
When Drosselmeier constructs an elaborate set for Marietta’s final ballet performance, she discovers it carries a magic all of its own. On the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, she is transported to a snowy forest, where she encounters danger at every turn: ice giants, shadow goblins and the shrieking mist all lurk amidst the firs and frozen waterfalls and ice cliffs. After being rescued by the butterscotch-eyed captain of the king’s guard, she is escorted to the frozen sugar palace. At once, Marietta is enchanted by this glittering world of glamorous gowns, gingerbread houses, miniature reindeer and the most delicious confectionary.
But all is not as it seems and Marietta is soon trapped in the sumptuous palace by the sadistic King Gelum, who claims her as his own. She is confined to a gilded prison with his other pets; Dellara, whose words are as sharp as her teeth, and Pirlipata, a princess from another land. Marietta must forge an alliance with the two women to carve a way free from this sugar-coated but treacherous world and back home to follow her dreams. Yet in a hedonistic world brimming with rebellion and a forbidden romance that risks everything, such a path will never be easy.

This one is definitely on the list of one’s I’m most looking forward to in 2021 as I heard so much about it late 2020 when the hardback proofs were released – it’s a nutcracker retelling and I feel very lucky to have received a proof of it.

Which books did you buy or receive this week?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Jay’s Gay Agenda (#1) by Jason June

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments
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There’s one thing Jay Collier knows for sure—he’s a statistical anomaly as the only out gay kid in his small rural Washington town. While all this friends can’t stop talking about their heterosexual hookups and relationships, Jay can only dream of his own firsts, compiling a romance to-do list of all the things he hopes to one day experience—his Gay Agenda.
Then, against all odds, Jay’s family moves to Seattle and he starts his senior year at a new high school with a thriving LGBTQIA+ community. For the first time ever, Jay feels like he’s found where he truly belongs, where he can flirt with Very Sexy Boys and search for love. But as Jay begins crossing items off his list, he’ll soon be torn between his heart and his hormones, his old friends and his new ones…because after all, life and love don’t always go according to plan.

Do you ever just want to….throw a book against a wall? Because that is exactly how I felt with this one, over and over again. It’s not often I rate a book lower than 3 stars. I either know what to avoid, or I can find some good in it. Sometimes I slip up though, and want to try a book that could go either way. And there is just not enough good in this book for me to actually say I liked it.

Jay is one of the most self-centered and annoying characters I have ever come across in fiction. He repeatedly lies (or at best, emits the truth) to everyone around him without realising it is only going to end badly. He cheats (honestly one of the worst tropes I personally could ever read about), but with the softest, most vulnerable and kind hearted boy ever, which just made it so much worse.

My whole body wanted him, my entire soul too, and it hit me that an item on the Gay Agenda always should have been to find Albert.

I understand that the aim of this book was to write a coming-of-age novel about a gay teen who has never been around other queer people. I get that it was trying to be sex-positive and open about finding yourself and making a lot of mistakes in the process, but it really backfired in my opinion. There was a lot of diversity, including a gender queer side character, but I also found an issue early on in the book that made me uncomfortable from then on.

The gender queer side character, Max, has a conversation with Jay about pronouns. Max says, I quote, ‘I’m an open book, so none of the pronouns really feel one hundred percent right. But you can address your Gay Guide as he/him or she/her. My body is male, my energy is feminine, and I’m down for paying tribute to both.’. So we’ve addressed that Max uses multiple pronouns, but for the rest of the book, Max is only referred to as he/him. By the narrator (Jay), and by other characters. What was the point of having a character using multiple pronouns and having a conversation about it if they’re never going to be used?

After noticing this, I looked into the author, who also uses he/him and she/her pronouns. So this feels like something that should have been celebrated rather than ignored, and makes me worry if it was changed further down the line in editing or proofreading. If anyone else has read this I would really appreciate a comment letting me know if you think this is an issue too/picked up on it! I have had a lot of conversations with others about this while reading, and I would love to hear any other viewpoint.

To find the guy who could set my spirit and sexuality on fire all at the same time.

This book wasn’t all bad, and did have some interesting conversations about stereotypes and sexuality. I also loved some of the side characters, and these two redeeming qualities are the only reason why my rating is two stars rather than one.

★★
2 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments
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Goodreads | Waterstones

Caroline Murphy is a Hurricane Child.
Being born during a hurricane is unlucky, and 12-year-old Caroline has had her share of bad luck lately. She’s hated and bullied by everyone in her small school on St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, a spirit only she can see won’t stop following her, and — worst of all — Caroline’s mother left home one day and never came back.
But when a new student named Kalinda arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, becomes Caroline’s first and only friend — and the person for whom Caroline has begun to develop a crush.
Now, Caroline must find the strength to confront her feelings for Kalinda, brave the spirit stalking her through the islands, and face the reason her mother abandoned her. Together, Caroline and Kalinda must set out in a hurricane to find Caroline’s missing mother — before Caroline loses her forever.

I absolutely loved Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, so when I found that they also write middle grade I knew I wanted to pick one up. I’ve heard such good things about their other middle grade book King of the Dragonflies and this one was really enjoyable too!

Clocking in at just over 200 pages, this one was a super easy read and I flew threw it. With this one being a middle grade as well, I found it very easy to read – but don’t be fooled. This book does include some very important and deep topics, especially for a middle grade read.

The idea of not being alone — of having someone who sees me, same way I see the things that no one else can see, makes me feel like I’m real.

We follow Caroline, a 12 year old girl who was born in a hurricane. She lives in the small island of St Thomas, and her mother has disappeared. I really like how this book didn’t shy away from difficult topics and introduced them as part of the main plot. There are going to be so many children out there going through similar things to Caroline, and I think it’s so important we don’t keep stories from them, because it may make them feel less alone to see characters having similar experiences to them.

This book also included some discussions of sexuality, which I really loved. I feel like we definitely don’t see enough of these discussions in middle grade yet again, but it was portrayed in a really innocent way and I feel like it will be really accessible and relatable for young teens and tweens. We also see some discussions of sexuality in relation to religion, which I really liked.

Like I deserve to exist on this planet alongside everyone else. That I get to be here because there’s someone else who wants me here too.

Overall, this was a super enjoyable read and I loved how it didn’t shy away from the discussions it had. This book is quite short so I didn’t feel a really strong connection to the characters, but I did enjoy it a lot.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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During an eventful season at Bath, young, naive Catherine Morland experiences the joys of fashionable society for the first time. She is delighted with her new acquaintances: flirtatious Isabella, who shares Catherine’s love of Gothic romance and horror, and sophisticated Henry and Eleanor Tilney, who invite her to their father’s mysterious house, Northanger Abbey. There, her imagination influenced by novels of sensation and intrigue, Catherine imagines terrible crimes committed by General Tilney. With its broad comedy and irrepressible heroine, this is the most youthful and and optimistic of Jane Austen’s works.

I may have quite possibly found my favourite Jane Austen novel so far! This one is a super short read and I think would be perfect for those looking to read Austen for the first time – I also loved the audiobook so much that I may re-read Persuasion on audio soon (the only Austen book I have so far just read in physical format and not audio!).

I feel like this is one of Austen’s quirkier novels, and it is full of literary satire and Gothic scenes. And let me tell you, I adored these Gothic scenes. I love Victorian literature for the dark and spooky feelings that Northanger Abbey brings. The abbey itself was such a perfect location to set up the Gothic elements of this book, and I definitely feel like that was my favourite part of the story!

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel,

I also feel like this one is the most accessible Austen book I’ve picked up so far, and I really enjoyed the plot, which was easy to follow yet entertaining. I really liked Catherine as a main character, who was young and naive but genuinely just so kind to all those who surround her. I really felt for her, which I think is one of the reasons why I liked this one so much – she just made me soften.

I also loved the setting of this book, from Bath to the abbey itself. Every time I read an Austen book, I want to visit Somerset/Bath. Having visited Bath, I feel like she manages to capture it so well between these pages, and I can vividly picture these characters frolicking around the English countryside.

must be intolerably stupid.

Something that I find all Austen books do well is pure wit, and this is probably the funniest and most absurd so far. I found it so entertaining, and I’m so glad I decided to read these on audio throughout autumn.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Defy the Night (#1) by Brigid Kemmerer

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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Goodreads | Waterstones

In a kingdom where sickness stalks the streets and only the richest can afford a cure, King Harristan and his brother Prince Corrick are forced to rule with an iron fist.
Tessa Cade is a masked outlaw marked for death, but she likes it that way. Together with the mysterious, handsome Weston, she robs from the rich to help the poor, distributing food and medicine to those who need it most.
As it becomes clear that the only way to save her people is to assassinate the King, Tessa must face a deadly mission that will take her to the dark heart of the kingdom . and force her to work with the very people she intended to destroy.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a proof copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

It’s been a while since I read A Curse So Dark and Lonely but I really enjoyed it when I read it and I was so excited to hear about this new release. I’ve also read a couple of Brigid Kemmerer’s contemporary books in recent years and really liked them, and this one didn’t disappoint!

This story takes place during a plague, which I was a little worried about but felt disconnected enough from the real world for me to still enjoy it. I started this book expecting it to be quite a typical YA fantasy and for it to be predictable, but I was very pleasantly surprised early on in the book. The plot quickly surprised me and I knew I would find this more of an emotional rollercoaster than I expected.

I really liked the characters and I found the multiple POV between the Prince and Tessa so interesting. Both of them have their own issues and troubles from each side of the class divide, and I could empathise with them so much. I really appreciated how this book didn’t shy away from talking about the pressures of royalty and the impact on mental health being in the royal family can have.

The plot was very fast paced and entertaining, and the writing was so easy to read. I really enjoyed the writing style and I found this one hard to put down. I feel like Brigid Kemmerer does an amazing job at writing accessible fantasy as her writing style feels very similar to contemporaries and she crosses between the two. Reading this has definitely made me excited to continue with the A Curse So Dark and Lonely trilogy!

Overall, there was a lot to love about this book and I found it such an entertaining read. If you’re looking for an easy to read fantasy with a fiery romance, great characters and a plot that will keep you guessing, look no further!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: She’s Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They’re artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic Mick: the perfect subject, and Veronica’s dream girl. The days are long and hot―full of adventure―and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect . . . one stalker. This is a summer they won’t survive.

It’s been almost a week since I read this book and I still don’t quite know what to make of it. It terrified me to my very core. But I also kind of loved it.

This is one of those books that I would never go into lightly and I would struggle to recommend to others because of the amount of graphic content. But on the other hand, I loved a lot about it and I do really want to recommend. Although this book starts off quite innocent and has a very contemporary romance feel, it gets very dark as the book goes on. I also listened to the audiobook for most of my reading experience, and I felt so immersed in the experience it spooked me even more. There is a certain narrator that appeared very close to the end, and hearing their voice for the first time honestly shocked me to my core. The fact that the audiobook has a whole cast also made it feel very well done.

Why are you apologizing when you didn’t do anything wrong? 

This is completely and utterly a psychological thriller and there is a real mixture of art, danger, power and a twisted kind of romance. I did struggle to like the main characters at some points, but their actions definitely play into the whole idea and plot of the story and what happens to them throughout. It also lives up to it’s ‘sexy, psychological thriller’ tagline in the beautiful writing and provocative and sometimes hypnotic plot. I felt so glued to this book towards the end that I just had to finish it. It is one of those books you have to shake yourself back into the real world after putting it down because it just sucks you in completely.

I really loved the characters and relationships in this book. They all felt like real, troubled and flawed characters who learn slowly to rely on and support one another. Although their relationships were far from perfect, I softened for them over and over again. I particularly loved Veronica and her darkroom obsession, and it made me miss my darkroom! I completely understood her fascination with photography and I feel like this is a story art students will relate to.

That’s something we teach girls to do—always apologize, never be a burden. You have a right to take up space.

Overall, this was an emotional rollercoaster and a terrifying ride, but there is a lot to love about it. I felt utterly entranced by this story, but it’s not something I would recommend to everyone. Tread carefully if you’re considering picking it up, but if you do you won’t want to put it down!

Content warnings: animal death, car accident, child death, death, emotional abuse, kidnapping, panic attacks/disorders, murder, and violence, implied sexual assault, drowning

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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When Sir Henry Dashwood dies unexpectedly, his estate passes to his only son, leaving his widow and three daughters with no home and little to live on.
The elder two sisters couldn’t be less alike. Impetuous, romantic and idealistic Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor’s warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo.
Meanwhile Elinor, rational, cool-headed and always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her.
Through their parallel experience of love – and its threatened loss – the sisters learn that to live well requires both the bravery of open sensibility and the tempering of desire with wisdom if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

I am so excited that I’m going to be reading more Austen books as the autumn period goes on, and I really enjoyed reading this one. I listened to the audiobook of this which I really liked and I think I will carry on with listening to Austen audiobooks throughout the autumn season.

I got so many cozy vibes from reading this and it felt so atmospheric. The English countryside really shone through and there were some beautiful descriptions. It made me just wander around big Victorian houses and gardens (which I actually did around the same time of reading this!).

Know your own happiness.

I also really liked the characters in this book and the relationships between the sisters and their mother. I also found the romance so interesting to read about and it even made me slightly emotional in places. The writing, as expected, was absolutely beautiful and there was some amazing quotes and descriptions throughout this book.

You want nothing but patience- or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.

Reading this one has made me very excited to read more Austen books as the season goes on and I can’t wait to listen to more of the audiobooks.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Quick by Lauren Owen

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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Goodreads | Waterstones

You are about to discover the secrets of ‘The Quick’ – but first you must travel to Victorian England, and there, in the wilds of Yorkshire, meet a brother and sister alone in the world, a pair bound by tragedy. You will, in time, enter the rooms of London’s mysterious Aegolius Club – a society of the richest, most powerful men in England. And at some point – we cannot say when – these worlds will collide. It is then, and only then, that a new world emerges, a world of romance, adventure and the most delicious of horrors – and the secrets of ‘The Quick’ are revealed.

This one was very outside of my comfort zone, but I’m really glad I picked it up. I read this as part of a little book club that some of my friends have created, and I’m glad I’m already reading something I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. I think when we chose this one we had no idea how fitting it would be for this season (I won’t say anymore due to spoilers, but the Gothic vibes were perfect!).

In a lot of ways, this book actually reminded me of The Binding. Both of them were rollercoasters for me that I liked parts of and other parts fell flat, but the Gothic Victorian setting and literary writing were along similar lines. I’m so glad I went into this having no clue what this one was going to be like, as a lot of the aspects of this book were surprising to me.

Shooed outside—like chickens—they wandered rather aimlessly into the grounds.

Oddly, the first part of this one was my favourite. This was a shame, as I feel like a lot of books get better as you go on, whereas this one kind of got…worse. I loved the first part and it had an LGBTQIA+ aspect I didn’t expect but I really enjoyed reading about. I also really liked the last part of the story which took around the last 50 pages or so. However, the pages in between kind of fell flat.

As this story went on, more and more characters were introduced and I found myself switching off. The second part was told in more of a diary format which felt very jarring and disjointed. I found myself losing interest as I couldn’t quite follow all of the different aspects of the story and different stories happening within the book. If this book followed the characters from the first part of this book throughout the whole thing, I think this one would have been a 4 or even higher star rating from me.

Somehow it was always less fun to be told to go out and play.

So yet again we have a book I felt very up and down about and had a lot of mixed feelings! I did enjoy this and I’m glad I picked it up, but it definitely wasn’t without parts I didn’t enjoy so much.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments
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Goodreads | Waterstones

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.
Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order couldn’t stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.
Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:
The Holy Grail.

Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Argh. I wanted to love this book. Heck, I would have taken like. This is one of those books that has made me really sit down and consider the pressure we put on ourselves as a community sometimes with hyped books, new releases and especially proof copies.

Because I’ve got to be completely honest with myself and all of you. This just…wasn’t for me. To be frank, I was bored, I was confused, and I found this book way too long. I had no motivation to pick it up and I was finding it really hard to get into, but I pushed through. I had been reading it for almost a week when the book was released in the UK and I switched over to the audiobook, which honestly saved me. Although I’m sure I would have finished it eventually with just the physical copy, the audio definitely helped me out a LOT in this case.

Although I was finding this really slow to start, I had heard other readers with similar feelings who felt it picked up halfway, so I pushed through to then. Do you want to know where I found it picked up for me? With less than 100 pages to go. If the entire book had been the same experience for me as the final 50-100 pages, it may have been a 4 or even 5 star. But it honestly took me over 600 of 720 pages to get into, and I think if I was anyone else I would have given up.

After all that ranting, I wouldn’t say that this book was bad or that I didn’t enjoy it. It is highly entertaining and there were a lot of scenes I loved a lot, I just found the links between them very hard to find and they all felt very disjointed and jarring. I also enjoyed the found family aspect a lot and the relationships between the main characters were very interesting to read about. The plot twists really got me, especially at the end in the last 100 pages which I loved.

Overall, this one was such a rollercoaster and I just wish I liked it more than I had, but you can’t love them all!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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