ARC Review: Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister’s place in the palace. Trained from birth to return to the place of her parents’ murder and usurp the only survivor, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves. Or she would, if only a certain palace guard wasn’t quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic didn’t have a habit of causing trouble…
Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.
Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?

Thank you to the publishers of this book for a pre-release copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the most advanced copies before release I’ve ever been sent – it actually doesn’t release until May 12th! I’ve had this one for a couple of months, but I’ve finally picked it up a few months ahead of publication and this one was such a pleasant surprise. I’ve read Wing Jones and Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Katherine Webber and absolutely loved them, so when I saw she was a co-author of this new YA fantasy, I knew I wanted to pick it up.

I wasn’t sure how this would read, and I was a little daunted by the size of it, clocking in at just over 500 pages. But I soon realised this one is such an easy read and almost feels a little guilty pleasure because of it – I’ve seen that this is a-likened to The Selection and although I would disagree in a lot of ways (this one is definitely a lot more sophisticated!) I definitely felt similar with how easy this one was to read.

I liked so much about this series on top of the wonderful writing – both Wren and Rose were brilliant female main characters, and I really liked both of them. I was a little concerned about Rose coming across as privileged due to her upbringing, and even though she does to a degree, I still really liked her character. I also liked the love interests which definitely made for a more enjoyable read, and I liked the animal companions so much too!

The setting and magic world are both great to read about, and I could definitely picture the world very well. The world-building is brilliantly balanced with the rest of the story, and I really enjoyed reading about it. The plot was well paced for the most part, and the only part that let me down slightly was right at the end, which felt quite rushed.

Overall, this book just had so many great parts to it and I really enjoyed reading. It didn’t quite reach 5 stars for me, but it was very close to it!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Poppy War (#1) by R.F. Kuang

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments
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When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

You know there are some books that just grip you from the start and you have a feeling that they just may turn out to be a 5 star read? This one was one of those books, but I’m very sad to say it didn’t quite live up to expectations as we went through the story.

This book starts with Rin studying to pass the Keju exam which will allow her to travel north to Sinegard, a military academy and escape a marriage that has been set up by her parents. I loved these chapters so much and I was so optimistic with the start of this book. I listened to this one on audiobook, and I feel like there are some audiobooks you have to focus on throughout the entire story, and some that capture your attention so suddenly that you can’t help but be entranced. This was one of those books.

I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. 

However, what I thought might last for the entire book ended quite soon into the story, and around 150-200 pages in, we are thrown from Sinegard Academy and into a war zone. Although this was more what I expected from this series before starting it, I was enjoying the academy setting so much that I did find it quite disappointing to go to the complicated, confusing and pressure-filled environment of a war. Although the rest of the book was still enjoyable, it in no way blew me away like the first 150 pages did, dropping my rating from 5 stars to 4.

There was still so much I loved about this book, however. I really liked how a lot of the topics were handled, from marriage to birth control and children, racism and classism to self harm. Please beware if you are going into this book there are a lot of trigger warnings and heavy topics that I will mention at the end of this review, and some of these were disturbing to read about. But for the most part, I thought a lot of the difficult topics were handled quite well.

Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.

Overall, this didn’t end up being a 5 star read for me, but I did still really enjoy it and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes in the next two books!

TW: sexual assault, self harm, violence, murder, genocide, gore, rape, animal cruelty, human experimentation, torture, mutilation

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: More Than This by Patrick Ness

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
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A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies. Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive. How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?
As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a very long time, and I don’t know why I’ve felt so daunted by it. Although this book is fairly long, clocking in at almost 500 pages, it reads so easily and so quickly. It’s been so long since I read a Patrick Ness book and I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it.

I don’t know what I quite expected from this one, but it definitely wasn’t what it ended up being. We follow a boy after he drowns as he wakes up in his childhood home, which doesn’t appear to have changed since he was a child and his family moved to America. He is the only person in the world, and nobody appears to have been around for years.

A book… it’s a world all on its own too. 

I was a little concerned where this one would go, as I often feel with dystopian books. This one was the second dystopia/post apocalyptic book I read in January and with both I really wasn’t sure where this was going to go or even where I wanted it to go. I just knew that I’d feel at the end if the outcome was what I wanted or not.

I wasn’t quite sure how I felt at the very end of the book, but overall the outcome was super interesting and inventive. This took a sci-fi turn which I didn’t quite expect but I didn’t mind the way it went. Considering the story mainly focused on one character alone in the world, the pacing felt very fast, and it was interspersed with flashbacks from his life. There were some important topics faced, including homophobia and sexuality in general.

A world made of words, where you live for a while.

Overall, this one was a super enjoyable read. Not quite 5 stars, but one I found really entertaining and I sped through over a couple of days.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments
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Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.
Achilles, “best of all the Greeks,” is everything Patroclus is not—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative connection gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper—despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.

I can’t believe I finally read this book and that I’m finally going to articulate my thoughts and feelings on this one. Which are very, very mixed. I feel like reading and reviewing books as hyped as this one is always going to be difficult, and I couldn’t help but be very apprehensive going into this one. I’ve read Circe by Madeline Miller and sadly it wasn’t for me, but I had a lot of hope going into this one because it does read very differently.

The Song of Achilles is definitely a lot less dense and a lot more accessible than Circe, and I immediately found myself connecting much more with the characters. The first part of this book was much easier to follow and I enjoyed it more, and it contained a lot of intimate scenes between Patroclus and Achilles. I really liked these scenes, which I think is why I couldn’t connect to the end of the story.

I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. 

Although this does follow the lead up to the Trojan War, and the latter part of the book does focus on the Trojan War itself. This is where I really started to lose interest, and missed the lack of focus on the relationship side of the story and the intimacy between the couple. Another problem I had was with the way women were portrayed, and sometimes it almost felt like there was a ‘token’ woman who was treated better – in this case Briseis – that excused the way other women were treated. Despite this, Briseis is still treated very much as an object and a status symbol. Although this reflects the myth accurately, this is a retelling so in my opinion could have been changed or even left out. It does feel a little softened, but still came across badly to me.

I really liked the writing, however, and at times it reminded me of the writing in Call Me By Your Name, with the same beautiful tones and level of vulnerability and honesty. The two felt so human, and the way their love comes across is gorgeously written and portrayed.

I would know him in death, at the end of the world.

Although there were many aspects I enjoyed about this book, I think a lot of it still wasn’t quite for me. I’ll definitely keep this one on my shelves though, as I’d like to come back to it in future.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Stacking the Shelves #71

On By Beth JonesIn Stacking the ShelvesLeave a comment

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!

Hi everyone! It’s time for another stacking the shelves and I really need to slow down my book buying because there’s even more this week! I also received a couple of gifts which are lovely.

Bought

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Goodreads | Waterstones

A seasonal Poirot and Marple short story collection that includes: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding; The Mystery of the Spanish Chest; The Under Dog; Four and Twenty Blackbirds; The Dream; and Greenshaw’s Folly.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

When Alice Ascher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it’s one down, twenty-five to go.
There’s a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim’s body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill; then who will Victim C be?

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Goodreads | Waterstones

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems… 

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Motives for Murder: A fortune in uncut diamonds, hidden by an eccentric old man. A woman’s love, too freely given. A business empire built on ruthlessness. Each of them may have been a motive for the brutal slaying of wealthy old Simeon Lee. Coupled with Lee’s family, each member of which hated him and wished to see him dead, they presented Hercule Poirot with a baffling challenge–one which the astute detective solved only through his uncanny ability to see “the little things.”

The only books I’ve bought this week are Agatha Christie books to complete my collection of these stunning hardback clothbound classics. I’m so happy I’ve got this whole set now!

Gifted

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Goodreads | Waterstones

I was sent a copy of Room to Dream by Knights Of, which is the third book in the Front Desk series, which I haven’t read yet but I really want to! Thank you to the publisher for this one.

Golden Boys (Paperback)

Goodreads | Waterstones

Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with a environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.
What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship? 

I also received a copy of Golden Boys by Phil Stamper. I still haven’t read a Phil Stamper book but I’d really like to! Thank you to the publisher for this one too!

Which books did you buy or receive this week?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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February TBR

On By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRs2 Comments

Hi everybody! It’s time to tell you all my TBR for February, which I’m very excited for! If you didn’t know, I have a Youtube channel which I play a mini golf game to decide what I read. If you want to check out the video, I’ll leave a link below for you to give it a watch! Most of the books I’m going to talk about today were decided by this game.

Books I want to read in February

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister’s place in the palace. Trained from birth to return to the place of her parents’ murder and usurp the only survivor, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves. Or she would, if only a certain palace guard wasn’t quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic didn’t have a habit of causing trouble…
Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.
Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other’s lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?

I’ve had a beautiful proof copy of this for a while already and I’m so excited to finally pick it up!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Remember a time before cell phones could be found in every pocket? Or when even accessing the world wide web was something only readily available in a library? Back then letters still filled up postboxes and moments just felt so much more precious when captured on Polaroid film. Now life seems to move at the speed of light. Our memories are captured and shared with the world on social media platforms. And love, which is already capricious, can feel like it is moving at terminal velocity.

I’m so happy that I picked this up in my tbr game as I’m hoping to do a themed reading vlog including this book! I’m also hoping to watch the film later this month after reading this book.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.|
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

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Goodreads | Waterstones

I wasn’t necessarily planning on reading this series, but it fit some of my prompts perfectly in the game, so here we are! I’m going to be buddy reading this one with Alex which I’m excited for.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Fifty-one years, nine months and four days have passed since Fermina Daza rebuffed hopeless romantic Florentino Ariza’s impassioned advances and married Dr Juvenal Urbino instead. During that half-century, Flornetino has fallen into the arms of many delighted women, but has loved none but Fermina. Having sworn his eternal love to her, he lives for the day when he can court her again.
When Fermina’s husband is killed trying to retrieve his pet parrot from a mango tree, Florentino seizes his chance to declare his enduring love. But can young love find new life in the twilight of their lives?

Mark picked this one out for me at Christmas and I’m going to be filming a reading vlog including this one too.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

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Goodreads | Waterstones

As part of the same Christmas video, Mark bought me the 5th and 6th books in the Noughts and Crosses series which I’ll also be reading in the vlog! I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Alex and I are hoping to read this graphic novel after reading the Villains series.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

I’ve been buddy reading The Poppy War and really enjoying it, and I think we’re going to also read The Dragon Republic soon.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Drifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back – and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are dashed as Lennie – struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy – becomes a victim of his own strength.

Mark also bought me this one, which I’ve actually never read and I’m excited (and nervous) to finally pick it up!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

There is something strange about Coraline’s new home. It’s not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It’s the other house – the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.

I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane late last year and loved it, so Mark also bought me Coraline to carry on with Neil Gaiman books!

What do you want to read in February?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Stacking the Shelves #70

On By Beth JonesIn Stacking the ShelvesLeave a comment

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!

Hi all! I’ve definitely been bad (or good) this week with my book buying. I’ve been lucky enough to have quite a few books gifted to me, but I also found some limited editions I’ve really wanted for a while!

Bought

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Goodreads | Forbidden Planet

[Extraordinary (Forbidden Planet Exclusive Special Signed Edition Balam Variant Hardcover) (Product Image)]

Goodreads | Forbidden Planet

Taking place in the years between VICIOUS and VENGEFUL, ExtraOrdinary follows the tale of a teenage girl named Charlotte Tills who following a fatal bus crash, seemingly dies only to wake up to discover she has become an EO — a person with ExtraOrdinary abilities. In Charlotte’s case, it’s the ability to see people’s deaths, but when she looks into her own future, sees her own murder at the hands of the self-proclaimed hero and notorious EO killer Eli Ever, who is currently in prison for the murder of Victor Vale. Refusing to accept her fate, Charlotte sets off to find–and change–her future–before it comes for her.

I’ve been collecting editions of Extraordinary by V.E. Schwab and I keep coming across new beautiful covers! I bought these two from Forbidden Planet.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’, a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, one cold morning in 1945, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ‘The Shadow of the Wind’ by Julián Carax.
Captivated by the novel from its very first page, Daniel reads the book in one sitting. But he is not the only one interested in Carax. As he grows up in a Barcelona still suffering the aftershocks of a violent civil war, Daniel is haunted by the story of the author, a man who seems to have disappeared without trace after a duel in Père Lachaise cemetery.
Then one night, in the old streets of the city centre, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from ‘The Shadow of the wind’, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax’s works in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julián Carax, and to save those he left behind.

I visited Hay-on-Wye earlier this week and came across a first edition hardback of this book which I’ve wanted to read for so long. I felt lucky to come across this one in pretty good condition for a really good price so I couldn’t resist picking it up!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

First, there were ten a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.

I also came across this Agatha Christie, which is part of the set I’ve been collecting.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

There’s a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter… It’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fireplace with this winter-themed collection from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This compendium of short stories, some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect gift for mystery lovers.

I also picked this one up to add to the set which is so pretty!

Gifted

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Witty, intelligent Elizabeth Bennet has no desire for a marriage of convenience. And when she meets the handsome, wealthy Mr Darcy, her opinion of him is quickly set: he is aloof, selfish and proud – the last man in the world she would ever marry.
Until their paths cross again, and again, and the pair begin to realise that first impressions can be flawed… But as Elizabeth and Darcy become entangled in a dance through the strict hierarchies of society, will there be space for true love to bloom?

I was also sent quite a few proofs this week, including this Pride and Prejudice retelling by Laura Wood that’s also dyslexia friendly! Thank you to Barrington Stoke for this one!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Bailey and Vanessa shared everything: laughter, secrets, and packets of Pop Rocks to ward off bad days. But that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house. Now Bailey, who thought she knew Vanessa better than anyone in the world, is left with a million unanswered questions, and the only person with answers is gone.
To help grieve her loss, Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa using years’ worth of their shared text messages and emails. The more data she uploads to the bot, the more it feels like she’s really talking to her best friend. That is, until the bot starts dropping hints that there was more going on with Vanessa than Bailey realized–a secret so big, it may have contributed to Vanessa’s death.

Harper 360 sent me a few books too, including this one which I can’t wait for as it sounds so interesting.

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Overachiever Luz “Lulu” Zavala has straight As, perfect attendance, and a solid ten-year plan. First up: nail her interview for a dream internship at Stanford, the last stop on her school’s cross-country college road trip. The only flaw in her plan is Clara, her oldest sister, who went off to college and sparked a massive fight with their overprotective Peruvian mom, who is now convinced that out-of-state-college will destroy their family. If Lulu can’t fix whatever went wrong between them, the whole trip—and her future—will be a waste.
Middle sister Milagro wants nothing to do with college, or a nerdy class field trip. Then a spot opens up on the trip just as her own Spring Break plans (Operation: Lose Your Virginity) are thwarted, and she hops on the bus with her glittery lipsticks, more concerned about getting back at her ex than she is about schools or any family drama. But the trip opens her eyes about possibilities she’d never imagined for herself. Maybe she is more than the boy-crazy girl everyone seems to think she is.
On a journey from Baltimore all the way to San Francisco, Lulu and Milagro will become begrudging partners as they unpack weighty family expectations, uncover Clara’s secrets, and maybe even discover the true meaning of sisterhood.

Harper 360 also sent me a proof copy of this one, thank you!

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Goodreads | Waterstones

Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn’t been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.
But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She’s determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.
On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?
But most concerning of all: Why can’t she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?

And last but not least, my lovely friend Amy gave me this one, which I’ve had my eye on for a while! Thank you Amy!

Which books did you buy or receive this week?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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ARC Review: This Woven Kingdom (#1) by Tahereh Mafi

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment
57992931

Goodreads | Waterstones

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.
The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books I wanted to like so, so badly. I’ve had mixed experience with Mafi’s books – from being disappointed by Shatter Me but absolutely loving A Very Large Expanse of Sea. I decided to pick this one up due to the intriguing synopsis and some great blurbs from some of my favourite authors such as Cassandra Clare and Leigh Bardugo.

Sadly this book just ended up being okay for me. I read 400 out of the 495 pages in just one day, so I must say this one was an easy read and was compelling enough for me to continue. But I also feel like I could summarise the plot in a few sentences. What I expected to happen by a quarter of the way through the book happened three quarters of the way through, and I feel like most of the book was summarised in the synopsis itself.

I did really like Alizeh’s character and she had a strong identity which I loved, and she felt like a strong female lead. I wasn’t a big fan of Kamran and I do feel like Mafi struggles to write male characters that I have any sympathy with. Their romance felt very insta-love to me which I also struggled to enjoy reading about.

The part of the book that probably turned out to be my favourite was the world building, and I liked the fantasy elements a lot. It felt like a really unique fantasy in a lot of ways and elements such as the language felt really natural and genuine.

Overall, this one was definitely mixed but I enjoyed it, it just didn’t blow me away.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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2022 reading goals

On By Beth JonesIn Let's Discuss!1 Comment

Hi all! I know it’s a bit late to set reading goals for the year now, but there’s a few that I’ve been thinking about and wanting to write down for you guys and we’re still early on enough in the year in my opinion!

Looking quickly at my 2021 resolutions, I actually managed to stay fairly on track last year. I read way over 100 books (183!), read more series on my tbr, read more classics and stayed mostly organised. I didn’t, however, stop buying books, and that one will be a goal I carry on to this year for sure! With that, let’s get onto my goals for 2022.

Read 150 books

I smashed it last year with 183, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to read more than that as I really don’t know what this year holds. So I’m going to aim for less but still a very significant number of 150!

Finish series I’m part of the way through

I definitely want to continue reading more series on my tbr, but I’d also like to have a more focused goal of finishing series that I’m part of the way through, even if that means re-reading books earlier on in the series. Alex has been a big help in buddy reading some of these with me so we can smash them off both of our tbrs!

Read older books on my tbr

Obviously we all like to read books we’ve just bought and are excited about, but I definitely have some that have been on my tbr for years that I really need to get around to! Playing my tbr game once a month on my YouTube channel definitely helps me pick out books I wouldn’t usually.

Stop buying so many books!

As I said, this is definitely a goal I need to continue on from last year. I tracked my book buying in 2021, and it’s made me much more aware of how much I buy and how much money I spend. I’ve got to the point where I need to slow down more for space than anything, because I’m severely lacking in that! I currently have 134 books on my physical tbr, which is 27 more than this time last year. I’d like to end the year on less if I can!

Stay on top of my blog and BookTube

I love writing for this blog and making content for my more recent BookTube channel, but sometimes it’s hard to find the time for everything on top of my degree and working two jobs! But with some good organisation and list-making, I can definitely keep posting consistently.

What are your goals for 2022?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments
52778475

Goodreads | Waterstones

Mirabelle has always known she is a monster. When the glamour protecting her unusual family from the human world is torn and an orphaned brother and sister stumble upon Rookhaven, Mirabelle soon discovers that friendship can be found in the outside world.
But as something far more sinister comes to threaten them all, it quickly becomes clear that the true monsters aren’t necessarily the ones you can see.

This book reminded me of a younger version of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and had a lot of gothic/horror aspects that still felt applicable for the age group. This one is a middle grade book following a house known as Rookhaven, where Mirabelle lives with her family. The family are monsters, and each have something that makes them unique.

The family are exiled from the local village, looked down upon by humans and protected from the outside world by a veil. But one day, a crack in the veil allows two humans, Jem and Tom, to break through and end up staying in the house with the family.

I really liked the growing friendship between Jem and Mirabelle, who end up being some of our main characters alongside a human from the local village and Piglet, one of the monsters. The friendship between the two girls represent a growing bond and understanding between the humans and monsters, and was super interesting to read about in this fantasy landscape.

The setting was a lot of fun to read about and it definitely didn’t feel small in the way it is contained within the house and the local village. The story is complimented beautifully with illustrations from Edward Bettison and I added an extra layer of chilling atmosphere.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this one for any ages, but it definitely has a childlike wonder alongside being deliciously dark!

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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