Tag: book blog

Review: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

I had a feeling from the very start that I would fall in love with this book. There is something about a love story that isn’t about romantic love that drew me in from the start, and I knew I would be able to relate to. Days after finishing Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, I am unsure how to talk about it. The way I feel about this book and the topics it spans is very difficult to truly explain in words. It hit me in every single way I expected it to, and more. It broke my heart into little pieces and warmed my heart, too. It gave me hope, and it gave me hurt too. The audiobook was also a masterpiece.

“What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow centres games and game development, which I loved reading about and found fascinating to read about as a gamer myself. You definitely don’t need to have a love of games to appreciate this book for what it is, but I also felt like I could relate to it on a more personal level because of my love and appreciation for games.

My favourite part of this book was definitely the writing. There was constantly quotes that I wanted to save and shout from the rooftops, and I am already considering buying another edition just to read again and highlight. This book is quite long and has some interesting writing styles, which on paper feel risky but I fell in love with every time. I’ve never annotated a book before, but this one makes me want to start. I treasured the experience I had reading this book, and I just want to experience it over and over again. And I feel like with each re-read, it will become even more of a favourite. Even re-reading quotes and thinking about this book a week or so after finishing it is making me emotional.

The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

To say that Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel about games would be as limiting as it is infinite. I believe that games have the power to be life changing and world altering, carrying strength and hope and love and friendship. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow both showcases and includes all of these themes. It is a novel about games. But it is also a novel about the world. A novel about love, beauty, greed, wealth, friendship, hope, self-reflection, disability, motherhood, gender identity and Super Mario. It is a reflection within a reflection. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I get the sense I will carry it with me always.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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August Wrap-Up

On By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRsLeave a comment

Hello all! I’m a little late, but I really wanted to do a monthly wrap-up this month as I read so much in August and I’m really proud of myself for how much I managed to read. I read 21 books, and even though a lot of those were graphic novels, I still think that’s a really impressive number!

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

NEW ORLEANS FANG FEST, 1995. MINA’S HAVING A SUMMER TO DIE FOR.
17-year-old Mina, from England, arrives in New Orleans to visit her estranged sister, Libby. After growing up in Whitby, the town that inspired Dracula, Mina loves nothing more than a creepy horror movie.
She can’t wait to explore the city’s darkest secrets – vampire tours, seedy bars, spooky cemeteries, disturbing local myths…
And it gets even better when Mina lands a part-time job at a horror movie mansion and meets Jared, Libby’s gorgeous housemate, co-worker and fellow horror enthusiast.
But the perfect summer bliss is broken when, while exploring the mansion, Mina stumbles upon the body of a girl with puncture marks on her neck, clutching a lock of hair that suspiciously resembles Libby’s…
Someone is replicating New Orleans’ most brutal supernatural killings. Mina must discover the truth and prove her sister’s innocence before she becomes the victim of another myth.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Ellis and Easton have been inseparable since childhood. But when a rash decision throws Ellis’s life—and her relationship with Easton— into chaos she’s forced to move halfway across the country, far from everything she’s ever known.
Now Ellis hasn’t spoken to Easton in a year, and maybe it’s better that way; maybe eventually the Easton shaped hole in her heart will heal. But when Easton’s mother invites her home for a celebration, Ellis finds herself tangled up in the web of heartache, betrayal, and anger she left behind… and with the boy she never stopped loving.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize’s cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.
Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York’s past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart—or die trying.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

When the heroic princess Amira rescues the kind-hearted princess Sadie from her tower prison, neither expects to find a true friend in the bargain. Yet as they adventure across the kingdom, they discover that they bring out the very best in the other person. They’ll need to join forces and use all the know-how, kindness, and bravery they have in order to defeat their greatest foe yet: a jealous sorceress, who wants to get rid of Sadie once and for all. Join Sadie and Amira, two very different princesses with very different strengths, on their journey to figure out what “happily ever after” really means—and how they can find it with each other.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

★★
2 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.
Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.
But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?
Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . .

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Elsie has a crush on Ada, the only person in the world who truly understands her. Unfortunately, they’ve never met in real life and Ada lives an ocean away. But Elsie has decided it’s now or never to tell Ada how she feels. That is, until her long-lost best friend Joan walks back into her life.
In a summer of repairing broken connections and building surprising new ones, Elsie realises that she isn’t nearly as alone as she thought. But now she has a choice to make…

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Waterstones

Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

In grey, 1930s England, Bea has grown up kicking against the conventions of the time, all the while knowing that she will one day have to marry someone her parents choose – someone rich enough to keep the family estate alive. But she longs for so much more – for adventure, excitement, travel, and maybe even romance.
When she gets the chance to spend the summer in Italy with her bohemian uncle and his fiancée, a whole world is opened up to Bea – a world that includes Ben, a cocky young artist who just happens to be infuriatingly handsome too. Sparks fly between the quick-witted pair until one night, under the stars, a challenge is set: can Bea and Ben put aside their teasing and have the perfect summer romance?
With their new friends gleefully setting the rules for their fling, Bea and Ben can agree on one thing at least: they absolutely, positively will not, cannot fall in love…
A long, hot summer of kisses and mischief unfolds – but storm clouds are gathering across Europe, and home is calling. Every summer has to end – but for Bea, this might be just the beginning.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.
Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

When Dani and Dorian missed the bus to magic school, they never thought they’d wind up declared traitors to their own kind! Now, thanks to a series of mishaps, they are being chased by powerful magic families seeking the prophesied King of Witches and royals searching for missing princes.
But they aren’t alone. With a local troublemaker, a princess, and a teacher who can see the future on their side, they might just be able to clear their names…but can they heal their torn kingdom?

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.
It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.
Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

★★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.
But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Hello, come in.
Maybe you can help me?
A young girl lives in a haunted house, but has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She’d love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Because of a hearing disability, Kohei is often misunderstood and has trouble integrating into life on campus, so he learns to keep his distance. That is until he meets the outspoken and cheerful Taichi. He tells Kohei that his hearing loss is not his fault. Taichi’s words cut through Kohei’s usual defense mechanisms and open his heart. More than friends, less than lovers, their relationship changes Kohei forever.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures, painstakingly putting the past together. As Mia, the newest member, gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her pivotal year in boarding school, where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. When Mia grows close to her new friends, she reveals her true purpose for joining their ship—to track down her long-lost love.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Review | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.
Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

My favourite book of the month was Under a Dancing Star, and my least favourite was Children of Virtue and Vengeance. I managed to read a lot because of a lovely reading retreat I went on with my lovely friend Courtney, and we even read a good chunk of these books together!

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

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Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.
Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .

Sometimes you just want a book that might not absolutely blow your mind, but will be a thoroughly enjoyable end of summer contemporary. This book was just what I wanted, and needed, to pick up, and I really enjoyed the audiobook version.

Although this book was predictable at times, I found myself easily falling into this story, rooting for Henri much more than I expected to, and falling in love with his best friend Ming. Charming as a Verb felt like a great encapsulation of end-of-high-school, beginning-of-the-rest-of-your-life, with all the pressures that comes with it. But what I really appreciated about this book was the level of depth in all other aspects just under the surface.

Montreal is nothing like Manhattan; it’s smaller and more concentrated, and unlike the city that never sleeps, 

I loved the way Henri’s relationship with his parents was written, which felt genuine and relatable. I loved the way his mum was striving for her own new pathway, and his dad was willing to evolve to support his son. I loved the relationship Henri had with his uncle, and how not only him, but his family, would go to his uncle for difficult conversations. I love how this felt like a love-letter to the streets of New York City, but ended up with a small footnote to Montreal too.

There was an underlying tone to this book that explored living with money worries and a class divide too, which I felt was handled really well. Although Henri wasn’t always the perfect protagonist, and definitely makes some mistakes, for the most part I agreed with the direction this story took and enjoyed the ride.

Montreal feels like a city that’s gotten a good night’s rest and woken up in time for a bike ride alongside the Saint Lawrence River.

Young Adult contemporaries don’t often surprise me anymore, but this one is definitely a pleasant surprise. Although it was still predictable at times and I did question some of our narrators actions and the way they were handled, I enjoyed it a lot and it was the light and fluffy contemporary I needed!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: On a Sunbeam by Tillie Waldon

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

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Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures, painstakingly putting the past together. As Mia, the newest member, gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her pivotal year in boarding school, where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. When Mia grows close to her new friends, she reveals her true purpose for joining their ship—to track down her long-lost love.

What an absolutely stunning piece of art this book is. I’ve wanted to read something by Tillie Waldon for a long time, and my lovely friend Courtney gave me this one for Christmas last year. I finally got around to picking it up recently, and I’m so glad I did.

This book is about friendship, relationship, boarding school, space, emotions, loneliness, being alone, long lost love, found family, and a broken world. I would happily choose any number of these pages to have as printed pieces of art and stick them on my wall, and even then I would struggle with which ones to choose. Each page is breathtakingly beautiful and the colour scheme is striking.

Tillie Waldon is incredibly talented and I can’t wait to read more from her (I’ve already picked up i love this part which I can’t wait to read), but be warned that this book is a beast, clocking in at over 500 pages. Although I don’t think I quite connected with it as emotionally as other readers, I just know that I’ll re-read this and fall in love with it even more next time.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Children of Virtue and Vengeance (#2) by Tomi Adeyemi

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.
Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari’s right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy’s wrath.
With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

After enjoying the first book in this series, Children of Blood and Bone, I decided to pick the second one up while the events of the first were still fresh in my memory. I found the first book engaging if slightly long, with brilliant world-building and an accessible writing style.

Going into the second book, I decided to pick this up on audio. I read the first chunk (around 20%) of Children of Blood and Bone as an audiobook, and I found it engaging and followed the story well. But with Children of Virtue and Vengeance, I found myself switching off almost instantly.

“We’re the children of the gods.” I lift my chin.

Some of the negatives I felt in the first book continued with the second, mainly the relationships between the main characters feeling quite juvenile, and increasingly hormonal throughout this second instalment. The scenes I do actually remember about this book a couple of weeks after finishing it are actually these kinds of scenes, and they feel quite disconnected from the rest of the story.

I felt the story was quite disjointed and disconnected overall, and doesn’t flow very well. To this day, immediately after reading, and even during reading this book, I could not tell you the plot. The first book seemed to follow quite a destined storyline and ended on a cliffhanger, but this one seems to be a mishmash of the fallout from the first book. I’m not even sure how it ended anymore.

“If someone’s running away, it’s not going to be us.”

Overall, this was definitely a disappointment after the complex and intricate fantasy of the first book, of which I could only pick a few (more personal) grievances. I doubt I’ll be continuing with the series at this point.

★★
2 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.
Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.
But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

I’ve been hearing everywhere about Nimona for years now, and I’m so glad I finally decided to purchase a copy of my own at YALC earlier this year. Nimona is a fun, adventurous graphic novel following an unlikely group of companions as they wreak havoc.

My favourite part of this was definitely the unlikely friendship of our main companions, and the interactions between them. I found our characters so entertaining, and the fact Nimona herself could shapeshift made for some really humorous scenes.

Although I wasn’t a massive fan of the art style, I soon got into the story and grew to enjoy it in the context of the book.

The text/dialogue being written in a more hand-drawn font definitely gave the book character, but the printing of the physical book did make some of it hard to read. I found the font very small at times, and was often printed towards the edges of the page, disappearing into the spine and making the physical reading experience not quite as enjoyable as it could have been.

But despite these few small complaints, Nimona is a fun story that has a great found-family component and interactions that I loved!

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.
It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.
Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Squire was a welcome treat of a graphic novel, with beautiful art, a gorgeous colour scheme and a concise, well structured story which I found easy to follow.

This graphic novel tackles a variety of topics, some more in depth and difficult than others. As we follow Aiza through her day-to-day life in the competitive Squire training program, we see her navigate friendships, which felt relatable and really drew me into the story. The art was visually stunning and the colour scheme beautiful too, and the landscapes were definitely a favourite part of the overall story for me.

The pacing really picks up in the second half and the action scenes are really visually engaging, almost feeling like a movie. The ending does feel quite rushed, however, and I do feel like this slightly distracted from the struggles Aiza was facing in regards to her Ornu background.

Overall, this was beautiful and I’d love to re-read it at some point to further explore the story, and I’d definitely read another volume if it was published.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: There’s A Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Hello, come in.
Maybe you can help me?
A young girl lives in a haunted house, but has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She’d love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again.

I don’t often read picture books, but if I had to choose a favourite picture book author, I think it’d have to be Oliver Jeffers. He is definitely a go-to author for me when I purchase picture books for the little ones in my life, and I finally decided to purchase my own copy of one of his books with There’s A Ghost in This House. This beautiful hardback is more of a collectors item than anything – with a stunning transparent dust jacket and pages that overlay onto beautiful drawings of a an old house. We follow a girl, who lives in a haunted house but has never seen a ghost. As you turn each transparent page, the ghosts reveal themselves on the drawings, offering a lovely engaging story.

This book is so beautiful, and will definitely be one I treasure and am happy to add to my collection. There’s also a video from the author about this book, which I’ll insert below for anyone that wants to take a look.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.
Their only communication with each other is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.
But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?
Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone . . .

It’s been 5 years since I originally picked this book up, and it was so interesting to give this one a re-read. I wasn’t necessarily planning on picking this one back up anytime soon, but I ended up impromptu-ly buddy reading it with a friend. The first time I read this book, I finished it in a day, and I’m not surprised. I didn’t quite read it in a day this time, but I was quickly drawn back into the story and sped through it when I picked it up.

The premise for this book is interesting, and definitely keeps you reading as it becomes darker and develops into more of a thriller. However, there is a lot of plot-holes to do with the setting and situation of Romy, our main character, who has been alone in space for many years following the death of her parents. But if you manage to overlook these and not compare the book to real-life too much, it’s a highly enjoyable read.

I just want someone who holds on.

I was 17 when I read this book for the first time, and I definitely found it much easier to relate to Romy as a main character. Now I’m 22, and I must say Romy could come across as quite annoying and naive (which is natural due to her situation). I did still relate to the discussions of her anxiety, however, and felt like her panic attacks were written well and still made me feel emotionally connected to her as a character.

The setting was interesting and I could picture the spaceship well. This book clocks in at just under 300 pages so is pretty short, but there is still really only one setting throughout the story. Despite this, it kept my interest and never felt small, just right, in fact.

 Someone who won’t ever let me go, whatever tries to tear us apart. Is that too much to ask?

If you’re looking for a gripping, fast-paced YA sci-fi romance, this is definitely up there. Although I had a few more pet-peeves now than I did as a teenager, I still found this one highly enjoyable to read and was captivated by the story.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Lore Olympus (#2) by Rachel Smythe

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Persephone was ready to start a new life when she left the mortal realm for Olympus. However, she quickly discovered the dark side of her glamorous new home—from the relatively minor gossip threatening her reputation to a realm-shattering violation of her safety by the conceited Apollo—and she’s struggling to find her footing in the fast-moving realm of the gods. Hades is also off-balance, fighting against his burgeoning feelings for the young goddess of spring while maintaining his lonely rule of the Underworld. As the pair are drawn ever closer, they must untangle the twisted webs of their past and present to build toward a new future.
This full-color edition of Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story, and brings Greek mythology into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

I read the first volume of Lore Olympus after my friend Amy recommended it late last year, and I was very excited to pick up volume 2. I actually preferred Volume 2 to Volume 1, which was just as beautiful but had more focus on the relationship between Persephone and Hades. I once again sped through this volume, which is detailed in drawing but doesn’t have a massive amount of text to read through.

Episode 26 – Webtoon

The art is absolutely beautiful, and I loved the colour combinations once again. Each character has their own colour, which I really love as it separates each character clearly and makes it easy to focus on the story without being confused about each character.

I’m loving this series and I definitely preferred this volume to the first one, so I can’t wait to see where it goes in future volumes! Just make sure to check content warnings (which are also listed at the start of the book) if you’d like to pick it up.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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