Review: The Gifts That Bind Us (#2) by Caroline O’Donoghue

On May 9, 2022May 8, 2022 By Beth JonesIn RandomLeave a comment

Maeve and her friends have revealed their powers and banded together as a coven: Roe can pick locks, Lily sends sparks flying, Maeve can read minds and Fiona can heal any injury.
And even better than their newfound talents? Roe and Maeve are officially an item.
But with strange things happening at school, and old enemies appearing in new places, it soon becomes clear their powers are attracting all the wrong attention. It’s not long before Maeve’s gift start to wane, drained by someone – or something – that’s hiding even from her second sight…

I’ve been meaning to pick this one up ever since it came out, and I’m glad I finally did. I buddy-read the first book with my friends Amy and Jo last year, and I’m enjoying the series a lot so far. This one is a magical, witchy series with a tarot focus and it’s set in Ireland. In this second book in the series, the friendship group formed in All Our Hidden Gifts come together to face a bigger enemy: the Children of Brigid.

I read this one on audio and I’m actually really glad I decided to. Although I liked the first book a lot, there’s something about reading the audio of this one I really enjoyed. It almost felt clearer to me on audio, and it felt entertaining and adventurous. The narrator was brilliant too and I’m so glad she was Irish!

I love the discussions of LGBTQ+ issues across this series, but especially in this book. I had a few questions about representation after the first one, but they were definitely addressed in this book. The friendships and relationships faced difficulties, but it made the characters feel all that more real.

There was definitely some unexpected turns of events throughout this book, which made it all the more enjoyable to read. I particularly loved the found family aspects with such a variety of characters and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

On May 8, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

We are the Liars.
We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.
We are cracked and broken.
A story of love and romance.
A tale of tragedy.
Which are lies?
Which is truth?
You decide.

I have actually read this one before, but it’s now been 6 years since I first picked it up. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book half as much as when I first read it, honestly, but I did still enjoy it a lot. This one is definitely aimed at a much younger audience than me, and I did love it as a teen, but it’s still enjoyable now. I wasn’t necessarily aiming to re-read this one, but when I was offered a copy alongside Family of Liars, I decided to go for it.

I’m glad I picked it up, and it was exactly what I needed at the moment. The chapters are only a couple of pages, which means it was super quick to read and easy to get through. It’s also only just over 200 pages, meaning I read it in a couple of days.

We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged.

I’m glad it’s been so long since I read it, because I had honestly forgotten completely what happened at the end and I was shocked and surprised all over again. The writing was also brilliant, and once you get used to the prose, it’s unique but really enjoyable to read. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d get back into it, and I’m glad I read Family of Liars directly afterwards while I was still in the same mood.

I do have mixed feelings about the family themselves and the characters, but I did still enjoy reading their story. Even if I didn’t like the Liars themselves, the way they were written about was so clever, powerful and emotional.

We are cracked and broken.

Overall, this might not have been quite as enjoyable on a 6 years later re-read, but I did still really like it and I’m glad I picked it up again!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Stacking the Shelves #81

On May 7, 2022May 6, 2022 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! I bought a couple of books this week, but they were both really special ones I’m super excited about.

Goodreads | Alibris

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.
And Sam picks up the phone.
In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

I’ve wanted to read this one for a while and I love the hardback version, which has flowers under the dust jacket. I hunted around and managed to find a reasonably priced one at Alibris (linked above) which arrived a few days ago and is very pretty!

Goodreads | Waterstones

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.
Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

I also pre-ordered some books last week, including this one which has already arrived! I managed to get a Waterstones exclusive before it sold out, and it’s beautiful.

What have you bought or received this week?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Good Intentions by Kasim Ali

On May 4, 2022May 1, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

It’s the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve and Nur is steeling himself to tell his parents that he’s seeing someone. A young British Pakistani man, Nur has spent years omitting details about his personal life to maintain his image as the golden eldest child. And it’s come at a cost.
Once, Nur was a restless and insecure college student, struggling to present himself after being transplanted from his hometown with only the vaguest sense of ambition. At a packed house party, he meets Yasmina, a beautiful and self-possessed aspiring journalist. They start a conversation–first awkward, then absorbing–that grabs Nur’s attention like never before. And as their relationship develops, moving from libraries and cramped coffee shops to an apartment they share together, so too does Nur’s self-destruction. He falls deeper into traps of his own making, attempting to please both Yasmina and his family until he no longer has a choice. He must finally be honest and reveal to those who raised him the truth he’s kept hidden: Yasmina is Black, and he loves her.

Thank you to the publishers, Harper Collins, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I’d like this book, but I didn’t quite expect to love it as much as I did. I picked this up because it reminded me a little of The Big Sick, which I really enjoyed. This one follows Nur as he struggles to face his parents about his relationship with Yasmina.

This one discusses culture, religion and race in a lot of depth, which was super interesting if a little difficult to read about. It flicks between Nur and Yasmina meeting to present day, where Nur has finally faced his parents and told them about his relationship. Even though we skip months of time in places, I still felt really close to Nur and the other characters.

Sometimes there is an emptiness inside him so large it would take the entire world to fill.

Even though Nur makes a lot of questionable and regrettable decisions, I couldn’t help but relate to him on many levels. He suffers with anxiety and panic attacks, and I felt like these were quite emotional moments which I related to on a personal level.

There was a lot of discussions of difficult issues outside of this too, including depression and suicidal thoughts. I would have liked to have seen a discussion of therapy, but I did like the focus on friendships and family relationships. I listened to the audiobook of this one and I really enjoyed it, and it was easy to follow between the changing times and years.

It comes and goes as it pleases, triggered by nothing specific.

I must admit I felt really emotional at the end of this book, which I didn’t expect. I’m not 100 percent sure how I felt about the ending, but I will admit it really gave me a lump in my throat. I really enjoyed it overall and would definitely recommend it if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!

CWs: past self harm, racism, anti-Blackness, colourism, past attempted suicide, panic attacks

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Moominsummer Madness (#5) by Tove Jansson

On May 3, 2022May 1, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

Goodreads | Waterstones

The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley beside the sea.
One summer a grumbling volcano causes Moominvalley to flood, forcing the Moomin family to leave their beloved home and find refuge on a floating theatre. When this casts adrift, leaving Moomin, the Snorkmaiden and Little My marooned on land, Moominsummer Madness ensues. Will they all be reunited before the final curtain?

I’ve wanted to read a Moomin book for such a long time, and Courtney bought me this one for Christmas to sink my teeth into! Even though this is the 5th book in the series, she did some research and found this is the best one to start with.

I was thrown into this whimsical, magical world of the moomins, which was even weirder than I expected. There’s even a note in the back of this book commenting on how this one stands out for it’s weirdness. What I absolutely adored about this book was how heartwarming it was. Despite all of the randomness, there is also some beautiful sentences that really stood out for their beauty.

I can’t wait to read more from the Moomin adventures! I’d also like to find one of the TV shows to watch somewhere, because I love the look of the new Moominvalley show.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Stacking the Shelves #80

On May 1, 2022 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!

Hi all! It’s been a few weeks since I last updated you on the books I’ve picked up, and I’ve got some new ones to share with you.

Goodreads | Waterstones

There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months. But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life…

I’ve actually already read this one, which I loved so much! It was so cute, and I immediately picked up….

Goodreads | Waterstones

Rio has been sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California, while his mum is in hospital back home. Alone and adrift, the only thing that makes him smile is joining his new friend Marina on her dad’s whale watching trips. That is until an incredible encounter with White Beak, a gentle giant of the sea changes everything. But when White Beak goes missing, Rio must set out on a desperate quest to find his whale and somehow save his mum.

This one! Hannah Gold’s second book, which I can’t wait to read.

Goodreads | Waterstones

Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in little Sandy’s bedroom. She catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings them back to life in the whimsical drawings. When a mysterious new girl appears at school, Sandy’s drawings are noticed for the first time… but Morfie’s fascination with Sandy’s talent soon turns into something far more sinister.

Goodreads | Waterstones

I’ve also read both of these already too, they’re such cute graphic novels.

Goodreads | Waterstones

The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few…
– Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona: inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds.
– Reina Mori: a naturalist who can speak the language of life itself.
– Parisa Kamali: a mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched.
– Tristan Caine: the son of a crime kingpin who can see the secrets of the universe.
– Callum Nova: an insanely rich pretty boy who could bring about the end of the world. He need only ask.
When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.

Amy very kindly gifted me her Fairyloot edition of The Atlas Six, which is beautiful.

Goodreads | Waterstones

Talking of Fairyloot, I also received my copy of Heartstopper Volume 2, just in time for the TV show.

Goodreads | Waterstones

Chloe Green has spent the past four years dodging gossipy, classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect daughter.
But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.
On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbour with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.
Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe – probably not, but maybe – more to Shara, too.

I received a proof copy of I Kissed Shara Wheeler from the publisher, which I’m so excited for! I love One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, so I’m really excited to pick this one up!

Goodreads | Waterstones

Monique lives a perfect life – a preacher’s daughter and the girlfriend of the town’s golden boy. But it’s not that simple. She’s torn between her parents who want the pure virginal daughter, and her boyfriend, Dom, who wants to explore the more intimate side of their relationship.
Tired of waiting, her boyfriend breaks up with her, spurring Monique to discover she has a medical condition that makes her far from perfect and she concocts a plan to fix her body and win him back.
With the help of her frenemy, Sasha, the overly zealous church girl Monique’s mum pushes her to hang out with, and Reggie, the town’s not-so-good boy, Monique must go on trips to unknown and uncomfortable places to find the treatment that will help her. But in doing so, she must face some home truths: maybe she shouldn’t be fixing her body to please a boy, maybe Sasha is the friend she needed all along and maybe Reggie isn’t so bad at all.

I also received a proof copy of this one, which I’m super happy about as I really enjoyed Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by the same author! Thank you Hot Key!

What have you bought or received this week?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs

On April 29, 2022April 26, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

The last thing Jacob Portman saw before the world went dark was a terrible, familiar face.
Suddenly, he and Noor are back in the place where everything began – his grandfather’s house. Jacob doesn’t know how they escaped from V’s loop to find themselves in Florida. But he does know one thing for certain: Caul has returned.
After a narrow getaway from a blood-thirsty hollow, Jacob and Noor reunite with Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children in Devil’s Acre. The Acre is being plagued by desolations – weather fronts of ash and blood and bone – a terrible portent of Caul’s amassing army.
Risen from the Library of Souls and more powerful than ever, Caul and his apocalyptic agenda seem unstoppable. Only one hope remains – deliver Noor to the meeting place of the seven prophesied ones. If they can decipher its secret location.

So it’s been 7 years since I read the first Miss Peregrine’s book, and I finally finished the series! Thank you to the audiobook versions of the last two books in the series for helping me finally pick them up after owning them since release – I really enjoyed listening to these and it definitely helped with the daunting size of The Desolations of Devil’s Acre.

After following these characters for 6 books, it was definitely bittersweet to see them go, but I’m also ready to move on at the same time.

In the end, our real home had always been one another.

Maybe it’s just me – but it honestly felt like Ransom Riggs crammed so much plot into this one book, that it’s almost on par with the plot of the first 3 books all together. I was honestly astounded by how much he managed to fit into this last instalment in the series, as I was definitely expecting a shorter wrap-up with not quite as much at stake, but this one definitely went out with a bang.

Although the plot packed a lot in and was quite action packed, it did also feel pretty predictable after 5 of these books. I never felt particularly worried for the characters or on edge, which did let me down. There was just such a lack of tension there for me.

My favourite part of the book was definitely the group of friends, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the ending. Seeing them band together throughout this book and witnessing their banter and the way they treat one another did warm my heart.

And a real home was all I’d ever wanted.

Although I enjoyed this one and the series as a whole, I sadly felt like there wasn’t enough tension to keep me hooked, feeling a bit predictable and quite long!

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

On April 28, 2022April 24, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.

I’ve been wanting to pick up Paper Girls for a long time, having seen it around everywhere and heard many recommendations for it. My boyfriend, Mark, bought me the first volume for my birthday last year, and I finally decided to read it. I’ve heard Paper Girls be compared to Stranger Things, and I loved the parallels between the 1980s paranormal sci-fi you can see in both series.

My brain hasn’t been able to focus much on reading lately, so picking up a graphic novel was just such a great format to be able to sit and digest in half an hour. The text is clear and well spaced, and isn’t overwhelming in the least. It’s also complemented well by a beautiful colour palette and striking illustrations.

I loved the group of characters, who are absolutely badass as a group but are also brilliantly bold with one another. At first, I was a little concerned about some comments one of the characters makes, but this is immediately called out.

This one definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved the mixture of paranormal and real-life 80s neighbourhood. The ending and last few panels left me needing the next volume immediately!

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

ARC Review: Skandar the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman

On April 26, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call.
Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.

Thank you to the publishers, Simon and Schuster, for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while, and I was so excited when I received an advanced copy of it last year. The world of middle grade fantasy is rapidly expanding and seeing these new and exciting stories is so heartwarming. Giving out chapter samplers for this book at work has generated a lot of excitement, and I’ve heard a few parents mention how much their child is looking forward to the release after reading the first chapter – now I can see why!

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is jam-packed with magic, excitement, adventure and danger. It will help to generate a whole new generation of readers, and hooked me from the first page. Skandar has wanted to travel off the mainland to become a unicorn trainer for his whole life, but when he finally gets the chance, it doesn’t happen quite in the way he expected.

There’s an edginess, an element of danger, that I loved about this book and I can see it appealing so much to younger readers. It feels almost forbidden with the edge of darkness but was still crammed full with adventure and entertainment.

My only small complaint is it felt a little long and the characters felt a bit underdeveloped for the length of the book, but I still enjoyed the read. I can definitely see this one being a big middle grade release of the year and I think a lot of younger readers are going to love it!

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Conference of the Birds (#5) by Ransom Riggs

On April 26, 2022April 24, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Waterstones

With his dying words, H—Jacob Portman’s final connection to his grandfather Abe’s secret life— entrusts Jacob with a mission: Deliver newly contacted peculiar Noor Pradesh to an operative known only as V. Noor is being hunted. She is the subject of an ancient prophecy, one that foretells a looming apocalypse. Save Noor—Save the future of all peculiardom.
With only a few bewildering clues to follow, Jacob must figure out how to find V, the most enigmatic, and most powerful, of Abe’s former associates. But V is in hiding and she never, ever, wants to be found.
With enemies behind him and the unknown ahead, Jacob Portman’s story continues as he takes a brave leap forward into The Conference of the Birds.

Let me just start by saying I see these six books as two separate trilogies. It’s been absolutely years since I read (and really liked!) the first three in the series, and going back to A Map of Days felt a little unnecessary. I was happy with how the series had ended, and I didn’t feel like we needed more. But I did also enjoy reading the series, and found myself wanting to know what would happen when the gang toured America.

It’s been a while since I read A Map of Days, and although I didn’t feel like I needed in-depth knowledge of the first 3threebooks, I did want to refresh myself on the fourth book. I used this recap guide by Penguin Teen and watched the video linked at the bottom of the same post, and I must say that it allowed me to dive straight into the fifth book without any problem!

There’s an art to fleeing casually.

I chose to listen to the audiobook of this one, and I did quite enjoy it, even though I feel like you miss some of the ambience by not being able to view the pictures interspersed throughout the story at the same time as reading. I did make sure to go back and flick through my physical version, but it’s not quite the same. I thought the narration was really good, but it did make me realise how stereotypically British these characters are. I think part of this is because some of the characters are from the 1940s, and they do use some very British turns of phrase that may have been more current to the time. It didn’t annoy me too much, but it could have easily got on my nerves a little!

Although this book definitely didn’t blow me away, I did still enjoy it, and I remember feeling the same about A Map of Days. These books aren’t amazing, but they’re fun adventure stories with characters I will always root for, so I made sure to enjoy the book for what it was.

It’s not easy, running from something that might kill you while not attracting stares.

Mostly due to the fact I read the audiobook, I actually managed to read this in a day. It was just so easy to listen to and I had a day of doing mindless cleaning tasks at work, which allowed me to read most of the book. I sped through it and I found the story very entertaining, they just don’t feel super unique at this point.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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The Books are Everywhere

Tag: book blog

Review: The Gifts That Bind Us (#2) by Caroline O’Donoghue

Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Stacking the Shelves #81

Review: Good Intentions by Kasim Ali

Review: Moominsummer Madness (#5) by Tove Jansson

Stacking the Shelves #80

Review: The Desolations of Devil’s Acre by Ransom Riggs

Review: Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

ARC Review: Skandar the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman

Review: The Conference of the Birds (#5) by Ransom Riggs