A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of A Far Wilder Magic in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist This is the second book I have read that decided to throw historical fiction and modern day elements together without any thought of how that could affect the reader. Like me. I swear, I felt my brain get all hot as I was trying to figure out when this story is suppose to take place. Seriously, my desire to shout “When are we?” followed…
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A Forgery of Roses
A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of A Forgery of Roses in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I remember requesting “Sing Me Forgotten” last year through NetGalley; I was so excited by the premise that I just had to read it. Got declined and haven’t had a chance to read it yet. When I got invited to join the blot tour to promote A Forgery of Roses I could barely contain myself. Fast forward to just about now and all…
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The Iron Sword
The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of The Iron Sword in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Well, I think I need to admit to myself that I may have joined the Iron Fey and Evenfall series too late to fully appreciate it. I feel too old and, perhaps, too impatient for this type of story. It is very YA and I have been spending a lot of time lately reading contemporary fiction and mysteries and thrillers, so doing the jump from murders and unhappy…
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Luminous
Luminous by Mara Rutherford My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of Luminous in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I loved Rutherford’s Crown of Coral and Pearl duology. The world building and the story itself were just wonderful. So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard Rutherford is publishing a new story. About magic. And witches. Yay! Having read a few new releases this year, I’m starting to notice a… trend? A common thread? Not sure what to call it, but I’m starting to see some similarities in the publications.…
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The Right Side of Reckless
The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of The Right Side of Reckless in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I may almost be 40, but that doesn’t discourage me from reading young adult fiction. It’s one of my favourite genres and it can be such fun to read. Having said that, I have noticed a change in the last couple of years. A good change. It has become more inclusive, grittier and more realistic when it comes to describing the struggles teenagers…
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Voices in Summer
Voices in Summer by Rosamunde Pilcher My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist After I finished Another View by Pilcher I was ready to dive into another one of her books. It is a bit difficult to find a good, reliable listing of her publications, the year of publication and a synopsis that isn’t misleading. It took me a bit of time, but I finally settled on Voices in Summer based on the little book blurb I found. The Details Sadly, I found the synopsis for this story very misleading, which impacted my opinion of the story while I was reading it. I kept waiting for the thing to…
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Another View
Another View by Rosamunde Pilcher My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Gist Back in the mid-90’s the German public television broadcasting channel ZDF began producing movies based on Pilcher’s stories, novels and short stories. Even before these began to air I was aware of Pilcher’s works, since my mom loved them. So, in a sense I sort of grew up with Pilcher, yet I never read a book of hers until now. I remember a few years ago I attempted The Shell Seekers, I believe, but I had a lot on my plate back then and the sheer size of the book had me intimidated. To ease myself into…
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Tarnished Empire (Dark Shores, #0.5)
Tarnished Empire by Danielle L. Jensen My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist After finishing Dark Skies I was in need of my next Dark Shores fix. How delighted was I when I found out that Tarnished Empire not only provided a closer look at Marcus’ character, but also happened to be a full-length novel and not just a novella. Hot dog!! The Details I appreciated the chance to get familiar with Marcus and some of his friends/legion brothers before the start of the main story. It provided much depth to his and the other characters and explains some of his choices. I was totally smitten with Agrippa, couldn’t…
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Honey Girl
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Park Row Books, for providing me with an ARC of Honey Girl in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Who among us hasn’t felt lost? Lately, because of the global pandemic or just in general? So incredibly lost and untethered to anything solid underneath their feet? I certainly have. I graduated from grad school while the pandemic and first lockdown were in full swing. And I spent the summer sending out over 50 job applications, only to receive a whole lot of silence. Where can I go from…
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The Iron Raven
The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of The Iron Raven in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I had the strangest déjà vu when I first saw the name and the cover of Kagawa’s newest book. I swear I saw this book years ago and put it on my to-read list. Goes to show how one can be truly mistaken. Regardless, I have heard of the author’s other series, The Iron Fey, and the first book has been on my to-read list for a very…