Book Review: A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1) by Deanna Raybourne

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If a book can make me fall asleep three times a day while reading it, then I have to say that this is a slightly boring book without the murder part, I guess I can say? Because I was looking for the murder part of this cozy mystery, and I felt like it never...came. When it did, I guess I missed it because it was all about her parents and who her father was and all that...which was fine, I guess, but at the same time....I was kinda shocked about it???

So this book introduces Veronica after she buries her Aunt, and she has lunch with the vicar and his wife, she tells them that she and her aunties are not related, stating that she is an orphan and she'll be fine living her best life studying fairies and also not getting married. Leaving them after a really good lunch, she returns home to find that the cottage she was about to sell is about to get robbed. Before she can smack the heck out of them with a German sword, a baron shows up to take her to London, telling her that she's in "grave danger".

Okay...why???

When she gets to London, she is put in the care of a man named Stoker, a naturalist, and a taxidermist. She spends a couple of days with him, helping him with the elephant for a lord and also making sure his collection and place are spot on, when news of the baron's death is in the newspapers. Next thing you know, they are gone on an adventure, not solving the mystery until like the last hundred or so pages, going to the circus and posing as a husband and wife, then having to leave after a fight once the freak show is done.

When we focused back on the mystery aspect of the book, it went back to Veronica and why people was after her. It turns out that people are after her because she is the legitimate daughter of Prince Albert, the son of Queen Victoria. There was something about her mama falling for the prince and them getting married, then nine days later once Victoria was born, that's when Prince Albert gets engaged by Princess Alexandra of Denmark, I believe, or something like that??

At first, Veronica didn't believe it, but the more she looked at the papers and birth certificate, that's when she realized that the children Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra had, including his marriage to her, was void and declared illegitimate, and she was the rightful heir to the throne. Well, she doesn't want the throne-she wants to be her own person, and she wants to live her own life as a naturalist.

Well with her and Stoker getting kidnapped and them meeting her uncle, breaking into the baron's home to find out why she was in grave danger, and also getting the people that want her on the throne or dead in one place so she can destroy the place, it was kinda fun to read and I enjoyed that part. But when she asked Moranday and Sir Hugo Montgomerie who wanted her gone, Moranday only said that it was a "she" not a "he", which makes me think that it's Queen Victoria who's watching over Victoria.

During the Queen's Jubilee, she came and watched her royal family go by, and she was giving a glimpse of them, and that felt like you're with her, watching them go by and actually thinking of the what ifs if the royal family actually accepted her as one of the family, what would her life be. Then one day at dinner, she talked to the Lord who owns the Belvedere if she could work for him getting his natural things together, and when he agreed, that's when she told Stoker (afterwards) and the two started talking about it, thus ending the book.

I have to say, even though this book put me to sleep and it bored me to death in certain parts, but other than that, I really liked it, enjoyed myself reading it, and I might wanna pick up the rest of the series.

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Book Review: The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue! by Karina Yan Glaser

The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my first time reading anything by Karina Yan Glaser, and this book didn't disappoint-it made me want to read all of the books in the Vanderbeekers series. This was set during a week of Spring Break, and things were happening left, right, and sideways, and it was also pretty funny as well. Oliver, Laney, Isa, Jess, and Hyacinth planned for a really good Spring Break--with Mama's bakery about to be in Perch Magazine, to Isa's audition and Mama's birthday, things were going well...well it was.

First off, it went off the rails when a city official came to do an inspection, and it failed--twice. So the kids come up with a way to get rid of all of the animals that keep on appearing in the backyard of their brownstone so the next one can work smoothly, but sadly it didn't work the second time, and they also didn't tell Mama about it, which I was sad about. But while they figure out why all these animals are popping up, the children are also doing other things to keep themselves occupied.

Oliver, the builder of the family, wants to make a treehouse. When he couldn't make it because it was raining, he was upset, but he did make bookcases for it. Then when it cleared up, he and his uncle makes the treehouse, and he and his friends sleeps in it. The next morning when they woke up, chickens appeared in the yard, and while he and his siblings were thinking about what to do about who was leaving the animals in the yard, Oliver remembered a camera their Papa had, and he uses it to find out who was leaving them.

Isa is worried about her audition that was coming up during spring break. She practices so hard, even though the noises of the animals and her siblings around her. When it was time for her to finally have her audition, she thinks she does well, but then she does laugh during it, which was something she needed, because right after the kids went to see Herman's dad, who automatically told them no and also told his son that he couldn't hang out with them anymore (meaning I need to read the books to find out why).

Laney fell in love with a black and white cat she named Tuxedo, and then she also fell in love with a bunch of guinea pigs that she knew how to take care of. When Herman is going through his father's slides, Laney sees a place she knows would be perfect for Mama, and the kids go and see it. When they do go and see it--Laney cleans it up a bit--that's when Oliver has an idea for the shop, and how it can be the perfect solution for all of the kids and their Mama, who was studying to become an accountant again. Along with a cat that looks like Tuxedo, they surprise their Mama on her birthday with a sign for the Treehouse and Cat Cafe. When Mama started crying happy tears, that's when they knew that it could work--and it also helped them with their cat problem and animal problems.

This was a really cheerful book that made me tear up once, and I really loved all of the characters and how each of them worked hard to find something for their Mama, and also deal with their animal problem, one day at a time. Also I like the article in Perch Magazine about the cat cafe in the end, and that they went to someone who ran a cat cafe to get some advice.

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Book Review: Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A beautiful ending to a beautiful duology. Heart of the Sun Warrior not only hurt my feelings and my soul, but it brought this lovely series to a close. I read Daughter of the Moon Goddess at the beginning of the year, to remind myself what happened before getting to the book, and I wasn't disappointed at all with this book. It broke my heart, made me cry a little bit (in a good way!) and it also shocked me, because it had a love triangle, and I thought she was going to choose the first one, but after she realized who she really loved, that's when she wanted the other one...until he died.

Now Liwei...I thought he was going to be it. He was handsome, the Crown Prince, and pretty much did everything to help her without asking, but she couldn't picture herself sitting there on the throne next to him as the Celestial Empress, fighting for power and trying to be the best Empress she can be. She didn't want to hurt Liwei like that, so she chose Wenzhi, who I really didn't like at all at first, even in the first book, he started to look funny, making me giving him a side-eye. So I wasn't a huge fan of him at first. But in this book, I hated him in the beginning like I thought, but then he started to look appealing as he too started doing things for Xingyin and making sure she's alright, that she, after everything that happened between them, she realized that she loved him.

The small romance of Houyi and Chang'e was so cute. I was gushing when they got back together and he apologized for leaving her and even getting mad at her for taking the elixr. When he protects her it is so cute, even giving her a rabbit because she thought she was lonely awe :) Houyi was so cute and adorable, and seeing Chang'e happy when she got her husband back was so cute.

But everything else hurt my soul. I cried, and gasped, hating Wugong altogether and wished that he was dead, even going so far as to taking the throne and imprisioning the Celestial Emperor. I cannot believe that even the Celestial Empress got into the fight, but she died, which was sad, but at least she died a hero. But I'm also mad at the Celestal Empress who gave Xingyin that ultimatum when they met up. I still a little upset that she kept it, but then once it was broken, I also kinda wish that Xingyin got with Liwei, even though she carried on with the pact with his mama, but even though she chose Wenzhi in the end, I'm glad that they are still friends after all of this.

I really did enjoy this book and I would read this duology all over again.

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Book Review: The Silent Blade by R.A. Salvatore

The Silent Blade by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book took me a while to read, but I enjoyed myself. Even though it flipped between three POVs, which I liked, I liked how we got into the heads of the characters and saw how they feel as they go through their journey. From going to destroy Crenshinibon to fighting demons that cannot be seen, to overcoming Pashas and kinda going into a war with them, reading this book was actually pretty fun. My favorite POV was Drizzt, as usual. But oddly, I liked Artemis Entereri's more.

Artemis came back to Calimport and all of a sudden, all of the thieves' in the thieves' guild were on alert and wonder why Artemis Entereri has suddenly come back--it is because he wants to become the next Pasha? Does he want his title back, the King of Assassins? No one knows why the famous assassin came back home, but they know that whatever he wants, they aren't going to give it to him. So they devise a plan to try and kill him, even kelp-wall him. But Artemis went along with it, even getting some surprising help from the drow and leader of the Bregan D'arethe, Jarlaxle, who helps him take over Calimport and also get rid of the people who didn't do anything or help him. I was also shocked to see that the halflings helped him too (well one halfling-Dwahvel, whom I really liked as Artemis's friend.)

Wulfgar's POV was dark af. After coming back to life and free from Errtu's grasp, Wulfgar still isn't himself, and even when he goes on this journey to give Crenshinibon to Cadderly, he finds himself not really feeling it. After he accidentally punches Catti-Brie after a night of passion because of what happened to him in Errtu's plane, he leaves and goes to Luksan, where he becomes a bouncer for a tavern and also fall in love with one of the barmaids. He spends his nights being with Delly and then drinks the night away, and honestly, I can't think of a simple way to live your life. Also he went to face the shaman that turned the chieftan's son into a spirit, and he got his revenge, but it felt empty, hollow.

As for Drizzt, Cattie-Brie, Bruenor and Regis, they are trying to get to Cadderly's place so they can give him the evil crystal shard, but it feels like everyone and their mama is drawn to the crystal, and they were trying to get to Cadderly fast, until they came across Jarlaxle in the Crystal Tower. Trapping Drizzt in the Tower, Jarlaxle comes up with a plan to get Artemis back to the way he was: a simple fight, just the two of them, to see who won.

Before I went 'R.A. when I see you R.A." for what he did to Drizzt (I was so angry when I read that), I was glad at the end, when he was brought back to life. That honestly scared me, and now that Drizzt is back to life, I am wondering what happened to the Crystal Shard/Crenshinibon, the four friends are wondering if they should go and find Wulfgar, who's living his best life where he is right now.

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Book Review: House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was very gay, but in a good, bloody way.

I wasn't even ready for wlw, passion, and danger when I finally picked this book up--and I was not disappointed. Every bit about this book was so good that I wanted more. I wondered once I was done with the book if Marion and the girls were okay, if someone rebuilt House of Hunger and made it different, did anyone finally find the body of Lisavet??? These questions left me wondering once I was done with the book because it was so good. Marion became one of my favorite characters, and watching her navigate the world of the House of Hunger and try to be herself simultaneously.

The mystery aspect behind it was pretty interesting. I wasn't expecting it, to be honest. I thought Ceceila did move on to an asylum to get better, but instead, it turns out that she was in a cage, and she was called the Wretched, and Lisavet has been draining her, sapping her of her beauty and her life and everything.

When Marion found out what Lisavet did to Cecelia/The Wretched, she decided that it was time to go. That's when she started snooping around, and it turns out the girls that were at the House of Hunger were let go very early and were never paid their pension. So what secret was Lisavet hiding from her and the other girls? And once she found out, oh my gosh...it was very painful and also a very good ending.

The fight between Marion and Lisavet felt painful and deadly, and you would think that almost to the end, Marion was going to die by Lisavet's hand. But somehow she fought back, even gave her a deadly kiss, before she killed her and the girls were able to get free.

This might be on my favorite list of 2024, nay, the top 10 books of 2024, because it was that good.

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Book Review: Critical Role: The Mighty Nein: The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madeleine Roux

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein—The Nine Eyes of Lucien by Madeleine Roux
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Listen: Lucien Tavelle didn't do anything wrong, he was minding his own business when he found the Somnovem and decided to become one of them, yep, that's what happened. Even though I haven't watched CR in a LONG time, reading this book made me love Lucien and watch him grow from that kid in Shadycreek Run into the most beautiful twisted man that I have grown to love. Reading how Lucien got to where he is now with their friends, and also seeing the Mighty Nein and Essek as well was fun.

Reading how Lucien was betrayed and killed was also pretty interesting to me as well, mostly because I wasn't even expecting the whole betrayal to go down. I thought Vess DeRonga was going to play nice and help The Tombtakers, but instead, under their noses, she turns around and betrays them, turning the whole spell around and shattering Lucien's soul. Then months later, once Mollymauk passed, Molly ended up in his head, and I have to say, it was bloody brilliant to see. Also reading the many voices of the Somnovem talking to Lucien as he figures out what he wanna do once he finds the journal of the mad mage and figures out the spell that'll open up to the Cognouza, so he can live there and bring his friends that died come back to life.

I got worried during the final battle that the Mighty Nein wasn't going to stop him (no, why wouldn't I cheer on Lucien? I was, I swear!) and when they threw almost everything at him and Lucien was going to win, I think it took a lot and Molly to finally destroy Lucien and he died, but the epilogue, when he rose from the grave again, this time as Kingsley Tealeaf...oh my goodness.

I really loved Lucien's character, even from the beginning. He knew what he wanted, even when he came across the Somnovem and the journal and how he became one with the philosophers, and then seeing his rise and fall, TWICE, was very interesting to read and watch, and to see what happened to him once all of it was over. I loved the characters and the action and everything else-very well written, really enjoyed myself.

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Book Review: Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, Katee Robert hit it out of the park with this one. Helen/Achilles/Patroclus as a triad while they compete to be the next Ares? Say less. I was confused as to how this was going to work, the triad, but the more I read it and saw how Achilles and Patroclus work with Helen, even though it was Achilles himself who told Patroclus not to speak or even touch Helen, but somehow someway it worked. Some things were touching and stuff I didn't think would work but my god it did work.

Helen has become one of my favorite heroines in the series so far. Yes, she lived a luxurious life in the spotlight, but she got tired of it. So what does one Helen Kaisos do so she can be her own person? Signs up to be one of the champions so she can become Ares. During the competition, Achilles & big bro Zeus were trying to get her to go back home, saying that she doesn't have the balls to become Ares. But Helen said fuck that and she went on anyway, even though on the side she was doing....many lovely things with Achilles and Patroclus.

When I say "many lovely things" I MEAN "many lovely things I wish I could mention that it even made ME blush." But I did enjoy them to the point that no, I didn't imagine those lovely things, I swear I didn't (dear reader, I totally did).

The competition aspect of the book was one I *shockingly* liked. Even though Paris, the little shit, tried to get under Helen's skin, seeing Theseus and the Minotaur competing to become the next Ares was really fun to read as well. I liked seeing how Helen, Achilles and Patroclus worked together to get through the competition, but before Achilles could even become Ares, he even tasted it...well, an arrow went through his Achilles' Heel, and Helen became Ares.

Was Zeus upset? Yeah. But he could get over it.

Now there's a female Ares, trouble is coming to Olympus, and I need to know what's going to happen. This was a well done written book and I loved every bit of it.

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Book Review: Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book two was even funnier than book one, and I loved every bit of it. Meddy and her Aunties trying to stop a murder during her wedding was downright hilarious. I felt that feeling that my own aunties would pull the funniest stuff to make sure a murder never happened at my wedding. I kept laughing at the Aunties trying to fit into England, speaking the English slang, and then switching back to their English and being themselves was honestly so much fun that I really enjoyed it. Even though Nathan was just there and tried to enjoy himself at the wedding, I still loved him all the same and I am glad that Meddy and Nathan are now a married couple.

The antics that the Aunties did throughout the book cracked me up so much. I couldn't stop laughing as they tried to be a mafia family, even though that failed immediately when everything was revealed, and that the wedding people they hired for Meddy and Nathan's wedding was trying to get them for what they did in the first book to Ah Guan. But still, the antics were so funny, including them trying British slang and almost fighting one other. It was funny to read, and I enjoyed myself while I was reading this.

Even though the romance was barely there, I did like reading about the Chinese-Indonesian culture and how the Aunties were truthful to each other, and even though half of the high jinks made me laugh, and Meddy trying her hardest to get everything under control and trying not to crack under pressure when she was getting married, I found it really cute and funny and I enjoyed myself reading this book. I feel like Jesse Q. Suntanto is going to be a auto-buy author because this one was so good, and Nathan was just there and was worried about what was going on, and why was Meddy and her family acting all weird during the wedding.

The whole story taking place during a wedding was actually pretty damn good. I thought it was going to be quick, but instead it took place during a wedding. In England. I loved and enjoyed every bit of it and I need to read the next book, please and thank you.

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Book Review: Twin Consequences of that Night by Pippa Roscoe

Twin Consequences of That Night by Pippa Roscoe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was kind of terrified to read this book, mostly because the last time I tried to read a Harlequin Presents novel, it didn't go well. But when it comes to this book, I enjoyed this one. I loved reading about Nate and Gabi falling in love again for the kids, Ana and Antonio. I felt like we were seeing these two characters that were torn after their one-night stand and then coming back together and working on their marriage of convenience to falling right back in love with each other, even helping each other out with their problems.

My favorite character has to be Gabrielle. She's strong, tough, and cares about her kids, but at the same time thanks to her mother, she has trust issues that stem from her mother teaching her how not to trust people. She was sent to Nate to seduce him, and even though they did, at the end, her mother called her a whore (to her face, which sucks) and once she found out she was pregnant, she moved out of her mother's house, and her brother, Javier, helped her move on so she can think about her kids and put their needs first and not putting what she wants to do. When Nate came in the picture, she laid out the ground rules for their marriage:

1. They must tell the truth to each other, no matter what it is.
2. They must be together until the kids are twenty-one years of age

Those were the rules, and they followed them to the T-well, until Nate hid his illness from Gabi. She started to have terrible thoughts about what he was up to, and when she got that phone call from Hope that Nate was well, she was so confused and kicked him out of the house. Nate was confused about why she was kicking him out, and even the kids noticed that their Papa wasn't there, Ana cried and wanted him, while Antonio was silent and didn't want to add to his sister's pain. When Nate finally explained-to the whole world at the court case against her mother, Renata Casas, she understood and they have been together ever since, since I was glad about.

Another part I liked about this book was when Antonio had that UTI scare. I liked how the both of them came together and took him to the best hospital to make sure he was alright, and Nate didn't even move and kept gently touching Gabi and even looking over her every once in a while.

This book surprised me in a lot of ways, and I'm glad that I read it, and now I wanna try more books by this author.

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Book Review: Prince of Fools (The Red Queen's War #1) by Mark Lawrence

Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a week to read it, but I liked it. It was action-packed and it was really fun to read and enjoy. I did like Jalan and Snorri, but to me, Jalan just kept trying to run away and not deal with his problems--all he wanted to do was go back to the Red March or go find one of the DeVeer sisters to chill and have a drink with. I felt like Snorri just took over the battles and fights and whatnot, while he was worried about the women and wine and the food he wanted to eat, all because of his title and what he was comfortable with.

And throughout the book, I felt so sorry for Snorri. He had to deal with Jalan and he was fighting to get back to his family, only for it to turn around and find out that they are all dead, and now he has Asluag in his ear while Jalan has an angel named Baraquel in his. I did like the way the gods were used in the book-it was very interesting, along with the magic system. But other than that...I really was annoyed with Jalan and how he kept running away from pretty much every single thing he could think of, yet he could run to every single girl he saw and bed them without a care in the world. It annoyed me to the point that I really didn't like him as much, and I started to really like Snorri a lot more because at least Snorri did something instead of whining, complaining about him, and doing absolutely nothing to help Snorri in his task to finding his family and killing the man that did it.

So I didn't point out everything wrong with Jalan, but let's turn our attention to Snorri, whom I really liked the most out of the two. Snorri was a gentleman, even though he was a Norseman. He dealt with Jalan, even when he didn't want to, and he forced him to think on his toes instead of with his lower half. I really enjoyed being immersed in the stories that he told about his travels and trials when he was walking towards the Black Keep to save his wife and son, only to turn around and do it again, but with a couple men and his whit about him. I hope he'll be alright in the second book, and I really did enjoy this one. Snorri was my favorite, and Jalan just kept getting on my last nerve throughout the book.

But hey, at least they have a tavern right now, right??? Right??

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