Book Reviews: Hooky Volume 2, Heartless, The Vanderbeeks on the Road & We Hunt the Flame

Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The art style was perfect and my heart kind of broke in the end. Also I still love Princess Monica and I'm now worried about Daimen and Dani. That means TIME TO READ BOOK THREE

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Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Heartless by Marissa Meyer felt like you're looking inside the mind of a famous literary character and how she turned completely evil. I liked reading about the humble beginnings of Catherine Pinkerton and how she wanted to open her bakery, because she could make the best pastries in Hearts. But thanks to her dear mother, who thinks that she shouldn't be doing that, is pressuring her to fall in love with the King of Hearts, marry him, and live happily ever after.

Yeah, right.

During the night of the King's Ball, she meets a man named Jest, and the two of them have some really cool adventures-going to Hatta's shop to have a real tea party, going out and seeing the real Hearts at night, I guess, and also trying to figure out how to keep their relationship a secret. When the Jabbawocky starts to attack, everyone in Hearts is scared and afraid and doesn't know what to do. So Catherine, along with Jest and her maid Mary Ann, figure out where the Jabbawocky is coming from and why it's attacking people.

Who would've thought that the attacks and the Jabberwocky is actually Sir Peter Peter's wife? I wasn't even expecting that outcome, but when it did, I was shocked, and was worried when Catherine finally got to fight the Jabberwock, but once it died and Jest was killed (QUITE VIOLENTLY, BY THE WAY) and that they wanted her heart because she was supposed to be the Queen of Hearts...well....that changed up Catherine's whole world completely.

Seeing her turn into the villian we know and love was very well-written and I loved every bit of it. Seeing the three sisters and how each of the characters turned out at the end was very good, though painful, and this might be my first book I like of a Alice in Wonderland retelling.

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The Vanderbeekers on the Road by Karina Yan Glaser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second Vanderbeekers book that I've read, and once again, I loved it. In this book, the Vanderbeekers are on the road to surprise Papa about the road trip his grandfather (or father, I think?) wanted to take with him before he passed. But like any Vanderbeeker book, this does come with funny hijinks and worry about a family splitting apart.

Laney tried to keep Jessie and Orlando from going to Berkley by doing everything she could possible to make them miss their interviews, and she did make Orlando miss his, but instead, with that turnaround, Jessie used her interview to talk about Orlando and he go it, and now Jessie isn't going to Berkley. Isa and the others were wondering what was going on, and why Jessie and Orlando were being secretive, all over their phones and whatnot. Even one time Oliver and Laney broke into their phones and wrote them a fake email changing the times so they wouldn't go to their interviews.

At the same time, everyone is stuck in this van, trying to go and see their Papa and also deliver two cats to their Auntie, who was speaking at the Monterey Bay Aquarium I believe, and for Mr. B to go up to Auntie Penny (I think that's her name) and they also stayed at a Dude Ranch when the van broke down. I really liked the pictures of the many states they went through--I thought that they were a really nice touch, and the miles the family went though to get to Monterey Bay was also fun as well.

I am planning on reading the rest of this series, because it is a fun time and I love it so much :)

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We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I AM UNWELL.

That ending. What-how-EXCUSE ME?!

So first off, before I go off a weird tangent on why this book surprised me, this is my second time reading Hafsah Faizal's books, and We Hunt the Flame might have to be the second book of hers that I like. This book felt like a weird combination of Assassin's Creed and Skyrim, with the names I peeped (Altair and Haytham) and how this book felt like a very long episode or movie of a really good fantasy show, and I really didn't want it to end.

My favorite characters would have to be Zafira, Nasair, and Altair, shockingly. I do like the other characters, like Yasmine, Lana and Deen, and the villain of the month goes to the Lion of the Night, because SHEESH brother. SHEESH. And that reveal about the Sliver Witch and Nasir and the Lion of the Night and Altair. Like, I NEED to know more, because ma'am, you can't just drop that and then end the book! You just...you just can't!

The atmosphere and the danger of it all was set up really nicely, and the fact that I wasn't even expect half of the things that happened in the book was so good that I almost screamed. I'm so glad that I got book two so I can read it and find out what happened next, because I GOTS TA KNOW, DARN IT.

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2 Book Reviews: For Butter or Worse & Once Upon a Dream

For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The enemies to lovers were there. It was beautiful. I loved Nina and Leo's banter. But the fake dating just threw me off to the point that it made me mad. I'm sorry, you have to plan out your dates and let the paparazzi and everyone believe that you're dating, and not organically date and fall in love? Um, no. I'm sorry, I don't like the fake dating trope. It is confusing to me and I don't understand why they had to do it.

Now I loved how headstrong Nina was. She tries so hard to stay away from Leo and wants nothing to do with him. She wants to focus on her restaurant. But after quitting her cooking competition show after Leo's digs, her publicist came up with a great, but really stupid idea: why don't you two fake date after the paparazzi caught y'all in a very precarious situation. No. I'm sorry, but no. That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard. But the more I kept reading, the more annoyed I was about this trope and how I felt like it didn't work with the enemies-to-lovers trope as well. It didn't. It just confused me more, like why couldn't they fall in love organically, and then they can go on dates and whatnot? That was what I was hoping for. But instead, they just went on these really cute dates, not gonna lie, and then they fell in love.

Leo just...Leo felt boring. Yes, I felt sorry for him with his anxiety attacks and him just taking care of his father's restaurant, but he felt like cardboard and really wasn't interesting and someone I didn't think would work as Nina's fake boyfriend. I was falling asleep each time his parts came up. I wanted him to do something fun and exciting and do something grand...but I felt like in this book he didn't, which was sad because Nina needed someone like that.

I am glad they got together, but that middle part just...kinda ruined it, tbh. I wanted violence from cardboard Leo, but he just...didn't do anything. It made me upset that he didn't, but then he had the anxiety attack, which let him off the hook. But it did start with Nina sending that text message to the wrong person, and no, I'm not blaming her, but it did start with her.

I'm glad they aren't doing a show together anymore and all that, but I don't like the fake dating trope at all, but I'm going to give it another go to see if it's just this book that made me hate it.

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Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm so glad I FINALLY read this book because I enjoyed it. This is my first time reading a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and I enjoyed it. This one is about Sleeping Beauty (Aurora Rose) and how she was stuck in a dream world she created, but the only way to get out of this world she created, she had to defeat Maleficent. See, in the other world where she is sleeping, Aurora is sleeping and Maleficent is supposed to be dead...or is she? In the dream world that Aurora created, Maleficent is her aunt (weird, I know), they hold balls and dinners and stuff every month, and Maleficent keeps telling Aurora that she cannot go outside to the Outside World because "it's dangerous." Well one day, Aurora starts to realize that things aren't what they seem, and that everyone in the castle is starting to either disappear or act strange.

Disappear is right. One night Aurora goes up a tower and finds her dear Auntie Maleficent killed someone and dips her staff into the blood...and Maleficent gets younger and powerful. So what does Aurora Rose do? She escapes and goes to the Outside World, which was supposed to be poisonous, dangerous, and painful...but is cool, has breathable air, and animals that are alive and well.

It looks like "Aunt Maleficent" was lying to her.

While Aurora explores this Outside World, that's when she meets Prince Philip, and the two decide to team up and fight Maleficent, and also get her memories back. The more she's around Philip, the more she starts to fall for him, even try to remember him, but some parts cracked me up, like when she told him to shut up when she wanted to smack him upside his head....there were many funny parts in this book, but I cannot for the life of me remember. I do remember the parts when the memories of her life outside of the dream world and the Outside World collided and she had headaches. All of that-I got worried that she wasn't going to survive it. Still, she recovers, and the two move on and meet the fairies that were "bad" in Maleficent's world, but in reality, they were Aurora's real aunties, even though she was upset that they didn't tell her about the deal and why they had to take her away from her parents.

Speaking of her parents, they were in the book for a short moment before they were killed by Maleficent, which sucked by the way. But other than that, the fight between Aurora Rose, Maleficent, Prince Philip and the fairies was kind of a let down, tbh. I was hoping for the same thing to happen in the Outside Dreamworld, but instead it just...kinda fell flat because of the fact that it took Aurora to create a spindle, tear the needle off from the thing, and then stab her with it. Yes, it was fun and interesting and a nice twist, but the way Maleficent died...kinda made me a tiny bit sad, but at the end it ended nicely, without Aurora and Philip still together, but not married (thank god, tbh.).

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3 Book Reviews, 1 Post: A Venom Dark and Sweet, Hooky, and My Lady Jane

A Venom Dark and Sweet by Judy I. Lin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, this had The Apothecary Diaries vibes, but with a LOT of those C-Drama vibes, and it was a really good ending to the duology. I enjoyed the duel POVs with Kang and Ning, and how during Kang's POV, he was struggling with the position of being the Crown Prince, and all he wanted was to be his dad's son and help him rule the country. But thanks to someone leaving messages in a very delicious cake, there is something wrong in the court. Kang tries to find out what's going on, but he can't until he is sent to get an orb that Chancellor Zhang wanted...or so he thought.

Instead, the one who wanted the artifact was none other than the serpent Gongyu himself, who was possessing his father. When it was revealed that it was Gongyu who wanted all of this, Kang was shocked and also knew that everything that happened to Ning was a lie, because he was there when everything went down in the first book.

While all of this is happening, Ning and her sister, Shu, travel with Princess Zhen and her bodyguard/lover, Runyi, along with Astronomer Wu, to stop the poisoning and to stop Gongyu, but after the events of the first book, when Ning saved her sister from the serpent's bite, only to get bitten by the serpent herself, Ning goes around and tries to help people affected by the poison tea bricks and the serpent. One she didn't save, another she did, and when she reunited with Kang, she hated him in the beginning, but then as she works with him to get what the both of them needed and to stop Gongyu from devouring a thousand souls so he can come back to life.

Even though she didn't have her magic, I'm glad that Ning tried her best with what she got, which was fine with what she borrowed, which was something I really liked. I truly enjoyed this book and I'm glad I read it, can't wait to read what else Judy L. Lin writes.

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Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE.

I really enjoyed the artwork, the colors, and the characters. All of them spoke to me in ways I'd never thought I would like, but I loved every bit of it.

Hooky was really funny and also very cozy. My favorite character in this whole comic was Princess Monica. She knew what she wanted, and even though she was scared and then got brave, she was the best character ever, and I wanted to hang out with her. My second favorite character was Dani, who was very protective of her brother, and she also tried something new, which I enjoyed and also I liked her brother, Dorian.

This comic cracked me up, made me smile when the siblings did something, and this also made me glad that the second one is coming soon because I truly enjoyed where the story was going, and it made me want to pick up book two right now. I do have book three, but I wanna wait for book two to see how all of this picks up and ends.

I really enjoyed this comic, might be one of my new favorite comics that I've ever read in my life, and I need to read more.

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My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Lady Jane was a fascinating and quick read about Queen Jane Grey, who was queen for nine days. But this book's twist is that her husband, Gifford (call him G), can turn into a horse. That's right, a horse. And Jane? She can turn into a ferret, which I did crack up when I read it. I liked how they kept Edward Tudor in the story turned him into a kestrel, and gave him his happy ending, because yes, dear reader, I was worried that they weren't going to give him that happy ending, but when they did, I was so glad, because now he can live out his best life with Grace and also his dog, Pet, who is with Elizabeth I (who, it turns out, is a cat. That we don't see.)

I liked how Jane was such a bookworm and how she put those book facts to the test, she was slowly but surely falling in love with G, who was in love with her, but each time they had time to be alone or to talk about anything, he'd turn into a horse and have to be a horse until nightfall. The escape from the castle when Mary, Bess and Edward's sister, marched her army and took over the castle and usurped the throne from Queen Jane, she refused to denounce her husband and was locked up in the Tower of London, when she was trying to think about escape when she turned into a ferret and thanks to G and Peter Barrister, the both of them escaped and went to find help, so they can find Edward and take the throne back from Mary.

My favorite thing that the Lady Janies does with these books is make them funny, yes, but also they incorporate history into these books and make it really fun, exciting, and also, make history fun. I learn so many things about the people they're writing about, and it makes me want to learn more about the real people they are writing about, because it was so much fun reading this book. I also like the part when it turns out that Mary was a grey mule and she stayed liked that in the end. I also like that Edward gave up his throne and gave it to Bess, whom it turns out was a cat, but she didn't really show it.

I did love all of the characters, but I loved the grandmother. She cracked me up the most and reminded me more of my grandmother, and it made me miss her. I've read My Plain Jane from these ladies, and I cannot wait to read more of this series from them.

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Book Reviews: Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn, A McKettrick Christmas by Linda Lael Miller and A Princess by Christmas by Julia London

Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even though it was short and sweet, this is my first time reading anything by this author, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. I really liked the letters between the two exes, and I almost laughed when they figured it out. I also enjoyed how it was revealed that senior citizens were behind putting the two exes back together! That was the sweetest part of the short story. I also like how they talked through everything in the letters and while they were painting, even though seeing each other around town almost killed them, to the point that one was hiding behind a trash can. All in all, really enjoyed this short story, might pick up more from this author.

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A McKettrick Christmas by Linda Lael Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do read westerns, mostly from William W. Johnstone, and his westerns are oddly cozy but also have action in them. Now a Western romance is different, and I have to say, I...weirdly enjoyed this. I don't read a romance that much, and all it took was a nice cowboy on the cover to make me say, "Yeah, why not, let's read it." and boy howdy did I enjoy this one. It is very different from the bandits, shoot 'em up type books I like to read, but this one was pretty sweet.

Lizzie McKettrick is on a train heading to Indian Rock with Whitley Carson she was going to introduce to her family and maybe marry when an avalanche hits the train. There on the train, Lizzie meets and falls in love with Dr. Morgan Shane. While on the train, waiting on the promised saviors, she started to realize that Whitley is a manchild who didn't give a flying frick about helping people, and tried to go out in the deep snow, to try and escape. Instead, he broke his leg, got drunk, and told a baby to shut up. Yikes on bikes.

Once they were saved and everyone made it to Indian Rock, that's when Lizzie realized that she wasn't in love with Whitley and was in love, somehow, with Dr. Morgan. Even though she's about to be the new schoolteacher to Indian Rock's bright young students, she doesn't know her feelings for the new doctor, who will have to deal with weird ailments coming from beautiful young ladies who want the doctor's bedside manner. But after thinking about it and spending Christmas with her huge family, that's when she decided, even with the help of an "angel" by the name of Mr. Christian (or "Mr. Christmas" as the children on the train called him), that she did love him, and that she waited to marry him, which she did.

The funniest thing about this short book was the fact that one of the students, whose father was on the train and got sick, made her promise to be the teacher even if she was pregnant, which cracked me up, but I'm glad Lizzie made that promise to him. But the one good thing about this book was that she and Whitley became friends, and he went back to San Francisco and found himself a nice young lady to spend the rest of his life with.

Might read more Western romances if they're written like this, I pleasantly enjoyed this one.

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A Princess by Christmas by Julia London
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was in the mood for a romance with a bit of political intrigue because of the webtoons I've been reading lately. So I picked this one up, and this had the political intrigue in it, but the romance kinda felt lacking, that's why it's a four-star. I did like the fact that the lost prince had a disability, but other than that, and also how the FMC Hollis was strong and a determined woman, but at the same time she feels like everyone is leaving her to go on to live their own lives, and she's stick in London with her servants that has turned into her friends, and all she has is her paper that her dead husband started, and she has been writing for a long time.

Marek Brendan is the lost prince of Wesloria, and he's in London to make sure the Weslorian/Alucian peace treaty is going through, but while that is happening, he falls in love with Hollis and even helps when her butler Donovan gets hurt one night while helping Hollis was information about four soldiers that came on a boat called the Anne Marie and there was a plot to kill the King of Wesloria so the peace treaty won't be valid and then that's when the people behind all of this ruin Alucia.

Even though he couldn't hear in one ear, he was happy on his farm with his dogs and his animals, but meeting Hollis, from what I can tell, changed his entire life, to the point that at the end, in front of her whole family, he asks her to come back home with him, and I got worried a tiny bit that she didn't. She did bring up that her whole life was in London, but then Caroline or one of her sisters said that she was the best wife to her Percy, and she'd been running his gazette for a while now, isn't time for you to follow your heart? And after Donovan told her that they'll be fine, Hollis at the end left to live in Wesloria with her husband and now had a baby with him, and still runs her Gazette from her home.

The one thing that bothered me was when Marek finally met the King and he saved him from the poisoning, but didn't reveal himself to be the lost prince of Wesloria. But it was his decision and I'm glad he stuck with it-because then he wouldn't have Hollis on his small farm with a baby being adorable at the end. Even though this did scratch that romance itch and also the side political intrigue story, it failed a tiny bit becasue of Marek not telling the King who he really was.

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Book Review: The Raven Boys and Bride of the Shadow King by Maggie Stiefvater and Sylvia Mercedes

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was SO GOOD. It had really good Supernatural vibes, with the ghosts, ley lines, psychics, and all that. I loved how each character grew in this book, making me want to know more about Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam. In this book, you are introduced to them, how they live, and how the mystery of Glendower affects them all.

Blue was told when she was little that she would kill her true love by kissing him. So she avoided all boys, including the Aglionby Boys, also known as the Raven Boys. One day, while out with Neeve, a friend of her mother’s, she sees a boy that looks like a ghost. Blue goes over and asks his name. He tells her that his name is Gansey and that if she can see him, he’s going to die. Oof.

Once Gansey disappeared, that’s when everything starts to happen. Gansey wakes up in the Pig, his Camaro, and told his friends Ronan and Adam about what happened to him and wonders who spoke to him when he recorded himself. Then at Nino’s, where Blue works, she meets the boys and Gansey kinda fucked up Adam’s choice to even talk to Blue when he offers to pay her salary, and she thought he was calling her a prostitute, which she was not. But then at home, that’s when they came to her house for a reading.

This reading is very weird to me because Gansey keeps pulling the page of cups, which Blue’s mom, Maura, claims is Blue’s card. She kept telling him to pull another one, and he does-I think he pulled the Death card and declared that it was his card. Then they went to a place via a helicopter (I forgot what it was) and that’s when they went into this weird world where the seasons change and they have visions-Gansey has a vision of his death and Glendower, and Adam did see himself kill Gansey, and Blue saw Adam die after she kisses him.

But the one thing that grabbed me was when they found out Noah, my baby boy, my sweet cheese, my soldier, my good time sweet boy…was a ghost. Like a full-on, I was killed and now I’m a ghost boy. That made me go OH SNAP…OH SNIZZIEY SNAP!!! Wasn’t even expecting that. And the one who killed him…

Wasn’t expecting it, since he kept calling him Czerny (Noah’s last name).

It was the teacher, Barrington Whelk.

Well, damn.

There were some side arcs, like Ronan and his brother Declan fighting, and Adam getting hit so hard that he couldn’t hear from one ear (he got boxed in the ear hard, that’s what happened) and he and Gansey got into a fight after he picked him up-after he punched Whelk hard in the face, messing up his thumb. They went back to Gansey’s apartment after discussing what they’re going to do, and Adam decides to go and do the ritual himself…only for him to come face to face with Whelk and nearly got shot, and thanks to everyone, Whelk was stopped, Noah was buried in the Church, and since I forgot about this…

Ronan has a pet raven that came from his mind…named Chainsaw (I’m completely convinced that Ronan would LOVE Chainsaw Man.) and Noah is still a ghost, and Adam still can’t hear from his ear. And also I’m convinced that Neeve is a demon now. I truly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait to read the rest of the series.

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Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really cute book. It does have some pining in it between Vor and Faraine, it has some political intrigue, and it also has rituals and something terrible that just made me so wrong while I was reading it. It was a good book, not going to lie, but the way the second half of this book just made me upset until the ending was quite a shocker and something I was not expecting. I wanted to DNF this book because of that, but as I read on to see when he’ll find out about it, it got good again.

Faraine is the daughter of the King, whose gods-gift shuns her (for no apparent reason), and she hides in the shadow, letting the rest of her sisters get the spotlight. But one day, while being attacked, she and her dumb brother were saved by the Shadow King, who, I want to say, immediately falls for her. But each time they are together or not, Vor and Faraine are thinking about one another, even though Vor is there to get a human bride. The King kept pushing Faraine’s sister, Ilvesel, in front of Vor, even though it was Faraine he met first and wanted to be his wife.

Reluctantly, he agrees to marry Ilvesel and signs and deals with it, even though he can’t get Faraine out of his head. He tries, though; he tries. Then one day, while he is back home preparing for her, Faraine is retrieved from her convent. She was forced to go and take her sister’s place. Immediately Faraine said no-she didn’t want to change her face and lie to the King. She wants to use her face and be truthful to him. But the Queen and Crown didn’t want that, so thanks to a witch whose name I’ve forgotten turned her into Ilvesel-and this was the part I wanted to DNF. I felt this was wrong, betraying the Shadow King’s trust. Faraine felt guilty for even going along with this, and until the wedding night, she was forced to wear a veil, so he won’t know it’s her-which was bullshit and didn’t work.

Once the two of them took their vows, they were alone. There was a touch of spice in the book, but it was cut short when Vor stopped, noticing that “Ilvesel” was crying, and Faraine broke it, spell and all, revealing the King’s treachery. Vor was surprised *as he should have* and Faraine explained what happened to his bride and why her family did what they did to her.

Outraged, Vor (poisoned) ordered them to be killed. But before that could even happen, he realizes that he still has feelings for her and saves Faraine from the executioner’s blow. Instead, he put her in jail/dungeon while he sent the other one back to the King and thought about what he wanted to do in a month.

This was a really good book, I enjoyed it up to that part, and then it picked back up. I will wait for the series' last and final book to read them all together because this is a really good series.

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Book Review: Curio and Shadow of Night by Evangeline Denmark and Deborah Harkness

Curio by Evangeline Denmark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was very interesting to me. I haven’t read a steampunk book that can pull me into the world that fast. Even though it took me a while to read it, I truly enjoyed the story, the world and the writing was very good. Curio was a place I don’t think I’ll like if Lord Blueboy is still running the place-I think he’s some kind of porcie vampire-but all in all, I really liked this book.

I also like the tiny magic system when it comes to the Chemia, but the whole potion ration thing was confusing. I didn’t get it, even though it was brought up throughout the book. The world of Curio and the hierarchy was different but can also be scary. All the words they use to describe movement-”are you still ticking?” is one of them, I believe-would confuse me if I did go and visit there for a bit. The broken porcies, even though it feels like a dark place and you want to help them, are trying to live their lives the best way they know how, until they started a revolution over clean water.

And in the middle of all of this is Grey Haward, a young woman who was out late on curfew and gave her portion to her friend Whit, who was “striped” because of touching her (which is so misogynistic, tbh), and Grey insisted, over and over again, that she takes the punishment. But the Chemists wouldn’t let her, and something deep inside her-the blood of the Defenders, an extinct race that fought a bloody war with the Chemists and lost-helped her fight back, if only a little bit. Sadly, her father and grandfather were either turned into stone or taken in, and her grandfather’s helper took her into the shop, cut her wrist or palm, and told her to “bring him back here.”

The “him” in the story is Blaise, whom the porcies called the “Mad Tock '' because of the way he either looked or something like that, and he basically fixes broken porcelain citizens and also get into a fight with Lord Blueboy. Blaise stayed in Curio for a long time, fixing broken porcies and fighting at the same time, and when Grey fell into the world, he helped her try to get away from Lord Blueboy, but when something goes wrong, he nearly gets hurt, and then his left wing was broken during the attack on the water thing that I can’t recall right now.

Now back to Lord Blueboy, aka Benedict. I don’t like this man. One, he’s all sweet and nice, then he turns around and drinks from one of the maids like he’s a bloody vampire. Then he claims that Grey is his and no one else, and nearly got his ass whippped by Blaise when he wanted to turn him into dust. But Adante…he has to be my favorite villain in the book. He was cool and calculated, always sulking around the shop, and he got his when Grey beat him.

Now Whit’s whole arc in the book was an eh to me. He wanted to repay the Hawards for what they have done, and he found Marina and Maverick, twins who wants freedom I believe from the Chemists. They lived in the mountains and also they helped Grey’s father, and Whit wanted to help. The he got high on a potion that one of the potion makers made, and that was…kinda funny, in a way? But this was an good book, had some action in it, and it was quite fun to read.

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Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book along with the official ALL SOULS FB group, and I have to say, this book might be my favorite book out of the trilogy. I really enjoyed how the world expanded from London to Prague to Sept-Tours to France. I felt like I was on a tour of the past of Elizabethan England and learning so many things about the history and the people and the world that have brought this book to life.

I did call Matthew switching from modern day to Elizabethean Matthew a ‘switch’ because that what it felt like when he and Diana came to 1590. I thought when that happen, that we will lose the Matthew we know and love, but he calmed down, even when they had that talk about vampire literature and how vampire courted their mates in the book. When it came to Philippe de Clermont, I was kinda scared of him, to be honest. I didn’t know what to think about Philippe when Diana met him, but when you get to know him, it felt like it went all away when he became lively. BUT THAT FIGHT IN THE BARN WITH MATTHEW….my heart was in my throat. I was worried about Matthew, but to use that as an example to show Matthew’s blood rage? I was mad. But then, at the end, I was glad that it was over, and that Philippe accepted Diana.

As for Diana, learning about Elizabethan England and how they lived and worked and how she fit into this felt like I was learning along with her. Then when she finally learned magic and learned what she was-a weaver-I was excited. I was worried that she won’t learn magic while they were there looking for the book, but the more she learned about Ashmole 782 and magic and everything around her, the more the darkness was creeping over her and Matthew.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the talk Diana and Matthew had about children, because I felt like that was a very healthy conversation between a couple who didn’t know if they wanted to have children or not. Even though Diana got pregnant once and lost it, to me to felt like Matthew was grieving so much (Diana did too) that he acted like an freaking idiot and didn’t touch her. But at least they go back together and went to Prague…

…aka the Simping Court, because Emperor Rudolf II was simping HARD for Diana, not even giving her time to bloody BREATHE. I was so angry for Diana for having to deal with the Emperor, simping RIGHT IN FRONT OF MATTHEW like he’s not there. That’s like fawning and trying to get with someone else’s woman, which I don’t think he knew it was wrong. But I was SO GLAD that she got away from the court, even though it was by Louisa’s hand.

Meeting Lousia like this was scary, but at the same time, I was shocked and worried for Diana (basically my emotions was all over the place while reading this book) but the sweetest thing happened when Matthew saw Louisa and Kit jousting for Diana-Jack Blackfairs came and asked him if he was having a nightmare. Matthew said yes and held his hand, which was so cute. I really enjoyed this book and I was happy to meet new characters, like Gallowglass and Philippe and Jack and Annie. I have an side eye for Father Hubbard because I just don’t trust him, but at least Diana knows her firedrake (the coolest part of the book, honestly, I loved that firedrake) and that she can weave any spell now.

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Three Book Reviews-the rest of October

Murder in the Drawing Room by C.J. Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A little bit confusing with finding out who's cheating on the husband (or wife), then turns into a murder when the wife is dead in her drawing room. Cleopatra and Harry Armitage solves the case of whodoneit, and I have to save, even though this one is my least favorite one out of the three I've read, I've really enjoyed this one. I loved Cleo and Harry's banter, I loved how Cleo was fighting so hard to find what she wanted, and the whole other storyline about the cook pocketing the money was funny, not gonna lie. Still liked it though.

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Gothghul Hollow by Anna Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Killer. Sorceress. Scholar. Priest.

These four people team up to stop a beast that is attacking the Hollows and unraveling a mystery that starts with one word: Mhurghast.

I really enjoyed this book. It was short, yes, but it was a good short novel that deals with magic, murder, a beast that turns out to be something else, and also a mystery. My favorite out of all of them was the sharpshooter Runar and the sorceress Erdea. The priest Tiberius was okay, but the father, A-A-ric (dang right I did it like that inner-city school skit by Key and Peele) I really didn’t like, mostly because he kept sheltering Erdea with everything and it was really ticking me off.

The beast reminded me oddly of the tale of the Beast of Gevaudan in the beginning, but then as the mystery of Mhurgast starts to unravel, starting with Erdea’s mother, Hepizibah I think her name was. She started to do research on the Four Heralds, and then it became her obsession as she worked so hard on figuring it out, that when she gave birth to Erdea, the beast came and took her, leaving baby Erdea there.

The hint of a romance is there between Erdea and Runar, the sharpshooter, but it wasn’t much, which is very refreshing and it didn’t overpower the story. The four of them worked to unravel the mystery of the Mhurghast, and when they did in the end, it turned out to be a vampire named Genevieve Dieudonne, which I have to say, I’ve never read a fantasy that had a vampire in it, and I kinda like it. Genevieve is very interesting as a character and I want to read more of her story. Who was she? Why was she the beast? What did she learn that could help them solve the mystery of the Mhurghast? I want to know more, but maybe one day I will.

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Blood and Fog by Nancy Holder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So this Buffy novel fell flat for me. Yes, it takes place in season six, and yes, it does have the Spuffy pairing, but in all honesty, it fell flat for me. The whole thing with Buffy hiding her relationship with Buffy was just weird, then Xander, Tara, Dawn or Anya was barely in it, maybe like a couple of seconds before they disappeared. Angelus, Darla and Dru was in it as well, but as a flashback.

Jack the Ripper as a fae was…okay?? I guess??? It didn’t feel like I should be all scared of him and stuff. He was just all, “I’m going to unleash hell on Sunnydale with a fog, unalive 12 women and become and god” and I was all like…okay? Can you do something more sinister, more evil, I guess? But I guess he can’t??? And the whole Tuatha thing was weird as well, along with the thing of ‘Buffy’s blood is going to drip by her enemy’ and it turns out to be…Willow??? Of all people??

(I know why, since I’ve watched season six).

This just fell flat for me, sadly, and then the other side story of Giles in England was just weird as hell as well. But while I did hear the flashbacks of the Fanged Four (which I actually liked because they made the book much better, to be honest) I did hear Dru’s voice, and maybe Darla’s?? But throughout the book I did hear Spike’s voice, so there’s that.

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All the Books I've Read in October-Book Reviews

 Hello friends!

Today's post is a long one, because today is all the books I've read in October-with three more to come. So this is a two parter, because I've about around eight-nine books??? And I actually enjoyed them?? So let's get started on this very long book review.

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The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really good book. It reminded me of the old 90s show I loved as a kid, which was Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but more adultier and with chaos involved (I realize that I like books with chaos in them). Rhys and Vivienne’s second chance relationship was so cute to read, and having this set in my homestate made this book feel more cozy and funnier than ever. Also, I love the opening line, “Don’t ever mix witchcraft and vodka.” As soon as I saw this line, that’s when I knew I was going to love it.

The book opens with Vivienne placing a curse on her ex, Rhys Penhallow, drunk on vodka. Years later, he comes back to fix the ley lines…only to find out that Vivi placed a curse on him that she thought was a joke. Turns out that it wasn’t a joke, and the chaos that happens around Graves Glen are horrendously funny-the skeletons coming to life, Rhys’ tires popping, and also the ghost of a student who was trying to summon an ancestor of Vivienne who was going to be sold by some ghost hunter or something like that.

Rhys and Vivienne does get back together, but when they found out the real reason why the ley lines are so fucked up, thanks to their respective ancestors, the Jones witches go to the cave and fix it, unlike the first time Rhys and Vivienne goes and they unleashed a curse on the whole town when Rhys went to fix it. Even though that ending kinda went flat for me, I wanted more than just “the Jones witches did this, and now the town is saved, hooray!” I kinda wanted a little bit more.

Hopefully in book two it’ll be much better and the ending much better as well because I really love this book and the ending just fell a bit flat for me, that’s all.

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The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, T. Kingfisher has blown it out the park for for with this horror novel and I loved every bit of it. The plot was so good that I stuck with the ride and I was on the edge of my seat to the end. This has to be one my favorites of all time, and that I would honestly reread this book over and over again because it was THAT good.

This was about a woman who went through a divorce and is working and living in her uncle’s taxidermy museum. One day a hole appeared in another dimension, and she and her friend, Simon, went through it. They start to explore it, learning about this other dimension, which they thought was another world. While they were in that world, they learned about the bus with all those kids in the chair, an army that was in there but somehow none of them got out. So Simon and Carrot got out (don’t remember her name, I’m sorry about that) and then Carrot started having some very bad dreams about that world.

So she had Simon handcuff her down so she won’t move, but she kept going back to that world, even when she had Simon fix the wall and make everything safe again, but that monster from the other world came out and possessed a taxidermied animal and attacked…

Then all the other forest animals came alive and attacked the taxidermied animal and won, sending the thing back to hell where it belonged, and Prince (that’s right, Bambi’s daddy) even helped defend her!! God I love that about that Prince (even though I’ve never seen Bambi, only as an adult, I believe) and then everything was back to normal. I know the husband called and tried to talk to her, but she was kinda not into it or not paying attention to him?? And then the uncle that runs the place had to go to the hospital, so she was alone in running the place.

I truly enjoyed this one, gonna give more of T. Kingfisher books a go because they are SO GOOD.

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Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So Daisy Jones and the Six is my new favorite book. I read this book with the audiobook, and the experience was so good. I loved every bit of the audiobook, listening to the different voices that goes to the different characters as they tell the story of how this band became big in the seventies. I thought while I was reading this book that this band was real, but the more I read and listen to the audiobook, the more I fell in love with the characters.

My favorites are Daisy, Karen Karen, Graham, Simone and Camilla. CAMILLA IS BEST GIRL AND SHE DID NOTHING WRONG, YES SIRRR. All she did was be the best wife to Billy and the greatest mother ever, but seeing Daisy and Billy on stage during SNL I think?? I think she was really mad, but she didn’t want to say anything. But when she visited Daisy??? And told her to leave??? Honestly, that’s one of the most shocking things I’ve ever read in a book, mostly because I wasn't expecting that from her, but I felt like Camilla was in the right??? I think??

The whole KarenGraham situation felt like a fast car crash that was waiting to happen. I loved them together, but when he got mad because she went to get an abortion because she didn’t want the baby? Yeeeahh that’s when I wanted to punch Graham in the face. Because it was HER decision to get that abortion because she didn’t want kids. I know Graham wanted kids, thinking that her keeping it would change her mind, but I stand with Karen and her decision.

Billy…I don’t like him. In fact, I hated Billy throughout the book (and I know when the show comes out, my hatred for Billy will come out). To me, Billy was this bully that wanted everything that he wanted, not giving one damn about who he hurt or who he stepped over. And yes, he tried to resist Daisy so much-I mean, he TRIED, I will give him that. But each goddamn song he wrote? Was about Camilla. Every. Goddamned. Song. I’m glad Daisy challenged him to change tune, because if I did live back then, I wouldn’t want to hear about Billy and Camilla. When Daisy told him to “put a little darkness” in the lyrics, I silently thanked her.

I really really enjoyed this book and I want to read more from this author.

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Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku, Vol. 1 by Yuji Kaku
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a really interesting manga. I really liked Gabimaru and the fact that he's alive for his wife. The girl-Yamada Asaemon-was there for his many executions, and tells him that he's picked for looking for an elixir that'll make the Shogun immortal. And where is this said elixir? On a long, hidden island where monsters lurk.

I really liked Gabimaru and how he's calm, cool and collected he is, then slip into this mode where he just kills everyone. There is a bit of a trigger warning of bloody hands groping Asaemon's chest and depictions of murder, but other than that it was very enjoyable read.

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In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Alexandra Roselyn recommended this book, I ordered immediately and read it. And I loved every bit of it. I really loved how this book deal with grief and how she made this book so cozy that I wanted to live in the B&B and never, ever leave. I really loved this book so much, and I realize that I liked cozy mysteries if they have a witchy characters in there-and murders. Oh and if they can do magic. And they have really good food as well.

Brynn Warren lives in Evenfall with her aunties, Evanora and Isadora, and they own and run a B&B. Brynn had stopped using her magic when her husband, Adam, died one fateful day. They have a very bad-tempered guest named Constance Graves who mysteriously died in thier home…and the police thinks that it was Aunt Nora who did it. Not wanting her auntie to be in jail forever, Brynn decides to go and solve the case.

This book felt like a mixture of Witches of East End meets Practical Magic meets a murder and it WAS SO GOOD. This book, like I said before, deals with grief as you watch Brynn go through her grief, and that her aunties were trying to help her. When she told them that she was stop doing magic, her auntie Nora didn’t believe her and told her that her magic was the one that’s making all of those cracks and things that were happening each time they were doing magic.

At the end, when they found out who did it, it was quite shocking (in fact, I didn’t even know that they did that) and Brynn talking to Constance’s ghost was pretty good. I really enjoyed this book and I’m going to read more of this series.

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A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A cozy mystery written by a BIPOC author? Sold. Esme Addison is the first author that I’ve come across that writes cozy mystery, and I enjoyed this one. It was cute, cozy, and also, witchy. It does drop a bit because of the confusing history lessons about the Warsaw mermaid (that I found that I really liked), but this also felt like a really nice small town soap opera, with daughters of mayors and another family warring with another family, and a love triangle between Alexandra, Dylan and Jack?

And also ATHENA IS BEST GIRL THROUGHOUT THE BOOK?? Yes, please.

Alexandra Daniels had just lost her job and her father, and she and her adorable dog Athena moves to Bellamy Bay to live with her family-her aunt and her two cousins. She starts to work at their apothecary, Botikana, and one day a man named Randy comes in, asking for some tea and something else, and her aunt made a scene…to the point that she’s accused of murder! Her aunt swears that she didn’t do it, and Alex decides to solve the case, since the police thinks that she did it.

Alex goes to Dylan to help after a bit of magical screwups are happening around town, and finds out that it was his sister Brynn who’s doing all of this all for the reality office and the land that supposedly have the Warsaw Shield. This does also deal with magic from a baby witch, which I find that I really like to read about, because most books just have witches that just know what they’re doing. And also seeing everything through Alex’s eyes was also kind of refreshing, because you get to see everything that happens in the town of Bellamy Bay and her life.

Even though at the end Dylan ticked me off for what he did (like my guy, BUT WHY), I started to ship them together, though now that I think about it…I kinda wanted her with Jack SO MUCH. At least he won’t hurt her and all that. But all in all, I really enjoyed this book, would like to read more from the author.

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Book Reviews: Nettle and Bone and Curse the Day

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my first time reading a T. Kingfisher novel, and I have to say, this book DID NOT disappoint. This book is now a huge favorite fantasy, and I want to read more of T. Kingfisher’s novels, because I fell in love with the writing, I fell in love with the characters, and most of all, this book sucked me in hard.

This book is about a girl named Marra who’s family has been married to the Harbor Kingdom for years. Her sister is about to marry Prince Voling who likes to put his hands on his brides. Once her sister dies without giving the kingdom a heir, that’s when the Prince marries her other sister, and Marra was sent to the Lady of Grackles convent, where she learned how to sew and deliver babies. Oddly, her sister keeps getting pregnant and having babies, and Marra couldn’t take it anymore. So she goes see a dust-wife, who gives her three tasks:

Sew a cloak of nettle and bone
Create a bonedog
Catch the moon in a jar

Marra does those things, and that’s when she and the dust-wife, along with her demon chicken (look, you HAD me at demon chicken, and THE DEMON CHICKEN IS BEST GIRL IN THE BOOK, TO THIS DAY) goes to the goblin market to get a knight. Along with Bonedog (also BONEDOG IS BEST BOY AS WELL. BOTH DEMON CHICKEN AND BONEDOG ARE THE BEST) they go into the market and free a knight named Fenris, who wanted to die by…and this cracked me up…going to a fairy ring and sleeping there. Well the dust-wife and Marra freed him so he joined along, and they went to Marra’s kingdom to get one more person…

Marra’s godmother. Who, it turns out, is her great-aunt. So all of them goes to the kingdom and meets with the Prince’s godmother, who is tied to the old king, to give immortality to her and to protect his bloodline. So they come up with a plan to king the current King, and it does go swimmingly, since Agnes, the dark grandmother, replaced the original godmother and pretty much cursed the child (and give him good health, of course), and before you can shout “Well, crap” Fenris does the Jaime Lannister (ha ha) and kills the king.

Whoopie.

So…now what? What happens now??

Well for one, Marra’s sister, Kanna, I believe her name is, is now Queen, and the dust-wife went back to her cottage, Agnes took over the old godmother’s place and Fenris was supposed to die by thirst, but thanks to some quick thinking, he didn’t die. Instead, he, Marra, and Bonedog (who was killed and was brought back) are going on another adventure, one I wish them both well.

I really loved this book-even finished it before class even started, that’s how good it was-and I would reread this book all over again, just to revisit these characters once more.

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Curse the Day by Annabel Chase
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hi, hello, I find that I’m starting to like cozy mysteries, especially if it involves witches of some kind, which I’m starting to love SO MUCH.

So this cozy mystery was recommended to me by Darling Desi on youtube, and it has all the witchy, spooky vibes I was looking for. It’s also a Brittany Book (a book in which things happen that you can’t explain, makes you laugh real hard to the point that you can’t breathe sometimes, and also a whole bunch of diversity) and I couldn’t stop reading it until it was done. Emma Hart is now one of my favorite witches, and I am going to read this whole entire series, along with more works by Annabel Chase.

Emma Hart was once a human lawyer who one day stops and sees a man about to jump to his death. Stopping her car, she gets out and tells him not to…only to find out that homeboy is an ANGEL. WITH WINGS. Since she’s afraid of heights, she clings on to him as they fly down safely…and her car plummets to the river. Emma tries to leave, but then she smacked into a invisible wall. Turns out…she’s a witch. And she is whisked away to Spellbound, where everyone from every supernatural and fantasy race you can THINK of lives there. She then hears of a vampire named Garreth who was killed and now she’d taken his job and his home, along with his cat Magpie. During the day, she works as a lawyer who’s working on her first case-a stealing jewelry case with a goblin named Monford, who, turns out, killed Garreth, along with getting his hands on some jewels, and at night or whenever she can, she goes to a school to learn magic (in which she’s getting better at, but in the beginning, she sucks at). Also she does rub elbows with the local vampires (including Demetrius Hunt, who sounds fine as hell).

This was so cozy, funny, reminds me a bit of Once Upon a Time, and also I wanna live in this town forever and never leave. I want to know what happens next in this series, I want to know how Emma’s life is now that she’s a witch, and also enjoy this cozy town of Spellbound, because I really love this town so much.

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A Very Huge Book Review Post-August/September

 Sooo guess who haven't done a SINGLE book review in so long???

Me. 

Well I have reasons-school, reading a lot, FORGETTING to post up books after I get done reading them...so I'm going to do this quite differently. Instead of just posting up full book reviews, I'm going to do one sentence reviews of these books, because they deserve it, and then I'll be back on my one post review posts soon. 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenon, performed by Richard Armitage

Five Stars

I was distracted by Richard's voice to forget what happened in this book, but I really enjoyed the horror and creepy parts.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Five Stars

Loved it all, found Calcifer funny AF, and I didn't know that Howl was Welsh. 

Lore Olympus volume one by Rachel Smythe

Five Stars

Any Hades and Persephone retelling is a book for me. 

Pathfinder Tales: Shy Knives by Sam Sykes

Five Stars

It has centaurs in it, and a bunch of political intrigue. Need I say more??

A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King

Four stars

A pride and prejudice retelling, but has burlesque in it. Really didn't like Wickham in this, really didn't. 

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

Five Stars

I'm conviced that Eammon is a druid, and also I hate Solmir with a passion. Can't wait to get to book two. 

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Five Stars

I found my new favorite genre when I read this book. Loved every bit of this book. 

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Five Stars

Has all my favorite gothic literature tropes and loved every bit of it. I want more of Caitlin Starling's writing, please

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Five Stars

Two writers writing two different books??? And trying not to fall in love??? You got me, Miss Henry. 

A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean

Four Stars

A scandal, grumpy Scot who hates England, and a woman who's been alone all her life. Sounds like a really good book, yes? Yes. 

The Steel Prince by V.E. Schwab

Five Stars

A prince goes to another country and fights a pirate queen who can control bones. Sounds really cool and the art was incredible.

The Red Palace by June Hur

Five Stars

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Right next to Iron Widow and Legendborn for favorites of the year.