Category: Book Reviews

The Starless Sea Review

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When Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written in this book that is older than he is. A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark shores Zachary falls into an intoxicating world soaked in romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its destruction.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January Review

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In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place. Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

November Wrap Up 2020

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This month was a pretty good month. To be honest, the way that I view November is that it’s a bridge month to Christmas and the New Year!! This was also the month I finished my ONTD Reading Challenge!!!

  • I read 4 books this month.
  • I DNFed 1 book this month.
  • I read 2 books for my ONTD challenge.
  • I completed my ONTD challenge!
  • Genre: I read 4 fantasy!
  • Age range: I read 3 adult and 1 middle grade.
  • Formant: I read 1 paperback and 3 hardcovers.

The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan (5 stars)

This was a re-read for me and I remember this not being my fave book of the series so going into it I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I was. I found myself tearing up at the end and falling in love with a character I wasn’t a fan of when I was younger!

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink (4 stars)

I didn’t know what to expect from this book has I hadn’t listened to the podcast for about 2 years. Was I going to get the references? Was I going to enjoy it? I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book and the main character in particular!

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (5 stars)

This was one long book, and turns out not as long as book 4! I really enjoyed this book. I preferred where the focus of the story went prioritizing the side characters over the main one. Adding more to the lore of the land and that ending was impactful! Not sure how I feel about the next 1000+ page book next!

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James (DNF)

This one was not it for me! I was super looking forward to reading all about the lore and the mythology and after hearing great things and it winning awards I was pumped! Sadly, while yes it was rich with lore and myth, the book was filled with many triggering elements from sexual assault to violence. I felt very uncomfortable reading it which is a shame as it had great representation regarding LGBTQ+ and black characters.

The Dragon Reborn Review

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The Dragon Reborn—the leader long prophesied who will save the world, but in the saving destroy it; the savior who will run mad and kill all those dearest to him—is on the run from his destiny. Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, and with no one to teach him how—for no man has done it in three thousand years—Rand al’Thor knows only that he must face the Dark One. But how? Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he? Perrin Aybara is in pursuit with Moiraine Sedai, her Warder Lan, and Loial the Ogier. Bedeviled by dreams, Perrin is grappling with another deadly problem—how is he to escape the loss of his own humanity? Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve are approaching Tar Valon, where Mat will be healed—if he lives until they arrive. But who will tell the Amyrlin their news—that the Black Ajah, long thought only a hideous rumor, is all too real? They cannot know that in Tar Valon far worse awaits… Ahead, for all of them, in the Heart of the Stone, lies the next great test of the Dragon reborn….

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home Review

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In the town of Night Vale, there’s a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s home, but no one knows how she got there or where she came from…until now. Told in a series of eerie flashbacks, the story of The Faceless Old Woman goes back centuries to reveal an initially blissful and then tragic childhood on a Mediterranean Estate in the early nineteenth century, her rise in the criminal underworld of Europe, a nautical adventure with a mysterious organization of smugglers, her plot for revenge on the ones who betrayed her, and ultimately her death and its aftermath, as her spirit travels the world for decades until settling in modern-day Night Vale.

The Titan’s Curse Review

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When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been kidnapped.And now it’s up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened. Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess? They must find Artemis before the winter solstice, when her influence on the Olympian Council could swing an important vote on the war with the titans. Not only that, but first Percy will have to solve the mystery of a rare monster that Artemis was hunting when she disappeared — a monster rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus forever.

October Wrap Up 2020

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This was a bit of a mis-matched month. We had some great books and then we had some pretty bad books. It was definitely an eventful month. It’s really freaking me out that now we only have 2 months left of this year. What actually happened? It’s been the longest and shortest year of my life! This month was important for my 2020 reading journey as I finished my Goodreads reading challenge!!

  • I read 5 books this month.
  • I read 2 books for my ONTD challenge.
  • I completed my Goodreads challenge of reading 51 books!
  • Genre: I read 2 fantasy, 2 murder mysteries and 1 horror.
  • Age range: All the books I read this month were adult.
  • Formant: I read 3 paperbacks and 2 e-books.
  • I read 2 ARCs this month.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (5 stars)

Going into this book I already knew who the murderer was so I was quite interested to see if that affected my experience of reading the book. So, this was different to my normal murder mystery reviews as I reviewed the book from a different angle. The angle of already knowing the main spoilers!

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (2 stars)

This was not it for me. This was very similar to my experience with Storm Front, pretty average mystery with awful treatment of female characters. That being said the plot was more enjoyable that the Storm Front book.

Murder on the Dancefloor by Helena Dixon (3 stars)

This was another great installment! While not my favourite book of the series in terms of mystery, this book definitely delivered in terms of side plots. This book is definitely a shift for the series.

The Haunting of Beatrix Greene by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Pearsons and Vicky Alvear Schecter (2 stars)

Another disappointment for the month. The writing wasn’t great, it felt way too short and some interesting plot choices. It did have some really interesting imagery!

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks (4 stars)

I was quite anxious going into this book as big fantasy books make me quite nervous. Mainly because I am worried I will lose interest halfway through. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case here. Cracking magic system, really interesting political plot and some interesting characters.

The Black Prism Review

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Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live. When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he’s willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.