So many words. So little time.
Category: book review
This was not a good reading week, so I only wrote one book review, Burnout Summer, by Jenna Ramirez. I DNFed eight straight books before that one held my attention enough to finish it. I certainly hope this is a better reading (and writing) week!
Happy writing!
Crazy busy week + travel=limited reading and writing. I wrote one book review, Cast in Blood, by Michelle Sagara, plus my April reading post, and my best books I read in April.
Happy writing!
I read 15 books in April. Still behind in my reading…Of those 15 books, several were really excellent reads.
First Witches Club, by Maisey Yates. i enjoyed this from the very first page! This was relatable, cathartic, and made me laugh out loud several times (And root for happy endings, of course!).
The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy, by Kim Michele Richardson. I’m so glad the book woman’s story continued! I’ve really enjoyed these books and seeing more about life in Appalachia. This was a wonderful read!
Cast in Blood, by Michelle Sagara. I can’t believe there are as many books in this series as there are…and I’ve enjoyed all of them. Kaylin and the gang are always a lot of fun to read and I find myself so immersed in the different cultures that it’s hard to put the book down. Same for this one!
Books Read in April: 15
Books Read for the Year: 51/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
This Inevitable Ruin, by Matt Dinniman (TBR, Audio): Still can’t believe I’m so invested in this.
The Last Caretaker, by Jessica Strawser (TBR): This was a solid thriller.
Recipe for Second Chances, by Ali Rosen (TBR): This was a tiny step above meh for me, because Stella was ridiculous.
Gorgon with the Wind, by Devon Monk (TBR): This is going to be a great series!
First Witches Club, by Maisey Yates (TBR): This was SO GOOD!
Keeper of Enchanted Rooms, by Charlie N. Holmberg (TBR): I enjoyed this.
The Canopy Keepers, by Veronica G. Henry (TBR): Meh.
Snag, by Meghan Ciana Dodidge (TBR): Interesting world.
For Review:
The Book Witch, by Meg Shaffer. This is the perfect read for bookworms everywhere. For anyone who has ever fallen for a fictional character. For anyone who loves to read.
Deathly Fates, by Tesia Tsai. This was a solid fantasy read, even if it wasn’t very twisty. Does that make sense?
Metal Slinger, by Rachel Schneider. The twist in this completely surprised me! I enjoyed the world and the characters, and the cliffhanger has me eager to read more.
Thistlemarsh, by Moorea Corrigan. I really enjoyed this! It felt like a classical novel with magic thrown in.
The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy, by Kim Michele Richardson. I’ve really enjoyed the Book Woman books. This is such engrossing historical fiction, about something I had no idea about.
Cast in Blood, by Michelle Sagara. Another great read in this series!
The Ruins Beneath Us, by Sasha E. Sloan. The MC got on my nerves, not going to lie, but this was a decent read.
Left Unfinished:
While You Were Seething, by Charlotte Stein. It’s not that this was bad. But, I didn’t have time to read for 5 days, and I felt no urge to pick it back up.
Mad Mable, by Sally Hepworth. I just need to accept that this author writes characters I do not like, and stop trying to read her novels.
The Girl Upstairs, by Jessica R. Patch. The first 20% of this just gave me weird vibes, and I don’t care to read more.
The Island Club, by Nicola Harrison. This author is hit or miss for me. I found the characters boring.
Title: Cast in Blood
Author: Michelle Sagara
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
DO NOT MEDDLE IN THE AFFAIRS OF BARRANI
Kaylin has been warned to steer clear of the lords of the Barrani High Court. She’d be more than happy to oblige, but it’s a bit difficult considering she lives with ten of them, all sent to the green to gain power or die. With Kaylin’s help, they finally escaped their imprisonment. But their attempts at freedom had devastating consequences—and a price that has yet to be paid.
The first warning sign is the Consort’s invitation to visit the High Halls—a Barrani invitation, which means an immediate visit.
The second sign is less subtle: Kaylin finds Nightshade’s unresponsive body. He hovers on the edge of death, beyond saving through Kaylin’s healing power. No one can explain his state, nor why she’s powerless to save him. And if she and her Barrani friends can’t figure out a way to bring him back, he’ll be lost forever.
Yet even as Kaylin struggles to keep Nightshade from death, there is deeper magic at play, a growing threat with the potential to affect the entire Barrani race. Factions are shifting, new lines are being drawn—and Nightshade’s near assassination is only the beginning. Can Kaylin uncover the nebulous forces that threaten the balance of Barrani—and their entire world—before it’s too late?
I’ve been reading this series for years, and I’ve loved every book. I loved this book. Kaylin is so relatable to me: she’s impulsive, has a temper, and just doesn’t understand what’s going on half the time—she’s me 90% of the time—and I enjoy reading about her. I also enjoy this world and its different cultures immensely. The secondary characters are great (Okay, I do get the Cohort mixed up all the time), and I’m always fully invested in the story.
Michelle Sagara lives in Toronto. Cast in Blood is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Title: The Ruins Beneath Us
Author: Sasha E. Sloan
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.8 out of 5
She saved the prince. Now she must survive his world.
Lyria and her mother have been on the run from the human kingdom of Verdinae for as long as she can remember. She’s an elf born with magic—a double offence in a kingdom determined to eradicate both. Under her mother’s watchful protection, Lyria learns the rules that keep her alive: stay inside, stay hidden, stay safe, and above all stay calm, lest her magic flair out of control.
But when she finds a human boy being attacked by a deadly monster in the forest, Lyria risks everything by using magic to save him. She doesn’t expect his broken body to survive, and she definitely doesn’t expect him to be the crown prince.
Offered a position at the palace as the royal apothecary, Lyria seizes the chance to step into the light and prove to her mother she can control her unwieldly magic. But Verdinae is not the paradise it at first seems. The nobles are ruthless, the secrets are deadly, and Cygnus—the brooding royal healer—seems determined to expose Lyria’s every flaw. As she navigates a world of glittering gowns, deadly secrets, and stolen kisses, Lyria must keep her identity hidden. . . even from the prince who’s falling for her.
But beneath the palace lies a darkness far more dangerous than any secret. And when Lyria and Cygnus uncover a hidden world that could change everything, she must decide who to trust and how much she’s willing to risk for a love that was never meant to be.
I enjoyed this read, and would be interested in reading more, but…Lyria had some issues. She believed everything her mother said—I can kind of understand this, but when she got out into the world and realized her mother hadn’t been honest with her, she still believed everything Finn said…even with evidence he was lying. She tends to overreact to things in big ways. And, even when evidence is right in front of her, she completely ignores it and is then shocked when it slaps her in the face later.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding and history of this novel, and I liked Cygnus a lot, but Lyria kind of got on my nerves.
Sasha E. Sloan is the author of The Ruins Beneath Us.
(Galley courtesy of Disney Publishing Worldwide | Disney Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.)
Considering I was gone most of the week at a work conference, this was a decent writing week. I wrote two book reviews, The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy, by Kim Michele Richardson and The Ruins Beneath Us, by Sasha E. Sloan.
I’m exhausted from people-ing for three straight days, and I have another super busy week this week, so I’m off to binge read the latest Chronicles of Elantra novel before release day Tuesday.
Happy writing!
Title: The Mountains We Call Home: The Book Woman’s Legacy
Author: Kim Michele Richardson
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
In this standalone and companion novel to the The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series, our heroine for the ages, legendary book woman, Cussy Lovett, returns home. A powerful testament of strength, survival, and the magic of the printed word, The Mountains We Call Home is wrapped into a vivid portrait of Kentucky life: examining incarceration and criminalization, exploring the effects on the poor and powerless, and tracing the societal consequences of fractured family bonds, along with nostalgic glimpses of a bustling, multifaceted Louisville, and heartwarming portraits of reading efforts in every facet of life.
I loved reading the continuation of Cussy’s story! She’s such a remarkable character, yet relatable in so many ways. The things she experiences are horrible, yet somehow, she keeps pushing forward and helping everyone around her. I love reading about her life and her experiences, and the sense of hope that fills every page of her story.
Kim Michele Richardson is from Kentucky. The Mountains We Call Home is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.)
Title: Thistlemarsh
Author: Moorea Corrigan
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.2
Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return.
Welcome to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin.
In the wake of World War I, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.
When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.
It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh…for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
I enjoyed this read! (Which means I was up until midnight, finishing it, if that tells you anything.) It felt like some of my favorite classic reads, but with a fantasy twist, and I loved that. Mouse is a thoroughly relatable character and I loved being in her head. As in a classical fairy tale, there are bad guys,—yes, more than one—secrets, hidden things from the past, and of course, romance. This is a lovely read, and would be a great weekend binge to sink into. Also—the cover is absolutely gorgeous!
Moorea Corrigan had her first novel published in high school. Thistlemarsh is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley in exchange for an honest review.)
Despite unrelenting craziness at work, this was a decent writing week. I wrote two book reviews, Metal Slinger, by Rachel Schneider (as far as twists go, this one had a doozy) and Thistlemarsh, by Moorea Corrigan (this felt like reading one of my favorite classic novels mixed with fantasy). I’m predicting minimal reading or writing this week, due a mandatory work conference, but we’ll see.
Happy writing!
Tomorrow Is Another Day 