This was a busy week. I only got two book reviews written: Break Wide the Sea, by Sara Holland and Evil Bones, by Kathy Reichs. Hopefully I’ll get more written this week, but I’m getting ready for vacation next week, so who knows?
Happy writing!
Tag: book review
Book Review: A Curious Kind of Magic, by Mara Rutherford
Title: A Curious Kind of Magic
Author: Mara Rutherford
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5
Everyone in Ardmuir knows that Willow Stokes is a charlatan, including Willow herself. Her father’s shoppe hasn’t sold anything magical in decades, and it’s only hanging on by the skin of the fake dragon’s teeth Willow sells as charms, along with “enchanted” ostrich eggs, taxidermied chimeras, and talismans made of fools’ gold.
Until outlander Brianna Hargrave appears and turns Willow’s fakes into exactly what they’re purported to be. But try as Willow might to enlist Bri’s help, she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities.
Because Brianna is harboring a secret of her own: everything she touches turns to magic, and the consequences have chased her all the way to Ardmuir. All she wants to do is find a particular missing grimoire, which contains a spell that can finally put an end to her curse.
Desperate to keep her father’s shoppe, Willow proposes a bargain that could save them both. Together with the frustratingly handsome printer’s assistant, the girls will uncover a plot that goes far deeper than either could have imagined. But when Willow is forced to participate in an ambitious collector’s quest for the rarest magical object in the world-a quest that risks almost-certain death-she learns that not all treasure is for sale, and that true magic is closer than she ever could have imagined.
I thought this was a fun read! Willow’s inability to be open and honest with her friends got on my nerves, but she did at least learn from things. The world was fun, and I liked the culture and the characters, and would happily read more in this world.
Mara Rutherford is from California but has lived all over the world. A Curious Kind of Magic is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
Sundays are for Writing #341
I only wrote one book review, The Cathedral of Lost Souls, by Paula Brackston. It’s been a crazy-busy week: quick weekend trip to the coast to see my family (Yay for beach time!) for less than 48 hours, small surgery on Tuesday, busiest day of the month at work on Wednesday, Thursday was…eventful at work. I’m exhausted. I barely have the energy to read.
Happy writing!
Sundays are for Writing #340
Not much writing for me this week. Work was busy, and I also had a short out-of-town (beach) trip. Better luck next week, maybe.
Happy writing!
Book Review: Mint to Be, by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Title: Mint to Be
Author: Katie Cicatelli-Kuc
Genre: YA, romance
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
It’s been eight months since seventeen-year-old Emma left the quaint town of Briar Glen to attend boarding school in New York City. Now, she’s back—and she’s not Her new boyfriend, Sam, has come to visit the most picturesque village in New England during the most magical time of the year.
But there’s a chill in the air, and not just because it’s winter. Emma’s best friend, Aiden, isn’t all too happy to see her after she left without so much as a goodbye. He and Emma have known each other since elementary school, and they used to do everything together. They even share a favorite a peppermint hot chocolate from their favorite coffee shop, Cup o’ Jo. This was where Emma first told Aiden she was thinking of leaving Briar Glen. It was also where Aiden had planned to confess his growing feelings for Emma — before she showed him her acceptance letter and everything changed.
With Emma back in the picture — and with a new boyfriend in tow — will she and Aiden be able to break the ice?
This was cute, although the idea of Emma and Aiden being best friends and not talking for six months—of her leaving town without even telling him—was hard for me to believe. It was fairly predictable and I was never in any doubt that Emma’s boyfriend would end up being a total jerk and she’d get with Aiden, so there seemed like a lot of unnecessary angst going on here, but it was a quick read.
Katie Cicatelli-Kuc Lives in the Hudson Valley. Mint to Be is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Scholastic | Scholastic Inc. in exchange for an honest review.)
Book Review and Blog Tour: Higher Magic, by Courtney Floyd
Title: Higher Magic
Author: Courtney Floyd
Genre: Romance, fantasy
Rating: DNF
First-generation graduate student Dorothe Bartleby has one last chance to pass the Magic program’s qualifying exam after freezing with anxiety during her first attempt. If she fails to demonstrate that magic in classic literature changed the world, she’ll be kicked out of the university. And now her advisor insists she reframe her entire dissertation using Digimancy. While mages have found a way to combine computers and magic, Bartleby’s fated to never make it work.
This time is no exception. Her revised working goes horribly wrong, creating a talking skull named Anne that narrates Bartleby’s inner thoughts—even the most embarrassing ones—like she’s a heroine in a Jane Austen novel. Out of her depth, she recruits James, an unfairly attractive mage candidate, to help her stop Anne’s glitches in time for her exam.
Instead, Anne leads them to a shocking and dangerous discovery: Magic students who seek disability accommodations are disappearing—quite literally. When the administration fails to act, Bartleby must learn to trust her own knowledge and skills. Otherwise, she risks losing both the missing students and her future as a mage, permanently.
I DNFed this pretty early on, as I found the MC very annoying and the opening just felt very slow. I’m also never a fan of books where the author tries to force feed the reader their own personal beliefs, so that didn’t make me want to continue reading either. Beautiful cover, though.
Courtney Floyd is from New Mexico. Higher Magic is her debut fantasy novel.
(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)
Sundays are for Writing #339
This was a fantastic writing week! I wrote three book reviews, Fallen City, by Adrienne Young, The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber, and An Academic Affair, by Jodi McAlister as well as my September reading post and my post on the best books I read in September.
Happy writing!
Book Review: Overdue, by Stephanie Perkins
Title: Overdue
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.0
Is it time to renew love or start a new chapter?
Ingrid Dahl, a cheerful twenty-nine-year-old librarian in the cozy mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina, has been happily dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for eleven years without ever discussing marriage. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory feel pressured to consider their future. Neither has ever been with anybody else, so they make an unconventional decision. They’ll take a one-month break to date other people, then they’ll reunite and move toward marriage. Ingrid even has someone in mind: her charmingly grumpy coworker, Macon Nowakowski, on whom she’s secretly crushed for years. But plans go awry, and when the month ends, Ingrid and Cory realize they’re not ready to resume their relationship― and Ingrid’s harmless crush on Macon has turned into something much more complicated.
Hmm. I loved the idea of this, especially being surrounded by books all the time, but this was the slowest, foot-dragging “romance” ever. EVER. The writing was solid and I liked the setting, but the premise of Ingrid and Cory being together for forever and then suddenly deciding they need a one-month break to get it out of their system or whatever was ridiculous. And Ingrid and Macon’s “slow burn” was so slow as to be almost a farce. Despite my love of books about books, this did not work that well for me.
Stephanie Perkins is a bestselling author. Overdue is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Saturday Books in exchange for an honest review.)
The Best Books I Read in September (2025)
In September, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 183 books read. I also DNFed six books. Of the 17 books I finished, most were solid reads, a handful were meh, and three were really excellent.
The White Octopus Hotel, by Alexandra Bell. This was historical fiction mixed with a bit of magic, and it was truly a lovely read. Great characters, an enchanting setting, and enough magic to keep it interesting.
Introducing Mrs. Collins, by Rachel Parris. A Pride and Prejudice spinoff about Charlotte Lucas? I was immediately intrigued. And reading about this character, who I never really gave much thought to before, was just so enjoyable. Yes, we get to see a few P&P scenes from a different set of eyes, which was wonderful, but Charlotte was fascinating in her own right.
The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber. Sweet Southern fiction with a touch of magic? Yes, please. Y’all, I don’t even like small towns, and I loved Forget-Me-Not. Every character in this was fantastic and believable, and I loved both Juliet’s and Tallulah’s (How’s that for a Southern name?) journeys.
What I Read in September (2025)
Books Read in September: 17
Books Read for the Year: 183/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
The Artist of Blackberry Grange, by Paulette Kennedy (TBR): This was a solid historical fiction!
Happy After All, by Maisey Yates (TBR): I really enjoyed this read!
Nobody’s Perfect, by Sally Kilpatrick (TBR): This started off a little so-so, but it impoved a lot.
The Forbidden Door, by Dean Koontz (TBR): Still creepy.
Endings and Empathy, by Meghan Ciana Doidge (TBR): I enjoyed this series-ender.
Be the Hands and Feet, by Nick Vujicic (spiritual): This was an interesting read.
Magic on the Line, by Devon Monk (re-read): Still loving this series!
For Review:
Overdue, by Stephanie Perkins. This was the slowest slow-burn ever. I loved the library/bookshop aspect, but the basic premise just didn’t make sense to me.
Mint to Be, by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc. This was an okay read—and sweet—but it wasn’t anything unexpected.
A Curious Kind of Magic, by Mara Rutherford. This ended up being a lovely read! I liked the world and the characters quite a bit, and I’d be happy to read more.
The White Octopus Hotel, by Alexandra Bell. This was a heck of a read! I truly enjoyed it from the very beginning.
The Final Cut, by Olivia Worley. I don’t do horror, but I didn’t find this scary. I found it completely unrealistic, with characters that were too stupid to live.
The Dagger in Vichy, by Alastair Reynolds. This was very short, fortunately.
Introducing Mrs. Collins, by Rachel Parris. Loved this! Actually, I can’t believe this is a debut novel, but it was wonderful. I never really thought much of Charlotte Lucas from P&P, and this was a fascinating read.
Fallen City, by Adrienne Young. The back and forth nature of the timeline in this made it harder for me to connect with than Adrienne Young’s books usually are, but I enjoyed it.
The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber. Another lovely read! I was hooked from the first scene, and had trouble putting it down at all.
Just Because:
Crucible Zero, by Devon Monk (audio): I’m glad I’m finished with this trilogy. The MC kind of got on my nerves.
Left Unfinished:
Witchkiller, by Ashlee Latimer. I didn’t like either of the siblings—their dad was really horrible.
Higher Magic, by Courtney Floyd. This world and character did not work for me.
A Scar in the Bone, by Sophie Jordan. This felt like a totally different read than the first book, and It just did not work for me.
Death at the Door, by Olivia Blacke. I found this pretty boring.
The Book of Autumn, by Molly O’Sullivan. I was so intrigued by this idea, and I love dark academia, but…this absolutely dragged. I read almost 37% of it, and NOTHING was happening. Also, WHY did Marcella just automatically trust the pretty, rich boy, with no reason at all to?
The Tortoise’s Tale, by Kendra Coulter. This is billed as “spellbinding,” but it came across as more “dragged on with excruciating slowness.” It sounded fascinating, and the comparison to Remarkably Bright Creatures sold me on it, but it was so slow. Despite solid writing and a great premise, it was so slow it couldn’t hold my attention.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 