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Book Review: Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

Thursday 2 February 2023

 Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim


Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Spice Road follows Imani who is a shield in the hidden desert city of Qalia. She has an affinity magic for iron which is awakened by secret spice magic in misra tea. She helps to battle the monsters that lurk beyond the city limits.

Unfortunately her brother has tarnished their family name after stealing the spice and disappearing soon after believed to be dead.

When Imani uncovers evidence that her brother is alive and sharing the magic spice with outsiders she strikes a deal for his return back to Qalia with the council. One issue she has a djinni bound to her sword name Qayn and she is to be accompanied by Taha a power shield who is quite arrogant.

Can Imani complete this mission without being uncovered and bring her brother back safely from beyond the forbidden wastes?

I wasn't sure this book was for me at first but as I got more involved in the plot and learnt more about the characters I became hooked.

While not a massive fan of the romance the book is pushing and the dynamic between Imani and Qayn, I did however love the premise of the magic and the world building.

Maiya Ibrahim did a good job of keeping up the interest in the story with the twists and turns and cliff hangers.

One issue I did have was when characters left the plot and in this book at least we don't find out their fate. Maybe this will be covered in the sequel? Also the introduction of a few characters to aid the plot but then removing them moments later.

However this is only a small gripe that might be further fleshed out in the sequel. Overall I found this a compelling and enjoyable read, great for fantasy lovers. My Fairyloot edition has just arrived and it is stunning!

Looking forward to the sequel! 

Thanks For Reading! 

Book Review: A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

Thursday 15 December 2022


A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass


Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the advance copy of this book to read for an honest review.

The story follows Princess Annika who has lived a life of comfort but it isn't hers to control. Her father the king has gone cold and is forcing Annika into a loveless marriage for the kingdoms gain.

On the opposite side of the coin Lennox lives miles away devoted to the Dahrainian army working to help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. The idea of love to him is merely a distraction.

However when love finds them both they are bound by its call. From two completely different worlds they couldn't possibly be together but love will not let them stay apart.

I was a massive fan of the Selection series so jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of this book.

A classic enemies to lovers trope executed well into an easy read I got through the book quite quickly on holiday.

However I fear I may have grown abit too old now for these types of stories despite my nostalgia for the selection books.

It was all abit too much of a cliche to me with some very cheesy elements and lines in the story. Major plot arcs and losses are forgiven very quickly giving this almost a Disney film type feel as it is all in the name of love. This just felt abit unrealistic to me however the story was an easy read and if I could suspend that critical thinking enjoyable hence the 3 stars.

I just feel I may no longer be in the age ranged demographic for this type of fiction anymore. I'm sure if you are a young adult this would be an enjoyable read.


Thanks For Reading! 

Book Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi


Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy of The Last Tale of the Flower Bride to read for an honest review.

The story revolves around the mysterious woman Indigo Maxwell-Castenada her story told through her Bridegroom, he a scholar of myths. They exchanged gifts and stories of the otherworld with one promise he would never pry into Indigos past.

However when Indigos estranged aunt is dying the couple are forced to return to the House of Dreams. Here the Bridegroom is unable to resist delving into her past. In the house lurks the shadows of another girl Azure, Indigos childhood best friend who disappeared. As the house reveals its secrets the Bridegroom will be forced to choose between the fantasy and the reality of his marriage.

The story started off abit hard to get into for me but once I got further into the story I was hooked.

Roshani Chokshi has a poetic and haunting way of writing. This book reads as a gothic fairytale and is beautifully crafted.

I loved the inclusion of all the myths and fairytales shared to explain different elements of the story and I was caught up in the chapters from Azures point of view.

A haunting and fascinating read perfect for lovers of gothic fiction. 

Thanks For Reading! 

Book Review: Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

Thursday 10 November 2022


Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

3.5 Stars


Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance reader copy of Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston for an honest review. 


Ava has been determined to avenge her mothers death ever since she was murdered by a vampire when she was a child. However no one has seen a vampire in years and she isn't sure she will ever find one until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where the illusions she sees cannot be anything but real. Maybe these magicians can lead her to the vampires that she has been searching for?


The magicians are part of a secret society who have true magic, power which Ava also has in her blood. They want her to join them and in return they will teach her to hunt vampires and help avenge her mother. However to do this and keep the power being offered she must take part in a deadly competition putting on the performance of her life. In this competition illusion and reality blur and the stakes are deadly. 


This book is described as Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer so I was incredibly excited to read this as Buffy is my favourite TV show and Caraval is one of my favourite book Series. 


You can 100% tell that aspects of this book were inspired by Buffy a girl discovers a power she has and needs help in training. The brooding and moody antagonistic love interest Roman gives Angel vibes. The initial love interest and friend is called Xander and the other trainee in magic who becomes her best friend is called Willow need I say more. 


Alot of the references felt very on the nose and I almost felt the book became a tad predictable because of this homage as some of the side plot lines were very similar to Buffy plots lines and this took away from the story abit for me unfortunately as it was too similar. 


This is a shame as the other aspects in the story were very unique including the whole magic system and how the magicians gain and boost their magic. As well as Ava's quest to avenge her mother and overcome her past trauma. That aside I did really enjoy the writing style and found myself being drawn into the competition and all the magical acts described and fantastical elements described. 


The main love triangle was very similar to Buffy season 1 and it was clear who Ava would end up with following that theme. The twists and reveals did keep me engaged overall and I did enjoy the writing style and the story. 


The many comparisons just made me feel like the book didn't quite hit the mark hence the 3.5 star rating. 


Overall an enjoyable YA fantasy read and a good choice if you still don't want to let go of spooky season. 


Thanks for Reading! 

Book Review: Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Sunday 7 August 2022

Thank you to Hodder Books and Netgalley for the advance e-Arc of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace to read in exchange for an honest review.


I must admit I did not know much about this story before diving into it other than the novel had gothic themes and was highly anticipated by many readers.


This book was a massive surprise and the writing had me hooked from the first chapter.


The story follows Signa Farrow who has been able to see death since a young age following the death of her parents. Set to inherit a vast fortune when she turns 20 Signa has moved from guardian to guardian with death always following. Following her aunts death Signa arrives at Thorn Grove where she discovers the Hawthorne family are also plagued by death.


Her cousin Blythe is ill with the same affliction that took her mother Lillian and with days to go Signa must uncover the mystery of Thorngrove and the curse that seems to be upon the family all while keeping death at bay.


This story was a complete surprise to me I was so hooked that I finished this within a day.


I loved the mystery meets gothic theme of the story and the almost enemies to lovers arc between herself and death. The book itself had many twists and turns that it took awhile to decipher. The mystery was well crafted and the revelation of the person who murdered Lillian and has been poisoning Blythe did keep you guessing throughout.


Main plot aside I also enjoyed the interactions between her and death when she is learning more about the powers she possesses and how to use them to solve the mystery.


I also enjoyed the relationship built between Signa and Blythe following their first rocky encounter as they rely on each other more and become almost like sisters. I hope this continues in the sequel.


The book ends on a cliffhanger with another mystery to solve and the announcement of the sequel Foxglove. This is a sequel I will definitely be reading and I recommend Belladonna to anyone who is a fan of mystery fiction and gothic themes.


Thanks for Reading! 

Book Review: Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

Friday 5 August 2022

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Books for the advance arc of Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen.


This book had been on my radar for awhile and as it was suggested for fans of The Cruel Prince it was one of my highly anticipated releases of this year and I have to say it did not disappoint.


The story follows Violet a prophet to the king who earned her place by saving the prince's life when they were both children. Under the Kings command Violet has spun many lies based on her visions while growing up. However Prince Cyrus who she saved plans to have her stripped of her title once he is crowned King.


Following previous predictions of a curse only to be broken by the Prince finding his one true love, Violet is tasked to weave her greatest lie of all and as the line between love and hate blurs between Violet and Cyrus the curse and the right path forward become much more complicated.


This book was definitely one for the fairytale lovers out there it had everything magic, prophecy and a curse only to be broken by the prince finding his true love. It had many themes similar to the sleeping beauty tale but with an entertaining enemies to lovers trope added in.


The characters were all well crafted and I could feel myself getting lost in the story the more that I read. Based on the ending and the questions left unanswered I am hoping this book will become a series.


If you are thinking about picking up this book to read do not hesitate it was great escapism from the mundane day to day and I struggled to put it down once I started reading.


Thanks for Reading! 

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim Book Review

Friday 15 July 2022


Firstly I am going to start by saying thank you to both Hodder Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim for an honest review.

This book was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2022 after receiving Six Crimson Cranes for Christmas and falling head over heels for the story and its Characters. Please be aware this review will contain spoilers so if you have not read this book do not read ahead.

Following on from Six Crimson Cranes we start with Shiori entering the underwater dragon city to meet with the Dragon King to honour Raikama's last wish that the pearl be reunited with its rightful owner, I felt this would be a major plot arc in the story and that we would get more of Seryu's character in this book - maybe even a bit of a love triangle. However while I am glad the author steered away from the love triangle aspect the arc of the plot within this world seems to end rather quickly and Seryu's character is not heard of again until the end of the book. We are also introduced to a few new characters like Gen for example who seem like they are going to become included deeply within the plot only to be dropped a few chapters later. This portion of the story felt almost disconnected as if it wasn't developed enough alongside the main plot arc or the pacing wasn't quite right.

The book then jumps back to the plot with the demons trying to escape the mountain led by the main plot villain Bandur. This part of the story I thoroughly enjoyed, I have just recently finished reading Spin the Dawn and enjoyed that this duology almost is the backstory to how Bandur became trapped on Lapzur island. This part of the story all felt connected and I was hooked on the plot line to see how this would play out.

However again following on from this we then head back to Kiata after successfully trapping Bandur on Lapzur island where the book almost felt like it was at a natural end point but with what looked to be 100 pages left I could see we had more storyline to go but I couldn't see how with the main villain already defeated? Enter again the high priestesses who have been against Shiori since her return as she is the bloodsake predicted to free the demons from the mountain rift. This brings another curse upon Shiori either allow Kiata to burn to the ground  from demon fire or sacrifice herself to the flames. This again felt a bit disjointed from the plot we had just been following with Bandur and the demons and I understand it was linked to the ending however it just felt abit randomly thrown in and not quite as cohesive as the plot of Six Crimson Cranes.

This being said the ending battle following this curse with Shiori, her brothers and Takkan and the Priestesses army had me gripped and I felt incredibly emotionally invested in the characters endings. I will not spoil how the story ends but it was definitely bittersweet in the best kind of way not a completely happy ending but one that leaves Shiori becoming a legendary tale in her own right with a spark of joy left.

Despite some of the story feeling disjointed there were many elements of the book I enjoyed including revisiting the characters I loved so much from the first book Shiori and her brothers, Kiki and Takkan and it was wonderful to get more backstory on Raikama, her past and how she had come to be in Kiata with the Dragon's pearl.  The writing as always with Elizabeth Lim was endearing, magical and eloquent. The descriptions of the different world's and islands visited was compelling and left you feeling as if you were there with the characters while reading.

I just wish the plot with the demons and the plot with Seryu could have been a bit more interwoven with less of a sharp change in storyline. As well as this that we could have had more development of the characters like Gen or Seryu but I appreciate that maybe the length of the book and the story we had to cover could prevent much of this development.

Overall I am incredibly grateful for receiving this advance arc and the title and if you are a fan of the first book or any of Elizabeth Lim's writing this story is definitely worth adding to the TBR. Despite the few criticisms I have made of the story I still feel the plot points I enjoyed, the characters and the writing deserve this book 4 out of 5 stars. Not quite as good as Six Crimson Cranes but then sequels are never as good as the originals.

Will you be reading or purchasing The Dragon's Promise when it is released in August?

Comment below on your thoughts and whether you will be giving this book a go.

Thanks for Reading!







Blogmas #22 Christmas Gift Guide: Book Lovers

Thursday 22 December 2016


Christmas Gift Guide for Book Lovers
It's probably a bit late for another gift guide but for all you last minute shoppers out there here are my gift guide suggestions for any book lovers.

1. Book Lovers Calendar - This is available from Waterstones and is the perfect calendar for any avid readers.

2. Books I Have Read & Books I Want to Read - This is also from Waterstones and is great for writing down observations on books you have read and making notes on any book titles that have caught your eye to remember later.
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