Book Review: Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim
Thursday 2 February 2023
Book Review: A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Thursday 15 December 2022
A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Book Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
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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
Thanks for Reading!
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Thursday 22 December 2016
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