Tag: book blogger

eARC Review – Last Memoria

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Title: Last Memoria (Memoria Duology #1)

Author: Rachel Emma Shaw

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: May 10th, 2020

253 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A heartbreaking dark fantasy thriller about flawed people making flawed decisions. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Joe Abercrombie.

Sarilla has learnt one thing from stealing memories. Everybody lies.

There’s nothing Sarilla hates more than stealing memories, but the king forces her to take them to keep his subjects in line. She wants to escape to where nobody knows what she is or what she can do, but her plans go awry when she runs into Falon.

Falon has a six month void in his memories that he’s desperate to restore. He doesn’t know why they were taken or what they contained, nor why the man he loves is acting so cagily about what happened during that time. He hopes to use Sarilla to get back his stolen memories and doesn’t care what she wants or why she’s desperate to escape. She will help him get them back, whether she wants to or not.

Review

**Thank you to the author for providing me an early copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

Last Memoria reminds me of The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy where people have the ability to steal memories. However, in this world it is called being a memoria and it is something that is considered monstrous and is shunned. Sarilla, the MC, is a memoria who is used by the King to manipulate and punish those who work against him. Sarilla doesn’t want to be used this way, but she doesn’t have a choice. When she gets her chance to escape she does, but not without consequences.

I found Last Memoria to be captivating, well-written, and at times heartbreaking. The characters were easily likable and there was a good amount of development from beginning to end. For a fairly short book, a lot happens without the writing feeling forced or the plot moving along too quickly.

The ending includes some twists, but one is so big and I did not see it coming at all! I was also excited to learn that it will be a duology. The ending doesn’t involve much of a cliffhanger, but there is clear possibility for the story to continue which I am looking forward to and will definitely read when it comes out.

I highly recommend this self-published book, especially if you read and enjoyed The Memory Thief.

Happy reading, folks!

eARC Review – The Trouble with Hating You

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Title: The Trouble with Hating You

Author: Sajni Patel

Publisher: Forever

Publication date: May 12th, 2020

384 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy debut about first impressions, second chances, and finding the love of your life in the most unexpected way. 

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents’ latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she’s out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later — the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What’s not surprising: he’s not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.

Jay Shah looks good on paper…and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He’s also arrogant and infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

Review

**Thank you to Forever, Netgalley, and Sajni Patel for an early copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

TW: sexual assault, domestic abuse, slut shaming

The Trouble with Hating you is a more serious contemporary romance where both characters have more tragic backstories and have some demons to overcome together. Told in alternating POV’s, Liya and Jay are being set up by their traditional Indian families. Neither wants to be set up to get married, but in this culture it is hard to say no. They both have different reasons for not wanting to get married, by when Liya flees the meeting Jay is interested in knowing why she is so against the idea of marriage.

Liya and Jay do not initially get along, this is a definite hate to love plot line. Liya has her defenses up so high due to her past and she can’t accept that a man is seriously interested in her for more than just a night. Jay means well, but Liya’s brand of honesty and bluntness causes him to rile her up further, even without always meaning to. It was a good transition from hate to love, it wasn’t too fast or too slow. There also was not a lot of steam.

There were very serious aspects to this book too, which can make it hard to read or be triggering for some people. Please see the trigger warnings at the top of the page before you read. I do believe the scenes were handled well and weren’t too much to handle at any given point. It was heartbreaking to see Liya shunned by her community and her father over something that was done TO her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and think it was a solid contemporary romance.

Happy reading, folks!

Book Review – Muse of Nightmares

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“People are our safe places. I have one: a person who’s a home and a world to me.”

Title: Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2)

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication date: October 2nd, 2018

522 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.

She believed she knew every horror and was beyond surprise.

She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the Muse of Nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this astonishing and heart-stopping sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.

Review

I would have chosen you, if they had let me choose.

laini taylor, muse of nightmares

Strange the Dreamer was one of my favorite reads of 2019 and I have no idea why it took me so long to read Muse of Nightmares. Thankfully, it did not disappoint!

Muse of Nightmares picks up where Strange left off with the Mesarthim gang and Lazlo. To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into the synopsis so much, but let’s be real you probably read the Goodreads synopsis already. But anyway, after the end of Strange, the group has a lot of issues they need to deal with…

I adore Laini’s writing. This duology was the first of her books I’ve read so now I desperately want to read her backlist titles. The writing is so beautiful and captivating that it’s hard to put the book down. The flow is great and it keeps the plot moving along smoothly. The romance between Lazlo and Sarai is also so endearing, and focused more on their feelings for each other than any sexual chemistry (even though it is definitely there!). Their relationship is beautiful and Lazlo is my new fave soft boi, cinnamon roll, book boyfriend.

My only, and I mean only, request from this book would be MORE. The ending definitely leaves it open for Laini to return to this world, because things weren’t really wrapped up. And I want it. And I need it. Kay thanks!

Happy reading, folks!

Book Review – Magic For Liars

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Title: Magic For Liars

Author: Sarah Gailey

Publisher: Tor

Publication date: June 4th, 2019

336 pages

3.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Ivy Gamble has never wanted to be magic. She is perfectly happy with her life. She has an almost-sustainable career as a private investigator, and an empty apartment, and a slight drinking problem. It’s a great life and she doesn’t wish she was like her estranged sister, the magically gifted professor Tabitha.

But when Ivy is hired to investigate the gruesome murder of a faculty member at Tabitha’s private academy, the stalwart detective starts to lose herself in the case, the life she could have had, and the answer to the mystery that seems just out of her reach.

Review

I recently read Sarah Gailey’s newest book, When We Were Magic, and LOVED it. I wanted to read another book of theirs because I loved their writing style, so I chose Magic For Liars. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as When We Were Magic, but it was pretty good.

Ivy Gamble is a Private Investigator who is being tasked with a murder investigation at her twin sister’s magic school. Ivy herself has no magical abilities (a fact that she tries desperately not to be salty about). There’s no love lost between her and a her sister, but she is itching to break out of the cheating husband’s game and work her first murder investigation. When the plans goes anything but personally, Ivy has to figure out in who’s best interest it is for her to solve the case…

One GIANT pro to Sarah Gailey’s writing is the level of absurdity that I’ve noticed in the first chapter. They throw something so completely mind-blowing and shocking in that you end up being instantly hooked. In this book, it is how the women who was murdered, was murdered. It is insanely interesting to me how they hook readers, so I will continue to go back for more.

Sarah’s writing style is also very trippy and it flows spectacularly well. The descriptions and care taken to bring the reader to really get a visual of what’s happening is prime and very much appreciated. The plot structure is easy to hold onto and creates a natural rhythm. Also, the mystery aspect of the book wasn’t super easy to figure out. The storyline keeps you guessing as new clues emerge.

However. I did not connect with Ivy as a character at all. She came across, to me, petty and self serving. She wasn’t particularly redeemable as she lied to her love interest, and only connected with her sister in order to get information about the murdered woman. Also, I would have loved to understand the magic system more. To be clear, the magic system was by no means the central aspect of the plot, in fact it didn’t have much to do with it until the end since Ivy is nonmagical. But I always love a story with a clearly defined and explained magic system.

For those reasons, I didn’t enjoy Magic For Liars as much as I had hoped to. I’m positive there are others who will immensely enjoy it for the reasons that I did not, which is one of the great parts of this community!

Happy reading, folks!

eARC Review – Dark Skies

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Title: Dark Skies (Dark Shores #2)

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication date: May 5th, 2020

464 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A RUNAWAY WITH A HIDDEN PAST
Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.

A COMMANDER IN DISGRACE
Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.

A KINGDOM UNDER SIEGE
With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realize sweeps across the world.

Review

**Thank you to Tor Teen, Netgalley, and Danielle L. Jensen for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

WOW I am just blown away. I want to start by saying that even though this is the second book, you do NOT need to read the first book to understand what is happening. I have not read Dark Shores but still feel that the world building and characters were enough to support this book. After reading Dark Skies, I am even more excited to read Dark Shores!

Dark Skies follows Lydia and Killian, worlds apart but forced together to try and respectively save the people they care about. The Gods seem to be up to their ears in problems, and it’s being taken out on the humans that have faith in them. Worlds are coming apart at the seems, and these two are so caught up in it that there is no telling how this will end up.

I adore the characters. Lydia and Killian are so different, yet so similar in so many ways. They are both such tragic humans, bent on saving each other, their loved ones, and the world – even when they can’t do it all. This doesn’t mean they don’t spend the whole book trying to in spite of that! The side characters are okay. there are definitely some interesting characters but Lydia and Killian really steal the show.

The magic system is super interesting, with Gods “marking” certain humans with powers at some point in their lives. Each God has different reasons for marking and different types of people to give marks too. Also, the Gods are only as powerful as their people’s faith in them, which I think is a very interesting subplot and calls into question the inherent “all powerful” archetype for deities.

Overall, if you love YA Fantasy and magic and Gods interfering in humans lives, PLEASE read this book because you will not regret it.

Happy reading, folks!

Book Review – Chain of Gold

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“The most interesting women are always the most whispered about.”

Title: Chain of Gold (The Last Hour #1)

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication date: March 3rd, 2020

624 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Chain of Gold is the first novel in a new trilogy that stars the Shadowhunters of Edwardian London.

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.

Review

We don’t always love people who deserve it.

cassandra clare, chain of gold

I spent a good amount of time DYING for this book to come out because I mean, look at it. I had just caught up in the Shadowhunter world (the main books, not the novella collections) and was READY for more and especially more Will and Tessa!!! But… I ended up being kind of disappointed with this book.

Let’s start here. The action was great as it always is. I love the Shadowhunter world and the characters. There is just something about returning to this world that makes me happy. I felt like this trilogy started off very differently than the others mainly because there was very little Downworlder involvement like in the other books, virtually no vampires, werewolves, faeries, or warlocks (save Magnus and Tessa of course). This was strictly Shadowhunter plot, and I didn’t mind this at all. There certainly was plenty of intrigue, and I love the juxtaposition of 20th century treatment of women and Shadowhunter bad-assery.

Cordelia and James were my favorite characters, except when James was being a total dillweed, but we’ll give him a pass because I believe we will find out it’s not entirely his fault. Lucy is perfectly lovely and I really enjoyed her side expeditions with the Blackthorn boy/ghost. Also, I am here for the LGBTQIA characters, the further CC gets into her series’ the more she incorporate human rights issues, modern day sexual identity issues, and just current societal issues and I think it’s great.

However. And there are a few howevers here. I had several issues with the overall book. First – it was slow. I slogged through the first, say, 400 pages. Sure there was stuff happening, but it had a weird flow and I couldn’t get into it. Second – there are too. many. characters. I STILL don’t have everyone straight. I spent the whole time trying to remember who was related to who, because there were 6 “main characters” and like 20 other side characters who were also important. I couldn’t do it. It’s way too much. Third. I hate Grace Blackthorn. I don’t like reading about her, and I want her to leave the book entirely!

I don’t hate this book, don’t get me wrong. I have high hopes for the next book, and OF COURSE I will continue to read. I just almost expected… better? It’s truly possible I overhyped this in my head and for the first time I don’t have the next book to dive into immediately.

Happy reading, folks!

April Wrap Up!

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Hello again, friends!! It is already the last day of April and I lament the end of this month that was almost completely spent indoors, whether at work or at home. I have never been a huge outdoors person, but my body is desperately missing the ability to go places and just hang out. I also seem to be going through a bout of insomnia, which the internet says could be due to a lack of natural light… but the weather’s been so bad here that I haven’t been able to spend time outside! I am yearning to take a chair outside and read but nooooope not fun in almost daily rain.

Anyway, that’s how my month has been going. I’ve been reading, but it’s been a struggle and I haven’t wanted to read anything I planned to read. (Spoiler alert I did not read everything on my April TBR!) I did however manage to read 18 books this month, but 6 of them were very short, fluffy, Kindle Unlimited books – because it’s what I needed in my life at that time.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

  1. The Wife Between Us, Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen – 4/5 stars
  2. Magic For Liars, Sarah Gailey – 3.5/5 stars
  3. Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #1), Laini Taylor – 5/5 stars
  4. House of Salt and Sorrows, Erin A. Craig – 4/5 stars
  5. Well Met, Jen DeLuca – 5/5 stars

NETGALLEY EARC’S

TBH I really only wanted to read books on my phone/iPad this month for some reason… I wasn’t interested in physical books at all! So strange for me, because it’s normally always the opposite! Oh well, it was good for my Netgalley ratio!

  1. The Girl with the Whispering Shadow (The Crowns of Croswald #2), D. E. Night – 4/5 stars
  2. Chasing Lucky, Jenn Bennett – 5/5 stars
  3. What Lies Between Us, John Marrs – 4/5 stars
  4. By the Book, Amanda Sellet – 3.5/5 stars
  5. A Taste of Sage, Yaffa S. Santos – 4/5 stars
  6. The Circus Rose, Betsey Cornwell – 4/5 stars

EARC FROM AUTHORS

  1. Last Memoria (Memoria Duology #1), Rachel Emma Shaw – 5/5 stars

KINDLE UNLIMITED

  1. Love at First Fight (Geeks Gone Wild #1), Maggie Dallen – 4/5 stars
  2. My Virtual Prince Charming (Geeks Gone Wild #2), Maggie Dallen – 4/5 stars
  3. Once Upon a Comic-Con (Geeks Gone Wild #3), Maggie Dallen – 3.5/5 stars
  4. Playing the Enemy (The Trouble with Tomboys #1), Maggie Dallen – 4/5 stars
  5. Play to Win (The Trouble with Tomboys #2), Stephanie Street – 4/5 stars
  6. Playing the Field (The Trouble with Tomboys #3), Christina Benjamin – 3.5/5 stars

So that’s that! All 18 books I read this month! I have also revamped my plans for my TBR moving forward, but I’ll leave that for tomorrow’s post!

Happy reading folks!