Read in August

A Court of Honey and Ash by Shannon Mayer

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Rating: 3/5

Sometimes the world pushes us in a direction we think is wrong, because it is not of our choosing. That does not mean it is taking us to the wrong destination, just that the path is one we didn’t foresee.

Billed as a must read for fans of Sarah J. Mass and Holly Black, A Court of Honey and Ash follows Alli, a half human, half orphan fae who knows the secret behind the shattering of underhill, the ancestral home of the fae thus making it possible for any fae to enter. A secret that will be the end of Alli if anyone finds out that she knows especially the person who did it. With the shattering of underhill, a brutal madness takes place and Alli wants to be the one who can not only save her people but find meaning, belonging, and prove that she’s more than what she appears to be.

I had high hopes for this but it fell flat towards the end. I was enjoying it and I felt invested in the characters, the story, and how it flowed up until the later chapters and it just felt rushed to me. There were also parts where it felt very predictable and I was hoping for a little more but sadly, I didn’t get it. The characters especially Alli, are very interesting and complex as she pulled off tough and vulnerable very well. It wasn’t overdone and I did enjoy her moments of vulnerability. There was a lot that I liked but with other stuff I didn’t like, I feel like my feelings at the end of it weren’t as I fulfilling as I wanted them to be. I was kind of bummed with how the last half of the book went but that’s just how it goes. I’m sure many other people will enjoy this and that’s absolutely fine!

Outrun The Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

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Rating: 3/5

“Glancing between the four of us, I realize just how many types of love we share. And how much it hurts to lose them all.”

Goddess of the hunt, Artemis has two rules. Never disobey her and never fall in love. Feeling relieved after escaping her life as the oracle of delphi, Kahina finds home as one of the female warriors guided So what happens when Kahina breaks both rules by not only saving legendary huntress, Atalanna out of trouble but while trying to prove herself to Artemis again, she finds herself developing feelings for the huntress and struggling to make a choice between the life that she wants and how others percieve her to be?

I had high hopes for this book as I love greek mythology and Artemis is one of my favorite goddesses and while I did love that aspect, the rest was very lacking which led me to give it a three star rating. I felt like the characters and romance was underwhelming and the ending felt a little rushed. I did like the characters and felt if given a bit more development in the romance then I would’ve given it a higher rating. I think I also had problems with the plot as I felt bored by the middle to ending but of course I wanted to see what happened. So, this book wasn’t what I hoped it to be but I think others will enjoy for different reasons than what I was looking for.

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

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Rating: 4/5


I’ve been trying to get into romance more as I have been feeling bored with my other reads. I’ve found some romance that are hits and misses and this one was definetly a hit. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it even though I felt like it was short but I loved everything about it especially the characters. It was a rom-com about a rom-com and it was very well done as it follows a young woman, Liz who finds out that her crush, Michael has been hanging around with her best friend, Wes. What originally started as a plan to get her with Michael turns out to be something diffently entirely as she starts to realize that Michael isn’t the boy she thought he was which causes her rethink her plan of being with Michael.

Honestly, the characters and dynamics between them is what made this novel so enjoyable. They were fun, unique, interesting, and well developed. The dyanmics between Michael and Liz felt very real and I really enjoyed seeing how the relationship progressed throughout the book. Painter does a really good at showing their relationship from the time they were kids to being adults and how they had changed during that time. The romance was really light-hearted and funny so I defintely recommend this book!

Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth-Meyers

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Rating: 3/5

We named ourselves not very cleverly, but the names belong to us not to her. That gives us power for ourselves, do you see?

Into The Heartless Wood is a tale that mixes witches, fairies, monsters into one for a captivating folklore that will have you wanting more. The story follows Owen Merrick who is lured into the woods held by the witches, and when he thought that his life was going to end, one of the daughters, Seren saves him from that terrible fate. From that point on, the two were bonded as she longed to be a human and free to roam and he would climb the garden wall to see. The longing that Seren has to become human would prove to be a daunting mission as dangers lurk in the darkness and an anicent war will be revealed between the witch and the king trying to stop her.

The premise of the book itself is interesting but I feel like there was something lacking with hwo it developed and the romance between the characters. What I really loved about the book was the writing as it was incredibly captivating, moving, and easy to follow and I felt like I was in the world that Meyers created. She creates a world that feels so real and the world-building stood out the most me and it’s such a shame that the rest of the book didn’t match that expectation. While I liked the characters, I felt like the romance was a little rushed and I don’t believe it felt right. I liked both of their journeys on their own and I felt like I needed a little more for it to be believable. There were times where the writing didn’t match up with what was happening and I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. But aside from all this, if you love witches, fairies, and all things folklore then you will probably enjoy this just as much.

Book Of The Week: Catch and Cradle

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Hello everyone! I’m back with the Book of The Week and I’m delighted to share this book with you as I enjoyed it very much. I did have a hard time trying to narrow it down as there were other books that I read this past week. But, I finally did so let’s get started.

The Plot:

Becca swore she woudln’t fall for another teammate after the experience she had on her UNS Lacrosse Team in her first year but she can’t get one of them out of her head and it’s driving her nuts. Her teammate and girl she’s crushing on Hope is dealing with the aftermath of a terrible breakup three months prior by her boyfriend in a very public way. Trying to get over the heartbreak, she is grappling with her crush on Becca, the team captain of the UNS Lacross Team. What happens next is going to take Becca and Hope on a journey of self-discovery, hope, belonging, and healing from a broken heart.

The Characters:

They were all so wonderful especially Becca, I felt a connection to her with reading hte POV’s throughout the book. I love Hope but Becca’s chapters were filled with so much yearning, heartache, and belonging that I just wanted her to be happy and figure out who she is and fully accept that. I loved how the POV’s alternated between the characters as it really helped not only build up their characters but set up for the eventually romance, it felt very real and raw. I felt the chemistry between Hope and Becca and it didn’t feel forced and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I felt that all the characters even the side characters were interesting, unique, well developed, and had their own parts to play.

Overall:

This was a super enjoyable book and the writing was a big plus, it helped bring the reader in and feel a part of the atmosphere. I feel a connection to the story and characters. I normally read longer books so I did wish it was a little longer but that will be something other readers like and that’s fine. But, highly recommend this book as it was a super enjoyable love story with complex characters.

Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

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Rating: 4/5

“I like to imagine my used books as little soldiers that have gone off to serve their duty elsewhere before coming into my hands. Books are something to be stepped inside of, to be occupied and lived in.”

The Plot:

Amelia Griffin is obssessed with the famed series, Orman Chronicles by reclusive and young prodigy N.E. Endsley as not only does she enjoy them but they’re the books that brought her together with her best friend after her father left and her family imploded. When Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to meet the famed author, they both can’t wait but things don’t go as planned as Jenna gets the opporutnity to meet the author but not Amelia. It leads to a big blow out between the girls and before they can mend things, Jenna dies in a tragic accident leaving Amelia, grief-stricken and lost. Now Amelia must find her way through it and be able to carry on Jenna’s memory and come to terms with events that happened in the past.

The Characters:

All the characters were really great especially Amelia, I thought she was a very relatable main character and I did like the dynamics between Amelia and her best friend, Jenna. They both had their own struggles and I felt for Amelia when Jenna tragically died and Amelia had to work her way out of the guilt she felt about the fight leading up to the accident. Schumacher does a really nice job of portraying how grief impacts people and that it’s different from person to person because I think this is very important to understand as people are raised in environments where grief is displayed different. Just beacuse someone is outwardly expressing their grief doesn’t mean they’re not grieving and how it was displayed in the book is very real.

The Writing:

This is my first introduction to Schumacher and I enjoyed her writing. She really knows how to display grief in a way that the reader understands and how grief can be healed. The writing was well paced and thigns weren’t as predictable as they can be in YA novels which can often push readers away especially readers like me. I felt like eveyrthing flowed very nicely from beginning to end and this a very heartwamring read about grief, finding yourself, and being open to new experiences in life. So check it out if you want!

Darling by K. Ancrum

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Rating: 4/5

The Plot:

A dark and twisted retelling of an old classic, Peter Pan which tells the story of Wendy Darling who has just moved to Chicago with her parents. Wendy feels like her life will never get any better until her first night, a young boy by the name of Peter appears at her window and invites for a night on the town. Wendy is ready for a night on the town and expects the two to hit a party but instead they’re heading to the underground. While Wendy adapts to this new experience, she not only makes friends but enemies along the way and has to face her own struggles and insecruties of feeling like she’s trapped where she is with no way out. But, if she’s not careful she might make it out alive at all.

“Hearing the other teens laughing fake and loud made Wendy feel like she was about to pass out. People don’t get good at doing things like that unless they needed to. Unless they’ve done it often and for their own protection.”

The Characters:

While I did enjoy the characters, I actually felt like there were too many characters. I found them interesting but I was also flipping back and forth and feeling confused. I think it would’ve been better if there weren’t so many because it was hard to know who was being talked about and I also felt like it took away from the story in a way. Peter is very flawed as are the other characters, Detective Hook, Wendy, Tinkerbell which was very realistic and uncomfortable at the same time especially with Detective Hook and Peter Pan. Ancrum doesn’t shy away of showing how Peter’s toxic behavior and grooming of the disadvantage lost boys and how things get complicated once Wendy comes into the picture. Oh the other hand Detective is far from the hero as he reeks of incompotence, enables police brutality, among other things. The LGBT representation is also really good in the book and there’s even disability rep so that’s always a plus.

The Writing:

This was my first introduction to K. Ancrum and I really enjoyed her writing. She has a way with words and making super compex and uncomfortable subjects raw and real without overdoing it. This was a very interesting retelling of an old classic but people should take trigger warnings seriously before reading this book.

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

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Rating: 4/5

“Don’t ever not get angry. You’ve got every right. No reason to hold on to it forever of course, just always give anger it’s due. Let it show sometimes. Respect it.”

The Plot:

Wow, this book was exceptionally good. It was such a heartwarming and wonderful tale about a young girl who is about to be released from the foster care system. Muir, the main character is ready to age out, start college, and start a life that she wants for herself. What she doesn’t know is that her last year in the foster care system is going to change everything and send on a journey that she never saw coming.

I loved the plot, I thought it was a very powerful yet simple with a profound message of belonging, acceptance, and feeling comfortable in their won skin after years of being shuffled around from home to home never getting close to people of past experiences. I feel like this is something many people can relate to especially those who grew up in abusive/neglectful or even chaotic environments where there was lots of dysfunction.

The Characters:

Muri, Sean and Kira were wonderful characters who had their own struggles while finding common ground with one another. I love the bond that they share throughout the book. I felt for Muir throughout the book as she struggles with her own insecruties and actually making bonds with her foster mom, Francine and struggling to feel okay with things going well for her. She’s lived her entire life moving from home to home in foster care and I felt bad for her because it was obvious she wanted friends, family, and a sense of belonging but because how she was shuffled around in foster care, she had a hard time accepting good things that came her way. Everyone needs friends, family, and feeling like belong and are accepted and having to go through the foster system or dealing with abuse/neglect can make that really difficult. I felt for all of them and I just wanted Muir to be happy.

The Writing:

This was my introduction to Jennifer Longo”s writing and I am defintely going to be checking out more stuff by her as I felt drawn into the world that she created. The way she described things, her characters, the plot, and the atmosphere really helped intertwine everything to make easy to follow. I thought that the pacing was done just right and I didn’t feel like there was anything that she could improve on. It was a really well done book on a very serious and important matter.

Book of The Week: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series

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Book: A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series by Holly Jackson

Rating: 4/5

Before I get into talking about the series, I just wanted to preface this and say I finished these books quicker than I expected. This series is fantastic. From the plot, characters, writing, dynamics between the characters, pacing, and atmosphere, it was done really well. I had heard from a few people that the series was fun, easy to read, entertaining, and a true mystery but I didn’t expect it to be so good.

The series main protaganist, Pippa Fitz a high school student who isn’t so sure that Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Sighn even though everyone says he did it. Pippa is determined to solve the case herself and use it as a class project for her senior year but the more she tries to uncover, the more danger waits in the darkness. Pippa begins to find that there are more questions than answers and someone is desperate to keep those secrets kept hidden. The more Pippa digs, the more dangerous it becomes and those close to Pippa are worried that she could be next.

The first book did a great job at setting things up for the next two books but the way the pacing was done really helped. It was right in the middle, not too slow and not too fast. The second and third book were just as good as the first one and I’m sad that it’s over but I couldn’t put the books down. It was a such a nail biter to the end as I felt like the twists, jumps, and turns were done so well that you didn’t even seen them coming. I loved Pippa as I found her a very fleshed out well written character who had a good head on her shoulders and wanted to make those around feel safe. She can be a bit brash and acts before she thinks but throughout the series, there is growth to her character that I found believable. I found her interactions with other characters well done and the dynamics were great. The other characters were great, they were all unique and had their own struggles and conflicts especially with Pippa.

The second and third book were filled with just as much excitement, terror, suspense, action, heart-warming moments as the first book which made me happy. As sad as I am that the series is over, I wouldn’t want a fourth book as everything is tied up nicely in the third book and I feel doing a fourth book would slightly ruin the series. It’s good to know when to stop and not drag things out and annoying readers in the process as that can happen. A truly great mystery/thriller series that will keep you wanting more so check it out!!

Favorite Quotes:

“The people you love weren’t algebra: to be calculated, subtracted, or held at arm’s length across a decimal point.”

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”

“I think we all get to decide what good and bad and right and wrong mean to us, not what we’re told to accept.”

“A quietness settled over the room, a quietness that wasn’t the absence of sound, it was its own living thing, stifling in the spaces between them.”

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”