Retelling

Book Review

| piperreads

I may be ruthless but I am not cruel. I think it’s one of the things that Ana likes about me, I do bad things when must but I try to be good.

By day Kiki De Souza and Ana Lezama De Urianza are proper seventeenth century ladies. But when night falls, they trade in their gowns and silk for swords and muskets venturing out into the vibrant, buzzling, crime-ridden streets of Potosi in the Spanish Empire’s Viceroyalty of Peru. They spend their time gambling, crime fighting, and falling desperatly in love with one another. But, on the night Kiki’s engagment to Viceroy’s son is announced, her older brother heir to the family fortune is found murdered. The two embark on a investigation to find what happened to Kiki’s brother and if they’re not too careful, they might find themselves falling into the same trouble as he did.

What a fun retelling of The Three Musketeers with a twist. The majority of the book was very entertaining and faced paced but the one that was missing was the suspense. I didn’t really any danger especially with the villains as you know who they are once they’re mentioned so it was a bit predictable. But, it wasn’t something that really held me back from enjoying the rest of the novel and even though I don’t read YA novels that much anymore, this was a quick and easy read. Though I feel like this could work for older YA and maybe even New Adult cause it does have that kind of feel and I didn’t find anything too cheesy. Ana and Kiki, the two main characters were very fun and i love the banter between the two and although I did like the romance, I think they also work very well by themselves. At first, I found the romance a little rushed because it was very in your face but as time passed on, I started to really enjoy the romance and found it endearing. The chemistry between them sealed the deal for me as I felt that it was very real and even more so that they not only found happiness with each other but themselves. A great read so check it out!!

Book Review: Juniper and Thorn

| piperreads

“Magic is the first sip of good wine that makes the edges of your vision blur. Magic is the cool breeze of the boardwalk at night and organ music in the air. Magic is landing a grand jeté and nearly going deaf with hate crowd’s applause. Magic is the low flicker of tavern lights and the girl your courting leaning close so you can kiss.”

Spending most of her time with her sisters, Marlinchen who longs for adventure in the big city has spend most of days trying to please her transphobic and tyrannical father who keeps the girls under his close guard. But, one fateful night is about to change all that as Marlinchen finally convinces her sisters to come with her on a night out and experience what they truly long for with being away from their father. This is where Marlinchien meets a mysterious dancer who captures her heart and soon her visits become more frequent and feverish and the longer this goes on, the more risky it becomes as her father, Oblya starts to become more suspicious. But, before anyone can make their move, a threat is looming and Marlinchen must figure out what path she wants to take before it’s too late.

This book was wild and I’m still not sure how I feel about it overall as there were parts were I felt like what was happening was more for shock value and not having anything to do with the plot. So that did take away from the book but I did enjoy the other aspects of it. I don’t really read a lot of horror so this was a nice surprise and I did enjoy the writing and how the author created this magical world with excellent world-building because it made me feel like I was really there. That’s something that I need to be able to invest in the story because when it’s not there, I lose interest very quickly which can take away from the entire novel itself. Another part that was a bit much for me is that it felt like the characters especially Marlinchen and Sevss were always wanting to jump into bed with one another. While I do like smut, I like it to be realistic and it just felt like she was adding it without any real purpose for it. I feel like I would’ve enjoyed it more if it wasn’t for these flaws but I know other people will so it all works out in the end.

BOok Review: The Girl WHO FELL BENEATH THE SEA

| piperreads

“Nothing extraordinary is ever done out of reason or logic, but because it’s the only way for your soul to breathe.”

Not only have deadly storms impacted Mina’s homeland but bloody wars have ravished their lands leaving them very few resources. Her people believe that they have been cursed by the Sea God who was one their protector and savior but now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, her people have sacrifced a beautiful young maiden every year in hopes of finding his true bride and letting her people rebuild their city. Many believe the bride is her brother Joon’s beloved Shim Cheong and on the night she is to be sacrificed, Joon follows even though he knows it is a death sentence. In an effort to save her brother, Mina jumps into the water only to find thrust into an adventure that she never expected as the Sea God is fast asleep and there are those who wish that he remain asleep. Mina knows she has to act fast as humans can’t survive in the land of spirits for very long and the longer she goes, the more time is running out.

This was such a good retelling and the cover is absolutely gorgeous! That was what actually reeled me in and I enjoyed how the story developed, the characters, plot and felt that the pacing worked well for this book. It was such a charming, fun, beautiful, and enchanting story that reminded me of Spirited Away in a good way. Although this marketed towards young adults, I still enjoyed the story felt that it worked best for this specific audience. What I loved most was the world building as it was beautifully written and made me feel as if I was actually there in the world along with the characters. While I enjoyed mostly everything, it did feel a bit predictable at times but I was able to overlook the flaws and still enjoy the story and how it developed.