Young Adult

Book Review

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“I wished I were better at speaking. All those thoughts were in my head, but I didn’t know how to get them out.”

Artemesia is training to be a gray sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on, otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than have to deal with the living who trade whispers of her scarred hands and secret past. When her convent is attacked by soldiers who are possessed, she defends it by awakening a ancient spirit bound to the saint’s relic. It is a reverent, a malevolent one that threatens to possess her body if she drops her guard and as the gray lady in training seeks to understand her place in all of this. The more she uncovers, the more she is beginning to realize that this more complicated than she thought it would be and as time goes on, a sinister evil begins to surface, she will have to make a decision that will force her to betray everything she was taught to believe.

This was one of the most unique fantasy novels that I’ve read in a long time. Having already read Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns, I knew that I was going to enjoy this one as well since I love her writing and how she develops her characters and the world they live in. While I’m not the biggest fan of possession in books as sometimes I feel like it’s way overdone and does more harm than anything, I actually liked how it was done in the book. The banter between Artemesia and her reverent was enjoyable and I did enjoy reading about the trust between them especially with Artemesia working through her trauma. That aspect was probably my favorite as having dealt with trauma in my own life, I did relate to Artemesia of trying to work through it and grow and be at peace with her past while embracing her journey to healing. This book was very enjoyable so I highly recommend it!

BOOk reVIEW

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“But in a song or a tale, anything is possible.”

A powerful singer and warrior to be, Libohan’s dying to become a part of an elite warrior band on Swan Island and along with her brother, the two have been training to join the band and while vying for a spot in the band. All while that is going on, the find themselves on a mission as the island trains both singers and warriors and the mission is going to require them to find a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone mysteriously missing. If the instrument isn’t found for the upcoming coronation, people could revolt as the candidate wouldn’t be accepted and the deeper Libohan goes, the more she realizes that this isn’t an ordinary mission and she is soon forced to make a decision that could end in heartbreak.

As much as i liked the plot as i found it interesting and unique, the lack of well-developed world building and the characters left me feeling very underwhelmed especially with Libohan as I felt like she was a bit of a mary-sue. While she did struggle at times, it felt like she got through things very easy and there wasn’t really any times where I found myself rooting for her. I didn’t feel like i could immerse myself into the world because there still things that were lost on me and I didn’t feel like there was enough development with the characters, they felt a bit one dimensional to me. It sucked because the plot was very interesting but there wasn’t enough development for me and the one plus was the writing so i’m bummed that it didn’t work out for me but I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Book Review

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“The twin gods, Necessity and Chance, walked among the stars. What needed to be, was; what might be, sometimes was.”

The kingdom of Goredd is a world not like any other as humans and dragons live as one but it is not a life of bliss for either races. For the ones who are human and dragon, they walk an uneasy path as any moment as their true identity could be discovered so they must hide their truth and cultivate a life that will keep them safe. One of those is a young woman by the name of Seraphine who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world and when tensions finally hit, she must travel to find those like herself for she has a connection to all of them. But, she must be careful on her quest as there are humans who want to harm her and if she’s not too careful, she might not make it to ensure those like her are able to defeat the evil.

While I did like this book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one but it was still a good book nonetheless. One of the things I do wish is that it would’ve been a bit shorter because I did feel like things were dragged out a bit much and it could’ve ended a few chapters earlier. But, it was still delightful to see Seraphina and her friends as they try to fight for what is good and end the war between humans and dragons. I was hooked from the beginning just like the first book but some of the things she did seemed a bit out of character and not the Seraphina I read about in the first book who was so brave, loyal, and would do anything for her loved ones. She seemed to find herself in one lie after another and seemed very unbothered by it and the fact that her friends and loved ones were being hurt, that’s not the Seraphina I remember from book one.

While Shadow Scale is beautifully written and Hartman does a very good job with keeping up the suspense and having readers hooked from the first page, I still feel a bit let down but I guess that happens sometimes even though it stinks.



Book Review: Iron Widow

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“Men wants us so badly for our bodies, yet hate us so much for our minds.”

While the boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with the girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant robots that defeat the mecha ailens that lurk beyond the great wall where the girls dread it as they often die from mental strain. But, not all the girls dread pairing up with the boys, there is one girl who is more than ready to take on the challenge in an attempt to have her revenge on the man who killed her sister. When Zietan is chosen, she ends up getting more she’s bargained for as she is successful in killing the man who killed her sister but comes out of it unscathed thus dubbing her the iron widow. Now, she is set on understanding how the pilot system works in hopes of preventing more girls from being sacrificed.

This gave me pacific rim vibes as soon I read the summary on Goodreads and it did have that vibe while getting into the novel even though it started a little slow. But, I’ll get to that in a bit as I did enjoy the characters as they were all deeply flawed with good development to understand their motives even if I didn’t like the character. But, the big flaw that made me less invested in it was the lack of development with the magic system and world-building as there were times where I was confused and needed a little more information. I love good world-building and sadly this one didn’t have it and I do feel if the author had done more with the magic system then maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more than I did. The themes that are discussed throughout the novel are very relevant to what is happening now and I felt as though Zhao does a good job of connecting them to the plot. Overall, it was a good book even though I felt a little disappointed but feel free to check it out if it sounds enjoyable to you!

Book Review: She WHo BECAME THE SUN

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“However tired I am, however hard it is: I know I can keep going, because I’m alive.”

In 1345, China lives under harsh mongle rule and for the starving peasants of Central Plains, greatest is only found in stories.When the Choboga’s eight born son Zhu, is given a fate of greatness and while everyone is misfited by this fate, they aren’t surprised that his clever and capable sister is given a fate of nothingness. But, all that changes when tragedy hits and leaves the two siblings orphaned, it is Zhu who succumbed to despair and dies leaving his sister alone, afraid, and desperate to not die by the same fate. Propelled by her desire to survive, she will do whatever is necessary to stay alive no matter the cost to stay hidden from her fate.

I’m glad that I finally got around to reading this because I did really enjoy it even though it did have some flaws and issues regarding the pacing, writing, and too many characters so we’ll start with that. While I did enjoy how the story progressed, I had trouble with pacing and felt as though the story should’ve focused more on Zhu. It was hard to keep up at times because I had to backread and see if I had missed something when a new character was introduced. When there are so many characters in a book, it can be hard to stay invested because of the lack of development and can at times steer people away. The other stuff made up for it as I very much enjoyed Zhu’s character and how she progressed though the book. So even with the flaws, I did enjoy the book so if it sounds like something you’re interested in, please check it out for yourself!

Book Review: A Magic steeped in poison

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“Grief has a taste, bitter and lingering, but so soft it sometimes disguises itself as sweetness.”

Nig couldn’t imagine things get any worse but unfortunately, they’re gonna get worse before they get better. Haunted and grief stricken over being responsible fro the death of her mother, an unfortunate accident that occurred with Nig brewing tea for her without knowing that it was poison. Now, her sister has succumbed to to the same tea and Nig must do something fast as time is running out. When she hears about an upcoming tournament held in the imperial city, she realizes this is the only chance to save her sister as the winner will receive a favor from the princess.

This was on such a fun book! The entire novel was full of surprises, twists, angst and heart warming moments that made it difficult to put down. But, one of the things that I absolutely loved about it was how their magic system was based on different types of tea, it was so beautifully done. I think Lin wrote is so well that you couldn’t help but be interested in this aspect and I’ve never seen that done before. I really hope this becomes a thing because as a tea lover, it was so fun to read about mixed in with different fantasy elements. The other parts of the book were fantastic and I really loved the dynamics between the characters and especially Nig as I felt for her during the journey as she was dealing with so many different emotions and haunted by the things she’d done. The only thing I didn’t like was the cliffhanger but at least its not one that will keep me up at night wondering what will come next. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

Romance wrap up #3

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Here is the last wrap up for the month!

I finally decided to check this book out as there has been so buzz about it and I was glad the hype was real! I’m reading the second book right now so that will on next month’s wrap up but this was a very enjoyable and entertaining book. The characters especially Simon and Baz were very fleshed out which made it very easy to invested in the story.It was very heartwarming with fun and sweet moments mixed with twists and turns that makes you invested and eager for more!

This story had so much going for it with excellent writing, witty humor, intriguing plot and interesting dynamics between each of the characters. Unfortunately, the main character was very unlikable and was more annoying than anything else. The story follows Gabby, a young woman who is still trying to sort out what she wants to do with her life. She is ready to be in a job that she loves and feels passionate about. But, just as she feels like nothing will change, she gets cast as an extra on Passion Medical, a hit tv show, she finds herself being thrust into an adventure she didn’t see coming.

I really wanted to like this book but Gabby wasn’t a very engaging character. In fact, I found her vain, self-centered, and acted more like a teenager who doesn’t get what she wants than being an adult and trying to find your place in the world. She was more interested with flirting with Will and trying to get his attention than anything else. It was very hard to root for her and in fact, I found myself wishing that she would actually face consequences for her actions. It’s such a shame she was so unlikable because her family issues were very realistic with her brother dealing with a heroine addiction, parents divorcing, and sister separating from her husband.

Holy shit!! This book was so much fun, I loved it from beginning to end. This will for sure be in my round up of favorite books of 2022. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much during a book than I did with this one and I felt like it helped with developing the plot through till the end. The plot follows Lou and Thomas, the two of them are struggling with their own demons while trying to have success in their own lives. They were both intriguing, interesting, and unique and I felt invested in their lives which helps with staying invested in the story. There is nothing worse than a good plot but under developed characters cause it just makes you wanna stop reading it. This book was a real delight so I highly recommend it!

It can be challenging to bring in real life issues into a romance story as sometimes it’s done well and other times it’s not. But, this was not the case with this heartwarming yet moving novel about learning to trust and fall in love with someone who loves you unconditionally. The story follows Niya, who is doing her best to heal from a abusive relationship previously and while she isn’t interested in dating, her friends have other plans. She decides to give it a go to make them happy but soon finds herself falling in love with Jake, who makes her feel like herself again. What I loved about this particular story is how well the characters were written and the romance was very sweet and real. I appreciate how the author weaved in Niya’s prior relationship that was abusive. I thought the way it was done was very well and I was rooting for Niya the entire time! I would highly recommend this! Just be aware of the trigger warnings!

What a wholesome, heart-warming, fun love story from beginning to end. While it is a romance, it is so much more than that. It’s really a story about finding your true purpose, standing up for what’s right, and being content with who you are. The representation is so wonderful in this book and I took away a lot more than I anticipated. The friendship and romance between Adam and Zayneb was truly wholesome and very real. I was rooting for them from the beginning and I love how it developed to the end.

The Crossing Gate

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“A moment passed before he peeked at my necklace, and his eyes became tender. “You know, Leen love isn’t always a crazy, obsessive emotion. Love is understanding and respecting each other, and giving space to grow and sacrifice and compromise. It’s about being there for each other, not running away. And it certainly isn’t treason.”

In the kingdom of Elpax, juveniles must walk through crossing gate to become adults. Seems very simple doesn’t it? For a young woman named Lenore it would be anything but as when the time comes her to cross through the gate, it goes horribly wrong. The young woman who was hoping to have to finally have success with crossing the gate is now being accused of trying to start a revolution and she must follows the rules if she wants to stay alive. But, following the rules is never easy and Lenore is going to find herself being tested in ways she didn’t imagine especially when a young handsome stranger shows up and she starts to feel emotions that she’s never felt before. But, juveniles aren’t allowed to fall in love so Lenore is finding herself at a crossing point as she wants to follow the laws and keep her family safe but more and more secrets come out about her kingdom that she realizes, fighting against the system and saving her family and loved ones might be the only way she will survive.

Wow! This was a truly beautiful story and the plot was so unique and that’s what caught my attention when I was looking for new books coming out. Someone called this a mash up between The Handmaiden’s Tale and Hunger Games and they couldn’t be more right as there were moments of terror, rage and anger but also heartwarming moments that made you feel for the characters and Lenore. There were so many times that I wanted to rage with her and I’m glad that she finally got to rage herself. This is so true for many of us as there are reasons why we have to keep certain emotions suppressed but all that does it create more problems especially if we longer have room to suppress them. Not only did I enjoy and relate to Lenore, I enjoyed all the characters and their dynamics with each other so I highly recommend it!

Things that Should STay Buried

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“As above, so below. Trouble a star, watch it explode. The harbinger soars, the earth is bowed. There is chaos in the heavens, there is chaos in the soil.”

Clawing their way from their long-forgotten tomb, the Zodia are emerging ravenous to claim everyone born under the star signs. They are plotting to resurrect kingdoms no human knew existed, they are driven by a hunger for vengeance against the one who buried them: Aries. Larken is a natural born sprinter, but even she can’t outrun the darkness closing in. As time passes, they find themselves in a shelter in place order where some are following it and others acting like nothing is happening. Left with no other option, Larken”s brother calls for Aries in order to save his sister’s life.

I had actually planned to read this book a few months back but didn’t get to it before the end of the month. I’m glad that I decided to pick up for this month cause I really enjoyed it. I love anything astrology so I was super into the premise of the book and found it engaging until the end. I found the concept truly unique and interesting and while I did find it a little slow, it did pick up so I was happy about that because there’s nothing worse than a cool and interesting concept and the rest of the book is a dud. Another thing that made me love the book were the characters especially Larken as she very relatable throughout the entire book and I loved seeing the character development. This book was truly enjoyable so if you’re into fantasy and astrology, I highly recommend this book.