ARC Review | A River of Royal Blood

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A River of Royal Blood

Author: Amanda Joy

Format: paperback (Bookishfirst winner)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: October 29, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Adventure, Sibling Rivalry, Blood Magic

Disclaimer: **I won this book from Bookishfirst in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Sixteen-year-old Eva is a princess, born with the magick of marrow and blood–a dark and terrible magick that hasn’t been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. Its last known practitioner was Queen Raina, who toppled the native khimaer royalty and massacred thousands, including her own sister, eight generations ago, thus beginning the Rival Heir tradition. Living in Raina’s long and dark shadow, Eva must now face her older sister, Isa, in a battle to the death if she hopes to ascend to the Ivory Throne–because in the Queendom of Myre only the strongest, most ruthless rulers survive.

When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, she discovers there is more to the attempt on her life than meets the eye–and it isn’t just her sister who wants to see her dead. As tensions escalate, Eva is forced to turn to a fey instructor of mythic proportions and a mysterious and handsome khimaer prince for help in growing her magick into something to fear. Because despite the love she still has for her sister, Eva will have to choose: Isa’s death or her own.

A River of Royal Blood is an enthralling debut set in a lush North African inspired fantasy world that subtly but powerfully challenges our notions of power, history, and identity.

Thank you to Putnam and Bookishfirst for giving me a chance to win this ARC of A River of Royal Blood.

A young adult fantasy book about sisters dueling to the death for a crown? It sounds reminiscent of other sibling rivalry books out there but this one definitely stands out!

A River of Royal Blood took me two days to finish, because it’s one of those books that set the backdrop for what’s to come in this series. It may seem like a lot of info dump but I think in this case it is needed because this imagined world is intricate and detailed. If you don’t like slow building fantasy then this book might put you off. The plot of the two sisters fighting for the crown also takes a bit of a back seat until the end.

The strength of this book is the world building because my goodness it is rich, colorful and so diverse. There are humans, fey, bloodkin, khimaer and more lands we will discover in book two I’m sure. The queendom of Myre finds it’s ruler with the Rival Heir tradition, where two sisters who are of age (17+) will find to the death and winner takes the crown. What a cruel tradition.

There is a magick system in place in this world and everyone who has magick seems to have their own different strengths. A few characters show mind controlling powers, where as Princess Eva has marrow and blood magick. But what is it? Because Princess Eva has the magick but can’t access it. Omens that were witnessed before her birth said her power would be great and terrible. Her older sister Princess Isadore already wields her persuasion magick so expertly. The sisters were once close, the scenes that portray them in memory as children show them in happier times, but those days are over with Eva’s 17th birthday approaching.

Most of the book is about Princess Eva learning about her magick and how to access it. We meet a lot of different characters in the book some fey, bloodkin, human and khimaer. I think the khimaer is the most fascinating, because they take on parts of animals with their human form also. They sound magnificent! There is a lot of history being told in the story which people might find to be boring info dump, and sometimes I’m in that category but this book kept me engaged. I wanted to know the history of Queen Riana and Baccha, the Lord of the Hunt. I loved learning about the Sorceryn and Auguries (who studied Omens/cosmos) and wanted to know about the khimaer and the Dracolan – by the end of the book, I was like, give me more! Oh also, I want more bloodkin! 🧛‍♂️

There are assassination attempts on Eva that seems to take more precedence than the sisters fighting. And there is a bit of a romance as well between Eva and a certain Prince who has fangs and scales like a snake – that’s kinda hot right? 😅 I always like a little romance in my fantasy novels but even if it wasn’t there, I think I would still be invested in Eva’s journey.

As for Princess Eva she’s definitely got family issues, I mean she grew up knowing she will either kill her sister or be killed by her! It’s cutthroat to be a royal, right? Her mom doesn’t show her affection, and she’s definitely daddy’s girl but he’s been gone from court for awhile. She has lots of conflicted emotions about her magick, her identity, the history of their queendom, her family and knowing who to trust and trying to figure out who loves her. ☹️ Her mom and sister are like ice queens whereas Eva is emotional. But what I love about Eva is that she learns…she wants to know the history of their kingdom and if she ruled, she has plans on how she could fix the injustices that took place on the khimaer people.

A River of Royal Blood is a stellar and solid debut, full of world building, magick, political intrigue, sibling rivalry, some romance, some killing, and lots of blood and secrets. I am so looking forward to the next book in this series!

ARC Review | Cupid’s Match

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Cupid’s Match

Author: Lauren Palphreyman

Format: Paperback (owned)

Pages: 367

Categories: Romance, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

He’s mythologically hot, a little bit wicked, and almost 100% immortal. And he’ll hit you right in the heart . . .

“Miss Black, we have a big problem.”

Lila Black doesn’t believe in matchmaking, let alone soul mates. So then why is she constantly being hassled by the Cupids Matchmaking Service? But this gilded, cherub-bedecked dating agency isn’t exactly what it seems . . . and it’s about to turn Lila’s entire world upside down.

It turns out that Cupids Matchmaking is the real deal. As in, it’s run by actual cupids—who don’t look at all like they do in the paintings—and they have a serious problem with Lila’s “match.” Because this guy shouldn’t be in the system. He shouldn’t have a match. And while he’s irresistibly hot, he’s also incredibly dangerous. Because Lila’s true love match is Cupid. The original bad boy of love. And he wants her.

Now Lila’s once-normal teenaged world has exploded into a mythological nightmare overrun by crime-lord sirens, wrathful cupid hit men, magic arrows that cause no end of trouble, and a mischievous, not-so-angelic love god she can’t seem to stop herself from falling for . . .

Thank you BookishFirst for giving me a chance to win this arc!

Cupid’s Match is a fun new take on the original mythological Cupid. In this young adult urban fantasy Lila is contacted by The Cupid’s Matchmaking Service and she finds out her match is Cupid. The one and ONLY Cupid.

But this book isn’t only about if and how Lila and Cupid actually fall in love, nope, it’s much more than that. The first part of the book takes on a twist and this match between Lila and Cupid MUST NOT happen, as everyone around Lila keeps alluding too. But she doesn’t know why…I don’t know why either and I was almost at the end of my patience with trying to find out. And because of that, the second half of the book is way much faster and action packed than the first part.

Lila as a character seems like a cool girl but kind of bland. We don’t find out much about her in the beginning except that she’s tagging along with Cal and Cupid (brothers) who are trying to keep her safe. And of course they keep her in the dark so…🤷🏻‍♀️

Cupid is the bad boy but he doesn’t come off that bad at all. Then there is Cal who seems like the more responsible brother and there is a hint of a love triangle between them brewing which I’m not into. I was going for a Cal and Lila romance but it’s not what happens.

What I did like about Cupid’s Match was the unique world of the cupids. They had a group called the Arrows who are like cupid law enforcement. Venus, the goddess of love, is Cal and Cupid’s mother and basically ruler of them all. They use different arrows with different degrees of ardor in can infect someone with. So I really enjoy that part of the world-building.

Overall, this book was okay for me. It is a fast, light-hearted read with lots of potential.

Book Review | Serpent & Dove

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Serpent & Dove

Author: Shelby Mahurin

Format: Hardcover (owned)

Pages: 519

Categories: Witches, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/New Adult

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

I heard great things about this book but wow when it actually meets expectations, it’s a glorious feeling.

I started this book at 8pm and finished right before midnight. 😱

Oh the feels! Oh my heart. It was everything I wanted in a book.

Louise le Blanc, or Lou, is a witch hiding from her coven, and now she is living as a thief in Cesarine. Not only does Lou need to hide from her coven, she needs to stay far away from witch hunters called Chasseurs. Chasseurs are devout men of the church, and their main goal is to eradicate witches from this world. Lou runs into Reid and the rest is history.

Lou is so funny, sassy, brave, charming and so full of life. I love her! She has a foul mouth, curses a lot, sings bawdy songs 🤣 but she’s also compassionate. Then there is Reid who is so devout and chivalrous, he doesn’t even swear, and he is the captain of the Chasseurs. It’s a fun enemies to lovers romance relationship. When these two are together it’s just so funny how they get under each other’s skin. I love seeing them drive one another crazy! But when they finally open themselves to one another…

And I categorized this book as new adult…because there is definitely a sex scene and it’s beautiful. 😍😅

But that’s not the only love that gave me the feels in this book, Lou and her best-friend Coco, was friendship goals. These two together are such badass females, but so full of heart! Coco is Lou’s ride or die, sister from another mister, partner in crime, best friend and I LOVE them together. There is a celebration of female, in this book and the Chasseurs are so hellbent on thinking women and witches are evil, or that women had to be chaste and pure.

And the rest of the cast, was amazing as well. There are villains, magic, secrets, betrayals, broken hearts and mended ones too. This story made me laugh, it made me feel giddy and I think I even teared up at some parts. This world of witches and chasseurs just sucked me in, it took me on such an enjoyable, exciting and emotional reading journey. My heart was full at the end!

Then the ending was like a mic drop which made me silently cackle in delight (because everyone was asleep in the house!). YES, please give me more COCO in book two. I can’t wait to meet her coven! I went to sleep SMILING. That’s how good this book made me feel. It was fun in an unexpected way.

It’s one of my favorite reads this year and I have a feeling it’s a book I’ll be rereading a bunch before the sequel comes out next year.

Book Review | The Beholder

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Beholder

Author: Anna Bright

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 435

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fairy Tale, Romance

Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match, a partner who will help secure the future of her people. Now that day has finally come.

But after an excruciatingly public rejection from her closest childhood friend, Selah’s stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic, where a series of potential suitors awaits—and if she doesn’t come home engaged, she shouldn’t come home at all.

From English castle gardens to the fjords of Norge, and under the eye of the dreaded Imperiya Yotne, Selah’s quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother’s schemes aren’t the only secrets hiding belowdecks…and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending.

What did I just read? 🤔

I’m not quite sure but I did finish it. I felt like I spent most of my reading time trying to pinpoint what world this story is set in. I thought it was historical, but then I realized though East Asia, America, Europe, are mentioned in the story some of the countries’ names were different, so…an alternate Earth? But with the some of the characters traveling by ship I thought okay…the time period is when empires were colonizing other countries…but then it mentioned radio and a transmitter and I was like…huh? Also their clothing, men wore ties and suits? I was confused.

So Selah is the next leader of her little country called, Potomac (it’s a country in America, somewhere in the southeast), but she has a wicked stepmother who wants her gone…sound familiar? Instead of a Prince finding her…SHE gets to choose her husband. But said chosen husband declines her proposal so her stepmother sends her across the Atlantic to other countries to find a husband. Selah knows it’s her stepmother’s scheme to get rid of her for good, but Selah’s plan is to choose a husband fast and get back to her ailing father. She has a list of prospects and two weeks to spend with each to see who will be her potential husband.

The beginning is okay, I was getting into the world building, confused about it, but intrigued enough to keep reading. I wanted to figure it out! Selah is introduced and she seems like a sweet girl who cares for her dad and grandmother. She loves Potomac, but it’s a farming country so she isn’t a flashy girl and seems not to know much about courting Princes. Selah is a bit naive and just kind of bland, but her crew on The Beholder, seems interesting and mysterious, Captain Lang, especially.

We follow her on her journey to England, she falls for her suitor, Bear, but she finds out the truth about their courting and on to the next. They make it up north and she then falls for her next suitor…🤦🏻‍♀️ which is fine, I mean, I’d fall for Torden too, but come on girl, you can’t fall for every guy you meet after only two weeks of courting! Selah wants love, she wants someone to rule Potomac with and live a quiet life reading, planting and digging in the dirt. She wants to get back to Potomac to help her father.

And in the midst of it all is a mash of these fairy tales inspiring this story. Like at first it was Cinderella, and then you kind of get these Hansel and Gretel moments. The big villain in this book is some tsarystsa who’s taking over Europe. Selah is afraid of her and doesn’t want to end up near the Imperiya which the tsarystsa rules, so Selah is really trying to choose quickly from her top three suitors to avoid this villain.

So…is this book like The Bachelorette? She’ll find a husband and that’s it?

It’s not as simple as Selah thinks it will be with the state of the world politics and the Imperiya growing larger. I thought it was just a book about a girl choosing her future husband and that could have worked but there was the whole issue about the tsarystsa taking over Europe. Thing is we only find out more about this at the end, there are hints of it throughout the story but I think I needed more of it, less of the courting.

The ending is where Captain Lang fesses up to what is really happening. I kind of wish I had Captain Lang’s point of view in some parts of the book. Because most of the book is about Selah falling for her suitors!

I think if I understood the world building, the rest would have followed suit but I didn’t get a good grasp of this world. I did keep reading to see if she found a guy who she was compatible with her and she’s two for three right now and haven’t met the third one yet! 🤦🏻‍♀️ What will she do? Oh and I just had a light bulb moment about the world building as I type this out…LOL…sorry! The world is basically set in an alternate Earth where folklore, fairytales and mythology are real! Does that make sense?

Am I intrigued enough to read the next book? I think I am…🤷🏻‍♀️ and that confuses me as well. Usually I wouldn’t bother reading the sequel if the book was confusing. I’ll say I want to know how dismantling the Imperiya comes about. And let’s see suitor number three. I’m definitely here for The Bachelorette part of this story I think. 🤣 And I don’t even watch that show!

I was wavering on my rating for this…I was going for two stars because the world building confused me, but I read this kind of quick and it kept me reading so I bumped it up to three. If you are not a fan of insta-love, stay away from this book! 😅 Also if you have no patience for confusing world building, this one is not for you. And if you can’t stand bland, kind of whiny, lead characters…um…yeah…don’t pick this up. But if you love books where a girl gets to court different boys and they all seem like pretty good, swoon worthy prospects, haha, well here you go!

BLOG TOUR | ARC Review | Unspoken

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Unspoken

Author: Celia McMahon

Format: eBook

Pages: 402

Publisher: The Parliament House

Publication Date: September 17, 2019

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from The Parliament House in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Princess Isabelle of The New Kingdom has lived her entire life in the confines of her palace. She spends her time hunting for the poverty-stricken Voiceless-people of the Old Kingdom who warred with her kingdom and ultimately lost-and dreaming of a world beyond the walls of her home. As the only remaining child of the king and queen, she is to be married off by her eighteenth birthday.

When Izzy witnesses the use of forbidden magic in the woods outside the palace, she is attacked, and saved by an unknown man. Soon after she discovers her rescuer is a Voiceless servant in the castle named Fray, she befriends him to seek out the magic users who tried to kill her. Fray agrees to help, but not before Isabelle discovers the servant boy harbors a secret the king has tried to bury-that he is a Gwylis, people of the old Kingdom who made a pact with the demons of the underworld for the power to transform into giant ferocious wolves. But to shift into a beast, Fray must be able to speak the words to do so. If he is to thwart the attackers from killing her entire family, Izzy needs to cure the ailment that took away his voice.

But curing Fray holds more danger than she ever thought possible. The lies of her parents and the risk of putting her own life on the line deems as destructive as falling for the servant boy. If Isabelle is to save herself and Fray, she’ll need to face enemy Gwylis, cross paths with usurper kings and princes, and decide what side she is on-human or wolf-or lose her kingdom forever.

Thank you to The Parliament House for giving me a chance to read an eARC of Unspoken.

Princess Isabelle, or Izzy, is not your conventional princess. Yes, she has to do her duty by making a promising marriage when she turns eighteen but thing young lady has a mind of her own. She was my favorite character in this book because she is spunky, sassy and lively. Her relationship with her best friend was so fun to see until some events take place to change that. But there was a lot of conflict Izzy had to sort out in this story as lies and truths are revealed bit by bit.

Now a very fascinating and intriguing part of the story was the Voiceless. The Voiceless cannot speak because of a curse. They communicate with sign language which Izzy picked up by hanging out in their community. We find out more about that curse and her family’s role in it. The world building seems comparable to other worlds that usually involve a rebellious princess and hidden magic. The New Kingdom opposes the presence of magic that was used in the Old Kingdom. So basically magic was taken away, or just repressed, by the rulers of the New Kingdom. The one aspect of the world building that stood out though was the shape-shifting in this story. It is different because words have to be spoken in order for someone to shift into a wolf. It is creative and it made sense then that people from the Old Kingdom had to be silenced.

There is a hint of a love triangle happening in this book but it was quickly obvious who Izzy was attracted to. I mean who are you going to go for, the seemingly perfect prince, Ashe, from a neighboring kingdom or the servant, Fray, who turns into a wolf? 😅🤷🏻‍♀️

I truly enjoyed watching Izzy coming to terms and dealing with the truth of her family and trying to undo the wrongs of the past. She remains vibrant throughout even her most conflicted times, she is a warrior. If you like a strong female lead, a creative story with shape shifters, magic and warring kingdoms then you will definitely enjoy Unspoken.

You can get your copy of Unspoken here: http://www.parliamenthousepress.com/unspoken

Book Review | These Witches Don’t Burn

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: These Witches Don’t Burn

Author: Isable Sterling

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 320

Categories: Witchcraft, Young Adult, Romance, LGBTQIA+ , Mystery, Contemporary Fantasy

Hannah’s a witch, but not the kind you’re thinking of. She’s the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she’s ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans.

But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah’s concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah’s sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.

While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she’s going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem’s witches become deadlier by the day.

What better way to get into the fall spirit than by bingeing on witchy themed books! These Witches Don’t Burn, is fun but also filled with mystery and suspense, I mean it can’t be witchy without some darkness to it right?

Hannah is a witch in Salem’s only coven and she’s been good at keeping it a secret among the Regs (non-witches) around her like her best friend, Gemma. Her ex-girlfriend Veronica and fellow coven member is trying to get her back but Hannah is trying her best to resist her.

Enter new girl Morgan, who makes Hannah believe she can like someone again, someone who isn’t Veronica. The two of them getting together is cute but Hannah takes some time in the story to really sort out her feelings about her ex and the new crush. So romance and feelings are present in the story but it is not the focus, nope, there is a Blood Witch – or so Hannah and Veronica thinks – in Salem. Apparently Blood Witches are scary, but Morgan isn’t the only newbie in town. A Detective Archer is also in Salem as well…suspiciously around the time events start happening to Hannah and Veronica. The coven must find who is the Blood Witch before someone gets really hurt. Speaking of covens and witches, I love that this is a contemporary fantasy book with witches because I feel like most of the books I read with witches are historical fantasy, but I really love the modern day witches too! It felt fresh, and fun even with the danger and suspense. I like that the teenagers in this story were being teenagers.

I thought this was going to be a light fluffy read, but no, there is suspense, mystery and so much danger. I’d say about halfway into the book, I suspected who the villain was and sure enough I was right! But that didn’t take away any enjoyment I had reading the book. The ending was sad though and I didn’t expect that. ☹️

Overall this is such a good debut novel and yay to all the queer characters represented in the book! 😍 If you want to get into a witchy mood, this is the book for you.

Book Review | Fake It Till You Break It

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Fake It Till You Break It

Author: Jenna R. Nguyen

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 304

Categories: Young Adult, Romance

Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives. They’ve endured summer vacations, Sunday brunches, even dentist visits together. Their mothers, who are best friends, are convinced that Mia and Jake would be the perfect couple, even though they can’t stand to be in the same room together.

After Mia’s mom turns away yet another cute boy, Mia and Jake decide they’ve have had enough. Together, they hatch a plan to get their moms off their backs. Permanently. All they have to do is pretend to date and then stage the worst breakup of all time—and then they’ll be free.

The only problem is, maybe Jake and Mia don’t hate each other as much as they once thought…

Sometimes I just need a light read and this was it!

Enemies to fake dating to lovers. I think the fake dating trope is so much fun especially when the two characters can’t stand each other, like Mia and Jake in Fake It Till You Break It. They are neighbors, their moms are best friend, they’ve known each other since kids and are best friends without knowing it. It doesn’t help that their moms are trying their hardest to make them fall in love.

Of course they conjure up a plan to give their moms what they want and then break up so they will stop throwing them together. What ends up happening is pretty predictable as with most fake dating tropes, there is a happy ending. But I loved seeing them eventually get there.

What I liked most about this book was Mia and Jake’s interaction with one another. I love how Mia tells Jake things straight up and she can be her messy self around him. And as much as Jake antagonizes her, he knows everything about her. They are just too cute and funny together, I was happy for their eventually happily ever after!

I read this book in a few hours. It is light-reading, adorable, and it left me smiling at the end. ☺️

Book Review | House of Salt and Sorrows

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: House of Salt and Sorrows

Author: Erin A. Craig

Format: Hardcover (owned)

Pages: 416

Categories: 12 Dancing Princesses Retelling, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Horror

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

In a Top Ten Tuesday topic about childhood favorites, I listed the Twelve Dancing Princesses as one of mine. House of Salt and Sorrows was exactly everything I wanted in a retelling of one of my favorite childhood stories.

But let me talk about the cover first! I got the OwlCrate version and it’s lovely. I love how the inside cover is black with a octopus and masquerade mask design in gray. It’s gorgeous. This totally spoke to the island girl in me with the tidepools and the tentacles on the cover.

Quick personal story: My dad had a boat when I was young, I mean it’s Hawaii so he loved to fish, many people do. He’d be out with our neighbor fishing in the early morning and he’d come back with so many kinds of fish, limu (seaweed), crab, and octopus. He sold some to our neighbors, gave some away to relatives and freeze the rest. One of the chores my sister and I had to do was help clean…everything. I hated cleaning octopus because some of them were huge and still alive and my dad would hold it as I would watch it wrap its large tentacles around his arm. Then my dad would show me its teeth, which looks like a little black whole. As a child I was so afraid it would eat my finger! 😩 So instead he let us clean the baby octopus, and we cleaned it with….SALT. I’ve come to respect octopus and love how beautiful they are, tasty to a lot of people, but they are just awesome, smart creatures. Slimy though. The octopus is the crest for the Thaumus family in this book – which I adore!

House of Salt and Sorrows was the perfect book to get me into the fall season with Halloween around the corner. I am a wimp and when this book went into creepy and horror territory, I vowed to only read it in the day time! Yes…I did start off reading it at night until a few scenes in the book gave me the spooky tingling feeling. 😅 And one sister’s name is Lenore?! A name I love because of Edgar Allan Poe. I LOVE IT. I am trash for Poe. This whole book was a vibe that I was looking for!

Annaleigh is one of twelve sisters, but four sisters have lost their lives, leaving her, Camille, the three Graces, and the triplets. These sisters are close and have a special bond which I love. I would want them to be my sisters! They live on an island surrounded by the sea. When someone dies they return them to the Sal, to the sea. I enjoyed learning about the rituals of the Salann Islands.

I wish this book had a map because the other parts of this world sound fascinating! The world building was intriguing with its own mythology, similar to Greek but except Poseidon ruling the seas, the god of the sea in House of Salt and Sorrows is named Pontus. We learn about a few other gods and goddesses in the book, but I want more. I want to learn about all the other parts of this world that was mentioned in this book: People of the Bones in the Cardanian Mountains, People of the Stars in Versia and so much more.

Now let’s talk about the mystery, just like in Twelve Dancing Princesses, Annaleigh’s father asks that someone uncover the truth about the princesses ruined slippers. I loved the mention of it and I loved the twist! I seriously thought I was losing my mind along with Annaleigh at one point, but the reveal at the end was good!

And the horror? One scene involving a bathtub scared me, which was why I decided to read it in the day time. Yes, I’m so weak! 🤣 Horror is not my favorite genre. But I could totally see this story as a horror movie! There were other scenes in the book that gave me even more nightmarish vibes but it’s so fun. Scary fun!

Of course, because there is a little bit of everything in this book, there is romance! It’s not one that the book centers on, but I loved it because it was a little shining light in Annaleigh’s life which up to that point was just mired in death, curses, nightmares and….madness. It was sweet!

This has to be one of my top favorite books this year! I really hope we get to visit this world again, even if it’s just to follow where the surviving sisters go. I want more mystery/horror/romance stories set in this world! Basically I want to read whatever this author writes next. House of Salt and Sorrows is a fantastic debut novel that surpassed my expectations. 😍

ARC Review | The Particular Charms of Miss Jane Austen

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen

Author: Ada Bright & Cass Grafton

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 313

Publication Date: September 12, 2019

Categories: Time Travel, Romance, Jane Austen, Friendship, Mystery

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

When a time travelling Jane Austen gets stuck in modern-day Bath it’s up to avid Janeite Rose Wallace to save her… because she’s the only one who knows that Jane exists!

Rose Wallace’s world revolves around all things Austen, and with the annual festival in Bath – and the arrival of dishy archaeologist, Dr Aiden Trevellyan – just around the corner, all is well with the world…

But then a mysterious woman who bears more than a passing resemblance to the great author moves in upstairs, and things take a disastrous turn. Rose’s new neighbour is Jane Austen, whose time travel adventure has been sabotaged by a mischievous dog, trapping her in the twenty-first century.

Rose’s life is instantly changed – new home, new job, new friends – but she’s the only one who seems to have noticed! To right the world around her, she will have to do whatever it takes to help Jane get back home to write Rose’s beloved novels. Because a world without Mr Darcy? It’s not worth living in!

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eArc.

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen was a light-hearted and cute read about a time traveling Jane Austen but it focuses a lot on a character named Rose Wallace.

I love that it was set in Bath – I visited on my honeymoon and I absolutely loved it. I wish I had more time to spend there, but it was only a quick afternoon stop. 😕 The book is set during the Jane Austen festival which sounds like something I’d love to partake in one day! 😍

Rose Wallace lives in Bath and is a Janeite (Jane Austen fan) who has an American friend named Morgan. The history of their friendship is very cute and it resonated with me more than the romantic storyline of Rose and Dr. Aiden Trevellyan. I think I wanted more romance in the story but I didn’t get much of it until the time travel occurs. Even then the mystery of Jane Austen was the focus of the story.

I’m sure everyone has speculated how Jane Austen would be in real life and we all have our own ideas. In this book I thought she was what a time traveling Jane Austen would be like, she stays in character, adapting a bit here and there but pretty much knows her person and does what she wants. The mystery about the time travel was interesting and it does make you think, what if Jane Austen never existed. Oh the horror! I can’t imagine a world without Pride and Prejudice in it, can you? 🥺

It took awhile for me to get into this book, not sure why, maybe I was waiting for Jane Austen to show up right away but the story focused more on Rose. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, I think you will enjoy this charming story about Jane Austen and the cast of characters that help her get back to her time so that we can always have Jane Austen in our lives.

ARC Review | Mooncakes

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Mooncakes

Authors: Suzanne Walker

Artist: Wendy Xu

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 256

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Categories: Romance, LGBTQIA+, Fantasy, Witchcraft, Graphic Novel, Young Adult

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers’ bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.

Thank you to Lion Forge and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this eArc.

I read my first graphic novel…as an adult, that is, because I was obsessed with Elf Quest and Archie back in my middle school days! Haha…and my son just got a graphic novel set from his aunt for his birthday so I’ll be helping him read that one.

Mooncakes is about Nova, a young witch that wears a hearing aid, being raised by her grandmothers who are also witches and have a bookshop. That’s my dream right there, to be a witch who owns a book store! 😍 Nova reunites with a friend from long ago, Tam Lang who is a shape-shifter and becomes a love interest. There is a mysterious dark force in town and Nova and Tam have to figure out how to defeat it.

Graphic novels just read fast because the art just moves it along. I love the color palette used by artist Wendy Xu, it gives it a retro feel.

There is a nice representation of so much diversity. There were different cultural celebrations, Sukkot (Jewish holiday) and eating mooncakes at during the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival. I thought it was nice to see a blend of the cultures because my own children have a blended culture as well and we celebrate a lot of things!

The romance between Nova and Tam was so cute! Tam uses “they” pronouns and they have a past together but it was so sweet to watch their relationship grow. And the witchcraft in the book was wonderful since we are in the month of September and I am in the mood for all things witchy!

Overall Mooncakes is a wonderful read full of diversity, action, love, villains and heroes! If you are into graphic novels or starting to get into them again, like I am, Mooncakes is the perfect graphic novel to start with!