House of Sky and Breath by. Sarah J. Maas | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City, #2)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Format: eBook (own)

Pages: 805

Publication Date: 2/15/22

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Categories: Series, Urban Fantasy, Adult, Fated-Mates

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.

Content Warning: Violence

I have finally read the book and whew…it’s a long one at 805 pages. I love the cover, this series has good covers so far.

Bryce and Hunt are solid in this sequel. There is no question about whether they are meant for each other, they are mates (I know SJM is all about fated mates). Nothing can come between them throughout this book and we see their relationship get to the next level. There are a bunch of spicy scenes between Bryce and Hunt with the signature mind and space altering sex that always happens in a SJM book. These two are ride or die, besties, lovers, partners forever and I’m glad about it but also I felt like okay now that we’ve established that, let’s move on in the story. 😅

The world building is as intricate as ever. This urban fantasy has everything in it: angels, demons, fae, shifters, wolves, mer, humans and everything in between. So I am impressed as ever with how vivid this world is.

The side characters have a big, big role in this book. I’m glad Ruhn had a chance to shine in this one. I think he was my favorite in the book. Ruhn is really trying to figure out who he is without his apart from his royal Fae status and I appreciated his struggle. Also, I was so into his growing relationship with the mysterious Agent Day – I was actually thinking it reminded me of like an online relationship 😆, it made me laugh a little when things got spicy! But I love Ruhn.

There are so many characters who got a spotlight: Tharion (the mer), Ithan (the wolf), Cormac (Fae Prince), Sofie and then some. And then some!!! There are sooo many characters and honestly I thought it was too many at one time. Cormac was okay-not very interesting, Tharion is to be determined…we shall see where his story goes and Ithan is that younger brother type role. Honestly by the middle of the book I was wondering why Bryce always surrounded by guys in this one? Where was the female friends I loved from book one?! Why was Fury and Juniper barely in this book? I was bummed about that. One of the reasons why I loved the first book was Bryce and her girlfriends. It’s almost at the end of the book when she longs for a female friend and finds a new one in Hypaxia, Ruhn’s fiance.

Speaking of fiance…this is a fated mates story which means…everyone is going to find a mate by the end of this series. 💯 That’s a lot of fated mates lol.

The story unfolds like a mystery with Tharion, being the main detective and then he drags Bryce and Hunt into the search . And for something so secret – it ended up being a whole group knowing the secrets! There is a LOT going on in this story and at one point when a character referred to Hunt as Athalar, I was like, who’s Athalar?! LMAO 🤣. I was like did someone new come into the conversation? I was so genuinely confused…that’s when I had to take a break on reading. Can’t they all just call him Hunt? Like everyone else was being called by their names except Hunt/Athalar/Orion. I have a hard enough time keeping the Princes of Hel straight – where is the character name list? I need one.

The beginning is good with Sofie and then it got slow and some parts was just boring. There was so much dialogue about mundane things at times. I was hoping for more urgency in finding this child with Thunderbird powers. That story fizzled out into something else…but that was the main engine of the story until Danika’s breadcrumbs started to lead them to something more sinister. I wanted more action, maybe less of everyone’s point of view. I could have done without the romance dramas of everyone involved, but I get that this is a romance heavy urban fantasy. The whole story was about finding information and making all the pieces fit into the puzzle. When there was action, it was good and there is a major twist at the ending. I’m still trying to decide how I feel about it…I was like 😳😱.

I almost wish this was one of those series that gave each character a book because it seems like Ruhn deserves one, Tharion, Ithan, Ariadne too probably, and Hypaxia also. And I can’t forget the Hind and her backstory as well!

I did not read this in one sitting like I do with SJM books, it took me about 3 or 4 days. The writing is easy so at least it is easily devoured but like I said…there is so much going on.

Why you should read it:

you are an SJM fan and already invested in the series
Bryce and Hunt steamy scenes for those who were waiting for it lol
some really good twists, especially the ending

Why you might not want to read it:

long and wish it had more action
I think some characters need their own book to keep some of these installments shorter
you will either love or hate the ending

My Thoughts:

I thought I would have read this in one day, even with the 800 page count but if I thought book one was a 4 star read, for me, this was a 3 star read but the ending bumped it up a little. But I wish it didn’t take 700 pages for me to be wowed by the book lol…the ending is a shocker for sure, and I will definitely read book three to see how that goes. I hope it goes beautifully but I also have my worries about it as well. Overall, a pretty good sequel with detailed world building as usual and characters I came to care about but there were spots that were little too slow for me. I loved that Ruhn had more of a spotlight and of course this will definitely make Bryce/Hunt fans super happy…well, for the most part. 🤭 Looking forward to book three…hopefully we don’t have too long.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Monday’s Not Coming by. Tiffany D. Jackson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Monday’s Not Coming

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 5/22/18

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Coming of Age, Young Adult, Teen, Abuse, Mental Health, Dyslexia, Mystery

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

Content Warning: Sexual Harassment, Abuse, Bullying, Homophobia

I love Tiffany D. Jackson’s writing. This is the third book I’ve read from her and I just love how her writing flows and how her stories are mysterious, thrillers with some horror, and yet infused with stories about friendship, community, abuse, growing up/coming of age, and family. The setting of the story is in the city of Washington D.C., and we get a good sense of the community and the difference of where Claudia lives in her own home and where Monday lives in a public housing. The girls both go to a charter school to get a better education.

Claudia is only in the 8th grade and on the verge of going to high school. As the new school year starts her best friend Monday has not shown up to school at all and she is worried. She doesn’t know why anyone else isn’t worried but she knows something is wrong. We see through Claudia’s memories how close she and Monday is, like sisters! Then we really see how important Monday is to Claudia as the story goes on. Claudia is going through so many changes, like dealing with boys, being bullied at school, pressure to do good in school – but without Monday that’s difficult. All she wants is to know what happened to Monday.

Claudia and Monday are as close as sisters, or so Claudia thinks from all their time spent together. You could really feel their bond in the story just through Claudia’s memories. Monday is vibrant, smart, talented and beautiful. Claudia also has another friend in the story, Michael, who is someone she knows from church and I liked how he stayed by her side through it all.

The mystery about Monday intensifies when Claudia doesn’t let up her search for her best friends and we find out some pretty horrific things about what went down in Monday’s house. It’s chilling because we know these things do happen, and heartbreaking because I wish children in these situations had a better chance at life.

The one thing that didn’t work for me in this story was the chapter titles which made some parts confusing. There is a major twist to the story and I think that’s why the chapter titles are worded the way it is but it was confusing. The confusing timelines are in line with Claudia’s mental state when she finds out what happens to Monday and I can sympathize with her mental breakdown.

Also Claudia and Monday are meeting boys in this story even though they are only 8th grade – now this seems young, but to me it’s realistic.

Why you should read it:

the story is inspired by real events – important read
Claudia and Monday’s friendship
Claudia’s journey without Monday

Why you might not want to read it:

the chapter titles are so confusing because the timeline jumps around

My Thoughts:

Despite the confusing chapter titles, I love this author’s work! This was a heartbreaking read because you do get an idea of what happened to Monday – but just how and why it happens is just so sad. It’s an important read not just because we find out what happens to Monday but Claudia’s personal journey also is rife with challenges that she overcomes. In a tragic story there is hope through Claudia who never stops to find her friend Monday. I look forward to reading more from this author!

📚 ~ Yolanda

WWW Wednesday | 2/23/22

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

So I totally didn’t read the two fantasy books Beasts of Prey and A Song Wraiths and Ruin because contemporary books were calling my name this month! So instead I added Rise to the Sun, Monday’s Not Coming and Black Enough for my Black History Month reads. I’m still struggling through Four Aunties and a Wedding – I should’ve DNF’ed…maybe I will, not sure yet. Also working through HofSandB – I’m finally at 60% after three days of reading it. It’s the slowest I’ve read a SJM book I think.

What’s on your WWW Wednesday? Or what are you reading this week? ~ Yolanda

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 2/22/22

Happy 2/22/22 day lol…is that a lucky number or what? I hope you get some good books to read this week!

From New York Times bestselling author Claire Legrand comes a new, bone-chilling YA horror novel about a girl who joins a coven to root out a vicious evil that’s stalking her village. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Grace Year.

Her name is unimportant.

All you must know is that today she will become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark her and place the red hood on her head. With her sisters, she will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain–an evil which has already killed nine of her village’s men.

She will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow her. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls she saw kissing in the elm grove.

Today she will be a saint of Haven. She will rid her family of her mother’s shame at last and save her people from destruction. She is not afraid. Are you?

This searing and lyrically written novel by the critically acclaimed author of Sawkill Girls beckons readers to follow its fierce heroine into a world filled with secrets and blood–where the truth is buried in lies and a devastating power waits, seething, for someone brave enough to use it.

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

Ever since his mother was killed, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal–to see illegal users of magic brought to justice. People who carelessly use extradimensional magic for their own self-interest, without a care to the damage it does to society or those around them, deserve to be punished as far as Cayder is concerned. Because magic always has a price. So when Cayder lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apprentice under a premier public defender, he takes it. If he can learn all the tricks of public defense, the better he’ll be able to dismantle defense arguments when he’s a prosecutor. Then he’ll finally be able to make sure justice is served.

But when he meets the three criminals he’s supposed to defend, it no longer seems so black and white. They’re teenagers, like him, and their stories are . . . complicated, like his. Vardean, the prison where Cayder’s new clients are incarcerated, also happens to be at the very heart of the horrible tear in the veil between their world and another dimension–where all magic comes from.

League of Liars is a dark and twisty mystery set in a richly-drawn world where nothing is as it seems, rife with magic, villains and danger.

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love—with all its complications—by debut author Ashley Herring Blake.

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.

When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to…

Martin and Peggy Chance believe love should last a lifetime. With their fiftieth wedding anniversary on the horizon, they’ve modeled a beautiful relationship for their three grown children. But to their dismay, that lesson hasn’t quite caught on—the three siblings just can’t seem to take a chance and find love in their own lives.

There’s Ford, the eldest, devoted to his work and resistant to romance…or so he claims. Cooper, the middle child, can’t get past his divorce—until he reconnects with a feisty baker from his past. And Palmer, the baby of the family, is the free-spirited world traveler who always pictured herself with someone otherthan a handsome small-town family doctor.

When the Chance siblings come together to plan the ultimate anniversary party for their parents, they’ll have to navigate romantic entanglements, sibling rivalries, and the definitive end of their childhood. Whatever happens, The Reunion promises to be a fun, flirty, wild ride.

What book are you looking forward to reading? ~ Yolanda

Dynamic Duos | Top Ten Tuesday | 2/22/22

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Dynamic Duos

Not sure what this topic means but I’ll just go with two people on the cover.

What’s on your TTT?

~ Yolanda

February 1: Books with Names/Character Names In the Titles (Submitted by BookLoversBlog and Lucy @ Bookworm Blogger)
February 8: Love Freebie (come up with your own topic having to do with love)
February 15: Books Too Good to Review Properly (I have no words!) (Submitted by Dedra @ A Book Wanderer)
February 22: Dynamic Duos (Submitted by Elley @ Elley the Book Otter)

A Far Wilder Magic by. Allison Saft | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Far Wilder Magic

Author: Allison Saft

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/08/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Magical Realism, Fantasy

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

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.

In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.

Content Warning: Death of Animals, Prejudice, Discrimination, Parental Neglect

This was a very interesting book and one that I didn’t think I was going to like but it actually grew on me!

Now I usually start off with what I liked but with this one, I’ll do the opposite. I couldn’t get into the beginning of this story for some reason. We meet Wes who wants badly to be an alchemist, to then become a politician. I didn’t understand why he needed to be an alchemist to be a politician – and then we meet Margaret who is the daughter of the woman he’s trying to apprentice for.

Stories with alchemy are a hit of miss for me. I am either interested in the concept of alchemy or not. In this case…I was not interested in it at all. The world this story is set in is very different though. This story is set in what seems like the early 1900’s maybe, and in this town there is a mythical fox creature, the hala, which is on the loose and killing livestock and hurting people. There is a hunting event taking place to hunt the hala, in order to join you need an alchemist and a sharpshooter. Religion is prevalent in the story, it seems like the Wes is Sumic and Sumic people are similar to Catholics and Margaret is Yu’adir which is similar to being Jewish. So there are issues of discrimination, anti-immigration and anti-semitism that Margaret and Wes face in the story.

Wes is an alchemist or trying to be a good one but he needs to train. He wants to train with Margaret’s mom who is basically not around. Instead he gets chosen to be Margaret’s partner in the hunt. Margaret is left alone to fend for herself while her mother does research for alchemy – all her mom is interested in is alchemy. All Margaret wants is her mother’s love. Wes and Margaret don’t start off on the right foot. Margaret is closed off and independent and sees through Wes and his charming self. Wes is a flirt and does so every chance he gets but eventually Margaret gets under his skin and something grows between them.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was Margaret and Wes’ personal journeys. Margaret comes to the realization that her mom really isn’t a good mom. But Margaret had to come to that conclusion on her own. As for Wes, he has his own problems to deal with – he is ambitious but has a big family relying on him. I love how though he has his problems with his family, there is so much love and support there. I thought they made a good couple, she’s strong and he’s open and charming. They are both pretty determined people. I thought their romance story was sweet and that’s what really got me into the story.

The story of hunting the hala was interesting because it’s a mythical creature and we get to see how alchemy is used and we also get to see how Wes and Margaret are treated in this town. Overall, I don’t know if the magical realism totally worked for me, I think I wanted more details in the world-building.

Why you should read it:

you enjoy magical realism
there is a love story
there is alchemy and a mythical creature

Why you might not want to read it:

not into alchemy or magical realism

My Thoughts:

Best thing about this story for me was the romance and the personal growth for both Margaret and Wes. If you love stories with alchemy and magical realism then you will definitely enjoy this one. If you are not then you might have some trouble getting into this story like I did in the beginning.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/20/22

Aloha friends!

What a week! My poor hubby had to get a colonoscopy so Valentine’s Day was him on a liquid diet. I got my kids some Roblox gift cards and sweets so they were happy. My hubby gave me some pocket money for a Vegas weekend trip I’m planning for end of May – gonna see Silk Sonic in concert. I’m so fricken excited, I haven’t been on a plane in 11 years!! It was a week of appointments, why is it never ending? My son has started using Invisalign to correct his over bite and he has so much crowding – he still has some adult teeth coming in and there is no room in his mouth so we are getting all that fixed. Then my hubby and I went to a nice date night yesterday at a steakhouse – and ya know? Back in the day I loved eating steak but at my middle age lol…damn…my body can’t handle salt and butter and just heavy foods. I didn’t even have the steak! Today I have chores to do and then I just want to chill out and read — we shall see if my kids let me. 😅😆

How was your week? Hope all of you are staying safe! Have a fabulous week!

Blog Posts This Week:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Blog Hopping – Check Out These Posts:

I have been so interested in all these reading book challenges that bloggers are posting. I’ve never done a challenge but maybe I’ll try one out. These are some posts of bloggers and the challenges they will be doing. 🙂

Why I’m Obsessed With The New Movie ‘Don’t Look Up’ – Hundreds & Thousands of Books

Non Fiction To Read – EvelynReads

18 Books by Black Authors – The Fictional Journal

Shows/Movies I’ve Watched:

Euphoria, ep. 6 – I hate Nate so much. So much dysfunctional relationships in this show.

Games I’ve Played:

Pet Sim X – Roblox – grinding, grinding, just to give my daughter new pets
My Singing Monsters – collecting coins
Wordle – I’m addicted.
Quordle – so much harder and I’ve been losing lol…I think I only won one game!
Worldle – my daughter and I like to do this one, we use her globe to find the answer.

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

💖 ~ Yolanda

The Book Blogger Memory Challenge

Hi everyone! I saw this tag done on Dinipandareads and One Book More and thought it looked like a lot of fun. I also wanted to test my memory lol. Let’s try it out!

The tag was originally created by Laura @ Laura’s Book Review, and here are the rules.

The Rules

You have to answer the prompts without using the internet or looking at your bookshelves.
Your answers have to all come from memory!
Make sure to link to the person who originally tagged you (no one tagged me)
Once you’re done, you can tag five other people if you’d like.

Name a book written by an author called Michael

Judith Michael? A romance writer I believe – I think I read a few of her books back in the day…in the 90’s lol.

Name a book with a dragon on the cover

Name a book about a character called George

George?! Yikes…I have no clue!

Name a book written by an author with the surname Smith

L.J.Smith who wrote Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle and more…

Name a book set in Australia

Apparently I don’t read many books set in Australia! I have no clue, although one of the first books I reviewed for this blog was set in Australia…but I cannot for the life of me remember the title, but I do remember the cover being blue lol. Not a big help, I know! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Name a book with the name of a month in the title

I know what the book looks like and the title goes something like Thousand Doors in January 😅. You know what I’m talking about!!😆 I have a bad memory as proof of this post!

Name a book with a knife on the cover

Name a book with the word ‘one’ in the title

This is impossible to do without Google lol…

Name a book with an eponymous title

What does eponymous mean?! Definitely googling that…”named after a particular person”…

Name a book turned into a movie

The Fault in Our Stars by. John Green

I’m not tagging anyone – this one is hard but fun to do. As you can see I didn’t do to well haha. Makes me wonder how I survived without Google. It’s like how did I drive around without GPS and smartphones? I did survive someone 😅…paper maps were fun lol.

Good luck if you happen to try this – I’d love to see your answers. ~ Yolanda

The Sunshine Blogger Award #4

Thank you to the love Dini at dinipandareads for tagging me for this award. Please check out her blog for so much amazing bookish content. I love her blog!

What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

How does it work?

Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you in a blog post and link back to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions sent by the person who nominated you.
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Dini’s Questions:

Describe your current read in five words:

chemistry – food – southern belle – italian hottie – competition

What is your go-to comfort genre?

I’m go to comfort genre will always be romance! Whenever I need a break from fantasy, I head on over to contemporary romance and it’s a much needed vacation for my brain.

What’s your favourite song at the moment?

The whole Encanto soundtrack lol

What’s been your favourite read of 2022 so far?

It’s a backlist title but I haven’t read a 2022 published book yet that has been a 5 star read….mostly because I haven’t bought any, but there are a few I’m eyeing out so hopefully I can get a hold of them soon.

Is there one book that you would do anything to get a special signed edition of?

A Jane Austen book lol which is impossible so maybe a Sarah J Maas one or Holly Black since I have their books on my shelf.

What’s a disappointing book that you’ve recently read?

I am struggling through this arc! It’s taking me forever and I thought her first book was good, but the last arc I read from this author and then this one I’m trying to finish has made me struggling to connect to any of the characters. I don’t know what it is. 😞

How long have you been blogging?

It will be 4 years of blogging this year – wow!! I feel like I just started 2 years ago. How time flies!

What are some of your favourite tropes?

Enemies to lovers is my absolutely favorite. I also love friends to lovers. Bad boy/good girl is always fun, I mean…it’s so hard to resist the bad boys!

Is there a (sub)genre that is an absolute no-no for you?

Reverse harem because I don’t like sharing LOL. Also bully romances – I used to read a few because it was very enemies to lovers…and then some. But now the “and then some” edge just makes me want to punch the guys’ face if he is too much of a bully, it makes me want to get violent in behalf of the girl even if she loves him that way. 🤣 I can’t stand it.

If you could visit one fictional world, where would you go?

Probably to Velaris (A Court of Wings and Ruin) because it’s hidden and protected. But yes definitely into a fae world just because I love stories about the fae…even though they can be quite scary.

Name five characters you would love to spend a day at a theme park with!

I think it would be so much fun to spend the day with Savvy and her two besties, Maggie and Kotter. The three of them had so much fun together in Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell – I can only imagine how much fun they would be at a theme park.

Also, I’d have fun with the guys from XOXO, especially Nathaniel and the younger guy who’s name I can’t remember!

I Tag…

And please NO PRESSURE to do this…

Nikkie @ Stars Books & Tea

Marta @ Monogamist Reader

Trisy @ Bobo’s Book Bank

Felicia @ Stuck in Fiction

My Questions:

What is your most anticipated book for 2022?
What is the most recent book you bought?
What is the first book you ever wrote a review for either on your blog or Goodreads or wherever you write reviews?
What is the last movie you watched?
Do you review books you DNF?
Do you keep a reading journal?
If you could go to a concert right now, which concert would you go to?
Do you have multiple copies of a book? Which book is it?
How many books do you have on your Goodreads TBR list?
Audiobooks, yes or no?
What is your top 3 favorite books of all time?

😘 ~ Yolanda

A Crown of Petals and Ice by. Shannon Mayer, Kelly St. Clare | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Crown of Petals and Ice (Honey and Ice, #3)

Author(s): Shannon Mayer, Kelly St. Clare

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 302

Publication Date: 2/14/22

Publisher: Hijinks Ink Publishing

Categories: Romance, Fantasy

Queen of the fae courts. Faced with an impossible battle. Destined to never be with the Unseelie I love.

The magical tea has worn off. My eyes are wide open. And it’s with horror that I realize the fate of two realms rests on my shoulders after my mother’s ultimate sacrifice to trap Rubezahl in Underhill.

Terrified humans clamoring for answers, whispered rumors from both Seelie and Unseelie, and a stepmother who seeks the throne for surprising reasons are the least of my troubles.

Rubezahl has returned far sooner than I thought possible. I’m not ready. I can’t win this. And not only that…
He has something crucial if we are to win. He’s taken something I cannot live without.

The place of the final battle has been decided, and two armies will meet. Yet forces beyond my understanding must be satisfied first–old magics rise and demand their dues.

There is no option but to race and decipher the puzzle to save the man I love, the friends more important to me than my own life, and humans and fae alike.

Two realms.
Only I can save them.
We’re screwed.

Content Warning: Violence

I’m sad to say this one fell short for me.

Kallik (Alli) is now Queen of All Fae and she doesn’t want this responsibility especially with Ruby now at her doorstep wanting war. He just won’t go away so she meets him in Underhill to wage war against him.

I think this book suffered from feeling rushed. It was jumping from one thing to the other without anything being really fleshed out. It was action packed but I wanted to feel excited about the battles and I wasn’t at all, they happen so quick. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. It is open ended though and it seems like more stories will take place in this world.

I wanted more of Lan and Alli together but they are a part for half of the book. Yet that’s why I loved the series in the first place! It was because of their love story. In this book they had separate journeys, they had to work on some things alone – but seriously if they could have just drop the walls between them and communicated, it would have solved a few things. Regardless of their time apart, I did love when they had scenes together. They have heat and humor together which is a wonderful combination. Also they fight for one another, their love is real – I just wish they said it out loud to one another before it was too late.

I loved that Cinth was there for Alli as usual. Those two are besties forever and I’m glad Cinth got her own happily ever after!

There are some twists and turns in the story but I thought the story was rushed which made it hard for me to connect to what was going on. It wasn’t the conclusion I was hoping for but I guess I’m at least glad that Lan and Alli get to be together.

Why you should read it:

you enjoy fae stories
to finish the series, if you started it already

Why you might not want to read it:

story felt rushed
ending didn’t work for me

My Thoughts:

Overall, I’m glad I know what happens and that Lan and Alli get to be together, but the way the story is told was too rushed for me. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping to but I still was glad to see Alli and Lan fight for one another and Cinth getting a happily ever after too. Not sure if I will continue the new series though – we shall see.

📚 ~ Yolanda