Tag: book review

Nightweaver by. R.M. Gray | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Nightweaver (Nightweaver, #1)

Author: R.M. Gray

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 3/4/25

Categories: Fantasy, Pirates, Young Adult, Romance


Six hundred years ago, Nightweavers, cursed beings with untamed power, claimed the continents for their own. The ocean was meant to be a safe haven for humanity, including seventeen-year-old Aster Oberon and her pirate family. But after Aster’s brother is killed in an epic battle at sea against Nightweavers, Aster and her family are thrust into a new life on land.

When a handsome Nightweaver named Will offers the Oberons protection and work at his opulent estate, Aster is suspicious. As the arrogant and entitled right hand to the wicked prince, Will is everything that she has been taught to hate. But as he shows empathy and kindness, Aster can’t ignore a blooming attraction. And even more, Will opens her eyes to a new There are monsters worse than Nightweavers, monsters who may be behind her brother’s death.

As Aster hunts the creatures responsible, dark secrets threaten to unravel everything she once believed about her family, herself, and her world.

Filled with elemental magic, forbidden romance, and breathtaking twists, this is a propulsive romantasy about an iron-willed heroine avenging her brother and discovering her destiny—perfect for fans of Powerless and Heartless Hunter.


Content Warning: death, violence, possession, death of pet, death of family members

+ The beginning of this book caught my attention fast because Aster and her family are pirates! And right away they are embroiled in a fight at sea – it’s violent, bloody and things don’t turn out the way Aster thought it would, dashing her hopes and dreams.

+ Aster is young and isn’t afraid to fight for her family. I love how resilient she is even through whatever she is going through physically and mentally. There are other characters in this story like Will and Captain Shade that make the story very interesting also. I also loved the side characters of her family and Will’s family members.

+ There is a lot of political intrigue going on and I thought the twists and turns were entertaining. There is a clear side of good versus evil but I wonder where that leaves Aster and her knew knowledge of what she is and her powers. It will be interesting to see where the story goes. I thought the world building was great.

+ The romance is not the focus of this book, but I thought Aster and Will’s growing attachment was sweet although he’s keeping a lot of secrets. It’s definitely a forbidden romance with will being a Nightweaver and Aster being a human but again, it will be interesting to see what happens in book two.

~ I wanted more piracy because the first chapter where the pirates are the focus is so fun! It’s been awhile since I read a pirate book and it was nice to have it in this story! I think there is a tiny bit of a lull (not enough to stop me from reading – took me 2 days to read this one) in the middle of the book because Aster and her family is on land and not at sea. Also Will is supposed to be helping her find the Sylk that killed her brother but through out the “helping” all they are doing is spending time together. There was no hunting the Sylk involved.

~ Please don’t be a love triangle – PLEASE because I like both guys. Which is the worst.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one a lot minus the few issues I had which doesn’t make me less eager for book two any less. I was entertained! It’s got pirates, magic, political intrigue, romance and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Deep End by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Deep End

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 2/4/25

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, BDSM, Sports Romance


A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…


Content Warning: BDSM, sports injury, PTSD, mention of abusive parent

+ Scarlett is a competitive diver at Stanford and she’s trying to overcome PTSD from a sports injury but she has a mental block. I did like seeing the journey she makes overcoming her mental challenges as the story progresses. Lukas is a world-champion swimmer and it seems like he has it all, but he just broke up with his long-time girlfriend.

+ This book has kink and BDSM which is not usually my cup of tea, so beware – though I do say I was expecting some restraints or some props but they didn’t do anything like that. So maybe this is BDSM lite? 🤷🏻‍♀️. There’s a lot of rough sex and I was just like, ow, girl. I did like how they talked about it though, communicated about what would be okay and not okay before getting into it.

+ My favorite part of this story was the sports aspects of this story because it’s a world I don’t read a lot about but I love watching swimming and diving during the Olympics so that did fascinate me.

~ So…the romance. Lukas’ soon to be ex, or ex, Pen, who is Scarlett’s teammate and friend, suggests to Scarlett that she and and Lukas hook-up because they both like BDSM. It’s one of the factors of why Lukas and Pen’s relationship was not working out but I didn’t like how she basically got them together and then blames Scarlett later on for taking her man. It’s okay if it was an open relationship, but basically Lukas and Pen were over, yet…not? Because they let everyone believe they weren’t over and that was frustrating. I don’t mind a love triangle, but this was not it.

~ I get that Lukas’ personality is blunt, but for all the girls saying he was hot, he left ME feeling cold even with all the smutty scenes going on. That’s rare! I felt like their hook-up lacked emotion except from Scarlett who attached to that man so fast, even as she denied how she felt. She was always crying and he was always licking up her tears. I was turned off. I guess he’s not my type! 😅I liked them as characters, I thought her journey and growth was good and I even liked learning about Lukas and his upbringing – but for some really weird reason I can’t quite pinpoint, I didn’t love them together.

~ I got to 60% in and then put it down because it wasn’t over yet so it took me a few days to read. It’s a bit long at 464 pages, a good 350 would have been nice.

Final Thoughts:

There is a lot of smut, which is fine, but I wanted romance and I feel like I didn’t get enough of that. I didn’t like Pen always being in the middle of Lukas and Scarlett – it was irritating, but I also thought wow, these are some pretty mature young adults to be open and casual about sharing a guy. I did like Scarlett’s personal journal with her diving and PTSD, and the whole swim/diving world was refreshing to read about. Overall, not my favorite Ali Hazelwood book so far.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

Check & Mate by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bride by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Love Hypothesis by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 4/16/25

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?

I hate tax season – we owe a lot this year. BOO… So back to my book buying ban! I don’t actually need to be buying any books because I have so many arcs to get through and library books. 😅 I’ve been reading too much fantasy I think and need to read something light-hearted soon.

What are you currently reading?

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee – 20% – no progress

The Floating World by. Axie Oh – 30% some progress

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by. Kylie Lee Baker – 3% – I just started this one since I just got the arc and am on the blog tour.

The Amalfi Curse by. Sarah Penner – 1% – another blog tour I’m on and I just got the arc so will be working on this one!

What have you just finished reading?

Deep End by. Ali Hazelwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Silvercloak by. L.K. Steven ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 4/13/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Did nothing too special this week – just the usual, cook, clean, blog, take care of the kids and run errands. Took my son to his piano lesson yesterday. I’ll be missing his piano recital in June because that’s when I fly out to South Korea but at least his dad is here now to take him.

+ I’m happy this is a short week, kids have Good Friday off.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished:

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith

Rose in Chains by. Julie Soto

Currently Reading:

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee

The Floating World by. Axie Oh

Silvercloak by. L.K. Steven

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • I’m going to see Lady Gaga in July so I definitely had to watch her Coachella set on youtube! It was AMAZING. 🤯. The theatrics, the stage, the drama, her vocals….I was blown away.
  • I also watched these Coachella sets or some parts of it:
    • Djo (parts of their set) – caught that song I love “End of Beginning”, but I enjoyed some of their other songs I didn’t know.
    • LISA (full set) – she did so good for her Solo show!
    • Benson Boone (parts of his set) – he has an amazing voice
    • Missy Elliot (parts of her set) – her set reminded me of my clubbing days 😅
    • Weezer (parts of their set) – takes me back to my teen years also, mostly college days! 😭
    • Jimmy Eat World (was going back from Weezer and them, but mostly Weezer) – caught my favorite song from them at the end!
    • Charli xcx (full set) – SO GOOD, wish I could have gone to see her on tour to dance my ass off.
    • ENHYPEN (part of their set) – wanted to see who they were, but then realized I know a few songs of theirs because of the kpop radio station! I could hear the girls in the crowd screaming so loud.
    • Green Day (full set) – man did they take me back to my teenage years! 😭 That band raised me. They rocked that stage and still have so much energy!
  • Hoping to watch today on Coachella:
    • JENNIE
    • beabadobee

Videos I Posted to Youtube:

Just a fun little video of my making bookstagram photos (which I hardly post these days 🫠 and mostly because I forget to do it)…

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!

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)

Author: Kaylie Smith

Format: ebook (KU)

Pages: 497

Publication Date: 9/3/24

Categories: Dark Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, Lite Horror, Gothic


Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win… if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.


Content Warning: blood play, violence, horror

+ Not sure what I was expecting with this one but it has a necromancer, devils, and phantoms. It’s also set in New Orleans so I loved the vibes of this story a lot. It’s a melting pot of all things paranormal.

+ Ophelia lost her mom, and now she’s lost her sister too but she’s going to try and find her. Her sister has joined the game Phantasma. Phantasma is a game played in a house of horrors. The game has stages based on the 9 levels of hell (Dante’s Inferno anyone?). Ophelia joins but her sister is in another group separate from hers so they never run into each other. But Ophelia does run into a gorgeous phantom named, Blackwell. Anyway, each stage of the game has some horror to it, and Blackwell bargains with Ophelia to help her get through each stage if she helps him find what will set him free from the house. I did like the haunts for each stage, some were gruesome though, but it adds to the darkness of the story.

+ Ophelia and Blackwell’s relationship I thought was fun to see develop because she’s stressed out (she has OCD and is dealing with very intrusive thoughts) but he’s kind of playful and always teasing her. Of course the attraction gets heated between them, and things get spicy – there is even a scene that involves blood. But yes these two are hot for one another.

~ I did wish the stages had more tension and horror. The stakes didn’t feel high and Ophelia was cruising through them with Blackwell’s help.

~ I didn’t enjoy Blackwell having missing memories. And honestly, I enjoyed the spicy scenes but I also was thinking too much during them. I was like, wait he’s a phantom, can he…ohhhkay, he CAN…how is he doing that? 😅🤔 Yes he can have a corporeal body when he concentrates hard enough – no pun intended lol. Also maybe it was just me, but when Blackwell kept saying “You are the closest thing I will ever get to experiencing heaven.” That song by the GooGoo Dolls would pop up in my head “you’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be, and I don’t wanna go home right now” (it doesn’t help that I heard that song the same day I finished this book! lol)

~ The ending was kind of anticlimactic.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely not on Caraval’s level but I still had a fun time reading it. I especially like the dark atmosphere and the creepy house that the game is being played in. Would have liked the ending to be a bit more dramatic maybe to fit the vibes. There’s a lot of spice between a phantom and a necromancer so I’d say overall this was entertaining. Will I read book two? Maybe, but not right away.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Design of Us by. Sajni Patel | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Design of Us

Author: Sajni Patel

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 7/16/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, STEM Romance


One impulsive lie leads to a weeklong adventure of fake dating for two bickering coworkers in this swoony destination wedding rom-com.

Sunshine incarnate Bhanu brings big UX energy to whatever she does, including going for the promotion where her only serious competition is her work nemesis, AKA Sunny, the grump with the Denzel voice. She expected to get a reprieve from him while visiting her family in Hawai’i, but the universe has other plans. When Bhanu runs into Sunny at the hotel and witnesses his ex criticizing him about being single, Bhanu does the first thing that comes to she impetuously claims to be Sunny’s girlfriend just to get some peace and quiet. Except Sunny is on island for a friend’s wedding and his ex has already texted the entire wedding party about this mysterious girlfriend.

Bhanu truly is the bane of Sunny’s existence. But the last thing he wants to do is cause tension during his friend’s wedding festivities, much less be the object of their pity. He has no choice except to play along, if only he and Bhanu can put aside their quarreling and act like a real couple.

Between Bhanu’s hilariously meddling family and Sunny’s ecstatic friends, the two are pushed closer together, even as stress mounts over the impending promotion.

They say what happens on island, stays on island. But as Sunny and Bhanu let their guards down, will either of them be able to resist this romantic getaway without crossing the line?


Content Warning: toxic ex

+ I admit this cover sucked me in because of the vibrant colors and then the story takes place in Hawai’i (the Big Island) and I’m on Oahu so I wanted to see how the author portrayed the Big Island.

+ Bhanu and Sunny are coworkers. She works in UX (user experience) and he’s a coder and I thought them being in this tech job that I don’t know a lot about was fascinating. Sunny’s ex thinks he’s a robot with no feelings, and always working. Bhanu is always working just like him, but she also has social anxiety. They do not get a long at work, but when they coincidentally find one another staying at the same island in Hawai’i – things get interesting.

+ I think the author did a great job portraying the Big Island. I have family that live there and sadly haven’t visited in years but the beauty, the humidity, the various landscapes, culture, and food is showcased really nicely in this story. She also even brings up the issue of tourism in our islands, where it is our main economy but how it takes it’s toll on the islands and the workers of the industry. My mom worked in a hotel so Bhanu’s sister working at a hotel was spot on.

+ The romance is a very slow burn. But I loved how they went from enemies to wild for each other mostly because of their personalities. Sunny, despite his name is grumpy and closed off. Bhanu is much more free-spirited but she also likes control and she has social anxiety – the two of them are workaholics and ambitious but also like to have space.

+ The themes of friendship and family was great.

~ Sunny’s ex, Sejal, is really awful, especially causing that kind of drama during their friend’s wedding. Not cool. But her making Sunny feel like he was not good enough irked me.

~ I wish this wasn’t a closed-door romance. It’s totally fine but they had so much tension, it would have been fun to have their sexy scenes detailed a bit more but that’s a personal request lol.

~ Also, I think the author mentions Sunny’s voice sounding like Denzel a little too many times! 😅 I was starting to picture Denzel Washington in Sunny’s role.

Final Thoughts:

This is a perfect romance to read by the pool or at the beach during a hot summer’s day. It’s got fun tropes like one room, one bed, destination wedding, fake dating, and co-workers. Overall, I enjoyed this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by. Sajni Patel | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Sunrise on the Reaping

Author: Suzanne Collins

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 382

Publication Date: 3/18/24

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-Fi/Fantasy


When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.


Content Warning: violence towards children, death, murder

+ This is Haymitch’s story and everyone knew it would be crazy because of how he was an alcoholic in The Hunger Games (Katniss’ era) and now we learn what drove him to drown himself in the bottle. And it is brutal.

+ I like how we get to see Haymitch – happy and carefree even with the struggles the districts are going through. He has this way of being charming and like nothing bothers but when we are in his head, we see so many things are weighing on him like wondering about his family, his love Lenore, and dying. He’s an interesting character because he’s not the hero, like Katniss. He’s not there to save anyone really, he really things he’s going to die in the games, but he comes out the winner anyway.

+ The action picks up halfway into the book and these games are brutal. Just some of the ways these kids die is gruesome. And I like that Haymitch isn’t this hero like Katniss was – he’s this regular guy who really just thought he was going to die in the games. The fact that he survives is a torture I can’t even imagine especially with what happens after the games, so much survivor’s guilt and nightmares. And the poem from Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, being used in the book did not help my emotions – it’s my favorite and it broke my heart while Haymitch’s was breaking. When I read the epilogue, I shed a tear.

+ Having just read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I love how Lenore Dove ties into the Covey and Lucy Gray! Also there were so many familiar faces from The Hunger Games, like young Effie, Plutarch, Betee, Mags and Cesar. It was nice to see their younger selves. There are a lot of new tributes but you can’t get attached because it is the Hunger Games. 😢

~ I think the part where Haymitch gets to the Capitol and they meet other tributes was a bit slower than the rest of the book but that could be because I was anticipating the start of the games. It was the perfect opportunity to show us who were rebels and how Haymitch became a part of everything.

~ I’m someone who doesn’t love songs in a book only because I don’t know how they sound. Of course I love the “are you, are you, coming to the tree…” song because it was sung in the movie. This one has a few songs, not as much as TBOSAS but it’s there plus the poems.

Final Thoughts:

This was exactly what I was expecting for Haymitch’s story. It left me angry and heartbroken. Only something tragic and horrific could turn that bright, young man into what he is by the time Katniss enters the games. Snow’s punishment for his defiance broke him and for that I hate Snow even more.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by. Suzanne Collins | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hunger Games by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catching Fire by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mockingjay by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 4/9/25

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?

Well it’s been that kind of week again – trying to escape from the realities of the world! How’s about those tariffs huh? 😖 But also the stress around me makes it hard to read sometimes. I’m trying to concentrate on arcs because I have SO many arcs due in July and I have my South Korea trip in June, then I have Vegas in July so I’m actually trying to get that July arc list down a little. But not gonna lie, the purple book covers this years have been banger books! Oathbound, Holy Terrors and now Sunrise of the Reaping. 💪🏾

What are you currently reading?

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee – 20% – some progress

The Floating World by. Axie Oh – 24%

What have you just finished reading?

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pride or Die by. CL Montblanc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan ⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

What are YOU reading right now?

Weekly Wrap Up | 4/6/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Well…what a week right? More stress and anxiety about the USA economy? Sigh…we can’t have a week without chaos. My son was so excited about the Nintendo Switch 2 and now pre-orders will be delayed because of the economic situation happening with the tariffs. He was on an emotional roller coaster – like he was so excited, and then now he’s nervous about how much it will cost. 🫠

+ I did manage to score Lady Gaga tickets for Vegas in July. And let me tell you I was hesitating so bad to buy them because of the uncertainty with our economy. They weren’t face-value tickets, but ticketmaster resale since that was all that was left but it wasn’t horrible because it is Lady Gaga and my hubby and I have wanted to see her forever. I just cannot believe how much tickets go for now and I’ve been going to concerts for 2 decades. I mean I even saw Michael Jackson and I had to call on the phone to ticketmaster to get those tickets LOL…I feel so old. Those tickets were cheaper than these but it was a different time! A very cheaper/affordable time. Fees are so ridiculous now smh…I’m supposed to be ecstatic I’m going but I feel anxious – like what will things be like in July? Will we be struggling with HIGHER inflation – how much more can we be squeezed?

+ Speaking of Vegas – before that I’m going to South Korea in June! That’s only 2 months away and I don’t feel like I’m excited for that one either because of everything happening. 😦 I’ll probably get more excited when we go to our tour luncheon next month to meet all the other people in the group and when we finally get our plane tickets etc…

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished:

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan

Murder Between Friends by. Liz Lawson

Currently Reading:

Sunrise on the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins

The Rivaled Crown by. Holly Renee

The Floating World by. Axie Oh

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith

Love Spells Trouble by. Nia Davenport

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Kids wanted to watch A Minecraft Movie – so we went to watch it! I found it hilarious – definitely a movie that is silly but honestly it was nice to watch something and not think too hard.

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!

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Frozen River

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 12/5/24

Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery


A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.


Content Warning: rape, mention of rape, sexual assault, murder, violence, lynching, mentions of scalping, stillbirth, death of children, giving birth scenes

+ I love historical fiction because I always learn about something and I definitely learned a lot in this book. This is set in 1789, where laws and the judicial system is forming in USA. Life is cold, and harsh in Hallowell, Maine. Martha is a midwife during this time period and the story is based on this real life person, so you can imagine what the birth scenes are like. It gives an array of birth stories from easy births to extremely hard and challenging ones. I found it fascinating how she did her job and acted as witness to so many ongoings in town.

+ Martha Ballard is a strong character. Her being a midwife alone speaks of strength. As the town’s midwife she often speaks at court hearings and I was actually amazed at how many times she had to be there. I thought the love story portrayed between her and her husband in such a harsh climate and environment was sweet and loving compared to what was happening in town. There is a lot of women getting raped (almost like it’s a casual thing to do!), sexual assault, “fornication”, and the ladies hiding pregnancies.

+ Women truly get the brunt of it in this story. There is a rape case being tried, and a murder of one of the suspects being investigated and Martha is a witness to both at the hearings. At these hearings you can also see her strength in being outspoken and fighting for what she feels is right. I felt so angry for Rebecca (the rape victim) and all the other rape victims in this story. This is definitely not a light read. There is a lot of violence towards women in this town.

~ I was also invested in the mystery until the part in the book when the mystery of who killed Burgess was kind of pushed to the side. At one point I said aloud: so is no one investigating the murder anymore? The book starts off with finding the dead body so I was glued to that at the start but the story went somewhere else before coming back to it in the end. So I think pacing was a little bit of an issue because I did feel like it slowed a lot in the middle.

Quotes From This Book:

“Listening is a skill acquired by the doing.”

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

“Like all mothers, I have long since mastered the art of nursing joy at one breast and grief at the other.”

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

“The is what it means to age, I think. The days are long, but the years are short.

The Frozen River by. Ariel Lawhon

Final Thoughts:

For the most part I thought this was a gripping read except for the parts that slowed down in the middle. I loved learning about the life of Martha Ballard as a midwife in the 1700’s. She was strong and the women back then had to be in those cold conditions and in that time but also from the sexual violence from men. This one is not a light read, but if you like historical fiction and mystery then you might enjoy this book.

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