Tag: book reviews

To Shatter the Night by. Katherine Quinn | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: To Shatter the Night (Mistlands, #2)

Author: Katherine Quinn

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 12/3/24

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Series


Welcome back into the Mist…in the astonishing sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller To Kill a Shadow…

Some fear the darkness. It’s the place where horror hides, concealing its rank, sharp teeth and insatiable hunger. But there is no darkness more feared than that of the mist that’s overtaken the kingdom…and its brave—and ultimately doomed— soldiers.

Except for Kiara Frey.

She has nothing to fear from the night. Not anymore.

Driven by the fury of her splintered heart, Kiara knows that the answers—and the only possible way to a future with Jude Maddox—begin with the realm’s most notorious thief, the Fox. Together, they hunt down the path to breaking Asidia’s dark curse, but in the shadows, something more horrifying than the mist lies in wait. Watching. Willing Kiara to find the game pieces set in place long ago.

As Jude and Kiara are lured to a sacred temple—a shrine that is the home to both exquisite dreams and chilling nightmares—Kiara’s newfound powers flourish but her shadows threaten to consume her.

Because here in these cursed lands, it’s not the darkness that destroys the soul…it’s love.


Content Warning: violence

This is the conclusion to the Mistlands duology and it picks up where it left off in book one. Kiara and Jude are separated but they find their way back together.

I always thought the concept for the book was interesting, there is no daylight in this world of the Mistlands but there is a prophecy and now they know Kiara and Jude is a part of it. Jude goes through some tough moments in this book but Kiara does her best to go find him and that’s an adventure in itself. I liked Kiara’s relationship with her best friend Jake. I thought their friendship was fun. There is a lot of action in the second half of this book because Kiara, Jude and their group need to complete a dangerous quest.

The romance is nice, they finally admit what they want from each other but it was always insta-love from book one. They even have a bit of a little spicy moment.

Final Thoughts:

I found this story to move quickly with lots of action, and adventure. Plus it has the romance even though it was kind of insta-lovey in book one and the found family was nice. I think this was a great conclusion to the duology.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

To Kill a Shadow by. Katherine Quinn | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/16/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ My daughter’s Market Day happened and she sold 3 bookmarks. She was kinda bummed but I had to point out that’s what happens with a small business plus the “market” was flooded with bookmark sellers. I think 5 of them in her class made bookmarks! And that was only HER class, there are 80+ second graders so who knows how many made bookmarks. She was able to buy some really interesting crafts like air dry clay keychains, air dry clay coasters, and there were services too – she got her shoe “shined” lol – I thought that was cute. And another kid was doing removable tattoos. Cool right? Also she bought 3 bookmarks from her other friends. I was very proud of her!

+ My daughter also had her school’s annual Songfest and I loved their performance. The theme this year was Cultural Diversity – and I love it especially with what is happening in our government that their school is not afraid to embrace diversity and inclusion. Hard to not embrace it here in Hawaii where we are a very diverse population here. It was a fun show and it kicked off Spring Break!

+ We are not doing anything special for Spring Break. My daughter has math camp for 3 days, just 90 minutes a day at school but yeah…we are just hanging out. Also my hubby does have to fly into DC this week for a 2 day conference.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Mayhem – Lady Gaga – I’m obsessed!

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!

Thunderhead by. Neal Shusterman | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)

Author: Neal Shusterman

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 504

Publication Date: 1/19/18

Categories: Dystopia, Young Adult, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Series


Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.

Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?


Content Warning: violence

I finally finished Thunderhead! And I would have been finished earlier if I was reading it as an ebook but that was my fault for letting that expire. Thank goodness I actually have the hardcover books on my shelf huh?😅

There are a lot of things happening in Thunderhead and it follows a bunch of different characters throughout. Rowan’s character goes through a lot whereas Citra is doing well with Scythe Curie at her side. Another character, Greyson, has a big role in the events that transpire in this story.

I found Thunderhead’s thoughts really fascinating especially because in our real world we are on the verge of AI being everywhere. I also found what was going on in the Scythedom really interesting because of the power plays taking place and how I feel like it represents the Vatican. It really is amazing to imagine the world becoming the way it is portrayed in this book. The medical science and convenience of some things – like not needing to work – sound amazing. But the story explores the other side to this conversation too. The story is complex and the world-building is great.

The book is long and I was bummed Rowan and Citra was apart for almost all of it! But overall I was entertained.

The ending was unexpected and crazy. I’ll be jumping into book three hopefully next month.

Quotes from the book:

“I have pondered the records of the mortal age and long ago determined the two sides of the coin. While freedom gives rise to growth and enlightenment, permission allows evil to flourish in a light of dat that would otherwise destroy it.”

Thunderhead by. Neal Shusterman

Final Thoughts:

What a sequel to Scythe! I love reading the Thunderhead’s thoughts and I really wasn’t expecting the story to take the turn it did. It was great to be in Rowan and Citra’s world again but it’s one that is collapsing under the strain of what’s happening in the Scythedom. I can’t want to see how this story ends.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Book Review | Scythe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/9/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Nothing exciting happened this week – I did get my flu shot finally and so I was dealing with feeling a bit feverish afterwards but it coincided with my PMS/hot flashes lol…so I was used to that.

+ Just did the usual cleaning, laundry, blogging, reading and dropping off the kids and picking up the kids. I feel like I’m doing less spending now that the economy is shaky and uncertain. I mean that’s good for me I guess! I did buy an ebook though – Oathbound by. Tracy Deonn. I couldn’t help myself lol.

+ This week my daughter has Market Day at school. The second graders made their own products, my daughter decided to do bookmarks – I helped her cut the cardstock and put the tassels but she’s doing all the artwork for the bookmarks. They get tickets from their teacher to buy stuff from the market also so we’ll see how that goes! I think it’s a fun idea.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Running Point (Netflix) – I love Kate Hudson and this was so funny and also heartwarming.
  • Mayhem – Lady Gaga – What an album! I love it – it makes me want to dance!

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!

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/2/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ My hubby is a federal worker so let’s just say, every week since Trump has been in office has been a circus. He never knows if he will still have a job. So far he does…but he’s stressed. I’m stressed too but as long as he has his job, I try to stay positive.

+ Went to the library to pick up two books: Under the Surface by. Diana Urban and To Shatter the Night by. Katherine Quinn

+ Made some beaded bag charms/keychains for my Etsy shop because I realize I have a lot of beads in my craft boxes. I don’t know if any of you readers are crafters, but you know how you have a little bit of everything lying around? 😅. It felt good to make stuff – I kind of miss it.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

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!

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/23/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Kids had a 4-day weekend, lucky them! So we went to see the Dog Man movie (we have all the books because my son was reading them in elementary school and then gave them to his sister, who loves the whole series). The movie was…wild lol…I was laughing because I felt like the humor was geared towards adults, but my daughter found it funny as well.

+ I had plans for this weekend, a birthday party for my cousin’s daughter at the water park, but my daughter pulled a neck muscle on Wednesday, at school. Poor thing, she had a hard time bending her head to the right, she was crying in the health room and I get it because I’ve had a stiff neck before and it takes days to loosen up. I used to be a massage therapist, so I’ve been working on it, been using a hot pack on it and trying to encourage her to do stretches. I think she may have slept on it funny or she does a lot of coloring at school and home, and sometimes her right arm gets tired, so it might have been from that. So she only went to school twice this week, but at least her school was closed on Friday.

+ Can you believe we are at the end of February?

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • American Murder: Gabby Petito (netflix)

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!

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/16/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super bowl last Sunday! WOOHOO! So I was very nervous and couldn’t even watch the first of the game LOL. I could watch it after it was 24-0 BUT…knowing Kansas City, I didn’t trust that score until the end of the game. 😅 I love the Eagles but gosh my heart can’t take watching them in a super bowl. SO happy they won though.

+ More national news – but I hate the news right now. And because I hate the news, I watched Eagles highlights ALL WEEK. Just to be nice to my mental health.

+ The vog (volcanic smoke from the eruption on the Big Island) was bad on our island this week – the haze was covering the mountains. So my Monday and Tuesday started off with a headache. It always makes my allergies act up and my sinus fill up – so that wasn’t fun. Tylenol, saline spray, Claritin and a hot towel on my face did help 😅, at least to get my sinuses draining.

+ My daughter had a Honey Bee Valentine’s Day Luncheon (their mascot is the bee) on Thursday, so I went to eat lunch with her. It’s always crazy and chaotic at these luncheon events, and always so quick. I only have 20 minutes with her out of their 30 minute lunch – she wants to play at lunch recess lol. So that was a quick event but glad I could be there with her.

+ Kids have a 4 day weekend, which is nice.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Super Bowl 59 – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles – yay, the Eagles won!
  • Kendrick Lamar – GNX album

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!

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/9/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Today is the Super Bowl and my team is in it (The Philadelphia Eagles)…so I can’t watch! 🫠 I don’t think my blood pressure can handle it so I have a plan to not watch? Or sneak in looks? Or listen to my husband yelling or not? lol…I hope they win but I already saw the lose 2 years ago to the Chiefs and I can’t watch another loss – but if they win, oh it will be the best thing ever.

+ More national news – but I hate the news right now.

+ My husband’s furniture from Okinawa came in so we have new couches downstairs, and new mattresses (he had to buy them there for when we visited him back in 2023). We had to move some stuff around so that wasn’t fun.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

I must be stressed out – I barely had any posts this week. 😒

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

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!

Weekly Wrap Up | 2/02/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ The Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl woo-hoo! My nerves couldn’t take it so instead of my hubby bringing the kids to Sunday school, I did LOL….and I went at got a massage at the spa. That was long overdue. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to watch the Super Bowl game next weekend lol.

+ Every day under this current administration feels like one long year. SO…yeah it’s not cool. I hate seeing the news every day. What is happening to the USA? I feel like we are being attacked – but by our own government. 💔. Only 2 weeks have gone by…😭

+ My heart breaks over the plane/helicopter crash that happened in Washington D.C. And then a second plane crash just two days later in Philly! 💔 What is happening?!🙏🏽

+ January is FINALLY OVER. Please, please, please…February be kind to all of us.

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

I must be stressed out – I barely had any posts this week. 😒

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football highlights
  • Over the Moon (on Netflix) – watched it again with my daughter, brought back memories of being stuck home watching it during the pandemic.
  • FireAID Los Angeles – I donated and watched for 4 hours lol…I had to turn it off to go to bed, but at least my son and I caught Olivia Rodrigo.💜
  • Interstellar (on Netflix) – LOVE this movie! The music, the story…so good! And how timely with what is happening in my country. 😩

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!

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/26/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ I have TikTok back yay…but boo? Because it may be gone in 75 days again (less than 75 now) unless someone buys it so at least now I can prepare myself.

+ It’s been a LONG week. TikTok was shut down for 12 hours. My nerves were shot and I couldn’t watch the Eagles/Rams football game without my heart feeling like it was popping out of my chess. And then the doom and gloom feeling the morning after the game (Eagles won-yay) because of the Inauguration (I didn’t watch, just saw clips here at there on TikTok). I can’t believe only one week has gone by…January has felt like a whole year has gone by.

+ And because I need to escape – my sister asked me if I want to join her on a shopping tour in South Korea. It’s in June and I just paid my deposit woohoo! It’ll be nice to get away and enjoy some good Korean food. My parents and I are also trying to plan a visit to the Philippines. My parents are in their early 70’s and I want my kids to visit the Philippines with them while they can still travel. That trip might be at the end of December, so we shall see!

I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Currently Reading:

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Football – BARELY…I couldn’t watch the Eagles/Rams game, it was too close but I’m glad the Eagles won.

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!