A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Novel Love Story

Author: Ashley Poston

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 6/25/24

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism

A professor of literature finds herself caught up in a work of fiction… literally.

Eileen Merriweather loves to get lost in a good happily-ever-after. The fictional kind, anyway. Because at least imaginary men don’t leave you at the altar. She feels safe in a book. At home. Which might be why she’s so set on going to her annual book club retreat this year—she needs good friends, cheap wine, and grand romantic gestures—no matter what.

But when her car unexpectedly breaks down on the way, she finds herself stranded in a quaint town that feels like it’s right out of a novel…

Because it is.

This place can’t be real, and yet… she’s here, in Eloraton, the town of her favorite romance series, where the candy store’s honey taffy is always sweet, the local bar’s burgers are always a little burnt, and rain always comes in the afternoon. It feels like home. It’s perfect—and perfectly frozen, trapped in the late author’s last unfinished story.

Elsy is sure that’s why she must be here: to help bring the town to its storybook ending.

Except there is a character in Eloraton that she can’t place—a grumpy bookstore owner with mint-green eyes, an irritatingly sexy mouth and impeccable taste in novels. And he does not want her finishing this book.

Which is a problem because Elsy is beginning to think the town’s happily-ever-after might just be intertwined with her own.

Content Warning: grief, being cheated on

Imagine getting lost in a book – literally? The only other book I’ve read from this author was The Dead Romantics and I loved it. This was a bit different and here are my thoughts:

Likes:

I thought the concept of literally “getting lost in a book” was clever and wanted to see how it would play out. I did have some questions, but I had to suspend my reality a bit, to make my brain understand what was happening. I did love all the characters Elsy got to meet in Eloraton.
Elsy puts on a front, but she’s hurting inside from some life events that left her unmoored. I really love her relationship with her best-friend Pru, even if Elsy wasn’t in a good place yet, you could tell their love for one another was special.
I liked the second half of the book more than the first half. I felt more connected to Elsy when she started facing her emotions and that’s when I also felt her connection to Anders come more alive. There were so many parts at the ending that hit me in the feels because of Elsy’s journey and Anders’ one too.

Dislikes:

This was kind of hard for me to get into and I think it’s because of Elsy, who didn’t really stand out to me, personality wise. Also I was trying to figure out the magical town she stumbled into. I thought it was cool that it was from her favorite author but I had questions!
I also thought Elsy and Anders didn’t have much chemistry until later into the book.
Certain descriptions about characters don’t usually bother me unless it’s repeated over and over and apparently Anders tastes and smells like black tea.

My Final Thoughts:

When I got to half way of the book, I can’t say I was loving it. I thought it was just okay but then something happens when Elsy is faced with leaving Anders and Eloraton behind. She has to make some hard choices to face her fears about moving on from the past and also watching people around her moving on in their lives. And that’s when I connected to the book, because that’s relatable. Overall, I did enjoy it for what it was and adore the concept of literally getting lost inside a book!

Quotes from the Book:

“Because even after the people were gone, there were still stories. There were always stories.”
– A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston

“It wasn’t the end that mattered, but every word leading up to it.”
– A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston

“So who could blame me for singing into books, where I knew the people weren’t real, but they also never disappointed me? I knew everything would work out in the end. I knew happy endings were destined, ever afters fated, and no matter what trials and tribulations and, well, surprise fuckups happened, things would end up okay.”
– A Novel Love Story by. Ashley Poston

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Book Links:

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Other Books by This Author:

The Dead Romantics by. Ashley Poston | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young | Book Review

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Unmaking of June Farrow

Author: Adrienne Young

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Categories: Adult, Time Travel, Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance

A woman risks everything to end her family’s centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.

Content Warning: death, murder, violence

This story was mind-boggling and honestly I don’t know if I followed the timelines presented to me in it. I need a white-board filled with explanations for this one but not in a bad way! Time travel stories always leave me a bit lost.

The Farrow women have an illness that has to do with the mind, or they also call it a curse. But what these Farrow women know is that they can time travel and it’s explained pretty well in the story but like I said, I’m a visual person so at times I just went with it even though I didn’t quite follow the time jumping.

All I know is the writing is immersive, I was so invested in June’s story. And when she jumps back to a time where she has to basically figure out her bearings and face the consequences of a past decision, it pulled my heart strings. I only wanted the best for June and her family. I’m just glad it worked out in the end. This story is filled with mystery and so much emotion packed into a very quick read. There are also very tense moments when June starts piecing together everything that happened in one fatal night that changed all their lives forever. But overall what a unique story!

My Final Thoughts:

I love this author’s books and so far only read fantasy from her. This one was different but I enjoyed the mystery and putting all the pieces together. I may not have followed how all the time jump works but what made me love this book was the emotions it made me feel. I’m glad I finally read this one!

Quotes From This Book:

“You may have ruined my life, June. But first, you gave me one.”
The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young

“I’d never felt fear like that. Not ever. And I didn’t think there was any way to ever come back from that explosion of light that had birthed a universe inside of me when she said that word. Mama.”
The Unmaking of June Farrow by. Adrienne Young

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Book Links:

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Other Books From This Author:

The Last Legacy by. Adrienne Young | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Namesake | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Fable | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review | The Girl the Sea Gave Back ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sky in the Deep by. Adrienne Young ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six of Sorrow by. Amanda Linsmeier | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Six of Sorrow

Author: Amanda Linsmeier

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 6/25/24

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary, LGBT+, Mystery, Magical Realism

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

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

Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the same day—and now, on their birthday, one of them is missing. From the author of Starlings comes a story about small-towns, friendships, and the terrifying things your parents don’t tell you, that’s perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

For most of her life, Isabeau and her five best friends were inseparable—amazingly enough, the six girls even shared a birthday. Then a rift caused their friendships to fracture, and Iz lost everyone except Reuel, the only one who didn’t abandon her.

Until now. The night of their sixteenth birthday, Isabeau leaves Reuel sitting on her front porch and heads home—and in the morning, Reuel is missing. She’s gone for three days, and when she reappears, there’s something wrong with her. She’s sick. Really sick. And she doesn’t remember anything that happened while she was gone.

If there’s any bright side to the situation, it’s that Reuel’s peculiar disappearance brings the six girls back together. Their sisterhood feels as strong as it was years ago, but when another one of them disappears, they all agree that they must have more in common than simply their birthday. They all feel it. Something’s been waiting for them, and that something has come to claim them one by one.

Deep in their bones, they know—it’s just a matter of time until they they’re all taken. And if they don’t save themselves, no one will.

Content Warning: body horror, illness, blood, parental death, underage drinking

This book was giving me The Craft vibes throughout and I love that movie. Obviously, it wasn’t The Craft, because but it had all the vibes – group of high school girls, vows of being best friends, blood vows, things happening to the girls.

Sorrow is a small town, but one with a backstory. There are six girls with the same birthday, if that’s not suspicious, I don’t know what is. Isabeau is one of these girls and there is a feeling these girls once upon a time were close best friends but not anymore, at least not with Isabeau. But something happens on their sixteenth birthday and it’s a race to figure out what is going on with the girls.

There are some heavy issues that are brought up in this book such as lost friendship, family problems, grief, and problematic parent/child bonds. I like how they face their problems eventually though and there is actually a happy ending even though this was a horror story.

Speaking of horror, this is set in a small town with a backstory about a witch named Sorrow. The horror is happening to the girls, where they are disappearing, or going through some illness and bleeding out of their eyes and such.

My Thoughts:

I thought this was pretty entertaining especially with premise of a small creepy town called Sorrow and six girls having the same birthday. What these girls uncover is something dark but the darkness makes way for the light and love of their friendship as they are reunited again. I think that was my favorite part of the book – the friendship. It would have been nice if there was more witchcraft in this book but that’s just for my personal preference!

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Book Links:

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Starlings by. Amanda Linsmeier | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Bad Ones by. Melissa Albert | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Bad Ones

Author: Melissa Albert

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 2/20/24

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Categories: Young Adult, Horror, Suspense, Contemporary, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Mystery

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

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

Goddess, goddess, count to five
In the morning, who’s alive?

In the course of a single winter’s night, four people vanish without a trace across a small town.

Nora’s estranged best friend, Becca, is one of the lost. As Nora tries to untangle the truth of Becca’s disappearance, she discovers a darkness in her town’s past, as well as a string of coded messages Becca left for her to unravel. These clues lead Nora to a piece of local folklore: a legendary goddess of forgotten origins who played a role in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games…

An arresting, crossover horror fantasy threaded with dark magic, THE BAD ONES is a poison-pen love letter to semi-toxic best friendship, the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief.

Content Warning: semi-toxic friendship, missing people, grooming, death of a parent, death

+ What interested me in reading this book was this line “the occult power of childhood play and artistic creation, and the razor-thin line between make-believe and belief” because as a kid in the 80’s, all we did was make-believe play but I remember also when we played with Ouija boards and wanted to find ghosts or spirits or was fascinated with ghost stories. So in many instances does this book speak to my childhood and young adult self. It reminded me of kids yelling “bloody mary”, or singing that rhyme from Freddy Kruger movies “one two, Freddy’s coming for you…” that stuff freaked me out as a kid so I wanted to see if this book would give me that same creepy feeling.

+ Four people go missing, one of them is Nora’s best friend, Becca. Becca has had a hard life with her parents dying and her being all alone except for Nora. But their friendship changes along the way and becomes a bit toxic when they start playing the goddess game. The Goddess Game is something born of an urban legend at their high school, there is a story, but people have different versions of it. I loved how Becca and Nora was so creative and created their kingdom and made more goddesses!

+ The writing really is immersive and made me want to keep reading to find out what happened to these missing people and what happened to Nora and Becca. Also something was happening to Nora and I just needed answers. I felt like the author really captures their semi-toxic friendship though, and their emotional journeys with one another.

~ I kept reading because the writing is wonderful but it started to drag. I didn’t feel like we were getting much details about the disappearances. I also felt like the big reveal was a disappointment which is a bummer. The story kind of glosses over why three of the people disappeared and I guess I wanted more details. Then ending feels rushed.

My Thoughts:

The book started off strong but the ending to me was rushed which is a bit disappointing. I did like all the themes in the story about grief, toxic friendship, childhood stories turning into maybe something real, and urban legends that start from a story that takes on a life of its own. I just wish it ended as strong as the beginning but I was left wanting more.

Book Links:

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Book Review | The Hazel Wood ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

ARC Review | The Night Country ⭐️⭐️💫

Our Crooked Hearts by. Melissa Albert | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What the River Knows by. Isabel Ibañez | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: What the River Knows

Author: Isabel Ibañez

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 10/31/23

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Historical Fantasy, Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Series, Young Adult, Adventure, Romance

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!

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.

Content Warning: violence, alcohol use, kidnapping, profanity

This book has a little bit of everything and I read it in one sitting. It’s quite an adventure and takes the reader from Argentina to Egypt! Inez gets news that her parents are dead, thing is she barely saw her parents. They left her in Argentina and spent half of the year in Egypt without her – that already made me suspicious, because who could leave their child for that long is they didn’t have to? Inez wants the truth and she travels to Egypt to find it.

Inez is a stubborn character or as she puts it, “persistent”. She is also beautiful, resourceful, and very brave! When she gets to Egypt her guardian, her uncle, wants her back on a ship to Argentina but she does an amazing job evading his order. Whit, is her uncle’s right hand man, or that’s what it seems and he’s been entrusted to take care of Inez and get her on that ship but he realizes right away that Inez doesn’t follow orders. I love their banter, their antics and their growing romance. But we still don’t know everything about Whit – as evident with the cliffhanger ending!

The writing sucked me into this adventure. I was transported to late 1800’s Egypt when Britain occupied the country and basically loots Egypt. I loved the history and I also loved the magical realism. I could totally believe magic imprinted itself on ancient items and people that touch them can transfer the magic to them! But not only is there history, magic, archaeology, and romance in this story, there is also a mystery to solve – what happened to Inez’s parents? Who can Inez trust?

The only thing about the book that I had the tiniest issue with was the mystery (because mysteries feel so slow to me-it’s a personal thing!), I just wanted some parts to move faster but I know it was to build a situation full of intrigue and question the motives of some characters, which the book succeeded in doing. I would have liked more magic too!

This is an amazing story with some twists and a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to read book two.

Tropes: rivals to lovers

Why you should read it:

it’s got adventure, history, magic, mystery, intrigue, romance
I love the banter between Inez and Whit, she is not one to back down, which I love

Why you might not want to read it:

not into archaeology, Egyptology

My Thoughts:

This book was quite the adventure! I was swept away in the details, the magic, the story of Cleopatra, the sights of Egypt, the mystery and intrigue. I love the banter between Inez and Whit and can’t wait to see what’s in store for them in book two after that cliffhanger ending.

Book Links:

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Midnight at the Houdini by. Delilah S. Dawson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Midnight at the Houdini

Author: Delilah S. Dawson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 9/5/23

Publisher: Delacorte

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 Delacorte for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight she’ll be trapped there forever unless she’s able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!

The night is perfect and glorious and sparkling, too beautiful to be real. Like magic.

Anna may have grown up in glitzy Las Vegas, but she’s determined that no one will ever call her shallow. While her older sister Emily is the star of the family, Anna is the diligent stage manager, making sure that both their lives go perfectly to plan. But when Emily reveals a startling betrayal, Anna flees in the middle of a raging storm and takes shelter in a boutique establishment she’s never seen before: The Houdini.

Inside, Anna discovers a magic hotel . . . and a magical boy. Earnest, curious Max has lived his entire life inside the Houdini. Over the course of one surreal evening, he becomes Anna’s guide to the curious building. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.

But that’s because the Houdini has no other guests. No one ever enters the Houdini . . . and no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped in the Houdini forever. If Anna’s ever going to find out who she is on her own in the real world, she’ll first have to make an impossible escape. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

Content Warning:

This book was a little mix of everything and not all of it worked for me. It’s set in Las Vegas, where Anna has just finished helped with her sister’s wedding. She’s in a car with her dad (a hotel mogul) and his two friends (who were kind of like uncles to her, but kind of jerks). They get caught in a freak tornado and end up taking shelter or trying to find help at one of the hotels they own, The Houdini.

Inside the Houdini is something else. There is a boy named Max who’s never left the Houdini and his mom Phoebe who’s the villain of the story. The Houdini is like Alice in Wonderland strange, and yet the tornado reminded me of the Wizard of Oz…this story is quite a whirlwind and I couldn’t quite find myself being invested in the story even though I thought some of the elements were interesting.

The story moves so fast, so at least I didn’t struggle with that but this wasn’t for me.

Why you should read it:

you like magical realism and magical hotels

Why you might not want to read it:

the mix of everything just didn’t work for me

My Thoughts:

This one isn’t for me. I thought the concept was strangely cool with the hotel being magical, but the story failed to hold my interest.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Where Darkness Blooms by. Andrea Hannah | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Title: Where Darkness Blooms

Author: Andrea Hannah

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 2/21/23

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, LGBT+, Horror, Magical Realism

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!

Andrea Hannah’s Where Darkness Blooms is a supernatural thriller about an eerie town where the sunflowers whisper secrets and the land hungers for blood.

The town of Bishop is known for exactly two things: recurring windstorms and an endless field of sunflowers that stretches farther than the eye can see. And women—missing women. So when three more women disappear one stormy night, no one in Bishop is surprised. The case is closed and their daughters are left in their dusty shared house with the shattered pieces of their lives. Until the wind kicks up a terrible secret at their mothers’ much-delayed memorial.

With secrets come the lies each of the girls is forced to confront. After caring for the other girls, Delilah would like to move on with her boyfriend, Bennett, but she can’t bear his touch. Whitney has already lost both her mother and her girlfriend, Eleanor, and now her only solace is an old weathervane that seems to whisper to her. Jude, Whitney’s twin sister, would rather ignore it all, but the wind kicks up her secret too: the summer fling she had with Delilah’s boyfriend. And more than anything, Bo wants answers and she wants them now. Something happened to their mothers and the townsfolk know what it was. She’s sure of it.

Bishop has always been a strange town. But what the girls don’t know is that Bishop was founded on blood—and now it craves theirs.

Content Warning: rape, violence

I wanted to read something creepy and look at this cover – it’s totally creepy. This is what I thought of the story:

+ I like the four different main characters. Four girls, who’s mothers are gone/missing or dead – the town assumes they are dead. So these four girls: Bo, Whitney, Jude and Delilah all live together and basically are trying to move on with their lives. They had distinct personalities and their lives are intertwined with certain events that culminated at a bon fire party. There is a big mystery in this story and these girls are the ones trying to figure out what is going on. I like the feminism theme in the story

+ The town of Bishop is strange. Women and girls go missing or end up dead every few months – but why? There is no “hospital” even though one of the girls had to be brought to one. There are the Harding boys who seem like they are the popular boys in school who can get whatever they want, but what they is to mess with these girls. There are these random storms or tornados but they are in a small town so that doesn’t seem totally mysterious…or is it? And what’s with the sunflowers?

~ A few things didn’t work for me – I was thrown into the story and left to figure things out. And it took me awhile to care about what was going on in this town. All I knew was that the boys were awful and two of the girls were in love with one of these awful boys, and that sucked. I knew right away this town was killing it’s women, but why? And why didn’t anyone else in town care about missing women?

~ I’ve read a few books similar to this but I don’t think I enjoyed the execution of this one. Everything is a big mystery but it didn’t creep me out as much as I wanted it to and it had all the potential to do so. I didn’t know what the connection was to the tornados, sunflowers and missing women and when the mystery is revealed I wasn’t super surprised. I wanted to know more about the town and get a better feel for the people, even the villains. I just wanted more from the story and I wanted to be spooked. Sunflower fields and a strange, small town with missing women has such a big potential to scare me, but this didn’t.

Why you should read it:

you like lite-horror and magical realism
the feminism message in the story

Why you might not want to read it:

didn’t scare me enough
slow start

My Thoughts:

This one didn’t work for me. I liked the concept and I like the creepy town, and the sunflowers fields, but it wasn’t as scary as I was expecting. I also feel like the story just didn’t flow easily. The bright spot for me in the story is the one about the girls working together to figure out why the women were going missing. The girls survive what is coming for them together, which is awesome, especially because it is such a dark story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Charmed List by. Julie Abe | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Charmed List

Author: Julie Abe

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 7/5/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Teen Reader, Romance, Contemporary, Magical Realism

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!

After spending most of high school as the quiet girl, Ellie Kobata is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List—thirteen items she’s going to check off one by one. She’s looking forward to riding rollercoasters, making her art Instagram public (maybe), and going on an epic road-trip with her best friend Lia.

But when number four on Ellie’s list goes horribly wrong—revenge on Jack Yasuda—she’s certain her summer has gone from charmed to cursed. Instead of a road trip with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list—fall in love—may be happening without her realizing it.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

Content Warning:

This one is a cute read with some fun elements to it: magic, enemies to lovers romance, a bucket list, and a road trip.

The magic element to the story is just kind of thrown in. Ellie and her family are part of the magic community, and Jack her ex-friend/enemy and his dad are part of it too, her best friend Lia – is not. There are some rules about being part of the magic community and we do see some mild magic being done. Ellie has a bucket list for the summer and I think it was nice for her to go through with it to help her get out of her shy-girl shell. Also there is the romance between Ellie and Jack, they used to be friends, until Jack closed himself off to her, with his dad’s encouragement. But on the road trip they are forced to spend time together which means they start liking one another.

The story reads more for teenagers so I didn’t quite connect to the story or characters, I’m not the audience for this one. But I think someone who wants a light hearted teen romance that has magic would really enjoy this book.

Why you should read it:

magic, romance, a bucket list and a road trip
sweet, coming of age story

Why you might not want to read it:

this is more for teen readers

My Thoughts:

I’m not the target audience for this book but I thought it was a sweet story about a girl who is trying to break out of her shell. Some parts were a bit dramatic for me, like when Ellie’s best friend finds out about magic but like I said – I wasn’t connecting to the book or characters. I think if you want a light-hearted romance filled with magic, and some angst you will enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

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

House of Hollow by. Krystal Sutherland | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: House of Hollow

Author: Krysta Sutherland

Format: Hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 4/6/21

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Horror, Magical Realism

Seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats.

Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.

As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.

The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous – and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years.

Now this was a very interesting story to read before bedtime! The closer I got to the end, the more horrified my face looked and my husband had to ask me what was wrong. 😅 I said the book was a little disturbing.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to get with this story but House of Hollow is dark, mysterious, eerie, filled with disturbing images of death smelling flowers and bugs coming out of bodies.

Iris Hollow and her sister’s Vivi and Grey are famous for an event that took place when they were children. They disappeared and reappeared a month later with a scar on their neck. Iris and Vivi have no recollection of what happened in that month they were gone, but Grey knows. Now they are older, and Grey has gone missing again – what happened to her, and what happened to them when they were children?

We get to know the infamous Grey as her sisters investigate clues about her life so they can find her. It is apparent these girls are close and love each other a lot. I loved how each girl was very different, they had their own style and personality. The mystery is about the disappearances – it’s one thing if people stayed missing but to reappear again with no recollection of what happened? That was suspicious. The other thing that I enjoyed was Tyler, Grey’s boyfriend who brings the humor to this dark tale.

There are many female empowerment themes in this story. It mentions the dangers of girls walking out after dark or finding themselves alone with a man and getting unwanted attention. Iris is the most docile of the sisters and afraid to use her power, whereas Grey will threaten and manipulate people to do her bidding.

I couldn’t put the book down and needed to know what was up with these Hollow sisters, even if horror is not my favorite genre to read. The clues they were finding about Grey really kept my attention and a few twists in the story shocked me. Thankfully I didn’t get any nightmares after reading this because the imagery was really good, even though if it’s something I didn’t really want to “see”. It reminded me a bit of The Hazel Wood.

Triggers: missing children, suicide, mental breakdown, violence, bugs (coming out of body parts), grief

It’s horror so the ending was shocking and disturbing but overall so fitting. It just made me sad because the grief was triggering and it made me angry to learned what really happened to these girls.

The ending is left open – so will there be a book two?

The imagery in this story is so good but again, this is horror so flowers and bugs coming out of bodies kind of images. 😝

This is the type horror I can read, because it had a bond between sisters that is powerful, a mystery that kept me on my toes and magical realism to keep things even more bizarre. It’s a dark fairytale that revolves around grief and asks the question what would one do to save the people that they love. For me, the story is heart-breaking on both sides of the situation. This one is perfect for those who like dark fairytales.

📚 ~ Yolanda