Elspeth's mind is completely taken over by the Nightmare. Ravyn is running out of time to find all the Providence Cards and he needs the Nightmare's hElspeth's mind is completely taken over by the Nightmare. Ravyn is running out of time to find all the Providence Cards and he needs the Nightmare's help who is not so keen to share anything anymore. Elm has his orders to hunt down the Hawthorn family. Things are more hazier than ever in this misty town.
Spoilers ahead -
After that cliffhanger at the end of the first book, this second book seemed to start very slowly, and to be honest, things never really did pick up. First of all, that romance between Elm and Ione came out of nowhere. Not once had Elm thought about Ione in the first book or the other way around. Not. Once. But a poor and weak explanation is given that Elm has been secretly in love with Ione for years.Convenient. But to me, it was so jarring that I wanted to DNF right then and there but wanted to see it through so I persevered. Ione's sob story did nothing to change my mind or rating. In fact, Ione and Elm's love story felt so forced (way more forced than I felt about Elspeth and Ravyn in the first book) that it was a big reason for me to not enjoy this book. I probably would have been okay with this pairing had they added something of value to the story but Rachel Gillig had them fill up the pages and that's it. Whilst Rayvn and Elspeth/Nightmare are looking for the Providence cards, and stakes are high (as high as they would get in the story), Elm and Ione are doing stupid things like looking for marriage contracts and the Maiden card that is conveniently hidden somewhere just out of reach or is it? Or making out in a cringe way no matter who was nearby. That's all they did in the whole book and this made the pacing weird and odd. I get that this is a young-adult to adult series but other than grunting and groaning, there should be more to the story. Elm was one of my favorite characters from the first book but in this, he was a completely different and watered-down version of that character. Elm and Ione should have had a different book or a novella because this felt more like their book rather than Elspeth and Ravyn's (even though I don't like them as a couple either yet prefer them over Elm and Ione).
I was already not a fan of the world-building or the writing in the first book but in this, it was even worse. So many characters are introduced but forgotten in the next paragraph. Things were thrown in there just to move the story along. There was no explanation for so many things.
There were multiple POVs but I can't say I enjoyed reading from any particular POV. The only things that I enjoyed were about the Nightmare. Everything else felt lacking something. That magic and eeriness from the first book were gone. Things were resolved so easily and quickly, also without any consequences that I had to check if I had missed reading a page or fifty. It was ludicrous how only a simple riddle solved all the woes in the end. It was solved in less than a page. Ridiculous!
Imogen is in Paris (the most romantic city) with her boyfriend and she is looking forward to having a great time but when things go sideways, she lookImogen is in Paris (the most romantic city) with her boyfriend and she is looking forward to having a great time but when things go sideways, she looks back at her life, rethinks her choices, and tries to find out what went wrong.
Frankie has been married for over a decade and has four kids but she finds herself frustrated and not at all appreciated by her family. When she checks in at a local motel for the night by herself just to have some alone time, she looks back at her life and tries to find out what went wrong.
Grace has been married for over a decade and has a son. Grace had a picture-perfect life with a handsome husband and a lovely house and great taste in fashion but when she finds out that her husband has been cheating on her, she looks back at her life and tries to find out what went wrong.
Imogen, Frankie, and Grace are best friends and talk to each other about pretty much everything. After disastrous marriages for Frankie and Grace and awful dating life for Imogen, the three friends make a pact and decide to stay single for a year even though Grace is quite reluctant. Would they stick to this plan or deviate from this?
After reading Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding by Fiona Collins, I did have some expectations so I am happy to say that this not only met those expectations but surpassed them too. This read more mature and I ended up enjoying this way more than Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding. This had me rapt right from the beginning. The writing was simple but worked for this setting. All three characters have their own chapters and they had distinct voices. I liked their journey and the growth that they had. Just as Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding, this isn't overly funny either as I only chuckled maybe a couple of times and that was only when Gideon responded to Grace. Gideon's responses had me in splits and there wasn't enough Gideon or Marcia. Also, I would have liked an epilogue at the end because it did feel like an abrupt ending to me. Having said that, I did enjoy the read and I look forward to reading more Fiona Collins.
Evie works at The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop and she's saving up to eventually buy the shop but the eventuality seems to come sooner than she expected Evie works at The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop and she's saving up to eventually buy the shop but the eventuality seems to come sooner than she expected as the current owner would like to sell the shop as soon as possible but Evie doesn't have the required funds as yet. Evie delivers to some of the locals and she makes friends with them. When one of them gives her the idea of entering the local flower competition so as to boost sales at the shop as well as make a name for herself, Evie starts working towards that. Would she be successful in winning the competition as well as buying the shop?
Laura is married to Martin who works a high-paying job and Laura runs a shop called Truly Scrumptious which caters to Bridal wear and the like. She is really good at sensing what sort of dress the brides would need on their big day and she loves helping all the brides choose the right dress. Laura is quite happy on the professional front but she feels there's a detachment from Martin and she's not sure what to do about it. When she starts to get affection from another man, she wants nothing more than be swept up in that feeling but that would mean betraying her marriage to Martin. Would Laura choose the new excitement or would she go back to her old boring marriage?
Scott was a successful plumber in London working with some of the biggest companies but when his mum had a stroke, he had to move to Heatherton to look after his mum resulting in him losing his successful job, his beautiful fiancée, and his mortgaged apartment. Now he looks after his mum, and his nephew, Ben, and works odd jobs locally. He has a lot on his plate. When his eighteen-year-old nephew, Ben announces that he's getting married, Scott has no idea how to react. Would he be able to do what's required of him or would he fail?
Patricia is married and has an eighteen-year-old daughter, Amy whom she loves to bits. Patricia's husband has provided her with a good life as far as money is concerned but other than that her relationship is quite bad with her husband. She knows that her husband cheats on her with other women constantly but she chooses to ignore this just for Amy's sake. But when Amy announces that she is getting married, Patricia wants nothing more than to change Amy's mind by showing her that marriage isn't all that it's cracked out to be especially for an eighteen-year-old. Would Patricia reveal to Amy the failed state of her marriage to change Amy's mind or would she support Amy?
I read the blurb and found it to be quite interesting and absolutely loved the cover. The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop has multiple POVs and I was surprised by how different each POV was. All the characters have a unique voice and I knew exactly whose chapter I was reading without having to check again and again. Reading the blurb also gave me an idea of how some of the characters were going to come together. The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop also has quite a few characters and everyone has their own story which is told really well. So, as you can guess I really loved the writing and how every character was linked with the others in a very organic way.
I loved all the characters and their inner struggles and how well those were explained with whatever they were going through. I also loved the description of flowers that Evie was sharing with the readers. In addition to that, her novelty shoes also made the list of things that I loved and Evie's dog.
The only thing that I didn't like was the slow pace of the story. Some of the things should have happened way before they happened. I also didn't like the tug and pull of Evie and Scott's relationship at the end. I think a few pages could have easily been scrapped without taking away anything substantial. Having said all this, I really enjoyed this lovely, warm, and delightful read set in a slow and beautiful town. Whilst writing this review, I have bumped up the rating from 3.5 stars to 4 stars as I am realizing that it deserves 4 stars from me.
Rose, Sal, JoJo, and Wendy have been friends for decades now. When they find out that their friend Wendy has found the one to settle down with, they dRose, Sal, JoJo, and Wendy have been friends for decades now. When they find out that their friend Wendy has found the one to settle down with, they decide to throw her a hen do even though Wendy said that she doesn't want one as she's in her early forties and she feels too old for this. But the three bridesmaids come up with a plan to throw a classy hen do for Wendy so they are off to an expensive and classy retreat center. When they find out that the package that they were supposed to have booked isn't the one matching the paperwork, they have no other choice but to partake in the one that's been chosen for them and then start a string of brutal but hilarious tasks that they have to perform. But when the bride's old flame shows up, the bridesmaids get all worried as it took a long for Wendy to get over this certain old flame and they feel they have to keep them apart but would they succeed?
Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding had three different POVs and I thought that it may be cluttered but I am happy to say that it was not at all confusing and/or cluttered. They all have distinct voices. I was hooked from the beginning. I also liked their friendship and how they looked after each other. Yes, they don't talk as much as they used to once upon a time as each character leads quite a busy life but they are still always there for each other. This was definitely one of the highlights for me. Another highlight was that even though they are all the same age, their lives are at completely different stages. I also liked how this hen do only made their friendship even stronger and how everyone had some sort of awakening.
The only complaint I have is that some of the laughs felt forced. I mean the mix-up with the booking was understandable but the shenanigans weren't as funny to me. There were some chuckles but it wasn't over-the-top hilarious. Also, I found it to be more emotional than fun or funny which is not a bad thing in this case. Overall, an enjoyable read.
Anna dreamed of becoming the Prima Ballerina since she was young. Her dream of becoming the Prima Ballerina did not come to fruition but she had yet aAnna dreamed of becoming the Prima Ballerina since she was young. Her dream of becoming the Prima Ballerina did not come to fruition but she had yet another dream and that was to have a beautiful wedding with her fiancée, Seb at one of the most prestigious hotels in London. But when that dream also comes crashing down, she has no choice but to move back to her childhood hometown with Seb. Anna does not fancy moving back as it is a small village and she feels that life moves slowly if at all in Nettleton. She also does not fancy facing all the people from her childhood because when she was leaving a decade ago, she said that she won't ever come back to this backwater of a place. Well, life has other plans.
That blurb sounded so amazing that I could not wait to dive into this. And that starting was perfect. I was reeled in by the picturesque setting and Anna's inner turmoil. Anna had a high-paying job with an equally important title. She was on the top when it came to fashion and everything chic. But when things went sideways, she had to move back and had to start a job working in the village's only antique shop. The people around her were really unkind and I wanted to know all the reasons for their hatred toward Anna, but I found none. Anna supposedly had a lot of attitude when she was a teenager and Anna's mum had wanted her to work hard at ballet so she could make it big in the industry as Anna was a natural. That's it. That was the reason for everyone's hatred toward her that she wanted to leave the small town and move to a bigger one with big dreams. All these so-called adults could not let that go even a decade later.
In the beginning, it was all good but then Anna's attitude changed. Some for good, some for bad. Anna's character grew up for sure and I liked that. I also liked that her dreams changed and she found happiness. I am really happy for her but there were so many problems that I found with the writer's opinions.
Pretty much everyone was rooting against Anna in Nettleton but then they also asked her for help. Hypocrites! Anna knew that they are being hypocrites but she never stands up for herself. For example, Jackie (I think that's what her name is) says so many mean things right after asking for Anna's help and Anna did not even once tell Jackie off. This happened a few times in only a span of a few pages. The children she's been helping were equally ungrateful, I can ignore that as they were kids. Then there was her own best friend (I forgot her name) who was always steering Anna the wrong way and again Anna just goes along with that. I mean this was a recurring thing that did not sit well with me. For Anna to be so determined, she sure was a foot mat for these people.
The worst thing for me was how Anna's father was made out to be a hero and her mother was made out to be a monster. Her father cheated on her mother multiple times when Anna was a child and that's why Anna's mother decided to move away with Anna. She taught Anna to dream big. In the end, the writer made fun of Anna's mother dating younger men in her old age and getting Botox and stuff like that when Anna's father was dating Anna's best friend from school in the present even after Anna told them that she isn't happy about that. It was the same best friend who was always steering Anna the wrong way and then she starts to date Anna's father like that's not disgusting. Anna's mum always played the biggest part in her life but when it came to her wedding, Anna did not even bat an eyelash when her mum said that she won't be attending if Anna's father were to attend because Anna's father did humiliate her all those years ago and frankly, that was the start of all these events. Also, Anna's father wasn't even there for her when she found out about her dad's cheating. I mean, seriously? We are still shaming women who stand up for themselves and for getting Botox and dating younger men but rally behind men who date women half their age and in this case, his daughter's best friend even after putting the ex-wife through all that hell.
Also, the book is supposed to be about the wedding but the wedding was barely covered in a few pages right at the end which I skim-read anyway because I had lost all interest in this and did not want to DNF so I read very quickly. The reason was Anna's mum not attending and how she was shamed as I mentioned before.
I completely forgot about the fiancée Seb and turns out so did the writer. He was barely there and even when he was, he was a generic guy. There's nothing remarkable about him. He had no personality and he definitely had no chemistry with Anna.
I know I am in the minority when I say that I did not mind Anna as other people have called her unlikeable but to me, she was not that unlikeable. I actually understood her position as it couldn't be easy to move from a big job and big town to a small town with basically no job prospects. Other than that, she didn't do anything wrong to have everyone treat her the way they treated her. Once again, the people around her were way too harsh, and immature, and honestly, they were the unlikeable ones to me.
To sum it up, I loved the beginning, I loved Anna's character growth, I liked how her dreams changed, and I loved the picturesque setting but other than that I have listed enough reasons for me not enjoying this as much as I thought I would.
Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane get stood up on valentine's day. It turns out that they are all stood up by the same man, Joseph Carter.
The blurb sounded Siobhan, Miranda, and Jane get stood up on valentine's day. It turns out that they are all stood up by the same man, Joseph Carter.
The blurb sounded promising and the reviews made it sound even better so imagine my disappointment when this book did not deliver whatever it promised to deliver. I want to keep this review spoiler free but I'd like to say that I saw that big twist right at the start and there was only one thing that surprised me toward the end, again it wasn't the big bad twist.
I liked the writing but I do want to point out that it read like a thriller and not like a romance novel. I didn't like any of the characters except for Siobhan. Joseph had a few layers to him and was a refreshing change to all the other leading men with bulky bodies and muscles and this and that but I could not like him no matter how hard I tried. There was also a character that was the perfect example of workplace harassment and was made out to be a hero (so not done in today's day and age). And the book is way way too slow as it is packed with three romances and none of them were really interesting.
Overall, The No-Show is unfortunately but aptly a no-show for me as it is my first read by Beth O'Leary, and I am left underwhelmed and completely disappointed. I would still try other books by Beth O'Leary but not for a while.
Katie Brenner lives and works in London and has a perfect Instagram account I mean perfect life. But perfect from the outside doesn't always mean perfKatie Brenner lives and works in London and has a perfect Instagram account I mean perfect life. But perfect from the outside doesn't always mean perfect from the inside as well. Such is Katie's life. It's all good from the outside but inside she's broke and doesn't have any close friends in London. In fact, she even lies to her best friend who lives in New York about her life as well as her dad and stepmom. She hates her boss and rightly so as one day she's fired without any warning. That's the day her perfect life comes undone and she has to move to live with her dad and stepmom.
She helps them set up their business in glamping whilst applying for jobs in her field. She hasn't had any success in getting a job but she makes the business a successful run. Then one day, her boss who had fired her comes to spend a few days with her family. Demeter, her ex-boss doesn't recognize Katie as Katie has altered her look a little from her London days. Katie decides to get revenge on Demeter which I think was really immature. I mean not the revenge itself but the ways she comes up with. I guess it was supposed to be funny but not even once I laughed at it. But once Demeter recognizes Katie, I didn't mind it then. We find a different side to Demeter than was previously shown and come to sympathize with her.
Katie befriends Demeter and also helps her unmask Rosa and her minions that had set Demeter up. I really liked the friendship between Katie and Demeter and also the fact that this was not much of a romantic book. Of course, we have a love interest for Katie but the romantic aspect isn't given priority. I did feel that it was dragged out a bit in the end. But all in all, it's a good read.
My Not So Perfect Life is for those days when you want to laze around but also want to escape into a different world. It's definitely one of Sophie Kinsella's better works.
I was trembling with all I had done, which was more than I had ever done in my life.
Born to the Titan, Helios and the Nymph, Perse, Circe is quite ordI was trembling with all I had done, which was more than I had ever done in my life.
Born to the Titan, Helios and the Nymph, Perse, Circe is quite ordinary compared to the other gods. She has no powers or beauty. She has three younger siblings and she is close to the youngest, Aeetes. When two of her siblings move on with their lives, she thinks that she would always have Aeetes and then he also leaves. After that, she spends her time either in her father's halls or she goes to a deserted shore and there she meets a mortal, Glaucos and they start to spend time together. Circe wants to spend her life together with Glaucos but she knows that he is a mortal and would eventually die, something in her changes and so in a haste she goes to her grandmother and asks her to turn Glaucos into an eternal. Her grandmother tells her that it is not possible and Circe discovers something by accident and she uses the flowers that were born of Kronos's blood and changes Glaucos into a god.
I was too wild to feel any shame.
Glaucos turns into a god and everyone believes that it was the fates but Circe knows better. When Glaucos choses someone else to be his wife, out of jealousy Circe changes her into something else too. Years and years later, when Circe finally confesses that she was the one to change Glaucos and Scylla, no one believes her as they all tell her that those flowers have no power of their own. Then Aeetes comes and tells everyone that it is possible that Circe has changed Glaucos and Scylla, as he too possesses such powers and it is called pharmakeia, for they deal in pharmaka and Circe is a pharmakis, a witch.
Divine days fall like water from a cataract, and I had not learned yet the mortal trick of counting them.
Circe is punished by the Olympian god, Zeus and as her punishment, she is to spend eternity on a deserted island which years later she finds out is called Aiaia and she is known as the witch of Aiaia. Here she spends her time collecting herbs, taming wild animals and practicing and perfecting her witchery. She gets her first visitor, the Olympian god, Hermes and he tells her news of far and wide. She also gets mortals as her visitors and when she experiences their cruelty, something in her changes yet again. For centuries, she keeps getting mortal visitors and transforms them into pigs. But when Odysseus comes to her island, everything changes for her completely.
All the world confessed to him. He confessed to me.
I am a huge fan of Greek mythology but I have to say that I have not read much about Circe. Only in passing a paragraph here or there I have read about her, so I was very excited to read something just about her. Her story, re-telling or not, I just wanted to read it. In a word, this was riveting. Circe's story, from her birth to the cruelties of the gods, of her siblings, of everyone around her who always made her feel that she was less than them because she was different even though they were all the same. My heart went out to Circe. First half of the book is thoroughly enchanting. Madeline Miller's writing has a poetic feel to it. It is absolutely brilliant and I found myself re-reading some things, not because it didn't make sense the first time but because it was that captivating.
The second half was a bit slower in comparison and it wasn't as grand as I had expected it to be. I thought things would pick up again and we'll have yet another adventure on our hands but it didn't happen. (view spoiler)[Circe's journey into the motherhood seemed very ordinary. I hate to say this but it was the most boring part of the story for me and I expected so much more after reading such epic things in the first half of the book. (hide spoiler)] Having said that, I still burnt page after page to read Circe's story, her journey and how things would go for her. (view spoiler)[Even though it is Circe's story, my favorite is Telemachus. There was so much simplicity in him that he won my heart like no other. (hide spoiler)] I was devouring and savoring it at the same time. An amazing read overall.
Piper is an L.A. party girl. Her stepfather is loaded so she's never worked a day in her life but still lives a life full of glamour. She does what shPiper is an L.A. party girl. Her stepfather is loaded so she's never worked a day in her life but still lives a life full of glamour. She does what she wants and never has to face the consequences until one night, she ends up in jail and her mother and her stepfather tell her that it is about time that she learns some responsibility and the value of money. They send her to Westport, her mother, and her late father's hometown. Piper's younger sister, Hannah thinks the punishment is cruel so to make it easy for her sister, she decides to accompany Piper to Westport. Together the Bellinger sisters make it to Westport to live out Piper's punishment to stay in the town for three months otherwise she won't ever get any money out of her stepfather after this.
Westport being their parents' hometown, they find out that they have a bar that was willed to them in their late father's will and they also have an apartment on top of that to live in. But when they get there, things don't turn out to be exactly how they expected. First of all, that bar was no bar but a place for the townsfolk to hang out as they pleased and that apartment was anything but a place to live in. Their arrival isn't exactly welcomed and people, a big bulky bearded guy, Brendan in particular wants them to fail. Would the Bellinger sisters make it or fail Piper's punishment?
I have been wanting to read a Tessa Bailey book for a while now. When I read that It Happened One Summer is a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com, I immediately added it to my to-read list. After reading this, I'd say this was not impressive at all.
It started out really great but then the story fell short of everything. I don't know if my expectations were too high as it was sold as a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com and I love that show. I re-watched it last week so this felt lacking in everything. The country town was a nice setting and I am a sucker for country town settings but this was just boring. Partly because I didn't like Piper or Brendan or any other character except for Hannah. Hannah was barely there but she was the only character that actually had any substance. I get that Piper is a beautiful, party, glamorous girl but that's all there was to her. All I kept reading about her was her looks. People said that she's a good person but not even once she comes across like that. She was selfish and way too shallow. She was supposed to be living out her punishment on her own but Hannah helps her with that from the get-go and she lets Hannah come with her not even worrying about Hannah's job. Yes, Hannah says that she can work remotely but still that was not fair to Hannah. Piper was supposed to learn responsibility but throughout, other people do things for her and help her out. Throughout the book. Not even once, she does anything on her own. The writer also keeps writing about how Piper cares for Hannah and is a good sister when that's not the case. She does nothing for Hannah except for trying to cook once for her. That's all. Piper's actions told a completely different story. Saying something doesn't make it true. Again, this was supposed to be Piper's punishment but Hannah is the one that actually does most of the work around town like helping the local record store and all. Piper does nothing except for spending time with Brendon and leave Hannah on her own most of the time.
Then there's Brendon whom I hated even more than Piper. He is tall and all muscles and a fisherman and a captain of the boat and a widower who still has his wedding ring even after seven years after his wife's death. He's a complete package and too good to be true basically. Other reviewers said that it is a story of enemies-to-lovers. Did I read a different book? They were never enemies. He was rude to the sisters the very first time they meet and that's about it. He had an attractiveness towards Piper from the very beginning and it is made clear because this book is from both Piper and Brendan's pov. So, I don't know why other reviewers think that. I also didn't feel their chemistry and sex scenes were cringe-worthy instead of being hot and sexy.
Also, everything happens too fast. Piper and Brendan being in a relationship to them confessing their love for each other and then their misunderstanding. Everything felt trite and for the sake of the story only.
Towards the end when Piper is supposed to throw a labor day party when no one shows up she ups and leaves Hannah all on her own to attend another party because supposedly she's lost her Piper charm. Yes, Hannah said that Piper should go and Piper didn't even think twice. Also, Hannah says to Brendan that Piper will never know that everyone loves this place and Brendon tracks her down the next day at the party in L.A. and a couple of other things happen in the last two chapters to which I'd like to say that this came out in 2021 and is set in modern times then why the heck they couldn't use a phone to communicate? Why couldn't Hannah text or call Piper to tell her that the bar became busy and everyone responded well? Why couldn't Hannah or Brendon or both of them text or call Piper to ask where she's staying? Basically, why couldn't they use a phone for anything in the last two chapters? Just to add the unnecessary drama like it's the 1980s?
Something else that bothered me - Brendon is a widower and when he talks about his marriage to Piper, he basically says that his marriage was just a marriage of - I don't know what to be honest. Have a read, this is what he says - Can you trust me, honey? I’m just trying to get to the light. Get to you.” He waited for her nod, then did that wide-stance, settling-in thing and crossed his arms. As if letting her know he was immovable. “I knew Desiree my whole life, but not well. She was a girl a year above me in school. Quiet. I didn’t really get to know her until I started working for Mick. Right around the time my parents moved out of town, he took me under his wing and became kind of a . . . guide. He showed me this thing I love. Fishing. How to do it well. And over time, I guess she became family, too. I never felt . . .” He lowered his voice. “There wasn’t an attraction like I have for you. I’m not just talking about sex. We were friends, in a way. She was always trying to meet her father’s expectations, and so was I, after he gave me the Della Ray. He obviously thought we’d make a good match, so I asked her out, and I think . . . both of us just wanted to make Mick happy. That’s what we had in common. So we just went through the motions, even when it didn’t feel right. When she died, I kept the ring on, kept my vows, to keep him healed as much as possible. Then you showed up, Piper. Then you. And it felt wrong having ever given those vows to anyone else.
But according to the writer, he's just so perfect that he still had his ring on for seven years after his wife's death. I wish the writer hadn't shown his marriage in that light. Why couldn't he have loved his wife and then fallen in love with Piper seven years later? Why did it have to be like this? This was just not done.
Maybe, I am too critical. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe there's something I missed in the story. Maybe it's me. Maybe it's the story but it just didn't work for me. It is not a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com at all. And there's another book that's based on Hannah and Fox that's coming out this year. I don't know if I want to read it because I didn't like Fox in this and I also didn't like Hannah and Fox together. This may be the end of the series for me.
Nell is going to Paris for a weekend away with her boyfriend, Pete. She is waiting at the train station for Pete when Pete tells herLive in the moment
Nell is going to Paris for a weekend away with her boyfriend, Pete. She is waiting at the train station for Pete when Pete tells her to go to Paris alone as he's stuck at work and will try to get the later train. Nell gets to Paris and Pete tells her that he won't be coming. Nell doesn't do anything spontaneous in her life and she always makes a pros and cons list for everything so when she has to be in Paris all by herself, she doesn't like the idea but when she gets hungry she has to eat and she eats by herself. The next day she tries to get an early ticket but she can't afford it so she decides to stay and then she meets the Frenchman, Fabien and Fabien takes her around Paris and Nell feels alive for the first time.
She has no idea what will happen next. It is absolutely thrilling.
It started off really slow but when Nell and Fabien meet, it picked up but then it got a little slow again. It was quite predictable but I didn't mind that. I didn't really like Nell but I liked Fabien and I absolutely loved the receptionist, Marianne. I liked the ending but I didn't love it. I am left with so many questions. Would she move to Paris? Would this be a long distance thing? Is there another option? Still overall, it's quite enjoyable.
January, a writer is moving into the lake house that was left by her now-dead father for her. She is broke and she has a deadline for her next book buJanuary, a writer is moving into the lake house that was left by her now-dead father for her. She is broke and she has a deadline for her next book but she has nothing to show for the book. When she moves in, her neighbor isn't the most welcoming, and then she realizes that it is Gus Everett, her college rival and also a celebrated literary fiction writer.
She goes around the town and finds a local bookshop that invites her to a book club. Gus also makes an appearance and he ends up giving her a lift home. They start to banter and come up with a bet that January will write a literary fiction novel and that Gus will write a happy-ending fiction just so that they both know how it feels to be in each other's shoes. They also make a schedule to help each other out with lessons. They start to spend time together and get to know each other.
January is struggling in her life as at her father's funeral, she found out that her father had a mistress, Sonya and her mother had known it all along but never told January and didn't even talk about it afterward. She also broke up with her boyfriend, Jacques of six years. Things haven't been the best but spending time with Gus, she feels good. Gus also has his own struggles and his own inner demons to deal with and as the book progresses, we are given more insight into Gus' character. As they are both hurting and they are both wrecks, they both find solace in each other. They both share their stories with each other including all the highs and lows.
Gus shares about how his mother died when he was a child and his father were violent towards him and that's why he writes the books he writes because he wants to write such stories about other people, how people survive even when the world is burning around them. January shares her story of how she always thought that her parent's marriage was perfect even with her mother's cancer and that's how she writes about happy endings. Gus has an aunt, Pete who owns the local book shop and she has a wife Maggie. I loved Pete and Maggie.
January has a best friend, Shadi whom she text-talks throughout the book, and from what was revealed about Shadi, I absolutely loved her but she was barely there and this is one of my first complaints. My second complaint is that this book didn't have enough romance. Yes, there was romance but it was heavy on a lot of other things like family drama, cult survivors, and serious infidelity issues. I mean the book is titled 'Beach Read' and even though I liked reading it, I can't say that it was a beach read. A beach read would be an easy, breezy, light book not such an emotional and serious book. Having said that I still liked the book. Another thing was, they never told us who won the bet which was a major part of the book. I do have to say that the books they wrote because of the bet, I would never read those given by their brief stories mentioned in this book.
I liked the writing. I liked the premise. I just wasn't prepared for all the seriousness and heaviness of the plot and the characters' struggles otherwise I would have given it full 5 stars and I do feel that the title and the cover are misleading.
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections and I love the re-telling versions even better. These are all written by female authors so obviously, I was doubly excited. The original stories are mentioned at the back which was great because I was not familiar with a few of these stories. After reading the collection, I have to say that I was disappointed a lot. I have reviewed each story separately.
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
Arwen is the oldest child. Her father died a decade ago and she looks after her mother and her younger sister. Arwen is a hunter and she lives in CindArwen is the oldest child. Her father died a decade ago and she looks after her mother and her younger sister. Arwen is a hunter and she lives in Cinder village. Cinder village is quite far from the Jade city, capital of Embergate which is where the Dragon king lives. Although the village is quite removed from the main fares, they still get by as they have coal mines and a lot of visitors as the visitors have to cross the Cinder village to go from one kingdom to another.
It's May day today and Arwen is looking forward to it as whoever you end up kissing on May day would become your spouse. On that very day, it is announced that the Dragon king is looking for a wife and every female even with a quarter of dragon magic is to tested by the Royal guard. Arwen is a watered-down human with a mere ten percent dragon magic lineage so she need not worry until her mother tells her to run and not to be found by the Royal guard.
I don't know where to start from so let's start from the very first paragraph. When I was reading the very first paragraph, all I could think of was Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. Arwen is the exact copy of Katniss (only not at all cool). Arwen is the hunter in the family, her father is dead, she has a younger sister and her mother to look after. Also, the way the writer was going on and on about how Arwen is so different from the other girls - I think this trope needs to be gone forever now. This trope has been done to death and I can't believe that it is still a thing in 2022. Arwen only wears trousers, Arwen doesn't care about wearing beautiful dresses. Only for Arwen to look at the first dress and drool. Ugh! I really wanted to like Arwen and I did for the first few pages but she just became this walking annoying cliché of all the things that I hate in a female MC that I couldn't bring myself to care for her.
The Dragon king, Drae was also insufferable. I don't want to go in too much detail as I feel like I have wasted enough time on this read. Drae was married and he lost his wife to child birth and new born children to still births. His wife was his best friend and he loved her dearly. But after meeting Arwen and knowing her for a couple of weeks, he says to Arwen that he's never loved anyone else like he loves her (Arwen) and that too next to his ex-wife and his children's graves and I mean seriously? I feel that was really disrespectful. Why does it always has to be like this?
Regina was the only character that I liked and the way her character was dealt with was appalling.
The plot sounded good but it was handled very very poorly. The writing was worse than when I used to write fan fiction as a ten-year-old. The writing also seemed very contemporary. One reviewer mentioned that it seems watt padd-y and for the lack of a better word I agree. An example of the writing is - what is wrong with this dude? This is a direct line from the book. The language used in this was horrendous. My texts are written better than this book. The book is only 335 pages long that too with big print so that's probably the only best part as it was a relatively quick read. Other than that this was a disaster. If this book had come out a decade ago, I would have rated it higher but because it came out in 2022, I can't rate it higher than half a star because all the tropes that should be retired now are all used here. And pretty much everything is wrong with this. At this time, I don't think I'll be continuing with the series.
There’s nothing like the magic of reading to ease the most damaged heart.
Aria Summers runs a travelling book shop from her little camper-van. She loveThere’s nothing like the magic of reading to ease the most damaged heart.
Aria Summers runs a travelling book shop from her little camper-van. She loves life as a nomad as no two days are the same and she gets to do what she loves which is selling books whilst travelling. Aria generally goes from place to place and meets new people but her best friend is Rosie whom she's known for over a year and has been travelling with her since then and also Max, who is with Rosie but has his own separate travelling business. They decide to leave London and head over to the French Riviera for the summer. Rosie plans everything as she's a planner and Aria and Max and a few others are along for the ride.
Aria lost her husband to cancer three years ago and since then she's shut herself from love mainly because she thinks that she can't feel for anyone else what she felt for her late husband, TJ but when she feels a spark between herself and Jonathan, she's conflicted further because she thinks that she's betraying her late husband's memory. She's relieved a little when she's leaving Jonathan back in London as she's going to travel to French Riviera but when Jonathan pops up in France, she's not sure what to make of it. Aria struggles with her feelings. Would she be able to find her peace?
Besides, you can’t really plan when you’re a nomad.
First of all, I didn't know that this was the second book in the series when I started reading it but that's all right as the first book was not about Aria even though she did appear in that and this kinda works as a stand-alone for the most part. Secondly, the laid-back book cover caught my eye and the blurb sounds nice too.
It started out good at least the first couple of chapters but I have to say that this was quite cring-y right from the beginning. Aria is a thirty-something woman but the way she acted won't tell you that. And there is no story here. Aria, Rosie, and Max travel to French Riviera with some others and meet new Van Lifers there. They attend some fairs and cash-in. They meet Jonathan who turns out to be a famous French writer but Aria didn't know that and she can't understand (I wondered that too) why a famous, rich, and handsome French writer would be interested in her and at the same time, she doesn't want to think about love. I mean this is it. We keep circling about this pretty much the entire book right until the end with a couple of other things thrown in there.
I don't understand why Aria was so against love whilst thinking about love even though her late husband had told her to live her life happily and find love. As I said, this got repetitive. I do have to say that I felt no chemistry between Aria and Jonathan. It is revealed that Aria and Jonathan spent a day reading together some time ago but not much else so the whole thing felt forced to me. It could be because I didn't read the first book but I wasn't a fan of their romance.
Then there's Jonathan's past where his marriage failed with his ex-wife and they were childhood sweethearts. It is made out to be that it was all his ex-wife's fault even though he was equally responsible for that but he took no responsibility. And this infuriated me. He says that his wife didn't understand what he was going through but he didn't even try to tell her and just left her to go live in seclusion and didn't contact her much, he says this. After all this, he expected a better outcome for his marriage. Seriously? Now, I am totally against infidelity but again he was equally responsible for that outcome.
Aria loves books. She lives and breaths books. She sells books. She buys books. I get it. I never thought that I'd say this but the words bookworm, book nerd, book lover, etc. were thrown in there so many times that those felt overkill. And honestly, the use of those words in every paragraph didn't feel organic.
I liked that Aria found her peace and I liked her friendship with Rosie.
This was my first read from Rebecca Raisin and I don't know if I'll give her other books a chance as I was so bored with this one. I tried, I really tried but I couldn't really care for any of the characters. I think this could have benefitted from editing too as I found so many errors in my copy. Even the lazy, idyllic, summer-laden, and beautiful backdrop of the French Riviera wasn't enough for me to love this. And that ending felt abrupt too or maybe it was just me but I was hoping for an epilogue to see how they'd manage the relationship. Overall, a disappointing read.
Isidora Avramov being an Avramov can summon demons as the family's magic surrounds necromancy, demons, the spirit world, and such. She also designs coIsidora Avramov being an Avramov can summon demons as the family's magic surrounds necromancy, demons, the spirit world, and such. She also designs costumes for her family's Arcane Emporium’s haunted house with her cousin. This year's Beltane festival is approaching and Avramovs don't participate in this as the festival is all about growth and light magic but like all the other founding magical families, they have to attend. When the festival is in full swing, the Thorn family member gets hurt. Since the magic is dark that's caused hurt, everyone suspects it is an Avramov family member so one person each from the Thorn family and the Avramov family is selected to work together to find the culprit and hopefully reverse the damage caused. Isidora gets paired with Rowan Thorn, her sworn enemy so obviously she isn't looking forward to working with Rowan. Would they be able to find the culprit and more importantly, would they be able to overcome their differences?
After the lovely if not overly impressive Payback's a Witch, I thought this would follow up to be good if not better but I was so wrong. Wow! this was bad. Like really bad. I started and stopped a hundred times before coming up with a strategy of reading one page at a time and even that was too much. I had to force myself to finish this. The only reason I finished this was to find out the culprit of the curse even though I had guessed that halfway through.
If I thought, Payback's a Witch had a YA feel to it, this was even worse. Isidora was such an immature person, the way she acted one would think, she was fourteen years old. I did not like her character at all. What's even worse and even more juvenile was the reason for her hatred towards Rowan. She hated Rowan for seven years for a very idiotic reason. And it only gets worse.
Their relationship had no time to develop. Isidora and Rowan hadn't interacted with each other for seven years but the first time they interact, all Isidora can think of how hot Rowan is and how she is so turned on. Then they are all over each other and then they don't want to talk about it for another stupid reason. It's 2022, can't writers come up with something different and original than a formula that's been done a gazillion times where they split up towards the end for extra drama rama?
I did not like the romance or any of the main characters. The whole romance was forced and full of cringe. At least, in the first book, I liked Talia and some of the other side characters that were featured. In this book, a couple of those characters make an appearance even those were not good. I can't believe how weak Talia's character was shown here. Linden is Rowan's twin and she wasn't even included for a second here. So much for the twin connection. Emmy was there for a bit but she isn't a character I love or even like. This book also could have benefitted from a dual POV and maybe then I might have enjoyed it a bit more but then again maybe not because I didn't like Rowan as the main character.
But Isidora was worse. She's in a dilemma at the start and she isn't feeling her family connection for another stupid reason and all that could have been solved only if she had talked to her family. But no, she tells the reason to Rowan because she found a real connection there. She wants to do her own business and not work in the family business. That's it. That's the reason, she was just so disconnected from everything. Ridiculous! There was this scene where Isidora is chilly and Rowan doesn't give her his jacket and she gets miffed. I mean, she is a witch self-proclaiming the best there is in the dark arts and she is a woke millennial, independent, and a badass female but this - this she gets mad at. First of all, she's hated the guy for years, and secondly, when you are constantly saying how you are the best at everything and don't need anyone to take care of you, why get annoyed at this stupid thing? As I said, she behaves so poorly and immaturely.
I hate when the writers try to lift someone by putting others down. In this, judging a family based on their ancestors did not work for me and all the straight white men are at fault and blah blah blah. Again, please come up with something substantial and original.
Then there's the mystery. Ugh! after all that built up, this was such a dud and that was the only reason, I had continued reading this. This reminds me of a Hallmark Tv movie and also of The Ex Hex. Did no one else suspect the twist copied from The Ex Hex? Also, some parts reminded me of Harry Potter when Voldemort returns.
At least, the magic system was explained better in the Payback's a Witch, here it made less sense than in the previous book. The writing was not engaging at all. Nothing worked for me in this. I have to say that I won't be continuing with this series.
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections and I love the re-telling versions even better. These are all written by female authors so obviously, I was doubly excited. The original stories are mentioned at the back which was great because I was not familiar with a few of these stories. After reading the collection, I have to say that I was disappointed a lot. I have reviewed each story separately.
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
That was the thing about growing up with magic. Until you left it behind for good, you had no idea how incredible it felt just to be around it.
Emmy HaThat was the thing about growing up with magic. Until you left it behind for good, you had no idea how incredible it felt just to be around it.
Emmy Harlow is returning home to Thistle Grove after many years. She left Thistle Grove as soon as she finished high school and made a life for herself in Chicago and quite likes it. Emmy is a witch. Emmy has returned to be the arbiter at the upcoming witch tournament. There are four magical families in the town - Blackmoores, Avramovs, Thorns, and the Harlows. Whilst the other three get to compete in the tournament, Harlows are the weakest ones and only serve as the arbiters but when she experiences the powers bestowed upon the arbiter, things change.
I might have forged a new life away from Thistle Grove, but this was still the town that grew and made me.
I loved the starting, we dive straight into Emmy's return and how Thistle Grove's magic kinda works, and how the town has spooky vibes. Emmy's reasons for staying away from here are also made clear right at the start and we get to meet scions from all the magical families straightaway as well. It was all great but I have some major issues with the plot.
First of all, it's supposed to be an adult book but pretty much everything reads like YA with sex scenes thrown in there. Now, I love YA but when I am promised an adult book, I expect an adult book, not YA. So this was a letdown.
I liked Emmy in the beginning but after a few chapters, she turned out to be just not interesting. I mean she did leave the town and the magic behind so why come and steal Dahlia's right. Dahlia is Emmy's cousin, if Emmy hadn't returned to be the arbiter for the tournament then Dahlia would have been the arbiter and Dahlia had looked forward to this since she was young, and also because she stayed back, it should have been Dahlia instead of Emmy.
Places from the past are usually much smaller than you remember when you return to them years later, shocked that they'd ever managed to command so much space in your brain at all.
Then there's the stupid reason for Emmy leaving the town and staying away for almost a decade. By the way, this actually sounded a lot like The Ex Hex but the other way round but equally stupid. So, almost nine years or a decade ago, Emmy was with Gareth Blackmoore for one summer and Gareth kept their relationship a secret and broke her heart so she had to get away and for this very stupid reason she stayed away even when she became an adult. If the reason would have been that the Harlows weren't as powerful as the other families and Emmy didn't want to stay in a town where she was weak in the magical department, I would have accepted the reason. Yes, they do mention this too but the main reason was that Gareth broke her heart eons ago and that's why she stayed away from her family and her best friend, and even magic. The magic is actually rooted in the town so if you go away, your magic fades away too. That's why none of the other witches ever leave the town or go far away. Also, I didn't like Emmy's relationship with her parents. She's the only child and she not only leaves her parents, but she also doesn't even invite her parents to Chicago for a visit. Not even once. She was a pretty crappy daughter along with being a crappy friend to Linden Thorn.
Along with this, I hated how Talia and Linden come up with another stupid plan to get back at Gareth because he was dating both of them together and they also rope in Emmy and of course, Emmy also wants to get back at Gareth for the same stupid reason that I just explained. I mean, they are adults so instead of dealing with things like adults, they deal with it like young adults. They spend a lot of time on this too. As I said, it reads like a YA plot.
I also didn't like the romance if I can call it a romance because I did not see any romance. There was also no chemistry between Emmy and Talia. Everything happened so fast between them including that misunderstanding. I couldn't care about that aspect at all.
Now onto the things that I enjoyed. I liked the witch tournaments but I do have to say that they were straight out of Harry Potter. I mean they were copied completely.
I also liked the writing. It flowed and made me read page after page even though I didn't like the main character.
Besides Emmy and her stupid reasons, I did love all the other characters. I loved Talia Avramov the most and I wish we had a dual POV. All the other characters were done really well. I also liked the magical aspect and all the secrets that were revealed.
I guessed what the second book would be about even before reading the blurb about that and I will be reading that. Out of the adult witchy books from 2021, I think this is the best even though this could be better.
Daisy's mum died recently so naturally, she is grieving. Daisy knows that she was adopted and despite tIt's funny how you remember the little details.
Daisy's mum died recently so naturally, she is grieving. Daisy knows that she was adopted and despite this fact, she knows that her mum was the best mum she could have had. In fact, her mum was her best friend.
Daisy has a boyfriend, Toby who is a workaholic but she doesn't mind being with him as Toby has a huge family, and Daisy being the only child loves the idea of a big family. Daisy is especially fond of Toby's mum who also helps Daisy with her grief somewhat.
Daisy works for a plumbing trade publication to pay bills and expenses but her dream is to become a published writer. Daisy doesn't think she can make it as a writer but her mum believed in her. So, Daisy continues writing her book too even though Toby thinks that Daisy's writing career is just a hobby.
Daisy lives with her best friend, Rachel but when Rachel becomes engaged, Daisy has to find a new place to live, and it makes sense for her to start living with Toby. Whilst in the process of moving houses, Daisy comes across a box with a bag and an address on it. After a little research, she finds out that it could be the address of her biological mother. Daisy wants to find her biological mother but also struggles with the fact that she could be betraying her dead mum. What should and what would Daisy do?
I loved the beginning of this as Daisy is grieving for her dead mother and she wants to continue writing if not for herself at least for her mother. When she's announced to be a runner-up in a short-story competition, for the first time, Daisy feels confident that she can make it as a writer. I also loved Daisy's inner conflict with finding her biological mother. She wonders if she's betraying her mum as she never used to speak about the biological mother. She also wonders that if she does find out the biological mother, would she actually want anything to do with Daisy. What if she's already dead? I mean this was all so realistic and the best part of the story. There was also a sub-plot with the side characters which was not bad.
What I didn't like was Daisy booking a glamping trip for Toby and herself when she knows that Toby isn't outdoorsy and that too for his birthday week. I mean as much as I love nature, I do not like camping. I think glamping is tolerable if there's no other option but if someone booked that for my birthday surprise, I won't be happy, in fact, I may turn around and leave them stranded there. So, I don't think Toby should be crucified for this. I mean I don't like the guy but this was unfair.
I also didn't like how Daisy was a complete hypocrite. She had an ulterior motive to book that glamping trip and she doesn't think it is wrong at all. Then she also kisses another guy whilst she's in a relationship with Toby. I know, Toby was even worse but Daisy is a hypocrite all the same. I didn't like the new love interest either as he was so rude the first time he comes into the picture. I hate people being rude to others for no reason.
The last thing that I didn't like was how it was dragged towards the end even though it is not a long book. Also, the blurb lies - it is so not a laugh-out-loud new novel.
Having said all this, I still enjoyed this read. Yes, it was predictable but it was not too heavy on romance which worked in a weird way. It is a quick and short read which I was glad about. This was my first read from Catherine Ferguson and I'd be reading more from her.
And you, Judge Dee, were denied the one thing you crave—justice.
‘All vampires are murderers, though, master.’ ‘He took joy in it, Jonathan.’ Joy was a sAnd you, Judge Dee, were denied the one thing you crave—justice.
‘All vampires are murderers, though, master.’ ‘He took joy in it, Jonathan.’ Joy was a sticking point with the judge. Jonathan was fairly certain the judge didn’t approve of joy.
Judge Dee and Jonathan are back and this time they are in Paris. Judge Dee decides to stay in Paris a little longer than was necessary and he enjoys street plays. Jonathan doesn't understand this as the Judge always moves on after solving a case but he enjoys his time in Paris anyway as there's a lot of food to eat and Jonathan can't get enough cheese especially Gruyère.
‘A bit of culture would do you good, Jonathan,’ the judge said, and he donned his cape.
He knew when vampires were about to start killing each other, and it was always best to stay away, ideally behind something heavy.
When Judge Dee gets invited to a dinner party by the local resident, Lady Aurore, he and Jonathan accept the invitation and Jonathan goes out with flair after all he wants to catch Lady Aurore's human helper's attention. But things take a turn when four vampires explode at the party and there's more than one suspect and the suspects' list includes Judge Dee.
‘What odd notions you have sometimes, Jonathan,’ he said.
‘This is my business. I assist Judge Dee,’ Jonathan said. Which wasn’t, he had to admit, strictly true. He never really knew just why the judge kept him around.
But Judge Dee stared her down, with those cold, deep eyes that had seen every sort of evil the world had to show.
A murder mystery that includes vampires. What's not to love? Also, I look forward to Judge Dee and Jonathan's travels with great enthusiasm. I do have to say that I unlocked the mystery and motive straight away but I found it entertaining nevertheless. I obviously can't wait for the next adventure in the series.
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