The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

I received this book in a recent OwlCrate and absolutely knew I had to get to it sooner rather than later. I think this is technically billed as a "historical fantasy horror," and even though I'm not usually into historical stories, the one time I really do love them is when there's horror involved.

In The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones, the dead don't stay dead for long. Gravedigger Ryn and cartographer Ellis must team up in order to save Ryn's town from the corpses that have risen from the dead, also known as bone houses. The two trek through the forest trying to find and destroy the magical cauldron that allows the dead to rise.

I loved that Ryn and Ellis were a gravedigger and a cartographer. I feel like there are never any main characters in reads with these professions so it was a nice unique touch. I really appreciated how the romance in this story was not the primary focus, rather a nice addition to an already exciting plot. I also really enjoyed the other side plots, like Ryn's family trying to save their home from their nefarious landlord, and Ellis trying to find his family. 

I got a lot of quest vibes from this story, since they were traveling to find and destroy a cauldron and encountered all sorts of trouble and terrors along the way, so if you love those type of adventure stories, this one would be right up your alley. I didn't get quite as much horror as I was hoping for, which is why I ended up knocking off a star.

But to be honest, my absolute favorite part of this book was the bone goat. You have to read the story to really understand what I mean by that, but I promise you, the bone goat is worth it.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

If you haven't yet read Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, where have you been? I absolutely adored this read when it came out last year so I was really excited to get my hands on an ARC of the next book in the series, Girls of Storm and Shadow. This series is a YA fantasy full of Malaysian influences and great LGBTQ+ representation.

Since this one is a sequel, I can't give too much away in a synopsis. In this world, there are three castes, including humans (paper), demon/human hybrids (steel), and pure demon (moon). The paper caste is the lowliest of them all, and they are frequently mistreated by the castes above them. Something HUGE went down at the end of the first book and the main character Lei is having to deal with the repercussions of that event throughout this second installment. Feel free to check out my review of the first book to get a little more detail on the back story of this world. 

Unfortunately this book just didn't live up to the first one for me, which was a shame since this was one of my most anticipated books of 2019. I felt like not much happened and I didn't like the direction some of the characters started to take. I did like the inclusion of some new characters here, especially Nitta, Bo, and Merrin. The ending of this one was not nearly as gripping as the first book either. It was still good, don't get me wrong. I love this world and Lei's character. But it didn't suck me in like Girls of Paper and Fire did.

There is still one more book to come in this trilogy and even though I didn't love this book as much, I still plan to pick up the third to see how everything plays out. 

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Little Brown/Jimmy Patterson Books for an arc of this thrilling fantasy! Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan just released last week!

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I got this book in an Uppercase box a long time ago, and it arrived right when I was in my "I hate fantasy" phase. I read around 20 pages and put it down, assuming I would never pick it up again. Well, now that I've started appreciating fantasy again, I decided to give An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson another try.

Isobel is a portrait artist, and painting is her craft. She protects her family through earning wards and spells by painting portraits for the fair folk. When one day, the faerie prince of the Autumn Court, Rook, appears at her home to be painted, Isobel is beside herself. 

The more time she spends with Rook, the more enraptured she becomes. She paints him as she truly sees him, with a sorrow in his eyes - a human flaw that Rook is furious to discover. Set on making Isobel pay for what she has done, Rook steals her away to face trial for the crime she has committed. 

I think the best word to describe this story is simple, and I don't mean that in a bad way at all. So many fantasy stories are drawn out, elaborate, and confusing, with many tiny elements and details to remember. These types of fantasy stories overwhelm me, and are the reason why I take frequent breaks from reading fantasy. This one was easy. It flowed well and was easy to comprehend. It's a standalone, so you don't have to worry about getting wrapped up in an extensive series. 

The writing was beautifully descriptive. Rook was enigmatic and brooding. Isobel was strong and family oriented. The plot made sense, was engaging, and I was definitely satisfied with the ending. There were magic forests and terrifying creatures, both of which I love! It was a quick read, and the perfect story to read and be engaged by, then put down and move on. Now I definitely want to pick up Margaret Rogerson's newest book, A Sorcery of Thorns!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

I have been on a ROLL with 5 star reads lately and I am not complaining one bit! After reading House of Salt and Sorrows, I felt like I immediately needed to jump into another sea-themed read so I grabbed my ARC of Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford. I honestly had no idea this would be another hit for me, but it absolutely was.

Nor and Zadie are twins. Raised in the ocean village of Varenia, the girls have been prepped their whole lives for the choosing ceremony, where the most beautiful girl will be selected to go to the mainland and wed the prince. Since Nor has a tiny scar, she has already counted herself out of the running, assuming her twin Zadie will be selected, even though she wants nothing more than to venture to the mainland. When Zadie is in fact selected, but is subsequently injured putting her beauty in jeopardy, Nor volunteers to go in her place. But things on the mainland aren't what Nor believed, and the more she learns, the more she becomes determined to risk her life to save her people.

This book was just so engaging and interesting, I couldn't put it down. I loved Nor and Zadie's relationship, and related to the constant scrutiny from their mother. There was action, politics, family drama, and forbidden love...all the ingredients for a great story. I really liked the concept of the pink pearls and blood coral, although when you think about it this world is kind of terrifying! 

I was also really happy with the ending of this read. It appears that the book was sold as a standalone, but Goodreads is now showing a second book in the series, Kingdom of Sea and Stone, set to come out in 2020! I could see how the ending was meant for a standalone read with the option for a second book. I was satisfied but still left wanting more, and if that sequel does become a reality, I will definitely be picking it up!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I received an ARC of this read at the ALA Annual Conference. Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Ruthorford is out now, so be sure to pick up a copy!

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

When I first heard about this book, I wrote it off as not being my thing. I'll be honest, I don't read a ton of fantasy. I like books I can read quickly, and I've found that a lot of fantasy is too heavy and takes a long time to get through. I don't typically like historical fiction either. But I heard some really great things about this book so I decided to give it a try. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is basically National Treasure, set in France, plus magic.

It's nearing the turn of the century, and Severin is hungry. He's hungry for the House he has been stripped of, and will stop at nothing to earn his deserved title of heir to House Vanth. He, along with his friends Tristan, Enrique, Laila, and Zofia, perform countless heists in the hopes of setting Severin back in his rightful place. But one heist goes badly wrong, and now Severin finds himself locked in a deal with the patriarch of House Nyx, the flashy Hypnos, in order to save his friends. 

I really enjoyed this read! There were heists and treasure, codes and riddles. I loved the different points of view of Severin and the other members of his team. It had great minority representation that was done extremely well. I really enjoyed the comic relief that Hypnos provided. I also was a fan of the fact that the romances in this book were not at all the main story line, and that there was some really good and varied representation.

I REALLY appreciated that this story actually wrapped things up! Yes, this appears to be the first in a trilogy, but so often books end with a major event and they're over. No discussing how it impacted the characters, or the events following. This one actually provided what I felt was a fully developed ending, showing how each character was impacted and behaved as time progressed. I understand the importance of a cliffhanger to keep a reader hooked on a series, but this is proof that you don't have to have one to keep a reader's interest. I can't wait for book two!

But as much as I liked all of those things, something still felt...off maybe? There were some parts I had to drag through that I felt lacked depth and detail. Things didn't always tie together well. I really can't put my finger more specifically what was lacking or what felt wrong, but I just couldn't bring myself to give this a full five stars.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

This is definitely a read where the beauty of the writing inside is worthy of the beauty of the cover outside. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan is a gorgeously written fantasy steeped in Malaysian influence. 

This story follows Lei, a member of the Paper caste, the lowest caste in the kingdom. When royal guards come to take her away from her small village to become a Paper Girl, she is completely distraught. Paper Girls are the carefully selected courtesans of the Demon King himself, a man Lei deems responsible for her mother being taken away 10 years ago. The plot is all about Lei refusing to simply accept what has happened to her and her family and rebelling against what is expected of her, and maybe even finding love along the way in the most unexpected of places. 

I absolutely adored this read! I didn't really get into it for a few chapters, but once I did I was completely hooked! Ngan's writing is beautiful and completely envelops you in the culture of Ikhara. I loved all the characters, especially Lei, as they all responded to their fate differently. I loved the LGBTQ+ and Asian representation in this story. I loved the female empowerment and overall theme of girls taking their fate in their own hands. I do want to put a trigger warning on it for sexual abuse and violence, as this can get pretty heavy at times. There is also a pretty disturbing pet death. 

I am so excited that this is going to be a trilogy and am already desperate for more after that ending. This read has action, romance, intrigue, and so much more. I can't go into too much more detail without spoiling things, but I will just say that you definitely need to give this one a read! 

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Little Brown/Jimmy Patterson Books for an advanced copy of this beautiful read. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan is out TOMORROW, November 6th, so be sure to pick up a copy!

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I got this book in an OwlCrate months ago and was just never drawn to it. I decided to try it out this month since I heard it had some spooky vibes, and I'm sure glad I did! The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert follows teenager Alice, who moves all over with her mom Ella trying to stay away from bad luck. Alice's grandmother is the author of the famous Tales from the Hinterland, a fantasy novel with a cult following, and when Alice and her mother receive the news of the grandmother's death, they believe that the bad luck is finally over. 

That is, until Alice's mother is taken by someone who claims to come from The Hinterland. Now Alice must come face to face with her grandmother's stories, stories which she has been shielded from her whole life, and head to her reclusive grandmother's estate, The Hazel Wood, in the hopes of saving her mother.

This story really was unlike anything I've ever read! It had magical realism, fantasy, thriller, mystery, and contemporary elements all wrapped up into one story. It had some of the Hinterland fairy tales themselves interspersed throughout, which I especially enjoyed. While I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, the plot and side characters were more than enough for me to fall in love with this book. It was fast-paced and exciting. It was twisted and creepy with all kinds of dark Alice in Wonderland vibes. And it definitely left me wanting more.

After doing some research, this appears to be the first in a duology, and we might even get a Tales from the Hinterland storybook as well! I need those fairy tales! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for those, as I'm not at all ready to give up this world yet.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Magical Readathon: OWLs Exams

I've been looking for a good readathon to participate in, and when I saw someone share this one I knew it would be the perfect one to do. This is hosted by Book Roast over on YouTube, so if you want more information be sure to check out the video below.

Basically, the goal of this readathon is to pass your OWLs just like the students at Hogwarts. There are 12 different subjects to choose from, but to pass your OWLs as acceptable you only need to successfully complete 2 subjects. If you want to overachieve, like Hermione, you can pass 3 to exceed expectations or 5 to pass as outstanding.

The OWLs Exams readathon takes place from April 2 to April 29.

I didn't want to disrupt my TBR too much with this readathon, but I knew I could easily squeeze a few of these in (and still pass higher than acceptable!) with books that were already on my radar. I may try to attempt more if I'm having a good reading month, but I wanted to start with just a few. Here are the subjects I've chosen to sit my OWLs for, and the books I will be reading for them:

• Astronomy (a science fiction book): Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

• Charms (a fantasy book): The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

• Herbology (a book with a nature-related word in the title): The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith

Here's to passing my OWLs with an exceeds expectations rating! Have you participated in readathons before? Which was your favorite?

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

No cutesy introduction is needed for this post because this book was FIRE (and just hit #1 on the NYT bestseller list). I heard so much buzz before it was released that I knew I had to go out and pick up a copy on release day. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi takes West African mythology and creates a world full of both beauty and danger, in which its main characters have to fight for their rights and take back the magic that was given to them by the gods but destroyed by the king. Three main characters tell this story through their own unique points of view: Zélie, the daughter of a maji killed for her magic, who is now fighting to get it back; Princess Amari, daughter of the king who did that killing, who has a death of her own to avenge; and Prince Inan, Amari's brother who is struggling to reconcile his upbringing with the new information he learns throughout the story. 

From the world building to the character development, this book was phenomenal. For a high fantasy it was incredibly easy to follow and understand. Many scenes (including the boat arena battle) had me on the edge of my seat. For a 500+ page book I flew through this in record time. I absolutely loved the world of Orïsha and its characters. I truly think Inan was my favorite. His character went through the most as far as development goes, and his inner struggle to reconcile the beliefs he was raised with against what he has learned on his own is something I think a lot of people can relate to. I loved Zélie and Amari equally and I think choosing between the two would be like having to choose your favorite child...impossible.

I was fortunate enough to meet Tomi and hear her speak this past weekend, and she talked a lot about how this book was personal for her. She said that while she wrote Children of Blood and Bone as a response and coping mechanism for everything going on regarding police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, the book itself isn't meant to be preachy. Tomi was clear that her first intention is to entertain and tell a good story, but that if people choose to look into it further, they will see parallels to everything happening in society today. She wants people to see through her story that what makes them different also makes them beautiful, and described it as "Black Panther," but with magic. Through this work she wanted to give black girls their own fantasy characters to embrace, and give them something where they could see themselves depicted as beautiful and strong.

I fell into this story and the world of Orïsha head first. I am completely invested in this world and its characters, and I have no desire to climb out of this fantastic story any time soon. I can't wait to see what the next book in the series will bring!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

NoVa TEEN Book Festival 2018 Recap

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to go to the NoVa TEEN Book Festival in Arlington, VA. This was a free event full of panels, breakout sessions, signings, and more. This was my first major event since joining the book community, so I was obviously nervous, but it ended up being a fantastic day!

Dhonielle and Tomi

The first panel, 24K Magic, featured Tomi Adeyemi, Susan Dennard, A.C. Gaughen, and Audrey Coulthurst. While I did DNF Truthwitch, Susan Dennard is an absolute doll! She is so cute and nerdy and precious. Tomi Adeyemi is a goddess. She has the most amazing personality and I loved getting to hear how she (and all these other amazing authors) got the inspiration for the magic systems in their books. Next up came The Power, a panel highlighting both super powers and empowerment, featuring Dhonielle Clayton, Jennifer Mathieu, Shaun David Hutchinson, and Sam Miller. Dhonielle made some really powerful comments about beauty standards, and they all made sure to highlight that with great power comes great responsibility. The third panel of the day was a conversation between Tomi Adeyemi and Dhonielle Clayton. These ladies are so amazing on their own, but hearing them together was inspiring. 

Go the Distance Panel

After a lunch break, the fourth panel centered around family, and included Atia Abawi, Brigid Kemmerer, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Eric Smith. Some of the questions were pretty hard-hitting, and the authors revealed a lot of personal struggles they've had with their own families that led them to develop specific familial relationships for their characters. The fifth panel was all about royals, so this one was right up my alley. Alexandra Christo, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Linsey Miller, and Jodi Meadows all discussed their characters, the political systems in their books, and even had to choose which Disney hero/villain/sidekick their main characters would be! Next came Go The Distance, a panel about obstacles, which featured Rachel Hartman, Arvin Ahmadi, Meagan Spooner, and Scott Reintgen. Whether physical or emotional, all their characters faced some major obstacles, and more than one of these authors admitted to being extra mean to their characters in this aspect a few times throughout their stories.

Thriller Panel

I ended up going to a breakout session instead of the seventh panel, and I picked the Q&A session with Dhonielle Clayton and Eric Smith. I've followed Eric on Twitter for a while now so I wanted to get some more time around him, and obviously Dhonielle has a personality that you just gravitate towards! I returned to the main room for the Thriller panel, featuring Karen McManus, Dana Mele, Megan Miranda, K. Ancrum, and Kimberly Reid. I love thrillers so I really enjoyed hearing these ladies talk about the research that went into their books (including having to be careful what they look up on Google!) and their writing processes to determine whodunit. I was fortunate enough to meet Karen and Megan at a local event earlier in the week, so I enjoyed getting to see them again in conversation with a few other authors. 

Finally was the keynote by Anna-Marie McLemore. This girl is fire! Her speech was about not only the doors that have been slammed in her face due to being queer and Latinx, but also how she overcame them, and how we can all overcome obstacles if we choose to write our own stories rather than letting others write them for us.

Keynote by Anna-Marie McLemore

After all the panels and sessions were over came the signing. You got to enter based on what time you arrived at the event, so if you had been there since the beginning you got to enter the signing room first, and so on. This surprisingly wasn't as chaotic as I was anticipating! Each guest could bring up to 3 books from home, then buy any additional books they wanted signed at the event. I preordered mine, which was an easy process! During the signing I got to meet Tomi Adeyemi, Alexandra Christo, Jennifer Mathieu, Dhonielle Clayton, Meagan Spooner, Anna-Marie McLemore, Dana Mele, and Sarah Nicole Lemon. They were all just the sweetest human beings ever. I also got to spend some time during the day with Sam from Thoughts on Tomes, and she gave me some great advice on being new in the community and connecting with other creators. 

Overall this was a really fun day! I'm going to another big event in about 2 weeks so I'll be sure to do a recap of that as well. Can't wait to go to this again next year!

September 2017 Wrap Up

So September was a very good book month! I read a good mix of both older and new/upcoming books, totaling 7 books for the month of September. Here are my reads and how I rated them!

• Gold Dust Woman by Steven Davis 5/5
• We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards 4/5
• Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips 3/5
• Alone by Cyn Balog 4/5
• Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano 4/5
• There Are No Vampires in This Book by Megan Bailey 4/5
• Diary of a Haunting: Book of Shadows by M. Verano 3/5

Reviews for all of these books have already been completed and posted, so be sure to check them out if you're interested in more detail!

September 2017 TBR

I can't believe it's September already! Where has the year gone?! I have to say, I'm so happy that fall is here! I love everything about the fall: the cooler temps, the festivals, the holidays, and pumpkin everything! Plus this fall, I'm getting married! Only 33 days left until the big day and I'm SO excited! Hopefully with all the last minute tasks, I can still get a lot of reading done this month. Here's my somewhat ambitious TBR list for September:

• Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips
• Gold Dust Woman by Stephen Davis
• Girl Logic by Iliza Shlesinger
• The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan
• Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker
• The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Fingers crossed I get to all these exciting reads this month!

Unpopular Opinion: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (Witchlands #1)

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

When it comes to hyped/popular books, I usually agree with the mainstream. I loved hyped books like Cinder, Fangirl, and Throne of Glass. But when it came to this book, I have to say I disagree with the majority of the views out there, so it's time for my first post in (what is hopefully a short) series on unpopular opinions.

Truthwitch, and its sequel Windwitch, by Susan Dennard have been hyped all over the internet, Booktube included. So when I saw that it was an action-packed fantasy novel with a badass female character, I knew I needed to hop on this train. But unfortunately, I couldn't even finish this book. 

It was just too confusing! There were so many new concepts and terms to understand and they weren't explained well at all. From the very beginning it was throwing around terms about the witches and different nationalities and where people are from and I couldn't follow it. For example, it right away mentions a "Threadsister" and "Threadwitch" that can see "threads" in other people, but it never really said what threads are! Emotions, life forces, thoughts, what?? You had to try to piece together what she was seeing to really understand the concept, rather than getting a clear explanation. Another example is that it kept mentioning that Iz a Nomatsis and she was basically in exile, but again it didn't explain why, just that she was. 

I had to work so hard to try to figure out what was going on, this book gave me a headache. I was too confused to actually enjoy the plot and really follow the storyline, which I very may well have enjoyed if some of the background information had been explained better at the beginning. Even though this is the first book in a series, it felt like I was jumping into the middle of a series without any explanation of what was going on. I am giving this book two stars since the concept is pretty unique, and like I said I can see liking it if it was clearer, but I couldn't even complete the book.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 stars