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Louise (64 KP) rated Anna and the French Kiss in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I was pretty late on this band wagon, so late that I almost missed it. I found the delights of booktube this year!( I have been hiding under a rock!) and whenever some one mentioned a book to re read or one that gets you out of slumps etcetera etcetera, This was the one that popped up most of the time or Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.
I really loved this book, I probably could have read it in one sitting but the fact I had to go to work the next morning made me put it down (I was late for work). I was reading this well into the night as I was unable to put it down, I needed to read more and find out what happened without having a break, to say I was fully invested was an understatement.
Anna is enrolled to go to a College/school in Paris for Americans, she totally doesn't want to be there, but because her dad is a high regarded author in the book world, he wants his daughter to reap the benefits or in Anna's terms... to show off. Being in a foreign country is daunting when there are no familiar people around you and the fact that you have no understanding of the language - Luckily Anna befriends a group of people very quickly, they take her under their wing and help Anna with her French and her way around the city. Among the group is Etienne St Clair, one of the hottest guys at the school - there is an instant mutual attraction, however there is a problem.....HIS GIRLFRIEND!
Anna is a great female protagonist, she starts off naive, shy and comes across as a bit whiney but the great thing as the story goes on you see her develop and act more grown up. I felt sorry for her being forced to school in Paris where she is all alone, when all she wants to do is be at home in Atlanta with her Mum, Seany (brother), Bridgette(best friend) and Toph (Potential love interest).
Etienne St Clair! Well what can I say? He was a complicated character he had so much emotional baggage. He is the heart-throb of the school, everyone wants to be hanging off his arm and there is a lot of bitchiness towards Anna as people notice their closeness. He has this certain aura about him, he has amazing hair, teeth, skin, dresses like a Parisian and not too tall (for some reason this was mentioned a lot) He has a British accent but lives in America and his father is french! He is swoon worthy in short, he blushes, he gets anxious and he isn't a complete douche-bag. He is mature for his age. However his family life is complicated, he's got a girlfriend but he wants Anna.
This book is cute, sweet , fluffy and all the adjectives. The fact that it is set in the City of Love also makes it more romantic. I totally recommend this book if you are a fan of Romance and YA. It is definitely a book you can reread, the writing is so easy to follow and a fast read.
I will be continuing with the trilogy.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
I really loved this book, I probably could have read it in one sitting but the fact I had to go to work the next morning made me put it down (I was late for work). I was reading this well into the night as I was unable to put it down, I needed to read more and find out what happened without having a break, to say I was fully invested was an understatement.
Anna is enrolled to go to a College/school in Paris for Americans, she totally doesn't want to be there, but because her dad is a high regarded author in the book world, he wants his daughter to reap the benefits or in Anna's terms... to show off. Being in a foreign country is daunting when there are no familiar people around you and the fact that you have no understanding of the language - Luckily Anna befriends a group of people very quickly, they take her under their wing and help Anna with her French and her way around the city. Among the group is Etienne St Clair, one of the hottest guys at the school - there is an instant mutual attraction, however there is a problem.....HIS GIRLFRIEND!
Anna is a great female protagonist, she starts off naive, shy and comes across as a bit whiney but the great thing as the story goes on you see her develop and act more grown up. I felt sorry for her being forced to school in Paris where she is all alone, when all she wants to do is be at home in Atlanta with her Mum, Seany (brother), Bridgette(best friend) and Toph (Potential love interest).
Etienne St Clair! Well what can I say? He was a complicated character he had so much emotional baggage. He is the heart-throb of the school, everyone wants to be hanging off his arm and there is a lot of bitchiness towards Anna as people notice their closeness. He has this certain aura about him, he has amazing hair, teeth, skin, dresses like a Parisian and not too tall (for some reason this was mentioned a lot) He has a British accent but lives in America and his father is french! He is swoon worthy in short, he blushes, he gets anxious and he isn't a complete douche-bag. He is mature for his age. However his family life is complicated, he's got a girlfriend but he wants Anna.
This book is cute, sweet , fluffy and all the adjectives. The fact that it is set in the City of Love also makes it more romantic. I totally recommend this book if you are a fan of Romance and YA. It is definitely a book you can reread, the writing is so easy to follow and a fast read.
I will be continuing with the trilogy.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Dragonslayer (Twitterlight #1) in Books
Sep 25, 2018
creeps up on ya, but so bloody good!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Adam, a student, is pulled into a world, a fight, he knows nothing about. A fight involving a sword and a dragon and hero that it seems he is! Faced with four armed beasts, flying lizards, magic and sorcery, fur sprouting lovers, and many more challenging things, Adam must kill the dragon, and return home, or die trying.
I don't know about you, but I read a lot, a LOT, a lot. And much of that reading is within the same genres and I'm happy to be doing all that reading, don't get me wrong. It's just much of the same. And I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I'm fairly certain I saw the word dragon in the blurb and that did it for me.
This book, right here?? Totally way out of my comfort zone, and it is high fantasy at its very best! I freaking LOVED this book, bar one teeny tiny thing, but I'll come back to that. So bloody good!
Adam is pulled into the twitterlight world, where there is no sun, nor moon, and the world is bathed in this half light. A princess, a warrior, and a child cast out from his people find Adam, and immediately bring him into their quest. And Adam is like " oh, ok, lets get to it then!" He literally just jumps straight in and I loved that he did not question much in the beginning; more so, once he realised that HE was the one meant to kill the dragon, but still, he was mostly " yeah ok!"
Duin, the child cast out from his people but a child no more, creeps into Adam heart, much as he does his bed, and I loved that, while fully aware that such things are not the norm in this twitterlight world, Duin can't keep away from Adam.
I LOVED the twist at the end, I really did not see that one coming!
Which brings me to why I knocked a whole star off, even though I loved this book.
Single
Person
Point
Of
View.
Only Adam gets a voice! And I wanted, no I desperately NEEDED to hear from Duin, I really did! There were to many to mention points along the way that Duin needed to be heard and he wasn't. And that really pissed me off, even though I did LOVE this book! Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a bloody great book, even without Duin's voice, but I WANTED his voice, you know?? It would really have made this a stand out of the year book, for me!
It's billed as Twitterlight book one, but I can't see anything pertaining to future books. I don't know if they will be about Adam and Duin future adventures, or if they will be about other people we have met here. I don't care, I want to read them. This is the first I've read of Matthew Lang, and he is firmly in my crosshairs.
So, ONLY because Duin doesn't get a say
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Adam, a student, is pulled into a world, a fight, he knows nothing about. A fight involving a sword and a dragon and hero that it seems he is! Faced with four armed beasts, flying lizards, magic and sorcery, fur sprouting lovers, and many more challenging things, Adam must kill the dragon, and return home, or die trying.
I don't know about you, but I read a lot, a LOT, a lot. And much of that reading is within the same genres and I'm happy to be doing all that reading, don't get me wrong. It's just much of the same. And I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I'm fairly certain I saw the word dragon in the blurb and that did it for me.
This book, right here?? Totally way out of my comfort zone, and it is high fantasy at its very best! I freaking LOVED this book, bar one teeny tiny thing, but I'll come back to that. So bloody good!
Adam is pulled into the twitterlight world, where there is no sun, nor moon, and the world is bathed in this half light. A princess, a warrior, and a child cast out from his people find Adam, and immediately bring him into their quest. And Adam is like " oh, ok, lets get to it then!" He literally just jumps straight in and I loved that he did not question much in the beginning; more so, once he realised that HE was the one meant to kill the dragon, but still, he was mostly " yeah ok!"
Duin, the child cast out from his people but a child no more, creeps into Adam heart, much as he does his bed, and I loved that, while fully aware that such things are not the norm in this twitterlight world, Duin can't keep away from Adam.
I LOVED the twist at the end, I really did not see that one coming!
Which brings me to why I knocked a whole star off, even though I loved this book.
Single
Person
Point
Of
View.
Only Adam gets a voice! And I wanted, no I desperately NEEDED to hear from Duin, I really did! There were to many to mention points along the way that Duin needed to be heard and he wasn't. And that really pissed me off, even though I did LOVE this book! Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a bloody great book, even without Duin's voice, but I WANTED his voice, you know?? It would really have made this a stand out of the year book, for me!
It's billed as Twitterlight book one, but I can't see anything pertaining to future books. I don't know if they will be about Adam and Duin future adventures, or if they will be about other people we have met here. I don't care, I want to read them. This is the first I've read of Matthew Lang, and he is firmly in my crosshairs.
So, ONLY because Duin doesn't get a say
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Nothing Serious in Books
Jul 15, 2019
really kinda cute!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted the AUDIO file of this book.
Mark finally admits to himself and his partner of 9 years, that he is gay. While Rachel is devastated, she knows things have not been right between them for a long time. Mark moving out of their home seems the best thing to do, but they will remain friends. On moving day, Jamie shows up with his brother, and Mark feels an immediate attraction to the younger man. When Jamie drops a box contains some. . .personal items, Mark is mortified but Jamie finds the blush on Mark’s face adorable, and all kinds of sexy. But neither man is looking for anything serious right now, so they can just help each other out, right?
This book, right here, landed in my queue just when I needed it to, cos its far too stinking cute for its own good!
It’s a wonderfully well written tale of a newly out of the closet man, finding himself and all about his sexuality, with a willing young man who wants to help. Jamie finds Mark attractive, but he doesn’t want anything serious, last time he ran away when *serious* was talked about, so helping Mark explore all the joys of sex with a man, seems a good way to get close to Mark, while keeping his distance.
Mark has an immediate attraction to Jamie, and when Jamie suggests a friends with benefits type arrangement, Mark is keen to get to know Jamie.
What neither man expected, or wanted, was their emotions to get involved, and when they both realise this is what was happening, Mark and Jamie struggle with ways to talk to each other about it!
It’s not overly explicit, but it is all kinds of sexy! There is no real drama, save the guys finally admitting to themselves, at least, what they feel for each other.
It really is one of those books you just fall into and lose a few hours. It’s only short, some 154 pages, but it packs a hefty punch of cuteness! I listened to this, it’s just over 4 hours.
Michael Pauley narrates.
I have, in the past, found Pauley a bit hit and miss, for me, personally. Here, however, he really nails it!
Pauley’s voices for Mark and Jamie are different enough to be easily identifiable when they are talking, for all the characters, actually. His reading voice is clear and even, and I had no trouble keeping up. There were no dips in the sound to put me off, which has happened with Pauley before. It’s just where he lowers his voice, for thinking or musing, really but here, there is no dipping.
I loved how Pauley gets all the things running around in Mark and Jamie’s heads across, you genuinely sort of fall in love with them, as they fall in love with each other!
I’ve shelved it on my *kinda creeps up on ya* shelf, simply because, that’s what happens!
Love creeps up on Mark and Jamie and it was a pleasure listening to that happen.
4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 stars overall.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Mark finally admits to himself and his partner of 9 years, that he is gay. While Rachel is devastated, she knows things have not been right between them for a long time. Mark moving out of their home seems the best thing to do, but they will remain friends. On moving day, Jamie shows up with his brother, and Mark feels an immediate attraction to the younger man. When Jamie drops a box contains some. . .personal items, Mark is mortified but Jamie finds the blush on Mark’s face adorable, and all kinds of sexy. But neither man is looking for anything serious right now, so they can just help each other out, right?
This book, right here, landed in my queue just when I needed it to, cos its far too stinking cute for its own good!
It’s a wonderfully well written tale of a newly out of the closet man, finding himself and all about his sexuality, with a willing young man who wants to help. Jamie finds Mark attractive, but he doesn’t want anything serious, last time he ran away when *serious* was talked about, so helping Mark explore all the joys of sex with a man, seems a good way to get close to Mark, while keeping his distance.
Mark has an immediate attraction to Jamie, and when Jamie suggests a friends with benefits type arrangement, Mark is keen to get to know Jamie.
What neither man expected, or wanted, was their emotions to get involved, and when they both realise this is what was happening, Mark and Jamie struggle with ways to talk to each other about it!
It’s not overly explicit, but it is all kinds of sexy! There is no real drama, save the guys finally admitting to themselves, at least, what they feel for each other.
It really is one of those books you just fall into and lose a few hours. It’s only short, some 154 pages, but it packs a hefty punch of cuteness! I listened to this, it’s just over 4 hours.
Michael Pauley narrates.
I have, in the past, found Pauley a bit hit and miss, for me, personally. Here, however, he really nails it!
Pauley’s voices for Mark and Jamie are different enough to be easily identifiable when they are talking, for all the characters, actually. His reading voice is clear and even, and I had no trouble keeping up. There were no dips in the sound to put me off, which has happened with Pauley before. It’s just where he lowers his voice, for thinking or musing, really but here, there is no dipping.
I loved how Pauley gets all the things running around in Mark and Jamie’s heads across, you genuinely sort of fall in love with them, as they fall in love with each other!
I’ve shelved it on my *kinda creeps up on ya* shelf, simply because, that’s what happens!
Love creeps up on Mark and Jamie and it was a pleasure listening to that happen.
4 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
4.5 stars overall.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated MARY: The Summoning (Bloody Mary, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
I don't know the precise reason why I actually requested The Summoning in the first place. I do know that I must have been really intrigued by the idea of a retelling of Bloody Mary and maybe just wanted a break from the influx of YA books that have some type of romance running about. Or, I just wanted to measure Hillary Monahan's debut novel with a scare-a-meter.
The first in the Bloody Mary series follows Shauna O'Brien, who decides to join with her 3 friends, Jess, Anna and Kitty to summon Bloody Mary, a legend that has been around since the 1960s with rumors that the person is someone who died near the end of the Civil War by the name of Mary Worth. As a result of summoning Bloody Mary, the spirit manages to go free from its rightful place within the boundaries of a mirror and begins to haunt the 4 girls, Shauna being her main victim.
Possibly what Mary so scary is the very fact she pops out everywhere almost and locks doors/windows. As the author so puts it in a sentence...
<blockquote>Mary was appearing without a summoning, manipulating objects, haunting glass, and skipping from surface to surface.</blockquote>
I did have a problem with Mary's abilities though. While it certainly puts a wow to the scare factor, Mary seems a little... too powerful. Reflective object manipulation? That's almost everything if you ask me. Computer/Tablet screens, washers/dryers, refrigerators, windows, doorknobs, lambs, flash drives, scissors, transportation, sinks, etc. So not only does the haunted have to live in isolation to protect everyone they love, but s/he have to live smelling like poo and crap for the rest of their lives because they can't take a decent shower?
<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nfP1y5PZpOs/U49rNV8em4I/AAAAAAAADZo/XHTD2iwNTxs/s1600/giphy.gif"; border="0">
Somehow, I don't think Mary qualifies as a ghost now. More like a demon in my humble opinion. While that may scare readers at first, eventually some will catch on and Mary won't be as scary.
The Summoning is basically the ultimate friendship test for the main characters – Jess, Anna, Kitty and Shauna have been best friends for quite awhile, so when Shauna begins to see Mary everywhere, they have to try to work together to get rid of the ghost. <spoiler>Apparently this test failed, because Anna gets taken. Once you're gone, you're technically gone. It's not like doing anything would have brought Anna back. Although I did like her, so it was actually sad to see her get taken through the mirror by a ghost.</spoiler>
So the ultimate question from the beginning: how well can Hillary Monahan scare me? Quite well, but I managed to sleep very well. While I'll certainly applaud on what a chilling twist on an urban legend The Summoning was, Mary needs to be toned down a bit to make her more believable.
----------------
Advanced Review copy provided by Disney Hyperion for review
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original Review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/08/arc-review-mary-the-summoning-by-hillary-monahan.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cG5gfBqJVzk/VA5BIojjZ9I/AAAAAAAAD1g/7srLUfpAGEU/s1600/banner.png"; /></a>
The first in the Bloody Mary series follows Shauna O'Brien, who decides to join with her 3 friends, Jess, Anna and Kitty to summon Bloody Mary, a legend that has been around since the 1960s with rumors that the person is someone who died near the end of the Civil War by the name of Mary Worth. As a result of summoning Bloody Mary, the spirit manages to go free from its rightful place within the boundaries of a mirror and begins to haunt the 4 girls, Shauna being her main victim.
Possibly what Mary so scary is the very fact she pops out everywhere almost and locks doors/windows. As the author so puts it in a sentence...
<blockquote>Mary was appearing without a summoning, manipulating objects, haunting glass, and skipping from surface to surface.</blockquote>
I did have a problem with Mary's abilities though. While it certainly puts a wow to the scare factor, Mary seems a little... too powerful. Reflective object manipulation? That's almost everything if you ask me. Computer/Tablet screens, washers/dryers, refrigerators, windows, doorknobs, lambs, flash drives, scissors, transportation, sinks, etc. So not only does the haunted have to live in isolation to protect everyone they love, but s/he have to live smelling like poo and crap for the rest of their lives because they can't take a decent shower?
<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nfP1y5PZpOs/U49rNV8em4I/AAAAAAAADZo/XHTD2iwNTxs/s1600/giphy.gif"; border="0">
Somehow, I don't think Mary qualifies as a ghost now. More like a demon in my humble opinion. While that may scare readers at first, eventually some will catch on and Mary won't be as scary.
The Summoning is basically the ultimate friendship test for the main characters – Jess, Anna, Kitty and Shauna have been best friends for quite awhile, so when Shauna begins to see Mary everywhere, they have to try to work together to get rid of the ghost. <spoiler>Apparently this test failed, because Anna gets taken. Once you're gone, you're technically gone. It's not like doing anything would have brought Anna back. Although I did like her, so it was actually sad to see her get taken through the mirror by a ghost.</spoiler>
So the ultimate question from the beginning: how well can Hillary Monahan scare me? Quite well, but I managed to sleep very well. While I'll certainly applaud on what a chilling twist on an urban legend The Summoning was, Mary needs to be toned down a bit to make her more believable.
----------------
Advanced Review copy provided by Disney Hyperion for review
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Original Review posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2014/08/arc-review-mary-the-summoning-by-hillary-monahan.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cG5gfBqJVzk/VA5BIojjZ9I/AAAAAAAAD1g/7srLUfpAGEU/s1600/banner.png"; /></a>
Emily (1 KP) rated Emergency Contact in Books
Feb 20, 2020
A great start to 2020!
What a cute start to 2020...
I only got chance to read 30 pages over two days but had such a relaxing NYD, that I managed to read the remaining 95% of this book all in one go. It’s so rare for me to be able to sit down and just devour a book within a day, and I love that feeling when it’s finished and you’ve just found yourself falling in love with even more characters.
<b>Characters:</b>
Penny was so relatable to me as she had only a few friends and had a quiet life. She indulged in her work and was focused on doing things to her best ability — scared of disappointing people. I loved her character because she was just normal. I love normal. Her friendship with Jude was also so heartwarming because both girls were at opposite ends of the spectrum who didn’t care about their differences and made it work.
Sam. <s>Don’t even get me started on Sam.</s> He’s another fictional character to add to my never ending ‘Cute-Not-Real Men’ list. He had the exterior of a tough guy with his tattoos and not wearing anything other than black (stereotypical, I know) but he was such a softie. He worked in a coffee shop and loved baking, he was a little bit of a nerd too. Why don’t people like this really exist?
<b>Plot:</b>
I thought the story started off quite slowly at the beginning, but it needed a build up in order to construct the character backgrounds and introduced events that would essentially come full circle at the end. I liked how the chapters were told from alternating points of view and you got to understand both Penny and Sam's feelings throughout the book. <spoiler>It was a slow burn for both characters to finally get together but it was kind of predictable (in a good way) because you knew that it was inevitable that they were going to end up together.</spoiler>
There were a few little twists that kept popping up here and there that would throw you off and try to convince you that something else would happen, but I liked that because you were constantly thinking what was going to happen next. It kind of pays tribute to real life, as it can throw curveballs at us all the time and we never know what to expect or take for granted.
<b>Style:</b>
I'm such a sucker for books that are broken up with text messages, emails etc. and those that use different formatting as it makes for a much more casual read and it makes it more enjoyable. The way in which the texts were written in 'Emergency Contact' made the story still feel quite soft and light-hearted, and also maybe appealing a little more the YA/teen audience.
<b>Summary:</b>
I loved the story, as it told two separate characters back stories with high maintenance mothers and personal battles. But it also told their own personal stories of growth and development — friendships, relationships and hardships. I’ll definitely have to check out Choi’s newest novel and I’ll probably fall in love with that as much as this.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆/5
I only got chance to read 30 pages over two days but had such a relaxing NYD, that I managed to read the remaining 95% of this book all in one go. It’s so rare for me to be able to sit down and just devour a book within a day, and I love that feeling when it’s finished and you’ve just found yourself falling in love with even more characters.
<b>Characters:</b>
Penny was so relatable to me as she had only a few friends and had a quiet life. She indulged in her work and was focused on doing things to her best ability — scared of disappointing people. I loved her character because she was just normal. I love normal. Her friendship with Jude was also so heartwarming because both girls were at opposite ends of the spectrum who didn’t care about their differences and made it work.
Sam. <s>Don’t even get me started on Sam.</s> He’s another fictional character to add to my never ending ‘Cute-Not-Real Men’ list. He had the exterior of a tough guy with his tattoos and not wearing anything other than black (stereotypical, I know) but he was such a softie. He worked in a coffee shop and loved baking, he was a little bit of a nerd too. Why don’t people like this really exist?
<b>Plot:</b>
I thought the story started off quite slowly at the beginning, but it needed a build up in order to construct the character backgrounds and introduced events that would essentially come full circle at the end. I liked how the chapters were told from alternating points of view and you got to understand both Penny and Sam's feelings throughout the book. <spoiler>It was a slow burn for both characters to finally get together but it was kind of predictable (in a good way) because you knew that it was inevitable that they were going to end up together.</spoiler>
There were a few little twists that kept popping up here and there that would throw you off and try to convince you that something else would happen, but I liked that because you were constantly thinking what was going to happen next. It kind of pays tribute to real life, as it can throw curveballs at us all the time and we never know what to expect or take for granted.
<b>Style:</b>
I'm such a sucker for books that are broken up with text messages, emails etc. and those that use different formatting as it makes for a much more casual read and it makes it more enjoyable. The way in which the texts were written in 'Emergency Contact' made the story still feel quite soft and light-hearted, and also maybe appealing a little more the YA/teen audience.
<b>Summary:</b>
I loved the story, as it told two separate characters back stories with high maintenance mothers and personal battles. But it also told their own personal stories of growth and development — friendships, relationships and hardships. I’ll definitely have to check out Choi’s newest novel and I’ll probably fall in love with that as much as this.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆/5
300+ Super Sound Box
Lifestyle and Entertainment
App
The ultimate sound app! Play 300 awesome HIGH quality sound effects with big buttons! Annoy your...
Comida y Cultura en el Mundo Hispanico (Food and Culture in the Hispanic World)
Book
English summary: This is the first Spanish textbook to use food as the vantage point from which to...
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Once and Future Witches in Books
Sep 20, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for luring me in with this recommendation and the gorgeous cover art. Thank you to Alix E Harrow for providing such an amazing story for this ARC review. All the opinions expressed below are my own.
"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."
I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.
The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!
The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.
The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.
It is a must read!
"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."
I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.
The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!
The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.
The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.
It is a must read!
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated True Calling in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This was free in the Amazon Kindle store and I thought it looked pretty cool, so I downloaded it a few months ago. Despite being just 369 pages long, it took me a shockingly long time to read...
Ariana is now a citizen of Novo, where only the fittest humans were transported after the near-destruction of planet Earth. From very early on, we are introduced to Zane through Ari's dreams - but she has no idea who he is, or why she can see him in her sleep. We don't discover Zane's identity until much further through the book.
A matchmaking system is set up for all eligible young people, taking the name of "The Calling." Ari realises her feelings for the popular Cal Remus, and is luckily given the opportunity to be matched with him. The whole deal with "The Calling" reminds me very much of books such as The Selection and ?Matched.
Things seem to be going pretty well (despite the fact that Ariana is appalled at the way the government is choosing who can love who) until Ariana's father disappears and leaves behind some vital information. Suddenly, Ari isn't sure whether Cal can really be trusted, and Zane is beginning to contact her directly through her mind.
A small section of this book takes place back on Earth, told from Zane's perspective. He's working for an underground resistance movement, and is still infatuated with Ariana. He gets training to try and help him communicate with her, and Ariana's father has bestowed a dying wish upon him; to keep Ari away from Cal.
Things get pretty complicated, and the love triangle is both predictable and not at the same time. Ari doesn't remember how much she loved Zane, but can sense that there was some emotion there. Cal's father is clearly opposed to his son being associated with Ariana, and is also a despicable man in himself. There are even hints as to Cal being untrustworthy, which was something I didn't actually expect.
It's kind of a typical dystopian YA novel, but it does have some good twists. My main problem was with the lack of time-keeping; I couldn't tell whether things happened over a course of a few days or multiple months. Even if the time-frame was specified in some places, it still didn't feel like it passed in the intended way.
Another thing is that the characters spoke in a rather unnatural language. Extravagant words were unnecessarily used, coupled with overly-simple phrases. It just sounded wrong.
It took me a long time to read a relatively short book, which is always a bad sign. It wasn't painfully hard to read, but I wasn't really begging to read on either. That being said, I read a little into the first chapter of the sequel, Beyond Reach, which is included at the end of this ebook, and I am rather curious as to what's going on. Still, I don't know if I'm willing to spend any money on it.
So this wasn't a great book, but it wasn't bad. Some parts felt as though the author was trying a bit too hard to make the book seem more professional, which always irritates me. I think 2.5 stars is an appropriate rating for this.
Ariana is now a citizen of Novo, where only the fittest humans were transported after the near-destruction of planet Earth. From very early on, we are introduced to Zane through Ari's dreams - but she has no idea who he is, or why she can see him in her sleep. We don't discover Zane's identity until much further through the book.
A matchmaking system is set up for all eligible young people, taking the name of "The Calling." Ari realises her feelings for the popular Cal Remus, and is luckily given the opportunity to be matched with him. The whole deal with "The Calling" reminds me very much of books such as The Selection and ?Matched.
Things seem to be going pretty well (despite the fact that Ariana is appalled at the way the government is choosing who can love who) until Ariana's father disappears and leaves behind some vital information. Suddenly, Ari isn't sure whether Cal can really be trusted, and Zane is beginning to contact her directly through her mind.
A small section of this book takes place back on Earth, told from Zane's perspective. He's working for an underground resistance movement, and is still infatuated with Ariana. He gets training to try and help him communicate with her, and Ariana's father has bestowed a dying wish upon him; to keep Ari away from Cal.
Things get pretty complicated, and the love triangle is both predictable and not at the same time. Ari doesn't remember how much she loved Zane, but can sense that there was some emotion there. Cal's father is clearly opposed to his son being associated with Ariana, and is also a despicable man in himself. There are even hints as to Cal being untrustworthy, which was something I didn't actually expect.
It's kind of a typical dystopian YA novel, but it does have some good twists. My main problem was with the lack of time-keeping; I couldn't tell whether things happened over a course of a few days or multiple months. Even if the time-frame was specified in some places, it still didn't feel like it passed in the intended way.
Another thing is that the characters spoke in a rather unnatural language. Extravagant words were unnecessarily used, coupled with overly-simple phrases. It just sounded wrong.
It took me a long time to read a relatively short book, which is always a bad sign. It wasn't painfully hard to read, but I wasn't really begging to read on either. That being said, I read a little into the first chapter of the sequel, Beyond Reach, which is included at the end of this ebook, and I am rather curious as to what's going on. Still, I don't know if I'm willing to spend any money on it.
So this wasn't a great book, but it wasn't bad. Some parts felt as though the author was trying a bit too hard to make the book seem more professional, which always irritates me. I think 2.5 stars is an appropriate rating for this.
Debbiereadsbook (1197 KP) rated Close to Home (Sawyer's Ferry #4) in Books
Jun 28, 2019
my fav of the four!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 4 in the Sawyers Ferry series, but you don't NEED to read the other books for this one to make sense. The previous stories come before this in time, and the previous characters pop up here too. But, you know? two 5 stars and a 4star read from me, so why not, eh?
Witt somehow manages to get himself a beating, and by some miracle, drives himself to the only place he feels safe: Sawyers Ferry. His boss did not like it when Witt said no. Mason is struggling at his place with his house mates family visiting, so when Logan and Jackson ask Mason to move into their place to keep an eye on the still recovering Witt, he jumps at the chance to not only get out his house, but to get to know the shy man a whole lot better. Something about Witt pulls at Mason, and he can't figure out what, not yet. But when Witt's boss turns up in town, Mason figures it out real quick. Witt is HIS and Mason will do everything he can to protect him.
So, book 4 and this carries a far darker story line. Witt has been working with a bully, and managed to, up to now, avoid any serious confrontation but when Witt says no to more overtime, that confrontation happens and Witt suffers at the hands of his boss. How he managed to get as far as the ferry, he will never know, but Logan and Jackson are there, they will help him. Then Mason is in the house, and Witt doesn't quite know what to do about the man who seemed to have invaded his dreams somewhere along the way.
Mason works with Barrett at the Copper Creek Brewery. He met Witt some time ago, the smaller shy man trying to almost hide in the sofa. But Mason noticed, he noticed a lot about Witt. Visiting Witt at the hospital bought all kinds of rage out of Mason, and all kinds of other feelings he didn't want to examine just yet. Being able to look after Witt when Logan and Jackson go out of town is just the best thing.
Slowly, Witt comes out of himself. He is painfully shy, and Mason so darn gentle with him, it was a delight to see Witt break his shell. And when Witt decides to take the plunge and take what he wants, or rather WHO he wants, ooooeeee that was so hawt!
It was great fun watching these two dance around each other for a huge part of the book! Mason admitted his feelings to Barrett and Frnakie quite early, but Witt took a while to get there. Neither man was sure what the other was feeling!
Brody pops up, and Mason's best friend. He has a short in this series, Laguna, which is availble for free from Profilicworks. And I do mean SHORT! 34 pages is all, but I do know that Ms Ashwood will be writing Brody and Beckett's full story shortly! Can't wait for that, I tell ya!
I just got back off my holidays, and I read this on the plane. Fabulous way to pass a 4 hour flight!
5 full and shiny stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 4 in the Sawyers Ferry series, but you don't NEED to read the other books for this one to make sense. The previous stories come before this in time, and the previous characters pop up here too. But, you know? two 5 stars and a 4star read from me, so why not, eh?
Witt somehow manages to get himself a beating, and by some miracle, drives himself to the only place he feels safe: Sawyers Ferry. His boss did not like it when Witt said no. Mason is struggling at his place with his house mates family visiting, so when Logan and Jackson ask Mason to move into their place to keep an eye on the still recovering Witt, he jumps at the chance to not only get out his house, but to get to know the shy man a whole lot better. Something about Witt pulls at Mason, and he can't figure out what, not yet. But when Witt's boss turns up in town, Mason figures it out real quick. Witt is HIS and Mason will do everything he can to protect him.
So, book 4 and this carries a far darker story line. Witt has been working with a bully, and managed to, up to now, avoid any serious confrontation but when Witt says no to more overtime, that confrontation happens and Witt suffers at the hands of his boss. How he managed to get as far as the ferry, he will never know, but Logan and Jackson are there, they will help him. Then Mason is in the house, and Witt doesn't quite know what to do about the man who seemed to have invaded his dreams somewhere along the way.
Mason works with Barrett at the Copper Creek Brewery. He met Witt some time ago, the smaller shy man trying to almost hide in the sofa. But Mason noticed, he noticed a lot about Witt. Visiting Witt at the hospital bought all kinds of rage out of Mason, and all kinds of other feelings he didn't want to examine just yet. Being able to look after Witt when Logan and Jackson go out of town is just the best thing.
Slowly, Witt comes out of himself. He is painfully shy, and Mason so darn gentle with him, it was a delight to see Witt break his shell. And when Witt decides to take the plunge and take what he wants, or rather WHO he wants, ooooeeee that was so hawt!
It was great fun watching these two dance around each other for a huge part of the book! Mason admitted his feelings to Barrett and Frnakie quite early, but Witt took a while to get there. Neither man was sure what the other was feeling!
Brody pops up, and Mason's best friend. He has a short in this series, Laguna, which is availble for free from Profilicworks. And I do mean SHORT! 34 pages is all, but I do know that Ms Ashwood will be writing Brody and Beckett's full story shortly! Can't wait for that, I tell ya!
I just got back off my holidays, and I read this on the plane. Fabulous way to pass a 4 hour flight!
5 full and shiny stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**