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The River Has Roots
The River Has Roots
Amal El-Mohtar | 2025 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have deep love for a fairy tale - especially the ones that border on the macabre.
The River Has Roots is a beautiful tale of two sisters who live on the border of Arcadia (Faerie), and sing to the Willow trees twice a day in tribute to the men they once were.

The sisters are very close: Ysabel and Esther, and they always want to be together. But of course, as in all good fairytales, a man throws a spanner in the works.

The River Has Roots is a novella and honestly, if El-Mohtar wrote this as a full length novel or decided to write more such stories, I would be all in. The writing is beautiful - full on fairytale style at its best.

This gave me “The Twa Sisters” vibes, equally as tragic, but not exactly the same - you’re not getting an exact retelling. This is a story in its own right.

The Lino-cut illustrations (Kathleen Neely) throughout the book were perfect for the story, too.

There was a bonus story at the end, “John Hollowback and the Witch”, and it was a rather pleasant surprise - a fabulous cautionary tale.

This is a must-read for my fellow fairytale fans!
  
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1)
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1)
Jordan Ford | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Curveball (Barlow Sisters #1) by Jordan Ford
Curveball is the first book in a new series called Barlow Sisters. As you might gather, this trilogy involves three sisters - not triplets like they get mistaken for. Instead, Max and Maddie are twins, with Chloe being a bit younger. They have been uprooted and driven across the country, but they are still there for each other. Their relationship is as close as you could want - sisters before misters. However, a spanner gets thrown in the works in the shape of Holden Carter. Not only does Chloe fall instantly in love with him, but he infuriates Maddie to the nth degree. She has a few words to say to him, which hurt him. So he decides to show her he isn't what she accused him of being. Throw in some robberies, a bit of sport, friendship, sisterhood, and you've got yourself another winner by Jordan Ford.

I love reading Jordan Ford books because I am always surprised by something that is going on within those pages. The characters, and situations, leap off the page before you, drawing you into their world, so you feel all their pain, their heartache, their joy. One part that really got me, was when Holden took Maddie to Cresthill, and she spent time with his grandpa. Lump, meet throat - you're going to become very acquainted with each other right now. I thought I had the bad guy figured out, and I did (yey me!), but somehow I still ended up feeling sorry for him. Every character in this book was believable, and therefore relate-able.

With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, this book flowed from start to finish. It was completely engrossing, and I can't wait to read the other sisters' stories, especially as I have them paired up already! Highly recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Tails from the Deep
Tails from the Deep
Diane Vallere | 2019 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Zoe is the middle of three sisters, the daughters of Mother, the leader of the merfolk settlement Sirenia somewhere under the sea. Unlike her other sisters, Zoe loves to explore. One of her favorite places is a shipwreck beyond the edges of her merfolk village. She sneaks out there quite frequently, so when things seem off one day, she is quick to notice. When she returns the next day, she finds a human diver trapped on the bottom next to a dead body. She frees the diver, but her actions lead to questions that might impact her settlement. Can she figure out who to trust and what is really going on?

Mermaid mysteries are definitely something different, but I couldn’t resist when Diane announced she was going to write these. After all, I love the water, so the idea of living under the sea, at least for a few pages, was too irresistible. I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this story. This reads very much like a cozy murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns. The end was a little abrupt, but that’s a minor issue. As we read, we also get a feel for mermaid culture, which was a delight. Many of the slight twists on our world and expectations made me smile. It was definitely well thought out. We also get to know Zoe very well over the course of the story since is many ways these stories are coming of age stories in addition to mysteries. Since it is a 100 page novella, there isn’t tons of character development for the rest of the characters, but they still come across as real. The other two stories focus on Zoe’s sisters, and I can’t wait to see how they are developed and how that fits with Zoe’s take on her sisters. If you are looking for a slight fantasy edge to your cozy, I definitely recommend this novella for something different.

NOTE: This story, along with the stories of Zoe’s sisters, are included in the Mermaid Mysteries anthology. Buy them individually or as a set, but there is no need to buy both.
  
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Ross (3284 KP) rated A Crown of Swords in Books

Sep 20, 2017  
A Crown of Swords
A Crown of Swords
Robert Jordan | 1996 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For me I think this was where the series really started to drag. So much time spent on describing horses, riding dresses and in-fighting between "sisters". Some fairly major events of the series occur in this book but so much of it is spent sorting out the weather. Some really exciting action scenes but dragged out over far too many pages.
  
Daniel, vampire and ally of the Warriors of Poseidon has fought on the side of humanity only to never have the one thing he wants most. Serai Princess of Atlantis has been in stasis for 11,000 years and must recover the Emperor Jewel to save her sisters still is stasis. Only together can they find what they can truly be.
  
Supergirl  - Season 1
Supergirl - Season 1
2015 | Sci-Fi
Cast (2 more)
Relationships
Girl power
Wonderful Show
I love the show. I think the casting was so well done. Melissa Benoit is a great Supergirl and Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers is absolutely phenomenal! I love that the show has the potential to teach so much while still being fun and lighthearted. I love the relationships between the characters, especially the Danvers sisters.
  
Frozen II (2019)
Frozen II (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
I feel as though this film was even better than the first. The two sisters were closer than ever at the end, exactly as they deserved to be. I feel as though the song between Kristoff and Sven didn't add anything to the film and it was that song that has meant I did not rate this film with the full 10 stars.