May Wrap Up 2020

What I Read in May:

Dawn of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles Prequel Collection) by Helen Scheuerer – 4 STARS

As a fan of The Oremere Chronicle I enjoyed reading more about the characters back stories and I think this is a great collection for fans of the series. If you haven’t read The Oremere Chronicles yet I’d recommend starting with Heart of Mist (book 1) first. Dawn of Mist doesn’t provide much new information but I still enjoyed it a lot because of the characters.

The Love Hypothesis by Laura Steven – 3 STARS

I enjoyed the writing style of this book and witty humour but I did find the story to be strange. I loved the focus on friendship in this book and I liked the in depth talks about science and physics but I disliked Caro (the main character). I’ll be posting a full review of this book soon.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers – 2 STARS

I was looking forward to this book but I was disappointed by it. I thought it would be an intriguing and exciting sci-fi but instead the story felt very boring. It didn’t even feel like a story, it felt like I was reading an article full of information on terraforming. The characters felt very impersonal, as if they didn’t have their own personalities.

 

Twilight Seeker (Daybreaker book 1) by Pippa DaCosta – 3 STARS

I really liked the Messenger Chronicles by Pippa DaCosta so I really wanted to try something else by the same author and the blurb of this sounded fantastic and like something I’d love but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The problem was that I felt very disconnected from the story and characters for the first half of the book, I don’t know why. I felt like there was something missing and I wasn’t clicking with the story and I debated if I should just gave up on it but then at around the halfway point I started to feel more attached to the characters and the story and I loved the different turns the story took and I felt so hooked by the story. I’m glad I stuck with this book and I’m excited about the next in the series.

Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn – 4 STARS

Dangerous Remedy captured my interest from the very first page as we are introduced to a group of characters who are trying to break someone out of a prison. I loved the characters in this book and the found family aspect of the story. I thought the overall plot was very intriguing and full of twists and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – 4 STARS

This book is about a group of competing teen pageant girls who crash land on an island and have to fend for themselves. This story was very bizarre but I really enjoyed it. Beauty Queens is a satire filled book about teen girls and the views and judgements of teen girls, I loved how it explored such important topics that centre around teen girls and I liked how it did this in such an interesting unique way by using satire to do it. I enjoyed it so much and found it such a refreshing and interesting book.

 

Book Posts I Did In May:

Book Series I Won’t Be Continuing #1

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E Weymouth Book Review

Dawn of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles Prequel) by Helen Scheuerer Book Review

Interesting Opening Lines

 

I watched a tv show called Outer Banks in May and I really enjoyed it. It was a bit of a surprise since I hadn’t heard much about it but my sister loved it so she recommended it to me and I’m glad I watched it, I loved the friendship in it. It’s about a group of teens who end up going on a hunt for some hidden gold, it’s an exciting story.

What did you read or watch in May?

Book Review: Dawn of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles Prequel) by Helen Scheuerer

Book: Dawn of Mist
Author: Helen Scheuerer
Series: The Oremere Chronicles Prequel
Genre: YA fantasy

Before their fight to save the realm from mad tyrants and toxic mist, Bleak, Henri and Swinton led separate lives.

Delve into the secrets, the triumphs and tragedies of their earlier years, and the defining moments that made these much-loved characters who they are.

Teenage Bleak sails across the seas, seeking adventure with her best friend, Bren, and guardian, Senior – only to discover that trouble often finds her first.

Fiercely loyal Henri and her sister, Sahara, train relentlessly to become elite warriors, but soon learn that the Valian Way can be crueller than they ever thought.

A young and ambitious Commander Swinton struggles to prove himself worthy of knighthood, but an encounter with a beautiful stranger shows him that there are things in life more important than titles.

 

My Rating: 4 STARS

My Review:

Dawn of Mist is a bind up of short stories set in the world of The Oremere Chronicles and takes place before the first book, Heart of Mist. The short stories focus on the main characters of the trilogy (Bleak, Henri, and Swinton and one story is about Dash).

The stories in Dawn of Mist are prequels to the main trilogy so they can be read before but I think it would definitely be better to read them after. I think people who are already fans of the trilogy and who are familiar with the characters will have a better understanding of Dawn of Mist and the events it references.

If you’ve read The Oremere Chronicles then you already know what happens in these short stories but I did think it was interesting to read more in depth about the characters back stories and how they get to where they are in Heart of Mist and I loved reading about the characters again.

Overall I enjoyed the short prequel stories set in this world and I loved the writing. I think Dawn of Mist is a good read for people who are already fans of The Oremere Chronicles.

Book Review: The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

Book: The Light Between Worlds
Author: Laura E. Weymouth
Genre: YA historical, fantasy

Five years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were transported to another realm called the Woodlands. In a forest kingdom populated by creatures out of myth and legend, they found temporary refuge.

When they finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves.

Now, Ev spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes.

Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a place in this world. She shields herself behind a flawless exterior and countless friends, and moves to America to escape the memory of what was.

But when Evelyn goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.

 

My Rating: 5 STARS

My Review:

The Light Between Worlds is a YA fantasy book set in England during WW2. It’s about two sisters and their brother who end up unexpectedly in a fantasy land called the ‘Woodlands’ and what happens to them when they leave that world and go back home. This book is very reminiscent of the Chronicles of Narnia, it is so similar that it almost feels like a retelling of it. I loved the Narnia series and I also loved The Light Between Worlds because I liked how The Light Between Worlds focuses mainly on the ‘real’ world and the effects that being in the Woodlands had on the characters.

Evelyn, the youngest sister, never wanted to leave the Woodlands and throughout the book we can see how much the Woodlands had affected her mental state. It’s clear the Evelyn has depression and I liked how the book focused on that. There is such sadness in Evelyn’s pov as she really longs to go home to the Woodlands.

I thought the book was beautifully written and I felt that the writing made the story even more poignant. I also liked how the book centres on the sister relationship of Evelyn and Philippa and I thought it was interesting to read about Evelyn and her depression from Philippa’s pov.

Overall I loved The Light Between Worlds but it is a sombre and sad book as it deals with a character with depression. I loved how reminiscent of Narnia the book was and I also loved the writing of it. I liked how we get to see both sisters’ points of view and how they contrasted each other.

April Wrap Up 2020

What I Read In April:

A Damsel and a Demigod (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #0.5) by Annette Marie – 3 STARS
I liked reading about Kai and Izzah’s first meeting in this short story and I thought it was fast paced but I wasn’t as excited about the story as I am with the main books in the series but it was still an okay read.

Druid Vices and a Vodka (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #6) by Annette Marie – 4 STARS
I enjoyed this book and I liked how we get to see more of Kai and Zak in this. The overall plot felt more intense and I could really feel the conclusion of the story get closer (I think there’s going to be eight books in the series) so all the stakes were raised.

The Golden Sheep Vol 2 by Kaori Ozaki – 1 STAR
I liked the first volume in this manga because it was about a group of friends reuniting with each other after so many years and you see how they’ve all changed. I liked that about volume one but I thought the second volume didn’t focus much on that aspect of the story and then there was a sexual assault scene in the middle and I feel like the story is going in a direction where it’s trying to make you feel sorry for the assaulter and I really didn’t like that.  I don’t know for sure if that’s the case but it felt that way to me.

Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped (The Guild Codex: Demonized #3) by Annette Marie – 4 STARS
I like this spin off series a lot, I liked how we see Robin and Zylas talk with Ezra in this book. I really enjoy the interactions between Robin and Zylas the most especially the everyday mundane things like Robin showing Zylas a box of chocolates and seeing how he reacts to them. I also liked how Robin and Zylas’ relationship developed in this book.

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth – 5 STARS
I was very surprised at how much I loved this book. It feels like a Narnia retelling but is about two sisters and a brother who end up in the ‘Woodlands’ which is a fantasy land and the focus of the story is on what happens after they return home and how it affects them all individually. Evelyn (the youngest sister) never wanted to leave the Woodlands and she has depression so it’s quite a sombre book but I loved it and the writing of it.

A Torn Paige (Hidden Kingdom #1) by L. Rose – 3 STARS
I picked up this book on kindle and didn’t know too much about it but I did end up liking it. It’s a paranormal reverse harem book and I really liked the main character in it, I thought she was a great character. There were a few slight problems I had with it like how Paige (the protagonist) hated on every other girl in this book simply for being in the same room as her mates but since it is a paranormal book I tend to not hate that kind of thing too much because they are all different species.

Blog Posts I Did In April:

Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About

Spring Has Sprung Book Tag

Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers Book Review

Easter Readathon TBR 2020

Titles That Would Make Good Band Names

I read six books in April which isn’t bad but it probably isn’t the best since I participated in two readathons in April (Easter Readathon and The Reading Rush) so I had hoped I would’ve read more during them but I still had fun and that’s the main thing. I started a new tv series in April called The Expanse and I’ve nearly caught up on the four seasons that are out, I’ve been loving this show. It’s a sci-fi show set in space and I feel like nearly every episode is so exciting and intense, it feels like every episode is a season finale episode. I also played The Sims 4 a lot in April so I’m blaming that and The Expanse on my lack of reading, haha.

What did you read or watch in April?

Book Review: Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers

Book: Courting Darkness
Author: Robin LaFevers
Series: Courting Darkness #1
Genre: YA historical fiction, fantasy

When Sybella accompanies the Duchess of Brittany to France, she expects trouble, but she isn’t expecting a deadly trap. Surrounded by enemies both known and unknown, Sybella searches for the undercover assassins from the convent of St. Mortain who were placed in the French court years ago.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she no longer knows who she is or what she’s supposed to be fighting for. When she discovers a hidden prisoner who may be of importance, she takes matters into her own hands.

As these two worlds collide, the fate of the Duchess, Brittany, and everything Sybella and Genevieve have come to love hangs in the balance.

 

My Rating: 3 STARS

My Review:

I loved the writing of this book and liked reading about all the court politics that are prominent throughout these books but I didn’t love Courting Darkness as much as the original trilogy. The other books felt compact and focused on the character of each book but Courting Darkness didn’t. This book has a direct sequel so it ends on a cliffhanger where the other books in the His Fair Assassin trilogy felt more like companion novels to each other and they only focused on one character arc. This made the book feel dragged out with a lot of filler parts.

I don’t think we needed to revisit Sybella and her storyline, I thought there was some unnecessary drama added to Sybella and Beast’s relationship for no reason. I also didn’t see the reason why Genevieve has a pov in this book. I didn’t dislike her character, I just thought that her pov never really moved the story along or did much for her character growth.

Overall I thought this was an okay read. I liked the court politics and thought they were very intriguing but I felt let down by the characters and thought their storylines were unnecessary.

March Wrap Up 2020

What I Read In March:

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J Maas – 5 STARS
This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I’m so glad I loved it. I loved the world Sarah J Maas has created and the characters are very interesting especially Bryce, I loved her. I’ve already talked about my feelings on this book in a much more SPOILER detailed post earlier this month so if you want to read my spoiler talk of this book, here it is.

The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu – 4 STARS
I enjoyed this book and I loved reading about Alec and Magnus’ adventures. I’m so surprised at how much I love Alec now compared to when he was first introduced in TMI. I was a bit underwhelmed by the plot of Red Scrolls. It didn’t feel like a full length book plot, it felt more like a short story kind of plot set in the Shadowhunter world if that makes sense. I still enjoyed it but what I loved about the book was definitely reading more of Alec and Magnus, I loved seeing Alec come more out of his shell with Magnus.

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 3 STARS
I really wanted to love this book, it sounded so good but I was disappointed by it. I liked the dual past/present timelines and I loved the slight magical elements to the story but I really disliked the protagonist Meche. I know Meche is a teenager and obviously since it’s a YA book I try not to judge characters too much but Meche was very unlikable even in the present timeline when she was older. I didn’t like the way she talked about her friends and I thought she was a very selfish character.

Blood Truth (Black Dagger Legacy #4) by J.R Ward – 3 STARS
I enjoy reading about the BDB world and the characters within it but I find a lot of the trainees in the Legacy series to be forgettable. I didn’t really care much about Boone and Helania and I disliked their ending but I still enjoy the writing and world of these books so I ended up giving it a 3 STAR rating. I was mainly interested in Syn in this book and I’m excited to read his book.

Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare – 4 STARS
I loved Chain of Gold and reading about the characters from The Infernal Devices as parents made me so emotional. I loved the characters in this series and Cassandra Clare does such an amazing job of bringing characters to life and making you love them. I can’t wait for the next book to be released.

Blog Posts I Did In March:

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J Maas *SPOILER* Talk

Demon Magic and a Martini (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #4) by Annette Marie Book Review

Spring 2020 TBR

Single-Word Book Titles

Emotional Historical Fiction Books

 

What books did you read in March?