Tag: book lover

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This is a magical tale of curse breaking and finding love, all while set in the Regency era.

I did not love this. But that doesn’t mean I think the book is bad. The story is great, the characters are interesting, and I adored the Sapphic love story. But, something about how the story was related made everything feel less real. I honestly got a bit bored with the narrator’s, a fairy onlooker, constant thoughts about everything and everyone, and I feel like that took me out of the story.

I love this author. This is another incredible work. However, this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Maeve Fly by C. J. Leede 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Brilliant. A very strange, unsettling, and horrifying read that has just the right amount of quirkiness.

Maeve is a princess in a theme park. Think an ice queen and mouse ears. She loves her job. Her best friend Kate is an aspiring actress, and just as Kate lands the role of a lifetime, her brother Gideon moves to town and takes an immediate interest in Maeve.

Maeve has some odd quirks, and she knows she is different. Living by the rules from different edgy books that speak to her inner and real self, about how to be an outlier. Her grandmother, a once famous starlet, showed her how to get through life by observing and hiding her inner demons, but too soon, she went into a coma.

All of these things culminate and come crashing into Maeve just as she loses her job, and in a way, this allows her to let out what most don’t see her true nature.

This has so many levels…. distrust, loneliness, that Hollywood vibe bordering on what’s real and what’s not. And then comes the gore!

I really loved this. I loved the whole construction of this story, the buildup making the ending even more impacting. I think this belongs on the same shelf as American Psycho and Fight Club.

Out June 6, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Content warning for blood, gore, and body horror.

Witch King by Martha Wells 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This is another strange yet absolutely splendid read from one of my all-time favorite authors, Martha Wells.

As is, per usual, I felt like I was dropped in this world suddenly but with still a comfortable ease of learning and understanding about what is happening. Kai, the main character, is another great example of Wells ability to create a persona that is sometimes difficult yet also effortless to follow. The gender and sexuality of the main character remain vague but still fully fleshed out, which may sound strange, but it’s one of the many things I love about this author. The idea that gender and sexuality do not have to have a clear definition to be accepted.

I loved this story. A demon prince that wakes up entombed and breaks free. That can eat souls and talk about how they each tasted. It’s definitely a bit gory but absolutely delightful. Slow towards the middle, but I still couldn’t put this book down.

Out May 30, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This sequel to The Agatha’s is another fun and thrilling murder mystery! I enjoyed this just as much as the first book, which surprised me because it’s a sequel, but I felt like I fell right back into the rhythm and banter of Alice and Iris’s sleuthing style!

Alice and Iris are back and ready to solve another case in Castle Cove, California. Alice is quite rich, popular, and outgoing, while Iris is just about the opposite. Put these two together, and you get the perfect team.

I really enjoyed this. Loved going into the history of Mona Moody, a movie star from the 1940s. The attention to family details is also important in this book.

Overall, another great read!

Out May 30, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

The Guest by Emma Cline 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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I loved Emma Cline’s book The Girls for many of the same reasons I wound up loving in this one. This author tells the most interesting stories featuring women whose lifestyles are not something ordinarily thought of… or even known about. I love the honesty behind this character. The third person narration also gave me a lot of room to wonder at what was really going on in the main character’s head.

Alex is kind of a moocher. I would say a professional moocher, but I didn’t get much of a professional vibe from Alex. She spends her days going to the beach in Long Island after stealing a pill or two from the older man she’s staying with right now. It’s a great set-up for someone like Alex. Simon buys her beautiful clothes, jewelry, handbags…. but of course, there is always a price.

When Alex gets booted for a mishap with Simon’s car and a small adventure at a party, I felt like I was watching her careen downhill. She does everything in her power, manipulating, stealing, to get back to a safe spot. But her ventures wind up being as ambiguous as she is.

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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This is a haunting and romantic tale that completely pulled me under with its darkness.

Marin recently lost her mother and winds up traveling to be a nanny at the Lovelace house. This house is known throughout town to be cursed, but even though Marin does not expect what lies ahead for her.

Marin and Evie are a great couple to watch grow together, especially through Marin’s realizations. The children, Thea and Wren, are absolutely delightful to read about. I loved their twisted schemes.

I thought this book became a little slow at a later point in it. But overall, the idea and the emotions in this story kept me reading.

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee. 🌟Arc Review 🌟

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This was the sweet, fluffy, ya romance that I needed. I loved this book immediately. As soon as I started reading, I could tell that this was going to be a new favorite, and it definitely is!

Dylan is working and living at his aunt’s restaurant, Wok Warriors, when he has to make a delivery and comes across the rich and handsome Theo. He is talked into fake dating Theo after Theo makes a large donation to his aunt’s restaurant. Theo takes Dylan to the Hamptons, but is this fake dating maybe based on a real crush?

Everything about this is kind and simply wonderful. Even just the descriptions of food have been so delicious sounding. (I’ve been eating dumplings all week bc I can’t just read about dumplings without picking some up at my local restaurant). This is such a comfort romcom read!!!!

Out May 16, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Transmogrify: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic! Edited by G. Haron Davis 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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A ya fantasy book of trans magic stories!! I really enjoyed this. I love a book of short stories, so this was perfect.

Some of the stories gave a bit more attention to the trans MC rather than the magic, but all of them were very enjoyable. I loved the creativity of these authors, and I can tell that a lot of thought was put into each individual story.

I’d say that this is more fantasy oriented overall with less attention to solving many of the issues approached. However, I will never be unhappy about a book bringing positive attention to this great community of beautiful and wonderful individuals.

Out May 16, 2023!

A Shadow Crown by Melissa Blair 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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I already knew I was going to love this sequel, and I definitely did! I love this author’s style and the way the main characters are built up. Of course, particularly Keera. And, this book really delves into a lot of Keera’s history and how she is dealing with it.

I loved this focus on Keera and also the continuous world building that is just incredible. This world is especially beautiful and creative in this book. The author has a lot of room to work with very magical details, and it’s really marvelous.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and I’m just so freaking happy with this! (By the way, major cliffhanger!! Can’t wait for book three!)

Out May 9, 2023!

Bewitched by Laura Thalassa 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Well… add the sequel to my tbr now! I actually have not read the Bargainer series by this author, so I was really excited to pick this one up, and I’m so glad I did. With lots of magic, mystery, and action, I could not put this down!

Selene is a great character to get behind. She has powerful magic. However, every time she uses it, some of her memories disappear. Losing her memories is the main reason she has not gotten into Henbane Coven. However, when they tell her that the possibility of acceptance may rise if she gets a familiar and travels out into the world to have a more “magical experience,” then Selene is on her way!

She plans a trip to the Galapagos, and when her plane is pulled from the sky by a mysterious magic, she saves everyone on board and then finds herself venturing into the surrounding jungle. She finds her familiar and more, but the question is… would some things be better left in the dark?

This has an amazing, colorful magic system and great descriptions of this world while including some very nice romance!

Definitely recommend this!

Out April 18, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!