Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!
Kelly Link is now right up there with my favorite authors. This was a masterpiece in storytelling. A retelling of seven grimdark fairytales that kept me completely spellbound.
I love the cats. I love the connection I felt throughout all these stories. I loved the imagery, the dark and beautiful pictures this author painted. I loved everything! I literally have zero complaints. This was brilliant, and I know I’m going to be thinking back on these tales.
I am in love with love. Loved this Sapphic romance and amazing story and the fantasy! I haven’t read the first book but this was very easy to follow, almost like a stand-alone. I completely enjoyed every minute of this book!
The fantasy is unique with an interesting magic system including magicians, forseers, and mediums (even ghosts!). The story gave me a very Agatha Christie vibe. A whodunit with a cobbled together group of individuals solving the case and following the trail. What I loved most was the Sapphic romance between two of the characters. It was real, a bit smutty, just enough to make this whole story very rounded out and full. I think the romance along with the humor of some characters is what really made this perfect.
There is so much to be said about this marvelous book but I just want to point out how I personally felt while reading. I’ll try to keep this quick!
Let’s talk about trauma for a second. This book does a great job handling the trauma Elizabeth has been through with men, family and also basic bad judgment by other people.
Here’s the thing about trauma… no two people can compare traumas, traumatic stories, and really judge who has had it worse and who has had it better than. This is something that took me a while to figure out for myself.
The author illustrates this beautifully when Calvin and Elizabeth are up having a midnight chat one evening. They finally broach the subject of families and relay their tales to each other. However, Calvin is a bit upset. It takes him a while to think this through. As an orphan, he came to believe that a person with living parents must have had it better. Not only that, but they should appreciate their parents. Now, obviously in Elizabeth’s case I definitely think her feelings are valid. Calvin came around to seeing that too in his own epiphany that even children with both parents can still have a traumatic childhood.
So, what does this have to do with how I relate to Elizabeth Zott? I feel such a connection because she, in this book, in many ways proved that women, no matter who we are, have walked in the same shoes at one point or another. She took other’s seriously even when so many were ready to see her go. And, such a huge part of change for myself, and others I believe, is simply having their lives and problems validated as real.
The other women in this book really said it best when one commented in the audience of Supper at Six that she just wanted to be taken seriously. And, I feel that very much today. I love this book and the idea of giving everyone, no matter our differences, a chance to be taken seriously.
Pictured is the book Kaikeyi by Vaisnavi Patel. I loved this story. Gorgeous retelling and what really caught my attention was not only the look at the gods and goddesses but many mythical stories about them.
So, I joined BOTM in March because I felt like it was a really inexpensive and easy way to get books. However, the prices have risen in this short amount of time! It’s not that big of a deal but it’s getting closer to what I would pay for a nice new copy at the bookstore. And, while it’s great to buy new releases, I personally feel like I would rather spend the money on just the new releases that I’ve been looking forward to. Which, are not usually in BOTM. So, I canceled. And, that is my story of the short period I was a member.
Current Reads
These are my current reads. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix and A Shadow In the Glass by Jia Harwood. I’m loving these and can’t wait to tell you more!
I’m just going to say it: This is a must-read for thriller lovers!!! It was more than just a thriller while keeping me on the edge of my seat and guessing at every new chapter.
Six friends go on a hen weekend to celebrate a bride to be in a beautiful villa on the gorgeous seaside cliffs of Greece. However, they have no idea what is in store for them. What each singular person brings as her past, her present, her future, that can bring about all kinds of drama when they learn of each other’s secrets.
I loved the emotion in this book. I was so suspicious of every character. Sometimes hating them but then there would be a twist and I could somehow relate. And, then, that ending!! It’s brilliant. And, I want to add that the last line in the book was the absolute perfect ending.
Wow! Riley Sager is my favorite thriller author, so I always have high expectations when reading one of this author’s books. But this story went so above and beyond my expectations that I simply can’t believe it!
Casey is a star of the screen and stage, but unfortunately her career has taken a dive which is why she finds herself secluded in her family lake house on Lake Greene. While boozing away her time there, Casey has a curious encounter with a neighbor and this is when things start getting really interesting!
I thought to myself so many times that I knew how this would end but from major twist to major twist I realized I needed just to sit back and enjoy the ride. I highly recommend this!
I didn’t realize this book was a sequel. However, as I read, the story contains plenty of information about the MC and her past plus what has led up to this book that I was able to fully understand pretty much everything. And, one thing is for sure, I loved this read!
This author has created some incredibly interesting characters in Andrea and in the person that helped in solving this mystery, Kenny. I never knew exactly what to expect from either of them. This story takes place in a suburban setting in New Jersey where Andrea lives. It seems she was just starting to fit in with the other suburbanites until one of their husband’s die and Andrea begins to suspect murder.
I loved how this had a balance between representing both healthy and unhealthy relationships in friendship and marriage. And, I also love how the author didn’t sugarcoat the ugly side of situations like this from any angle. Overall, I really liked this book and definitely recommend this as a thrilling, fast-paced murder/mystery!
This book is incredible and I can’t wait to read more in this trilogy!
This is epic fantasy at its best. A detailed world that bases a person’s worth on the color of their blood. Embers have red blood, Dusters blue and Ghostings translucent. This story is definitely dark but I liked that because it made everything so real for me while I was reading.
The main characters grow throughout the story and I loved the f/f enemies to lovers relationship, not to mention, opposites attract also. This book was thrilling and surged with life. I didn’t realize I would get so hooked but I am happy I did.
Remy is a Holloway girl. And, this comes with a strange sort of responsibility for a girl at age 16. A Holloway girl’s kiss supposedly brings bad luck during her season. However, when it’s Remy’s turn, she discovers that even something as simple as a lucky kiss can turn bad. She kisses her crush and he falls under a spell of bad luck! But, is this really Remy’s fault?
I mostly enjoyed this story. My favorite piece to this tale is Tobin’s character and how Remy seems to grow stronger and more confident by the end of the book. The magic is really low-key and not discussed in great detail but that didn’t take away from this fun, fast-paced read.
Book Oracle 