Saturday, February 29, 2020

Review: The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron

This was such a powerful and heartbreaking story. I loved every moment of it. I knew I would love this book. As I have read and loved books by this author before and as it sounded fully perfect to me. Of course, fully evil and heartbreaking. But I knew it would be that. And I also knew I would love this story the most. So I did.

There is so much to share about this book. I know I will forget to share a lot of it. But I will share how much I loved this story. How much I adored the characters. How much I hated what happened to so many during this war. How much it broke my heart but how this story healed it a bit too. Five stars for this most precious one.

This book is set in Poland during World War II. It tells the story of young Stefania. A Catholic girl who has spent the past few years working for this very lovely Jewish family at their store. She have worked her way into their hearts, and them into her heart. We get to know a little about them all and I simply adored the Diamants. I loved how Fusia felt right at home with all of them. But then the bombs arrive. The war has come to town. The Germans arrives. And everything goes wrong. It takes some time for Fusia to believe all the horrible stuff that is happening to Jews in her town. She does not truly get it until it happens to her found family. This whole story was so heartbreaking. Beyond sad and real and it hurt my heart most of the time. But interesting and exciting too.

We get to know Fusia a whole lot. A little bit about her family, whom she left behind to go work in a bigger city for the Diamant family store. Her life is good. She is secretly engaged to one of the young men in the family, Izio. Getting to know this family was the best. But also the worst, as I knew what was coming when the war arrived. Izio and his brothers left town for a while. But came back again, as there was nowhere to go. At first nothing happened for a while, after the bombs. But then the Diamant family is forced to move.

They were forced to leave their apartment and their store, forced to leave all their belongings, and go live in a fenced in ghetto with all the others Jews in their town. It was so horrible to read about. This book is from Fusia's point of view. She is safe from the army, the enemy. But not really. Because she is not okay with leaving her family to starve and maybe die in an awful place. She tries to help them as best as she can. She sneaks them food. But it is not enough. And it is not safe for her to do this any of this, not at all.

And then she also ends up having to care for her little sister, Helena, whom is only six. She doesn't know what to do in a lot of this book. But she does something even so. She helps anyway that she can. She try to help Izio escape from a different work camp he got sent to. But this goes wrong and he ends up dead. Which was so sad to read about, as she did love him. But she slowly gets past that. Because there is so much she needs to focus on. How to not starve and freeze. How to get a job, how to keep her sister safe.

It is about her relationship to her Jewish found family. About what happens to all of them. And how Izio's brother, Max, need her help. How he does not want to die too. And so he begs her to hide him. To let him live with her and her sister. And to have her hide more than him as well. Fusia spends a little time thinking about it. But she cannot refuse. She has to help. And I loved her for that. Helping meant death if anyone knew. The German army hurt the Jews in this story so badly. And Fusia did everything she could to help.

Which is what this book is about. It is about Fusia trying to help Max and others. It ends up with her hiding thirteen Jews in a very small attic. It was beyond dangerous. And it was beyond thrilling to read about too. They were all so brave and had to go through so much. I loved getting to know Max. I loved how he and Fusia started to get closer over time. It was adorable. But this book was mostly about survival. Trying to survive the very worst war, being afraid at all times. It was an epic story about one girl and her big heart.

This book is filled with awful things. Fusia witness a lot of bad things happening. There are a lot of death. And it was all so beyond real. Because this war truly happened. This book is even based on a true story. Stefania was a real person. And what she did was real. Which made reading this book even more painful, knowing it had all happened to someone. I have not read about the real Fusia, not yet, but I will. This war was the worst thing to ever happen to humans. And I hope beyond everything that it won't happen again.

There was so much I loved about this book. I loved how strong and brave and loving Fusia was. I adored her relationship with her little sister. And I loved how brave she was too. I so completely loved Max. Then there was the setting of this story. It was beyond heartbreaking. But so very good too. The Light in Hidden Places is such an important story. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Heartbreaking but hopeful too. It is a must read book. And I will say that I loved every part of this book. It was so very good.


In My Mailbox #434

Hello. I keep waiting for my stomach to get better. It hasn't. It gets worse. And I am getting worse. And I am not approving at all. Sigh. Trying to survive this, ha. But it is hard. I managed to read two books this week, though, so yay for that. Though second review is going up tonight, after I write it, as I just finished the book. Anyway. My head is killing me. My stomach is killing me. My bumps are killing me. Not doing so well. But I'm trying. No time to catch up any, though. Sigh. Soon, I hope. I simply have no energy. Trying to do what I can when I'm able to. A couple of new blog posts. I shared my review of Some Girls Are :D And this week I'm waiting on Swamp Thing. <3 I got a little bit of mail, all precious. So yeah. I hope you are all doing okay :) I'm trying my very best. Hoping health will get better soon. Ugh. It completely sucks.


The Shadows Between Us. I'm pretty excited about this. Nervous too. Sounds so good. Hope to love it.
The Light in Hidden Places. Eee! I just finished reading this one. And it was so goddamn awesome. Sigh.
Come Find Me. I completely adored this book last year. And so of course I had to own the paperback too.
Pop figures. A couple of new ones. Had to get the Vanessa little mermaid one, ha. Fairy godmother too.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #437

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

SWAMP THING 
BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER & MORGAN BEEM

Goodreads Description:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle series) and artist Morgan Beem unearth the primal power of memory and how it twists the bond between two brothers.

Twins Alec and Walker Holland have a reputation around town. One is quiet and the other is the life of any party, but they are inseparable. For their last summer before college, the two leave the city to live with their rural cousins, where they find that the swamp holds far darker depths than they could have imagined.

While Walker carves their names into the new social scene, Alec recedes into a summer school laboratory, because he brought something from home on their trip—it’s an experiment that will soon consume him. This season, both brothers must confront truths, ancient and familial, and as their lives diverge, tensions increase and dormant memories claw to the surface.

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches is a story of shadows, both literal and imagined—and those that take form and haunt us.


Paperback, 208 pages
Expected publication: October 13th 2020 by DC Comics
Pre-Order here and here

This illustrated book is going to be goddamn amazing. And I simply cannot wait to read it. Eee. Maggie is such an awesome author. And I'm thinking that Morgan is an awesome illustrator; because that cover is gorgeous. And I just cannot wait for this story. It sounds so good. Just wishing it was October already :)
What are you waiting for on this swampy Wednesday?

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Review: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

This book made my heart hurt. It was such a painful story. And I loved every moment of it. I just could not stop reading this book. And I am so happy that I finally got to reading it. As it was worth every moment of my heart being in pain. This book was so real and honest. Which is why all the painful parts hurt so very badly.

Writing was stunning, which it always is with books by Courtney. Getting to know Regina pretty much killed me. She is in her last year of high school. She is a part of the fearsome fivesome. Five girls that everyone at school hates but are also too scared not to love. They are five girls that make other people hurt just for fun.

This is a story about what girls are willing to do to make each other hurt. It is a book full of pain and revenge. It is so hurtful to read at times. And I could not help but love every moment of it. I must say that the high school part of the book felt so real. How every rumor hurt. How everyone believed something if one girl said it was so. How it felt like Regina wanted to die because of how bad the bullying got. But then there was the dilemma about how to feel about her. Possible to love her and hate her. She is the victim in this one, but she was the one ruining people just before. She hurt so many, because Anna said so. She felt guilt over some of the things but that was not enough. Regina was not a nice person. And yet I loved every part of her despite all of it.

The book begins with Regina almost being raped by her best friends boyfriend. He was an awful person. And Regina is traumatized by this. She goes to one of her friends, who tell her to keep quiet about it, that her best friend wouldn't understand. Then the weekend pass. Back at school on Monday every one of her friends are freezing her out. Everyone is calling her the worst names. It turns out this friend told her best friend that Regina had slept with her boyfriend. Which was not true at all. It was so painful to read about.

Which is what this book is all about. It is about Regina being tortured at school by the girls that were her friends. Over something that didn't even happen. They do such awful things to her. And yet it is nothing that she herself hasn't done to others before this. Which is why this book is so painful. Because Regina really was not a nice person for so long. But after everyone start hating on her alone, she changes more. She becomes more aware of what she has done. Somewhat. Either way, I could not help care about her.

Then there was Michael. The loner boy she has to sit next to at lunch. The boy who is all alone because she made him so when he was new at the school. She and her friends treated him so bad back then. And now Regina needs his help to get through the day. They slowly get to know each other. He slowly start to stop hating her. And they grow to care for each other. Michael was better than anyone in this book. She may not have deserved him all the time, but gosh, how badly I shipped them and wanted them together.

This book was not easy, though. Anna and Kara make life rough for Regina. Especially once she starts hanging out with Michael. We learn so much about all of them. I loved Michael the very most. And I loved Regina too. She is so anxious and has so many issues and I loved all of her. And her story with Liz was way too heartbreaking. I may not have liked Liz, but I also did not blame her one bit. And then there was Josh. Regina's boyfriend. Who left her just like that, believing everything. Hmph. I did not like him one bit.

Although Regina had been awful, she still did not deserve everything that happened to her in this book. Ack. But so many of the characters that were hurt in this book did not deserve it. And Regina was the cause of a lot of it, because she did not dare to say no to Anna. And, well. Anna deserved all the bad things. And it never happened. I am so bitter about that, haha. Anyway. I liked this book a whole lot. I loved reading about Regina and Michael spending time together. Those moments were the very best.

Four stars because I wanted more from the ending. Half a page was not good enough for me, haha. I so wish there was more. Sigh. It was good, but it could have been even better. I wanted more from certain people. I also found the drama to be a little too much at times, and some school parts were not really for me. But I also loved parts of the drama in this book, so it wasn't that bad. But yeah. It hurt my heart. And not always in a good way. So painful. But important. It is a book about a girl trying to do better, be better.

I have now read three books by Courtney this year. And am now all caught up with her books. They have all been amazing. And very much worth reading. Her books are so painful and honest and so good. She writes the best broken girls and I adore them all. I cannot wait to read more books by Courtney. I'm sure what she is writing next will be epic. Some Girls Are was just what I wanted it to be. Painful and fantastic at the same time. If you still haven't read this book by Courtney, then you really must get started. Worth it.


Saturday, February 22, 2020

In My Mailbox #433

This week have not been easy for me at all. I thought it would be okay to take a break from my medicine. At least, that it would be okay for a few months before it got bad. But this was not the case this time. It's only been nine days since I was supposed to get more medicine. And this past week have killed me. My stomach is so bad. I'm not doing good at all. Feverish every day. I have a huge new bump in the middle of my thigh, maybe a real abscess this time. It hurts. I hope it goes away soon. Sigh. So yeah. I am not doing very well. But I'm trying. Trying to survive it, haha. And I did manage to finally make myself read a book this week, haha. So yay for that :D Hoping it will make it easier to read something else soonish too. Fingers crossed. Only two new blog posts, as I still haven't gotten myself to make cover reveal posts yet. Oh. Soon, I hope. This week I'm waiting on Blood & Honey :) And shared my review of Cracked Up to Be, eee. <3 A bit of stunning mail this week too. Sigh. I love it all :D Hope you are all well. I'm trying my best.



Eve + My True Love Gave To Me ARCs. Ahh! Thank you so much Lacy for trading with me :D So happy.
Pop figures. Eee. A whole bunch of new Mulan pop figures. And they are all goddamn gorgeous. Love.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Friday, February 21, 2020

Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Another Courtney book I had been meaning to read for so long. I finally had the chance to read it. And I am so glad I did. Because this book was all kinds of good and heartbreaking. Four stars, as a few small things bothered me, but gosh, this book was good. I simply could not stop reading it. And I had to know how it ended.

Which was kind of rude, haha. I did love the ending. But it was so very bittersweet too. And it made me badly want a epilogue. Sigh. Having trouble finding the words for this book. Will share a little of what I loved about this, which was a whole lot. I found the writing to be great. The characters were so flawed I loved them all, haha.

This book tells the story of Parker. She is six months away from graduating high school. For many years she was the perfect girl. Popular, smart, behaving. Never made a mistake. Until one day she did. And she hasn't been able to really live with herself ever since that one party. And so for months now she has gotten to be the very opposite of what she had been for years. She started to drink often. Not doing her homework. Making everyone hate her. She was horrible. And still is through most of this book. Which was heartbreaking to read about. Because despite all the bad things Parker did, I still adored her. And I felt so sorry for her. Parker was not an easy girl to care for. Yet I cared for her anyway. She wanted everyone to leave her alone. She wanted to suffer.

It takes a long time before we finally learn what truly happened that day at the party a few months back. And it was such a sad story to know. But so good too. But I also wish Parker had told someone about it, long before she did. Which made me dislike her a little bit. But I also understood why she didn't tell. But yeah. It was sad. And so exciting trying to figure out what had actually happened at this party, how it had all gone wrong. Though, also, all of the drinking was a bit too much for me, as in, not really for me, haha.

This book is all about Parker and her life. It starts months after she began ruining her life. We slowly get to learn things she has done. Many of those things were so cruel of her. Yet I could not help but adore her anyway. Hmph. We learn about her past and what happened that day and how it affected her. She suffers a lot. From panic attacks and so much anxiety. Which hurt my heart. But was written well too. I did not like how she hurt her parents. But I understood her need to be alone. But oh, it was so sad at times. So rude.

Then there is a new boy in her school. And he cannot seem to stay away from her. No matter how badly she treats him. Which is very bad indeed at times. How rude. He begins having feelings for her. And they somehow start getting to know each other. When she isn't lying. All Parker wants is to be alone. Yet she kind of want to be with Jake too. And I shipped them so much, haha. There was also her ex, Chris. They had been together for years. A bit of drama, but no triangle. I liked Chris. And I really did not like him. Ha.

There is a lot going on in this story. We learn so much about Parker. And I adored her so; every broken part of her. I may have wished that she had made some different choices, but I adored her even so. And I wanted her and Jake together so badly. But I also wanted her to get help, which she badly needed. This book was kind of hard to read at times. But it is important. And I liked that a whole bunch. We get to read about Parker slowly getting better, sometimes. We get to know her life. And I honestly liked that so much.

I will say that contemporary books are usually very much not my thing. But that is so not the case when it comes to books by Courtney Summers, haha. She can make me read any genre. And I love that so. She creates the very best broken and flawed and perfect girls to read about. So much so that I can ignore the silly school things, haha. Well, for the most part. Some things were a bit too silly and stupid. But I loved the story too much to care much about it. But I will say that the dog scene was fully rude and evil. Hmph.

It took me years to finally read Cracked Up the Be. And it was so worth the wait. Though I do wish I had read it earlier too. The book was all kinds of rude but so great too. It came out over ten years ago. And it just came out again with a new cover. I love them both. And have been a fan of Courtney for years. Now only have one book left to read, then I'm all caught up on her stories. Rude. I want so many more books by her. She is such an awesome person and writer. If you have not read her books yet, then get reading.


Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #436

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

BLOOD & HONEY (Serpent & Dove #2) 
BY SHELBY MAHURIN

Goodreads Description:

The hotly anticipated sequel to the New York Times and IndieBound bestseller Serpent & Dove—packed with even steamier romance and darker magic—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.


Hardcover, 528 pages
Expected publication: September 1st 2020 by HarperTeen
Pre-Order here and here

I'm nervous about this book. I did like Serpent & Dove a whole bunch. And I am pretty excited about this second book. Eee. But, well. The summary. Sigh. The widening rift between them. Yeah. That isn't really a story for me, sobs. Why can't the romance ever just be okay? Goddamn it. I am not pleased. Hmph :)
What are you waiting for on this bloody Wednesday?

Saturday, February 15, 2020

In My Mailbox #432

I failed in reading a book this week. Oops. I wanted to read. Just couldn't bring myself to do it. Too tired. And was too busy watching movies all week long, haha. I watched the new Netflix show Locke & Key. It was pretty good, but a bunch of things bothered me too. Hmph. Cannot wait for season two, though. And also watched a whole lot of good movies. And a bunch of bad ones too, ha. Rude. So anyway. I'm hoping to read a book this coming week. I know what to read. Just need to make myself start. So yeah. Only one blog post to share. Oops. This week I'm waiting on Battle Born :D I also only got two books. But they are gorgeous, eee. <3 I was at the hospital this week too, and decided to take a medicine break, which was okay. I know my stomach will get bad fast. Sigh. But I am hoping all my other health issues will get better without this heavy medicine. Fingers crossed. So yeah. A bit exhausted. But good. Hope you're all well :)



The Midnight Lie. Ahh! Thank you Rezanne for trading with me :D SO HAPPY to own this precious, eee.
Last of her Name. Paperback edition is out :D I adored this book a whole bunch last year. Eee. So good.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #435

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

BATTLE BORN (Elementals #3) BY AMIE KAUFMAN

Goodreads Description:

Tensions are at an all-time high in the final book of this rip-roaring adventure series about siblings with magical shapeshifter powers, from New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman.

Though Anders and his friends have delayed a war between ice wolves and scorch dragons, their mission is far from over. With adults on both sides looking for them, they’ve sought refuge in Cloudhaven, a forbidden stronghold that could hold the key to saving their home.

Meanwhile, Holbard has been ravaged, and its citizens are reeling. Many have been forced into bleak camps outside the city, and food is running short. 

To rebuild Vallen and unite scorch dragons, ice wolves, and humans, Anders and Rayna must put everything on the line…before the damage done is beyond repair. But the price of peace may hit closer to home than they could’ve ever imagined.

Hardcover, 326 pages
Expected publication: June 2nd 2020 by HarperCollins
Pre-Order here and here

I am pretty excited about this third book :D Such a huge fan of Amie. And although I have only read book one, ack, and this is the third one, I still cannot wait. Because when this one comes out I can finally re-read the first one and read the next two books :D These middle grade ones looks so very gorgeous. Sigh.
What are you waiting for on this battle Wednesday?

Saturday, February 8, 2020

In My Mailbox #431

It's finally really light enough outside again that I can take pretty photos once more, eee. I have missed daylight so much. Sigh. I got a few books this week, all of which I adore. <3 I also managed to read two books, so yay for that. One good, one horrible, haha. Now taking a break for a few days to watch some movies. My body is still the worst. I hate my health. Trying to deal with it, as always. I'm doing my best. Anyway. A few new posts :) I shared my review of The Mystwick School of Musicraft. <3 This week I'm waiting on The June Boys :D And I shared my review of The Queen's Assassin. Ack. Too tired to write anything more. Oops. Hoping to at least read one book this coming week :) Hope you are all doing well.



Dragon Fire. I am so behind on reading books by Lisa. Ahh! But, well. At least I own them all, haha. Love.
Winter + Cinder.  Yesss. Final of the new paperbacks have arrived :D And oh my gosh, they are stunning.
Cracked Up to Be. Eee! I'm excited to finally make myself read this book by Courtney :D I so cannot wait.
The Conference of Birds. I know. I did not like the trilogy. Ha. But I bought book four. So needed five too.
Pop Figure. I really need to re-watch The Hunchback of Notre-Dame soon. Love this pop. Movie's so sad.


More Instagram photos here. <3

Friday, February 7, 2020

Review: The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz

This was a book that I had really hoped to love. I was so badly mistaken. Because it ended up being a book I almost hated for so long. Which makes me so sad, as this sounded so very good and looks gorgeous. But looks are not everything. Which is very true with this book. Sigh. Two stars, which even feels kind of me.

It sounds like an exciting story with a deadly assassin and them trying to save the world. Ha. It was so not this at all. It was a silly love story that didn't really make sense. I did not ship them. The book was full of drama. The assassin was a weak person with no focus, he who was supposed to be so deadly. Ugh. So not good.

I have so much I wish to share about this book. And I know I will most likely forget to mention most of it. Ha. But oh, I must share as much as I can. And this review will sadly not be positive at all. I will share a few good things, why it is not a one star. But yes. I have so much bad to share about this. Which hurts my heart, but yeah. This was not a good book. And I fully regret reading it. But I did it. And it is done with. Now you must all suffer with me. Ha. First I will say that the writing was a mess. First person and third person, I think. Both done so badly. Was hard to focus on this story. It was even harder to care for the characters. They were truly bland and boring and I just did not like them much. Sigh. This story could have been fully good. Instead it failed so horribly.

It began pretty good, though. The world seemed exciting with a little bit of magic included. It even seemed like I would like the main girl. But this passed fastly. This tells the story of Shadow and Caledon. He is the deadliest weapon in the kingdom, the Queen's assassin, age nineteen. Which was kind of laughable. He kills maybe a handful of people in this book. It happened so quickly. Instead he spends the entire time of this book being in love with Shadow and being such a whiny person. Both of them were. It was so stupid.

Anyway. Not going to write about that yet. It is so obvious from the first page that Shadow is the Queen's daughter, that she has lived with two women since she was a baby, seeing her mother a few times over the years. To keep her safe from the other three kingdoms, as some want her dead. Well, I thought it was beyond obvious, as it was written so badly, yet Cal never suspected it, ha. And it seems like there was a reveal at the end of the book. What. I'm confused. Like it was a big secret that we did not know. Hahaha.

Yeah. I tried to like Shadow and Cal. I really did. She run away from her aunts the day she was supposed to live with her mother again. Cal is in prison for a murder, although the Queen is supposed to have him escape to go to another place to find some kind of spy. Instead Shadow travels to free him, as she want him to teach her to be an assassin. Haha. She was so full of herself. She cut her hair and dressed as a boy to get to the prison. No one saw through her. Which was weird, as it was so not written good enough.

Then she is able to free him after just a couple of days in there. And it was very easy to get him out of the highest tower in this prison, without anyone seeing them. Yeah. Very believable. Then they are travelling together. And she is trying to control every single thing. Like she is the expert and he is the novice. Which was so not the case at all. He let her boss him around, after a few insults thrown both ways. It was just so silly and weird, to be honest. She was not good enough on this mission to be taking control of everything.

Then they arrive in the town where they are to infiltrate the royalty to look for the spy. Which of course go smoothly from the very beginning. They get a place to stay. With the woman of the house flirting with Cal at every moment. And Shadow getting jealous. The last half at least of this book was all about jealousy. And so much drama. It was ridiculous. And made me so angry and so upset. This was so not any kind of cute drama. They were both jealous and seemingly madly in love with each other without ever saying so.

Then they share a few kisses. And they are perfect together, oh my god. Can you believe it. Sigh. I am sorry. I just did not believe in this relationship at all. This book was not what I thought it would be at all. It was all about the almost romance and their drama. It was so bad. Then, spoilers. It is revealed at the end that she has to marry the King of another kingdom. And she does. And their hearts are breaking. Yet they sleep together night before the wedding. Months after, wedding is not consummated, and Cal is her lover.

I just could not with this book. It was so not good. And there is to be a second one. Uuugh. But of course, none of the plot was resolved in this story. The bad guy is still out there. And he is a demon, hundreds of years old. Of course. So this second book will likely be about her starting to have feelings for her husband too, to make it into a real love triangle, hahaha. Just you wait and see. I'm positive this will happen. Ugh. As if there weren't enough silly drama already. Sigh. I just could not deal with this book. It was not for me.

And now I have written way too much. Yet not enough at all. I would so not recommend this for anyone. Still giving it two stars, though. As I have read worse books. But yeah. The Queen's Assassin was not a good book. At all. And it hurts my heart that I had to suffer through it. Ha. But I made it. And I will not be reading book two. So curious to see other reviews, though. Huge thank you to PRH International #partner for sending me this gorgeous free ARC to read and review. I'm sorry I hated the book so much. Well, not.


Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #434

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

THE JUNE BOYS BY COURT STEVENS

Goodreads Description:

The Gemini Thief could be anyone. Your father, your mother, your best friend’s crazy uncle. Some country music star’s deranged sister. Anyone.

The Gemini Thief is a serial kidnapper, who takes three boys and holds them captive from June 1st to June 30th of the following year. The June Boys endure thirteen months of being stolen, hidden, observed, and fed before they are released, unharmed, by their masked captor. The Thief is a pro, having eluded authorities for nearly a decade and taken at least twelve boys.

Now Thea Delacroix has reason to believe the Gemini Thief took a thirteenth victim: her cousin, Aulus McClaghen.

But the game changes when one of the kidnapped boys turns up dead. Together with her boyfriend Nick and her best friends, Thea is determined to find the Gemini Thief and the remaining boys before it’s too late. Only she’s beginning to wonder something sinister, something repulsive, something unbelievable, and yet, not impossible:

What if her father is the Gemini Thief?


Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: March 3rd 2020 by Thomas Nelson
Pre-Order here and here

I have read two books by Courtney before, which makes me even more excited for this book. Eee. When I read the summary a couple of weeks ago I knew I had to have this book. And now I have it pre-ordered. Oops. It looks awesome. And sounds thrilling and exciting. Sigh. I simply cannot wait to read this book :D
What are you waiting for on this stolen Wednesday?

Monday, February 3, 2020

Review: The Mystwick School of Musicraft by Jessica Khoury

Feels like I have waited forever to be able to read this gorgeous thing. Have been a fan of Jessica for years and was so excited she was going to write a middle grade story too. It also looks so stunning. And sounded amazing. Which makes me even more thrilled to say that it was pretty much perfection. I enjoyed it so.

The writing was very good. The characters were great to read about; I adored them all. And the music world created was so special and so interesting to learn more about. I also liked the school a lot. The way the magic worked was so well done too. Most of all I loved Amelia. She was my favorite part of all of it.

There is so much to share about this book. I shall try my best to only write down a little bit, haha. Giving it four stars, as I adored it beyond words, but felt a little hurt about how hurt Amelia was. Hmph. It hurt my heart a lot. But yes. This book was truly good. And I enjoyed it very much. Sigh. It tells the story of twelve year old Amelia Jones. She lives in a small town with her grandma. Her mother died eight years ago, and her grandma pretty much never talks about her. But Amelia knows that she went to a big school for magic. And so she spend years practicing magic with her flute, becoming really good at it, all to try to get accepted into this school. Which is not an easy thing to get accepted for. Only the best gets in. The day of her audition do not go very well.

Everything goes wrong. Even her audition does not go well, after she gets nervous. And so Amelia is sure she will get rejected for her dream school, to become as good as her mother was at music magic. But two weeks pass. And she gets an acceptance letter. A month later she gets picked up for her new school and in such an awesome way. Loved the way they travelled by music spells. It was thrilling to read about. She meets some of the kids she will go to class with. Amelia was so beyond excited for her new school. Sigh.

But this was not meant to be at all. She arrives at her school. And her new teachers inform her that she did not get in at all. Another girl named Amelia Jones was accepted, but she died the day the letter went out. And so this Amelia only got in by accident. They don't think she is good enough for this school at all. And want to send her home again. But by another accident she had played music for some special trees, and they welcomed her, so she cannot be kicked out. Not yet. She get two months to prove she belongs.

Which is how this story begins. And oh gosh. It was such a good story. But it was beyond sad too. Amelia was such a special girl and I adored her so. But her story was not all happy. I so did not like the way her teachers treated her. Or the way some of her classmates treated her too especially her roommate. Hmph. And although Amelia loves music so much, she starts to struggle at school. She try so hard to be perfect. But she struggle more and more. Which was so sad to read about. Oh. But so real and I loved it the most.

This book tells the story of Amelia. How she gets in at her dream school by an accident. How she tries so hard to belong, so they will let her stay. How things do not go the way she had hoped they would. Which was so sad to read about at times. I wanted all the best things for this girl. And felt like she had so many bad things happen to her. Oh. But she was still so sweet and kind and strong. Loved her so. Anyway. She only really makes one friend. Jai. Whom was all kinds of adorable and kind, and I shipped them so, haha.

It is a book about music. How music make magic happen in this world. Music can heal. Music can hurt. It can make things grow. Music magic can basically do anything. And it was so thrilling to read about it all. I loved this part of the story. And I loved how badly Amelia wanted this school. And I loved her making her music. Sigh. There are even ghosts in this story. Well, one. There are friendships. And enemies. We see Amelia taking her music classes. Which was so interesting but so hard to read about too. My poor heart.

Giving this book a four star because I'm a little bitter about how mean everyone was towards Amelia. And how they did not make it up to her at the end of the book. There should have been some groveling, haha. Simply felt that Amelia deserved more from all of them. But besides this, I did not have a single issue with this book. I loved it a whole lot. But gosh, the ending happened way too soon. There is still so much more I need to know. And so I am just waiting for an announcement of more books. All my fingers are crossed.

There was so much happening in this book. And I haven't written down most of it. All of it was so good to read about. I only wish there had been even more at the ending. But yes, I'm thinking there will be more books. The Mystwick School of Musicraft was everything I hoped it would be and more. It was so thrilling and sweet and sad too. I adored these characters beyond words. Amelia was the very best. You all need to read this adorable middle grade book too. It was full of heart and soul. I simply need more of all of this.


Saturday, February 1, 2020

In My Mailbox #430

This week has gone by all kinds of fast and been so exhausting but so good too. I spent almost the entire week sleeping at my sisters place, which was good. Back home now and had missed my bed so, haha :) But still managed to read one book this week. I made it to 7 books read in January. Eee. So happy about that. Though, well, the book I read was so bad. Which breaks my heart a little. Sigh. Shortly starting this middle grade book I'm super excited about. Hoping it will be perfect. I'm so far behind on everything, as always, but shall try doing some things this coming week. A few new blog posts. This week I'm waiting on The Queen's Assassin :D I shared my review of Wardens of Eternity. Ack. Hope you are all doing well :) I got so many gorgeous books this week. Sigh. Love. Still going on my daily walks. They are always good.



Scammed. Yay! I cannot wait to finally get to read this sequel soon :D Think I will re-read book one first.
The Deceivers. Stunning new paperback version. I do like these new covers a bunch. I loved this book.
The Mystwick School of Musicraft. Eee! Waited forever for this one, haha. Reading it next. Very excited.
Obsidio. Oops. New AUS small paperback edition :D I had to have this one too, haha. Love this series.
The Near Witch. Ack. I could not help but order this gorgeous new edition from Waterstones. Love it so.
Scarlet + Cress. Sigh. Two of four new stunning paperback editions :D AHH! I so love these new covers.
The Queen's Assassin. Eee! Thank you so much PRH International #partner for this gorgeous ARC :D
The Witcher. I couldn't help but buy this game for my Switch. Oops. I won't have time to play for a while.
Pop Figures. Eee. New gorgeous Disney ones. Harry Potter. And a new Gandalf. Sigh. Love them all, ha.


More Instagram photos here. <3