Posted on by Hermione · 3 Comments

When You Were Everything-A Book Review

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? This is a review of a book I read…four days ago I guess…that looks like very long ago😂.

  • Title: When You Were Everything
  • Author: Ashley Woodfolk
  • Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, YA, LGBT, Romance
  • Publication Date/Publisher: March 10th, 2020 by Delacorte Press
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Source: Goodreads

Everything started to shatter when another girl heard Layla singing and decided to let her join the Chorus Girls….

Cleo has been living the last month without her best-friend and she has been trying to forget Layla. She has been going to every place in town, saturated with memories of Layla and she has been trying to make new memories over there. The problem is, deciding to erase a person from your life is easier said than done. Cleo has been assigned to tutor Layla and after drifting away from each other, this is the very last thing Cleo wanted.

Lately, Cleo has been making new friends and Dom, a new boy has been catching her attention and she has been developing a fierce crush on him. Unfortunately, memories and the past never fade away….and memories of Layla always come back to haunt Cleo’s mind…

About the Author:

Ashley Woodfolk

Ashley Woodfolk has loved reading and writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated from Rutgers University and worked in children’s book publishing for over a decade. Now a full-time mom and writer, Ashley lives in a sunny Brooklyn apartment with her cute husband, her cuter dog, and the cutest kid in the world. Her books include The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything, and the Flyy Girls Series.

[Picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 4/5

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My Thoughts:

This book was….a huge collection of feelings. It had everything, sadness, happiness, anger, guilt, regret…

What I liked is that our main character, Cleo also had flaws and it wasn’t only because of Layla that their friendship broke, it was also because of her. It made it more realistic and not the type where it-is-all-your-fault-we-are-not-friends-anymore. I couldn’t love Cleo any more than that. She was such a sad and happy person and at times you can’t help but feel sad yourself.

Layla was a character whom I sometimes hated and at other times, loved. You see, in some ways, you just can’t blame Layla and Cleo isn’t totally innocent either because she also did some bad things towards Layla and vice-versa.

I have never read any book which talks about a perfect friendship which slowly shattered particle by particle until all what is left is dust and you seriously don’t know whether to just throw it away because there is no way to fix it or to keep it all in a jar until you find an impossible way to fix it.

That is, it talks about that other side of a broken-up friendship, not only the anger towards the person but the sadness blended into everything and how you miss a person but in some ways despise that person as well, even if there is no way to bring it back to normal.

At some point in the book, there are moments you may cry but yet manage to hold back the tears so don’t read this book at the dining table for example if you are an emotional person or people might ask you why are you blinking so much. I say it again, this is an emotional book and captures the reality behind every broken friendship out there. The book feels so real as if the book was gifted some emotions for itself.

At the end of the story, I’m not sure if I am happy or sad. The ending was a mixture of both of these feelings. It was beautiful. I’m definitely recommending this book for anyone who wants a light read to cheer you up or to sadden you because this book can do both and I myself haven’t decided if I’m happy or not.

My Favourite Quote:

”You can’t approach your whole life like its a homework assignment, Baby Girl.”

When You Were Everything-Ashley Woodfolk

So see you all until the next time!

-Hermione

P.S. I am going to read The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher next!

Posted on by Hermione · 2 Comments

Mexican Gothic-A Book Review

Hello all people! Hope you are doing great. Today I am posting a review of Mexican Gothic, a book I really enjoyed so keep on reading!

Title: Mexican Gothic

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre: Horror, Gothic, Mystery

Publication Date/Publisher: June 30th, 2020 by Del Rey

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Source: Goodreads

Sheeeeeeweeee! Isn’t this cover beautiful! I guess I really like the burgundy colour in the cover. *wait….does the first word in this paragraph even exist?* The cover gives me gothic vibes….

Noemí Taboada was busy enjoying herself at a party when her father calls her home. As she returns, she is given a letter to read that was written by her cousin, Catalina who is begging for her help.

Noemí’s father decides to send her off to High Place in order to try to bring Catalina back to Mexico City and cure her. As she heads for High Place, she is brought to the house by one of the family residents itself, Francis Doyle, the youngest son of the family and who is extremely kind.

As she enters the house, an air of doom and strangeness fills her. The air is thick and the darkness of the house is disturbing. She cannot believe that her cousin, so filled with happy stories of princes and princesses would ever want to live here. Noemí who can be so vain and caring about her looks is much more suited for happy days, beautiful dresses, perfect lipstick and cocktail parties than a dark house that looks like from a previous century.

Days and days pass with Noemí trying to find out more about the Doyles and why her cousin is feeling so ill and her continuous hallucinations she claims of having….until Noemí starts having disturbing hallucinations herself. They get worse and worse as if someone is trying to speak to her. With the mysterious residents of the house and herself going crazy with those dreams, Noemí has to act fast and get herself and her cousin out of the house before it is too late…but it is almost too late and escaping seems like a long lost miracle…

About the Author:

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and Untamed Shore. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. 

[Picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

My Thoughts:

This is what I call a really good blend of horror, gothic and mystery and I recommend it to anyone who like horror or any of the genres above. It is also perfect for readers who love Darcy Coates’ books. You should definitely check out Darcy Coates as well, if you read Mexican Gothic.

Miss Noemí Taboada is the character which I would call suited for herself. She’s vain, stubborn, badass, brave, fierce and somebody who cares way too much about her looks. Like a person made out of all the personality traits in the world in small quantities. I can totally imagine her in a party stealing everyone’s attention with her superb lipstick, dress and well-chosen words with a cocktail drink in her gloved hand. And we could add a charming smile and perfect hair that will send every boy gaping😂.

The author did a really great job in describing the places so much I could almost vividly see everything in my head. The plot twist….was absolutely great…well, I didn’t expect anything of that sort and I didn’t even guess it. It has got a ghost-y and monster-y taste to the book that makes it more gothic and scary which I really liked.

The book also mentions a lot of plants and mushrooms but I can’t tell much it will totally ruin the story for you. I wish I could visit the Doyle’s house and live in it but I will first let some sunlight in there and deep clean everywhere. I found Francis Doyle extremely likable and if I was in the book we could have been best friends because we both love mushrooms. Francis was the only person in the Doyle’s house whom you could trust and who wasn’t like the rest of the family. I found him also very caring and gentle and smart and if you compare him to young Miss Taboada, they are very very different so you kinda get the idea.

(Did I ever mention I really like mushrooms! One day, if you go in your garden or in a forest, make sure to look in some damp and shady spot like the soil around a great tree and you’ll probably find some mushrooms! Mushrooms are fantastic fungus you know!)

Yay! I am done with the review! Next review will be When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk since I have just finished it….(before yesterday that is…)

So stick around for more!

Hermione💜

Posted on by Hermione · 12 Comments

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue-A Book Review

Another 500 page book! Took me 3 days to finish…I guess I forgot to say hi at the beginning but never mind…

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: Victoria (V.E) Schwab

Genre: Fantasy (not really though because it is set in our world but it has some magical elements), Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

Publishing Date/Publisher: October 6th 2020 by Tor Books

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
(BTW, the cover is so simple but yet so beautiful…)Source: Goodreads

Adeline LaRue lives an almost invisible life. She was born in the 1700’s in France when a simple moment in the early night before her wedding changed her life. She made a deal with the God of the Dark, in return of her soul, she will obtain her freedom. No one in their right minds would do such a deal but Addie was desperate…She could long as she liked until the day she got tired of living and will then have to surrender her soul…her curse or rather her bargain doesn’t end here either, people won’t remember her the moment they turn their heads and lose her out of their sight.

Till now, (2000’s), nobody has been able to remember 300 year old Adeline…until the day she enters a bookshop she had visited the day before and a young man remembers her…The thing Addie longed for the most, ever since she made that deal, to be remembered.

About The Author:

V.E. Schwab

Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say “tom-ah-toes,” “like,” and “y’all.”

She also tells stories. She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

[Picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 4.95/5

Rating: 5 out of 5.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis, I thought it would be something like The Picture of Dorian Gray (I absolutely loved this book…like one of my favourite classics) but it takes a whole new turn. Alright, let me tell you, you either like this book or don’t like it at all. There, now I told you we can continue…

There are so many things which can be said about this book. But if there is one main thing in my opinion is that the book mostly feels like a journey rather than a journey with a final destination. And adding that the journey was deeply and darkly beautiful. The writing had so much meaning and a depth that makes it like no other book I have ever read before. I can say that Schwab has really put her heart out while writing this book. Her writing style is….breathtakingly amazing and oh my god, deep! It conveys so many emotions.

So many things happen in the book of course and we get to read about what happened back in the 18th century and now, that is in the 21st century. Addie was a great character with her ups and downs and equal stubbornness but if there is the character that gets you hooked the most is Luc, the God of the Dark. His name isn’t really Luc because he doesn’t really have a name. Luc is the name Addie gave him. Just imagine a God which doesn’t look very much like a God and actually takes the shape of a dark curly haired man with deep green eyes just for Adeline.

Aaaaah, now we come to the part where I begin to ship Addie with Luc! I.Am.Not.Supposed.To.Be.Doing.This. Why did I ever begin with shipping Addie and Luc because now that idea cannot get out of my head. All throughout the book, I was like….ya know what I mean.

I do recommend this book to anyone. I haven’t read such a deep and dark book for a very long time. I think I could recommend it only for you to run your fingers under each line (I read the ebook😔) and savour the deep meanings and just breathe it in. It really has a unique magic of its own.

Well, I have written enough for this post and I ought to be off right now. I just finished the first chapter of Mexican Gothic and I am dying to know more.

See you later!

Hermione

Have any of you read this book btw? I WANNA BUY IT THE BOOK!

Posted on by Hermione · 5 Comments

The Fellowship of the Ring-A Book Review

Well, um, hi there! It took me around 4 days or more to read this book (it is so long!). Hemhem….it is like damn! A more than four hundred pages book! As soon as I finish this trilogy, I’ll probably start with a fantasy duology or a standalone fantasy novel. I should probably just start with the review! I am actually feeling a little like a hobbit right now. I feel like sitting by a fireplace and reading a book like Bilbo. Does Bilbo read books btw? Oh whatever I should be reviewing this book.

Title: The Fellowship of the Ring

Series: Lord of the Rings #1

Author: J.R.R Tolkien

Genre: Fantasy, Classics, Adventure

Publication Date/Publisher: September 18th 2012 by Mariner Books (first published July 29th 1954)

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Source: Goodreads

Bilbo Baggins is back to The Shire, living in his nice and cozy hobbit-hole with his small cousin, Frodo Baggins who is also the heir of Bag End.

Bilbo Baggins and Frodo are celebrating their birthday party. Even though both of them aren’t of the same age, they share the birthday of September 22. What’s special is that Bilbo just reached his 111th birthday and Frodo is now an adult hobbit.

During the birthday party, Bilbo announces that he will go on a very long vacation and might probably never come back again, a permanent vacation (how cool this sounds!). He leaves Frodo in charge of the rest of the party and on Gandalf’s request, leaves his magic ring (a ring which makes the bearer invisible) to Frodo and then leaves Bag End.

When Gandalf visits Frodo, and when they discuss about the ring, Gandalf realizes that the ring is indeed the One Ring which was forged for Sauron the Dark Lord, as a Ring of power to control and rule everything. Gandalf tells Frodo that Sauron and his servants already know about the ring and he should leave as fast as possible to destroy it before it gets into the hands of the Enemy.

Some time later, Frodo leaves the Shire with three other companions, Sam, Merry and Pippin in the quest to destroy the Ring in one of the fires of Mordor where the ring was originally crafted, one of the most dangerous quests with dangerous roads and the Black Riders, servants of Sauron, to reach Mordor, where evil awaits.

About the Author:

J.R.R. Tolkien
Source of picture: Goodreads

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, WWI veteran, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . It is also said that The Hobbit is a novel which was first written for his own children.

My ratings: 4.7/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

This book was slightly better than The Hobbit but much complicated to understand. There are SO MANY PLACES! SO MANY PEOPLE! It wasn’t boring at all, not fast-paced either but something in the middle of fast-paced and slow-paced. My favourite character was Aragorn, also known as Strider and probably Legolas as well, and perhaps Sam or Pippin and Merry because they are just so lively and very loyal to Frodo.

Frodo is appointed as the Ring-Bearer and as soon as they leave the Elf-castle and bid farewell to Elrond the Elven King, Gandalf, Legolas, Aragorn, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Gimli the dwarf and Boromir along with Frodo leave all together in the quest to destroy Ring.

I love the element of friendship in the book, how all nine are willing to stick to each other even in the most dangerous of adventures on their way to Mordor to destroy the Ring.

Sam, Merry and Pippin as I mentioned above are one of my favourite characters because they are just so loyal. They know they can turn back and return to The Shire but they don’t. They are all so full of fierce courage and determination, I admire all of them for that. I feel like I am going to miss all those characters very much when I’ll finish the trilogy *sad face* but I guess this is how all books are. You are so eager to see what happens next, which means finishing the book but you don’t want to finish the book at the same time because suddenly, you realize that you aren’t sure what to do with your life next…

Well, hope you enjoyed this post! My computer should be exhausted after all this slamming and punching of the keys and I have to let it rest a little for now.

I also have so many things to do, like read The Two Towers next so I should probably go.

With 10 tired fingers and an annoyed computer,

Lots of love, Hermione

Posted on by Hermione · 3 Comments

I just realized….

I was in bed yesterday and being a person who takes up to 30 minutes or even 1 hour to fall asleep, I was obviously awake staring at the ceiling and very busy thinking of random and useless things while I waited for sleep to come until I realized something…

Alright, I am telling you in advance, this is pretty much nonsense so read the following at your own risk:

I think we are all familiar with Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Princess, The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel and all those tales which reminds us a little of our childhood. Oh, and I forgot, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and The Little Mermaid…and the list goes on and on. And I also forgot Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. And Alice in Wonderland.

Well, did you realize that those stories we used to read and listen to when we were little are mostly fantasy and romance and this kind of thing? Yes yes, I know this is all nonsense but I did say to read at your own risk😎.

All the stories also had talking animals, witches, princesses, prince, castles and the majority of them took place once upon a time in a faraway land….

So, if you understand what I mean….well, I think it is a little weird if people don’t like fantasy but of course our tastes change over the years but do you imagine, most of the stories of our childhood is fantasy? So nobody can say that they never liked fantasy because if you liked any of the stories above then remember, you definitely liked fantasy at some point of your life…

So, if you have reached this sentence, then thank you very much for reading this bunch of….my….unusual thinking. I’ll probably regret this later but never mind…

Curtsey GIFs | Tenor
Source: Tenor

Well, what can I say?

This is obviously all pure nonsense from a nonsensical mind (hey, that is my mind! Imagine my mind calling itself nonsensical🤦‍♀️)

So, see you later with a much usual post!

With wierdness,

Hermione

Posted on by Hermione · 1 Comment

Wrap Up #June2021

Hey bookish people! Hope your month was as great as mine! Compared to last month (May) I have read way more books this month! Yay me😍!! What makes this month great is that I didn’t read any overwhelmingly disappointing books. I have also discovered books which are now considered as one of my all-time favourite and I am awfully glad I read them.💛. Let’s get on. BTW!! I think this is my best month of all my time blogging. I have been much more present on my blog and I have read a ton of BOOKS! And most of the books have breathtaking covers!

To all the books in the world, I know this is weird but I love you all so much!💜🤍💜 I’m very very very happy you all exist!

Total number of books read: 99999 (Just kidding, I’ve read only 9)

June, 1st 2021

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw – YA Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 4.9/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

June, 3rd 2021

Fable by Adrienne Young (Fable #1) – YA Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Fable (Fable, #1) by Adrienne Young
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 5/5

Rating: 5 out of 5.

June, 6th 2021

Namesake by Adrienne Young (Fable #2) -YA Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Amazon.com: Namesake: A Novel (Fable, 2) (9781250254399): Young, Adrienne: Books
Source: Amazon.com

My ratings: 5/5

Rating: 5 out of 5.

June, 9th 2021

The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning (Kingdoms of Sand and Sky #1) YA Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Retellings

The Princess Will Save You (Kingdoms of Sand and Sky, #1)
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 4.3/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

June, 12th 2021

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw – YA Fiction, Paranormal, Romance

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 4.9/5

Rating: 5 out of 5.

June, 16th 2021

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel – Historical Fiction, World War 2

The Book of Lost Names
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

June, 17th 2021

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power – YA Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Burn Our Bodies Down
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

June, 19th 2021

Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald – YA Fantasy, LGBT

Beyond the Ruby Veil (Beyond the Ruby Veil, #1)
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 3.9/5

Rating: 4 out of 5.

June, 28th 2021

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien – Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Classics

5907
Source: Goodreads

My ratings: 4.9/5 (I’ve finally decided)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Other posts:

The Sunshine Blogger Award (Thank you Kat for nominating me!)

(Click on the picture to read my Sunshine Blogger Award post. I hope it works….)

So…..I’m finally done!

Welcome, Welcome, WELCOME July, we are all very thankful you have accepted to come after June and for always being present! We are very all happy to start a new month! And to say you have never missed to come after June and you are always on time. Please get in July! Everybody is excited to see you. 💚

Just ignore what I have written. I was just welcoming July!😂

Well, I should be running off and go back to reading The Fellowship of the Ring By J.R.R Tolkien. I have just started it and I am already on page 200.

So, bye!

Love y’all!

-Hermione

Posted on by Hermione · 4 Comments

The Hobbit-A Book Review

Hey people! Hope you all doing good! I have wanted to read THIS for so long and I am finally happy I picked it up. It reminds me so much of Harry Potter though because Gandalf looks just like Dumbledore in my imagination, saying that both of them are wizards and have very long beards and are equally very wise. Maybe, we’ll save all that for later at the end and begin with the review before I forget about this post. Oh, and I was actually wondering if Dumbledore is actually inspired by Gandalf but I’m not sure….

Title: The Hobbit or There and Back Again

Author: J.R.R Tolkien

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Classics

Publication Date/Publisher: August 15th 2002/ Houghton Mifflin (first published September 21st 1937)

5907
Source: Goodreads

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who lives in a very nice and cozy hobbit-hole, called Bad End found in Hobbiton. Not being a hobbit who is very fond of adventures he prefers staying comfortable in his home, listening to the kettle whistling or making smoke rings out from his pipe.

One day, he receives a visitor, Gandalf, the great wizard who offers an adventure. An adventure to steal back the treasures of the great dragon, Smaug, who had actually stole all those treasures from the dwarves and other people at the time when he used to terrorize the lands.

Bilbo refuses point blank and declines the offer right away only to find more than a dozen visitors entering his hobbit-hole the next day. Dwarves. Thorin of Oakenshield, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bombur, Bofur, Bifur, Balin and Dwalin. And Gandalf of course.

Finally, Bilbo reluctantly accepts to accompany the dwarves and Gandalf on the quest for the stolen treasure and off they go, to retrieve the treasure most guarded by Smaug, the great dragon.

About the Author:

J.R.R. Tolkien
Source of picture: Goodreads

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, WWI veteran, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . It is also said that The Hobbit is a novel which was first written for his own children.

My ratings: I’m still wondering if I should give this a 4.9 out of 5 or a 5 out of 5.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Reason I read this? Fantasy! It has a great fantasy and was quite fast-paced at times so you are totally hooked to the story and other times it was a little slow-paced so you read at ease. The world-building is breathtaking. I wish I could at least see the Misty Mountains, the Lonely Mauntains, the forest of the enchanted stream and the Elvenking. But it isn’t guaranteed you’ll be able to see it if you look out of the window or climb up on the roof and look on all sides though I’ll try that when I have time to see if I can see them from my house.

Bilbo Baggins is also a wierd character who has got two sides; his Baggins side and his Tookish side. The Tookish side of him takes over during his adventures because the Tooks are his family on his mother’s side who were always ready for some adventure of some kind.

Another thing I love about this book is the amount of songs and poems the dwarves make up on the spot and unfortunately, I won’t be able to write one of them down here because it would be too long. J.R.R Tolkien has a great mind, the way his characters are created, the world-building, the plot and his imagination in making songs for the dwarves are just so great.

A very enjoyable and fascinating read!

See ya soon!

-Hermione

P.S. I know this is absolutely irrelevant but I actually found my green ring yesterday and I am so happy! It was lost for 6 months and I found it in one of my pencil-cases. I mean I lost it twice (I don’t usually lose things) and both of the times I found it in very unexpected places! I mean like why!? I always find my things in wierd places and I bet the next thing I’ll lose and I find it back again will be in some place like my hair or my pocket. Well, nevermind about all those nonsense things, I’d better go now!!!

Oh and next post will probably be my June wrap up so stick around!

Posted on by Hermione · 13 Comments

The Sunshine Blogger Award #1🌻

Thank you soooo much Kat @ The Lily Cafe for nominating for the Sunshine Blogger Award, my very first💜! You definitely have to check out her book blog, she is such a supportive and sweet person.

Thanks again!

So….what about the Sunshine Blogger Award??

The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to those who are creative, positive and inspiring while spreading sunshine to the blogging community.

The Rules:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
  • Nominate 11 new blogs and write them 11 new questions.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your post and/or in your blog.

Kat’s Questions:

1.If you could get up and go on a vacation right now, where would you go?

Switzerland perhaps? I have had a thing for Switzerland ever since I read Heidi by Johanna Spyri and I love mountains and forests. To be more specific, I actually want to visit the Alps and spend my vacation in a wooden cottage in the mountains. How cool is that?

2.What are three things that make you happy?

Reading without being disturbed is the best thing. Another thing that makes me happy is when other people are happy because laughter and smiles are a little contagious so I am happy too. Last thing…Being in an empty and enchanted castle walking amongst shelves and shelves of infinite books in a huge magical library which is probably haunted by ghosts and dangerous and magical plants in the dead of the night. The day I get to really do that will be my happiest day.

3.What are you favorite kinds of stories and why?

Favorite kinds of stories? I like stories which are a little dark with magical elements. Well, it will be easier to say just FANTASY! Why I like fantasy? I guess it is because it is just so different from the world we live in and if I’d rather choose a place to live in, it would definitely be in a fantasy world! Woohoo!

4.What’s your favorite thing to cook, bake, or eat?

I like CAKE! Chocolate cake and lemon cake actually. I love those! Mum lets me bake cakes sometimes when we have guests at home or just when we want to and it is something I love to do. AND TO SAY I ADORE ANYTHING THAT IS CHOCOLATE!

5.How did you get into blogging?

I don’t think I knew what a blog was until I turned 11. My mom was always telling me to write a summary of all the books I read because according to her, it will improve my writing. I never bothered to do them anyways because I never wanted to…Until NOVEMBER 2019, she finally received the answer. Create a blog for me! I’m happy she did. She herself named my blog, Portable Magic. I don’t regret that. I love my blog!💛💛

6.What’s your best advice for bloggers trying to balance life and blogging?

In balancing life and blogging, I would recommend planning a time of the day just to chillax or post on your blog; any of them which you choose. Remember, to keep time for blogging and relaxing. Don’t spend all your free time posting! You won’t get time to do anything else! Pressuring yourself to post consistently isn’t the best way either because you’ll end up dreading those hours spent writing a blog post. Just post when you feel like and when you have time, because guys, there’s no rule. And no matter what, you’re all amazing so keep up the great work!👍

7.What’s your favorite book and why?

There are so many favourite books and I seriously cannot choose one, Heidi by Johanna Spyri and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. I also have, Harry Potter by J.K Rowling, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R Martin and I just recently discovered one, Fable duology by Adrienne Young. The last three are fantasy, my favourite genres and the first two… well I don’t know why I love them so much but they remind me of things like forests, mountains, animals…nature.

8.Are you a dog or cat person? Or maybe fish?

Cat person I guess! I love cats. But I think I am also a dog person….

9.What’s your favorite quote or saying?

It would be, believe in yourself. I also like to tell myself never wait for doors to open for you, find the key and open it yourself. It just means that if you want to get something done, then do it, don’t wait.

10.If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be and why?

I think I would like to be an eagle. And fly high over the mountains and above the clouds. Or maybe I could be a unicorn? Or a dragon? Or perhaps a wolf? Maybe, I should just be an eagle. Because, seeing the world from above is amazing and seeing it from sharp eagle’s eyes would be interesting.

11.Not a question, but share your favorite blog post or one you’re really proud of.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel. I absolutely love this book and I think this is the best review I have written and I am quite proud of it. It is historical fiction, a genre I don’t usually read but it was great. I actually have two favourite quotes from this book and I’ll share one of them over here: ‘Libraries are very magical places.’ It is a very simple quote but it means a lot to somebody who loves books.

Now, let’s nominate 11 other bloggers:

It is totally okay if you decide not to do it but if you do, do tell me, I’ll love to read your answers!

OMG! I nearly forgot to post the questions! Nevermind, here they are!

  1. What is your favourite book read this year? And why?
  2. What is the main thing that attracts you to a book?
  3. Is there a book/series you would like to read again for the first time?
  4. Is there a book that you would recommend to everyone?
  5. What is the thing you love the most about blogging?
  6. Is there a book that you hated when you read it for the first time but loved it when you read it again?
  7. What are the things you search for in a good book?
  8. If you had to go back in time today, where(or rather when) would you go?
  9. Is there something you absolutely love to do, apart from reading books?
  10. If you had to describe yourself in 3 sentences, what would they be?
  11. Last question! Tell us something fun about yourself!

So that’s all for today! Thank you again Kat for nominating me!

It took me almost forever to write this post and sorry if it is too long!

See you next time!

Hermione

Posted on by Hermione · 1 Comment

Beyond The Ruby Veil-A Book Review

Hi guys! How are you all doing? This book, was read and finished by me in a single day and in one sitting. I just wish it was longer. And the cover is just so beautiful and the roses around the yellow frame looks so romantic but with thorns haha. Aww, it is so lovely! Well, let’s not forget about the review. ;D

Title: Beyond the Ruby Veil

Series: Beyond the Ruby Veil #1

Author: Mara Fitzgerald

Genre: YA Fantasy, LGBT

Publication Date/Publisher: October, 13th 2020/ Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Beyond the Ruby Veil (Beyond the Ruby Veil, #1)
Source: Goodreads

Seventeen-year old, Emanuela Ragno is the stubbornest girl you’ll possibly find. She is about to marry Alessandro Morandi, her childhood best-friend and the heir to the wealthiest house in the city of Occhia.

Emanuela Ragno is a girl with many secrets and her biggest secret is a small red mark on her hip which she has been hiding ever since she was seven when it first appeared. Her mark is an omen which is the sign to surrender yourself to the watercrea, who creates water for the city using the blood. Marks like that are supposed to spread but Emanuela’s mark hasn’t spread for around a decade and she doesn’t care that it is her duty just like everyone to give herself up to the watercrea because she won’t.

During her wedding, the watercrea exposes Emanuela and the omen on her hip and she is brought to the tower, where people with their omens are drained of their blood which the watercrea then turns into water using her magic.

But not for Emanuela, she escapes the tower and runs to Alessandro thinking that he will help her and to her surprise, she learns that her best friend is now married to Valentina.

The watercrea won’t leave Emanuela alone and when she comes to the House of Morandi Emanuela kills her by pushing her off a balcony which was a very wise and equally stupid thing to do because now, Emanuela has to find a way no matter what it takes to get more water before the whole city perishes out of thirst.

About the Author:

Mara Fitzgerald (Author of Beyond the Ruby Veil)
Source of Picture: Goodreads.com

Mara Fitzgerald writes YA fantasy about female characters who ruin everything. She is also a biologist and likes observing insects under a microscope. She now lives near Graceland and her debut YA fantasy is obviously Beyond The Ruby Veil which was published in October 2020.

My Ratings: 3.9/5

Rating: 4 out of 5.

It was a great book and I really liked it but I had a few problems as well. The plot was just incredible and everything happening in the book immediately catches your interest. I am not sure if it is me or the book but it was like I had that feeling everything was happening a little too fast? Emanuela was a bad-ass character but she was a little too self-centered sometimes. And how many TIMESSSSS does she tell Alessandro that he cannot do anything without her and that he won’t even be able to survive if she wasn’t there. Seriously! I say it again the ideas and the plot of the book are amazing and the author has a great imagination but I had those two little problems I mentioned above.

Sometimes, I just wanted to push Emanuela off a very high balcony because she is occasionally very annoying!

Actually, there is a second book (and stupid me for not checking that out and just came to know about it when I finished this book🤦‍♀️) called Into The Midnight Void which is coming out on January 2022 (and I told myself countless times to check that all the books in a duology or series are out before reading the first book….).

BTW, that’s all for today and I guess I have to march off and finally decide which book to read next…(I’m just imagining myself actually marching off to decide a book…😂)

Well, see ya’ll next time!

Love, Hermione💜

Posted on by Hermione · 4 Comments

Burn Our Bodies Down-A Book Review

Hey guys! Hope you are all fine! I finally read this book after so long! Let’s start with the review!

Title: Burn Our Bodies Down

Author: Rory Power

Genre: Horror. YA Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Publication Date/Publisher: July, 7th 2020/Delacorte Press

Burn Our Bodies Down
Source: Goodreads

Margot Nielsen has never known any other life other than living with her single mother. She also has no knowledge of the rest of her family. If there is one thing she longs for the most, is the truth, the truth about her family, her mother, her unknown father and where they all came from. Margot never got any of her questions answered so she learned to live with unanswered questions haunting her mind every single day.

In a stroke of luck when Margot visits the pawn shop, she comes across an old Bible book which belonged to her mother and in that book was an old photograph which should be her family. On the back of the picture was a phone number and Margot believes that she finally has the precious key to unravel all her family secrets.

As she calls the number, she talks with an old lady, Vera Nielsen who is surprisingly her grandmother. Having finally uncovered a part of her family, Margot decides to leave Calhoun and head for Phalene, the place Vera said where she could find her.

When Margot reaches Phalene, she expects to be happy to have found her grandmother and everything would become normal again and she and her mother would get along and there would be no secrets. What she didn’t expect was to discover that Vera isn’t what she really is and her family’s roots in Phalene go way deeper than she thought. Phalene isn’t safe and after a few days, she realizes that her family tree is just too much poison and if she stays here any longer, she might never get out.

About the Author:

Rory Power
Source of picture: goodreads

Rory Power lives in New England and works as a crime fiction editor and story consultant for TV adaptation. She writes mostly Young Adult books and is the New York Times Bestselling author of Wilder Girls and Burn Our Bodies Down.

My ratings: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

OMG! This book is so full of unexpected twists sometimes you don’t know what’s really coming. I never expected anything as such! Seriously! Ridicine! (I cannot tell more about this word because it would spoil everything and anyways you won’t find it on internet so if you are curious, you have to read this book). Vera looks so nice at the beginning, you almost hate Margot’s mom but then as you progress in the story, you have different thoughts about the whole thing.

Everything starts normally and then it slowly gets interesting and then very interesting and then you end up with your eyes glued to the pages at the end. It is definitely worth reading and you have to try it! Oh and BTW, the cover is beautiful!

Well! That’s all for today!

See you all next time ;D

~Hermione

P.S. I think I will read Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald next! So stay around for more! (Another fantasy book😁) See ya later!🧡