Book Review – Page 2 – Portable Magic

Posted on August 15, 2021August 14, 2021 by Hermione · 10 Comments

Wilder Girls-A Book Review

Hi all people! I really can’t believe almost half of August is gone yet! (I need time-travel powers right now!!). Well, never mind…Today I am posting a review on the second book I have read by Rory Power…bloop! What does bloop mean by the way?

A few days ago my lil’ sister was busy looking at pictures of German Spitz dogs and was dying of cuteness overload. Ugh, really? I probably have to find a book on ”How To Resuscitate People Who Died Of An Overdose Of Cuteness”. I think I managed to bring my sister back to life though because she went to school yesterday and is back to her usual self.

Title: Wilder Girls
Author: Rory Power
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Fiction, LGBT
Category: YA
Publishing Date/Publisher: July 9^th 2019 by Delacorte Press

OMG…the CCOOVVEERR!! EEEEEEE! I love it!!! Especially the green in the background! I have a thing for green because it is one of my favourite colours.

For more than a year, the Raxter School for girls have been put on quarantine. A disease called the Tox has ravaged the whole school. The teachers dropping dead one by one until only a few were left still alive. Then it spread to the students of Raxter, leaving many girls dead while others suffering from weird deformities on their body and flare-ups which can happen anytime leaving you screaming while changes to your body occur, slowly turning you into something that isn’t you anymore.

Their quarantine has been harsh. The Navy promised to find a cure but the food sent is barely enough to satisfy everyone’s hunger. They don’t dare venture beyond the school fence because once the quarantine is broken, they will be left on their own, to die if need be, and no cure will ever be provided.

Hetty has also been affected by the Tox, she is now blind in her right eye and always has the feeling that something that wasn’t supposed to be in her body is occupying her. Hetty has always been a fierce and caring person and when her best friend, Bryatt falls ill and goes missing, she promises to do anything to find her. Anything for her best friend even if it means breaking the quarantine and venturing beyond the school fence.

Hetty will learn many secrets, some devastating, some hopeful, some scary but if there is one thing on her mind right now…it is to find Bryatt, before the Tox or any other mysterious people take her away for good…because once you have the Tox inside of you, it will ravage you and leave you in pieces if it must. The Tox is a disease that doesn’t care whether you die or not, it only takes and takes and takes and leaves you with nothing.

About the Author:

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

My Thoughts:

This book went way beyond my expectations (considering the fact that I hadn’t read the synopsis before adding it to my Goodreads TBR…).

The characters were full of personality, each so different from the other and enigmatic. Hetty was this character who would do anything for the people she loves. Reese, Hetty’s other best-friend is the one who interested me most. She is that person who pretends to be indifferent when she has this fierce protectiveness of her best-friends (she doesn’t show it). Reese has an interesting past which is mostly dark and mysterious. She has been affected by the Tox in a different way; one of her hands are silver with scales that seem to scare everyone.

Bryatt, I think is the one who is quiet and a little of the ‘thinker’ I assume. I think she is also a punctual person because EVERY morning she and Hetty go out for a short morning walk in the school garden. Because of this awful and mysterious Tox, SHE has grown another spine and I will spare you the teeny-weeny details…

I loved how the mysterious disease was portrayed in the book. It wasn’t just some monotonous illness where everyone falls ill, has some weird fever and just drops dead. It was different in a sense that almost every symptom in every human was different which made the Tox much more interesting to learn about and scary. I tell you this book isn’t for people who don’t stand gruesomeness, blood, weird deformities, abnormally-strong and scary animals like cats with teeth way too long and other scary features (the Tox also affects animals and all the girls of Raxter are trained on how to shoot just in case they come across a affected wild animal)

The plot was great and whatever happened in the book kept me on the edge, always wanting to know more and more. That is Rory’s superpower; she knows how to keep you wanting more and more from the story. This story had me immersed into it completely from the start till the end and if you liked Burn Our Bodies Down by the same author, then this book is definitely for you! I also recommend this to anybody who doesn’t mind creepy things, loves horror and any other book about wormy things, diseases, scaly hands, and you know what else.

If you have read this book…then do tell me what YOU think in the comments down below!

I guess that’s all for today and keep in mind…next review is Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson! I finished this book before yesterday and there is that one character who just can’t leave my mind…well, I will probably tell you all that next time with another post!

Love, Hermione🤍

Posted on August 10, 2021August 11, 2021 by Hermione · 5 Comments

You Have A Match-A Book Review

Hi all pea-ple and creatures of the great Earth! (What has seriously got into me today?) Well, on Saturday, my little sister and I were having an argument on the way to the pool for our swimming lessons…and you know WHAT!!!

She doesn’t even believe in ghosts, spirits, souls, elves, faeries/fairies, and all these other FASCINATING LIVING THINGS! I mean…it is pretty obvious right…they DO EXIST!! Tell me yes…She doesn’t even believe me when I tell her dragons exist? Infuriating…

Look….THEY DO EXIST AND N.O.T.H.I.N.G IS CHANGING THAT.

Well, let’s get to the review shall we. *heavy breathing*

Title: You Have A Match
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, LGBT
Publishing Date/Publisher: January 12th 2021 by Wednesday Books

Abby has signed up for a DNA service, not really for herself but mostly for her best-friend Leo. Leo and his sister were adopted since they were quite little and Abby thought of giving Leo a little push to take the DNA service and perhaps discover who his biological parents are.

The very last thing Abby wanted is to find out she has a secret sister, only a year and a half older than her, Savannah Tully, an Instagram star. Shocking, that they share Abby’s parents given they both look very similar but so different from each other in their own ways.

The only reasonable thing to do is to meet up at summer-camp and find out some solution on how to explain everything to their parents.(Nor Abby nor Savvy have told their parents about their discovery.)

Ever since the BEI (Big Embarrassing Incident), Leo and Abby have been a little awkward mostly relying on their other bestie, Connie, to help them talk normally.

Lately, Abby has started falling for Leo but she doesn’t want to shatter their friendship and so keeps her feelings for herself. Abby doesn’t realize how complicated her life seems to be, growing feelings for Leo, a secret sister if revealed to her parents might make things much worse for all of them. Growing secrets, growing feelings…but sometimes you have to go for it, even if it looks like the hardest thing because there is always a chance a told-secret might change things for the better.

About the Author:

Emma Lord is the NYT bestselling author of YOU HAVE A MATCH and TWEET CUTE, a BuzzFeed market editor, and dessert gremlin living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese.

[Picture and text taken from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 3.5/5

My Thoughts:

I am not sure what to say about this book. Well, it was actually something between ‘I liked it’ and ‘I really liked it’. The problem is that a lot has seemed to have leaked out of my brain…

I should probably talk about the characters first. Abby was a good character, with her issues and happiness and problems and secretly crushing on her best-friend. Avid photographer, daring, adventurous and not-fussy about breaking the rules (even when you don’t know the rules). Leo was an okay character and I wished there was more about him because at the end of the book, I realized I didn’t really know much about him at all.

The character I found the most likable is Finn, my favourite character. He was this funny puppy guy who really cared for Abby (and she really cared for him too). I think the author did a great job creating him, like he was so real. I love him. Really love him. His character itself felt crafted beautifully. He was the one who caught my attention, the second he was introduced to the book. He is certainly special and there is something about him. He has his own family problems and my heart melted all the time he took Abby someplace special, like the Wishing Tree which is haunted by a ghost, so that she could make a wish. Abby’s and Finn’s friendship is really special I could almost see it right there floating through the words.

[Note that the majority of stars come from Finn’s and Abby’s friendship and Finn’s special place in my heart]

[Also note that I am sorry for all inconvenience caused by me for using the word ‘special’ too many times]

Overall, the best thing in the book [in my opinion] is Finn. I found the story quite interesting [umm…I finished the book in a day] and the plot was nice but I wished there were more things happening in the book. I was quite satisfied with the ending actually even though it wasn’t exactly what I wished for but okay.

Well, I guess that is all for today!

So see you next time with another book!

hermione 🖤

P.S. Next review is Wilder Girls by Rory Power! Shh!

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Hermione · 1 Comment

The Queen Will Betray You-A Book Review

Eeeeeeeeee! I finished The Princess Will Save You before last month and I am awfully glad I read this book! Not considering the fact that the third book of this series is to be released next year.😭. WHY?? It is coming out in in August 2021…..I’m SEETHING!

⚠ WARNING!! This post DEFINITELY contain spoilers for the first book so please don’t read ahead!! ⚠

I’m dropping a link for my review of the first book in the series: The Princess Will Save You (Kingdoms of Sand and Sky#1)

Title: The Queen Will Betray You
Series: Kingdoms of Sand and Sky #2
Author: Sarah Henning
Genre: YA Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Retellings
Publishing Date/Publisher: July 6^th 2021 by Tor Teen

*falls in love with the cover and the way the artist portrayed those two characters*

Does anyone know who designed this cover? If you do please tell me!

⚠ WARNING!! AGAIN. IF YOU DON’T WANT THE FIRST BOOK SPOILED THEN FOR BOOKS’ SAKE DO NOT CONTINUE READING!! ⚠

Don’t say I didn’t say I didn’t warn yaaaaaaa!! *tries not to sing the lyrics out loud*

Amarande will have to separate with her true love and best-friend, Luca in order to reclaim her kingdom and for Luca to prove he is the heir to the throne in Torrent which is currently ruled by a Warlord after the whole royal family of Torrent was believed to be wiped out.

Surprises are always there of course and in the most unexpected situations. Amarande realizes that during her absence, her kingdom and castle has changed a lot and she discovered the unlikeliest surprises ever.

Meanwhile, Luca is constantly afraid of being discovered. Word has reached the Warlord’s ears and nobody wants the last of the royal family of Torrent which was supposedly eradicated, to come up, raise a rebellion, reclaim the rightful throne and the Warlord fallen forever.

Amarande and Luca’s mission to create peace in the whole of the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky and prevent any war from surfacing seems a very good idea but will they succeed?

About the Author:

Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for The Palm Beach Post among others and who is also the author of many books, Sea Witch and Sea Witch Rising just naming a few. When not writing, she can be found hanging out with her husband and two kids.

My Ratings: 4.5/5

My Thoughts:

Well, there is me busy wondering what a beautiful name Amarande is whenever her name pops up. This is the way I pronounce it “Ah-mah-raan-day”. Isn’t the name beautiful??

It went WAY beyond my expectations and the end had me a little sad AND screaming I WANT THE THIRD BOOK NOW! I greatly recommend the whole series by the way and read it right now if you don’t mind waiting a lot. I MEAN A LOT.

It was nice getting back to all of these characters after so long and it picked up a few days after the ending of the first book I think. The book isn’t that big because I finished it in one day in one sitting (me reading for 4 hours straight). I don’t remember how much time it took me to finish the book because I could have started at eight in the morning and finished it before midday…

The book talks about so many things…there is Amarande discovering the hidden parts of her family and Luca discovering his true family and learning about them. There is the theme of loss, sadness, and betrayal above all and trust is something almost privileged. Before all of this chaos happened, the Kingdoms of Sand and Sky was a male-dominated place but now, it is almost female-dominated with Queens wanting to rule the whole of Kingdoms of Sand and Sky all for their own gain. And you imagine!! All of this started just with the death of the Warrior King, King Sendoa who is Amarande’s father! The tragic and sudden death of one powerful King sends all the of the Sand and Sky in complete mess. It is unbelievable the way Sarah Henning created such a story.

I am not sure if it was much better than the first one but there was definitely a little more action, suspense and things happening in the book. Amarande was as ruthless and badass as ever, Luca was as willing as ever to support Amarande and protect the ones he cares for and loves. This is what I love about Luca; his trust, humbleness, fierce protection of the people he cares about and bravery.

The person I found the most interesting in the book was Taillefer, Prince Renard’s brother. I didn’t like him AT ALL in the first book but he is now my favourite character. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of plants, potions and all these gruesome scary animals which he keeps in jars. I would love to meet him (he is not nice…he tortured Luca once with his Fire Swamp or whatever it is called) and we could be friends… I mean, in the book, we get to see him more often and sometimes feel a lot of sympathy for him because he is more human in this book. We get to see his fears, his sadness and hopes and dreams. He is very sarcastic (I mean VERY sarcastic) and with a weird sense of humour as well. I love his personality actually. Is he my favourite character? I guess so because I am not done talking about him😂. I think the end of the book didn’t do much justice to him and…I seriously don’t know why it his ending had to be this way. The only reason why I took half a star away is because of this😔.

I guess that is all for today! Next review will definitely be You Have A Match by Emma Lord because I finished the book yesterday so stay around for more!!😊😊

Lots of love,

~hermione

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Hermione · 3 Comments

Made In Korea-A Book Review

I never thought this book would brighten my day this way! It would be described as sweet and funny with a dash of sarcasm and fierceness. 😂

Title: Made In Korea
Author: Sarah Suk
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA Fiction
Publishing Date/Publisher: May 18^th 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Isn’t the cover cuuuute! (since when did I become a person who started calling things cute? This is so not me 🤦‍♀️) And the treble clef is gorgeous!

Valerie Kwon has one dream. Bring her grandma to Paris this year. Along with her cousin, Charlie, they both run V&C K-BEAUTY, the school’s most famous and successful enterprise run by students. It has been almost three years now and Valerie has been saving all her share of profits in order to fulfil her grandma’s life-long dream.

Wes Jung is a new kid in school who dreams of pursuing a music career when he finishes school. The problem is? His parents have totally different plans for him and they want him to be a doctor. Knowing that he will have to earn his own money and pay music school, he is also trying to find ways to save money. Until the very golden opportunity comes right in front of his eyes. When his classmates find a stash of lip-balm in his bag, given by his mother in order to help him ‘make new friends’, he finds himself with 100 dollars and all the lip-balms sold out. Thus, the idea came to him, start his own student-run K-BEAUTY business.

What he doesn’t realize is that there is also another K-BEAUTY business in school and he became their biggest competitor and Valerie’s personal rival.

Wes and Valerie try their best to outsell each other and be the best business in school but things turn a little different. Some sort of fire set both of them alight and keeps on growing but Valerie knows that if her sales drop and Wes wins, she will lose and her Grandma might never be able to see Paris. Wes knows that if he doesn’t outsell Valerie, he will not be able to go to music school. The game is hard and none of them seem to be able to completely ignore their growing feelings for each other.

About The Author:

Sarah Suk (pronounced like soup with a K) lives in Vancouver, Canada where she writes stories and admires mountains. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos, or eating a bowl of bingsu. You can visit her online at sarahsuk.com and on Twitter and Instagram @sarahaelisuk.

[picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 4.5/5

My Thoughts:

First thing…do they sell bingsu in Mauritius because I want to taste this dessert right now! Yeah….bingsu is mentioned a lot in the book so you may understand why.

Let’s get back to the book. This book was way heart-warming than I thought. I was constantly thinking about what if it had a sad ending or one that made me cry? Oh no, it was definitely perfect and this is the first book written by Sarah Suk.

Valerie… her confidence, fierceness and bravery… I could totally feel her anger when she learnt that Wes was starting his own K-BEAUTY business. She makes some good decisions as well as bad ones so she isn’t the perfect girl with a perfect life. She is the youngest daughter in her family who is overshadowed by her sister, Samantha. Her mother is always wanting her to be like Samantha and always criticizing the decisions she makes for herself. This is one of the reasons why Valerie wants to bring her grandma to Paris; to prove to her mother that she can do some great things too. I loved Valerie’s determination and courage in what she wants and the way she focuses in her goals and her self-confidence and occasional cold-heartedness.

Wes…is the type of boy who’s mostly soft and calm and who is also determined to win. He has a soft heart (and that includes saving his rival) and very good-natured. He is almost totally the opposite of fiery and fierce Valerie. He’s the person who’d settle an argument by talking rather than simply ditching that person out of your life (that is Valerie I tell you).

Sarah Suk’s style of writing is extremely beautiful and she definitely knows how to portray Wes and Valerie exactly and clearly. In such a way you can picture them in your mind (the cover helps as well).

I also have to say that the story is told in Wes and Valerie’s point of view and when you think about all the problems they both have and how they each want to succeed….you can’t really want only one person yo succeed. Throughout the book, I was constantly shipping Valerie and Wes the WHOLE TIME AND IF YOU READ THE BOOK YOU’LL DO THAT TOO. MARK MY WORDS!!

It is an enemies-to-lovers romance if you consider it that way but it was more Valerie who wanted to crush Wes into pieces at the beginning….

Have I written enough? Well, I guess I have written too much but I have one last thing to say….it is perfect for people who want a light read and are feeling sad for no reason right now. It will definitely cheer you up and draw a big smile on the face. I was constantly smiling throughout the book!

Okay, I’m stopping right now!

-Hermione💙

Posted on July 27, 2021July 28, 2021 by Hermione · 4 Comments

The Hollow Places-A Book Review

Well, obviously, hello! (I have no idea what to write in this first paragraph) *guiltily skips it*

Title: The Hollow Places
Author: Ursula Vernon (under the pseudonym of T. Kingfisher)
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Publication Date/Publisher: October 6th 2020 by Gallery / Saga Press

When Kara divorced her husband, she moved into her uncle’s museum, also known as the Wonder Museum. A museum filled with all sort of things like stuffed otters, raccoons, deer, elks and ”feejee” mermaids as well as stuff with ”Made in China” at the bottom. Everything goes fairly well for Kara since she is mostly busy the whole day, cataloging all the artefacts in the museum or suddenly bursting out crying because of her divorce.

When her uncle has to move in the hospital because he has to operate his leg, Kara is left in charge of the museum. This is when everything starts to become wrong. A tourist has punched a hole in the museum wall and curious Kara decides to poke her head into it and discovers something unexpected…

A mysterious passageway.

Uneager to explore it by herself, she calls to the barista of the nearby café shop, Simon who is also her friend. As they get into the passageways and investigate, they deduce it to be a bunker and further and further they walk until they reach a place with a hole on top….sunlight streaming in.

Kara and Simon discover alternate worlds where there are wicked willows that seem to come alive in the dark, emitting this strange silver light. They nearly get lost into that weird willow world themselves. Haunted place this thing is and evil creatures that hear your thoughts and with every thought, every fear, become stronger and stronger. Kara and Simon have to find a way to get out of this mess quick before that willow world takes a hold on them and never lets them go.

About The Author:

T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen-name of Ursula Vernon. In another life, she writes children’s books and weird comics, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections.

When she is not writing, she is probably out in the garden, trying to make eye contact with butterflies.

[text taken directly from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 3/5

My Thoughts:

I liked this book but I felt that there were many things missing in the book. Maybe this is just me but I’m not sure. This isn’t a horror novel, it is a mild horror. I think I really did set my expectations a little to high. The aspect of ‘other-worlds’ was great but I wished we talked more about it in the book. You know, just to get a little deeper into the what I call ‘willow-world’ so we get to understand it better. It felt mostly hazy but more interesting things happen that clear of the haze a little but not fully. The ‘willow-world’ didn’t feel as scary and as bone-chilling as I wished it would be but it sparked my interest very much so I was constantly wanting to know more about it.

The author’s style of writing was significantly beautiful but I have the feeling that not enough things happened in the book. The ending explained a lot about the rest in the book and seriously it was way out of my mind. It was much more interesting than the other chapters and I was constantly wishing the book was as interesting as the ending itself.

Well, I haven’t talk about the characters a lot have I? Well, the author has a sense of humour which she expresses very well through the dialogues between Kara, Simon and Uncle Earl and the other people but they didn’t feel real enough to me. Sometimes, the adventures through the ‘willow world’ felt a little to easy but they definitely made me relax and say ”Finally!” *with huge sighs*

I am still unsure about what to write over here but I think I still have a lot to say about the book but it would just be spoil kingdom. This mostly sums up about what I think about it.

See you with another book!

-Hermione

P.S. I just finished reading Made in Korea by Sarah Suk and I seriously can’t wait to share my review with you guys because the book was beautiful and a real bagful of multi-coloured emotions and happiness. I mean, it cheered me up so much it left me smiling for a whole day after…*tells myself not to start rambling about this book over here and remembers that I have a whole post to look forward to and talk how much I want about the book*

Posted on July 23, 2021July 24, 2021 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

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 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

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 July 22, 2021July 23, 2021 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

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 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

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 July 16, 2021July 22, 2021 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:

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

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 July 5, 2021 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)

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

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 June 19, 2021June 19, 2021 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

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💜

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