Woven in Moonlight: A Book Review

Woven in Moonlight is a spellbinding adventure in Bolivia, complete with magic, decoys, political wars, weaving, romance, friendships, tyrants, secrets, and cute woven animals. I enjoyed the plot that surrounded political war between two groups of people and a main character as a decoy in an enemy place. The side characters are also well developed and I grew to love them. Bolivian culture is also a strong point in this novel with plenty of Spanish words and descriptions of Bolivian food.

This is a solid fantasy novel. I enjoyed reading it, especially because it's different than any other fantasy novel I've ever read. I do wish there was more romance. And I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending. But I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA fantasy! I great debut by Isabel Ibanez. I can't wait to read her next book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4.5
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you Page Street Publishing for the ARC! This book will be published January 7, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Refraction: A Book Review

I never read sci fi. Never. In fact, Refraction by Naomi Hughes is the first sci fi book I've picked up in 2019. And I absolutely loved it. The description on the back of the book drew me in right away. Monsters coming out of mirrors? Fog and monsters taking over the world? A character in an illegal mirror trade? It sounded so intriguing and unique that I had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did.

The story follows Marty, an illegal mirror trader who is trying to find his brother who he hasn't seen since the alien ship came and monsters started coming out of mirrors. But he gets caught by the mayor's son, Elliot, and they get exiled to an abandoned city in the fog where the monsters run wild. And as they try to survive their exile, they start to find out more about the the monsters, the mirrors, and the destruction that's coming. It's one of those books you can't put down.

One of my favorite things about this book is the enemies-to-friends relationship between Marty and Elliot. It is perfectly done and adds a great element to the story. I also love the OCD representation through Marty. It plays a real part in his life and this book has some great messages to those who are dealing with it and how to help those who are dealing with it.

Pick this book up if you want a great sci fi story that has twists you won't see coming and a unique concept. It will keep you hooked until the end and I guarantee I'll keep thinking about it for days to come.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you Page Street Publishing for the ARC! This book will be published November 5, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Echo North: A Book Review

I have been searching for a new retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon for years after East by Edith Pattou claimed my heart. I've always loved this fairytale and I've read so many renditions of it. However, none have captured my heart like Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer. This is the retelling I've been looking for.

It has everything I could want. There is more romance in this book than other retellings, which I have been wanting to see in this fairytale. There is more world building, complete with a mysterious, living house and a magical library that lets you live inside and experience the story rather than merely read it. And to top it all off, there is enchantment, a main character that I love, and beautiful writing. I love every element of this book.

Echo North will definitely go on my all-time-favorites list and I will be recommending it to anyone who loves fairytales (especially this one) and magical libraries.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you Page Street Publishing for the review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Holly Banks Full of Angst: A Book Review

Holly Banks's arrival in the village of Primm brings on a crazy adventure, complete with a crazy PTA president, her daughter's first days of kindergarten, and learning the "hip" ways of Primm. Every chapter has craziness, humor, cringing, and mom life, and the plot moves quite fast, taking place in only a week. In fact, the plot is so fast that I needed a break from all the craziness. And many of the things that happened seemed too unrealistic and too crazy to me. How many bad things can happen in a week? Apparently a lot. It was like watching a mom version of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on repeat and it gave me anxiety, if I'm being honest. I also don't know if I am supposed to take this book seriously, or if it's a satire on mom life and the PTA. Maybe both?

The writing in this book is perfect. I loved the fake swearing, the screenplay, texting, and email formats thrown in, and the humor. The characters are also entertaining, though perhaps somewhat unrealistic (looking at you, Mary-Margaret). I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the positive message of standing up for yourself, working together, and loving people around you.

Overall, this book is fun, if not a little crazy. I would recommend it to moms who want a good laugh and want a reminder that it could be a lot worse, especially in the village of Primm.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 3

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the ARC! This book will be released November 1, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Girl the Sea Gave Back: A Book Review

With a gorgeous cover comes a gorgeous novel. While this book moved slower than Sky in the Deep, it still had the marvelous character development, the melodic writing, and all the Viking aesthetic I could ever wish for. I loved the addition of a new character, Tova, and her journey to find out who she is and where she belongs. And I absolutely loved seeing all the characters I miss from Sky in the Deep. It makes my heart so happy to know what Eelyn and Fiske have been up to, and this book made me fall in love with Halvard.

This book is deeply intrenched in the Viking aesthetic, which was my favorite part about reading it. The lore with the gods and their relationships with the people are fascinating and well constructed. In this book, the gods and fate had a greater part to play, especially with Tova, and I enjoyed that different aspect of this world. It seems like the world building grew so much from Sky in the Deep.

I do wish this book was longer. I wanted more substance with Tova's relationships with Jorrund, Gunter, and Halvard. I also just want more of Tova. I feel this book barely scratched the surface of who she is, leaving me with wanting more. However, I did love the insights from the chapters set in the past, and I enjoyed the changing point-of-views between Tova and Halvard.

At its core, this book is about fate and choice, an interesting contradiction to explore. I think it's a worthy sequel to Sky in the Deep, even though it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I still enjoyed it and would reread it again along with Sky in the Deep. Adrienne Young has a talent for storytelling, and I'm quite sad this is her last Viking novel for the time being. But I'm gearing up for her next book, Fable, releasing next year. Without a doubt, she is one of my favorite authors of all time.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Widow of Pale Harbor: A Book Review

Hester Fox is a master of authentic and engaging historical fiction. I absolutely loved The Witch of Willow Hall that came out last year, so much that it became my favorite historical fiction book. I'm pleased to say that The Widow of Pale Harbor is not far behind it! I devoured this book in two sittings, the sittings consisting of fighting off goosebumps, swooning and shipping the romance, and nail biting. The perfectly-paced plot continued to thicken with plot twists and a beautiful romance, and I couldn't have asked for a better autumn book.

The characters were so rich in this story. All of them fascinated me, especially Helen. Every single character jumped off the page, not being confined to words or the plot. They each had their own life outside and inside the plot, and I loved learning more about them, especially their pasts and the psychology behind their actions.

I have a few other details that I loved in this story. I really enjoyed all the Poe references and even the plot surrounding Poe's stories. It added so much depth and creepiness. I also loved the transcendentalism references that made this book seem authentic. And it had a lighthouse. Hester Fox must know that lighthouses are my weakness.

If you're looking for a book that will put you in the autumn mood, don't hesitate to pick this one up. It's a perfect balance of creepy, history, romance, and mystery. I'm already looking forward to Hester Fox's next book.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you to Graydon House (and especially Lisa Wray) for the ARC and for having me be a part of the blog tour! This book will be released on September 17, 2019.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Stolen Kingdom: A Book Review

I was intrigued by this Aladdin retelling, complete with a runaway princess, Jinnis, a lamp, and an evil villain. But unfortunately, it fell short for me. I expected a stronger and more interesting main character, as well as a faster-moving romance. The plot was strung along far too slowly, and I was bored for much of the book. I also expected more world-building details. The world, characters, plot, and writing all fell too flat for me.

Would I recommend? Perhaps. I think I would recommend to those who love retellings. While I didn't find anything special about this particular retelling, others might.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2.5
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you to Bethany Atazadeh for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!