Little Thieves

January 15, 2022 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Little Thieves

Author: Margaret Owen

Page Count: 512

Series: Little Thieves, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: October 19, 2021 by Henry Holt & Company

Format: eBook

Review: This is another ARC I am shamefully behind in reviewing, as it was already published 3 months ago. I am not going to lie, I almost cut my losses and DNF’ed this book because I was not enjoying it in the beginning. Sometimes books have slow starts, so I generally read about 25% before making a decision about whether or not I am going to finish it. I passed the 25% mark of this book and just couldn’t get into it, but I decided to persevere and continued plugging forward. I’m glad I did, because about halfway through was a turning point for me. I enjoy fantasy books with a healthy dose of romance, but the romance is generally not the draw for me. This is a rare case where the central romance is what redeemed the story in my eyes. It just felt so real and the sizzling tension that develops between the characters gave me actual butterflies. Something that sets this story apart is that the main characters are “normal” in the sense that there is nothing physically remarkable that sets them apart. They are not beautiful and there is never an illusion that their appearances are anything but plain. The attraction between them grows organically through their interactions, which made it feel all the more real. There is no instalove or mooning over each other’s physical attributes, just pure magnetic chemistry between two people who are equally matched in intellect and wit. For this reason alone, I finally made it to the end of this book and gave it a higher rating than I would have otherwise.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 3 Stars

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Skin of the Sea

January 11, 2022January 11, 2022 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Skin of the Sea

Author: Natasha Bowen

Page Count: 336

Series: Skin of the Sea, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: November 9, 2021 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Format: eBook

Review: I am tagging this book as an ARC, because at the time I received it from NetGalley, it had not yet been published. I started it some months ago, and then put it down in favor of other titles. Needless to say, the storyline and characters did not immediately draw me in. I did eventually pick it back up and finish it, and although I started enjoying it more toward the end, it didn’t knock my socks off. The premise behind this retelling of The Little Mermaid is undeniably beautiful. I loved how elements of the original story are interwoven with mythology and history. The story itself, however, was not particularly interesting to me. For readers who enjoy quests fraught with peril and mythical creatures, this story may have a lot of appeal. Alas, I am not that reader. I don’t generally enjoy odysseys because they tend to be more plot driven than character driven. Aside from the main character, Simidele, there is not a lot of character or relationship development. I’m glad that I finished it, but it is unlikely I will read the next book in this series. This book could easily be a standalone, though it looks like the author is working on at least one more title (possibly more).

On a side note, the cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous. In fact, it is the reason I requested an ARC of this title. However, why are her scales not rose gold??? Her scales are described multiple times throughout the novel, and it annoys me when these types of details are neglected. Rant over.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: 3 Stars

Fantasy · Fiction · Paranormal · Romance · Young Adult

From Blood and Ash

November 29, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: From Blood and Ash

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Page Count: 454

Series: Book and Ash, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: March 30, 2020 by Blue Box Press

Format: eBook

Review: My expectations for this book were extremely low having read Obsidian by the same author. I was pleasantly surprised by a plot that was engaging and unique enough to hold my attention. There are many common tropes in this book, but somehow they felt like they had a fresh spin. Despite the occasional eyeroll worthy fight scene, I enjoyed it enough to immediately put the second book in the series on hold.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Paranormal · Young Adult

Slayer

October 30, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Slayer

Author: Kiersten White

Performer: Madeleine Maby

Length: 11 hr, 59 min

Series: Slayer, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: January 8, 2019 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I was 100% the wrong audience for this book. This is essentially a fan fiction spinoff of the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, and I went into the listening experience knowing this. I have not seen the Buffy movie or the television series, but I downloaded this audiobook anyways because there were a couple Goodreads reviewers in the same boat who seemed to really like it. This was not the case for me. I had literally no context for many of the things referenced in this book, and for someone who is big on world building, this was a major problem. To me, it felt largely like a rant against a character that I have no prior knowledge of (except that she is a vampire slayer..duh). A significant portion of the book is devoted to all the things Buffy has done horribly wrong in her role as the “chosen one” and the new slayer’s adamancy that she will not repeat the same mistakes. Except guess what? She kind of does. So….yeah. Didn’t love it.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Historical · LGBTQ+

She Who Became the Sun

August 8, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: She Who Became the Sun

Author: Shelley Parker-Chan

Page Count: 416

Series: The Radiant Emperor

Publishing Date/Publisher: July 20, 2021/Tor Books

Format: eBook

Review:

This was a highly anticipated book for a lot of readers and reviewers, and it did not disappoint. It is advertised as Mulan meets Song of Achilles, and even knowing that did nothing to prepare me for exactly what this book contains.

Full of morally grey characters whose fates and desires are interwoven, this book had me hooked form the start. I was thinking about it any time I had to put it down and found myself reading slowly so I could savor it.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating:

Contemporary · Fantasy · Fiction

The Midnight Library

July 6, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Performer: Carey Mulligan

Length: 8 hr, 50 min

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: September 29, 2020 by Penguin Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This book had good pacing and although predictable, had a great message. Life is full of choices, and it is easy to get bogged down with regrets. Perhaps we could have had a “better” life if we made different choices, but ultimately this may have resulted in unexpected outcomes. Outcomes that would not necessarily be good. Keeping this in mind, I think this book gives the reader a healthy dose of perspective. We all occasionally have “what if” thoughts, and sometimes we need to reframe our way of thinking to see things in a more positive light. In some respects, this almost felt like a self-help book and it serves as a gentle reminder that we can all be kinder to ourselves.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Contemporary · Fantasy · Fiction · Horror · Mystery · Paranormal

Ninth House

May 28, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Ninth House

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Performers: Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell

Length: 16 hr, 29 min

Series: Alex Stern, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: October 8, 2019 by Macmillan Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: Grishaverse fans beware…this is a complete departure from Bardugo’s previous work. Luckily for me, I am also a fan of the paranormal/urban fantasy genre, so there is some crossover appeal for me. This book was a little too gritty for my personal tastes, but the character development really impressed me. Alex’s character in particular is incredibly complex and multi-layered. People who enjoy stories about secret societies are especially in for a treat because Bardugo really has a knack for the intricacies of incorporating the paranormal into realistic settings. She makes it completely believable that this type of world could exist within the shadow of our own.

The dynamic between Alex and Darlington was a bit confusing to me, so I am really hoping for more page time with them in future books. I liked the readers chosen for both of their characters, so I will probably try to continue forward with the series in audiobook format.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Thriller

Dracula

May 8, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker

Performer: Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, plus cast

Length: 15hrs 28 mins

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: February 20th, 2012/Audible Studios

Format: Audiobook

Review: This was a fun listen and the cast brought the characters to life (with the exception of Lucy’s, which was just very annoying, to be honest). The classic was enhanced by an all-star cast and unique storytelling method Stoker used was perfect for an audiobook.

Dracula is a classic for a reason, but I wasn’t completely blown away by it. I think that might be because I’ve watched too many film and tv adaptations that the original just felt a bit ‘been there, done that’. I still recommend it for a fun way to escape for a bit, or to have on in the background while working or cooking.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating:

Fantasy

The Priory of the Orange Tree

April 10, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: The Priory of the Orange Tree

Author: Samantha Shannon

Page Count: 830

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2019/ Bloomsbury Publishing

Format: Paperback

Review: Going to start this one off with just ‘wow’. I love fantasy but sometimes high fantasy can be dull and take ages to get anywhere (both in reference to the plot but also they always have to walk everywhere, which annoys me- buy/steal a horse) but this one starts off strong and that carries throughout the whole 800+ pages. Even following the one character I wasn’t super invested in, it was fast and interesting.

The writing was superb, the plot was so engaging, the characters were so well thought out and developed, the magic system was unique, and the relationships? Chef kiss. And dragons. Come on. I would give this book seven stars out of five if I could. Ten maybe. I just really loved it, plain and simple. It was one where I wanted to stay within its pages and world for as long as possible, and since it’s a mammoth book, that was pretty easy.

BRB, I’ve just convinced myself to go re-read it while writing this.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Dark Shores

April 3, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustme2 Comments

Title: Dark Shores

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Performers: Jeanette Illidge & Jeremy Arthur

Length: 12 hr, 21 min

Series: Dark Shores, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: May 7, 2019 by MacMillan Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I didn’t dislike this book, but for some reason I could not fully connect with it. I finished it a couple of months ago and for some reason I have been dragging my feet in reviewing it. Perhaps it is because I have had a hard time pinpointing just what it is that didn’t jive for me. To be honest my memory has already started to erase the finer details of the story. There was nothing particularly memorable that stands out to me about the storyline, but I do remember feeling a sense of anxiety regarding many of the choices that the characters made. I found the villain to be flat, and his motives unclear. One storyline was dropped completely, which I thought was odd until I read the synopsis for the second book in the series and realized this plot point is the basis of a concurrent storyline. I liked the concept of the Rome influenced setting and the Maarin as a seafaring people who act as the go between for the East and West. I don’t regret taking the time to finish this book, but I probably won’t continue with the series.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: