Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from Bonnier Zaffre via NetGalley Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever. The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy? Before reading this book, I didn't realise it was a re-telling and it was only when I started to read it that I realised it was based on The Little Mermaid.
I'm really glad I found out this way because The Little Mermaid is one of my least favourite fairy tales. (DON'T HATE ME!) Thankfully, the author of this book is completely awesome and has taken everything I hated about the Disney version and made it completely badass! No longer is Ariel a spoilt, vapid princess willing to give up her voice and her life for a man she just met!! No longer is Eric just a pretty boy with a lot of money. They both have pasts, they both have passion and fire, they both have strength and courage. It's no longer a story of insta-love based on appearance alone. This story has depth and I can't get enough! The characters in this book are complex, they have back-stories and they develop over the course of the book, taking you along on this fantastical journey of mythology, magic, friendship, hatred and love. Without giving too much away, I absolutely love the spin on the villain(s) of this story. I love the sarcastic, snarky, spunky and diverse characters found throughout. I love the plotting and world building. To sum up this book for me, it's like The Little Mermaid meets Six of Crows and Pirates of the Carribean! It's definitely one of the better re-tellings I've had the pleasure of reading and I'd highly recommend it! 4.5 fin-tastic stars! Rating: 4.5 STARS & 5 STARS! Genre: YA/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Six of Crows Duology How I got this book: Bought
So, I finally got my head out of the sand and picked up these two books. Holy crap! Why did it take me so long to read these?!? I'm reviewing both books together because: 1 - I literally read them back to back with barely time to breathe between them. 2 - These two books belong together. So, let's start with Six of Crows! I finished this book a lot quicker than I expected to when I started. It's the first book I've read with quite so many POV's (there's 8 in total I think, although 2 are fleeting) and so at first, I found myself longing for more time to get to know each character. However, I think this flitting POV gives the book a fantastic pace, I was half-way through and wondering how I'd got there so quickly and after a short while, I'd really started to bond with the characters. I love them all, some more than others 💓INEJ💓JESPER💓!! I also love the pairings, the ships in this book are some of my favourite - EVER!! "I have beguiled you with my Grisha wiles!" 😂❤️" The characters are fantastic: Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina and Mathias. They each have fantastic personalities, wit, drive, passion and fears they need to overcome and work through. “They're all survivors. They adapt.” The world building here is amazing. The character building is even better. Six of Crows has intrigue, mystery, danger, friendship, misdirection and a whole hell of a lot of badass! This really was like a much better, more fantastical and cooler teen version of Ocean's 11 crossed with the Breakfast Club - some of the plot twists were great and I loved the character development and backstory behind each character. I'm slightly annoyed that EVERYTHING I've read lately ends on a cliffhanger...I need the next book, like yesterday! So, I immediately picked up Crooked Kingdom after finishing Six of Crows because my love for this gang was burning and I needed more.
This book has destroyed me. The ending was so damn bittersweet it hurts. Six of Crows was amazing, but Crooked Kingdom was everything, and in my opinion it made the first book so much better. I love these characters. I love their skills, talents, flaws, secrets and most of all their fiercely beating hearts. I have favourites (Inej and Jesper) but it's a close call as each character is fantastic in their own way. The world building continues to be brilliant and the way the author (and Kaz) keep you guessing until the very last minute is sheer perfection. There were some truly joyous moments in this book that built from the last and were all the better for the buildup. I love that you literally never know what to expect from the plot and the characters (particularly Kaz who is a phenomenal character). The ending literally made me cry with both sadness and joy, and whilst I won't spoil it for anyone, just make sure you have tissues close by, and plenty of waffles! The book ended in a place that made me think there should surely be more. A few things were left in a place that I'm just not happy to leave but then maybe that was the intention as I can now stress dream over what happens next!!! If you haven't read Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom yet, just do it, you won't be disappointed. Leigh Bardugo is incredible and I NEED more! I guess it's only a matter of time now before I pick up the Shadow and Bone trilogy! "No mourners, no funerals." Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA/Mystery/Fantasy Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: ARC from Simon and Schuster UK Children's via NetGalley Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow… Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under. Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into. Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself. This book was NOT what I expected....but in the best possible way.
The book intrigued me from the start; witches, a centuries old curse and a little town called Sparrow - sounds perfect, right? This book dragged me under really quickly. The story was quick paced and addictive. It sort of got under my skin in that I couldn't stop thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. If I'd had the time I'd probably have devoured this in one sitting. What I did not expect was the mind blowing revelation towards the end of the book. It was exceptionally clever to the point where I thought I'd spotted something earlier on in the book but the author then convinced me that I was wrong until BAM, at the end I was just shocked. At his point I wanted to re-read the entire thing to see what I'd missed! Then all the unanswered questions were revealed and I think my poor brain may have melted by this point. This book has the perfect mixture of creepy, mystery and romance to make it really good and I loved the flitting narrative between past and present events. The main character is so compelling, she gets under your skin and then tears you up so you don't know what to think or who to root for. I'm giving this 4.5 stars because the characters and the plot twists were brilliant...I'm just a little torn about the ending. I can understand the author's choice, I'm just not 100% sure I'm happy with it! Overall, I can highly recommend this to lovers of fantasy and mystery! Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: Romantic Comedy Standalone/Series: The Naughty Princess Club #1 - (can be read as a standalone) How I got this book: ARC from St. Martin's Press Meet the Naughty Princess Club: a brand new series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that introduces readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that ensue when three women start a new business to make it rain. Once upon a time Cynthia was the perfect housewife. Between being the President of the PTA and keeping her home spotless without a hair (or her pearls) out of place, her life was a dream come true. Her husband was once her knight in shining armor, but now he’s run off with all their money…and the babysitter. Dressed as a princess at the annual Halloween block party on Fairytale Lane, she meets two other “princesses” also facing money troubles: antique store owner Ariel and librarian Isabelle. When the women are invited to wear their costumes to a party where they’re mistaken for strippers, Cindy, Ariel, and Belle realize that a career change could be the best way to make their money problems go bippity-boppity-boo. But can structured Cindy approach a stripper pole without sanitizing wipes? And could the blue-eyed anti-prince that has been crossing her path become Cindy’s happily ever after? At the Stroke of Midnight is a hilarious, empowering story where princesses can save themselves while slaying in stilettos. Tara Sivec is the queen of adult comedy!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, nothing makes me laugh like Tara's romantic comedies. "Okay, I get it now. If he had said it makes his frickle hard, that wouldn't have been as hot." The characters are fun, real and crazy (in the best possible way)! The one-liners in this book had me laughing so hard I snorted. I love the ladies in this book. Cindy is strong-willed, ballsey and sexy but years of oppression force her into the mould of a prude. It takes a crappy wake up call, new friends and a man who lights everything on fire with his smoulder to give Cindy the push she needs to take back control of her life. And she does it in style! "You will tell me everything about why you walked over here an hour ago just to talk business and suddenly I find you riding him like Seabiscuit." Fans of Tara's Holiday's series will also be happy to spot the little Easter Egg from two of our favourite Holiday's characters in this book. This book is perfect for anyone who needs a side-splitting laugh with a heavy dose of grin-inducing romance, a hero to swoon for and three badass leading ladies (plus the other awesome ladies in this book) who pack punches, kicks and more dirty talk than a ship full of sailors. Fans of Tara's Chocolate Lovers/Chocoholics Series and Jed Had to Die will devour this book! "My God, you have eye chlamydia! See, I told you it wasn't an urban legend!" If you love princesses, but wish they were a little more 'real' you need to read At the Stroke of Midnight! I can't wait for Belle to tackle the Beast in book number two!! I'll be over here still laughing at this book while I wait, and ordering myself a few tequila t-shirts ;) Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: YA Standalone/Series: Standalone How I got this book: Bought The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. Pay close attention and you might solve this. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention. Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose? Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them. I've heard so many good things about this book that when I spotted in Waterstones, I HAD to pick it up!
I finished this book last night and I still don't know how to describe how brilliant it is (although this could be because I've only had one cup of tea so far this morning)! One of Us Is Lying has EVERYTHING! Intrigue, mystery, teen drama, angst, romance, gossip, murder and humour. The author even manages to work in messages about LGBTQ+ issues, mental health awareness, and abuse - it's an incredible YA novel that covers so much ground, even though the plot line itself seems relatively simple. (Think Cluedo for teens!) The five main characters (and supporting cast) are fantastic and from the first person narrative, we're able to connect with each and watch them evolve over the course of the novel. I could barely put this book down, reading it in just over a day and it's one of those books, I just know is going to stick with me, especially since I'll definitely be re-reading this one. I was initially drawn to the book because it was hailed as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars and the author does not disappoint. That's exactly what it's like, but so much better than I expected! I suppose the only slightly disappointing thing is that I figured out who was behind everything pretty early on except for one twist I didn't realise until the other characters did, but the way the narrative flits between each character keeps everything interesting and building in intensity throughout the whole book. There are a couple of things with this book that I don't completely agree with, but I'll let you make your own opinions. SHIP ALERT: There's a wonderful 'ship' in this book that is perfect in so many ways. These two characters are my absolute favourite thing about this book! A glowing 4.5 stars from me! I can't wait for the author to release another book! |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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