Sara Machado

“Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.”

The Canterville Ghost is a wonderful satire about the cultural and behavioral differences between Americans and British.

I loved it! It was such a fun read! A different twist for a ghost story, that reminded me of home alone several times.

Not scary at all, it still fits perfectly the spooky season reads.

There wasn't so much wilderness around you couldn't see the town. But on the other hand there wasn't so much town you couldn't see and feel and touch and smell the wilderness. Such a beautiful beginning Ray!

Eight boys go on a journey and learn about Halloween and Samhain history, while trying to save their best friend.

This book is beautifully written, as expected being from Ray Bradbury, and the story is gripping and interesting. His writing takes us on the journey and we can easily picture ourselves in Egypt, Notre-Dame and Mexico, seeing everything unfold with our own eyes.

I'm sure I would have loved this as a kid. Unfortunately, I read it as an adult, and my experienced eyes caught something my brain and heart feel very passionate about.
You see, there is not one single female character on this book. Moreover, this is a story where the coolest of the boys that ever lived ”...hated girls more than all the other boys in the gang combined.”

What we get here is another story for boys, about “boys being boys”.

Gender plays no role in this story, as it shouldn't. Why would you, as a father of girls, write this sentence? Why couldn't you put a girl in the group? I'm not even asking for this book to pass the Bechdel test! My standards are not that high!

I wouldn't have noticed this as a kid because all I ever read was boys going on adventures and girls falling in love. In my mind, I would just change Tom to resemble me, and I would go in this adventure in his place.

If you ever wonder why Romantasies are such a hit, this is it! It's because women are finally going on adventures and men are falling hard and first.

Congratulations Ray, you loose two stars and join Tolkien on my prestigious list of “Not a single female character to be seen in the whole book”

The graveyard book kicks off with one of the best openings I ever read, trapping us in Gaiman's writing until the last sentence.

We follow Bod's growth through short stories that prepare him, while we are masterfully circled back to the beginning.

This was an incredible journey. I loved and cared deeply for every character, but especially Silas, Ms Lupescu and Liza.

The ending was emotional, but I'm mostly feeling sad for leaving the graveyard behind.

‘If I come back, it will be a place, but it won't be home any longer.'

This is an absolutely wonderful read.

I'm finally done with this and the only positive thing I can say is that the cover is very pretty. Everything else is just a mess of immaturity, entitlement, lies, misunderstandings, poor language and rude behavior.

The plot is everywhere and nowhere at once: death of family members, child abandonment, cheating, violence in a relationship, men are pigs, let's bring down the patriarchy, capitalism is bad, avoidant behavior and ghosts.

The magic was nice but unfortunately, useless to the overall story. The characters would either not know how to control their gifts or not use them, but if they did, a significant part of the story wouldn't have been possible.

This was poorly written, in what it appears to be an attempt to appeal to different generations, not truly relating with any.

This goes straight to the list of worst books I read.

I usually love to read these novels about young people living their messy lives, and overcoming their messy selves.
I really wanted to love Mudflowers but unfortunately, this one didn't quite work for me.

Mudflowers is reminiscent of Sally Rooney novels, but with less depth. The characters felt very bland and too far away from my reality.

I don't go into these books expecting to find them relatable, I know I'm a very lucky person, with a very fortunate and normal life, but I do expect to be interested in them or in the events they are experiencing. I ended up feeling old, wondering all the time about their risky behaviors and where did their parents fail in raising them.

The writing was beautiful though, which made me love pieces of the book, while I hated others (hence the I believe Alex Waterman has a great potencial as a writer and I'm expectant for her second novel.

I would like to thanks Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have very conflicting thoughts about this romance. I certainly enjoyed it more than The Roommate Experiment, and I might even like it more than The Spanish Love Deception, but I did not love it as a whole.What I loved about it:- I liked that they were both involved with a kid's football practice. The little girls were mostly adorable and a great addiction to the story.- Their interactions were quite good, with a easily flowing dialogue, and the tension was off the charts.- I am always a fan of the small-town settings, although here it does not affect the story much as we do not have all the small-town people shenanigans. We do have a lot of activities, and some of them were fire! This book just confirms I have a thing for couple's yoga, it works as a charm to me. And the intimate pottery scene? Uff. (If this is your thing as well, check out [b:Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner 65008541 Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner Kathryn Freeman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670677591l/65008541.SY75.jpg 99272412] )- I loved every bit of the story after they succumb to their feelings and attraction. At that point, Cameron becomes my favourite Elena Armas MMC. He shows he is there always and for the Long Game: ”I'll always give you more than what you ask for, love. Even when you don't know what you want.”“You are who you are. And I love that. Let those goddamn smiles be rare as long as they're mine. Mine.” Elena certainly knows how to write fictional smitten men! What I think it could have been done better:- I did not particularly like Adalyn, which does not come off as a surprise since I did not like any of Elena Armas female characters so far. I've found her annoying, disrespectful, childish, and spoiled, and I wish we could have seen a greater character growth. - The middle was too slow, and I wish their interactions were shown in a more consistent way. Adalyn and Camero were spending most of their time together since they were living in the same property, working at the same place, and participating in the same activities. However, most of their interactions end suddenly, and often with Adalyn being quite vulnerable, followed by time jumps of 3 to 5 days, and no replies or thoughts by Cameron. This would certainly contribute to her insecurities and, personally, I did not feel it contributed positively for the romance.- Although the romance includes both POV, Cameron always feels distant and not at all attracted with Adalyn, until he is almost professing eternal love to her. I wished we could have seen his love grow throughout the book instead of just imagining his barriers breaking.The Long Game has great yoga and pottery scenes, good dialogue between the leads, and I liked the last third enough to be able to overlook all the bits that annoyed me until there. Read if you like Ted Lasso and can't get enough of grumpy Roy!

”Very early in my life it was too late.”

Deeply disturbing, profoundly sad, and achingly beautiful.

This is an autobiographical work by Marguerite Duras, and we are transported to Saigon and her childhood days through her effortless and gorgeous prose.

Her life was difficult and she shows us this in weirdly detached way. She can see herself from outside, and we see her writing and seeing herself from outside.

I have a whole in my heart and a lump on my throat. This is a very sad book and I'm feeling emotionally drained.

“...I feel a sadness I expected and which comes only from myself. I say I've always been sad. That I can see the same sadness in photos of myself when I was small. That today, recognizing it as the sadness I've always had,”

Gorgeously beautiful! I couldn't recommend it more.

And then he told her. Told her that it was as before, that he still loved her, he could never stop loving her, that he'd love her until death.

P.S: the movie is also very worth it!

I was hooked enough with the first book to start immediately the second, and let me tell you: we'll need to wait for the third book to get the pay-off.

The second book of the series is still full of pinning and angst. We get a bit more of the beautiful world Sylvia has crafted, and a little more knowledge of what it is happening.

The story is woven in a way we keep being uncertain about whom is on each side. There are two persons who are clearly part of the bad guys, but I cannot tell regarding the rest of the troldes.

As the story progresses, I wish a lot of things didn't happened, and I don't feel they added much to the story. We could have had a forbidden romance without a lot of what happened on the first book, which might be triggering to a lot of people.

The fantasy side is quite interesting, and because of that, I wish there was a greater balance between action and romance.

The last 30% of the book were quite exciting, and the ending left me curious enough to want to wait for the third book. Also, I need to see the pay-off to recover from the anxiety these characters are causing me.

This will probably be an unpopular review, but it is what it is.

I like JLA books, I really do! I love Blood and Ash and Flesh and Fire, and I was actually convinced she was improving a lot as a writer.
I did think an editor would improve her work, thus my excitement to see her new book being published by TOR.

Such . . . a . . . disappointment!

So . . . about . . . this . . . book:
- You take Blood and Ash and mix it up with Flesh and Fire.
- You search for synonyms of intriguing and opt for interesting and enthralling
- Liessa is used already . . . You decide to change it for na'laa
- you eliminate all traces of a plot
- You remove gradual world building and add it all up as info dump at 70% (you all know what usually happens at this point of the story).
- To increase the length of the book, you use ellipsis every chance you get! Don't forget to add a space between every dot, this will ensure you barely need to write a story.
- Procede to add bits of plot in the last 15% of the book, in between some intense action scenes, so you can prepare a cliffhanger to hook readers for a second book.
- To make it TikTok worth it, you add smut every chance you get. If everything goes right, nobody will notice they are reading recycled material without any story behind.

The characters:
- Lis is special, obviously, but she is no maiden! She is some rich lord paramour, and sometimes even works as a courtesan. She is abused ALL THE TIME, but apparently, she only complains when is the MMC, and she actually wants it. As the story goes on, she slowly converts into Poppy, finds herself a dagger and stars throwing things to MMC. More powers appear and I expect she will be a Queen at the end of the series.
- Cas and Niktos had a son, but he is horny and feeds on desire. Said horniness will avoid the necessity of creating a personality for Thorne, maybe on the second book. He senses (and sees) the FMC being abused, but he is very hungry, so he let's everything happen, and patiently waits for his turn.

Unfortunately, I don't believe I will continue with this series.

I devoured this book in almost one sitting and, at the 3rd quarter of 2023, I predict this will be my favorite romance of 2024. If I'm mistaken, we'll have a strong romance year ahead, and I'm here for it!

Sarah Hogle stories are always magical, beautifully chaotic and heartwarming. This one is no exception and I adored every bit of it.

Romina is a sweet, original and fun character, impossible to not love and root for. She had her bit of suffering, which with her lovable personality makes the reader very attached and protective of her.

Alex is just wonderful! If Nicholas and Wes could have a kid, Alex would be the result. We don't have his POV, but this only intensifies the slow burn.
He makes it abundantly clear how much he loves and wants Romina, and I fell hard for him.

There is a twist in this story that affects the readers, and is causing mixed opinions. Honestly, it messed with my head and my heart too, but if you keep going you'll see that the resolution is good and makes sense. I actually see this as a testament of Sarah's good writing. I was an emotional puppet in her hands, from laughing to excitement, to crying.

I can't have enough of Romina and Alex, and if I can't get more chapters of them, at least I'm hoping Sarah will give us Luna's and Zelda's love stories, with a lot of glimpses to Romina and Alex HEA.

This story gave me all the feels, tingles, butterflies, heartburn, euphoria and reminded me of the reasons I like to read romances.

I would like to thanks G. P. Putnam's Sons and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was amazing! You were all right!

I have no words in me to review this book, but it certainly was radiant. Every time I think I can't possibly become more impressed with Sanderson, I find out I was wrong. He is brilliant, and I am in awe with what he is achieving with Cosmere as a whole.

I love that Sanderson leaves enough clues for us to guess little pieces of story, but it never compromises our satisfaction, because there is always something more. It just makes me feel smart, while You can always be sure “there is always another secret”!

What an emotional roller coaster! This was fantasy perfection!
The world building is amazing, the magic system intricate, and the characters are complex, flawed and profound, and they never read as the typical fantasy heroes.

The way Sanderson writes his characters just feels different. He explores something in them in a deep level, but then you see another layer, and get to explore it on a deep level as well. Sometimes you like the first layer and relate to the character immediately, sometimes you need to see more of them, and go deep into another piece of their soul. Words of Radiance was stellar in exploring more layers of SA characters and, at this point, I'm invested in all of them (and I hated several in WoK).

This is a very long book, but everything on it feels necessary, and I wouldn't change a thing. Having everyone together, and several POV in the same chapter increased the pace of the story, and left me hanging on every written word. I wanted to scream every time I reached the interludes, but I loved all of them, and what they add to the story.

Shallan's humor was a great addition to the story, bringing a new light to it. It was certainly needed to balance Kaladin moods.
I expect she will change a bit with the admission of the past, but I hope she gets to keep at least a bit of her older self.

I loved the duels, the chasms, the storms, bridge four, discovering Adolin's heart and Taravangian brain, the fights and, as usual, Hoid.

Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination. I will protect those who cannot protect themselves. I will protect even those I hate so long as it is right.

Side note: for everyone who says it is necessary to read Warbreaker before this book... I honestly don't think it is.
It's a nice Easter egg, but it doesn't really impact the story (yet?). I was actually disappointed because I was expecting more of that particular character.

Read Warbreaker because it is great, because you love Cosmere, because it is an easy entry to the Cosmere or because you want to read Sanderson without the commitment of a whole series.

Stormlight Archives is already a huge commitment with 4 ginormous books, 2 “novellas”, and more than half of it yet to be published. Let's not add additional restrictions please.

From Paris in love is a sweet friends/ colleagues to lovers romance. This was a quick and entertaining read, with lots of things to love.

I loved that included serious and heavy issues that both characters needed to overcome, I loved to see how they both loved their family and valued family bonds, to see Miles and Tyler's friendship and how Miles was open to his best friend about everything in his life, and obviously, I liked to see Miles and Ry's relationship flourish.

I especially loved Miles:
“You don't need me. You want me. And I want you. Just as you are. Wholesome, strong, beautiful, and stubborn... I just want to be by your side, holding your hand while you conquer the world. Just because I want to.”

Read it if you like:
- Strong FMC recovering from an abusive relationship, and fighting for herself.
- Sweet and sexy MMC, with flowers tattoos, who empowers her, bakes, and is willing to give her the world. He is very in touch with his emotions and also recovering from a different sort of heartbreak.
- Good tension between the characters
- Spice and praise
- He falls first

I adored this book until some inaccuracies, misconceptions and stereotypes started:
- we do have air conditioning in Europe, you may not find it all houses, but definitely in all hotels, most Airbnb's and all public infrastructure. This affects mainly the residents households.
- All cars will have air conditioning! France is one of the largest players in the automotive industry, and if you are in France and not in a French car, the odds are that you'll be on a German, Italian, or Spanish car. Guess what? These manufacturers do put air conditioning on their cars. Additionally, there are strict regulations regarding carbon emissions and old cars cannot circulate in the cities. In general, you cannot drive cars from before the late 90's in the cities, and you may need to have stickers confirming your emission levels are ok. Thus, it will be virtually impossible to enter a taxi with no air conditioning, and manual levers for the windows.
- The kissing! It's true we kiss in Europe, but no taxi driver will ever ever kiss you! Much less if you are a man! This is just nonsense, especially after covid.
- Medicine... language might be a barrier, although not in all European countries, but it doesn't matter if you know or not the brands pharmacies have in stock. Pharmacies sell the drugs with the International Nonproprietary Names (INN) which identifies pharmaceutical substances or active pharmaceutical ingredients. If you know what you use in Canada and USA, you are able to easily buy it here. In doubt, you can always use internet (we do have it here! Impressive right?)

This was particularly annoying because it was written just after the characters complain how annoying it is, as Canadians, to be confused and treated as Americans.

I think the romance was quite good! I only wish there was a greater research for the Paris bit (you can tackle all my previous points with a quick google search). I'm not French, and I wasn't this annoyed since the Love Actually and the ridiculous scene with Colin Firth in “Portugal”.

I still recommend this book for romance readers.

I would like to thanks Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Elodie Colliard and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another great book in the cosy fantasy, low stakes trend.

Emily is a Cambridge professor, working on gathering data about fairies, to compile an encyclopedia on the subject. Her studies brought her to the northern Norway, where she hopes to find evidence on the illusive Hidden Ones.

The story is told through her thorough and extensive journal notes, in a tone aligned with the 1909 setting.

The book is slow paced and it took me a bit to warm up to Emily character, and the writing style. After Wendell enters the story, things start to warm up, and Emily experiences several interesting and magical encounters that made me start enjoying the book.

I appreciate how hard working and dedicated Emily is, and how perfectly her personality is complemented by Wendell's.
I wish we had more of Wendell's POV as it should help readers warm their hearts to his character, and fully believe his character ARC. He reminded me a bit of Howl, so I would definitely recommend this book to Howl's fans.

I loved that the book interspersed Emily adventures with some fair folk stories, showing the parallelism of what was happening with some traditional fair folk lore.

Although I never visited Norway (it's on my bucket listo though), Heather's writing made me feel there. I could easily picture the setting and it brought me wonderful memories of Iceland.

This is a book written to slow us down. Recommend for fantasy and cosy fantasy readers, with a cup of a hot beverage of your preference.

I would like to thanks Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

P.S: I would also like to thanks my wallet, and Amazon delivery system to my kindle, as I forgot I already owned the book when I requested the ARC. I guess this proves I really wanted to read this book

Being completely honest, Lucian is the only reason I've kept reading this series. I find each book awfully long, bits of it quite cringe and I hate the plot that accompanies the romance.

However, Lucian always gave me Sebastian St. Vicent vibes, and here I am, two years later, and against my better judgement, reading the third book of a series I don't particularly like and that I find poorly written.

Lucian is no Sebastian, but I like him fine enough. He has a devastating story and my heart broke for him. The romance was ok, I wanted to strangle them both several times but the tension was there and I was rooting for them the whole time.

This doesn't mean I think the story makes sense, because it doesn't. I can't reconcile what happened to Lucian with his personality and the 20 years ridge with Sloane.
Simon fought for Lucian and saved him, Sloane's family kept by his side throughout his life, they went to every important event, and most importantly, they kept loving him as part of the family. They've seen each other on a weekly basis, and I don't believe Simon would have left their relationship reach this point. I just don't buy it! Lucian admits several times receiving tons of love and support from her family, he did extensive therapy.. there is just no way he would reach his 40's with this grudge, especially without understanding Sloane's reasons.

I still hate the criminal plot and I wish I could skip every bit of it. Although the romance offsets this a bit, I also found the spice on this book quite cringe.

This book solidifies that Lucy Score books are not for me. That said, this was my favorite of the series.

An enchanting and wholesome story about grief, depression, loneliness and how friendship helps healing, told as a beautiful illustrated graphic novel.

Sheets is the story of Marjorie, who lost her mother and is carrying a lot of her family weight, and Wendell, who died to young and does not accept his ghostly situation.

A moving story full of all types of ghosts.

3.5 ⭐️

I would like to thank Oni Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to rate this book because I'm clearly not the target, and I feel it will be unfair. I didn't like it though. I've found it very poor, both in terms of the Romance and the issues surrounding teens lives. I remember reading better books than this, with good communication examples between teens and their families.

There was only one thing I liked in this book: the day with Nick.

Emilie is silly, and I don't have much to say beside this. It would be much more probable for a child of a broken and unhappy marriage to not believe in love, than being obsessed with the perfectly Valentine's Day, at 16! Are 16 years old still believing they find the love of their lives at that age?

After the Groundhog Day, Emilie learned very little, keeps being silly, but now she wants to have summer holidays instead of investing time on the journalism program that would help her with college applications. Is this advice we want to give? I 100% support this, in Europe, where you can easily have access to a good education, but never in the USA, where this stuff counts for the applications.
Emilie suffers close to none consequences for rude and bad behavior, and life goes on.

The resolution of the parental conflict is only partially, and briefly mentioned, and we don't see any real communication happening.

This is another book more focused on inserting Taylor Swift references than telling a good story.

If it wasn't for a buddy read I would have DNF in the first chapters. Thank you Inês Só Mais uma Página for explaining me the references I would never get

This was the definition of a cosy read and I'm happy I've picked it up.

I loved that this is about an older and geek couple falling in love (50s), that they are both introverts and that the story included much more issues than the romance.

I have a preference for friends to lovers because of how much more real everything feels, and in this case it was specially relevant as the MMC is demi.

I've found it a bit slow paced, and I would probably have excluded some of the final issues that felt unfinished. However, not everything in life has a solution, and this way it mimics more what would be the reality.

Overall, it was a beautiful love story, full of kindness, acceptance and companionship. I absolutely recommend it to all romance readers.

3.5 stars rounded up

I discovered Katee Robert with the Dark Olympus series. Although I was not a fan of those books, I was curious with Hunt on Dark Waters and I was lucky to receive an e-ARC of the book.

I've found this book a lot better than I was expecting. The setting is interesting and includes a large amount of magical and mythological creatures, it has a good queer representation and delivers on its promise: pirate smut!

I was not a fan of Evelyn, who is the typical feisty FMC we are getting used to read about nowadays, but I loved Bowen and his golden retriever pirate vibe.

I seriously don't know where these authors come up with ideas.. the different uses of telekinetic powers would have never crossed my mind, but I liked it!

I do believe there are things that could have improved the story, turning this into a better romantasy, namely, some more insights into Evelyn and Bowen pasts through flashbacks (I'm particularly interested in Bunny's perspective/ knowledge), deeper development of the world and more interactions with the secondary characters.

Overall it was a fun, fast and sexy read. I'm interested in continue the series.

3.5 ⭐️

Read this is you like:
- Pirates, Witches, Vampires
- Insta love
- Golden retriever MMC
- Spice
- Easy, but interesting world building
- Monsters

I would like to thanks Random House UK, Cornerstone, Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“You don't have to have a reason to be tired. You don't have to earn rest or comfort. You're allowed to just be.”

These books are such a delight! They feel just like a strong and warm hug. This one is dedicated to anybody who doesn't know where they're going, and it's just perfect.

There is so much love and joy on this book! We keep following sibling Dex and Mosscap journey, now to find answers to the robot's question: “What do humans need?”
I loved this one more than the first because we have Mosscap from the beginning, and nothing beats his excitement with the world:

”I've never seen a sign this legible before,” it called back. “And it's so glossy.”“A map, a note, and a pocket computer,” Mosscap said reverently. “That's three belongings.” It laughed. “I'll need my own wagon, at this rate.” Mosscap stopped laughing, and looked at Dex with the utmost seriousness. “Could I really?” it said quietly. “Could I have a satchel?”

I love that the story is happening in a post apocalyptic future, where the world and humanity are healed and you feel mostly kindness. I wish we can evolve to be as kind and understanding as everyone in this book.

A new favorite!

I grew up fascinated by Egypt culture, wanting to be an archeologist and wishing I could ever find some artifacts on an undiscovered tombe. While this couldn't be farther from my life, the fascination remains, which made picking up this book a no brainer.

What the River knows is an historical fantasy/mystery set in the wonderful Egypt, during the British occupation.
We follow Inez, an Argentinean 19 year old girl, curious, adventurous and fierce, who despite being quite privileged, is avid for affection as her parents, year after year, choose to live in Egypt without her. A terrible accident changes the course of her life, setting Inez on a perilous journey for the truth.

Isabel Ibanez writing is beautiful and immersive, and she makes a wonderful job of making the reader feel the appeal of Egypt's life at the time. We are easily transported from the Cairo's markets, sensing the chaos and smells, to the dark and dusty temples full of undiscovered treasures. We feel the dirt on our clothes, the magic on our skin and full range of emotions with the story development.

Inez is a great character, although a bit too trusting and naive. I was surprised by the inclusion of Whit's POV, and I must confess I'm very curious about his past. I can't get enough of him and desperately need more details of his life.

I loved the secondary characters and my main complaint is that I wish they were a bit more developed and that we had more of them.

The story is exciting, and although I was expecting the route it was taking, it kept me interested throughout the book. We get nowhere near a conclusion, and we are left wanting more, as the story ends in a major cliffhanger.

What the River knows is a nice start to a new series and should appeal all YA readers. I believe it would be a favorite for Rebecca Ross fans.

I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've picked up this book expecting a seasonal romcom, but this was heavier than the cover leads on.

Summer has a travel agency and loves everything summerly related - sun, heat, beach and sea. She longs for her own travels and for her life to begin.
Noel, loves Christmas and every year opens a Christmas pop up store somewhere. This year the chosen place is just beside Summer shop, leading to a less than cold meet up.

I really liked Rachel Dove Ten Dates and I wanted to enjoy this one just as much. Unfortunately, it had several things than didn't feel right to me, especially regarding the amount of violence between the characters.
The writing is good, but too many things are happening, and none of those is more than superficially explored. I understand Summer had a difficult life, however, some of her actions are inexcusable, making it hard to believe on their HEA.
The resolution occurs too fast and easy for the amount ou problems the characters were experiencing.

Overall, it was an ok read, with multiple POV, and a diversity of difficult topics and their consequences on character lives and family bonds.

2.5 stars

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW - depression, physical abuse, verbal abuse, alcoholism (off page), cheating (off page), isolation.

Out now!

“You don't have to take up a sword. Survival is bravery too”

Thank you Ava Reid, I've felt seen.

I am truly impressed with this book, it was very different and had much more depth than I was expecting.

”It was an eternal feeling, this sense of being unwelcome. No matter where she was, Effy was always afraid she was not wanted.”

I entered into A Study in Drowning expecting a fantasy novel based on folklore and mid 20th century England/ Wales, happening in a dark academia setting with a bit of mystery to move story forward.
We've get all this, and it is great. However, what I feel this books accomplishes best, is describing and validating experiences of abuse (sexual and parental abuse) and panic, dealing with trauma, misogyny and sexism, and finding agency and a new sense of self.

The prose is expertly crafted, giving a murky feeling to the story, and easily showing what I imagine to be the feeling of drowning. My senses were overwhelmed with the descriptions from the start until the end.

I've felt the romance was a bit rushed, especially given the circumstances. However, I believe it was an important piece of the healing process and I wouldn't change the length of the book.

As a fantasy, I wished we had a bit more worldbuilding and context regarding the hate, war and the drownings. A map would have been nice as well, I don't know if the final version has it or not.

I enjoyed it and I wish I had the opportunity to read something like this when I was younger.
I wish Effy was less relatable and that her experiences were conscripted to the past. However, this is still an accurate reality, fairytale beauty or not.

I'm glad this is going to be on Illumicrate box and that I get to have a pretty Edition of it.

I would like to thanks The Fairy King, Random House UK, Cornerstone, Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW - sexual harassment, sexual and parental abuse, panic attacks, mental illness, sexism, misogyny, death of a parent

“My life to yours. My Breath become yours.”

I don't know why I was so hesitant about this book and convinced Warbreaker would be inferior to the rest of Sanderson's work. In all seriousness, I don't understand how he does it, but here I am, yet again, mind blown with twists and turns.

Contrary to other Cosmere novels, Warbreaker is character driven, which is something I love. This book has some of the best characters in the Cosmere so far, and I loved each and every character ARC. The characters are interesting by themselves, but they truly shine when acting with their POV pairs. These interactions also gave a slightly more accelerated pace to the story than his other books.

The Sanderlanche was magnificent, and though the ending feels a bit sudden, it was satisfying, leaving room for the continuation of the story without cliffhangers.

I loved the contrast of Warbreaker character's and plot, with the previously published novels Elantris, and Mistborn. The older novels read differently from the new ones, but I must confess I prefer the way the foreshadowing is made in the first novels as it is more discrete, leading to what I feel is a greater payoff.

It's not worth to enter into too much detail and risk spoiling anything to future readers. Just know that it's a book full of everything which is good in fantasy: beautiful world, interesting magic, political and religious intrigue, high stakes, and love. I stand firm in my opinion that Sanderson writes the best couples and the most beautiful love stories.

”You've got color on the inside, so much of it that it bursts out and colors everything around you.”

This would be the book I would recommend to start the Cosmere journey.

I would like to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet read about a girl that moves into a small town to manage her grandmother's caffe, and ends up falling for a guy who is the town's sweetheart..

The story is told through third person narration on dual POV, which I wasn't particularly fan.
I found the romance to be underdeveloped as we don't see them falling for each other at all. The “get to know” and longing are my favorite parts of romances and this one left me disappointed.

The story would have benefit from more interactions between Jeanie and Logan. Still, I might read the remaining characters stories.

Recommended for contemporary romance readers who enjoy:
- Small town setting
- Dual POV
- Insta love
- Found family
- Spice
- Third person narration

Every ten years, a sorcerer known as Dragon picks up a 17 year old girl from the valley, to live with him in a tower. They are usually very pretty, but he never touches them, and all we know is that, when they leave, they never return to their villages.
Comes Agnieszka, who being quite normal and very clumsy, never expects to be the one picked by the Dragon.

Uprooted is a much darker book than I was expecting and I wouldn't recommend it to all fantasy readers.

That said, I do understand why it is so recommended:
- The premise was promising and intriguing, and it only got more mysterious the more I stepped into the book.
- Novik's prose is beautiful and I was fully immersed in this magical world. The story consumed me, and I couldn't stop reading until I finished it.
- It felt truly original. It is a wonderful mix of fantasy with a lyrical prose, and a touch of romance, but not overwhelmed by it. I see now why it kept being recommended to people who enjoy Juliet Marillier stories! I agree.. except it is much much darker, so maybe save it for the spooky season.

I wished Dragon was more developed and less toxic, and Agnieszka less of a Mary Sue. This was not enough to make me dislike the book though.

The sex scene is tasteful, sexy and beautifully written. I wish current Romantasies learned with this.