BOOK REVIEW: "The Shrike and the Shadows"

I was intrigued by the idea of a darker re-telling of Hansel and Gretel, and I liked the mystery of the witch in the woods picking off the villagers.

Unfortunately, the characters were not very likable and the book didn't really get interesting until the 75% mark. Hans was a complete womanizing jerk who was unhealthily possessive and verbally abusive to his sister. Greta just took whatever he dished out, too scared and dramatic to handle herself; she was a complete damsel in distress, always looking for a protector.

The first 3/4 of the book was so slow and repetitive, with nothing really happening except the twins wandering around aimlessly in the woods, hallucinating and arguing and making hasty, stupid decisions that don't make sense, considering the dangerous circumstances they were in. And they didn't learn from their mistakes.

The last 1/4 of the book was better, revealing more about the Shrike's origin (even though it is still a mystery), and the character Barin was more involved. He is really the only one with redeeming qualities, although his interest in Greta is kind of weird, with him being at least twice her age (she's 19).

Overall, this book definitely has a dark horror vibe, but I couldn't connect with the characters and the story was just too slow and meandering for me. 2.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Parliament Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Master of Sorrows"

This is a great start to an epic fantasy!

It's the first in a series, and follows a young man who has ties to an ancient god and his magic, even though he denies it. This is understandable, seeing as how the god is, um, the dark one.⁣

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The mythology of the world is very robust, and this has all the trappings of a great epic adventure. ⁣

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I think it does get slow a little in some parts, but the story and the secrets unfold in layers like an onion, and kept me turning the pages. I can't wait for the next book!⁣ ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: "Witches of Ash and Ruin"

Pub date: March 3, 2020.

This was a great book featuring modern-day witches and how they band together to fight a common threat.

There were 6 POVs, and a lot of witches in the covens,  so it took me a bit to get everyone straight (I would still forget the names of some of the witches).  However, there was quite a bit of action which lulled briefly from time to time as the witches re-grouped and figured things out, but the story moved along at a nice pace.

I liked the Irish lore and the magic system, which was well-explained. The plot was interesting, and there was an element of suspense as we moved toward the inevitable confrontation.

I felt that the enemies-to-lovers part was a little forced and predictable. Also, there were times I got frustrated with the characters making dumb decisions, like if they had just used their cell phones to text or call each other with quick FYIs, or shared crucial info as they recieved it, it would have prevented a lot of the problems.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, and the ending sets up nicely for the next installment; I can't wait to see what happens next! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: "Cookies are Magic"

This cookbook is way more than just cookie recipes!

The "Before You Bake" section is chock-full of helpful tips about ingredients and cooking techniques, like sifting, measuring,  removing from racks, storing,  etc.. So when you encounter anything in the recipe instructions, you know exactly what you need and why.

The recipes themselves are unique and so varied, and the origin stories and the description of how you should expect each to turn out (soft and chewy, or crisp and delicate) are fantastic! I do wish that there were actual pictures of the finished cookies, but the illustrations seem pretty accurate, though.

I know I'll be using these tips and trying these recipes for years to come!

Publish Date: April 7, 2020.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Co for the ARC I exchange

BOOK REVIEW: "The Unspoken Name"

This was written in the style of a truly epic fantasy tale. The plot was thick with hidden agendas and violent action, all in a vast setting which encompassed Gates to multiple worlds.

The story was unique, with a few unforeseen twists and plenty of adventure. The take on the various gods, who are the source of magic, and how the mortals of each world worshipped them was interesting.

The story at times followed different characters, and was sometimes confusing. It seemed that new worlds and characters were introduced, and then explained and described more thoroughly as the story went along. This made me feel like I was playing catch-up, especially with all the strange spellings of places and people, and their relationships with each other.

This book took me a while to finish, mostly because, although it was interesting, it wasn't compelling until like the last quarter. The characters were okay, and their motivations were simplistic. Only the MC Csorwe showed any real growth.

Overall, I liked this unique story. I would have liked more depth to the characters to really get me emotionally invested, but there was plenty of action to keep them busy. 3.5 stars.

Pub date: Feb 11.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue"

This book was a non-stop rollercoaster of action, and I loved it! Henry (Monty) Montague is the best sort of hero, vulnerable under the  devil-may-care attitude, and with a true desire to do the right thing, even if he doesn't know how and keeps screwing up.

The story follows Monty, his best childhood friend Percy, and his sister Felicity as they embark on a tour of Europe. Adventure ensues, as the group makes it way out of one scrape or another.

Although Monty is a great character, I would have like to have seen a little more depth to Percy, and even Felicity, although I know she has her own book which is the sequel to this. 

This story had me turning the pages to find out what happened next, but then also slowing down to savor the sweet love story. Loved it!

BOOK REVIEW: "Ashlords"

I really wanted to love this book, ostensibly about Phoenix horses and riders in a Hunger Games x Scorpio Races competition. Yes, please!

Unfortunately, it was more about politics and rivalries, told from the POVs of 3 characters who I found to be pretty 1-dimensional. We had the privileged girl (whose POV was annoyingly told in 2nd person and I still can't figure out why), the scrappy poor girl given the chance of a lifetime, and the brave boy fighting for something larger than himself. 

And, after 50% of the book just setting up the races and the characters' motives, they don't even interact with each other! When they finally converge, they stay in their own narratives, unaffected by the others'; no banter, no personal challenges, no understanding of the others' stories, nothing. 

Also, I couldn't get a good sense for the world. I totally understood the politics, because it was described ad nauseam the first half of the book. But the people travel by horse and carriage, have tech like YouTube and means by which to watch race contestants virtually, wear "business" dresses and suits, but carpet is a luxury. Also, gods and their priests would pop up unexpectedly, and people were kind of unimpressed with the supernatural beings, and some even made deals with them or controlled them. So gods and tech live side-by-side, but don't interact...?

The race itself felt glossed over, with most attention given to riders fighting with each other off horseback. And the phoenix horses, which are the huge draw, were like a side note, or an after-thought. They aren't given personalities and are treated like tools or vehicles.

Ultimately, the characters and the first half of the book did not pull me in, and although the race itself was more interesting, I think an awesome story concept was lost in all the politics. 2.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Childrens for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.