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Book Review: Vespertine (Vespertine #1) by Margaret Rogerson

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 400 pages
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Publisher: McElderry Books
Release Date: October 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

HIGHLY ENJOYABLE.

If you have a chance to listen to this on audio, definitely recommend that route. I couldn’t stop laughing at the antics between Artemisia and the Revenant. The narrator did a fantastic job conveying the voices and story itself.

To also get something out of the way, this book does not have a romance! Please don’t go in thinking so. I knew that ahead of time and appreciated being aware. I wasn’t looking for missed connections, but enjoying Artemisia come into her own as she unraveled the world around her.

Lots of action and traveling. Everything felt necessary and moved the plot forward though. I was wrapped up in following along and this book is perfectly dark and whimsical in the same breath. The plot was interesting and moved well. I’m glad to know there’s a sequel because this story still has more to give. I love Rogerson’s books and can’t wait for the next one.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: physical and magical altercations, near death experiences

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Book Review: Golden Son (Red Rising Saga #2) by Pierce Brown

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: Sci-Fi
Length: 442 pages
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: January 6th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

WHIPLASH.

Good heavens I forgot how much I love these books! This is a reread review as I gear up for Lightbringer and its good (and painful) to be back with this saga.

I LOVE Darrow. Don’t get me wrong, he goes on one heck of a journey, BUT THE SIDE CHARACTERS. They bring the house down. I love so many of them and how well crafted each personality and soul is. Sevro, Mustang, Victra, Ragnor, etc. The whole dang cast is wonderful and completely captivating. They MAKE this book what it is.

The plot is continually pulling you every which way in the emotions field. There’s highs, lows, and everything in between. I had remembered the main gist of the novel, but getting a chance to reread and see all of the details floored me. These books are intricate and amazing and the best sci-fi series I’ve ever read.

Overall audience notes:

  • Sci-Fi
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: very high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: slavery, slut shaming, blood and gore depiction, torture mentioned

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Book Review: A Convenient Christmas (Isn’t It Sweet #1) by Jody Holford

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Rating: ☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 211 pages
Author: Jody Holford
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 1st, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Abigail Smith loves Christmas so much she made it her business. Whether it’s simple gift wrapping or arranging a sit-down feast, clients of A Convenient Christmas can count on Abby to meet all of their holiday needs. When her oldest and dearest client hires her to add a little cheer to her son’s life, Abby is up for the challenge.

Until he fires her.

Finn Edenbury is too busy trying to get through the holiday season to enjoy it. The divorced dad is not looking forward to spending this year alone since his daughter, Melody, will be with his ex. Which might be why he overreacted when he found a beautiful, tree trimming woman in his living room.

An unexpected change of plans mean Finn will spend the holidays with his little girl after all. Finn turns to Abby with an apology and a request: help him make Melody’s Christmas magic.

The Queen of Christmas can hardly say no even if she still thinks he’s a bit of a Scrooge. That is, until they spend time together. These two opposites end up wanting something for Christmas that neither of them expected: each other.

RATHER UNCONVENIENT.

This was heading towards a strong three star. I wouldn’t say memorable, but I was enjoying the holiday spirit, the single Dad romance was pretty cute and I’m always here for a sunshine/grump trope.

Enter in, the dreaded conflict. We all know they arise each romance read, and sometimes they work out great, other times I turn into a rage monster over the ridiculousness nature of it all. This one was the latter. If a 5 year-old has to tell her Dad he’s being silly because he blew up at the heroine without a good enough reason, something is wrong with that picture. It was laughable and extended the book unnecessarily. Really wish it just had skipped over the conflict and went to the sappy ending.

I liked that the Abby owned her own event business. It was fun to see a different angle to holiday romances with this. Abby and Finn got along together well and I love a cute kid to boot. There’s some goodness here overall, even if things weren’t clicking for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: closed door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a grandparent (prior to book, but discussed often), divorce

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Book Review: Brought to Light by Allie Lewis

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Mystery Romance
Length: 360 pages
Author: Allie Lewis
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: August 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Three things Whitney is obsessed with: true crime podcasts, sticky notes, and coffee.
Two things Whitney knows for certain: she needs to focus on her future and she doesn’t want a relationship her senior year of college.
One thing Whitney never saw coming: Derek Mitchell.

When a dead body is found in the middle of Stratford University’s campus, Whitney Snow feels like she’s been dropped straight into one of the true crime podcasts she listens to every morning. She’s determined to help solve the case by whatever means necessary, but when Stratford’s golden boy, Derek Mitchell, offers to help with the investigation, Whitney isn’t so sure. Her one experience with Derek freshman year left her with a bad taste in her mouth from the guy every girl on campus seems to be obsessed with.

After Whitney reluctantly agrees to let Derek help her investigate the murder, things get even worse when rumors start spreading that the two are dating. Not wanting to rouse suspicion about what they’re really up to—especially with a potential murderer on campus—Derek and Whitney go along with this fake dating scenario. But as they work closely together to solve the case, the investigation isn’t the only thing that starts heating up. And as it turns out, the secrets buried deep within Stratford University may not be the only secrets that are brought to light.

Brought to Light is a new adult romance novel perfect for those who love a sizzling romance (without explicit sexual content) with a dash of murder mystery.

NOT TOO SHABBY.

I took a chance on a new debut author and in it found some good and some okay.

The setting? ADORED. There needs to be more college setting books. I loved the fall semester vibes and all that entailed. The vibes was definitely there.

Murder mystery? Lacking. It was strong in the beginning and strong in the end but the middle felt like a separate college romance story. These two plots moved alongside each other rather than being woven together. I needed a little more weaving to follow the flow and pacing better.

Romance? One of the best aspects. I thought it was really sweet. Whitney and Derek had some great chemistry and interactions. There were some cute dates and I loooove some good protection moments. The emotions at the end gave all the warm fuzzies of romantic ending.

Writing wise, I could tell it was a debut. There were times I could easily skim over some paragraphs because there was too much attention paid to nuances of the story that didn’t truly matter to the story.

I would definitely read another book by this author and look forward to what she has in store next.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Murder Mystery + Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, physical altercations

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