Review- Midnight Sun (Twilight #5)

Midnight Sun (Twilight #5)
By: Stephanie Meyer
Website: https://stepheniemeyer.com/
Release Date: August 3rd, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Twilight
Rating:


Yes, I really went back to Forks.

If you’re seeing this you’re probably having simultaneous flashbacks to the Twilight craze in the circa 2008. The books, the (literally) screaming fangirls, the movies, Robert Pattinson, glittering vampires and CGI werewolves. Sound familiar?

Perhaps you’re asking why a thirty-something bookworm would go back to a series that was so entrenched in teenage angst and unrealistic expectations of relationships and life in general. It’s a fair question and I asked myself the same thing a few times before purchasing the kindle version and again a few times before I actually read the book itself.

Just like my true crime obsession and my general need to know and understanding things that maybe I should leave alone I decided to go back into the Twilight saga books, this time through Edward’s POV, to see what it was like.

Review – The Crowns of Croswald (The Crowns of Croswald #1)

The Crowns of Croswald (The Crowns of Croswald #1)
By: D.E. Night
Website: https://denight.com/
Release Date: July 21st, 2017
Publisher: Stories Untold Press
Series: The Crowns of Croswald
Rating:


If you’re looking for some magic and fantasy the Crowns of Croswald may serve as a good escape into another realm for a while. I received this book through NetGalley and was thrilled to get a copy.

Review – The Way Back

The Way Back
By: Gavriel Savit
Website: https://www.gavrielsavit.com/
Release Date: November 17th, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Received From: NetGalley
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


As I’m sure most of us can agree, as a reader we love any and all stories. For me my first love was classic fairy tales and folklore so when I saw The Way Back on NetGalley advertised as a historical fantasy brushing the realms of folklore I had to beg for the copy. I was thrilled to receive it and enjoyed every single page.

The Way Back follows a boy named Yehuda Leib and a girl named Bluma as they both chase after the Angel of Death for their own reasons. For Eastern European Jews there is the belief that demons have a land of their own: a Far Country peopled with the souls of the transient dead, governed by demonic dukes, barons, and earls. 

In their adventures we see Yehuda and Bluma struggle towards their goals and face the realities of the realm they find themselves in. I loved the fantastical elements of the story and loved the rich descriptions and interwoven details throughout the book.

Review- Driftwood

Driftwood
By: Marie Brennan
Website: https://www.swantower.com/
Release Date: August 14th, 2020
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Rating:


I don’t know what I expected when I saw this lovely ARC on NetGalley. The concept was interesting and I liked the idea behind it but I’m not sure I was ready for the purely amazing read this book was.

The world of Driftwood is a strange place — it is where worlds come to die and as entire worlds are shrunk down in size and people are disappearing left and right everything is slowly coming to an end. Think of Driftwood as a story of a post-apocalyptic world…but with some of the worlds still in the middle of their own end. If you’re looking for an amazing fantasy read, be on the lookout for Driftwood which comes out August 14th, 2020. If you want to know more about the story and my reaction, read on but please be aware there may be tiny spoilers.

Review- Peace Talks (The Dresden Files #16)

Peace Talks (The Dresden Files #16)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: https://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: July 14th, 2020
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


It has been a long time coming for book number sixteen in the Dresden Files. Book fifteen, Skin Game, came out in 2014. Yes, 2014 so six years ago now. I will say I am luckier than most fans in that I came into my Dresden files obsession in the last few years so I read Skin Game in 2017. Still, it’s been three years and I admit I had to go back and re-read the last couple books to remember where we’d left off.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Berkley for the ARC. It was the highlight of my quarantine.

As we are sixteen books in this series if you haven’t read the others stop reading the review now, go back and start with book one Storm Front. This is not a series to read out of order. If you’ve read all the other books and want to know what I think about Peace Talks please read on.

#UltimateBlogTour – Knightmare Arcanist (Frith Chronicles #1) by Shami Stovall

Knightmare Arcanist
By: Shami Stovall
Release Date: June 18, 2019
Publisher: Capital Station Books
Series: Frith Chronicles #1
Award: B.R.A.G. Medallion for Fantasy; New Apple Literary Award for Fantasy; Coffee Pot Book Club's Pick for 2020 Reading
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall is the first book in the young adult book series the Frith Chronicles. Shami is the author of two series, including the Frith Chronicles and The Sorcerers of Verdun.

Review- The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2)

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2)
By: Dhonielle Clayton
Website: https://www.dhonielleclayton.com/
Release Date: March 5th, 2019
Publisher: Freeform
Series: The Belles
Rating:


When we return to the world of Orléans we find that our main character Camellia is still in the fight for saving the world and stopping one rogue tyrant of a princess while also trying to right the wrongs done to so many people, including generations of Belles.

Review- The Belles (The Belles #1)

The Belles (The Belles #1)
By: Dhonielle Clayton
Website: https://www.dhonielleclayton.com/
Release Date: February 16th, 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: The Belles
Award: Locus Award Nominee for Young Adult Book (2019), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2018), Lodestar Award Nominee (2019)
Rating:


I was curious about this series as the premise was intriguing. In the world of Orléans the Belles are powerful and beautiful. In a world where people are born gray the Belles can infuse people’s appearances with beauty and color. A tweak of the nose here, a bit more color in the cheeks, whatever you need the Belles can get the job done.

Review- The Heirs of Locksley (The Robin Hood Stories #2)

The Heirs of Locksley (The Robin Hood Stories #2)
By: Carrie Vaughn
Website: https://www.carrievaughn.com/
Release Date: August 4th, 2020
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Robin Hood Stories
Rating:


Book two in this wonderful series made me so happy. I read it in a matter of hours, directly after finishing book one The Ghosts of Sherwood, and I was so pleased by the ending. I wonder (hope, pray) that there will be a book three in this series as we seem to be delving deeper into each of the Locksley children as they grow up.

Review- The Ghosts of Sherwood (The Robin Hood Stories #1)

The Ghosts of Sherwood (The Robin Hood Stories #1)
By: Carrie Vaughn
Website: https://www.carrievaughn.com/
Release Date: June 9th, 2020
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: The Robin Hood Stories
Rating:


Sometimes I love classic stories being re-imagined and sometimes I am let down by them. In Carrie Vaughn’s The Ghosts of Sherwood we see her interpretation of the life of Robin Hood but instead of focusing on the man, myth and legend himself she tells us a tale of his life years later, no longer an outlaw but still brave, but also a family man that is trying to protect his family and lands. Also, we learn more about his kids than the man and Marian which I really enjoyed.