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A Curse So Dark and Lonely Book Review
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer Fall in love, break the curse. It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her…
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The Sisters of the Winter Wood Book Review
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner From Goodreads: Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya have lived a peaceful sheltered life – even if they’ve heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods. But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realizes, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister. Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and…
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Spinning Silver Book Review
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik From Goodreads: Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold. But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it’s worth–especially when…
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YA Fairytale Retellings: Part Two
Hello again, everyone. How are you all doing? Today is Thursday, which means it is time for a new post and as promised today will bring you part two of my YA Fairytale Retelling Recommendations. There’s magic, mayhem and good doses of creepiness in store. As with the first part of this post, I should remind you guys that this post MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. I’m trying not to spoil the books I’m recommending, but if I’m recommending the second or third book in a series, then I’m going to have to give a spoilery synopsis for books earlier in the series. Cool, let’s get into this then: Rumplestiltskin Retelling: Spinning Silver by Naomi…
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YA Fairytale Retellings: Part One
Hey everyone, Today is Sunday, and that means another bookish post! There’s a huge trend in YA at the moment for fairytale retellings, so today’s post is going to look at YA recommendations based on different fairytales. Since it’s a pretty long list, I’m going to be splitting it into two sections, with the second part posted on Thursday. Some of these recommendations are based on things like Alice in Wonderland, but we’re so familiar with these stories that it makes sense to include them in this list too 😀 Please note that this post contains SPOILERS. Not for the books themselves, but some of them are second or third books in…
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Smoke in the Sun Book Review
Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh Following Okami’s capture, Mariko has no choice but to infiltrate the Imperial Palace in the desperate hopes of rescuing him. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was held against her will by the notorious Black Clan, playing the part she was always meant to play– the dutiful, naive bride-to-be. While they try and decide if Mariko is still loyal to the throne, she must also unravel their secrets. Most importantly, she must learn the truth behind the assassination attempt on her carriage that led her to the Black Clan. While pretending to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials,…
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Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Book Review
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao Goodreads synopsis: An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny. Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future.…
