-
Blood Over Bright Haven Book Review
dark academia⊹ ⋆fantasy⊹ ⋆high fantasy coffeestarsbooks May 27, 2025 4:11 pm Blood Over Bright Haven Release date: 25th July 2023 Publisher: Del Rey Genres: Dark Academia ⊹ ⋆ Fantasy ⊹ ⋆ High Fantasy ⊹ ⋆ Pair with: A cup of English breakfast tea and blueberry scones Add to Storygraph Add to Goodreads Join the conversation: Bluesky Instagram Twitch Discord “Having spent a few months in the High Magistry, she had let herself forget that, outside the ranks of Tiran’s top innovators, a man could get to a very high level of magic without ever having an original thought.” – M.L. Wang, Blood Over Bright Haven ☕✨ CONTENT WARNINGS: (click to reveal) Racism, colonialism,…
-
Under a Dancing Star Book Review
Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood From Goodreads: In grey, 1930s England, Bea has grown up kicking against the conventions of the time, all the while knowing that she will one day have to marry someone her parents choose – someone rich enough to keep the family estate alive. But she longs for so much more – for adventure, excitement, travel, and maybe even romance. When she gets the chance to spend the summer in Italy with her bohemian uncle and his fiancée, a whole world is opened up to Bea – a world that includes Ben, a cocky young artist who just happens to be infuriatingly handsome too. Sparks…
-
Slayer Book Review
Slayer by Kiersten White From Goodreads: Into every generation a Slayer is born… Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic. Until the day Nina’s life changes forever. Thanks to Buffy, the…
-
The Light Between Worlds Book Review
The Light Between Worlds by Laura Weymouth From Goodreads: Five years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were transported to another realm called the Woodlands. In a forest kingdom populated by creatures out of myth and legend, they found temporary refuge. When they finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves. Now, Ev spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes. Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a…
-
A Sky Painted Gold Book Review
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood From Goodreads: Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer – a handsome, dashing brother and sister – Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams. But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions… And is there something darker lurking at the heart of the Cardew family? A gorgeously dreamy coming-of-age romance set against a stunning Gatsby-esque backdrop,…
-
Blood and Sand Book Review
Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk Forged in battle… From the dust of the arena… A legend will rise. Rome is building an Empire. Led by the notorious and vicious Flavius family, the country has already invaded Britannia, as well as Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world has ever seen since Sparta. Attia was once destined to rule Thrace as a queen, but the Romans have destroyed her homeland, leaving devastation and death in their wake. Attia herself is enslaved and forgotten, the last remaining Thracian. When she is given to the gladiator Xanthus, Champion of Rome as a prize to show his master’s favour, Attia tells herself she’d rather…
-
Doing It Book Review
Doing It: Let’s Talk About Sex by Hannah Witton A book for teens which explains everything you might need to know about sex and relationships with no holds barred. In her book, Hannah attempts to separate the facts from the myths, and offer an informative and humorous guide to navigating the world of sex and relationships, tackling everything from porn to LGBTQ issues, to masturbation and break-ups. I’m sorry I can’t do a better job of selling this book to you all, especially since it is really funny and honest, but there really isn’t much to say if you’re trying to sum this book up. For those of you not in…
-
Lady Mary Book Review
Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review. The time will come for bravery… Princess Mary has grown up with expectations on her shoulders. Daughter to two of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, Queen Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII of England, Mary is expected to bring marriage alliances to her family, forging connections that will help her father, and England, remain the most influential in the world. But Mary is reluctant– all she wants is for her family to stay together. Unfortunately, Mary is only a princess, a girl, and so she’s…
-
Queens of Geek Book Review
So a quick confession to make: I’ve never been the biggest fan of contemporary YA. I think it’s because I tried to start with John Green, and while he’s incredibly popular, I found his books a little too heavy, too emotionally draining. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’m in the mood for that, but my perfect YA contemporary is a fluffy light romance with some quirky characters and lots of laugh out loud lines. Recently, my poison of choice has been books based at comic-cons. I stumbled across Geekerella by Ashley Poston a while back, and it was perfect, pretty much exactly what I wanted from a book. From there, I moved…
