Book Review | Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar | a nutcracker retelling in a magical land!

Nottingham, 1906

Marietta Stelle longs to be a ballerina but as Christmas draws nearer, her dancing days are numbered. At the wishes of her family, she will be obligated to marry and take up her place in society in the New Year. But when a mysterious new toymaker, Dr Drosselmeier, purchases a neighbouring townhouse, it heralds the arrival of magic and wonder in her life. Although Drosselmeier’s magic is darker than Marietta could have imagined…

When he constructs an elaborate theatrical set for her final ballet performance, Marietta discovers it carries a magic all of its own. As the clock chimes midnight, Marietta finds herself walking through a land of snow-topped fir trees leading to a frozen sugar palace silent with secrets and must find a way to return home. In the darkness of night, magic awaits and you will never forget what you find here…

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I was super excited to read this book, but I have to say I had a bit of a mixed reaction to it… It wasn’t my favourite Christmas novel, though some scenes absolutely delighted me!

Book Review | Hide by Nell Pattison | a boxing day murder mystery!

Seven friends. One killer. You can run, but you can’t hide…
It’s Boxing Day and your friendship group has planned a hike.
You know tensions are running high. You’ve heard the rumours flying around.
But this trip is a chance for you to reconnect.
As you head into the reserve, everyone is quiet. It almost feels like you’ve imagined the rift.
But as the sun sets, you hear a gun shot.
One of your group is dead.
And someone you know killed them…

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This book was a ride! I’m not normally a fan of multiple-perspective books, but Pattison utilised it so well to create a real action-packed thriller.

Blog Tour | Agent in Berlin by Alex Gerlis | book review

In today’s post, I’m very excited to be taking part in a blog tour for new spy thriller novel Agent in Berlin by Alex Gerlis, published on November 4th, 2021 by Canelo Crime! You can check the book out on Amazon and Goodreads now, but continue reading to hear my thoughts! Thank you very much to The Book Network and Canelo Crime for gifting me a copy of the book.

Monthly Reading Wrap-Up | October 2021 | a great reading month, finally!

Well I managed to actually achieve one of my goals for October, which was to make time for reading! I’m so used to reading goals passing me by that hitting one has filled me with such joy!

I tried to make at least 20 minutes of reading time per day, which for me is an achievable amount of time where I can also make a decent dent in whatever I’m reading at the time – whether it’s audio or physical. I did also have half-term during October, which meant that I had chance to just sit and read the whole afternoon away, something I’ve not done for a while because even on the weekends I have things to do almost all the time!

Blog Tour | No Beauties or Monsters by Tara Goedjen | book review, character quiz, PLUS a giveaway!

Today I’m excited to participate in the Creative Blog Tour for No Beauties or Monsters by Tara Goedjen hosted by MTMC Tours! For fans of Veronica Mars and Stranger Things comes an all-new YA mystery about a girl whose desperate search for her missing friend unearths dark secrets, preternatural threats, and a truth that could ultimately tear her family, friends, and town apart. Out on December 7th, 2021 from Delacorte Press, this YA mystery thriller is not one to miss!

ONE DESERT TOWN. MANY DISAPPEARANCES.

Book Review | Bookishly Ever After (Paper & Hearts Society #3) by Lucy Powrie

Ed is excited. He’s landed his dream job at Woolf and Wilde, the beautiful independent bookshop in town. On his first day, his colleague Hannah doesn’t hold back from telling him exactly how to do things. Although Ed is intimidated, he soon finds himself wanting to impress her… Then, Ed discovers his mum is dating for the first time since splitting up with his dad. It feels like a huge change, much too fast. But with the help of his friends, and embracing Hannah’s way of seeing the world… Can Ed let his guard down?

I finally got around to reading the final book in this glorious YA series, and I am so sad to let it go!

Book Review | This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch. When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family. – Via Goodreads

Book Review | The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

Stevie Bell is bored. Home for the summer, she’s wanting a good murder to solve. When she receives an email from the owner of Sunny Pines, site of an infamous quadruple murder asking her to come and work on a true crime podcast about the Box in the Woods. Stevie thinks it’s going to be something to get her teeth into, and with her friends in tow, it could even be fun. But evil still lurks at Sunny Pines: Steve has received much more than she bargained for.

I loved the first three books in this series and was very excited when the fourth came out. It was just as exciting as the first three in the series, packed full of action, though it didn’t follow the same plot as the first three in the series. I wasn’t sure it would be as good or I would enjoy it as much, but Johnson can write a story in three books or in one!

Book Review | Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Trigger warnings: transphobia, cyberbullying

Transgender, gay teen Felix Love has never been in love, and he is aware of the irony. When someone begins posting his old, pre-transition pictures, and sending him transphobic messages on Instagram, Felix devises a plan of revenge. Along the way, he learns about one of the most important relationships in his life: the one with himself.

Felix Ever After is a YA book that should be on every library’s shelves. At the fundamental core of the novel, we have a teenager who is learning about themselves, and how to navigate the world around them.

Book Review | Bunny by Mona Awad

Trigger Warnings for this book: bestiality, murder, rape, assault, mental health, self harm.

Samantha is not the typical student you would on the famous Warren Creative Writing MFA, especially as a scholarship student. She is ostracised by the rest of her all-female cohort, a group of women who call one another “Bunny” and hug for too long. Then Samantha receives an invitation to their “smut salon”. As Samantha is dragged deeper into their sanctimonious world, the edges of fantasy and reality begin to blur, and the Bunnies push her to the edge.