Tag: review

Mini Review: The Mystery of the Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine

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31202255The Mystery of the Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodbine
Genre: Mystery, Middle Grade
Publisher: Egmont Books
Pages: 352
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

This summer, I read the first book in the Sinclair Mystery series. It was my first new Middle Grade book in a decade, and I was really excited to find something that was a genre I love, in a historical setting (also LOVE), just with younger protagonists. The third book in the series, The Mystery of the Painted Dragon is no different from the first in the lovely vibes it gave me, and the pure rush of enjoyment I get from reading a mystery, and solving it along with the protagonists.

Katherine Woodfine knows how to put together a great mystery, one with interesting characters, a devious hidden plot and historical markers that always put a smile on my face.  Continue reading “Mini Review: The Mystery of the Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine” →

Review: The Witch’s Tears by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr

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30796767The Witch’s Tears by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr
Genre: Fairy tale, Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 320
Format: ARC e-b00k
Rating: ★★★★
Note: We received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. 

After loving The Witch’s Kiss, and getting to meet the Corr sisters, the sequel was something I was dying to get my hands on, and I’m happy to report that I loved it just as much as the first book! While the fairy tale theme that drew me to the first book isn’t as prominent, there are lots of things that bubble to the surface in its absence and I really loved. Please tell me there’s a third book coming?

Continue reading “Review: The Witch’s Tears by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr” →

(Spoiler) Review: Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter

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30336923Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 320
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★

After not loving the sequel to the Embassy Row series, See How They Run, I was a little nervous to how I’d take the final book! But, it was still one of my most anticipated books, because I feel like Ally Carter will always have my loyalty, no matter what. So, with rocky expectations, I dived into The the Key and Lock Her Up, but was pleasantly surprised to have a solid conclusion to a series that started with a bang and ended with a knotted bow. Be warned, I’m going to be talking about the ending, so if you haven’t read the series yet, or are just interested, there will be spoilers!

Continue reading “(Spoiler) Review: Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter” →

Review: A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom

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31279174A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 400
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After quite liking Eric Lindstrom’s debut Not If I See You First, I was really intrigued when his second book came up on NetGalley. The premise sounded so interesting, and I’m always geared up to add another book about mental health to my TBR. But, it turned out that Mel’s bipolar disorder was the only thing that kept me reading the book, and there were a few other things that almost caused me to DNF…for the first time ever. Continue reading “Review: A Tragic Kind of Wonderful by Eric Lindstrom” →

Review: Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth

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18679049Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 245
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★

This was the first YA book I read for the #cramathon and I’m really pleased because it was the perfect book to start with: fast, short and overall enjoyable. Seven Days was a book I also got from the library, which I’m so grateful for, because while I did like reading it, it’s not the kind of book I would have wanted to spend lots of money on. So, if you’re dying to read a certain book but are apprehensive about whether you’ll like it or not, why not check out libraries? Now, on to the review… Continue reading “Review: Seven Days by Eve Ainsworth” →

Review: The Hetty Feather Series by Jacqueline Wilson

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The Hetty Feather Series by Jacqueline Wilson
Genre: Historical
Published by: Doubleday Children’s
Pages: 400 | 400 | 432 | 304 | 512
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Note: As this is a review of the entire series, certain plot points and outcomes are discussed that may spoil the series for first time readers, or people that haven’t completed the series!

H  E  T  T  Y     F  E  A  T  H  E  R

Hetty Feather is such a change of pace from anything Jacqueline Wilson has written before. Set in the 1890s, it is the first in her Victorian series, featuring Hetty, a foundling girl with ambitions to join the circus and becoming a published author, whichever comes first. Hetty Feather is so unique because it reads like usual middle grade fiction, but has the makings of a classic. Hetty’s journey is structured very much like Jane Eyre’s, except it spans across three books! The first book is pastoral, fascinating and exciting. The circus makes such a wonderful setting, in stark contrast to the Foundling Hospital. Reading as Hetty gets torn away from everyone she loves: her mother, foster family and beloved Jem, is heartbreaking. No matter what she goes through, mischief, mayhem or injustice, you always root for her! It’s hard to think that the sequels are going to match up to such a marvellous beginning!  Continue reading “Review: The Hetty Feather Series by Jacqueline Wilson” →

Review: Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly

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32573384Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Pages: 384
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

I was really excited to read this after reading Trouble is a Friend of Mine  last week and really liking it. Nancy Drew with drug circles and razor blades. It was intense and the relationship between Digby and our main girl, Zoe, was what really drew me to the story. The sequel, I’m sad to say, didn’t live up to the hype I was creating for myself (silly, silly me) but the strengths of the first book, like the quick witted dialogue, continued throughout, making it still an enjoyable read, but not the jam packed sequel I was hoping for.  Continue reading “Review: Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly” →

Review: RoseBlood by A. G. Howard

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28818314RoseBlood by A. G. Howard
Genre: Retelling
Published by: Amulet Books
Pages: 432
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

RoseBlood, if you can’t tell from the magnificent cover, is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera. Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t read the book or seen the musical, so the whole retelling element was a bit lost on me, but I did still manage to piece the story together, and gain some understanding of what Phantom is all about. From the off, then, this is a book for both lovers of Phantom, and complete newbies, like me! There was something quite Beauty and the Beast about the story too, so if that’s your cup of tea, you’ll totally love RoseBlood. 
Continue reading “Review: RoseBlood by A. G. Howard” →

Review: A Girl Called Owl by Amy Wilson

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cover98899-medium.pngA Girl Called Owl by Amy Wilson
Genre: Fairy-tale, Retelling
Published by: Pan Macmillan
Pages: Under 300
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Just from the blurb, I knew there was going to be a lot to like about A Girl Called Owl. It’s got a fairy tale retelling element to it, though the source material is some I’ve never seen tackled before, and it’s marketed as middle grade, which I’ve been trying to read a lot more of recently, so it feels great to read something up and coming from this genre!

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Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

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301972011A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Macmillan
Pages: 320
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★★
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After reading and loving Beautiful Broken Things (so much it made my top fifteen books of 2015 before it was even published) I was so excited with Sara Barnard’s next book. Now that I’ve finished it, the exact same thing has happened. This is pure gold (and bronze) and I don’t think anything I write now will do justify to just how beautiful this book is. But, I’m still going to try, so here are some reasons to love A Quiet Kind of Thunder!
Continue reading “Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard” →