Book Appreciation

“I will make him sorry.”

Charlie fingered the fairy toy’s delicate wings. “I’d wish I could fly just like them. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to soar on the air above everything?”

Peter smiled, and it was the smile of a crocodile.

“Yes,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be.”

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Lost Boy is a twisted tale of Peter Pan. The narrative follows Jamie, second lost boy on the island and Peter’s favourite. We follow Jamie and get to know some of the lost boys we are so familiar with and some who are new additions, but not for very long. Peter leaves a bloody trail of destruction in his wake in this dark retelling of the boy who never grew up. 

It reminded me very much of All Darling Children by Katrina Monroe with this idea that Peter was corrupted with something much darker than pixie dust and eternal youth. And the more you delve into this idea of this forever-young boy who takes othe boys to live on his island of blood-thirsty pirates, the more suspect he becomes (for me, there’s always been something off about this story!).

This retelling wasn’t as dark as others in this series that I’ve read so far (Alice and Red Queen were really disturbing!) but it was still very chilling. This series verges on horror for me. 

What surprised me the most, was the ending. I did not see it coming and I really should have as the clues were all there littered throughout the story. You know the writing is clever, when it has you rooting for the villain (although was Captain Hook ever really the villain?) and I really wanted him to exact his vengeance on Peter.

Overall, I really enjoyed this stand alone and I will definitely be reading more from this series!

Rating: 🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️🧚‍♂️

 

“I want to understand now.”

To the burned out one

breathe in

exhale

rewind

take the time

to fail

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I was sent a reviewer copy of Waiting Spaces by Acacia Mitchell prior to today’s book launch in exchange for an honest review. Waiting Spaces is a collection of poems written as letters and speeches that centre around reflection and acceptance of how we feel.

When I agreed to read and review this book, I didn’t realise it had religious links and the perspective that the author intended for it to be read until I read the author’s preface. Honestly, religious poetry and fiction isn’t really my thing however, poetry is very subjective and open to interpretation. I chose to interpret this as the narrator being a close friend or my inner voice as opposed to God but I can see how others would find it more comforting. 

There were lots of themes of mental health and suffering, particularly parts 2 and 3. Having suffered with anxiety throughout my life and the complicated feelings and consequences it can bring, some of these pieces made me very seen and I really connected with them on a personal level (I have actually written one of them out and put it in my purse). 

To the one who is unsure of where to call home made me want to add my own stanza about what feelings/sounds/smells/experiences I would think of when asked about home. 

Overall I did enjoy this collection of poetry and I was pleasantly surprised how reflective it made me about my feelings and how to perceive them. 

Rating: 💭💭💭💭

 

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“The bond of our hearts spans miles, memory and time.”

“Why won't you die?”

"Because I have a story I was meant to live. And not even you can unwrite it.”

Historical. Gut-wrenching. Heartwarming.

I found this book on bookstagram (much to the dismay of my bank account) and thought it sounded interesting. I really enjoy learning about history but historical fiction isn’t usually my kind of thing. However, this was perfect. It follows The Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov (Nastya) and her family after her father, the Tsar of Russia, abdicated during the Russian Revolution; when the family were held and transferred to Yekaterinburg by the Bolshevik soldiers. It shows the day-to-day life of the Romanov family during their imprisonment, the growing relationships the family nurtured with the soldiers and the declining health of the youngest son Alexei (his chronic suffering caused by haemophilia is an important theme throughout the story). 

I loved the fact that bits of real history were interwoven with fiction and just a hint of magic. At the end of the book, Brandes explains the fact and the fiction she used to create her story. For me, it’s been an inspiring introduction into one of the world’s most renowned families and I will definitely be looking to research the Russian Revolution further now. I also loved the Russian language and titbits that were threaded throughout the story. 

Nastya was everything you could possibly want in a female hero: strong, clever and witty but also vulnerable. She didn’t get over the death of her family quickly and the realism of her internal monologues and thoughts were exactly what you would expect of someone in that situation. My only issue was some of the writing of her thoughts got a little repetitive towards the end but I think that was to reflect how highly emotional she was - it wasn’t too distracting.

I loved Zash. Just perfect character arc and you wanted them to get together (obviously).

Alexei was an interesting character throughout. Nothing irritating about him and he held his own throughout the book but the way he spoke and conducted himself came across that he was older than 13. I know the times were different and the expectations and experiences were polar opposites to teenagers today but it often felt as though a man was speaking and not a teenager which made his character difficult for me to envisage in the story.

The actual assassination was quite shocking even though I went into this book knowing that was how it ended for the family. I think the description of that scene could have been a little more shocking and drawn out for effect but I suppose it’s YA. 

Overall this is one of the best books I have read this year. It made me gasp, laugh and cry; what more could you want from a book?

Rating: ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨

Thanks for reading,

Rochelle xxx

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“We so often take our mind for granted...”

It wasn’t just Falon who had changed. Sarilla had too. And she was covered in the evidence of her crimes to prove it. Nobody could ever love a monster.

Thought-provoking. Intense. Repetitive. 

I was sent this book as a reviewer copy by the author (still buzzing about that!) in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this story and I loved the “Game of Thrones” feel that was created in this world. The story follows a young girl called Sarilla (Witcher vibes anyone?) who has the fantastical ability to give and take memories from others. However this gift comes with a price. Each memory she takes leaves a physical black mark on her hands and arms (it is later explained that these memories are almost alive and can be seen moving under her skin). It had me questioning, as a reader, how much our memories are worth and how we often take them for granted.

I found the first half of the book a little difficult to keep up with. Lots of details are dropped during the action through Sarilla’s memories which made it a little confusing at times to keep up with the backstory and the present. I think the idea was to link to how the MC feels but as a reader, it felt a bit too choppy. 

The whole setting feels very “Kings Landing” meets King Arthur and I absolutely loved it. The manipulative king, seedy taverns and bolshy guards all fit in well with the genre and were consistently described throughout the story. The characters all blended in well too, nobody felt too modern or out of place with the way they were described or the way they spoke which added to the authenticity of this world Shaw has created.

I liked all of the characters and thought Sarilla was particularly easy to relate to. Her inward struggle with being different and being accepted by society gave her a vulnerability that made her likeable and real. The book switches POV half way through and is then told through the eyes of Falon. Again, I liked his character and the twist with him was well done and well timed but for me, the writing got a little repetitive. Every third or fourth sentence in his chapter was about how she stole his memories and how evil he thought she was to the point I started skipping those monologues to get back to the story. I think it was trying to emphasise the point but it was overdone.

Overall I enjoyed this book and the fantasy genre was absolutely my cup of tea. I think the idea behind this story is very clever and I am looking forward to seeing how this duology ends.

Rating: 💭💭💭

Thanks for reading!

Rochelle 🌸 xxx

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“Cinder...how fitting. Ashes. Dirt. Filth.”

The prince had the stairway smeared with pitch, And when Cinderella tried to run away, her left slipper got stuck.

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Futuristic. Unearthly. Realistic.
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This is a reread so I knew I was going to enjoy it but I can’t believe how much of this world and story I had forgotten. It follows a young cyborg mechanic who is loathed by her stepmother after she is left to look after her when she’s widowed (are you getting the fairytale hints yet?). To start with, Cinder leads a pretty unremarkable life until the young, handsome Prince Kai shows up at her repair shop with a broken android and a fuzzy excuse as to why he’s brought it to her. And thus begins the extraordinary turn of events that is Cinder(ella).

I thought the characters were well developed in this story. The MC wasn’t the usual fairytale damsel in distress but she wasn’t a complete bad ass either. Yes she was strong, but she was normal. Relatable. However, I think the physical description was lacking in places which made it hard for me to imagine her face (without a clear description my imagination makes the character look like myself which can be unsettling...) or her cybernetic parts at certain points in the story.
I think the villain in this story was very well-executed and thoroughly unlikeable; I am interested to see how Fairest delves a little deeper into that one.

The world that has been created is futuristic but at the same time traditional. It’s a completely different setting to the traditional fairytale but it works and the story was blended well. As someone who has never visited any part of Beijing or any Chinese province, it would have been nice to have had a little more from the world of New Beijing. There were hints here and there (Kai’s kimono, eating with chopsticks) but I feel like I could have been more immersed in the world of the commonwealth than we were given. Meyer had an opportunity to really appreciate that setting and culture and I think it was lost a little a bit.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Cinderella but I appreciate with the advanced technology and change in time period, this will not be to everyone’s taste as it has a very sci-fi feel. However, I really enjoyed it and I’m excited to see what the rest of the series has in store.

Rating: 👠 👠 👠 👠 👠

 


Thanks for reading!
Rochelle 🦄 xxx

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About Me

Hey there lovely beans,

I see you have stumbled across my book blog. I’m a primary school teacher living in the UK. I have 2 dogs who often feature in my posts because they are my babies and life would be incomplete without them. I love most genres of fiction (except horror! Hard pass from me I’m afraid) and this is really just a place for me to ramble on about books because Instagram has a word count.
Drop me a like or a comment if you like my content. I love hearing from you guys 🖤
Rochelle 🦄 xxx

“Life is not much like the stories...”

(Beware the claws that catch...) Alice - Christina Henry

“She couldn’t stop laughing, the happiness she had never hoped for overflowing in her heart. ‘Following the white rabbit, of course.’...”

Aggressive. Gripping. Haunting. This twisted tale is another adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but this story isn’t like the others. This is a dark, disturbing view of a childhood story that will keep you awake for many nights after you have finished reading. Alice is a 26. She’s been in a mental asylum for 10 years spouting stories of a malicious rabbit man who she claims abused her, and her only friend is Hatcher, an axe murderer who resides in the cell next to hers. Creepy, right? Alice and her new friend must do whatever it takes to escape and slay the great Jabberwocky who threatens to destroy the world.

Alice is not the weak, doe-eyed blond who stumbles into Wonderland, she is a headstrong magician willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Her character is in no way relatable to me because I cannot even imagine the things she has experienced, but I think she is what I would hope to be in her situation. Hatcher and Alice work as a team, she is not a damsel - when the time comes, she is able to look after herself and and even save her ‘hero’.

I love adaptations of this story, quite possibly because I didn’t really enjoy the original (after being forced to study it at school in great detail and at great length, I look back on that book with some loathing...). This story is particularly disturbing and it was not what I was expecting at all. The scenes of violence, particularly the treatment towards women, does leave a bad taste in your mouth and make for uncomfortable reading but I think that’s the point. As I write this, I realise that this book reflects some of the horrors that women face around the world face everyday but that the majority of a modern society fails to recognise or turns a blind eye to. It discusses themes that a modern audience doesn’t want to acknowledge because they want to think of it as fantasy.

7/10 for anyone who loves adaptations, but be warned: it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Thanks for reading!
Rochelle 🌺 xxx

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"PO-PO HERE!"

Quincy Harker: Year One - John Hartness

“I’m a pretty good-looking guy. You’re a very attractive woman. We face intense situations full of adrenaline and endorphins and emotion. That’s the kind of shit that gets all fraught and stuff. So, you know, if you ever just want to tear your clothes off and throw yourself at me, I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

Bloodthirsty. Fangtastic. And full of profanities. This collection of short stories (roughly 100 pages per story) follows the gruesome supernatural adventures of Quincy Harker: nephew of Count Dracula, magician and demon hunter. In the first story, we see Harker team up with an unlikely band of misfits, including a police officer and homeland security, to protect the world from evil that threatens to annihilate the world as we know it. The stories are just long enough to be exciting but just short enough to keep you hooked and want to read the next. Although the stories do lead on from each other, they could be read as stand alone novellas and still be considered enjoyable.

Part vampire/magician John Abraham Quincy Holmwood Harker is the 'hero' who banishes demons and other nasties back to whence they came. The demons call him 'The Reaper'. Not a particularly complex character but serves just the right amount of profanity and recklessness with a dash of honour and morality to make him likable. I found it a little odd that Hartness decided not  to reveal a description of his appearance until half way through the book. As per I had built up an image of Harker from just a description of his trench coat and Doc Martins and that made it really hard to alter my perception of the character when he finally decided to let the reader in.

His sidekick, Detective Flynn, is not terribly irritating which is always a bonus - I have found male authors often find it difficult to balance enough realism and bad-assery without making female characters irritating and, quite often, offensive. She pairs with Harker nicely and is able to hold her own against the variety of supernatural creatures that throw themselves into the team's path throughout the series. The sexual attraction between the two is slowly simmering but doesn't distract from the plot and actually has you rooting for their union.

Overall I really liked these first three short stories and I will definitely be looking into the second book. These stories aren't a taxing read and good for those looking to satisfy their supernatural cravings. 8/10

Thanks for reading!
Rochelle 🌺 xxx

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“Dammit, dipshit; why the Beast!”

Beauty and the Beast - May Sage

Aiden was seven feet tall. His skin was eerie white - so white it often seemed somewhere between blue and silver - and his eyes were completely empty, crystal cerulean cold as stone. There wasn’t a hair on him, not even on his eyelids, and he was smooth, luminous. Clearly not human. 

This wasn’t a taxing read, I read it in one go. It’s another ‘twisted fairytale’ version of Beauty and the Beast that ‘brings it up to date’. Sibelle ‘Belle’s’ hacker brother steals from the most notorious casino owner in the land of Jereena who decides his punishment is to either pay him back triple what he owes him, or have his sister as a repayment for the debt. I could cope with all that, just, and the fact that the beast is a hairless seven foot tall silver eyed bloke who owns a high end brothel. This book lost me when he turned out to be a prince who changed his ways for the good of the people. It’s like she really couldn’t decide if this was smut or fairytale. Pick one, because you can’t have both - it doesn’t work!

I quite like Sibelle. She was a member of the revolutionist group (can’t remember what they were called because they were shoe horned in in the last quarter of the book) and an accomplished self-defence teacher. She practised a variety of martial arts and didn’t need to be looked after...admirable. 

Overall, I think the characters were agreeable enough but the story was to choppy for me. There’s lots of sexual tension and then it all goes to pot in the last quarter of the book. The ending didn’t make for a very ‘twisted fairytale’ at all - themes of sex, violence and magic sounds just like the original *insert eye roll here*

5/10 wouldn’t read again or anything else in the series I should imagine.

Thanks for reading 

Rochelle 🌺 xxx

 

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"She was pure sin..."

The Devil in Disguise (Bad Things book 1) - Cynthia Eden 

Time passed. The boys grew up. They lost their humanity and became something far, far more.

One was good...wings spread from

His back. Angels bowed to him.

And his brother...

He had a really fucking good time as he did his very,  very bad things.

Not the intense smut I was expecting but I still devoured it in one go. He's the devil. Lord of the dark, no soul to speak of, and commands the dark beasts of our world. She's abtemptress with the unique ability to make any man do whatever she wants, just by asking them nicely. There were plenty of  vampires, werewolves, shape shifters and dragons to satisfy the paranormal geek in me, and just enough smut to keep it interesting.

Although the book is written in 3rd person, the book changes perspective between Luke (the devil) and Mina (the siren) throughout which bugged me a little. I find these types of books much more interesting from a man's perspective, partly because it's nice to get out of a woman's head for a change! His passages are sultry, sexy and he pretty much growls everything. Hers started with "she could not let the walking sex god beside her realise just how terrified she was." No one thinks or talks like, I don't care how good looking he is. These books always seem to overdo the cheese.

I liked the paranormal element, I thought it was well done. Nothing original but the story wasn't overpowered by pointless sex and really was about the power struggle between humans and the supernatural. I liked the secondary characters Rayce and Julian. I liked how Eden got the right amount of humour in, dark and blunt, to make me chuckle throughout.

Easy, super quick read if you're looking for something to get out of a reading slump or just looking to pass away a couple of hours in the afternoon. 6/10

Thanks for reading!

Rochelle 🌺 Xxx

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