Can't-Wait Wednesday - The Beautiful Ones

 

 Can't-Wait Wednesday is a feature hosted at Wishful Endings where people showcase an upcoming book they are looking forward to.

 

 

 This week I'm looking forward to . . .

 

 

Title: The Beautiful Ones

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pages: 320

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

Release Date: 27th April 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads: 

 From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a sweeping romance with a dash of magic.

They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.

When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.

But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina — and
himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.

 

 

Why I'm Anticipating This Book:

 After the success of Mexican Gothic, some of the author's previously published books are being re-published, one of which is The Beautiful Ones.

Having loved Gods of Jade and Shadow and enjoyed Mexican Gothic, I'm really looking forward to reading The Beautiful Ones - the mix of romance and telekinesis is very intriguing and I love the cover!

 

 

DNF Review - The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

 

 

Title: The Once and Future Witches

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Pages: 529

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: 13th October 2020

Blurb from Goodreads:

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

 

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley*

- DNF @50% -

It's 1893 and it is not a good time to be a woman - they don't have the right to vote and their magic has been reduced to small, useful spells which are nothing like the powerful witching that was once around.

The Eastwood sisters have grown apart and are living different lives, but James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth and Beatrice Belladonna find themselves drawn back together and seeking the power of the old witching.

However, there are forces at work that intend to stop them.

Will the sisters triumph?

Having enjoyed the author's previous novel, I was excited to read this one, especially as the time period and the magic intrigued me. Unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed.

The sisters were fairly interesting protagonists and they were very different from one another. While Agnes was my favourite, I'm not left with overly strong feelings about any of the characters.

The setting of New Salem didn't feel very fleshed out to me and I would have liked some more information/detail about it.

My main issue with the book was that it was far too long. I don't mind character-focused books when I love the characters and enjoy the plot and setting, but in this case I found the storyline almost achingly slow and the other aspects of the book were not enough to save it. I read over two hundred pages of this book and it could quite easily have been cut in half given how little actually happened.

I liked that nursery rhymes were used as spells and the fairy tales that were included throughout the book.

I might have another go at reading this at some point, but on this occasion I couldn't bring myself to pick up the book to read more and decided to DNF it.

I can definitely see other people enjoying this book, but, unfortunately, this wasn't for me.

Can't-Wait Wednesday - Witches Steeped in Gold

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a feature hosted at Wishful Endings where people showcase an upcoming book they are looking forward to.

 

This week I'm looking forward to . . .

 

Title: Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold, #1)

Author: Ciannon Smart

Pages: 544

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Release Date: 20th April 2020

Blurb from Goodreads:

Trust no witch . . .

Iraya Adair has spent her life in a cell. Heir of an overthrown and magically-gifted dynasty, she was exiled from her home on the island nation of Aiyca when she was just a child. But every day brings her closer to freedom - and vengeance. Jazmyne Cariot grew up dressed in gold, with stolen magic at her fingertips. Daughter of the self-crowned doyenne, her existence is a threat to her mother's rule. But unlike her sister, Jazmyne has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother's power. Sworn enemies, the two witches enter a deadly alliance to take down the woman who threatens both their worlds. But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain - except the lengths Iraya and Jazmyne will go to win this game.

Two witches. One motive. And a very untrustworthy alliance.

 

 

 

Why I'm Anticipating This Book:

Sworn enemies + magic? Sign me up!

Easter Readathon Wrap-Up

 Note: Graphics are pinched from Kate at Reading Through Infinity.

 

Over the Easter weekend I took part in the Easter Readathon hosted by Kate at Reading Through Infinity.

 The readathon ran from 12.01am Friday 2nd April through to 11.59pm Monday 5th April and Kate ran some live reading sprints over on her YouTube channel with some other bloggers.

You can find the Easter Readathon announcement post here and the post with Kate's TBR here.

 

Here are the prompts for the readathon:

 

 

 

The books on my readathon TBR were: 

 

The Switch by Beth O'Leary - for prompts one and two

The Starlight Watchmaker (The Watchmaker and the Duke, #1) by Lauren James - for prompt three

Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin - for prompt four

So, how did I do?

 

Book One - read from Friday to Sunday

Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin 

Rating: 3/5 stars

The plot was interesting and I liked the writing style, but I wasn't gripped by the story.

Book Two - read on Sunday

The Starlight Watchmaker (The Watchmaker and the Duke, #1) by Lauren James

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

I enjoyed parts of this, but did get a little bored. However, I don't think I was the right demographic for this (it is intended for young readers who aren't very confident) and can definitely see other people enjoying it.

Book Three - started on Monday

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

I managed to read up to page 115, so I didn't get to finish all the books on my Easter Readathon TBR, but I managed to read two out of the three books which I'm happy about.

Did you take part in the Easter Readathon?

What books did you read?

April TBR

 

 

 Here are the books I'm planning to read in April . . .

 

 

 Emma by Jane Austen

Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian

Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1) by Elizabeth Lim

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

What are you planning to read in April?

Easter Readathon TBR

 

Note: Graphics are pinched from Kate at Reading Through Infinity

It's that time of year again!

Spring is upon us and Kate at Reading Through Infinity is again hosting an Easter Readathon running from 12.01am Friday 2nd April through to 11.59pm Monday 5th April. She will also be running live reading sprints over on her YouTube channel with some other bloggers.

Read the Easter Readathon announcement post here.

Read the post with the liveshow announcements and Kate's TBR here.

 

Here are the prompts for the readathon:

 

And here is my Easter Readathon TBR:

For prompts one and two I will be reading The Switch by Beth O'Leary.

This totally gives me spring vibes and my sister, who has already read this, reliably informs me that it is about new beginnings too. 

For prompt three, I will be reading The Starlight Watchmaker (The Watchmaker and the Duke, #1) by Lauren James.

This is just over 100 pages (119 I believe) so definitely fullfills this prompt.

For prompt four, I am planning to read Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin.

Looking through my books I was really surprised how few ones with pastel covers I own. The background colour for this one looks way more pastel in the flesh and I'm looking forward to finally reading this.

Are you taking part in the Easter Readathon?

What books are you planning to read?

Review - Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

 

 

Title: Mina and the Undead

Author: Amy McCaw

Pages: 300

Publisher: UCLAN Publishing

Release Date:

 

Blurb from Goodreads: 

 New Orleans Fang Fest, 1995.
Mina’s having a summer to die for.

17-year-old Mina, from England, arrives in New Orleans to visit her estranged sister, Libby. After growing up in Whitby, the town that inspired Dracula, Mina loves nothing more than a creepy horror movie. She can't wait to explore the city's darkest secrets - vampire tours, seedy bars, spooky cemeteries, disturbing local myths...

And it gets even better when Mina lands a part-time job at a horror movie mansion and meets Jared, Libby's gorgeous housemate, co-worker and fellow horror enthusiast.

But the perfect summer bliss is broken when, while exploring the mansion, Mina stumbles upon the body of a girl with puncture marks on her neck, clutching a lock of hair that suspiciously resembles Libby's... Someone is replicating New Orleans' most brutal supernatural killings. Mina must discover the truth and prove her sister's innocence before she becomes the victim of another myth.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Forbidden Planet | Bookshop | Waterstones

 

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to UCLAN Publishing and NetGalley*

British teenager Mina is visiting her sister, Libby, in New Orleans for the summer, just in time for the 1995 Fang Fest.

A big horror fan, Mina can't wait to soak up the atmosphere and explore the darker side of New Orleans. She can't believe her luck when she gets a job at the horror movie mansion tour with Libby and her handsome housemate, Jared.

But things take a dark turn when Mina finds the body of a young woman in the mansion. Suspicion is thrown on Libby and things become even worse when more bodies turn up, the killings identical to famous New Orleans past murders.

Who is behind the killings?

Is Mina next?

Mina and the Undead was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I was very much looking forward to reading it. However, I ended up with very mixed feelings about it.

Mina was a likeable and relatable protagonist. She'd had a tough time and had a strained relationship with her sister, which was interesting to read about. However, after reading the book I don't feel that I actually know that much about Mina. Especially about her life back in England - I don't remember reading anything about her friends or whether she even liked school.

None of the characters apart from Della particularly stood out for me - she's the only character that I would like to find out more about.

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, but I could feel the spark between the two characters. Personally, I prefer a slow burn and the romance felt a bit rushed to me.

The setting of mid-90s New Orleans was interesting, but I would have liked a bit more description to really flesh it out.

The plot was enjoyable to begin with, but after a while I found myself losing interest and I struggled to stay interested. There were some things that happened that I didn't see coming, but there were also some that I did. I wasn't overly invested in what was going on, so anything that was meant to shock me didn't.

My main issue with this book was the writing style - there were many times when I found a character's dialogue or actions odd. There were also several occasions when I felt a scene could have done with more description to help the reader visualise it, and some parts felt a little rushed. 

I think this was one of those occasions where the novel wasn't for me and I just couldn't get on with the writing style. Unfortunately, I ended up not enjoying this as much as I thought I would, but I can definitely see other people liking it more.

Overall, this was a mixed read for me.