August Wrap-Up

 

 

 

 WHAT I READ

All Our Hidden Gifts (All Our Hidden Gifts, #1) by Caroline O'Donoghue - eARC - 3/5 stars - read my review here.

The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1) by Namina Forna - paperback - 2.5/5 stars.

 

 

This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura - audiobook - 3.5/5 stars.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee - eARC - 2.5/5 stars - read my review here.

 

Bitter Sun by Beth Lewis - hardback - 3.5/5 stars

The Prison Healer (The Prison Healer, #1) by Lynette Noni - eARC - 3/5 stars - read my review here.

HAULED BOOKS

I didn't intend to haul so many books this month, whoops.

 

Physical books:

I bought Agnes at the End of the World and Build Your House Around My Body on a trip to Birmingham.

Velvet Was the Night was a signed pre-order.

I found a hardback of Hamnet for a bargain price on Depop and couldn't resist it.

NetGalley ARCs:

 

My thanks to all the publishers!

BLOG POSTS

 

 August TBR

Top Ten Tuesday - Covers That Made Me Want To Read The Book

Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway - Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers

Blog Tour + Guest Post + Giveaway - Roots of Ruin (Garden of Thorns, #3) by Amber Mitchell

 

 

 CURRENTLY READING

 

Beach Read by Emily Henry

What did you read in August?

 

Review - The Prison Healer (The Prison Healer, #1) by Lynette Noni

 

 

Title: The Prison Healer (The Prison Healer, #1)

Author: Lynette Noni

Pages: 421

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release Date: 13th April 2021

Blurb from Goodreads:

Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself.

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan is a survivor. For ten years, she has worked as the healer in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, making herself indispensable. Kept afloat by messages of hope from her family, Kiva has one goal and one goal only: stay alive.

Then one day the infamous Rebel Queen arrives at the prison on death's door and Kiva receives a new message: Don't let her die. We are coming.

The queen is sentenced to the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Aware the sickly queen has little chance of making it through the Trials alive, Kiva volunteers to take her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

And with an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva's heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can't escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop | Waterstones

My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton*

For ten years, Kiva Meridan has been a healer at Zalindov prison, a place no one has ever escaped alive. The only scraps of hope Kiva has are the messages she rarely receives from her family on the outside.

When the Rebel Queen - who wants to claim the throne for herself - arrives at the prison, Kiva is told to keep her alive.

The ill Rebel Queen is condemed to undergo the Trial by Ordeal, a set of challenges each related to an element - air, fire, water and earth. Knowing how ill her patient is, Kiva decides to take her place, and if she survives they will both be allowed to leave the prison.

While trying to make it through each trial, Kiva also finds herself attempting to discover the source of the new plague sweeping through Zalindov.

Can Kiva survive the trials?

Having heard lots of positive things about this book I was excited to read it. However, I ended up being a bit disappointed.

Kiva was a good protagonist overall, who I found to be likeable and relatable, but at times she also felt a bit bland.

My favourite characters were Tipp, Kiva's friend, and Naari, one of the prison guards.

The setting of the prison was interesting, but it meant that the world-building was limited.

The plot was mixed for me - I enjoyed the beginning but I did get a little bit bored towards the end of the book. While there were some things that I saw coming, there were also some that I didn't, but these didn't have the intended shock value as I wasn't invested in what was happening.

The writing style was easy to follow.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but I think I was expecting it to be something that it wasn't.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

Blog Tour + Guest Post + Giveaway - Roots of Ruin (Garden of Thorns #3) by Amber Mitchell

Find the tour schedule here.

Roots of Ruin (Garden of Thorns #3) by Amber Mitchell

Publication Date: August 16, 2021

Publisher: Entangled Teen

They did the impossible, but their problems are far from over…

After freeing the Delmarion empire, Rose and Rayce must go to Varsha, the desert home Rose fled when she was a child—the country she’s meant to rule.

Rayce is the new emperor of Delmar, Varsha’s longtime enemy, but that won’t stop him from assisting the girl he loves. Armed with the brute force of Rayce’s military, Rose sets out to free her people from the oppressive rule of the usurper king who killed her father.

But even if they win, how can she be queen to her homeland and in love with the man ruling its bitter enemy? With her loyalties split between heart and crown, Rose must find a way to do the impossible again…unite two kingdoms at war, or sacrifice half of herself to save the other.

Find the book on Goodreads | Find the series on Goodreads

 

Purchase links:

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Other Books in the Series

 

After seven grueling years of captivity in the Garden—a burlesque troupe of slave girls—sixteen-year-old Rose finds an opportunity to escape during a performance for the emperor. But the hostage she randomly chose from the crowd to aid her isn’t one of the emperor’s men—not anymore. He’s the former heir to the throne, who is now leading a rebellion against it.

Rayce is a wanted man and dangerously charismatic, the worst person for Rose to get involved with, no matter what his smile promises. But he assumes Rose’s attempt to take him hostage is part of a plot to crush the rebellion, so he takes her as his hostage. Now Rose must prove where her loyalties lie, and she offers Rayce a deal—if he helps her rescue the other girls, she’ll tell him all the Garden’s secrets.

Except the one secret she’s kept for seven years that she’ll take to her grave if she must.

Goodreads

 

 

Like flowers denied water, people are wilting under the emperor's tyranny.

Rose will not rest until the Gardener is dead. But there are bigger battles to fight, and Rayce—leader of the rebellion and the only man Rose has ever loved—believes their best chance at winning the war is to join forces with her sworn enemy.

Saving innocent people is more important than her quest for revenge. But their new ally can’t be trusted—and he knows her darkest secret. One betrayal could leave the war and Rayce’s life hanging in the balance, and Rose will need to make the ultimate sacrifice to save them all.

Goodreads

 

 

The World of The Garden of Thorns series

To be honest, if I was given the choice, I would rather not live in the world I created for my main character Rose. While some of the food sounds absolutely delicious and I would love to try Rayce’s honey crisps, it is altogether a harsh place. Famine is wide spread in Delmar, which is where the first two books take place. Though it would be interesting to roam the flowing plains that surround the castle and see the gigantic blue wall that surrounds the main city, it is a wild place.

Varsha, Rose’s homeland, is plagued with its own set of problems. I would love to see the city she is from, piled like layers of a cake on top of each other in the middle of the harsh desert. Water flows from rivulets all through the city, down onto the next layer in tiny blue ribbons, and at night the natural crystal that grows there glows blue through all of the buildings. But the city is plagued with its own set of problems.

Though there are whispers of magic throughout the lands, those in the know understand that it’s actually science disguised as magic. Using the natural minerals that glow green in Delmar, Rose, Rayce and their crew have developed weapons that can stun their enemies in a flash of green light. There are an array of other nifty gadgets as well.

While there are glimmers of hope among the harsh realities of these two kingdoms, I think I’d be much happier writing about them than trying to survive within them!

About the Author

Amber Mitchell was born and raised in a small town in Florida. After briefly escaping small town life by attending the University of South Florida where she earned her degree in Creative Writing, she decided to ditch traffic jams and move back to her hometown. There she writes Young Adult novels, usually with a bit of magic in them, rolls D20s with her friends on Thursday nights and enjoys hanging out with her husband and four cats. Her other job involves crafting cardstock in to 3D art and has allowed her to travel all over the US vending at comic conventions which has only increased her love for fantasy and fandoms. She is represented by Nikki Terpilowski of Holloway Literature.

 

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Review - Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

 

 

Title: Phoenix Extravagant

Author: Yoon Ha Lee

Pages: 352

Publisher: Solaris

Release Date: 19th August 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

Dragons. Art. Revolution.

Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter or a subversive. They just want to paint.

One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers.

But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics.

What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

 

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones | Bookshop

My Review:

 *I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Rebellion and NetGalley*

Gyen Jebi is an artist whose homeland has been invaded by a neighbouring country.

Desperate for a job, Gyen is recruited to paint masks for the automaton soldiers of the Ministry of Armor, run by the Razanei invaders.

Jebi makes a horrifying discovery and hatches a plan to free the dragon automaton created by the Razanei.

Will Jebi succeed?

I was excited to read this book as I'd seen a lot of love for the author and I thought it sounded like an interesting read. However, I ended up being disappointed.

Jebi was an okay protagonist. There were times when I sympathised with them, but I'm left feeling like I don't know that much about them.

None of the characters really stood out for me, but my favourite was probably Arazi, because who doesn't love a giant mechanical dragon?

Apart from Arazi my favourite things about the novel are the diversity and the concepts in the book which I found very intriguing.

Reading this book was a struggle from the beginning as I couldn't seem to click with the writing style, but I kept reading because I wanted to see what would happen. Around halfway through I found myself losing interest despite the fact that I should have found the plot exciting, but I wasn't invested in the characters and have to admit that did skim a few pages.

Unfortunately, this was a book where, despite there being promising concepts, the execution didn't work for me.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was an okay read.

 

 

Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway - Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers

Find the tour schedule here.

 

 

Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 10th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

A young witch tries to unravel the mystery of who is framing her for dark magic in Georgia Bowers’ creepy YA debut fantasy, Mark of the Wicked.

Magic always leaves its mark.

All her life, Matilda has been told one thing about her magic: You use only when necessary. But Matilda isn’t interested in being a good witch. She wants revenge and popularity, and to live her life free of consequences, free of the scars that dark magic leaves on her face as a reminder of her misdeeds.

When a spell goes awry and the new boy at school catches her in the act, Matilda thinks her secret might be out. But far from being afraid, Oliver already knows about her magic – and he wants to learn more. As Oliver and Matilda grow closer, bizarre things begin to happen: Animals show up with their throats slashed and odd markings carved into their bodies, a young girl dies mysteriously, and everyone blames Matilda. But she isn’t responsible — at least, not that she can remember. As her magic begins to spin out of control, Matilda must decide for herself what makes a good witch, and discover the truth…before anyone else turns up dead.

 

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When did you start writing?

About eight years ago. There were some changes at my workplace, and I felt like I needed a new focus to distract me. I’d been reading loads of YA so decided to try a writing YA course and absolutely fell in love with it.

What makes you want to write?

I love creating worlds that readers can get lost in and hopefully feel special to them. Like if they’ve had a bad day, opening the book is like a welcome into another place for a while. Also, I love creating characters. You spend so long with them, then all of a sudden, they’ll do something you hadn’t planned!

Do you ever get writer's block and how do you get over it?

I have suffered from writer’s block but then realised when that’s happening the best thing for me is to have a little break. Sitting in front of a blank screen isn’t going to help, so I go off and do something else until little ideas start sparking off in my head. I’m somewhere between a plotter and pantser in that I need to know what scene I’m going to be writing before I sit down and start typing.

Do you have a special way of going about writing?

I’ll have an idea, usually a specific scene, and then I connect everything up from there. As I research, other ideas tend to materialise, and I slot everything together until I have a very rough plot. Then I’ll go through and use the Save the Cat beats to make sure the story works and spot anything that slows it down. That first draft will be utter rubbish, so I comb through it a few times before it’s good enough for my beta readers to look at.

Do you have any works in progress?

I do! It’s called Legend Buried, another YA book about a jock and a nerd joining forces when they accidentally awaken a legend who was buried under a tree. It’s kind of Stranger Things meets Hocus Pocus and has been a lot of fun to write so far.

What are your hobbies?

I love to run and find it’s where I’ll come up with ideas or unpick a plot problem. I’m a massive fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and love going to conventions, so I’m looking forward to those starting up again after Covid.

Who is your favourite character in Mark of the Wicked?

It’s a toss-up between Nanna May who can say so much with just a look, and Erin who is fiercely loyal. I love them both.

What was your favourite part of writing Mark of the Wicked?

It’s set at Halloween, so I loved immersing myself in that time of year as autumn is my absolute favourite. It was also fun coming up with the legend of Ivy who Matilda’s town celebrates with the Witching Well Festival on the anniversary of her death. I spent ages trawling through Pinterest getting ideas for what the festival would look like, and what Matilda and Oliver would eat there!

Quick-fire questions:

Chocolate or ice cream? Ice cream

Paperback or ebook? Paperback, ebooks don’t have that booky smell!

Dogs or cats? Cats.

Go out or stay in? Stay in.

Summer or winter? Winter and cosying up with a book.

Author Bio

 

Georgia Bowers lives in Bedford, a small market town in England. When it was time to decide what to do with her life, she was obsessed with two things: books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It seemed sensible to follow in the brogued footsteps of Rupert Giles, so she became a librarian, though sadly not the demon fighting kind. But there’s still time.

Ever since her mum told her that witches used to meet in the woods near their village, she’s been obsessed with witchcraft and the paranormal. When she was a teenager, a weekly habit of Point Horrors satisfied her thirst for chilling tales before she moved on to reading Stephen King. These days she likes to give her nerves a break every now and then with a good YA romance.

After completing a course in writing YA fiction she was a winner in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Undiscovered Voices. Since then she has dabbled with stories of chosen ones and ghostly best friends until she conjured up the magical ingredients for her debut novel, Mark Of The Wicked.

 

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Review - All Our Hidden Gifts (All Our Hidden Gifts, #1)

 

 

 

Title: All Our Hidden Gifts (All Our Hidden Gifts, #1)

Author: Caroline O'Donoghue

Pages: 400

Publisher: Walker Books

Release Date: 27th May 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

A dark and supernatural contemporary teen debut by multi-talented author and journalist Caroline O'Donoghue.

Maeve Chambers doesn't have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, she managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she's found her gift at last. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn't be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears.

Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily's brother Roe find her? And will Maeve's new gift be enough to bring Lily back, before she's gone for good?

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones | Bookshop

 

 

 

My Review:

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

Teenager Maeve Chambers doesn't have a best friend since she pushed Lily, her former best friend, away, and she also feels like the dunce of the family with how she struggles at school compared to her high-achieving older siblings.

Then Maeve finds an old, forgotten pack of tarot cards at school and discovers that she is able to give readings that are extremely accurate.

Glad to have found something that she is good at, Maeve thinks things might finally be going her way. Until Maeve comes across a card in the deck that has no place there and gives Lily a reading that results in her ex-best friend disappearing days later.

Where has Lily gone?

Can Maeve bring her back with the help of Lily's brother Roe?

Going into this novel I wasn't sure what to expect, but there ended up being a lot more to it than I thought there would be.

While Maeve wasn't one of my favourite protagonists, I still found her to be relatable and I could understand her motivations.

Roe and Fiona were probably my favourite characters and I enjoyed finding out more about them.

The setting of Ireland was interesting and I enjoyed the themes of discovering who you are and being true to yourself, which I thought the author handled well.

One of my favourite things about the book, possibly my favourite thing, was the diversity of the characters. I also liked the mystical/witchy vibes the book gave me.

The plot took a little while to get going, but once it did it was enjoyable and held my attention. There were some things that happened that didn't quite have the intended impact as I didn't feel as invested in the book as I could have, and nothing that happened blew me away or had me on the edge of my seat needing to know what would happen next.

The writing style was easy to follow but took me a few chapters to acclimatise to. In fact, after the first chapter I wasn't sure if I would even end up finishing the book. But luckily after a few chapters I settled into the story.

I am a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and unique read.

Top Ten Tuesday - Covers That Made Me Want to Read/Buy the Book

 

 Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week the topic is 

Covers That Made Me Want to Read/Buy the Book

 

 

 

Here are my picks . . .

 

What covers made you want to read or buy the book?