November TBR

 

Here's what I'm planning to read this month:

The City We Became (Great Cities, #1) by N. K. Jemisin

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Vote for Effie (Effie Kostas, #1) by Laura Wood

Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston

October Wrap-Up

 

 

WHAT I READ

 

 

Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1) by Elizabeth Lim - eARC - 3/5 stars - read my review here

Fix the System by Laura Bates - audiobook - 4.5/5 stars

 

 

 

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes - paperback - 3/5 stars

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett - hardback - 3/5 stars

 

 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy - audiobook - 4/5 stars

 

 

 

 

 HAULED BOOKS

Physical books:

 

NetGalley ARCs:

My thanks to the publishers!

CURRENTLY READING

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

What did you read in October?

Review - Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1) by Elizabeth Lim

 

 

Title: Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1)

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Pages: 481

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release Date: 6th July 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 A princess in exile. Six enchanted cranes. An unspeakable curse.

A beautiful and immersive YA fantasy retelling of the Grimm brothers' The Six Swans fairytale, set in an East-Asian inspired world, by the author of Spin the Dawn.

Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins. And on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain - no matter what it costs.

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

 

My Review:

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

 

 

Magic is forbidden in Kiata, which means that Princess Shiori'anma has to keep her own magic hidden.

When Shiori runs away from her own betrothal ceremony in order to conceal her magic, she draws the attention of her stepmother, Raikama.

Raikama has magic of her own and uses it to transform Shiori's six brothers into cranes, as well as cursing Shiori so that with every word she speaks one of her brothers will die.

Shiori is determined to break the curse and save her brothers. She finds help along the way from a paper bird, the boy she didn't want to marry, as well as a dragon.

Can Shiori save her brothers?

 

I have to admit that the cover is one of the main reasons I requested this book. It is gorgeous and definitely helped make me want to read it.

Shiori was a protagonist who I liked more as the book went on, as she had to grow and develop as she found herself out of her comfort zone. However, other than Shiori, none of the other characters seemed to get any development.

My favourite characters were probably Takkan, Shiori's betrothed, and his sister, Megari. Kiki the paper bird was quite a cute secondary character, but I found her a bit childish at times, which was probably because of being animated by Shiori's magic and so had a part of her soul.

The plot was interesting and held my attention until around 85% through when I started to lose interest and I did find that it dragged a bit, partly because I wasn't overly invested in what happened.

The setting was interesting, and I liked that there were dragons.

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but this book didn't quite live up to its potential for me, despite the intriguing concept.

 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

 

 

October TBR

 

 

 Here are the books I'm planning to read this month:

 

Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1) by Elizabeth Lim

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

What are you hoping to read in October?

September Wrap-Up

 

*Contains spoilers for the August and September FairyLoot adult books*

WHAT I READ

 

A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood - paperback - 4.5/5 stars

The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1) by Olivie Blake - eARC - 2.5/5 stars - read my review here

 

 

The Wolf Den (Wolf Den Trilogy, #1) by Elodie Harper - eARC - 3.5/5 stars - read my review here

It's Not OK to Feel Blue (and Other Lies) edited by Scarlett Curtis - hardback - 3.5/5 stars

Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray - paperback - 3.5/5 stars

A Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood - paperback - 4/5 stars

 

HAULED BOOKS

Physical books:

Babel was the August adult FairyLoot book and has a gorgeous silver cover and detailed sprayed edges.

I got signed pre-orders of both Carrie Soto is Back and The Bullet That Missed.

Spells for Forgetting was the September adult FairyLoot book and also has an exclusive cover and sprayed edges.

NetGalley ARCs:

My thanks to the publishers!

BLOG POSTS

 

September TBR

Review - The Atlas Six (The Atlas, #1) by Olivie Blake

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My Autumn 2022 To-Read List

Review - The Wolf Den (Wolf Den Trilogy, #1) by Elodie Harper

CURRENTLY READING

Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes, #1) by Elizabeth Lim

What did you read in September?

Review - The Wolf Den (Wolf Den Trilogy, #1) by Elodie Harper

 

 

Title: The Wolf Den (Wolf Den Trilogy, #1)

Author: Elodie Harper

Pages: 408

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Release Date: 13th May 2021

 

Blurb:

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...

Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

But Amara's spirit is far from broken.

By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

 

 

 Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

My Review:

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

 

 

Amara once lived a comfortable life as the daughter of a doctor, but when her father died, she ended up being sold to a brothel in Pompeii.

Now a slave and owned by the cold and violent Felix, Amara's life is very different.

Amara is determined to escape Felix somehow and will have to use every chance she can to either earn her freedom or convince someone to buy her from Felix.

Can Amara escape slavery?

 

Before hearing of this book, I hadn't heard of the Lupanar, the famous brothel of Pompeii. The premise of the book intrigued me, even though I knew it would probably be a tough read, given the setting.

Amara was a likeable protagonist. I can't imagine how hard life must have been for Amara and her friends and I was rooting for them all to escape from the brothel.

Out of the other characters, I liked Dido, Cressa and Philos the most, but found all the characters to be well-written and interesting.

The plot was interesting and held my attention throughout. While I wasn't gripped or particularly shocked by anything that happened, I did enjoy reading as Amara found herself in different situations.

The setting of Pompeii was unique and interesting.

I thought the themes were handled well by the author.

 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.