Reviews Archives - A Bookie's Books

What I Read This Week: Spring Break Edition

This week was such a good reading week for me because it was spring break! I did not have anything to do for school and did not have my night classes, so I was free to read whenever I wasn’t working. I read 5 physical books, 2 digital, and 4 audiobooks.

That is 11 books! I wish I had the time to read 11 books a week more often.

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

I loved this! This is a graphic novel and it has amazing pictures and is so fun. I need more horse stories. I want a huge stack of graphic novels that include horses. My horse era is beginning again. I used to own horses, but now that I moved away from home it is nice to be able to miss my horses again. But back to this story! It was so cute and touching. Little spoiler, but I love a good story that doesn’t necessarily end with everyone being best buds again. It’s good to show growth and change away from people.

3 Allison Montclair Books

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

I love Allison Montclair’s stories. I was really impressed by The Haunting of the Desks. It is a short story. Most extra short stories I feel like do not add anything or just don’t have a good plot structure, but this one felt like all the other books and even though it was quick it was a full story. The Lady From Burma is one I listened to on audio, and they switched narrators for this book. I HATE that, and it made this book harder to get into since I couldn’t recognize the character’s voices anymore. But I am excited to see where we go in the next book.

Swimming Lessons by Lili Reinhart

I love poetry. I love celebrity drama. These two books combined were perfect! I have not read a poetry book in a few months and this was so refreshing. This is by an actress named Lili Reinhart. She plays in Riverdale. Her relationship (which may or may not be with Cole Sprouse) is examined in this book and it’s nice to kind of see behind the scenes how someone makes someone else feel. It always looks so perfect from the camera, but seeing behind a celebrity’s eyes is always fun.

Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

I love this series! I will say, that this book is dragging out the lets-find-out-the-secrets-of-my-dad plot point a bit longer than needed. We should have solved that mystery in this book. I hope that there is a plan here, and hope we learn the secrets in the next book or it will just get too repetitive. Though I do love the will-they-wont-they tension in this romance and how it broke epically in this book.

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books (and SMP) the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

AGH HORROR! Tell me why I had this huge discussion with my roommate about how I didn’t think I liked horror because all the horror books I have read (3 books) didn’t seem like horror books. Then I asked what makes a book horror, which she said she didn’t know. Then I proceeded to say, “Well these books I have read have me horrified and disturbed by the graphic images and all the freaky stuff I saw.” She then looked at me and rolled her eyes saying, I think you just described horror. So now I get it.

I will say though if that is the definition of horror this book is mild in that term. There is some great suspense involving the secrets the narrator is holding in, but once those are revealed it gets a little slower for me. BUT I still think the ending was heart-racing and I was entirely sucked into this novel. It is on the milder side of freaky, which is a great thing because who goes looking for that kind of pain?

Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph

Honestly, I have nothing to say about this book. I was neither impressed nor not impressed. The ending came out of nowhere, and not in a good way. It was solidly alright.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

I read this book a few years back and I am adding the link to that original review here. I do not want to re-review this book, but I will say I LOVE this book.

However, my reading experience was thwarted by people on the internet. I originally read this book a long time ago in its self-published form. When I bought the official book and its sequel, I was just going to start with the sequel. But, someone online told me that I needed to re-read the first book since the self-published version and the new version were completely different and I wouldn’t understand. Well, they were wrong. It was basically all the same. If it were one of those spot-the-difference photos, I could maybe only spot the difference. It was the same. I waited two years to read this book again because I was so nervous and the text is so daunting when I could have just started the second years ago.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

AGH YET ANOTHER GRAPHIC NOVEL!!!!!!!

I love a good graphic novel. I need to read them more often! This book was so fun. The illustrations were beautiful. I was drooling over how well done they were. It was such a complex and captivating story. I was sucked in. I had originally planned to read it over a few days and I devoured it in like two hours. This is a great book!

A Conjuring of Light by VE Schwab

I do not think I have had enough time to process the end of the series. Truly I do not have words. This book was a mammoth. I enjoyed it immensely and wish it would never end. (Please do not remind me that there is a spin-off series because I already have enough on my plate). I am just glad I got through the series and that it was not a disappointing conclusion. I quite literally cried and the ending. So good!!

Okay, let me know what I should read next!

What I Read This Week

I had another good reading week. I read five audiobooks and 1 physical book. Let’s talk about them…

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

This book rocked! I am excited that the story ARC of the last books has kind of finished up. This book had me giggling uncontrollably while I listened at work. It was so funny, just like her other books. I love this series and cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

I thought this book was really fun, and I liked the premise. I have not read a YA romance that I enjoyed as much as this in a little bit. It was fun because it takes place on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and I currently am living in the city. So I recognized some street names. I just think the whole situation was cute. I am hoping to get my hands on some more of her books shortly.

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Witch King by Martha Wells

This book was a shocker to me. I really love fantasy, but only fantasy that is uncomplex. I know that makes me simple, but I simply want to read a lot of books, and anything I have to spend a long time disgusting and understanding, I just lose interest. This book would have shaped up to be that if I had not listened to the audiobook. I read the physical book mostly at the same time I read the audiobook. I finished this book in a week. I loved it a lot. It was one of those stories that I will think about for years to come. It was excellent writing and lyrical prose. I loved all of the characters. It had Martha’s signature humor that I enjoyed when I read a couple of the Murderbot series.

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The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

I read it. It was an experience. Here’s the backstory. I am working at a mystery imprint at Macmillan. I am hoping that I can hone my mystery skills to continue in this genre. Therefore I have to read the most prolific mystery writer. I love starting with a writer’s first book. So I read The Mysterious Affair at Styles. And it was good. But it was not my favorite. Reading this book on audiobook is what made this not the best. I missed clues and I kept forgetting who was who. I know what to do better next time I read one of her novels.

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Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book from an industry connection. I was so excited to read this since Aimee is one of my favorite authors. I once had to read her poetry for class back in college, and she spoke at a visiting writers series. The love grew from there This book was honestly the best thing ever! I loved getting to experience this book early. Her writing is superb. She had me crying on the subway with how her writing impacted me. She talks about her family, and it was cool to see the evolution of her stories since World of Wonders, her other book I loved.

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A Rogue’s Company by Allison Montclair

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

This is the third in the series and I am still happy to continue reading the series. It is witty and a fun romp through the wartime UK. This one was especially fun because we got to see a bit more personal sides of both the main characters, and one was put directly in danger. Still a fantastic series and am currently starting the next one.

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Thanks for reading!

What I Read This Week

This was a fantastic week for reading. I read three audiobooks and then two physical books. I loved each of the books I read. It was a great week for reading. I am finally in the groove with school and with work, so I can read more.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood is and will forever be my favorite romance author. Most people name her work dorky or cringey, which is exactly why I like them. They are so real. This story, seated deeply (hopefully a funny pun) in the supernatural, is no different. The vampire is shy and awkward and falls in love with an awesome male. I love it! This was Ali’s introduction to the Omegaverse, and also my introduction to the Omegaverse. While I was knot (I tried again) prepared for everything I witnessed, I was extremely satisfied with this story.

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Bone Crier’s Dawn by Kathryn Purdie

I have been wanting to read this duology for years! And randomly I bought two copies of this second book, and no copies of the first book because I thought the second copy I bought was the first book. So I needed to read these books because I have this horrible embarrassment over my stupidity. And these books were so worth it! I loved the fantasy and the mythology. I listened on audiobook, and the narrator for Bastien left a little to be desired (voice is great but the accent was a little distracting and I felt like he kept bobbing his head to make that accent, I dont know how to explain it). These books were fantastic.

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If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company. This book was for free from my work, but that does not affect my review of this book. Okay anyway, this book was so good! This is a thriller and it was so fast-paced and engaging, I finished this book in two days. This was my first book by this author and I am excited to read some of his other books now. I demanded my roommate read it, so if she ever does I will let you know. This was read before the publication date and will come out in May.

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Out of the Blue by Jason June

Cutesy pretty babies. That was my mind throughout this whole book. This book was fun, not the greatest this week, but it was really fun. I thought it was really sweet. I listened to it on audiobook and one of the narrators was not my favorite, but that’s probably because I listen to it at like 2.5x speed.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue

Death by a Thousand Sips cover image read

I have been waiting for this book since I read the first one almost a year ago. I loved the first book and this second book was about the same. The little hints at magic, the awesome noise the audiobook narrator makes to imitate a cat, and the cute covers drug me further in love with this series. The writing is great.

The story takes place in Washington State which is where I am from, so it was nice to revisit my home through the pages of a book (or in this case words through my headphones, but you get my drift). This book talked about more places that I recognized and this fake town is theoretically near my college town so that was fun to feel sort of connected. This was probably my favorite read this week, but only a decimal point away from tying with the first three books. It was just nice to revisit home a bit and reconnect with the main character and her lovely cat.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Let me know what I should read next.

American in Scotland

I listened to An American in Scotland last month and I loved it!

Add American Scotland to your Goodreads!

An american in scotland cover, scenic painting of a scottish church like castle with a stormy night background, lighting crashing above, a path of flowers and stone railing leads up to it

I recently got on this really random kick of wanting to read cozy mysteries, especially ones with cats on the cover. This does not have a cat on the cover, but I was scrolling through Libby and this was a comp title on their lists. I thought, “Hey I am going to Scotland in a few months; I should read this.”

Oh boy was this a great choice!

Firstly, I love when a book makes me want to kick my feet an squeal. And let’s just say, I did a lot of that.

Secondly, this narrator was fantastic! Her range of accents and voices was really impressive.

The book takes place on a remote Scottish Isle. The main character moves here to be a doctor and starts living in the church. On her first night, she is confronted with lots of people’s worst nightmare, a dead body. While trying to solve the murder as the medical examiner, she also tries to navigate her new setting which made me laugh.

I am really wanting more of this book. All of the characters, especially Laird Ewan Campbell, are so wonderful and lovable. I want more of the story and the romance since it only ended up being nearer to the end of the book.

This book is great and you should pick up your copy from Amazon. If you use this link, I may receive a small commission so I can continue to support my blog.

Thank you for reading!

Star Rating:

Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood Review

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the copy of Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood ARC!

Check and mate by ali hazelwood cover pink background, black and white square checkboard on bottom, chess pieces flying, blonde white girl wearing blue shirt and white skirt and brown hair tan boy wearing blue shirt and red pants shaking hands,

This is one of my most anticipated reads of this year. Ali Hazelwood cannot miss.

I loved the Love Hypothesis. And I loved this!

This is Hazelwood’s debut YA novel which was a little nerve-wracking for me. I couldn’t see how Hazelwood could go from removing galaxy-tights-during-adult-times to anything without “adult” topics.

She does it though.

The book keeps her witty charm and does have some more “raunchy” scenes while also staying true to a YA plot.

The romance is sweet and empowering. It has that male character that Hazelwood is known for with rivals-to-lovers.

The plot revolves around chess, which I believe in the acknowledgments Hazelwood addresses that she took some creative liberties, (I am not sure about the game itself or rules or tournament lingo), so for the more chess-inclined, just relax and enjoy the book.

While it is a romance book, it addresses sexism in the chess world in true Hazelwood fashion. I always appreciate her books showing the sexism in the fields she covers. Also, I love her science-field-based books, but goodness I wanted her to write more chess books. This book was so cute, divine, adorable, and a million other synonyms.

One disclaimer, the book is riddled with “cringey” stuff like talking about TikTok and slang, and I am warning you now because when it comes out I don’t want to see anyone complaining about it. It’s normal to write like that so please just let people breathe.

As always I am giving her book a five out of five stars. I thoroughly enjoyed it. No, I DEVOURED this book.

This book will be out in November, so pick up your copy.

You can pre-order Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood by clicking on this link for Amazon. I may receive a commission from this link which would help support this blog.

Thanks for reading!!

Star Rating: 5

The Witch Hunt: A Jaw-Dropping Sequel

The Witch Hunt is a jaw-dropping sequel. There was never a moment’s rest while reading. It was near impossible to put down.

I wrote a review a couple of days ago about The Witch Haven, the first book in the series. If you haven’t read that book or heard about it, check out that review here.

To add this book to your Goodreads, click here.

The Witch Hunt Cover pulled form goodreads — The Witch Hunt Cover

The Witch Hunt Plot:

The main character is learning the consequences to her dark magic of the last book. We are taken to beautiful Paris and begin to meet sorcerers and witches from across the Atlantic.

The Witch Hunt Characters:

In the first book, we meet these characters and fall in love with them. But in this second book, we begin to fight for the characters in our hearts. They evolved into new humans after the events of the last book, but they are not done growing yet.

This book puts the characters’ magic to the test. But what is even more tested is their friendship, trust, and character.

The Witch Hunt Romance:

The romance between Frances and Oliver is one of my favorite things about this book. They have stayed together since the last book. Love and trust go hand-in-hand which is a lesson Frances needs to learn throughout this book.

We also get someone vying for Frances’ love that puts our couple to the test.

What I Liked:

Magic
Paris
Consequence
Clean ending

What I Didn’t:

Some dull moments

Read This If You Love:

The Witch Haven
Magic
Historical Fiction

Star: 3.5

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thank you!

The Witch Haven Creates Magic and Mystery

I read The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith because I received the eARC of the sequel. I had never heard of this before. Reading it was a bit scary because I was nervous I wouldn’t like it and would have to read both books, but I loved it. It was so worth it!

The Witch Haven constructed a mysterious, dramatic, witchy read. The stakes are high for the group of women we follow in this book.

The WItch Haven cover pulled from Goodreads.com — The Witch Haven Cover from Goodreads.com

This book swept me into the story of Frances, who finds out she has magical powers after an incident at her place of work. Students at Haxahaven school for witches rescue Frances. This event jumpstarts an adventure to find her brother’s murderer.

There are also some fun male love interests that you can’t decide which one you will be rooting for… until the end.

It is perfect for the autumnal season approaching. Darker mysterious vibes fit in well with my favorite holiday coming up, Halloween. It feels like falling leaves, sweaters, and cold weather.

I do not want to spoil anything, but make sure you check out this book. Look out for my review of the second book, The Witch Hunt.

What I Liked:

Magic
School for Magic
Murder

What I Didn’t:

Lackluster writing

Star: 3.5

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thank you!

‘Talk Santa to Me’ Turns a Hallmark Movie into a Book

This very Hallmark-esque book will warm your heart during the holidays.

I would love to thank Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to an eARC of this story in exchange for a review.

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thank you!

Overall:

Talk Santa to me book cover hallmark movie

Talk Santa to Me will make for a cute holiday read this year. It promised to give me that Hallmark movie feel, and I really feel like it delivered, especially on its heartfelt ending.

Teen angst and the holiday cheer entwined to make a cute short read. A girl searching for a redo on her first kiss and to help her family business embarks on a new task as Santa’s intern to help bring holiday cheer.

I felt transported to December while reading this in August. Linda Urban delivered Christmas right to my feet. It really cooled me down during these warm months, and it will be sure to warm your heart during winter.

Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban will be released on September 27^th of this year. It will be a perfect gift for the readers in your life, or for yourself! View more information about this book here.

Plot:

Hallmark should be calling this author for a movie deal. This story was told in their exact wispy camera shots and their dramatic emphasis on the importance of Christmas.

It delivered on its promise of a heartwarming and fulfilling story. I felt like I was transported to being ten watching the Hallmark channel the entire month of December again.

Characters:

One of the major critiques I have of this piece is the main characters were static and had no real growth. The main character Francie learns to cope with her trauma, but that is dealt with very behind the scenes, not really worked on through the words of the story.

The other main characters, like Alice and Hector, were also a bit static, but I do believe that blends well with the hallmark vibe.

Romance:

The romance of the book is my major complaint about this novel. As promised, “A teen girl gets the perfect second try at a first kiss in this hilarious, romp-filled young adult romantic comedy,” but, this is more of a side plot.

The real romance aspect didn’t arrive until 50% of the way through the story. I do prefer my romance to be a bit more spread out.

(Also sidenote to add at the very end here, I don’t know how I feel about a seemingly white author calling a group of Hispanic men in her story the “Lumberjuans,” but I can tell you I didn’t really like that aspect of the story.)