Book Review: Bloodwitch (The Witchlands #3) by Susan Dennard

 

Title: Bloodwitch (The Witchlands #3)
Author: Susan Dennard
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: February 12th, 2019

“Fans of Susan Dennard’s New York Times bestselling Witchlands series have fallen in love with the Bloodwitch Aeduan. And now, finally, comes his story.

High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets.

The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past.” (Goodreads)

Here I am with another reread!

This is my second time through this particular book and I still enjoy it as much as the first one. Everything just started getting so good when it came to the plot and the different twists that were happening.

I only cried once but its fine. That one part will always get me.

I can’t wait for Dennard to continue this series because it can only get better from here!

Old Review:

“For Lady Fate makes all men choose eventually. Even Bloodwitches.”

Bloodwitch follows Aeduan as he tries to help Iseult and Owl stop the destruction that is coming. He must confront his father and the past if there is to be a chance.

Let me just start this review by saying, wow! Susan Dennard knocked it out of the park with the third installment in The Witchland series. I still am not able to deal with my emotions for this book and the book hangover is still real. I don’t know if I will ever bounce back.

All of our favorite characters are back and trying to stop the destruction that is coming. The story mostly follows Aeduan, the bloodwitch, and there is even flashbacks of his past included. We start to understand more of his upbringing and why he is the way he is but we also see him grow in many ways and it was just beautiful!

Although he is the center of it all, we still get other PoVs and honestly Vivia has really grown on me in this book! She really sets down her own path and becomes who she needs to be and not what others want her to be. Also, her father is the worst. Merik is still trying to live his best life since his life got turned around and I still feel bad for him and he made have made me cry.

Speaking of crying, I may have cried more than once because the plot is just so crazy and devastating and this book will get you filled with all the emotions and when you think you are safe to be happy, she crushes all your hopes and dreams. But, I loved the plot and this has been the best book yet from this series!

I don’t want to say too much else because I am trying to keep this spoiler free but it is so hard! I love this series and I love this book! If you haven’t started this series, don’t wait any longer just go read it!

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Grim Lovelies: Book Review

 

Title: Grim Lovelies (Grim Lovelies #1)
Author: Megan Shepherd
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: October 2nd, 2018

Synopsis: “Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.

Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.” (Goodreads)

 

My Review:

I hadn’t heard much about this book before diving in. I did know that the second book was coming out soon and since it was going to be a long wait at the library I checked Amazon.

Guess what? I bought the hardback for under $6!

Since it was such a good deal, I knew I needed to just go ahead and read it once it arrived. Let me tell you, it blew my expectations out of the water. I enjoyed reading about the magic in Paris, the beasties, and finding the goblins to be quite interesting! I’ve already rambled on enough so let’s get into it!

The book introduces us to three different factions:

The Beasties: Animals turned into Human for the purpose of servitude
The Pretties: Normal everyday humans with technology, cars who are just like us
The Haute: Magic users such as witches and the goblins

The main character Anouk is a beastie and works for a witch, Mada Vittora, who doesn’t let her leave the house ever. Although Mada Vittora can be cruel, Anouk is always loyal and in a way loves her as a mother because she is all she has ever know, minus the other beasties and Viggo, the witch’s son (but not really her son).

Anouk in the beginning was very timid and rarely spoke out but throughout the book she has such great character development and we really see her coming into her own. I loved reading about her choices and the consequences that came with them. I don’t want to say too much more about her because I don’t want give anything away!

As for the other beasties, at times I wasn’t sure if I liked or hated some. Cricked was a likable character from the beginning because she is sassy, loves to fight, and is just overall an intimidating character. Beau and Hunter Black were the ones I went back and forth with. Hunter Black did grow on me by the end but Beau is still in the iffy stage. This leaves only one more to talk about, Luc. Since he wasn’t a part of a majority of the book I don’t have many feelings towards him. He sparked a lot of the plot and the choices Anouk had to eventually make so in a way we wouldn’t have a story without him. I wish I could say more about them but again, I am trying to keep this spoiler free. Either way, they are a great group of characters all with different personalities.

Now, for the last characters I will discuss. Viggo and Prince Renner were both very interesting characters that I kept going back and forth with. Were they evil? Did they want what was best? One had some redeeming qualities and eventually grew on me but if you want to know which one it was, you’ll have to read the book for yourself! I can’t end the conversation about characters without mentioning the goblins. They were fun, weird, and quite fashionable! I loved everything about them and hope they get more page time in the sequel.

The plot was wonderfully crafted and full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Every time I found myself  reading about one I found myself having a shocked face. The magic was interesting and one that I feel is different from the rest. I have never read a book with something like the Beasties and they were fantastic to read about. I also thought there were some good lessons hidden away in the pages of this book as well.

Overall, I am glad I decided to purchase this book because it is a story that I will remember. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel!

 

The Cheerleaders: Book Review

 

Title: The Cheerleaders
Author: Kara Thomas
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis: “There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.

First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.

That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.

There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe. ”

My Review:

Lately I have been getting into YA Mystery/Thrillers. They have been helping me take a break from Fantasy and I will definitely be adding them into the routine. Although this one wasn’t a top read for me, I still enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down.

This book mostly follows the aftermath of the deaths of a whole group of cheerleaders that happened five years prior. Monica, the sister to one named Jen, is still not over the events that led up to it. There are also chapters from Jen’s point of view of that events that transpired. I am a sucker for multiple point of views and by the author adding in the one’s from Jen, it really added to understanding the events.

Monica is character that is quite relatable when it comes to her actions. Even though its been five years, she still has all these questions. I mean, I know I would. I think that is why I liked her so much. The other characters in the book are pretty minor but their are two that stick out the most, Jen and Ginny. Jen, for the reason I have already pointed out and Ginny because she isn’t well liked at her school and yet she is so willing to help Monica figure out what really happened.

When it came to the plot, what actually happened wasn’t what I was expecting. But, I do love surprises! The plot twists weren’t easily recognized and once one clue was given I just kept being entranced by the whole thing. It was a hard book to step away from.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the writers writing. I will definitely be checking out more books by her!

 

Friday Favorites: Books Outside Your Usual Genre

 

Hello, fellow bookworms!

Today’s post is a tag that was created by Something of the Book and she has a whole list of Friday Favorites to follow. They are awesome and it is a fun way to find new books with a twist and see how others have answered it!

I am one to always pick up Fantasy. It is my go-to genre and one that I don’t ever see myself not ever reading. There are times that I do venture out of my comfort and am surprised by the books I read. So here is my list of books that are outside of my usual genre!

1.) Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco Series

I have been obsessed with this series since I finished the first book. I am so excited for the third book but so sad this series is coming to an end!

2.) Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak

Here’s the thing, I tend to not like Contemporary. It’s a love/hate type of relationship. I did absolutely love this one and you should definitely check it out!

3.) Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson Series

If you didn’t see this one coming then you must not have me on Instagram, haha. I love this contemporary/mystery and can’t wait for the third book!

4.) Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

I read this one recently and absolutely loved it! Creepy at times but so good!

5.) The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Yes, another one by the same author! I have been getting into thrillers and hers are just wonderful and really help to get me out of my reading slumps.

Fire & Heist: Book Review

 

Title: Fire & Heist
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Rating: 3 stars

->Click for Synopsis<-

Fire & Heist follows Sky Hawkins and her not so normal life. For starters, she is a were-dragon and that can make normal life complicated. Her families reputation has been tarnished and her mother has disappeared. With the help of her friend and ex-boyfriend, Sky will take on the biggest heist of her life in hopes to get some answers she has been waiting a long time for.

This was a new release book I have seen a few times on Instagram and when I went to the library and saw that they had it I checked it out. I didn’t really have any expectations going into it and I am not even sure if I read the synopsis before starting but it was an interesting read.

When it comes to Sky Hawkins, I am impartial to her. At the beginning she was very annoying as she basically just pined over her ex-boyfriend. She talked about him throughout most of the first third of the book and I am just not a fan of pining. She did eventually get better in the second half of the book but I wouldn’t say I connected with her. The other characters were alright but some of their dialogues felt the same and some of what they said felt very cliche at times.

The plot is what saved the book from being a 2 star. It was a fun take on dragons and it makes sense for them to being doing heists if they love treasures, mainly gold. Although, I felt that there could have been more heists than what was included.

Overall, it was a decent read but I wish there would have been more action and more from the characters in general.

Top Ten Tuesday: Character’s I’d Switch Places With

 

Hello, fellow book lovers!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018.

Today’s prompt is about characters I’d like to switch places with! There are a few I have in mind that I think would be great. Let the list begin!

 

1.) Donatella (Caraval)
Who doesn’t want to be a part of the Grand Caraval? I would pick to be Tella over Scarlett because I just liked her a bit more.

2.) Feyre (Acotar)
She is strong and has a great support group that always has great times. Plus, Rhysand,

3.) Kestrel (The Winner’s Curse)
I really liked her character and fell in love with Arin.

4.) Safiya (The Witchland’s series)
She can tell if someone is lying and has Merik who loves her. It’s a win-win.

5.) Vasya (The Bear and the Nightingale)
She is my favorite female character so of course I would switch with her!

6.) Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
I know this is a movie character but oh well! There is a great library and a Prince in disguise!

Would you switch places with any of these characters?