Source: Paperback from Author

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Feb 08

{Review+Giveaway} Twisted by @BonnieMHennessy

Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumplestilskin’s Name is a young adult fantasy re-imagining of the story of Rumplestilskin by Bonnie M. Hennessy. Twisted is Bonnie’s debut novel and I have to say I loved it! I found it to be a delightful, and dark twisty tale of not only Rumplestilskin, but also of the young lady, Aoife. This part of the summary is what initially got me interested in the story was, “This is not the tale of a damsel in distress, but a tenacious, young woman who solved a mystery so great that not even the enchanted man who spun straw into gold could figure it out.” And let me tell you, Aoife was a fierce heroine. I really liked her. I do have to say, I initially thought that Rumplestilskin was going to be the love interest, and as I was reading, I even wanted him to be the love interest. But no, Rumplestilskin is not. There is a romance in Twisted, and it was pretty twisted, just… Read more »

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Feb 18

{Review} Never Never by Brianna Shrum

Never Never is a Peter Pan retelling told from Captain Hook’s perspective. This standalone novel is Brianna Shrum’s debut book and I thought she did a really good job with it. I loved that it was Hook’s story. It was reminiscent of the kind of hook and pan from Once Upon a Time, so if you love Hook in that show as much as I do, this is a book you will want to check out. It features an evil Pan, and a more nuanced, but very much bent on revenge Hook. This Hook doesn’t hold a candle to Storybrook’s Hook, but it did come much closer than I expected it to. Never Never follows Hook throughout his life, starting out when he was a small boy. This was his first run in with Peter Pan, and it was clear that as soon as Peter tricked Hook that his hatred started. And it only grew throughout the story. Hook is a very different person than many of Peter’s lost boys…. Read more »

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Aug 13

{Spoiler Free Review+Giveaway} Golden by Melinda Michaels @MJMichaelsBooks

Golden is the first book in a young adult magical realism series, with each of the books also being loose retellings of fairy tales. Author Melinda Michaels describes the story that way, but what is really happening is that the world she has created takes place after the fairy tale stories have all played out. This world deals with the descendants of the fairy tale characters. And that is really all I am going to tell you about the plot of the book, because I think so much of the magic in Golden lies in the suspense and intrigue that Melinda Michaels is so great at weaving into her story. There are wonderfully complex characters that while they themselves divide each other into good and bad guys, they are each so much more complicated and faceted than that. The characters were a joy to read about. Some you will be able to predict and others throw everything on their head. The book starts out with the main character Hanna reeling… Read more »

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Oct 29

{ #Review } Diamonds in the Rough by @MichelleMadow

Diamonds in the Rough is the perfect follow up to The Secret Diamond Sisters. It is just as gossip girl-y, fun, and scandalous as the first book. I really liked that we got to know each of the sisters a lot better. As well as Madison and the whole cast of secondary characters. Just like the first book, Diamonds in the Rough is told in multiple points of views between the Diamond sisters and Madison. Each of the chapters was clearly labeled and it was really easy follow along. It was cool to read the book this way, because Michelle Madow’s writing style and voice changes with each of the sisters. It added to their very distinct personalities. Madison stereotyped the sisters and dubbed them as follows: Peyton- the slut, Courtney- the goody two shoes and Savannah- the wannabe. And I have to say, at first glance, I can see why she put them in those categories, but throughout the course of the story I watched each of the sisters… Read more »

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Aug 20

{Review+Giveaway} The Cinderella Theorem by Kristee Ravan

The Cinderella Theorem overall was a really great read. I had a few small issues with the book early, but they were minor things and I am so glad that I didn’t let them get in the way of enjoying the story, because this was a book that just kept getting better and better. I loved the concept of the story and the main character, Lily was a delight. Lily loves math, she likes logic and she likes being able to get the same answer every time she does the same problem. I loved her commentary throughout the story, told through math equations and footnotes. It was so funny. Lily Sparrow is just a normal high school student when she comes home on her 15th birthday to find out that her dad is not dead like she thought, but rather the ruler of a magical land where all fairy tale characters go to live out their “happily ever after”. A cool concept but it was in this initial phase that… Read more »

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Aug 01

{Review} Death’s Academy by Michael Bast @michaelbast

Death’s Academy is a middle grade book that is just so much fun. I don’t read many middle grade books for my blog, but every once in a while one comes my way that I just can’t let slip by me. And Death’s Academy looked like some magical fun. And it was all that and more. Death’s Academy is a school for “hoodies” aka reapers and “halos” aka angels. Midnight or Night for short is a reaper, who is scared of not passing his entrance exam to get into school. It doesn’t help matters that his dad is famous for something- and not in a good way, and Night has no idea what it even is. I loved Night and his awesome tech savvy friend, Mal. The two of them made a great team. The world that Michael Bast created in Death’s Academy will appeal to readers young and old alike. It was hilarious to see some of his references and drawings in the book. The reaper families each had… Read more »

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Jul 10

{Review} Carnelian by B. Kristin McMichael @bkmcmichael

Carnelian is a solid start to what seems like is going to be a really interesting series. It has romance, magic and time travel, which I Thought was an interesting combination. I was easily drawn into the world that B. Kristin McMichael created. It was an interesting read and has me hooked enough that I want to continue on. There were some crazy twists and turns at the end of the story that I didn’t see coming. They seemed a bit unbelievable, but they were a cool twist to the story. I liked how self assured Mari was. She is not one to let someone push her around, but when she makes up her mind about someone, she is loyal and determined to stick by them. I liked that about her. She was skeptical about Seth, and rightly so. But eventually he wore her down, and from that point on she was committed. She didn’t waver anymore. The romance was cute. There was a bit of insta-pull but it was… Read more »