Tag: books

Hush by Dylan Farrow

I won a free copy of Hush by Dylan Farrow in a sweepstakes in exchange for an honest review. Special thanks to Wednesday Books for hosting the sweepstakes and providing the ARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own. *Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. You can read more here.

We follow Shae, a 17-year-old girl determined to figure out the secrets of her world. A world that’s kept quiet by Bards who use magic to silence its citizens. Shae must figure out who to trust and find strength to break the Hush. After a deadly plague tormented her world, killed her brother, and marked her family as cursed, Shae has lived a fearful life. When strange things start happening to her, Shae can no longer hide behind her fear, but instead must use her fear to find out the truth.

I was intrigued by this book from the start. The synopsis hooked me and I couldn’t wait to read it. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put the book down. A book about words being cursed? Sign me up! You can imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I opened up the mail to find I had won an ARC.

Strengths of Hush

You should know by now that I enjoy a good strong female protagonist. While Shae has her faults, I think she is a great main character. She is determined, having to know the truth behind her mother’s murder. She is strong-willed, stubborn, and smart. I appreciate that she isn’t painted as a damsel in distress. Being the only one left in her family, she doesn’t succumb to the “I need a man to protect me” ideal.

Another aspect that I love is the magic, although I wish we learn more about it. I love that Shae is told how it is a blessing and a curse, and she often thinks of comforting things to get her magic to “work.” I actually like the fact that it’s marketed as one thing and then we learn it’s another; it reminds me of true life.

The detail in the story, for the most part, is very vivid and well done. The way they dress, the way things smell, it is all described so well.

What Could Have Been Better

While I think Shae is great, for such a strong protagonist, she is very naive. She trusts some too easily considering her background and her world. I also don’t understand why she questions herself about stuff that she knows to be true.

Some things just don’t make sense to me. This included Shae’s ability to get away with stuff. Although it’s not allowed, Shae breaks into the men’s barracks to search Niall’s belongings for evidence. After she’s caught, essentially nothing happens to her.

Again, I want to mention the magic. It is so interesting, but we don’t really get a good understanding of it. I’m hoping that we get to learn more of it in the sequel.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I look forward to the sequel.

Hush by Dylan Farrow Physical ARC
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October TBR

Happy Fall, y’all! 🍁🍂🎃 Well, y’all, another month has come and gone, which means it’s time for my October TBR! I completed my entire TBR for September, which means it’s a fresh slate this month. I have yet another ambitious TBR for this month, but it’s a bit different because I chose books that will help me get in the mood for Halloween and the Fall season. I’ll be doing some buddy reading, as well as reading a few ARCs. So, let’s get into it!

I just finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I read this for my participation in Banned Books Week. This book takes place in Afghanistan and follows a friendship between a boy and the son of his father’s servant. It covers love, betrayal, family, redemption, sacrifice, and loyalty. This book caused so many emotions, y’all. I’ll get more into my reaction in my review!

Another book I’m going to read this month to spooky things up a bit is The Companion by Katie Alender. I’ve already mentioned this as one of my anticipated reads from a few months ago, but I’ve been dying to read this, and this month is perfect for it. This is about a girl, Margot, whose entire family dies in an accident and everyone keeps telling her she’s lucky. But when Margot gets taken in by a wealthy family and finds out the true reason for their kindness, Margot is left wondering whether she really is lucky. I can’t wait to dive into this, it sounds like such a perfectly spooky read for Halloween-time!

October Buddy Reads

I’ll be reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo as a buddy read. Sure to start getting me in the Halloween mood, this book is about Alex, a freshman at Yale with a dark past. It’s her job to keep an eye on the secret societies of the rich and powerful of Yale, but what she finds just might be worse than can be imagined. This is one of my most anticipated books and I just haven’t gotten around to reading it (shocker). I’m glad I’m finally sitting down to do it!

Another book I’ll be tackling this month is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This is a classic that I’ll be reading as a buddy read. A classic I’ve never read, this book is about scientist Victor Frankenstein who creates a creature out of body parts and uses an electrical charge to start it. The monster demands a partner, as his only request is friendship, but when Frankenstein fails to complete the female counterpart, the monster promises revenge. I’m glad to finally read it!

The last buddy read I’ll be doing this month is The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White. This is a retelling of Frankenstein. This is about a girl named Elizabeth who doesn’t have much, but luck finds her when she’s taken in by Victor Frankenstein. She’s given shelter, food, a warm bed, everything she could want–and he finally has a friend, and the two become close. But not everything is always as it seems, and sometimes keeping the peace can come at a great cost. This book sounds so good. I love books where the main character may be on the fringe of sanity. I can’t wait to read it!

October TBR ARCs

One of the ARCs I’ll be reading is Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten. I was fortunate to receive a copy of this from St. Martin’s Press. In this story we follow Catherine Alexeyevna, Peter the Great’s second wife. The year is 1725 and Russia risks mayhem as Peter left the empire without an heir and is dying. Can Catherine manage to take the throne? I’m so excited for this one. I love a good historical fiction novel, and strong females throughout history are always so great to read about. This will be publishing in November.

The other ARC I’ll be reading is These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. I won this in a giveaway during SDCC by Simon Pulse. This is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet but set in Shanghai in 1926. Um, yes please! We’re following two gangs–the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers. Juliette Cai is the heir to the Scarlet Gang and Roma Montagov is the heir to the White Flowers. When strange things start happening to members of the gangs on both sides, Juliette and Roma must set aside their differences and come together to save their city. Y’all I can’t wait to read this one either. I love retellings, I love Romeo & Juliet, and I love the premise of this book. This book is expected to be published in November.

So, that’s it for my October TBR. What’s on your shelf this month? Any other spooky recommendations?

October TBR

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

In Wicked Fox, we follow Miyoung, a gumiho, or nine-tailed fox who uses the energy of men in order to survive. Miyoung encounters Jihoon, a human male, and instead of devouring him, she saves him. Thus, a dangerous friendship arises, which causes her to lose her gumiho soul. When faced with the choice to regain her gumiho immortality, Miyoung is forced to decide. Whose life is more important: hers, or Jihoon’s?

I read this as a buddy read. I was skeptical going in, as sometimes fantasy isn’t my thing, but overall I enjoyed it. This appeared on my August TBR but I finished this one in September. There were parts of the story that I really appreciated and other parts that I thought could have been better, as with most books.

What Worked in Wicked Fox

I liked the strong side cast that Kat Cho created. I liked that Jihoon’s Halmeoni was a strong female character and she was a significant part of the story. While the main characters felt irritating, especially when they kept doing things when you’re reading and going “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!,” I have to say, at least Kat Cho created some realistic characters. The lack of communication, the back-and-forth indecisiveness, the roller-coaster of emotions; although it made for a frustrating read, it made for realistic and relatable characters.

I also enjoyed the relationships we see between Miyoung and her mother, and Jihoon and his mother. They’re both complex but in different ways, and they have an arc during the story. I thought this was a nice inclusion in the story.

What Could Have Been Better

The pacing in the book felt off. The length of the book felt too long for the way that the story was written, so either the pacing should have been adjusted, or it should have been shortened. Another thing that could have been better was an explanation for the circumstances around Nara.

This book didn’t end up being a favorite, but it wasn’t one that I hated either. After that ending, I will of course read the sequel, because I have to know what happens!

Banned Books Week: Sept 27-Oct 3

Banned Books week is officially here! It is one of my favorite times of year. It’s a reminder that censorship is dangerous and a time to embrace the freedom to express our different ideas and opinions. While I don’t limit myself to reading banned books during just this one week, I like that there is a dedicated week for it.

Why are books banned in the first place? This is something I don’t understand. I think fear is the biggest thing. Fear is a powerful thing and I think people become so afraid of what they don’t agree with or don’t understand that they let it blind them. You can interact with something (in this case, read) and not mean that you agree with it. One of the purposes of reading is to expand your knowledge and open your mind. If you only read about things you agree with, how are you opening your mind?

I’m lucky because although I come from a small rural town in a conservative area, we didn’t really have a lot of censorship in my school. In fact, a lot of the books that we read for required reading often frequent the national banned books list. As I’ve gotten older, my tastes continue to reflect what I grew up with: seek out diversity. I’ve always had a questioning nature. I’m the type where if someone says don’t read something, it makes me want to. If I see that a book is on the banned book list, I seek that book out.

Getting Involved in Banned Books Week

How are y’all celebrating Banned Books week? I plan on reading at least one or two this week. I’ll be reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. This way I can get my son involved, too. For more ideas on books to read, visit this list of books or if you’re curious, you can learn more about Banned Books Week.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

I won a free copy of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London during BookCon thanks to Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This book is about an alternate London set in 1983 where the magical and the ordinary worlds, the Old World and the New World respectively, are intertwined. The booksellers are the ones who enforce the boundary of the Old World, making sure it doesn’t spill into the New World. Susan has always wondered who her father is and when she turns 18, she decides to find out who he is. Strange things start happening to her, and it is then that she meets Merlin, an odd fellow who coincidentally turns up whenever these odd things happen proclaiming he’s there to help Susan. As we find out, he is indeed not there with ill-intent but to aid her. He is a left-handed bookseller. We follow Susan, Merlin, and right-handed bookseller Vivien as they journey to find out who Susan’s father was.

Left-Handed Booksellers of London: Is It Worth The Hype?

As I’ve been on a bit of a fantasy kick, this book certainly hit the spot. It’s a nice light fantasy, with a twist of mystery sprinkled in. The synopsis had me hooked: magic, books, secret father? All things that I want to read about. I devoured the book and it’s stayed with me since I finished it. I can’t get the characters out of my head. My favorite character has to be Merlin. He was so magnetic and I enjoyed his sense of humor. I loved that his solace was to dive into a book when he was feeling particularly bothered; I related quite a bit to this.

Another character trait that Nix employed that I loved was Susan’s fearlessness. All of these crazy things happened to her, hardly any of them easily explained away, and she just took it all in stride and continued moving forward. Strong female main characters are always a plus, in my book, and in this case Nix had not only Susan but he also had Vivien. Vivien helped save the day on numerous occasions. It’s always great to see the woman being the hero instead of the damsel.

This was my first novel by Garth Nix. I’ve heard good things about his writing, and the premise sounded good, so I was excited to dive in. After reading this book, I have to agree that Nix does craft quite an intriguing story. I recommend you read this book if you’re into magic, fantasy, mystery, and adventure. It is now available for purchase.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix Physical ARC