Genre: Romance

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Starless Sea was a book worth waiting for. The beautiful worldbuilding made me fall in love with The Night Circus despite the slow pacing because it was a world I wanted to be pulled into, to exist within the book’s pages because it is a beautiful place, if somewhat tragic at times. The Starless Sea has that same magical aesthetic. Even after having read it, I feel as though there are so many mor doors to open, so many more paths to walk. It is ripe for a retread, because the Harbor is not a place that can […]

Posted December 9, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Just Ella was one of my FAVORITE books growing up, and the reason is so obvious to me. There is so much girl power in this book, especially because it’s a middle grade book about princesses. Something to note: the cover rebranding for this book is a hot mess. The original cover (which I’ve used in this review) shows a medieval-garbed princess with a tearaway to reveal her in common garb. This tearaway affect so much better exemplifies the book and show Ella’s struggle. The rebranded version is a modern looking ballerina princess on a pastel cover and is so […]

Posted December 3, 2019 in Reviews // 2 Comments //

The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki

I know very little of Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and one of my goals in adding The Accidental Empress to my TBR was to expand my historical fiction reading out of the Tudor Court. I am so glad I did – I have mixed luck with historical fiction because of the way it is written and I don’t often find many authors I enjoy. I’m happy to say I will be adding Allison Pataki to my list of wonderful historical fiction authors, alongside Philippa Gregory and Anita Diamant. One of the first things I do with non-fiction is cross-check facts. Historical […]

Posted November 27, 2019 in Reviews // 0 Comments //

Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

This is my second read through of Midnight Thief and being perfectly honest, I still enjoyed it. It isn’t perfect, though, so lets start with one of the things I didn’t like. For one, there’s a very clear love triangle forming. Kyra grew up with Flick, who helped get her out of the gutter and develop her trade. But then there’s Tristam, the sweet, good-hearted young knight from a noble family. Kyra doesn’t spend a lot of time harping over, “Oh my, fellas, whoever shall I kiss?” but the tension between the boys is definitely there. I imagine this will […]

Posted November 26, 2019 in Reviews // 0 Comments //

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns hit me immediately with some fantastic high fantasy vibes and I was so excited to start it! I knew going in that this book would have a “chosen one” and I really like how Rae Carson worked with the trope to make it feel less exhausted. I wouldn’t say it was a perfect book, but it was pretty good! The setting in this book was refreshing in its variety. We have two coastal kingdoms, with prosperous tradeports, and yet, there’s no focus on the sea. We spend most our time in deserts or […]

Posted November 21, 2019 in Reviews // 0 Comments //

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

I totally unexpectedly really, really enjoyed The Madwoman Upstairs. There’s a couple things immediately that should have turned me off this novel. First of all, the romance. I am never interested in a student/teacher sort of tryst. Not my cup of tea. Secondly, there’s all the focus on the Bronte sisters. I don’t talk about it a lot, but I actually despised reading Jane Eyre… to the point where I haven’t touched it or anything like it since. Disliking Jane Eyre led me to skipping Wuthering Heights, and also all the Austen novels. So how in the world did The Madwoman Upstairs end up on […]

Posted November 15, 2019 in Reviews // 0 Comments //