Showing posts with label faeries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faeries. Show all posts

Friday, December 29, 2023

Book Review - Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

 


Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher is a retelling of a fairytale about a princess, Princess Fayette, who is trapped in a tower and the creature that protects it. 

When Toadling was born to her human family, she was stolen by fairies and switched with a Changeling.  She is taken to the swamp where she spends most of her childhood. Toadling is transformed from a human girl into a toad shaped being that can transform into an actual toad. She is surrounded and loved by the faeries at the swamp. They teach her how to use magic and coddle her. They are the only family she has ever known.

Toadling enjoys her time there and when she reaches adulthood, one of the fae asks her for a favor. Toadling is to return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn baby. She is given her mission and is offered training to help her succeed with her quest. However, as much as Toadling is prepared, nothing is as easy as imagined and something always goes wrong. Toadling fumbles the blessing and the faerie child’s power grows uncontrollably along with unleashing her evil side. As a last resort, Toadling placed the child under a curse that put her asleep to prevent her from using her evil powers.

Centuries have passed since Toadling was asked to pass her blessing to the child. A knight has stopped by a wall that is surrounded by brambles and thorns. He has heard that there is a curse and rumors of a hidden treasure beyond the thorn covered wall. Toadling is serving as the guardian of the wall and will stop at nothing to make sure that the curse isn’t broken.

I was excited to read the novella and was able to finish it in a day. I heard many good things about the author and was excited to read the book. However, I was a bit disappointed with the story. I found the novella hard to get into and the writing clunky and hard to follow. I found myself re-reading the same sentence a few times to try to understand what was going on.

There are a lot of things that I found confusing. For example, the timeframe and world the story takes place in. It wasn’t very clear to me when or where the story takes place. The family of the Princess was called a King and Queen but when they were describing the property they loved in, it seems like they were more like a lower level lord and lady.  The book was an okay read but I would be open to reading other books by the author.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Book Review - You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

 


Cassandra Tipp is an infamous and eccentric bestselling novelist. She is known for her vivid imagination.  She is a famous recluse and one day she is gone but, leaves behind a final manuscript.

Everyone in town remembers the events that lead to her infamous trial. She has been acquitted with the insanity defense. Her husband died mysteriously and has never been solved. A few years later, her brother and father died in a murder-suicide.  

In her final manuscript, Cassandra details her life history. She details what happened in the happens and what she believes happened to her husband. However, her story comes with a price.

This novel is an epic waste of time. It took forever to get anywhere and the author filled the book with useless details. I read more than half of the novel but, just lost interest in it. I feel like there was nothing really keeping me tethered to the book and to read more. I tossed this book to the side and started reading something that I actually cared to read.

  **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Book Review - Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Prince and his fellow fairies have otherworldy charm and beauty. They roam the Earth for centuries looking for entertainment to pass the time. When they meet foster siblings Josh and Ksenia, Prince will stop at nothing to have them as his playthings. Josh and Ksenia have a strong bond with each other and love each other until the end of the world.

When the siblings become seduced and trapped by the fairies, they realize the gifts they received come at a terrible price. If they want to escape Prince's prison, they have to risk everything they love to reclaim their freedom. Will Ksenia and Josh be able to escape Prince's evil clutches?

I thought the novel has an interesting premise but, it was a confusing read. I felt like it had a lot going on especially with the long descriptive sentences. I found Ksenia and Josh's relationship to be confusing and a bit far fetched. They acted like young adults who love each other but, fail to understand that loving someone means doing the best for them. The novel felt a bit slow but, some parts of the fairy storyline was interesting. I found them to be imaginative and creepy.


 **Disclosure - I received a free  copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**



Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen (March 19, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765396734
ISBN-13: 978-0765396730


Praise for NEVER-CONTENTED THINGS

“Sarah Porter is a genius. Her language is lush and dangerous, and her books burn with the beautiful, ferocious intensity of a bonfire in the darkest night. Read Never-Contented Things with the lights on. Then read it again.” ―Brittany Cavallaro, New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Charlotte

“Sarah Porter’s Never-Contented Things creates a creepy new world like none I’ve seen before. Eerie, edgy, and filled with mystery, Porter takes us to the depths of the magical and psychological.” ―Danielle Paige, New York Times bestselling author of Dorothy Must Die

Praise for WHEN I CAST YOUR SHADOW

“You’ll never think of your nightmares the same way again. Darkly seductive. Sarah Porter’s writing glitters and her storytelling stuns in this twisted tale of siblings, love, and death.” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of CARAVAL

“Sarah Porter’s darkly imaginative WHEN I CAST YOUR SHADOW intrigues from the start. Tragic and engrossing, filled with nightmarish dreamscapes and menacing villains, it also treads the tender terrain of family, and the strange and sometimes dysfunctional ties between siblings. Highly recommended!”  —Kendare Blake, New York Times bestselling author of THREE DARK CROWNS


Seductive. Cruel. Bored.
Be wary of…


Prince and his fairy courtiers are staggeringly beautiful, unrelentingly cruel, and exhausted by the tedium of the centuries ― until they meet foster-siblings Josh and Ksenia. Drawn in by their vivid emotions, undying love for each other, and passion for life, Prince will stop at nothing to possess them.

First seduced and then entrapped by the fairies, Josh and Ksenia learn that the fairies' otherworldly gifts come at a terrible price ― and they must risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom.


You can purchase Never-Contented Things at the following Retailers:
        

Photo Content from Sarah Porter

SARAH PORTER is the author of the Lost Voices Trilogy (Lost Voices, Waking Storms, The Twice Lost) in addition to Vassa in the Night—all for the teen audience. For over ten years she has taught creative writing workshops in New York City public schools to students in grades K-10. Porter also works as a VJ, both solo and with the art collective Fort/Da; she has played venues including Roseland, Galapagos, Tonic, Joe’s Pub, The Hammerstein Ballroom, The Nokia Theater, and the Burning Man festival. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two cats.

        
WEEK ONE
JUNE 3rd MONDAY JeanBookNerd GUEST POST
JUNE 4th TUESDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW
JUNE 4th TUESDAY The Book Enigma REVIEW
JUNE 5th WEDNESDAY Insane About Books REVIEW

JUNE 5th WEDNESDAY Rose's Book Corner EXCERPT
JUNE 6th THURSDAY Sabrina's Paranormal Palace REVIEW
JUNE 6th THURSDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW
JUNE 7th FRIDAY Movies, Shows. & Books EXCERPT
JUNE 7th FRIDAY Gwendalyn Books REVIEW

WEEK TWO
JUNE 10th MONDAY Wishful Endings INTERVIEW
JUNE 11th TUESDAY A Dream Within A Dream REVIEW 

JUNE 11th TUESDAY Bibliobibuli YA INTERVIEW
JUNE 12th WEDNESDAY Lisa Loves Literature REVIEW
JUNE 12th WEDNESDAY A Bookish Dream REVIEW
JUNE 13th THURSDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
JUNE 13th THURSDAY TTC Books and More EXCERPT
JUNE 14th FRIDAY Casia's Corner REVIEW
JUNE 14th FRIDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW


*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

a Rafflecopter giveaway