Book Review - The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal

 

In London in 1850s, the Great Exhibition was being built in Hyde Park. The spectacle brings a huge crowd of people which causes two strangers to be meet by chance. Iris is an beautiful aspiring artist who doesn't think much of this fleeting moment. However, for Silas, a curious collector is enchanted by the meeting and intrigued by Iris.

Iris is asked to model for artist Louis Frost but, before she agrees she asked him to teach her to paint. Iris finds her world expanded beyond the doll shop she was working in. She loves everything the new creative world has offered to her but, she has no idea of the evil that is lurking in the shadows. Silas has been unable to stop thinking of anything other than Iris and his thoughts are turning darker.

I didn't really care for the gruesome and disgusting details in this book. I felt like this has put me off on liking this book. I thought the book was  a bit boring and the ending felt incomplete. I wish there was background on some of the characters and less details on gruesome stuff. This book was a complete miss for me.

Book Review - Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Photo Credit - Amazon

Ivy and Tabitha are twin sisters but, only Tabitha was lucky enough to be blessed with magic. Ivy likes to believe that she is okay with not having any magical abilities but, deep down she is envious of her sister. She wishes that she can be like her gifted twin sister instead of being a mediocre private investigator.

When a gruesome murder occurs at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, Ivy is bought in to help solve the murder. Ivy is reluctant to accept the case because her estranged twin sister teaches there. While investigating the murder, Ivy is pulled into the world of deadly secrets and dangerous power. Ivy desperately wishes she was a part of this magical world. Will be Ivy be able to solve the murder without losing herself or her sister in the process?

When I first saw this cover, I knew this book was for me but, sadly it wasn't.  I felt the novel focuses mostly on Ivy trying to become something she wasn't then the "magic" aspect. She had this self-pitying attitude that was annoying. I wish she was more confident in herself and her abilities. I was a bit disappointed in the ending. It felt like a letdown after being tension built up earlier. Overall, the novel had great potential but, it kind of fizzes out to a "meh" feeling.

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