Anniversary and Drama

To Kill a Kingdom - Book Review

To Kill a Kingdom
by Alexandra Christo

What is it about:
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

What did I think of it:
You'd think that I'd have figured out before starting on this book that this is a re-imagining of The Little Mermaid...

Maybe it's good that I didn't figure it out though, because even though I love the original fairytale, I despise what Disney did with it. So had I known, I'd probably avoided this book in fear the author based it on the Disney version.

That being said:

This is such a beautiful story!

I loved Lira. She acts ruthless, a product of the world she grew up in, but at heart she is passionate and caring for those she loves. It is this love that gets her in trouble. Helping her cousin she breaks a rule that makes that her cruel mother punishes her.

Elian was a bit harder to like at first. Although I could understand he wants his own life, I also thought he was a bit selfish. Luckily he soon grew on me and I could root for him as well as for Lira.

I love what Christo did with this story. Yes, it's based on The Little Mermaid, but Christo made the story her own and gave new emotion and suspense to this tale. I was on the edge of my seat and had to keep reading to see where the story would lead and if Lira would get a happy end or if she was doomed like the mermaid in Anderson's tale.

All in all this was a really beautiful read and even better than I expected going in. You bet this book goes on my keeper shelves and that I'll keep an eye on other books by Christo.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and suspenseful YA Fantasy read.


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Teaser Tuesdays - Empire of Sand

Mehr leaned back against the wall. She felt dizzy. Her father stayed where he was, standing erect with his hands clasped behind him and his gaze fixed on the middle distance.

(page 77, Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri)


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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before - Book Review

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1)
by Jenny Han

What is it about:
Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she's ever loved. When she writes, she can pour out her
heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

What did I think of it:
I saw the Netflix movie that is based on this book and really liked it. So I decided to give the book a try as well.

I must say the movie made some changes to the story that made that some of the characters are more sympathetic in the movie than in the book.

Not that I didn't like the book. To be honest, I think the book is better than the movie. For those who haven't seen the movie or read the book:

Lara Jean's secret love letters get send to the boys she wrote them to. One of these boys is her sister's ex-boyfriend. In a foolish attempt to make things less awkward she pretends to have a relationship with another boy: Peter. Peter decides to play along for his own reasons.

I loved Lara Jean and Peter. They have so much more depth and background than can be shown in a movie. I loved reading about their fake relationship and how Lara Jean is forced into the spotlight instead of hiding in her usual shadows.

Lara Jean's sisters however...

In the movie her older sister Margot only has a very small part. In the book more is revealed about Margot. She's the typical older sister who decided to take care of her younger sisters, and thinks this allows her to control them. I seriously disliked her. The younger sister is even worse. She was a spoiled spiteful little shit, imo.

The sisters aside, I very much enjoyed this book. It's fun and fluffy, the perfect read when you want to relax. I'll be picking up the next book in this trilogy soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and fluffy YA read.


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Scarlet - Book Review

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
by Marissa Meyer

What is it about:
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

What did I think of it:
This second book is just as cool as the first. The story of this book is loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood and you can definitely recognize elements from the fairytale, but once again Meyer made the story her own.

I liked that the story switched between Scarlet and Cinder. Cinder was left in a rather precarious situation at the end of the first book, so I was glad I didn't have to wait for later books to see how she was doing.

Both Cinder's storyline and Scarlet's were cool and full of action. Usually I can get impatient with one storyline when there are more, but I liked both of them equally. I was also glad that some chapters showed how Kai is faring as well.

I loved the enigmatic Wolf who offers Scarlet help, even though events from the original fairytale told me he might not be trustworthy. I kept rooting for him to win Scarlet's trust and for the two of them to work together.

At the ending of this book the problems are far from over, but Cinder and Scarlet are one step closer to solving them. You bet I'll be picking up the next book soon.

Why should you read it:
It's a really enjoyable SF fairytale retelling.


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The Vampire Knitting Club - Book Review

The Vampire Knitting Club (Vampire Knitting Club #1)
by Nancy Warren

What is it about:
Vampires who knit
A troublemaking witch
Who killed Granny — and is she really dead?

At a crossroads between a cringe-worthy past (Todd the Toad) and an uncertain future (she's not exactly homeless, but it's close), Lucy Swift travels to Oxford to visit her grandmother. With Gran's undying love to count on and Cardinal Woolsey's, Gran's knitting shop, to keep her busy, Lucy can catch her breath and figure out what she's going to do.

Except it turns out that Gran is the undying. Or at least, the undead. But there's a death certificate. And a will, leaving the knitting shop to Lucy. And a lot of people going in and out who never use the door—including Gran, who is just as loving as ever, and prone to knitting sweaters at warp speed, late at night. What exactly is going on?

When Lucy discovers that Gran did not die peacefully in her sleep, but was murdered, she has to bring the killer to justice without tipping off the law that there's no body in the grave. Between a hot 600-year-old vampire and a dishy detective inspector, both of whom always seem to be there for her, Lucy finds her life getting more complicated than a triple cable cardigan.
The only one who seems to know what's going on is her cat ... or is it ... her familiar?

What did I think of it:
I couldn't resist the title of this book. I mean: knitting vampires!

And this is a really enjoyable cozy paranormal mystery.

Lucy inherits her grandmother's knitting shop, but soon discovers her grandmother might be dead, but she's still knitting. As Lucy discovers one paranormal secret after the other she also gets involved in the mystery of her grandmother's untimely demise.

I had lots fun with this book and got my wish: knitting vampires! I'm not sure why so many vampires thought knitting was so much fun, but who doesn't enjoy the image of a coven of knitting vampires, so I didn't care about the why.

The mysteries and secrets weren't too complicated, but enjoyable. I really liked several of the characters, especially Lucy's grandmother and some of the other vampires. All in all this book is a really nice and fun introduction to a promising series. I'll most definitely pick up the next book somewhere in the future.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun Cozy Paranormal Mystery


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Happy New Year!

I wish everyone a wonderful, magical, and book-filled 2019.
May your reads be amazing and plenty.