Inside Kimmy's Mind

Today’s book is another audiobook. I’m a little bit unsure what to rate this book.

A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and An Education in Malice who are hungry for something more diabolical.

I’ve been drawn to Cassandra Khaw before, but have yet to read anything by this author. I’ll be honest. The title is the main reason I clicked on this book. Then I read the synopsis, and I was intrigued.

This book doesn’t waste any time; it throws you right into it, leaving you a bit stunned. I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook narrated by the wonderful Natalie Naudus. This was the first time I heard Natalie do an array of characters. You are introduced to a list of characters along with our main character. Having a narrator who can perform different voices does enhance the story and helps keep the characters straight. However, there were a few times when I got a bit lost.

For the most part, I enjoyed the alternating timeline. Mainly switching between the “present/future” and the past. And I say, for the most part, as it often helps explain things, although it doesn’t always connect present moments closely to past moments that are related. If that makes sense, sometimes it wouldn’t explain something until halfway through. Or you would return to a moment later on. I would feel impatient at times; however, I still appreciate how this added to the story’s mystery and suspense.

Khaw also has a way with descriptions. I must say, there were some graphic depictions. Vivid, yet somehow also making them mundane for the character performing them. I can’t quite explain it. I do feel a bit confused by the ending. This is the type of book I feel like I have to reread to catch anything I might have missed. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy unusual books.

The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Today’s review is another sequel, well, in this case, a prequel? Or perhaps a story that is a parallel novel to the Spellshop? In any case, this is a cozy fantasy about singing plants, a grumpy gardener, and a talkative librarian seeking second chances.

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel set in the world of The Spellshop! Follow her to The Enchanted Greenhouse, a cozy fantasy nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love.

I was excited to receive an early access copy of this audiobook. I found the first book to be entertaining. However, if I had to choose, I think I enjoyed this one more. It follows a very similar formula to the first one, which, as far as cozy fantasies go, is cute and easy to read.

Terlu is this talkative yet anxious librarian who was wrongfully punished for wanting a friend. Her story is very similar to Kiela’s; both feel the anxiety of being punished or discovered for having or doing magic, and also fear ending up alone. I thought Terlu was relatable, yet she had no filter. Understandable after she was stuck being a statue for so long.

I loved how Yarrow and Terlu interacted with each other. Not quite the same as other forced close-proximity stories. But a trope nonetheless. Parts might be cliche, but again, for a cozy read, I can forgive that. It is exactly what is advertised. Ultimately, the message I took was that you might fail at times, but if possible, try again.

The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Today’s review is the second in a duology scheduled for release next month in July. I was super excited to receive an arc for this one. After reading the first one, which ended on a cliffhanger, I couldn’t wait to see how the story continued.

From the author of Lore of the Wilds comes the exciting and passionate conclusion, as Lore navigates Fae magic amid looming dangers that threaten to destroy her world.

Ultimately, I found the series interesting. However, when compared to the first one, it didn’t carry the same interest for me. Although, I still wanted to finish the story.

It started strong in the beginning, with this tension between our main characters. It was also building up because Lore was coming into this power that she hadn’t been able to fully embrace due to being captured. This is also where the love triangle comes in again. She was torn between the two male characters but was also conflicted by her primary goal of protecting her fellow humans from the fae and the demon king.

I think where it falls flat for me is that there didn’t feel like there was enough time. Lore’s conflict between being human and having a relationship with a fae was mentioned as though it would be a real conflict, but then it was forgotten. I understand that was more of her concern due to her current situation. The characters move from different locations, and Lore can conquer the mini-conflicts in those places to ultimately accomplish the task that will help her reach her overall goal. However, I wish the characters had more time to develop. I still enjoyed the story, but I kept focusing on how much was left and just felt like we were running out of time, which added to the suspense. But I would have preferred it if this was a trilogy. Not that duologies aren’t doable. Another subplot that was mentioned was how the humans were brought to Alytheria. And in the end, they gloss over it. Which, again, is probably just more proof that I’m sad the series isn’t continuing.

Overall, I enjoyed it and look forward to future books by this author.

The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Japanese hit manga rom-com comes to print! The sweet smiles across the faces of the “perfect” student council duo hide secret, tough-as-nails personalities. These two-faced angels vie for dominance while keeping up their flawless act…but how long will it take for contention to give way to attraction?

This modern spin for fans of classics like Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is already a best-seller in Japan!

It’s such an adorable manga! It definitely has Kare Kano vibes. What I love about it so far is how you are thrown into the story fairly quickly. But I’m sure we will learn more about the main characters and their reasons for hiding their true selves as the story progresses.

This feels like it will be a very charming and adorable love story. But I think more importantly it will be a very cute story about their friendship. I’m looking forward to buying this manga when it is released, and I look forward to reading the other volumes.

 The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, we are exploring another bookstore and revisiting different points of time for our main character. However, the title and cover were huge factors that made me stop and want to read this book. But I think this tagline is the main reason.

‘The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.‘

I appreciate how the story gently pulls you into Darby’s life and explores the reasons behind his feelings of not belonging. Even surrounded by friends, he had unresolved things in his past and present that prevented him from finding meaning in his present.

The use of flashbacks is a great touch; even when certain details come up again, they reveal new layers that help us understand Darby’s thoughts and emotions in a different light. I may not relate to Darby’s experiences in the same way, but especially when you’re young and the world feels so heavy, it is easy not to see the whole picture. Or to be blind when others are struggling, too. I was rooting for him throughout the book. Every time he revisited his younger self, I was excited to see what new things he would learn about himself.

I was so invested in Darby’s search for what was missing in his life. This book got me thinking about my life and what it means to belong. The concept that everything consists of choices and that each decision creates a branch of possible outcomes lingers long after you turn the last page.

 The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Witches, different timelines, and a family curse? These are all things that drew me to this book. I enjoyed the pacing in the beginning. However, although the story was interesting and kept me turning the page, I felt almost rushed towards the end. It alternated between different timelines and would jump between our protagonists and antagonist perspectives. All while keeping things easy to follow.

Even though I wish the bookstore had been featured more throughout the story, I still adored the family bond between the characters. Lenny was my favorite character, and I would love to see side stories featuring her in other lifetimes. Ultimately, it was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend this book to people who enjoy cozy, witchy thrillers.

 The publisher provided my arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Portrait Revolution by Julia L. Kay

My favorite thing about art books, aside from making interesting reading material/making a drab coffee table all pretty, is the inspiration they ignite. Even though  I’m not actually an artist in the traditional sense of the word, I enjoy art and dabbling in it. And  I love the way this book showcases different styles and mediums. Making it easy to get inspired by all styles, yet also figuring out the style you might personally prefer.

For me it was definitely the watercolor medium. I love the way watercolor translate to paper and seeing the different techniques. Like with all art, there are so many you can try. It’s also interesting to see how, within each style, lines translate to form a full portrait. Or how the capture each person’s face.

I was excited for this book, but ultimately, I feel it might have been wasted on me. I didn’t test out any of the techniques myself,  so I can’t really speak of the tips and tricks this book goes over, but it did make me want to create in general.  The perfect inspiration for any artist, so this book made a great gift for my artist brother. He’s always in need of inspiration so I’m hoping this book was able to motivate him. Still, even though I didn’t keep it for very long, I still enjoyed being inspired by it and feeling my creative juices flowing.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Here’s my belated Jan/Feb book haul, it has been in the works for awhile now and I finally had time to film it. I had the camera zoomed in way too close, I usually like to have the bookcase framed differently. I dunno, I was off. But like Audrey mentioned in her Spring Break entry, I too think videos add a little something extra to the blog.

Anywho, here’s a list of the books I mentioned in the video!

• Man Seeking Woman by Simon Rich
• Ant Farm by Simon Rich
• Men, Women, and Children by Chad Kultgen
• Fishbowl by Bradley Somer
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
• Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanna Barbot de Villenueve
• Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

What books have you recently purchased? Can you read more than one book, switching between them? I’m curious to know your book buying rules as well.

Thanks for reading

It took me a while to finally finish editing this video but here it is! I sort of took a break from buying books during those months and wasn’t reading as much either. But hopefully, I’ll return to reading more books, I didn’t reach my goal of 50+ books in 2016 so now I’ll try again in 2017…haven’t gotten off to a great start but no sense in giving up. 😀

Here are the books I mentioned in the video:

• Bitter Sweet Love – Michael Faudet
• The Universe of Us – Lang Leav
• Fresh Romance
• Gabi,  a Girl in Pieces – Isabel Quintero
• Beauty and The Beast and Other Classic Fairy Tales
• Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, Illustrated Edition – T. S. Eliot
• Crimson Bound – Rosamond Hodge
• The Sandman Collected Covers – Dave McKean
• Jane, the Fox and Me – Fanny Britt

Going to try to get back on a vlogging schedule and try to read more. I have a Book Outlet Haul coming up and I can’t wait! What books have you been reading lately?

Thanks for reading

While in school my concentration was in Creative Writing, and I struggled with characters, and creating different voices for each character. But I still enjoyed writing each of the different stories I came up with. Story Genius by Lisa Cron stuck out to me because of its catchy cover but also because of its subject matter. It never occurred to me to continue writing stories after college, I haven’t made any effort to write creatively but this book brought back a lot of those college semesters.

What I liked about the book was the voice of the narrator. Very funny and it was almost as if I was discussing literature with a peer. Another thing was the humor, especially when it brought up Fifty Shades of Grey. (If you like this series, take no offense, you are entitled to like any book you like. And hey, if this series made more people read, then right now!) It poked fun at it for sure and explained how ‘beautiful writing’ isn’t enough to get readers interested. It’s the story itself, how does it capture your audience? In the case of this, it had readers wanting more…

The next thing I liked about this book was its helpful prompts…or exercises. The ‘What to Do’ sections. I thought it was an interesting way to sprinkle those in every once in awhile and not beat with it over and over again.  If you are the type of writer that struggles with finishing or developing your story, I suggest giving this a try. If anything, it might just help you think out the parts of your story that you haven’t really put much thought into in the first place. It also made for an interesting read.

Happy reading!

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.