Month: Jul 2019

Mooncakes by Wendy Xiu and Suzanne Walker

Review below

This Arc was provided by the publishers via net galley in exchange for a fun and honest review..

This Graphic novel was such a fantastic and amazing story, the story has so many aspects that I really enjoyed very much such as. The.magic and family relationships that were so supportive all the time. It was amazing to see rep of a Female/Non binary relationship.(which was the cutest in the world).

This Graphic novel follows Nova a Chinese-American witch who sadly lost her parents and is still trying to grief in the best way she can. Nova lives with her Grandmas ( the best couple alert). All three of them work and look after Rare and special witch books which sometimes people come and and ask to rent them for a couple of days.

We also follow Tam a Non-Binary werewolf, who has come back to New England after leaving many years ago. Before they moved away Tam and Nova were really great friends and grew up together. Tam has came back because where they lived before he was having some issues with their family and they were not very kind at all to them.

I really enjoyed the underlay of the story of trying to find yourself in a world that can be very intimidating and tough at times, I Love how Nova and Tam always stuck together through everything and made sure that the other person was okay. Even though they both have their struggles individually they have that loving bond that can last a lifetime.

I just got to say that the Grandmas in this graphic novel are some of my fav people, they were so supportive, always wanting what was best for Nova and also welcomed Tam in with open arms and loving care.

Overall this Graphic novel was a Queer,Magical read that everyone needs to read when it is released and to meet these amazing characters. The rep in this I loved so much, the characters were amazing and finally the illustrations were gorgeous. Im definitely going to pick up a finished copy once it has been released just

so I can digest these visuals once again they are just the best.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book review: Lock every door – Riley Sager

Firstly before go into review just want to say sorry I haven’t posted for a few day but back now 🙂

Review below (spoilers)

This book was my first Riley Sager book and wow why haven’t I read any from this author before now, after seeing quite a few people talk about this book and seeing some really good reviews on the book I though I would try it out myself to see if I like it seeing as its my first book by this author. Before going into this book the concept alone was what got me interested. House sitting a well known place, creepy things starting to happen. what’s not to love about that in a thriller/mystery novel.

Jules larsen has not have the best time for the past few weeks in her life, catching her boyfriend cheating on her with another woman and also finding out later he was doing it the whole relationship, not just that Jules has been having lots of money troubles lately and just doesn’t know where her life is heading. So when Jules sees a advert for someone needed to house sit for three months at one of the grandest apartment buildings the Bartholomew in New York she takes up the offer and thinks why not its the perfect time to do it, nothing could go wrong…

as we delve deeper into the book and as Jules is settling into the Apartment we get introduced to some very mysterious and intriguing characters who live in the apartment all the time and we meet Ingrid who is an Apartment sitter on the floor below Jules. Jules start to confide in Ingrid as they are both new to staying in the residency of the Bartholomew, but Ingrid starts saying quite a few Mysterious things to Jules about the creepy happenings of what has happened in this building many years ago and the many going ons that continue to happen day to day. Jules just doesn’t really make anything of it but when she and Ingrid set up a day in Central Park for the next day when she arrives Ingrid is no where to be seen and doesn’t come back to the Bartholomew for the days after…

Jules makes it her life mission to find out what’s happened to Ingrid and start to find clues all through the apartment she’s staying in and all through the Apartment, delving deeper and deeper Jules finds out so much more that she starts to feel scared and doesn’t want to stay in the apartment anymore. Jules wants to find out what has happened and be done with the place and leave.

will that happen…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A very large expanse of sea – Tahereh Mafi

4.25 stars

TW : Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, bullying

this book is set in 2002 the year after 9/11 and is about Shirin a muslim hijabi teenager girl who just wants to get on with her life without everyone giving her dirty looks, nasty remarks and calling her names when she is out in the streets and all through school every day by her peers, strangers and even teachers.

Shirin deals with everything by herself and keeps everything bottled inside her, feeling alone and no one to talk to because her parents just shrug off everything that she says if she has/had a incident at school with a pupil so because of that doesn’t feel like she needs to tell her parents and goes down a spiral of locking everything up and just struggle on her own. soon though her brother tells her of a breakdancing group he has put together and wants her to join and also meet the other guys. when she meets the guys she feels like she belongs and doesn’t feel alone anymore which surprises her. I really enjoyed the breakdancing aspect of this book because I have never read a book with breakdancing as a hobby before and I really wanted even more scenes with that and the crew.

Shirin then meets Ocean one of the popular boys around school when they are paired together in a science class and from their we see a connection start to brew from the first time they meet and start chatting to the final page. this relationship definitely has an abundance of ups and downs with Shirin second guessing their relationship and wondering about why Ocean would want to be with her and so many other aspects to the story.

This story is such an emotional and important story that on one page could be happy to the next page where ur moved to tears just in a few seconds, Tahereh Mafi’s writing is just so magical and just from reading this book you can just tell how much this story is so important and close to Tahereh Mafi.

this book is 4.25/5 stars overall was just an amazing book, one thing I would loved to seen more would of been the breakdancing aspect as never read anything about that in a book before and also at times I just thought the romantic relationship went a little quick at points but apart from that it was a beautifully emotional read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Reading Rush TBR

Who else is participating in the reading rush this year ? Hosted by @arielbissett and @raeleenlemay and it will be from July 22 – July 28 👍🏻👍🏻 This is my TBR for the week of the readathon ☺️☺️ 1. Purple on the cover – Wicked Fox 
2. Read in one sitting in the same place – Heartstopper Volume Two
3. Read a book meant to last year – Everything Leads to You 
4. Read a authors first book – A Girl Like That 
5. Non human main character – Sea Witch 
6. Book that has five or more words In the title – The Girl the Sea Gave Back  (EARC) 
7. Read and watch a book to movie adaptation – Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (reread and rewatch)

No Ivy League – Hazel Newlevant

This book was for review from netgalley

Firstly would like to thank netgalley for a arc of this graphic novel In exchange for a honest review.

This graphic novel follows Hazel who all their life has been homeschooled and sheltered from the real world, so doesn’t really understand much about how much white privilege they has.

So when they get a summer job to work with a bunch of other teenagers around their age who are not homeschooled as they are and sees the diverse group of people with different backgrounds,races and so on. This really wakes up Hazel to a world they has never really seen or endured so is very interested to educate themselves.

Through this book we do see Hazel come into situations where they really do see their white privilege when one point of this book we see one of Hazel’s co workers who is black says something disrespectful about Hazel, they report it and he gets punished and chucked out of the job. But when someone else said something to a black girl It was pushed u set the rug and went unpunished.

This book definitely delved a little into a topic that is very major problem and has been a problem in society for years and years and which continue to keep happening everyday.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book I liked the images and because I read a arc copy a few pages were missing fully drawn art but was still great to see/ read and will be cool to see how it has been drawn in the finished copies.

Overall this graphic novel was a 3 stars for me, it’s definitely has important issues raised all through this that everyone should read but some parts of this graphic novel were a little bit like meh.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This time will be different – Misa Sugiura

This book Follows Cj a seventeen year old Japanese- American woman, who through life always feels like she is a let down and doesn’t live up to her mother’s ambitions for her. everything CJ applies for she feels like she doesn’t belong or doesn’t like the job. Until now where she is currently the apprentice to her auntie with helping her with the family run flower shop which has been passed on down through the family tree. This is where Cj feels best when she is helping out and becoming a florist with her Auntie Hannah who loves the flower shop so much.

so one day when her mother says she is going to sell the flower shop because it isn’t doing very well like it used to but not only that, Cj’s mother is selling it too a family who took everything from Cj’s grandparents in World War II in a time when Japanese-Americans were being took into camps. When Cj hears of this she isn’t going to back down without a fight to keep the flower shop still in their family and continue the business. It’s also he first Time where Cj has founds something she wants to fight for, not just for herself but for also her auntie and the family legacy.

I loved so much of this book and one interesting part of this book was learning so much about the Japanese history and so many being stripped of everything and having to go through so many tragic times throughout WWII and after from being in camps to Japanese culture not being accepted in America. still to this day we still see Racial slurs being spoken and in this book we definitely saw that even though its getting better we do still have people who are very disrespectful to Japanese/all asian countries in general.

overall this book was such a interesting and beautiful written story of if u actually believe In something u go out and try your hardest to succeed in either trying to keeping something open or either your dreams and just chasing them and never give up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please send help – Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin

Arc provided by Netgalley

firstly I would like to say thank you to net galley fo approving my request of this book. very grateful 

this book is a sequel to Gaby Dunn’s and Alison Raskin’s book I hate everyone but you, I really enjoyed that book and the format of the story that it is in, which The form of writing is in texts and emails back and forth between two friends who have been best friends since forever and they are called Ava and Genevieve. sadly for me this second book wasn’t as good as the first book and I just wasn’t really connecting to this story as much as the first book. for me at points throughout this book I just didn’t like some of the things both of the characters were saying in some parts and I just wasn’t really feeling the story aswell which is a shame because I was very excited to read this book .

in this story I just found the characters not likeable at all yes at points I did enjoy but most of the time they both just seemed to be really petty at points and even though they were both in college they both acted way younger in some aspects definitely in the romantic relationships they go through in this book, I definitely was more fond of Ava than Gen because I could understand Ava’s issues but most of the time she just didn’t listen to Get when she was given her advice aswell. 

one part I did like is that even though this friendship is definitely not the best in many ways with how Ava and Gen treat each other I did like that in the end the friendship overided the romantic interests because there is nothing worse when the character has been friends with someone for so many years and then once a guy comes into there lives they ditch the friend, I’m so happy that that didn’t happen and the friendship ruled in the end.

overall this book is a 3 stars it was a okay quick read that was a bit disappointing aswell.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heir of Fire – Sarah J Maas

Oooo Sarah j Maas has done it once again with another amazing read of the series yes this is not one of my faves of the series but damn I can for sure tell u that the characters in this book we get introduced are some of my new faves *cough* Manon *cough* Rowan hehe. 

Even though it wasn’t my fav book so far I loved it so much, I just loved of course the world and I enjoyed where the story is going to be heading because damn Caelena/Aelin ain’t here to play and ness around she’s ready to take that throne and make the world a better place once and for all. 

Out of all the book I always looked forward to Rowan’s and caelena’s scenes the most especially once I started liking Rowan. Don’t get me started on how one minute I don’t like Rowan at all then all of a sudden after one action he does He’s my new fav character in this series. Manon is the ultimate queen aswell I really enjoyed reading about her and how she is very courageous,deadly and doesn’t stand for no BS. I’m very excited to see how she grows as a character in the next books and see her on her adventures with her Gang of witches. 

Yes I think the reason why this wasn’t my fav was because of how much this was like a kind off book that was definitely meant to build up the hype for the next book (I’m very excited to read it I must add 😉 ) and you could see that this was really about the information given In this and very heavy on the political side. I think to bump this up to a full 5 stars would of been if there was more action and if of course a little bit less of it being lots of information being written so much. 

Overall with any Sarah j Maas it was amazing, loved it and so excited for the next book which will either get read next month or maybe later on this month. I don’t know why it’s took me so long to carry on with the series 🙈. 

JULY TBR

This is my July TBR. But this is only a small part of my TBR… yes there Is more on the way/I have quite a few ebooks and EARCS that I want to get to this month. Along with that about 40 minutes ago I got a very exciting approval of one of my most anticipated books of the year, The thousand doors of January. when I saw the message I had been approved for this book I was freaking out and so excited, it will probably be one of my first reads of the year aswell.

hope u all love the books you read this month 🙂