Recent Reads

I wasn't planning on blogging anymore this year but I had some time on my hands and well why not. This is definitely my last post of the year.. lol. See you in 2025

A Conjuring of Light by V.E Schwab

Synopsis - The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.
Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.

Thoughts - I mentioned in my last book post back in October that I was midway through this series and had a good feeling about it. Well it was fantastic! I loved all the characters, it was a fun adventure full of magic and unexpected twists. I will be reading a lot more by this author. 

The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

Synopsis - Four years ago, I lied. I stood in front of the police, my friends and family, and made up a story, my best one yet. And all of them believed me.
I wasn't surprised. Telling stories is what made me famous. Fifteen bestsellers. Millions of fans. Fame and fortune.
Now, I have one last story to write. It'll be my best one yet, with a jaw-dropping twist that will leave them stunned and gasping for breath.
They say that sticks and stones will break your bones, but this story? It will be the one that kills me.

Thoughts - This is my second book by this author and it will most probably be my last. I don't remember much about the first book except that it was average. This book was sooo boring. I was literally skipping paragraphs and the end.. well it was not worth having to read the whole book. 

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian

Synopsis - Ada promised herself she would never go back to the Trace, to her hard life on the swamp and her harsh father. But now, after running away to Baton Rouge and briefly knowing a different kind of life, she finds herself with nowhere to go but back home. And she knows there will be a price to pay with her father.
Matilda, daughter of a sharecropper, is from the other side of the Trace. Doing what she can to protect her family from the whims and demands of some particularly callous locals is an ongoing struggle. She forms a plan to go north, to pack up the secrets she's holding about her life in the South and hang them on the line for all to see in Ohio.
As the two girls are drawn deeper into a dangerous world of bootleggers and moral corruption, they must come to terms with the complexities of their tenuous bond and a hidden past that links them in ways that could cost them their lives.

Thoughts - I liked this one. It had some Crawdad vibes with life on the swamp. It is a beautiful tale of overcoming loss and finding your place in the world. It was full of sad things happening to these young girls forcing them develop an unexpected bond. It is based in 1920's Mississippi, not a fun time or place to be a girl or a person of color, it centers itself on both these topics. It was well done.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs

Synopsis - For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements--books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.
All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna's isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they'll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries .

Thoughts - It's a book about magical books.. what's not to love? I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed all the characters, I listened to the audiobook so I got to enjoy all the brilliantly done accents as well. It was an engaging story with enough twists that kept be listening. A solid 4 stars! 

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

Synopsis - She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. It was a mistake to trust him.
Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He's been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.
When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it's too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.

Thoughts - I was lucky these last few months with some solid reads. This was a YA but like many YA's the characters did not annoy me, I didn't have to keep on reminding myself they are acting dumb because they are teenagers. These characters all felt real. The twist ending was gut wrenching. I really was not expecting it and I was in tears at the end. Very very well done. 

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