It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 20 April 2020

 

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Hey Bookdragons! I unexpectedly disappeared the past couple weeks but I'm back. My dad died on April 1st (from cancer, not coronavirus related) and I've been under a lot of stress so I needed to take a step back. Understandably I haven't been reading much either but I did manage to finish a couple things. 

What I Read Last Week(s):
The Return by Rachel Harrison

This one is a serious contender for one of my favorite books of the 1st 1/2 of 2020! It's creepy and atmospheric AF with a supernatural monster that isn't so much named on the page as given the feeling of. 

The Winter Witch by Karpov-Kinrade & Heather Hildenbrand

This is a cool Beauty and the Beast retelling. It's short - only about 96 pages but it's definitely worth a read!

The Alien's Future by Ella Maven

This series was introduced to me during a chat in Virtual ApollyCon (since Apollycon was cancelled due to the virus) and I really enjoyed this novella introduction to this sexy sci-fi series!

The Mist by Stephen King

One of my goals this year is to read some of Stephen King's backlist and this was a quick, eerie book that ironically fit being in 'safer-at-home' mode lately. 

Currently Reading / Still-in-Progress
Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

I'm about 30% into this one but I put it on the back burner while I listen to Aurora Rising for the read-along.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

 Yesterday wrapped the second week of the read-along covering chapters 10-15. I caught up on the reading listening to the audiobook while I dyed my hair yesterday.

Reborn Yesterday by Tessa Bailey

I was making great progress with this one about a week and a half ago and then I just... didn't feel like reading about corpses and funeral homes and vampires. I want to try to finish it this week. 

Up Next
I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

I recently joined the street team for this upcoming YA thriller and I can't wait to dive into it. 

What have you been reading lately?

The Saturday Review - 2 February 2019

The Saturday Review is a weekly meme hosted by me (Taylor Fenner's Bookish World) where fellow book bloggers and readers can share what books they've recently reviewed. 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Blurb:

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

My Review:

As far as retellings go, this one went straight to the top of my favorites list! It was the book I didn't know I was craving and couldn't get enough of.

Harper is our flawed but strong heroine, who never let her CP slow her down. Rhen is the brooding, sexy, closed off Prince who is a shell of the cocky male he used to be, who has given up all hope of breaking the curse against him. And Grey - oh Grey! His unflappable loyalty and courage and heart.. oh I think I might have loved him most of all. Even the side characters like Freya, Noah, Jake, Zo were awesome. And Lilith was the perfect villain! I wanted someone, anyone to take her out repeatedly. 

I've read one other book by this author and didn't like it but this one blew me away with how much I loved it and I'm now definitely on board with this author's writing! 

Overall, if you like strong, imperfectly perfect heroines, swoonworthy, cursed males, and retellings you're going to love this one! Go, add it to your TBRs, I'll wait ;)

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Blurb:

In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

My Review:

As far as retellings go, this one went straight to the top of my favorites list! It was the book I didn't know I was craving and couldn't get enough of.

Harper is our flawed but strong heroine, who never let her CP slow her down. Rhen is the brooding, sexy, closed off Prince who is a shell of the cocky male he used to be, who has given up all hope of breaking the curse against him. And Grey - oh Grey! His unflappable loyalty and courage and heart.. oh I think I might have loved him most of all. Even the side characters like Freya, Noah, Jake, Zo were awesome. And Lilith was the perfect villain! I wanted someone, anyone to take her out repeatedly. 

I've read one other book by this author and didn't like it but this one blew me away with how much I loved it and I'm now definitely on board with this author's writing! 

Overall, if you like strong, imperfectly perfect heroines, swoonworthy, cursed males, and retellings you're going to love this one! Go, add it to your TBRs, I'll wait ;)

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!