[Book Review] Such an Enchanting Book – A Curse so Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, #1) by Brigid Kemmerer (SPOILER FREE)

Cursebreakers #1| 484 pages | YA Fantasy

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? 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.

For the good of Emberfall, for the good of all.  

Ahhh, this book.  As soon as I started A Curse So Dark and Lonely I was completely immersed in the world of Emberfall.  It’s a quick and captivating read that will draw you in from the get go.  One of the things I loved the most about this novel was the characters, I loved the relationship between Harper, Rhen, and Grey.  Honestly, I can’t even decide who I think Harper should be with…  Harper and Grey have some serious chemistry going on though.  As you can probably tell, Grey was my favourite character out of the three, or as Harper likes to call him, Scary Grey.  I just loved him so much ❤    

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is written in a dual perspective from the points of view of Harper and Rhen.  I would have loved to have read from Grey’s perspective but that’s for the next book!  Seeing Harper struggling with the fact she missed her family, but was also starting to become comfortable in Emberfall, and her inner debates over this made her seem so much more real.

[Graphic Novel Review] My First 5★ Read of 2020 – Heartstopper (Heartstopper, #1) by Alice Oseman (SPOILER FREE)

Heartstopper #1| 278 pages | YA Graphic Novel

Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?

Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore, and he’s sort of got a boyfriend, even if he’s kind of mean and only wants to meet up in secret.

Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him. That is, until the start of January, in which Nick and Charlie are placed in the same form group and made to sit together.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner…

Heartstopper was both my first Alice Oseman work  and first five star read of 2020.  I absolutely adored it, when in retrospect I originally thought I wouldn’t like it as much.  Nick and Charlie as characters were a delight, their relationship was *chefs kiss*.  The little interactions, their friendship, and how it naturally blossomed into something more.   The way Alice portrayed Nick and Charlie’s relationship, the two of them as people, and their own personal struggles was very realistic; Nick and Charlie felt like real fleshed out people.

[Manga Review] Dreamin’ Sun Vol. #02 – #04 by Ichigo Takano (SPOILER FREE)

Dreamin’ Sun #02 – #04 | Shoujo Manga

Dreamin’ Sun Vol. 02 

When Shimana fails to work up the courage to ask Asashi out on a date, she decides it’s time to get a makeover as part of her self-improvement plan. But when she calls Asashi to come check out her new look, she’s too preoccupied with his own crush to pick up the phone. Is her transformation all for nothing? And what are those weird heart palpitations Zen’s getting every time he looks at Shimana? It’s a full house of unrequited love and self-discovery in volume 2 of this slice-of-life romance

Don’t be turned off by my rating for this one… Let me explain.  The first volume I gave a 3.5/5, I added the .5 for artwork, so the everything else was 3/5.  However, this volume I didn’t enjoy the plot as much, therefore, I dropped a star.  It was definitely personal preference though, it’s not a bad volume, but for me I didn’t enjoy the Shimana and Asahi plot, neither did I much enjoy Shimana’s makeover, or the ending tbh with you.  It was entertaining to read, but out of all the volumes I have currently read (4) I don’t ever see myself rereading this volume.  I’m kinda sad because I really love the cover, Tai, the Landlord is one of my favourite characters in this series.  Saying that, I’m a bit confused why he is featured on the cover when this volume isn’t really about him.  Although, he did again give Shimana some sound advice… “It’s fine to get rejected, as long as you give it your all.” 

🌟🌟(.5)

Dreamin’ Sun Vol. 03

When Shimana runs off into a rainstorm, the last person she expects comes to her rescue: Zen! When he gets a fever the next day, Shimana feels responsible and offers to nurse him back to health. While caring for him, she learns that he’s been hiding something from her — but that’s not the only surprise he has in store for her. Zen’s got a confession to make and it’s getting harder and harder for him to keep it under wraps.

I feel like the series is really going to pick up starting from this volume.  You learn a lot more about Zen and his dream to draw manga.  Dreams are a big part of this manga, it’s a reoccurring theme, along with unrequited love.  You also get to meet Zen’s big brother, Ken. I really enjoyed Ken’s character, I found myself chuckling at his scenes, especially when he says “I only ship Fujiwara/Shimana chan”, he also winds Fujiwara up a lot which is hilarious.  The manga starts out with Zen going to rescue Shimana, who at the end of vol. 2 is outside in the rain too proud to go home.  Zen as a result of this ends up getting ill, leading Shimana to look after him, which is how she learns about Zen’s dream.  This volume is definitely one where people decide their ship (Shimana and Zen, or Shimana and Tai), or if you’re like me and you’re indecisive, you don’t mind which way it goes. Don’t get me wrong, Zen is absolutely precious, but I am intrigued by the Landlord and I do want to see where it goes, I do think Shimana needs to grow up a bit first though.  However, Zen should definitely be protected at all costs he’s too cute, whichever way the story goes, I do hope he isn’t left sad in the end because I swear his speech was the cutest thing I have ever read.   

[Book Review] What a Disappointment – Legendary (Caraval, #2) by Stephanie Garber (SPOILER FREE)

Caraval #2 | 451 pages | YA Fantasy

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A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever…

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.

Ah, so it’s time for this review.  I have been putting it off for a week now because I really have no idea what to rate it.  I enjoyed it don’t get me wrong, but it was so underwhelming, my most disappointing book of the year so far.  Not only that but I found it super predictable, majority of the twists and turns didn’t even surprise me.  Not only was the plot predictable, the writing was super repetitive, you were constantly being told over and over again things you had just read in the previous chapter.  Moreover, I was really looking forward to reading from Tella’s point of view, but the majority of the time you were in her inner monologue and she is constantly arguing with herself over which boy she likes.  I mean, I like romance in books, but even I was getting frustrated.  Maybe I’m just being biased because I didn’t really like the love plot surrounding Dante.  I’m open to seeing where Stephanie will take it in Finale, but as of now I’m not really on board fully.  Besides, I’ve become enamored with Jacks, it’s like The Darkling all over again so god help me.  I find him a very interesting character; I feel as if there is more to him than meets the eye.  I found myself routing for Jacks a hell of a lot more than Dante.  He is probably one of the main reasons, other than being invested that I’m even going to read Finale to be honest.   

[Manga Review] A Cute, Comedic, Fluffy Read – Dreamin’ Sun Vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano (SPOILER FREE)

Dreamin’ Sun #01 | 180 pages | Shoujo Manga

🌟🌟🌟(.5)

Dreamin’ Sun is an all-new shoujo manga series, by the creator of New York Times bestseller orange, about a girl’s struggle to find a place where she truly belongs. Fans of orange and other classic shoujo stories will be delighted by this charming tale of bittersweet romance. Dreamin’ Sun is a ten-volume manga series.. Shimana Kameko lives in a home where she feels she doesn’t belong. Her mother is dead, her father has remarried, and her six-month-old baby brother takes up everyone’s attention. Kameko skips school and runs away to a nearby park where she literally stumbles over a mysterious man in a kimono. The stranger, Fujiwara Taiga, offers Kameko a place to stay–on three conditions. The first condition is that Kameko tell him why she ran away from home. The second is that she fetch the stranger’s lost apartment key (he is locked out!). The third condition is …to have a dream. Kameko meets the conditions, moves in, and begins a journey of romance and self- discovery.

Dreamin’ Sun is a very quick, light-hearted read.  It’s written by Ichigo Takano, the author of Orange (which I haven’t read), it’s a cute, romantic comedy, shoujo manga.  I really enjoyed reading this manga, I usually tend to gravitate towards more serious manga such as Death Note, but I’m definitely going to be checking out more shoujo manga in the future.  As I’ve said all ready, this is a very fluffy manga, some of the events that occur in volume one do sometimes seem to fit together quite conveniently, such as how Shimana even finds a place to live/the easy way she completed all of the tasks.  However, I find that this kind of adds to the quirkiness of the manga, moreover, I expected it to be quite cliché at times so I really didn’t mind.   

Volume one flies by very quickly, it sets everything up and introduces you to the characters.  My favourite character so far is Taiga (the Landlord), I’m super interested to learn more about him in the following volumes.  I find the main character, Shimana, to be slightly whiny, I do hope she grows up and matures a bit in the latter volumes, however, I did find I could empathize with some of her problems.  Asahi is cute but too perfect for me to properly like him, and Zen I’m also interested in learning more about.   

[Reread Review] The Book That Blurs Fantasy and Reality – Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber (SPOILER FREE)

Caraval #1 | 405 Pages | YA Fantasy

🌟🌟🌟🌟(.5)

First Read: May 2018 
Second Read: June 2019 

I decided to reread Caraval in preparation to finally finish the trilogy.  When I first read this book last year, I rated it 4.5 out of 5.  Upon reflection, I’m not going to be changing my rating, I don’t think it would be an accurate and fair rating.  Reading Caraval for the first time is a very mysterious, who-the-hell-can-I-trust experience, reading it for a second time not so much due to obviously knowing what happens.

Reading Caraval will always be an enchanting, atmospheric experience.  The imagery, the romantic language used, the smells and colours, all these things make you long for Caraval to actually exist.  It’s easy to get swept up in the story, before you know it, you’re 150 pages down and it’s dark outside.  It’s safe to say, I absolutely adore the world of Caraval, it’s definitely a book to read for the world and the plot.  Rereading it was definitely a wonderful experience in terms of drinking in all of the scenery, all of the magic and little details I missed the first time around.  Furthermore, I’m a bit of a sucker for romance, so again I was rooting for Scarlett and Julian all the way to the end.  The only difference I really noticed was

[Book Review] The One Where I Read The First Book Second – The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang (SPOILER FREE)

The Kiss Quotient #1| 336 pages | Adult Romance

🌟🌟🌟🌟(.5)

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he’s making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…

As you know if you’ve read my review of The Bride Test by Helen Hoang, I read these books out of order.  Reading the two books this way didn’t necessarily dampen my enjoyment, however, there is a minor spoiler in The Bride Test about the outcome of Stella and Micheal’s relationship.  Ignoring this, I do as you can tell from my rating, prefer The Bride Test.  The Kiss Quotient features a lot of miss communication between the characters, I know this happens in a lot of romance books to build tension and I guess further the plot, just to me atleast, it really stuck out to me when reading The Kiss Quotient.

HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it because I did.  Micheal and Stella’s relationship was adorable and Micheal’s so pure. I enjoyed the trope, is that right?  this book featured — Stella hires Micheal as an escort to teach her how to be in a relationship, but ultimately the two of them fall in love.  The romance isn’t as slow-burn as Esme and Khai’s, to be honest, I did find it happened quite quickly.  The relationship itself made up this because oh my, it was so precious.

Forgetting What You Read, Is It Common?

Forgetting what I read is a big problem for me. No matter how much I enjoy the book, in around 2 months I can tell you character names, basic plot points and that’s about it. I don’t speed read and I don’t skim read, yet I still forget large chunks of what I read. I can tell you how I feel about the book, how I felt when I read and when I finished the book, but give me 2 months or so and I can’t tell you large amounts of information about the book. Quotes are another ordeal entirely, why is my memory so bad?! I mean it makes re-reading great, but it’s also super annoying and kinda disheartening as I don’t want to forget all these wonderful stories. I understand that reading is a form of escapism, it’s about how it makes you feel in the here and now, how it makes you forget everything around you and sucks you into this fictional time and place where all your worries don’t matter. However, it’d still be nice to remember more than the bare basics and a few character names a few months later.

[Mini Book Review] Who Knew Husband Hunting Could Be So Fun – Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas (SPOILER FREE)

Wallflowers #1 | 384 Pages | Historical Romance

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Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands . . . no matter what it takes

Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.

Annabelle is determined to resist Simon’s wicked propositions, but she can’t deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle’s courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear

Secrets of a Summer Night is the first romance and first historical romance I ever read.  I do not regret my decision.  I loved the hate-to-love trope featured in this book between the main protagonists Annabelle and Simon.  The plot in this book was simple, yet it did contain meaningful layers which was lovely.  I don’t know much about romance authors, but Lisa Kleypas writes historical romance extremely well.  The friendship group, the Wallflowers, are now one of my all time favourite friendship groups!  Annabelle, Lillian, Daisy and Evie provided many hilarious moments throughout this novel, if you’ve read this you’ll know what I mean when I say, the rounders game.

Delving into the Romance Genre. Do You Think Authors and Readers Are Unfairly Judged?

At the start of this year, I said to myself I was going to branch out and read more genres.  I decided to start with romance, it was the only genre I hadn’t read atleast one book from (except YA romance).  I have no excuse as to why, I just never really saw any that peaked my interest, I guess.  However, my little experiment seems to be going pretty well.  I’ve discovered I do actually like reading romance novels, especially slow-burn, the build up and anticipation is something I enjoy reading.  I’ve discovered I’m trash for the hate-to-love trope or enemies-to-lovers.  I still have a lot to find out, as so far I’ve only read three and I’m halfway through one.

Romance books I have read so far:

• Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas – Historical Romance (Mini review coming soon) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
  
• Marriage for One by Ella Maise – Marriage for Convenience (Review here) 🌟🌟🌟🌟(.5)
  
• The Bride Test by Helen Hoang – Arranged Marriage/Autism Representation (Review here) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
  

My favourite out of those three is definitely The Bride Test by Helen Hoang.  I’m currently making my way through The Kiss Quotient, although I am enjoying it, I do prefer the Bride Test overall.

I find romance novels, to be fun and quick reads.  They allow you to immerse yourself into this stress-free world and experience the thrill of meeting some one for the first time, the anticipation of the build up right from your sofa.  They are perfect for when you are feeling down and need a little pick-me-up.  Snuggling up by the fire, or laying in bed under mountains of duvets and a hot drink, a romance book is the perfect companion to this.  To be honest, I love reading about people falling in love, and reading romance books has taught me I’m more of a hopeless romantic than I think I would have liked to admit before.

[Book Review] The Book I Binged in a Day – The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang (SPOILER FREE)

(The Kiss Quotient #2) | 296 pages | Adult Romance

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Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

Oh my, oh my.  This book.  Sooo, interesting story…  I haven’t read the first book in the series.  I saw The Bride Test on sale on Kindle and thought I may aswell go for it.  Abit of background information, I was in an insane reading slump when I started this and I practically finished it in one day!  This hasn’t been achieved by me in so long I can’t remember the last time, so that’s saying something about this book.

This book follows the romance of Esme and Khai, they are adorable and so, so loveable.  This is my first time reading a book where a character is on the autism spectrum, I found it to be a very interesting look into something I shamefully don’t know too much about.  Esme and Khai as characters are very fleshed out, they have flaws and there is a depth to them. Reading the Bride Test is almost like reading about real people.  The Bride Test with all its cuteness, does broach some serious topics extremely well, while still remaining a quick and enjoyable read.  I found myself extremely drawn into the family this book centers around, Esme’s struggles to navigate both America and Khai, and of course, Quan the absolute darling… I really do hope the next book follows Quan. 

[Book Review] One Seriously Cute Book – Marriage For One by Ella Maise [SPOILER FREE]

Marriage For One | 499 Pages | Adult Romance

🌟🌟🌟🌟(.5)

Jack and I, we did everything backward. The day he lured me into his office-which was also the first day we met-he proposed. You’d think a guy who looked like him-a bit cold maybe, but still striking and very unattainable-would only ask the love of his life to marry him, right? You’d think he must be madly in love.

Nope. It was me he asked. A complete stranger who had never even heard of him. A stranger who had been dumped by her fiancé only weeks before. You’d think I’d laugh in his face, call him insane-and a few other names-then walk away as quickly as possible. Well…I did all those things except the walking away part.

It took him only minutes to talk me into a business deal…erm, I mean marriage, and only days for us to officially tie the knot. Happiest day of my life. Magical. Pop the champagne… Not. It was the worst day. Jack Hawthorne was nothing like what I’d imagined for myself.
I blamed him for my lapse in judgment. I blamed his eyes, the ocean blue eyes that looked straight into mine unapologetically, and that frown on his face I had no idea I would become so fascinated with in time.

It wasn’t long after he said I was the biggest mistake of his life that things started to change. No, he still didn’t talk much, but anyone can string a few words together. His actions spoke the loudest to me. And day after day my heart started to get a mind of its own.

One second he was no one. The next he became everything.
One second he was unattainable. The next he seemed to be completely mine.
One second I thought we were in love. The next it was still nothing but a lie.

After all, I was Rose and he was Jack. We were doomed from the very beginning with those names. Did you expect anything else?

Jack and Rose are now one of my favourite fictional couples.  Watching in on how they both fall deeply in love with each other was one of the sweetest things ever.  From the moment I finished the preview on Amazon, I knew this book was going to hook me and take away my life until I finished it, I wasn’t wrong.  I became so wrapped up in the lives of Jack and Rose, in their relationship, the characters felt so, so real.  They had their flaws, yet they were both so endearing.  This novel is a very slow burn romance, it’s 499 pages, and close on half the book until you see how the characters start to fall in love with each other.  With the length of the book and how long it takes Jack and Rose to admit their feelings, you would think it’d be a drag.  No, not at all.  It was wonderful and cute, just reading about the two of them and their lives, even if nothing in particular was happening it was still amusing.