Peasreads: The Book Swap Tessa Bickers

 

This is such a fun refreshing read. I liked the writing style. The story is unique. Each of the characters grew with the story. The care that was taken to address trauma. The love for books and writing. 

Thank you Tessa Bickers for sharing this one with the world. I've already recommended it to do many of my reader friends. 

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

 

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I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are  my own. 

Peasreads: The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

This book is such a fun read. I loved seeing through a cat's eyes. Alex Howard tells the story of Grimalkin and his witnessing life in a 120 year span. There are beautiful touching moments and funny moments. I love the footnotes sharing the history of the times. I would recommend this book to cat lovers, dog lovers (me), anyone who likes historical fiction with a touch of magic and whimsy 

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC. All opinions are my own and I was under no obligation to leave a review.

 

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I received this book from NetGalley for this review. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions are  my own. I am disclosing this per the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Peasreads: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

I received this book from NetGalley. Like all the other books I have read from NetGalley, I am not obligated to write reviews. I liked this book so much I preordered a copy for my shelves. 

It is inspired by one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China. 

Readers who enjoy historical fiction, strong female, and male characters, slow burn clean romance, Ancient China, and Chinese legends will love this book. It is about what it means to be a woman, a person. Where your value and worth lies. It is also about duty, war, revenge, and seeing both sides of a coin.

I truly enjoyed it.

Peasreads: Glass: A Cinderella Tale by Kathryn Lasky

 

From the Publisher:

Newbery Honoree and New York Times bestselling author of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series Kathryn Lasky delivers an enchanting prequel to the Cinderella story from the perspective of a young fairy godmother.

In a grand glass house, there was a girl named Bess whose power would, one day, change the fate of her family. . . Bess Wickham has always felt like a bit of an outcast among her family of extraordinary glassblowers, but then an immense, magical power that’s lain dormant in her bloodline begins to emerge. So, when she suspects her family’s business has taken a sinister turn, Bess must find the strength to defeat dark magic and save a certain cinder girl. But will she shatter under the weight of such evil or get her happily ever after?

Peasreads: THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE by K.X. Song

 

Get ready for epic storytelling. I've heard so much buzz about this book. It's in my read next que. Mulan? Yes. Magic? Fantasy? The Three Kingdoms? Yes. Yes and YES please. Plus one of my favorite authors is singing praise about it:

“Sweepingly epic and tenderly romantic, The Night Ends With Fire

is a fiercely feminist adventure about a young woman fighting to

shape her destiny in a world of lore, magic, and war.”

—AMÉLIE WEN ZHAO, New York Times bestselling

author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

From the publisher:

Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

About the Author

K. X. Song is a diaspora writer with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Raised between cultures and languages, she enjoys telling stories that explore the shifting nature of memory, translation, and history. She is the author of An Echo in the City and the forthcoming The Night Ends with Fire, her adult fantasy debut. You can learn more at kxsong.com

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Peasreads: Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

 

This book took a lot of work to get into at first. There were times I picked it up and only read a chapter or so. There were other times when I couldn't wait to keep reading. However, it took me a bit to really want to keep reading. This isn't the author's fault. The world she has built and imagined is very cool. It just didn't pop off the pages for me. I like the main characters. I appreciate that Ye-Yang wasn't a clueless prince., I like him the most. Ying herself is smart and resourceful. This is a great start to a YA fantasy (trilogy I believe?) I DNF but will keep reading. I just wanted to get this review up before the date of publication. I like it enough to have a special edition on the way and I will read the next book. 

Description

Mulan meets Iron Widow in this thrilling silkpunk fantasy about a girl who must disguise herself as a boy and enter the famed and dangerous Engineer’s Guild trials to unravel the mystery of her father’s murder.

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune. 

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own. 

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?

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Thank you Netgalley and  PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for this galley, I was not obligated to leave a review. All opinions are my own.

Peasreads: The Spellshop

 My thoughts: 

The Spellshop is such an enchanting, funny, entertaining read. I loved it! It is categorized as romantasy but it's so much more. I didn't feel like romance was the main theme. Which was refreshing.

This story is about loss, belonging, found family, love, friendship, and the power of community. Set in a world where magic is outlawed to everyone but the sorcerers appointed by the empower. There is a revolution to take back knowledge. MC Keila a librarian and keeper of Spellbooks flees the capitol city as revolutionaries burn the library down with as many books as she can save. Afraid of what might happen if she's found with the books Keila hides them in her childhood cottage. Her plan is to hold on to them until she can return to the city. In the meantime, she plans to keep her head down and speak to as few people as possible. Her hometown however is not as she remembered it. It is run down, the weather is completely unpredictable and dangerous due to magic being misused in the capital. Keila wants to help the town, but in doing so she may risk the discovery of the books.

Peasreads: Goddess of the River

 

In Goddess of the River, Patel  tells us a story about Ganga the River Goddess. This book is from her point of view. From how she came to Earth, the curse put upon her, her love and for humans, her understanding of them. 

Ganga has a son with a human king. She watches as he grows from afar, trying to steer him from the evil parts of humanity. As time goes by both Ganga and her son grow in different ways. Her son navigates the politics, family distrust and betrayal. While Ganga attempts steer the hearts of people and to assist them as they come to her shores and cry out to her. 

This is a book that has beautiful word building and story telling. I loved it so much that I have put another book by the author on my TBR

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I received this book from Netgalley and Orbit books. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own.