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momwithareadingproblem's Reviews (1.18k)
Sometimes to get out of a reading rut all you need is a sweet contemporary romance
The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter has been on my radar since it first hit shelves in 2019. I love fairy tale retellings, and I especially love the anti-hero stories, you know the stories about the villain. That is one-hundred percent this story! The Evil Queen twists everything you thought you knew about Snow White and turns it on its head.
Everly Morrow thought she was a normal teen with normal teen problems: a smart kid, socially outcast, hanging on til graduation. What she didn’t expect was to be magical or to not even be from the human realm, but from Enchantia, a realm where fairy tales are real and so are all the monsters that haunt them. After accidentally killing her mother, Everly finds herself navigating this strange world without any preparation. The only thing she knows to be true is she has to find her sister and not become the prophesied evil queen.
Then enters Prince Roth Charmaine. That’s right, Prince Charming in the flesh. Everly can’t seem to resist the pull he has over her, I can’t either
Everly Morrow thought she was a normal teen with normal teen problems: a smart kid, socially outcast, hanging on til graduation. What she didn’t expect was to be magical or to not even be from the human realm, but from Enchantia, a realm where fairy tales are real and so are all the monsters that haunt them. After accidentally killing her mother, Everly finds herself navigating this strange world without any preparation. The only thing she knows to be true is she has to find her sister and not become the prophesied evil queen.
Then enters Prince Roth Charmaine. That’s right, Prince Charming in the flesh. Everly can’t seem to resist the pull he has over her, I can’t either
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
I adored this book! Fable by Adrienne Young is the first in a duology about a young woman who is just trying to survive and find her own way in the world. This was my first time reading Adrienne Young, and I could talk for days about her writing. I love it! I will definitely be reading everything of hers I can get my hands on from now on. But I digress, let’s talk about Fable.
Fable is 17 at the opening of the book and barely surviving as a dredger on the fictional island of Jeval. The daughter of a notorious trader, Fable keeps her identity a secret to protect herself and the father who dumped her on the island four years earlier. He told her if she could find her way off the island that it would prove to him she could survive life as a trader and he’d give her “what was hers.” So Fable works daily to survive with the goal of getting off the island. With the help of a young trader, Fable gets off the island and sets a course to find her father.
West is the captain of the Marigold, a small trading ship with an even smaller crew. Fable doesn’t really know him. She only knows that if it wasn’t for him, she’d have died a long time ago. Trading with him is the only thing that kept her going the last four years. Now she is on his ship. I like West. He’s loyal to his crew, but beyond that we don’t really know. It’s clear that he has feelings for Fable from the start (why else would he let her on his ship?) and he’s hiding something. Beyond that, West is a mystery to me. I like him, I want to love him, but we will see.
The rest of the crew on the Marigold I love, Willa especially. Each of the crew members bring something different to the story, and each bond with Fable in their own way. I found myself rooting for them to all get along and for Fable to just stay with them, but her goal is not the same as theirs. She is determined to find Saint, her father, the notorious tradesman who rules the Narrows.
Let’s take a sec to just talk about the world-building here. This world seems to be based off the Carribean and time period that revolves around pirates and traders. The best way to describe the traders here are as pirates, at least that’s my opinion. I really pictured them as cutthroat and ruthless. The markets they trade in remind me a little of the markets described in port towns during the colonial days of America. The vivid imagery used to describe both the ports and the diving that Fable does as a dredger put me right in the action. I could feel cool breeze coming off the water and smell the salt in the air.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I decided to give it 4.5 stars (rounded to 5). The only reason I knocked it down a half star is predictability. I had most of the story figured out well before the end. However, that did not lessen my enjoyment. I adored this story and cannot wait for more set in this world. If you enjoy fantasy, slow burn (and I do mean SLOW) romance, and adventure on the high seas, you are in for a treat.
#COYER Community: I buddy read this one with Lenore @ Celebrity Readers. For once, we stayed pretty close together in our reading
I adored this book! Fable by Adrienne Young is the first in a duology about a young woman who is just trying to survive and find her own way in the world. This was my first time reading Adrienne Young, and I could talk for days about her writing. I love it! I will definitely be reading everything of hers I can get my hands on from now on. But I digress, let’s talk about Fable.
Fable is 17 at the opening of the book and barely surviving as a dredger on the fictional island of Jeval. The daughter of a notorious trader, Fable keeps her identity a secret to protect herself and the father who dumped her on the island four years earlier. He told her if she could find her way off the island that it would prove to him she could survive life as a trader and he’d give her “what was hers.” So Fable works daily to survive with the goal of getting off the island. With the help of a young trader, Fable gets off the island and sets a course to find her father.
West is the captain of the Marigold, a small trading ship with an even smaller crew. Fable doesn’t really know him. She only knows that if it wasn’t for him, she’d have died a long time ago. Trading with him is the only thing that kept her going the last four years. Now she is on his ship. I like West. He’s loyal to his crew, but beyond that we don’t really know. It’s clear that he has feelings for Fable from the start (why else would he let her on his ship?) and he’s hiding something. Beyond that, West is a mystery to me. I like him, I want to love him, but we will see.
The rest of the crew on the Marigold I love, Willa especially. Each of the crew members bring something different to the story, and each bond with Fable in their own way. I found myself rooting for them to all get along and for Fable to just stay with them, but her goal is not the same as theirs. She is determined to find Saint, her father, the notorious tradesman who rules the Narrows.
Let’s take a sec to just talk about the world-building here. This world seems to be based off the Carribean and time period that revolves around pirates and traders. The best way to describe the traders here are as pirates, at least that’s my opinion. I really pictured them as cutthroat and ruthless. The markets they trade in remind me a little of the markets described in port towns during the colonial days of America. The vivid imagery used to describe both the ports and the diving that Fable does as a dredger put me right in the action. I could feel cool breeze coming off the water and smell the salt in the air.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I decided to give it 4.5 stars (rounded to 5). The only reason I knocked it down a half star is predictability. I had most of the story figured out well before the end. However, that did not lessen my enjoyment. I adored this story and cannot wait for more set in this world. If you enjoy fantasy, slow burn (and I do mean SLOW) romance, and adventure on the high seas, you are in for a treat.
#COYER Community: I buddy read this one with Lenore @ Celebrity Readers. For once, we stayed pretty close together in our reading
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Namesake by Adrienne Young picks up right where [b:Fable|44012880|Fable (Fable, #1)|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590354131l/44012880._SY75_.jpg|68428287] left off. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, there may be minor spoilers to it ahead. Fable is now in the hands of Zola. What he has planned for her though is anyone’s guess. With the Marigold free of Saint’s control, Fable can only hope and wonder if anyone will come looking for her. As beautiful as it is deadly, Namesake will take you on an adventure that will leave you both satisfied and craving more.
Fable is one of my new favorite characters! She is fearless, loyal to a fault, and knows what she wants. Her entire backstory has been hidden from her and slowly it comes to light in this book. She finds her origins, where her mother was from, and in the process, Fable finds who she is. I adore her character arc and the journey Young takes us on.
West is a lot darker in this book. His past was hinted at in Fable, but his actions and feelings for Fable allowed me to overlook it. Now, with her taken, his past is coming back to haunt him and not in a good way. Y’all I really struggled to continue to love West. He’s in a dark place when we see him again, and my heart broke for him.
The entire plot of this one is Fable finding out who she is and where she comes from. I love the backstory, the history that is given to this character. Saint returns, and his character arc is just as interesting to me as Fable’s. I already had a soft spot for him, but y’all I totally fell in love with him here. Young expands the world of Fable taking us across the Unnamed Sea to Bastian. The imagery, again, is outstanding. I just wanted to crawl into the pages and live on the ship with Fable.
Overall, I really enjoyed Namesake. Adrienne Young wraps the series up nicely, leaving me satisfied at the conclusion. All the characters from Fable to Saint to even Koy are fully fleshed out and felt real to me. If you enjoy fantasy on the open seas, I highly recommend you grab this one.
Namesake by Adrienne Young picks up right where [b:Fable|44012880|Fable (Fable, #1)|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590354131l/44012880._SY75_.jpg|68428287] left off. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, there may be minor spoilers to it ahead. Fable is now in the hands of Zola. What he has planned for her though is anyone’s guess. With the Marigold free of Saint’s control, Fable can only hope and wonder if anyone will come looking for her. As beautiful as it is deadly, Namesake will take you on an adventure that will leave you both satisfied and craving more.
Fable is one of my new favorite characters! She is fearless, loyal to a fault, and knows what she wants. Her entire backstory has been hidden from her and slowly it comes to light in this book. She finds her origins, where her mother was from, and in the process, Fable finds who she is. I adore her character arc and the journey Young takes us on.
West is a lot darker in this book. His past was hinted at in Fable, but his actions and feelings for Fable allowed me to overlook it. Now, with her taken, his past is coming back to haunt him and not in a good way. Y’all I really struggled to continue to love West. He’s in a dark place when we see him again, and my heart broke for him.
The entire plot of this one is Fable finding out who she is and where she comes from. I love the backstory, the history that is given to this character. Saint returns, and his character arc is just as interesting to me as Fable’s. I already had a soft spot for him, but y’all I totally fell in love with him here. Young expands the world of Fable taking us across the Unnamed Sea to Bastian. The imagery, again, is outstanding. I just wanted to crawl into the pages and live on the ship with Fable.
Overall, I really enjoyed Namesake. Adrienne Young wraps the series up nicely, leaving me satisfied at the conclusion. All the characters from Fable to Saint to even Koy are fully fleshed out and felt real to me. If you enjoy fantasy on the open seas, I highly recommend you grab this one.
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Return to Enchantia and meet the Glass Queen in this second installment of Gena Showalter‘s series Forest of Good and Evil. I devoured this book! I really enjoyed [b:The Evil Queen|40242200|The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil, #1)|Gena Showalter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549650396l/40242200._SY75_.jpg|62518218], and truth be told, I wasn’t sure how the sequel would live up. However, I am here to tell you that The Glass Queen is a heart-stopping addition to the series, worthy of any and all praise it receives.
Princess Ashleigh Charmaine is known as the Glass Princess. Born with a weak heart, she has never been seen as strong enough to survive and rule her kingdom. As she ages though, a power is awakening in her, one that she isn’t sure she controls. I love Ashleigh. Her entire character arc proves that she will be a just and fair queen, if she is ever really given the chance.
Saxon was first introduced in [b:The Evil Queen|40242200|The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil, #1)|Gena Showalter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549650396l/40242200._SY75_.jpg|62518218], a friend of Prince Roth and the heir to the Avian throne, whether he wants it or not. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about Saxon starting this book. His interactions with Everly were not the best. However, I quickly fell in love with him. The credit for that goes to the dual points of view. The chapters alternate between Saxon and Ashleigh, which just served to endear him to me.
The plot revolves around the prophecy surrounding Ashleigh and Saxon. Saxon is in his third reincarnation as one of the ruthless leaders of the Avians. Fate continues to bring him and a witch together. However this time the witch (Ashleigh) seems to not remember him nor does she have any of her previous powers. With her father vying to control all the kingdoms, Ashleigh must strike a bargain to work with the man who hates her most, whether she understands his hatred or not.
Overall I loved The Glass Queen. This twisted Cinderella retelling had me guessing right to the end. Steamy and sweet, the romance is heart-aching and sure to tug at your heartstrings. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, you need this one asap.
Return to Enchantia and meet the Glass Queen in this second installment of Gena Showalter‘s series Forest of Good and Evil. I devoured this book! I really enjoyed [b:The Evil Queen|40242200|The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil, #1)|Gena Showalter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549650396l/40242200._SY75_.jpg|62518218], and truth be told, I wasn’t sure how the sequel would live up. However, I am here to tell you that The Glass Queen is a heart-stopping addition to the series, worthy of any and all praise it receives.
Princess Ashleigh Charmaine is known as the Glass Princess. Born with a weak heart, she has never been seen as strong enough to survive and rule her kingdom. As she ages though, a power is awakening in her, one that she isn’t sure she controls. I love Ashleigh. Her entire character arc proves that she will be a just and fair queen, if she is ever really given the chance.
Saxon was first introduced in [b:The Evil Queen|40242200|The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil, #1)|Gena Showalter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549650396l/40242200._SY75_.jpg|62518218], a friend of Prince Roth and the heir to the Avian throne, whether he wants it or not. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about Saxon starting this book. His interactions with Everly were not the best. However, I quickly fell in love with him. The credit for that goes to the dual points of view. The chapters alternate between Saxon and Ashleigh, which just served to endear him to me.
The plot revolves around the prophecy surrounding Ashleigh and Saxon. Saxon is in his third reincarnation as one of the ruthless leaders of the Avians. Fate continues to bring him and a witch together. However this time the witch (Ashleigh) seems to not remember him nor does she have any of her previous powers. With her father vying to control all the kingdoms, Ashleigh must strike a bargain to work with the man who hates her most, whether she understands his hatred or not.
Overall I loved The Glass Queen. This twisted Cinderella retelling had me guessing right to the end. Steamy and sweet, the romance is heart-aching and sure to tug at your heartstrings. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, you need this one asap.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
What a fun story! Escape From the Roller Ghoster by Andres Miedoso is the eleventh installment of Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol, which follows the adventures of Andres and his best friend Desmond in their haunted town of Kersville. In this adventure, Andres and Desmond head to the local amusement park and are surprised when they are given VIP passes to all the rides. It doesn’t take long though before Desmond begins to suspect that there is more going on than meets the eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s unexpectedly funny and entertaining while also adding an edge of suspense. Told from Andres point of view, the reader is taken on a spooky adventure to Bizarro Zone. The excitement of going to an amusement park leaps off the pages as Desmond and Andres drag his parents from ride to ride, especially with those special VIP passes that lets them cut the line. Andres is easy to relate to, having the typical fears of the average ten year old. I believe kids will relate to him and agree that Desmond is brave and often the instigator of their troubles.
Overall Escape From the Roller Ghoster is a fun-filled thrill ride. Early readers will enjoy the pictures and easy to read, short chapters. However I believe that this book will still appeal to older readers with its humor and paranormal features. If you have a child who loves a bit of a scare, I highly recommend this one.
What a fun story! Escape From the Roller Ghoster by Andres Miedoso is the eleventh installment of Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol, which follows the adventures of Andres and his best friend Desmond in their haunted town of Kersville. In this adventure, Andres and Desmond head to the local amusement park and are surprised when they are given VIP passes to all the rides. It doesn’t take long though before Desmond begins to suspect that there is more going on than meets the eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s unexpectedly funny and entertaining while also adding an edge of suspense. Told from Andres point of view, the reader is taken on a spooky adventure to Bizarro Zone. The excitement of going to an amusement park leaps off the pages as Desmond and Andres drag his parents from ride to ride, especially with those special VIP passes that lets them cut the line. Andres is easy to relate to, having the typical fears of the average ten year old. I believe kids will relate to him and agree that Desmond is brave and often the instigator of their troubles.
Overall Escape From the Roller Ghoster is a fun-filled thrill ride. Early readers will enjoy the pictures and easy to read, short chapters. However I believe that this book will still appeal to older readers with its humor and paranormal features. If you have a child who loves a bit of a scare, I highly recommend this one.
I received an eARC of this book via the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Three curious little girls find their way into the midst of a secret spy organization in The Case of the Missing Cheetah by debut author-illustrator Veronica Mang. Meet Peggy, Rita and Dot as they take on the work to solve the mystery.
I really enjoyed this one. The illustrations are delightful and work so well with the story. Peggy, Rita and Dot are each fully fleshed out and will appeal to children of all ages, especially young girls. Peggy is the charmer, who can talk her way into and out of anything, Rita is the planner, and Dot is the puzzle solver. Together they make a dynamic team. One night while playing with cards, they see a mysterious figure sneaking about in the rain.
Following her leads them to a house filled with women who also happen to be spies. The interesting thing to note here is that these women are based on real life spies. I loved the illustrations introducing them and what they are known for. The spies see something of themselves in the little girls and offer to make them junior members of their organization. Their first task is to find the missing cheetah, a pet of one of the spies.
Overall I really liked The Case of the Missing Cheetah. While it acts to set up the series going forward, the plot and introduction of the characters serves to entice readers to read more of the series going forward. The mystery kept me guessing, and the little girls reminded me of my nieces (and nephews). Perfect for early readers and girls who love mystery!
Three curious little girls find their way into the midst of a secret spy organization in The Case of the Missing Cheetah by debut author-illustrator Veronica Mang. Meet Peggy, Rita and Dot as they take on the work to solve the mystery.
I really enjoyed this one. The illustrations are delightful and work so well with the story. Peggy, Rita and Dot are each fully fleshed out and will appeal to children of all ages, especially young girls. Peggy is the charmer, who can talk her way into and out of anything, Rita is the planner, and Dot is the puzzle solver. Together they make a dynamic team. One night while playing with cards, they see a mysterious figure sneaking about in the rain.
Following her leads them to a house filled with women who also happen to be spies. The interesting thing to note here is that these women are based on real life spies. I loved the illustrations introducing them and what they are known for. The spies see something of themselves in the little girls and offer to make them junior members of their organization. Their first task is to find the missing cheetah, a pet of one of the spies.
Overall I really liked The Case of the Missing Cheetah. While it acts to set up the series going forward, the plot and introduction of the characters serves to entice readers to read more of the series going forward. The mystery kept me guessing, and the little girls reminded me of my nieces (and nephews). Perfect for early readers and girls who love mystery!