book blogger – Page 7 – wings and fables

Double Review: Of the Blood & Of Fire and Water by Cameo Renae

April 14, 2021May 8, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables5 Comments

“when a wicked heart remains in the darkness too long, it begins to crave that darkness, until there is no light that can drive it out.”
of the blood, cameo renae

Series: Heir of Blood and Fire #1

Release Date: May 10th 2020

Publisher: Victory Editing

Genre: New Adult Fiction | Fantasy | Paranormal | Romance

Page Count: 432

Source: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!

Summary: Raised in a war-ravaged continent, temptation comes to Calla Caldwell in the form of a charming and mysterious stranger. Giving in to his intimate seduction, her world is forever changed by a single bite. Calla quickly learns the handsome stranger is vampire prince, Trystan Vladu. His bite was an attempt to claim and save her from a plot of vengeance generations in the making. However, the claws of that ancient vendetta are scraping ever closer. Thrust into a new nightmare by the Prince of the corrupt kingdom of Morbeth, Calla is captured, tortured, and starved in the dank confines of his dungeon. While in captivity, she takes part in a séance with a witch of light where she contacts a departed relative—a Princess of Incendia—who bequeaths a gift to Calla that will tip the scales of good and evil . . . if she can learn to harness it. With a dark tapestry of secrets, lies, and murder unraveling around her, Calla must learn to embrace the power roiling through her veins, or be snuffed out by the strangling fist of a malevolent darkness.

Rating:

Continue reading →

Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books You Would Re-Rate

April 13, 2021April 21, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables5 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly series created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic is Top 5 Books You Would Re-Rate.

I am a chronic re-rater. If you follow me on Goodreads, you might have seen me rate a book upon finishing it only to change the rating when I post my actual review. The more time I’m able to really think about a book and my feelings about it before diving into the next one, the more likely I am to change the rating by a star, either positively or negatively. Here’s my top 5 books that I would rate differently now if I were to re-read them:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I make it no secret that ACOTAR is one of my favorite series so it might be surprising that this book is on my list. However, the first time I read it, I truly didn’t get the hype. I was new to the fantasy genre (I favored dystopian at the time) so I was left with a lot of questions about things that didn’t make sense to me. Now that I’ve expanded my fantasy reads, I understand that logic is one of the worst things to use when reading them. Fantasy is meant to be enjoyed with the way the writer chose to create the world. It’s not meant to be compared to what makes sense in ours. If I read this book again, I’m sure my 3 star rating which felt generous at the time would be higher by at least a star.

Continue reading →

Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Middle Grade Books

March 23, 2021April 21, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables7 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly series created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic: Top 5 Middle Grade Books.

One of my favorite things about middle grade books is that they often hit relatable issues in a simple, accessible way, especially in the case of contemporary books. I’m usually floored by the amount of development within the plot and the characters in such a short amount of time due to their typical shorter page length. I definitely sit in the camp that middle grade can be enjoyed by all ages and have reread some of my favorites as an adult. Without further ado, let’s jump in to my top 5 middle grade recommendations.

1. Crash by Jerry Spinelli

Crash is a favorite from my childhood and has remained a favorite into my adult life–I even reread it a couple of years ago and possibly enjoyed it even more as an adult than as a child. It hits so many important issues in its pages from peer expectations to bullying to the effects of watching people you love grow old and feeble. The main character goes through so much character development as he moves from popular jock preoccupied by what others think of him to learning what’s actually important in life and making new decisions as he matures. Spinelli’s books often have some major life lessons hidden beneath their various façades which is one of my favorite things about his books.

Continue reading →

Reviews

Review: A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

March 18, 2021April 21, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables5 Comments

“choices are never easy. there are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all.”
brigid kemmerer

Series: Cursebreakers #2

Release Date: January 7th, 2020

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | High Fantasy | Romance

Page Count: 450

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: Find the heir, win the crown. The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers. Win the crown, save the kingdom. Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

Rating:

Continue reading →

Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books That Got Me Into Reading

March 16, 2021April 21, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables7 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly series created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic: Top 5 Books That Got You Into Reading.

Since I fell in love with reading as soon as I learned how to read, I’m afraid my list would just be filled with children’s books such as Madeleine, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, etc.–probably not very exciting or engaging to read in my case. So instead I’m going to put a little bit of a spin on this week’s topic and choose the top 5 books that helped get me out of a reading slump at different times in my life.

1. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I went through several reading slumps as a teen, mostly because of time constraints due to harsh coursework in school. I’ve always been the type to fall into routine pretty easily (probably thanks to my Virgo moon) so once I’d subconsciously decided I wasn’t allowed to read for pleasure and instead should only read my coursework, it was difficult for me to let go a little. Discovering this series filled with Greek mythology and demigods through my sibling helped revive my love for reading circa 2008.

Continue reading →

Reviews

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

March 11, 2021April 21, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables7 Comments

“not all scars can be seen, my lady.”
brigid kemmerer

Series: Cursebreakers #1

Release Date: January 29th, 2019

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Genre: Young Adult Fiction | High Fantasy | Romance | Fairy-Tale Retelling

Page Count: 484

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Rating:

Continue reading →

Top 5 Tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books I Wish I Had Read When I Was Younger

March 9, 2021April 21, 2021by wren @ wingsandfables1 Comment

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly series created by Bionic Book Worm and is now hosted by Meeghan Reads. This week’s topic: Top 5 Books You Wish You Had Read When You Were Younger.

All of my books are ones I read a few years after their release (a few decades in the case of another) and are ones I wished I’d pushed myself to read earlier so I could’ve enjoyed them at the height of their fame. It’s still fun to read books that were once popular but have since fallen, but nothing compares to being able to read a book that everyone is talking about and loving it too. Here are a few of mine:

1. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I didn’t read this book until 3 years after its release. Scarlet, its sequel, had already been published in fact. At the time, I had recently gotten my first e-reader ever and the publisher had released the first five chapters of this book for free to entice readers to purchase the full book. Well, it definitely worked on me and I flew through its pages. I was fascinated by its blend of dystopian and sci-fi. I was shocked that retellings could actually do the original story justice and make me love them too. I’m glad I was able to be there for the hype of Cress‘s release but I still wish I’d picked this book up sooner.

Continue reading →