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Biblioshelf Musings – A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. This review post has been sat with me for a fair while as it’s been a good couple of weeks since I finished reading it. Themes of dressmaking, the historical setting and the fact that this is a fantasy standalone had me reaching it from my shelves. The cover of my Fairyloot edition and the hidden detailing under the dust jacket were mighty fine too! Read on to find out more in my spoiler-free review!

Book: A Fragile Enchantment
Genre: YA / Fantasy / Romance / Historical
Publication Date: January 2024
Publisher: Orion
Pages: 370
Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into every dress she makes is the same one that will kill her—sooner rather than later—and she’s determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family. When she’s commissioned to design the wardrobe for a nearby kingdom’s royal wedding, she knows this is her one chance to make something of herself.

Niamh arrives in Avaland, where young nobles are making their debuts into society during the candlelit balls and elegant garden parties that fill the social Season. The only damper on the festivities is the groom himself: Kit Carmine, prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a desperate political act. Beneath Avaland’s glittery façade, unrest is brewing, and an anonymous gossip columnist has been spreading rumors about corruption within the royal family. As Niamh grows closer to Kit, an unlikely friendship begins to blossom into something more…until the columnist starts buzzing about her chemistry with the prince, promising to leave her alone only if she helps uncover the royal family’s secrets. Niamh discovers that the rot at the heart of Avaland goes far deeper than she bargained for—but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

My Musings

I desperately, desperately wanted to love this book. All of the themes seemed to appeal to things that I enjoy – the regency element, the creation of dresses with a hint of magic, the enemies to lovers / forbidden love vibes…. but sadly, my overall reading experience just felt a little lacklustre – which is probably why it’s been so hard for me to cobble together thoughts.

Firstly, I couldn’t quite pinpoint the roots behind the setting of this book and these characters. Supposedly inspired by regency England, there is not much within the text to actually suggest that. From Niamh’s name, my main guesses were that the Machlish were supposed to be inspired by Ireland – however asides from her surname, little else in the book hinted to the Emerald Isle. There are brief mentions of the Fair Ones and place names which have an Irish vibe, however these are not referred to in greater detail. At certain points, the characters referred to Niamh’s surname Ó Conchobhair as O’Connor which was slightly confusing. Assumedly this use of watered-down name derivatives is to try and highlight the oppression of the Machlish from those in Avaland (or the English butchering of the Irish language perhaps?!), but it wasn’t clearly pointed out or developed into the plot. All in all, although the descriptions of gardens, court life and castles were quite decorous, I felt like there was a little bit of a missed opportunity here to widen the depths of this fantasy setting and craft an incredible world based on a place which is steeped in legend, folklore and political disputes.

The characters in the story offered enough drama to keep me winding my way through the story’s pages. Niamh is pure-hearted and just wants what is best for her family. I loved the way she can magically infuse emotions into the clothing that she stitches. She is a fairly well-balanced heroine in that she stands up for the greater good but with some cajoling will also pursue her heart’s desires at the same time. Kit Carmine, the Prince of Avaland – epic character name… a little broody, secretive and possibly misunderstood by those around him. I loved the snark and sass that he offered. His darkness was the perfect parallel to Niamh’s sunny disposition. The presence of a mystery gossip writer gave me total Bridgerton vibes, but ultimately didn’t have quite the same pull and witty sarcasm as Lady Whistledown. Rosa was a character which I was very intrigued by. Her magical talents were quite at odds with everyone else’s in the story. Her character exuded peculiarity and mysticism which was an excellent buffer against all of the regency romance.

Overall, A Fragile Enchantment has a lot to offer fans of Regency, Whimsy and Romance. The plot is revealed at a steady pace to the development of the characters, there are some twists and turns along the way, as well as the big reveal of the mysterious gossip-writer Lovelace. My particular Fairyloot Special Edition was exceptionally well designed with an incredible amount of detail on the hardcover by @bluelyboo and endpapers by @sashac_art. For me personally, I just wanted a little bit more depth and intrigue from what this book was promising and it didn’t quite hit the mark.

Have you read A Fragile Enchantment or is it on your TBR list? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Biblioshelf Musings – House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about House of Flame and Shadow [Crescent City #3] by Sarah J. Maas. My brain is literally all over my kitchen floor right now after finishing this book – and I’m kinda grateful for that considering I thought I’d be finishing this book in Starbucks, whilst waiting for my car to be serviced, and everyone around me would witness the fully blown mental breakdown that often comes at the end of a Maas tale. 🙈 Luckily, Urd helped me to escape that fate! I’m not sure whether this post is going to form as an actual ‘review’ or whether I’m just going to be rambling on about my feelings and theorising about where the Hel this series goes next!

🚨 Needless to say there are spoilers ahead for the entire Maasverse so if you are not up to speed with ANY of Maas’ other books, you might want to pop back to this at a later date…! 🚨

Book: House of Flame and Shadow [Crescent City #3] by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: January 2024
Publisher: HarperTeen / Magpie
Pages: 835
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she’s going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that’s no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he’s in the Asteri’s dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce’s fate. He’s desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri’s leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

My Musings

Erm, excuse me – I don’t mean to be rude… but I think my edition of HOFAS is missing a few pages… particularly towards the end… it’s missing an epilogue with a rather twisty cliffhanger…? Right?!

Not five minutes after finishing this book, I had to go on Google and just check whether or not this was the final book in this series – I never had it pegged down for a trilogy, however with that final chapter having all of this weird closure… it’s something I’m not used to as a Maas reader. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not arguing or saying that I dislike the ending, I had just hoped that we wouldn’t necessarily be having quite so much finality just yet.

My theory on this is that with four main houses on Midgard’s world, surely the next novel has to be The House of Many Waters right… so are we having another ACOTAR situation where after book 3, the main narrative now moves onto one of the side characters (à la A Court of Silver Flames)? Hmm, who do we know from the House of Many Waters who has taken on a central part in Crescent City… Tharion Ketos. I’m predicting that he’s now taking over the main storyline from Bryce and Hunt and we’re going to find out how his life pans out with the Viper, River and Ocean Queens, plus his (rather sassy) wife Sathia.

Throne of Glass stan that I am, by far my favourite reveal was about Lidia’s ancestry. It had always been hovering at the back of my mind (in the same way that any ‘stag’ symbolism has me immediately thinking of the Lord of the North), that there had to be some connection in these books with the world of Erilea. References to the shifter fae with their elongated canines had me absolutely screaming internally! I was getting major green-eyed Reaper envy of all the Prythian links and cross-overs, with hardly any references at all to my beloved Fireheart… enter The Hind! I had so many Kingdom of Ash flashbacks when Lidia strode out onto that battlefield! It even reminded me of the Yielding of the Thirteen and my eyes were immediately welling up. And omg Brann… Brannon! *kicks myself for not spotting this link sooner…* Asides from the creepy-ass ‘fertility ritual’ stuff, I am so here for this ancestry line and neeeeed to know more!

Overall, I’m satisfied with how this all played out. Nesta and Azriel got some pretty epic cameos which I loved, especially the mirroring and parallels between the two worlds and their hidden cave systems and carvings. The mists, ley lines and thin places elements are setting up so much in the way of crossovers for whatever Maas brings us next within her multiverse [clearly someone’s been watching a lot of Phase 1-3 Marvel! 😍].

The fight scenes towards the final summit with the Asteri were incredibly intense, fairly predictable SJM self-sacrificing stuff, but I enjoyed seeing Jesiba’s softer side and her forfeit for Bryce towards the end. All of the Midgardians and Princes of Hel pulling Bryce and Hunt out of that Black Hole had me in absolute floods, even if I did know deep down that Maas wasn’t really going to kill Bryce off. It was a pretty epic finale, I’m not even sure how anything on Midgard could even follow that, hence the reason for all of my procrastinating over where the supposed next book in this series goes. I can’t really imagine Maas writing up a whole novel on setting up a new Midgarian senate and energy system.

I rewatched the Today interview that SJM did when bringing out House of Flame and Shadow purely to see if I could glean anything I hadn’t already picked up on. Clearly we know that there’s still some major shit going down in Prythian, hence the giving of the Starsword over to Nesta – something tells me it’s going to become a vital weapon in a future battle. I’m also insanely curious as to the ’emotional’ secret project that SJM is working on after the next ACOTAR instalment. Any thoughts on what it is? Could we be diving back into the Throne of Glass world, maybe something about Manon and the witches…? A Princes of Hel novel? Or something entirely new?

Hopefully if you made it this far, you’ve definitely read all the Maaslore that’s currently available and I haven’t just ruined anything for you. I’m so desperate to chat about this series so if you have any thoughts, theories, major gaping plot holes which you also feel the need to talk about, as always, drop me a comment below to chat!

T xx

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Magical Readathon 2024 – April TBR!

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Hi Bibliofriends!

A few years ago, my friends and I stumbled on this amazing Harry Potter readathon hosted by G @book_roast which centred around a 2-part challenge with the aims of earning your OWLs and NEWTs. Fast forward a few years and G has created her very own Magical Readathon complete with worlds, callings and guilds! I’m finally in the headspace where I’ve watched all of the videos and am ready to embark on my Novice Path on the way to Orilium!

What is the Magical Readathon?

If you’re brand new to Book Roast’s Magical Readathon, the best place to head to is G’s channel over on YouTube. There, you will find a beginner video to tell you all you need to know to begin your quest and the link to the G Drive containing all of the important files and information. It can be a little daunting to start off with, but after watching a couple of videos, the rest of the way is pretty easy and incredibly fun!

My Character

I’m not sure I have enough creative energies to pick my own character so I have very much gone with the ‘pick one thing’ from each list option!

I used a couple of different elvish name generators to come up with the name. I think it means ‘Fire Friend’. I chose the wildling and providence based on what I’ve been used to growing up (we live in a very green part of the country thankfully!).

I purposefully left my Calling blank at the moment. I shortlisted a number of different callings which I wanted to try and pursue and I think I’ll see which one I end up with based on my reads that I achieve during the month. Shortlisted callings are: Aeldia Excavationist, Star Whisperer, Abjurer, Craftsmage, Master of Elements and Archmage.

My Magical Readathon TBR

With my indecisiveness around which Calling I wanted to pursue, I decided to create a list of all the prompts needed for those particular choices and created my TBR list from that. The number next to each one refers to how many of the Callings feature that School of Magic as a required skill. I’ve purposely left Psionics and Divination blank at the minute as I couldn’t work out how to do a prediction bingo prompt and the likelihood of me ticking all of these off my list by the end of April is quite slim! 😂

That’s my Magical Readathon TBR and April Reading Goals all wrapped up into one! Are you taking part in the Magical Readathon? Do any of my April book choices make your monthly TBR too? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

The Wrap – March 2024

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Howdy Bibliofriends!

March is over, it’s the middle of the Easter holidays, Spring is finally here! There seem to be lots of good things to celebrate in this month’s wrap post… and plenty to look forward to too!

Life Update

Life in March has been busy…! There’s quite a bit going on at work. We took my year group of 30 8-9 year olds away to the Peak District for a Residential which was super fun, but also took up lots of time and energy reserves. I have spent the first week of the holidays catching up with life admin, adulting things and lots of reading!

This month’s sports calendar has also been hectic! There have been horseracing and rugby events on throughout the month. The absolute highlight being my team winning the Premiership Rugby Cup! That victory was such a special night – I think I needed lots of time for my voice to recover from all of the pitchside screaming!

The rest of this Wrap Post follows my usual format (Past Reads, Current Reads, Films/TV, Music) so feel free to skip any irrelevant parts!

What I’ve Been Reading in March

With the busyness of March, I didn’t really read as much as I wanted to, however I am still ahead of schedule on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. I had been waiting for the Easter holidays to dive into Crescent City 3 – House of Flame and Shadow and boy was I glad that I did!!! I felt like I entered a black hole until I’d finished it, and even then I would have to walk around my house at the end of certain chapters with ‘omg omg omg’ going round and round in my head like a public service announcement. It’s definitely been a fun reading month!

This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved the mix of Ancient Greece and technical, A.I. automatons. You can check out my spoiler-free review for This Golden Flame here.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well if this novel didn’t pack a punch! Savage satire poking a big ‘take-a-look-at-yourself’ finger to the publishing industry… this book absolutely slices and I loved it!! You can read my spoiler-free review here.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I haven’t quite digested my feelings on this book yet… I know that I liked elements of it, I just can’t quite verbalise or even put into words which bits those are at the minute – a review will come!

A Feast For Crows [A Song of Ice and Fire #4] by George R. R. Martin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
These audiobooks have given me a newfound love for this series and I’m desperate to read A Dance with Dragons just so I can actually finish watching the TV Show – I know that Martin hasn’t actually finished writing the book series yet – but I’m trying desperately not to get spoiled by anything!

House of Flame and Shadow [Crescent City #3] by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are no words… yet! Again review incoming, and when I say review I actually mean a longwinded, rambling post where all my inner-thoughts and feelings just fall onto the electronic page! 🤯

#CurrentlyReading

My April TBR is a little packed as I’m attempting to take part in the Magical Readathon hosted by @book_roast! I loved this challenge back when it was related to the OWLs and NEWTs from the Harry Potter series, but now G has intricately designed her own readathon with maps, guilds and different paths and side quests! I’ll be posting more about that tomorrow so stay tuned!

What I’ve Been Watching

As part of a Film Club, we’re often at the Cinema at least once a week so I watch a lot of movies. I’ve been using the app Letterboxd to track what I’ve seen and give them rating. If you’re on the app and want a new follower be sure to add me! My profile name is: tillyj

March has been pretty jam-packed with movies and TV shows!

Movies/TV, I’ve seen:

  • Lisa Frankenstein (Cinema) – When I found out that Isabella Summers (the Machine part of Florence + the Machine) had created the score for this movie, I immediately added it to my watch list. It’s a quirky, whimsical film which I enjoyed a lot!
  • The Royal Tenenbaums (Disney +) – I’d heard a lot about how great this Wes Anderson film is, the cast is pretty outstanding… however, I still fell asleep partway through.
  • Dune (Rewatch) – I am so glad that I rewatched this to refresh my brain before Dune 2. I’ve read the book so I already know what happens but it really got me in the Arrakis zone!
  • Dune 2 (Cinema – IMAX) – This was even better than the first movie and made me love the whole Dune series even more. I immediately left the cinema, went to Waterstones and bought the book sequel! 🙈
  • Damsel (Netflic) – Loved Millie Bobby-Brown, loved the costumes and the setting, landscapes etc… but seriously, the story is entirely predictable and top tip: when you’re trying to hide from a dragon, please stop screaming!!! 🤷🏻‍♀️
  • Past Lives (Netflix) – Some of my friends highly rated this film and I’d heard that it had a few nods during awards season. I loved the shifts between the characters’ childhoods and their adult lives. I genuinely had no idea where that ending was going, and even still… I’m not sure it was entirely what I wanted!
  • Drive-Away Dolls (Cinema) – I’m taking a leaf out of Thumper’s book here in that if I can’t say anything nice, I’m not saying anything at all. Drive-Away Dolls is really not my kind of movie. One of my friends loved it though…
  • Irish Wish (Netflix) – I’m not sure if I’m a closet Lindsay Lohan fan or if it was just the Irish vibes that made me watch this. You can guess what happens in the whole story just by watching the trailer. The acting was ok. The costumes and scenes of Ireland were magical and now I feel the need to visit the Cliffs of Moher too.
  • Freelance (Netflix) – John Cena, action film, lots of guns – pretty much your average action film!
  • Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire(Cinema) – The opening action scene is by far the best ‘ghosthunters’ bit of the whole film. I loved the ideas for the storyline but felt like the mythology of the characters could have been expanded a little. It’s quite slow after the awesomeness of the opening but overall very nostalgic and satisfying.
  • Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix) – Whilst I haven’t read the Bridgerton books, I am a huge fan of the TV show and this spin-off was no exception. I loved the parallels between the young and old(er) characters from the TV show. Again, costumes and scenery were on point, particularly as I could recognise the shots of Blenheim Palace which is not very far away from me at all and I’ve been lucky to visit many times.
  • Beef (Netflix) – The opening couple of episodes of this were so good, then I felt like it got a little eccentric and lost its way – I still haven’t quite finished it yet so maybe it’ll have a spectacular ending. A super-fun concept though.

Music

Asides from all of the Taylor Swift music on my phone, I was so excited to finally download Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER album! 🤠 For about 18 years whilst I was growing up, I went to Line Dancing classes and even choreographed and taught some of my own – therefore I grew up with this huge love of country music. I love that so many legacy artists within the genre have come out in support of this record and helped contribute to it. Is this pure or typical country, for whatever pure/typical country actually is…? Perhaps not, it takes inspiration from a melting pot of musical genres but the influences are undeniably there within the soul of every track. Beyoncé’s rendition of Jolene keeps the spirit at the heart of an incredibly beloved song whilst turning it completely on its head. No longer is the lead singer begging for Jolene not to mess with her man in a politely assertive way, they are now upfront declaring their authority and calling out Jolene’s crap like an apex predator – it’s so brilliant! This album will definitely be on repeat for the foreseeable – at least until The Tortured Poets Department comes out next month!

And that’s a wrap! How was your March? Did you have a productive month? I’m totally looking forward to the Magical Readathon starting and compiling my book list from the prompts! What are you all looking forward to reading in April?

As always, drop me a comment to chat! ☺️

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings – Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. I remember reading Babel as soon as it was released, and although the story wasn’t quite my usual vibe, it was incredibly clear that R.F. Kuang was a master at depicting important messages about people and their judgements and interactions with one another into her narratives. Yellowface was no exception to this and packed an incredible punch right from the first chapter! Read on to find out more in my spoiler-free review!

Book: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Genre: Fiction (Contemporary)
Publication Date: May 2023
Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Collins
Pages: 336
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

Deadly consequences…
What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

My Musings

Wow, oh wow did Yellowface pique my curisoities with every single chapter! After the historical academia tones from Babel, this contemporary, memoir-like tale was so incredibly refreshing! Through its portrayal of the publishing industry, this book has everything – drama, twists and turns, an unpredictable main character, comedy and sinisterness – yet at its heart it tells the story of a writer and the true nature of the person that lies underneath that career-driven persona. This book is so witty and intelligently crafted that it blew my mind and made me reevaluate my own perspectives.

June/Juniper is a spectacularly written character! I didn’t know whether to sympathise with her, defend her, champion her or just completely abandon her. She is so morally grey, that the twists and turns in this story have your feelings towards her shift more rapidly than waves in a storm. There are obviously moments within this plot where you just want to point blank question her actions and her motives – I mean, what did she think would happen after plagiarising someone else’s story? But then, the treatment of her afterwards… some of it is wholly unjustified and wrong. Here is Kuang again making a point that some people have to go through this treatment and these accusations from the outside world every single day – and not all of them are deserved or come from a place of actual facts and knowledge. [Take the recent reactions to the Fairyloot special editions of the Throne of Glass series into account and you’ll see this first hand.]

The depiction of the publishing industry is a strong one with heroes and villains on both sides. I really enjoyed reading the viewpoints and flip-flopping around diversity – is it right to have someone who isn’t Chinese writing about Chinese Labour Corps? Is it right to try and disguise the heritage of the person writing the book to make people think that it has been written by a person with Chinese ancestry? Does it matter about a person’s ethnicity if they have done the appropriate, in-depth research…? At what point does cultural appropriation become a gatekeeper for someone’s voice or story? Where is the line in the sand between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation…? This entire story makes you question your own views about real-world issues and think about what you stand for. And it’s purely Kuang’s clever writing that has done that.

Throughout my reading, some parts of this novel felt like fictionalised accounts of Kuang’s own journey through the publishing industry (without the manuscript stealing obviously!). There were times I had to check myself with a reminder that this is not an autobiography (and hope that Kuang’s experience’s were far better than Juniper’s!). The stark parallel stuck out in my mind that I was reading about the publication of a novel within a novel which had likely had to go through an incredibly similar process – almost like the play within a play in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It really hit the ‘nerd-level coolness’ spot in my bookish heart!

Although Kuang is hitting weighty themes head-on by tackling racism, diversity, cultural appropriation, the darkside of social media etc, it didn’t leave this overwhelming sense of doom and gloom or preachiness in its wake. Yellowface does not stand on a grandiose soapbox blaring its message out to you, until you wholeheartedly accept it whether you wanted to or not. Yellowface gently guides you and opens your eyes to all of these difficult topics. It encourages you to truly think about what elements are right or wrong in each of Juniper’s situations, or whether such a reaction can be entirely black or white, rather than a shade of grey somewhere in-between.

If I had just one word to sum up this book, it would be CLEVER. This is an exceptionally astute piece of writing which manages to provide the humour and escapism that we seek in a fiction story, yet balance it with an incredibly thought-provoking message and outlook which will resonate with you long after closing that final page.

Have you read Yellowface or is it on your TBR list? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

St. Patrick’s Day Book Day

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day Bibliofriends!

Big thanks to Alex at Mybookworld24 for tagging me in this book tag! The original tag creator is Taylor and you can find their post over on YouTube.

I’m not Irish, nor do I live in Ireland, but St. Patrick’s Day is a bit of a celebration where we are for reasons that I’ll explain in one of the tag prompts below!

END OF THE RAINBOW – WHAT BOOK DID YOU HAVE A HARD TIME TRACKING DOWN A COPY OF?

With modern wonders such as eBay and the benefits of global shipping, it’s quite easy to grab a copy of anything nowadays. I’ve had to import several books from America because they haven’t been published in the UK (American Royals books 3 & 4 for example). One book that I’m desperate to find, is the original edition of The Secret by Byron Preiss. It’s about a global treasure hunt which is still unsolved to this day. First editions are available online but they will set you back about £400!

POT OF GOLD – WHEN YOU FOUND THAT BOOK, WAS IT WORTH THE QUEST?

Obviously I haven’t got a copy of The Secret yet, I may have to cave in and buy a reprinting! On the American Royals front – YES, it was definitely worth the quest! I love that series so much!

CELEBRATING A RICH HERITAGE – NAME A BOOK THAT CONTAINS A WELL-DEVELOPED CULTURE.

The City of Brass or Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty is a seres which I feel transports me to a whole other world. It is so rich and vibrant in world-building and character-development that you cannot help but soak up the atmosphere and culture of this other land.

SHAMROCK SHAKES – WHAT’S YOUR FAVOuRITE FOOD TO SNACK ON WHILE READING?

I find it so difficult to snack whilst reading. It has to be something which doesn’t get mess all over the pages, therefore crisps and anything fruit related are out. Perhaps Maltesers or Haribo Starmix 😋

FOUR LEAF CLOVER – NAME A BOOK YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE ‘JUST ANOTHER GENERIC BOOK’, BUT TURNED OUT TO BE SOMETHING GREAT.

Back in 2017, I received a copy of Roar by Cora Carmack in a Fairyloot box. I fell in love with the storms and magic within the book. It’s a series which I’m desperate to reread and then finish one day!

IRISH WHISKEY – WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE TRADITION OF ST. PATTY’S DAY?

Where I live near Cheltenham in the UK, we have a massive horse racing festival for the Gold Cup every March at Cheltenham Racecourse (aka the home of jumps racing). This year, we have just finished Race Week which ran from 12th-15th March. It is a HUGE deal and people come from all across the UK and Ireland to be here. The Irish contingent and representation during this week is massive and due to the proximity of the event being close to the 17th March, the Thursday of the meeting is always known as St. Patrick’s Thursday! There’s always a lot of Guinness hats floating around and the atmosphere in town is buzzing! To add to this, the Saturday after the Gold Cup (i.e. yesterday!) is usually always the final day of the Rugby Union Six Nations tournament and is known as Super Saturday where all 6 teams (one being Ireland) play in three back-to-back matches. It literally takes up the whole afternoon and evening.

So I always associate St. Patrick’s Day with my two favourite sports! It’s quite a bust time with lots of atmosphere and excitement around the area I live in!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? What traditions do you normally participate in? If you feel like having your own go at this fun tag then consider yourself tagged!! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings – If I Have To Be Haunted by Miranda Sun

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about If I Have To Be Haunted by Miranda Sun. I’ve been chugging through a few standalones recently and this YA fantasy was both spooky and sweet. If you love a straightforward, linear plot with wide-ranging yet descriptive world-building, then If I Have To Be Haunted may be right up your street. Read on to find out more in my spoiler-free review!

Book: If I Have To Be Haunted by Miranda Sun
Genre: YA / Fantasy
Publication Date: September 2023
Publisher: HarperTeen / Magpie
Pages: 371
Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Your first love will always haunt you…

The most haunting, heartwarming debut of 2023. Perfect for fans of strong female leads and supernatural stakes in Buffy, with all the sweetness and romance of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Cara’s just trying to stay on top of all her classes, excel at her extracurriculars, and prepare for college – which means not speaking to the dead, an ability she inherited from her grandmother. Ghosts are trouble, and Cara doesn’t need to add their problems to her own.

But then she stumbles upon the body of Zach – the super popular but very newly dead high school golden boy – in the woods, and guess what? He wants her to resurrect him.

Cue trouble.

Miranda Sun’s debut touches on the power and conflicts in a mother-daughter love, first romance – and finding your place in the world while honouring your culture. Full of heart, humour and thrills, If I Have to be Haunted will put a spell on you.

My Musings

If I Have To Be Haunted centres around ghost-speaker Cara, who attempts to resurrect her high school enemy Zach who has been turned into a ghost. Their mission, much like the entirety of the plot, is pretty linear and straightforward. The quest they embark upon plays out almost like a video game. Each stage of their journey through the liminal world is like a gaming level with a mini-boss at the end to either defeat or escape. They pick up a sidekick along the way whose assistance is integral to the overall outcome of the plot and when they reach the culmination of their journey, sacrifices must be made and truths come out.

On the one hand this overarching plot is quite simplistic – our characters mainly have the one goal to achieve. However, due to the number of different settings and locations they visit, the whole story ended up feeling a bit choppy and jumpy. This did enable me to read through each chapter fairly quickly, but personally I don’t think I ever really got my teeth stuck into the novel.

What I did love about all of these hoppy sections, was that it felt like we were getting a tiny glimpse into Miranda Sun’s amazingly creative brain. Each setting is described in wondrously vivid details. She creates exceptional atmospheres to match each of the liminal thresholds she has designed, whether these are tropical rainforest-style settings with a multitude of flora and fauna, or whether they are ghostly fogs pits with creatures who have the ability to make you see the thing you desire most in the world. Transporting the reader to the various settings of her novel is definitely one of Miranda Sun’s strengths and it was by far my favourite aspect of the whole book.

The mother/daughter relationship was well executed for a YA novel. We got to feel the tension and strain in the relationship between Cara and her mother. As a Chinese American, Cara had to strike the right balance between her mother’s high expectations, her destiny as a ghost-speaker and her own sense of self-identity being a young girl still in high school.

The romance element was fairly light and predictable. Although it came across as quite saccharine at times, I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face during Zach’s scenes. His personality is endearing and grew on me more and more with each chapter. It also brought an air of comedy to the story.

On the whole, I enjoyed my read of If I Have To Be Haunted. Several times, I had to remind myself that this was a YA book. It definitely fits within that genre due to the linear style of the plot and the PG romance and horror vibes. There’s no doubt that Miranda Sun is a tremendously talented writer. She created so many dreamy worldscapes within the one novel, that I’m actually a little jealous that we didn’t get to explore them in more depth. If you’re after a rather light, ghostly fantasy with a charming little hint of enemies to lovers on the side, then If I Have To Be Haunted may be your perfect TBR pick!

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

Happy Pi Day! STEM Representations in Books!

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Happy Pi Day Bibliofriends,

March 14th is Pi Day (3.14) – a day to celebrate all things Mathematics! At the school I teach at, we are celebrating by merging Mathematics and Literacy together by holding our inaugural Pi Poetry Competition. This merging together of two fairly opposing subjects got me thinking about the importance of Maths and STEM representations in books. This week is also British Science Week across the UK so I thought this was the perfect time to share some of my favourite books which have STEM representations! [Book synopses taken from Goodreads]

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber

From the patriarchy to the science representations and medicinal references, this was a YA fantasy which really made me champion Rhen’s character!

The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

I loved how Andrea Stewart created such a motivated and intelligent protagonist in Lin. The bone shard magic interwoven in the pages of this story was so brilliantly crafted and explained that it gave me a real buzz whilst reading. You can read my review of The Bone Shard Emperor here.

This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria

Ancient Greece meets Artificial Intelligence in This Golden Flame. I loved Alix’s character and although I’m not a huge fan of a.i. related things, I really grew to love his character and the way his sense of conscience was portrayed throughout the story. Check out my review for it here!

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

I have so much love for this series! I found it really interesting how Michael Crichton blended coding and genetics with dinosaurs and an eccentric man who thought it would be a brilliant idea to bring them back to life! Crichton breaks down the technical aspects behind the science and translates it in a way which is easy for a wide range of readers to enjoy!

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

This book ventures into the physiology of women actually turning into dragons and I absolutely fell in love with it when I first listened to the audiobook last year! We hear snippets and extracts from a Professor who is studying the morphology of women into dragons with adds a slightly educational feel to this brilliant work of fiction.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing was one of those books that I picked up purely for the hype, but ended up loving with every bit of my bookish soul. The descriptions of the marsh and references to the habits and survival instincts of the creatures that dwell within really showcased the legacy and work of Delia Owens. It’s a must read for any nature lover!

Do you have any STEM based book recommendations? Will you be celebrating Pi Day with your favourite book and pie combo? As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx

Biblioshelf Musings – This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria

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Hey Bibliofriends!

This week’s Biblioshelf Musings are about This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria. If I’m being perfectly honest, the reason I picked up this book was because it has been sat on my TBR shelf for so long and I needed to clear out a bit of space. Also, being a YA SFF standalone was a bonus as it meant I wasn’t in danger of adding any sequels to my ever-expanding TBR. Read on to find out more in my spoiler-free review!

Book: This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy / YA
Publication Date: February 2021
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 383
Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Orphaned and forced to serve her country’s ruling group of scribes, Karis wants nothing more than to find her brother, long ago shipped away. But family bonds don’t matter to the Scriptorium, whose sole focus is unlocking the magic of an ancient automaton army.

In her search for her brother, Karis does the seemingly impossible—she awakens a hidden automaton. Intelligent, with a conscience of his own, Alix has no idea why he was made. Or why his father—their nation’s greatest traitor—once tried to destroy the automatons.

Suddenly, the Scriptorium isn’t just trying to control Karis; it’s hunting her. Together with Alix, Karis must find her brother…and the secret that’s held her country in its power for centuries.

My Musings

This Golden Flame blends Ancient Greece history with Artificial Intelligence exceptionally well. The story is told is told through the split narratives of Karis and Alix and each of their viewpoints offer differing glimpses to the world around them.

Karis is practically enslaved as a member of the Scriptorium – classical Greek architecture and columns surround her and references to her himation really put you in the mindset of Ancient Greece. Whilst her values and motives come across quite strongly, I found her to be a little nondescript throughout the first half to two thirds of the story. She seems to be a character that despite being driven to find her long lost brother, seems to have lost her way herself. I found her quite difficult to warm to until she had forged relationships with other characters in the story.

Alix on the other hand was a brilliant character. Without stereotyping Automatons, I couldn’t help but see him as a cross between C-3PO and David from the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Emotions pour out him, all over his dialogue which I found incredibly intriguing considering he is meant to be programmed and without conscience. I loved seeing his perspective on the world and the vulnerabilities he exuded made him an endearing character.

When we first come across Karis (who is on a mission to discover the whereabouts of her long lost brother), we see her attempting to wield runic magic. The introduction of this plot device, paves the way for the central themes of manipulation and control which are integral to the whole story. Runes are used to unlock buildings, automatons are carved with runes which feature as their main operating instructions and they are even used as a way to try and control the rebels within society. The idea of authority and having power over people or automatons is driven by the usage of runes and this compelling and poignant convention was really hammered home through the voices of the characters and the overarching plot. Bear in mind, this being YA fiction, we don’t delve too far into the nitty-gritty of sentient rights and politics, however Emily Victoria balances these points really well with the whole tone of her story.

The pace was pretty steady throughout. There was enough action to keep pushing the story forwards and character relationships were driven at an appropriate rate and in enough detail. By the ending of the story, things become a gradually more tense as we head towards the final showdown. All-in-all, events were concluded satisfactorily with no major twists or surprises. The resolution gives enough closure over the futures of the characters which is exactly what I need from a YA standalone. Overall, the main enjoyment factor for me in This Golden Flame was the balance of the ancient and the futuristic. It’s quite a unique concept that I haven’t yet come across in the rest of my readings and made for an entertaining read.

Connect with me here:

Twitter | Goodreads | Book Sloth: @thebiblioshelf |Email: thebiblioshelf@gmail.com

The Spring Cleaning Book Tag

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Happy Monday Bibliofriends!

I hope you had a fun-filled weekend whether you were watching the Six Nations Rugby, celebrating Mother’s Day or just chilling with your favourite beverage and book! When the first signs of Spring are in the air, I get this in-built sense to go into clear-out mode and that has definitely been the case with some of my reads in the past few weeks. In an attempt to clear our a bit more bookshelf space, I’ve been ticking books off that have been sat on my shelves for far too long. Whilst putting together my blog post outline for the month, I stumbled across the perfect Spring Cleaning Book Tag over on 18 Cinema Lane to coincide with this and knew that I just had to do it!

1. The Struggle of Getting Started – A book or book series you struggle to begin because of its size

One of my lifelong reading goals has always been to read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, along with the rest of the series. The sheer size of them initially prevents me from reaching out for these books, but also – as I’m such a mood reader, I know I’ll have to get my brain into ‘classics’ mode in order to properly focus on reading it.

2. Cleaning Out the Closet – A book or book series you want to unhaul

Being a Fairyloot and Illumicrate subscriber I have so many series on my shelves which I am yet to get started. A couple that have been majorly hyped up and that I’m hoping to get to this year are The Prison Healer series by Lynette Noni and the Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco.

3. Opening Windows and Letting Fresh Air In – A book that was refreshing

The People on Platform Five by Clare Pooley was a fantastically refreshing read. It’s such a feel-good story that leaves you with a positive feeling about the goodness of strangers and the forging of new friendships. I’m not much of a contemporary fiction fan but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both of Clare Pooley’s novels so far.

4. Washing Out the Sheets’ Stains – A book you wish you could re-write a certain scene in

I wouldn’t so much as rewrite, but perhaps remove a fair chunk of the smut scenes from A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas. I really don’t need to know about the hot, spurting of anything thank you very much!

5. Throwing Out Unnecessary Knick-Knacks – A book in a series you didn’t feel was necessary

It’s probably going to have to be one of the Mortal Instruments books by Cassandra Clare. I don’t really remember each individual book’s plot, but I feel like I’m sure there’s one part of it that could either be amalgamated or isn’t really a necessary part of the whole saga.

6. Polishing the Door Knobs – A book that had a clean finish

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – I had so many questions throughout reading this, but I feel like everything was wrapped up succinctly at the very end. It has an incredibly satisfying conclusion that I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

7. Reaching to Dust the Fan – A book that tried too hard to relay a certain message

I found a copy of Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist in a charity shop and purchased it due to all of the hype surrounding it and that it’s well-known as one of the best-selling books of all time. Having heard many, many things, I went into it thinking that it would be a groundbreaking story that would have me redefining my outlook on my entire life… but I think that was the killer. My expectations were way too high and the message being relayed about becoming your own Personal Legend just seemed to follow Santiago from failed mission to failed mission. I’m well aware that I’ve probably missed the central point of meaning within this whole text, but for me it just tried a little too hard and didn’t quite pull off what I had hoped to take away from it.

8. The Tiring, Yet Satisfying Finish of Spring Cleaning – A book series that was tiring, yet satisfying, to get through

Another potential unpopular opinion alert on the horizon… These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong is a series that I struggled to get through. I had high expectations for this duology however it didn’t quite hit the mark for my bookish brain. I think there was a lot going on between river monsters, rival gangs, romances, friendships, betrayals, etc… The satisfying element of it was that I absolutely loved the idea and premise of a 1920s Shanghai Romeo and Juliet retelling, and of course the hype following this series made me feel like I’d achieved something from completing it, but it wasn’t quite the enjoyable journey I had anticipated it to be.

That’s a wrap on the Spring Cleaning Book Tag! What are your thoughts? Consider yourself tagged if you feel like participating in your own Spring Cleaning bookish fun! As always, drop me a comment to chat!

T xx