The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend [BOOK REVIEW]

August 31, 2020 innah96Leave a comment

★★★★★

The Trials of Morrigan Crow was such an amazing experience for me, that brought back a lot of childhood memories, especially my curiosity for reading.

Morrigan is our main character, and she is cursed, because she is born on Eventide. All cursed children like her, are going to die on Eventide, on their 11th birthday. Before Eventide happens and Morrigan turns 11, we get to meet her and find out more about her story. There is nothing too special about her, apart from the fact that her father is the mayor of the town. Also, Morrigan seems to cause bad luck for people. One kid lost his spelling bee contest, only because she wished him good luck. Another person had a heart attack, after meeting her on the street. People are convinced that she has a bad omen, only because of the day she is born.

When Eventide comes, on the eve, Morrigan is rescued by a strange man called Jupiter North, who takes her away just as her death ticks forward. The close escape against time brings Morrigan to the world of Nevermoor, and this is where things start to become exciting.

In Nevermoor, everything is different and unique, not to say – magical.

The world is unlike anything you’ve ever seen, or read about. To me, it felt like a perfect mixture of Peter Pan’s Neverland and Disney’s Fantasia, alongside Mary Poppins (perhaps because of the magical umbrellas).

Jupiter advises Morrigan that she is entering a trial, which if she passes would ensure her a spot at The Wundrous Society. This is Nevermoor’s most elite society and those who are lucky enough to be members earn respect in the society and have a celebrity-like status. Each member receives a golden “W” pin to wear with pride and be recognised in society.

When the trials begin, Morrigan realises that she needs to have a knack, a sort of super power that is unique in order to be chosen. But she doesn’t think she is special. In fact, she thinks that spreading bad luck is her speciality, considering her past. The journey of discovering Morrigan’s knack is magical and truly an unique experience, that I wish I would forget about so I could read that part again and experience it in the same way again.

I loved The Trials of Morrigan Crow, and I am sure you will too.

I wish this book was there for me when I was a child, because I would have cherished it like I cherish the Harry Potter and Narnia series. If you have children and they haven’t read it yet, I double-recommend it – for both yourself and your child/children. It is a gem, and it is no wonder it’s receiving so much love and hype.

The Greek Escape by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW]

August 27, 2020 innah961 Comment

★★★★

After reading (and loving) the Hidden Beach by Karen Swan, as part of the Tandem readalong, the whole group fell in love with Karen’s writing, so we decided to continue the streak with reading another book. We chose the Greek Escape, because it was suited perfectly for the summer month of August.

Synopsis:

Running from a heartbreak, Chloe leaves London for a fresh start in New York. She works for a luxury concierge company, where she looks after client’s arrangements and event management. But when her friend and colleague Poppy has a terrible accident, she needs to step up and fill her role. This role involves direct customer contact with the clients, which was different to what Chloe was used to.

This is how she meets Joe Lincoln, who asks her to find a secluded holiday home in Greece. You would think all goes by the plan, but her ex, Tom, unexpectedly shows up in New York and she is faced with issues from the past that she wants to run away from. He is the man who has hurt her before, but says he’s changed.

She immediately jumps to the chance to help Joe inspect the holiday house – a trip to Greece will give her all the time and space she needs to sort her life out and decide what she wants to do next.

Her mind still unsure about Tom, she also forms a connection with Joe. Even though very mysterious and somehow secluded, there is an undeniable chemistry between them that Chloe is unable to resist. Should she give a second chance to the man she loved for years and years, or is it time for something brand new?

My Thoughts:

This book is perfect to help you forget the current pandemic and give you a nice summer vibe. Even though it’s not entirely set in Greece, but rather mostly set in New York. That being said, Chloe does also travel to the south of France and there are plenty of summer holiday vibes throughout the book as a whole.

Karen Swan won me over with her writing again.

The description of places, events and characters are so lively and colourful. I felt like I knew Chloe. When she is out for a drink, I felt like I am her friend. When she was in the office, I felt like a colleague. Something that also attracts me to Karen’s writing is her ability to fully materialise the antagonists as well. Even when they have ill intentions or do something bad, she is able to make the readers understand the reasoning behind it and accept it, no matter how wrong it may be.

The premise and the plot were very interesting, and the mystery behind Poppy’s attack kept me glued to the book. I loved how there was suspense in each chapter and slowly revealing the clues.

I felt for Chloe, when it came to her love life. She forgives Tom for years, and all he does is hurt her and then apologise for it! I think she deserves way better, and she should’ve ditched him the first time he screwed up.

I really enjoyed the Greek Escape, and I loved the ending. It was satisfying, how everything ended and was glad Chloe could find true happiness and peace in the end. I definitely recommend this book, and will continue reading Karen Swan’s books with excitement.

Book Review · Books

The Turning Point (The ELI Chronicles #3) by Julia Ash [BOOK REVIEW]

August 24, 2020 innah962 Comments

The Turning Point (The ELI Chronicles) by Julia Ash book review blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference

★★★★

The Turning Point by Julia Ash is the third book in the ELI Chronicles. Thank you to Julia, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Read my reviews of the first two books in the series:

The Turning Point continues where the previous book left off. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, I would recommend reading my review on the first book – The One and Only, as this review contains spoilers from the other two previous books. Now that you have been warned, I can safely continue. 🙂

Ruby Spencer has continuously saved the world.

First, it was the zombie infection. Then, she was turned into a vampire against her will. In the first book we found out her blood was special, and in the second book – we find out why. Her blood was a result of a donor from another planet, which she ended up saving in the second book. And this time – the planet needs help again. But also this time – Ruby might not be the one that can save it.

Because the animals have their own language, and Ruby cannot understand it. If she could understand them, she would know that they are tired of being puppets to the humans and the vampires. And wolves are more than happy to lead this rebelion.

Without an alpha that can fight for their rights and lead their uprising, the animals will destroy everything in front of them. Ruby is the only one who can connect the animals with their rightful king – is she could only find him.

I have to admit, I struggled a bit at the beginning, when at one point we were introduced to all the different creatures and abilities (zombies, vampires, sculpting, werewolves, multiple planets, search for the true king). While the first and second book were more focused on one part of the story, in this book we had all of the different aspects colliding into one. And despite my struggles at the beginning, it all worked out in the end.

I really loved this book, and it was a perfect last book to conclude this series.

The ending was beautiful and I enjoyed the final few twists, where you couldn’t trust anyone. I loved the love this family had for each other, and how kind and generous they always are. They care so much for each other, it’s really nice to read it. It was such an adventurous ride, and I was eager to know how it ended. I am also glad they gave Zagan another chance to prove he changed, and that he deserves another chance at life.

If you have read my previous reviews – you will know me and Clay don’t really get along. But this book changed my opinion a bit, and I actually ended up liking his character and his story in this book. (surprise, surprise).

The ELI Chronicles, as a whole, is a series not only about zombie apocalypse, vampires, werewolves, rightful kings and special abilities, but also a story about the true power of one family, and their love for each other. Julia Ash managed to combine these two things into the books so well, and make this journey not only adventurous, but also heartwarming.

And I have to say – I am glad that I am part of it by reading this series.

I am glad I have experienced this book, and grown together with it. Thinking of where I was on my journey when I started the first book, and where I am now, I can understand and appreciate this story way more and connect better with it. Definitely a must-read for all fans of sci-fi, adventure and thrillers.

Book Review · Books

Into the Crooked Place (Into the Crooked Place #1) by Alexandra Christo [BOOK REVIEW]

August 19, 2020 innah96Leave a comment

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo book review hot key books Readersfirst book review book blog blogging diaryofdifference diary of difference

★★★★

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo was a book I was very excited to read in the first place.

There is magic and potions, there is romance and adventure. The hype around it was huge, and it is still talked about in the bookish community.

What’s not to like?

Tavia sells magic potions on the market. One day, she is ordered to sell a new magic potion. When her friend Saxoni drinks the new potion, something bad happens. The potion makes people do terrible things – and Tavia and Saxoni need to stop it, before it destroys everyone!

The storytelling in this book was amazing. I was immediately teleported to a world where going to a market to buy a love potion is normal. I could connect with all characters immediately, and wanted to know more about them. The story is told from multiple character’s points of view, which I found appropriate for this story.

Apart from Tavia and Saxony, we also meet Wesley – who is Tavia’s underboss. He is the one that she follows orders from, and he is the one to grant her her freedom, once she earns it by working for him.

“There are no good people, he said. Just ones who haven’t made bad choices yet.”

We also meet Karam – a feisty warrior woman, who is fighting in pits for money. Karam is a character that I instantly liked, for her bravery and her free spirit. She knows who she is, she knows how she got there, and she knows exactly what she wants.

“She had fought her way to her position and hadn’t needed prayer or magic to do it. Just her fists and her smarts and the knowledge that she could.”

I liked Karam and she was probably my favorite character.

I think that her journey was the most adventurous compared to all the other characters, and I feel like she’s grown the most.

“She felt at home. And she knew why. She knew then that home could be anywhere, because it wasn’t a place, but a feeling. It was made up of people, not bricks, and it was something you could create for yourself, just like family.”

The legacy that Karam and Saxony carry is very conveniently revealed. The author only revealed this when it was needed in the book, to fit a certain situation and prompt plot twists. This wasn’t something I enjoyed, and together with how the book ended, it did leave a bitter aftertaste. I think I would have liked the book more if certain reveals were handled better, and the ending was more interesting.

“Sometimes, words spoken in anger are not words spoken in truth, dila.”

To sum everything up, I still think Into the Crooked Place was amazing and enjoyable.

I enjoyed being in this magical world and I enjoyed the adventures the characters went through. If you’ve been reading my reviews, you will know I love a good versus evil battle, and this book did indeed have that. Would I change the ending? Yes. Would I change the way the reveals were handled? Yes. But was this still an amazing book? Most definitely. If you love young-adult magic and adventure books – you will enjoy this one!

Thank you to the teams at Hot Key Books and ReadersFirst, for sending me a copy of this book. Into the Crooked Place is the first book in the series. The second book is called City of Spells, and is expected to come out in 2021.

Blog Tour · Book Review · Books

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard [AMBASSADOR BOOK BUZZ]

August 10, 2020 innah961 Comment

★★★★★

I am so excited to be part of the Ambassador Book Buzz for The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard. Thank you to the amazing team at LoveReading and Corvus for this opportunity.

Needless to say, this book made me stay up all night, just to find out how it ends.

I was the girl who survived the Nothing Man.
Now I am the woman who is going to catch him…

You’ve just read the opening pages of The Nothing Man, the true crime memoir Eve Black has written about her obsessive search for the man who killed her family nearly two decades ago.

The Nothing Man starts when Jim is at work, walking through the supermarket, and he notices that a girl has a book with the name “The Nothing Man” with her. His heart starts racing – because he knows what it means. The Nothing Man is a mysterious man that has assaulted and killed many people in the area, and even after twenty years, no one has found him yet. But Jim knows the truth – because he is the man who did all these crimes.

Eve Black is one of the survivors, that managed to escape his attack by hiding in her bathroom. She writes a book about her experiences and the experiences of the other victims. With her whole family dead and nothing to lose, she is set to find out, once and for all, who the mysterious man is.

I loved the writing style – the book within the book – it was unusual and very interesting for me to engage with. I was so intrigued and invested, and that did not change at all. There are many twists and turns in this book, and you will enjoy them all, especially the very ending, where everything just comes to a big climax. It kept me glued to my seat, and I want more.

I loved the difference between Jim and Eve – their different recollections to how things happened, and why they did. In her book, Eve is explaining how the attacks and murders took place, and right after that, we also witness Jim’s reaction to Eve’s writing, and whether he agrees or not with how correct her facts are. It was very scary at times, to read from the killer’s perspective, and the reasons of why he made some choices.

The more Jim reads, the more he realizes how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won’t give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first…

Usually, in our standard crime books, we have a crime scene, then suspects, and then we figure our way to finding the murderer. But here – we already know who the murderer is at the beginning of the story. But the rest of the world doesn’t. And this is a concept that I haven’t encountered yet, but really enjoyed it. Because this is something we don’t think about often – when we have a crime, and we don’t know who did it, the person that is guilty is out there somewhere, and knows he’s deceived us.

The other important message from this book is to remember the victims.

Everyone remembers the name of a serial killer – but only few remember the victim’s names.

“It’s fine to be fascinated by serial killers,” she tells me in her office after the lecture. “I am myself, obviously. They are fascinating because even though they look just like the rest of us, they do things the rest of us would never, ever do. But they are not especially intelligent. They don’t outsmart authorities. You know David Berkowitz? Son of Sam? They caught him because he got himself a parking ticket at the scene of one of his crimes.

They are boring, ordinary, failures of men – not always men, of course, but predominately – who can’t even manage to live, love and process their feelings in a world where the rest of us have all managed to master it by the time we’re in our teens. These are no dark magicians. They have no special skills. People seem to forget that we know their names because they got caught. In fact, the only remarkable thing about them is what they took from the world: their victims. It’s their names we should know.”

Eve’s book and her investigation behind the book had some powerful psychological lessons, and I enjoyed learning everything. If you already love true crime, and psychological thrillers, you have to absolutely read this and soon. This book is too good to be skipped.

Month: August 2020

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★★

In Nevermoor, everything is different and unique, not to say – magical.

I loved The Trials of Morrigan Crow, and I am sure you will too.

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The Greek Escape by Karen Swan [BOOK REVIEW]