Tag: Hot Key Books

Book Review · Books

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow [BOOK REVIEW]

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Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow [BOOK REVIEW]

Bad Things Happen Here is a beautiful story with a lot of lessons to give. It has a little bit of everything and just enough to keep you intrigued and melt your heart!

About The Book:

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 352

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof / Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

My Thoughts:

Luca Laine Thomas has lived in Parris Island all her life. And one year ago, she lost Polly, her best friend. Now there’s a new girl that moved into Polly’s house and the curse that surrounds this island strikes again. 

Young women keep being murdered and the cases remain unsolved. Now it’s Luca’s turn to do some investigating on her own and figure out what the hell is wrong with this island. 

Luca is such a refreshing character.

She is mixed-race, queer and plus sized, but most importantly, she’s hilarious, smart, and not afraid to stand up for herself. I was glad to see her embrace her mental health journey and show us how she is dealing with grief. She is not afraid to open about her feelings – and thank God for that – we need more Luca’s in our lives and on our pages, so that people start realising that talking about emotions is okay. 

The story is intriguing and captivating. Meeting a log of characters and having those parties on the island gave me some “We Were Liars” vibes. The chapters are short and the way they end prompts you to continue. I stayed up until 2am, finishing this book. 

“People lie about where they were when they don’t want anyone to know what they were doing and where they were doing it.”

I liked the mystery elements, although I think there were some flaws. Luca relied on just one source to give her clues, and if that source ceased for some reason, she wouldn’t have been able to reveal anything. Additionally, I think in real life, that person would never reveal anything at all, because of how it relates to them and the connection, in my opinion. And even though we get one reveal in the end, we don’t get answers to the old cases at all. There was supposed to be some connection between all the murders, and it was never entertained afterwards. It left me slightly disappointed from that point of view.

I liked the romantic connection Luca had, and how real it all was. Especially towards the end. It proves to show that you can love and care for someone so deeply, but still cannot forgive or forget if they hurt you bad enough. We don’t always get the happy ever afters. And maybe time will heal their wounds and destiny will guide them to each other again. We’ll never know, and we can only hope, and that’s the beauty of it. 

About The Author:

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow [BOOK REVIEW]

Rebecca Barrow is the critically acclaimed author of Bad Things Happen Here, Interview with the Vixen, This Is What It Feels Like, and You Don’t Know Me But I Know You. She is a lover of sunshine, Old Hollywood icons, and all things high femme. She lives and writes in England. Visit her at www.rebecca-barrow.com

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Book Review · Books

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart [BOOK REVIEW]

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Family of Liars by E. Lockhart [BOOK REVIEW]

I am so excited I got to read “Family of Liars” before its publication date and receive an uncorrected proof. This review is SPOILER FREE for both “Family of Liars” and “We Were Liars“.

About The Book:

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart [BOOK REVIEW]


Pages: 298

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof (paperback)

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

★★★★

Synopsis:

The prequel to We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars.

My Thoughts:

“Family of Liars” is the prequel of “We Were Liars” and it features the parents from “We Were Liars” as teenagers. “Family of Liars” contains spoilers for “We Were Liars”, so if you haven’t read any of the books, I strongly recommend reading “We Were Liars” first, and then reading “Family of Liars”. I won’t give too much information on the synopsis – same like the first book, this one is better reading blind. I’ll just say this -it features the same private island, the year is 1987 and some new characters join our characters for the summer, when everything kicks off.

If you enjoyed “We Were Liars”, you will also enjoy this book! I don’t want to say it follows the same template, but it kind of does. The chapter flows in the same way, as well as the writing – still beautiful and easy to read. This writing style is a style I really enjoyed reading. If for some reason the writing bothered you in the first book, be aware that it’s very similar here too.

The emotion side was more enhanced in this book. I felt more love, heartbreak, anger and sadness and I loved it so much! I was expecting a twist this time though, and I did get it. And then I got a few more I wasn’t expecting. However, the twists in this book didn’t give the chock or wow factor and didn’t have the same intensity. They were still very cleverly done and I did not see them coming.

In my opinion, “We Were Liars” was amazing and “Family of Liars” just couldn’t top that. But that being set aside, this book was extremely enjoyable and incredibly gripping. A must-read for the fans of this genre and fans of the series. There’s definitely something about this private island that will always tickle my curiosity!

About The Author:

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart [BOOK REVIEW]

E. Lockhart is the author of Again Again, Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and several other books. Whistle: A New Gotham CIty Hero is a graphic novel.

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Book Review · Books

The Bone Knife (The Theft of Sunlight #0.5) by Intisar Khanani [BOOK REVIEW]

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The Bone Knife by Intisar Khanani The Theft of Sunlight ReadersFirst HotKeyBooks books book review books blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference

★★★★

The Bone Knife by Intisar Khanani is a prequel to a new series, The Theft of Sunlight that is hopefully coming out in 2021. This prequel was included in my copy of Thorn, which I loved, and I thought I would also share what I think of The Bone Knife.

Synopsis

Rae knows how to look out for her family. Born with a deformed foot, she feigns indifference to the pity and insults that come her way. Wary of all things beautiful, Rae instantly distrusts their latest visitor: an appallingly attractive faerie. Further, his presence imperils the secret her sister guards. But when the local townspeople show up demanding his blood, Rae must find a way to protect both her sister’s secret and their guest. Even if that means risking herself.

My Thoughts:

Even though this prequel is only 35 pages long, I felt incredibly invested in this story. Rae is such a sweet soul, and it’s no surprise that she attracted the attention of the faerie. I also loved how Rae’s relationship with her sister is so strong. She will do anything to prevent people from knowing that her sister possesses magical powers. 

Beautifully written with very descriptive characters, this was a lovely nice short read that made me so excited about book one – The Theft of Sunlight. 

Thank you to ReadersFirst and Hot Key Books, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Review · Books

Thorn (Dauntless Path #1) by Intisar Khanani [BOOK REVIEW]

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Thorn by Intisar Khanani Dauntless Path ReadersFirst HotKeyBooks books book review books blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference

★★★★★

Thorn by Intisar Khanani is such a powerful story about finding your true self, fighting against the injustice and loving with your whole heart. 

Synopsis

Princess Alyrra grew up in a cruel family, fearing that her brother might hurt her every day. She despises the fact that she needs to behave in a certain way to appeal to the court. Her despise grows even more when she learns that she’s been betrothed to the powerful Prince Kestrin, a stranger from another kingdom.

But when a sorceress robes Alyrra of her true identity, she sees this as an opportunity to start a new life as a goose girl, where she doesn’t have to pretend in front of everyone and be her true self. 

Soon enough, she realises what is actually going on with the regular people in the kingdom. The poverty, the crimes, the fact that the royal guards don’t care at all. The fact that the street thieves have to make their own sets of rules in order to keep the peace on the streets. 

When a big tragedy hits home, Alyrra knows she needs to make a choice. Stay here and give up the identity of the princess forever, or go back to being a princess, only for the sake of saving the people.

“It is rare for someone who wants power to truly deserve it.”

My Thoughts:

Thorn is the first book of the Dauntless Path series, and I am so happy I had the chance to read it! Very powerful book, with a very strong female character, who is not afraid to say what she thinks and fight for what she believes in!

“I’ve found that acting when you are afraid is the greatest sign of courage there is.”

What I loved about Alyrra’s character is that it shows us how much of a hardship it can be to make a certain choice. It is not just black and white. At first, we all root for the – get your identity back. However, Alyrra has been abused all her life. Her brother abused her physically and her mother mentally. She then had to deal with the pressure of being a princess. Following rules. Not saying what she really thinks, but what others want to hear. She is then promised to marry someone she doesn’t know and pretend to be someone she is not, again. 

And suddenly, she can be someone else.

She has the chance to start a brand new life. A person that is not in the spotlight. She can think and speak freely. And that is why I understand her choice to want to stay as a goose girl forever.

“We all have our unspoken sorrows, hopes we cannot mention, choices we may yet regret.”

But then she sees the true picture of how people are treated in the kingdom. How people live. The injustice that happens on the streets every single day. And then she also gets the attention of the prince and being who she is, she is not afraid to say her mind. 

But to truly change things, she needs to become a princess again. And making such a choice comes not only with consequences, but with huge sacrifices too. 

The ending of Thorn was very well written and very satisfying. I am looking forward to reading more about Alyrra’s story and get more answers in the next book. I cannot recommend Thorn enough!

Thank you to ReadersFirst and Hot Key Books, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
| Amazon UK |Amazon US |

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Book Review · Books

A Throne of Swans (A Throne of Swans #1) by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr [BOOK REVIEW]

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A Throne of Swans by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr hot key books readersfirst book review books blog blogging diary of difference diaryofdifference

★★★★

A Throne of Swans by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr is the first book in the series. An epic fantasy about courage, secrets, betrayals and love. 

Synopsis

When her father dies, Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles can transform into birds. Aderyn’s ancestral bird is a swan, But since witnessing the death of her mother, Aderyn hasn’t been able to transform. Aderyn must venture to the Citadel to seek the truth about her mother’s death and to fight for the land she has vowed to protect!

My Thoughts:

From the first moment I read the synopsis of A Thorn of Swans, I was intrigued. I am a sucker for fantasies that involve badass princesses. The cover of this book is also incredible. 

From the very first pages we familiarise ourselves with Aderyn. She has already lost her mother, in fact, watched her die, and now she has lost her father too. She has been grieving her whole life, but she has also been wanting to find out what really happened that day. When her father dies and some clues are unveiled, she needs to travel to the Citadel to find answers.

However, this decision comes with a huge risk because of her current inability to transform into a swan. The punishment, if someone finds out the truth, is death. 

On this trip, she is accompanied by Lucien, who is there to serve as an advisor and protector for Aderyn. They have a dynamic and interesting relationship, bonding over their vows to protect their kingdom. Lucien is also one of the few people that knows Aderyn cannot transform.

Following Aderyn’s story, we witness revealing of secrets, betrayals, drama and gossip. She is determined to find answers, which sometimes includes trusting the wrong people and finding out more than she can cope with.

I was struggling with the fact that this book lacks strong side characters. People that are not main characters, but who you root for. Aderyn was an amazing character, but also the only one that had everything it takes.

The story was very unpredictable until the very end, and quite unexpected at all times.

I loved the plot twists and the cliffhanger at the end. I also shipped the romance, so I was quite perplexed with how the book ended regarding the romantic topic. Some questions remained unanswered and I am sure that the second book in the series will tackle them. 

I highly recommend A Throne of Swans if you love epic fantasies, castles, kingdoms and cool princesses! 

Thank you to ReadersFirst and Hot Key Books, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase Links:
| Amazon UK |Amazon US |

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