Wednesday, July 23, 2025

My Review for Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry, read by Samantha Brentmoor and Jason Clarke

July 23, 2025  , , , , ,  No comments


“I don't like holding hands.” “How do you know? You've never held mine.”

I have a beautiful sprayed edge copy of Shield of Sparrows, but I really didn't want to read that one. So, I grabbed a copy on Libby, plugged myself in, and immersed myself in the beautiful narration, primarily from Samantha Brentmoor.

I knew I'd enjoy this. Marketed for lovers of SJM, what would there be, not to love? It turns out, nothing. I devoured every word, I was invested in Odessa's story, I was with her every step of the way, as she fought the monsters, cared for Evie and snuggled up with Faze, her cute but little scary baby monster! I adored the Guardian - should I have done? Probably not! 😉 

I really wanted to stay in that treehouse that Odessa made home for a while, it seemed so cute, and I know that here in the UK at least, you can rent out treehouses for holidays! How cool would that be?

Of course, it's similar to every other romantasy book out there, but give me any sort of romance which isn't! I found it addictive, all the way through, and I really hope we don't have to wait too long for book 2.

Thank you to all the bookstagrammers who reviewed this and therefore persuaded me to try it!

About the Book

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.

I’ve spent my life kneeling to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.

I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.

But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.

Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?

And what if for the first time I reached for it?


About Devney

Devney is a #1 Amazon, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over forty romance novels. After working in the technology industry for a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to pursue her passion for writing. She was born and raised in Montana and now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons.”




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Sunday, July 20, 2025

My Review for Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

July 20, 2025  , , ,  No comments



'I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.'

I first read Of Mice and Men for GCSE English, 36 years ago! I remember the basics of it, but I definitely enjoyed it more this time around, when I read it for #classiclitbookclub last year. It's funny how a book is more fun to read, if you don't have to dissect it to death in order to get a good grade!

The friendship between George and Lenny is second to none. They fell into each other's company by accident, and now, they have each other's back, no matter what. Fight one and you'll fight the other! Their comradeship is unbreakable in a difficult and cruel world. I didn't remember the ending from 36 years ago, and I'm going to try to forget it all over again. 

Reading this, you need to be aware that it was first published in 1937 and so it isn't politically correct by any means, but it's of its time, as are many classics.

About the Book

Drifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are dashed as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength.


About John

John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."
During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.
Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.

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My Review for The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

July 20, 2025  , , ,  No comments


'Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.'

I can't believe I have never read this before. Thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery  for July's read. I used to work in a library suppliers which stocked only children's books and time after time I would shelve it, or prepare it it libraries and never once did I think to even take a glance inside. I was missing out!

This book is gorgeous, and would be absorbed very differently, depending on whether you are a child or an adult as you read it.  It's full of life lessons, vanity, innocence and beautiful similes. 

If you are an adult and want to remember what it was like to be a child, then read this - it's only short - it'll only take you an hour or so to read. If you have a kids, then read it to them or buy them their own copy. I have the Penguin Clothbound edition and it's beautiful. It's a book to be treasured and I'm off to look for more special editions of it. 

About the Book

This strange and lovely parable, written as much for adults as for children, and beautifully illustrated by the author, has become a classic of our time.

The narrator, an air pilot, tells how, having made a forced landing in the Sahara Desert, he meets the little prince. The wise and enchanting stories the prince tells about the planet where he lives with three volcanoes and a haught flower, about the other planets and their rulers, and about his fight with the bad seeds, make him an entrancing, unforgettable character.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a novelist and professional air pilot. He wrote The Little Prince a year before his death in 1944.


About Antoine

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, the "Winged Poet," was born in Lyon, France, in 1900. A pilot at twenty-six, he was a pioneer of commercial aviation and flew in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. His writings include The Little Prince, Wind, Sand and Stars, Night Flight, Southern Mail, and Airman's Odyssey. In 1944, while flying a reconnaissance mission for his French air squadron, he disappeared over the Mediterranean.




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My Review for Carrie by Stephen King

July 20, 2025  , , , , ,  No comments


'And then the world exploded.'

Hmmm...... #thatindiebookclub decided to do an about-turn and read a Stephen King book, alongside July's book of choice (Silver Elite), and, being up for anything, I thought I'd give it a try. Now I don't particularly do horror, but as I've been discovering, horror in books doesn't have the same effect as horror on the screen, so why not give Carrie, Stephen King's first ever published novel, a try.

I had no idea what this was going to be about. I don't think I've ever read the synopsis, and I certainly haven't seen the movie. While I enjoyed the story, and was fully invested in the destruction of everyone and everything which surrounds our protagonist, I'm afraid I didn't enjoy the writing. 

I described it, to a friend, as - the bits where it says what she's thinking - but after clarification, she kindly explained to me that what I actually meant was 'that stream of consciousness method in the brackets'. She also informed me that it is called 'ergodic' style, which apparently means that the author is making the reading process more challenging for the reader, on purpose. No thank you, I don't want my reading to be challenging, I want it to be fun. 😜

However, I'm not basing my Stephen King experience on just this one book. The next one we are reading is IT, followed by Pet Sematary so I can make a more balanced decision after that!

About the Book

Carrie White is no ordinary girl.

Carrie White has the gift of telekinesis.

To be invited to Prom Night by Tommy Ross is a dream come true for Carrie - the first
step towards social acceptance by her high school colleagues.

But events will take a decidedly macabre turn on that horrifying and endless night as she
is forced to exercise her terrible gift on the town that mocks and loathes her . . .


About Stephen

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.

Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.


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Thursday, July 17, 2025

My Review for A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

July 17, 2025  , , ,  No comments

'To the stars who listen—and the dreams that are answered'.

An incredible second book in the series. Once again, it's been an entire year since I read it and yes, I know I need to get my act together. I think I might listen to one and two again before I read three. What do you think?

A bit of a spoiler here, Feyre leaves the Spring Court behind and joins Rhysand in the Night Court, and what a court it is! Honestly, everything about this book is addictive. The characters, the magic, the love, the drama.....I adored it!

There are a lot of WTF moments in this one, and I promise you, your heart will be in your mouth and will probably have stopped beating! I was literally speaking aloud and saying 'no, this can't be happening, you have got to be kidding me'!

Read it if you haven't already, come along and join in the ACOTAR fun! Now to find time to read the next one!

About the Book

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises, a greater evil looms - and she might be key to stopping it.

But only if she can step into her growing power, heal her fractured soul and have the courage to shape her own future - and the future of a world cloven in two...


About Sarah

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. 





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Tuesday, July 15, 2025

My Review for A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

July 15, 2025  , ,  No comments


“I was as unburdened as a piece of dandelion fluff, and he was the wind that stirred me about the world.”

I finally dipped my toe into the ACOTAR water in June 2024, and it's taken me this long to write my review. I don't even have the excuse that I wanted to finish the series first, because I've still only read the first two books. 🙉

As with the first book in any complicated fantasy series, it focuses a lot on the world-building. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, we spend the majority of our time in the Spring Court with Feyre, Tamlin, and Lucien. If you take away the fantasy, Tamlin and Lucien are basically a couple of psychopaths! 😂 I hated Feyre's sisters, I wasn't a fan of Lucien, and Tamlin, in my opinion, is just weird!

I discovered a few of us who hadn't read this, and so we created a Bookstagram chat and called ourselves the ACOTAR virgins. 😂😂😂 

Is the hype worth it? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? 100% - obviously if you're a fantasy lover of course!

Watch this space for my review of A Court of Mist and Fury - coming sooner than you might think!

About the Book

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.


About Sarah

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages. A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog. 




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Monday, July 14, 2025

My Review for She Started It by Sian Gilbert

July 14, 2025  , , ,  No comments


'One thing’s for sure: not everyone is going to be leaving this island alive'

Firstly, my apologies to the publisher, who gifted me a copy of She Started It, back in the middle of 2024. I did read it in July 2024, but I have only just got around to writing my review - yes I know, I'm rubbish!

Five women, a beautiful Caribbean island, first-class treatment all the way, and three days of pure relaxation. How idyllic does this sound? Well it might sound blissful and to begin with it was, but this is a thriller and idyllic is far from how it ended!

Told from multiple points of view, from each of the women, it took me a short while to identify each one, but once I had, I found it to be uniquely and cleverly done. I didn't particularly like any of them, but of course this is how we were supposed to feel. They were spiteful, and Poppy in particular was incredibly vindictive. Would I have been like that, if I'd been bullied, and I had the opportunity for revenge? Yes, absolutely! (That's a story for another day). 🙈

This was a top read for me, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller, with sunshine, cocktails and sandy beaches. 

Thank you to Viking Books for the gifted copy of She Started It by Sian Gilbert.


About the Book

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected...

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends—or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven’t quite turned out as they’d hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy’s Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good—and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island’s accommodations are just as opulent as expected...even if the scenic island proves more remote than they’d anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they’ve underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

Endlessly twisty, sharply observant, and deliciously catty, She Started It is sure to shock readers until the very end.


About Sian

Sian Gilbert is the author of She Started It. She was born in Bristol, UK, and studied history at the University of Warwick, before teaching at a comprehensive school in Birmingham for almost five years. She now lives in Cambridge with her partner.








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