The Romance Bookie

 Hey Everyone! I've got another review for 2022!  I have been hearing so much about Sarah J. Maas, and just haven't had a chance to read anything by her; but I knew I needed to at some point!  Then, a couple of weeks ago I was going through the Hoopla App on my phone, and I saw that my local library offered the Court of Thorns and Roses series!  So I jumped on the chance, and checked out the first book in the series, titled the same.   So here is my review! From Goodreads: Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill - the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price... Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jeweled mask, is hiding far more th...

 Hey! Apparently January has become the month I catch up on Marissa Meyer's books!  I've been behind for a few years! And now with the access to my local libraries Audiobook database, I get that chance to catch-up!   I have Heartless on my shelf since its release in 2016, and just have never had a chance to read it, or honestly been in the mind set, because I rarely read fantasies at this point; so when it saw on the Libby App, I finally checked-it out via audiobook and began.   From Goodreads: Long before she was the terror of Wonderland -- the infamous Queen of Hearts -- she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the ha...

I finished my first book of 2022!!   And I did it on January 1st!! Now I did start it last week, when it was technically still 2021, but I still needed to read quite a bit when 2022 started, and after listening over 4 hours yesterday, I finally finished! Gilded , the first book in Marissa Meyer's new series! From Goodreads: Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller's daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantasical and spellbinding and entirely untrue. Or so everyone believes. When one of Serilda's outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods.  In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her...for a ...

 Hey! So I'm going through a little bit of a reading slump to start off my July, but instead of putting the pressure on me to read something specific, I decided to finally read something I've been wanting to read for a long time! The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels!  I understand why Graphic novels are pricier, they take a lot of work to make, and a lot of someone's valuable time!  But that doesn't make it easier to shell out $15 for a book that will take me less than 45 minutes to read.   But I finally did it!  I bought all four that are available so far for my birthday!   I turned 30 on the second.   THIRTY. I still can't believe I'm 30.  That is so unbelievably crazy to me.  I started The Romance Bookie when I was 19.  Practically a baby.  And now I'm a full fledged married-with-a-child-and-mortgage adult.  Crazy! Anyway on to my review! From Goodreads: The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novel #1 The first installment of ...

Hey Everyone, I actually cannot believe I am writing this review right now, because to be honest, there are a thousand other things that I need to be doing right now, but I am so ready for my yearly book event tomorrow (YALL WEST!!!) that I just couldn't wait to finally be able to write a review again! So I do have some exciting news... After months and months of the sh*# that my life has become I got some good news last Friday.  Not only am I graduating on May 20th, with my bachelor's in Early Childhood Studies, but I will also be graduating with Honors!  This has been the ultimate goal since I lost my dad in September. I knew I had to keep going, I knew my dad would want me to finish school; and for my own goal I wanted to make him extra proud by graduating with honors.  And I did it. But school is not over just yet.  I have made my final homework list!  Which means as soon as I get through this list of things to do for school...I am officially done wi...

Hello Everyone! Another review for you! Storm Siren  is a YA Fantasy Novel that I had been keeping my eye on for a little bit.  I had heard good things about it and finally decided to read it while I was on vacation. From Goodreads : "I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don't want me.  Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you." In a world at war, a slave girl's lethal curse could become one kingdom's weapon of salvation.  If the curse-- and the girl-- can be controlled. As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen year-old Nym isn't merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth - meaning, she shouldn't even exist. Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell.  But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the...

Hi!  Beauty is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast !  It's a classic tale and I think this is one of the best retellings ever! It's such a good solid one that really follows the original tale.  Anyways, this is a book I read as a child and recently decided to reread! From Goodreads : A strange imprisonment... Beauty has never liked her nickname.  She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones.  But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will.  Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?" Robin McKinley's beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple, Beauty and the Beast. Erin's Thoughts: Like I said...

Hi Everyone!! I've got a review today of a book I'm super excited about!! The Bone Season  by Samantha Shannon! As you may know, I met Samantha Shannon earlier this year when she was on tour for her new book, The Mime Order , the sequel to The Bone Season.   This was definitely a book I was really looking forward to and I am happy to report I was not disappointed!! Here's my full review below!! :D From Goodreads : The year is 2059.  Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man name Jaxon Hall.  Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds.  For Paige is a dream walker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing. It is raining the day her life changes forever.  Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly ...

Hi, Everyone!! Here's a review of Gathering Darkness , the third book in the awesome Falling Kingdoms Series!!! From Goodreads: In Gathering Darkness, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first: Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces.  Now he must choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets out to conquer all of Mytica.  All Gaius needs now are the Kindred - the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner.  But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, stories magic... -The KRAESHIANS join the hunt.  Asher and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and manipulate th...

Hello! As you may remember, The Winner's Curse  was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I read The Winner's Curse  last year after I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful cover and the description of the book!  They are such good books and I would recommend them to anyone! All right! Here's my review! From Goodreads : Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love. The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria's crown prince means one celebration after another.  But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making.  As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement...if she could only trust him.  Yet can she even trust herself? For --unknown to Arin -- Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret. As Arin enlists dangerous allies ...

Hi Everyone! Today, I've got A Darker Shade of Magic to share with you! It's a new book by V.E. Schwab-otherwise known as Victoria Schwab! From Goodreads: Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit. Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now. Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing in...

WooHoo!!! Defy  was a book that I had been checking out a lot every time I went to the bookstore.  It caught my eye from the very first time I saw it and when I read the synopsis, it sounded right up my alley.  But despite this, for some reason, I kept putting off reading it.  I have no idea why??!! But I'm glad to say that I finally did read it and had a blast!! From Goodreads : Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory. The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not t...

Hello!  A review of Fiendish , Brenna Yovanoff's latest book! I was lucky enough this past summer to meet Brenna Yovanoff, along with Maggie Stiefvate and Tessa Gratton! Unfortunately, I had not read her books then, so I didn't fully get to appreciate her being there, but she was so sweet and kind nonetheless! She was also nice enough to give me some of her bookmarks as well as tell me about her books, including Fiendish !  And now...for the review...! From Goodreads: Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten. Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.    When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Bac...

Hey Everyone! I'm sorry it's been a while! School started five and a half weeks ago, along with my second job at the elementary school, so life has become just a tad crazy again.  Anyway, I've got a review for you!  I just finished The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell  by Chris Colfer! Instead of giving you the Goodreads description this time around, I'm actually going to give you my own description, because personally I feel the Goodreads one, just doesn't do the book justice! From  Goodreads The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell  by Chris Colfer is one of those books that if you love fairytales, you will not forget!  It is the story of Conner and Alex Bailey, twin siblings who are very different, but end up going on an incredible journey they will never forget.  When their grandmother gives them the fairytale book, that their deceased father used to read to them, for their birthday, neither of them expects to be literally pulled into t...