Tag: Book Blogger

Kriss: The Gift of Wrath 💫 Mini Spoiler Free Review

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date May 9, 2020
No Comments on Kriss: The Gift of Wrath 💫 Mini Spoiler Free Review

Title: Kriss: The Gift of Wrath
Author: Ted Naifeh & Warren Wucinich
Genre: YA Fantasy Graphic Novel
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Pages: 124
Publishers: Katherine Oni Press
Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis

For fans of The Graveyard Book and Through the Woods comes a different kind of YA fantasy graphic novel, in which a teen boy’s search for his destiny leads him into darkness.

Lean, ghostly pale, and permanently grim-faced, Kriss has always been an outsider in his small village. Not even his adoptive parents love him. Only Anja, the blacksmith’s daughter, brings kindness and friendship into the life of the sullen teenager. But Kriss is haunted by dim memories of his true father, Erikk Iron Tooth, the king of Darkovia.

When Anja’s mother is killed by a wild sabercat from the far north, the young girl’s world is shattered, and Kriss determines to avenge her. Armed with only a pitchfork, the skinny teen sets out to kill the beast, only to learn that it’s actually a dark spirit from Darkovia, come to bring him his destiny. The spirit grants Kriss the power to vanquish the mightiest foes, and commands him to reclaim his father’s kingdom. But his gift of power comes with a price — uncontrollable rage. And leaving the village would mean leaving Anja, the only person who’s always been there for him. Kriss must choose between his destiny and Anja, who needs his friendship more than ever. But his growing power, and the fiery anger that comes with it, threatens to make the choice for him, and burn everything he holds dear.

This was not exactly what I expected from this Graphic Novel. That’s for sure. This is going to be a short & sweet review because I really don’t have that much to say. Quite simply I just found it hard to follow & kinda pointless.

I don’t know if I just simply didn’t get the meaning behind this one but I just felt like it had no real purpose, message or plot to it. It was also super hard to follow and I still have no idea about half the things that happened in the story. According to Goodreads this is not even part of a series, so it isn’t like there is more to come that will explain what exactly was going on in this book.

I did enjoy the art style but that was about all that I can say positive about it. This Graphic Novel wasn’t exactly bad, it just wasn’t for me and left me confused.

Have you read Kriss? What were your thoughts on it?

Thank you to both NetGalley & Oni Press for providing an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, Bookish, Books, Graph, Graphic Novel, Kriss, NetGa, Netgalley, Review

Wrap Up

Recent Reads & Currently Reading

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date May 7, 2020
4 Comments on Recent Reads & Currently Reading

So, it has been a while since I’ve posted a review or any post besides the recent ReadAThon announcement. I thought I would just make a post about why I was MIA as well as what I have recently read that I haven’t reviewed (and probably wont) & what I’m currently reading.

First off, I was in a massive slump! After February I did not feel like reading ANYTHING. Not even audiobooks. I also felt over posting on my Insta, YouTube & Blog. So I took a massive break from everything bookish basically.
Towards the end of April, I felt like reading, so I went on to Scribd (as I wasn’t at home, so didn’t have my books with me) and scrolled until I found something interesting. Since them I’ve been slowly reading some books & I’ve been doing some rereading on audiobook as well. I’ve slowly been getting back into my social platforms as well. I’ve been trying to post on Insta and then I decided to host a ReadAThon, which has been super helpful for my reading. I think I’m back and doing good and will be trying to post on here consistently again and also get back into reviews when I feel like it. Lately I’ve been simply reading and enjoying it rather than reading critically and thinking about my specific thoughts on the book as reading. I still haven’t gotten back into YouTube but I’ve been getting the feeling to want to film but just don’t know what to film. Oh well, I will get there eventually. Enough of that, now onto what I’ve been reading recently.

Recent Reading

As I said above I’ve been doing some rereading on audiobook. So I’ll start with those.

I reread the Truly Devious series via audiobook in April and really enjoyed it. This is one series that I could reread again and again and each time you would discover a new piece of information that you missed the first time around. I absolutely love this series and I will probably reread it again.

Now onto the new books I read.

Firstly, I read The Girl in Red by Christina Henry which is an apocalyptic loose retelling of Red Riding Hood. I absolutely loved this book except I was a little disappointed in the ending. I love the characters, the story line and I loved how the book jumped around in time to tell the story. As I said, the ending was a little disappointing as I found it a bit rushed and also a little convenient. Everything ended too easily in the end which I wasn’t a fan of.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss was really freaking good! I absolutely loved this book. It is right up my alley as it’s a YA Mystery with a badass group of female characters and plenty of twists and turns. The characters are awesome and I love how action packed the book is. It’s also full of twists and turns and it completely unpredictable! Amazing book.

Next I read 2 Graphic Novels. Which I will only mention briefly as I will discuss them in depth during my Fantasy JourneyAThon Wrap Up. Super interesting series so far and I’m keen to get to Vol 3.

Currently Reading

I’m currently reading European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman which is the sequel to The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter and loving it! I’m also rereading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on audiobook and enjoying this as well. Of course!

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Bookish, Books, Currently Reading

Challenges/Readathons TBR

Fantasy JourneyAThon TBR

This is a bit late as it’s already Day 2 for me here in Australia but oh well! Here is my TBR for the Fantasy JourneyAThon! You can find all the info for the Fantasy JourneyAThon HERE!

Please note that I am a Shadow Walker for this Round and being a Shadow Walker allows you to jump from one path to another as long as it is not forward on the same path. I will be using this ability.

Haroyell: Read a first book in a series

The Backstagers: Vol 1 is the first book in The Backstagers Graphic Novel series. I’ve been meaning to read this one for ages so I thought now would be the perfect time!

Dupressa: Read a short book

Why not continue the series? For Dupressa I will be reading The Backstagers: Vol 2 as it is just over 100 pages, so definitely a short book.

Garon: Read a book from your favourite genre

My favourite genres are Fantasy & Mystery equally, so this time I will be reading a Mystery book called European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman which is the second book in The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series.

JUMPING FROM GARON TO MOUNT PAEDRIS USING SHADOW WALKER ABILITY

Mount Paedris: Read a book with a map

I’ve decided to throw 2 rereads into my TBR. I have been in a massive slump, so I don’t want to push myself too much! So I will be rereading Harry Potter via audiobook for Mount Paedris. All the newer editions of Harry Potter I have feature a map, so this fits perfectly.

Maroo: Read a book with a monster

This one just fit perfectly, so I will be rereading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on audio for the Maroo challenge!

Tryllin: Read a book featuring royalty

I haven’t actually chosen a book for this but I will likely find an audiobook or graphic novel to fulfil this challenge later in the month!

Nialas: Read a predicted 5 star read

This one is book 3 in The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series and I have loved book 1 and what I’ve read of book 2 so far, so I am expecting to rate book 3 with 5 stars as well! Fingers Crossed.

Are you participating in the Fantasy JourneyAThon?! What are you most keen for on your TBR? And what team are you om?

Purchase any of the books mentioned from BOOK DEPOSITORY! World Wide FREE shipping and awesome prices? Can’t say no to that!

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Meme

Fantasy JourneyAThon – Round 3 Announcement

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date April 15, 2020
3 Comments on Fantasy JourneyAThon – Round 3 Announcement

It’s time for Round 3 of Fantasy JourneyAThon!

This round will go from the 1st to 31st of May 2020

The map for Round 3 is based on the map of Medora from The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni! You do not need to have read The Medoran Chronicles to participate or understand the ReadAThon! I just love the map, so decided to recreate it and use it for the ReadAThon!

Map

So, firstly, the map!

So, the aim of the ReadAThon is to journey from Haroyell in the West to Nialas in the North East. You may choose whichever path you please & depending on the path chosen you will either read between 6 or 8 books as the paths vary in length. Each team does however have an ability and some of these abilities make you be able to complete the path by reading less books. But more on that later. Next, the prompts!

Reading Challenges

Teams

There are 5 teams each with a unique ability. Each team is based off one of the Races that are present in The Medoran Chronicles. So let’s chat about those and I’ll also give a brief description on each for those that haven’t read the books!

Human
Mortal beings – No special powers
Ability: Use 1 book for 2 locations as long as those locations are directly connected on the map.
Ex: You could use 1 book to complete Woodhaven & Tryllin but not to complete Woodhaven & Ezera Forst

Meyarin
Immortal beings – Physically Powerful, Swift, sharp eyesight & perfect memory
Ability: Skip one location on your path but you will not gain points from this skipped location. You CANNOT skip Haroyell or Nialas as these are the Start & Finishing points.

Tia Auran
Immortal Beings – Telekinetic Powers
Ability: Receive double points for any challenge completed. This can be used on any locations prompt including Haroyell & Nialas as long as the book you read fits the challenge.

Shadow Walkers
Power to control Shadow
Ability: Jump from one path to another. You can jump from any location on your current path (Excluding Haroyell) to any location on another path. You CANNOT jump ahead on the same path.
Ex. you could travel: Haroyell > Meya > *JUMP* > Hallowgate > Nialas.

Dayriders
Power to control light
Ability: Complete a location with ANY book even if it doesn’t fit the prompt. This can be used on any location including Haroyell & Nialas. Audiobook, Graphic Novel, Short Stories, comic, eBooks, etc. all count! If it’s on Goodreads it can be counted.

Points

You earn points from reading pages & completing challenges. There will also be ways to earn points through photo challenges on Insta & Reading Sprints on Twitter!

1 page read = 1 point
1 challenge completed = 20 points
1 photo challenge posted = 5 points
1 reading sprint participated = 5 points

It is up to the participant to keep their section of the Points Tracker up to date to earn points for your team. Points are calculated on an average so that even if one team has more members than another there will be a fair chance of winning.

Sign Up & Points Tracker: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CtuJ_5XH_GJU23nsIZuxBRZbUcuzsd52Ibr6N1txafA/edit?usp=sharing

Photo Challenge

There will be 4 photo challenges throughout the ReadAThon! These challenges will be announced on Saturdays on both Instagram & Twitter and you will have till Friday to post your challenge in order to earn points. You MUST use the hashtag #JourneyAThonIG to receive points. These points are added by the host, so all you need to do is post the photo & use the hashtag.

Reading Sprints

I will be hosting Reading Sprints on the Fantasy JourneyAThon Twitter. These will be random, so if you wish to participate & don’t want to miss out you can turn on post notifications for the Fantasy JourneyAThon Twitter. That way you will get a notification when sprints are held.

All the Links!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeyathon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/journeyathon

Sign Up & Points Tracker: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CtuJ_5XH_GJU23nsIZuxBRZbUcuzsd52Ibr6N1txafA/edit?usp=sharing

Well, I think that is all the info you need! If you have questions feel free to comment them below or message me on he Fantasy JourneyAThon Twitter or Insta!

Let me know if you are planning on participating and what team you will be joining!

Purchase any of the books mentioned from BOOK DEPOSITORY! World Wide FREE shipping and awesome prices? Can’t say no to that!

All the links!

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Bookish, Books, Fantasy JourneyAThon, ReadAThon

Reviews

The Hand on the Wall 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date March 7, 2020
3 Comments on The Hand on the Wall 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Title: The Hand on the Wall
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious
Genre: YA Contemporary Mystery
Publication Date: January 21st, 2020
Pages: 368
Publishers: Katherine Tegen Books
Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis

Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.

As you may know The Hand on the Wall is the final book in the Truly Devious Trilogy! You can find my reviews for The Vanishing Stair HERE!

This series is HANDS DOWN one of my favourite series of all time. I have read Truly Devious & The Vanishing Stair leading up to the release of The Hand on the Wall and I have loved it every time! I feel like each time I read it I discover or realise new things.

The Hand on the Wall & the whole Truly Devious series is so well written! It is gripping, unpredictable & entertaining. I just couldn’t get enough of it! I read nearly the whole thing in one day! I only had to read 30ish pages on the second day as I only put it down after the big reveal because I was exhausted!

I love Stevie as a main character! She is one of my favourite characters I’ve read from in any book and I wish we had more! I loved the references she made to Sherlock and of course Hercule Poirot, who I also love.
I really enjoyed most of the other characters too! They were all so well written. They grew & devloped throughout the series and I loved watching that.

The Hand on the Wall was also just so unpredictable! I have 101 guesses but not one of them was correct! There were amazing plot twists thrown in but every little detail added up in the end which was so satisfying.

I can’t wait to see what Maureen Johnson writes next but I hope it will be another mystery! I was sad to see this book end as I didn’t want this story with these characters to be over but I’m also really happy with how it all rounded off in the end.

Have you read any of Maureen Johnson’s other books? I have been curious as I loved this one but just don’t know and don’t know where to start! Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

You can order a copy for yourself at any of the links below.

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, Bookish, Books, Review

Reviews

One of Us is Next 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date March 6, 2020
2 Comments on One of Us is Next 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Title: One of Us is Next
Author: Karen M. McManus
Series: One of Us is Lying
Genre: YA Contemporary Mystery
Publication Date: January 7th, 2020
Pages: 375
Publishers: Penguin
Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis

It is a year after the action of One of Us Is Lying, and someone has started playing a game of Truth or Dare.

But this is no ordinary Truth or Dare. This game is lethal. Choosing the truth may reveal your darkest secrets, accepting the dare could be dangerous, even deadly.

The teenagers of Bayview must work together once again to find the culprit, before it’s too late . . .

Trigger Warnings: Character forces himself on another character, Discussions of pretty brutal deaths (not detailed on page), Leukaemia & Alcohol Addiction/Alcohol Poisoning

One of Us is Next is even better than book 1, One of Us is Lying! You can find my Spoiler Free Review for One of Us is Lying HERE!

I honestly forgot how amazingly Karen M. McManus writes books! Her characters are extremely well developed & fleshed out. We follow 3 characters POV in One of Us is Next; Maeve, Phoebe & Knox and I really enjoyed all 3. My favourite POV to follow was definitely Maeve. She grows throughout the book and I love how McManus wrote her struggles with Leukaemia & Anxiety.

The plot of this book is extremely unpredictable and will keep you on the edge of your seat! This one I think was even more shocking than I remember One of Us if Lying being. It was so gripping and I just didn’t want to put it down. McManus builds tension & curiosity really well which makes her books leaving you wanting to know every detail.

Overall I really enjoy her writing, characters & plot and I can’t wait to see where she goes next!

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Have you read One of Us is Next? Or plan to because you enjoyed One of Us is Lying? Let me know your thoughts on either!

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, Bookish, bookreview, Books, Review, Spoiler Free Review

Reviews

A Heart so Fierce and Broken 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date February 27, 2020

Title: A Heart so Fierce and Broken
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: January 7th, 2020
Pages: 445
Publishers: Bloomsbury YA
Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis

Find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.

In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed A Heart so Fierce and Broken even more than I did A Curse So Dark and Lonely. You can find my Spoiler Free Review for A Curse so Dark and Lonely HERE!

Obviously I still love the world & the writing, as I did in book 1. However one of my favourite parts of A Heart so Fierce and Broken was the 2 main characters. In book 1 we follow Rhen & Harper and while I did enjoy them I love the POV of Lia Mara & Grey that we follow in book 2! Grey was my favourite character in book 1, so of course I was going to love him in book 2 but I was delightfully surprised that I really enjoyed Lia Mara as well. I love her as a character as much as Grey, so it was fun following both of them through this story.

Ah yes, the most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sitting alone with a book.

A Heart so Fierce and Broken was also super action packed and was a very easy read for me. Most of the time it was fast paced and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The story also flowed really well which helped make it easy and quick to read.

You said that not every problem can be solved by the end of a sword. I have carried those words with me for days… Since you made me realize that I am no longer a weapon to be wielded by another.

I absolutely love the world that is being developed throughout this series and it was awesome to explore even more of it in A Heart so Fierce and Broken. Not only did we explore new locations but also a new culture of people with a whole different view on the Royal family compared to in A Curse so Dark and Lonely.

Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all.

So overall I enjoyed this one even more than A Curse so Dark and Lonely and I cannot wait for book 3, A Vow so Bold and Deadly which is set to release in January 2021! Let’s hope the trend continues and its even better again! I’m also super keen to find out who we will be following in A Vow so Bold and Deadly.

You can order a copy for yourself at any of the links below.

You could also use my affiliate links for Book Depository if you would like to support this blog!

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Have you read A Heart so Fierce and Broken? How did it compare to A Curse so Dark and Lonely? Better or Worse?

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Tags A Curse so Dark and Lonely, A Heart so Fierce and Broken, Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, Bookish, bookreview, Books, Brigid Kemmerer, Review, Spoiler Free Review

Wrap Up

January 2020 Wrap Up

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date February 25, 2020

A bit late but here is my wrap up for January!
Firstly, some stats! I read a total of 11 books and also DNFd 1 book. 5 of the books I read were rereads. 3 of the books I read were physical/eBooks and the others were all audiobooks. I also read a total of 4,450 pages in January.
So, lets jump in!

Physical/eBook

Firstly we have Nyxia Unleashed! This is the sequel to Nyxia in The Nyxia Triad Series. I read Nyxia in 2018 and I loved it! I loved this book just as much! This is a super unique, interesting & action packed This was a 4.5 Stars for me and I can’t wait to get to book 3, Nyxia Uprising.
Spoiler Free Review

Next we have The End and Other Beginnings which is a short story collection by Veronica Roth. This was a bit all over the places for me. There were ones I loved & ones I hated. There however wasn’t enough good stories in there for it to really stand out, so that was disappointing. You can check out my review for ratings & thoughts on each of the individual stories.
Spoiler Free Review

Lastly for Physical/eBooks I read Come Tumbling Down which is book 5 in the Wayward Children Series. I am loving all these new worlds we explore with each new book in this series and I also love that they have remained short books. They make for easy and fun reads.
Spoiler Free Review

Audiobooks!

Firstly for audiobooks I listened to The Beast which is book 2 in The Darkdeep duology. I listened to The Darkdeep at the end of December and really enjoyed it. It’s a fun middle grade adventure novel with heaps of plot twists and action. Highly recommend if you are looking for something quick & action packed to read.

Next I reread the first two books in one of my favourite series in anticipation for the release of Book 3, The Hand on the Wall. I absolutely love Truly Devious & The Vanishing Stair. This series just keeps getting better and better with each book.
Spoiler Free Review of The Vanishing Stair

Next I listened to book 31 & 32 in the Hercule Poirot Mysteries series. I enjoyed both After the Funeral & Hickory Dickory Dock just as much as I have all the other books in the Hercule Poirot series. I absolutely love Hercule Poirot and the way Agatha Christie writes the mysteries in this series. Never predictable & always leaves you guessing.

Lastly, some more rereads in anticipation of continuing the series. It had been a few years since I originally read the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series so I decided to reread them via audiobook before I listened to A Map of Days and future books in extended series. I loved this one just as much this time as I did the first time reading them! Such a creepy and unique world and amazing bunch of characters.

DNF

The only book that I DNFd in January was The Dragon Republic which is the second book to The Poppy War. I DNFd at 285 pages, so just over half way through. I absolutely loved The Poppy War but when I tried to read this one I just found it super slow and lot was going on which wasn’t making me excited to jump back in and read it and I found myself just avoiding reading instead of pick this one up. I definitely want to read this one at some point because of how much I loved The Poppy War but I might have to give it a go on audiobook to try and get through the slow parts.

Well that is all the books I read & DNFd in January! How many books did you get the chance to read? Also, which one was your favourite? Mine would have to be Nyxia Unleashed!

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Bookish, Books, Wrap Up

Reviews

Come Tumbling Down 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 14, 2020
2 Comments on Come Tumbling Down 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Title: Come Tumbling Down
Author: Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children
Genre: YA Fantasy Novella
Publication Date: January 7th, 2019
Pages: 206
Publishers: Tor.com
Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis

The fifth installment in Seanan McGuire’s award-winning, bestselling Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down picks up the threads left dangling by Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones

When Jack left Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister–whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice–back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn’t always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West’s “No Quests” rule is about to be broken.

Again.

Firstly, that cover is freaking awesome! Have to give some love for all the Wayward Children covers really, they are all so bomb.

Even though this book is a Novella it is not lacking in the slightest! There is always tonnes of world building and even though we have seen this world specifically before in Down Among the Sticks and Bones there was still heaps to learn about the world & magic system. I love learning about new worlds, so this book is just perfect for that.

The story was also super fast paced and action packed basically the entire time which makes it really fast and easy to read as well as very gripping. I read the book in I think 2 sittings as I just didn’t want to put it down.

I also really enjoyed seeing characters from previous stories again. It’s really interesting to see how they have developed & grown since the events of the previous books. The Multi POV was really good as well as you saw all sides of what was going on in the story and learn a little more about each of the characters.

Overall, I really enjoy the Wayward Children series and I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next story!

Thank you to both NetGalley & Tor.com for providing an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You can order a copy for yourself at any of the links below.

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Have you read The End and Other Beginnings?
What are your thoughts on Veronica Roth’s newer works?!

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Tags Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, Bookish, Books, Come Tumbling Down, Review, Seanan McGuire, Spoiler Free Review, Wayward Children

Reviews

The End and Other Beginnings 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Post author By Eliza Eames
Post date January 10, 2020
1 Comment on The End and Other Beginnings 💫 Spoiler Free Review

Title: The End and Other Beginnings
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: YA SciFi Short Story Collection
Publication Date: October 1st, 2019
Pages: 352
Publishers: HarperCollins
Rating: See individual stories

Goodreads Synopsis

Bestselling Divergent and Carve the Mark author Veronica Roth delivers a stunning collection of novella-length stories set in the future, illustrated with startling black-and-white artwork.

No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems.

In these six stories, Veronica Roth reaches into the unknown and draws forth something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.

With tales of friendship and revenge, plus two new stories from the Carve the Mark universe, this collection has something for new and old fans alike. Each story begins with a hope for a better end, but always end with a better understanding of the beginning.

With beautifully intricate black-and-white interior illustrations and a uniquely designed package, this is the perfect gift for book lovers.

Inertia

This one was a tad lacking. I know it’s a short story but we got basically no world building & no character development. The story is mainly about this friendship/romance and that’s really it. I like the idea of the world but would of much preferred a different story in this world than the basic romance we got. I did like the rep for depression though. I thought that was quite well done but that was the only real upside of this story. So far not a great start to the short story collection

The Spinners

This one was a bit more promising. I quite enjoyed this one, including the world, the characters and the scheme of it. I would definitely continue reading if this story was longer. The concept of the world is also super unique, which was the case for most of these stories. There is a lot of originality in the concepts.

Hearken

This one is definitely the best of the 6 I think. The world was super interesting and unique, I loved the whole idea of the world and we got a decent amount of world building even though it was a short story. The MC and other characters also felt more fleshed out and full in this one compared to the other stories. Would continue reading this one for sure.

Vim and Vigor

Vim & Vigor was a pretty good story too. I really liked the technology that was mentioned, it sounds super interesting. I also enjoyed that this had a theme of friendship which was prominent. The world & characters were a little lacking though. So not my favourite.

Armored Ones

This was easily the worst of the collection. There was no world building and the characters were extremely flat. This one was also confusing too, which made it impossible to follow. I found myself thinking ‘what was the point of that?!’ when I got to the end. Just overall meh.

The Transformationist

This was also not fabulous. I was left confused and underwhelmed with this one. Just an overall lack of development throughout.

Overall

Overall this short story collection was all over the place for me. I had 2 good stories, 2 okay stories and 2 just meh stories. I can’t say I would recommend this one as there were just too many average or below average books for me to say ‘YES! You need to read this!’… I think my enjoyment for Veronica Roth books started and finished with the Divergent series unfortunately because everything else I have read from her has been either disappointing or just straight out confusion.

You can order a copy for yourself at any of the links below.

You could also use my affiliate links for Book Depository if you would like to support this blog!

Booktopia
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Paperback
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