Cozy read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the opportunity to read and review One Snowy Day by Diana Murray and Diana Toledano!
Aesthetically pleasing illustrations accompany rhyming text as the story counts up to ten and then back down again. Very cozy wintertime book, 5 stars!
Yummy and easy recipes!
Thanks to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Dump Cake Magic by Anne Schaeffer!
Magnificently easy, quick and delicious dessert recipes for taste buds of every kind. Each recipe is followed by a photograph of the completed dessert. A must-have cookbook for dessert connoisseurs, 5 stars!
Here’s my review for A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir, the third but not final book in An Ember in the Ashes series. I love how the book opens with the Nightbringer’s point of view! The author gives us insight into the kingdom’s history and at the present time, the scholars are being extinguished but we see that in the past the scholars have done the same thing to the Jinn, the Nightbringer’s people. Very interesting and so much like the harsh reality we live in. Elias’ fate and Laia’s future hold mystery. Helene, as the Blood Shrike, stands steadfastly by her sister Livia’s side. Livia has a fortunate surprise that could change the Empire for the better. Learning more about Keris and her past was fascinating as was learning more about Laia’s mother’s story. Elias gives up everything to help others because of his kindness and tremendous strength. Reaper at the Gates hurts my heart but builds distant hope for the amazing characters, 5 stars!
Adventure within a dark fantasy world!
Thanks to NetGalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for the opportunity to read and review Splendor and Spark by Mary Taranta!
North is on a path he doesn’t necessarily want but feels that he has to be on. Faris and Cadence are prisoners still. Bryn seems to be gaining everything she wants, power and to be queen. Cadence adores Bryn and she shows nothing but disdain for Faris. Faris struggles to let her sister be until she finally gives in to the fact that letting Cadence make her own choices is the right thing to do. North striving to find his father becomes more and more complicated. North and Faris lose much but learn a lot and, as their wisdom grows, they understand what they need to do to accomplish their goals, North with his father and Faris finding a place where she belongs. The world building is descriptive and thorough while the characters are dynamic. I especially like Alistair because he fascinates me and I want to know more about his background and past experiences. 4 stars for this dark fantasy adventure!
Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta jumps into an intense storyline. Right from the beginning, I was hooked! Faris and Thaelan live completely different lives in opposite areas of the kingdom. Faris and her sister Cadence live in poverty while Thaelan is a member of nobility. Thaelan and Faris are in love and want to run away so they can be together. Faris and Cadence are pretty much on their own because of their dysfunctional father and deceased mother; a mother that stabbed Faris in the chest, trying to kill her years ago. Cadence and Thaelan are captured while they are trying to escape, the two of them receive horrible consequences. Faris is offered a job to earn money to buy Cadence’s freedom. The job offer comes from the kingdom’s executioner and his betrothed, Princess Bryn. Things become a bit confusing when Bryn and Faris are captured and the “owners” change hands a couple of times. Once that’s settled, the situation begins to clear up again. Bryn and Faris end up riding with North, a mysterious young man with secrets of his own. The relationships sparkle and the world frightens in this dark, dreary fantasy made up of magic that cripples and sometimes completely transforms. A range of emotions surrounds the storyline and tragedy, intensity and brutality sum up the characters’ lives. Deeply dynamic, Shimmer and Burn is waiting to pull you into its world! 5 stars!
DIY destressing!
Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Girls’ Home Spa Lab by Maya Pagan! A wonderful collection of self-care advice, tips and recipes for pre-teen girls, teenagers and women of all ages. Simple directions make this guide helpful and the projects doable, from sleep masks to foot cream! A must have book for teens everywhere, 5 stars!
Dystopian virus!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review Plague Land Reborn by Alex Scarrow!
The story opens with Leon’s father when the plague hit New York, two years earlier and alternating with the present from Leon’s point of view. The virus has gained strength and intelligence while absorbing human bodies and their memories. Tom continues to search for Leon and Grace while working with the government to rescue survivors of the virus. I don’t want to give anything away but I will say that the virus has evolved enough to mimic animals and humans; humans that people recognize, making discovering the virus even more difficult. The creepy factor kept me interested and I was curious about Tom and his children’s futures. 4 stars!
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper opens with a marvelous introduction that grants the reader insight into the author’s imagination and I’m instantly pulled into the story within the first two pages. Simon, Jane and Barney are with their parents visiting Great Uncle Merry when they discover an old manuscript that possibly tells information about King Arthur. The siblings are afraid to tell their parents about the manuscript, fearing that they might get in trouble. Instead of confiding in their parents, they tell Great Uncle Merry (GuMerry). He reads the manuscript to them and explains the danger of others who are searching for it and explains how important this manuscript and map is. The siblings go on a quest with their Great Uncle Merry, working together to discover hiding places and thwarting danger along the way, 4 stars!
I received a pdf of Top 80 Keto Pressure Cooker Recipes by Ellen Branson!
The Keto basics are covered right off and then recipes, recipes and more recipes! Recipes are written to easily make the foods in your pressure cooker, saving time! I appreciate the list of foods to eat: leafy greens, dairy products, and fruits and foods to avoid: grains and sugary foods, which simplified the Keto diet. I also appreciate the pressure cooker directions and tips. Each recipe begins with a photograph,clear ingredients list, preparation directions, nutritional facts and serving size. Recipes are categorized, including a section on soups, snacks, meats and vegetarian and more. Helpful and yummy 😋, 5 stars!
I received a pdf of Keto Cookies by Ellen Branson per author request to read and review honestly.
Keto Cookies is a short, sweet cookbook of all things cookie! Less than 60 pages, packed full of sweet treats ideas that follow the Keto diet. Cookies become a little more difficult to make when following the Keto diet because some of the ingredients required are ingredients that I don’t normally have on hand, like almond flour or Stevia (an artificial sweetener). Each recipe has a photograph included and the most fun recipe in the entire book is chocolate bacon cookies! I also learned what Erythritol is, a sugar alcohol. Great recipes for everyone interested in the Keto menu, 5 stars!
The Thought Spot 