Andria Potter's Blog, page 25

Book Review: The Winter Witch

 

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Title: The Winter Witch

Author: Paula Brackston

Series: Book 1

Genre: Adult Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

Page Count: 400

Received: Library

Type of Book: Paperback, Physical Copy, Library Loan

Review Word Count: 500

Rated: 3.5/5 stars

Notes: I loved the writing style, but the depressing mood the story set was not what I was after at all.

The Winter Witch is a book that’s been on my radar to read for a couple years now, and I’m pleased I finally got it done. The cover is one of my favorites, it’s a perfect holiday read, and the atmospheric writing and characters are beautiful and well wrought. With an air of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, I was certain that this would be a new favorite.

Fledgling witch Morgana must defend her love, her home, and her life in this enthralling tale perfect for fans of Discovery of Witches

In her small early nineteenth century Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana, who has not spoken since she was a young girl. Her silence is a mystery, as well as her magic. Concerned for her safety, her mother is anxious to see her married, and Cai Jenkins, a widower from the far hills, seems the best choice.

After her wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving her mother, and wary of this man, whom she does not know, and who will take her away to begin a new life. But she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the wild mountains that surround it. Cai works to understand the beautiful, half-tamed creature he has chosen for a bride, and slowly, he begins to win Morgana’s affections. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana. Forced to defend her home, her man, and herself, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.

-Summary as seen on Goodreads

This, however, was rather depressing, and almost lax in that there wasn’t hardly anything going on. I liked Morgana a lot, and I liked that the character had chosen to be mute. I rarely find that in adult fiction, and I feel as though it were well handled. But the sheer amount of bullying, hateful and cruel comments, and general disregard for her intelligent simply because she chose not to speak was a serious mood killer at times. I appreciate the author attempting to be historically accurate with this, and I rather enjoyed the descriptive scenes of passages throughout the book. It alternated between character povs as well, but I didn’t mind overmuch, as it neatly flowed throughout the story.

Overall, I’m giving this a 3.5 raising it to 4 stars out of 5. Strong writing, great main characters…if it wasn’t just so depressing and moody for Morgana, I might have enjoyed it more. I might try the author again in the future. Strongly recommend that the reader keeps a box of tissues on hand for possible triggers in regards to abuse.

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book

Last of the Year: TBR

Hello friends,

I have several books on my radar that I’m attempting to squeeze into the last two months of the year, in order to reach my goal of 250 books on Goodreads, the highest amount of books read in the year that I’ve ever attempted. I’m four books AHEAD of schedule, so that’s good at least, but I’d like to be done before the end of this month.

Goodreads Stats: 218/250

Which means that I have 32 books remaining. I’m choosing the top books on my radar to get through, and crossing my fingers that I can get through them. That’ my goal. These are all books that I somehow missed in the last year. These books are from these categories: Library Ebooks, Arcs, Best Sellers, Gifts/Loans, Library Requested, Blogger Rec’d, YouTube favs, and so on. I’ve pulled books from so many different places, and I’m hoping to get to every last one of these, and not continue with the dreadful reading slump of the previous two months! Here’s to fingers crossed, and the books listed below:

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If there are duplicates, apologies, as this was a hastily thrown together post. I have another post coming of all the arcs that are due on Netgalley + Edelweiss, which I think will wind up being a 2-parter. Have y’all read any of these books? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, and good luck to all our TBRs at the end of the year,

-Pass Me That Book

Kindle Unlimited: Is It Worth It?

Hello friends,

I have a new kind of post that I’m bringing, a ‘is it worth it’ kind of thing. Yesterday, I decided to try the one month free version of Kindle Unlimited on Amazon Prime, even though I have Overdrive and Libby giving me plenty of books already to read on my phone, not only that but I also have Edelweiss and Netgalley. So I’m very obviously not hurting for books, but I felt it couldn’t hurt to see what the fuss was about.

Day 2 on Kindle Unlimited. I’ve checked out five books, and I’ve read three of them. Two of the three were 5 star reads, while the third was 4 stars. Nice. Break me out of that reading slump that hit me so hard the past couple of months, if this keeps up, I might actually keep Kindle Unlimited.

I have yet to do audiobooks. Mostly because (no offense to those who do them all the time) I can’t *stand* audiobooks. I’ve tried. And tried. And tried. I like reading the words myself, it seems. Ah well. Sorry I can’t tell you if it’s worth it in having both books and audiobooks.

I’m planning on a weekly update on whether or not Kindle Unlimited is worth it. I’ll review books as I go, probably. So far most of what I’ve read is M/M smutty fiction, lol. Ah well. Whatever gets me out of that slump, right?

Anyway, that’s all the update that I have for now. I’ll post reviews in a while, and see how the month shapes up to be. For those who use Kindle Unlimited, any words of advise for a newbie like me? Let me know in the comments, please. Thanks.

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book

November TBR: Ninth House + Seanan McGuire + Monthly Wrap Up Fail

I’ve been really in a reading mood lately, and I’ve been struggling with a terrible slump as well. I’ve been slumpy the past three months, and it’s frustrating and annoying. @HowlingLibraries understands this, her posts about overdue arcs, terrible reading slumps, and so forth are exactly the same sort of issues that I’m going through myself.

There are several books on my radar for November. It’s also Believeathon, but I highly doubt that I’ll be participating in any readathons this month. My priority goal is to simply knock out as many books as possible, instead of just the 15/20 books that I’ve been managing the past couple of months and that’s with forced attention to it. I’m hoping to knock out several arcs on my Netgalley, because that’s becoming a serious issue. I’ve got library books that are due. I’ve also several physical books that I *still* haven’t gotten to. The situation is critical. I need to get some serious reading done for the month of November.

So with that in mind, I’m putting up all the books that are on my radar that I’m going to read. I’m going to try to read 50 books this month. I know that sounds like an enormous amount, but there was at least two months previously that I almost made 50 before, reaching 45. So if I just push myself to actually read, damnit, I should get this well taken care of. {I’m also going to write reviews as soon as I finish reading the damn book, so that I don’t forget to do that later either.}

Also, apologies for failing the wrap up for the previous two months. I typed things out but never posted them, and really don’t feel like doing so. However, I vow to do so for November, especially with all that I plan on reading as well!

So, 50 books for November. Have I picked one up yet? No. But today is paying bills day, and so far I haven’t had a chance to do so. I’m going to read every couple of hours before bed, and first thing in the morning. I’m going to try to prioritize. Hopefully this will work. Thanks to @HowlingLibraries for kicking my ass into gear. Her posts about managing arcs are very inspirational!

Here are the books on my radar. (Apologies to those who are fixing to scroll, as well as for the above ranting at myself.):

Top Five Books I’m Reading This Month:

 

Random Books I Plan to Get To: 

 

Believe-a-thon Children’s Books I’m Reading: 

 

Those are just some of the books that I plan on getting to this month. Currently, I’m reading “The Glovemaker” by Ann Weisbarger, and next up is “Wine and Punishment” by Sarah Fox.  I’m going to TRY to do the believathon, but I highly doubt I’ll manage to with everything happening in November. Still, I fly through Children’s fiction pretty quick, so who knows, I might be able to manage reading all these books regardless. That’s my plan, anyhow.

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book.

Book Review: Mistress of Mellyn

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Title: Mistress of Mellyn

Author: Victoria Holt

Genre: Adult Romance/Suspense

Series: No

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Page Count: 400

Received: Yard Sale

Format: Physical

Review Word Count: 500

Rated: 4/5 stars

Notes: A rather nice, slightly spooky historical romance intrigue novel for Halloween.

==

Mistress of Mellyn is not my first Victoria Holt that I’ve read, though it has been a while since I’ve picked one of her books up. I’ve forgotten how much I enjoy her writing; the spooky atmosphere, the details, the characters-all of it is rather really well done. This one was just not quite spooky enough, but it definitely had a dark mysterious vibe to it that was ripe for Halloween, and made me glad that I selected this one for one of the last books of the month to read. I found myself reading this over the course of four days, letting the rich atmosphere build, until it reached a satisfying conclusion.

Goodreads Summary:

Mount Mellyn stood as proud and magnificent as she had envisioned… But what about its master–Connan TreMellyn? Was Martha Leigh’s new employer as romantic as his name sounded? As she approached the sprawling mansion towering above the cliffs of Cornwall, an odd chill of apprehension overcame her.

TreMellyn’s young daugher, Alvean, proved as spoiled and difficult as the three governesses before Martha had discovered. But it was the girl’s father whose cool, arrogant demeanor unleashed unfamiliar sensations and turmoil–even as whispers of past tragedy and present danger begin to insinuate themselves into Martha’s life.

Powerless against her growing desire for the enigmatic Connan, she is drawn deeper into family secrets–as passion overpowers reason, sending her head and heart spinning. But though evil lurks in the shadows, so does love–and the freedom to find a golden promise forever…

I liked the main character. She was gutsy, strong and had a no-nonsense manner about her that wasn’t off putting though sometimes seemed unreasonable in certain situations. I felt she could have handled the children better in some parts, but otherwise, she was not abusive or cruel towards them at all. There were some questionable teaching methods involved, but as this is an old book, I let that slide. Otherwise, I thought she handled everything nicely.

The mystery element was one of a ghostly nature. She’s apparently a dead ringer for the children’s mother, who passed away several years ago, or so people have claimed, but the stories don’t match up. The mystery is well woven, and kept me guessing until the end, though I suspected I knew where it was heading, I was surprised when I realized that I’d guessed wrong which is always nice in reading.

Overall, I really liked this. Strong writing, great characters, and a good read for Halloween. I gave it four out of five stars, and will continue on with reading more of Victoria Holt’s books.

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book

Book Review: Foul Play

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Title: Foul Play

Author: Janet Evanovich

Genre: Adult Romance

Page Count: 250

Publisher: Harper Fiction

Type of Book: Paperback, Owned

Received: Thrift Store

Review Word Count: 500

Rated: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4/5 stars

Notes: A silly yet pleasant, a great read for fall

I randomly picked up one of my many, many Janet Evanovich books that I hadn’t read (I think I’ve about thirty of them I’ve not gotten my way through yet, I really need to re-read the series at the start too of Stephanie Plum) and finished this in one sitting, admittedly skimming through a large portion in the middle.

The book was silly, but not bad. I liked Amy and Elliot. I liked the animals. I liked the ridiculous situations that the characters got in. It didn’t wow the pants off of me as a story, but I still was entertained regardless. Amy reminded me similarly to Stephanie, in a weird kind of way. A subtle similarity that barely surfaced. I believe these books were pre-Stephanie Plum, though I could be wrong. I’d have to check on Goodreads to be sure.

The plot is as follows from Goodreads

When Amy Klasse loses her TV job to a dancing chicken, handsome veterinarian Jake Elliott rescues her with an offer to be his receptionist. Jake just can’t resist a damsel in distress, and Amy certainly doesn’t mind Jake’s charming sincerity.

Then suddenly the job-stealing chicken disappears and Amy is suspected of foul play. Amy and Jake search for clues to prove her innocence. But will Jake be able to prove to Amy that love, too, is a mystery worth solving?

Overall, I liked it. I’m glad I read it, because it was fun. I’m getting repetitive, so I’ll just end things here. If you’re a fan of Janet Evanovich? I’d recommend trying this when you don’t feel like reading anything serious during the holidays. It’s a good fall read, and with lots of funny moments, I found myself grinning quite a bit through this one.

3.5 rounded up to 4/5 stars.

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book

The TBR Pile

This page is being edited. Please forgive any errors, as I’m working my way through my Goodreads and adding books as I go along. Eventually, I will also organize by category, genre, and year release date, but for now it’s a beautiful chaotic mess. Enjoy!

Book Review: Material Witness

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Title: Material Witness

Author: LA Mondello

Series: book 1

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Page Count: 300

Received: Amazon freebie

Rated: 4/5

Brief Mini Hiatus Over: Back to Blogging!

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Hello all,

As you might have noticed, I spent an entire month mostly away from the blogosphere, mainly because I wasn’t reading as much as I should have. There’s been a lot of things going on at home; moving downstairs into a new bedroom, getting kittens, loosing the last chicken out of the batch of twenty-five that we started with so that we are now chicken-less, so on and so forth. This next month I hope to change all that.

I’ve updated my website so that it’s more fall/winter appropriate. If there’s any issues, please let me know at once. I’m not the best at this kind of thing yet, though I’m learning still, and will hopefully be soon buying the personalized package for my website, and owning my domain name at last, if things work out the way I want.

In reading news, I read three kindle e-books today. All of them a mere 3 or barely a 4 star read, so I doubt that I’ll post reviews on them, though I might later change my mind (all contemporary romances too).

Other plans that I would like to do is to add all my want to read books onto a single page here on my blog to keep track of. But that will take *ages*. I’m not sure that I will ever get around to doing that. Perhaps one day.

I hope y’all like the new changes for the season. Let me know if there’s anything else I should be thinking of working on with this little ol’ website of mine.

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book.

Mini Book Haul: Publishers Like Me On Netgalley

I’ve gotten approved almost every book that I’ve requested here as of late on Netgalley. Over half of them are ones that I really don’t expect getting approved of. I’m needless to say very behind on posting reviews. Last month, my birthday month, was ridiculously busy so that I didn’t read as much a usual and the writing bug bit me hard as well. So, apologies for the unexpected mini-hiatus on my blog.

 

This isn’t all of them, not by far. I thought about putting them all up one post that I’ve gotten. If you’d like to see all the others, let me know in the comments, and I’ll work on it. As it is, I’ve lost my 80% feedback ratio because of all the ones that I’ve been approved as of late. It’s currently resting at 25% feedback ratio, and I’m hoping next month to seriously knock out a lot of these, and get my feedback ratio back up to at least 50%. That’s the plan, anyway.

Have y’all read any of these? Should I share every book in my Netgalley right now as a giant massive haul? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

-Pass Me That Book