Victoria Moschou's Blog, page 101
March 21, 2019
BOOK REVIEW: A Curse so Dark and Lonely, by Brigid Kemmerer ~ A new all-time-favourite novel! *SPOILERS & DISCUSSION*
~A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY, BY BRIGID KEMMERER
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Hello awesome people and welcome to the last book review for the month of March and one of my all-time-favourite reviews ever. And that is because A Curse so Dark and Lonely is, as of this past Tuesday, one of my all-time-favourite novels EVER! I mean… dah! Give me a Beauty and the Beast retelling, a fast-paced novel and unforgettable characters and I’m all in for it!
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I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this beauty back in October 2018 and I read it for the first time in early 2019. Back then though I was working on the final details for the Guardian of the Auras, I was in a big reading slump and I feel like I didn’t fully appreciate the book. So, when I received the US hardcover AND my FairyLoot February box, which featured A Curse so Dark and Lonely, I decided to reread the final copy and I simply fell deeply and irrevocably in love with this story and its characters.
As per usual, I will start my review with the spoiler-free section and will move on to the spoilers later in the post. But don’t worry, dearies. If you haven’t read the book yet and you don’t want to be spoiled, rest assured that I will let you know when the hectic spoilers will begin. This way you can leave, read the book and come back later to share your thoughts and feelings about this MASTERPIECE (at least, in my opinion). 
March 18, 2019
Writing Update: TAC #2 & Project Geek
Hello awesome people and happy Monday everyone!
March 16, 2019
FAIRYLOOT UNBOXING: FEBRUARY 2019 ~ BEAST & BEAUTY
Hello awesome nerds and welcome back to another FairyLoot unboxing! 
March 14, 2019
BOOK REVIEW: Of Fire and Stars, by Audrey Coulthurst ~ What a gem! *SPOILER FREE*
~ OF FIRE AND STARS, BY AUDREY COULTHURST
Hello awesome people and welcome back to Victorious Pages!
This year is passing by super quickly and I feel like I haven’t done anything yet. Sure, the first instalment in The Auras’ Chest series, Guardian of the Auras, is now available for purchase on Amazon and I have already read plenty of books, but still it feels like there are so many things that need to be done, and so little time, due to this huge amount of responsibilities. 
March 11, 2019
Genres I’d Like to Read More
It’s true that fantasy helps us endure reality, but aside from YA fantasy novels, there are so many more genres that I would love to start reading in 2019. The reason for that is that lately every single book I read feels predictable the least and I do need something different to overcome that reading slump of mine. I mean, come on! We’re only three months in 2019 and I’m officially dealing with a slump! This needs to end.
So, without further ado, let’s get to the genres I’d like to read more in 2019.
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1. MYSTERY/THRILLER NOVELS
I always loved a good mystery, but lately I couldn’t find something to excite me enough. As of January though, I started making a list of all the books I’d like to purchase in 2019 and here are my top 5.
Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1) , by Maureen Johnson
The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious, #2) , by Maureen Johnson
One of Us Is Lying , by Karen M. McManus
Two Can Keep a Secret , by Karen M. McManus
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson
All these books are again YA/NA adult novels, so they won’t be something completely foreign to me, in terms of writing style, characters and development. But still, they will (hopefully) not have the same tropes that fantasy novels tend to have nowadays. Fingers crossed to that! 
March 9, 2019
The Fictional Bucket List Tag
Hello awesome nerds and welcome to a different kind of post.
It’s been a while since I wanted to share my fictional bucket list with you but something was always coming up and I kept postponing this post. But the time has finally come for me to share with you my Fictional Bucket List!
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I originally came across this tag on The Little Contemporary Corner, but I assure you, only some of our answers will be similar.
Shall we then?
1. Visit Velaris for the Winter Solstice.
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Velaris is my new favourite fictional town and after reading A Court of Frost and Starlight, I feel like I would appreciate this place even more if I visited it during the winter. Don’t you guys feel the same?
2. Receive my Hogwarts letter and study in this amazing school.
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I mean, come on! It’s never too late to study magic!
Yes, yes… I know I’m 26 years old but that’s completely besides the point. The point is that I’ll always wait for this snow white owl to bring me my later!
3. Participate in Caraval.
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Crazy, right? Who would have thought that I’d be the one to want such a thing. It took me so long to read this book but now I’m absolutely in love with the series!
But don’t worry, dearies. I won’t get lost in the game… Possibly…
4. Travel through a portal.
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You guys know that The Shadowhunters’ Chronicles is one of my favourite series and I’d love to have the chance, just once, to travel through a portal and feel that strange sensation Cassandra Clare describes in her books. As long as I don’t get stuck in limbo, ok?
5. Ride a dragon.
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Again, this is Harry Potter related but, what did you expect? It’s my bucket list and it consists of my all-time-favourite novels.
Though I do have my doubts about the Hungarian Horntail…
So, that was my fictional bucket list. I would love to read yours in the comment section down below.
Thank you all for being here once again. It means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take you for granted.
Till next time… Toodles!
March 7, 2019
BOOK REVIEW: Caraval (Caraval, #1), by Stephanie Garber ~ Why did it take me so long to read that beauty? *SPOILERS & DISCUSSION*
~ CARAVAL (CARAVAL, #1), BY STEPHANIE GARBER
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They say “never say never”, and for good reason, if you ask me. Because back in August 2018, in The NOPE Book Tag, I had mentioned that one of the book recommendations that was constantly pushed at me and I simply refused to read it was Caraval, by Stephanie Gabrer; a book that many said was similar to The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, and because I didn’t like this book AT ALL, I simply refused for a really long time to give a chance to Caraval, the first book in the Caraval series.
I’m so glad this book proved me wrong! Now I simply cannot wait to read Legendary and Finale, the next two books in the series!
March 4, 2019
More Representation in Books & 5 LGBTQ+ Novels You Need to Read ASAP
Reading is never dull and if it seems so you’re probably doing it wrong. But still, there are times when a reading slump is inevitable and that’s the worst thing about being an avid reader: picking up a book but not feeling the spark of it. Maybe because it feels like one of the same, maybe because the writing style isn’t actually your cup of tea, maybe because it simply has too many tropes…
Whichever the reason, we definitely need more representation in books nowadays. And I’m not talking solely about LGBTQ+ references in books (though I will mention some really cool novels later in this post). I’m talking about people of colour (aka POC), people with mental health issues, people with disabilities, people with eating disorders, people with autism… In other words, people with whom EVERYONE can identify.
This is the true beauty, the real magic a book can give to a reader. To make them see themselves in its characters and its pages. I, for example, clearly saw myself and how I have been struggling for the past year or so with depression and grief, in the pages of The Storm Crow and its main female lead, Anthia. I also saw myself in the pages of Fangirl, as that’s exactly who I was in college: the same girl that Cath is. A girl who used to write stories but clearly was too scared to share them with the rest of the world. A girl who overcame her fears and now has her debut novel available for all of you to read. A girl who wrote the story of a bisexual young woman and is currently working on the story of a geek.
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It really brings me joy that the bookish community embraces all those characters, all those people, because, at the end of the day, we all want the same things. We’re all searching for love. We all have dreams of our own.We all want to travel and visit new places, taste exotic foods, make the people we care about proud, achieve our goals…
It doesn’t matter whether we’re straight or bi or gay. Whether we’re blind or deaf or struggling with insomnia and depression. Whether we’re white or black. What matters is that we all need to feel accepted and books are a safe place to feel that way. So why not give the chance to those who feel like “outcasts” become members of the coolest society out there? Maybe by doing so, we’ll show to the real world and its members that they need to do the same. If the bookish community can do it, then so can you! Because the bookish community is a real, fierce community and it has proven that it can work wonders when it comes to making everyone feel accepted and loved.
The books I’m gonna share with you now have definitely done that and if you haven’t read them by now, I highly recommend you do!
1. GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE, BY NATASHA NGAN
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We’re talking about the ULTIMATE book of girl power! It has a lesbian and POC protagonist, it talks about sexual abuse, there are references of violence, as well as references of how the “strong” ones in societies tend to treat the “weak”.
And if you need to read the blurb to see it for yourselves, here it is:
“Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It’s the highest honor they could hope for…and the most cruel.
But this year, there’s a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she’s made of fire.
In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it’s Lei they’re after–the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king’s interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king’s consort. But Lei isn’t content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable–she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.
TW: violence and sexual abuse.”
You guys can also read my spoiler free review of this book by following
March 2, 2019
Favourite Book Covers
Hello awesome nerds and happy March everyone!
I cannot believe that winter is officially over, but I’m really pleased that the days will get longer and warmer, that Guardian of the Auras was released last Thursday and that there are so many cool stuff coming up in the next few months. Like news about WIPs, news about The Auras’ Chest series, new book releases and so much more.
Speaking of book releases, people say we should never judge a book by its cover, because by doing so we may miss out on an amazing story. But there are actually books that combine the best of both worlds, an amazing story and an aesthetically pleasing cover. And that’s what today’s post is about: my favourite book covers, both of books I already have, as well as of books that are coming out in the upcoming months.
So, sit back comfortably and enjoy, dearies. And who knows? You may add some new books on your TBR pile… 
February 28, 2019
February Wrap Up
Where did February go? Why am I already in a reading slump? How’s 2019 going to be from now on?
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Hello awesome nerds and welcome to another wrap up, here on Victorious Pages.
I can’t believe that February has come to an end and that I achieved so very few things this month. I mean sure, my book is now available for purchase on Amazon (both on paperback and on Kindle), I worked on Project Geek, which now has one potential title, I scheduled every single post that’s going to be published in March and I read three books. And yet… It all feels too little and like a blur to me.
I guess my anxiety got the best of me this month, which is why I decided to just chill a little bit in March. And by chill I mean simply read without feeling obligated to do so and write whenever the Muse feels like I should do so.
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But, you’re not here about my endless ramble, are you? You’re here to read the books I managed to read in the month of February, as well as my thoughts and feelings towards them. Let’s just cut to the chase them.
1. CARAVAL (CARAVAL, #1), BY STEPHANIE GARBER
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Boy, I loved that book!
