Ten Birthdays Spoiler Free Review

Ten Birthdays
by Kerry Wilkinson

Release Date: April 21st, 2017

Synopsis:

"There are going to be so many things I wish I could’ve told you in person, Poppy. I won’t get the chance to do that, so perhaps this is my only way…"

It’s Poppy Kinsey’s birthday.

She should be blowing out candles and opening presents – but hers falls on the type of heart-wrenching, agonising anniversary she would far rather forget.

The worst day of them all. The day her mother died.

But this year is special because the person she misses most in the world has left her a set of letters, one for each of her next ten birthdays.

As Poppy opens them year by year, she discovers that no matter how tough life gets, her mum will always be by her side, guiding her along the way. 

My Thoughts:

*** I received an ARC through Netgalley***

I really enjoyed this book. There was a while there where I wasn’t sure if I was gonna like it, but after I got past that I couldn’t put it down.

This book was more of a character and theme book more than it was a plot book. I felt like I could relate to the characters so much, they felt so real to me. They had the type of problems I have had. 

I was really annoyed with Freya for most of the book. She was just so obnoxious for the most part, but she calmed down with age. She definitely got better as the story progressed.

I couldn’t even really hate any of the characters, even the ones who were antagonistic, because they were portrayed as real people with real problems. Like Iris, she was being a bit awful, but that’s because she was miserable with her life, she wasn’t happy. I can understand why she wasn’t the greatest, I wouldn’t have been either if put in her shoes. 

I felt a bond with the story itself, a lot may not have happened, nothing overly dramatic, but it still spoke to me on some level. Even if things aren't going the way you planned, that doesn't mean they're bad, things will get better in the long run. 

I'm also a sucker for stories where someone dies and they leave notes for people they love. It's something I will always enjoy reading about, or watching. I'm probably gonna be the sap who does this in the future.

Overall, a really good contemporary read. I would definitely recommend it.

The Crown's Game Review

The Crown's Game
by Evelyn Skye

Spoilers

Synopsis:

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip-smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love…or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear—the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I had such a good time reading it. It had adventure, action, and a romance I could get behind. I'm excited to see where the author goes with this.

I'm quite mad at Pasha right now. Pasha is the future Tsar and the best friend of Enchanter One, Nikolai. Pasha was just being such an awful friend. Nikolai kept one secret and Pasha was ready to burn all the bridges. I understand why Nikolai kept his abilities a secret, I mean, how do you tell someone about magic without them thinking you're a complete mental case. I just hope after everything Pasha did he can redeem himself in the next book, because I really did love him up until that point in the book.

I loved Vika's relationship with Sergei, her father. I just went on the rant the other day about the whole bad parenting trope in books, especially YA. It was good to see a protagonist who actually had  good parent. They seem to be rare in this genre. I was really devastated about what happened with him later in the book, he didn't deserve it. 

The plot as a whole reminded me of the Night Circus, two contenders in a fight that one must win, only one can survive, the two competitors fall in love. Now while the premise was similar I feel like the author did a really good job of not just writing The Night Circus, but in Russia. It was definitely it's own story. I am very proud.

So recently I've been having this issue where I can't seem to get into books right away. Like, I may really love the ending or at most the second half of the book, but anything at the beginning is just an obstacle. I finally think I'm through it because I didn't have any trouble getting into this book at all! It was pretty exciting from the beginning and I didn't have to be dragged along unwillingly, trying to get into it. It was perfect.

I loved the chapter lengths in this book. Some were really short, while others were really long. I loved it because whenever the chapters were short I would just keep reading until a long one would come along. It helped me pace myself. I have a real pacing issue. If the chapters are too short I'll read pretty much the whole book at once, and if the chapters are too long, it will take me a long time to read the book. So this was a nice in between.

Now I don't know a lot about Russian history, or really anything other than Nicholas II and his family were killed by the people, there was this whole conspiracy about Anastasia living, after they died there were several communist leaders i.e. Lenin and Stalin. And let's not forget, Rasputin. That's pretty much all I know. So it was nice to get a bit of a feel about history, but still having some fantastical elements to it. This is probably only the second book I've ever read that was set in Russia, so I plan to read more of those. Hopefully this was a good place to start.

Pasha's father, Alexander, almost had my sympathy with his wife being sick, but the more I found out about him the less I could pity him. He was just an awful human being. He continuously cheated on his wife, he had a son that he didn't know about because he didn't bother to stick around, he basically sentenced said son to death, and not to mention he just completely ditched his son's mother after making her love him. He's just a snake and I can't make myself feel sad for him.

I liked how the author put French in too, because unlike Russian, I actually know quite a bit of French. That was a lovely little gift. I love reading a book that has a different language in it and I understand what it's saying. It makes me feel smart.

I was scrolling through the Goodreads page for this book and I came across a someone who had shelved this book as Instalove. I do not agree with that. Maybe on Pasha's part because he instantly just decided he was in love with Vika, but with Nikolai and Vika I completely disagree. I mea, they spent the first half of the book trying to kill each other. That doesn't scream Instalove to me. Whatever, that's just my take on it.

Overall, I thought this was a really well written exciting book that you definitely should read. I promise it's good.

Quotes:

“As for whether the magic in The Crown’s Game is real, well . . . that depends. Do you believe in what you cannot see?” 

“She clucked her tongue at Sergei. "Father, you could have killed me.""You know I would never do that. If I did, who would fetch my bread from the bakery every morning?”

“Unless a convention of anarchists visited the library yesterday, most books ought to be in their rightful places.” 

“The Game will begin soon. You can feel it, can’t you?” Can I? Nikolai stuck out his tongue, as if he could taste the difference in the air. And in fact, he could. It was like . . . cinnamon. With a dash of death. Nikolai’s” 

Top 5 LGBTQ+ Books

I love LGBTQ books. There is just something about them, I've loved almost every single one I've read. So it was a bit tricky cutting this list down, but I think I got it. Also, these aren't really in any particular order, I really like them all.

1. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Are you surprised by this in any way? Because you shouldn't. This book is fantastic, especially the characters and the romance.

2. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Pynch for life. There will never be a time that I don't ship them. Can't wait for that Ronan trilogy which will hopefully be packed full of Pynch.

3. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

Now this one is sort of a two for one because Malec along with Helen and Aline. I love both of those couples, so if I was ranking this, they would be pretty high up on the list.

4. The Captive Prince Trilogy by C. S. Pacat

I don't even know where to start with this one. I'll just say that I loved their relationship so much that I binged this trilogy, reading them back to back to back because I needed to know what would happen with them.

5. And Tango Makes Three

The cutest edition to this list, I couldn't help myself. Believe it or not, but this book is actually considered one of the most controversial books of all time. On the Richest's list of 25 Most Controversial Books of All Time, it was number 5. Above Catcher in the Rye, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and The Satanic Verses. Does that sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone else?

Anyway, what are some of your favourite LGBTQ+ books?

Broken Family Rant

Time for another rant! It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I must release my inner rage. Because I’m trying to be a nicer person, I have to release all my pent up anger through these rants. It’s time for another rant.

Today’s topic is broken homes/missing parents. I have so much to say about this I don’t even know where to start, I’ll try my best though.

Okay, let’s start with the fact that I think it’s just lazy writing. This whole trope is mostly present in YA, most specifically anything with magical elements. Now, think back to when you were a teenager. Would your parents have let you run around with mythical creatures putting yourself in constant danger and not worry about you at all? Most likely not. Which is why authors tend to feel the need to get rid of the parents. They just want to get rid of that hurdle as early on as they can. I absolutely hate this. 

Even if the author decides to keep the parents, they’re most likely a single parent and they never listen to the main character and end up dating someone who is really an awful human being and only the protagonist can see how evil they truly are. I can honestly name you at least three series where this happens right off the top of my head. 

I read a book the other day where this girl’s mother was actually a really good parent. She seemed a bit sketchy at first, but that was just because I was so used to reading about characters with sucky parents. But no, in this book, this girl’s mother was there for her. She listened and just comforted her when she didn’t want to talk about it. This mother even stood up to her asshole of a husband for her daughter, even threatened to leave him if he didn’t stop being an asshole, because she genuinely cared about her daughter and wouldn’t let her be bullied.

I also feel like broken families are added into a plot just to add to the characters’ suffering. You know, they just aren’t miserable enough, let’s kill off some of their family members. I just don’t see why authors have to go for the family. At this point, I would be more surprised to read a book with a happy family where no one has died than I would if I read a book where they all die.

Also, I feel like almost always the parents who are there are either horrible or they are just really distant and don't care that they actually have children. Like, authors there are actual good parents out there. Not all parents are horrible. My parents are great, I honestly don't know what I would do without them, so I honestly have a hard time relating to these characters in this aspect. 

It’s to the point where I want to rip my hair out every time a shitty parental figure is introduced. Can we not have a stable influence? Honestly, most of these characters need it.

Anyway, thoughts?

Top 10 Adult Romances

I read so many adult romances, it's honestly one of my favourite genres, so I most definitely will have another list for this. I already have some for that list. But without further ado, I shall start. Also, just a quick note, you guys should definitely follow me, you can find options for that in the side bar.

10. Lucca by Sarah Brianne

I was so highly anticipating this book, it was better than I had ever expected it to be. I was just so happy that Chloe and Lucca finally got a book!

9. Corrupt by Penelope Douglas

This book is on the list, not even for the romance, I just loved the story and the characters so much, the romance was a bit of a bonus added in.

8. The Golden Dynasty Kristen Ashley

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, more specifically Khal Drogo and Daenerys, you should read this. The couple in this book just reminded me of them so much, it was almost the fan fiction I always wanted. It still definitely had it's own story and the characters were different, but it still have that element there.

7. Wait for You by J. Lynn

I love Jennifer Armentrout's books, I've read almost every single one, including her adult romances, this one has a special place in my heart.

6. While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

Another of my most read authors, I've read every single one of her books, and for the most part she doesn't disappoint me. This book, however, was my favourite of them all. I don't know why, I just like it the best.

5. Ten Tiny Breathes by K. A. Tucker

The main character, guys, she's just so awesome. She's snarky and badass and she isn't perfect. She's going through a lot of stuff and she's trying to be strong 24/7 but she can't. She let's her love interest in after a decent fight and they are just perfect together.

4. Fear Me by B. B. Reid

I have to admit that the first time I read this one, I liked it, but I wasn't overly impressed so I gave it four stars. I then soon went back and reread it and I realized how much I loved it and gave it five stars. Now I'm just sort of on a continuous loop of reading this and Corrupt. I show no signs of slowing down.

3. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

I love Colleen Hoover books, all of them, but this one somehow came out on top. Saying it's my favourite of her's is a feat in itself because I love her writing so much. Bottom line, read it.

2. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I didn't realize I could feel so many feelings before reading this book. Interestingly enough, I found out about this book while reading another book. The characters in this other book were talking about the last two words in TSOT so of course I needed to be in on this secret. And so in I was. I regret nothing.

1. The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

The one thing that all of these books have in common is that I've read them all multiple times. I for some reason just found myself going back to them over and over again. This book was the first in the long line.

What are some of your favourite adult romances? I would love to know!