Category: Book Critic

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Alchemist of Lost Souls (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #4) by Mary Lawrence

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Alchemist of Lost Souls (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #4) by Mary Lawrence

As many of you know, I have a weakness for historical mysteries. I adore them and can’t get enough. However, so many of them are written during Victorian or Edwardian era England that often the books blend together, no matter how well written they are.

That’s why this book set itself apart for me….it’s set in Tudor England. When I think of historical mysteries, I don’t think of Tudor England as an optimal setting, but rather a period full of obstacles to detecting/investigating, so I was eager to see how the author used this to her advantage.

I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, so I was a little wary of reading this book with already 4 books into the series. However, the author assured me that it could read as a standalone book. Continue reading “Review: The Alchemist of Lost Souls (Bianca Goddard Mysteries #4) by Mary Lawrence” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

This book showed up on my desk for review a few months ago and I was absolutely in love with the cover!

It reminded me of spring and it was elegant and had a lot of visual interest. The summary also sounded like something I would love, as I especially love war time stories.

Chiaverini has written a variety of different books, with her most widely known book being Mrs Lincoln’s Dressmaker as well as a women’s fiction quilting series called, Elm Creek Quilts.

This book seemed completely out of her normal genre. Her signature genre seemed to be historical fiction with crafting and women’s fiction with crafting so I wondered how this book about resistance women in WWII was going to come together and be different than her usual stories! Continue reading “Review: Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Take Two Review: The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley (Audible)

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on Take Two Review: The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley (Audible)

So as some of you know, I am going back through the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley but this time listening to them on audiobooks. Right now it’s kind of an ‘at your own pace’ type of deal since I am listening to them in my car when I run errands so it’s taking forever to make my way through.

But I love Lucinda Riley so I am eager to keep listening and enjoying her books. When I first reviewed this book, I had a hard time with it mostly because it was so sad. While it was still enjoyable and a testament to Riley’s writing abilities, I just felt so sad while reading through it the first time.

That’s why I was most eager to re-read this one and see if I felt the same thoughts this time around. Continue reading “Take Two Review: The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley (Audible)” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

by The Lit Bitch4 Comments on Review: How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

I haven’t read a ton of Asian literature but I was eager to read this one because of one thing—the time period. My venture into Asian literature has come down to two books, Memoirs of a Geisha and Snowflower and the Secret Fan…..that is it. So when I agreed to read this book, I had no idea what I was going to get.

I remember reading Memoirs of a Geisha and Snowflower and the Secret Fan and loving both of those. Especially Memoirs of a Geisha, mostly because it was set during WWII and the occupation of allied troops post war was very interesting to me.

When this book came up for review, I was hoping it would be something similar to Memoirs of a Geisha, as it is set in the same time period, but this book promised to be a lot more interesting, as it talks about the Japanese occupying Singapore during the war instead of a pots war world.

Plus that cover is to die for and I couldn’t pass on such a visually stunning cover! Continue reading “Review: How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

REVIEW: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev

by The Lit Bitch5 Comments on REVIEW: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev

This is an author that I have been really really looking forward to reading. She’s written a number of ‘Bollywood’ books and while I am not Indian, I think their culture is exotic, colorful, and interesting.

This book is the first installment in a new series about the Rajes family and I was thrilled that I got to read this one, especially since there is a Pride and Prejudice element to the story. I would definitely put this book in the retelling category, but it was so much more than just another P & P retelling.

With it’s cultural aspect, this book adds a lot of uniqueness and color to a timeless tale while continuing to maintain the integrity of the classic romance. Also this book has a food element so foodies everywhere rejoice and be prepared to crave curry or unique dishes after this book! Continue reading “REVIEW: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev” →