Special Feature: The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone

As a little girl, I grew up LOVING my doll house. I had both the Barbie Dream House and a small miniature dollhouse with tiny little doll furniture. There was something so satisfying about setting up my dollhouses. I loved decorating it and I think I even painted the interior rooms occasionally. I loved picking out the furniture and adding little personal touches room by room. The as childhood faded away, so did my love of dollhouses. Until I saw this book.

I started thinking about what it was that I loved about dollhouses so much? For me it was the satisfaction of creating a house exactly like I wanted it. It gave me something to control and be creative with. I imagined that’s what this book might touch on when I read the description. But it sounded like that and so much more! I love magical realism novels and was so sad I couldn’t fit this one in my review schedule, but rest assured dear readers I have downloaded a copy and will be reading it late because it sounds positively charming (plus early reviews are raving about it!).

The idea of an enchanted dollhouse really captivated my imagination and I cannot wait to dive into this one! I think the juxtaposition of the town worlds—big and small—coming together to create a unique story full of magic, imagination and creativity. This book promises a rich and diverse story with fantasy and magic and of course some romance that is sure to captive readers from the beginning and I simply cannot wait! If you have been thinking about this book or have seen it around the blog-o-sphere then I think it’s a sign to add it to your TBR list—-it’s right up there on mine!

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Special Feature: A Song of Flight (Warrior Bards #3) by Juliet Marillier

I read the first book in this series but then as sometimes happens, other book series prevented me from getting back to this one and now here we are with the third book coming out this fall! Marillier is a fine folklore storyteller and I really enjoyed the first book in this promising series and I have no doubt it has continued with her trademark lyrical prose.

As this is the last book in the trilogy, it no doubt has a lot to wrap up. Marillier writes with such lovely gentle story telling and I love how rich her world feels without feeling overly long. As this book is more geared toward the YA audience, I think this ability to tell a wonderful story without it getting overly long will really be an asset here.

This book will no doubt read like a fairytale with some more classic folklore thrown in. In that regard the book and series will feel different than some of the other traditional YA novels out there. Marillier is a tried and proved author with a number of best sellers under her belt, and that shows in this series. Her ability to create relatable characters with a strong fantasy element will win readers over. If you love fantasy but want something that feels more authentically fantasy rather than some of than other more commercial ‘fantasy’ YA series out there, then this is a great option for you!

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Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels (Dangerous Damsels #1) by India Holton

A historical romance with pirates, sassy ladies, dashing heroes, assassins, and all the tea? Ummm yes yes yes please! I needed little persuading when it came to reviewing this one. I was so excited for this hot new historical romance and I cracked my ARC open instantly! This one has been on so many top anticipated lists this summer and clearly it was also on mine!

I am always looking for historical romances that have funny plots and snappy dialogues, not to mention charming heroes so this one sounded like a great place to start. But truth be told, I have been in a reading funk lately and I was hoping this would be the book that would pull me out of the funk. But as with many big hype books, there is always that fear that the book won’t live up to the hype. So I went into this one hoping it would live up to the hype, but also aware that it might not.

When I started this one, I was drawn in but also admittedly—–lost. Ok you ask—-lost in a good way or in a bad way? Well friends, that’s a complicated question.

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Special Feature: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

This book has been generating a ton of buzz…..a Great Gatsby retelling that features and Asian queer character? It hits all the high notes for exciting new releases in my book! I am not a huge Great Gatsby fan but I know I am in the minority on that front but I also think that a more modern take on the classic characters sounds exciting to say the least.

This book is on all the lists right now: OprahMag.com, USA Today, Buzzfeed, Parade Magazine, and many more. Early reviews are also consistently giving high marks for this one. It is author Nghi Vo’s debut novel as well and I always find debuts to be a mixed bag…..sometimes they are amazing and sometimes they are not but I think the excitement and buzz that comes with ‘a new author’s first release’ is hard to top—-good or bad.

The modern mashup retelling is out now and I am so thrilled to be sharing a bit about this book with all of you guys. If you are a lover of The Great Gatsby, then you want to get your hands on this modern retelling. Even if you aren’t into The Great Gatsby, this book promises to tick all the boxes—–buzz worthy story, a queer person of color—-you can’t go wrong with this one. Pick up a copy today!

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Review: Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology #2) by Charlie N. Holmberg

I haven’t had very good luck with duologies. I typically find them to feel unfinished. There is something about the trilogy of three books that rounds out a story in a way that two books just doesn’t. So often I tend to pass on them, but then I was pitched Charlie N Holmberg’s Spellbreaker duology.

The covers for Holmberg’s books are whimsical and really stand out to me. They are easy to identify and the suggest something historical mixed with fantasy and I couldn’t pass on the first book. It just sounded so good and I did enjoy it so reading the second book in the duology was a no brainer for me! These books are quick reads and I really enjoyed diving back into Holmberg’s rich world!

I still feel the a trilogy would have worked better in this particular series but as duologies go, this one wasn’t bad at all. I enjoyed many aspects of this one and am excited to read more books by Holmberg!

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