Tag: YA

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

Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross

This book immediately caught my eye when it came across my desk for review. The cover is not only beautiful, but memorable and eye-catching. Plus it is marketed as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

I am of course a huge Belle fan and I was eager to jump on this one and made it my special Valentines Day read. Lately there has been a lot of interest in writing fairy tale retellings and I am one hundred percent on board with that!

The other thing that caught my eye was that it was more of a conventional retelling rather than having a modern twist or removing the ;magic’ from the story, this book stayed true to form by keeping the magic. Continue reading “Review: The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross” →

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

Review: Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz

For some reason, this year I have heard about a couple of books that came out or are coming out, about the Night Witches of WWII. I hadn’t read any of the books but I was interested in the subject matter and historical take on these brave women.

I wanted to pick up one of the, what I like to call, Night Witches books but I just didn’t think of it when I was at the bookstore or my library. Then one day in late November I got an email pitching this book featuring the Night Witches that was more of a YA book and I practically pounced on the request!

From a historical stand point, I think anything about the Russian Night Witches, is incredibly important and interesting, but my reading year was coming to a close and I didn’t really want to read anything overly taxing and long, so when I saw that this book was geared toward a more YA audience, I was eager to review it.

World War II has erupted in Valka’s homeland of Russia, and Valka is determined to help the effort. She’s a pilot—and a good one—so she eagerly joins an all-female bomber regiment.  Continue reading “Review: Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz” →

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

Review: The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland

It’s been forever since I read a YA novel. I kind of go through phases with YA novels. Sometimes I end up reading like 5 or 6 at a time, and then I don’t read any for like months.

Currently I’m in the ‘I haven’t read any YA for months’ phase. So when this book came up for review, I was about to pass until I read the summary. I love Napoleon and the French Revolution and when I saw that this book was about Napoleon’s step daughter, Hortense, I was excited to read it….YA or not.

For Napoleon’s stepdaughter, nothing is simple — especially love.

Paris, 1798. Hortense de Beauharnais is engrossed in her studies at a boarding school for aristocratic girls, most of whom suffered tragic losses during the tumultuous days of the French Revolution. Continue reading “Review: The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland” →

Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Reading

Review: Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6) by Morgan Rhodes

by The Lit Bitch2 Comments on Review: Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6) by Morgan Rhodes

The first book in this series kind of left me underwhelmed but I was willing to give the second book a chance. Before I knew it, I was on the fifth book eagerly awaiting the sixth to be released!

For some reason, I thought there were seven book in the series, but it became apparent fairly early on, that this was the last book in the series. Personally I felt like there should have been seven books instead of the six.

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he’s willing to sacrifice. Continue reading “Review: Immortal Reign (Falling Kingdoms #6) by Morgan Rhodes” →

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

Review: The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

by The Lit Bitch3 Comments on Review: The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

As 2017 comes to an end, I couldn’t ask for a better book to close out the year with.

This book was all over my Instagram feed for weeks and it was also on Book of the Month so it basically got a lot of hype. I was really hesitant because of the hype, but believe me when I say—the hype is real!

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass?a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

Continue reading “Review: The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty” →