Scan barcode
bookishbethie's reviews
909 reviews
The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde
3.5
I’m a simple girl: I like pretty libraries and a really great heist story. So when I heard that The Wren in the Holly Library is about a talented thief who gets caught on a job by a mysterious and handsome man, then hired by that man to steal something for him, I was in.
This book sometimes felt like a hodgepodge of story elements: slightly dystopian urban fantasy, a bit of Beauty and the Beast, dollops of Irish folklore, some paranormal gangs, a magical mystery and a magical heist.
It’s a lot to cover all in one book – and though I sometimes felt like there was too much happening, it never felt like an actual mess. It’s clear that K.A. Linde had a plan for this multi-layered story about power and politics and fate, and by the end, when all of the seemingly disparate plot threads start coming together, I was on board.
I definitely am curious about where things will go in the second book!
This book sometimes felt like a hodgepodge of story elements: slightly dystopian urban fantasy, a bit of Beauty and the Beast, dollops of Irish folklore, some paranormal gangs, a magical mystery and a magical heist.
It’s a lot to cover all in one book – and though I sometimes felt like there was too much happening, it never felt like an actual mess. It’s clear that K.A. Linde had a plan for this multi-layered story about power and politics and fate, and by the end, when all of the seemingly disparate plot threads start coming together, I was on board.
I definitely am curious about where things will go in the second book!
Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
5.0
If 10 Things I Hate About You and She’s the Man are your comfort films, then Twelfth Knight is about to become your new comfort read.
A clever YA take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the story follows Viola Reyes, a black cat girl who takes gaming as seriously as her student council duties, and Jack “Duke” Orsino, an enormously popular football player and the bane of Vi’s existence, who finds himself sidelined after an in-game injury and turning to Twelfth Knight, an Arthurian-inspired MMORPG, to fill his time. In the game, he meets another player whom he befriends – and believes is a guy. But of course, Duke’s new friend is actully Vi.
Though the plot beats here are very, very familiar, the way Alexene Farol Follmuth reimagined the characters and circumstances of Twelfth Night is extremely well done. I adored Vi, a fiercely indepedent feminist learning how to bend rather than break, and the banter between her and Duke is SO GOOD.
The character development is superb, there are as many tender moments as ones that make you laugh out loud, and even though nothing about this story is a surprise, it’s still outrageously satisfying.
So the next time you’re in the mood for a high school-based Shakespeare retelling, give Twelfth Knight a go. Then grab your popcorn and marathon your fave films.
A clever YA take on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the story follows Viola Reyes, a black cat girl who takes gaming as seriously as her student council duties, and Jack “Duke” Orsino, an enormously popular football player and the bane of Vi’s existence, who finds himself sidelined after an in-game injury and turning to Twelfth Knight, an Arthurian-inspired MMORPG, to fill his time. In the game, he meets another player whom he befriends – and believes is a guy. But of course, Duke’s new friend is actully Vi.
Though the plot beats here are very, very familiar, the way Alexene Farol Follmuth reimagined the characters and circumstances of Twelfth Night is extremely well done. I adored Vi, a fiercely indepedent feminist learning how to bend rather than break, and the banter between her and Duke is SO GOOD.
The character development is superb, there are as many tender moments as ones that make you laugh out loud, and even though nothing about this story is a surprise, it’s still outrageously satisfying.
So the next time you’re in the mood for a high school-based Shakespeare retelling, give Twelfth Knight a go. Then grab your popcorn and marathon your fave films.
Never Keep by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
4.5
whether you’re a zodiac academy misser or looking for a new, high-stakes fantasy series to obsess over, i have very good news for you: never keep is out today.
the first book in a new series from the twisted sisters, never keep takes a whole bunch of elements from zodiac academy and turns them on their heads. though the magic system is the same, with fae having elemental powers that are based on their zodiac sign as well as a paranormal order they can shift into, this world is segregated and all the elements are at war.
the story follows two female characters – everest, the oddball daughter of a general, and vesper, a ruthless, pink-haired warrior who is under the thumb of a prince – who both attend never keep for magical training and team up after realizing things are not as they seem.
and this is very much a first book in a series. there’s a lot of time spent on getting to know this new kingdom, these new characters, and some new magic rules and orders, but that does not mean it’s slow. there’s tons of action, a lot of intrigue, some spice, and the sisters’ signature humor – as well as a third act that will have you yelling and gripping the edge of your seat. the cliffhanger *is* pretty huge, ngl. but it has me *so* excited for what’s to come in this series!
✨A truly enormous thank you to Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, and their team for gifting me an advanced copy to read and review!!✨
the first book in a new series from the twisted sisters, never keep takes a whole bunch of elements from zodiac academy and turns them on their heads. though the magic system is the same, with fae having elemental powers that are based on their zodiac sign as well as a paranormal order they can shift into, this world is segregated and all the elements are at war.
the story follows two female characters – everest, the oddball daughter of a general, and vesper, a ruthless, pink-haired warrior who is under the thumb of a prince – who both attend never keep for magical training and team up after realizing things are not as they seem.
and this is very much a first book in a series. there’s a lot of time spent on getting to know this new kingdom, these new characters, and some new magic rules and orders, but that does not mean it’s slow. there’s tons of action, a lot of intrigue, some spice, and the sisters’ signature humor – as well as a third act that will have you yelling and gripping the edge of your seat. the cliffhanger *is* pretty huge, ngl. but it has me *so* excited for what’s to come in this series!
✨A truly enormous thank you to Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti, and their team for gifting me an advanced copy to read and review!!✨
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
4.25
This book has been having A Bit of A Moment, and in a way that usually gives mw pause. The hype around it was reaching a fever pitch, and I was side-eyeing it hard—but it’s on KU and I needed something to do on a *very* long flight from Dublin to Singapore, so I decided to give it a whirl.
And you know what? I had a blast with it.
The story follows Saeris Fane, a woman living in a desert where water is brutally rashioned by a queen who has been ruling for longer than seems possible for a human. After a damning run-in with a royal soldier and a threat to her brother, Saeris is nearly killed. But she unleashes a power in the palace she doesn’t understand, is saved by a terrifying man, and wakes up the next day in a wintry fae world where she meets a divisive warrior named Kingfisher, who tells her she has a very particular—and vaulable—sort of power.
It’s a classic romantasy setup for sure, and Callie Hart weaves in a lot of beloved elements: the tortured hero, the stranger in a strange land who could end a war, a flouncy, bubbly princess, a rogueish criminal, an adorable animal, court intrigue, supernatural creatures aplenty, and a shock of a cliffhanger. Oh, and spice. There is spice.
So, Quicksilver is a lot. And it does have its flaws—it is not well-paced, the worldbuilding is clunky, and it’s longer than it needs to be.
But you know what? I had a ton of fun reading this. And to me, that’s what matters.
4.25🌟
And you know what? I had a blast with it.
The story follows Saeris Fane, a woman living in a desert where water is brutally rashioned by a queen who has been ruling for longer than seems possible for a human. After a damning run-in with a royal soldier and a threat to her brother, Saeris is nearly killed. But she unleashes a power in the palace she doesn’t understand, is saved by a terrifying man, and wakes up the next day in a wintry fae world where she meets a divisive warrior named Kingfisher, who tells her she has a very particular—and vaulable—sort of power.
It’s a classic romantasy setup for sure, and Callie Hart weaves in a lot of beloved elements: the tortured hero, the stranger in a strange land who could end a war, a flouncy, bubbly princess, a rogueish criminal, an adorable animal, court intrigue, supernatural creatures aplenty, and a shock of a cliffhanger. Oh, and spice. There is spice.
So, Quicksilver is a lot. And it does have its flaws—it is not well-paced, the worldbuilding is clunky, and it’s longer than it needs to be.
But you know what? I had a ton of fun reading this. And to me, that’s what matters.
4.25🌟
The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
4.5
This is an angsty, second-chance romance with very messy characters, forced proximity, a chaos wedding, an FMC with nuanced bad-at-communication syndrome but a lot of feelings about being an adult and how weird it can be, so naturally, I loved it.