Bookish Belle

  Unfortunately, I could only do part of this review Spoiler-free as I cannot be vague when it comes to what I didn't find great. I had too much to say about characters, the plot, and messages. Read ahead at your own risk. I will let you know when the SPOILER section comes up.  I had picked up this book last year when I went to Barnes and Noble to use my gift card I had gotten for Christmas. I am finally just now getting around to it. I picked it up to fill the void of BBC's Merlin.  I had just finished a re-watch of it with a friend and wanted something similar. I wanted magic, friendship, and Camelot. I knew it wouldn't be anything like the show, but I was wanting a Camelot-like feeling. Reading the description, I decided to give it a try, even though I was disappointed in Slayer.  This was an unusual case of me liking the book up until the last third or so. Reading the first part, I had the same feeling of watching Merlin almost. Arthur still felt like a golden re...

  It was the best theme ever that you could have for a book club month (besides fairies) DRAGONS.  There were so many books to choose from on the list but I knew I didn't want a cliche dragon story about a shifter or something like that so one of the members recommended Eon to us. I picked it up and started to read.  NON-SPOILER : Eon is about a 12 year old boy who trains with other proteges in hopes of becoming Dragoneyes for their country. In order to become a Dragoneye, they must be chosen by a dragon. This year, the Rat Dragon is choosing. (The dragons are based on the dragon zodiac calendar, so the dragon dragon is called the Mirror Dragon.) Unbeknownst to others, Eon is actually a 16 year old girl, Eona. She must hide her identity, however, because women are not supposed to be Dragoneyes and the consequences can be dire. During the ceremony, she is chosen by a dragon and becomes a Dragoneye apprentice, living it up in the Emperor's home until she unveils a plot aga...

Much like other Kiera Cass fans, I anxiously awaited for this book to come out, ready to go back into a lavish and royal world that Kiera creates so well in The Selection series. I put my hold on my e-copy as soon as the library had it in stock and waited. It started out as six months and then to my surprise, it went to 8 weeks, 4 weeks,  down to 2. I grew more and more excited as I saw the number drop.  When I got the email notifying me that it was my turn, I dropped the other book I was reading right then and excitedly clicked the borrow button.  NON SPOILER: Even though this is a fairly new book, a lot of people have already dug their claws into it (as evidenced by all the Twitter reactions I witnessed) so I'll do two reviews as per usual.  WHAT I LIKED: It felt so amazing diving back into a world of royalty, aristocrats, and so on with gorgeous dresses, scenery, and venues. It instantly drew me in and I was able to create a whole new world for myself. Kiera is go...

This is what you would call one of the "hype" books, a book you see that came out a year or 6 months ago, is already a New York Times Bestseller, and a pick for one or more celebrity book clubs. When I read the premise, I was intrigued and added it to my "holds" shelf on Libby. I waited 6 months for it, turns out. I couldn't believe it when I finally got a notification saying that the book was ready for me. I went to my room, a quiet place so I could really immerse myself in the first reading session. Now that I've finished it in less than 3 days, I have some thoughts. NON SPOILER WHAT I LIKED: This book starts out with the prologue prefacing the events leading up to it. If anyone has seen the hulu commercial for the series (as I know I have multiple times) with Reese Witherspoon, that's the prologue, the burned down house. Naturally, it caught my attention as it should anyone's so I kept reading. There are many impactful quotes in the book...

After I watched the documentary, Blackfish , on Netflix I wanted to learn more about the lives of orcas in captivity. For one of my college assignments, I wrote a six-page essay on SeaWorld's captive orcas and what SeaWorld could do to "redeem" themselves. I researched many sites and books on the topic and was enraptured in my subject. When I saw this book, I asked my brother to get it for me for my birthday. Since he's the best brother, he did. I do not recommend this book for anyone who has not seen Blackfish due to the fact that they wouldn't be able to handle the material. This book is just as hard, if not more so, to read as it is to watch the documentary. This book is told from a former senior orca trainer's point of view named John Hargrove. He has 14 years of experience and it definitely shows. The part I most enjoyed about the book was how he would talk about his relationship with the orcas. Even when he was in a dangerous situation with one of...

I received this book as a Christmas gift as it was a high priority on my wish list. I read the book with a person whose genre is NOT Fantasy, feeling a bit bad for them as they might be confused. Naturally, they asked many questions but they seemed to get the hang of it pretty quick.  I'm only doing a SPOILER FREE review since this is such a relatively new book from 2019.  SPOILER-FREE: The book’s main character, Galaxy (Alex) Stern, is a force to be reckoned with as she is the only human known at Yale University (the secret occult sector) that can see dead people (cue Sixth Sense scene.) Not only can she see dead people, but she can see them IN COLOR, something no one else can do. Throughout the book, she is solving a mystery and her past is slowly revealed throughout.  What I liked: I liked the main setup and the world building. It’s detailed and there’s a guide in the back of the book to help readers along the way. I also like the main protagonist (fo...