Category: Fantasy

Book Review, Fantasy, Romance

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley Books
Fantasy/Romance
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

What a warm hug of a book. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is part found-family, part romance, part witchy fantasy and completely heartwarming. Mika Moon exists in a world where witches are taught not to spend time together for fear of causing unanticipated harm. Her magic has been used by those around her all her life and has a result of these two circumstances, she lives in solidarity, never staying in one place for long. When she is brought into Nowhere House to care for three mentor-less witches, Mika realizes that love might not be as far out of reach as she expected.

I got majorrr The House in the Cerulean Sea vibes from this book. The three young witches are quirky and there comments are so funny and on the nose. The rest of the cast of characters is just as unique and lovable and the way they welcomed Mika in was beautiful. Mandanna created details about each character that made them so interesting. The relationships, both romantic and platonic, were multifaceted and made for such a unique way of telling Mika’s story.

I was such a huge fan of the writing style. It’s witty and funny and doesn’t shy away from profanity, but in a way that’s amusing and adds to characters’ personalities. There were so many layers to this story and so much eccentricity, but it all worked together to form a vivid plot with some of my favorite characters I’ve crossed paths with in a long time. 

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on Goodreads
Buy The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches at an indie bookstore near you

Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling ~ Book Review

Morgan

Avon Books
Romance/Fantasy
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I liked The Kiss Curse much more than the first book in the series. Sterling brought back the impeccably atmospheric spooky small town of Graves Glen while upgrading the plot and introducing two sassy new characters.

Gwyn (Vivi’s cousin, if you’ve read book 1) runs a witchcraft shop in town that finds itself with a new competitor when Wells Penhallow returns to his family home and opens his own store. Obviously, it’s not long before sparks fly between grumpy Wells and fiery Gwyn. Their enemies to lovers relationship is electric and steamy and I enjoyed seeing them slowly grow into a team. Both characters were witty and had well-crafted personalities that made me love getting to know them.

There is such a jumble of genres in this book, and I was intrigued by the mystery element and invested in figuring out what was happening in the town. The plot was primarily romance-focused, but I enjoyed the other pieces as well.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy The Kiss Curse at an indie bookstore near you
The Kiss Curse on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Romance

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling ~ Book Review

Morgan

Avon Books
Romance/Fantasy
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

The Ex Hex is a cute, spooky fall romance that checked a lot of boxes, but never invested me past surface level. When Vivi’s ex, Rhys, breaks up with her, she and her best friend pretend to place a curse on him in an amusing scented-candle-and-alcohol-induced act of defiance. Upon his return to the town of Graves Glen nine years later, Vivi begins to worry that what was meant to be a joke may have done more harm than she intended.

This is a perfect book to read in the fall. The small town charm is wonderfully done, and their obsession with Halloween made for the ideal witchy atmosphere. The romance is steamy and the chemistry between Vivi and Rhys was palpable.

The actual plot? Honestly, not much happened. The ‘action’ felt pretty draggy for me, and I enjoyed meeting the characters and the world-building in the first half of the book much more than the actual plot later on.

A+ vibes, C+ plot.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy The Ex Hex at an indie bookstore near you
The Ex Hex on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Fantsy

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas ~ Book Review

Morgan

Bloomsbury Publishing
YA Fantasy
Release Date: May 3, 2016
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

What struck me most about A Court of Mist and Fury was Feyre’s growth over the slow-burning narrative arc. The strength she grows as she becomes more comfortable and understanding of her new reality was incredible to watch. While the men started out with the most power, I loved watching her take her power back and take ownership of it.

The decision Feyre makes near the beginning of the book felt kind of rushed and not fully explored to me, but it opened the door for her return to Rhysand, which is where the story really took shape. Although I found it a little hard to keep track of all the new characters, their support and acceptance of Feyre was commendable and I liked the way they banded together to try to figure out the underlying mysteries of their world.

This definitely felt more slow moving to me than A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I liked the characters a lot and the action really picked up toward the end. While I was reading I wasn’t sure if I’d feel compelled to pick up the next book in the series, but I can’t stop thinking about the cliffhanger of an ending.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy A Court of Mist and Fury at an indie bookstore near you
A Court of Mist and Fury on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ~ Book Review

Morgan

Bloomsbury Publishing
Fantasy
Release Date: May 5, 2015
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

The hype is so real!! For some reason I was convinced that I wasn’t much of a fantasy person (despite loving Harry Potter), but A Court of Thorns and Roses proved that very wrong. When Feyre accidentally kills a faerie disguised as a wolf, she is forced to live out the rest of her days in the faerie world, or lose her life.

I got major Beauty and the Beast vibes as Feyre begins to get to know her captor, Tamlin and explores his grounds and her new world. The world-building wasn’t too overwhelming, and I was able to get sucked into the story fairly quickly.

The romance in this book was so unexpected and well done. It was a pretty main theme throughout the story as Feyre learns more about Tamlin and his past. I loved the setting of Tamlin’s estate and the atmosphere it set (I got a Bridgerton feel).

The action picks up a lot in the last quarter of the book and the pacing change kept me completely invested until the end. I will absolutely be picking up book two.

Check out my bookstagram: @Treat.your.shelf
Buy A Court of Thorns and Roses at an indie bookstore near you
A Court of Thorns and Roses on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy

We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange ~ Book Review

Morgan

Celadon Books
Genre: Fiction
Release Date: August 3, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪

Super unpopular opinion coming at you, but this book was not it for me. Sunday Brennan moves back across the country to be with her family after a drunk driving accident. Her return sends waves through the tight-knit community she left behind and I was excited to see what it stirred up but then….nothing happened. This whole book was me just waiting for action that never came.

There’s one big event in Sunday’s past that was a catalyst for a lot of change and trauma in her life, but even that felt anticlimactic. For a character-driven plot, I felt like a lot of the characters were given very surface level descriptions and shallow back stories that made them hard for me to feel invested in. The family dynamics were interesting and there was a lot of potential, but the unbelievable and cliched road it went down vastly underwhelmed me.

Buy We Are the Brennans at an indie bookstore near you
We Are the Brennans on Goodreads

Book Review, Fantasy, Fiction

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ~ Book Review

Morgan

Viking
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: September 29, 2020
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I’m not a big fantasy person, but The Midnight Library toes the line just enough that it didn’t jar me too much. Conceptually, this book is fascinating. It tells the story of Nora Seed, who finds herself in the Midnight Library where she’s faced with shelves of books that each represent a different way her life could have gone, had she made different choices along the way.

Nora racks her brain to try to figure out what decisions would have led to her happiest life, but as soon as she feels disappointed in the life she’s trying out, she’s automatically returned to the library. This book focuses heavily on mental health. Nora lands in the library after a suicide attempt, suspended between life and death. Her journey through her lives is a powerful reminder to be thankful for all the little things we take for granted day-to-day and to make the most of your life.

Matt Haig’s writing sucks you in and immerses you in this story wholeheartedly. I read this book in two sittings and loved the illustrative nature of the story. My one complaint is that the concept got a little repetitive for me by the end, but nonetheless, this was a beautifully crafted story with a powerful message.

Buy The Midnight Library at an indie bookstore near you
The Midnight Library on Goodreads