Moon and Coffee

books, travel, nursing, and all of life's in-betweens

Book Review: Fall of the Elves (Elves of Asarton #1) by Alexis Samson

A- | Stunning. What can I say? This book is absolutely stunning. From the plot to the worldbuilding, to the characters themselves, and to the writing, everything came together to create this magical book. While there were issues that populate the book, they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this novel.

I’ve said this before, but it’s always hard to write reviews for books that I adore because I end up rambling.

Alexis contacted me and after reading the synopsis, I agreed to read and review this book. Again, I love me some fantasy and the moment I saw dragons and elves and dreams, I just leapt at the opportunity.

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Book Review: Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

B | This is a solid thriller/mystery book that had me on the edge of my seat half the time. It’s a dark and twisting tale. It has elements of Gossip Girl tossed into the mix, although this is certainly more grown-up. From the very first page, this book refuses to let you go. It makes you go back and forth, making you question what is truth vs. lies.

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Flash Review: The Cult Called Freedom House (Sophia Rey #1) by Stephanie Evelyn

D | I don’t mind reading books with gore and dark topics so it’s not even the contents of the book itself that dropped this down to this grade. If anything, it’s the fact that this book reads like a rough draft. It’s simply an outline. There’s absolutely no substance what so ever in this book. The only reason it’s not getting a lower star rating (or none at all) is because the author did a good job depicting how cults work and what they do to their members. Aside from that, this book was a straight-up disappointment. I should have expected it when I saw how short the book was, but I was at least expecting something more than a rough draft getting published somehow.

Flash Review: Three Dark Crowns (Three Dark Crowns #1) by Kendare Blake

B+ | This is what I can an introductory book. It sets up the stage for the chaos, drama, and madness that is (hopefully) to come. We get to meet the three sister queens, Katherine, Mirabella, and Arsinoe. Long story short, they’re goddess appointed with abilities and need to kill each other for the crown.

Although this book started out really slow, once you get to the middle portion of the book, things pick up and become much more exciting. It’s well worth pushing through the first half of the book to get to the good stuff. I absolutely will be continuing with this series.

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Book Review: Beneath the Haunting Sea (Beneath the Haunting Sea #1) by Joanna Ruth Meyer

A-/B+ | If there’s one book I can hold up as the PERFECT example of how to do mythology, this is that book. The mythology within this gothic book is stunning. And the worldbuilding? chef kiss. You guys know how much I adore excellent worldbuilding. This rich mythology and worldbuilding are wrapped up nicely with a super exciting (but not so well-paced) plot and characters you want to strangle and hug. Unfortunately, this doesn’t get a perfect grade because of it’s pacing and unnatural, forced romance. Nonetheless, the ending was satisfying and well worth the less cool parts.

Minor spoilers below.

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Flash Review: Frozen 2: Forest of Shadows by Kamilla Benko

A | Not gonna lie, I did a double-take reading this book. I had to check whether this was middle grade or YA. But in any case, this book was fantastic. Kamilla captured Anna’s voice so well because she doesn’t erase Anna’s insecurities and we see Anna flourish in the book. I love how we get more of Anna and Elsa’s childhood here along with worldbuilding for Arendelle. Since I had seen the movie first, I think that this book gives the sequel even more flavor (& I thought Frozen 2 was very much a lush and gorgeous movie). But the information we get in this book about Anna and Elsa’s childhood as well as on their mother adds so much to Iduna’s character.

I loved this book. It was a quick read for me, but definitely, for young readers (aka the intended audience), this may take them a few days. But wow, is it worth a read.

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Flash Review: The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon #3) by Dan Brown

C+ | Although Dan Brown’s first two Robert Langdon books are some of my favorite books of all time and what started my love for mystery/thriller books, The Lost Symbol just fell flat. The story was dragged out and pretty predictable. It’s repetitive and honestly, I felt like I could have skipped sections of the book and not missed a thing. While I enjoyed it enough, there was a point I was just bored. I had to force myself to listen to the rest of the audiobook because I was already 70% of the way into the book. And like I said in my GR updates, I totally expected that twist. Plus the ending was a disappointment.

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Book Review: The Delinquent Crown: A YA Fantasy Adventure (Olexia Legends, #1) by Sydney Faith

C+ | Although the premise was interesting and I did enjoy it overall, the book was too fast-paced and incredibly underdeveloped. Concepts were there, just not fleshed out enough, which was quite frustrating because there is a lot of potential. While there is conflict, things were resolved too quickly or simply brushed off rather than explored.

Sydney contacted me via my blog — moon & coffee. — asking if I would be willing to read and review her book in exchange for a copy. Now, I love me some good fantasy, so I said yes. So many thanks to Sydney for this opportunity.

Even though it did take me a few days to get through this book — nursing school takes priority after all & wow is this semester kicking my butt — this is a very fast-paced novel. Quite frankly, it’s too fast-paced. Although I don’t necessarily mind a fast-paced book, too many things happened in a short amount of time, and thus, character development and worldbuilding suffered immensely. It felt like I was on at some speed dating event where I’d be talking with a really cool and awesome guy, only for the buzzer to go off. Then, I’d find myself stuck with someone who isn’t as fantastic but is interesting enough.

It’s such a shame because there’s a lot of potential here. Unfortunately, stones were left unturned, and roads were left unexplored, even for a book that is marketed for young adults (although it reads more like a middle-grade book). I’m a greedy girl, and I want more from this promising book.

Warning — the review posted below will contain spoilers.

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Book Review: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) by Rin Chupeco

A+/A | A mesmerizing, rich foundational novel dedicated to worldbuilding an introducing the characters, Rin Chupeco’s The Bone Witch envelops you in Tea’s world, in Tea’s story, and in Tea herself. It lays the groundwork through the intricate worldbuilding and to the characters that live and thrive in the world. It is almost like a villain’s origin story — focused solely on establishing who Tea is, the world around her, the people around her, and the magic she wields. Despite there being no plot, this is moot when compared to just how masterfully Rin builds up this world and hooks you to it and its stories.

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Book Review: The Never Tilting World (The Never Tilting World #1) by Rin Chupeco

A- | A lush, enthralling fantasy novel with world building to absolutely die for, compelling characters with distinctive voices and an intriguing plot with mysteries that leave you wanting more, The Never Tilting World refused to let me go until I finished the entire book. Rin Chupeco’s writing, story development, and worldbuilding get better and better with every book she writes.

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