This collection of poems is a result of the author’s spiritual journey and reveals a powerful personal account through a deep and profound connection to the land of Scotland. Both emotional and touching, with universal themes of nature and love at the centre, the author portrays a transformational effect of stunning Scottish landscapes on the soul and life as a whole. Engaging in an emotional struggle to bring spiritual and earthly together, this eloquent collection is written with devotion and reverence and offers an exploration of a spiritual identity through the land. Through the poems, the author shows how the beauty of natural places can be soothing and hopeful in times of turmoil. At its heart, this volume is a spiritual love story between the land and the author, exploring the elements of nature as they are in the wild, as well as in our souls.
This poetry collection really was a love letter to Scotland and how the author feels about Scotland. There was some beautiful imagery and wonderful phrases that painted a picture of the wildness and beauty of Scotland.
I did really enjoy the poems and language, but wished it was a little longer. I would have loved to read more since I did feel it was a bit short. Still, a lot of the images inspired by her words were wonderful and definitely make you feel like you can see the landscape she’s describing.
The Unwilling is the story of a young woman, born an orphan with a secret gift, who grows up trapped, thinking of herself as an afterthought, but who discovers that she does not have to be given power: she can take it. An epic tale of greed and ambition, cruelty and love, the novel is about bowing to traditions and burning them down.
For reasons that nobody knows or seems willing to discuss, Judah the Foundling was raised as siblings along with Gavin, the heir of Highfall, in the great house beyond the wall, the seat of power at the center of Lord Elban’s great empire. There is a mysterious–one might say unnatural connection–between the two, and it is both the key to Judah’s survival until this point, and now her possible undoing.
As Gavin prepares for his long-arranged marriage to Eleanor of Tiernan, and his brilliant but sickly younger brother Theron tries to avoid becoming commander of the army, Judah is left to realize that she has no actual power or position within the castle, in fact, no hope at all of ever traveling beyond the wall. Lord Elban–a man as powerful as he is cruel- has other plans for her, for all of them. She is a pawn to him and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Meanwhile, outside the wall, in the starving, desperate city, a Magus, a healer with a secret power unlike anything Highfall has seen in years is newly arrived from the provinces. He, too, has plans for the empire, and at the heart of those plans lies Judah. The girl who started off with no name and no history will be forced to discover there’s more to her story than she ever imagined.
First things first, this book is very dark and has a TON of trigger warnings, so if you are considering picking it up, please look into them and judge if this book is something you can handle. There is a lot of abuse in the story, so be warned about that. Also, I’m not sure why this is being described as young adult, because it clearly isn’t YA, it’s fantasy.
The story line was complex and unfortunately a little hard to follow at times, but it did come together. I feel like this is going to be a very polarizing book, so I’m sure some people are going to absolutely love it. The characters, though most of them are young, are complex and have unique bonds that grow or are cemented through the book. There are some great connections and relationships in this book.
Overall it was a very intriguing story with lots of twists and turns. Though it wasn’t the perfect read for me, I could definitely see a lot of people loving it.
Kelly Braffet is the author of the novels Save Yourself, Last Seen Leaving and Josie & Jack. Her writing has been published in The Fairy Tale Review, Post Road, and several anthologies. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband, the author Owen King. A lifelong reader of speculative fiction, the idea for The Unwilling originally came to her in college; twenty years later, it’s her first fantasy novel. Visit her at kellybraffet.com.
Bestselling and award-winning author Trista Mateer takes an imaginative approach to self-care in this new poetry and prose collection, Aphrodite Made Me Do It. In this empowering retelling, she uses the mythology of the goddess to weave a common thread through the past and present. By the end of this book, Aphrodite make you believe in the possibility of your own healing.
Since I have been picking up more modern poetry, I had high hopes that this one would be another one I loved, but that wasn’t the case. With this one I definitely think that’s more of a me thing than this collection though, a lot of times the style of poetry just didn’t suit what I was looking for.
The artwork included in the collection was amazing as it worked with and accented the poems themselves. The content of the poems was definitely heart wrenching and a tale of catharsis, growth and overcoming obstacles, they just weren’t completely for me.
If you love modern poetry mixed with artwork and in varying styles you’ll probably like this a lot more than I do and should definitely pick it up.
A psychological suspense series about a girl who has given up her life as an idol after being assaulted by a fan.
After that day, she stopped being a girl. In the wake of an assault, Nina Kamiyama, a former idol in the group Pure Club, shuns her femininity and starts dressing as a boy. At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student Hikaru Horiuchi realizes who she is. What secrets is she keeping? The shocking drama starts.
Typically when I read manga I reach for the ones with a fantasy or paranormal twist, but the premise of this one sounded interesting. We’re following an ex-idol who has completely changed her appearance due to an assault she suffered and the trauma and effects that come after it. There’s also the more sinister story line of her attacker possibly still being after her and a lot of discussion about sexual harassment and assault. I was not expecting the first volume to be as complex as it was, but it all flowed together well.
I’m interested to see where this series goes, especially with how the first volume ended. There’s a definite question regarding multiple people’s motives, so I’m thinking it will be a twisting series.
Not Your Idol Volume 1 is coming out on May 5th by Viz Media, so be sure to pick it up if it sounds like it is up your alley – happy reading!
The life of Henrietta Achilles is about to change. After years of living as an orphan, she receives a summons to the strange town of Malrenard. To her surprise, she’s the only living relative of Ornun Zol–a notorious wizard, now deceased, who leaves Henrietta with his house and everything in it.
With Ornun Zol gone, escaped creatures and misfired curses have been spilling out into Malrenard. If that’s not enough, Henrietta will discover countless squabbling squatters inside her uncle’s abode: soldiers, bandits, tiny monsters, and more. Then there’s the matter of the strange black cat following Henrietta around . . .
The premise of this graphic novel sounded both hilarious and intriguing, so I had to check it out. Poor Henrietta is thrown into the thick of things right away and what a roller coaster ride it ends up being. This graphic novel is a great first volume and I was actually bummed when I reached the end because I wanted more.
The characters shown so far are quite a mix of personalities and I’m sure will factor in importantly as the series goes on. It’s definitely a compelling story that makes you wonder what is coming next and seems like it will be quite an adventure for Henrietta.
When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can’t wait to step aboard… But there’s something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they’re captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious flying circus to somewhere far, far away…
Treachery, tight-ropes and trickery combine in this incredible third Cogheart adventure…
I have thoroughly enjoyed both Cogheart and Moonlocket, so I had high hopes for Skycircus and it did not disappoint. Bunzl takes us on another thrilling adventure that didn’t have so much to do with a mystery as it did with people that had certain motives.
As always I so enjoyed the recurring characters and their personalities. Each book tends to see growth in both Robert and Lily as they face every challenge that comes their way. Their reactions and responses to certain situations are valid, but they also still have a lot of that impulsiveness that goes along with youth. Also, I always adore Malkin’s attitude juxtaposed against theirs.
The circus was written masterfully and was rife with danger and creepiness. It was a great setting that was perfect for the adventure. I can’t wait to get my hands on book 4!
Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation “His Face All Red,” in print for the first time.
Journey through the woods in this sinister, compellingly spooky collection that features four brand-new stories and one phenomenally popular tale in print for the first time. These are fairy tales gone seriously wrong, where you can travel to “Our Neighbor’s House”—though coming back might be a problem. Or find yourself a young bride in a house that holds a terrible secret in “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold.” You might try to figure out what is haunting “My Friend Janna,” or discover that your brother’s fiancée may not be what she seems in “The Nesting Place.” And of course you must revisit the horror of “His Face All Red,” the breakout webcomic hit that has been gorgeously translated to the printed page.
Already revered for her work online, award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll’s stunning visual style and impeccable pacing is on grand display in this entrancing anthology, her print debut.
I think this book suffered slightly because it wasn’t as creepy as I was expecting. The artwork perfectly suited the scary stories, and the start vibrant colors (or lack there of) made it very dynamic. I felt like I was just wanting it to go a little farther and be a little more in the scary department.
Still, there were some stories that I felt were amazing, specifically A Lady’s Hands Are Cold and The Nesting Place. Those were real stand outs in the collection. I would definitely pick up other works by Emily Carroll, I just wished there had been a little more.
Garrett Song is this close to taking the reins of his family’s LA fashion empire…until the Song matriarch insists he marry her handpicked bride first. To block her matchmaking, he recruits Natalie Sobol to pose as his wife. She needs a fake spouse as badly as he does. But when passion burns down their chaste agreement, the flames could destroy them all…
I can honestly say that I loved this one – I’ve never read anything by Jayci Lee, but after experiencing her writing I’ll be sure to pick up more. So much of this made me think of kdramas (which are something I love) that I had a great time reading it.
It was so spicy and such a fast read (maybe at some points advancing too fast, but understandably with it’s length) that I almost read it all in one sitting. I would definitely say that the characters had depth and each had their ulterior motives for the relationship. I do love a good fake dating trope and this one definitely satisfied that for me. Overall, I would definitely read it again and look forward to reading more of Jayci Lee’s writing.
Jayci Lee writes poignant, funny, and sexy romance. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. She is semi-retired from her 15-year career as a defense litigator, and writes full-time now. She loves food, wine, and travelling, just like her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal. She hopes her books will do the same for you.
Werewolf barista Julie and her new girlfriend go on a date to a close-up magic show, but all heck breaks loose when the magician casts a horrible spell on their friend Chet. Now it’s up to the team of mythical pals to stop the illicit illusionist before it’s too late.
I didn’t know much about this except that a lot of people I follow thought it was adorable but I had definitely heard enough to want to pick it up. Let me just say that I am so glad I did! The art style is so whimsical and beautiful, the style and color palette just perfect for the setting and story. I loved the mystery and overall storyline and really feel like it is a good start to the series. I definitely would like to see more in the series and learn more about the characters and their backstories. These characters have such great relationships, but also their own insecurities and I would love to see more expanding on that.
What’s your dream? Do you believe that God will answer your prayers so that you can fulfill that dream? Do you really believe that He is faithful? Unrealized dreams can cause deep pain that lasts for years. What takes away that pain? The journey through life is a learning process that each human must endure. I say endure because the learning is not always comfortable. You are not alone in anything you do. The lessons learned and talked about in this book can help anyone who is dealing with trouble, pain, human interaction, or faith. By reading this book, the author hopes you will learn a little about music, a little more about life, and a lot about the love of God.
Full disclaimer, I do know the author and did help with preliminary edits before the book was published, but that didn’t factor into my review or reading experience.
That being said, this is a wonderful telling of a story through different stages of music and musical terms. Musical terms are used to describe different stages of life as well as different personalities. The author weaves parts of her life through these terms, exploring some of her defining moments and how music and faith have changed and shaped her. Essentially how she became comfortable in her skin, secure with her faith and even showing that even now she still deals with vulnerabilities. It’s a wonderful story of life as it is, rough patches, bright spots, love and laughter.
I feel even if you aren’t religious you can still find valuable content and lessons within this book. It’s a great story of finding yourself and finding your way towards enjoying your journey as it takes you through life.
The Wandering Wordsmith 