Review: Alchemised by SenLinYu

 

One of the most hyped books of the year and I found it underwhelming. I do wish I would have read the fanfiction first, but I am just not into Hermione and Draco fanfiction, or Harry Potter fanfic in general. This book is in three parts and the first art was 5 stars. I was obsessed. I would get through 100 pages a day and then I got to part two and saw that it went back in time and I was not interested.

I did not want to read about the war and honestly, the entirety of part 2 could have been cut in half because it was a constant back and forth of Helena and Kaine blaming themselves for being hurt, and hating each other. The rest was Helena being a healer and working herself to death trying to save people. It was a slog to get through and it took me the longest to read. I just wanted to get back to the present day with Helena being a prisoner in Spirefell and having to deal with the necrothralls.

There were some parts in part 2 that actually shocked me because it answered questions and gave context of how things happened, like how the manacles were put on her and whose idea it actually was. I was really glad to get to part 3, because she was finally getting her memories back and she once again started trying to find a way to save Kaine. 

While reading this, I kept seeing reviews about how the end made people cry and I got to the end, and I was underwhelmed. I was expecting major deaths and none of that happened. I wanted shit to go down, and it was boring as hell. Also knowing that this was a Harry Potter- Handmaid's Tale fanfic, I was constantly naming and identifying what character was who. It got to the point where I was reading the names as the Harry Potter characters. 

I love the world and the magic system, I just wish that we got to see more than just the Alchemy Tower, institute and the outpost. I am sad to say that this is definitely overhyped!

Review: Finally Mine by Lucy Score

 

I finally got to the sequel in the Benevolence series. I have been eyeing this for the past year because I was obsessed with Pretend You're Mine. I read that in two days, I could not put it down. This installment took me almost a week to read. I just was not as invested in the story because a good portion of it seem to be a retelling of the first book of Luke and Harper. Obviously the beginning of this would be a retell because Gloria was the victim.

We follow Gloria and Aldo and their connection and love story. The scene that started it all was Gloria being assaulted in the bar parking lot by her boyfriend Glenn. Harper ends up jumping into the fight and Luke ends it. Gloria is finally leaving Glenn, which is what sets him off. He gets arrested finally and Gloria goes back to her mother.

This book is heavy on domestic assault and the victim shame and guilt that follows. The whole town knew what was happening and all Gloris sees is pity. She feels that she is a disappointment to her mother because she let it go on for 10 years. Aldo is finally happy that Gloria took the initiative and left Glenn. Gloria starts to take steps to better her future. She gets a job at the florist and she becomes fast friends with Harper and Sofia. 

Gloria is constantly thinking that the town calls her poor little Gloria Parker and it is mentioned a lot throughout the book which got really annoying and it made me just feel horrible for all the domestic abuse survivors out there that don't have support after leaving and constantly torture their selves with unhealthy thoughts. 

Gloria and Aldo grow close and eventually Aldo deploys. While on his tour, his convey hits a roadside bomb and he has to have his leg amputated. He comes back broken and angry that his future with Gloria has been snatched from him once again because he believes that since he lost his leg, he is no longer whole and not capable of keeping her safe. 

Alot of things happen and Harper and Luke's relationship and scenes from the first book make a reappearance which was really frustating because it took me out of Gloria and Aldo's story. I know that I will be dealing with some more scenes from the first book and this book in the next book. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

I have not done a top ten post since June. Life has been busy and I have missed these weekly posts. It is Halloween which is my favorite holiday and my plan for the week is to read spooky books. It is not exactly 10 but, these are small so I am hoping to get through a good bit. If yall have read any of these, let me know. 

Review: Lantos by Lizzy Ford

 

Fourth short story in the Omega series. I had a hard time focusing on this when I started it. I usually read these when my kids go to events at our local library and I am sitting in the main part. I know the reason I had trouble focusing and it definitely affected how I enjoyed this one when I reread the next day. 

In the previous story, we learned about Phoibe's shadow friend Lantos. We learn his origins and his motives in this story. We learn that he is the son of a titan and that he also has a red ribbon around his wrist to keep him hidden from the Gods. He is trying to find out what happened to Mismatch and why he never showed up. We also learn that he was tasked by his father to befriend Phoibe and kill her to start a war with the Gods. 

Lantos wants his dad favor and respect and wants to be part of his family after being orphaned on the streets when he was a child. He finds Alessandra's home and he finds a badly injured Mismatch. Mismatch is dying and Mrs Nettles is trying to heal him. Mismatch ends up turning back into his human form after Lantos takes his memories of Alessandra. 

The end of this story, we get Mismatch's real name which is Adonis and he has killed a wealthy family and taken over their high rise apartment and he gifts it to Lantos. I hate that this really changed my whole attitude and feelings toward Mismatch. His name is god awful....no pun intended.

Review: Phoibe by Lizzy Ford

 

This is the third novella in the Omega miniseries and this one is so freaking heartbreaking.

This follows Phoibe who is the 6 year old Crown Princess of Greece. She was introduced in the previous novella, Mismatch. Mismatch is the gargoyle who is her long dead ancestor who was the Crown Prince of Greece. The whole story Phoibe is waiting for Mismatch to come back and rescue her and teach her about her curse. He never does because of what happened to him in the previous story.

Phoibe has a speech impediment and she is ridiculed and shamed for it by the High Preistess. The High Priestess pissed me off because she was so verbally and physically abusive to Phoibe. She also kept throwing her dead mom and disappointment in her face. Mismatch told Phoibe not to talk to anyone and so she stops talking. She ends up being punished severely for it and being starved. 

Phoibe has a shadow friend named Lantos and that is the next novella. He ends up talking to Phoibe in her mind and helping Phoibe escape the abuse by killing the High Priestess. That is where the story ends and we don't know if Phoibe ends up in a better situation with another High Priestess or if that they would give her a worse one. 

Review: Road To Mastery (Light Novel) volume 1 by Valerios

 

I was sent a box a couple months ago that had a lot of light novels included and they are for future blog tours. I read this one first because I have been really into Dungeon Crawler Carl and I have been wanting to read more like it. This is a light novel and I had no idea what that was going into this. Upon starting this, I learned that this is a long ass series and the first book is over 700 pages. With this being a light novel, the first book has been cut into parts to make it into an easier read.

I don't know if any of the content in the chapters were edited out, but I did get the first book on KU and I looked at the chapter list and the chapter titles and numbers are the same. So I am looking forward to volume 2 of the light novel to be released next year.

I would continue reading the actual full length novel, but I have so many priority reads for the rest of the year. I ended up giving this a 3 out of 5 star because the whole part in the nature reserve ad Jack our main character fighting the goblins and the bears was very very reptetitive and I was annoyed. I was also annoyed with how he kept putting al of his stat points into physical and not mental and that the reader was constantly reminded that he almost had a PhD and so he was already super smart.

The fight with the black wolves really upset me because I like wolves and having to read that their bodies and heads were exploding from his punches were just too much for me. Also the information and the section of the Dao root and it merging with his punches and how it exactly it happened flew right over my head.

Where this volume leaves off is he has just gotten rid of the faction that controlled Valville. I honestly think that this was not a cliffhanger. I think it should have ended a chapter earlier to keep the intrigue for the next volume. 

Review: Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland

 

Another 5 star in a new favorite series. This is the third and final book and I am so sad that it is over. I took my time reading this one because I didn't want it to end. I have been putting this review off for over a week. The book picks up with Mikhail's POV and it is clear that he is being affected by the water scepter.

I could pick up on the character difference and I was honestly not really into his character. I was hesitant to put much thought into it because I didn't want it to change how I felt about the book, but I realize now that the feeling I had made sense. He gets more bloodthirsty and ruthless because he is still not grieving the loss of Euyn and he is also processing that he is the lost prince of Gyan. They plan to go back to his homeland to take back his throne from Yusan. 

Thiyung is free from the prison and he learns that his father has crowned himself the king of Yusan. That must mean that King Joon is finally dead. He also learns from Hanna that Daysum is truly dead and that Sora is still alive, but the whole group beside Royo have a million mun bounty each on their heads, so al of the realms under Yusan rule are on the lookout.

Sora is finally told of Daysum's death by Mikhail and Mikhail finds out that his father Ailor was branded a traitor and taken to Idle Prison. Sora is then told that Tiyhung was killed by execution and she attacks Mikhail because she thinks that he held back that information.

Aeri and Royo finally become a couple and they have sexy time which is implied but not told in detail. The group go back to the western count to get his help and that is where Mikhail learns of more betrayals and the count's true intentions. Sore learns that another poison maiden is on the side of King Seok and the count.

So much happened in this that I will be re-reading this because I did find myself getting a little bored at times and really thought this would be a 4 star. The ending though made me cry when Dragon Lord Aeri blessed Sora and made her the first Dragon Queen of Yusan. I do hope that in the future we get another series from Royo and more from Aeri.

Review: The 13 Problems by Agatha Christie

 

Another Christie book read. I reviewed each of the stories as I was reading them because just remembering the plot is all I can do. The character names went straight over my head because I rather not confuse them. I am finding that I am not a fan of Agatha Christie short stories.

1. The Tuesday Night Club

    We start off with Miss Marple and a couple of people starting a detective club of sorts to help solve some investigations. One of the people in the group is a former commander of Scotland Yard and of course with Miss Marple in the group, we all know that she is going to figure out every case with the smallest details. 

The case that she solves is one about arsenic poisoning and how they ate tinned lobster and how the poison was put into the trifle by the maid and the husband gave the arsenic to her. Also we learn that the killer maid dies in childbirth a week later.

2. Ingots of Gold

The audiobook I am listening to has this next in order where as the ebook I am reading along with has this as story three. I hope that the stories aren't connected because I will definitely be spoiled. This story is about deciet and gold. Raymond who is Miss Marples nephew, is telling the story of how there was a spanish galleon wrecked that was carrying gold. The gold suddenly disappeared and nobody could find it. 

There is a main man named Mr. Kelvin who was a professional diver and did time in jail. There is also a man named Mr Newman who got to nosy and caught and was thrown in a ditch. Of course, the story is corrected and Miss Marple of course solves the mysteries of the scuffed tire and that the gardener was in on the whole thing because gardeners don't work on Mondays.

3. The Bloodstained Pavement

The stories are connected somewhat because the main place, Rathole, in this story was mentioned in the story above. The narrator Joyce, talks about how she is painting an inn in Rathole and it isn;t turning out very good. She sees a man that looks like a ship captain, more like a Spainard. She paints him before he can move and when she looks at her word, she sees that she has painted blood splatters. 

Once again, the story is going back to the last story  with pirates and gold and caves. I think its hilarious that Raymond keeps suggesting that indigestion is the causes for Joyce seeing "bloodstains"... idiot. Turns out that the husband and companion are frauds and go around killing wives to collect insurance money. And that the bloodstains dripped from the bathing suit onto the pavement.

4. The Idol House of Astarte

This is the second story in the ebook, but it is the fourth in the audiobook. This story is from Dr Pender who is the clergyman in the group. All of the stories so far are meant to sound like ghost stories. This story takes place in a sacred grove where the history is the main plot, particulary the Phoenicians. It is talkings about the goddess of the moon and temples. 

There is a woman named Diana who becomes infatuated with the temple and mentions that she wants to have an orgy there after dinner. When dinner comes, they all arrived dressed and in character. Diana shows up as the unknown and then she disappears to the grove. When the rest of the group show up, they notice a difference in her appearance. She looks more oriental and she has horns on her head. She is threatening that if any of them come near her, she will use the magic of Astarte to smite them. 

One guy moves towards her, and then he falls on the ground. He was stabbed which makes it weird because no one was near him. Of course, it was very predictable to know how the guy got stabbed and Miss Marple knew it too. The guy, Richard was stabbed after falling by his cousin, who was in love with Diana also. The cousin Elliot, then goes and stabs himself to get the suspicion off Diana. 

5. Motive Vs. Opportunity

I love the fact that the whole time these stories are being told, Miss Marple is knitting away. This story starts off with a father dying in the war and leaving behind a little girl who has to go live with her grandfather. Her mother died in childbirth and eventually the kid gets pnuemonia and dies. The grandfather's brother dies and the grandfather gives his house to his nieces and nephew. 

The grandfather Simon eventually meets a medium who the kids think of as a swindler. Mrs Spragg, the medium, is very adament every time that the little girl that died of pnuemonta tells her that her parents loved Mrs. Spragg. FRAUD!!!!!! Simon Clode eventually starts turning against his family because they are calling Mrs. Spragg a swindler and a hoax. Simon gets really sick and makes a new will. He leaves some money to his niece and nephew and the entire property to Mrs. Spragg.

Simon dies and when it is time to read the will, the paper in the envelope is blank. I totally got it wrong. I thought one of the nieces or nephew got rid of the will, but it was something as unique as disappearing ink in a fountain pen. The fact that Miss Marple coneected this to a Sunday school event that she taught at and used to play with this in her childhood sounds very far fetched.

6. The Blue Geranium

Another story out of order in the audiobook. Also the title reminds me of a cinderella retelling that I used to watch when I was little and it had the muppets in it. Totally off topic. 

This story is about a married couple called the Pritchards. Ms pritchard hates her house and has a feeling of dread when she keeps being told by a fortune teller to be on the lookout for blue flowers. Her husband doesn't believe her and is fed up with her wanting to leave the house. She gets new wallpaper in her room, which is real flowers. One by one, a pink primrose turns blue, then a hollyhock and the day she is found dead, a blue geranium is found on the wall abover her bed.

The first question that Miss Marple has is, has the husband married the fortune teller yet? She also solves the mystery that Nurse Copling was the real fortune teller and she was upset that Mr. Pritchard was in love with the "fortune teller", Miss Instow. She put cyanide in the smelling salts and that is the smell that turn to pink flowers blue.

7. The Four Suspects

Another story that we skip ahead to. I love that Ms Bantry screamed at Sir Henry for all of the unsolved crimes that Scotland Yard couldn't solve. This one has to be my least favorite so far because I could not keep track of what was happening and I did not want to waste any more time re-reading it.

It's all about a murder and a letter with a German stamp. The fact that Sir Henry is pleading for Miss Marples help to figure out the murderer tells us that he was really shit at his job. Of course Miss Marple connects the murder to that of a church social and a gardener. Turns out the niece murder her uncle and to try to place blame on a man to ruin him.

8. The Companion

I think we have a crush happening here. Miss Helier is trying to flirt with Dr. Llyod who has only been in St. Mary Mead for 5 years and who is also a bachelor. She keeps interupting him while he is telling his story about his trip to the Canary Islands. 

Ms Bantry urges the doctor to continue his story about the beautiful spanish dancer because it takes her mind off of how fat and old she is. My jaw hit the floor. But the story is about two english ladies where one has unfortunately drowned. One of the witnesses says that she seen the Mary holding Amy down under the water. She got anxious once Dr. Llyod showed up to try to bring Amy back because she was betting on the Spanish not being able to understand her. 

The group is trying to figure out why Mary murdered Amy and they all think that she was jealous over a man. But Miss Marple deduces that Mary Barton stole Amys identity, and that she eventually faked her death to leave the country and suspicion.

9. A Christmas Tragedy

This story starts off with Sire Henry complaining that there are three males and three females in the group and that all three men have told stories where non of the ladies have. I mean sir, you need help from a old woman to solve a murder case... get your priorities in order.

Miss Marple tells the story of a woman at a Hydro, which I have no idea what that is, and about a mysterious and scary looking man who was good looking and was gentle with his wife, but Miss Marple thinks he meant to do away with a woman named Mrs. Edwards. The man, Mr Sanders is immediately a target for Miss Marple because he is to sketchy. There is two deaths in the building and one of the old women say that death comes in threes. Mr. Sanders gets Miss Marple to come to his room to see and giver her opinion on some bags for his wife for Christmas. When he opens the door, they see Mrs. Sanders dead on the floor.

Miss Marple keeps Mr. Sander away because she assumes that he had something to do with it. Turns out that he did and the body that was seen, is one of the previous dead bodies until Mr. Sanders could get with his wife and bring her home to actually kill her. He switched the bodies back and thought he could get away with it and get her income, but Miss Marple got justice. She saw him hang. 

10. The Herb of Death

It's time for Ms Bantry to tell her story. It takes place at a cottage and she is telling about the time some foxglove leaves got picked with sage and everyone who ate it got sick. That is the end of her story and everyone wants more information, that they decide to play 20 questions to get more of the story. Miss Marple asks how stupid the cook was.

I am not mature at all and she is calling one of the people who was at the cottage a pussy because she could settle anywhere she went....lmao. 

Favorite quote: "Dont say the word flesh. Vegetarians always do. They always say I never eat flesh in a way that puts you right off your little beefsteak." Turns out that the old man of the cottage killed his ward because he was in love with her and she was in love with another me and he didn't want them running off to get married.

11. The Affair at the Bungalow

This story is told from the brain dead Jane who is in love with the doctor and who the doctor is infatuated with in return. I call her brain dead because she is a complete idiot. She tells the story about her friend when everyone in the group realizes that Jane is telling the story about her self because she is just that narcisistic. 

She evetually messes up in her story and they all tell her that it is all right and Sir Henry helps her with character names as she is telling the story. It is about a guy who got duped by a woman pretending to be Jane about a play he has written and the servants were duped and all of that. The group try to figure out what happened and they are stumped. They asked Jane what happened and she, the village idiot was waiting for them to tell her the solution to her own story because she didn't know. They immediately realize thata her beauty can't mask her stupidity anymore.

Miss Marple is the one who figures out that Jane is the one plans to make the story a reality because an actor has his eyes on her understudy, and she also wanted to take the jewels. 

12. The Thumbmark of St. Peter

Going back to an earlier story in the ebook. Miss Marple is tellinng a tale about her niece Mabel and her husband. Ten years into Mabel's marriage, her husband dies. Miss Marple offer Mabel to come stay with her, but she declines and Miss Marple notices that she is to sad about the death of her husband because they had not been getting along. Then all of a sudden, Mabel writes to Miss Marple begging her to come because she couldn't stand it any longer and things were getting worse. 

Turns out that the people in the village were starting rumors about Mabel and how she poisoned her husband. They were fighting and the servants also spread those rumors because they have nothing better to do that to spread gossip. Turns out the husbands insane dad is the one who poisoned him to keep from being sent to an insane asylum... he went anyways.

13. Death by Drowning

Finally, the last story. Ms Bantry is upset by a local girl who drowned herself and Ms Bantry thinks it was over a man. Colonel Bantry is a right sexist pig and I hate him. Miss Marple goes to see Sir Henry about the death od Rose and he doesn't know why. I swear he is as dumb as Jane. Because you were a commisioner of Scotland Yard you idiot.

Miss Marple makes the statement that Rose did not drown, but was murdered, and that she knows who murdered her. She can't go to the police because she has no evidence. Sir Henry goes to the inspectors on the case and learns that there were bruises on Rose's arms and that she had two men in her life. A village boy name Joe and a London man named Rex who was engaged to be married to someone else. We also learn that she was pregnant, and that Rex is the father.

Sir Henry goes on interrogations and thinks that it could be Joe Ellis. He goes to report to Miss Marple and he tells her Joe's alibi and that Miss Bartlett was with him the whole time. Miss Marple explains that Miss Bartlett returns the laundry on Friday nights, and that they lied.

It turns out that Miss Bartlett is the one who killed Rose because she was stringing Joe along and she didn't want to lose him to a harlet with a bastard baby.