Cliste Bella: Taming the TBR | Mini Review Compilation #2

Hi again my wonderful readers. Today I am presenting part 2 of my mini book review collection featuring the backlog of books I have put off reviewing for so long (don't ask..LOL). Life is slowly going back to normal, or as normal as it will get and I have precious time to read and blog. Hope you like these mini reviews.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. [1]

Review: I got on the bandwagon and read this book because of all the raving reviews I kept reading. Fact, I am very hesitant in reading Fae themed books. Also a fact, I've encountered some Fae books that messed up my taste for it. Last fact, this is written by Holly Black, so yes I will read it.

This book is unpredictable, from having an MC who was human in the Fae world to the twist in the ending of the story. The word building is, as always, impeccable (that's probably why I gave it a 4 star rating). I can't, for the life of me, find a connection with the MC. So far. I am reserving a more in depth review of the story and the series for when I read the next books in the series. Maybe there is more to the characters than what is portrayed in this book.

Ever the Divided. Ever the Feared. Ever the Brave.

After saving King Aodren with her newfound Channeler powers, Britta only wants to live a peaceful life in her childhood home. Unfortunately, saving the King has created a tether between them she cannot sever, no matter how much she'd like to, and now he's insisting on making her a noble lady. And there are those who want to use Britta’s power for evil designs. If Britta cannot find a way to harness her new magical ability, her life—as well as her country—may be lost.

The stakes are higher than ever in the sequel to Ever the Hunted, as Britta struggles to protect her kingdom and her heart. [2]

Review: I had to change my rating of this book from 4 stars to 3. I was trying to remember what happened in the book and from the Blurb alone it doesn't give me much to go on to remember if I enjoyed the book (I might have because I did initially give it 4 stars). That says a lot of stuff to me. A good book leaves something to always remember it by. Sure I know the plot and the story but that's it. No Aha or OMG moment, nothing that would mark it in my brain as a gem of a book.

A cursed prince sits alone in a secluded castle. Few have seen him, but those who claim they have say his hair is wild and nails are sharp--like a beast's! But how did this prince, once jovial and beloved by the people, come to be a reclusive and bitter monster? And is it possible that he can ever find true love and break the curse that has been placed upon him? [3]

Review: I got a paperback copy of this book from The Big Bad Wolf sale a few months ago for only $3.64. This is a steal compared to its actual retail value of $9.04. It's another Beauty and the Beast story. I cannot resist. I do not resist. The writing style feels mainly MG and very Disney-ish (does that make sense?). It's very fun to read and I think I only finished it in like 30min. Planning on getting a copy of the other Villain books soon.

London. Girls are disappearing. They've all got one thing in common; they just don't know it yet...

Sixteen-year-old Lily was meant to be next, but she's saved by a stranger: a half-human boy with gold-flecked eyes. Regan is from an unseen world hidden within our own, where legendary creatures hide in plain sight. But now both worlds are under threat, and Lily and Regan must race to find the girls, and save their divided city. [4]

Review: Another book I got from the Big Bad Wolf sale. A mix of fantasy and science fiction? Yes please. A surprisingly lovely read with both the familiar and unfamiliar themes in typical YA Fantasy books. I loved that there was a little bit of almost everything added on to the story. Plus the cool dad who let her daughter play detective. Hehe.

Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora's father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all. [5]

Review: A different take on what makes someone rise up to challenges and owning up to the person that they are and who they will become despite the difference in what society dictates. A coming of age story that involves looking back to the past to be able to forge a different future. It spoke to the me who wants so badly to be acknowledged as different. Now time to budget and look for a tattoo artist to give me the bookish tattoo I want.

(The Hazel Wood #1)
by Melissa Albert
Published January 30th 2018 by Flatiron BooksRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong. [6]

Review: This book I call deliciously creepy and I love it. Alice is such a "real" character. She's a typical teen with anger issues and then we discover why. And it all started because her mom grew up on Fairytales. It's the sinister side of Once Upon a time. I'll leave it at that.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.

Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen? [7]

Review: This book got me hook, line, and sinker. I loved how the MC's story was told, her relationship with her grandfather and her passion sisters. It molded how she made decisions and on where she would put her loyalties. The romance was written carefully and beautifully it made me fall in love. This is honest to goodness story telling at it's finest.