stitchesandpages811's reviews
657 reviews

The Wayward Children books are always a good time and this was no exception. One of my favourites in the series, I think Nadya was developed incredibly well given the short space her story takes up as a novella. I do wish it had been a bit longer though – especially at the end. 

I said it about Off to the Races, and I’ll say the same about A Photo Finish – this is the adult version of the horse stories of my childhood that I didn’t even know I was craving. 

This was great. The story, the characters, the horses. I have to say that Cole was absolutely my highlight of this one. I loved getting to learn his story, seeing his vulnerabilities and joining him on his healing journey. I also loved the way Violet interacted with him. It was so refreshing not to see a ‘fall in love and the brooding hero is magically changed’ story. So so good. 

I would have liked to have seen even more of Pipsqueak though… 

Ok, so I guess I now know what all the hype is about. 

I genuinely don’t know how to review this book, but I had a fantastic time reading it. Sarah J. Maas is a master of making me think and feel one thing, only to turn around and make me think and feel the complete opposite a few pages later. I mentioned in my review for ACOTAR that I couldn’t decide if this was frustrating or a real strength and I am firmly on the strength side now. Having felt how I did about certain characters and their actions in ACOTAR, I just couldn’t see how that would necessarily change in ACOMAF. But wow… just wow. 

The biggest highlight of this book for me was definitely relationship development. Not just between the obvious – although can I just say how much I loved the growth of their relationship – but with the side characters too. The new characters were great and I loved their interactions with our MCs. I also have hope for one of the friendships from ACOTAR in the next book – I really hope I’m not disappointed after the strength of the friendships here. 

It definitely won’t be long until I’m picking up ACOWAR. I can say that with absolute certainty. 

One month after the events of Shadow and Tide, Mira finds herself on Rosevear, haunted and unmoored. When the watch strike, burning her home to the ground, Mira teams up with Elijah, calling in her bargain to discover more about her abilities and destroy Captain Renshaw and the watch. To do so, she’ll need the help of both her friends and the witches. Meanwhile at Coven Septern, Hunter Brielle is tasked with her next assignment – a seemingly human girl. To the ruling council, Mira is a monster. But just what do they want her for? 

Wow, what a sequel! The book was action-packed right from the start, drawing me in and reminding me just why I was so invested in these characters. I was once again drawn into Mira’s story, willing the Rosevear islanders on as they found themselves beset by yet another tragedy. 

This book saw an expansion of the world-building, introducing us to both new locations and new characters. The witches featured heavily with a new (third-person) POV from Brielle. While I did find this a bit difficult to get into initially, I really appreciated it as a counterpoint to Mira’s perspective and it was itself a useful worldbuilding tool. Beyond Brielle, we were introduced to a whole host of other characters, all of whom had unique personalities and really added to the story. 

From our returning characters, we got more of Eli’s backstory, and an insight into the struggles he has faced. I’m excited to see more of his development in the next book. The relationship between Mira and Eli was also so sweet and really well developed with tenderness and depth. 

Having started so strongly, the action continued throughout, although perhaps in slightly too many individual instances. There did feel like there was some disconnect between moments of action and the slightly slower-paced moments of ‘calm’ between those periods of high intensity. The ending though… just wow. I am sat here on tenterhooks once again waiting for the next book. A really solid sequel in a fantastic series. 

Thank you to Harper Collins UK via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review ahead of publication.

I’m leaving this unrated – rating a collection of stories like this as a whole is incredibly difficult given the nature of liking some more than others. The book had great intention and I felt like it did its job well, but I just don’t think short stories are really for me and none really blew me out of the water and had me thinking about it after I’d finished. 

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ahead of publication. 

In the third Silver Pines book we follow Cole Ashby, newly elected sheriff and devoted single dad to the adorable Mabel, and Ginger Danforth, best friend to Cole’s sister and daughter of a Kentucky congressman. When a drunken night in Vegas ends in a wedding chapel, the two strike a deal to stay married until Ginger’s father is re-elected and Cole’s probationary period comes to and end. But as both struggle to hide their feelings, their accidental marriage starts to feel very real. 

This series just continues to get better and better. Having seen a few hints to Cole and Ginger’s relationship in previous books, I wasn’t quite sure how their story would work but I have to say I absolutely loved it. 

The absolute highlight for me was the friendship that Ginger and Cole had. It was deep and it was true and I loved the interweaving of past and present to really show how this developed into a strong base for a relationship. Yes there are a few standard romance tropes in the book (e.g. some miscommunication) but above all, Ginger and Cole (and their relationship) felt real. I was rooting for them from the start. 

The book is of course not just about Cole and Ginger but also Mabel, Cole’s daughter. With Mabel we saw both her bright personality and her fears and I was so please to see such a strong relationship between daughter and daddy, but also the development of a really healthy stepmother-stepdaughter relationship between Ginger and Mabel. I genuinely couldn’t get enough of the three of them. 

A fantastic addition to the series for fans of: small town romance, friends to loves, best friend’s brother, single dad, and secret marriage. I haven’t stopped smiling about this book since finishing it. 

With thanks to PRH UK Children's and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ahead of publication. 

Life at sea is all that Aster Oberon has ever known. Offering her and her pirate family protection from Nightweavers – the mystical beings with elemental powers that rule over the land – she can’t see herself living anywhere but on the water. But when the family is defeated in a battle that shatters her world, Aster finds herself working for and living amongst a Nightweaver family on their opulent estate. And the longer she spends at Bludgrave Manor, the more Aster is forced to reassess everything she thinks she knows. 

Right from the opening page of this book we were thrust into the action. R.M. Gray offered an intense and compelling introduction to Aster’s story. While generally I appreciate this as a plot-driven reader, I have to that this was partially at the expense of the world building and I found myself quite confused early on in the story with everything that was happening. I do think this developed as the story went on but I could have done with a bit more set up to help me get solidly situated in the narrative. 

The book is divided into three parts and the first part was quite, dare I say, frustrating at times. I struggled a lot with the reactions of characters in the early part of the story – particularly when the Oberon family moved to the Bludgrove estate. Because there was that slight lack of context, I didn’t understand certain decisions that were made. These did become so much clearer as the book went on and my enjoyment increased the more I read and understood as a result. 

In parts 2 and 3 of the book, we really saw Aster start to come into her own. She developed so much as a character to grow into the strong, independent and clear-thinking FMC her background suggested she should be. Having been frustrated with her earlier, I soon found myself rooting for her so much more and was excited to see what she would do next and what she’d make of certain events and the trickles of information she received. Her character development was a real strength of the book. 

The action ramped up again a lot more in these parts with the book keeping an engaging and rapid pace. I found the world building much stronger with us learning alongside Aster in a really compelling way. I also enjoyed seeing the development of Aster’s relationships with other characters beyond Will, her early saviour, – particular highlights included her interactions with Henry. 

I do think that some parts of this book are quite predictable and I found myself drawing several conclusions early on, many of which proved themselves to be right, although it was never 100% sure that this would be the case. The book left off in such a way that there are multiple options, and the author has put themselves in a great position for future books both in terms of storyline and romantic plotline so I am excited to see where it goes. 

While I did feel this was a bit slow to start and I had some frustrations, I found myself completely hooked as the book went on. This was a great start to a new series that I can’t wait to continue. It’s perfect for fans of: intense action and fast pacing, a strong and authentic FMC, secrets, and family ties. 

This was the adult version of the horse stories I loved while growing up (and still return to often as comfort reads). Yes, it is a story I’ve seen before (but with more spice) but I just had the best time with this. 

Highlights: 

-          Strong FMC who stands up for what she wants/believes in 

-          Dual POV allowing us to get into the minds of both Billie and Vaughan 

-          Found family 

-          The best connection between Billie and Double Diablo (DD) – I love a story where the horse feels like a MC and isn’t just a side note and this really delivered. 

I cannot wait to work my way through the rest of this series and Chestnut Springs. 

Another solid and engaging murder mystery with Judith, Suzie and Becks. I particularly enjoyed the ‘one room’ (one boat) element of the mystery and trying to guess who of our cast of characters was the killer (I did not get it at all right). 

As with most of these books we do get to see our characters in a more personal environment as well which brings a cohesive narrative across the series. Something to note is that this does end on a cliffhanger for one of our MCs, although this means I am very intrigued to see what comes next. 

I have FINALLY taken the time to read ACOTAR after having it on my shelf for years. I’ve sat on the review for a few days as I’ve had quite mixed thoughts and so wanted to be really sure how I felt about the book before rating and reviewing. 

I had a good time with this – actually a much better one that I expected. It was a bit slow to start for me and I found myself incredibly frustrated with every character at some point. I was constantly changing my mind on how I felt about characters and events. On reflection, I actually think this is a real strength of the book – I didn’t become complacent because I was never quite sure what was going to happen next and who the villains really were (beyond the obvious). I haven’t quite managed to avoid all spoilers for the series so I’m therefore excited to see how this continues into the next book where I’m anticipating there being more changes. 

Overall, I had a really good time with this and I’m definitely intrigued to continue, especially as I understand the writing improves as the series goes on which can only spell good things!