theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you my review of The Mapmakers by Tamzin Merchant, the second book in the Hatmakers series.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review. If you haven’t read The Hatmakers there is likely to be spoilers for that book here.

The Mapmakers Plot:

So, in this series we follow Cordelia Hatmaker who is living with her family members in their hat shop and they are one of seven magical families, their hats are created using magic. At the end of the first book Cordelia has just found a map brought to her by a boy who was on the ship with her Father, who she still believes is alive. She thinks that the map will lead her to her Father.
I loved every part of this plot. There are brilliantly created villains, new allies, people who you might not be able to trust and people you might have misjudged in the previous book. One big part of this plot is the quest narrative which I really liked – you as a reader are discovering things along with Cordelia, finding out where the map leads to but the story is filled with intersecting plot points that build up to what happens at the end.

The Mapmakers Characters:

Cordelia Hatmaker is the protagonist of this story and she has to constantly find new levels of bravery to keep pushing forward. I felt like in this book you see Cordelia having to grow up a little bit more, and definitely before the time she should be growing up, because the world is changing and a lot of responsibility gets put on her shoulders.

The Mapmakers Writing and Dialogue:

I already knew I loved the writing style of this author. Her plots are so intricate and absolutely filled with magic.

The Mapmakers Overall:

I had to give this book four stars because I immediately got back into the hatmakers world and I was recruited to Cordelia’s character, I felt for her the whole way through.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Return to the spellbinding world of Cordelia Hatmaker in this soaring magical sequel to The Hatmakers. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor, A Pinch of Magic and Harry Potter.

Ever since Cordelia discovered the hidden map in her father’s precious telescope, she’s been searching the streets of London by starlight and trying to uncover its secrets. She’s sure that her missing father is out there somewhere, and that if she follows his map, she’ll finally discover the truth about his disappearance.

She never expects to stumble upon a secret society of Mapmakers – or to learn that magic isn’t limited to the few Maker families, but is instead is all around, if you just know where to look . . .

But danger is lurking around every corner, and Cordelia must convince the rival Maker families to work together for once – not only to bring her father home, but to save the very essence of magic itself . . .

A gorgeous adventure from exceptional new storytelling talent, Tamzin Merchant, featuring beautiful illustrations by Paola Escobar.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoy it!

Book Tags

Easter Time Book Tag!

April 15, 2022April 4, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am bringing you an Easter themed book tag that I found on My Reading Escape.wordpress.com

I hope you will all have a wonderful Easter weekend with however you will be spending it, I will probably be spending mine eating a lot of chocolate and using my new coffee maker.

1. Easter Egg: Book that feels like a hidden gem

I have to choose The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson for this one because it is a wonderful book that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else talk about

2. Bloom: Debut Novel You Loved:

I chose The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant for this book because I received it in an Illumicrate box and I read it in one sitting. It is a retelling of Les Miserables set in a beautifully described France.

3. Chocolate Bunny: Book so good you didn’t want it to end

I chose Caraval because it is one of my favourite books and as the prompt says, I didn’t want it put it down! This series is so magical I wanted to keep reading it for as long as I could.

4. Cheap, Cheap, Cheap: Book you bought for super cheap:

I actually was given this book for free by a really lovely bookseller, I was given a few of the little world book day books and this was one of them, I have already read it.

5. Jelly bean: Book you thought was sweet:

This book has a lot of lovely, sweet themes so Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell was the first book I thought of for this prompt.

6. Easter Basket: Filled with many surprises:

For this one I am choosing the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas because although I have only read the first book, I have heard that there are many surprises throughout this series and I am excited to read them.

7. Rabbits: Books you wish would multiply (have a sequel):

I chose House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig because ever since finishing it I really wished there had been a sequel, I just felt there were questions left unanswered.

8. Hunt: Book that was hard to get hold of:

I had to look everywhere for this book, there was only one bookshop that had it and the drive was over an hour, then when we got there I forgot to look for this book (I know, I couldn’t believe I did this either) and so I had to order it.

So that’s the end of this Easter book tag! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

April 11, 2022April 4, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I will be sharing my thoughts on the book Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

Rooftoppers Plot:

This is my first Katherine Rundell book and I was very excited to read it because it is set in Victorian (I think) Paris and and it features rooftoppers which are groups of children that live on the rooftops of Paris and rarely touch the ground.

I loved the atmosphere of this book, the sensory descriptions were engaging to the point that I could almost smell the smoke from the chimneys.

The main thing that I enjoyed about the plot was the focus on family. It wasn’t only biological family either, Sophie (the protagonist) is looking for her Mother, but also found family – the rooftoppers are family to each other and Charles is Sophie’s guardian throughout the book. It’s great to see wonderful children’s books featuring strong family bonds.

Rooftoppers Characters:

Sophie is the protagonist in this book, she lost her Mother as a baby and is being raised by a man called Charles, who raises her with curiosity, imagination and a love of wearing trousers. Sophie believes her mother is still alive. She is adventurous, brave and willful. I enjoyed seeing the development of the character as she found herself and what she would give to find her mother. Mateo is the main rooftopper featured in this book and the relationship between him and Sophie was one of my favourite parts of this book.

Rooftoppers Writing and dialogue:

I definitely want to pick up more books by Katherine Rundell after reading this one. The writing was whimsical and full of meaning. There was the perfect balance between sad tones and joyful tones throughout the novel.

Rooftoppers Overall:

I gave this book four stars because it took me away to a different world, a world where I was living amongst the roofs of Paris and that for me is one of the best things that books can do.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Everyone thinks that Sophie is an orphan. True, there were no other recorded female survivors from the shipwreck which left baby Sophie floating in the English Channel in a cello case, but Sophie remembers seeing her mother wave for help. Her guardian tells her it is almost impossible that her mother is still alive, but that means still possible. You should never ignore a possible. So when the Welfare Agency writes to her guardian threatening to send Sophie to an orphanage, she takes matters into her own hands and flees to Paris to look for her mother, starting with the only clue she has – the address of the cello maker. Evading the French authorities, she meets Matteo and his network of rooftoppers – urchins who live in the sky. Together they scour the city for Sophie’s mother before she is caught and sent back to London, and most importantly before she loses hope.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

blog tours

Sense and Second Degree Murder Book tour: Book Look

April 8, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am excited to be bringing you my book look for the book blog tour of Sense and Second Degree Murder by Tirzah Price.

To give you a sense of what I was basing my look on I will show you the book cover here and the synopsis of the book:

Blurb/Synopsis:

Three of Jane Austen’s classic novels receive a murder mystery makeover in this romantic and thrilling three-book series that’s perfect for fans of The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy and Stalking Jack the Ripper. In Sense and Second-Degree Murder, aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood and her sister Marianne, a budding detective, work together to solve the mystery of their father’s murder.

When eighteen-year-old aspiring scientist Elinor Dashwood discovers her beloved father slumped over the desk of his office study, she knows his death means dire straits for the Dashwood women. To make matters worse, an outdated will entails his estate—including Norland & Company, the private investigation firm where her younger sister Marianne worked as her father’s partner and protégé—to their half-brother and his haughty wife, who waste no time in forcing the Dashwoods out of their home and into a cramped apartment on London’s Barton Street.

But before they go, the Dashwood sisters make a startling discovery that points to foul play, and the killer might be family.

Obviously, the girls must investigate. It could be dangerous; it could ruin their reputations; and most importantly, it won’t bring back their father. But if the Dashwood sisters can combine their talents and bring their father’s murderer to justice, it may bring them all some comfort—and it might even lead to love.

Publishing Date: April 5th 2022

You can find the book here:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53171418-sense-second-degree-murder

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sense-Second-Degree-Murder-Austen-Mysteries/dp/0062889834/ref=sr_1_1?creative=330641&keywords=Sense+%26+Second-Degree+Murder&qid=1643928993&s=books&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sense-and-second-degree-murder-tirzah-price/1139798958?ean=9780062889836

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Sense-Second-Degree-Murder-Tirzah-Price/9780062889836?ref=grid-view&qid=1643929039965&sr=1-1

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/sense-and-second-degree-murder/9780062889836-item.html?ikwid=sense+and+second+degree+murder&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=b14

Indie Bound Books: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062889836

This is my book look:

I chose a dark green top for the background colour of the book, although I didn’t have anything in just the right mix of green and blue but I will definitely be looking out for some now because it is a great colour. I chose pink trousers to match the pink stitching, which you can’t see that well in this picture because I have an ebook copy of the books – kindly sent to me on Netgalley by the publishers. I chose a floral cardigan because the cover is full of flowers.

If you would like to check out other blog posts on this book tour here is the link to the schedule: https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2022/02/20/tour-schedule-sense-and-second-degree-murder-jane-austen-murder-mystery-2-by-tirzah-price/

Tirzah Pricegrew up on a farm in Michigan, where she read every book she could get her hands onand never outgrew her love for YA fiction. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young AdultsfromVermont College of Fine Arts, and is a former bookseller and librarian. Now, she’s acontributing editor at Book Riot, where she can be found recommending books on the site,newsletters, podcasts, and social media accounts. When she’s not writing, reading, or thinking aboutYA books, she splits her time between experimenting in the kitchen and knitting enough socks to lastthe fierce Michigan winters.Tirzah is pronounced TEER-zuh. Pronouns are she/her.

That’s it for my post today, I hope you all enjoyed it!

friday first and lasts

Friday First and Lasts!

April 8, 2022April 4, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I know it has been a long time since I did one of these but I am bringing back my Friday First and Last segments where I take random numbers, one corresponding with a first sentence from a book and one that corresponds with the last sentence in a different book, I put them together and see what I can make from them. And yes, it took me a very, very long time to write out all the sentences and put them with a number.

I used to do five of these per post but I am only going to be doing three each time for the moment and see how that goes.

So, onto the first set of sentences!

Numbers 333 – which I think was from The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman and number 111 -from The Six Tudor Queens: Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir

Which creates “Well let’s start with Elizabeth shall we, her skin was rather sallow” – this is quite the pairing. It sounds like an insult you’d get when you were in high school or on one of those roasting shows. If somebody started a book with this I’d think this book was going to have a character with a lot of attitude about them.

Number 424 – from The Library of the Unwritten by A J Hackwith and number 121 – I can’t actually remember what book this one is from because I didn’t write it down next to it

Which gives us “This is my last entry in the librarians log, we dreamed of carving our dragons”

This one also works really well together. It turns what could be an uninteresting statement into a fantastical, want to know more story. I would love to read a book about a librarian who had a relationship with some sort of dragon, I can imagine it being there in the corner of the library, turning the pages with it’s dragon paws and trying not to sneeze and burn the pages.

And finally, number 18 – from The Upside of Unrequieted by Becky Albertalli and number 36 – from Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Which gives us “I’m on the toilet at the 9:30 club, I hope somebody is listening”

… okay, first I have to say these numbers are chosen at random and I have no idea what to say about that last one other than if I was in that character’s position I would hate for somebody to be listening.

Okay, That’s it for this set of first and last sentences, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

April 4, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you a book review for one of the books that I read in March, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

The Love Hypothesis Plot:

I went into this book with a lot of opinions, which isn’t brilliant because I usually like to start reading with no preconceptions for the story, one being that I am not a huge fan of romance books but I thought I would give this one a go and the other opinion was that a lot of people love this book. It’s all over my bookstagram pages, twitter and BookTube.
This book appealed to me because of it featuring a PhD student and being set in a school, especially as the one romance book I do like so far was also set in a school.

Of course without spoiling anything I will say that there were scenes that I enjoyed, such as the scene where they start up their fake relationship and also the sports themed scene. The build up in this book was great, it spent a lot of time creating characters to root for and a story with multiple layers, I liked that there was a deeper substance to this book, although towards the middle it started to drag a little bit for me because I felt like I knew where the story was going. There was a twist, a very shocking event that I felt was a topic that needed to be addressed more in the book, it seemed to happen and then be solved far too quickly.

The Love Hypothesis Characters:

I really liked Olive as a protagonist, I felt that she and I shared some personality traits, and while I wouldn’t do some of the things that Olive does in the book this made me very interested in what happened to her throughout the story.

Dr Adam is also an intriguing character, he is intelligent, charming, caring – to the people he likes- and his character is built up with a backstory that is slowly revealed. Although I still find the element of teacher and student a little creepy, even though there are only a few years between them.

The Love Hypothesis Writing and Dialogue:

Ali Hazelwood’s writing is very conversational and modern which I really liked for this story and the dialogue was one of my favourite elements. The conversations between Olive and Adam are where you really see the characters developing, in themselves and in their relationship.

The Love Hypothesis Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because I can see why other people have enjoyed it so much. I personally don’t think I will ever read this book again, just because I already know the story and the surprises won’t be surprises anymore and without them I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book as much.

Blurb/Synopsis:

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding… six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly TBRs

April TBR!

April 1, 2022March 29, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! Today I am bringing you my April TBR which includes what books I will be reading for the prompts of the Easter readathon I am co-hosting this month.

Once again, my TBR game gave me a lot of rolls so there are quite a few books to read this month, I am hoping that my reading will improve this month.

So, onto my TBR!

Flower – first book you look at: Small Favours by Erin A Craig – I read her first book, House of Salt and Sorrows and really enjoyed it so I am looking forward to this one
Chocolate – Plot twist: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – this is a book that I have been putting off but I am looking forward to reading it
Cake – Multiple POV: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepard-Robinson – I think this book has multiple points of view but also, it is a haunting, dark victorian mystery so it sounds right up my alley
Bunny – a short read: Rose by Holly Webb – I read this book when I was younger but I love this story
The sun – a non-book, self care prompt: I am not sure what I will do for this, probably watch some bookish videos and have a warm bath
Moon – a mystery: Lily by Rose Tremain – I am so excited to read this book
Carrot – a title starts with a c: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
The Mapmakers by Tamzen Merchant – I loved the hatmakers so I am very excited to continue this series
Down comes the night by Alison Saft – I love Victorian, gothic themed novels
Nine Lives by Peter Swanson – I love his books and the premise of this book sounds really good
Queenslayer by Sebastien de Castell – I am two books away from finishing this series so I would love to read this one soon
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – this is another book that has been on my TBR for a long time
The Five: the untold story of the victims of Jack the ripper – I love anything about the jack the ripper mystery and I think it is great to see the women he killed as women
A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske – I got this in my Illumicrate box and it sounds very interesting
Cecily by Anne Garthwaite – I am looking forward to reading historical fiction again
Only A Monster by Vanessa Len – this sounds very dark and fantastical
Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb – I am excited to start reading the Hobb books
Bringing down the duke by Evie Dunmore – this will be interesting to try and read another genre outside of my comfort zone
An enchantment of ravens by Margaret Rogerson – the cover is beautiful and I love this author’s writing
Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody – this book looks like it has a morally grey male lead that I think i will like
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – carrying on over from March TBR

That’s it for my April TBR!

Uncategorized

Chopped Readathon: Easter Seek and Find edition!

March 31, 2022March 29, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Thursday bookish people! I am so excited to be bringing you the information about the next readathon I am cohosting with @Plaid_readeriswriting in April.

This will be a week long readathon with seven prompts. Each prompt is based on an Easter egg with an ‘Easter’ themed item inside of it. As with the first readathon we hosted there will be a form where you can log your progress, how many pages and how many books you have read over that week. The prompts can be interpreted however you would like to.

The dates of the readathon are: April 10th -17th

The prompts of the readathon are:

Flower – The first book that you think of or the first book that you see.

Chocolate – Plot twist or a surprise

Cake – Multiple POV

Bunny – a short read

Sun – Non-book prompt – such as watch bookish videos, take a bath etc have some self care

Moon – a mystery

And finally carrot – a title that starts with a c

so that is the date of the readathon and the prompts, we will be talking more about the readathon on our twitter accounts: @oliviatempleto6 , @plaid_readeriswriting and @choppedread and if you need any more information you can message us on Twitter or in the comments below, I hope you will enjoy the readathon as much as we do!

Here is a link to the sign up form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScF9VfoQE_X6O14IPDygNi9DB9nCNQAZycoRxvtaWC72mnPpA/viewform

Uncategorized

March Wrap-Up!

March 29, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Tuesday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is already the end of March and so it is time to share my March wrap up with you all.

March has been a very busy month, a lot of work to be done and unfortunately not much reading happened. I am hopeful that my reading will be better in April because I’ve got a few long train journeys so books will be coming with me on those.

So, onto my March wrap up…

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – I did read this! For a genre I don’t usually read I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, I will be putting my review of this book up very soon.
Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey – I did not read this book
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I did not get around to reading this book but I am very excited to get to it hopefully soon
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – I didn’t get around to reading this book either
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco – I didn’t read this one either, I wasn’t in much of a fantasy mood this month
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this
City of Brass by S A Chakraborty – I didn’t read this book either. I started this one a while ago but I haven’t been in the mood to pick it up yet
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – I am so excited to read this book but I didn’t get around to it this month
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – again, another big fantasy that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune – I was hoping I would manage this one this month but I didn’t
The girl in the tower by Katherine Arden – I did not read this
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I did not read this
The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder – I didn’t read this either
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell – I did read this one and my review will be up for it soon
The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman – I am currently reading this one and it should be finished by the end of march
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas – I did not read this one, I’m scared I’m not going to enjoy it as much as the first book.

I also read Kill Joy by Holly Jackson this month so overall I have, or will have by the end of march, read four books which isn’t too bad, I’m quite happy with it but as I said, I am hoping that I will read more in April.

That’s it for this wrap-up, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Book Tags

Birthday Book Tag!

March 25, 2022March 10, 2022 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! It is my birthday! I am 23, which feels very strange – sometimes I still feel like I’m 20 but I think that may just be because of the Pandemic. So, I thought it would be a good idea today to do a fun bookish tag so I found the Birthday book tag. I found it on pagesplots.com but on their tag it says they found it on Always Books.

Let’s get to the tag!

Birthday Cake – A Book With a plot that seems cliché but you adore it anyway

For this I went with Get A Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

I felt like I had read this plot a few different times but there were some new aspects to it in this book and I still really enjoyed this book.

Party Guests – Your most anticipated book release for this year

I think there are two for me, which are Only A Monster by Vanessa Len and Crescent City House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas and I now already own both! I have read neither but I am very excited to.

Birthday Presents – A book that surprised you with how much you loved it

For this one I am choosing Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz

I knew I would like this book because it has an intriguing mystery but I ended up surprising myself with how much I loved it.

Happy Birthday Song – A book that certainly deserves all the hype it got

The Caraval series by Stephanie Garber, definitely!

Happy Music – A book with some very beautiful and truly memorable quotes

I have to choose the Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, it’s just so magical and fantastical. The quotes are beautiful.

Getting Older – A book that you read a long time ago but you think you would appreciate more if you read it as a more mature reader

This is a really tough one, I am not sure what I can answer this with. I am thinking probably any book by Philippa Gregory because I read them all a few years ago but I think they would mean more to me if I read them now.

Sweet Birthday Memories – A book that kept you incredibly happy during a sad or demanding period of your life

I have to choose the lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson, all her books kept me going throughout my high school period, there was a lot of things going on that I was struggling with and reading was the only thing that made me feel better.

That’s it for this book tag, I hope you all enjoyed it!