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Book Review: Pumpkin by Julie Murphy

August 2, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today is Monday which means it is time for me to upload another book review, and today I won’t be uploading just one – I’ll be posting seven! The first of which was one of my first reads of July, Pumpkin by Julie Murphy. I picked this book up after I saw some of my favourite booktubers talking about it and I thought it would be an interesting read, which it was.

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

Pumpkin Plot:

I really enjoyed the sweet and heartwarming themes in this story. I was lulled into this story by it’s defying stereotypes of prom king and queen, but there is so much more to it. It covers friendship, acceptance, sibling relationships and on top of all this romantic relationships. In a small book I felt a wave of different emotions and of course, it didn’t take me long at all to read through it. The romance itself, although predictable, was sweet and I did find myself smiling sometimes.

Pumpkin Characters:

Waylon is the main character that the story follows and he is a great protagonist, he is relatable and fun. I felt everything he did right along with him and although I couldn’t relate to the things he was going through I did relate to being an outsider and my experiences at school weren’t the best, I found myself wishing I had the confidence he did. Clementine, twin sister of Waylon, was also a great character but I wish she was in the book more than she is.

Pumpkin Writing and Dialogue:

The writing in this book was very smooth and kept me swept along with the story. There’s not much more for me to say here because it wasn’t the best writing I’ve read but it also is very far from the worst I’ve read.

Pumpkin Overall:

I gave this book four stars because I enjoyed it, despite it being a contemporary romance, and I liked the representation that the book provides.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Waylon Russell Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy stuck in the small West Texas town of Clover City. His plan is to bide his time until he can graduate, move to Austin with his twin sister, Clementine, and finally go Full Waylon, so that he can live his Julie-the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music-Andrews truth.

So when Clementine deviates from their master plan right after Waylon gets dumped, he throws caution to the wind and creates an audition tape for his favorite TV drag show, Fiercest of Them All. What he doesn’t count on is the tape accidentally getting shared with the entire school. . . . As a result, Waylon is nominated for prom queen as a joke. Clem’s girlfriend, Hannah Perez, also receives a joke nomination for prom king.

Waylon and Hannah decide there’s only one thing to do: run—and leave high school with a bang. A very glittery bang. Along the way, Waylon discovers that there is a lot more to running for prom court than campaign posters and plastic crowns, especially when he has to spend so much time with the very cute and infuriating prom king nominee Tucker Watson.

Waylon will need to learn that the best plan for tomorrow is living for today . . . especially with the help of some fellow queens. . . .

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have any of you read this book? What did you think of it?

blog tours, Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

July 12, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! This is my second post today, I must be in a productive mood this rainy Monday. I’m here to show you all the wonderful book mail I received from Macmillan Kids UK last week. As you can probably guess from the title of this post… it was Any way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell, the final book in the Carry On series which includes Carry On, Wayward Son and Any Way the Wind Blows.

Here it is!

It came all wrapped up and honestly it felt a little but like Christmas to receive it, I didn’t end up eating the biscuit (my Dad got there first!) but I did use the tea and they were delicious.

That’s it for today, I’m looking forward to reading this book and sharing my thoughts on it here!

Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Book Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

April 19, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! This is my fifth and final book review for today and it is for The Bear and the Nightingale. This book had a beautiful cover and I’m not ashamed to say that this was the reason I first bought this series. I can’t help myself with beautiful covers!

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

The Bear and the Nightingale plot:

The plot of this novel starts off slow, allowing us to be introduced to the town and the people in the town. Particularly Vasilisa and her family who are the main characters within the novel. It’s dark atmosphere had elements of fairytales and caught my interest with all it’s mythical creatures and spirits. Although it starts off slow the pacing soon picks up as Vasilisa gets older and the main events of the plot begin. As this happens the atmosphere gets darker and the winter landscape only furthers this. The family dynamic was something I truly enjoyed about this book, it had layers that were being explored throughout. The ending of this book made me so excited to pick up the next one in the series, although I haven’t managed to get it onto one of my TBR’s yet I will soon!

The Bear and the Nightingale Characters:

Each character in this novel has their own place within the plot. Some of them are morally grey and I enjoyed the dynamic of having these types of characters in this story. Vasilisa is headstrong and devout in her beliefs of the spirits, I loved her character. I felt that she will be such a good protagonist in this trilogy. I feel for her, I felt her sadness and her pain and her resoluteness to do what she needs to do for her town no matter the consequences. The other character I enjoyed, even though he was only in the story for a little bit, was Morozko, also known as the Frost. He feels like a fairytale character and I can’t wait to see more of him in the trilogy.

Writing and Dialogue:

As with the rest of the categories this book is whimsical and beautiful and there isn’t really much more for me to say in terms of writing and dialogue.

The Bear and the Nightingale Overall Rating:

I had to give this book five stars. I’m still thinking about it months later and all I can say is I really recommend this book to anyone who might be even a little interested in it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

The Bear and the Nightingale is a magical debut novel from a gifted and gorgeous voice. It spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent.

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

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Book Review: House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig

April 19, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Still me, with another book review. The third review of today is for House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig. This is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses i believe and I was highly anticipating it so I’m glad I managed to read it in January.

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

House of Salt and Sorrows Plot:

The plot of this novel is dark and enchanting. It has the feeling of a fairytale that is slowly merging with a nightmare. There are so many twists throughout this book I could not put it down. I made myself a cup of tea thinking it would be lovely to drink while reading but I was so hooked on the story that I forgot about my tea, anyone that knows me knows that me forgetting about a cup of tea is pretty much impossible. The dark atmosphere mixed beautifully with the whimsical elements of balls and new gowns and the churning sea. The story opens after a tragic event and the reader gets thrown into the middle of a story which is something I personally love. The slight hints of romance aren’t overwhelming to the plot but they add a nice layer to the plot. I enjoyed how as the story progressed it gradually got darker. I did feel that the ending was tied up too easily, there were a few elements at the end that I think were just used to make the ending the way it was however I still enjoyed it.

House of Salt and Sorrows Characters:

Annaleigh, the main character that you follow, is headstrong and determined to figure out what is happening to her and her sisters which gave her motivation and made me really feel that I wanted the character to succeed. I felt that each of the sisters, including the ones deceased at the start of the novel, are fleshed out well and given strong and unique personalities. None of the sisters were forgotten about and each had an important part to play within the story. I enjoyed the sibling dynamic this gave the story. As I mentioned there is a slight romance subplot which created different atmospheres for the characters.

Writing and Dialogue:

I loved the dialogue in this book. It felt natural and developed between the characters as the novel went on. It didn’t show the reader too much but gave all the information it needed to for the reader to realise what was going on, although I didn’t before the end which to me makes this book brilliant. The writing style was clear and easy to follow. It swept me along with the story.

House of Salt and Sorrows Overall Rating:

I had to give this book four stars. For me the ending, although still good, let it down slightly. This book did put me into a reading slump for a week and a half but I enjoyed every minute, the story, the sisters, the romance, all of it.

Blurb/Synopsis:

In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls’ lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

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

Book Spotlight Posts, Uncategorized

I Am A Teapot – Book Spotlight

April 13, 2021 theblindscribe

Dystopian Science Fiction

Date Published: March 23, 2021

Publisher: Saevitia Publications

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418: I Am a Teapot is a near-future dystopian science fiction novel that
explores a world where people by choice, birth, or punishment, relinquish
the rights to their physical body. Their brains exist in a
constantly-connected virtual interface where they enjoy a fantasy world of
endless indulgences. However, while their minds have fun, their bodies are
controlled by implants doing the filthiest and most dangerous jobs known to
humanity.

Stripped of their identities, these dredges of society are simply called
staff and they are disposable. But what happens when a staff becomes
cognizant of its situation and tries to break free?

When staff number 418’s physical body is broken, he must come to terms with
reality, and defend himself in a trial for his life. Will an unlikely
friendship save him from permanent retirement?

About the Author

Edgar Scott was born in Houston and grew up in Canada. The last of three
boys born to a brilliant Leukemia specialist and a manic-depressive mother,
Edgar’s childhood was not normal. Through trial and error, Edgar turned his
family situation into an opportunity to become the best version of himself.
He struggled in the classroom but thrived on the field. His love for
baseball and hard training got him a spot in numerous all-star teams,
playing under assumed names in the US. It got Edgar through high school
until he tore his shoulder. The journey of author Edgar Scott is one of
success despite adversity.

Purchase Links

Contact Links

Twitter: @EScott_Writes

Instagram

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Book Reviews, Uncategorized

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas Book Review

April 13, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Tuesday bookish people! It is time for another book review. I would usually put up book reviews on a Monday however yesterday was my Partner and I’s first anniversary so I spent the day with him. Today’s review is of a book that I have had on my shelf for forever, I have the whole series on my shelf but it took me so long to get around to it. Then finally I did and I loved it.

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

Plot:

The plot of this book intrigued me, I kept seeing it described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and after reading it I agree it does have some similar elements which I enjoyed. I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put the book down until I’d found out what happened next – and then until I found out how it ended. If I’d had to I would have stayed up all night to finish it.

Personally I felt that the first 100 pages of the book is slow and didn’t keep me that interested but after the pace begins to pick up my interest returned as well. I felt that the plot had enough substance that there was always something happening, no page felt out of place in the story. Where the beginning was slow, I also felt the ending was slightly rushed, the big event at the end of the book I personally feel would have been better had it been explored further. Saying this I still enjoyed it and I did not predict most of the things that happened throughout the book.

Characters:

There are plenty of characters in this novel, some have larger parts than others however all are important to the story. Starting with the antagonist of the novel, it was unclear for most of the book who the real antagonist was as there were a few possible contenders. I think the villain was just the right amount of cruel and mysterious for this book while leaving space for one of those other contenders to become the antagonist in later books in the series.

The main protagonist, Feyre, is sharp-minded, fierce, and loyal. She is a character that I felt connected to because of how relatable she is. Feyre’s family is briefly mentioned however from what I know, they become more important throughout the series. The character of Tamlin, I did not like him at all to begin with in this book. I felt he was distant and cold and as a reader I had no connection to him but as the book went on little pieces of information about him and his backsotry were given and by the end of the book I liked him better than I did at the beginning. I will admit that because the series has been around for a while and is popular on booktwitter, booktube and bookstagram I have heard things about this character that has influenced my opinion on him throughout the firs book.

Finally, Rhysand, he is exactly the kind of character I always get drawn to, cheeky and witty, he isn’t in the first book that much however I already know I’m going to love him in the next books of the series.

Writing and dialogue:

The writing in this book is cleverly weaved with interesting dialogue. It is clear, fast-paced and easy to read. The dialogue is one of the main features that made me enjoy this novel as much as I did. It felt natural and completely fitted each of the characters.

Overall:

Overall I gave this book four stars because I enjoyed it and I am very excited to get the next book in the series onto a TBR as soon as I can.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

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

Book Tags, Uncategorized

Cake Flavoured Book Tag

April 9, 2021 theblindscribe

Good morning bookish people! It’s Friday again. This week has been a rough one for me, my Mum has had to have a big operation so it’s been rather stressful. So I thought for today’s post I’d do a short. light-hearted book tag about cake. I mean who doesn’t like cake?! I found this tag on ZeeZeewithbooks. Let me know- what’s your favourite type of cake? And what books would you answer these questions with?

Enjoy!

Starting off very nicely with chocolate cake: a dark book that you absolutely love?
For this one I’m going to go with The Bear and the Nightengale by Katherine Arden. It was my first five star read of 2021 and I LOVED it, the atmosphere is really dark though and I’ve heard that the series gets darker…

Vanilla cake: A light read?
Hmm… most of the books I read are pretty dark fantasies but one that is coming to mind is Blooming Grand by Carmella McKenzie about a girl, a boy, a garden shop and a little it of magic. It’s light hearted and just a lovely story.

Red Velvet Cake: A book that gave you mixed emotions?
Ooh, so many! I think I’m going to go with The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen. It was good and I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it, in particular the ending. Confession time.. I have never had red velvet cake…

Cheesecake: (I love cheesecake!) A book you would recommend to anyone?
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern hands down! It’s my favourite book, I suggested my friend read it – she did and loved it, it’s just a wonderful, magical, whimsical book.

Coffee Cake: A book you started but never finished?
I am ashamed to say it but this has to be The City of Brass by S A Chakraborty, I rarely don’t finish books but I put this one down to do something and just could not find the motivation to pick it back up. I will eventually but right now.. not so much. It’s a big book.

Carrot Cake: A book with great writing?
Again, so many! For this one I think I’ll go with the Spellslinger series by Sebastien De Castell. I love this series, it hooked me from the first page and the writing, I think, is brilliant.

Tiramasu: A book that left you wanting more:
This tag is full of tough decisions! I’ll choose Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson for this one. Simply because it’s a stand alone book that ends on a sort of cliffhanger and when I finished reading it I would have given pretty much anything to find out what happened after that ending.

Cupcakes: A series with 4+ books?
I literally can’t choose one for this, pretty much all of my books are in series’ longer than four books… nope, I can’t do it. I won’t choose between them!

And finally Fruit Cake: A book that wasn’t what you anticipated?
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, not in a bad way, I enjoyed the book and I’m going to continue with the series but I expected James Bond mixed with librarians but it wasn’t like that at all.

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

Uncategorized, Where'd I Leave It Wednesday

Where’d I Leave It Wednesday – The Chair Conundrum

April 8, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Thursday bookish people! I know it’s a day late but I had so much work to do yesterday and I still wanted to post my story so I’m posting it today instead!

So imagine the scene. I was at the Art College, I was a student I wasn’t just there randomly I promise, and it was just a normal day. The lights were too bright and were creating shadows on the dried paint splattered tables everyone was working on. There was a group of students laying in various positions on the floor waiting for their prints to soak in the dye they were using.

I was sat at the table nearest the door with three other people. I was sketching drawings of buildings, that later I was told were done badly so that was nice to know, and I needed to get up and stretch my legs. I’m not joking, the chairs in that room were like sitting on a pile of sharp stones.

So I got up and walked around the room. I was using my cane and I felt like I was carrying a metal detector. The only thing I’d find using one of those in the Art College would be an abundance of paperclips. Anyway, when I got back I went to my table and I went to my chair and I leant my cane against the back of the chair.

Except it wasn’t a chair. It was a person.

And they were not impressed. I quickly grabbed my cane and apologized. Then I almost tripped over my own feet trying to get away as fast as I could. I went back to my table, my actual chair, and pretended nothing had happened.

That’s it for today’s story! I hope everyone enjoyed it.

Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Book Review: Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo

April 5, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Easter Monday bookish people! I hope everyone is having a great day. Today I’m bringing you another book review. I think by now I have every book by Leigh Bardugo because I very much enjoy her writing and her characters, so of course when Lives of Saints came out I had to buy it.

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

Plot:

This book being a collection of short stories about each of the different saints in the world of the Grisha there isn’t a particular plot to give a star rating to. So for this category I’ve given it an average three stars because some of the stories I enjoyed more than others, as is normal with short story collections.

Characters:

The same with this category, each story has different characters so I couldn’t give it more than three stars because some of them I liked better than others. However, every story had clearly defined and interesting characters that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about.

Writing and Dialogue:

I can’t comment much on the dialogue other than it fit the stories it was included in very well. The writing style was excellent, and I expected it to be because of how much I always enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s writing.

Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because of the enjoyment I had reading it. As a collection of short stories that are a companion to the Grisha Trilogy and the Six of Crows duology it is well written and gives useful background to the stories. I was glad that it lived up to my expectations that I have for anything Leigh Bardugo. It is not essential reading for the series but if you enjoy the world Leigh Bardugo has created then this may be a great read for you.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Enter the world of the Grishaverse and Shadow and Bone, soon to be a Netflix original series!

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse.

These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint.

This beautiful collection includes stunning full-color illustrations of each story.

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

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The Kitten Escapades Part 2: The Game of Cat and Mouse

April 4, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Sunday bookish people! and if you celebrate it – Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a good day today so far. I knew there would end up being more stories about Shadow, my Sister’s kitten, because he’s a fluffball who loves to cause mischief. So onto part 2 of the Kitten Escapades….

It was Thursday and my Sister and I were sat in the living room doing different things. She had some sort of tv programme on about a detective because it was played by someone she’d seen in another show and she quite liked, this is literally the only reason my Sister watches programmes on tv, If she’s asked for something to be put on the first thing out of our mouths is ‘who’s on it’, annoys her to no end. I was busy working on a script for my Dramatic Writing class. Our Mum was in the kitchen – this feels like I’m going to go off into sing a song of sixpence… which I’m not but it is sounding very similar- anyway, Mum was in the kitchen and we could hear her talking to Shadow. If you have a cat I’m sure you talk to them too. She was saying all the ‘oh have you got a toy’, and ‘aren’t you a good boy playing’ then all of a sudden she went completely silent. My Sister and I didn’t think much of it, we were caught up in each of the things we were doing. Then she called us.

So, me and my Sister go out into the hallway to see what she wants. Mum is there staring into the doorway of the dining room, she had this look on her face which was like half horror and half just pure shock. We moved a bit further round until we could see in the doorway. It was Shadow, curled up on the floor in the doorway like he does when he wants us to think he’s all sweet and innocent – honestly he’s a cat that likes to cause a lot of trouble – and he had something but I couldn’t see what it was. To me it looked like he’d stolen some chocolate out of the cupboard because it was just a shapeless brown lump, to me at least. Then my Sister gasped.

Okay so it wasn’t a lump of chocolate that he’d taken from the cupboard, it was a little mouse. My Mum thinks it was a dormouse but I’m not up on my knowledge of mice breeds so I had, and still have, no idea what type of mouse it was. Other than one that was in the paws of a cat. Our cat. Our indoor cat. So he must have found the mouse somewhere in the house and I really don’t want to know where in the house he got the mouse from.

My Sister bent down and talked to Shadow trying to get him to let her take the mouse. He was patting it, the way you would pat a child on the head, but you know with claws out and thinking the mouse was a new toy. He didn’t let her take the mouse. Instead, he picked the mouse up with his teeth and ran under the dining room table with it. Oh also at this point the mouse was still alive. We got a pot from the kitchen and went back and finally got Shadow to release the mouse. I always thought that when a cat found a mouse it would be very Tom and Jerry and they would be friends but also enemies because nature has made them that way, I was sorely mistaken about this…Shadow then tried to claw my Sister which of course didn’t get her to give him the mouse back. We took the mouse in the pot to the kitchen and shut the door so Shadow couldn’t follow us.

He was crying at the door and meowing the whole time, it’s such a sad sound. He knew he’d been bad. Surprisingly the mouse was still alive. My Sister named it Mickey and we were trying to decide what to do about it. the mouse was so small sitting in the pot and my Sister noticed on it’s side that there was some injuries. So unfortunately little Mickey didn’t last long after that. This was the first, and hopefully only, time that Shadow has brought us any gifts that weren’t hair bands, elastic bands, pens, notebooks, bookmarks or spoons, oh or roast potatoes. We just couldn’t believe that he’d found a mouse, the poor little thing.

That’s it for today’s story, I hope you enjoyed it. I’m sure it won’t be long before Shadow does something else and there will be a Kitten Escapades part 3.