Tag: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Bookmas 2021

Merry Bookmas Day 21 – 21st December – Christmas Cuisine Book Tag

theblindscribe

Happy Tuesday bookish people! merry Bookmas day 21! This month is speeding by. I’m bringing you another book tag. Today’s is the Christmas Cuisine Book Tag which I thought was a very interesting idea to turn into a book tag. I found this tag on narrativeparadise.com

Yule Log – A beautiful edition of a book

For this one I chose the Shadow and Bone Collectors edition because I already had two copies of this book but it was so beautiful that I had to buy this one as well.

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo - COLLECTOR'S EDITION - FairyLoot

Gingerbread House – A struggle to read but worth it

For this one I chose A Curse so Dark and Lonely because the first 50 pages I had no interest in it at all, I was bored to be honest but once I got into the story i was much more engaged and I gave the book five stars.

Roasted Chestnuts – read fondly at Christmas

I chose A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett because it has that hopefulness that I always associate with Christmas so it’s a book I like to read around this time of year.

Turkey – A character everyone else loved but you only pretended to

Tella in caraval. I did not like her character and even in Legendary where she was more bearable I still didn’t like her.

Pavlova – A book you’re most looking forward to reading next

I have to say House of Sky and Breath the next book in the Crescent City series because I loved the first book and I am very intrigued as to where the author is going to take the series next.

Ham – A book that makes the ordinary extraordinary

I can only think of one book for this and that is Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

Christmas cake – A book that had everything in it

And here I will put Crescent City by Sarah J Maas because it really does have everything, magic, intriguing plots, werewolves, angels, brilliant characters, romance. there’s so much in this book.

I think the most popular book I’ve read this year is A Court of Thorns and Roses – so many people are always talking about this book and I am glad that I finally got around to reading it.

Sachertorte – An intimidating book

I have to choose City of Brass for this one because I was so intimidated by it that I read 200 pages and stopped reading, I definitely intend on going back to it sometime soon though.

Vitel Tone – Sceptical but surprised

Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert was the book that surprised me the most this year.

Stollen – Same old plot line but did it better

I think the Postscript murders works for this one because it has the same premise as a lot of mystery books that came out at the same time but it was still such a good book that made itself stand out against the others.

Parkanalaatiko – A book you need right now

Play of Shadows by Sebastien De Castell, I want everything he has ever and will ever write right now.

Ciorba De Perisoare – A book you bought without needing to read the blurb

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber, she is an instant buy author for me. Plus the book is beautiful.

Risalamande – A book with a surprising plot twist

The Appeal. I won’t say any more than that.

Mince Pies – A book you would never sell even if you don’t re-read it

Literally all of my books!

Bookmas 2021

Merry Bookmas Day 6 – 6th December – The Christmas Stocking Tag

theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! And Merry Bookmas day 6. Are you getting excited for Christmas yet? I’m starting to feel the excitement but I’m not fully there yet but making all these blog posts is helping to raise my Christmas cheer, I hope they are doing the same for all of you! Today I am bringing you my answers to the Christmas Stocking Tag, the unfortunate thing is I can’t remember whose blog I saw this tag on.

You get up on Christmas morning and your stocking is full. You take it down and start to unwrap the treats inside. The first thing you see is…

  1. An orange – Which book is refreshing and vibrant both inside and out?

For this I have to go for Caraval by Stephanie Garber because the world is just so magical and entrancing and as the question says, refreshing.

2. A bag of chocolate coins – which book have you bought recently that was expensive but totally worth the price?

The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue (Signed Illustrated Anniversary Special Edition Hardcover) by V.E. Schwab published by Titan Books @ ForbiddenPlanet.com - UK and Worldwide Cult Entertainment Megastore

I chose the special edition of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwab because I only bought it last week and I couldn’t help myself, this edition is so beautiful I would have regretted it if I hadn’t bought it.

3. A bath bomb – tell us about a book with explosive action scenes?

For this I instantly thought of A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer and I’m not completely sure why. There are lots of big action scenes in this series and it’s the main thing that I remember from the first book. I haven’t read the rest of the series yet.

4. A pack of playing cards – a series that won you over?

The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. I read the first book and though I enjoyed it I still wasn’t too sure whether I would enjoy the whole series or not, then I read the second book – The Masked City and I realised I would love this series.

5. A candle – A character who is a symbol of hops? I will be honest here, my brain went completely foggy and I couldn’t think of any character that is a symbol of hope to me.

6. Socks – a book that encompasses all the distinctive tropes of it’s genre?

I think Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert encompasses a lot of the tropes of it’s genre, I’m not very up on my contemporary adult romance tropes but I know a big one is fake dating and that is definitely in this book.

7. A Notebook – An authors writing process you find interesting? For me it is Sebastien de Castell, his books are so fantastical and interesting that his writing process must be the same.

8. A bedside clock – Took you a long time to pick up but was worth it?

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

I had to pick A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas for this because it took me forever to pick it up but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

That’s it for this book tag. I hope you all enjoyed it! Tomorrow I am bringing you my favourite book covers of 2021.

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes: 90 – 81

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope everyone is having a good day today.

Today I’m bringing you the next set of ten quotes in my favourite quotes series. If you missed the first installment in this series you can find it here: https://theblindscribe.com/2021/05/21/favourite-book-quotes-100-91/

It took a little while to decide on this next set of ten, there are so many great choices but I settled on them eventually, and by that I mean I rewrote my list of 100 quotes about twelve times… anyway, moving on quickly to number 90!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

90. “Not all scars can be seen” – this quote really resonates with me for a lot of reasons that I wont go into here, but I have physical and mental scars that have effects on my life so it feels like a very important quote to include on this list.

At 89 is a quote from a book I read recently and I think it sums up how a lot of people, particularly some that I know, are feeling at the moment..

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

89. “You honestly expect me to breathe in a world without air” – I don’t think there is anything else I need to say about this quote.

The next quote is from a very popular fantasy series…

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

88. “She was the heir of ash and fire and she would bow to no-one” – I will admit I have not read this series yet although I do plan to soon but I have seen this quote on a few pieces of art and it intrigues me.

At 87 is a quote from one of my favourite female characters…

The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black

87. “If I cannot be better than them then I will become so much worse” – this is said by Jude, I think this quote really shows a lot about her character and where the story might be going.

The next quote is from another book I haven’t read yet (this is going to be a very common theme…)

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

86. “Let love guide your heart and everything else will fall into place” – this is just a lovely quote, whether that is love for a friend, a family member or a partner, I do believe love is an important part of life.

The next quote is from a unique sounding fantasy book…

All The Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

85. “The mistakes I made in the past do not make me weak” – I can imagine a strong female lead saying this and it says so much in very few words.

At 84 is a quote from another popular series…

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

84. “I’d rather die than live with no mercy, no honour, no soul” – I think this is a great quote because it shows so much about the character and what they stand for.

At 83 is a quote that I’ve really needed the past week…

Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

83. “Sometimes we fail because we’re not meant to succeed” – everyone who knows me will know that I believe in fate and that things happen for a reason, this quote reminds me of this and as I said I’ve needed that this past week.

The next quote is from the final book in a series…

A Sky Beyond The Strom by Sabaa Tahir

82. “Broken things that are the sharpest. The deadliest” – this quote gives a great sense of atmosphere for this book.

And for the final quote of this installment is…

Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody

81. “What is buried is not always dead” – I have no idea why but this quote always gives me goosebumps.

So that’s it for this installment, come back next week for the next ten! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly Wrap Ups

March Wrap-Up

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Happy Wednesday bookish people! It is the last day of March and today I’m bringing you my March wrap up! This was such a good reading month for me. February put me in a big reading slump and for the first half of March I was still feeling it a bit but I did manage to read some books and then there was the Becca and the Books 48 hour Bookopoly reading challenge where I read eight books in one weekend!

Also this month I had more appointments, I got a new teacher for my dramatic writing University module and he’s not much better than the previous one, I completed my first case study for my new job and I’ve started my second one so that’s going well and I still haven’t heard back about my PhD application so that’s a bit worrying but hopefully I’ll hear soon.

It was my birthday in March! I’m now 22 and I keep forgetting and telling people I’m 21… I got a couple of books as presents so I’m happy with that, my sister got me an art set and my boyfriend got me an Alice in Wonderland teapot which I love! I didn’t do any reading on my actual birthday but I’ve read one or two books since – I actually skipped ahead and read one of the books of my April tbr already…

Anyway, I didn’t finish my March tbr but it has been my best reading month so far this year so I’m still pretty happy with how I did. This was my tbr:

  • What A Way To Go by Julia Forster – I did read
  • Uprooted by Niami Novik – I did not read
  • The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige – I did read
  • The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman – I did read
  • Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson – I did read
  • The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – I did read
  • The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow – I did not read
  • Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty – I did not read
  • Map of Days by Ransom Riggs – I did not read
  • Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo – I did read
  • The Library of the Unwritten by A J Hackwith – I did not read
  • Ever Cursed by Corey Ann Haydu – I did read
  • Chain of gold by Cassandra Clare – I did not read
  • A Curse So Dark and Lonely – I did read

What I read: so from my TBR I managed to read eight books which is much better than February but I also read four books that were not from my March TBR which were: The Cousins by Karen M McManus, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I have put up the book reviews for all the books I read this month except for the Cousins and Lives of Saints so check those out if you’re interested in what I thought of them.

There were also two five star reads this month! Those were Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell which I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did and A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. They were my favourite reads this month.

Most disappointing reads: It’s actually been a really great month, there’s only one book I didn’t enjoy which was What A Way to go by Julia Forster. It just wasn’t for me.

Current reads: well I read the Cousins off my April tbr last night so today I’ll be choosing a new book off my April tbr to start reading and I’m very excited about it.

That’s it for my March wrap up I hope you enjoyed it!

Book Reviews

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer Book Review

theblindscribe

Happy Monday Bookish People! Here is the book review for the second book that I read for the Becca and the Books 48 hour Bookopolathon challenge. The second prompt was a fantasy book and I chose A Curse so Dark and Lonely because, it was on my March TBR, and also I have the full trilogy on my shelf and I hadn’t yet read it. It was about time I finally read it, so many people have recommended it to me.

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 reading my book review.

Plot:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book is advertised as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it is one of the best retellings that I have read. I think the plot of this book is well constructed and builds the tension brilliantly. It starts with an event that is a catalyst for the rest of the novel and it is paced well so the novel has both exciting events and tension but also leaves enough room for character development. This book has a great plot for this book and it also sets up an over arching plot for the rest of the series which has made me very excited to read the rest of this series – soon!

Characters:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I loved the characters in this book. The main protagonist is Harper and her personality is headstrong and fierce while being very caring. From the first page I had to know what would happen with her character, I was rooting for her. The two main male characters the first book follows is Prince Rhen and his loyal Guardsman Grey. Both of these are well developed interesting characters who I am very excited about seeing where their stories go. I felt that the ending of this book was slightly rushed with certain parts of it but still had a satisfying ending.

Dialogue and Writing:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The writing style in this book is a comfortable and easy read, it matches the genre of fantasy well. As for the dialogue I felt this novel had good dialogue between the characters that really cemented their relationships and helped create the mood for the novel overall.

Overall:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Overall I gave this book five stars because I really enjoyed it and instantly wished I could pick up the second one and read it immediately, unfortunately I couldn’t but that’s what I wanted to do. It was well written, well balanced between plot and character and a brilliantly clever retelling.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

That’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it! If you’ve read this book, what did you think of it? Do you enjoy retellings?