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Unknown Vengeance by Pat O’Brien

July 13, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Tuesday bookish people! Today is my spot on the book tour for Unknown Vengeance by Pat O’Brien. Due to a lot of things that have happened recently, I wasn’t able to finish this book in time to write a proper review so I will be sharing with you the book and the blurb instead.

Thank you to Kelly Lacey and Love Books Tours for sending me an ecopy of this book.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A serial killer is terrorizing members of the medical community in Buffalo, NY. Veteran
Detective, Rhody Richardson, is leading the investigation with his partner, Detective Wayne.
Victims have been disfigured and tortured – faces sliced, numbers carved into their chests. The brilliant, but young, forensic intern, Connor Patrick, tries desperately to make sense of the numbers but cannot find a pattern.

The killer has promised ten victims, but Richardson, and psychiatric consultant Dr. Kaileen
Taylor believe it will continue well past that number. At each of the gruesome crime scenes, the
killer has left cryptic poems with different names. Richardson ventures down a dangerous path, deciphering what the killer is trying to tell them before they escape justice into the eternal void of the unknown.

And if you’re interested in this book you can check out some reviews from other people on this book tour.

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!

blog tours, Book Reviews

Book Review: Death and Croissants by Ian Moore

July 12, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I’m very happy to be part of the book tour for Death and Croissants by Ian Moore today. Thank you to Anne Cater and Random T Tours for sending me a copy of this book to read and review for this tour.

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.

Death and Croissants Plot:

I was highly anticipating this book because I thought the premise sounded very much to my taste in murder mysteries, a hotel setting, a missing guest, a bloody handprint and some humour? I was pretty excited about it. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I still enjoyed it as a whole but there were some parts that didn’t work for me. The tension was brilliant, it built as the story went along and I was very intrigued to find out who it was that had done it. I thought the setting and the worldbuilding was also good, I felt like I was in France while reading this book. Where I think it was let down was the humour side, there were some funny moments but to me it felt forced. It felt like the book was trying too hard to be funny so for me most of it wasn’t.

Death and Croissants Characters:

I liked the characters in this book. Most of them grew on me as the book went on. I didn’t like the character of Valerie at the beginning, it was quite the rollercoaster with her character – I liked her, then I didn’t, then I did… she was very well written and I could picture her exactly. The owner of the hotel, Richard, I mostly enjoyed following throughout the book. Things just seemed to keep happening to him and I liked this feature of the book, what I didn’t like about him was his reaction to the bloody handprint and I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil anything.

Death and Croissants Writing and dialogue:

As I said above, some parts of the novel felt forced to me and this had an affect on how easy it was for me to read it. Most of the writing was smooth and clear but some parts I got slightly stuck on. That is my personal opinion on the writing in this book.

Death and Croissants Overall:

Overall I gave this book three stars because I enjoyed the book but not as much as I thought that I would.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Richard is a middle-aged Englishman who runs a B&B in the fictional Val de Follet in the Loire Valley. Nothing ever happens to Richard, and really that’s the way he likes it.

One day, however, one of his older guests disappears, leaving behind a bloody handprint on the wallpaper. Another guest, the exotic Valérie, persuades a reluctant Richard to join her in investigating the disappearance.

Richard remains a dazed passenger in the case until things become really serious and someone murders Ava Gardner, one of his beloved hens … and you don’t mess with a fellow’s hens!

Unputdownable mystery set in rural France, by TV/radio regular and bestselling author Ian Moore – perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club, Julia Chapman, or M.C. Beaton.

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

blog tours, Book Reviews

Book Review: Secrets of the Stars by Maria Kuzniar

July 10, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Saturday Bookish people! Today is my stop on the book tour for Secrets of the Stars by Maria Kuzniar, the second book in the Ship of Shadows series. Thank you to Puffin Books and Random T Tours for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

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.

Secrets of the Stars Plot:

This book was an interesting and engaging adventure to faraway ports and across treacherous seas. The first chapter hooked me immediately, and not just because they were dressed in masquerade costumes although I did love imagining that scene. The worldbuilding was beautifully detailed and sensory so it was easy for me to become caught up in the adventures with the crew. I found the beginning was a little slow in pacing for my personal taste but once the action got started I raced through the book to find out how it was going to end.

Secrets of the Stars Characters:

One of the parts of this book that I really enjoyed was that the crew of the Ship of Shadows is an all girl crew, it presented a lovely dynamic to the story. The characters really brought out the themes of friendship and loyalty that are being developed throughout this story. The protagonist is someone you feel the need to root for as different events happen to her and this increased my enjoyment of the book Also, the shadows (I’m counting them as characters) on the Ship of Shadows are pretty cool.

Secrets of the Stars Writing and dialogue:

As I said above, the beginning was a little slow for me but once the pacing picked up I couldn’t really fault any of the writing in this book.

Secrets of the Stars Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because it was a well written and engaging novel that had me rooting for the characters from beginning to end, and it may have even persuaded me to pick up the next in the series when it comes out.

Blurb/Synopsis:

THE SECOND THRILLING ADVENTURE FOR ALEJA AND THE CREW OF THE LEGENDARY SHIP OF SHADOWS

Excitement and wonder are in store for the pirates as they continue to their epic quest across the world. But time is running out, and as their quarry grows closer, so the perils of the sea grow ever greater . . .

Praise for The Ship of Shadows:

“A feast for the imagination . . . an enthralling adventure.” – Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song

“This swashbuckling tale has it all – storms in jars, magic kraken bells, lost cities and a truly unique pirate ship. I loved it.” – Alex Bell, author of The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club

“Thrilling, exciting and intriguing and I can’t wait for the next instalment!” Rhiannon, Waterstones bookseller

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

Book Reviews

Book Review: Deepwater King by Claire McKenna

July 7, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Wednesday bookish people! Today is my stop on the book tour for Deepwater King by Claire McKenna, the sequel to Monstrous Heart and the second in the Deepwater trilogy. Thank you to Jennifer Harlow for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

As with all my reviews 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.

Deepwater King Plot:

I enjoyed the plot of this book overall. I liked the premise and the fantasy elements of the story. One of the main parts I enjoyed was the complex magic system, I did find myself getting confused sometimes about this but this always passed quickly. It was nice to see, in this novel, a different type of special ability that I rarely see in books, in this book it is a type of blood magic called Sanguinem – or bloodworker. From the very first chapter there is a dangerous energy to this novel and the story has threads of danger, religion and sacrifice as an undercurrent which was very intriguing. This book felt slightly too dark for me but this is because I usually read fantasies that aren’t so complex however, I still enjoyed the worldbuilding and plot of this book. I’m also very drawn to books that feature water (and this book has it in the title) so it was a good one for me to pick up.

Deepwater King Characters:

The two main characters in this book are Arden and Jonah and both of them were very well developed in this book. I didn’t feel much of a connection to either of the characters within this novel, and that is something that makes me really enjoy a book, so I wasn’t completely engaged with everything that happened in this novel. It didn’t take away from the story completely and I did still enjoy the characters and how they interacted with each, the background characters as well as the main characters.

Deepwater King Writing and Dialogue:

I struggled with some of the writing style to begin with, because the language has a slight historical feel to it in my opinion, and so this meant I wasn’t fully immersed in the story the whole time. The author has created beautiful imagery within this book though that helped to create some atmosphere that I wanted to keep reading and be involved with.

Deepwater King Overall:

Overall I gave this book three stars because although I enjoyed this book I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would and I am undecided if I will read the third book in the trilogy.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Since losing her great love to the Queen of the Sainted Isles, Arden must fulfil an impossible promise before she can return home – she must complete the dangerous Rite that will return Jonah’s spirit to the abyssal Court of the Deepwater King.

This sets her off on a journey far out at sea to find believers of the old religion on the oil-slick and mysterious islands beyond the horizon. But such a responsibility will not come without sacrifice, for the Deepwater folk who worship the King require the most desperate payments the soul, and with one man Arden may have to pay the greatest price of all…

Astonishingly original, with world-building to rival the depths of the ocean, McKenna has drawn a rich tale of longing and courage – penning the perfect oceanic steampunk fantasy.

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

Book Reviews

Book Review: Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

July 5, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I told you I was bringing you two book reviews today, this is the second one. I finally got around to reading Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin, it’s only taken me about two years since I bought it… anyway, I got the chance to read this on a trip to Hampshire in June which was nice, I immersed myself in the world of witches and Chaussers and completely ignored anyone trying to talk to me.

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.

Serpent and Dove Plot:

Oh my goodness I loved this plot. Every moment of the story felt important in some way for the progression of the story. I am pretty much interested in anything that has witches in it so this book appealed to me immediately. The conflict between the witches and the chaussers/religion was an interesting part to this book – actually I would have enjoyed a bit more of this but that’s just because I love a good enemies to lovers style story. So, the romance in this book… I went into this book knowing that was one of the main features of this novel and I’ll admit I didn’t hate it but I did enjoy the fantasy elements and the moments of magic more than anything else.

Serpent and Dove Characters:

Lou is a fantastic female lead for this book, she’s strong and has a bit of sass (which I like because it gives good dialogue) and she has very particular morals/ideals which gives conflict to the plot but also makes me love her character, one of her main character conflicts is loyalty which gave her character depth. I sometimes thought that some of the things she did didn’t quite fit with her character. It didn’t take away from the book much though.

Coco is amazing, I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of her and some of the other background characters a bit more in the rest of the series.

REID. He’s in my top ten of male book characters now. He grew on me throughout the book. There are some things about his character that I think are going to be a bit too obvious, like it’s been written in for a plot reason rather than a character reason and I would have liked a bit more internal conflict from him.

Serpent and Dove Writing and Dialogue:

Five stars. Definitely. Shelby Mahurin’s writing worked well for me, it is one of my favourite writing styles within young adult fiction that I’ve read. I liked that she split the chapters into different characters’ points of view.

Serpent and Dove Overall:

Again, five stars was easy for me to give to this book. If I could have I would have picked up Blood and Honey straightaway.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

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

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

July 5, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! Today I’m bringing you two book reviews, of which this is the first, and I ended up reading both of these books in June.

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 Lost Apothecary Plot:

One of my favourite things about this book was the worldbuilding, for both the past and the present tense. I felt like I was walking the streets with the characters. This book is told through the interwoven stories of two, technically three but I won’t spoil anything there, women – one from the past and one in the present discovering what happened in the past while dealing with all the things happening in her life. The way the stories are interwoven is incredible, it was smooth and clear where we were and when and I loved being able to see both sides of the apothecary. This plot was very different to anything I’ve read before, it’s a combination between mystery and historical fiction. It’s actually the book that made me realise I really love historical mystery books (then I bought up a few of them…).

The Lost Apothecary Characters:

Both of the women that you follow within this book have many layers that are constantly being explored and challenged throughout the novel. One of the things I liked the most about them was that they had flaws, and these flaws are part of the catalysts that set events in motion. The way the women led this story was a great thing to see, they are strong in different ways and it shows them taking control of their own lives. I won’t spoil anything about the ending but the characters never stray from their personalities and this is what leads eventually to the ending – which by the way ended perfectly for me.

The Lost Apothecary Writing and Dialogue:

It did take me a few chapters to get comfortable with the writing style in this book however once I got past that I began to enjoy how it was written and how the writing style fit with both time periods and the characters within them.

The Lost Apothecary Overall:

I gave this book five stars overall because I just couldn’t give it anything less. The world building, the mystery, the strong female leads – everything about this book was amazing and I couldn’t put it down.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.
Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

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

Book Quotes

Favourite Book Quotes 50 – 41

July 2, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I’m back with my next installment of my favourite book quotes top 100. We are getting so close to finishing this list. I’m probably more excited than anyone reading this and I know what the top ones are because I chose them. We are past the halfway point and getting into some of my absolute favourite quotes, but some of them are coming from books I haven’t read yet.

Lets get into the quotes!

Up first is a quote from a book I’m very excited to get around to reading..

And I Darken by Kiersten White

50. “her spine was steel, her heart was armour, her eyes were fire” – this is such a lovely quote, it just feels very powerful, which is how I’m imagining the whole book will feel.

Up next is a quote from a book that I gave three stars…

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

49. “I want revenge and then I want my crown” – this quote is actually said by one of my favourite characters in this book.

At 48 is a quote from a little mermaid retelling…

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

48. “In my heart I’m as wild as the ocean that raised me”

At 47 is a quote from a book I’ve already mentioned in this list…

And I Darken by Kiersten White

47. “she wanted a garden of evergreens, a garden of stones, a garden of swords” – this quote is just beautiful, the calmness of the garden and evergreen language compared to the stones and swords.

Up next is a quote from a book about witches…

Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

46. “I am fearful and something to be feared” – I can’t wait to get to read this book.

At 45 is a quote from a book that is on my July TBR..

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

45. “you will burn for you are an ember in the ashes” – fun fact I have a cushion cover with this quote on, it does not currently have a cushion in it but soon!

The next quote is from a book that has one of the most beautiful covers on my shelf…

Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

44. “until the fire in the sun grows cold and the light of the moon is no more, until time blots out the stars” – MAIA AND EDAN!! that’s all I’m going to say about this.

At 43 is a quote from a very unique book…

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss

43. “with pockets women could conquer the world” – yes, yes we could.

Up next is from another book on my TBR for this month…

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

42. “death incarnate, night triumphant”

And the final one for today’s list is from a very popular series…

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

41. “she had often wished for adventure, for old spells and wicked kings” – me too.

That’s it for this week’s list and I’ll be back next Friday with the next ten, I hope you all enjoyed it!

blog tours, Book Reviews

Book Review: Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon

June 21, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope everyone has had a great weekend. I’m so excited that today is my spot on the book tour for Instructions For Dancing by Nicola Yoon! This was a great read and I’m very happy to share my thoughts about it. Thank you to TheWriteReads tours for having me as a part of this.

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.

Instructions For Dancing Plot:

I surprised myself by enjoying this book. Contemporary Romance novels are way out of my comfort zone and I haven’t read very many of them. I really enjoyed that this plot didn’t feel like the typical contemporary plot line, I mean it was because it has the love story in it, but there were some unusual elements that made the story something else. I think that’s the main reason I enjoyed it more than I expected. I saw quite a few reviews before I read this book which said the story is heartbreaking and that a few of them have cried at this book. I have to say I agree, there are heartbreaking moments throughout this book and although didn’t cry myself I was very close. After I finished the book I was left feeling very calm and content, I enjoyed this book a lot.

Instructions For Dancing Characters:

There wasn’t one character in this book that I didn’t like. The friendship group were great to read about and the love interest was funny and intriguing. But my favourite character was Evie, the protagonist, I loved her personality and how she developed throughout the story.

Instructions For Dancing Writing and Dialogue:

I found the writing style difficult to get into at first but once I got used to it I began to enjoy the way Nicola Yoon writes. The dialogue is one of the best parts of this novel, there’s a lot of witty remarks and ‘banter’ between the characters in this novel and I thought this was a brilliant feature.

Instructions For dancing Overall:

I gave this book four stars overall because I enjoyed it more than I expected to and it has made me think that I should try books out of my comfort zone more often.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Evie Thomas doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the strangest thing occurs one otherwise ordinary afternoon: She witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began . . . and how it will end. After all, even the greatest love stories end with a broken heart, eventually.

As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. His philosophy is to say yes to everything–including entering a ballroom dance competition with a girl he’s only just met.

Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. In the end, is love worth the risk?

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

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant

June 7, 2021 theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! It’s time for me to put up another book review! The book I will be reviewing today is my second book of June and I ended up reading it on the car journey to and from Bristol. During the trip I also learned that my friend, and a lot of people actually, can’t read while in a car, which was interesting information.

As usual 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 Hatmakers Plot:

First I will say, I am not a huge Middle Grade reader. I actually picked up this book because I’d seen the author in the TV show The Tudors and I was curious about what she might have written. The plot is beautifully intricate, it captivated me from the very first page. There is themes of family, friendship and loyalty sprinkled throughout this book like the magic that is used by the characters themselves.

This book has elements of the fantastical, a little bit of theatre and plenty of hat making to keep all readers entertained. The beginning part of the book sets up the world and the characters excellently, it felt like I was living in that world with them. Then the second part of the book the pacing really picks up – there’s so much happening in this story that I had to just let myself go along with the story rather than try to figure out every twist and turn. I enjoyed doing this.

The Hatmakers Characters:

It was very interesting for me to see this book through the eyes of Cordelia, the main protagonist, who is a child. It made me think back to when I was a child and all the wonder that the world seemed to hold. Cordelia was my favourite character in the book because she was very complex and had many layers to her story throughout. Also, one of my favourite parts of this book was her friendship with Goose, the son of the bootmakers, with which the hatmaker family doesn’t get along. It added an intriguing dynamic to this friendship.

the other characters in the story are all very well developed with their own stories and attitudes, the book has a particular focus on the hatmaker family but I still felt that the other maker families stood out in their own ways and had a role to play in the plot.

The Hatmakers Writing and Dialogue:

I haven’t got much to say for this category. I thought it was written very well, it was clear and the writing style complimented the plot and the pacing. However, because I’m not used to reading this age of book it took me a while to get used to it. That is just my own opinion.

The Hatmakers Overall:

I’m giving this book four stars overall because I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, especially the character of Cordelia. I got completely drawn in to the world and the magic and the mystery that needed to be solved. I will definitely be buying the next book in the series when it comes out.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia’s world, Making – crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients – is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain.

When Cordelia’s father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war.

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