ARC Review: Tiger Heart (Penny Chrimes)

Genre: Children
Publisher: Orion Children’s Books
Expected Publication Date: January 9th 2020
Format: ARC Paperback
Source: Pansing Books
Page Count: 240

Blurb from Goodreads:

One magical friendship. One roaring adventure.

The magical tale of a bold young chimney sweep and a remarkable tiger, a dangerously hypnotic ruby and a mystical land found across an ocean and through a storm. Perfect for fans of The Girl of Ink and Stars and Pax.

Fly never meant to end up in a cage with a man-eating tiger. And though she’s no princess, when the tiger bows to her, she can’t help vowing to free him and return him home.

But the bird-filled jungles and cloud-topped mountains of the tiger’s homeland are an ocean away. And not everyone wants the tiger to return.

With dark and dangerous forces working against them, will Fly be able to fulfil her promises, keep them both alive and – just maybe – become the queen her tiger knows her to be?

---

RATING

3 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

I’ve read Tiger Heart in just two days and this premise is quite interesting.

It is a lovely story about an adventure of a young girl, Fly and a tiger called Tiger. I like both of them as a character, Fly is a brave young girl and she strives to do the right thing, even when her father doesn’t. Tiger, on the other hand is a faithful friend to Fly who does anything to keep Fly safe.

I admire Fly because of her strength and courage to send these animals back to their original habitat. Even when she is abused by her master, Black Bill, she portrays such kindness towards the other animals and she does not intend any harm towards the animals at all.

The whole time I read this book I feel so compelled to continue this story because I enjoy the magical and adventure feel that the book has. I am always excited to read what Fly and her friends can offer to us. However, I have to admit that the last chapter ends a bit abruptly and I wish that the characters such as Fly’s dad and uncle’s characterization are well-fleshed out.

Overall, Tiger Heart is quite an enjoyable book for middle grade lovers to read.

Special thanks to Pansing Books for sending me Tiger Hearts in exchange of an honest review.

X

Sabrina

ARC Review: The Threads of Magic (Alison Croggon)

Genre: Children
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Expected Publication Date: March 5th 2020
Format: ARC Paperback
Source: Pansing Books
Page Count: 379

Blurb from Goodreads:

An atmospheric and riveting fantasy adventure, perfect for fans of Frances Hardinge and Cornelia Funke.

Pip lives on his wits in the city of Clarel. When he pickpockets the wrong man, he finds himself in possession of a strange object – a heart in a silver casket. What’s more, the heart seems to be trying to communicate with Pip, and the royal officials who lost it will stop at nothing to get it back. Pip has unwittingly broken an ancient spell, and his theft will have far-reaching consequences for the whole city. As the ancient war between the Spectres and witches of Clarel reignites, the heart prepares to seek revenge for all it has suffered… Alison Croggon conjures a rich, immersive world with brilliant and memorable characters in this captivating story of loyalty, courage and friendship.

---

RATING

2.5 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

I picked this book up because of the quite interesting blurb. Unfortunately, the story was not that interesting.

I expected a fast and engaging read but I took almost two weeks to finish this and I really had to force myself to continue reading it.

While reading I didn’t have a clear perspective on the story. Basically, I was just lost during the entire time. I didn’t relate to the any of the characters that much and I didn’t even get to grasp the basic plot of the story line. Nothing extraordinary really happened in the book. All I know was that the story only occurred at small and dark lanes of streets of Clarel.

I really wish I could enjoy this book but sorry to say, this book was just underwhelming.

Special thanks to Pansing Books for sending this ARC in exchange of a honest review.

X

Sabrina

 

 

Anticipated Reads of 2020

Hey guys!

Today I’m going to share with you on my anticipated reads of 2020. They consist standalones, sequel and even prequel.

So, let’s dive in!

---

The Girl and The Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

I am truly excited for this one because the story line is very promising and it is even better because of the representation of my culture and country.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

A Curse So Dark and Lonely was one of my best reads of 2018 (Yes, I receive an early copy of the book) and I am interested to know what the second book of the series can offer to us!

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Dear Martin was my #1 read of 2018. It’s a fantastic book about race, privilege and society as a whole. I’ve never read a YA book that has a male main character who is so brilliant as Justyce McAllister. I can’t wait what Nic Stone has to offer next.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

This is my number one anticipated reads of 2020. I knew this was coming, for sure. I knew that Suzanne Collins must have something under her sleeve the entire time when she finished writing The Hunger Games trilogy. I am dying to get a copy of the ARC and I will *really really really* hope that I can get one.

---

So there you go, my most anticipated reads of 2020. What’s your anticipated reads of this year? Let me know in the comment down below.

Thanks for reading!

X

Sabrina

ARC Review: Orla and the Serpent’s Curse (C. J. Haslam)

Genre: Children
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Publication Date: April 2nd 2020
Format: ARC Paperback
Source: Pansing Books
Page Count: 304

Synopsis:

A spooky adventure set in Cornwall; Famous Five with a twist.

A long-dead Cornish witch to thwart and a curse to stop – it’s just another family holiday. Orla thought she was in for a relaxing break, but when she finds a mysterious glowing necklace in the woods, it turns out there is a slight possibility she may have uncovered a witch’s ancient curse. After meeting a coven of suspicious old ladies, it becomes clear that Orla’s arrival in Cornwall is no longer a coincidence. The curse is poisoning the land and destroying everything it touches, and Orla is the one person who can stop it. But she’ll need help from the only other member of the family with good instincts – Dave the dog.

---

RATING

3 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

I have just finished reading my first read of 2019, which is Orla and the Serpent’s Curse. It’s just wonderful that I spent my new year’s eve reading this middle grade book because reading it was just so effortless.

I’ve never read anything by C. J. Haslam and for your information, this book was his first attempt in writing middle grade. I must say that the author did a decent job in writing a fine story with a likable cast of characters.

The pacing of the story at the beginning was just as great but unfortunately the middle to the end chapters were slow-paced with too much characters being introduced and thrown to us. The many names and magic system made me unclear because the back story was kinda confusing at points.

The only character that really stood out to me was Dave the dog. He’s so loyal to Orla and brave in facing adventure and dangerous tasks to help Orla and her team.

If you enjoy reading middle grade with some spooky adventure, then this book is for you.

Thank you Pansing Books for sending me this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

X

Sabrina

Best Reads of 2019

Hey guys!

Happy New Year!

I am going to share with you guys about my favorite reads of 2019. In total I have six books that totally stood out to me.

---

Historical Fiction

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Whenever Jojo Moyes puts out another book for us to devour, I never fail to enjoy them. I have always loved her writing since first reading her masterpiece, Me Before You. The book possesses all of the positive adjectives you can ever name, from wonderful, brilliant to remarkable and moving!

Here’s my review on The Giver of Stars. 

Non-Fiction/Autobiography

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Ever since I stumbled across Emily Doe’s name for the past few years, I became so interested to know about her story. When I knew that she had written a memoir, I just had to get it.

I’ve never read a book that was so powerful yet gut-wrenching at the same time. Chanel Miller proves to us that every story deserves to be told. She is also gifted as a writer because her story is just so perfectly plotted and written. If you are still searching on memoirs to read, pick this one and you will be instantly amazed.

Here’s my review on Know My Name.

Fiction

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

This has got to be my most favorite fiction book published in 2019.

I know this book will be an instant New York Times Bestseller, just because of the engaging story with such importance of the themes discussed in the book.

People will always turn their backs to discuss about hard issues such as race, privilege and class. That’s why Kiley Reid wrote this novel. For people to acknowledge that this issue is currently happening to people especially minorities.

Here’s my review on Such a Fun Age.

Young Adult Historical Fiction

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

This book checked all the boxes for me. It explores an area of history that is close to my country, it has great representation of mental health and it is full of cultural representation with great mix of action.

Here’s my review on The Weight of Our Sky. 

Young Adult Contemporary

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

I love love this book so much! I just love the trope of enemies turned to lovers and Tweet Cute is best candidate for that. It is an entertaining rom-com about two teenagers whom families have delis and then one Twitter war leads them to an unexpected faith.

I also enjoy all of the references on pop culture such as memes, GIFs and social media. It’s a story that you would want to read if you are searching for a cute and fluffy read.

Here’s my review on Tweet Cute.

Young Adult Contemporary

How To Make Friends With The Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

Kathleen Glasgow writes a harsh yet realistic exploration of pain and sadness in a voice who tries to find her own self after losing a loved one. The unforgettable story touches my heart to the core.

Here’s my review on How To Make Friends With The Dark.

---

Here you go! This is my list of best books of 2019. I am excited to know what books do you enjoyed reading last year.

Thanks for reading.

X

Sabrina

Disappointing Reads of 2019

Hello everyone.

Today I would like to share about my disappointing reads of the year, 2019. The reason why I do this is because I would like to reflect on what I’ve read from the past year and identify books that are great and also books that have the potential, but it doesn’t exceed my expectations.

Here’s my list of disappointing reads of 2019!

---

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Frankly speaking, I had high expectations for this one. Mainly because I truly enjoyed reading The Lunar Chronicles series which is a great story with wonderful and diverse characters. Unfortunately, Renegades didn’t have them all. The writing was mediocre, the story was one hell of a mess and the characters were uncompelling, to say the least.

Here’s my review on Renegades.

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

This book is a convoluted mess. I was honestly expecting it to be as good as Six of Crows, but it was far from perfect. The synopsis was selling the idea of a gangster fantasy story, with a bunch of misfits with unfortunate histories. The story was very generic with such an uneventful plot and lack-in-depth cast of characters that I became so uninterested with the character’s well being.

Here’s my review on Into the Crooked Place.

The M Word by Brian Conaghan

I loved Brian Conaghan’s The Weight of a Thousand Feathers.

But I didn’t really enjoy this one. Don’t get me wrong, Brian Conaghan is great writer when it comes to writing about mental health issues. However, the overall writing of the book was so amateurish that it seemed counter productive in telling a heavy story that revolved around mental health issues such as depression etc.

Here’s my review on The M Word.

All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls

To be honest, I wasn’t a fan on the execution of the story and writing at all. I really hoped that the story could be so much better in describing the atmosphere of that time when the Black Death happened. The characters were one-dimensional and boring with no progression till the end. I was so interested in reading about Black Death but this book didn’t deliver well as I expected it to be.

Here’s my review on All Fall Down.

The Ruinous Sweep by Tim Wynne-Jones

The idea of the story was quite good, but the writing was just too confusing. While reading, I had to always refer back to past chapters because the present chapters were always hard to follow. I think the author intended on writing pieces and fragments of the story one by one before revealing the whole story to the reader, but unfortunately it turned out to be all over the place.

Here’s my review on The Ruinous Sweep.

---

These are my disappointing reads of the year. They are not necessarily bad books because they have positive attributes as well, but the bad outweighs the good.

My next post will be my best reads of 2019, so stay tuned to my blog!

Thank you and Happy New Year!

X

Sabrina

 

 

 

Ringing in the New Year Book Tag – 2020

Happy New Year guys!

We are now in a new year and decade, so we must have new resolutions that we want to achieve. For me, it is definitely to read more quality books!

I want to thank the original creator of this tag, Bookmark Chronicles.

---

Best book/series that you’ve read in 2019?

I have a top #6 favorite books of the year:

• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller
• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
• The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
• Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
• How To Make Friends With the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

Authors that you’ve recently found and would like to read more of in the new year?

Kiley Reid. Her debut novel, Such a Fun Age is such a great book about race, class and privilege. Everyone who reads her book will always have something to bring back home.

Best book turned movie/tv show in 2019?

I wanna say The Sun Is Also A Star because I love the book but I haven’t watched the movie yet.

Midnight Kiss: favorite ship of the year?

This is no surprise to anyone that my book couple of the year is Pepper and Jack from Tweet Cute. I fell in love with their friend turned to lover relationship so much.

What’s on your TBR for 2020?

I have so many, but these my top ones:

• The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
• A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
• The Ballad of Songsbird and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (!!!)
• Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

How many books do you hope to read in 2020?

Hopefully 50, but if I can’t manage, 40 is a great number as well.

Will you participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge or any others (PopSugar, Down the TBR Hole, etc.?)

I will always join Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Any New Year’s Resolutions? (Bookish, blogging, vlogging, and otherwise)

• To post more bookish content on Instagram and WordPress
• To get a stable job that I love
• To save and buy a property

---

Thank you for reading and have a Happy New Year!

X

Sabrina