Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (A Curse So Dark and Lonely #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

An instant New York Times Best Seller! In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer.

Fall in love, break the curse. 

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. 

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But 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.

-- Goodreads.com description --

First of all, I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I didn't end up reading the e-arc and purchased the book when it came out because I have trouble reading pdf-files.

I was in a huge reading slump when I started read A Curse So Dark and Lonely but I couldn't put this book down! I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the characters and I'm always drawn to retellings and Beauty and the Beast ones are my favourite.

Brigid Kemmerer's writing style is really captivating and got me hooked from the very first chapter. There are two main character Harper and Rhen who get their own point of view. I hope to read more about Grey soon, another interesting character we meet right at the beginning of the story. Harper is a very strong female character and even though her weaknesses are explored it does not diminish her in the least.

The magical elements were amazing. I wouldn't mind living in that enchanted castle, I especially liked the kitchen (food just magically appears!) and Harper's room. 

The book has some surprising and interesting twists and an incredible ending!

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a fun and captivating retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I adored it! So excited to read the sequel! I highly recommend this book and I gave it 5 stars! And that in combination with a spectacular cover!

Have you read this book or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below! 


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Can't-Wait Wednesday: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting On Wednesday hosted at Breaking the Spine.

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s instead somehow sucked into Rhen’s cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. But 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.

-- Goodreads.com description --

I love retellings and especially Beauty and the Beast ones like this one. The cover is stunning and I can't wait to read this story!

This book will be published on 29 January 2019.

Have you read this book or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!

Which books are you excited to read?

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Have a wonderful day everyone!

Review: The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais

Lose yourself in in the dark forests of Amelie Flechais' spectacular artwork. A young wolf, on a journey to bring his grandmother a rabbit, is charmed by the nice little girl who offers to help him... but nice is not the same as good. A haunting fairy tale for children and adults alike.

-- Goodreads.com description --

I received an arc copy from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to read this unique book.

The Little Red Wolf is a fairy tale retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. As you can guess from the title, a wolf is now the protagonist. It's a wonderful retelling with gorgeous illustrations by Amélie Fléchais. The illustrations alone make this book worth your while. They are so colourful and enchanting, I could look at them all day.

The fairy tale itself is a beautiful retelling and it turns known truths upside down. It's a story about how each of us can perceive things differently and how this impacts our actions.

Even though I enjoyed this book, I wish it had been longer. I felt the characters could have been developed more. We do get a glimpse of what they are really like, but I need more to fully appreciate a character.

Why should you read The Little Red Wolf? I believe it's the perfect book to share with your children (on Halloween). The illustrations are by far my favourite part about this book. They are glorious and so vivid! I wish I could frame them all!

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Five Reasons Why You Should Read Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Anything can happen once upon a con…

When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.

Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. 

-- Goodreads.com description --

I'm trying out this different style of reviewing a book. I obviously really enjoyed it and gave it 5 stars, and now I really want to convince you, the young adult readers, to read it too if you haven't already. So here we go:

The romance in Geekerella was adorable! And no insta love, which is always a plus. It felt reminiscent of Alex, Approximately as both relationships start with messages instead of face to face interactions. Personally, I really love these kind of stories and it was very well executed in Geekerella!

If you follow this blog, then you might know that I really enjoy reading fairy tale retellings. Normally those books are still considered fantasy but Geekerella is a contemporary Cinderella retelling, which was quite original. I much prefer fantasy over contemporary but if you only read one contemporary book each year, let it be Geekerella, it is the perfect comfort read! It such a fun book and it definitely made me happy whilst reading it at an otherwise very stressful time for me.

I have mentioned in certain post that I went to my very first convention, Facts, in October and my second last April. Luckily, those conventions took place in my university city which means it was very close by for me. I didn't get any pictures or autographs from the actors who were present and I also didn't feel confident enough to cosplay or dress up, but I did immediately feel at ease with this crowd, you can very easily talk to someone because at these conventions everyone loves the same things and everyone is friendly. This is the part of conventions I love the most. Of course, I also enjoyed going to actor's Q&A's.

In my opinion, Geekerella portrays this feeling I have at conventions very well. I actually recognized myself in this book, as I'm definitely geeky and proud to be so. Instead of a royal ball, the characters go to a cosplay ball, which I thought was a very nice twist of the original story. The author calls herself a fangirl, and you can definitely feel that she is just like the rest of us geeks throughout the entire novel. Like I said, a very accurate and positive portrayal of conventions.

The last convention I went to was definitely Firefly themed as Nathan Fillion and Morena Baccarin attended the convention. I saw three of their Q&A's and they were the best! I watched Firefly in the month before the convention and I immediately fell in love with the series. This experience at Facts, made it very special for me to read those Firefly references in Geekerella. At one point at the con, a character says: "I think I see Nathan F----" which immediately made me reminiscent of my own experiences. 

Lastly, I want to mention the friendships in this story, as a Cinderella retelling Elle's family has to be evil, but there were some amazing friendships in this story aside from that. First of all, the friendship between Elle and Darien, but most importantly, the friendship between Elle and Sage. At first you are meant to believe Sage is another character who acts horrible towards Elle, but very quickly those characters develop an amazing friendship. Both of them would do anything for the other, and that is something Elle has been missing in her live. Sage, herself is a remarkable character on her own and the book is worth reading just for her.

I hope these reasons will have convinced you to check out Geekerella! I highly recommend this book, it was a joy to read and it's the PERFECT SUMMER READ! It was just so adorable, like a love letter to all things geeky!


Have you read this book or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below!
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August Wrap Up

I read seven books this month and a couple of novella's. I haven't been blogging much this summer because of exams and papers and a huge reading slump and such but I've collected my thoughts on most of these books and will be reviewing at least four of them in the near future!

1. The Billionaire Bachelor by Jessica Lemmon 

This was a fun romance novel and I was just in the right mood for it! Really enjoyed it and would recommend it if you're looking for a fun romance! 3 stars.

2. I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios 

I don't often read YA or New Adult romance novels but I decided to give this one a try. I really enjoyed it! The characters are awesome! However, Josh's actions got on my nerves one too many times and therefore I'm giving it 4 stars.

3. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

I had some problems with this book and I will discuss them in a review later this month. And I hate it when my favourite character dies! 3 stars.

4. Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

This is a collection of two novella's that didn't really add anything to the series but where okay to read. Especially since Mare is one of my biggest problems in Glass Sword. 3 stars.

5. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

I'm still going to review this book even though everyone has probably already read it. 3 stars.

6. The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Loved this one! So much! 5 stars!

7. The Mirror & the Maze (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1.5) by Renee Ahdieh

This was a very short novella and I got it as a free e-book on kobo.com! 3 stars.

8. The Moth & the Flame (The Wrath & the Dawn, #0.25) by Renee Ahdieh 

This was a longer novella and I really enjoyed it! 5 stars!

9. The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn, #2) by Renee Ahdieh

Man, this contained some plot twists I really did not see coming! And such sad moments as well! I believe I cried a little...
Also, my amazing friend got me this as a birthday gift! Once again, Sarah, thank you so much! I loved it! 5 stars!

10. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab 

I also have some remarks on this book however it was such a quick read despite being 400 pages. 4 stars. Review to come!

Which books did you read this month? Have you read any of the ones mentioned above? Let me know down below!

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breath-taking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

-- Goodreads.com description --

Warning this review contains spoilers of the previous books in the series!

Winter by Marissa Meyer was my most anticipated book this year, if not of all time. I simply love this series! My favourite book in the series still remains Cress. I just LOVE Cress and Thorne. They're so cute. My least favourite characters are still Scarlet and Wolf, I don't know why, but I just find their story a little boring. But man, Winter was an amazing conclusion to the series but I still want MORE. I NEED MORE! So now Stars Above is my most anticipated book of 2016. I'm actually considering buying it in hardback because I would get it a month sooner!

I can see why some people thought it was too long, I didn't mind because I just didn't want it to be over, however, some parts did feel a little dragged out. I did think that Wolf and Scarlet got too much attention in the book while the others were not yet established as a couple that was a bit of a shame. I would have preferred to see a lot more of Thorne and Cress, Kai and Cinder and Winter and Jacin. 

We were briefly introduced to Winter in Cress and Fairest. I wasn't that impressed by her character then and I was afraid I wouldn't like her. However, Marissa Meyer is a pro at creating amazing characters that you can't help loving! Winter might actually one of the most interesting characters of the whole series. Not using her lunar gift makes her unpredictable, which I loved. Cress is quite unpredictable as well in some parts of the books at least. But like I said, Winter gives things a nice and unpredictable twist.

I can't get over the fact that this was the last actual book in the series. Thank God for the epilogue in Stars Above! I really hope I won't be disappointed with that one! I need more Cress and Thorne and more Cinder and Kai.

I'm secretly hoping that Marissa Meyer will write a spin-off series in which these characters return. I don't think it would be hard to write an adventure for Cress and Thorne or even Winter and Jacin involving some new characters!

Winter is definitely a satisfying ending to a beloved series. This series is definitely worth your time and if you read Cinder and are still not convinced, I would suggest continuing on with the series if you liked the characters, because the books definitely get better! It is not really necessary to read Fairest, however if you do plan on it, read it before Winter. It does give you a little bit more insight into Levana and Winter's father as well.

5 out of 5 stars! This is quite possibly one of my favourite young adult series of all time. I cannot recommend it enough!

Top Ten New-To-Me Favorite Authors I Read For The First Time In 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is top ten favourite authors you read for the first time in 2015. 

Richelle Mead
Richelle Mead is my most read new-to-me favourite author! I actually read 10 of her books this year. 10! I'm really looking forward to read more of her books next year because I'm definitely not done with her yet!

Shanna Swendson
I've read 5 of her books this year, all part of The Enchanted Inc. series and I loved all of them. And Owen! Probably one of my favourite characters this year!

Margaret Atwood
I've only read The Blind Assassin but I was completely blown away with it! I've been wanting to read an Atwood book for a while now, and I'm glad this one was part of my Canadian Literature class! Looking forward to reading more of her books in the future!

Jeffrey Eugenides
The Virgen Suicides. Do I need to say more? Absolutely fantastic! I've purchased his two other books and I hope to read them soon!

Ilona Andrews
The Kate Daniels series was the perfect way to end my summer! Currently, I'm actually reading Clean Sweep and I'm really enjoying it as well! Review to come!

John Layman 
Chew is my favourite comic ever!

Rosamund Hodge
Impressed by Cruel Beauty, loved Gilded Ashes and looking forward to Crimson Bound!

Naomi Novik
Uprooted fit perfectly in my fairy tale retelling mood and was in my humble opinion one of the best books I read in the genre!

Laini Taylor
Really, really enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It was so original and refreshing although I haven't really felt much desire to pick up the other books in the trilogy yet, it will happen soon! (Hopefully).

Anthony Doerr 
All the Light We Cannot See. Beautiful book. Kind of wanted a different ending but I can see why it ended the way it did. 

Andy Weir
After reading The Martian in September, I became unable to leave Andy Weir out of my top ten lists. Therefore, as an extra I'm adding him to this one too.


Which authors are on your list? Let me know down below!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fairy Tale Retellings I've Read or Want to Read

There is a first time for everything and this is my first top ten Tuesday, which is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week bloggers share their lists on the given topics. Upon reading today's list on the blog of Peace Love Books, I couldn't resist and I joined for the first time. I'm so excited, so let's start!

Fairy Tale Retellings I've Read (in no particular order):

1. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

2. Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

5. Cress by Marissa Meyer

6. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

7. Fables Volumes 1-20 by Bill Willingham

8. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

9. Ember by Bettie Sharpe

10. Beauty by Robin McKinley

My favourite books are by Rosamund Hodge, Marissa Meyer and of course, Naomi Novik!

Fairy Tale Retellings I Want to Read:

1. Winter by Marissa Meyer

2. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

3. Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

4. Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

5. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

6. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

7. Splintered by A.G. Howard

8. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

9. Entwined by Heather Dixon

10. The Little Android by Marissa Meyer

As you can probably already tell, I'm a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, in fact, it's my favourite genre at the moment. The books highest on my tbr-list are all fairy tale retellings: Winter, Crimson Bound and the Wrath and the Dawn and I absolutely can't wait to start reading them!

I really enjoyed my first Top Ten Tuesday and I hope to join the following Tuesdays as well, so look out for that!

What are your favourite fairy tale retellings? I'd love to know, so don't hesitate to leave a comment!

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

-- Goodreads.com description --

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favourite young adult series. So, I was very excited to read Fairest, which is a novella situated after the third book and before the last one. Since I loved the previous books, I couldn't help feeling disappointed by the newest addition to the series. It's not like I hated it, but I didn't love it either. I actually couldn't care less. There was new information about Levana's past and that is kind of all of it. I don't really believe you need to read this if you want to read Winter but since the last book isn't out yet I have no right to say that. In the end, I gave this novella 3 out of 5 stars, because, let's face it, I couldn't care less about Levana. The book wasn't even interesting.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimedTemeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale.

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

-- Goodreads.com description --

As you probably can already tell from reading my blog, I love fairy tale retellings. Uprooted is supposedly a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. However, as far as fairy tale retellings go, Uprooted is unique. I absolutely fell in love with it. The focus is less on the romance although it is definitely there as well. That's what I enjoyed so much about it. The character development is amazing, I loved Agnieszka and the Dragon so much. And the Wood, man, the Wood was creepy, dangerous and unpredictable. In fact, the whole book was unpredictable, which made it quite unique as a fairy tale retelling. Even if you don't like Beauty and the Beast you will still enjoy Uprooted! It was one of the best books I've read this year and I just can't stress enough that everyone should read it!

5 out of 5 stars!