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Review: The Chalice and the Crown, by Kassandra Flamouri

I received a free copy of this book. This did not affect my review, all opinions are my own.

The Russian Sasha Nikolayeva is a talented ballerina, plagued by nightmares that seem so real it’s like she’s living them. Just as she lands a famous role in The Swan Lake, Sasha’s nightmares become more common and she starts hallucinating. One day, she’s fully sucked into her nightmare, a new fantasy world where she’s a thrall without her memory. Can Sasha remember who she was and come back to reality?

Okay, I’ll admit, I hadn’t read the complete blurb before I started the book. I read ‘ballet’s crown princess’ and ‘neurological symptoms’, and I requested a copy. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started reading. It felt like I was reading a contemporary novel, with some random dream passages in between. As the story progressed and the dreams came more often, I started noticing a coherence in the dreams, and suddenly Sasha was in her parallel dream world.

I have never ever read a book with this layout. The subtle changes in the layout of The Chalice and the Crown (I’m not going to spoil what those changes are!), had real impact on me. The story shows how friends help each other, while still being independent. It’s sad but hopeful and filled with important choices that define Sasha’s future. Sasha grew as a person and her priorities changed. I already respected Sasha at the start of the book, but even more when I finished it.

The Chalice and the Crown is a beautiful dark fantasy that contains racism, pain and sadness, but also friendship, love and hope. It sends a message of finding the good in the bad. It contains morally grey characters and a surprising ending. As I’m writing this review, I don’t even know why I gave this book only 3 stars. I’m going to give it 4 stars, because the author created something incredibly dark, despite being beautiful. It’s not a long book, so I highly recommend you read it.
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WWW Wednesday

Hey guys! It’s time for my second WWW wednesday. I’m starting to read more and more these days, and I feel like I should definitely enjoy it before I start working 36 hours a week next week! How do you combine work and reading without neglecting your other duties? Please let me know!

What I’ve read:

Wiving by Caitlin Myer is a beautifully written memoir. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a while. A review will be posted here soon!

I listened to the Audiobook of Beauty and the Beast by Vivienne Savage. The retelling is enjoyable and fine. I did however love the fact that the Beast is a dragon here!

The Chalice and the Crown by Kassandra Flamouri has an incredibly unique way of storytelling. A review will be posted tomorrow!

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently busy with my third reread of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah. J. Maas. Just like during my first read, I can’t put it down. I just love this series too much.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus is the first of her books I’m reading. It’s hard to put down and if the book stays this interesting, I’ll definitely read her other books!

Why oh why didn’t I read this sooner. I’m listening to the audiobook of Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa and IT’S AMAZING. The narrator is talented as well and I can just hear the sassiness in her voice. It reminds me so much of the ACOTAR series that I wish I read this in my ACOTAR hangover.

After finishing The Skylark’s Song, I couldn’t wait to start The Skylark’s Sacrifice by J. M. Frey. I’m currently a few chapters in but I don’t know what to think of it just yet.

Just like 2 weeks ago, I’ve only read the first chapter. I may have to reread that first chapter before I go on with the rest of the book.

What I’ll be reading next:

I can’t wait to start the following books!

What are your WWW Wednesday books?

Love,
Ani

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WWW Wednesday

Hey guys! From now on, I’ll be posting a WWW Wednesday post every 2 weeks, so you’ll know what I’m up to when it comes to reading. I don’t know who created WWW Wednesday, so if you do, please let me know so I can give them credits in my following WWW Wednesday posts!

What I’ve finished reading:

I’m currently doing a re-readalong for the ACOTAR series, organized by the SJM Collectors Community on Facebook! We’re all preparing for the release of A Court of Silver Flames by rereading the whole series, and started A Court of Thorns and Roses in Oktober. It was actually my third reread of the series and now that I noticed the foreshadowing, I loved it even more. ❤

The Skylark’s Song and Subversive were both books I read to review, so you’ll see the reviews soon enough on my blog! In short: I enjoyed both books tremendously and I can’t wait to start their  sequels. I’ll leave the rest of the info for my review posts. 😉

What I’m currently reading:

I’m reading Midnight Sun together with a group of friends, but I haven’t picked it up in a while unfortunately. I’m definitely enjoying it, but I feel like I would have enjoyed it even more if I’d done a reread of the Twilight series before I started it.

Wiving is definitely not my usual genre. The author approached me and I was willing to give it a try. It’s different but I think it’s good for me to read something different for once. Unfortunately, it’s also the reason that I’ve been much slower in reading this book. It’s worth it though, so I’m taking my time to read it thoroughly.

I’ve actually only read the first chapter of How to Break an Evil Curse. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep on reading it now, or give priority to some other books I’ve been dying to read.

Beauty and the Beast is a retelling of, well, Beauty and the Beast. I bought it impulsively for my Kindle as it was on sale and The Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale. I’m enjoying the audiobook, but as I started reading the reviews, I noticed that someone classified it under erotica and that the author emphasized that it was an adult retelling. I guess I won’t be listening to it in public.😂

I’ve been reading The Purple Haze for FOREVER, but I had to put it down due to exams. I’m excited to pick it up again this week, because I did really enjoy it. It’s YA fantasy, but incredibly different from other books. It’s funny and witty, whilst still being filled with adventure and mystery.

What I’ll be reading next:

For the Ultimate Blog Tour organized by The Write Reads, I’ll be reading The Cousins! It’s my first book of Karen McManus, despite seeing her books in all book stores nearby.

The Chalice and the Crown has been sitting on my Netgalley shelf for waaaaayy too long. I completely forgot about it, and I might give it priority over How to Break an Evil Curse right now.

A Court of Mist and Fury is the next book for the ACOTAR re-readalong. I’ll be reading it in November, but as it’s in my top 5 of favorite books (to be honest, I don’t even know what the order of my top 5 is), I’ll probably be finishing it before the end of November.

 

Have you read any books on this list? What did you think of it? What are your WWW Wednesday books? Let me know in the comments!

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Review: Crystal Shadows, Gripping New Blood

I received a copy of Crystal Shadows in exchange for an honest review. This didn’t affect my review.

Sarah’s father has always been secretive about her dead grandfather, even though Sarah and her father share a close bond. However, her fathers behavior hasn’t stopped Sarah from asking questions. And when Sarah and her friends start investigating the strange noises from the attic, they come to the shocking discovery that Sarah’s ‘grandfather’ had actually been living in the attic! And they also discover that her grandfather needs them to save the world…

I wanted to like it, I really did. I don’t often read middle grade books, but the premise was incredibly interesting so I took a chance. Unfortunately, as soon as I started reading it, I was lost. The dialogue between the characters wasn’t logical and incredibly hard to follow. I also couldn’t imagine the characters at all because the ways all the characters talked and acted weren’t realistic. First there was a huge revelation, and suddenly Carly Rae Jepsen (I truly don’t know if I spelled her name correctly) was doing a performance during a basketball game? Why is there a performance in the last few pages of the book when there’s so much that still has to be solved?

Furthermore, I missed a lot of world building. Descriptions of the house, of Sarah’s friends, her father, anything that would make it easier to imagine the story. Instead, too many words were used for (I’m so sorry) useless dialogue. It had a negative influence on the flow of the story.

And lastly, the plot. I’m actually not sure if there’s going to be a sequel or not. If there is, this book was building up to it, and in that case this book and the sequel should have been one book. If not, I’m afraid the only real plot that the book thoroughly executed was Sarah finding her grandfather in the attic, which was already spoiled in the blurb of the book. Nothing happened with the amulet that was supposed to help Sarah fight the darkness and there’s too much that still needs to be solved.

The story has real promise, it really does. The book just needs lots of editing. Make the dialogue more realistic and create a better flow in the book. That will give Crystal Shadows a better chance to go to its full potential.

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Ultimate Blog Tour: May Day

I wish I could say today was my stop on the Ultimate Blog Tour for May Day, but it was actually yesterday😂 I messed up a little with the dates, my bad. Nonetheless, I loved this book. I read 320 pages in one sitting, because I just couldn’t put it down (much to my boyfriend’s dismay).

May Day follows the vampire Jack Valentine as she and the other Seekers research a murder that happened on May Morning. As they follow all the leads they can find, they soon figure out that there are lots of places that other vampires in high places don’t want them to look. Will they find out the truth of what happened to David Grant?

I honestly couldn’t find any flaws in this book. The writing style was excellent, the mystery had a few huge plot twists and the romance was intriguing. The justice system and hierarchy were both explained clearly, just like the characteristics of being a vampire in Josies world.

I’m a sucker for romance that’s quite toxic. Examples are Jude and Cardan (The Cruel Prince) and Alina and the Darkling (Shadow and Bone).  Lucky for me, May Day contains one. It’s one of the main reasons why I HAVE TO READ THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW. I guess I’ll just have to wait and be patient.

May Day is an excellent murder mystery set in modern day England. It has a unique description of vampires and well-written romance. I highly recommend you read it. Please read it.

Here’s the official blurb of the book:

If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective. Just maybe not this one.

It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.
When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.
To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.

May Day is the first book in Josie Jaffrey’s Seekers series, an urban fantasy series set in Oxford, England.

Buy May Day here