Category: Book review

I don’t know what’s going on, but I seem to be reading lots and lots of awesome books lately. I guess I’m lucky!

Renegade Queen by R.J. Vickers is definitely one of those awesome books. I was SO EXCITED for this book after the cliffhanger from Innocent Queen and Renegade Queen did not disappoint! I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book.

Renegade Queen picks up where Innocent Queen left off. Kalleah just left the kingdom and her title to Leoth. She, Baridya, Mellicante and Quendon are on their way to Larkhaven in order to raise an army to fight the Whitish. But raising an army is harder than it seems, especially since all the forces seem to be working against them…

Even though I usually prefer a palace or school setting in books, I didn’t mind the shift in scenery in this series. R.J. Vickers adapted really well! The characters grew towards each other during the journey and that was lovely to read.

Just like the rest of the series, Renegade Queen is fast-paced and well written. The tensions between all the involved parties are clear and much is revealed in this book. One thing that I would really like to see some time is an extra chapter from Leoth’s pov, because I’m really intrigued by him and would love to learn more about him.

It you’re a fantasy lover and prefer fast-paced book, just pick up this series. I promise you it won’t disappoint!

I don’t even know what to say. I loved loved loved the first book in The Magic Eaters Trilogy: The Frost Eater. When I got the chance to read The Vine Eater as well, I was THRILLED. And it did not disappoint at all.

Wanting to keep this review spoiler-free, I’m skipping the short description of the events in this book. All I’m saying is that this book picks up exactly where The Frost Eater left off, and that it has even more action and plot twists than the first book.

In The Vine Eater, the friendship between Nora, Krey, Ovrun and Zeisha is tested. Every single one of them has changed after the militia battle and its consequences, and they have to find a new dynamic to fit their new life in Deroga. Nora struggles with everything that happened to Faylie and has trouble accepting her father who has lost his mind. Ovrun doesn’t know what the future will hold for him, Zeisha has trouble finding herself and Krey… Well Kreys problems will become clear in The Vine Eater.

The Vine Eater is an amazing piece of art. I think I loved it even more than The Frost Eater. The story is character-driven AND plot-driven, and that’s a rare combination in quite a short YA book. Carol Beth Anderson, I don’t know how you do it, but you do it well.

One thing that bothered me a little was the change in pacing in the second half of the book. It wasn’t very coherent and hard to follow at some points. I also struggled with visualizing the characters, as their description wasn’t repeated in The Vine Eater and it’s been a few months since I read The Frost Eater. But besides those small two points, everything was perfect.

I honestly think that The Magic Eaters trilogy is severely underrated. More people should read this and show the gorgeous books on their bookshelves. Even though I’ve already read them, I’m going to buy the physical copies because I definitely want to read the story again on paper. If you’re a fan of young adult fantasy and dystopian, The Magic Eaters trilogy is definitely worth the read.

Before the universe existed, there was a giant, black, upside-down top hat surrounded by empty, black nothingness.

Magic follows 23-years old Charlie Watson as he writes about how magic exists. And then how it doesn’t exist. And then how it exists again. The story is narrated by Charlie himself and starts with a description of how the world was created.

Magic is… different. I went into this book without any expectations and I was incredibly surprised. Usually, the books I count as good aren’t real page turners. An example of that is The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. It takes time comprehending what you’re reading and therefore it costs a lot of energy. Magic is one of those books. The tone of the book was odd, but it really added to Charlie’s view of the world. The writing style completed the story.

I’ll admit, I was confused throughout the whole first half of the book. And confused about other things in the second half of the book. As I was reading, I wasn’t sure if it was fantasy or not, but everything became clear in the end.

This book contains bullying and depression, and approaches it in a lighthearted way. It doesn’t make the message of Magic any less clear though: there’s magic in even the smallest and common things. You can’t change the world, but you can change your world.

Magic isn’t a real page turner but it’s so much more than that. It’s more than just a story and definitely worth the read.

Big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of The Bro Code!

The Bro Code follows high school boy Nick Maguire. Nick blindly follows the rules of the Bro Code, created by him and his best friends Carter and Austin. One of the rules in The Bro Code is that you aren’t allowed to date a bro’s sister. But when Caster’s younger sister Eliza comes home after a year in Australia, Nick starts to realize that The Bro Code isn’t always fair…

It starts off as a typical ya contemporary romance, but instead of an underdog as main character, The Bro Code has one of the ‘cool’ guys. Nick is incredibly close with his friends and they always support each other, but they leave a lot of other people around them with a mess to deal with. Nick is actually kind of an ass. But despite of that, I was rooting for him and Eliza. Real hard. Eliza is a good influence on Nick and it was heartwarming to read about their developing relationship.

The plot was fine. I was looking for a fun contemporary read after reading lots of fantasy and The Bro Code managed to fulfill that need. The writing style took some time getting used to, but once used to it, I enjoyed it a lot. It was like Nick himself was telling a story, instead of the reader following Nick as he experiences everything.

The book deals with a lot of important problems, like sexism, sexual harassment and misogyny. These problems were presented with humor and I think that’s an interesting way to confront the reader with them. The Bro Code clearly sends a message that a lot of things that seem harmless, are part of the current problems in the world.

I enjoyed seeing the character development. HOWEVER, an important revelation in the end of the book destroys basically all that character development and ruins the whole message of the book. If that didn’t happen, the book would have gotten 4 stars instead of 3.

The Bro Code is a fun, witty contemporary read. With lots of editing to remove spelling mistakes, it would become a fine book. I recommend reading it if you’re a sucker for cliches (like me) and enjoy a witty main character. Don’t go into this book expecting Nick is a ‘good’ person or that all his actions will be explained, because you will be disappointed. Nick is flawed but willing to learn and I think that’s great.