Saturday, May 1, 2021

A WICKED AND BEAUTIFUL GARDEN

Author: Katie McGarry

Year: 2021

Genre: Paranormal/ Romance.

Rate: 4.5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

 

A little about the book:

“Twenty-eight year-old Cassie Strega can’t escape fate.

All she wants is to live a normal, quiet life delivering the babies in her small town. But when she discovers she comes from a lineage of witches, her life becomes extraordinary—in the gravely dangerous type of way.

Then, she’s reunited with her first love.

Orion, the sultry Fae warrior who broke her heart years before, is searching for a baby. Not just any baby, but the queen of the Fae who will one day lead them in their final battle against the demons determined to rule the world. The same baby who has been calling to Cassie for help in her dreams.

Fighting the intense attraction of their former blood bond, Cassie and Orion work together to find the child. But when the heartbreak that nearly destroyed Cassie nine years before looms once more, she’ll have to decide whether getting involved in the supernatural war is worth losing everything, including her life.”

 My Review:

A wonderful book by one of my favorite authors.

With her first Adult/ Paranormal/ Fantasy Novel, McGarry delivers a story with her characteristic elements; intrigue, anguish, and of course deep emotions, in a world of magic, witches, fairies, and demons.

The narrative is outstanding, as well the descriptions, especially the action scenes and all these new lands. It felt like the author took the reader's hand to bring us inside the pages, and as I always say, Mcgarry has a gift to keep us over the edge, deeply connected with the story with every word.

I particularly enjoyed Cassie development, how she became stronger as the story progressed, also how she held her ground about what she wanted and what she believed. How she owned her mistakes and accepted the consequences of her choices.

Orion on the other hand seemed to be the perfect paper boyfriends, except for this something that didn’t convince me, maybe he was too martyr, and even when at the end I finally trusted him, it was really difficult to care for him.

Another thing that didn’t convince me was the dumped info, these dialogues with question-answer-question-answer. I understand the reader needs to know and maybe this was the best way to do it, However, it clashed with the well-written descriptions.

Overall is a fast-speed reading with a complex plot full of twists, and I can't wait for the next one!!!

100% recommended.  

 Enjoy!

I received an ARC from Admin@katiemcgarry.com in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 Links to purchase: 

 
B&N Print Book: https://bit.ly/3s2rar4
Apple Books, Kobo, and other international etailers:  https://books2read.com/u/3JRpNg
 
Katie McGarry Website: www.katielmcgarry.com
 
Katie McGarry Social Media:
 
TikTok: @katiemcgarryauthor

Saturday, April 24, 2021

NEVER SAW YOU COMING

 

By: Erin Hahn

Genre: Y/A Contemporary Fiction

Year: 2021.

Rate: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟



A little about the book:

“Raised by conservative parents, 18-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. Instead of taking a gap year before college to find herself, she ends up traveling north to meet what’s left of the family she never knew existed.

While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship with the church. The clock is ticking on Pastor Allen’s probation hearing and Micah, now 19, feels the pressure to forgive - even when he can’t possibly forget.

As Meg and Micah grow closer, they are confronted with the heavy flutterings of first love and all the complications it brings. Together, they must navigate the sometimes-painful process of cutting ties with childhood beliefs as they build toward something truer and straight from the heart.”

 “It’s a little like we are helping each other become who we are meant to be. No fixing each other, but pushing each other.”

 My review:

I’m a religious person. Also, I live my idea of religion in my own way, with my personal feelings, and I don’t argue with people about this topic, therefore when somebody starts a discussion, I just walk away. Because of that I almost walk away from this book, but something stops me from doing it, and I have to say my heart hasn’t been as completely full of and story, as it is with Never Saw You Coming.

Marvelous written, in this book, the author delivers a story not about religions or church, nor what is right or wrong, what is acceptable by society or not. It’s not about forgiveness or redemption, but about faith, belief and keeping true to yourself.

Meg and Micah have a complicated relationship with God and their own families, they have their own burden and “garbage,” however the important part is how they use their faith to find themselves.

Every character is fantastic, each of them plays an important role in the story and I think the author does a great job to present every perspective of these characters about the main topic of the story which makes this book richer.

I like that the author doesn’t go for the ‘black and white idea’ she uses more like every situation, every person has their own color. I totally enjoyed that each character speaks their mind as it would happen in real life, and the complexity of families’ dynamic, because let me tell you something, teens and young people aren’t the only with mixing feeling and broken hearts, adults can be pretty much mess up too.

And my final thought is: We really need Duke’s book. You’ll agree when you read it. 😊

100% recommended.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. And I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 Note: Image was taken from goodreads.com