Review: Blood and Honey (Serpent and Dove #2)

Title: Blood and Honey (Serpent and Dove #2)
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

The hotly anticipated sequel to the New York Times and IndieBound bestseller Serpent & Dove—packed with even steamier romance and darker magic—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.

Review:

After escaping from Morgane and the Dames Blanches, Lou and Reid have to gain some allies to face her again. Morgane hints that she will attack again, so Lou and Reid must go beyond the witches to find some help to defeat her. However, as they gather more allies, Lou and Reid are pulled apart. They need to mend their relationship before the entire coven is destroyed.

I really enjoyed this sequel. I actually found this story easier to follow than the first one. Serpent and Dove had a complicated plot, with all of the characters having different goals. In this story, all of the characters were working together to defeat Morgane so they all had the same goal in mind.

The fantasy world of Serpent and Dove expanded in this story. There were different types of creatures, such as the werewolves. There were also different events, such as the traveling circus that they encountered. Though the witches would typically have been the enemies of many of these other groups, they all had to work together to stop Morgane. I liked seeing the world beyond the witches in this story.

Blood and Honey is a great sequel!

What to read next:

Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Other books in the series:

Have you read Blood and Honey? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – September 8

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat. The expected publication date is September 28, 2021.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The ancient world of magic is no more. Its heroes are dead, its halls are ruins, and its great battles between Light and Dark are forgotten. Only the Stewards remember, and they keep their centuries-long vigil, sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns.

Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.

As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Happy Pub Day – September 7

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

Act Cool by Tobly McSmith

The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

Portrait of a Scotman by Evie Dunmore

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin

The Dead Man in the Garden by Marthe Jocelyn

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Hello (From Here) by Chandler Baker and Wesley King

Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee

What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow

A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee

Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason

The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Jasmine Project by Meredith Ireland

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

Mary, Will I Die? by Shawn Sarles

Tides of Mutiny by Rebecca Rode

Major Detours by Zachary Sergi

The Splendor by Breeana Shields

The Pick-Up by Miranda Kenneally

The Buried by Melissa Grey

Small Town Monsters by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

We Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley

What books are you most excited for this week?

Top Ten Tuesday – Books Guaranteed To Put a Smile On Your Face

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Books Guaranteed To Put a Smile On Your Face. Here’s my list:

1. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

2. Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

3. Misfit in Love by S.K. Ali

4. From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn

5. Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley

6. A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen

7. Megabat is a Fraidybat by Anna Humphrey, Kass Reich (illustrator)

8. Candy Hearts by Tommy Siegel

9. Cone Cat by Sarah Howden, Carmen Mok (illustrator)

10. Take It Away, Tommy by Georgia Dunn

(All book covers from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Review: The Bennet Women

Title: The Bennet Women
Author: Eden Appiah-Kubi
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, LGBT
Publisher: Montlake
Source: Thomas Allen and Son (book distributor)
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 1, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this delightfully modern spin on Pride and Prejudice, love is a goal, marriage is a distant option, and self-discovery is a sure thing.

Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theater. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.

Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.

What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted—and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?

Review:

Bennet House is a women’s dorm at Longbourn University in New England. EJ is a resident advisor and an engineering student. Jamie is a trans woman, who is studying theater and French, and is best friends with EJ. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with a terrible boyfriend named Collin. At the start of the fall semester, EJ starts hearing whispers about a new student, Lee Gregory. He’s a charming guy who immediately falls for Jamie. EJ ends up hanging out with Jamie, Lee, and his best friend Will. Will is an actor who’s trying to hide out after a very public breakup. EJ has big plans for her post-graduate future, but she’s attracted to Will, someone who doesn’t seem to fit into her plans.

This is the most diverse story I’ve ever read. Each of the characters were either BIPOC or queer. Though there was this diverse representation, their diversity didn’t define the characters. They all went through relatable experiences throughout their university year. These diverse characters also fit in perfectly with the regency story of Pride and Prejudice.

I love retellings of Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read so many though, that it’s difficult to find a unique spin on the classic. This was a great, original take on the story. The Bennet women weren’t related, but they had a close bond from living together in their dorm. Though the characters didn’t face the same challenges as the ones in the original story (such as needing to find a rich husband to secure their future), they had more modern challenges (such as deciding on what post graduate programs to take). I loved this modernization of the story.

The Bennet Women is a great retelling of Pride and Prejudice!

Thank you Thomas Allen and Son for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Have you read The Bennet Women? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 6

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – September 5

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… The Bennet Women

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this delightfully modern spin on Pride and Prejudice, love is a goal, marriage is a distant option, and self-discovery is a sure thing.

Welcome to Bennet House, the only all-women’s dorm at prestigious Longbourn University, home to three close friends who are about to have an eventful year. EJ is an ambitious Black engineering student. Her best friend, Jamie, is a newly out trans woman studying French and theater. Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major with guy trouble. For them, Bennet House is more than a residence—it’s an oasis of feminism, femininity, and enlightenment. But as great as Longbourn is for academics, EJ knows it can be a wretched place to find love.

Yet the fall season is young and brimming with surprising possibilities. Jamie’s prospect is Lee Gregory, son of a Hollywood producer and a gentleman so charming he practically sparkles. That leaves EJ with Lee’s arrogant best friend, Will. For Jamie’s sake, EJ must put up with the disagreeable, distressingly handsome, not quite famous TV actor for as long as she can.

What of it? EJ has her eyes on a bigger prize, anyway: launching a spectacular engineering career in the “real world” she’s been hearing so much about. But what happens when all their lives become entwined in ways no one could have predicted—and EJ finds herself drawn to a man who’s not exactly a perfect fit for the future she has planned?

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Fictional Schools I’d Like To Go To

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Fictional Schools I’d Like To Go To. Here’s my list:

1. Longbourn

2. The School for Good and Evil

3. Fairy Tale Reform School

4. St. Rosetta’s Academy

5. Riverdale High

6. OASIS School

(All book covers from Goodreads)

Did you make a Six for Sunday list?

Review: Hush-A-Bye

Title: Hush-A-Bye
Author: Jody Lee Mott
Genre: Middle Grade, Horror
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 24, 2021
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A delightfully creepy story perfect for the middle school set! Hush-a-Bye is an old, broken doll found by Lucy and her sister in the woods. It seems to possess extraordinary powers, but will it use them for good or evil?

Like most kids with younger siblings, Lucy loves her sister Antonia, but is all too frequently annoyed with her as well. The two spend most of their time together since their mother works so hard, but without friends Lucy can’t help but feel lonely anyway. She’s always tried to ignore the bullying and teasing at school about her family being poor—it’s always best to keep her head down and do nothing.

When the girls find an old, muddy doll head in the river, Antonia claims it as her newest treasure. At night Lucy hears her talking to Hush-a-Bye—and does she hear the doll talking back? Soon, Hush-a-Bye seems to be protecting Antonia by making bad things happen to others, and it isn’t long before Lucy asks for its help against her tormentors, too. Slowly Hush-a-Bye’s influence forms a wedge between the sisters, and Antonia’s dependence on it becomes frightening. The doll has a mind of its own, and soon it will have Antonia’s as well. Can Lucy solve the mystery of Hush-a-Bye to stop its evil plans?

Review:

While seventh grader Lucy and her younger sister Antonia are exploring a river next to their trailer, they find a dirty old doll’s head. Antonia insists on bringing it home, despite Lucy warning her that they’ll get in trouble for bringing home garbage. That night, they hide the doll in the closet and Antonia starts talking to it. Then, Lucy thinks she hears the doll speak back. They name the doll’s head Hush-a-Bye after a song their mother sang to them as children. Antonia brings Hush-a-Bye to school, where she believes the doll is protecting her and doing things she tells it to do. However, Antonia begins acting differently and becomes obsessed with the doll. Lucy has to figure out how to stop Hush-a-Bye before she becomes too powerful.

This story is perfect for the spooky fall season. A doll’s head without a body can be creepy enough, but when it starts to behave on its own and control a child, it becomes even scarier. The doll was able to communicate with Antonia and Lucy, and also caused conflict between the sisters. It was such a disturbing toy.

There were some serious subjects in this story. Lucy and Antonia had an abusive father, who was mentioned but didn’t appear in the novel. Their mother moved them away from him, but she had to work constantly to make enough money for them to live. This meant that Lucy and Antonia had to look after themselves a lot, which led to them finding the possessed doll’s head. Though Lucy and Antonia had faced many tough challenges in their young lives, the ending was hopeful.

Hush-a-Bye is a creepy middle grade novel!

Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Hiddenseek by Nate Cernosek

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Have you read Hush-A-Bye? What did you think of it?