Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians #2) by Ruby Dixon

 
Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon

My Rating: ★★★★

Liz’s life wasn’t the best, but it also wasn’t the worst. Then things took a swerve for the worse when she was abducted by aliens. Now Liz is trying her best to survive on an ice planet with the other women who were abducted and then dumped there. First up, she has to decide if she wants to accept the khui. Then she has to deal with the stubborn and mean looking alien who is weirdly obsessed with caring for her.

When I picked up the first book in the series, I was expecting a fun read and nothing more. I quickly discovered it’s absolutely hilarious but also sweet at times. I’m really rooting for all of these characters! This time around, we follow Liz and Raahosh through their rotating perspectives. It turns out that Liz’s khui has chosen her mate well because Raahosh is just as stubborn as she is. He’s stubborn, rough around the edges, and not exactly everyone’s friend. However, he’s also sweet, kind, and caring. He’s just modeling his wooing efforts after the totally wrong example: his father!

I absolutely loved following Liz around. She was a great character in the first book, so now we got to get to know her and see how she grows to love or hate this new planet that she gets to call home. Along the way, we also get to learn a lot about Raahosh as well as more about life on this planet that’s new to Liz. I had a great time reading about Liz and Raahosh’s adventures. I would’ve liked to see more of the other characters, but it made complete sense that we didn’t see them until way later. Honestly, I can’t complain about that. It was such a good read!

While it’s not as funny as the first book, there’s still plenty of laugh out loud moments all book long. This has truly turned into a surprise series for me. I started it for fun because, well, ice aliens! It’s turned out to be an excellent read so far and I look forward to checking out the third book in the new year.

Made to Measure: An Easy Guide to Drafting and Sewing a Custom Wardrobe by Elisalex Jewell

 
Made to Measure by Elisalex Jewell

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re interested in learning how to draft and sew custom clothes for yourself or others, this is an excellent place to start! Inside you will find everything from a supply list to a basic sewing guide. While I’ve been sewing on and off since my high school sewing class, I still read the supply list that had really pretty drawings of the supplies. I learned that the loop turner tool exists, which is going to make making drawstrings for pajamas so much easier! 

The sewing guide is excellent. It contains a lot of information but is presented in a way that is simple and easy to follow that is also not overwhelming in any way. I really like that there are troubleshooting tips that help with everything from the secret to sewing necklines to adjusting fit issues. I also really like that it has some sewing patterns at the back to help you get a feel for what was introduced throughout the book before diving into doing your own thing.

While it is easy to follow and understand, I do think it is not meant for beginners. However, I also think that drafting a pattern will be extremely difficult for beginners in general. It is an excellent book to have on hand once you get to the point of feeling ready to learn how to customize and draft patterns.

If I Were a Fungus by Gaia Stella

 
If I Were a Fungus by Gaia Stella

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Lerner Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a cute book for kids. It’s super simple and cute. I think kids will love it. The art is cute and fun as well. It looks like a kid drew it and that’s part of what makes it so cute for kids. It looks like something they could’ve drawn for their parents to put together as a book. There are a lot more facts at the end of the book, which I wish were incorporated into the story. The fungi facts could’ve been built into the story with drawings to go with each fact that’s presented. Instead, the facts felt random and out of place at the end. Otherwise, it’s cute and I don’t think that kids will mind that the facts at the end aren’t built into the story.

Kawaii Café Bubble Tea: Classic, Fun, and Refreshing Boba Drinks to Make at Home by Stacey Kwong; Beyah del Mundo

 
Kawaii Café Bubble Tea: Classic, Fun, and Refreshing Boba Drinks to Make at Home by Stacey Kwong; Beyah del Mundo

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Rock Point through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love boba, so of course I had to read this book! Inside, you will find 60 recipes that have their own adorable drawing to accompany them. It starts out with how to brew tea and make your own boba (aka tapioca balls) before jumping to some staples, like making sweeteners, syrups, and jellies from scratch. Honestly, this book has me ready to go out and buy what I need to make my own boba drinks from scratch tomorrow!

The recipes are easy to follow and like I said earlier, they have adorable drawings to go with them. Once you get far enough into the book, you will find recipes for a good variety of drinks. Whether you want to make milk tea, fun fruit teas, or any kind of specialty drink, this is your book! It’s a really cute and fun way to learn how to make these drinks at home. My favorite boba drink is milk tea boba, and I’m so excited to possibly make it in the near future after making some of the more simpler drinks (like regular milk tea and such).

How to Draw Super Cute Things With Bobbie Goods!: Learn to Draw & Color Absolutely Adorable Art! by Bobbie Goods

 
How to Draw Super Cute Things With Bobbie Goods! by Bobbie Goods
My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a simple drawing book with a hint of a coloring book, this is the book for you! Inside you will find an absolutely adorable drawing tips, instructions, and some pages that work as a coloring book. The drawings are simple and Bobbie encourages readers to embrace imperfections. I like that there are examples of perfectly straight lines compared to shaky lines to show readers that if you have a shaky hand, it just adds extra character to your work. That’s perfect for kids or anyone who wants to reach an idea of perfection. Work with what you’ve got and it can become your style as well as bringing some character to your work and I really liked that they made sure to include that. All in all, it’s fun and cute and I can see this being perfect for kids, families, and anyone who wants a cute drawing book.

A Stitch in Time (A Stitch in Time #1) by Kelley Armstrong

 

A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

My Rating: ★★★

Bronwyn has a long history with Thorne Manor. She’s spent decades believing her closest friend and love of her life is a figment of her imagination because she was traveling to him through a stitch in time. Between the boy she loved, the ghost that scared her, and the tragic death of her uncle all being connected to Thorne Manor, she hasn’t been there in decades. Now that Bronwyn has inherited the property, she’s finding herself returning for the first time since she fled from a scary ghost. It turns out that William and the stitch in time are very real because she’s just woken up in his room. Now she gets a third chance at love with an old flame while discovering why the only ghosts she sees are all connected to William.

I really wanted to love this book, but it seemed like it was somehow doing too much and not enough at the same time. It doesn’t help that Bronwyn was kind of irritating to follow. It also didn’t get interesting until a smidge after the halfway point, which is odd because a time slip alone should’ve been quite interesting. However, it does have an interesting plot and some excellent characters. I also really liked the romance and thought it was cute and sweet.

While I didn’t care for Bronwyn, there were some characters I really liked. William is a sweet character, and I wish we were able to read the story from his perspective as well. It also would’ve helped a lot with developing the mystery. Freya was very sweet, caring, and funny. I loved her presence and how she became such a fast friend and confidant to Bronwyn. August was a delight and I wish we got to see him more than we did. I think August my be my favorite character, actually.

The mystery itself was very interesting, but not much happened with it for some time. It was more of a paranormal occurrence than mystery until later. I wish that more happened with the mystery in the past than in the present. Every time it progressed, it felt very sudden and didn’t always line up with the past.. I do think it was a cool concept and really like how it ultimately played out, though. That was probably the best part of the book and I was really hanging on every letter when things started really rolling on the mystery front.

I also think that the romance was very soft and sweet. Bronwyn and William have that genuine high school sweethearts kind of romance that feels very real in so many ways. They have excellent chemistry and I like how they always tried to really communicate and see where the other was coming from and how they felt. It’s not a romance that’s on fire and oozing with their romantic chemistry. It’s very soft and cute and makes you naturally want to root for them.

While I liked the story, I didn’t care for Bronwyn and the first half of the book moved way too slow for me. I think the mystery was the best part about the book, but that things didn’t always line up because of the time travel and lack of little clues that should’ve popped up here and there during the first half. I also think the romance was very soft, sweet, and cute and found the supporting characters very likable. I also think the story wraps up pretty well while leaving things open enough to let readers see how Bronwyn and William’s future unfolds. It feels like a stand alone book to me, and I’d be much more interested in the next book in the series if each book covered a different couple experiencing a stitch in time.

The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin

 

The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Robin Franklin

My Rating: ★★★★★

Kat loves all things paranormal. In fact, she loves it so much that she hosts a podcast about all things paranormal with her best friend. When Kat gets a chance to investigate a paranormal sighting, she’s not about to blow her chance of experiencing a story first hand. It’s why she’s skipping out on spring break with her best friend and heading to Estrella Roja. It’s there that she meets Mari, who is in town for the first time since she was a kid, and it’s not to investigate the devil lights. Mari’s abuela has passed away, and her family is stand-offish and outright judgmental. It doesn’t help that there seems to be a family secret no one wants to let her in on, but why is it somehow connected to what Kat is uncovering?

I absolutely loved reading this! We follow Kat and Mari through their rotating perspectives as they both travel to Estrella Roja for very different reasons. Kat is following up on an anonymous tip, and Mari is back in town with her mom and sister after her abuela died. It’s interesting to see how their experiences in town differ while being similar. They’re both viewed as outsiders, and Mari is dealing with the silent anger about a big family secret. It’s also fun to see how they both team up and explore where the devil lights even though Mari doesn’t believe in anything supernatural.

One of the things I love about this story is how layered Mari’s family dynamics are. It’s clear there’s something going on that she and her little sister have been left out of. It’s also very clear that some of her family resents them for moving away even though the choice was never theirs. It was so interesting to see how secrets and family resentment are viewed by Mari and her sister. We see the body language of their family, the little meetings, barely minced words here and there. There’s a lot of visual storytelling through the artwork and I love that.

It’s also fun to see Kat go out on a limb and take off to a small town on her own. Even she notices it’s like she’s in a movie where she’s warned not to go to Estrella Roja. Then she’s constantly told she should leave town. Nothing good comes from that in a horror movie, but this isn’t a horror movie and Kat is on a mission. I also loved seeing how her best friend is kept in the story while off on her own spring break trip.

The paranormal plot is excellent and not what I was expecting at all, but I mean that in a good way. There’s some interesting twists and turns along with little hints here and there. The closer we get to the big reveal, we see how everything is so intertwined with Mari’s family. I also love that both Mari and Kat have such realistic responses to having their first paranormal sighting together. It’s absolutely hilarious while being realistic. Neither of them know what to do! All in all, this was an excellent read and I look forward to checking out more work from this author.

A Worthy Opponent (Wicked Villains #3) by Katee Robert

 
A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert

My Rating: ★★★★

Tink thought she had a good thing going with Hades, which is why she’s blindsided when he doesn’t renew her contract. Once word gets out that she no longer has Hades protection, Peter is going to come looking for her. Fast. Tink has no plans, no friends, and no time. All she has is her clothing business and whatever she’s stuffed into her suitcase. Then Hook makes an offer: marriage and protection along with Peter’s head on a plate. Maybe the enemy of her enemy is her friend after all.

I started this series just to read this book, so I was excited to get started! This time around, we follow Tink and Hook through their rotating perspectives. I love that Tink is confident and strong while also being plus size and one half of a romance novel. I really like that Katee writes different body types in their books and never forgets the plus size characters. I’ve never seen Tink portrayed as a plus size character either, so it was really refreshing the first time we met her in this series. This was also an interesting take on Hook, and I mean that in a positive way!

The romance itself was truly on fire. Tink and Hook have really good chemistry and make sense as a couple. There was a tenderness between them that I haven’t seen in any of the other books I’ve read from Katee, and it came so naturally to these two characters while still making sense to the story itself. I like how they interacted with each other and other key players to their story as well. I think that it’ll make their appearances in future books rather interesting because these two have a good dynamic with everyone.

I think this will likely be my favorite book from this series because there was a natural chemistry between them and the other characters they were involved with. The characters and the story were fleshed out more than the previous books, which I liked a lot. However, we didn’t see much of the villain of the story before the book ended. There was a lot of build up to when we’d finally see Peter only for his plot to end in a few blinks. I do think he was well developed and truly a terrible person, though. It just seemed like things ended way too fast after all that build up.

Tea Leaves by Jacob Budenz

 

Tea Leaves by Jacob Budenz

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Amble Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Here we have a collection of short stories that give us a glimpse into each character’s lives. While they’re impacted by fantasy elements, that’s not the driving point of these stories. They range in length and depth, so there’s something for everyone. Some people may not like all of the short stories, but the great thing about a collection like this is that you don’t have to debate on whether or not you want to commit to a full length book if you’re on the fence about the story. They’re short and sometimes not so sweet, but you don’t have to get invested if you don’t want to because they wrap up quickly.

What I like about this collection is that we get to hop around completely different lives. Funnily enough, my favorite story ended up being the very first one I read, which is the one I would probably read as a full-length book. However, I did enjoy reading through the entire collection and getting a peek into several totally different lives with varying degrees of fantasy elements.

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from First Second Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Jane’s parents pass away in a horrible accident, she quickly learns that she’s completely alone. Plus, her cousin is kicking her out of her own house! That’s when Jane decides that she might be able to get her lifelong crush to marry her if he’s dazzled by her hefty dowry. Things seem to be according to plan when a mermaid abducts her almost-fiancé! Now Jane is throwing caution to the wind by following Peter deep into the sea.

I was extremely excited when I saw that Vera Brogol had a new book coming out! I have loved every single thing I’ve read from them. This time around, we follow a freshly orphaned Jane. She is extremely relatable because she’s never felt good enough for anything. It doesn’t help that even her own parents agreed she was fat and ugly! We also follow her life-long crush, Peter. Now Peter has never fit in with his family because he’s far more interested in finery than continuing the family fishing business. The two have very different experiences in life, but we also see that Peter is genuinely nice even if he is superficial.

It was so much fun following Jane and Peter’s stories as they find themselves somewhere deep underwater. I like that we get to see what Jane and Peter have in common despite having very different experiences and views on life. I love that Jane is considered fat an ugly and learns to love herself and not just accept what society thinks she should be allowed. I wish that this was a story around when I was growing up constantly being told how fat and ugly I was. It’s harder to believe in yourself when you never see yourself reflected positively in your books and tv shows. I love that we’re seeing more and more characters somewhere in the same breath as Jane being depicted in books and media. Jane is such a positive character and I love how we see her slowly learn to love and believe in herself as the story continues.

There are a few other excellent characters in the book. We get to know the mermaids, a selkie that Jane befriends, and meet other characters whether or not they’re positive or negative ones. It was so interesting to see how some of the characters come together in unexpected ways. It was also neat to see that we learn so much about a character we briefly meet through the other characters in the book. I truly loved everything about this story down to the beautiful artwork.

Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians #1) by Ruby Dixon

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

My Rating: ★★★★

Georgie’s life was going well until she woke up inside of a UFO with little green men irritated that she was screaming in response to their presence. The next thing she knew, she was groggy as hell and huddling with the other women who were abducted. Things couldn’t get any worse, or so she thought, when those little green men had the nerve to dump their human cargo on an ice planet! Armed in ill-fitting borrowed clothes and a weapon she doesn’t know how to use, Georgie is off to see if she can find help. It’s too bad help has arrived in the form of a giant blue man with horns who seems to be infatuated with her…

I started this book because it sounded fun. I can now confirm that it’s absolutely hilarious once you get past the opening, which is pretty gnarly. There aren’t any content warnings in the book, but a rape occurs shortly after the book starts. The book itself is pretty dark until Georgie and company get dumped on an ice planet. From that point forward, the book turns out to be pretty good. At first, we see Georgie struggling with being abducted by aliens and getting dumped on a planet that is very clearly not Earth. Then we discover how funny she and Vektal are as she figures out this planet and how to save herself and the other people she was dumped with.

One of the reasons I think this book works so well is because it’s very humorous. Romance isn’t the main plot, and we actually learn a lot about this ice planet as well as Vektal’s people through Georgie. It’ll be interesting to see where the story goes since it appears that each person who survives along with Georgie will get their own books. I can see the series becoming more of a true romance as time goes on, but for now, it’s really funny and interesting. I had a great time reading it once Georgie and Vektal started traveling together.

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi, Shazleen Khan

 
Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi, Shazleen Khan
My Rating: ★★★★★

Zara and Zeeshan are twins who never get along. All they do is fight and poke fun at each other. Things come to a head when they go on a trip to Florida. What is supposed to be a trip to celebrate their mom and the ceremony she’s being awarded at quickly goes south when their bickering finally becomes too much. The punishment? No phones! Now they’re forced to be in each other’s company without a buffer. Everything changes when they find a sick turtle, Sunshine, which gets them to slowly put aside their differences.

This is such an amazing book following twins, Zara and Zeeshan, who are similar yet very different. Because of this, all they do is butt heads left and right! However, they don’t realize they’re much more alike than they could ever see. They’re both very passionate about their interests and very caring people, so it was great to see them slowly bond throughout the book. Saadia captures their sibling dynamic extremely well. It was very realistic!

The book also captures the struggles of the siblings as well as their family very well, but also light enough for the young readers this is aimed at. We see how they face prejudice and racism as well as how even Zara’s friends treated her differently when she started wearing a hijab. The book keeps it light enough for young readers, but older readers can easily pick up how much depth there is to the prejudice and racism they face.

All in all, this is a wonderful book. I loved seeing how passionate Zara was about animals and Zeeshan is about space, so it was wonderful seeing them bond with each other about their differences and similarities. It also deals with prejudice and racism in a way that’s easy for young readers to digest and also feel seen and noticed if they have already experienced it themselves. The artwork is beautiful and helps give even more depth to the story. I highly recommend this book!