Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo

 

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
My Rating: ★★★

Weak, powerless, and frustrated, Alina finds herself trapped in the clutches of the Apparat somewhere deep underground. The Apparat offers protection… at a price, and that price is following his orders while isolated and kept on a very short leash. Thankfully, Alina has a small group of friends and allies who are following the Apparat’s instructions while plotting to get out of there and go find the final amplifier so she can face the Darkling one final time.

It took me sometime to get into this book because the first 35% or so was dreadfully slow. I was rather disappointed that the opening chapters was mostly exposition letting us know what transpired during the short period of time between the second and third book. This would’ve been okay if the Apparat and his followers made a huge showing later in the book. Instead, it didn’t really pay off and I found myself bored and feeling like the story wasn’t going anywhere until almost halfway through the book.

I am also disappointed in how little Alina uses her powers and how much she relies on finding the third amplifier to give her strength. Even with the amplifiers, you’d think she’d want to focus on practicing her abilities, sharpening her skills, and pushing those abilities to the limit to see what she could achieve. The amplifiers to increase her strength, but what’s the point of that without putting in more effort on her end? It just seemed kind of odd, especially since she craves the increase in power. You’d think she’d want to also put more effort in to maximize her abilities, but maybe I’m expecting too much from

Complaints aside, once the story picked up, it really picked up. I was glued to the pages and excited to see where the story was Alina and company. There were some shocking events that took place. One event had me thinking this was the end for this character for sure. I wish what happened to them was further explored, but I’m happy with the information we got and how it was resolved.

I am surprised with how the final events unfold. I both like and dislike this because I think they’re excellent twists, but the way one of them plays out needed more of an explanation. The more I think about it, the more it doesn’t make a single ounce of sense. However, if I don’t think much about it, I guess I can live with it. I just wish we had some information to expand on how A led to B and C because it doesn’t make sense and seems like it wasn’t well thought out.

Wait. I thought I wasn’t complaining anymore… I swear I did enjoy the second half of book! I loved many of the characters and where the story took them. I was sad to see some of them injured and others killed, but I’m also surprised that so many of them survived to the end of the book. We also got some very interesting backstory that I was very excited to see. I’m a little sad to say goodbye to these characters now that it’s over, but I can’t say this was my favorite book in the series.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty
My Rating: ★★★★

In a society where it’s taboo to ask questions about what happens when we die, you can always count on kids to ask all the hard-hitting questions. Caitlin Doughty takes several questions that have come her way thanks to tiny humans without filters and wrote a book answering them. What happens when we die? Why don’t bugs and animals eat our bones? What happens if someone dies in space? Caitlin takes her knowledge as a mortician and applies them to each question in a serious yet fun way that’s easy for kids and adults to understand.

I’m not sure why I picked up this book but I’m glad I did. Caitlin is the perfect person to answer the many morbid questions that have come her way. Each chapter is serious, informative, and funny without being distasteful in all the right spots. There are also illustrations perfect for kids in each chapter along with information that’s easy to digest whether you’re a child or adult.

In fact, you may even find questions you remember having as a child pop up. I know I did! I always wondered what would happen if someone were to die in space. When I was a kid, I watched an episode of some TV show with my older brother. One of the characters died and their coffin was launched in space. As a kid, I then wondered what would happen if we died in space and if we would be launched into deep space. Thanks to this book, I now know what would happen if anyone were to die in space, which is a question I had not thought about in many years.

While this book is kid friendly, I do think that parents should read it beforehand to decide if it’s appropriate for their kids. I think it’s perfect for older kids in the 10+ age bracket, but it may be confusing for most children younger than that.

Kitchen Witchery: Unlocking the Magick in Everyday Ingredients by Laurel Woodward

 
Kitchen Witchery: Unlocking the Magick in Everyday Ingredients by Laurel Woodward
My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from Llewellyn Publications through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re interested in spell work and want to expand your knowledge about it from a cooking standpoint, this is the book for you. While it does talk a lot about organic ingredients, which is not exactly affordable for many people, I do think that a lot of the information not pertaining to organic foods is very informative. It talks a lot about setting your intentions and learning about the properties of foods, which expands reader’s knowledge. I love that there’s also information on how to create your own tools with what you have on hand.

I think it’s great because it’s spell work meets a cookbook since there’s a combination of recipes included. Spell work can be a cup of tea, combining herbs, or even a meal, and I think there’s a lot of information here for anyone who is drawn kitchen magic. The possibilities are endless. I think this is a great starting point for anyone interested in either getting started with magic or just looking to expand their general knowledge. 

Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift

Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift
My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Hodder and Stoughton through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In 2023, a new deadly virus wreaks havoc on the world. It’s known as 6DM, or six days maximum, because you have up to six days from the point of contraction before the virus causes your internal organs to melt. There is no hope. 6DM has destroyed the world. As far as one woman knows, she’s the only survivor. She didn’t get 6DM and was forced to watch everyone she’s ever known or loved die from the virus, and now she’s determined to find another poor soul who is trying to survive in this new world.

I was drawn to this book because it’s a dystopian novel that is also adult fiction. I know that it might be an odd choice when we’re still living in a pandemic, but I love dystopian novels as well as novels told through a series of journal entries. When I first started the book, I wondered if picking it up might’ve been a mistake. The protagonist whose name we never learn isn’t the most likable, and her diary entries are pretty dry. However, the more I read, the more I liked the book. Bethany Clift got into a groove and the diary entries were no longer dry. I also found that I liked the protagonist as I continued to read.

I thought this was an interesting book. It reminded me of an old TV show that I watched years ago called Survivors, which follows a small group of people who survive a deadly virus that killed nearly all of the human population. While the premise is similar, this book follows a woman who is left completely alone. She’s scared, lonely, and both high and drunk while hoping to find fellow survivors. While there were some flaws, like there being electricity and easily available running water for too long and COVID details being shoehorned in, I found it to be a great read.

One of the things I like about the book is that the protagonist is forced to reflect on her life. Now that she’s alone, she has to get to know herself on a new level. On the flip side, she can finally be herself without trying to pretend she’s someone else for the people around her. Watching her struggle with the death of everyone she’s ever known was heartbreaking, but her struggles with surviving or wanting to end it all when she’s seemingly the last person on Earth is something I think anyone in that situation would find themselves struggling with.

All in all, I thought this was a great read. I also liked the ending, which gave me an idea of what happened to her and what the future holds. I highly recommend this book if you like to read dystopian novels. However, I do think you should avoid it if you are a recovering drug addict since the protagonist does begin to use drugs at some point and I think the details may be triggering.

She Kills Me: The True Stories of History's Deadliest Women by Jennifer Wright

 
She Kills Me: The True Stories of History's Deadliest Women by Jennifer Wright
My Rating: ★★★★★

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

I was so excited when I saw that one of my favorite non-fiction writers was dropping a new book. Jennifer Wright has done it again, and this time she brought her sense of humor to the table with a book about some of the deadliest women recorded in history. If you like true crime, I promise you that this book is for you.

When I say that Jennifer brought her sense of humor to this book, I also mean that it’s done tastefully. As always, she knows when she can be funny and when it’s time to scale back. However, this book isn’t in any way funny, and you won’t see her brand of humor shine due to the subject matter. As I was saying, she is always tasteful about when and where she can lighten the mood as her readers take in heavy subject matter.

This time around, we check out the lives of 40 different deadly women that have been recorded in history. Each chapter has a drawing as well as a trigger warning if the woman whose life as well as murderous deeds that’s being covered mentions rape, torture, or anything that may be a trigger for readers. While suicide is not one of the trigger warnings in the ARC I received, it may be added to the final edition of the book.

I found this book quite interesting. Many different women were covered, and the book is separated into sections based on the type of crimes each person committed. While they were each killers, some killed out of self defense while others murdered a steady stream of husbands or were deadly on the battlefield. Each chapter is short, but covers who each person was, a little bit about their lives, who they killed, why they killed if it was known, and what happened to them. Rumors and tall tales were included and are stated to be stories that went around.

All in all, I think this is a great book. I’m always excited when I see that Jennifer is publishing a new book and I’m excited to see what she comes up with next.

The Queen of Rhodia (Tales of Inthya #3) by Effie Calvin

 
The Queen of Rhodia by Effie Calvin
My Rating: ★★★★

Princess Esofi and Princess Adale have been enjoying the married life in addition to motherhood with their baby dragon, Carinth. Things seem to be going well, especially since they have begun peace discussions with the dragons. At least, things were going well until Esofi’s mother, Queen Gaelle of Rhodia, hears about Carinth. Convinced that Esofi is undeserving of this blessing from Tacia, Gaelle arrives unannounced to take what she believes is hers no matter the cost. 

After the previous book, I was a little sad to leave Orsina and Aelia behind. It turns out that I’m indecisive because I was initially sad to leave Esofi and Adale behind to follow Orsina and Aelia, and now I’m sad to leave Orsina and Aelia behind! However, I quickly found that I was happy to see Esofi and Adale again. Plus, I have been wondering how big of a showdown there would be when Gaelle showed up to snatch Carinth. All I have to say is that I’m glad I’ll never meet Gaelle. Phew. Talk about one mean and powerful woman. I’m interested to learn more about Esofi’s upbringing as the series continues, but I have a pretty good idea about what that looked like.

One of the most interesting parts about this book was the dragons. I was very excited to learn more about them. This time around, we got to see them up close and personal. It was so exciting to see how they lived, how their views differed from humans, and what led to their war with humans. I’m excited to see where this goes in addition to seeing whether or not Gaelle is going to turn up again with her crazy plans for dragons.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was great to revisit Esofi and Adale along with everyone I grew to know and love from the first book in addition to seeing some characters from the second book turn up. The pace was a bit slower, but I didn’t mind. I was too busy finding myself absorbed in the story and excited about where it was going to think much about the pace until later.

Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment by Christi Johnson

Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment by Christi Johnson

My Rating: ★★★

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

If you’re looking for ideas on how one might make their spirituality and embroidery meet, then this is the book for you. Here you will find out how Christi Johnson expresses her spirituality through embroidery and how she hopes to inspire you to do the same if that’s what you wish. It applies to any beliefs, and she includes 200 symbols along with their meanings so that readers can figure out how to create their own talisman.

While this is not a traditional pattern book, as it includes many pictures of the symbols she’s made so that people can create them, they do not include the patterns themselves. At least, there weren’t patterns in the digital ARC I received. It’s possible that the patterns are included in the final edition that goes to print. In addition to providing tips on how to embroider as well as how-to graphs on various stitches, there are also tips on how to connect with your spirituality or personal power along with stretches to do in between stitching.