My Favorite Things: April Reads // Fairy Tales and Witches

Hmm April was not much of a reading Month for me... but I did enjoy most of what I read. I hope to read more in May. When I get stuck on a book that I don't like, it definitely slows my progress. I think I need to start abandoning sooner! haha

Linking up with Steph & Jana today for Show Us Your Books!

Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz

3.5 stars - I recommend if you like reading about witches or contemporary real-world set fantasy. I sadly did not like the book more than the show.

After reading the entire Blue Bloods series in 2015-2016, I hadn't planned on reading this book for quite a while. However, when I abandoned my "four word title" book for Erin's 4.0 book challenge, I needed a new one. Enter, Witches of East End. I will disclose, that I watched the show first, and yes I was terribly sad when it was cancelled! C'MON NETFLIX! REBOOT ALL OF OUR FAVORITES PLEASE!! Moving right along, I read this book in two evenings, it's pretty short and definitely a quick read. I was both relieved and a little bummed that the book was pretty different than the show. On the one hand, I didn't want to be bored. On the other, I liked some elements of the show, more than the book. At least so far, there are a few more books. The story follows mother Joanna, and her two daughters Freya and Ingrid as they live out their existence as mortals in North Hampton, NY. They have been banned from using their magic, but along the way they each find a reason to do a little white magic here and there. Freya is a bartender who is recently engaged to the town's most eligible bachelor, Bran Gardiner, and when his brother Killian comes into town she finds it difficult to resist his charms. Ingrid is the local librarian who is cataloging blue prints of the town's oldest homes. When she gets a hold of the Gardiner mansion's blue prints, she quickly learns that everything is not quite what it seems in the old home. Joanna, who has been estranged from her own son for thousands of years, finds solace in spending time with a little boy. The story unfolds and the three women are quickly in trouble for using their magic. Overall I liked this book, but I missed Wendy's character. In the show she is the younger aunt. It seems a little off without her. It ended on a cliff hanger which was fun. The book delves more into their past before they were banished, which creates a new feel to the plot. I think ... I preferred the way the show was... but we'll see. There are a few more books, and that could change! Whew, were some of Freya's chapters steamy. (not surprising I suppose!)

Entwined by Heather Dixon

3.5 - 3.75 - I recommend if you like re-tellings or regency. I didn't love this as much as I wanted to, but it was a fun read.

I won't lie. This one started a little slow for me. It's very wholesome, lots of sisters... etc. I liked some of the imagery of the dancing, and the gardens, and the balls. But then all of a sudden, plot happens. It's sort of a mix of Little Women, Edenbrooke, and something dark and creepy. For those who missed this when I intro'd it... this book is a re-telling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It follows the Azalea and her younger sisters as they navigate grieving their mother's death. While in mourning, they can't do their favorite thing... dancing. So, when they discover magic in the castle and find a way to dance at night, they don't realize what kind of magic they are playing with. One part fairy tale, one part regency-esque tale, a little bit of darkness. Overall, this book was pretty good! I think reading it more quickly would probably help with fluidity. I think the regency-esque part was done well. I liked the parts with the sisters and the various suitors. The darker part left a little bit lacking for me... like I wanted just a little bit more from it. But I'm not sure what. Overall I think it's a pretty solid 3.5-3.75 stars. I would recommend it if you like retellings and regency.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

5 Stars - I recommend if you like fantasy (this nudges the "high fantasy" genre), romance (I would not call this YA!), and dystopian type books.

First thing's first: I have not read any of the Throne of Glass series yet. So, my opinions come based on knowing nothing about those books, or the author's prior work.

Wow, you guys. Can we start by talking about how intense this book is?! I thought that it was YA... but then I read quite a bit of it on the plane to SF and was like... this MUST be adult. There is NO WAY this is YA. Sure enough... it got even more intense. Gruesome battles, super steamy romance, etc. I finished it, went to mark it on goodreads sure enough, it's published under a children's imprint. Goodness. Maybe, I just haven't read a ton of YA... but I haven't read anything nearly that steamy that falls into the YA category before. I'm not at all offended by the content, but my 14 year old self would have been blushing hardcore, and may not have even finished it.

Anyhow, this is another loose retelling of a fairy tale. This one is based on Beauty and the Beast. It follows Feyre, a young huntress (the sole provider of her family) as she struggles to make end's meet. When she is hunting, she finds a wolf and she kills it. However, she didn't know that there is a consequence for killing a wolf. Until she's snatched from her home and taken to the dangerous land across the wall. She's made to live with a cruel beast and his court. She soon discovers that a mysterious curse is plaguing the land, and threatens to harm the humans on the other side of the wall as well.

I read a lot of this on the plane, and then finished it in our hotel room two nights later. I found it extremely compelling. I did not expect where the plot would go in the end. I'm very excited for the next installment to come out! & now to read Throne of Glass which has been chillin' on my ipad for months and months.

Abandoned:

They Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

This book was my first Moriarty. I will admit, I knew nothing about this book going into it!

First off, I like the way she writes, The description is nice, the way she describes inner thoughts of the characters is interesting, and each chapter has a little note or quote, etc. related to the plot of the story at the beginning.

This book follows a hypnotist named Ellen in her relationship with Patrick. When he starts acting strangely, and admits he is being stalked, Ellen is fascinated. Who is this woman? Why can't she let go of the relationship? What are her motivations? What does she look like? etc. As the story unfolds, Ellen becomes less fascinated, and more vulnerable to the tolls the stalking takes on her relationship.

Ultimately I had to stop reading this one. I would sit down with it for hours, and I was just bored. I didn't feel like I was getting very far, and I wasn't entertained. It also had this strange thing happening with the plot, it was like it was moving too slowly, and too quickly all at once. I think I abandoned it at about 45% in, and I was like I don't know where she has left to go with this... but I'm not that interested to find out.... So I quit. I could go back to it someday, I'm not quite sure I want to. Oh well!

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