The Bookish Raven

“Cast in Firelight” by Dana Swift

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be completely honest here: there are two main reasons I requested this book. The first reason is the cover is absolutely gorgeous! Charlie Bowater is incredibly talented! The second reason was the whole concept of two unwilling participants in a politically arranged marriage accidentally meeting while using secret identities and working together. This book did not disappoint!

As children, Adraa and Jatin met for the first time as their parents planned to have them marry when they were older. The meeting was short and did not end well. They go several years without seeing each other, communicating only through letters that were used for their ongoing competition. However, the two eventually meet again, but they are completely unaware of the true identity of the other. When underground criminal activity threatens to harm their kingdoms, the two are forced to team up. The corruption and danger run even deeper than they expected and their lives are continually put in danger. The only way to survive and figure everything out is to trust each other—which is not easy when they both are lying about who they really are.

The premise of this book was very interesting. I loved the world-building, and the magic system was so intricate and fascinating. There were times where the action was lacking which left me somewhat bored. Fortunately, the whole last half of the book picked up speed! I loved the banter between Adraa and Jatin as well as the way they fought together. Their complicated relationship was quite amusing! The ending left me wanting more, so I’m looking forward to seeing how things play out in the sequel!

A few more things I’ll acknowledge: first of all, this is part enemies-to-lovers and part insta-love. It’s complicated. I know some people aren’t fans of insta-love so I thought I should mention it. Second, the chapter titles are great! I feel like chapter titles are underrated these days, but I thoroughly enjoyed the use of them in this book! This was an interesting YA fantasy read—make sure to grab a copy!

“A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, Vol. 1”

Hello everyone! I’ve got another review to share with you all today! This review is for a manga, which apparently is based off a light novel series! I enjoyed this one a lot, and I hope you all will enjoy it as well!

4/5 stars

I recieved an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this manga! This was a refreshing take on the isekai genre which I think will really appeal to readers.

Lizel suddenly finds himself transported to a world that’s not his. While he is able to speak the language and understand others, he has no other knowledge of the world he is in. Additionally, he appears to be a nobleman of some kind. Instead of panicking, Lizel decides to make the most of his time in this world. He goes so far as to hire an adventurer named Gil as a form of tour guide and bodyguard. Lizel isn’t sure how long he will be in this world, but he has decided to enjoy this random vacation of his!

This honestly was a short and funny read! Lizel acts really laid-back and aloof for his situation which is very different from your average isekai. The way he goes about living in this new world is rather amusing, especially since it often annoys the usually grumpy Gil. I’m really curious about the backstories of both of them! Fans of the action/adventure genres as well as the fantasy and isekai genres will enjoy this book! It reminds me vaguely of The Rise of the Shield Hero!

I had no idea that this was based off a light novel series. I will definitely be looking forward to the upcoming volumes of this series!

“The Code For Love and Heartbreak” by Jillian Cantor

Hey everyone! Happy Thursday! I am slowly making my way through my ARC pile because I apparently have no self-control when it comes to requesting books on NetGalley; in my defense, a lot of the books I requested about 6 months ago just got approved so that caught me off guard. Once I’m done with those, I have a TBR pile of over 200 books that I really should work on! Enough about me and my book problems–here’s my latest ARC review!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Emma thinks in numbers. Numbers make sense to her. People, on the other hand, are a lot more complicated. When the coding club needs a new project for the upcoming competition, she comes up with an idea: what if she wrote the code for love? Along with her fellow club members, she begins to work on a type of matchmaking app. Using fellow students as test subjects, Emma continues to work on and improve her algorithm. However, things start going wrong. Emma is left to wonder whether there are things math can’t solve and if love can ever be truly figured out in code.

This book was pretty charming and cute! I’m sad to say that I’ve never read Jane Austen’s Emma, which this book is a modern retelling of, but I was still able to enjoy the book! The character development in this book was particularly amazing. The main characters and the side characters both were fun to read about. It took a bit for the plot to get going, but it was good once it started! The importance of friendship, love, and family was a major part of this book. Ultimately, this was a short and sweet YA read about the unpredictability and importance of love and relationships!

“Twin Daggers” by MarcyKate Connolly

Hello everyone! I finally am posting another review on here! I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of this book through NetGalley. I’m excited to share this review with you all today!

4/5 stars

Aissa and Zandria are twin sisters with a secret–they are Magi, a people with magical abilities who almost got wiped out due to the technological advances of the Technocrats. However, they have another secret that is much more dangerous–their magic can be used on the very technology that killed their people. The girls are spies in the capitol Technocrat city along with their parents. For the sake of their people, the girls take on a mission while pursuing their own goals at the same time. Aissa usually has no problem following orders, but a certain Technocrat is making it harder for her to follow through. What is the most important to her: family, orders, or love?

This book was a pretty interesting take on a Romeo and Juliet type of story. I had a hard time getting into the story at first due to all the information about the Magi vs. Technocrats that I had to read through. Once I got past that, I thoroughly enjoyed the story! Aissa is such a strong, level-headed character. I really liked watching her wrestle with her duty and her heart. I don’t want to spoil anything so I can’t discuss my favorite character, but the side characters in this story are also very likable! The whole concept of the Magi was fascinating and I hope to see the characters learn more in the next book. Ultimately, this was a great fantasy romance and I’m looking forward to the next book!

June Wrap-up

Hello everyone! Once again, I’m sorry about the lack of posting recently! I’ve been in somewhat of a book slump, but I’m going to try to get some posts up soon! In the meantime, here are the books I read in June!

The Words of the Wandering by D.E. Night
Must Be A Mistake by Fiona West
Now & When by Sara Bennett Wealer
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

One more thing: Hamilton is out on Disney+ today! It was my first time watching the whole thing and I loved it! I would very much recommend it and I’m sure some of you have already watched it. That’s all for now–have a wonderful weekend everyone! (And for my fellow American followers, have a happy Fourth of July weekend!)

“Now & When” by Sara Bennett Wealer

3/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book for two main reasons: the synopsis sounded promising and I really liked the cover. However, this book wasn’t as great as I was hoping it would be.

Skyler is just an ordinary high school girl. She loves her friends, she struggles with math class, and she’s looking forward to prom. However, Skyler has an archnemesis named Truman. As far as she’s concerned, he’s arrogant, irritating, and obnoxious. That’s why she’s absolutely horrified when she starts getting notifications on her phone that don’t make much sense. Somehow, she’s seeing the future… and it appears to be a future where she and Truman are together.

Going into this book, I was expecting a good enemies-to-lovers thing and possibly a slow burn romance. I was wrong. Without spoiling anything, there’s some cheating (I hate reading books with a cheating plotline) and a whole lot of arguing. I never really got attached to any of the characters, and I felt like so many issues weren’t really addressed or resolved. Also, the romance felt extremely rushed and I did not see the need for cheating to be involved in the plot.

There were some parts of the book that I liked. First of all, I did like the whole concept of getting notifications from the future. I also liked how it kept changing based on the actions taking place in the present. I also liked hearing Skyler and Truman debate in class. While the arguing eventually got rather annoying by the end of the book, I liked reading about their different perceptions on the classics while they bored the rest of their class to tears.

Ultimately, this book had a good concept that was lacking as far as character development goes. I also would’ve liked more of the issues to be properly resolved or at least addressed.

“Must Be A Mistake” by Fiona West

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in the Timber Falls series is here and it did not disappoint! After being introduced the town and some of the characters in the first book, the reader is once again taken back to Timber Falls to witness another adorable romance.

If you read the first book, the two main characters should be rather familiar to you. Kyle Durand, Daniel’s brother, and Ainsley Buchanan, Daniel’s best friend and Winnie’s roommate, take center stage in this book! Kyle is a doctor and is considered the most eligible bachelor in Timber Falls; however, he is autistic which plays a huge role in his life. Ainsley is an elementary school teacher who loves her job, but she has somewhat of a hard time when it comes to loving herself. When Kyle starts trying to get closer to her, she can’t help but wonder if they could ever have a relationship.

I loved this book, especially the characters! All of the Timber Falls characters are just so sweet! Kyle, who likes to stick to his routine and knows nothing about building homes, starts to participate in all kinds of activities that are unlike him in his attempts to get closer to Ainsley. He’s a huge sweetheart; while he makes plenty of mistakes, he truly loves Ainsley and is determined to make her happy. Ainsley is also adorable; dating someone with autism isn’t the easiest thing in the world and she does everything she can to help him out. For example, he hates yelling so she tries to avoid that by calmly explaining things to him and she tries very hard to be mindful of certain things that bother him. Ultimately, these two were super cute together! Plus, Daniel and Winnie occasionally appeared so it was nice to see them again!

I refuse to spoil anything, but the ending was my favorite part! It was one of those “AWWWW” moments! Fiona West is truly such a talented author. While this book is mostly a light-hearted rom-com, there are some deeper things discussed as well. Some characters are bullied for their religion/culture, Kyle’s autism is written very well, and Ainsley experienced bullying/public humiliation in her past that contributes to her insecurities. I loved watching the characters grow from start to finish! Family and friendship both also play a huge role in this book which makes it even better as far as I’m concerned! I thought this was a super enjoyable read and I would recommend it to any fellow romance readers!

May Wrap-Up

Hey everyone! Once again, sorry for posting my wrap-up late! You would think that quarantine would provide plenty of opportunities to do this kind of stuff, but I still seem to have trouble finding the time to post. Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and staying safe! And now, here are the books I read in May!

Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth
Death by Curiosity
The Crowns of Croswald
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow
The Shield of Nike
The Six and the Crystals of Ialana
What Are Friends For?
Vampiric Red: The Rogue of Vampires
Could Be Something Good
Love, Life, and the List
On the Fence
The Healer’s Apprentice

“Out of My League” by Sarah Sutton

5/5 stars!!!

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Once again, Sarah Sutton has impressed me with her writing skills. She really hit a home-run with this one! Given how great her last book was, I’m not surprised to see her knock another book out of the park! (Don’t worry, I’ll stop making baseball puns now!)

Sophia Wallace has a problem; actually, make that a lot of problems. Her future in journalism is suddenly bleak, her parents have quite a few issues, her boyfriend publicly dumped her in a humiliating way at a huge party, and the super popular baseball player hosting the party suddenly confesses his secret feelings for her to spare her the embarrassment. Later, a fake relationship starts, throwing Sophia’s world upside down. As everything starts to fall apart around her, she has to figure out what matters the most and realize that maybe she’s the one at fault for the damage.

Sarah has such a gift when it comes to writing. Not only does she manage to write such adorable, clean romances, but she excels at capturing the raw emotions, flaws, and issues in the world. She doesn’t sugarcoat it; her books have so much depth to them. Instead of a shallow romance where everything is lovey-dovey and happy and the world is perfect, Sarah’s books are so much more realistic than that. Families have problems and sometimes friends fight and relationships can be full of miscommunications and sorrow. I loved it from start to finish! It perfectly combines the elements of a good rom-com with the truth of reality, and that’s what makes this book so wonderful.

The characters are my favorite part of this book. I love how they make mistakes and do stupid things. The character development and the growth are truly amazing. Sarah does a wonderful job of breaking stereotypes and it shows in her characters. Watching them from the beginning to the end reflects just how far they’ve come. As the reader, you can’t help but root for them along the way! And I’m not just referring to Sophia and Walsh, the two main characters. I ended up rooting for the side characters, too!

As far as the whole fake relationship goes, I definitely loved that part of the book! In order to prevent spoilers, I will be very vague. Be prepared for fluff and cuteness and plenty of “Awww!” moments! Also, a certain baseball player is super sweet and kind so it’s hard not to love him. Ultimately, this book was a tale of love, family, friendship, betrayal, and most of all, forgiveness. I would definitely recommend this book to romance fans or just fans of sweet, wholesome books. Also, if you’re a fan of Kasie West, you’d probably also be a fan of Sarah’s! I’d go to bat for Sarah and her amazing books any day! (Okay, so I couldn’t resist another baseball pun…) In all seriousness, do yourself a favor and read her books!

“Could Be Something Good” by Fiona West

4.5/5 stars

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, I’m reading a genre that is very unlike me! I never read adult romance novels, usually because I have trouble finding clean ones, but I couldn’t resist the cute cover! It’s much better than the covers that most adult romances have. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book! The best part is that it was the first in a series of romance books that all take place in the same small town so I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other characters get their love stories later!

Dr. Daniel Durand is currently working at the hospital in the small town of Timber Falls. One day, he runs into a midwife/nurse named Winifred Baker who also happens to be the daughter of his supervisor. Immediately, he begins his efforts to win her over, usually involving comic books or superheroes. Meanwhile, Winifred has got a lot on her mind and she doesn’t really need the added attention of this young doctor to distract her. It becomes quite clear that she is unable to ignore him. However, she is several years older than him which bothers her. When she needs a date to a good friend’s wedding, a wedding that her very cringey and obnoxious ex will be attending, she’s forced to find someone in the small town who will go with her.

I absolutely loved this book! The main characters, as well as the side characters, were all so cute and fun to read about! Besides the very adorable romance, the family relationships as well as friendships were also a huge part of the story and I really enjoyed it! Daniel is such a sweetheart and all the dorky superhero references were cute! Winifred can be slightly upsetting at times, but she is under a lot of stress so I don’t fault her for it. Her ex is obnoxious; I think he’s the worst character in the entire book. In the end, not only the romance was great, but all the relationships, struggles, and interactions were truly well done! I’m very excited for the next book (with some characters I already liked in the first book!) I would definitely recommend this book to romance fans, but it is somewhat of an insta love so be prepared for that.