olivias-shelf

[olivias-shelf]

First of all, this cover is stunning.

I really loved the worldbuilding around the magic. The shennong shi and the way that the various skills can be specialized just through the brewing of the tea, Ning's own talents with the plants, the way that shennong shi are integrated in their society - it was all so intriguing.

I enjoyed unraveling the different people that Ning met, but I will admit that the palace intrigue was less interesting to me than the tea competition itself. Kang confused me as much as he did Ning, and I hope we learn more about him in the sequel.

I also thought that the way the antidote to saving Ning's sister was found was a bit lame given that it was Ning's focus and motivation the entire story - it still makes sense characterization and background wise, I just wish it was different than how it unfolded in the book.

I plan on picking up the sequel to this book.

A thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#a magic steeped in poison #ya #asian fantasy novel #five stars #arcs #bookblr

[olivias-shelf]

#the many adventures of winnie the pooh

[olivias-shelf]

“She snatched at the dream that had comforted her for so long. It was faded and thin, like a letter too often read.”

literature posters; the witch of blackbird pond by elizabeth george speare

#moodboard

[olivias-shelf]

Under the recommendation of those who hated the movie, I decided to read through Persuasion. I have made memes of every chapter of the book. part 1

#persuasion #memes

[olivias-shelf]

BOOKS READ IN 2021 ➵ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE  BY JANE AUSTEN (★★★★☆)

I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.

#pride and prejudice

[olivias-shelf]

F E M A L E   A W E S O M E   M E M E : [3/5] female dynamics → Jane & Elizabeth Bennet

“ Jane and Elizabeth, in addition to every other source of happiness, were within thirty miles of each other. ”

#pride and prejudice

[olivias-shelf]

modern day amy march

you men tell us we are angels, and say we can make you what we will, but the instant we honestly try to do you good, you laugh at us and won’t listen, which proves how much your flattery is worth.

#moodboard #little women

[olivias-shelf]

books read in 2015: the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald

“they’re a rotten crowd”, i shouted across the lawn. “you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” 

#moodboard #the great gatsby

[olivias-shelf]

This is my admittedly graceless strategy: annihilate every center of power, so everything will collapse into chaos and people will have no choice but to obey the new most powerful thing - me.

#moodboard #iron widow

[olivias-shelf]

“’Dear old world’, she murmured, ‘you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.’” 

- Lucy Maud Montgomery; Anne of Green Gables

#moodboard #anne of green gables

[olivias-shelf]

Character moodboards:

Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit

#moodboards #the hobbit #bilbo baggins

[olivias-shelf]

Fyodor Dostoevsky ― The Brothers Karamazov

#quotes

[olivias-shelf]

@fandomaestheticnet underrated event » underrated series: the kane chronicles » sadie kane

#the kane chronicles #moodboard

[olivias-shelf]

I really enjoyed the small-town vibe of this story, where everyone knows everything about everyone else and can be a hard meddler but they will watch each other's back if an outsider comes and tries to disrupt the lives of one of their own. Meeting the side characters of the town, from other shop owners to Noah's sisters felt fun.

I found Noah and Amelia's story to be rather cute - I'm a big fan of grumpy and sunshine, so reading their banter back and forth as their relationship developed was a cozy read for me. I did feel like the pacing of their relationship was a bit odd however - most of the book takes place over the course of a weekend and they went from attempting to hold back and instating rules that they couldn't touch each other for fear of their attraction taking over to admitting that they loved each other.

My main critique of this book is that there are sections where the quality of the descriptions seems variable, to the point where the characters seem much younger than they actually were. Some of the phrases used made me think that they might have been teenagers had it not been already established how old the characters were. I did feel like I had to power through those sections, and had they continued on, I might not have completed the book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#bookblr #arcs #book reviews #book review #romance #four star review

[olivias-shelf]

The descriptions of all the cupcakes made me hungry while I was reading it. Jada Townsend-Matthews finds herself working a cupcake store owned by football player Donovan Dell after fleeing home to San Diego after finding herself reviled for turning down a proposal on a reality dating show.

I really enjoyed how the book followed the fake dating trope in way that felt like a comedy of errors but was still super fun. I do like that there wasn't as much drama in between the couple once they got together, and I really love the subversion of "fixing your partner" in the book. Their relationship together felt very steady in their support of each other, even when it was largely still for the cameras. And the way that they worked together on problems as a couple? Amazing.

I do like that our characters grew separately from the relationship from their own pasts, and I love Mrs. T and Mrs. Dell as parental figures that are both firm and supportive. I loved the supporting cast as well - Mrs. T, Olivia, Nick and August, Ella, all the regulars at Sugar Blitz were so great in their interactions with our main characters.

Something that was small but really shined for me was Jada's dyslexia and how it was treated in the book - how she viewed it versus how Donovan viewed it versus how her parents viewed it, the way she brought it up in a large public setting that had positive results.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#arcs #book reviews #five star reviews #bookblr #book review #romance

[olivias-shelf]

Oh, my heart. I absolutely loved this book.

The highlight for me on this book is the conversations on identity and the pressures of being a child or grandchild of immigrants, where you're just old enough to fully understand the implications of the sacrifices made and how you often feel like you have to repay that sacrifice with your own success, whatever that looks like. I also enjoyed the diverse perspectives on how they feel about China based on their own experiences.

I liked the way that this book addresses the idea of museums who have stolen artifacts from years of imperialism and colonialism, giving a spotlight on the sticky origins of collections and the reluctance to return them back to cultures. I especially loved the phrase that gets brought up many times throughout the novel to describe how the affected cultures feel about it.

And the heists themselves! I do like how realistic they were for a bunch of college aged people, and how each one goes very differently. I appreciate how much improvision often had to happen.

I liked the relationships between our crew - each one had complications even if they hadn't interacted before being brought together. And the relationships between people who had pre-existing relationships before the events of the book added layers of complexity in how they'd often dance around each other. Personally, I enjoyed the full arc between Irene and Alex, although it was incredibly frustrating at times when it got in the way of their working together nicely in the group.

I saw that this book is set to be adapted for the screen and the book definitely reads in a way where I could see it translating nicely, especially the final story arc. I can't wait to watch it.

This book is definitely joining my favorites.

A thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#portrait of a thief #arcs #five star reviews #bookblr #book reviews #asian mc

[olivias-shelf]

I really enjoyed this book - a rival business owners to lovers book with two Chinese American main characters who run matchmaking companies? Who get into a bet to find each other love?

Lauren Kung Jessen is great at laying out hints of things to come - nothing came as a surprise to me, but the journey I took with Olivia was satisfying. I especially liked how some of the questionable decisions Olivia made and the misunderstandings between Olivia and Bennett were handled.

The discussions of both our characters being half-Chinese and the questions of identity that come from feeling "not enough" was done really well. I also liked how they bonded over shared struggles as business owners, even though their business were in much different stages.

A thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever, and NetGalley for the ARC.

#bookblr #book reviews #five star reviews #arcs #lunar love #asian mc #asian readathon 2023