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🪻Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea🪻 by Rebecca Thorne

This book wasn't my favorite, but I wasn't really expecting it to be. I actually liked it more than I thought I would. To be honest the point of reading this was to get to book two, which looks really, really good.

The main characters were fun but I feel like I was thrown into the story and expected to already be attached to them. I did like Reyna and Kianthe, but I would have been more invested in them if the book included the beginnings of their relationship, rather then just referencing back to it a few times for the sake of context.

I wish Wylan and Feo had been in the story more. I was excited because at one point it seemed like they were going to be, but then all of the stuff with the queen happened, and then the book was over. I was excited to see their relationship develop. I hope they appear in book two.

The highlight of the book was the dragons. Their magic is so insanely cool. And the humor was very entertaining!

I would give this book somewhere between three and four stars. I am very much looking forward to book two!

#treason and tea #book review #bookblr #can’t spell treason without tea #rebecca thorne #cozy fantasy #sapphic books #lgbt books #dragons

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🥘Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen🥘 by Hiromi Sato and Kamome Shirahama

This is a spinoff of Witch Hat Atelier (one of my favorite mangas of all time-please read it) and it's essentially a cookbook, but in manga form, plus character interactions.

Oifrey and Olruggio are dating or married and if they aren't then they are SERIOUSLY pining after each other. They just care about each other so much!! And they're so thoughtful towards each other!! And they are so! Freaking! Cute! I mean, Qifrey made a freaking tart bouquet for Olruggio. Tell me that isn't romantic as heck. And there were so many other little moments. I just want them to kiss already, please and thank you. Shirahama, I am BEGGING.

Moving on from my shipping antics and towards the actual point of the manga, the food looks so good! Somehow they even made me think the seafood sounded appealing and I hate seafood. And there are actual recipes in the book?! Which I'm obviously going to be trying out someday. (Minus the seafood ones)

I just can't get enough of the world of Witch Hat Atelier. I want to live there so bad it hurts.

#witch hat atelier #book review #manga recommendation #manga review #qifrey #olruggio #i love them so much #precious little beans #witch hat atelier kitchen

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🖌️The Book of Doors🖌️ by Gareth Brown

I have so many thoughts about this book, though I can't say most of them because of spoilers.

The plot was extremely well thought out. It was very complex, and there were so many twists and turns. It felt like every five seconds there was another reveal.

And everything came full circle in the end, with not a single loose end left untied. And the DETAILS you don't realize are important and then they ARE!! I want to reread it and see all of the little things I missed reading it for the first time.

As for the characters, I wasn't really attached to any of them aside from Mr. Webber, whom I absolutely adored. I also wish Azaki had more page time.

I cried multiple times reading this, and there were several more instances where I wanted to. Again, I can't say why because spoilers, but just know that I was quietly sobbing for the last two chapters, and proceeded to sit and stare at the wall with tears running down my face for the next several minutes after I finished it.

This was a really fun read. 10/10 recommend, especially if you're looking for an urban fantasy with lots of twists and turns and found family vibes.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the e-arc!

#book review #bookblr #netgalley #the book of doors #urban fantasy #found family?

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🥀The Bone Spindle🥀 by Leslie Vedder

I really wanted to read this book like a year ago when I first discovered it, and I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it then. It was very fast paced all the way through, though I sort of lost interest around halfway, probably because I kept pausing to read other books, which is a bad habit that I do not recommend. I definitely liked the beginning of the book, and I enjoyed the flashbacks even more than I did the actual story, which surprises me. I would read a whole book about Fi's adventures in treasure hunting, and a whole book about Briar's childhood.

As for the characters, some of their relationships felt a bit underdeveloped to me, but this is the first book in a trilogy so it makes sense. But nothing bad can be said about Briar Rose. He honestly carried the entire book, which says a lot since he wasn't in it nearly as much as any other character. He reminds me a lot of Keefe Sencen from Keeper of the Lost Cities. I hear that he has a lot more page time in the second book, so needless to say I am excited.

I also for some reason really liked the paper witch. I hope he's a more prominent character in the rest of the trilogy.

Overall, this story definitely has potential, and I'm excited to see where it goes from here!

#book review #bookblr #young adult books #the bone spindle #leslie vedder #sapphic background relationship #briar rose #sleeping beauty retelling

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👾Radio Silence👾 by Alice Oseman

“It’d take hours to explain,” I said.

“I’d listen to you for hours,” he said.

“Being friends with Aled made me feel like I’d never had a real friend before, ever.”

“I couldn’t quite believe how much i seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn’t in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die.”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

“Because I’m an angel.”

“You are.” He stretched out his arm and patted me on the head. “And I’m platonically in love with you.”

Oh, to have a friendship like theirs.

Alice Oseman understands me on a fundamental level. Reading this book, especially the first half of it, felt like someone had invaded my soul and put it on paper. I related to Aled and Frances more than I’ve related to any characters possibly ever. Put them together so they are one person, and they are me. You wouldn’t be able to spot a difference.

Here are some quotes from the book that I especially related to:

“You’re an idiot,” said Mum, when I relayed to her the entire situation on Wednesday. “Not an unintelligent idiot, but a sort of naive idiot who manages to fall into a difficult situation and then can’t get out of it because she’s too awkward.”

“Yeah, he’s that sort of person.”

“What sort of person?”

“The sort of person who doesn’t speak spontaneously.” She folded her arms. “Who won’t say anything if you don’t ask.

“Honestly, I need to stop being scared of being a normal teenage girl.”

“Long ago, I was afflicted with a terrible predisposition to never say a word, and I honestly cannot understand why or how that happened.”

I love this book more than I can put to words. Even though I literally just reread it, I'm itching to read it again. I think it's my favorite of Alice Oseman's books. Maybe even one of my favorite books of all time. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.

If you liked anything else Alice has written, if you are/grew up a weird, quiet, fandom-obsessed kid with a minimal amount of friends, or if you're tired of only seeing romance in the YA genre and are looking for a book that centers around a platonic relationship instead, then please, please, PLEASE read this book.

“Art reflects life,” said Carys. “Or… Maybe it’s the other way round.”

#book review #bookblr #alice oseman #radio silence #aled last #frances janvier #osemanverse #young adult books #lgbtq #thank you alice oseman

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🍀The Absinthe Underground🍀 by Jamie Pacton

I saw this book compared to Holly Black in the synopsis and Barbie and the Diamond Castle in the reviews, and I just HAD to give it a try. And it was very much worth it! I absolutely loved the first chunk of the book, especially getting to see the relationship developing between the two main characters and how they live their life.

The characters were definitely the highlight of the novel for me. Esme is so relatable, and honestly I just want to BE her. I also really liked Lucien! I loved his personality and I wish we had gotten to see more of him. He was probably my favorite character.

There were also some other characters that I wish we'd seen more of. For instance, towards the end of the novel there is a character named Chloe who I really wished we'd gotten to learn more about, and it felt like her part in the story was left unresolved. I'm really hoping this was intentional by the author and that we might get a book about her in the future.

I also really liked the setting! The world was so fascinating and magical and I wish the author had gone more into the details. I will definitely be reading the Vermillion Emporium soon because it's set in the same world and I cannot get enough of it. also believe there is a character in that book that appears in the Absinthe Underground and I just HAVE to know who it is.

I will say that the climax felt a little short lived, and overall it felt like the stakes weren't quite high enough, and the characters were able to get away with things unrealistically easily. But honestly these didn't really take too much away from the experience.

Overall, this was a fun read. If you're looking for a cozy sapphic fantasy with compelling characters and a magical world, I definitely recommend this!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-arc!

#book review #bookblr #the absinthe underground #sapphic #friends to lovers #cozy fantasy #young adult books #netgalley #jamie pacton #sapphic books

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Gwen & Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher

I really wanted to love this book, I REALLY did.

Don't get me wrong, it was a good book. It was very cute. It made me squeal in excitement on multiple occasions. I loved Gabriel and Arthur, Gabriel especially, and I liked Gwen and Bridget too. The characters were very well written, and I enjoyed the banter between all of them. I guess I just thought it would be ground-breakingly amazing, and it didn't quite live up to that expectation.

But I definitely recommend this book, especially if you're into romcoms.

#gwen and art are not in love #book review #romcom #young adult #ya books #bookblr

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The Mushroom Knight by Oliver Bly

To be honest, I did not understand much of anything that happened in this book. There was just so much going on and so much information dumped on me with no explanation that my brain just could not keep up with it all. The art was beautiful, though, and the characters were likable, and as much as I didn't understand it I really enjoyed how complex the world building was. And the vibes were immaculate. It was very whimsical and somewhat trippy.

I have a feeling that this will blossom into a very complicated, convoluted story, and I'm interested to see where it goes from here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the free digital arc!

#book review #graphic novel #book blog #bookblr #netgalley

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Review of Monomyth

In Monomyth, seven people wake up in an unfamiliar place with a "school" where they must learn to master deadly magic before they are killed by terrible monsters, and before they are turned against one another. As I was reading it it reminded me of the Netflix animated series "The Hollow," but with more gore and death.

I loved the art style and the colors. The way the art was combined with the dialogue/narration made for a fast paced story that I couldn't put down. I thought the book had really good pacing right up until the ending which felt a bit rushed. I also thought the magic system was INSANELY cool.

The characters were very well developed, and they all had very tragic and compelling backstories. I actually liked every single one of them, which is rare. Usually there is that one character who's POV is boring compared to the rest, and that didn't happen with Monomyth.

Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I'm interested in continuing the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the free digital arc!

#book review #graphic novel #dark fantasy