Author: Dini @ dinipandareads

I'm Dini (she/her) and I'm a thirty-something book lover based in Indonesia. I mostly read romance and SFF though I love to dabble in other genres but tend to stay away from horror and ghosty things because I'm The Ultimate Chicken™️. I'm always happy to meet other book lovers so feel free to chat with me!

Book Review: Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Forged by Magic (Falling for Fables #1)
Pub Date: 11 July 2023
Genre: Cosy Fantasy Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

A heartwarming, feel-good fantasy romance…with a helping of spice and only a pinch of danger.

Trapped in a tower by the emperor who conquered her homeland, Daella yearns for an escape. But as one of the few half-orcs left in the world, she knows she’ll never be free, much less find her own happily ever after.

Destiny takes an unexpected turn when the emperor offers her a deal. To earn her freedom, she must journey to the mysterious Isles of Fable and track down wielders of outlawed dragon magic. Eager to seize her chance, Daella agrees.

When a brutal storm tosses her ship off course, she washes up on the wrong island—right at the feet of Rivelin, a gruff but handsome elven blacksmith, who seems more likely to stab her than help her. To her surprise, he offers her shelter until the next ship passes through in six weeks’ time.

Daella soon realizes he’s hiding something big. It could be the very magic she’s been tasked to hunt down—the key to her long-awaited freedom. But as they bicker over the flames of his forge, her heart kindles with something she’s never felt before.

When his secrets finally come to light, Daella must decide what’s more her freedom from the wicked crown or the desires of her heart.

Forged by Magic is a complete, stand-alone fantasy romance novel set in the whimsical world of Falling for Fables.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Captivity, moderate violence, death of family recounted, sex on page

TL;DR: It took me a minute to get into this story but once I was hooked, I didn’t want to put it down! This was action-packed and full of magical adventure and a somewhat literally steamy romance. 😉 Daella and Rivelin were fun characters to root for as you see them go from untrustworthy enemies, and tentative friends to eventual lovers. It was a nice slow burn! Overall, this was a great first cosy-ish fantasy romance at the start of a new series and I can’t wait to continue it soon!

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Characters of the Year Book Tag: 2023 Edition

Dini @ dinipandareads26 Comments

Happy Monday, friends! I thought I would ease into the week with a book tag. I haven’t done one in a very long time and as I was browsing my saved tags, I came across the Characters of the Year Book Tag! I first saw this on Kerri’s blog and thought it looked fun and as it’s still January I thought it’d still be okay to do this post reflecting on characters from 2023. So let’s get to it!

After a bit of searching, I found out this tag was originally created by Amanda @ A Brighter Shade of Hope (although her blog doesn’t seem to be active anymore).

Favourite Male Character of the Year

Yin Nezha – The Dragon Republic

This guy. THIS GUY! I just… I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers but ach, everything that unfolded was just WILD. I loved and hated him and it was just a lot but in the best way? Yeah. Nezha!!!

Favourite Female Character of the Year

Kate Daniels – Kate Daniels Series

I read so many amazing female characters this year but I fell head over foot for Kate Daniels. She has this wild chaotic magic slayer energy and she is such a freaking baddie! I loved seeing all her layers as the series progressed.

Most Relatable Character of the Year

Maggie – Role Playing

Again, there were so many relatable characters last year but I’m going to have to pick Maggie because she’s this grumpy, socially anxious introvert gamer who might not have her life sorted all the time but is getting by the best she can. I related to her so hard!

Couple of the Year

Lizzie & Rake – Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake

If you’ve been following my blog, this will not surprise you. I adore Lizzie & Rake so much! They remain one of my favourite one-night-to-oops-pregnancy romances to date.

Villain of the Year

Holland – Shades of Magic Series

This award goes to one of my all-time favourite morally grey villains. I liked Holland a lot on first read several years ago but over the years, I’ve come to really appreciate his fantastic character arc!

Most Disliked Character of the Year

Tyrell – Fate of Eyrinthia Series

I already didn’t like him from the beginning but I very passionately disliked Tyrell in this book. I… I can’t see the “good” side of him or empathise with his character. Nope, not happening. I need him out of the picture, please!

Royal of the Year

The Triplets – Castles in their Bones

I loved Princesses Beatriz, Sophronia and Daphne. They were so vastly different in personalities but they had such fierce determination and strength and I admired them so much! I can’t wait to finish this series in 2024 🙂

Sidekick/Non-Main Character of the Year

Wendell Bambleby – Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Okay, so I know Bambleby’s not really a sidekick or non-main character so I’m kinda cheating with this. But he does support Emily in this book and I loved the role he ends up playing in the story! 😍

Siblings of the Year

Dorsey & Gigi – Pride and Protest

I actually didn’t read a whole lot of books with siblings in 2023 but I did love Dorsey & Gigi in this modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice. I loved their interaction, love and support for each other and I wanted so much more of their interactions!

And that’s a wrap on 2023 characters! Did you read any of these books & feel the same way about the characters? Who were some of your favourite/least favourite characters in 2023?

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [219]

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today!

I’ll be spending my Sunday night in bed with Ruthless Vows. Possibly. I finished Divine Rivals this morning and I don’t know if I can take what I’m sure will be an angst-filled second book without bolstering my feelings with a happy feel-good romance first. Idk. Let’s see but I will likely keep reading this!

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Book Review: The Places I’ve Cried in Public by Holly Bourne

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

The Places I’ve Cried in Public
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd.
Pub Date: 3 October 2019
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Amelie loved Reese. And she thought he loved her. But she’s starting to realise love isn’t supposed to hurt like this. So now she’s retracing their story and untangling what happened by revisiting all the places he made her cry.

Because if she works out what went wrong, perhaps she can finally learn to get over him.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Rape, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, gaslighting, cheating

TL;DR: This was such a painful read to get through. It leaves you feeling a bit helpless as you get a front-row seat to Amelie losing herself to something toxic and retracing her steps to find herself again. This is such an important story and I’m so glad that it exists, especially for young readers, as Bourne does a great job exploring what it means to be in healthy and unhealthy relationships and how to care for yourself in the aftermath. This tackles dark and heavy events that can be triggering so please do check content warnings before reading.

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Seeing the Real World Through Books

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Check out the January 2024 Topics if you want to join in the bookish discussion fun.

This week’s topic asks us:

Seeing the Real World Through Books

Prompts: Many fiction books have messages about social issues, current events, and more. Some are underlying themes, and others are much more overt. Are you more drawn to books that dive into these serious topics, or do you prefer to have fiction be more of an escape from the world? What are some novels that have impacted you? What do you think are the most effective ways for authors to get their messages across?

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Book Review: Night Hawk by Beverly Jenkins

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Night Hawk
Publisher: Avon
Pub Date: 25 October 2011
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Outlaw. Preacher. Night Hawk. He’s had many names, but he can’t escape the past.

Since Ian Vance’s beloved wife was murdered years ago, the hardened bounty hunter know she’ll never feel love or tenderness again, so he’s made it his mission to ensure others get their justice. But when he’s charged with delivering a sharp-eyed beauty to the law, Ian can’t help but feel he may still have something left to lose.

Orphaned at twelve, Maggie Freeman has always found her way out of trouble. But now there’s a vigilante mob at her back who would like nothing more than to see her hang for a crime she didn’t commit. Maggie may have to accept help for the first time in her life… even if it’s from the one man standing between her and freedom.

As the past closes in, the sassy prisoner and toughened lawman may just find a passion between them that could bring blinding happiness… if they’ll let it.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Physical abuse, violence against women, slavery, forced prostitution, gun violence, racism, mentions of mob violence and lynching, mentions of forced assimilation and residential schools, police corruption, xenophobia

TL;DR: I can proudly call myself a historical romance girlie now because I’ve finally read a Bev Jenkins historical romance! 😂 I’m ashamed it took me so long to pick one up, even if I’ve read one of her contemporary romantic suspense novellas before. And what everyone says is true—this was fantastic! Not only was this delightfully sensual and heartwarming but I learned so much about parts of American history that were completely new to me (and perhaps will be to other readers as well). I’m so glad I’ve already got more Bev Jenkins on my Kindle because I’ll be reading more this year!

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