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!

January 2024 Community Posts!

Dini @ dinipandareads26 Comments

I usually have these community posts as part of my monthly wrap-ups but those posts of mine are already long enough so I thought I’d try making a separate post for these! I’ll do a trial run for a couple of months before deciding whether I’ll keep up with it or just merge it back with the monthly posts, even if it will make them longer. Here’s what I read and loved in the community this January. I’m sure I still missed a lot but I’d love to know what some of your favourite posts were this month too or feel free to share your own favourite posts in the comments if you want!

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ARC Review: Opium and Absinthe by Lydia Kang

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Special thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a (very late but) honest review!

Opium and Absinthe
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: 1 July 2020
Genre: Historical Mystery

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

New York City, 1899. Tillie Pembroke’s sister lies dead, her body drained of blood and with two puncture wounds on her neck. Bram Stoker’s new novel, Dracula, has just been published, and Tillie’s imagination leaps to the impossible: the murderer is a vampire. But it can’t be—can it?

A ravenous reader and researcher, Tillie has something of an addiction to truth, and she won’t rest until she unravels the mystery of her sister’s death. Unfortunately, Tillie’s addicted to more than just truth; to ease the pain from a recent injury, she’s taking more and more laudanum…and some in her immediate circle are happy to keep her well supplied.

Tillie can’t bring herself to believe vampires exist. But with the hysteria surrounding her sister’s death, the continued vampiric slayings, and the opium swirling through her body, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for a girl who relies on facts and figures to know what’s real—or whether she can trust those closest to her.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Murder, blood, exsanguination, drug abuse, addiction, medical abuse, munchausen syndrome’s by proxy, rape recounted, physical abuse recounted

TL;DR: This was an intriguing historical medical thriller that had a bit of a slow start but that I quickly found that I didn’t want to put down. Tillie was a well-developed character whom I pitied and sympathised with, who frustrated me to no end due to her poor decision-making but whom I ultimately admired by the end. I’m terrible at solving mysteries before the great review and although I’d guessed around the motive, I did not guess at all whodunit so that was a fun surprise! Overall, an enjoyable read.

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Monthly Wrap-Up: January 2024

Dini @ dinipandareads20 Comments

Just like it does every year, January feels like it lasts a lifetime but not nearly long enough. I can’t believe we’re already bidding the first month of a new year adieu but here we are, rolling into February! January was a pretty low-key month with work picking up speed very slowly and my social life being non-existent, as per usual, lol.

On a more personal front, I did take a big step this month to finally go to the doctor. Due to past medical trauma, I’ve put off seeing a doctor or doing anything that involves taking care of my health for years. I’m not proud of it, especially considering how much I advocate for others to take care of themselves, but a couple of weeks ago, I scrounged up my courage and finally went. That appointment led to me getting a minor day procedure done this past Tuesday, and I came out of the operating theatre floating on a cloud of anaesthesia but already feeling better for the step that I took. I’m spending the rest of this week half-resting, half WFH and just focusing on recovering before going in to find out more about the results next week.

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Birthstone Book Covers: January 2024

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Hello friends, it’s been a hot minute since I did a Birthstone Book Covers post but today I finally mustered up some energy to take a picture of some books off my physical shelves! Now without further ado, let’s get to it!

The Rules

  • Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black ) and link back to me so I can see your post!
  • Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
  • HAVE FUN!
  • Nominate people if you want!
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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [220]

Dini @ dinipandareads13 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 reading what I’m ashamed to admit is a very overdue ARC. We’re working through the list (there’s a list!) slowly… I’m about 57% through Down Comes the Night. Saft has been on my radar for a while but this is my first book by her and for the most part, I’m enjoying it! 😊

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Book Review: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

We Are Okay
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pub Date: 14 February 2017
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…. Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother. Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

An intimate whisper that packs an indelible punch , We Are Okay is Nina LaCour at her finest. This gorgeously crafted and achingly honest portrayal of grief will leave you urgent to reach across any distance to reconnect with the people you love.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of parent, death of a grandfather from drowning, mental illness, grief

I put off reading this for years because it gave such sad read vibes that I knew I had to be emotionally prepared for it. But seeing as January 2024 seems to have me in my sad reads era, I finally picked it up and yep, we are not okay, Nina LaCour. 🥲 That is, this book was beautiful, sad, touching and healing and I’m so glad that I finally read it.

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Book Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1)
Publisher: Magpie
Pub Date: 13 April 2023
Genre: Young Adult Romantasy

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

NO GOD
NO CREATURE
NO WAR
CAN COME BETWEEN THEM

The latest from the number one SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Rebecca Ross

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, their fate depends on their facing the depths of hell… together.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death, death of a parent, war scenes, violence, explosions, serious injury, PTSD

TL;DR: This was every bit as amazing as everyone said it would be! The writing was exquisite, the world-building and magic were intriguing and the characters were so easy to love. The romance in particular was passionate, swoontastic, and had my heart soaring! Unsurprisingly, this had me sobbing big bad ugly tears and after that ending, I can’t wait to continue with the second book.

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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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