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: Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Spell Bound
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s UK
Pub Date: 13 April 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Magic rivals. A deadly secret. An inconvenient crush. What could possibly go wrong? A perfect LGBT+ romantic fantasy for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Margaret Rogerson and Adam Silvera!

Edison Rooker is determined to gain access to the magical world. Problem is, he doesn’t have magic. But he does have a plan: get a job as apprentice to powerful sorceress Antonia Hex. He also has an illegal Spell Binder device, which he must keep hidden from the Magical Consortium, at all costs…

With his new job, Edison is given a new name – Rook – which he happily accepts. He’s less happy about working alongside Sun , the grumpy but annoyingly cute apprentice to Antonia’s big rival.

When the Consortium gets wind of Rook’s Spell Binder, they come for Antonia. Rook turns to the only other magical person he knows: Sun. The two must team up to save Antonia… or face losing their magic forever. Funny, subversive, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F. T. Lukens. Look out for So This is Ever After and In Deeper Waters.

TL;DR: Spell Bound was an incredibly wholesome and magical urban fantasy. This has everything from moments of coming-of-age, self-acceptance and finding your place, to adorably cursed singing mice, cataloguing cursed items in extremely haunted houses, and being tried in court for “small acts of rebellion”. With a quirkily charming but no less loveable cast of characters that will have you giggling at their adorable awkwardness, laughing at their antics, and cheering for them to defeat the baddies, this book proves that the found family trope is superior. Obviously, I loved it!

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#FirstLinesFriday: 13 October 2023

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

It’s a little spicy, friends! 😂

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“If I have to hear that laugh one more time, I’m going to head up there, kick her door in, and… I don’t know. Something tough and mean. Something she’ll remember for a very long time. The fact that I can’t come up with anything besides shoving her against the door and putting my mouth to her is just a testament to how tired I am.”

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#23for23: A Possibility Pile

Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

In last week’s TTT post, I shared a list of 20 recommendations for the #23for23 reading challenge. Today, I’m sharing a possibility pile for what I hope to read to fulfil the challenge by the end of the year! But before we dive into this long list of possibilities, what is this challenge that I speak of?

I first heard about it on the Fated Mates podcast episode that brought the author Nikki Payne on to talk about it. The goal here is simple: read 23 books by BIPOC authors with BIPOC characters before the end of 2023.

DID YOU KNOW?

MISSION: The 23for23 initiative amplifies and elevates marginalized voices in publishing by promoting, showcasing, and celebrating the works of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color dedicated to telling stories that center marginalized identities.

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#TopTenTuesday: Bookish jobs I’d love to do!

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is Bookish Jobs I Would Do For Free (Real or Imaginary) (Submitted by Susan @ Bloggin’ bout Books)

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Blog Tour Review: A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Hello, friends. ✨ Today I’m excited to kick off the blog tour for A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli! Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it.

Thanks to Union Square & Co. for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!

A Bright Heart
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Publication Date: 17 October 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: Chinese Rep

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

What if you could avenge your own murder? A brilliant young woman gets a second chance at life in this debut YA tale of vengeance, court intrigue, and romance, inspired by classic Chinese tropes.

Mingshin outsmarted three princes to help the man she loved become king. But she doesn’t see Ren’s betrayal coming, not until she’s lying in a pool of her own blood on the palace steps.

As she’s dying, Mingshin makes a desperate plea to the gods to turn back time and give her a chance to make things right.

Mingshin wakes up two years earlier, her prayer granted, and swears two things: Ren will never become king, and she will never fall in love again.

But the timeline in this life has changed: a dignitary gifted with dark magic is threatening her kingdom’s peace, and Ren’s thirst for power runs deeper than Mingshin could have imagined.

She finds herself allying with Jieh, another contender for the throne. Mingshin knows better than anyone not to give her heart to a prince. But in the viper’s nest of the royal court, she and Jieh prove a phenomenal team. Can Mingshin avert the catastrophe of her past by once again learning to trust…and maybe even love?

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death, attempted murder, mentions of blood, drowning, violence, loss of limbs

📚 BUY A COPY!

TL;DR: A Bright Heart was an enjoyable YA fantasy debut with a lot of potential! Mingshin was a fierce, determined and easy to root for character and I loved her story of vengeance and justice. Even though I’m not very familiar with Wuxia stories, I appreciated how the author brought the popular second-chance revenge story trope to a wider audience and I think she delivered an intriguing story full of court intrigue, mystery, a bit of magic and mythology, as well as a sweet slow burn romance. This is a great introduction to Chinese fantasy and mythology and I’m already looking forward to the sequel!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [205]

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 curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I’m in a funky headspace which means my reading mood is being funky too. I’m finding that I need something short and fast-paced to read otherwise my attention will waver (which is how I’m feeling about The Neighbor Favor right now). So I’m looking at these books to potentially start tonight:

We’ll Never Have Paris by Adriana Anders, To Her Rescue by Dria Andersen, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming
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#FirstLinesFriday: 6 October 2023

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“Lily Greene always imagined that if she were to have the tragic misfortune of dying young, it would happen in a valiant, honorable way. Similar to the heroes in her beloved fantasy novels. Maybe she’d die while rescuing a child (or cat) from a burning building. Or darting into the street to save an elderly person from being hit by a speeding truck.
She didn’t imagine that at twenty-five years old her final moments would be spent drenched in sweat, dehydrated out of her mind, on a crowded New York City subway train without AC during rush hour on one of the hottest days of the year.”

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Book Review: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pub Date: 23 August 2022
Genre: Cosy Paranormal Romance

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

She found magic in the most unlikely of places.

Mika Moon follows three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn’t mind it . . . mostly.

But when an unexpected invitation arrives to teach three young witches at the mysterious Nowhere House, Mika jumps at the chance for a different life. As she comes to care for its quirky inhabitants – and Jamie, the handsome but prickly librarian – finally belonging somewhere feels like a real possibility.

But magic isn’t the only danger in the world – is it worth risking everything to protect the found family Mika didn’t know she was looking for?

A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a new family – and a new love – changes the course of her life.

TL;DR: If you’re looking for a cosy, heartwarming, and touching story about discovering your place, finding a family, and creating a home, then this is absolutely the book for you. If you want your heart to burst with all the feel-goodness this has to offer and if you love to read about endearing characters with giant hearts, a couple of secrets, and their share of trauma to work through, this is it. It honestly felt like I was reading The House in the Cerulean Sea but make it more diverse, inclusive, whimsical, cheekily sexy and romantic! 😍 If you’re a fan of cosy witchy goodness then what are you waiting for? Read this ASAP!

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