Category: Book Reviews

Book Review: A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

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A Pho Love Story
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s UK
Pub Date: 18 February 2021
Genre: YA Contemporary

Panda Rating:

(actual rating: 3.75 pandas rounded up!)

📖 SYNOPSIS

All’s fair in love, war and noodles . . .

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and spark and fire. She loves art, and she dreams of making a career of it one day. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including expecting her to work practically full-time at their family’s pho restaurant.

For decades, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh have resolved never to befriend each other, for fear of pushing too far and bringing on undue heartbreak. But when a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao closer, sparks fly . . .

Can Linh and Bao’s love survive in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

This delicious debut is perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Love Before.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Racism, cultural appropriation, Vietnam War mentioned, death of family member (recounted)

TL;DR: While I can see the appeal of this book, especially for the young adult audience, but I unfortunately didn’t end up loving it as much as I thought I would. Part of that might have to do with my elevated expectations but, despite the interesting family history and the blossoming romance between Bao and Linh, it was the pacing that really did it for me. The pacing dragged the story down immensely and with the ‘slice-of-life’ style of storytelling, it made for an incredibly slow read. That said, I did enjoy the family drama, learning about Vietnamese history, the Vietnamese food, the journey to find one’s passion, and of course, all the art. If any of that sounds appealing to you, I would recommend this coming-of-age contemporary!

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Book Review: The Agent and the Outlaw by Lily Riley

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The Agent and the Outlaw (Les Dames Dangereuses#2)
Publisher: City Owl Press
Pub Date: 19 May 2022
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance

Panda Rating:

(3.75 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The murder of a marquis, an accidental kidnapping, an elite vampire death squad, and a beast stalking the French countryside? All in a day’s work for a member of the les Dames Dangereuses.

As the most enviable comtesse of the tonne, Charlotte de Brionne was almost satisfied with her wealth, power, and rather tepid marriage, until her murderous husband betrayed her.

Now she has seized the chance to make a more adventurous start with les Dames Dangereuses, an order of women spies in service to the French crown. But her latest assignment is rudely interrupted when she is kidnapped by a crossbow-wielding madman, who turns out to be not at all mad only rather surly and annoyingly handsome.

Lieutenant Antoine de Valle has no idea what to make of the exasperating, untrustworthy, and frustratingly beautiful woman he’s suddenly saddled with, but his honor demands he see Charlotte safely home. Especially since it’s his fault she accidentally witnesses his murder of a marquis, ends up on the wrong end of a brutal vampire death squad, and barely survives an encounter with the Beast of Gévaudan.

In fact, the more Antoine tries to keep Charlotte safe, the more trouble they find themselves in. And the harder it is for Antoine to remember his honor in the face of Charlotte’s dangerous charms.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Murder, blood

TL;DR: This was an action-packed supernatural/paranormal historical romance set in an alternate 1700s France where the blood plague runs rampant and vampires have taken over Paris. Despite being a little [too] instalust/love, I liked the romance between Charlotte and Antoine, and I found their dynamic, banter and chemistry to be fantastic. I didn’t know whether they would fight or give in to their feelings and tear each other’s clothes off, but I do know it kept me on my toes and eagerly anticipating what would happen next. If you like a lot of action and a bit of mystery with your slightly angsty and intense romances, I’d recommend it!

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Blog Tour Review: The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Hi friends, I’m back for another blog tour today! I’m excited to share my thoughts as part of the blog tour hosted by Toppling Stacks Tours for The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni.

Thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!

The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 9 September 2025
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: LGBTQIA+, disability

Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

An irresistible dark fae romantasy, inspired by Welsh mythology and perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Faebound, Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince.

Ceridwen Parry has run away with the fairies.

But this is not her story.

For Sabrina Parry, the world is tough, cruel and practical. With her father in prison, her aims in life are 1. hold onto her job, 2. hold her tongue and 3. set up her sister Ceridwen with a man rich enough to look after her. Ceridwen is lovely, romantic, timid – everything that Sabrina isn’t. But then Ceridwen vanishes into the eerie woods leaving only an iron ring behind and Sabrina is drawn into a beautiful but decaying world of fairies and monsters of old. And when an annoyingly handsome fairy prince offers her a dangerous deal, Sabrina is forced to put her own freedom at risk to save her sister.

📚 BUY A COPY
⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Imprisonment, blood, gore, dismemberment, violence, death

TL;DR: This is for those who enjoy complex, morally grey, and somewhat unlikeable MCs that will make you work to appreciate them. It’s for those who enjoy the intertwining of real history with mythological faerie tales and folklore and magic. And it’s for those who enjoy reading about sibling bonds, a taste of a hate-to-love romance, and a coming-of-age story about a bitter, tired, and scared young woman who longs to live as big a life as she possibly can. I feel like Habren has become one of my favourite YA FMCs and I think she’s going to stick around in my head for a while! Overall, I found The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire a surprisingly touching and heartwarming story, even if at first, I was a bit uncertain about it. I would recommend this to those who enjoyed stories like The Cruel Prince, and darkly whimsical faerie tales centering family and friendship, such as those by Emily Lloyd-Jones (The Bone Houses, The Drowned Woods).

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Book Review: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)
Publisher: Hodderscape
Pub Date: 6 February 2024
Genre: Fantasy Mystery

Panda Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Body horror, blood depiction & emesis, murder, smoking, animal & human medical experimentation, classism

TL;DR: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about The Tainted Cup since I finished reading it and that was almost 2 weeks ago now. If you enjoy a richly developed fantasy world, quirky, entertaining, and sharp characters, a layered murder mystery, plus a bit of politicking, then there’s a very good chance you’ll enjoy this book. I loved Ana, Din, and their Holmes/Watson dynamic that had me grinning with delight, especially because the witty sharp banter was so much fun to read! The world-building was immersive and complex, the mystery was intriguing and I was so curious to learn more about this world (not because it wasn’t well-developed but because it is and there’s so much more to explore)! Overall, this was a fantastic read and every bit as incredible as everyone says it is.

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Mini Book Review: Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis

Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

Full Speed to a Crash Landing (Chaotic Orbits #1)
Publisher: DAW
Pub Date: 6 August 2024
Genre: Science Fiction/Space Opera Novella

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

A high octane sexy space heist from New York Times-bestselling author Beth Revis, the first in a novella trilogy.

Ada Lamarr may have gotten to the spaceship wreck first, but looter’s rights won’t get her far when she’s got a hole in the side of her ship and her spacesuit is almost out of air. Fortunately for her, help arrives in the form of a government salvage crew—and while they reluctantly rescue her from certain death, they are not pleased to have an unexpected passenger along on their classified mission.

But Ada doesn’t care—all that matters to her is enjoying their fine food and sweet, sweet oxygen—until Rian White, the government agent in charge, starts to suspect that there’s more to Ada than meets the eye. He’s not wrong—but he’s so pretty that Ada is perfectly happy to keep him paying attention to her—at least until she can complete the job she was sent to pull off. But as quick as Ada is, Rian might be quicker—and she may not be entirely sure who’s manipulating who until it’s too late…

A phenomenally fun novella that kicks off a trilogy of sexy space heists and romantic tension, Full Speed to a Crash Landing is packed with great characters and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

I read this as a book recommendation to fulfill one of my reading challenge prompts and after hearing so many good thing about it, I’m glad to say that I get it! I have to be honest and say that I was initially worried when I first picked it up and wasn’t vibing with our FMC. Ada was… A lot to begin with and she kind of rubbed me the wrong way with her attitude. It was overenthusiastic manic pixie but then almost immediately after, we’d get a different side to her that got me thinking: what exactly is going on here?!

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Book Review: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms #1)
Publisher: Orbit
Pub Date: 8 June 2021
Genre: Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(actual = 3.75 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Author of Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, beginning a new trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess’s traitor brother.

Imprisoned by her dictator brother, Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin.

Priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the Hirana every night to clean Malini’s chambers. She is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides.

But when Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess seeking to find her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Homomisia & internalised homomisia, self-immolation & self-mutilation, suicidal ideation, forced drug use, addiction & withdrawl, blood & gore depiction, body horror, death of children, murder, execution by immolation, torture

Argh, I’m not entirely sure why I always struggle to put my thoughts about this book into words, but it happened the first time I read it and on re-read, it’s the same, so I’m sorry if this review is all over the place!

Note: I first read The Jasmine Throne back in 2022 but I almost completely forgot everything that happened in the book not long after. Jess and I decided to re-read it this year to finally complete the trilogy, and so far it’s been an interesting, albeit different, experience than we expected. When I first read this, I gave it 4.5 stars, but as you can see with my current rating, that upon re-read, my rating has dropped a bit. I find it difficult to pinpoint what exactly didn’t work so well for me, but I think in large part it’s down to me not feeling as invested in the larger main chunk of the story. That said, I know this is a vastly unpopular opinion since most people who’ve read this have loved it immensely—and to be honest, I would still highly recommend this because Suri’s writing is fantastic, the characters she’s breathed to life are intriguing, and the Indian-inspired fantasy world she’s created is exquisite.

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Book Review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

The Seven Year Slip
Publisher: HQ
Pub Date: 27 June 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for…

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

This should be impossible, but Clementine used to love impossible things. And maybe, just maybe, she will again. After all, love is never a matter of time – but a matter of timing.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of family member by suicide (recounted), grief & loss depiction, death of a grandparent from dementia (recounted)

Thanks to Leslie @ Books Are the New Black for buddy reading this with me! We loved it so hard! 💜

TL;DR: There was so much that I loved about this book but it was essentially a love letter to all the things that my inner (reluctantly) hopeless romantic dreams about and loves to giggle and kick my feet over. It’s one of those “impossible romances” a la Serendipity, Sleepless in Seattle, and Notting Hill (among others) rolled into one and my heart had a swooning good time reading about Clementine and Iwan’s story. This is a book that is heavily centered on grief and being stuck in the past, and of course, it’s about healing and finding hope through finding yourself again. I think if you’ve enjoyed Poston’s other romances, you’re bound to enjoy this one too!

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Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

The Spellshop (Spellshop #1)
Publisher: Bramble
Pub Date: 9 July 2024
Genre: Cosy Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Domestic abuse (recounted), death of parents (recounted)

I buddy read this with Charlotte @ Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads and I’m so glad we did cos I loved our discussions about this (and thanks for patiently allowing me to bombard you with questions, lol)! 💜

TL;DR: The Spellshop is a whimsical and magical cosy fantasy that many readers have loved and I know many readers will continue to love. Unfortunately, while I liked it, I didn’t wind up loving it the way I thought I would. The best parts of this cosy fantasy are the descriptions of the lush verdant greenery of the island, especially the area surrounding our MC’s cottage in the forest, the magical creatures, and Caz, the sassy sentient magical plant.

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Blog Tour Review: Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery by Kacy Ritter

Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Hi friends, I’m back for another blog tour today! I’m excited to share my thoughts as part of the blog tour hosted by Toppling Stacks Tours for Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery by Kacy Ritter.

Thanks to Storytide for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!

Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery
Publisher: Storytide
Publication Date: 15 July 2025
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy Mystery
Rep: Biracial, Black

Rating:

(3.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Half-siren Elvira Vance doesn’t trust outsiders. Especially not the human detective who’s been hired to investigate the disappearances of a chupacabra and the crown for the Marfa Monster Festival. While humans are convinced the monster skipped town with the crown, Elvira knows there’s more to the story. As the daughter of Vince Vance—founder of Vince Vance’s Vintage Trailer Park Inn for Monsters—Elvira cares too much about her home to let this mystery go unsolved.

With her two best friends, Elvira collects clues and investigates humans, banshees, vampires, and ghosts. But when more creatures start disappearing and antimonster attitudes rise, Elvira realizes that her friends could be in real danger.

Now time is running out, and Elvira must use her siren powers and sleuthing skills to solve this mystery—or lose everything she loves.

📚 BUY A COPY
⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Racism, discrimination from police

TL;DR: Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery is an adventure-filled Scooby-Doo and the Gang style middle-grade fantasy mystery that I think many young readers will enjoy. The hijinks that ensue may be over-the-top at times, but the story is action-packed as we follow Elvira and her group of friends as they try to the solve the mystery of who’s hurting monsters in the place she calls home. Tough topics that mirror our reality were addressed well by the author in an approachable and easy-to-digest way that wouldn’t be overwhelming for young readers. My only qualm is certain situations relating to the MC’s actions that I wish had been addressed differently, but otherwise, this was a fun romp of a read that’s not only perfect for the spooky season but also summer-time reading!

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ARC Review: Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

Special thanks to HarperCollins for providing a digital ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Embrace the Serpent
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: 24 June 2025
Genre: YA Romance Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(3 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

In this sweeping romantic fantasy, a dangerous deal binds a young jeweler’s apprentice to the mysterious Serpent King in a marriage of convenience, thrusting her into a deadly game between the cunning, fearsome ruler and his rebellious huntsman. Perfect for fans of The Wrath & the Dawn and Once Upon a Broken Heart!

The Serpent King has come to find his bride, and with his arrival festivities sweep through the city. Inside and outside the Rose Palace await women from across the six kingdoms determined to become his new bride-to-be—all except for eighteen-year-old Saphira.

After escaping life as a palace ward under the cruel djinn Lady Incarnadine, Saphira now works as the apprentice to the unscrupulous jewelsmith Galen. Out of fear of being discovered, she hides her rare gift for harnessing the magic in gemstones and lets Galen take credit for her craft.

But when Galen makes a boast that ruffles the court, Lady Incarnadine punishes him with an impossible task—one that threatens to drag Saphira back into Incarnadine’s grasp. Desperate to avoid this fate, Saphira strikes a dangerous deal with Rane, the enigmatic huntsman sent by the Serpent King to find the best jewelsmith in the empire.

Rane promises that if Saphira crafts a mysterious piece for his master, the Serpent King will grant her a new identity and freedom. But when their plans go awry and the only way out is to marry the Serpent King, Saphira becomes entangled in the dangerous affairs of kingdoms and empires—caught between the cunning, handsome Rane and her cold, serpentine husband.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of a parent (off page, recounted), violence, war themes, blood, poisoning

TL;DR: Perhaps my expectations were a bit too high but I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t end up loving this more. I rarely say this, but I think Embrace the Serpent could’ve benefitted from being a duology for more detailed world-building, better exploration of the magic system, and deeper character arcs/relationship development. That said, I think it was a fairly solid YA romance fantasy with a unique magic system, and interesting settings and characters. I would recommend this for fantasy readers who aren’t looking for in-depth world-building and magic exploration, but enjoy being reeled in with a simple and unique system, plus those who love an innocently sweet romance with fairly decent stakes.

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