Tag: Book Blog

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [23]

Dini @ dinipandareads16 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 been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

IT’S SUNDAY. THIS SUCKS.
Okay, I’m trying not to get too upset that it’s Sunday. I’ve been procrastinating MANY THINGS outside of reading in the last week and it’s all catching up to me now! DO NOT FREAK OUT is my mantra at the moment and well, it’s not really working. But I digress… This Sunday I spent half the day in bed with The Priory of the Orange Tree and I’m making slow but steady progress. I’ve finally got the characters and storylines straight and I’m highly anticipating when it all comes together because I feel that shit hitting the fan is imminent! I think my problem so far has been that while I’m enjoying it, when I put it down to do other things I don’t feel the urgent need to pick it up again. This is a group read over on Twitter though and I’m so thankful for people like Sammie and Leelynn for keeping me extremely motivated! I’m about 40% of the way through… So maybe there’s hope that I can finish this before the end of September?!

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

What are you currently reading?

I pretty much did ZILCH this weekend? Like, nothing. The best thing about it has been lazing in bed. I didn’t sleep in but I also didn’t get out of bed until close to lunchtime on all weekend. Yes, I’m really a panda at heart (sleeping, eating and rolling around is my jam) 😂 I spent Saturday trying to get motivated to take bookstagram pictures. I’ve been feeling very uninspired lately and it’s not coz I don’t enjoy being part of the booksta community anymore, it’s just completely due to my mental health which hasn’t been in the best state lately. I honestly don’t even know how I spent my day yesterday coz even though I read (I also finished a reread of The Hating Game), I didn’t make that much progress with Priory? Anyway, I did make it out of the house today! Although I made grand plans at 2AM about how to spend my Sunday, I ended up lazing in bed again! I went out to get coffee and to do a bit of grocerysnack shopping though!

I have a presentation that I’ve been avoiding all week last week, and until now I’ve done the bare minimum for it, and I have to present it to my boss tomorrow. WHY AM I SO GOOD AT AVOIDING IMPORTANT SHIT?! 😭 It’s an afternoon meeting so I still have time to work on it in the morning (this is me avoiding again!) but I really thought I’d get some work done today. Instead, I’ve been catching up on blogs, doing a bit of reading and thinking about doing more reading. Le super sigh. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Reading & Blogging Recap

Being stuck on Priory means that I’ve only managed to finish two books this week: Fake Date and The Hating Game. You can find my review for Fake Date in the list below, but I still need to review The Hating Game! It was a re-read and I completely loved it all over again. It needs to be known that: I LOVE JOSH 4 EVA. Like, he’s my number one and I’m obsessed with him. He’s… I need a Josh. In my life. All that banter! All that tension! *swoon*

Other than that it’s been a pretty decent blogging week. I’ve finally caught up on the majority of comments and posts of blogs I’m subscribed to! My inbox is once again super clean and I definitely feel accomplished (if not for the fact that I did all this while avoiding the one thing that I shouldn’t be avoiding today! We can’t all be perfect though, amiright?! 😅I’m now off to make some dinner and to continue reading Priory and on that note, check out a recap of my posts this week, in case you missed any:

Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Top 5 Saturday: Over 500 pages!
Friday Favorites: Autumn Reads
First Lines Friday: 20 September
Bookish Thoughts: Why I Love My Kindle
Review: Fake Date (Dating #2) by Monica Murphy
WWWWednesday: 18 September
Review: The Ingredients of Us by Jennifer Good
#TopTenTuesday: Things to Eat/Drink/Listen to While Reading/Blogging!
Review: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff
Goodreads Monday: 16 September

I’m also leaving you with this song that was stuck in my head for the majority of the day. I haven’t listened to Death Cab for Cutie in ages but … You really can’t go wrong with this classic!

How has your week been? Hope everyone has/had a great weekend!
Let me know how you’re doing in the comments and let’s chat, friends 🙂

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads23 Comments

Goodreads: The Hate U Give
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Fiction
Reviewed: August 2018
Panda Rating:

“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

Side note: I reviewed this book in 2018 and well, this was really at the start of when I started reviewing books more. I think I probably could’ve said a lot more about this book but I just really sucked at writing reviews back then, which you can obviously tell!

“Sometimes you can do everything right but things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right”

I think this book has shot to the top of my best reads in 2018 and I think it will be one of the books I recommend people read if they ask. I cried countless times and laughed like crazy while reading this. I loved the Carter family and their relationship with each other; I loved that despite the tough situation Starr found herself in, the family could still find reasons to laugh and they continued to live their life doing good and right. I also loved the sense of community that was shared too. It was like a shared commiseration of their situation but still, they didn’t let that get them down.

Honestly, I admit that I found Starr’s attitude a bit childish/petulant at the beginning, I realized that I was expecting her to act like an “adult” and to speak from that “adult perspective”. Once I realized how silly my perception was, and I changed how I viewed her character, I realized that Angie Thomas perfectly captured a young teenage girl who is not only going through the typical “high school drama” but is also trying to navigate her way through the two worlds she straddles, without having to diminish herself in any way. She struggles but she gets there in the end. It was a heart-wrenching, heart-warming journey that I’m glad we got to go on.

“Brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you go on even though you’re scared.”

This book covers such important issues (prejudice, injustice, racism) that unfortunately haven’t lost traction in today’s “modern world”. It’s disheartening, frustrating and mind-boggling to know that issues people faced decades ago are still an issue today – it’s like humans haven’t progressed and we’ve only regressed. Okay, I’m discounting all the good people in this world, but it’s frustrating to know that people are still so arrogant and so blind to their privilege and that they refuse to acknowledge that they are, indeed, privileged…

Anyway, before I go on a crazy rant about this, I will say that I recommend everyone read this book. I hope people read this and come away with some understanding. Thomas provides a glimmer of light amidst the darkness with this one.

Have you read The Hate U Give? What’d you think of it?
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

Top 5 Saturday: Over 500 pages!

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

It’s time for another Top 5 Saturday, a weekly meme created by Mandy @ Devouring Books and this week’s topic is: books over 500 pages. I’ve decided to dive into my terrifyingly large Goodreads Want-To-Read list for this week’s post! I was surprised by how many books I had on there that were over 500 pages, but I also kind of expected more 😅 I was also surprised by which books were 500+ pages; some I really had no idea of at all (despite having some of these books on my actual shelf) That really tells you just how aware I can be! Without further ado, here are five books over 500 pages that I want to read:

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak – 512 pages
I received a gorgeous edition of this book during my first Christmas in the UK, and I got it as a Secret Santa gift too. I was definitely impressed! Seven years later, and I still haven’t touched it yet 🙈 LOL

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James – 620 pages
This is probably one of the most hyped books I’ve ever seen hyped on bookstagram and of course I was sucked in by it! I haven’t read any of James’ books despite having three of them on my shelf, and while I’m really curious, this book also scares the hell out of me. I’m worried I won’t “get” it lol

The Secret History by Donna Tartt – 629 pages
So… I still haven’t managed to finish a book by Tartt yet. The Goldfinch is still sitting unfinished on my shelf 🙈 and looking at it eats me up with guilt (sort of). But while I’ve heard people have struggled with Goldfinch, a lot of people have loved The Secret History, so I’m looking forward to it!

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie – 647 pages
I am dying to read this book but it’s also intimidating AF. I don’t always gel with magical realism and from what I hear, Rushdie might be the king of the stuff. It scares me, but I’ve also heard incredible things about this book, so I’m determined to at least try reading it!

The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1) by Brent Weeks – 659 pages
I’ve seen a lot of love for this book since I’ve joined the book community and it sounds really good. I only just realised that it’s a pretty hefty book, though since it’s fantasy, I’m really not surprised lol

What are books you want to read that are over 500 pages? Any of these? Recommendations in the comments below are very welcome!

Friday Favorites: Autumn Reads!

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: autumn reads! If you’ve been following my blog or any of my socials for a while now, you’ll know that I’m an epic mood reader. I don’t really set TBRs, they’re more like possibility piles that I never really get to in the end? But I also don’t generally read based on seasons. While this is mostly because of my mood, I also live on a tropical island where there’s only one season: STEAMING SAUNA HOT. But when I think of autumn, I tend to think of thrilling/spooky reads a la Halloween, pumpkin spice and all things nice, and also, witches? Here’s a list of 5 books I haven’t read yet, but that I think would make the perfect autumn read. Kidding, I’ve already read one of them!

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (Illustrator)
This is the first book that comes to mind because in my eyes it is the epitome of fall. Just look at that cover! But it’s set in the Disneyland of pumpkin patches, it’s filled with delicious fall foods/drinks, and the story warms your heart and makes you want to wrap yourself up in flannel!

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
I haven’t read this one yet, and neither have I read Practical Magic, but this definitely fits with my thoughts on Halloween vibes with a little bit of witchy magic! I hope it doesn’t freak me out lol

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this read. I’ve actually just now noticed that it’s a series (oops) but I think witches + fall do make for a perfect combination!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
When I think of autumn and the cooling weather, I also can’t help but get some melancholy twinges, and I think that fits well with how this book is likely to make me feel. I’m gonna be a wreck!

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Sometimes you just need a book that you can cozy up with under your doona and that’ll make you feel all warm inside after you finish reading it. I think Nina Hill is going to be one of those books!

Are you a seasonal reader? What are some of your favourite autumn reads? Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!

First Lines Friday – 20 September

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍We’re back with another First Lines Friday! This is 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:

“The Nazi officers are dressed in black. They look at death with the indifference of a gravedigger. In Auschwitz, human life has so little value that no one is shot anymore; a bullet is more valuable than a human being.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki, mate...

*drumroll please!*

The book is: The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust.
Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezín ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious volumes the prisoners have managed to sneak past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the librarian of Auschwitz.
Out of one of the darkest chapters of human history comes this extraordinary story of courage and hope.

Have you read The Librarian of Auschwitz or is it on your TBR?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

Fake Date (Dating #2) by Monica Murphy – #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

Goodreads: Fake Date (Dating #2)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Panda Rating:

Working at Bliss, Sarah Harrison deals with all sorts of—interesting clientele. Yet no one sparks her interest more than Jared Gaines, the ultra-rich, ultra-sexy businessman who frequents her shop, buying delicate little “gifts” for the women in his life. But one day, Jared sends her a gift from Bliss. Then another—and another. So when Sarah walks into his office demanding to know why he can’t stop sending her gifts, he makes her an offer she somehow can’t refuse: be his fake girlfriend for the weekend while attending his brother’s engagement party.
Next thing Sarah knows, she’s in San Francisco, pretending to be in love with Jared. Not that it’s a hardship. Once you get the man away from the office, he’s much more relaxed. Sweet. Funny. Even…thoughtful? Oh, and sexier than ever, of course. Their pretend relationship feels very real, very quickly. Soon Sarah’s in over her head. Could what she and Jared share turn into something real? Or is it all actually…fake?

I’m torn between 2.5-3 stars for this. Fake Date was a very easy and quick read that was enjoyable enough for me in certain parts, but it sadly lacked depth/development. I know not all romances need it, but as this sits at almost 400 pages, you’d think there’d be more substance. When I first saw this book I didn’t realise it was part of a series, but it works as a standalone too. I liked where the story was going initially, but the follow through wasn’t quite there. This had a few sexy scenes, but the actual scenes are fade to black or very mildly sexy (imo), but I wasn’t fussed. The build up of tension was great though, and it’s honestly what kept me going (what can I say, I’m a sucker for the angst).

I enjoyed Sarah’s character well enough, although her indecisiveness got to me (literally one minute she didn’t care about Jared’s attention, and the next she’s walking with an extra swing in her step so he’ll notice her sexy hips). She kept repeating until the end that she didn’t like Jared, even after they got together and all her emotions surfaced, and it just became a bit eye-roll inducing. I felt her character wasn’t as well formed as she could’ve been, and that was a little disappointing. I loved her relationship with her siblings and her friends though, and I wanted more of that!

When it comes to Jared… Look, y’all know we love a good grumpy bear of a hero who changes as he lets the heroine chip away at his very high and strong walls, teaching him how to love again, how to be civil to people again, etc. etc. It heightens the tension between characters and gives you all the angsty drama feels, and usually without too much drawn out drama. Unfortunately, Jared was a bit too much of an asshole and he never really changed by the end. We were told by various characters half-way through that he was changing, but we’re never really shown it; and when we do see it, the change was so abrupt that it felt forced. I understand that those walls came up because of the losses he experienced, but I felt that his attitude was entirely OTT. Some of the things he’d say were waay out of line and it angered me that each time he’d say something degrading or rude, he’d need someone to point out what a douchebag he was being and who’d force him to apologise. Like, are you seriously that dense, mate? I liked that Sarah didn’t let him get away with shit, but she’s also not his mother and shouldn’t be continuously reprimanding him for his bad behaviour.

My favorite part about this book is the group of strong supportive women though. This is what every woman needs in their life: friends who tell it like it is without being vindictive or catty, and who support you wholeheartedly. I loved that there were so many women supporting women scenes, even between the would be ‘enemy’. It’s so refreshing and much needed in romances!

Overall, while I’m a little disappointed in how it turned out, I’m still glad I picked this up because the blurb really caught my eye. Will I read the first book of the series? I’m not sure. But I think I’d like to check out book three because Candice’s character really grew on me and I want to hear more about her!

Have you read Fake Date? What’d you think of it?
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

#WWWWednesday: 18 September

Dini @ dinipandareads17 Comments

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

So… After writing my WWW Wednesday post last week, I managed to last ONE DAY before caving and picking up Godsgrave. That means I abandoned On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and I do feel guilty about that, but I just couldn’t resist! I NEEDED to know what happened and I’m really glad I picked it up. Kristoff managed to really screw with my feelings yet again, and now I’m holding off on picking up Darkdawn because I know I’m going to be a wreck while/after reading it. I don’t think I’m ready for it 😂 After finishing Godsgrave in the wee hours of Saturday morning, I decided I needed to take a break before moving on to the group read that I’ve been so skilled at avoiding, and I ended up finishing three books: a short graphic novel: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do… But You Could’ve Done Better (check out my review); and two contemporary romances: The Wrong Kind of Love and The Ingredients of Us (check out my review)! The Wrong Kind of Love was my first Lexi Ryan and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would! The Ingredients of Us was a mixed read for me… There was a lot of angst and that played against my anxiety, so I didn’t enjoy that, but it was still good for a debut. Plus I always enjoy books with baking/cooking 😍

What are you currently reading?

I’ve FINALLY picked up The Priory of the Orange Tree. We all know by now that this book is a definite chunkster and I gave up on reading the physical copy the other day because my arms just couldn’t deal with how much of a work out I was giving them 😂 So I caved and bought the e-book and my arms thank me muchly. I’ve also been so intimidated by how big this book is, so I hope that reading it on my Kindle will make it easier to digest! I’m kind of really feeling in the mood for a contemporary romance/romcom as well, so I think I might read Fake Date (Dating #2) by Monica Murphy at some point while reading Priory. I didn’t realize it was part of a series, but I loved the sound of it when I came across it this morning (on Alyssa @ A Lovely Book Affair‘s page), so yeah, IMPULSE BUY!

What will you read next?

After finishing Priory I expect that I’ll be feeling the need for some lighter reads, so I was thinking about picking up The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which has been very hyped on bookstagram, and I just remembered I also signed myself up for a group read for Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) 😅Woopsies! This’ll actually be a re-read for me. I didn’t like it the first time and didn’t see what everyone loved about it, but I’m wondering if I’ll feel differently this time around? Let’s see! I also need to read the ARC for The Light Keeper, which … is already out (I’m so sorry) and I just haven’t got around to it yet. Grr 😤This panda really needs to work on getting her ARC shit together!

What are you currently reading? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

The Ingredients of Us by Jennifer Good – #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Goodreads: The Ingredients of Us
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Panda Rating:

Elle, an accomplished baker, has a recipe for every event in her life. But when she discovers her husband’s infidelity, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Jam, maybe? Definitely jam.
Fed up with the stale crumbs of her marriage, Elle revisits past recipes and the events that inspired them. A recipe for scones reminds her of her father’s death, cinnamon rolls signify the problematic courtship with her husband, and a batch of chocolate cookies casts Elle in a less-than-flattering light. Looking back, Elle soon realizes that some ingredients were missing all along.
After confronting her husband, Elle indulges her sweet tooth in other ways, including a rebound that just leaves her more confused. As secrets from the past collide with the conflicts of the present, Elle struggles to manage her bakery business and maintain the relationships most important to her. In piecing her life back together, will Elle learn to take the bitter with the sweet?

This is kind of hard for me to review because although I really related to the internal struggles and the experience that Elle went through, I also found her character frustrating, the storyline a bit slow, and I found myself wishing that we got more development in the present.

Gold’s writing flows well and is easy to follow. It’s not overly descriptive but it’s laced with emotions; she really knows how to make readers feel what her characters are going through. I enjoyed the recipes that were laced throughout the story, and they highlighted well the importance of baking to Elle’s character. I really want to try some of the recipes because they sound delectable!

The story was told through Elle’s perspective and the story alternates between the past and present with the affair being the main point of reference (i.e. four months after Elle found out; nine years before Elle found out etc.). I’ve come to realise that I’m not always keen on this style, but I know the author was trying to show how Elle & Tom’s relationship developed through the struggles, successes, good times and bad. Sometimes I felt the flashback chapters dragged a bit so I would find myself skimming pages because nothing happened that significantly contributed to getting a better understanding of the story. I think the hardest part for me to read was the day that Elle found out because it was basically a cut/copy of what happened to me, so naturally I became very emotional.

I think one of the main issues I had was that while I empathised with Elle, I also found her character’s insecurity overwhelmed all other aspects of her character. I found her indecisiveness also very frustrating and it honestly filled me up with a lot of anxiety! I also found that I never really trusted Tom but we also really don’t learn much about his character. I think the story would’ve benefited from including his perspective in it, and to give the story a bit more depth. While I absolutely hate cheating, in the end I found myself feeling a bit… sorry for him? There’s clearly a lack of openness between Tom and Elle that basically led to the break down of their marriage, and I wish that we would’ve seen more acknowledgement on Elle’s part especially, that it takes two to tango because a marriage isn’t a relationship with yourself (and that’s not me placing blame on her character at all)!

Judging from the cover of the novel, you’d think this would be a happy and fluffy story, but it really isn’t and is actually quite emotionally heavy; although the ending does provide a glimmer of hope, maybe, for our characters. While it wasn’t a favorite, I did enjoy Gold’s debut and I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!

Have you read The Ingredients of Us? What’d you think of it?
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

#TopTenTuesday: Things to Eat/Drink/Listen to While Reading/Blogging!

Dini @ dinipandareads52 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: favorite things to eat/drink while reading (submitted by Jana’s mom). As you can tell by the title of my blog, I’ve changed the original prompt up a little bit by adding music and blogging! I don’t generally eat/drink a lot while reading or blogging, but I do put on some tunes, especially while blogging, so I thought I’d share some choons (also, I obviously like to make quick/easy posts more work for myself 🙄LOL)!

Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato
This is my go to coffee drink. I must consume it at least three times per week? It’s a hefty habit but it’s just too hard to resist. I LOVE iced caramel macchiatos. That’s defo one way to my heart! 😍

Ferrero Rocher
Ferrero has been my favorite chocolate ever since I was a kid. Once I start it’s so hard to stop eating!

This song is just so chill and so beautiful. I could have it on repeat in the background all day.

Peach Iced Tea
For some reason I always have peach tea bags stored away in my cupboard, so I frequently have a bottle of this sweet deliciousness sitting in my fridge. Perfect for those hot afternoons!

Thick cut chips
By chips here I mean fries. And not the shoe string kind. I’m a fan of the thick cut chips COZ MORE CARBS IN ONE BITE lol so good (but obviously eaten with one hand so the other is grease free!)

I shared this song on Sunday but I can listen to it forever. HER VOICE and the vibe. It’s SO CHILL.

English Breakfast Tea (with milk) + Custard Creams
I’m more of a coffee girl, but there’s just something so comforting about having a nice warm cuppa with CUSTARD CREAMS the best biccies! Everything about the combo screams cozy comfort!

I love this song and how it makes me feel. It’s like I need to go dancing down the street, and people will dance with me, offer me food and drinks, as we all sing and laugh… It’s a montage in my head LOL but also surprisingly great to have playing in the background while writing and reading 😂

Oreos (with milk obvi)
Another comforting snack that gives me throwback vibes to my middle school days when I would obsessively eat Oreos every chance I got. I don’t indulge in these all that often now but still good!

What do you like to eat/drink/listen to while reading/blogging?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff – #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Goodreads: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2)
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating:

Conquer your fear, conquer the world.
Mia Corvere, destroyer of empires, has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry do not believe she has earned it. Her position is precarious, and she’s still no closer to exacting revenge for the brutal death of her family. But after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.
When it is announced that Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself into slavery for a chance to fulfill the promise she made on the day she lost everything. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold, secrets are revealed and the body count rises within the collegium walls, Mia will be forced to choose between her loyalties and her revenge.

CW: Gore, Murder, Abuse (Physical)

When I started Godsgrave two days ago, the first thing I told myself was: DO NOT GET ATTACHED. I mean, this was my mantra and I was ready. Kristoff could bring all the emotional fckery to the table and hit me with it because I WAS NOT GOING TO GET ATTACHED. He can absolutely take his torture elsewhere! I see you, Kristoff. I know better after Nevernight!

O, gentlefriends the lies we tell ourselves, neh?

it me

If I wasn’t 100% convinced after Nevernight that Kristoff takes absolute pleasure in making his readers writhe in agony as he slays off one character after another, it’s safe to say that I don’t need convincing now because I have zero doubts about it. Kristoff is eerily like George R.R. Martin. If you like a character in this book, chances are they’re going to get fcked over at some point, and hard! And yet, I still can’t get enough of this series (and what does that say about me exactly?). When I wrote this review my thoughts and emotions were still all over the place, so fair warning, this review might be as much a hot hot mess.

Audiobook

I followed along to the audiobook again because it played such a big part in my enjoyment of the story of Nevernight. The audio started off a bit shaky and I felt it wasn’t as strong as Nevernight, but I still enjoyed the narrator, Holter Graham, and thought he did a great job with voicing the cast. I did notice there were a lot of errors in wording and sometimes voicing but it wasn’t a very big deal. I’d give this performance 4★s!

The Writing

Kristoff’s writing has really grown on me a lot since Nevernight. I enjoy the OTT metaphors and similes, as well as the dry and often crass humor that’s interjected and brings much needed levity to such a dark story. I found that I still loved the footnotes because you learn so much about the republic through them, and I find that the text is often hilarious. If there’s one thing I’m dying to know is who the narrator is! Does anyone have any guesses?

“If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.”

The Plot

Godsgrave moved at a fast pace that didn’t let up until the end. The world building continued to be fantastic, and I especially enjoyed the horrific and jaw dropping arenas where the gladiatii battled. These arenas were mind-blowing and like an insanely “pimped up” and magical Gladiator. Unsurprisingly, there’s even more blood and gore as Mia joins a collegium of gladiatii as part of her plan to avenge her familia. There are also a few well-written sexy scenes! The plot gets more complex as conspiracies and ugly truths come to light. There are plenty of twists, revelations, lies and heartbreak, but also some great, heartwarming friendships too. There’s a romance storyline that I didn’t love but I’m sure many will enjoy–I just don’t trust the character at all! Some of the revelations I saw coming but the very last one had me shook. I was definitely over here screaming like a banshee as I read it! I’m STILL shaking and hella curious to see how these elements will come together in Darkdawn. There’s so much anticipation!

The Characters

There’s a completely new cast that appear in Godsgrave. Few characters from the first book reappear, but they don’t play big roles in the story, except for one/two.

Mia Corvere continues to be an incredibly complex character. She has become an even more proficient killer and although her lack of fear has made her a bit colder, she still retains her conscience; I love those two sides to her character. Towards the end of the book, I ended up shouting at and hating her for what she was doing, but I should’ve known better. Tricksy little Kristoff! We get to see a bit more of Mercurio in Godsgrave, and I really love his paternal relationship with Mia. I love a gruff character with heart!

“When you take a person out of the world, you don’t just take them, do you? You take everything they were, too.”

We’re introduced to many characters in Godsgrave, especially when Mia joins the collegium. We have Leona, the Domina of the collegium. Arkades, a former gladiatii and now Executus of the collegium. Maggot, the young girl who was the collegium’s healer, absolutely stole my heart with her sweetness and curiosity! Then there are the other gladiatii and although most of them remain minor characters, I couldn’t help loving what I learned of Sidonius, Bryn and Byern, Bladesinger, and Wavebreaker! I thought for sure there would be one asshole that makes life at the collegium unbearable for Mia, but for the most part they treated each other like family. I loved the camaraderie between them, and the banter like that between siblings. I wanted to spend more time with them and learn more of their interesting backstories. This is obviously where I also got attached to characters that I should not have done and the big event at the end seriously broke my heart. I was railing so hard at both Kristoff and Mia!

AND THEN OF COURSE

There’s the big twist and reveal of characters and their relationships in the last few pages of the book! WHAAAT?! Kristoff is so cruel to end this on such a note, but I’m so glad that I decided to start this series when Darkdawn came out because now I don’t have to wait years to know what happens. I’m honestly a little scared but also very excited to see how this story wraps up. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be terrifying, horrifying and heartbreaking. Will I be ready for the feels?!

Have you read Godsgrave? What’d you think of it? Also, have you read Darkdawn? Are my feelings going to be absolutely destroyed?!
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!