Tag: New to me Authors

Book Review: A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

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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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 @ dinipandareads10 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 Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Dini @ dinipandareads22 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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Blog Tour Review: Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones

Dini @ dinipandareads4 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 Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones.

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends 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!

Arcana: The Lost Heirs
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: 24 June 2025
Genre: New Adult Graphic Novel

Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Debut author/illustrator Sam Prentice-Jones explores fighting against your destiny and reconciling the actions of your ancestors in Arcana: The Lost Heirs, a tarot-inspired fantasy graphic novel for young adults.

James, Daphne, Koko, and Sonny have all grown up surrounded by magic in the Arcana, an organization of witches that protects the magical world, run by the mysterious and secretive Majors. Eli Jones, however, didn’t even know other witches existed… until he stumbled into James. As James introduces Eli to the world of the Arcana, he finds the family he never had, and a blossoming romance with James.

The five new friends soon realize that sinister things are afoot and everything may not be what it seems at the Arcana. When the group delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the deaths of their parents and the Major’s rise to power, they discover that they’re at the center of a curse – one they’ve just unwittingly set into motion. As the friends search for answers, they’ll have to confront the cursed legacy that links them in hopes of freeing their futures.

📚 BUY A COPY
⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Death of parent, generational trauma

Arcana: The Lost Heirs is a great start to a new graphic novel series! It’s witchy, mysterious, and had a great found-family vibe going on. The art style and colour palette matched the story perfectly and I loved how different colours were used for varying characters but also emotions, moods, and events! It set the scenes apart quite well and helped to project a strong atmosphere for the story.

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ARC Review: The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis

Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

Special thanks to the author for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Raven and the Dove (The Raven and the Dove #1)
Pub Date: 9 March 2020
Genre: YA Romance Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde!

A princess longing to be free…

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

A bastard aching to belong…

Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart…

Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.

Three shocking betrayals. Two star-crossed lovers. One unforgettable journey.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Blackmail, infidelity (recounted), death of parents, violence, blood, description of injuries, description of injury from fire, kidnapping, fade to black sex scene, stalking

Okay, I will admit that I’m impressed. Pushing aside the fact that it took me 5 years to finally get past the first chapter (all other attempts didn’t take and this time it took me 3 days to pass it), I ended up devouring the rest of the book in a day. Admittedly, I skimmed some of the longer overly descriptive scenes that didn’t seem to add anything other than splendour to the story. That said, this turned out to be more than I expected! Let’s get straight into what did and don’t work for me and what was in between:

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Book Review: Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Masquerade
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd.
Pub Date: 2 July 2024
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

HER RISE TO POWER, PAID IN BLOOD

Òdòdó’s home city of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Under their new oppressive ruler, conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her ostracised blacksmith guild grow even worse.

Then Òdòdó is abducted and whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper – the apparent vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior – is none other than the warrior king himself, and he has chosen her to be his wife.

Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society, and into a world of battle and politics. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and hidden enemies, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed and reforge the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Misogyny, kidnapping, torture, murder, forced killing of parent (on-page), poisoning of an individual to cause infertility, suicide (on-page), blood, extreme violence and war themes

TL;DR: Masquerade is a great debut by Sangoyomi and I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I will say that while this is categorised as historical fantasy, there is very little in the way of fantasy about it. Nevertheless, it was a compelling story about a woman’s rise to power and the lengths she would go to pull herself out of a life of poverty and subjugation. Òdòdó is a fantastic morally grey main character who has a very compelling arc that made it surprisingly easy to root for her, despite making decisions that place her very solidly in the unlikeable camp. I found myself somewhat shocked at the lengths she would go to, but also admired her dogged determination to not be bested by people she knew weren’t better than her. Her arc was so unique and made this story unputdownable. I chose to go the immersive reading route for this (audio + ebook) and I enjoyed how the narrator brought Òdòdó’s story to life. I’d recommend this to readers who love a good historical novel, especially one that’s not Western-centric, and a story about an underdog who comes out on top because there’s nothing quite so satisfying as seeing horrible people get their comeuppance! 🤭

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Blog Tour Review: Blades of Furry, Vol. 1 by Deya Muniz & Emily Erdos

Dini @ dinipandareads15 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 TBR & Beyond Tours for Blades of Furry by Deya Muniz & Emily Erdos.

Thanks to Little, Brown Ink 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!

Blades of Furry, Vol. 1
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Publication Date: 13 May 2025
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel

Rating:

(5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Enter the high stakes world of battle skating in this rivals-to-lovers romance based on the spectacularly popular webcomic.

Emile is an up-and-coming rookie in battle skating, a sport that combines the grace of figure skating with the high impact sparring of martial arts. Just as he is gearing up to fight in his next duel at the championships, there’s a change in the lineup! To his horror, he’ll have to face off against reigning champion Radu, the best battle skater in the world (and Emile’s longtime skating idol). There’s no way he can win!

During a pivotal moment in their match, however, Emile discovers Radu’s most closely guarded secret…and it’s a bloody one. This could destroy Radu’s career for good, but when feelings start to develop between them both on and off the rink, will this rivalry turn into something more…?

Based on the WEBTOON hit comic with over forty million views and half a million subscribers, this irresistible story full of heart-pounding romance, breathtaking skate battles, and secrets both good and bad is now available in a gorgeous print edition that includes never-before-seen content!

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: Inject this into my veins because I want to live and breathe this 24/7. Holy granola, I don’t have the words for how much I enjoyed this and I’m so glad it came on my radar. Not to exaggerate or anything, but if I could give it a million stars I would. It might even be one of my favourite reads of the year and I know that sounds wild but honestly, I had the best time reading it. I laughed, cried, squee-d and even raged in frustration. Not only did it make me feel all the things but it left me feeling so full of happy, and I can’t remember the last time a book left me feeling this satisfied. 🥹 I came to love these characters and got so invested in their arcs that I may have gone to finish what’s available of the Webtoon series because I’m not going to put myself through the torture of waiting any longer than I have to. Sorry, not sorry! 🤭 Needless to say, this has easily slotted itself into my favourite graphic novels/webcomics of all time and I would urge you to check it out asap. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, even if you don’t consider yourself to be a furry (cos neither was I)! 😉

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