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Monday, November 30, 2020

The Big Book Haul Post: November 2020

  
November is almost over so that means that the holidays are officially here! It looks like it was an easier month on our wallets but filled with some quality books that we have been highly anticipating. I'm looking at you, new Guild Hunter book.

Here's what we added to our TBR piles in November:

As always, keep in mind that books we got for free earlier in the month may not still be free, so look before you click.
 
 Gretl

Physical Book Haul
 
Added to My Kindle
ARCs
Deception by Nina Croft
Ten Rules For Faking It by Sophie Sullivan

Purchased 
Duke I’d Like to F...

Freebies
 Sweet Surrender by Naima Simone
Special Delivery Holiday Collection by Lauren Blakeley
All I Want For Christmas is You by Vi Keeland
Demon Unbound by Jenn Stark
The Swedish Prince by Karina Halle
Cold Justice by Toni Anderson

Working Title by Holley Trent
Turn the Tide by Katie Ruggle
Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole
Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair
Hard to Handle by K. Bromberg
The Princess Problem by Christi Barth

Shadows by Kristen Proby
Realm of Knights by Jennifer Anne Davis
Remedial Rocket Science by Susanna Nix

Rose Red

Physical Book Haul

Added to My Kindle
Purchased
Imaginary Lover (Beyond the Realm: Remember #8) by Morgan Brice
Treasured by S.J. Himes
The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn

 
From London, With Love (London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy #6) by Bec McMaster
Archangel's Sun (Guild Hunter #13) by Nalini Singh
Bingo Love, Vol. 1: Jackpot Edition by Tee Franklin

Can't Wait (Montana Men #0.5) by Jennifer Ryan
Black Sun (Between Earth & Sky #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Freebies
Nutty for You (Fox Hollow Zodiac #1.6) by Morgan Brice

What books did you all pick up this month?

and

Month in Review: November 2020


 
We don't know about you but 2020 feels like it has been 84 years long. Since it's been such a busy month on the IRL front, the Weres have been quiet again here on the blog but we did post a few things!

This is what the Weres were up to in November:
 
 
 
We Love Lists


 
Lists:
Top 10 of 2020

Reviews:
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Review: Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono



Kiki's Delivery Service
(Kiki's Delivery Service #1)
Eiko Kadono
Release: July 7, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
Nostalgic fans of the Miyazaki film and newcomers alike--soar into the modern classic about a young witch and her clever cat that started it all!

Half-witch Kiki never runs from a challenge. So when her thirteenth birthday arrives, she's eager to follow a witch's tradition: choose a new town to call home for one year.

Brimming with confidence, Kiki flies to the seaside village of Koriko and expects that her powers will easily bring happiness to the townspeople. But gaining the trust of the locals is trickier than she expected. With her faithful, wise-cracking black cat, Jiji, by her side, Kiki forges new friendships and builds her inner strength, ultimately realizing that magic can be found in even the most ordinary places.

Blending fantasy with the charm of everyday life, this enchanting new translation will inspire both new readers and dedicated fans.

Review:
One of my favorite Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli movies is Kiki's Delivery Service so when I saw this new translation up on Netgalley I just had to request it. Y'all! I loved it so much! It was absolutely magical! This book differs from the movie but still has the same understated level of delightful whimsy. Reading it gave me the same joy as when I first saw the movie even though they are different. Like with Howl's Moving Castle, I think this is one of those cases that you can appreciate and love both for being different.

But when it comes down to it, they both are really a heartwarming story about growing up and the difficulties that come with it. It's about a witch striking out on her own for the first time with her talking cat. We watch Kiki start her business and use her ability to fly to make deliveries. She may be magical but she's still an ordinary girl besides. We see her deal with the worries and disappointments that life can bring. And we also get to live her joys with her and get a chuckle seeing her grapple with the realization that someone may like her like her for the first time. I loved Jiji's sarcasm and I lived for their comments!

The story is a short one where each chapter had an episodic feel to it. But I was utterly charmed for the whole of the book watching as Kiki finds her place in her new town. And I loved how it kept This translation is actually the first book in a series and I really hope that the publisher decides to translate the rest because I really need them in my life and on my shelves. 

I ended up reading this one to my nephews and introduced them to the movie for the first time after. They loved it as much as I did and keep asking when we can read more about Jiji and Kiki. I would highly recommend this if you're looking for a great middle grade/YA fantasy book for all ages.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley


    
  5 / 5 Stars


Recommended for fans of:

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Release Day Review: Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh


Archangel's Sun
(Guild Hunter #13)
Nalini Singh
Release: November 24, 2020
Goodreads Amazon
A horrifying secret rises in the aftermath of an archangelic war in New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s deadly and beautiful Guild Hunter world...


The Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease may be gone but their legacy of evil lives on—especially in Africa, where the shambling, rotting creatures called the reborn have gained a glimmer of vicious intelligence.

It is up to Titus, archangel of this vast continent, to stop the reborn from spreading across the world. Titus can’t do it alone, but of the surviving powerful angels and archangels, large numbers are wounded, while the rest are fighting a surge of murderous vampires.

There is no one left…but the Hummingbird. Old, powerful, her mind long a broken kaleidoscope. Now, she must stand at Titus’s side against a tide of death upon a discovery more chilling than any other. For the Archangel of Disease has left them one last terrible gift…

 

Review:
I will say now that if you're not caught up on the series, stop reading this post now. There will be spoilers for Archangel's War ahead. But man! Oh, man! This book was good and literally the most unexpected storyline I would never have predicted. 

After the last book, I was curious to see where Nalini Singh was going to go with this series after the events of this last story arc wrapping up with the big showdown between Lijuan and Raphael. The big bad may be gone and the Cascade over but there is a lot of clean up to do now that the war is over. The whole world literally is devastated but more areas need help than others.

Every time I learn there's a new Guild Hunter book coming out I try to figure out if it will be about Elena and Raphael or one of the Seven. I had made bets on it being another Raphael and Elena book after the last book but I couldn't have been more wrong. I for sure didn't see the Hummingbird getting her own book at all even though I have been curious about her story since she went to New York to visit Illium. 

The Hummingbird is one of angelkind's treasures and a truly neutral party. But she is broken and has been lost in the fog of her mind for centuries. Being appointed as the Guardian of Lumia and the repository of art found there has been slowly bringing her out of it and into the real world. She is picking up the pieces of herself and learning how to be Sharine again. And being sent to help Titus clear his territory of the Reborn and the other messes Charisemnon left behind is just the thing she needed to do that. 

It was delightful watching her come into her own and going from this slightly fragile person to a strong fighter who knows her mind. I had always wondered about how she became how she was as the Hummingbird and I was a bit heartbroken for how hard her life was. I'm not completely sold that she had to lose herself in her mind but I will accept it.

As for the romance, I would never had paired her with Titus in a thousand years but it worked so well! When I learned this book was about Titus too, I was so excited! I've loved what bits and pieces we've learned about him as the series progressed and I couldn't wait to find out who this warrior archangel with the booming voice was! I really enjoyed him as a main character and I kind of liked seeing him get a kick in the butt from reality because of his stereotyping of the female gender as a whole was so wrong. It took Sharine coming on the scene to adjust his way of thinking. 

I really enjoyed their banter and how they slowly came to care about each other as they worked together. It's definitely a slow burn as they learn to look past their preconceived notions about each other. I will say there were a few instances where I thought Sharine didn't treat Titus right but it didn't take away from the story too much. It takes most of the book for really anything romantic to happen. I won't say anymore about how that happens except that I loved how willing Titus was to wait for Sharine to be ready to be his. It was everything!

I will say that this book was not my favorite of the series but I still loved it. It would actually work as a good entry point for a newbie to come into the series. What I'm really excited about is that this book is that bridge book that is starting to set up a new arc for this series and I'm excited to see where that new batch of stories takes us. 

I know I've said this with each of the last few books in the series but I seriously can't wait to see who the next book is about. I really want it to be Illium's book and I really want it to be him and Aodhan paired together. I don't think we'll get it because it's looking like Nalini is starting to set up Aodhan with someone else. Which is kind of disappointing because I really do feel like the whole series has been setting everything up for the two friends to end up together. Anyways, I think we're getting closer to either of them having their own book and I'm so beyond ready for it. I know I'll probably love whatever Nalini decides to do with their stories but I'm still going to keep my fingers crossed over here until we see how everything shakes out.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.


    1/2
  4.5 /5 Stars