Book Review | Claimed by Gods

Title: Claimed by Gods

Series: Their Dark Valkyrie #1

Author: Eva Chase

Publisher: Ink Spark Press

My rating: ★★★☆☆

The definition of balancing between adventurous and steamy!

Claimed by Gods is the first novel in Their Dark Valkyrie reverse harem series by Eva Chase, featuring our favorite gods inspired by the Nordic mythology!

If you like a different spin on many well-known and -loved Nordic deities (namely, Loki and Thor), fighting over Aria's charms, well, this is the book for you.

A typical reverse harem novel, where the heroine has to decide between all heroes (and sometimes even choosing them all, heh).

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | The Cupcake Caper

Title: The Cupcake Caper

Series: Undercover Cat #1

Author: Kelle Z. Riley

Publisher: Curtis Brown Unlmited

My rating: ★★★★☆

Sexy, humorous and brilliant! How could you go wrong with such a protagonist?

The Cupcake Caper is the first installment in the cozy mystery Undercover Cat series by Kelle Z. Riley, following Dr. Bree Watson.

Bree has earned a PhD in chemistry and is a full time chemist in a company. But, when one of her coworkers dies unexpectedly and all the clues seem to incriminate her, what is she going to do? She sure isn't willing to leave everything to luck or to the hot detective that is suspecting her, thus soon launching her own undercover investigation.

I love cozy mysteries, because they contain the element of mystery, but also humor and steaminess are unmistakably present.

This novel was such an accurate example of a cozy mystery, and I loved it for that!

It was fast paced, kept you guessing and being all starry-eyed along with the heroine.

To top it all of? Bree was so clever and such an accomplished professional, making you love her all that much more.

I prefer a clever, capable heroine over a damsel in distress, any day and in any gender!

This novel was such a spectacular journey.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | The Bear and The Nightingale

Title: The Bear and The Nightingale

Series: Winternight Trilogy #1

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: Del Rey Books

My rating: ★★★★☆

A magical tale with dangerous creatures and an atmospheric vibe!

The Bear and The Nightingale is the first installment in the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden, a truly magical story inspired by Russian legends and tales.

After Vasilisa's mother passed away, life for her and her family became hard. But, when her father introduces to his children his new wife, who is set on forbidding any spiritual honoring and sending her stepdaughter away one way or another, little do they know of the danger that is going to loom over their lives.

Our heroine is Vasilisa, a fierce and brave protagonist, fit to an amazing novel like this. I loved following her adventure and getting to know more about her life, the tales her nurse used to tell her and immerse myself in traditional Russian tales.

There was an intense atmosphere throughout this novel, with magic, reality and fairy tales blending perfectly into an unmistakably unique story. The winter was described so intensely, making the hardships the family experienced all that more heart felt.

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of horror stories or tales and the fact that there were quite a few frightening elements in this novel, only serves to emphasize the amount of love I have in my heart for this story!

I found myself anxiously turning page after page, waiting to see how the story will unfold and what is going to happen next.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | Hinder: A Bender's Novel

Title: Hinder: A Bender's Novel

Series: Guardian of Monsters #1

Author: Kristin Ping

Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing

My rating: ★★★☆☆

A truly magical and suspenseful adventure!

Hinder: A Bender's Novel, the first installment in a new series by Kristin Ping, revolves around Alex, the last powerful Earth witch alive, and her bender, Ethan.

Benders are the guardians of witches and they are magically connected to their power. However, Ethan has recently lost his connection to the power, something that happens only the witch he's supposed to be guarding is dead. But Alex is not dead, only hiding along with her family, inside of her aunt's locket.

This was a truly intriguing story, with great characters and powers. I loved the fact that lots of background information on the history of those powers was provided, and we had the opportunity to completely submerge ourselves in the universe.

While I enjoyed the premise and the writing style in general, at some points, I felt like being distracted and not completely immersed while reading the story. I do, however, recognize the uniqueness of the plot and that this could be a result of my personal tastes and not necessarily something that would happen to everyone.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | The Black Painting

Title: The Black Painting

Author: Neil Olson

Publisher: HQ

My rating: ★★★★★

A mystery novel so enthralling, that you can't but devour!

The Black Painting is a standalone mystery novel by Neil Olson, centered around Teresa in her quest to discover her family's secrets and the real story behind the disappearance of a Goya painting.

Teresa's grandfather invites his family over to his secluded mansion, to discuss with them his will. Only for Teresa to find him dead as soon as she arrives. An investigation begins, and soon Teresa starts questioning all of her relatives and their motives for wanting her grandfather dead. Oh, and they are a lot.

An intriguing and captivating story, a fabulously-written novel, which I felt like I inhaled, as I finished it in under 2 days.

The mood was dark and matched the plot perfectly, the main heroine was brilliant and I loved reading her thoughts as she uncovered the family's secrets and gave us her opinions on her relatives.

There was suspense, there was mystery and a smart protagonist, perfectly suited to this story line.

As a crime literature enthusiast, I am adding it to my favorite mystery novels ever printed and intending to actively spread the word about it!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | The Hazel Wood

Title: The Hazel Wood

Series: The Hazel Wood #1

Author: Melissa Albert

Publisher: Penguin

My rating: ★★★☆☆

A book I never knew I needed to read so badly!

The Hazel Wood is the first novel in the same named brand new series by Melissa Jones, which introduced me to the book genre of magical realism and intrigued me into reading more about it.

This novel revolves around seventeen-year-old Alice, who's been living like a nomad with her mother for the vast majority of her life. Her grandmother is the world-known writer of creepy fairy tale books, whom she's never really met.

However, when she goes missing, Alice embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her.

And, ends up with more answers than she ever expected - or, wished for...

A very good place to start if you're looking for unique magical realism books!

Admittedly, this was an exceptionally-written, page-turning novel, which kept me alert and anxious to see what comes next, all the way. It started out strong, and if it had kept that pace and tone I would have given it 4 or even 5 stars.

On the contrary, after the second half of the book, I felt like the writing style and the adventure's core characteristics drastically changed, and while it did not reduce the quality of this book, it did my enjoyment of it.

I am not sure whether this change was 100% voluntary and just not in my tastes, but I know for sure I am going to further explore this genre and continue on with the second book, in order to see how Alice's adventures continue.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | The Secret Key

Title: The Secret Key

Series: Agatha Oddly #1

Author: Lena Jones

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books

My rating: ★★★★☆

If you're looking for a totally fun mystery middle grade book, look no more!

The Secret Key is the very first novel in a brand new series by Lena Jones revolving around the adventures of Agatha Oddlow, a thirteen-year-old girl who's addicted to crime novels and wishes nothing more than to become a detective. And, she kind of is, already!

Due to her father's job, she lives in a small cabin in Hyde Park, which also happens to be the center of a few mysterious happenings. When things escalate and London's water supply is contaminated by a toxin, Agatha steps in to save the day!

An exceptionally-written novel, which kept you the readers in agony about what is going to happen next, how Agatha is going to get past each obstacle and what is really going on behind the scenes.

Considering this was the debut book of Lena Jones, I can't emphasize enough how impressed I was and how excitedly I'm waiting to read on in the series, as well as the future works of the author.

Our heroine is awesome, brilliant and accurately named after Agatha Christie. She is the perfect introduction to the famous crime novelist for young readers, who will grow up reading more mystery adventures!

I know, for one, I was captivated, mesmerized and set on reading the rest of Agatha Oddly's great adventures!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

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Review | Bibi & Miyu

My rating: ★★★★★

This was such an entertaining and cute read!

The story starts in Germany, where Bibi lives and in the very first chapter, a new girl arrives to her school from Japan. Bibi is magical, like her mother and unlike her father, and, as she soon discovers, Miyu is hiding her own magical secret. The girls become fast friends and Miyu invites Bibi to Japan for school break. Thus, the adventure begins!

This was an incredibly fluffy and cute story, with impressive, well-drawn and cute illustrations, manga-style.

I loved how the differences between the German and Japanese educational systems are also brought up and explored. You can't be anything but impressed.

This is perfect for both dedicated fans to the manga genre and people with no experience in it. For the latter population, this story will introduce them to this genre and will make them love it for ever.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley, for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Depository (with free shipping on all orders) | Amazon

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