A lush and interesting fairytale about a knight who split his soul in half to make a sword from his own spine who wants to find Baba Yaga and a cursed Zmora who needs a cure and needs his help. Dymitr is a knight who was raised to kill and in order to do so he had to split his soul in half to make a sword from his own spine. He's killed so many... and now he's in search of Baba Yaga. This was such an interesting read and it definitely gave me Wizard of Oz vibes but with such a unique twist and turn and it even has creatures from Slavic lore. It's got a sweet story about the families we build and the ones we destroy and the three characters in this were so interesting (no spoilers on the third character so you'll definitely have fun when you read it). It's a short and fun fantasy read and I would definitely recommend it.

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Judith was prophesied to have her lover come from the woods... and when a handsome huntsman comes... he marries her sister yet she can't keep her eyes off him... and then there is the wolf that lurks the woods and a new stranger in town who draws Judith in... who is her lover? Judith yearns for love, she knows her sister Alice is the pretty one, but she hopes to find her love soon. When a handsome and gentlemanly hunter comes into the village and starts staying in Alice's inn, Judith hopes he is the huntsman from her prophecy and begins to fall for him... yet he marries her sister. When another stranger comes out of the woods he looks like a vagrant, but he offers Judith mysterious and enticingly strange feelings.... Judith, against her own reason and decency, welcomes both men into her life in different ways... yet only one of them is her love. With the winter storm coming and a wolf howling and hunting around the village, people are becoming ravenous... and these hungers need to be satisfied... This was such a unique short story. I was so entranced while reading it and curious about where it would go and that ending, oh gosh, did I love that ending. It's the perfect short fairytale story with a touch of gothic and darkness.

*Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review*

Three friends and their twisted relationship in a cursed small town, an immortal boy being sacrificed and killed over and over, a girl with a dark family legacy and deadly powers, and the boy who is not who he seems at all. Wyatt Westlock never thought she'd be back in her family's farmhouse, the one she inherited after her father's death and all she wants to do is burn it down. This farmhouse, this town, was the start of her heartbreak, and where she lost her two dearest childhood friends, Peter and James. Yet when she goes to inspect the house before setting it on fire she finds Peter strung up in chains in the basement left for dead.Wyatt doesn't know that Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Peter is semi-immortal and bound to the form, locked in a cycle of deaths and painful rebirths... and he's been trapped in the basement for five years waiting for Wyatt to come back... because he needs her blood, he needs to sacrifice and end her line in order to be freed. The spells that had protected the property have unravelled since Wyatt's parents are gone and now the ancient forces that lurk in the woods are getting ready to escape and destroy everything... but the only way to repair the words is to work with Peter, the only person who knows how to harness her powers, yet he wants her dead. Then there is James, the third friend, the one who is back as well, yet he doesn't seem normal and Peter is hiding a dark secret about James... The more Peter reveals to Wyatt about what was really happening in their childhood, what was being done to him and what her family was involved in the more she begins to unravel... yet one thing remains, this twisted love they have. Will they make it out alive? This was a tragic, heartbreaking, yet amazing read. The story has horror elements as well as such a touching story on friendship and love. Peter and Wyatt love each other despite everything, despite how they were never fated to be, despite how many secrets and blood stains they have, they love each other so much. The friendship between all three of them was so sweet. That ending was terrible, terribly sad and so heartbreaking but I understand why it had to be done that way yet I wish it wasn't I wish they all got their happy ending together after the horrors and atrocities they all faced. This book is brutal and angsty yet the romance was so well done and the story really grabs you until the end. I would absolutely recommend this for fans of darker romances and stories!

*Thanks Netgalley and Scholastic, Scholastic Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This is a beautiful and touching story based on the life of the author in which a young girl becomes a selective mute after the experiences her parents face as refugees in a new country. This was a really beautiful story and reading the author's notes about what she went through and why she wrote this book made this an even better read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books ® for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Book Blurb: Get ready for Lunar New Year, following a little girl and her family as they get ready for and celebrate the Lunar New Year festival.

With non-fiction information about the significance of certain rituals, but told through the excited eyes of a child, this is a book to return to year after year in the run up to the biggest festival in the Chinese calendar.

Each of the 12 spreads will feature 12 lift flaps, 144 in total.

Review:
A beautiful and fun book to get into the festivities of Lunar New Year! The artwork is absolutely stunning and this is a great read for children to learn more about Lunar New Year!

*Thanks Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions, Wide Eyed Editions for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A super cute children's book for you to read before bed! The artwork is super cute and the story is easy and fun to read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Happy Yak for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A gothic dark academia mystery featuring two rivals-to-lovers who find themselves hunting down the truth about the author of a famous story... only to find themselves fighting against the Fairy King and other dangers as the truth will come at a price. Effy Sayre lives in a world where women aren't afforded the same opportunities as men, and as the only woman in the architecture college (when she wants to be a literature student but it is forbidden for women to be in the literature college), life is hard enough, especially since she is still reeling from the scandal with her advisor... the one in which people think she slept with him to get ahead when the truth is that she didn't want any of it. Effy's only solace from her haunted visions, her terrible childhood, and the assault she faced is her book Angharad, a book that tells the epic story about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King and destroys him. Effy idolizes the author, Emrys Myrddin and the author himself is shrouded in mystery. Yet when the Myrddin family is offering to let a architecture student redesign the house, Effy knows its her chance to find out more about her author. What she didnt expect was that she would be going with Preston Héloury, a literature scholar who wants to expose Myrddin as a fraud and not the true author of Angharad. Things to also note about this universe is that Effy's home land is at war with its neighbor and one of Preston's parents is from the neighboring war land and he is also faced with prejudices. Effy immediately dislikes Preston because he rented all the books on Myrddin when she wanted them, she is also jealous that he is able to be a literature student. Though they both get off on the wrong foot they both find that they are hunting down the truth of the Fairy King, yet Effy is plagued by visions of the Fairy King and she doesn't know what's real and what's in her head. Yet the more they try to find answers the more danger closes in on them. Will they be able to find the truth before it's too late or will they die trying?

This is Ava Reid's third book and her first young adult novel, it features her gorgeous writing and its definitely an atmospheric read. The story deals with a lot of triggers: sexism/misogyny, a sexually-exploitative power imbalance, grooming, rape and dubcon, ableism, mental illness, an emotionally abusive parent, alcoholism, PTSD and intrusive memories, mentions of drowning, and child abandonment. Effy isn't really a likable character and comes off very very young and the writing feels a bit juvenile at times when it comes to her. I did like the overall mystery but I wish there was some character work on Effy and Preston, I wanted them to be a bit more fleshed out and kind of wished there was a better flow to their romance. I liked the book overall but it's definitely not my favorite of all her books. This is her first young adult novel and it definitely feels young as the characters read a bit more juvenile despite being in college. Overall, it's a beautiful atmospheric gothic read with a dash of mystery, romance, and fantasy!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperTeen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A beautiful and sweet story about two moles who learn to move out of their comfort zone and experience the world around them. Purr and Craw are two moles who begin to learn to explore new things and find new experiences. This was a really sweet read and the artwork was cute.

*Thanks Netgalley and Archipelago, Elsewhere Editions for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A young girl who loves dragons finds her life turned upside down after her father's death as she ventures into another realm while looking into her museum curator/historian father's research. The story centers around the modern-day events of COVID-19 and focuses on a young girl named Moli who is traveling from China to London to attend her father's funeral and see his last exhibition. She finds herself pulled into another realm, one that is filled with mythical creatures and she gets to experience first-hand the ongoing war and the lives of the Rouran's, which her father was looking into. Her involvement in the past time has a ripple effect when she returns to her own time. The story is a fantasy one but poses a lot of philosophical thoughts. It's an interesting read and definitely leaves room for a second book. My only big thing about this was that the writing style was all over the place and it was hard to get into the story when I felt like I was constantly being pulled out of it. I did enjoy that this book was trying to tackle a lot of things but it felt like I was being pulled back and forth between the fantasy realm with Moli and the modern pandemic times. The story just felt a bit all over the place but I can appreciate what it was trying to do.

*Thanks Netgalley and UK Book Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A unique reimagining of Cinderella's featuring a fairy godmother who wants revenge against the Queen who killed her family and will need the help of Cinderella to do so. Farrow is an Entente, magical advisors to the Queen and they grant wishes. Ententes have been advisors to Queens for centuries and have lived in harmony and kept the peace in the kingdom. Yet when the new queen Magrit takes power, she immediately exiles magic and executes the Entente. Farrow is the only one to survive and her magic was broken beyond repair... yet now she spends her days pretending to be a human plotting her revenge against the queen. Farrow has only one goal: kill Queen Magrit. She spends years planning and finally gets the chance when she takes up the position as a special companion to the queen's son, Prince Mather. Mather is nothing like she expects and he genuinely begins to fall for her, yet Farrow has a mission and she will go through with it. The only way to reach the queen though is at the ball where Prince Mather will choose his bride... and the perfect bride for the job is Cinderella. Farrow will need Cinderella to complete her goals, yet things are only further complicated when those from her past come back and her own complicated feelings for the prince arise. This was definitely a unique reimagining of the classic story and it had so much going on yet I honestly wish it was condensed down a bit. This is only the first book in the series and I really don't see myself reading the rest of the books. While it was a unique retelling, it just was a bit much and I found myself getting bored and checking out of the book a lot. I think this would make a great read for fans of a darker twist on classic fairytales with a fantasy romance aspect though. While it didn't stand out to me, it definitely would make a great read for others!

*Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, Bloomsbury YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*