In my head, these stories would put me in the mood to celebrate the exit of 2020. See, I thought both stories were about New Year celebrations. One of them is, but in my opinion, it’s the weaker of the two.

For the full review:

https://medium.com/amateur-book-reviews/almost-midnight-by-rainbow-rowell-8aac09f50892?sk=5fef214d58ac0a7fa81c4389660c37f8

For more reviews, follow me on Medium: https://sarahscoffeecup.medium.com/

Politics and I don't get along. The happenings in the White House tend to spark my anxiety and with the year we've all just had, I was not looking to pick this book up any time soon.

Boy, am I glad that Libby came through for me because this is just what I ended up needing. This book has been sitting on my holds shelf for a month and the audio became available. I didn't know when I'd have the chance to read it again, so I decided to dive in. 

I ended up binging this book in a few days. It's twelve hours long.

Red, White & Royal Blue offers an alterative to the 2020 election. We have a female president who is campaigning for her second term. The First Son and the Prince of Wales are sworn rivals. In the first chapter, they end up getting into a fight and destroying the cake at the Royal Wedding.
In order to keep the press happy, these two rivals needed to appear friendly with each other. During this façade, a real friendship blossomed and then it got steamy. I do have to say that there were some sexy time scenes, so if you're not comfortable… this may not be the right book for you.

To be clear, this book does exhibit a rivals-to-lovers trope, but the rivalry isn't that strong. This is why I didn't classify it as an enemies-to-lovers. I feel that the enemies-to-lovers trope shows real hatred and from the beginning Alex (First Son) and Henry (Prince of Wales) had this flirty type of rivalry going on.

Many people classify this book as a young adult, but it's really for the new adult audience, in my opinion. Alex and Henry are both over the age of twenty one and have fairly detailed sexy time scenes. They're not graphic, but these scenes leave little to the imagination.

Alex and Henry are the most adorable couple that I I've read in a very long time. Casey McQuiston does a fantastic job with pacing and evolving a relationship over time. The secondary characters are fantastic and dynamic, as well. I absolutely loved June, Nora, and Pez.

This book was a breath of fresh air that was needed after the 2020 election because it offers an escape to an alternate dimension. In this 2020 election, we have a woman in office with a First Family that I would love to support. COVID-19 isn't running rampant and we have an LGBTQ relationship in office to celebrate!

Red, White & Royal Blue transported me to a different world and I wanted to stay there.

For more bookish content, visit: https://sarahscoffeecup.medium.com/

I'm not a fan of short stories. Historically, short stories have disappointed me and left me wanting for more. There's not enough room for the author to develop the characters, an intricate plot, and the world in a short story. 

Or so I thought.

Kealan Patrick Burke's Sour Candy has made me realize that maybe I've been reading the wrong short stories. Sour Candy is more of a novella than a short story, but it's still under one hundred pages in length. 

This book is about a man who endures the screams of a child in a grocery store. The child is attached to, whom the man assumed to be, the child's mother. Now, this kid is screaming to the height of his voice and his mother is vacantly staring at candy instead of tending to her child.

When things calm down a little bit, he tries to walk past the mother and her child, but the child steals his gaze. He's captivated by the child and the child offers him some of the candy that he had in his hands. Not wanting to be rude, the man takes the candy and eats it, unknowing that this action has started a demonic spiral that he's helpless to prevent or stop.

There's so much more to this story than that, but if I say any more, I go into the realm of spoilers.

Needless to say, this novella opened my eyes to the world of short stories and what they have the potential to be. Burke's Sour Candy has it all - suspense, superb characterization, a fantasy realm that makes the main character doubt reality, and a demonic presence - all in the compact space of 67 pages.

It's not much of a feat due to its length, but I sat down and read this novella in one sitting. I was completely entranced and ached for the knowledge of what comes next. I haven't been this stolen by a short story in years, so I'm thankful to Burke (and Gabby from gabbyreads for the recommendation) for this experience.

If you're a horror or a thriller fan, I highly suggest this book. It's a short read and it'll be a great escape for the afternoon. Think of it as a vacation that you'd never want to take. It will make you thankful for your own life.

I went into this book thinking it would scare the crap out of me. It didn't. The Patient is creepy and scary, but it didn't keep me up all night, like I'd been lead to believe. I read this in a single night via audiobook with the lights off. I wanted to be scared.

Maybe horror just doesn't scary me in literature as much as it does visually with movies. The Patient is about a new psychiatrist who begins working at a psych ward. He immediately feels drawn to a patient because he's unreachable. 

Nobody talks to him, with the exception of a few regulars (nurse to deliver medication and an orderly to change the sheets). This patient no longer receives services and he's basically a hotel guest that everyone refuses to be around.

Naturally, Parker wants to help him and feels that he may be the one doctor to save his patient named Joe.

The rest of the novel follows Parker has he attempts to help this incredibly creepy and disturbing patient. There's paranormal vibes, as well as that creepy psych ward setting. It's a great Halloween read.

I think I was so hyped up for this one, however, that it let me down. I was expecting this book to give me nightmares, but the ending was just okay. I saw it coming and the scary scenes did give me chills in the moment. None of the images stuck with me, though. I wasn't thinking about them late in the night while I was trying to sleep.

It's an intriguing story that I'd recommend for a Halloween night escape.

First Impressions

I loved this book from the instant I picked it up. I’m not going to lie, this book made itself known on my TBR because of all of the hype in the bookish community. However, I can totally see why the community is in love with it.

Don’t be daunted by its size. It’s a large book, totaling out to 477 pages. It goes by super quickly. I think it’s Kemmerer’s writing style, but this book is an easy read, despite its dark contents.

The cover is gorgeous, the description is intoxicating, and I loved that it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie and it’s my favorite fairy tale, so I was a little nervous about reading a retelling of it.

I’m glad that I did. I was twenty pages in when I looked over at my boyfriend, pried his attention away from his Switch, and said, “Dude… this book is going to kill me. It’s going to result in a reading hangover and I’ll hate life in the morning.”

I cannot describe how amazing this book is. But I will try.

Main Elements

Characters. This novel is definitely character-driven, which I’m fine with! Harper is a teenager with cerebral palsy, but she doesn’t let her leg get in her way. She’s a spitfire badass, who can literally do anything she puts her mind to.

Then, there’s Rhen, the crowned prince with the giant ego. I admit that I hated Rhen at first. I thought his character was going to fall flat, but I am delighted to say that I was wrong! Even though, you’re supposed to love Rhen at the end… I fell for Grey.

Grey is the Commander and he’s an amazing character. He takes his oath seriously, with poise and wit. He’s ruthless and terrifying, which I guess is a good thing for me. I loved his character above everyone else.

Setting. We see a lot of Emberfall in A Curse So Dark and Lonely. We tour the castle, venture out into neighboring cities, meet many people from these various places, and all of which were expertly laid out. I loved how Kemmerer played the setting to fit her plot, too. She used the modern world as a diving board, propelling us into Emberfall.

Plot. The plotting was well developed. I enjoyed watching the retelling play out because she did it right. She didn’t just add modern day elements to an old story; she changed everything and kept the theme the same.

Despite Beauty and the Beast being one of my favorite stories, I had issues with the Stockholm Syndrome part and the beast’s unwillingness to talk about the curse. Those things never really made sense to me. Kemmerer found a way to integrate both of these issues into the plot.

She addresses Stockholm’s through Harper’s revelations after Harper figures out what the curse is. She confronts Rhen about it and they have an open conversation about the curse and what it means. I love how she made the story seem more believable.

I also loved how she described Rhen in the beginning of the novel. (Long quote alert.)

“If he just had to find a woman to lust after him, he probably would have been free of this curse in a day. I can’t deny that he’s easy on the eyes. The high cheekbones, the dark blond hair that turns gold in the firelight, the brown eyes that reveal nothing. Muscle cords his arms from shoulder to wrist, and he carries himself with purpose. People are quick to kneel before him–but he’s also quick to expect it.

When he opens his mouth, though, he’s arrogant and calculated. There’s no shred of vulnerability or weakness. In fact, if there’s any weakness, it’s the obvious frustration that he can’t just wave a hand and order a woman to love him.”

See how his reasoning for not breaking the curse isn’t because of self loathing or self pity? It’s because he expects the curse to break because he’s a prince and I love that!

Reason for Rating

I gave A Curse So Dark and Lonely all five stars because the book played like a movie in your head. It was a quick read, despite its size, and the plot was unpredictable (in my opinion). The romance was slow-burn… very slow-burn.

The thing with a slow-burn romance, though, is that the ending needs to be powerful. Like a bang! I was almost going to give it 4 stars because I didn’t feel that the ending was powerful enough to pull off a slow-burn like that. However, I realize that there’s another book. I remain hopeful for the sequel to deliver that bang.

For Teachers

A Curse So Dark and Lonely should definitely be in your classroom library. It’s a great read for students that like fairy tales and romance, combined with a strong plot. There isn’t any profanity or adult scenes. The only thing worth mentioning is that there is a bit of gore here and there. Only about two scenes are descriptive with blood.

Grades: 7-12

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer was published January 29th, 2019 by Bloomsbury YA. Brigid Kemmerer has written many other books, so if you liked this one, head over to her beautiful website to check out more!

To read this review and other young adult book reviews, visit readersandteachers.com!

First Impressions

I cannot express how excited I was to pick up this book. I was hooked by the first novel, A Curse So Dark And Lonely, and I wanted to dive into its sequel right away. The cover is beautiful, adorned with raised features and a beautiful background.

Many readers in the bookish community are torn apart by this novel. Half of them loved it and raved about it, while the other half picketed against it. I can see why, having read the novel. However, I was hesitant because I didn’t know if I would be forced to DNF it. I take DNFing a book seriously, especially if I loved the first one.

As with the first one, do not be daunted by its size. It’s a large book, but it reads quickly. I usually read about 50 pages each day, give or take. I was reading 100+ each day because of how addicting this storyline is.

**Note: from this point on, there will be spoilers for A Curse So Dark and Lonely, the first novel. As always, this review is spoiler free for the book at hand, but it’s difficult to write a solid review of a sequel without spoiling the previous book. If you’re reading this review because you don’t know if you should read it the first one, knowing you’ll be pulled into the second, do it! This book is amazing and so is the first one. Trust me.

Main Elements

Plot. Unlike the first novel, this book is plot driven. I think this is why the bookish community is so torn on this sequel. A Curse So Dark And Lonely was about two people falling in love, against all odds. This novel is about the heir to the throne finding his footing. A Heart so Fierce and Broken is not a love story, unlike the first. This is a brutal continuation.

The plot is twisty, unpredictable, and will keep you up all night. It’s also brutal, like I said before. Grey, the previous Commander, is the rightful heir to the throne and Rhen turns into a completely different person out of fear. Fear makes people do crazy and uncharacteristic things, even to the ones they love.

There’s bloodshed and heartbreak, devastation and leadership, romance and lust. There are so many things twisting this plot. Since there are so many variables involved, it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen next. Warning: you will have a reading hangover at some point throughout this journey, if you decide to pick up this novel (and you should!).

Characters. Again, this is where I believe some people fell off the wagon of loving this series. The point of view shifted. It’s told in multiple perspectives, like the first. However, instead of being inside Rhen and Harper’s heads, we’re inside of Grey and Lia Mara’s heads.

Grey was the Commander of Rhen’s Royal Guard in Emberfall. It turns out, Rhen and Grey are brothers and Grey is the rightful heir to the throne. He’s also a magesmith, which nobody knew about, including Grey. Rhen becomes fearful that his throne is being threatened, so he shows Grey some vicious cruelty. Afterwards, Grey’s faith in Rhen and Emberfall falters, leading him to seek refuge in the one place he would never consider seeking: Syhl Shallow.

Lia Mara is a new character to the series. She’s Karis Luran’s daughter. Karis Luran is the queen of Syhl Shallow, a brutal ruler that everyone fears, including her own daughters. Lia Mara’s character is sweet and kind, but she can be fierce when she needs to be.

Harper and Rhen’s story become sidelined to Grey and Lia Mara’s, which I think is where the split happened in the audience. Some people loved the action that this book brought, while others felt betrayed because they could no longer follow the characters that they fell in love with in the first novel.

Setting. We get to see a new side of the world Kemmerer created as Grey and Lia Mara venture back into Syhl Shallow. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the setting is beautifully represented in this novel. I could easily picture each place they went while reading.

Reason for Rating

I rated A Heart so Fierce and Lonely 5/5 stars because I was one of those people that appreciated the plot driven style. Although, I did feel off-put by the point of view switches at the beginning, I soon fell in love with Lia Mara. I did miss Rhen and Harper, though. Regardless, I thought the story was beautifully plotted with twists and turns I didn’t expect. The characterization was top-notch, which is amazing considering that the novel is plot driven rather than character driven.

For Teachers

I can see a vast majority of your classroom enjoying this novel. Some students may have to push through the first one, depending on their genre of choice. I felt that this novel is well suited for middle school age and up. I don’t like doing literature units on sequels, unless you’ve covered the first one and they loved it so much they wanted to read the second one as a class. Since that doesn’t happen often, I recommend putting it in your classroom library.

As for warnings, there are some suggestive comments here and there. There are also blood scenes, which can get kind of descriptive. It’s not as bad as other young adult books I’ve read, though. No cursing or exceedingly foul language.

Grades: 7-12

A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer, the second book in The Cursebreaker Series, was published January 7, 2020 by Bloomsbury YA. According to her acknowledgements page, this was her eleventh book she’s published. To view her other written works, visit her website https://brigidkemmerer.com/!

This is my process for writing book reviews. I stop 25% into the book to write a summary, so I don't involve spoilers when I write the review upon completion, taking notes throughout the rest of the novel.

My 25% summary was: A debut novel about a woman who gets happy-drunk in Las Vegas and marries a woman she doesn't know. This is pretty much a condensed version of the back-of-the-book description.

I don't think this is actually what the book is about. If you go into this book expecting a swoon-worthy romance that will leave you with giddy butterflies in your stomach, you're going to be disappointed. Grace's story is one of introspection and self discovery.

Grace is holds a PHD in astronomy and is feeling familial pressure to be the best version of herself. Not a bad thing, but it's overwhelming and this image of the "Best Grace" is overpowering the person she wants to become.

Honey Girl is about a woman who drunk-marries a girl in Vegas, sure. It's also about a woman who is about to turn thirty and is beyond stressed out about her career she killed herself to attain. It's about a woman trying to figure out who she really is, despite the family pressure.

It was fantastic. I absolutely loved this book, starting from the very first sentence. The book opens with this beautiful prologue. It's written in second person and resembles poetry in prose. It was a great hook that I crave from other stories now.

Personally, I felt Grace's struggles. As a twenty-eight-year-old who is struggling with her career, I saw a lot of myself in Grace. Approaching 30 is terrifying and it forces you to dive deep into yourself, questioning who you are versus who you want to become.

Although, I do acknowledge that I'm white. I have white privilege on my side, whether I want it or not. Grace faces systemic racism in her field and the social commentary Rogers offers is powerful and profound.

On a side note, I wish Yuki's show was real. I would listen to it. Yuki is Grace's wife and Grace hears her voice for the first time sober through her radio show, which is about supernatural creatures and how they relate to her lonely listeners. It's beautiful and brilliant. I want this show in my life.

I'm one of those nerds who will always read the acknowledgements that close a novel. Usually, the acknowledgements are the same. Thanks Mom, thanks editors, thanks publishers... and so on. However, Rogers adds a closing statement to hers that gave me goosebumps. She's a debut author, so she closed it with: "This is only the beginning. Nice to meet you."

It's nice to meet you, too. I can't wait for your future novels.

I have a hard time reviewing nonfiction because I don’t read a lot of it. However, I loved Acho’s YouTube series and had to read this. It’s available on Scribd and it’s definitely worth a listen.

Each chapter starts with a question and the answers were enlightening. He divulges history and lists a bunch of resources at the end of each chapter, too.

This book is not easy to listen to if you’re white, but I would consider it a mandatory read. If you’re not into nonfiction (same), Acho writes it as if he’s literally having a conversation over coffee with you. It does not read like a textbook.

I learned a ton while reading this book and I’m sure you would, too. Want to face your own biases? This book is a great place to start.

The ending saved this book from being a two-star read.

Keep in mind that I gave the first and second book five stars. Even during the re-read, I fully enjoyed them both. I was debating giving the second book four stars after the re-read, but I decided to honor the original rating when I wrote up the review.

The first book is a solid retelling of Beauty and the Beast, where Rhen and Harper’s story is told. A beast falling in love with a beauty, and vice versa. The second book follows Grey and his journey as he finds his footing (vague to avoid spoilers). This book… I don’t even know what happened.
Literally. I have no clue what this book was about. War? Political strategizing? Specially war strategy?

In the second book, there were several new characters introduced. I was expecting the same for the third and I was disappointed. Adding new characters could’ve spiced up the plot and made the reading more interesting, since we would’ve had more personalities to explore.

Maybe I’m being nitpicky at this point, but I felt that Kemmerer really wanted to make sure you knew why the book was titled A Vow So Bold and Deadly. She dropped the word “vow” several times and it was getting on my nerves.

There were moments of beauty, though. There were moments of gore and blood, which held my attention, and those pages flew by. However, most of the book was a struggle to get through. I found myself bored often and the relationship building was tedious.

The ending, like I mentioned before, saved this read for me. I’m glad I pushed through because I really did want to know how it ends. I was invested in the characters because I loved the previous books, so I really wanted to know how the war ends.

I felt that the ending was beautiful, but sad. Despite the serious nature of the book’s closure, I laughed several times. Our favorite characters broke parts of their personality traits and the results were hilarious, as well as wholesome.

I don’t want to rant about this book because I desperately wanted to adore this novel. I was part of the Street Team and I pre-ordered it. I raved about its release to every bookish friend that I have. It was just… disappointing.

This book showed up in my mailbox in that beautiful brown packaging that comes from publishers. I think I may have won this as a Goodreads Giveaway, although I don't remember entering it (not entirely surprising because I enter a lot of giveaways).

However, I am so glad that I did receive this book, so thank you!

When I peeled back that brown paper, a face full of confusion that my fiancé thought I was faking, I immediately started laughing. I'm talking full-on belly laughs. I was not expecting a graphic novel titled "Thirsty Mermaids" to be in my hands.

I was hooked from page one. This is a full-color, beautifully illustrated, thick graphic novel. The best part: these pages are not glossy. They are pure ink and pure paper, which smells fantastic.

Okay, enough of the book-nerd geeking.

The story itself is surprisingly beautiful, considering the concept of the book. I only read the first paragraph of the synopsis because I prefer going into all of my books blind and the gist of the story is this: three mermaids walk into a bar.

I'm not even joking. The story starts out under the sea, where these mermaids are trying to get more alcohol. They run out and are unable to produce more of it. One of them comes up with the idea of salvaging the alcohol from "the source." Our world on land.

Even though it's forbidden, one of the mermaids is a sea witch and successfully casts a spell to give them legs. Now, all three of these land-bound mermaids try to find alcohol. After a crazy night, they wish to return home.

The sea witch realizes that she can't perform magic on land. They're stuck there.

This graphic novel is absolutely hilarious and is for adult eyes. We have tons of cursing, mild nudity, and some serious adult themes. I love the characters because they're eccentric and exciting to follow.

My favorite part of this graphic novel is that these mermaids are trying to adjust to our world after living their whole lives underwater. Pure metaphorical magic and genius.

Highly recommend!