Spring Snow

Book: Spring Snow

Author : Yukio Mishima

Review: Mishima crafts the purpose of the book, Spring Snow to its entirety in a genius way. Kiyoaki and Satoko have a love affair and the ending is enough to make one weep. I loved the fact that there are more books to the quadrilogy. Satoko and Kiyoaki deserved a better chance at life but Mishima writes about yearning and longing in such a profound way. Mishima is a genius as he puts us in third person perspective into the life of Kiyoaki and his lover Satoko with his friend, Honda.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 5 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who are interested in romance and tragic endings

Thoughts:

• Spring Snow is like the movie “Atonement”
• What could and should’ve been is not always what will be in the masterpiece that is this book.
• Mishima is a heartbreaker ..
• A carefully crafted and vibrant look into Japanese society in Japan.

Black Dawn

Book: Black Dawn

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: Maggie Neely is trapped as a slave for Vampire Prince Delos. Along with a slave girl she is trying to escpape but finds out that Prince Delos has another plan for her as she is his soulmate. The moment that they find out that Hunter Redfern is out to kill all the slave girls they plan their escape as Prince Delos wants to be with Maggie. A very interesting read from the beginning which makes the Night World series perfect love stories.

Star Rating : 3 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who are into cruel vampire princes

Thoughts:

• Vampires and a bond to last for a lifetime
• Sort of reminded me of Holly Black’s Elfhame series in one bite..
• The Night World Series is not an easy read.
• Twists and turns around every corner..

Huntress

Book: Huntress

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: Jez is a vampire hunter who is half-vampire and half-human. Jez and her vampire partner Morgead are helping a young human child with supernatural powers escape from the human world into the NightWorld where she will be safe from harm. The book actually reminds me of the time when Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer found another vampire hunter and was actually from friends enemies with her played by Eliza Dukshu. I liked the book but it was action packed just like The Chosen from within the NightWorld series.

Star Rating : 4 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who are into action and romance within the supernatural..

Thoughts:

• Very compelling
• Another Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference for now.
• Smith takes vampires to another level
• Action-packed

Soulmate

Book: Soulmate

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: Hannah writes notes to herself in her sleep. Paul who is a psychologist is trying to help her find out why until a very rich vampire who had been searching for her comes into the town she is in. Hannah soon finds out that she had been killed by a shapeshifter in many of her different lives despite the fact that this noble vampire had been trying to protect her since forever. As she uses her intuiton to keep her alive with memories of the past, Thierry will stop at nothing to protect her, even if it means protecting her from herself. This is my favorite novel within the series. I highly recommend it to people who love psychological thrillers that deal with the supernatural.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who are into reincarnation and romance

Thoughts:

• A very interesting beginning.
• A happy ending.
• A romantic psychological thriller commingled with the supernatural.
• A light and very romantic ending..

Spellbinder

Book: Spellbinder

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: In the third book of the NightWorld series, Blaise and Thea Harmon are two cousins who are witches who are very close. Blaise likes to toy with males and human emotions meanwhile Thea falls in love with Eric in which they fall in love. Blaise unfortunately ends up trying to bewitch Eric. Meanwhile, a mysterious wraith ends up killing a mortal who is madly in love with Blaise and tries to kill Kevin as Thea soon finds out that it is not her cousin’s fault for the mortal’s death.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like ghost stories and witches..

Thoughts:

• Chillingly dangerous.
• Another twist withi the novel.
• One heck of a restless spirit.
• An ascent into the NightWorld.

Dark Angel

Book: Dark Angel

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: Within the fourth book of the NightWorld series, Gillian almost dies in a forest only to find out that she brings some spirit back with her who tells her things almost like a guardian angel. She finds out that he is soon a restless spirit who is guiding her because of Gillian’s fated connection to the NightWorld. The trope of ghosts is purely psychological but when reading this book it takes us into the supernatural where occurences of ghosts in and of the unexplained just occur.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like ghost stories..

Thoughts:

• One heck of a ghost story.
• Bewitching
• A book for restless spirits.
• A dive as we go deeper and deeper into the NightWorld.

Daughters of Darkness

Book: Daughters of Darkness

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: The second book of the series includes three sisters belong to NightWorld who are Kestrel, Jade and Rowan with their brother, Ash who is trying to get them back into the society of their realm but instead falls in love with their friend, Mary-Lynnette. The secret is that the three of them including Ash are vampires. Jade, Kestrel, and Rowan are the type of vampire girls who like to play with boys and eventually drive them crazy. A werewolf decides to attack Mary-Lynnette who is soon saved by Ash because they soon find out about the murders going around which started with Mary-Lynnette and her brother Mark when they happen to notice that their neighbor had gone missing including her husband and as the trope goes, it takes a monster to kill another monster.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like supernatural mysteries and twists with a hint of romance..

Thoughts:

• Ingneius.
• A wild twist.
• Psychotic werewolves and vampires; Oh my!
• Makes the reader think twice..

Secret Vampire

Book: Secret Vampire

Author : L.J. Smith

Review: In the first book of the NightWorld Series, Poppy is about to die from cancer and we soon learn that her best friend James who shares music with her and grew up with her as a young child is a vampire. Interested in her disease, James finds out about it and decides that he will make her a vampire but as soon as he tells Poppy she begins to think that he is insane. In a flurry of an almost-disaster, Poppy strays away from him by distancing herself from him as she is about to die. James comes into her room in the middle of the night and eventually bites her knowing that their bond is rare and that she could possibly die in the process in which her younger brother Phil helps James in order to keep her corpse safe. The Gothic novel is composed of monstrosities in which such things as darkness, vampires, phantoms and unexplained instances happen to the protagnist whether he is attacked by madness or insanity or the fear of the unknown. I’d call this specifically an American gothic novel because we are romanticizing monstrosity instead of condemning it like the ordinary gothic novella.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like the vampire trope..

Thoughts:

• Smith makes a spectacular move in the horror/romance genre.
• A depiction of an American vampire novella for teens.
• Makes the reader imagine the impossible for an American Gothic novel to include romance for teens.
• A sweet escape from the throes of death.

Heart of the Sun Warrior

Book : Heart of the Sun Warrior

Author : Sue Lynn Tan

Review: Tan leads us through yet another exciting adventure throughout Heart of the Sun Warrior. General Wugang steals osmanthus seeds to regenerate an army of the dead after Xingyin finds the truth about her father’s death, and finds out that he is still alive. She steals an elixir to make him immortal as they go after Wugang for disrupting the Celestial Kingdom. Xingyin faces enemies, death and loss as Wenzhi who was Xingyin’s former enemy who played the role of the villain is not so much of a villain after all. A surprising twist and turn of a story, Tan mixes love and myth including adventure within the seven realms of the Celestial kingdom.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like enemies to lovers and a happy ending..

Thoughts:

• A twist and a turn of a book.
• Highly enjoyable.
• The final conclusion to the Moon Goddess series is fantastic.
• A beautifully written story..

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Book: Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Author : Sue Lynn Tan

Review: Xingyin is the daughter of the moon goddess from the immortal realm. As soon as there is trouble brewing, Xinyin goes down towards the Celestial kingdom disguised as an attendant in which she gets in trouble and serves as a maid. Later, she is saved by a prince who is instantly interested in her because she is kind. She then fulfills her duties to the prince and goes on adventures slaying different monsters from ancient Chinese folklore. Xingyin finds love and betrayal as she is dragged to the demon realm to betray the Celestial Kingdom and almost ignites the Celestial Kingdom’s end with the venerable dragons. Tan has weaved ancient Chinese myth and legend into a love story within Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 0 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like Chinese myht and folklore with a hint of romance..

Thoughts:

• Ingneius.
• Myth and love and lore unite.
• Makes the reader imagine the impossible.
• An awfully great adventure.

The Queen of Nothing

Book : The Queen of Nothing

Author : Holly Black

Review: Long after Jude’s exile into the mortal world, Jude finds herself back in Elfhame again and this time, High King Cardan is in danger. Jude almost immediately finds herself trapped by the Court of Teeth until the high king comes to rescue her as she soon becomes the Queen of Elfhame. With many a mishap and misadventure in and of the book, Holly Black once again reveals herself to becoming a great modern storyteller of faeries. The Queen of Nothing has great twists within the plot and has a beautiful and uniquely brilliant ending where Jude has to be saved and save the throne and High King Cardan from himself.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 3 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like twists and turns in storytelling.

Thoughts:

• Magickally intriguing.
• A unique and beautifully modern fairytale.
• Black is definitely a genius.
• A good read.

The Wicked King

Book : The Wicked King

Author : Holly Black

Review: Nicasia, a daughter of the undersea has plans to make herself High Queen of Elfhame by marrying Cardan who is now High King of Elfhame and kidnaps Jude at her sister’s wedding day where Jude once again experiences betrayal from someone close to her from the court of shadows and at last, experiences exile. Jude is the new High King of Elfhame’s seneschal and gives him orders on ruling Elfhame as a bargain. Cardan fianlly steps into his own power before war ensues between the land and the undersea. Black steers us into Jude and Cardan’s feelings for eachother and makes the book seem eye-catching once more and makes it unable to put down.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 2 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who like twists and turns in storytelling.

Thoughts:

• An unforgettable sequel.
• Magickal.
• Makes the reader want more.
• An awfully great advenrture in the land of faeries.

The Cruel Prince

Book : The Cruel Prince

Author : Holly Black

Review: Jude and her sisters, Taryn and Vivi are swept up into the magickal world of Faerie by Madoc who is a general of the Greenbriar line in Elfhame who had a child with their human mother. Jude tries hard to be like the Faeries in Elfhame which is what she secretly desires but endures getting teased by Prince Cardan and his friends as Black gives us a time jump into the girls’ childhood. With a coronation around the corner, Jude wants to become a knight in Elfhame to the new high king of Faerie but quickly becomes one of the spies in the Court of Shadows. Jude experiences faerie lessons, murder, betrayal, love and endurance until it is her fate to become the future of Elfhame, as Holly Black guides us through this thrilling tale of adventure and through the twists and turns of the book, it is a must-read for people who love adventure.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 2 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who would like a modern retelling of Alice in Wonderland in a world full of faeries.

Thoughts:

• Twists and turns.
• A turn in storytelling
• An interesting modern retelling of faeries.
• A tale to be told.

Finale

Book : Finale

Author : Stephanie Garber

Review: Donatella, Scarlett and Julian are back in the last book of the Caraval series. After finding the lost heir to the throne of Valenda, they set out to destroy the Fates as the game of Caraval comes to an end. The book switches perspectives from the main characters being both Donatella and Scarlett into a world of deception as the two siblings and their friends find a way to destroy the Fates as we find out how the Fates had come to be and the only thing that could destroy them being “love.”

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 1 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who believe in fairytales.

Thoughts:

• A final conclusion to the narratives of Caraval.
• A turn in storytelling
• Descriptive and fantastic.
• A tale igniting love and passion.

Legendary

Book : Legendary

Author : Stephanie Garber

Review: Stephanie Garber gives us a brand new world of fiction within her books. Her world-building is spectacular and keeps the reader interested. Stephanie Garber gives us a fresh brand new story revolved around Caraval and pulls us through a breathtaking ingeniusly written world of words a second time throughout the second book within the Caraval trilogy as we meet the same characters and are also introduced to more villains and heroes. She takes us to Isla De Los Suenos onto the Capital City of Valenda where Caraval is holding their carnival once again a second time. The story revolves around a deck of cards that sealed Fates who had rulled the world before time and Donatella Dragna who is Scarlett’s sister, into a tale of more mystery, secrets and intrigue. This time, the sealed Fates have come back and are involved in the carnival, and as secrets unfold, Donatella must do one a costly favor to save their missing mother from childhood, and reveal Legend to one of the Fates. Before the game ends, Donatella must choose her destiny or seal her fate. 

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 2 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/To those who believe in magick and fantasy; including miracles.

Thoughts:

• An intriguing twist and turn in storytelling.
• A spectacular way of revealing new characters.
• Welcome back Caraval!
• Garber’s world-building is truly magickal.

Caraval

Book : Caraval

Author : Stephanie Garber

Review : Stephanie Garber drives us into a colorful world of magick and romance as she weaves words like something out of a magickal dreamland of her own. The genre of the book is fantasy/romance. It is set within a carnival island ruled by Legend who is a circus master. The book revolves around Scarlett Dragna who runs away with Julian to find her missing sister, Donatella. This is the first book of the trilogy and Scarlett and her friend Julian are immediately thrown into a mystery full of magick with clues to find Donatella and win the game played by the carnival. Garber weaves words magickally and gives us a breathtakingly beautiful description of the world she had built within the book which makes it a great work of fiction.

Star Rating : 5 of 5

Spice rating : 2 of 5

Book Recommendation : Yes/For those young adults who believe that fate is not the end..

Thoughts:

• Breathtakingly creative and magickal.
• Brings a new world to carnivals and magickal islands.
• A refreshing read into the immersion of magick.
• Hard to take my eyes off of.