The Lantern's Ember Review

Happy Halloween!

 So we have now arrived to my favorite holiday, Halloween, and I have been saving this review for today, because it is perfect. Today I will be reviewing The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck, and this is the perfect Halloween story. Colleen takes you into a world of how Halloween started and while reading this book you will start to see all the Halloween stories you are used to.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos."

Ember is a witch that feels drawn to the Otherworld and she isn't sure why. Jack is a lantern, and has been watching over Ember ever since she was a child. Ember will do anything within her power to make it through the crossroad and into the Otherworld, even accept help from a Vampire. When Ember is brought into the Otherworld, Jack must leave his post and go chasing after her to try and bring her back home. While in the Otherworld, Ember meets creatures like Vampires, Demons, Witches, Werewolves, invisible men, Frankenstein, and even the boogieman makes an appearance. Colleen brings you into another world where creatures that we have only believed to be made up exist. She weaves a story that introduces how our favorite Halloween stories were created in a way, and all of her creatures make you think about one's you have heard before. This story will have you guessing until the end, and trust me when I say there is a twist that you never saw coming, and couldn't even begin to guess what it was until it his dropped on you like a bomb.

This book will get you in the Halloween spirit, even after all the ghouls have gone home for the night!

Trick or Treat with this fun delight my fellow ghouls and goblins!



Image taken from the Goodreads website.

The Night Circus Review

Hey Guys!

 Can you believe October is almost over? This year has been going by so fast. With keeping to the Fall theme, today I am reviewing The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This book is so beautifully written that you will be caught up in the disappearing, re-appearing circus world. This book has magic, mystery, forbidden love, and suspense. What more could you ask for in a nail biting wild adventure ride.

The summery for this book was taken from the Goodreads website:

 " The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart."

Celia and Marco are like Romeo and Juliet thrown into the glorious backdrop of the circus. Celia is groomed to be the best magician out there, and is supposed to hate Marco. Marco has been taught that Celia is the enemy and he must destroy her. When they start falling in love they see each other in a different light, and must keep their romance a secret from their instructors. Erin brings these characters struggles together, and takes the reader on a mysterious, magical ride that you won't want to get off of. I didn't want to put this book down when I read it, and I had to know how everything ended. This story is written in such a way that it will keep the reader guessing until the very end, and will take you on so many twist and turns that you get lost in this amazing adventure.

Enjoy the Circus my fellow readers!



Image taken from Goodreads website.

RoseBlood Review

Hello Adventure Seekers!

 The book I chose to review today is RoseBlood by A.G. Howard. This is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera, but it takes it a little further than the original story. In true A.G. fashion, she takes a tell that is beloved by many, and turns it into a new adventure that will have you loving the story even more. In my opinion, I always wanted the Phantom and Christine to be together, and no matter how many times I watch the movie, and know how it ends, it doesn't make me stop wishing it would change.

The description from Goodreads is as follows:

 "In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known."

Rune is like a modern day Christine, and Thorn a modern day Phantom. Their story is so touching, filled with mystery, lies, and betrayal. This story will keep you in the dark and guessing until the very last page. Rune is a strong heroine in her own way, and Thorn is hot as all get out with problems of his own. Rune and Thorn have to overcome their pasts, but will it lead them to each other or down darker paths. I was so excited when I heard this book was coming out because I love the Phantom of the Opera so so much! It had me wanting to watch the movie over again, although we all know Christine chooses the wrong man in the end.

While reading this book you are transported into the world of the Phantom or what used to be his world in France. The descriptions in this book will have you imagining the scenery in your head, and will make you want to visit France to see if these images are true for yourself. The Phantom of the Opera has always led readers on a strange adventure, and RoseBlood will not leave you disappointed!

Fall in love with the Phantom all over again with this amazing story! Plus the cover is beautiful, if you need anymore convincing to read it!



Book image taken from Goodreads website.

Part of Your Wold: A Twisted Tale Review

Hey Everyone!!

  So I'm really excited about this review!!! As you may have guessed from the title, it is a twisted tale of The Little Mermaid. The description on the cover explains it all by stating "What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula?" That sentence, plus the cover, plus the author had me screaming and buying the book immediately. Liz Braswell is the author to a couple more twisted tales, which will be reviewed later, but since Part of Your World just came out I wanted to start with this one.

The description on Goodreads states:

 "What if Ariel had never defeated Ursula? Five years after the (twisted) events of the film, Ariel is now the queen of Atlantica, and Ursula is running Eric's kingdom on land. But when the sea witch threatens Atlantica once more, Ariel finds herself returning to a world (and a prince) she thought she'd left behind forever."

Now although this description is short, it packs a punch without giving the entire thing away. This story is differed from The Little Mermaid we all grew up on, however it sticks to the original story so well that it fits perfectly. Ariel has to run Atlantica, because she did not get Eric and turned back into a mermaid. Meanwhile, Ursula is still undercover as Vanessa and running the kingdom that rightfully belongs to Eric. Where is Eric in all of this? All I will say is he is around, however you will have to read the book to see what becomes of him.

Plus all of the characters that you fell in love with in the movie make an appearance, and you even meet new characters that you will love, and one you will want to know more about. You get to learn about each of the main characters from the movie to see how they have changed and get to see their personalities more in depth. When I got done reading this book, it had me wanting to watch Disney's The Little Mermaid again, because it reminded me of how much I loved the movie. 

This story has it all, adventure, romance, laughter, sadness, and longing to be who you were truly meant to be. Any fan of Disney and/or the Little Mermaid needs to read this book. Liz can spin a tale while still keeping true to the heart of the original story without making it unrecognizable.


(Plus the cover is so beautiful!!)



Image from Goodreads website

This would also be a good book to read with Halloween this month, but I highly recommend any Disney lover needs to read this book, and the others in the series, which I will be reviewing later in my blog!

May the reading odds be ever in your favor!

Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel Review

So, since Halloween is this month, I wanted my first post to be Halloween themed, and to me what better way to ring in the Fall season with Hocus Pocus. Now I know a lot of people who loves the movie is going to be skeptical, however this book is so worth it. It sticks to the original story of the movie, and the sequel expands on the story and brings everything together, while sticking with the true spirit that is Hocus Pocus.

The book description taken from Goodreads is as follows:

"Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.

Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity.

Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, it's a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest death-defying scheme". 

When I read that description, I knew that I had to have this book, and I had to read it. This book did not disappoint me one bit. The way the author, A.W. Jantha, takes the story to a whole new level, and instead of changing the story, the author expands on the story. Plus, who could resist the amazing cover?

The main things that catch my attention when I decide to read a book and purchase it are the following two things: the cover and the description. Right from the start both caught my attention, although I will admit I totally squealed when I saw the cover and the title. This book is a must read for anyone who loves the movie Hocus Pocus and the Sanderson Sisters. This book will not disappoint you, and will have you wanting to watch the movie again and again!! Plus I was also singing along when the scene of "I put a spell on you came on", I couldn't help it, it's a catchy song 😊

Image from Goodreads website