The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan | Beautiful writing but disappointing slow-burn romance!

As many of you know, some books are very difficult to review. I definitely struggled with «The Age of Witches» by Louisa Morgan, considering that I finished it at the beginning of May and only sitting down to finally put my thought on paper [well… on screen] on June 10th, almost one month later. 

There were many weekends when I thought “This is it! I’m writing this review!” and then not actually doing it because I couldn’t find the right words to describe how I felt about «The Age of Witches». 

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The Paris Hours by Alex George | One day in Paris and four intertwined fates!

Happy Publication Day to «The Paris Hours» by Alex George!

In this new historical fiction, Alex George showed us the wondrous City of Love, Lights and Art, and four amazing stories that unwrap in a single day in Paris. If I’d need to describe this book in one word, the first one that comes to mind is “dreamy”. And while the story itself does not contain any sliver of magic, I was constantly in a dream-like state whenever I picked it up. 

The Diviners (The Diviners, #1) by Libba Bray | An amazing cast of characters & entertaining roaring twenties!

Oh, man! «The Diviners» was such a roller coaster of emotions! 

The beginning of the book wasn’t as exciting as I hoped it would be, which translated into me starting this book twice. For the second time as I passed that first chapter (prologue) about the party and spirit summoning, I met Evie and fell in love with her character. The book just kept getting better and better from there. However, by the end, I was started to feel tired of reading the same story and the last 100 pages took me a couple of days to finish.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson | When the quality of the book didn’t match my enjoyment

«Life after Life», the winner of the Goodreads Choice Award in 2013, is a mesmerizing historical fiction with the element of time-traveling. It was a perfect read for the colder days, which transported me to England during the First and Second World Wars, where we followed the Todd family and discovered how different choices, little missteps, and decisions could affect the life course in very drastic ways.

Ursula Todd was born on February 11th, 1910, and she died on that same night. However, under different circumstances, Ursula Todd was born on February 11th, 1910 and she lived. 

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys | A masterpiece of historical fiction!

Historical Fiction was never a genre I considered to be my favorite. I dipped my toes into it, tried some of the most popular books, like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Fall of Giants by Ken Follet and All the Lights We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. And while I was impressed by these works, I never truly experienced a full immersion in this literary genre. 

Everything changed with just one Ruta Sepetys book, who masterfully introduced the heartbreaking story of love, fear, and truth into the most severe times in Spanish history. 

5 Reasons why you should read «Circe» by Madeline Miller!

My first meeting with Circe, the enchantress or the goddess of magic, was at school when we had to read Homer’s Odyssey. The story of his visit to the Isle of Aiaia was one of our discussion topics and we saw how the powerful goddess Circe fell victim of Oddysey’s (and gods’) treacherous plan. 

Since then I haven’t read anything else about Circe, until Madeleine Miller’s book. And I’m so glad that I purchased her book! Madeleine Miller has a true gift, and it’s not just the beautiful seamless writing, but the ability to bring the well-known character to life again and in a different light, give Circe the truly powerful story of a goddess but also a woman who loved, who fought and who lived.

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood |How far will you go to protect your child?

T. Greenwood, the author of acclaimed «Rust & Stardust», is releasing her new novel – «Keeping Lucy» that will be available for purchase on August 6th. I haven’t read T. Greenwood previous works but felt very How far will you go to make things right? How far will you go to protect your child? lucky to receive the ARC of her newest book, especially because «Rust & Stardust» has been on my radar ever since its release last year. 

Set in a world where women were seen primarily as housewives, putting their husbands’ needs above anything else, but also the world that has seen Eleanor Roosevelt appointed the chairwoman, fighting for human rights. The world where women finally received the first slim chances to flourish in the society ruled by men. «Keeping Lucy» focuses primarily on women, women’s right, the possibility of choice and freedom.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes | A perfect retelling with a touch of magical realism!

Every year more and more books inspired by the history of the Romanov family hit the shelves. The talk about Anastasia’s survival, especially fueled by numerous claims from different women saying that they were Anastasia, marked a great inspiration point for many authors who had to put their own twist on the reality. From the conspiracy of the Romanov family to its prophecy, the Romanov family is by far one of the most talked topics, even after a decade has passed since their execution.

Of course, like many others, I was intrigued by Nadine Brandes new novel «Romanov», a magical retelling of the tragic events that led to the execution of the Romanov family.

Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls | A must-read YA, introducing the suffragette movement to the younger generation

«’It isn’t just about me,’ she said. ‘It’s about us all! All women! How can women live like this? How can women like Mother just go on – not caring?’»

You know how sometimes we read this, seemingly an amazing, book. It covers so many meaningful subjects; has great characters and plot, but for some reasons you are just not feeling it. I’m not sure if that happened to you before, but it certainly is a rare occurance for me and makes my “blogging” life so much more complicated!

I will try to dissect my feelings as thoroughly as possible and maybe we can actually find a reason behind my “low enjoyment level” for this novel.

To Capture What We Cannot Keep by Beatrice Colin | What Else Could You Wish For?

Looking for a perfect wintery read? This one should definitely be on the top of your list! It’s a perfect historical fiction! What makes it so perfect, you might ask. And how can I grade it to be perfect for the genre?

The Bookish Booklover Tag

 

Thank you Sammie @ Bookshelves & Biros for tagging me! Her blog is full of amazing content, make sure to check it out!