The Secret History

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I don’t even know what my feelings are after finishing this book! It’s one of those books where I feel like if I read it again in the future, I’m going to appreciate it so much more than I already do.

When people say this is what started the dark academia genre, I can see why. It’s everything, from secretive, pretentious, charming, chaotic, mysterious, dark, atmospheric, awakening, gripping, surprising, egotistical, timeless… I could keep going with how many descriptive words this book actually is!

I wasn’t prepared for the extremely long chapters. Some being over 100 pages, but somehow for this story, it works and makes sense. This isn’t for anyone that can’t stand a slow unraveling because every aspect and relationship is described, as our main character Richard tells us his story at Hampden college. Ultimately he wanted to be part of something and being included sometimes isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

To what lengths would you take to be part of a group, that has such intricacies, in which you wouldn’t ever truly understand? Would you ever protect people that you share a secret with, but never know who they are deep down as people? Does it seem worth putting your life into the hands of another when you don’t know them well enough? All questions, you’ll be thinking about when reading Richard’s actions and it also makes you question the morals people hold, versus their distorted view on the world.

Unbetrothed

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This author had reached out on TikTok about their book and I’m so glad to have checked this out! If you’re after a romantasy described as Encanto meets the Selection, then this may be for you.

Beatriz is set to be betrothed, though her love of her best friend Lux, stops her from choosing a suitor. She can’t have Lux as he’s already paired to another person. On top of this, Beatriz fails to possess a magical gift - everyone in her kingdom are usually bestowed a gift from the ages 1-5, though at 17, she is still not charmed and sees herself as useless in comparison to others. Marking her words via an oath to the ancient ones, she goes on a secret quest to be granted her magical gifts in the valle de los fantasmas, gets in a sticky situation and is saved by a group of men, who we find out are from a rival kingdom Himzo. As she embarks on her journey with these men, she realises that not everything is as it seems and she has much learning to do about herself and those around her.

This book was well written and I enjoyed the characters. Beatriz was always going to be a stuck up princess who thought she knew better. There was much learning she needed to do and I appreciated her journey. She was flawed and felt her shortcomings, more so than others, because she was in the spotlight.

I loved her maid Laude and cracked up a lot at the things she would say and do, especially when she was with the Himzo group. She was hilarious to read. I kept thinking about what was this Himzo groups angle - they could capture Beatriz at any point and spark some more conflict. All was to be revealed in time and I loved the developing relationships between all of the characters. Zichri was all things you would want in a man - gentle natured, kind, caring, good looking, would take a sword to the chest for you… like he was built to be loved.

Things really pick up around the 70-80% mark when we encounter some betrayal and deceit. I did guess who the culprit was as it was hinted earlier in the book.

This was a really good read and I would love to read more from this author!

Earth: Magic Rediscovered

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I really love the concept of this book as it’s unique to anything I’ve ever read. If you’re after a YA fantasy filled with adventure and magic then this book is for you.

The story follows a young teen Jon as he his forced through a portal by a mysterious man Alfred. Jon's told that he needs to retrieve the Earth magic core by Alfred and that only he can go through the portal. In this world, magic exists in elemental cores - earth, air, fire, water and spirit. Magic spread throughout the world by mages, but one mage wanted magic for their own personal gain, which then corrupted the core of spirit. It was then decided to protect the cores, that they be separated and hidden, though the corruption still impacted the world.

This book gave me lord of the rings vibes in the sense that Jon ventured to unknown lands, met people along the way that helped him on his quest and that he is the chosen one to restore balance in his world. The whole time I kept thinking his mum must be so worried because he went through a portal and the only way to get back was to find the Earth core to reopen the door. I am really not sure why that thought was lingering in my head lol!

I was not expecting the ending and the decision Jon had to make about giving the Earth core to Alfred or not. It seemed like Jon didn't understand the gravity of his decisions nor the consequences. To me, it would have been clear cut, but it makes for drama and now I'm wanting to read the second book. Hoping the author has a release date for it because I'm hanging for it!

Lessons For Broke Georgia

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This book was eye opening to how we can get ourselves into sticky situations surrounding money. Our MC Georgia is left with a massive debt when her cheating ex-fiancé racks up thousands of charges on her credit card. Her trust was abused and after finding out all these secrets her ex Basil kept from her, Georgia’s left with figuring her life out. The story covers her navigating life, love and relationships whilst she comes up with creative ways to clear this debt.

I found this read funny but also relatable. It does make you think about how you can be wiser with money and how we can easily mismanage our finances. Georgia really stuck to her guns in not borrowing from others and took responsibility to figure it out. I know when I've been in situations like this, I start to figure out how I should manage my money better.

I really enjoyed the subplot with Georgia's mother who seemed sketchy and randomly disappeared. When she was always asking to borrow money from Georgia or her brother and never seeing that money returned, this led to my assumptions. I thought maybe the mum was a con artist or she owed money to loan sharks, but honestly didn't guess the twist at the end. No one could have seen that coming.

I enjoyed the interactions Georgia had with her brothers and friends. Had quite a few laughs through their conversations. Georgia's dating encounters were also hilarious moments - the poop scene especially! Her ex Basil was a complete mooch and he just felt like he was totally not her type to begin with. I also enjoyed her supportive friends throughout the read.

Overall I had fun whilst reading this and it felt like a friend telling me about their life with all the mishaps and triumphs.

Sweethand

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Read this as part of a tandem collective and collective voices readalong. I did enjoy this read and felt engaged from the start.

I thought the whole ensemble of characters were a great set of people. They all had a fun dynamic but also all have each other’s backs. I really had a sense of family within this book and I love how the author brought her culture into it all. I actually learned what soca was because before that, I had no idea! There’s not only BIPOC representation but LGBTQ+! And not just one character, but multiple characters.

I love the enemy to lovers trope, though with this read, I was laughing a lot at what the two main characters Kieran and Cherisse would do to each other, because it was so petty. I was there for it! There was no real reason why they disliked one another since childhood, but with Cherisse’s sister Ava getting married, they were forced together due to being best man and maid of honour. I liked how it all unravelled and how their forced duties to plan a joint hen and bucks night, was either going to end in disaster or reveal sides that the characters didn’t know about one another.

I had lots of fun reading this book. There were so many moments where I laughed or smile. Liked how bossy Cherisse was especially when it came to the bedroom. I find that with so many romances, the men take the lead but Cherisse was just empowered and took control. It was awesome to read that! Also, reading about all the baked good Cherisse made, made me wish I had them in my possession. Sounded so good!

Would recommend to any fan of rom coms.