Week 51 Review: A Court of Sugar and Spice

From Goodreads:

With their inheritance restricted until their marriage, sisters Clara and Louisa, both in their twenties, must live with their godfather Drosselmeyer. One night, an accident brings to life one of the strange wooden dolls in Drosselmeyer's mansion. The Nutcracker doll is a cursed Fae prince, and he pleads for the sisters' help. During the ensuing journey into the Fae realm, Clara encounters the handsome Sugarplum Faerie, and he promises her the chance to enact all her forbidden fantasies. Meanwhile Louisa and the Nutcracker Prince battle and bicker over everything, despite the growing attraction between them. And to make matters worse, the entire Seelie kingdom is under threat of conquest by the Rat King, ruler of the Dread Court.

This is a spicy, adult, fantasy romance retelling of "The Nutcracker" fairytale. 

My Review:
Well, it seems to be the week for The Nutcracker retelling! I had a really great time with this story, and it was very different from the previous one, being adult and spicy and all. Like I said in my last review, I've never consumed the original, so I'm not sure the details and how they were changed, but I loved the world that was created in this book! 

One thing that is particular to me, is that Clara's sister is Louisa. I don't often see my name in books, or names similar, like Louise. I can't think of more than 5, and one is an author, Louisa May Alcott. So that was just a little thing that I really enjoyed about this book! 

I really enjoyed reading about both of these sisters. They get pulled into this adventure, and I loved the bickering between Louisa and the Prince, and I loved Clara and Finias as well! The spice in their relationships was just at the right level to keep the plot going on steadily at the same time! 

It's recently been announced, though, that there's going to be a sequel, which is pretty exciting! This story does stand on its own, but it'll be great to see more of these characters, and I'm excited to see what threats they might face! 

This was a great read, and I had such a good time with it! 

Author: Rebecca F. Kenney
Read: December 21st, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a Retelling Reading Challenge 2022 Book and a SAC 2022 Book!
Publisher: Rebecca F. Kenney
Published: November 7th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 51 Reviews: Summerfall, Winterspell, Homecoming

From Goodreads:

In this captivating novella, prequel to the upcoming Winterspell, Claire Legrand weaves a story of magic, political intrigue, and forbidden love.

Rinka is a faery, passionate and powerful, determined to maintain the tenuous peace between faeries and humans.

Alban Somerhart is a human, a reluctant king trapped in an arranged marriage, desperate to prevent war.

Their love could save the kingdom of Cane—or shatter it forever.

This entrancing tale sets the stage for the rise of a wicked queen, and the journey of a lifetime for a human girl named Clara... 

From Goodreads:

After her mother is brutally murdered, seventeen-year-old Clara Stole is determined to find out what happened to her. Her father, a powerful man with little integrity, is a notorious New York City gang lord in the syndicate-turned-empire called Concordia. And he isn't much help.

But there is something even darker than Concordia's corruption brewing under the surface of the city, something full of vengeance and magic, like the stories Clara's godfather used to tell her when she was a little girl. Then her father is abducted and her little sister's life is threatened, and Clara accidentally frees Nicholas from a statue that has been his prison for years. Nicholas is the rightful prince of Cane, a wintry kingdom that exists beyond the city Clara has known her whole life.

When Nicholas and Clara journey together to Cane to retrieve her father, Clara encounters Anise, the queen of the faeries, who has ousted the royal family in favor of her own totalitarian, anti-human regime. Clara finds that this new world is not as foreign as she feared, but time is running out for her family, and there is only so much magic can do...

From Goodreads:

A brief epilogue to Claire Legrand's YA Nutcracker re-telling, Winterspell. Available for free download at Claire's website.

My Review:
I loved reading these books! I love Claire Legrand's writing, and this was another really great series! And that it's a retelling of the Nutcracker, was really great! I've never consumed the original (it's originally a ballet, right?) but I had a great time with it!

Reading Summerfall was a little sad. Because it takes place before Winterspell, we know things won't go well, because there's a full length book set after it. I loved their story, even though it wouldn't have the happiest of endings.

This world with the faeries was really interesting, and when you add the politics of a kingdom with a royal family that got ousted by an evil queen, well, there was some really interesting stuff going on, and I had a great time reading these stories! 

Clara was a fantastic character, and she goes through a lot in her book. Then there's Nicholas, who should've had an idyllic life, but hasn't. I really enjoyed them together, and I'm really glad that we got Homecoming, it's what I always want, just a little bit more of happiness for the characters! 

Loved reading these stories, and I can't wait to read more by Claire Legrand! 

Author: Claire Legrand 
Series: Winterspell #0.5, 1, 1.5
Read: December 20th, 20th, 20th, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike, Online 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and they're Retelling Reading Challenge 2022 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Books, and Homecoming is a End of Series 2022 Book!
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Claire Legrand
Published: August 26th 2014, September 30th 2014, December 29th 2014

Summerfall:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Winterspell:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Homecoming:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 50 Review: A Vow so Bold and Deadly

From Goodreads:

Face your fears, fight the battle.

Emberfall is crumbling fast, torn between those who believe Rhen is the rightful prince and those who are eager to begin a new era under Grey, the true heir. Grey has agreed to wait two months before attacking Emberfall, and in that time, Rhen has turned away from everyone—even Harper, as she desperately tries to help him find a path to peace.

Fight the battle, save the kingdom.

Meanwhile, Lia Mara struggles to rule Syhl Shallow with a gentler hand than her mother. But after enjoying decades of peace once magic was driven out of their lands, some of her subjects are angry Lia Mara has an enchanted prince and magical scraver by her side. As Grey's deadline draws nearer, Lia Mara questions if she can be the queen her country needs.

As two kingdoms come closer to conflict, loyalties are tested, love is threatened, and an old enemy resurfaces who could destroy them all, in this stunning conclusion to bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer's Cursebreaker series. 

My Review:
Oh man, I loved reading this book! It was such a great end to the series, I wasn't sure how things would turn out, but it was unexpected and so excellent! I couldn't put it down, and oh, it was just a really great read! So much happened! 

The last book left off on an evil ending, with the war to come, but Rhen keeping the situation that Lilith is back to himself well, we know things are going to get worse before they get better. I really enjoyed following all of these characters as they were dealing with everything! 

Between the complications of the Emberfall throne, there's also the Shyl Shallow, because people aren't really acception fo Lia Mara as a ruler, which is a hard position to be in. It was just one more hardship that they had to deal with, but heavy is the head that wears the crown! 

I'm really pleased with the way that things wrapped up. I mentioned in my review of the last book that Rhen didn't deserve to rule after what he did, so I'm glad for how that all worked out. And I'm glad that they were able to heal the damages that were done to their relationship! Sure, there's a spin off series that we just got the first book earlier this year, but it looks like it's just set in the same world, that it follows different characters, and I can't wait to pick it up! 

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Brigit Kemmerer! 

Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers #3
Read: December 16th, 2022
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, End of Series 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Published: January 26th 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 50 Review: Hooked

From Goodreads:

He wants revenge, but he wants her more.

Once Upon A Time, there was a little boy.

His belly full of laughter, his life full of joy.

Until one day, something changed; stripped his innocence away.

The hole inside making space for the devil to come and play.

His dreams gone forever, he grew up way too fast.

An endless night of crocodiles, and watches made of glass.

He grew into a villain, the taste of vengeance on his tongue.

Craving to make his enemies pay for the misdeeds they had done.

Instead he found a darling girl, and refused to let her go.

For what better way to make the man pay, than to steal his little shadow.

My Review:
Oh, I really enjoyed reading this book! This is similar to the Wicked Villain's series, where the villain of the original gets with the heroine, and that it's set in our contemporary world. Oh, and that it's an erotica (though not BDSM levels of Wicked Villians). And I enjoyed it so much! 

This is a dark romance retelling of Peter Pan, with Captain Hook, James, as the lead, and his relationship with Wendy. I really enjoyed how it was brought into the modern times, and what details were brought over, they were really great! 

The fact that Wendy is Peter's daughter, and James wants revenge on Peter, and decides to use Wendy to do so, yeah, that's not the best start to a relationship. But she has a pretty bad home life, and they got on together really well! 

This book is really, really dark. But there are some sweet moments between the two of them that I really enjoyed, and watching them deal with his revenge, and how they started off, had me really happy about the way things ended! 

Loved reading this story, and I can't wait to read more! 

Author: Emily McIntire 
Series: Never After #1
Read: December 10th, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike 
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge Book! 
Publisher: Emily McIntire 
Published: September 7th 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 49 Review: Lore Olympus: Volume 3

From Goodreads:

Witness what the gods do after dark in the third volume of a stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology, featuring a brand-new, exclusive short storyfrom creator Rachel Smythe.

"It is natural for a King to be curious about his future Queen. . . ."

All of Olympus-and the Underworld-are talking about the God of the Dead and the sprightly daughter of Demeter. But despite the rumors of their romance, Hades and Persephone have plenty to navigate on their own.

Since coming to Olympus, Persephone has struggled to be the perfect maiden goddess. Her attraction to Hades has only complicated the intense burden of the gods' expectations. And after Apollo's assault, Persephone fears she can no longer bury the intense feelings of hurt and love that she's worked so hard to hide.

As Persephone contemplates her future, Hades struggles with his past, falling back into toxic habits in Minthe's easy embrace. With all the mounting pressure and expectations-of their family, friends, and enemies-both Hades and Persephone tell themselves to deny their deepest desires, but the pull between them is too tempting, too magnetic. It's fate.

This full-color edition of Smythe's original Eisner-nominated webcomic Lore Olympus brings Greek mythology into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 50-75 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

My Review:
I loved reading these episodes again! I'm just so thrilled that this webtoon is being traditionally published, to see how things lay out on a page instead of scrolling down on a screen. And of course, the bonus chapter is always something that I love to see! 

This collection of episodes has one of my favourite lines, that she's a beautiful woman who needs money for beautiful woman stuff. I just absolutely adore this line, its hilarious, and I just can't get enough of it, even having read it 3 times!

This is the chunk of episodes that we learn more about the Underworld, and how it works, which was fascinating. It's also when Persephone starts to think about what she wants-and that she doesn't want to be a part of TGOEM. That moment with Eros, as well as seeing the continuation of his story...there were some emotional moments here! 

Oh, that bonus chapter! I loved how he yeeted that guy, that was so much fun. It was really great just to see the two of them hanging out, they have so much going on in the main episodes, that it was great to just have this moment. But there was that comment that he made, and her reaction of it, that will be explained, but that was an impactful moment! Can't wait for those who are just reading these physically to find out! 

Loved reading this collection, and I can't wait for the 4th volume! 

Author: Rachel Smythe
Series: Lore Olympus Volumes #3
Read: December 4th, 2022
Source: Library 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge 2022 Book  and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book!
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: October 11th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: This Cursed Crown

From Goodreads:

Awakening to find herself trapped in a strange tower, Izaveta knows she must find her way back to the Tóurensi palace and claim the throne. But even with an unexpected ally's help, she worries she might not be able to get news of her survival to her sister and escape this frozen land.

Back at home, Asya enlists Nikov's help to prove Izaveta is still alive, even as she finds herself forced to navigate the political world she always sought to avoid to save her queendom, her loved ones, and herself.

 

But as the sisters work independently to reunite, a dangerous force lies in wait, trying to regain power in order to overthrow the monarchy… 

My Review:
Oh man, this was such a great read! I loved the first book, and it ended on such a cliffhanger, that I had to pick this one up as soon as I could! And I'm so glad that I did, because it was such a great read, I had such a great time with this! 

I loved being back in this world again, picking up where we left off, with Asya at home, and Izaveta in some frozen land far away, when people are pretty sure that she's dead. Loved watching the story unfold from there! 

Of course, just like the first book, there's so much political maneuvering, and I couldn't get enough of it! There were many reveals, and things learned that had such an impact on the story. Plus there was the romances, those were a delight to read! 

That ending though? That was so intense, and I basically held my breath the whole time I was reading it.  I absolutely loved how things worked out, but there were some pretty scary moment where it almost didn't, and that was so excellent to read! 

This was an excellent book, and I can't wait to read more by Alexandra Overy! 

Author: Alexandra Overy
Series: These Feathered Flames #2 
Read: November 19th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love her writing and the first book, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, End of Series 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Expected Publication: December 6th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 46 Review: My Imaginary Mary

From Goodreads:

It's aliiiiiiiive! New York Times bestselling authors of My Lady Jane are back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley.

Mary may have inherited the brilliant mind of her late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but she lives a drab life above her father's bookstore, waiting for an extraordinary idea that'll inspire a work worthy of her parentage--and impress her rakishly handsome (and super-secret) beau, Percy Shelley.

Ada Lovelace knows a thing or two about superstar parents, what with her dad being Lord Byron, the most famous poet on Earth. But her passions lie far beyond the arts--in mechanical engineering, to be exact. Alas, no matter how precise Ada's calculations, there's always a man willing to claim her ingenious ideas as his own.

Pan, a.k.a. Practical Automaton Number One, is Ada's greatest idea yet: a machine that will change the world, if only she can figure out how to make him truly autonomous . . . or how to make him work at all.

When fate connects our two masterminds, Mary and Ada learn that they are fae--magical people with the ability to make whatever they imagine become real. But when their dream team results in a living, breathing, thinking PAN, Mary and Ada find themselves hunted by a mad scientist who won't stop until he finds out how they made a real boy out of spare parts.

With comic genius and a truly electrifying sense of adventure, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn the classics on their head in this YA fantasy that's perfect for fans of Frankenstein and The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

My Review:
This was such a fun book to read! I was wondering if this was going to be set in the same world as My Plain Jane, and the villain from that book was briefly mentioned, since I'm fairly certain he was a real person. But alas, this is not a world of ghosts.

Oh, this combination of characters and world was so fantastic to read! Mary, the author who wrote Frankenstein, and Ada Lovelace, who did the math for the first theoretical computer, and the magic that made Pan, it was so interesting to read! 

This world with the fae, of people who can do magic, was so interesting to read! And that, between the two of them, they manage to bring Pan to life, well, I had to know what was going to happen next, because this felt like it as going to at least inspire Frankenstein. So that was great to read! 

I thoroughly enjoyed the romances in these books! Pan was just an absolute sweetie! But I also really enjoyed the friendship between these two, they were both smart, capable women, they worked well together, and it was a really great friendship for the both of them!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait for Mary #3! 

Authors: Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows
Series: Mary #2
Read: November 13th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love their writing and this series, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge, Historical Fiction 2022 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: August 2nd 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 45 Review: Strike the Zither

From Goodreads:

An epic YA fantasy about found family, rivals, and identity, from New York Times and Indie bestselling author Joan He, inspired by Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Classics of Chinese Literature.

The year is 414 of the Xin Dynasty, and chaos abounds. A puppet empress is on the throne. The realm has fractured into three factions and three warlordesses hoping to claim the continent for themselves.

But Zephyr knows it's no contest.

Orphaned at a young age, Zephyr took control of her fate by becoming the best strategist of the land and serving under Xin Ren, a warlordess whose loyalty to the empress is double-edged—while Ren's honor draws Zephyr to her cause, it also jeopardizes their survival in a war where one must betray or be betrayed. When Zephyr is forced to infiltrate an enemy camp to keep Ren's followers from being slaughtered, she encounters the enigmatic Crow, an opposing strategist who is finally her match. But there are more enemies than one—and not all of them are human.

My Review:
Oh, this was such a fantastic read! I've never read Three Kingdoms, I'd never even heard of it before this book. But to have inspired this book, it must've been pretty great! I absolutely loved reading this book, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Zephyr was ruthless and brilliant, and oh, was she an amazing character to read about! She's the strategist of the underdog, and some of her moves-including ones that make her seem like she's betraying Ren-were downright insane in how she managed to get things to go her way! 

That mid-book twist? I wasn't expecting the book to go in that direction, but it made for such an interesting story. I had no idea how things would progress from there, but I loved watching how things unfolded from there! 

The intricate plots and politics that were going on where just incredible. This world is not kind to the people, and combined, that just made for an addicting plot. And oh, that ending and that reveal? That was hard, and fantastic, and with certain information know-and others not-it'll be so interesting to see where things go from here! 

This was an incredible read, and I need book 2 now! 

Author: Joan He
Series: Kingdom of Three #1
Read: November 5th, 2022
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, Historical Fiction 2022 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book!
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Published: October 25th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 40 Review: What Moves the Dead

From Goodreads:

An instant USA Today & Indie bestseller

From T. Kingfisher, the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones, comes What Moves the Dead, a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

My Review:
This was a fantastic read! I haven't read the original, but this retelling was so dark and thrilling-and in the authors note, it mentions that the original is so short and doesn't have a lot of details, well, I'd easily prefer to have read this book!

I didn't know going in that Ruritania isn't a real country, it's mainly used as a placeholder for a country somewhere in Central Europe-and Alex brought Gallacia with ka in T. Kingfisher's mind. So they were free to have their own cultures-like soldiers have their own pronouns, so those who were born to she/her (but who might not want to have those pronouns) could become soldiers, like Alex. So I loved those details!

This book was so creepy! Alex was not one prone to scares, ka was in the army, but this was on a whole nother level! The sleepwalking, the fine hairs, the hares, and this mansion that is decaying around them. Absolutely fantastic atmosphere! 

That ending, with the dead actually moving, and finding out what was going on, that was creepy and horrifying. The idea that it was spreading, learning how to talk to humanity, yeah, I can easily understand why they reacted like they did! 

This was fantastic, and I see why T. Kingfisher has made a name for herself, and I'll have to check out her other books! 

Author: T. Kingfisher 
Read: October 7th, 2022
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge Book and a SAC 2022 Book! 
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Published: July 12th 2022

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 33 Review: These Feathered Flames

From Goodreads:

A queer retelling of "The Firebird," a Russian folktale

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she'd need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.

But before Asya's training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.

As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they'll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

My Review:
I loved reading this book! I loved this story about these sisters, and their different positions in life. I loved this world with the Firebird, and all these politics that Izaveta had to learn, and how now that they're back together, things aren't what they thought it would be! It was such a great read!

The story of these two sisters, from a dynasty where one becomes the Queen, and the other the Firebird, was just so interesting! And that the Firebird is there to make sure magic is properly paid for-and if someone is short, taking that from them. It was such an interesting concept!

They've been apart for so long, and they lost contact. But now that their mother died, they're now taking their places-amidst so much political upheaval and drama. I loved watching them navigate it all in their own ways-and the relationships that they built with one another, and with others as well! 

That ending though? That had so many emotionally charged moments, and tense moments, and I loved watching it unfold! It was such a killer cliffhanger ending, and I'm so excited to see what is going to come next for these two!  

A thing about me is that I do regularly read the endings of books before I finish the book. So I did that on my eARC, so I knew what was going to happen. So I was a little bit confused when the audiobook didn't have the epilogue that the ARC had-did it get cut before being published, or did the audiobook just not record it? 

Loved reading this book, and I'm so excited for the sequel! 

Author: Alexandra Overy
Series: These Feathered Flames #1 
Read: August 19th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss/Library
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge, DAC Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Published: April 20th 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 33 Review: The Dead Queens Club

From Goodreads:
Mean Girls meets The Tudors in Hannah Capin's The Dead Queens Club, a clever contemporary YA retelling of Henry VIII and his wives (or, in this case, his high school girlfriends). Told from the perspective of Annie Marck ("Cleves"), a 17-year-old aspiring journalist from Cleveland who meets Henry at summer camp, The Dead Queens Club is a fun, snarky read that provides great historical detail in an accessible way for teens while giving the infamous tale of Henry VIII its own unique spin.

What do a future ambassador, an overly ambitious Francophile, a hospital-volunteering Girl Scout, the new girl from Cleveland, the junior cheer captain, and the vice president of the debate club have in common? It sounds like the ridiculously long lead-up to an astoundingly absurd punchline, right? Except it's not. Well, unless my life is the joke, which is kind of starting to look like a possibility given how beyond soap opera it's been since I moved to Lancaster. But anyway, here's your answer: we've all had the questionable privilege of going out with Lancaster High School's de facto king. Otherwise known as my best friend. Otherwise known as the reason I've already helped steal a car, a jet ski, and one hundred spray-painted water bottles when it's not even Christmas break yet. Otherwise known as Henry. Jersey number 8.

Meet Cleves. Girlfriend number four and the narrator of The Dead Queens Club, a young adult retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives. Cleves is the only girlfriend to come out of her relationship with Henry unscathed—but most breakups are messy, right? And sometimes tragic accidents happen…twice…

My Review:
I loved reading this book! Just the idea of King Henry and all of his wives in a modern day setting, I've read something similar before, but with him and Anne, and this was mainly set afterwards, with a few of the different wives-though they're girlfriends in this modern retelling.

One thing I loved about this book were the chapter headings, she's a journalist, and they were dramatic and talking about what was going to happen in the chapter, and I really enjoyed reading them, they were a lot of fun!

This is a modern day retelling of King Henry, a historical figure-we know the story of him and his wives. To have those relationships be dating instead of marriage because they're teenagers, makes sense. That some of the girls are still dying...I had to know what was going on! 

I was conflicted. On one hand, Cleves and Henry had a really solid friendship. On the other, there's mounting evidence that he had something to do with these girlfriends ending up dead. I loved watching her learn more about Henry, and what was going on, and how it ultimately went down! 

This was a really fantastic read, and I can't wait to read more by Hannah Capin! 

Author: Hannah Capin
Read: August 17th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss/Library
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a 2022 Retelling Reading Challenge, DAC Book and a SAC Book!
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Published: January 29th 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars