The Stolen Heir Book Review.

Hello, bookworms! I am back with another post in The Folk Of The Air Week! Thank you Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book: The Stolen Heir
Author: Holly Black
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Age Limit: 15+
Pacing: Medium-pacing
Trigger Warnings: Violence, Child Abuse, Blood, Death

Goodreads Summary.

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, the child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years. 

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

My Review.

After reading the cruel prince trilogy, I was very excited to read Oak’s story since he is all grown up in this book. I must say that the personalities of both the main characters are quite opposite to the main characters in the cruel prince series, hence at times making it boring to read. But I feel that probably in the next book there will be character developments, which might make the series more interesting.

This book is filled with magic, political intrigue, and high-stakes adventure. I really liked how the author described the details, making it easy to imagine while reading. However, due to lack of development in the secondary characters, hampered the momentum in the story at times. The pacing of the story was a bit uneven. It took me some time to get fully engrossed in the story. But as the story progressed, there was proper pacing.

My Rating.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

If you are looking to read a book filled with adventure in the fantasy world, then this book is for you!
Happy Reading!
Rabhya.

My 2022 Year in Books!

Hello, everybody. Happy New Year! I hope 2023 will be a happy and healthy year for you. I was away from writing for a long time and I am sorry for my inactivity. Things are still hectic as my finals are nearing. I have planned many things for my blog, but I cannot implement them due to time constraints. I will be free in April from all my exams and studies, still, a long way to go But, I will try to stay in touch with my writing and you all in between.

My Goodreads Goal.

I had kept a goal of 50 books and I was able to read 45 books this year. I must say that I read quite a mixed bag this year. There are many books that I rated 4-5 stars and there were many with 2-3 ratings.

Some Stats:

As I mentioned in my posts this past year, my reading tastes are evolving. 2022 was an experimenting year for me. I kept exploring different genres. Some, I instantly fell in love with and others I won’t get back to again.

In 2022, I explored different genres like realistic fiction, translated books, non-fiction, memoirs, and even romance because it was so hyped up. Many disappointments and many favorites in the past year.

My Year In Books:

I will be reviewing and discussing some of the books that I loved in my upcoming posts. It feels good to be back. Thank you for always supporting me and reading my posts. All the comments mean a lot to me, thanks again! I want you all to tell me in the comments how many books did you read in 2022.
Happy Reading!
Rabhya.

The Maid: Book Review

Book: The Maid
Author: Nita Prose
Genre: Fiction, Murder Mystery
Age Limit: 16+
Trigger Warnings: Death, Murder, Bullying

Goodreads Summary:

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had united with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?

My Review:

Firstly, the main character Molly the Maid. She is a very innocent person who has not seen the true world. When you will be reading, the main character won’t understand the true meaning behind the conversations, but the reader will understand the meaning. I was not a fan of this format particularly. It is like the character is up for a surprise in the case, not the reader. I did not like Molly the Maid since I found her irritating at times. I felt sad for Molly at times as she was not accepted by her co-workers. I really loved Grandma’s advice throughout the book. Molly keeps recalling her dead Grandma’s advice throughout the book which was nice to read.
Coming to the story. I think this was a solid murder mystery. I really liked that the whole story took place in the hotel from a Maid’s point of view. The ending though did not have the wow factor. Throughout, the story was going pretty smoothly (minus the character’s behavior), but I expected a better ending.

What I Liked:

• The whole story is set in a hotel.
• Recalling her grandma’s life lessons.

What I Did Not Like:

• Molly was irritating at times
• The character is up for a surprise, not the reader
• The ending did not have a WOW factor.

What You Should Read Next:

• The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
• The Guest List by Lucey Foley

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

This was an average read for me. Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Happy Reading!
Rabhya.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold: Book Review

Book: Before The Coffee Gets Cold
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism
Age Limit: 16+
Trigger Warnings: Dementia, Death, Grief

Goodreads Summary:

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-traveling offer, to confront the man who left them, and receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer’s, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

My Review:

There are four stories, all set in the cafe, where the characters are the same and known. In each story, some or other character wants to time travel back to the past/ future to convey something to the person they want to meet. These stories are very heartwarming and meaningful. You get so connected to the characters. The author has described the cafe in such a way that it makes it so comforting to read these stories. It teaches an important lesson about time and relationships. Even though they can time travel, after coming back, the present does not change, which was pretty interesting to read as even though the characters were able to experience this magical moment, they still had to come back to reality because it does not change. I got so attached to these stories that I will come back and read them again. They were so impactful with such a beautiful message at the end.

What I Liked:

• The connection between time and relationships
• Got attached to the characters
• the rules for time-traveling
• favorite story: Mother and Child

Other Books In This Series:

What You Should Read Next:

• Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami
• Read the sequels of this book!

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This was a comfort read for me! Have you read this book? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Reading!
Rabhya.

Let’s Talk About Murakami!

Hello Bookish People! I am back with another post where I talk about my recent obsession. Haruki Murakami’s Writing! As I talked about switching genres in my previous post, well I have started reading Japanese-translated books, more on it later.

Haruki Murakami

Murakami, born January 12, 1949 is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and has sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzou Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize. Growing up in Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years.
(source: Wikipedia)

I started reading Kafka On The Shore in August when I was sick. I instantly fell in love with his writing style. He normally writes magical realism stories and I absolutely love that style. Even though the story has magical elements, he infuses reality so well in those stories. His character developments are so unique with so much depth. Murakami’s stories are a way of escapism, it puts you in a trance. He writes books so beautifully, the stories have some history of Japan blended in.

Books I Have Read So Far by Murakami:

~ Kafka On The Shore: 5/5 stars
~ Sputnik Sweetheart: 4/5 stars
~ Birthday Girl: 4/5 stars

I am currently reading After Dark by him.

He has become my favorite author and I can’t wait to read more books by him! Have you read any Murakami books? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Reading!
Rabhya.