Happy Wednesday! It’s been a while since my last book review post and I have a LOT of books to review for you all! Today I picked out three books that are NOT of the young adult dystopian genre (I know, shocker), so I hope you all enjoy!
Inamorata by Megan Chance
From Goodreads:
American artist Joseph Hannigan and his alluring sister, Sophie, have arrived in enchanting nineteenth-century Venice with a single-minded goal. The twins, who have fled scandal in New York, are determined to break into Venice’s expatriate set and find a wealthy patron to support Joseph’s work.
But the enigmatic Hannigans are not the only ones with a secret agenda. Joseph’s talent soon attracts the attention of the magnificent Odilé Leon, a celebrated courtesan and muse who has inspired many artists to greatness. But her inspiration comes with a devastatingly steep price.
As Joseph falls under the courtesan’s spell, Sophie joins forces with Nicholas Dane, the one man who knows Odilé’s dark secret, and her sworn enemy. When the seductive muse offers Joseph the path to eternal fame, the twins must decide who to believe—and just how much they are willing to sacrifice for fame.
This book took me a little bit longer to get through than most, but it was a bit longer of a book than what I’ve been reading. Weirdly, this book required more suspension of disbelief than the dystopian novels I read, but probably because it is set in a real history, just with one character that is a mythical creature.
It’s definitely not like anything I’ve read before, but I still enjoyed the book and how the author gave you bits of the story behind the twins so it took time to understand them and their relationship. I also appreciated the author’s writing style and enjoyed the book overall.
The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg
From Goodreads:
Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.
An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.
From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight readers of all ages.
This was another fantasy type novel that was still very different from the books I’ve been reading. However, I loved this one and cannot wait for the second novel to come out (it leaves you wanting more!). My favorite part about this book was the magic they created and how it wasn’t anything I would have ever imagined. The author was great about describing every scene in a way that made me wish I were there with them. I highly recommend this book!
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
From Goodreads:
It’s been three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life.
And three years he’s spent wondering why.
When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.
Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good – or can you really have a second chance at first love?
Where She Went is the sequel to the novel If I Stay, which is being made into a movie this year. I definitely recommend reading the first, they are somewhat quick novels and you can at least get through the first if you want to see the movie.
I’ve heard other people say they liked the first better than Where She Went, but I actually really loved the sequel, even better than the first! I thought the first novel was interesting, sad and moving, however the second combined all of that with so much more. One of my favorite parts of the novel is how the author wrote out the song lyrics that Adam wrote for his band and how they really told the story of their relationship and his pain in her leaving him. I definitely recommend reading both books!
Do you have a favorite book that has or will be made into a movie?
Are you more of a movie person or a book person?