#BookReview: The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

Receiving books free in exchange for reviews will never sway the outcome of my reviews. All my reviews are own my personal thoughts and opinions whether they for review or bought. While I may feel a certain way, others may feel differently. So sit back and relax and check out my thoughts on this book. Don't forget to share your thoughts (no spoilers) on the books or reviews on this blog in comments.

Title: The Sisters of the Winter Wood

Format: Hardback

Pages: 464

Published: 27th Sept 2018

Publisher: Orbit

Source: Publisher

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Shelfability: Acquire/Covet

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

A magical tale of secrets, family ties and fairy tales weaving through history.

Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya have lived a peaceful sheltered life - even if they've heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods.

But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realizes, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister.

Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and Laya falls under their spell-despite their mother's warning to be wary of strangers. And these are not the only dangers lurking in the woods...

The sisters will need each other if they are to become the women they need to be - and save their people from the dark forces that draw closer.

Captivating and boldly imaginative, with a tale of sisterhood at its heart, Rena Rossner's debut invites you to enter a world filled with magic, folklore and the dangers of the woods

The Sisters of the Winter Wood came through my door as a complete surprise and I gushed over the pretty cover. I ooohed and aaahed over it.  I am a sucker for a nice looking cover. The details are beautiful and eye catching. And it really captures the essence of the story. Did I mention it was shiny?!?!?!? Well...it's shiny!!!! However, you don't want to read about the cover right? You want to know if they book was as good as the cover. And the simple answer is, YES!

The Sisters of the Winter Wood is unique and so beautifully written. I felt like I was transported right into the story. I went into this with no background knowledge at all. I only knew it was a retelling of a poem called "The Goblin Market" written by Christina Rossetti which I have never read so I may need to look that up aswell.

The author draws on her Jewish heritage and Incorporated that into her own verison of "The Goblin Market" story. As well as using Russian and Ukrainian  folklore which was all new to me. So I was completely fascinated by it all. But only issue was not understanding a lot of the words and phrases so I had to keep stopping and going to the glossary at the back of the book to get the meaning. For me that ruined the flow a little.

The story is written from both Liba and Laya point of views and just like two sisters who are so different, their voices are written very differently. Liba is someone who I think we don't get enough of in YA books. She is a curvy girl! I don't think there is enough curvy main characters so I applaud the author. I am a curvy lass myself so I was like "YASS". Laya is the complete opposite to her sister. To me there is something so "otherworldly" about her. I was enthralled by her and I think that is because of the way the author has written Laya. I loved both sisters. I loved the details in Liba's chapters but I also loved the simplicity in Laya's. I could go on forever about it but I don't want to say too much. There just needs to be some surprise right?

The Sisters of the Winter Wood is one the best books I have read in 2018 so far. It is magical, enchanting, exciting with a little danger with the bond of sisterhood running through it's core.

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*Book Review* The Shadow Queen by CJ Redwine

Title: The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1)

Format: eArc
Pages: 400
Published: 23rd Feb 2016
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher for Review
Genre: YA Fantasy, Fairy tale Retelling
Shelfability: Acquire
Buy: Amazon UK I Amazon US

**About The Book**
 Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.

In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.

But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

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Cover Reveal + Book Review: Little Red (The Believe Series #1) by Trista Jaszczak

Today I am super excited to be finally getting to reveal the book cover for "Little Red" I read this a while ago and I loved it. So here I get to do the official cover reveal!!! Aswell as sharing my review with you all!!

Title: Little Red

Series: The Believe Series #1

Author: Trista Jaszczak

Release: 18th June 2013

Genre: Adult Retelling, Paranormal.

Description:

Follow Sam Wentworth through the winding back roads of Louisiana, on a desperate escape from her past, where she falls into the arms of the unlikely and sometimes unwilling hero, Ethan Parker.
When circumstances and fate seal the two together, entangling them with his 6 older brothers, Sam finds her life changing in ways that she never imagined.

Filled with feuding families and a little old bayou magic can Ethan put aside everything he has ever known to keep Sam safe from the dangers that their lives and their love possess. 

Oh I love love love this cover! It fits the story perfectly, the colours and the fonts used are very eye catching. I love the fact that Sam is holding her bike helmet in the cover makes it fit even more.

Continue reading for my review..............

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Book Review: Sky Blue (Ruby Blue #3) by Julie Cassar

MAY CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS. 

Reviewed by: Siobhán
Format: Ebook
Pages:  280
Published: 27th Jan 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Source: Author for Review
Genre: YA Paranormal, Fairy Tale
Buy: Amazon UK I Amazon US

Description:

Something strange is brewing in Lake City… as the summer comes to a close, Ruby finds herself caught in a torrent of trouble when a stranger blows into town. Relationships are put to the test, lines are drawn and a choice is made when the ways of the Royal Sky Court rain down upon Ruby and the gang. Weathering through a storm of secrets, spells and yet another life-changing adventure… who will survive in its wake?

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The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Reviewed by: Siobhán
Format: Hardback
Pages: 282
Published: 2nd Aug 2011(US)
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Source: Won
Genre: YA, Fairy Tale, Witches
Buy: Amazon UK I Amazon US I Book Depository UK I Book Depostory INT

Description:

Sixteen-year-old Lexi, who lives on an enchanted moor at the edge of the village of Near, must solve the mystery when, the day after a mysterious boy appears in town, children start disappearing
.

5

The Fearsome Beastie by Giles Paley-Phillips

Reviewed by: Siobhán
Format: PDF
Pages: 32
Published: 18th May 2011 (UK)
Publisher: Maverick Arts Publishing
Source: Author for Review
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Buy: Amazon UK I Amazon US I Book Depository

Description: 

The fearsome beastie is searching for something to eat and the children are at the top of the menu. Will they be fooled by the fearsome beastie and his clever tricks?

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The Fearsome Beastie is a brand new title by poet Giles Paley-Phillips. Written in rhyme, this story is reminiscent of the cautionary fairy tales of the past but with a happy ending! - Maverick Art's Site

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The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Format: ARC Paperback

Pages: 288
Published: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: YA Fantasy, Paranormal

Description:
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

Review:
The Near Witch was a spellbinding read from start to finish. Victoria Schwab dazzled in her debut novel! From page one, the story is lyrical, magical and enchanting.

The book begins as the old folklore story of The Near Witch is told by Lexi to her sister Wren. Immediately readers are drawn into the allure of the village and moors of Near and the folklore surrounding the Near Witch.

Soon children start to disappear from their beds at night, drawn from them by a seemingly magical, singing wind. Lexi is determined to track down the missing children, despite her uncle's disapproval. At the time the children begin disappearing, a stranger appears in the village of Near...and everyone knows there are no strangers in Near.

Lexi, the new stranger, and the village's only witch sister's are quickly swept up in a dangerous race against time to save the children before it's too late.

The Near Witch was beautifully written and I found myself completely lost in the story. Very few books are so captivating that I just can't stop thinking about the book long after I have finished. This is one book I will definitely read more than once! Bravo to Victoria Schwab for a magical novel and for showing fairy tales can still be written today!

Rate: 5/5

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Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Format: Paperback

Pages: 336
Published: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Little Brown
Genre: YA Fantasy, Paranormal

Description:
Scarlet March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Review:
Fairy tales are generally never re-told well. In this case, Jackson Pearce should have been the one originally telling the fairy tale! I was blown away by this story! This is not "Little Red Riding Hood" - it is Sisters Red. The March Sisters, to be exact, and they are on a mission to destroy all Fenris. The Fenris are the proverbial "Big Bad Wolf", only these are mean wolf packs, who prey on innocent people.

The March sisters are orphaned as young girls and live with their grandmother, Oma March. One night, they are savagely attacked by the Fenris, and Scarlett is left scarred and with only one eye. As Scarlett and her sister Rosie mature into young adults, the girls train and learn to fight the wolves and save others from being attacked.

A series of disappearances and unsolved murders leads the girls and their old friend, the woodcutter, Silas, into the big city, looking for the Fenris responsible and the Sisters Red are forced into a new world of fighting and adventure they have never before faced.

Jackson Pearce has a magical pen when she writes! This one novel managed to be dark, humorous, romantic, witty, enchanting, and at times, even a little frightening. The suspense begins on page one and literally does not end until the very last page. I could not bring myself to put this book down once I had started.

I am eagerly looking forward to Jackson Pearce's next novel, Sweetly (a re-telling of the classic Hansel and Gretel), which is due out next month.

Rate: 5/5

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