Tag: blog

fantasy, Four Star Book, ya

Alanna: The First Adventure Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

  • Title: Alanna: The First Adventure
  • Author: Tamora Pierce
  • Book Form: E-Book
  • Pages: 274
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse
  • Genre: YA, Fantasy
  • Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page. 

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins – one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

– GOODREADS

This month the modmins of Words and Whimsy were tasked with recommending a book to one another. This book was recommended to me by Kahla. Tamora Pierce is her favorite author, and after reading this book, I can see why.

Tamora Pierce is like, one of the OGs of YA and I can really see where he influence lies is modern YA books.

I instantly fell in love with Alanna. She was strong, she was sassy, and she knew what she wanted. She was not going to let anything stop her from being a knight, even her gender.

This book follows the first few years of her training to be a knight. You get to see all her successes and struggles – even her entry to womanhood, which I thought was amazing.

I enjoyed all the side characters and wanted to know more about them. I loved seeing their journey growing up. I can’t wait to read book #2!

Thank you, Kahla, for recommending this to me!

Until next time…

contemporary, LGBT, three star book, ya

How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

  • Title: How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
  • Author: S.J. Goslee
  • Book Form: E-Arc
  • Pages: 240
  • Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
  • Genre: LGBT, YA, Contemporary, Romance
  • Rating: ***

Nolan Grant is sixteen, gay, and (definitely) still a virgin. He’s never had a boyfriend, or even been kissed. It’s not like Penn Valley is brimming with prospects. And when his big sister stages an elaborate “prom-posal” so Nolan can ask out his not-so-secret crush, Nolan freezes. He’s saved from further embarrassment by bad boy Bern, who, for his own reasons, offers to fake-date Nolan.

Nolan thinks it’s the perfect way to get Daphne off his back and spend the rest of the year drawing narwhals, tending to plants, and avoiding whatever died under his bed a few weeks ago. What he doesn’t think about is Bern’s ex-girlfriend, who seriously wants to kill him.

-GOODREADS

I received a free copy of this book from netgally and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

Man. This book had so much potential. Lets start with the things I liked about How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom.

I love teenage, highschool, lgbt romances. They are usually just so cute and fun, and this was no exception. I liked the two MCs, even though Nolan could be a jerk. He comes to realize this, which makes me like him more.

There’s also the fake dating troupe, which I find fun. You know they’re going to end up liking one another, and I loved hearing the past between Nolan and Bren. SUPER CUTE!

Lastly, I love stories where the siblings are close, and Nolan and Daphne are very close. Nolan was adopted into a loving family, and that’s something I haven’t seen much of. I loved seeing that represented!

Now for what didn’t work so well for me. I felt like the plot kind of drug on at times. Almost like there was no plot? There were just days and days of his life? That’s okay for some people, but I was left thinking ‘where is this going?’

Overall this was a cute story. I loved the ending and the fake dating troupe. I would probably recommend this book!

Until next time…

Five Star Book, ya

Girls With Sharp Sticks Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

 

  • Title: Girls With Sharp Sticks
  • Author: Suzanne Young
  • Book Form: Physical ARC
  • Pages: 400
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse
  • Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fiction
  • Rating: *****

The Girls of Innovations Academy are beautiful and well-behaved—it says so on their report cards. Under the watchful gaze of their Guardians, the all-girl boarding school offers an array of studies and activities, from “Growing a Beautiful and Prosperous Garden” to “Art Appreciation” and “Interior Design.” The girls learn to be the best society has to offer. Absent is the difficult math coursework, or the unnecessary sciences or current events. They are obedient young ladies, free from arrogance or defiance. Until Mena starts to realize that their carefully controlled existence may not be quite as it appears.

As Mena and her friends begin to uncover the dark secrets of what’s actually happening there—and who they really are—the girls of Innovations will find out what they are truly capable of. Because some of the prettiest flowers have the sharpest thorns.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Simon Pulse for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow. This was my first Suzanne Young book and it’s safe to say it will not be my last.

This book was eerie in the way that it could be real. This could potentionally happen, and we just aren’t aware. Part of it is happening now, and if that’s not scary, I don’t know what is.

At Innovations Academy, girls are a commodity. They are used for men to hang on their arm, look pretty, be quiet, and not think or have opinions. Don’t act this way? You’ll get impulse control therapy and get “redirected”. The way these men treat these girls is awful, and so true to the times. They get hit for talking back. They get berated and talked down upon. And the most angering part? The girls blame themselves.

But then they find a book of poems. The words open their eyes and they see that life doesn’t have to be this way. The ‘little girls’ can fight back. The girls can win.

My favorite part of Girls With Sharp Sticks is the love the girls have for one another. They have such strong friendships. Its heartwarming to see them stand up and fight for each other.

There was a twist at the end I was not expecting, though another friend of mine called it. It’s been so much fun to discuss this book with my friends and the theories we have for book two!

I’ve been pretty lucky with some good reads lately, but I don’t give this one 5 stars lightly. Every mod of Words &Whimsy book club has given this book five stars. Its going to blow up. I see a move in the future.

This book is 400 pages, and it generally takes me longer to read physical books. I read this in three days. After working 10 hour shifts, coming home, cooking, and putting baby to bed. Like, I don’t normally do this. I stayed up way too late, three nights in a row just reading. I couldn’t put it down because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. My heart raced for the girls during the action sequences. My heart ached for the girls when one of their friends got impulse control therapy. Through it all, I was rooting for those little girls, and I think you will too.

Love this book? Love Suzanne Young? Come join us at Words & Whimsy on March 25 at 7pm EST for a live chat with Suzanne!We can’t wait to discuss this book with her!!

Until next time…

Uncategorized

The Dreaded First Post

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

I never know how to start things like this. It’s always so awkward. But I’m awkward, so maybe that’s why. Anyways, I’m Courtney. I’m 29 years old, married, mom to an almost-two-year-old, and I’m a full time nurse. I’m the content moderator in Words & Whimsy Book Club. We do 3 club reads a month, have a ton of great recs, and have fun posts like Fan Casting and Fandom Friday. Oh, we also have live chats with best selling authors like Kendare Blake, Annie Sullivan, and Roshani Chokshi. Come check us out! I’m also a helper with Book Battle, the first game of it’s kind, where readers are sorted into teams and read books based on criteria to see who can get the most points in a month! We have bonuses and team challenges. It’s super fun and SO addicting!

Oh yeah, and I’m an avid reader.

I decided to start this blog because I have recently found out I really enjoy reviewing books. I started reviewing them when I started playing Book Battle. I could get 10 bonus points for my team by reviewing 10 different books. They didn’t have to be long reviews. Just a couple of sentences. But as time went on, I found the reviews got longer and longer. Then I found I wanted a space to really share my thoughts and feelings, not just a few sentences. So Mithah Reads was born. Well, the name came from my instagram, which came from my wow character’s name, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

So this blog will mainly be my book reviews. I’ll review every book I read for book battle, which will be roughly 15 books a month. I also plan to feature a start of the month post, which will show my TBR for the month, and what book I plan to read for what criteria. I also participate in The Book Democracy‘s Book Bingo and The Booket List‘s TAG games, so I’ll list those as well. It’s like a puzzle trying to get a book to fit for all three games! I love it! I’ll do a monthly round up as well, showing which criteria I completed, my favorite and least favorite books read, any DNFs, and a comprehensive list of all my ratings! What fun!

One more thing I plan on showcasing are my book boxes! I am currently subscribed to Owlcrate and Lillypost. I have ordered the February and March boxes of Spellbound. I just can’t make myself subscribe to two book boxes. I’m scared of getting duplicate books! In the last half of February, I’ll be reviewing Owlcrate, Lillypost, Spellbound, and my January Shelflove that I’m waiting on. 🙂

I think that’s enough of an intro post. You know why I’m here. You know what I’m going to do. Let’s get this thing started! The first book I’ll be reviewing is an ARC I received from Netgalley – Corpse and Crown by Alisa Kwitney. I’m currently 65% in, so look for it in the next couple of days!


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