Book Review Policy

If you want to know more about my ratings and reviewing preferences, you're in the right place.

I adore magic of all kinds. Adventure, twists, and romance are always a plus, and this usually leads me to upper YA. I'm open to contemporary and sci-fi, especially if the concept is unique and the book is trending as I like to keep up with the current market.

When I accept a book, I always review it and will do my absolute best to finish it so I can give a fair rating. I tend to round up my ratings too, but at the heart of it, I'm always honest.

If you'd like to contact me about a review, please visit my website. I'm currently only accepting indie or small press books for video review.

Please also consider subscribing to this blog or my YouTube channel before requesting - the more support I receive, the more books I can review, and the more readers I can reach.

Review Scale

5 - Absolutely loved and now one of my favourite reads.
4 - Loved it, but there was something missing for me.
3 - I liked it, but I wouldn't read again.
2 - Needs editing or just wasn't my cup of tea.
1 - DNF. If I can't finish it, it's a 1 star from me. I do not currently have any 1 star posts on my blog.

NetGalley Badges

Other badges

Comments

Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi 5 Stars Verdict: So good it hurts. The night magic died, Zélie watched her mother's murder as the Maji were slaughtered. Now Zélie has a chance to bring back magic. With the help of her brother and a rogue princess, she must outrun the crown prince and battle her self-doubts to restore magic to the world. This West-African inspired fantasy is powerful and all round awesome from start to finish. The writing is emotive and imaginative, the pacing is as perfect as it gets, and the characters are real with flaws and charm. I hardly know what to say. A brilliant book like this tells the editor in me to shut up and enjoy the ride, so I'd need to read it again to offer more of a critique. If every book was as good as this one, I would never be able to stop reading. The struggles, anger, and pain are carved into this book so deeply that the desires bleed through the pages and the triumphs feel earned. The emotion in this book is ...

Book Review: The Astonishing Colour of After

THE ASTONISHING COLOUR OF AFTER by Emily X.R. Pan 4 Stars Verdict : A synesthesiastic tale of dealing with loss. When Leigh's mother commits suicide, she visits Leigh as a bright red bird. Leigh follows her mother's memories to Taiwan to meet her grandparents for the first time and to try to understand her mother's passing. For a book so sad, it's very colourful. Leigh often shares her emotions as colours and it works very well, especially as the book travels through a whole river of emotions. It shows a battle lost, families broken, and the dark struggles of depression through the lives of Leigh and her family. To anyone affected by depression and suicide, this book contains those triggers. I felt it handled these themes with tender care and respect, without glamorising suicide or mental illness. The author also went to great lengths to portray a single instance of depression, and even clarifies at the end note that the story isn't mean to explain away d...

Book Review: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by Julie Dao 5 Stars Verdict: Rich, gradual, and gory. Xiefeng is destined to be Empress of Feng Lu, but only if she lets the darkness guide her... I’ll admit, I can only read one high fantasy story a year and it has to really stand out. In this case, the East-Asia mythology aspect of this one drew me in within an instant. The darkness of the story, the unconventional twists in the relationships, and the gorgeous writing had me slithering through this book slower to enjoy it for longer. I always know a book has me where it wants me as soon as I stop counting pages. Xiefeng is an antihero I could get behind. She’s jealous, selfish, righteous – but her desires, suffering, and efforts and so strong, I rooted for her all the same. For a writer to make me like someone who is morally grey is a kind of magic I want to understand more. There’s no crescendo for this book. No huge twist or gut-wrenching moment which turns the book back on itself. That’...

Scookie Reviews

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