Abigail wants to read

 Thank you to net galley for the earc in exchange for an honest review 4/5 Stars A century apart two children are drawn together by the same attic. 1907 Celestine is stolen away from his home in Africa and forced to spend his days in an attic and treated as a unpaid servant while he dreams of his homeland and his family and is being told he needs to be grateful.                                                          1973 Lowra almost a century later is forced to stay in the same attic by a horrible stepmother.                    1993 Lowra returns to the same house where she finds an old doll and necklace and writing on the wall that being a journey to uncover harrowing secrets about the child in the Attic. This is a very powerful story about two children separated by time but brought tog...

 Thank you to Head of Zeus for the early copy in exchange for an honest review Brunhild was a Spanish princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet—in the 6th-century Merovingian Empire, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport—these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades, changing the face of Europe. This was a very interesting book about two fascinating women in history that I had previously knew nothing about. It was easily digestible as it was fast paced and at times read like a fictional story rather than a non-fiction story which made it easier for me as I find fiction easier to follow. I love reading about women in history as even though it is 2022 Women are still often left out of history so I'm glad that this story exists to showcase two amazing women from history that many people may not know about.

 While I haven't read that many Greek Mythology books I have read some that I think more people would love (even if they weren't my favourite) 1) The Lat of the Wine by Mary Renault In  The Last of the Wine , two young Athenians, Alexias and Lysis, compete in the palaestra, journey to the Olympic games, fight in the wars against Sparta, and study under Socrates. As their relationship develops, Renault expertly conveys Greek culture, showing the impact of this supreme philosopher whose influence spans epochs. 2) Circe by Madeline Miller In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child — not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power — the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hone...

 4/5 stars When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It's the biggest job yet for the family wedding business --Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans -- and nothing, not even an unsavoury corpse, will get in the way of her auntie's perfect buttercream flowers. This book was so much fun. It was full of family love and shenanigans that made me laugh and I loved it so much. However I don't think it's really a book that is supposed to be taken seriously and is something that should be looked through a comic lens otherwise it won't be as fun. Med...

 4/5 stars Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. She didn't say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? I honestly have no idea where to start with this review. Every time I've read a Tiffany D.Jackson book I'm always left with a what the fuck feeling and this time is no different. I never knew what to expect when I turned the page as there were plot twists after plot twists, some that I guessed but some that came out of no where. Mary is a character that you can't help but feel sorry for and want better for even when she does make a few questionable decisions.  The ending came out completely of left field and for a while after I had no idea what to think or feel and it took me a while to even process. This definitely  isn't ...

These boxes honestly keep getting better. My last box was my favourite, but this one has definitely beat it in terms of my excitement. 1) The Women of Primrose Square by Claudia Carroll When  Frank Woods  at number seventy-nine Primrose Square comes home to a surprise birthday party thrown by his wife and adoring children, it is his guests who get the real surprise. Finding himself alone, he befriends the cantankerous  Miss Hardcastle , who hasn't left her home for decades, and  Emily Dunne  - fresh out of rehab and desperate to make amends. As gossip spreads through Primrose Square, every relationship is tested, and nothing in this close-knit community will ever be the same again . . . 2) Munich Airport by Greg Baxter An American living in London receives a phone call from a German policewoman telling him the nearly inconceivable news that his sister, Miriam, has been found dead in her Berlin apartment — from starvation. Three weeks later the man, his father, a...

 One of my goals this year was to read more non-fiction at least once a month, here is a list of the non-fiction books I want to get to for the rest of the year. 1) Unwell Women by Elinor Cleghorn In  Unwell Women , Elinor Cleghorn traces the almost unbelievable history of how medicine has failed women by treating their bodies as alien and other, often to perilous effect. The result is an authoritative and groundbreaking exploration of the relationship between women and medical practice. 2) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. 3) The Five: The Untold Lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, ...

 4/5 Stars The Holiday Hookup is an MM Christmas short story with high heat and low angst. This book it the shortest book I've read so far this year so my review will be short and sweet as well. It was a very cute enemies to lovers book that was very smutty and very sweet that would of been great for the holiday season if I had read it then. Overall if you enjoy short easy to read romances then this is right up your street, if you prefer more fleshed out characters and stories then this will not be for you.

 3.75 stars *SPOILERS* Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. Heartbroken and ready for a change of pace, Millie decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better. This book started out very well, it was fast paced, The romance at the start of the book which made Millie leave in the first place while not on page for very long was well written and made me fell terrible for Millie and I hated her (the not girlfriend who I can't for the life of me remember the name of) and the 'friend' who sided with the ex. It was very believable, wanting to disappear to the furthest place imaginable.  When Millie arrives in Scotland and meets Flora the Princess of Scotland I was excited for a couple chapters as at the start Flora is a prissy princess who believes that she is above everyone, so I thought it will be a great enemies to lovers arc. However, I starte...

 I have a nice sizable collection of classics and I'm proud to say I have read most of them however I do have a few still left on my TBR, some I would love to get to this year and some I don't think I will but would love to soon.  1) Frankenstein by Mary Shelly Obsessed by creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks into life by electricity. But his botched creature, rejected by Frankenstein and denied human companionship, sets out to destroy his maker and all that he holds dear. 2) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Bronte's infamous Gothic novel tells the story of orphan Jane, a child of unfortunate circumstances. Raised and treated badly by her aunt and cousins and eventually sent away to a cruel boarding school, it is not until Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield that she finds happiness. Meek, measured, but determined, Jane soon falls in love with her brooding and stormy master, Mr Rochester, but ...

 Thank you to NetGalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 Stars As an operating partner at Jade Harbour, Raymond Chao prides himself in fixing even the most disastrous of portfolio companies—no matter the cost. While his colleagues might not always like his methods, they love his results. But his latest business partner isn’t cooperating, and what’s worse, Raymond's underhanded tactics have landed him in hot water with the law.   Elvin Goh has been Raymond's assistant for years, and he's been in love with the charming, ruthless playboy for just as long. There's very little that Elvin won't do—or hasn't done—for Raymond. Impossible crush aside, it's his job. But this time, even Elvin can't see a way out.  Overall this book was a very fun read. The romance, at least at the start, was fun to watch as it blossomed, I enjoyed the pining and jealousy from both sides. However, I often found myself being frustrated with both Ray and Elvin. As El...

 5/5 Stars Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council, which governs Eldra from behind the walls of the citadel. Her only allies are no-nonsense Alys, easygoing Evander, and perpetually underestimated Newt, and Cassa struggles to come to terms with the legacy of rebellion her dead parents have left her — and the fear that she may be inadequate to shoulder the burden. I want to start this by saying that this book was amazing. I read this so quickly by I also didn't want to it end as I wanted to stay with the characters for longer. I was never able to guess what was about to happen and could never tell who to trust or what path the best path for the main characters to take as no one around them was trustworthy and they were being betrayed left and right. The storyline of Vesper and Cassa was so good and I felt the betrayal even before we find out what happened between them. Newt and Evander were a great couple and gave me a lot of Jes...

 I have entirely too many series on my TBR either ones that I still have to start and ones that I need to finish soon. 1) The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F.Kuang I read the first book in this series that year and loved it and wanted to finish the series before the end of last year however that never actually happened due to the size of the books and because I accidentally bought the third book before the second one so was unable to read it.  2) Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo I haven't yet started this series yet even through all of last year I kept telling myself I was going to start/finish the series before I watched the TV show however even though I have read and loved Six of Crows I never reached for this one so fingers crossed this year I will finally get to it. 3) Heartstopper by Alice Oseman I have read all four volumes that are out so far and I absolutely adore this series so much and I'm sad that it's coming to an end but I will be buying vol 5 as soon as it co...

Thank you to Net galley for the Earc in exchange for an honest review.  Strasbourg, 1518. In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause or rest, and as she is joined by hundreds of others, the authorities declare an emergency. Musicians will be brought in to play the Devil out of these women. Just beyond the city’s limits, pregnant Lisbet lives with her mother-in-law and husband, tending the bees that are their livelihood. And then, as the dancing plague gathers momentum, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from seven years’ penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name. It is a secret that Lisbet is determined to uncover. As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, she finds herself thrust into a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion, but she is dancing to a dangerous tune. I took a very long time to get into this book, at the start the only part that I was really enjoying...