Reverie by Lauren E. Rico

“The cello is a wordless voice, heaving, and sighing with the weight of her sorrow.”

Title: Reverie

Author: Lauren E. Rico

Series: Book 1

Publisher: Harmony House Productions

Pages: 289

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Romance, Mystery , Thriller, 

Rating: 5

I  was lucky to receive an ARC of Reverie by Lauren E. Rico from NetGalley provided by Harmony House productions for an honest book review.

The first thing that struck me about this book were the credits:

For Vanessa, who told me I could.

For Tom, who told me I should.

For Janet, who told me I would

 I started reading this book at 12:00. I thought I would read a chapter to see what it was about and then I would go to sleep. I was wrong. I was very very wrong. 
It was finished by 2:44 AM.

Plot:

Julia James has always been part of the background. If she passed you, you probably wouldn't even notice her. Julia had to learn from a young age how to go unnoticed not to stand out or face the consequences. So, she became quiet, quiet like a mouse.

For Julia, the only way to escape her past and to release the cacophony in her heart is to be on stage with her hands curved around her cello. 

Then somebody notices her. That somebody is no other than the handsome devil, Jeremy Corrigan. His charm is only exceeded by his talent as a french horn player. Soon he starts showing Julia a whole new world. A world of danger, desire, and lust, He helps her to grow more confident and discover the strength within herself. 

The perfect set up for a Disney romance right? 
Nope.
This is not a fairy tale.

My Experience:

After finishing this book I was a mushed ball of wrecked emotions only able to repeat the words:

"So good."
"So good"

I don’t know how to explain my experience without giving any spoilers so I have decided to explain it metaphorically. 

It starts off soft and sweet with a pinch of sadness vibrating from the violins. Dragging you into the dark despair of Julia’s past.You hear broken strings being gently plucked whispering of heartache and moaning with sorrow. Then a cheeky piano interrupts jovially and you feel the tone changing from sorrow to thrill.An explosion of instruments bursts through the pages silencing the sadness playing the melodies of wishes and seductive roses. 

You become so entranced with the beauty and power of the pages you fail to notice the tempo slowing and the tone changing. The instruments turn dark and the music becomes almost mechanic. Gone is the cheekiness from the piano that whispered of promise and fun earlier. Instead, it is replaced with ominous tones screeching from an old cello. A false note escapes the piano and all havoc breaks loose. A sound so sinister and so horrifying hits you in your ears it stretches into your stomach and you can hardly comprehend how such a sound can exist. Yet it echoes through the pages and you get lost in the symphony of this absolute masterpiece.

I can’t say more without ruining it for you. All I can say is you have to read it to hear it. When you read it you will hear it.

What I liked:

I loved how the music was described. I could actually hear it when reading the words which rarely happens for me in books. I could feel the vibrations of the strings and the echoes of the horns.

What I did not like:

Brett’s character was a bit confusing. I thought I had an idea of who he was until the chapter where you get to read from his perspective. I felt as if his inner monolog did not go with how he was portrayed throughout the story.

Recommendations:
Everyone just everyone. I want to go buy a trolley filled with copies of Reverie and just throw people with this book.

However, there are some heavy themes in this book including BDSM, abuse and sexual assault in this book so I will only recommend this to everybody over 18.

Rating for the book:
I can not not give this book a 5.

It made me dream. It made me cry. It made me shiver. It made me remember and I will never be able to forget this story.

* * * * * / 5  

5 stars. 5 snowflakes. 5 golden medals.

I salute you.

Snow

Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan

Title: Julia Vanishes

Author: Catherine Egan

Publisher: Random House Children's

Pages: 243 

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5

I received an ARC of Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan from NetGalley provided by Random House Children's for an honest book review.

The plot:

Welcome to a time where magic is taboo. If you are found with a pen on you that’s enough cause to be drowned. If a match is lit on your skin you better burn baby burn because if you don’t, you are a witch. Whether you knew this or not. Surprise! Unfortunately, for you, this means you will now be drowned.

Julia has learned long ago that an honest job will pay but crime pays more, especially if you have the skills that Julia has. Julia has the ability to become unseen. Not invisible exactly but able to slip into a space severed from reality where others can not see her. 

This makes Julia very good at what she does.

My Experience:

Oh, great hounds where do I begin! 

Oh dear, how do describe this delicious adventure?

How do I describe this date this book and I had?

It started with a strong introduction. It made some light conversations. The book was attractive and it caught my polite curiousity. 

Slowly its charm subtly started to seep through the pages. Its words flirting harmlessly with me. Then it took a deeper turn it looked into my eyes and started whispering secrets in my ear. By the end of the date I was utterly seduced.

I need the next date book in the series now.

Julia is a strong female character with an intense curiosity about anything and everything. She can find comfort in being alone and when presented with new knowledge she does not merely glance at it but she dissects it absorbs it and makes it part of her.

I loved how I was able to connect with Julia. I could relate to her and I could even dislike her. She wasn’t a perfect character she was a thief and unlike many books where the main female character always makes the right choices this is not the case.

Quotes:

“I've tangled with forces stronger than I am, and they haven't killed me yet. I may not be able to change the world, but I am the best thief and spy this wretched city has ever known.”

“I hold the pen and do not know which of us is master”

What I liked:

I loved the third person written pieces between the chapters. It gave a completely different level of intensity of the book and made me that much more invested in the story.

What I did not like:

I feel Julia’s brother, Dek, was not developed to his full potential. I could see he cared for his sister , crippled by disease and extremely smart and perceptive but I could not see more. I could not see him as clearly as all the other characters. I didn’t get to know him. I still don’t know him.

Also, the lack of information of the owl.

Recommendations:

This book is the perfect book to snuggle and cuddle with in the winter.

For all of those who loves a good mystery novel sprinkled with supernatural enchantments this one is for you.

I would recommend this to ages 13+.

Rating:

I give this book 4 and a half stars out of 5

*  *  *  *  / 5

Snow

Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter by Crystal S. Chan , Stacy King , Sunneko Lee

I received an ARC of Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter from NetGalley provided by Udon Entertainment for an honest book review.

Adapted by : Crystal S. Chan
Artist : Sunneko Lee
Dialogue editor: Stacy King

“The Scarlet Letter”

The Plot:

This is a novel based on the infamous classic The Scarlet Letter.

In the puritan community of the seventeenth-century Boston was ruled by religious laws. Anybody who was found guilty of sin was executed or exiled from the community. In walks Hester Prynne who just gave birth to a beautiful baby. The problem? The father is not Hester's husband. The consequences of this adulterous act results in Hester to be branded with the letter A on her chest. From an unknown lover to a very outraged husband, this story is a classic that has been retold for years.

My Experience:

This was the first novel I have read that was redone in manga style.

I devoured it and I’m hungrily searching for more.

Even though I have not read the actual piece of literature, I was immediately sucked in by the story. The story was told in vivid pictures evoking sympathy outrage and empathy for Hester.

I was absolutely enthralled by the manga style. This is probably because of my love for anime but I obsessed over every single block with Hester. On some of the pages, I was lightly struck by a picture and it would trickle through my veins and leave me frozen in an ice block of roaring emotions.

Themes:

Religion VS God

Love VS Hate

Forgiveness

What I Liked:

I loved the illustrations. I can not emphasize how much I related to the drawings. I did not need the book to tell me how the characters felt because it was reflected in their eyes screaming from their entire being.

What I did not like:

There were a few times that a set of frames were missing that was needed for the transition of emotions. Since sometimes there was an immediate transition which made it a bit confusing to understand/relate to the scene completely.

Rating for this manga novel:

As this is my first rating for a manga novel I am giving this a 3/5.

*  *  */ 5

A really good book with fantastic illustrations but I do feel some of the strings to attach the story were missing. Especially the story of the scorned husband.

Recommendation:

I would recommend that (unlike me) to first read the actual book so you can appreciate the manga more and have a bit more background about the characters.

I recommend this book for anybody who has been intimidated by The Scarlet letter and other classics before but that always wanted to read it.

Sincerely

Snow

(Talk to me on Twitter @snowbookhollow)

The Progeny by Tosca Lee

"My name is Emily Porter. I'm 21 years old and I am renting a tiny cabin in the north woods of Maine for reasons I know longer remember."

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC(Advanced Reading Copy) from NetGalley provided by Howard Books for an honest book review.

After I read the description of this book I was unsure whether I would like it but my curiosity was tweaked. I peaked at an excerpt featured on NetGalley and after reading the first paragraph it slipped on my To-Read list faster than you can say "Just take my money!".

The plot:

Emily wakes up in a remote cabin with no real memories of her past or who she is. She remembers sounds, places but not the names of the places or when she was there. The reason? She had willingly undergone a procedure to erase her memories. 

Emily is on the run from an ancient order that will stop at nothing to find the memories that she had buried. But with no memories, she has no idea whom to trust and from whom she must run. The only person she can trust is herself, even though she can't exactly remember who that is.

Follow Emily in an action-packed mystery novel that will have you on the edge of your seat yelling at anybody who dares to interrupt your reading.

My Experience:

From the first chapter, I was ravenous and very eager for more. I wanted to know everything I could about the character. What could possibly have been in Emily's past to make her erase her own memories? 

The pace of the story started slow and steady and all of a sudden you are on the run for your life trying to keep up with everything happening around you. Car chases, underground orders and forbidden love for more I could not have asked.

The way the author wrote this book is beautiful. Graceful like a subtle dancer making you experience the creaks and atmosphere of living in a cabin and  looking into the eyes of a stranger that had turned "grey like drifting clouds". 

Quotes:

"Emily it's me, You"

"I didn't come to start over. I came to hide"

Themes:

God

History

Love VS Evil

Power VS Hope

What I liked:

I was fascinated about how the author wrote about Emily before her memories were erased and after her memories were erased. Usually, when I read a book about missing memories it feels like you are reading about two different characters. However with The Progeny, it was masterfully implemented the character was carefully sewn together so you can see every carefully stitched detail no matter the knowledge she has or does not have of her past.

What I did not like:

In one paragraph the characters joke about running away to South Africa and living in a rain forest. I am from South Africa we do not have rain forests just normal forests.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this for teenagers and up and for anybody who loves action/mystery novels.

Rating out of 5:

I give this book 4 stars out of 5. 

* * * * / 5

AOI Ink Nymphs Los Angeles by Tim Stephens, Nelson Blanton

"Every page is a meter deeper into a wonderland of tattoos and fantasy. Honest, raw and alive."

I received my copy of AOI Ink Nymphs Los Angeles by Tim Stephens free from NetGalley in order to be able to provide a review.

Mama mia! 

This book is simply dazzling. Women redefine beauty with ink and skin.

 Every picture hides a story. 

Every model is hiding a message.

Every page is a meter deeper into a wonderland of tattoos and fantasy.

Honest, raw and alive.

Masterful photography and simply breathtaking portraits.

 Be allured into the world and eyes of Nelson Blanton and be prepared for a demanding paradigm.

Vivid statements echo through the pages intoxicating you with the stunning backgrounds and original themes.

Whether you love or dislike tattoos anyone will be able to find something beautiful reflecting out of these pages. 

I would have liked some more diversity in the themes and nature backgrounds. 

Overall it's a stunning book and I rate it 4/5 stars.