kourtneybecraft

In the novel Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis a very competitive competition takes place that brings together all the world's best thieves and one is playing for her mother's life. Seventeen year old Ross Quest is a master thief who is good at escape plans. Ross Quest also comes from a family of known thieves. When she tries to run from them it leaves her mother's life hanging in the balance. She than decides to enter the competition which has a prie of a wish for anything in the world. The competition is very dangerous where killing the competitors is okay, but she enters it anyway in hopes to save her mothers life.

I loved reading Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis. I loved her writing style and the plot of this story it pulled me in right away. I loved reading about Ross's exsperiences in these games and the intresting decisions she made. I also love the cover it's what first pulled me in makig me want to read Thieves' Gambit.

Title: The Marvellers
Author: Dhonielle Clayton

I LOVED IT! This book was amazing and so hard for me to put down. I can't wait to read the next book and excited for the rest of the series to come out.

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton was about three friends Jason, Brigit and our main character Ella Durand's first year at the Arcanum Training Institute. In this Institute students are separated into five Paragons at the end of year one. In the book we get to follow along with all the hardships and challenges that the three main characters come across and how they learn to overcome them. For example the bullying Ella goes through due to coming from a Conjuring family. Ella learns to stand up to these bullies who eventually get their karma in the end. We also get to see how the others learn you can't judge a book by it's cover due to past mistakes. I really loved reading about it. I one hundred percent recommend reading this book.

Let's talk about each Paragon now. First is The Paragon of Vision aka The Sage. People of this Paragon value the continued path toward opening their minds to learning more. They are very studious and very disciplined. Their saying is "The Eyes are Wise!" Some examples of marvels through this Paragon are time travel, dream decoding and Fortune telling. The next is Paragon of Taste aka The Honest they value making the world a better place and honesty. Their saying is "The Tongue tells truth!" and examples of marvels under this Paragon are spice manipulation and alchemy. Another is The Paragon of Sound aka The Patient they believe "The ears listen well!" They tend to be patient and take in everything around them before developing an opinion. One example of this is someone with a kindred animal communication marvel. The Intuitive aka The Paragon of Spirit believe "The hearts beats true." They tend to have a weatherman, vanquished arts or spirit negotiation marvel. The last one is the Paragon of Touch aka The Brave they believe "The hand has no fear." The tend to have marvels of metamorphosis, golemmaking and paper arts. What so you think your marvel would be? What Paragon do you most resonate with? Me personally believe my marvel would have something to do with art possibly painting or sewing and than Paragon of Vision.

I loved Totally Psychic by Brigid Martin it was a lovely story.

In this story, the main character, Paloma Ferrer, is from a family of psychics. Her Abuela is famous for it. The story goes through how Paloma navigates through her new psychic abilities, which was very interesting. She ends up causing a lot of trouble throughout the story that she eventually learns from these mistakes.

There are five rules to follow that go along with her new abilities. Number one is that she must not force contact with any spirits because it can open up a portal to negative energy. Number two is that she must never talk to evil spirits because they can stick around and follow you everywhere. Number three, she must never ask how the specific spirit died. Number four, she must never repeat everything the spirit tells her. Some things are best left alone. She breaks this rule and learns the hard way her consequences for her actions. Number five, these readings are supposed to help heal the spirits and their realitive/friends. They aren't meant to damage them. Paloma learns the hard way when she breaks this one as well.

Before she moves her, Abuela gives her a gift to help with her psychic abilities. This gift includes: a mirror, blessed candles, a Book of Flowers, and a notebook. The notebook is meant for writing down any thoughts and visions Paloma has that is related to her abilities. The book of Flowers is information passed down from the ancestors before her about her specific ability. The candles are meant for protection and to close the portals. The special mirror is for her to help communicate with spirits and her family. All these objects play an important role in the story.

All of Paloma's family have special psychic abilities. Paloma is a flower medium, and her younger sister is able to record ghosts on videos through her phone. Their Abuela is a famous psychic while their Abuelito is a chef. Their Father is a chef and mother a florist. Their mom runs a shop out of her van. Their uncle Esteban is a numerologist, aunt Rose, an Astrologist, cousin Geraldo, an object reader, and cousin Dania, a culinary Clairvoyant. Their Aunt Maria is a dream analyst, and Uncle Julian and Uncle Raul are empaths and animal Psychics. All of their abilities play a part in the story and are quite interesting. My favorite would probably be Aunt Rosa's ability of being an Astrologist.

The plot and character development of this book is very well written. My favorite of the spirits has got to be Dustin and Oreo that scene of when he met Oreo was so cute. One character I disliked was Willows grandpa it was not ok/right for him to be so pushy towards Paloma sharing the family secret. Also, in some parts Paloma was in the right while others her mom was. In my opinion Paloma should have listened to her gut and never used the ouija board that led to so much trouble.

I really love the cover of the book it fits the story perfectly. If you love books that contain magic, definitely give this book a try.

The ending of the novel The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie was unexpected. I loved the plot of this novel. The plot was confusing at times, but it kept me wondering what was going to happen next. The plot of this book was sometimes fast paced other times it was slow paced but no matter what it kept me hooked to the storyline. I wanted to read this since Ally Condie is one of my favorite authors so it's an automatic read for me. I also wanted to read it because the synopsis of the story also pulled me in.

One character I loved was July's cat Yolo due to them being a cat and cats are awesome. I also liked them because they were always cracking me up and made the story even better. Some characters I disliked are Sam, Alex and Ella. I don't like Sam because of what he did to July. I didn't like Alex because he liked her one minute than couple days later he's all of a sudden over her. I didn't like them being together at the jump in the end breaking July's heart. It made me mad for her. Also in my opinion cliff jumping is stupid, dangerous, and it's not worth it. I definitely recommend reading this book. I give it a five out of five stars. I also recommend reading the authors trilogy Matched it's one of my favorites.

Title: A Multitude of dreams
Author: Mara Rutherford

My favorite read of the year would be A Multitude of Dreams by Mara Rutherford. In the beginning of this book it takes place during the after math of a horrible plague called the Mori Roja which basically causes the patient to bleed out and die. Only ways people can survive the mori Roja are to die and be reborn, never come in contact with the plague or be immune.

Princess Imogen of Goslind has been locked in the palace with many other higher born citizens for the past four years during the plague she wants to be set free same with many others but the king will not allow that. After Nico impersonating a prince shows up they quickly learn being locked up is what helped them survive so long but it is no longer possible when the food runs out.

When Nico realizes that Lord Crane is a reborn and learns of his plans he decided to impersonate a prince who died on his way to meet the princess for a marriage agreement. He died by a reborn. He does this to try to warn and save the people of the palace but he has no success when Lord Crane and other reborns invade the palace killing many.

This being the best book I read of 2023 I am having a hard time choosing just one part I loved the most in it. I did enjoy that Princess Giselle got the karma that was coming for her it was one hundred percent deserved. The story was really well written and extremely hard to put down. Another part I loved were all the moments between Jocelyn and Princess Imogen. Honestly only part of this book I disliked was that Jocelyn and Imogen didn't end up together. I thought they would because they were giving off more that friend vibes with the kisses and stuff.

When it comes to the characters my favorites were Jocelyn and Princess Imogen. I loved them from the beginning. One character who gave bad vibes and I knew couldn't be trust was Lord Crane. I could just tell there was something up with him. On the other hand Nico and Colin were both very trustworthy from the beginning. I didn't like Giselle, Henry or Branson either. Princess Giselle I could tell she was a backstabber. Henry I could tell he had an alternative motive and couldn't be trusted. Same with Branson. This book had a very good character development.

I recommend reading this if books based during or after a plague interests you. I also recommend if you enjoy books about vampires.

I love the cover on the novel Kismat Connection by the author Ananya Devarajan. I love the illustration and really love the girls outfit it's cute. The cover is what pulled me in. In this young adult novel Madhuri wants to prove that her star chart and family curse is wrong. She also wants to prove it is wrong and that everything happens to her own free will and she is in charge of what happens in her life. To prove this she goes into an experimental relationship with her childhood best friend Arjun Mehta. Arjun Mehta ends up having feelings for Madhuri. Eventually Madhuri develops feelings for them as well. I honestly didn't really enjoy this story it was not my "cup of tea." Nothing against the author it was just not for me personally. If you love romance novels I do recommend it.

Title: Threads That Bind
Author: Kika Hatzopoulou

Io Ora is a decendant of the Greek Fates and she is able to cut apart the threads that tie/bind people to things they love and the thread that binds their life too. In the book a women who has had her life thread severed but is still living commits murder and Io sees this happen. She can also see threads that bind soul mates together and in the book Io meets hers.

I love the cover on The Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou it pulled me in. I really love the illustration and the color palette that was used very pretty colors. I really enjoyed the plot of this story it grabs the attention of the reader and pull you in pretty fast. I loved the part where Io meets her soul mate and sees the thread binding them together it was very cute. I reccomend reading this book if you love Young Adult or Middle Grade novels that deal with the Greeks.

Star Splitter by Matthew J Kirby was one of my favorite books I have read this year. My favorite character in this book would be Duncan, the ships captains sixteen year old son. I like the character due to him being a great friend with an amazing personality. I also love how him and the main character Jessica formed a friendship and how protective he was over her. My favorite part of the book was when they were together. I really loved the part when he saved her. I also loved all the other parts with them together which made the book interesting. This book was very well written kept me interested, and I loved the plot. I honestly had a hard time putting the book down. The author should write more books like this one.

Even though I loved this book and gave it a five out of five stars, the ending made me mad. I just don't like how it ended. It leaves many questions unanswered. Also, the back and forth between Jessica one and Jessica two got me very confused at times. One scene I disliked was when the two crew members talked about Jessica and her family behind her back. Also, the scene where her father killed the ships doctor was scary to me. Her dad's transfer was corrupted, which made him very violent. Another part I didn't like was the fact that Jessica's mother is the reason the ship was destroyed since she didn't leave Jessica's violent Dad locked up like she was supposed to. In my opinion, Jessica and her mother should have just left the ship alone and left her corrupted father behind. Jessica's relationship with her parents was bad from the start, but I imagine this made it even worse. Duncan also had a bad relationship with his dad, so I'm pretty sure them having that in common helped their relationship grow. In conclusion, I can definitely see myself rereading this book. If you love young adult science fiction with teleportation to another planet, you would love this book too.

Star Splitter was my favorite book read this year, so here's some fun facts about the book. Jessica refers to Carver 1061c as Hades, which I found hilarious and very fitting after everything that happened. Jessica's Mom was a geologist, and her dad a biological studying Hades surface. The rest you will just have to read to find out.

Title: Lying in the deep
Author: Diana Urban

I love the cover of Lying in the deep by Diana Urban. The cover pulled me in to the book when I saw it. I like the color scheme on it. I also love the illustration on the cover of Lying in the deep. This book was very interesting but it was not my favorite I have read in the past.

This book was about a semester at sea on a luxury cruise ship. In it the character named Jade is super duper excited to leave her life behind and meet new nicer people. But, her plans go horribly wrong when there was a murder that occurred on the cruise ship. If you enjoy murder mysteries I'd definitely read this book.

Title: Made of Stars
Author: Jenna Voris

I like the cover on the book "Made of Stars" by Jenna Voris. I love the illustration and color palette used on it. It's very pretty the artist did a great job. Made me want to read it. This book was not a favorite of mine but I semi liked it a little. I struggled to get through it the book was very confusing from the start I could barely understand what was happening to be completely honest. It didn't have a build up and went straight into action.

Quote: "Shane had always thought killing would be harder, that it would take a certain king of person to wrap their hands around another's throat and squeeze until there was nothing left, but it had been over by the time the warden arrived, before the droids swarmed and the prisoners rioted. Killing was the easiest thing in the world. And Shane wasn't sorry."

Title: Ring of Solomon
Author: Aden Polydoros
Genre: Middle Grade
Main Character: Ash, Zach, and Sandra
Donate or Keep? Donate
1st read or reread? 1st read
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Review: "The Ring of Solomon" by Aden Polydoros had a slow start but started picking up halfway through around the scene where the guy steals the Ring of Solomon and pushes Zach into the lion's pen at the zoo. I really loved it once it got intresting I wasn't able to put it down. I also love the cover it's really pretty and fits the story well.

Quote: "So, apparently, as the Inquisitors were hunting down people, the knights of the apocalypse were searching for biblical relics. Not just the Ring of Solomon, but also the Ark of the Covenant, the Staff of Moses, Holy Grail, and others." This quote is important in the story. The knights of the apocalypse is the group the zoo guy is in and they are the bad guys.

Title: The Hermes Protocol
Author: Chris M Arnone

I love the cover on The Hermes Protocol by Chris M Arnone it's great. I love the color palette used to make it and the illustration on the cover is great and I love it. The cover is the first thing that pulled me into this book. Than I read the synopsis and loved what it was about so had to get it. But this book ended up being very slow paced which I'm not a fan of but the plot was still very nice. I love science fiction it's a favorite of mine.

The novel Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman pulled me in from the start. I love the cover and the plot. The book begins during the celebration of Revelnox where faerie folks walk among them. There's a lot of mischief that happens and it seems fun. Isolde and Iselia are pickpocketers who left theirs parents due to Iselia' magic to protect them. During the festival they plan to rob people. Iselia says Fae magic is dangerous and dark. Even with glamour it will not cover up the darkness that comes along with the magic. Which I found very interesting. The boy Raze Iselia meets seems weird and there is something sketchy about him and how they met. I loved this book I hope you do too. I really found Iselia being adopted story I love what her mother did.
Quote: "She didn't meet their glowing eyes or wait for permission. She turned on her heel and left, wise enough to know not to look back. She brought us home."

Title/Author: The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

Genre: Fantasy

Read: February 2023

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford was an amazing read. The novel is action packed with many unexpected twists. The plot is also fast paced like I like it to be. This book is Fantasy Genre where magic is a forbidden. If you like The Grace Year I definitely recommend reading this book. The main protagonist is empowering and relatable. I also love the cover it very detailed and well thought out. It also fits the story really well as well.

To start off, I love the cover on Strike the Zither by Joan He it is very lovely and fits the storyline well. Also, The cover is what pulled me in than I read the synopsis and it got me very intrested in reading the novel. I loved the color scheme of the novels cover it pulls you in. The title is intresting as well. This story is Joan He's reimagined version of the Chinese Classical Tale of the three kingdoms. This story takes place in 414 during the reign of the Xin Dynasty. I loved reading the novel it's well thought out and has a great storyline. The storyline was exciting and kept me pulled into it. I did not want to put it down and wanted more. I have never read the classical tale of the three kingdoms but this book has gotten me interested in it.

How to heal a Gryphon by Meg Cannistra was a very interesting read. I loved it so much. I give it a four point five out of five stars. I definitely would read it again. The cover to this book is very eye catching and so is the plot. I love how her family's very powerful and uses their magic for good. I also understand why they don't tell many people because she is right people would expect to much from them. I'm also happy she chose to follow her heart instead of what others want her to do. How her brother treated her when she told him that she wants to work with animals instead of people was not right. Just because she's different than everyone else and following her dream does not make her an embarrassment. That part made me so mad. Also I don't know how I feel about the bad luck ajf black cat following her around something seems off. I also get her frustration with her sibling always being the center of attention that can get quite annoying. The person in the shop was pretty mean to her over eating and her weight. The judgement was pretty messed up and I can personally relate to it. I also love her plans on what she plans to do with her powers it seems very fun. I also love that her friend supports her plans unlike everyone else. Her brother apologizing be making her her favorite food Tiramisu was sorta sweet but doesn't excuse his mean words. Her brother disappearing and being replaced be a walnut was kinda confusing at first. I am happy for her that Diana accepted her and that she gifted her a familiar the black cat named Sinistro. In the book it state's only Diana's followers are gifted familiars. I have a bad gut feeling about this Streghe del Malocchio who stole her brother though. Also Piccolina's greeting to her was so cute. Piccolina's father helping them get to the city to rescue Giada's brother was sweet as well. The city seemed very scary as well. The anchovies scene was hilarious with the cat's swarming around the strange women. I wonder what these people want with Giada. How she used her magic to defend herself but got punished for using that spell was sad though. I understand why the Streghe del Malocchio are the way they are because their just trying to keep balance in the world. The ending made me cry I loved it I definitely recommend reading this book.

The book A Scatter of Light written by Malinda Lo was a very wonderfully written novel and a great read. My reasons for choosing to read A Scatter of Light are I love the theme of the novel and Malinda Lo is one of my favorite authors so when I saw this book it was an automatic read for me. I rated A Scatter of Light a four out of five stars because the book was great from the start to the end of it. It's a coming of age story about discovering bis*xuality. It takes place during the first major decision dealing with legalizing same s*x marriage by the Supreme Court. During the story Aria Tang West is sent to her Grandmother's after a party gone wrong. She goes there exspecting not to have fun until she meets her Grandmother's gardener. Her Grandmother's gardener changes the outcome of her summer for the better. I hope others enjoy this great read too.

Book: Princess of Souls
Author: Alexandra Christo
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 352
Published: October 11th 2022
Main Characters: Selestra and Nox

I loved the fantasy novel Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo. It was a great read. I decided to read it because it sounded intresting. I also chose to read this novel because I love retellings. I really love the cover too it's what caught my attention and pulled me in. The book starts off slow but slowly starts to get intresting a couple chapters in. Three important characters in this book are the heir Selestra Somniatis, Seryth king of the Six Isles, sand Officer Nox Laederic of Thánatos regiment. Officer Nox Laederic is the king's favorite. Also King Serth had been trying to conquer Southerisle Polemistes is the only one left not bowing down to king after he killed their king. When Officer Nox goes to make the bargain with the king his prediction shows his and Selestra Somniatis death. I hope you enjoy reading this book I sure did.

Now here's some important quotes from the start of the book so I don't spoil the rest of the book for y'all:

1. "I can tell someone when they're going to die. All I need is a lock of hair and their soul."..."That's the job of a Somiatis Witch."

Thoughts on the quote: This job seems interesting but must be hard

2. "At sixteen, I'm still just an heir to my true power, waiting for the day I inherit my family's magic."

Thoughts on this quote: It must be really hard to wait for your true self to kick in.

3. "Somniatis witches are like siphons. We draw in energy and let it pass through us. Energy like death that we call into our veins and let wet our lips. It's what gives us our visions and allows us to take the soulsof the doomed and pour them into the king.
It's cursed magic but it's the only magic left in the six Isles.
My family saw to that."

This quote is important.

4. "Heirs to magic are useless until they reach their eighteenth birthday and are bound to the king by the blood oath, ready to be taught the true essence of magic and trained to take over once the old witch dies. Until then I am Irrelevant."

Thoughts: It must be hard.

5. "Each year only two hundred are allowed to enter into the bargain and risk their souls."