The Poisoner - promising premise

 The poisoner starts off with a strong promise of Victorian goth, a strong FMC who stands up for the unfortunate, and her nemesis who escapes her poisoning attempt.

Alina Lis is a quiet, intellectual amd driven heroine and I really missed her backstory.. coming back into society after the death of her father, she takes over his apothecary providing poisons to victims unable to fight back...

In comes the creature, the chase and love hate relationship between the two is exciting and scary and furious!!

While a novel endeavor, the tale suffers from lack of strong backgrounds for the key characters and rushes headlong to an abrupt ending with the opening chapter of the duology providing some relief.

Overall the book was a unique read and my thanks to Netgalley and Simon Maverick for the ARC!

Until the Clock strikes Midnight - Mesmerizing, magical read!!!

 Imagine an oooey gooey warm chocolate chip cookie, not with those sugar free miniscule chocolate chips, but one laden with real chocolate chunks, like someone with a real sweet tooth made one.. Imagine you bite into it, savoring the soft chewiness from the brown sugar, the crispness from the white sugar and the glory of the melted chocolate and then, aah then you taste the fleck of salt - sudden, unexpected and yet invigorating the entire experience of being wrapped in a warm hug... that moment when your sense of taste can make you weep at time lost, snuggle cozier into your comforter or just smile at a long forgotten memory, or just inhale the treat...

This book by the talented Alechia Dow is JUST as delicious, warm, salty and ooey gooey melt your senses kind! Be it the protagonists and their challenges or Lucy's dreams, Minerva's wants.. Favie and Mrs Arconia were winners in their small but mighty roles... The tussle between choice, stability and happiness, need and want and ultimately how we strive to break free from bad patterns - all of these are explored in a clean fuss free book which I absolutely devoured!!

Darling Sparkleton and Calamity Blight are two extremes in the magical spectrum - with darling embodying a push for Happily Ever After and Calam nudging clients towards a more stable Ordinary Ever After. The exploration of being seen, choice and community shine bright in this Disney-esque caper, replete with a slew of unique perspectives and internal challenges embodying the real spectrum of personalities and prejudices faced. You cannot help but fall in love...

My whimsical and magical thank yous to Macmillians Children's Publishing House, Feiwel and Friends and Netgalley for poofing this ARC! It was a warm hug, a cup of tea, biscuits and a scented candle kind of solace, making me feel the sparkles in the air!

Sibylline - dark academia, lost in translation

 I have been a fan of Melissa de la Cruz from when I stumbled on her Cinder and Glass Cinderella retelling. It was whimsical and a beautiful read. This book had me going based on the premise - three magically gifted friends from various spectrums, rejected by the elite magical institute and worm their way into the institution to solve a mystery.

The opening prologue has you hooked, but what follows could have been better executed. Dorian and Atticus have families depending on them but other than Raven, neither contacts or mentions their family at all. Dorian's having never touched anything also seems unfaithful to the narrative. The tale suffered because the nature of the magic system is not explained in detail. There is umbrage around the institution's less than stellar bookish acquisitions and a secret society (i was soo excited by this) - neither of which was fully explored.

On the plus side, the book was a quick read, I managed to complete it in a day and the FMC is imperfect - with proper pride in her capabilities and sometimes blind to the effect it has on the other 2. The friendship and heartache themes are explored as well.

My thank yous to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing the ARC!

Graceless Heart - Beauty and Beast retelling - Italiano style

 Graceless Heart is a whimsical fantasy, located in Florence, with cameos by actual historical figures but entwined with the boundless imagination of Ysabel Ibanez. This book was a retelling of beauty and the beast, replete with curses, conjectures and a ruthless pope who stifles magic and magical users. Thrust into this medieval setting, is Ravenna, who can manipulate nightfire. Caught between the powerful Luni famiglia and the despot Pope, she must use her wits, magic and , mostly, herself to bring about her happy ending.

Cons: The book fell short of perfect as the romance between the protagonists felt forced and I missed the explanation of the magic system and classification of magical users - they are available but the details are towards the end, It would have helped if other magical users in hiding had been introduced as well.

Pros: Loved the FMC - genuine, never give up kind of lady, who knows her way with a mallet! The mystery with the Pope, his lover and his obsession with magical and revulsion were also exquisitely managed. The supporting characters have some chapters which lend depth to the storyline.

All in all, this is a good book, perfect for a stand alone read, especially if you've recently visited Italy. Grab some limoncello, biscotti and get reading!

My exalted thank yous to St Martin's Press and Saturday Books as well as Netgalley for furnishing me with an arc to enjoy!