Tag / bookreviews

by The Booked Unicorn

The Lies of The Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

Summary ( From Good reads):

They say there is no water in the City of Lies. They say there are no heroes in the City of Lies. They say there are no friends beyond the City of Lies. But would you believe what they say in the City of Lies?

In the City of Lies, they cut out your tongue when you turn thirteen, to appease the terrifying Ajungo Empire and make sure it continues sending water. Tutu will be thirteen in three days, but his parched mother won’t last that long. So Tutu goes to his oba and makes a deal: she provides water for his mother, and in exchange he will travel out into the desert and bring back water for the city. Thus begins Tutu’s quest for the salvation of his mother, his city, and himself.

The Lies of the Ajungo opens the curtains on a tremendous world, and begins the epic fable of the Forever Desert. With every word, Moses Ose Utomi weaves magic.

The Review

This is a review copy granted to me by Tor/Forge via Netgalley all opinions are mine.

It follows Tutu who initially set out into the dessert to find water and save his people in order to become a hero. His people are suffering from a severe water drought and to top it all when one comes to a certain age their tongues are cut off and they become dumb.

Following Tutu on his journey are other characters from the city of lies that have their eyes and ears taken from them in exchange for something. Initially he is weary of them because he has been told ”there are no friends in the city of lies” but he discovers that there is more to this saying. And so the journey morphs from bringing water back to his people to who are the Ajungo? The truth is shocking.

Everything about this book is just A+. The world that Moses built shows the corruption of power and how it is used to deliberately harm the poor in other to keep them in the dark. I loved the friendship he found in the Sahara desert, the girls were protective of him. And even though it was bittersweet, I loved how precious and necessary they were to his growth. In the harshness of the desert, they were his softness (that could still kick your butt and look pretty doing it).

I went into this book expecting great storytelling and i was not disappointed. From the first line’‘There is no water in the city of lies”. I knew i was in for a treat and boy was this an adventure. This 96-page book packed a punch, it was filled with the naiviety of a young boy who grew into the wizened man who had learnt the truth.

I also loved seeing shokologobango a name I had not heard since I was a kid, this made me laugh.

I noticed that in this book you could have all your senses complete and still not understand what’s going on around you. Until you search for the knowledge you will not find it. And that was what Tutu had to do to find the truth. And on the other side of the truth was rage, a justified rage in my opinion.

In conclusion, this book was on my anticipated reads for 2023 and I was not disappointed at all. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work. My rating of this book is a solid 4.75⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️.

I highly recommend this!

As Always,

Nelo- The Booked Unicorn!

by The Booked Unicorn

Book Review: The Cat Who Saved Books By Sosuke Natsukawa translated by Louise Heal Kawai.

This book was read as an advanced readers copy, given to by the publishers (HarperVia) through Netgalley. All Opinions are mine.

The cat who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
  • Author: Sosuke Natsukawa Translated by : Louise Heal Kawai
  • Genre: Japanese Fiction, Magic realism
  • Publisher: HarperVia
  • Date of Release: December 7th 2021
  • Pages: 353
  • Book Rating: 4 stars

Summary From Goodreads

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for—or rather, demands—the teenager’s help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and Tiger and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners.

Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge—the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter . . .

The Review

If you like reading books that talk about books, this one is for you.

At the start of the book Rintaro is introduced to us, he has just lost his grandfather and it isn’t until the end of the funeral that it really hits him that his grandfather is dead. Rintaro the main character is shown to be a bland character at the beginning of the book, he was just and average school boy with nothing special about him. Until the day a talking Tabby cat named Tiger enters his shop and there begins an adventure like no other.

The beauty of this book is the character development. From the moment that cat enters the bookstore Rintaro begins to transform with each task he faces. He goes from a hikikomori ( a shut in) to a compassionate person. I loved this, watching Rintaro Blossom and come into his own being was beautiful to read. He faces each task with a deep wisdom and his love for books. The bosses of the Labyrinths were not easy to deal with and as they went further there were more handicaps introduced, i like that these handicaps contributed to Rintaro’s development.

Something to be said about the Labyrinth ”Bosses”, i could help but think these people are present in today’s world especially in the *ahem* book community and yes including the publishing industry. I have been guilty of some of the crimes ( aside from cutting up books that’s just sacrilege) and although some of what they ( the bosses) say makes sense, Rintaro goes deep down as a book lover to find the real truths behind their worlds. And it all boiled down to Do you really love books?

The cat, in my opinion was an excellent guide, he always news when to step in to help and when to leave Rintaro to it. I think his Grandfather sent him from the other side to help him. Tiger is one sassy cat though and he is sarcastic to the core. I liked him and when it ended i missed him . I think readers would cosy up to this sassy companion of Rintaro.

This was an Easy read and i recommend it, when i make my second book list of Japanese Books to read its definitely going up there. This is a magic realism book about books and i think if you love books you should pick this up.

As always,

Nelo-The Booked Unicorn

by The Booked Unicorn

Book Review: The Half God of Rainfall

Hi hello welcome

I pride myself in telling you and bringing you good books to listen to and read. Most of the time I wish I could just be brave and make a video just so you could see my expression and believe me [soon]. But alas I would have to make sure my words reach you and that you believe me when I tell you…

You need to listen to this book to save your life and get vengeance!

I will admit that I had been in a tiny slump. But I really wanted to read something and I picked up The Half God of rain fall and OH MY GOD why didn’t I pick this up sooner .

half rain god

Tittle: The Half-God of Rainfall

Author: Inua Ellams

Genre: Epic poems, Mythology

Rating: 5 ‘ Zeus got what he deserved’ stars

Publisher: Fourth Estate

Date published: April, 4th 2019

My review

I listened to the Audio book and it’s narrated by the author. I just have to tell you that he did (pardon my french) a ducking brilliant job of it, i couldn’t stop listening. I had planned to just listen a bit and then go to sleep but Holy potatoes on a muthafriggin stick couldn’t drop this book. When I tell you from beginning to end I was hooked and shooketh best believe I’m telling you the truth. 

I would warn that there is a major trigger : Rape. 

The story woven in the poem crosses Nigerian deities -the Orishas and the Greek gods. Its about a Half-God Demi who is excels in basketball to the extent it makes the gods nervous. It touches on the fragile male pride and the horrible effects afterwards. To an extent it also made me ask why do the gods just sit and watch while bad things happen instead of helping ( even if you have taken an oath or whatever couldn’t you just break it for someone who serves you and is dedicated?).

The story of Demi resembles that of Icarus but I think it’s i will say its Icarus minus the pride. Because just as it said in the poem

”no one ever talked about how Icarus actually flew all they talk about was the fall”

There’s a conversation Demi had with another half-god when you listen to it the first time its easy for you to say woah! This dude is way too proud. Instead of seeing a proud boy, what i saw was someone who was frustrated with how his mother was treated and he was supposed to hide his powers because bitch ass Zeus was Jealous.

The horrible effects of rape are shown as Modupe tells her son Demi  how he was conceived and how it still hunts her. The author touched on the trauma that accompanies what happened to her, his description of the rape was ‘simple’ but the effect it had on Modupe was enough to shake the reader.

I had to give this book five stars because it was just beautiful storytelling, the kind of tale you tell at campfires. It draws you in from the first page till the last, the length of the audio is just perfect ( 1 hour of pure goodness).

What I loved the most that bitch ass Zeus got what he deserved. I would be re-reading this later this year.

I highly recommend that you get to read this. And when you do i hope you enjoy this short story.

 

Thank you for reading this review, please share!
Also let me know in the comments which villains you would love to see the protagonist get revenge on

 

As always

Nelo-Booked Unicorn

by The Booked Unicorn

November Wrap-up

Hello Guys,

Finally, 2019 is almost over! I hope when you reflect back you will see how far you have come. And yes in the Words of Mama Jenner, You are doing amazing sweetie.

Reflection:

I have had an awesome reading year, i achieved my goal of finding my love for reading and blogging again. I had to take steps to get there ( not taking on ARC’s i knew i wasn’t interested in , reading what i actually wanted to read without deadlines attached and not blogging for a while). I read with the intention of enjoying what i read, as for blogging i had a bajillion doubts about if i am good enough for this. I confess i looked at the stats way too much and i thought Oh shit i wasn’t doing enough and i also felt like i was being repetitive. But i realized later that i’m actually doing this because duh! I love writing and i want to improve on  it and also this is my creative space i can do whatever i want. And then the curse was broken and i started writing again. I will admit that i did rush things a little too fast ( buying a domain when my ass wasn’t clearly ready), learn from my mistakes champs take it easy one step at a time eventually you will get there.

So lets get into this Months Wrap-up

simon feximalThe secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J Charles

I am K.J Charles Trash i have stated that before, no one does Victorian era like her. I loved this book also i mean it had to do with a hot occult practitioner and a journalist. It was a bit graphic but meh you’ll live. Read this if you love mysteries , the occult and M/M

madea

Don’t make a black woman take of her earrings by Tyler Perry ( Madea)

If you have watched any movie done by Tyler Perry, you would be fmiliar with Madea. She’s the grandma that would keep your ass in check and she carries her peace in her bag. I loved this book and i would be going back again for a reread, she does drop wisdom gems that are valuable for young men and women today. I listened to this book on Scribd so try it.

 

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Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi ( translated by Geoffrey Trousselott)

 

II’m finding that i do enjoy Japanese literature. Last year i started the tradition of reading one Murakami book per year. I had seen this book on Amazon and i was curious plus Time travel books are always a good idea. The reading format is like a play and i guess it was done like that because the author is a playwright. As with Japanese books its open to interprtation or you can just take it for what it is, you travel to the past when or future when you drink coffee just  get back before the coffee gets cold.

 

Fire boy (#1 Djinn-son Duology) & Earth Boy(#2 Djinn-son Duology) by Sami Shah

I had this book on my TBR for a long time and i finally read it. I thought it would be a fun mythology book but oh no no no….it’s horror! Blood, gore and the end of days. This was my first time reading Islamic Mythology and i loved it. I would love to read more books like this. If you re looking for something different try this, its set in Pakistan.

Power Play by Cara Dee

I almost skipped this little gem because i thought it would be an angst filled uncomfortable read. I am glad i didn’t and ended up loving it. If you like BDSM books specifically the daddy/little kink you’ll love this. I think with this one you either love it or hate it there’s no in between but keep an open mind if you pick this up. It also gave a glimpse of BPD( Boderline personality disorder) and the motions one goes through, that’s why i understood why Abel needed Madigan. 

And that’s all folks, how was November for you? Did you finish or start Nanowrimo? Let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to like and share! P.s: I got stuck in the Block editor for a while and it felt like hell. Do you use the block editor if so please share your tips and tricks.

As always,

Booked Unicorn

by The Booked Unicorn

Book Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown

Hello,

Today i will be reviewing Get a life , Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. This is my first time reading this author and i think i would be going back for more.

 

Get a life Chloe Brown

Tittle: Get A Life, Chloe Brown (#1 The brown sisters)

Author : Talia Hibbert

Genre: Contemporary, Humor, Romance fiction

Rating: 5 ‘fluffy stars’

Date published: November 5th 2019

Publisher: Piatkus

Blurb from GR:

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan and a list. After almost – but not quite – dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her ‘Get a Life’, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?
– Enjoy a drunken night out.
– Ride a motorcycle.
– Go camping.
– Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
– Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
– And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.
But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

 

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What i liked:

EVERYTHING

If you leave me, this review would on only have three words : READ THE BOOK. However i need to tell you why you should check this one out.

For a while i have avoided contemporary romance like the plague, simply because i was tired and they were becoming too predictable for me ( cue in the rich billionaire x Cinderella wannabe).

Then suddenly before the glorious year of 20 bi teen ends, i am blessed with Grumpy x Sunshine trope. This is my first time reading about a character with chronic illness in this case the illness is Fibromylagia. I thought it was similar to endometriosis but its different:

Fibromylagia:

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical condition characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened pain response to pressure. ( wikipedia)

Chloe Brown has FM and it has affected her life , so when she had a my-life-flashed before-me-moment, she decides to make a list of things to do in order to get a life.

I love Chloe, the grumpy  queen of sarcasm. Its very easy to fall in love with her because she is friggin cute, well grumpy cute ( i mean anyone who loves buttons is automatically cute).  It was interesting learning how fm affects an individual and everyone around them. For Chloe that meant loosing important people , and loosing hope in the medical system because if doctors can’t see it they believe she’s faking it. Her family is her support system and its heartwarming to see how they believe her and care about her even when Redford come into her life they still care about her. 

Redford Morgan, the tattooed hottie with a heart of gold. Ah, thinking about Redford makes me smile because he is a good person. No mind games, no bullying, none of that ”typical bad boy shit”. He is just a kind soul that makes you believe in love and good people. This is the first time i am seeing an author shed light on male abuse in relationships usually its female abuse that are prevalent. It made me want to smack an imaginary bitch and i wish the author put Chloe and said bitch in the same place so that the smacking happened.  Redford did battle with his insecurites with Chloe because of this past abuse and for me that made him more human ( not some all benevolent good looking ass greek god) showing his vulnerable side to Chloe and getting help when needed.

You know what….for this part here i was supposed to write something about Redford but i realized that i smile like an eediat every time i think about him because my God he is just a good person ( i cannot stress this part enough). So in other to avoid spoilers i advice you read the book.

There was a part when Chloe said something about being disabled but still feeling sexy, that there was a lesson i think not only me but anyone who reads this book  would be able to take away. Disabled people do feel sexy and yes they do have sex. 

I loved Talia’s writing and the characters she created, i would be following the rest of the Brown sisters. The next one is Take a Hint, Dani Brown. I am in love with this book and everything in it. Its worth every penny you can get it on kindle.

I hope you pick up this book and just smile when you read, it will give you hope that good people still exist.

 

Will you be picking up this gem of a book? Let me know in the comments please share this post.

 

As always,

Booked Unicorn.

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by The Booked Unicorn

Book review: Omega Academy

Hello Humans,

Today i bring you a shiny review from an author i just discovered Lily Archer. One day Lily Archer popped up on my kindle recommendations and since then i have been hooked to everything this lady writes.

So far she has written seven books, The fae captive’s series currently at book six and a new surprise release  Omega Academy.

If you aren’t versed with Omega-verse, here’s a brief explanation:

Omegaverse is a sub-genre of Yaoi. These manga take place in an alternate universe where everyone can become pregnant. Instead of being a man or a woman, you are an alpha, a beta, or an omega; classifications based on precise physical and behavioral characteristics. This classification is a hierarchical social status where alphas are considered superior, betas are ruled by alphas, and omegas are treated as inferior by all- Anime planet

Omega academy

Title: Omega Academy

Author:Lily Archer

Genre:YA, Reverse Harem, Paranormal

Rating: 5 ‘I need more’ Stars

Pages: 338

Date Published: July 31, 2019

Add to GoodReads| Available on Kindle Unlimited

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Okay lets get right into it

This unicorn is major trash for omega verse ( especially M/Mpreg but shhh!!) and reverse harem ( because in my own opinion why not have all of ’em instead of choosing).

This book delivered my secret obsessions on a golden platter: Its an omega-verse reverse harem, this means the girl gets all the  guys. Since its YA, there is no smuttiness however, there is a sizzling off the charts chemistry between the four of them.

The characters are oh so different from it other but oo lordy, opposites attract always makes the best couples because they bring out the best in each other. So the wonderful artist [Mignon Zakuga Art] drew a depiction of the Alpha males and, i have never wished so hard that these 2d characters were real. We have the goody two shoes leader Ceredes, playboy beauty Kyte and bad boy Jeren.

Alpha's of omega AcademyFrom left to right: Kyte, Ceredes and Jaren. Image from Mignon Art.com

They never interacted before but one human omega brought them all together and they discover that there might just be a purpose as to why they are fated together. They band together as brothers and discover that they aren’t so bad together after all. I like how they protect Lana but they do not baby her. They take their time to teach her and show her around their world. I would really like to know more about their back stories in the coming books.

Lets talk about the Lana, she is an omega from earth , hasn’t has the best 18 years of life and then all of a sudden she’s told she has no choice but to attend the omega academy.

With all the crap she has taken she is able to stand up to her bullies, deliver smart ass remarks and somehow assimilate to life on a new planet. I like  how she was able to stand her ground, she’s no pushover and she stands up for people and what she believes in. Even when she gets beaten she gets back up quickly, I can’t wait to see how she grows in the following books.

Which reminds me, Lily has joined the ranks of cliffhanger queens ( With mimi Jean Pamfiloff taking the lead). Yes its soul crushing waiting for the next book but (*que the music*) i’m just a sucker for pain.

Am i hooked on this series? Hell  yes, i can’t wait for the next book!

 

Thank you so much for reading, Please like and share my review. If you are interested you can add it to your TBR and check it out on Kindle unlimited.
As Always,
Booked Unicorn

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by The Booked Unicorn

Book Review: Phoenix Unbound

Conversations with myself before writing this review
Nelo 1:” Lets just make a post writing read the book a thousand times, that would convey how good it is”
Nelo 2: ”Bish don’t be stoopid, we have to give constructive criticism and all that jazz that comes with writing a review”
Nelo 1: ”but you already rated five stars, that counts”
Nelo 2: ”Okay lets tell them to read the book 1000 times and also give them a good review”

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*Ahem*

After much conversation with myself here’s the blurb from GR:

Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire’s capital–her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village’s tithe has been the same woman. Gilene’s sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses. 
But this year is different. 
Azarion, the Empire’s most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion–and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.
To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire–and burn once more
Phoenix

Tittle : Phoenix Unbound (The Fallen Empire #1)

Author: Grace Draven

Rating: 5 ‘all hail Agna’ Stars

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Publisher: Ace Publishing

Date of Publication: 25/12/2018

Pages:393

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The review:

This book has a few trigger warnings: Rape, death by immolation and other ghastly means, heads flying and entrails released.

Every time i finish reading a Grace Draven book, i am convinced this woman has ancient Fae story telling blood in her veins. Because there’s no way something this beautiful can exist.

But it does, and i am typing out my review. 

This isn’t an instant love story, nope its a i- hate -you- so -much -i -would- burn- you when i -get- the -chance -to story. In other words its an enemy to lovers story and after everything the MC’s got through they really did deserve that happy ending. 

Gilene and Azarion are slaves of the empire in different ways. Gilene is duty bound by her village to burn every year in place of other girls because she is a fire witch. Azarion is the Gladius Prime and the Empress’s pet, none of which are good because the empress is one sick [insert swear word]. Through blackmailing and kidnapping they ”bond”. And if bonding means empty threats (Azarion) and the promise of torching your ass (Gilene) yup they had a ”great” time. Of course i am joking these guys were on each others necks throughout, they are both stubborn and relentless because they have different goals to achieve.

I admired the way their spirits still shined bright despite what they had gone through and the hands of the empire. I liked how it built up to the moment they fell in love, it was just perfect. It wasn’t rushed, it was like tiny almost unnoticeable changes that crept up on both of them.

What i love most about Grace’s writing is her world building they are unique and captivating.  

The Krael empire is a perfect example of rotten morals and a bed of evil. The people and their rulers have lost every ounce of their humanity demanding human sacrifices for the rites of spring festival. I think its modeled after the Roman empire because there are Gladiators that fight to the death as entertainment for the people. Yup i got instant hatred for everything the empire stands for. Bleh!! Off with the empire!!!

Honestly the story just gets better with each chapter, it is well paced.

I gave it five stars because i know this book would stick with me for a long time, it has entered my shelf of favorites. I look forward to book two which would be out in December, dear lord grant me the strength to wait.

Also as per request of Nelo 1

Read the book x 1000

 

Thanks for stopping by see you around soon. 

As Always,

Booked Unicorn

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by The Booked Unicorn

Blog Tour: N9NE The Tale Of Kevin Clearwater

Hello Humans, aliens and unicorns,

Welcome to the Blog tour for N9NE: The tale of Kevin Clearwater.  

Today i would be posting a Review of this lovely book, its available in all stores now i will leave a link below. This is part of the KING series however you can read it as a stand alone.  But i highly recommend to read it in order to get a good grasp on everyone.

Before i get in to this I would like to thank Social Butterfly and the author for giving me an ARC. This does not affect my opinion in anyway..

Ty GIF - Thanks ThankYou JimCarrey GIFs

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nine front (1).jpg

Name: N9NE: The Tale of Kevin Clearwater

Author: T.M Frazier

Rating: 5 stars

Date published: 18/06/2019

Publisher: Frazier Publishing

 

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The Review

Maybe a few trigger warnings here: Rape, drug use, a lot of alcohol

MY FAVORITE FAMILY.

Well well well….T.M Frazier has done it again. I expected no less and my god did she deliver.
It was lovely to be back with the whole gang again also get Nine’s own story. The brotherhood is still going strong and to be honest that’s one of the things that drew me to this series, the way the characters love themselves and their families is just beautiful. 
Now i wouldn’t say they are good guys but that depends on were your morality scale lies ( apparently mines thrown out the window when it comes to these guys).

Kevin Clearwater aka Nine, aka Prince of the Causeway aka Preppy’s younger brother. Listen if this review is short it’s because i am short of words to describe it’s awesomeness (or maybe i just want to scream READ DAMN BOOK and see for yourself). 

I do not want to spoil anything ( and because of that i have written and re-written this review) so i will tell you what i liked.
1. Nine and all his glorious tortured tattooed self. I like how he knows Lenny is his forever right from the beginning. 
2.His relationship with Preppy , it just seemed like they were never apart
3. That frigging twist i swear i did not see that coming. 
4.How he tries so hard not to fail his brothers
5. Preppy and his smoothies (guaranteed to heal everything and then leave you high af)
6. Lenny getting herself back together
7. Smart Nine is hella sexy

I appreciate that she talked about anxiety, that’s something that i and a lot of people battle with and seeing Lenny fight and come out of her shell just made me so damn happy.

The world T.M Frazier has built is one i know i definitely don’t want to live in ( Lord knows i wouldn’t survive it’s not for unicorns) , but if i had to i would hope  these guys to have my back.
I highly recommend. 

I hope you enjoyed my review and thanks for stopping by,

As always,

Booked Unicorn

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This is the story of Nine, The Tale of Kevin Clearwater.

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2CWvzF7

AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2HZ2zka

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/N9NE

Nook: http://bit.ly/2uNFgS6

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2TWFXma

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2H5IXJN

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2U1ObOV

 

by The Booked Unicorn

Book review: Red Winter Trilogy

Hello humans

Do you ever have a feeling that something so good could be a lie but then it turns out to not be a lie ? Well that’s how this book was for me. With every installment it just kept getting better. 

okay time for a fun fact about this  Unicorn: I love Japan and its one of the places i  want to visit on my own and also with my family.

Review time!!

Today i would be reviewing the Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie, the three books :

  1. Red Winter
  2. Dark Tempest
  3. Immortal Fire

 

Rating: 15 stars

Publisher: Dark owl

Author and Artist: Annette Marie and Brittany Jackson

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So what’s it about ?

Emi is a Kamikagari, she bears the mark of the Goddess  of the wind, Amaterasu. She has been training all her life to be the perfect vessel for the goddess only for her to discover a horrible secret that shatters her entire world. She saves a fox from an Oni (demon) and then embarks on an adventure that would change her fate.

The series is based on the Japanese mythology of the Shinto Gods and Goddesses.

When a book leaves you speechless and just gasping for a breath of fresh air afterwards, you have to give the author credit where its due.

Annette Marie has given me all i desire in a book, a strong heroine with a steady development, a badass fox god  and action that had me hanging at the edge of my seat. The world building in this book is just phenomenal i tip my hat, because holy potatoes it was gorgeous. I had this series sitting on my shelf for ages and i wonder why i didn’t read it.

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Things i loved:

  • The world building: As i mentioned earlier it’s just phenomenal, it sucks you in and i am not kidding when i say you feel every single thing.
  • The fact that the romance was there but it didn’t overshadow the story or make the heroine brain dead, it made her stronger instead.
  • The growth of Emi through out the series: i am  now placing her in my list of Badass Heroines because that’s what she is. I give the development of Emi and the other character’s an A+, it one of the best i have seen so far.
  • Inari/Shiro : My baby fox , he has  wormed his immortal self into my soul. I just love him. I loved that he did not pamper Emi instead he supported and trusted her decisions. 
  • All the secondary characters: I wish Yumei gets his own book, i want to know ore about him. The rest of the Yokai and Kunistsukami gave a warm family vibe from Uzume’s motherly attentions to Sarutahiko’s fatherly demeanor; Susano is is that reclusive older brother and Inari is definitely the trouble maker of the family,and the daitengu were the pesky cousins you can’t get rid of.
  • The writing: Miss Annette here did her research and because of that she executed it perfectly.
  • The art: Yes Annette Marie employed the help of a brilliant artist Brittany Jackson and she illustrated important scenes in the book which in my opinion gave the book more life.
  • There’s a glossary of name pronunciation and meaning of things: This is really useful, as there are loads of terms that need to be explained.

What i didn’t like

Move along people nothing to see here.

The end of the book was just so perfect, dammit i need more. 

Also shout out to Xpresso tours i remember seeing this on there and i bought it immediately.

Yes this gorgeous piece of writing is available on kindle unlimited, but if you can buy a physical copy please.

by The Booked Unicorn

Book Review: The fifth doll

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Hello Humans

Repeat after me: Dolls are freaky

When i was eleven i asked my elder brothers who were living in Liverpool at that time to buy me a BARBIE DOLL for my eleventh birthday. They graciously said yes, cue to me opening the box and finding a CHUCKY DOLL. i still have nightmares till this day.

I found this book on Kindle unlimited and it come with a free audio book. If you want a story about dolls , cool Russian accent and weird stuff this book is for you. Its entertaining 

 

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Title: The fifth doll

Author : Charlie N Holmberg

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Publisher: 47North

Date Published: 25/07/2017

GR Synopsis 

Matrona lives in an isolated village, where her life is centered on pleasing her parents. She’s diligent in her chores and has agreed to marry a man of their choosing. But a visit to Slava, the local tradesman, threatens to upend her entire life.

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Holy crap that was good.
I mean this is the reason i am weary of dolls.
So the story is about Matrona who went peeping one day and then landed herself into a shit load of trouble she wasn’t expecting. She unravels secrets of her and the villagers one at a time and things are never going to be the same again.

I picked this book out of sheer curiosity and now that my curiosity has been sated, i am pleased to say i enjoyed the book. In the beginning i was pissed of with everyone in the book and i felt like smacking the hell out of Feodor , her mother and lets just say the villagers( they were the Judgey kind) .but as time went on and the heroine discovered the power of her thinking vagina ( excuse my french but really that’s just a body part) she outsmarted the evil Mystic and won.
I read and listened to the book on kindle unlimited and i have to say the narrator did an excellent job portraying the characters. The story itself was original, i liked the idea of a whole town being controlled by someone who thought he was doing good but then it just ended up being a whole lot of bad.

I figured out the end but if you do read it you will see that logically there really was no other way. Another thing i would have to say thank you to the author is that the romance in the book did not end up taking the main stage (let someone shout an AMEN!!) and because of that i appreciated it. Then again the way the story was set up, it couldn’t have. And because of that i appreciated the story more.

What i didn’t like was that she didn’t stand up to Feodor, i felt what happened at the end was not satisfying enough i kinda wanted more. But i guess maybe that was  because of how she had been raised 
Definitely recommend it. Power through the first pages and i promise you the unraveling would be worth it.

 

Till next time

Booked Unicorn

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