Author: Rach @ Anxious Nachos

Educational publisher, writer and cat mama.

Top 5 Tuesday: Fantasy

Rach @ Anxious Nachos4 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is created and run by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. You can join the fun by checking out the topics for the month here.

Hi everyone,

Happy Tuesday! This week we’re talking about our Top 5 Fantasy. Fantasy is my favourite genre to both read and write. I have so many favourites and every new book I read seems to be just as incredible in its own unique way. These 5 books are just some of the amazing fantasy books I’ve read this year!

Girls of Paper and Fire – Natasha Ngan

I very recently read this book, just a week or two ago, and was absolutely enthralled. I was riveted from the very first page and couldn’t put it down. It was such a brilliant story, I thought the world building was absolutely excellent. I really love creature based fantasy, and so was fascinated reading about the demon class and seeing people who look like cats. It dealt with such difficult issues in such a mature and nuanced way, and I loved the theme of female empowerment throughout.

Missing, Presumed Dead – Emma Berquist

This is another book I read a week or two ago, and it immediately shot into my all time favourites. I don’t read a huge amount of contemporary fantasy, so it was quite different to my usual reads. It had a thriller/mystery at the heart of the story which I loved, and the MC’s power was just so interesting – if she touches someone, she can see their death, and can also see and talk to ghosts. I loved how the book explored the impact on her mental health from having such a power. Discussions about mental health are one of my favourite things to see in fantasy and it was written so so well. I will have a full review of this book shortly!

The Poppy War – R.F Kuang

I came to The Poppy War train late and I can’t believe I only read this book this year!! But what a book! I loved that a grimdark fantasy had such a poweful and strong female character as the MC, as most of what I’ve read in the genre are heavily male dominated. But Rin was fabulous! I loved her anger, that she wasn’t afraid of her anger, and that she embraced that anger and refused to back down. I loved the magic system, and I am so excited for The Dragon Republic!

The Wicker King – K. Ancrum

The books I’ve read recently have just been absolutely phenomenal and The Wicker King is another I only recently picked up. It’s another book which delves into mental illness in a contemporary fantasy way, with main character Jack beginning to hallucianate a fantasy world. It’s another stark and difficult look at mental illness, and I felt like someone had punched me in the chest the entire way through. The relationship between Jack and August was quite dark, with both needing each other and relying on each other in very differnt ways. This is another book I will have a full review of soon.

Witchmark – C.L Polk

Witchmark is another excellent fantasy novel (with a sequel publishing in 2020!) I loved the setting, it had a very Edwardian England feel but brought in magic and mystery. Miles is hiding as a doctor to avoid being enslaved by his family for his magic. The story looks at war and PTSD, and when something begins changing the war veterans Miles is treating, he is sucked into a mystery to find out what’s happening. It was such a good read, the romance was lovely, and this was one of the books that really made me get back into reading this year.

That’s it for this week’s topic! I have so many amazing fantasy books I want to read that are being released in the next few months that I feel like in three months time this list will be completely different. Some of my favourites I’m looking for to reading are GIDEON. THE. NINTH (Tasmyn Muir), Wicked Fox (Kat Cho), The Infinite Noise (Lauren Shippen), War Girls (Tochi Onyebuchi) – I could literally go on for so long. There are so many excellent fantasy releases to look forward to and I can’t wait to see what my Top 5 fantasy looks like a few months from now.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Mid Year Freak Out Tag 2019

Rach @ Anxious Nachos3 Comments

So this sounds like the most fun book tag ever!!

I first saw Katie over at Melting Pages post about the mid year book freak out tag and it looked so much fun (you can check out Melting Pages’ Book Tag post here). And then I read Bionic Book Worm’s (check it out here) who tagged me and gave me all the reasons to do this post myself!

Beware, indecisiveness below.

Book stats

I’ve read 45 books so far this year (four books more than my entire 2018 total) and my goal of 55 books looks like it will be easily met this year.

1 – The best book you’ve read so far in 2019

No surprises here, the best book I’ve so far is of course The Fever King by Victoria Lee. This book blew me away, I was an emotional wreck and couldn’t see all night after I finished it, I’ve reread it since, and I just want everyone to read this book! It’s a dystopian YA, combining element of sci fi and fantasy – where magic is caused by a virus that kills most of the population. It features diverse characters, some dark topics, and is just so fantastic!

Okay so we all knew that was going to be my favourite book – but I do want to also shout some of the other incredible books I’ve read this year.

2 – Your favourite sequel this year

I have read pretty much no sequels this year, so the book I’m going for is technically not a direct sequel, but a companion novel – Before Mars by Emma Newman. This is the third novel in her Planetfall series, each book is set in the same universe but follows different characters. Before Mars follows Anna, an artist who is sent to Mars to create art for her rich employer. But when she arrives, she finds a note in her own handwriting warning her not to trust the colony psychologist. The portrayal of mental illness in this book is phenomenal, and I really need to actually read the other books in the series now.

3 – A new release you haven’t read yet but really want to

And the indecisiveness begins! This is such a hard question, there’s so many I want to read. I’m really looking forward to Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley, which was sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read when I first wrote this post, but I did now start today! I’m also hugely excited to read The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg but I haven’t bought myself a copy yet, and The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling which is a little (read: LOT) more horror-esque than what I normally read but I’m trying new genres this year, so really want to see what it’s like.

4 – Most anticipated release(s) for the second half of the year

Ooooooh this is another really difficult question!! I literally have a notepad just for listing all the upcoming releases I’m excited for by month (and using pretty coloured pens) because my Goodreads organisation is beyond help so I needed a new place to keep track of upcoming releases. If I had to say just one, it would be Gideon the Ninth by Tasmyn Muir (lesbian necromancers anyone?!) but some others following in close second are Wilder Girls, I Hope You Get This Message, The Light at the Bottom of the World, and Crier’s War.

5 – Your biggest disappointment

I’ve had a fairly good reading year so far, very few lower rated books, but I think the one I’m most disappointed in would be Rosewater by Tade Thompson. I had such high hopes, it opened SO well with such a cool technology, but I just couldn’t get past the main character and the misogynistic language + behaviour he used constantly.

6 – Your biggest surprise of the year

Biggest surprise for me isn’t title based, but genre based. This was the year I started reading contemporary YA and I have fallen in love with the genre. The first book I read was Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorran and it was fantastic and every other book I’ve read so far has also been so bloody good. I’m so happy I gave this genre a chance!

7 – Favourite debut or new to you author

So many favourite new authors, as I’ve really been trying to read more widely this year. I loved R.F Kuang’s The Poppy War which I read earlier this year and can’t wait for The Dragon Republic. Definitely added to my list of ‘always read’ authors.

8 – Your new fictional crush

Fiona from Her Royal Higness, beautiful Scottish princess (though may be a little biased to this one since I’m also Scottish). I just loved her fire and passion and how she grew throughout the book. Also, I have to mention Alex, bisexual ICON from Red, White and Royal Blue. He was just so confident and fierce and sarcastic. And if we’re on fierce, bisexual icons I should mention Serefin from Wicked Saints too!

9 – Your new favourite character

My new favourite character is definitely Dara from The Fever King. He’s so broken and soft and I fear so much for the sequel! PLEASE GIVE DARA HIS FARM AND GOATS.

10 – A book that made you cry

I’ve cried at quite a few books this year (several times on public transport – I get far too emotionally involved!) But the one I’ll mention here is I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver because I’ve wanted to mention it for so many other of these questions! This debut is phenomenal – it’s about a nonbinary teen who comes out to their parents and is then thrown out of their house and it hurts every part of my heart.

11 – A book that made you happy

I’ll be honest, I usually read books that make me cry over books that make me happy. But, a little behind everyone else, I finally read A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet this year and it was so fun and so happy, I loved all the characters and it was just such an enjoyable read.

12 – Your favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year

I don’t think I’ve actually watched any book to film adaptations this year… I don’t watch a huge number of films in general. I think the only films I’ve actually watched this year have been Marvel movies. Which I guess kind of count since they are technically based on comics…? So Captain Marvel all the way then!

13 – Your favourite review/post you’ve written this year

Well I’ve only had this blog for just over a month, so don’t have a huge number to choose from! And so far I’ve kept it fairly simple as I get into my blogging groove, with lots of reviews and TBRs. Which I guess makes this a lot easier. I’m actually going to go with my Pride month TBR post because it showcases such incredible queer books and it took me SO long to actually narrow it down to that list and I am proud I managed to get it down to just 15 books.

14 – The most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year

Descendent of the Crane is just stunning. That cover is so beautiful and is even more beautiful in person.

I also wanted to mention Missing, Presumed Dead, which is beautiful to me for a very special reason. I won a copy of this book in a Twitter giveaway arranged by the author (Emma Berquist) and Vicky Who Reads, and it arrived about two weeks ago. I hadn’t at all expected it to be signed, and this is the first book I’ve ever had signed by any author, and it made me a little emotional so it is incredibly beautiful to me because of this. (Also, having now finished it, it is AMAZING!!!)

15 – What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Ooooh I have so many I want to read! Image below is of my current ‘immediate TBR shelf’ – I hope to have a lot of these read during the rest of Pride month (per my TBR post, which I’ve actually managed to follow pretty well so far!)

Let me know how your year is going in books! I would love to see more of these posts – so if you’re still reading, consider yourself tagged!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Love from A to Z by S.K Ali

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Title: Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali

Publisher: Salaam Reads

Publication date: 30 April 2019

Genre: Contemporary| Young adult

Page count: 384 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim in class, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Then her path crosses with Adam’s.

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister.

Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father.

Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.

Until a marvel and an oddity occurs…

Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.

This book is one of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read, and I am SO happy I found YA contemporary, which is a genre I haven’t really read in the past, because I cannot praise this book enough.

Love from A to Z is a love story between Adam and Zayneb. Both keep a journal, based on The Marvels of Creation and the Oddities of Existence. Adam focuses on marvels – the things in life that make it worth living. Zayneb focuses on the oddities – the struggles and pains of life. The two meet on a plane, and their lives change forever as their paths keep crossing.

Zayneb is a fighter. Except that’s not quite a strong enough word. She is driven and passionate and determined to right the worlds’ wrongs. As a hijab wearing Muslim, Zayneb faces a lot of discrimination and hate (all based on true events the author has experienced). Standing up to her Islamophobic teacher, Zayneb is suspended from school, one week before Spring break. So, she travels to Doha, to spend time with her Aunt Nandy. On the plane over, she meets Adam. And then she keeps meeting him, and Adam seems different to anyone she’s ever met.

Adam has just dropped out of university. He’s also just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the disease which killed his mum. At 11, he converted to Islam, searching for peace after his mother’s death. He’s calm and serene, yet struggling deeply with the secret of his disease, something he can’t quite tell his father just yet. He travels to Doha, where his family live, on his Spring break, knowing he won’t be returning to university. On the plane over, he meets Zayneb, a stunning woman in a bright blue hijab who happens to be holding the same journal he owns – a Marvel and Oddities.

This is a story about love and strength and justice and Islam and peace. It’s such a beautiful representation of the religion, and I feel almost humbled to have read this book. There is such a strong Muslim voice throughout, which was so fantastic to read and learn about. The growing friendship, and then love, between Adam and Zayneb felt so strong and real and natural and it was so lovely to see how religion guided their relationship. Both these characters had such strong point of views and so distinct voices, and it was interesting to see the two recognise each others flaws, and still move forward. I also thought Adam’s journey to accept his disease and seek treatment was very genuine and thoughtfully written. I rooted for both of them from the very start, their emotions and voice were so clearly written on the page, I felt every emotion with them.

The secondary characters were also very well written – I have a particular soft spot for Connor, Adam’s best friend. It was so lovely to see such a strong male friendship in a book, both of them able to be emotional and open with each other.

Whilst this novel is a love story, it also addresses subjects like Islamophobia and discrimination. I really think this book needs to be required reading for every teen, in the hope it might make people act a little different….and a lot better. The racism that is portrayed is at times subtle and at times throw it your face, and the book showed Zayneb navigating both these experiences and trying to fight against it. She was such a powerful character and her strength was very inspiring to read. There was also such a diversity with the way Islam was portrayed, and I loved seeing the different ways characters’ had come to Islam, from Adam’s conversion after his mother’s death, to Zayneb through her heritage.

Reading the author’s note at the end, S.K. Ali writes ‘I often wondered if all this would seem too incredulous to some readers’ and that really made me think – because S.K Ali is probably right. And it’s awful and people suck that they would think this book, one of the most beautiful and realistic love stories I have read, would seem too incredulous and fake. This book is so wonderful. It deals with pain and love is such an open and insightful way. So please, give this book a chance and fall in love with Adam and Zayneb like I did!

Also I am strongly keen to start my own Marvels and Oddities after reading this book!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Top 5 Tuesday: “Main Males”

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is created and run by the amazing Bionic Book Worm. You can join the fun by checking out the topics for the month here.

This week’s topic is “main males” and obviously there are no literary characters who can compete with my ‘lil kitten, Draco. He is my main male, my Best Boy and Top Cat. I mean look at this little fella!

But to books now – and it appears I have a “type” when it comes to my favourite male characters: gentle but fierce (much like my cat).

Laurent – The Captive Prince series, C.S Pascat

“Laurent had delivered all Damen had asked for, tied up neatly in a bow. All within the space of a day. If you put everything else aside, you had to admire it for sheer organisational efficiency. “

I love Laurent (so much more than Damen). Laurent is just so sassy and powerful and sure of himself and so bloody smart, but yet he’s been so hurt and is at times so confused and lost, and I love seeing the two sides of his character. Men can be self assured AND vulnerable and Laurent is just the perfect merge of these two traits. Also I strongly admire his organisational skills. I love me some organisation.

Alucard – Shades of Magic trilogy, V.E Schwab

I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry. But I’m here now, so you can’t die. Don’t you see how rude that would be, when I’ve come so far?

Okay so Alucard isn’t exactly the ‘main’ male of this series (he probably comes in third or fourth….) but that is main enough for me! I have such a thing for pirates. I love all pirates. Just any pirate character. Especially ones with eyeliner, I ROOT FOR YOU. Alucard is just so cool and fierce and he loves Rhys so much, and he loves his family, and he is a pirate. Just give me all the books with pirates.

Alex – Red, White and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston

“The next slide is titled: ‘Exploring your sexuality: Healthy, but does it have to be with the Prince of England?'” She apologizes for not having time to come up with better titles. Alex actively wishes for the sweet release of death.

Alex is the bisexual icon we needed, and yet didn’t deserve. He is so sarcastic and strong and seeing him figure out his sexuality, go for what he wants, and win is just epic. Also Alex gets a second quote because it’s awesome. History will remember the bi.

I am the First Son of the United States, and I’m bisexual. History will remember us.

Dara – The Fever King, Victoria Lee

Oh Jesus. Don’t go all pathetic. I know Dara can’t help it – he just transforms gay boys into these drooling stalkers by existing in proximity, but I don’t want to start puking this early.

No ‘main male’ list could ever not include Dara, soft gentle Dara who is so hurt and broken and just wants a farm with some goats. I know everyone is probably sick of me mentioning this book, but until I get the entire world to read it, I will not stop. When I think of Dara, all I know is PAIN because he fought so hard for Noam and couldn’t tell him things and ohmygoshjustreaditplease.

Patroclus – The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.

This book nearly broke me, what an amazing retelling of the Achilles + Patroclus story. Despite knowing how the story ended before I began, I still fought against it the whole way and was absolutely heartbroken. Patroclus is just such a good soul and cares so much and is so sure of their love, and so he has to be on this list.

So in conclusion it appears I like soft gentle boys with fierce, sassy sides. And pirates.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Title: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin

Publication date: 14 May 2019

Genre: Contemporary| New Adult | Romance

Page count: 423 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him. 

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

*squeals excitedly* THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH FUN. I am so glad we have reached the stage of publishing where excellent quality, well written QUEER AS F**K romantic comedies are being published and performing so well. This book is one of the most fun books I’ve ever read, it is so happy and amazing and whilst it delves into some dark themes, it feels very much like an alternative, better version of the world we currently live in.

I say that, because this book is set in a slightly alternate timeline, where a female president is elected in the 2016 US elections. Instead of the hate and vitriol that won, a socially progressive woman with mixed race kids won the election. It’s now 2020, and she is up for relection. The Republicans are of course out in force trying to stop her.

In the midst of this complicated and turbulent time, Alex, the President’s son, accidentally causes a major international incident with the UK, when he and Henry the Prince of Wales destroy a wedding cake at a Royal wedding. The two have never gotten along, and in a fit of drunken behaviour, a $75,000 wedding cake was destroyed, making front pages around the globe. To try and fix things, Alex and Henry are forced to spend time together, acting as best mates who just got a little out of hand at the wedding. Thus ensues the getting to know each other, constant text messaging and slowly falling in love.

Oh my gosh this book is just absolutely perfect. PERFECT. Joy just resonates throughout this book, it’s funny and happy and so lovely to watch as Alex and Henry fall for each other. They are both so cute and perfect for each other. Both are determined to change the world, but that’s about where the similarities end! Alex is loud where Henry is quiet; Alex is an open book, where Henry is more closed, forced to hide behind the facade of royal protocol.

The romance was so well-developed and realistic and every moment felt magical, it wasn’t rushed at all. The book is told entirely from Alex’s POV and so we see him slowly falling for Henry, realising he’s not actually as straight as he thought, and then coming to terms that he really does want to date a member of the royal family. Quite simply, Alex is the bisexual icon we all needed. All the sexy scenes were so much fun as well – I LOVED seeing the fun they had during sex. I feel like sex scenes in books are so rarely actually…fun?! It’s all steamy and hot and serious, but these two laughed and joked and just had fun together which is so different and AMAZING to see.

Despite being a romantic comedy, Red White & Royal Blue does delve into some important themes, looking at political ethics, immigration, hate speech, and homophobia. Despite this, the book is not heavy at all, it is a light and joyous story that I just wish the world could be. All in all, this is an absolutely stand-out debut, it is FUN FUN FUN and so happy and I smiled the entire way through.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Top 5 Tuesday: All time favourites!

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday was created by the epic Bionic Book Worm. You can join the fun by checking out the topics for the month here.

This week, the topic is a big one – all time favourites. And because that is so impossibly difficult to decide, Bionic Book Worm made this topic a Top 10! I struggled even narrowing it down to just 10, and I did cheat slightly by counting several series as individual items. I also feel like my all time favourites list changes all the time, but for now, here’s my Top 10!

The Fever King – Victoria Lee

Yes I’m mentioning it again. It’s my favourie book right now, I absolutely love it, it’s so fantastic, the characters are amazing, there is so much pain, everyone should read. I have written a full review for this book here.

I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver

This is a book I read very very recently, it was the first book on my TBR for Pride month and I read it in one sitting because it was just so good. It tells the story of Ben a non-binary teen who is kicked out of their home after coming out to their parents. It’s a heartbreaking but uplifting story about a teen trying to come to terms with who they are. I posted my full review of the book yesterday, and you can check it out here.

The Poppy War – R.F Kuang

Everyone excited for The Dragon Republic?!?! YES YES YES. The Poppy War is definitely one of my all time favourite fantasies, it was so engaging and action-packed and I couldn’t stop reading. It felt like such a unique concept, set in an incredible world, and as much as it always hurts, I love books where any character might just die, including those you don’t expect. I can’t wait to to read the continuation of this series.

The Broken Earth series – N.K Jemisin

I absolutely adore this series, just a brilliant trilogy with some amazing characters. I’m really due a re-read of these books. I love how all of the different POVs tie together at the end of the first book, I love the magic system, I love Alabastor and Essun and it’s just so so brilliantly different to any other fantasy series.

The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller

I read this book last year, and I was just heartbroken the whole through. I prefer this book to Circe, I think possibly because it did break my heart so much, but it’s such a beautiful love story and a wonderful take on the the greek myth of Achilles and Patroclus.

Harry Potter – J.K Rowling

My all-time favourites will never be without Harry Potter. Whilst I have a lot of issues with J.K herself, particularly her need to constantly pretend she’s inserted diversity into a book without actually ever writing it, these books were such a big part of my childhood. I grew up with Harry and co, I got a HP tattoo, I read fanfic for absolute years, my cat’s called Draco…etc. The books had such a profound effect on so many of my generation and I will always love revisiting the world. If I had to choose, I’d probably say Half-Blood Prince is my favourite, given Draco and Severus are my two favourite characters and I feel like that book really develops both of them.

The Rain Wild Chronicles series – Robin Hobb

Another series, this time from the wonderful Robin Hobb! I seem to be in the minority in my Robin Hobb appreciation, in that I much prefer all the books without Fitz, whilst most folk I’ve spoken to prefer the Fitz books. The Rain Wild Chronicles (the ones with the dragons + keepers) is my favourite series though, I just found the Dragons themselves so so interesting, and I loved all the characters, particularly Alise, Leftrin and Sedric.

Love from A to Z – S.K Ali

This is another very recent read which has jumped onto my all time favourites (full review still to come!) It’s a contemporary YA romance, which is a genre I’ve only recently started reading in, and this book was just one of the best, most beautiful and romantic romances I’ve ever read. It’s a story between two Muslim teens who keep crossing paths and we just get to watch as they slowly fall in love and it is incredible!

Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie

Mysteries aren’t really something I read much of currently, and that’s mainly because I find none ever live up to the standard that was Agatha Christie. My mum was a big fan of hers, so growing up I had shelves and shelves of her books I could read. Poirot is my favourite, and of the Poirot books I always really enjoyed Death on the Nile the most. I just love the way her books are structured, with Poirot finding clues, interviewing the suspects and then deducing the crime. It’s always a challenge to see if you can guess the villain before Poirot does, and I just can’t find anything like this nowadays! (I feel so old saying that…)

Shades of Magic series by V.E Schwab

Last on this list is another fantasy series. V.E Schwab created the wonderful Shades of Magic series, which follows Kell and Lila, Rhy and Alucard as they fight a dark and ancient powerful magic. I read all three of this series in about a day and a half over Christmas last year. They are so engaging and exciting, and the villain is one of my absolute favourites ever. Bonus content: pirates and marvellous coats.

I have so many others that could’ve been on this list, particularly some of my recent reads. Let me know if any of these books are on your all time favourites list!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Rach @ Anxious Nachos3 Comments

Title: I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Publisher: Push

Publication date: 14 May 2019

Genre: Contemporary| Young adult

Page count: 336 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.

But Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan’s friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

This book is an absolutely stunning story about a nonbinary teen who comes out to their parents and is kicked out of home. It is at times beautiful but heartbreaking, distressing and uplifting.

Ben De Backer is nonbinary, and they want to stop hiding. So they decide to come out to their parents, over the Christmas break. But, despite their hope, they are kicked out of home immediately, into the cold winter night with no shoes or phone. Ben calls their estranged sister Hannah, who finds them and picks them up.

Hannah takes Ben in, enrolling Ben in a new school where they meet Nathan, an outgoing boy who befriends Ben on their first day. I Wish You All the Best tells the story of Ben as they try to come to terms with their identity all whilst falling in love.

This is the first book I’ve really struggled to write a review for, because I just don’t know what to say other than IT IS BEAUTIFUL. The writing is phenomenal, I felt everything Ben was feeling throughout the story. I got so anxious in the first few pages as Ben tried to come out to their parents, I knew what was going to happen (as it’s in the blurb) but my entire being was just fighting against the invetiability so much because it is just so awful and I just can’t understand why anyone would ever do that to someone. But it happens, and my anxiety calmed as Ben’s did, as their sister accepts them and they begin to find their footing.

I watched in delight as their friendship with Nathan developed, as their feelings grew, and as their anxiety and depression was diagnosed and supported. I didn’t want the book to the end, it is both so heartrenching and yet uplifting and I felt all the feels I can’t quite describe.

Just read the book, is all I have to say. It’ll change your life.

Also how f**king STUNNING is that cover?!?! It has pride of place on my favourites shelf because it is beautiful.

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Rach @ Anxious Nachos1 Comment

Title: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication date: 14 May 2019

Genre: Fantasy| Young adult

Page count: 480 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

We Hunt the Flame is a visually stunning, excellent debut inspired by ancient Arabia, with a fun and interesting cast of characters to follow. Whilst a little slow to start, the story really picks up midway through for a action packed finish!

We Hunt the Flame tells the story of two main characters. Zafira, a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to hunt food for her people in the mysterious, magical death-trap that is the forest of Arz. Nasir, trained assassin and son of the King, is the Prince of Death sent to kill her.

Zafira is persuasded to embark on a quest to find a lost book which would be able to restore magic to the land of Arawiya. Without magic, the terrifying Arz is slowly taking over the entire land, killing anyone who enters. Nasir is sent by the King to follow Zafira as she hunts the item, and then steal it, taking its power for himself.

Things, of course, do not go to plan, and Zafira and Nasir are brought together by a cast of excellent characters in a zumra – a gang – to try hunt for the item together. The characters are what really shines in this book, they are all so distinct and well-written, you really get a sense of who everyone is. There is Altair, Nasir’s companion and General, who accompanies Nasir on their hunt. He is larger than life, loud and boistorous, loves being the centre of attention – but hides a secret. Benyamin is a safi, an immortal creature from the advanced land of Alderamin, one of the five provinces of Ariwaya. Benyamin is knowledgeable and wise but has been forced to pay terrible prices for magic. Kifah is from Pelusia, the province known for its engineering and technology. She’s strong and fierce and won’t back down without a fight.

Of these characters, Altair is my favourite. He is so lively and really lightens the book in places. He is such a warm character, and is the first character Zafira really warms too. I do also love both Zafira and Nasir, the two MCs. We switch between both their POVs throughout the book, and I enjoyed them both. Nasir is dark, but scared and hurt and broken, he tries to be fearless but as the story continues and his character is more deeply revealed, we see the real Nasir, the one who doesn’t want to kill Zafira and steal the book, who doesn’t want to be an assassin but who doesn’t know how to disobey his father. Zafira on the other hand is strong and determined and wants to be out there, exploring and adventuring. She’s got a vendetta to destroy the Arz, after it destroyed her father, and she won’t let anything stop her, let alone the Prince of Death.

The first half of the book is fairly slow. The description is nuanced and detailed and it takes some time to read and understand the setting and world. I felt the story really picked up once the cast reached the island, but especially when the zumra came together. There were parts I did feel needed a little more explanation, or I struggled to understand what had happened, but there weren’t many of those.

The creeping darkness of the magic was excellent, and I loved how insidious it was by the end, with twist after twist revealing how far the darkness had spread.

I also really enjoyed the romance, it was so well developed, slow burn which I love, and I just think the relationship between the two was EXCELLENT. I loved all their interactions, the way Nasir’s hurt was slowly revealed and how it changed them, so great!

All in all this is a really fantastic debut, with excellent magic, romance, but most importantly, a fantastic, distinct, and fun cast of characters who are really the star in We Hunt the Flame!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Book review: Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan

Rach @ Anxious Nachos2 Comments

Title: Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: 2 April 2019

Genre: Fantasy | Young adult

Page count: 385 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. 

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

Wicked Saints has some of my absolute favourite elements to see in a fantasy novel: gods who can speak, religion, blood magic, anxious boys, and strong female leads! So it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed this book. Whilst it did take a little bit for the action to kick off, I couldn’t put the book down once I reached the halfway point – and the ending.

*dies*

Wicked Saints tell the story of Nadya, Malachiasz, and Serefin, three young adults who can wield magic. We open on Nadya, the last of the clerics in the country of Kalyazi. Nadya can commune with the gods, and in exchange for her worship and obedience, they grant her magic. As the last of the clerics, she is the key to winning the war against the heretical nation of Tranavia, whom Kalyazi has been at war with for centuries.

Serefin is the High Prince of Tranavia. He leads the assault on the monastery where Nadya is based, and when she escapes, attempts to follow her to kill her. But, an uneasy letter from his father sends him returning to the capital of Tranavia, where he is forced to investigate a threat to his own life.

Malachiasz is a monster. He’s a powerful blood mage, a heretic from Tranavia, who wants to assassinate the Tranavian King. When Nadya runs into him in her escape, she is forced to work with him to try and end the war once and for all. And at the same time, bring the gods back to the land of Tranavia.

“We’re all monsters, Nadya, some of us just hide it better than others.”

The book opens excellently, and we are immediately thrown into a world with religion and gods and magic, and I absolutely loved hearing the voices of each of the gods speak to Nadya. They each have very distinct personalities. I especially liked the extracts from the Book of Saints, which open each chapter, and give further insight into the personalities of the different Gods. As much as I loved the opening, the book did slow after the first 50 pages, as the plan and plotting were set up for the second half of the book. Once Serefin and Nadya cross paths for the second time, the story definitely picks up though.

This is a book where the secondary characters really shine – I really enjoyed all the scenes with both Serefin’s friends, Kacper and Ostyia, as well as Nadya’s companions, Anna, Parijahan, and Rashid. In addition, I found Żaneta a very intriguing character, and enjoyed seeing her desires play out across the story. Nadya is an extremely strong lead, her struggles between power and obedience are really well written and I could really see who she was and why she doing what she was. I felt the same way with Serefin – I loved seeing the other side of him. When the book begins, with Nadya’s POV, we expect to see Serefin as an absolute monster, and yet during his POV sections, we discover he is much more nuanced and things aren’t quite as black and white as expected.

The only character I struggled with was Malachiasz, which really surprised me as anxious boys who think they’re monsters is really my kind of thing. Unfortunately, I really struggled with his characterisation in the first half of the book, it just wasn’t quite in depth enough. However, much like the action, I found him much improved in the second half of the book, and I loved the play out of the ‘is he a monster, is he not’ in the latter half.

The highlight of this book for me was the magic – I am an absolute sucker for both blood magic and god magic, and this book had both in absolute droves! The blood magic was particularly interesting, as blood mages have to write spells on paper and use blood to then activate them. I also enjoyed the creatures called the Vultures – Tranavians who have succumbed to the thrall of blood magic too much and become more than human. They were very creepy and evil and so so good.

This book was a really great read, and the ending was such a shock that I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel! If you like blood magic and gods and excellent characters, give this one a try!

Paws out,
Rach + Draco

Top 5 Tuesday: Debut novels

Rach @ Anxious Nachos3 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday was created by the epic Bionic Book Worm. You can join the fun by checking out the topics for the month here.

This week, there is one title on this list that I haven’t quite read yet, but I am so looking forward to, and, since its pride month, I really wanted to have it on my list for this week!

My top 5 debut novels
I Wish You All the Best – Mason Deaver

I just finished this book at the weekend, and OMG it is incredible! It’s a book about a nonbinary teen who comes out to their parents and is kicked out as a result. They go to live with their sister, and try to come to terms with their identity all whilst falling in love. It is beautifully written, so emotional and one of the best debuts I’ve read!

The Fever King – Victoria Lee

No one is surprised to see this here, yes it’s the fourth time I’ve mentioned this book on this blog since I started mid-May, but it’s an absolutely amazing debut from Victoria Lee! It tells the story of Noam, Dara and Ames, three teens who have survived a virus which gives them magic, in a dystopian USA. A lot of heavy issues are discussed, but it’s absolutely fantastic with an incredible romance and twists that break your heart.

Do you Dream of Terra-Two? – Temi Oh

I was never really a huge sci-fi reader until this year, but I’ve read so many great ones, of which Do You Dream of Terra-Two? is one! Temi Oh has written a very character-driven sci-fi examining what would happen if a group of teens were trained for a mission to journey to a newly discovered planet. This book focuses very much on characters, relationships and emotions, which I think is probably why I love it so much!

We Hunt the Flame – Hafsah Faizal

I just finished this book last week and it was a really strong fantasy debut from Hasfah Faizal, inspired by ancient Arabia. I haven’t written up a review for this one yet, but a sneak peak: the cast of characters are so well devleoped and distinct, the romance a fierce slow-burn and the setting absolutely magical.

The Wicker King – K. Ancrum

I haven’t read this book yet, but I am eagerly awaiting its arrival so I can read during pride. But this book excites me so much I needed to put it on this list! K.Ancrum’s debut deals with mental illness in a contemporary fantasy style way. I absolutely love fantasy books that deal with mental illness so very excited to read this debut!

That’s my list for this week – let me know if you’ve read any of these!

Paws out,

Rach + Draco