Poisoned - Jennifer Donnelly

   

 

 

Welcome to my stop on the Poisoned Blog Tour run by Kaleidoscopic Tours, I am so excited to be part of it. The book was released just yesterday so it’s available for you to buy right now!

 

Book Summary

 

Beautiful Sophie, with lips as red as blood, skin as pale as snow, and hair as dark as night, is about to come of age and inherit her father's throne. But Sophie's stepmother wants rid of her - beautiful she may be, but too weak and foolish to reign. And Sophie believes her, as she believes all the things that have been said about her - all the poisonous words people use to keep girls like her from becoming too powerful, too strong.

 

When the huntsman carries out his orders of killing Sophie, she finds a fire burning inside her that will not be extinguished, and sets off to reclaim what was taken from her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prologue was thrilling and really captured me, I couldn't wait to read more. Who is this mystery villain the huntsman is describing? As much as the Stepmother seems evil, I could almost understand why she had to become the hard woman she is. She knew she wouldn’t have survived in her world otherwise. As to her relationship with Sophie, she actually seems to believe it is necessary to toughen her up in order for her to cope when she becomes queen.

 

I really enjoyed Stepsister so I was very excited to find that Jennifer Donnelly had written a second retelling. However, as much as I wanted to love this book, I just didn’t enjoy the story as much as the first. Some parts, particularly the romance, were fairly predictable and it started to get a little ridiculous how many times the princess could be tricked and killed! I did really enjoy the occasional points of view of the Queen and other characters which gave intriguing insights into these others’ motivations. The moral of the story comes across a little saccharine, but ultimately it is uplifting.

 

 

Snow White Daiquiri

Shake the following with ice, then strain back into the shaker and shake again without ice (dry shake): 2 shots rum, ¼ sugar syrup, ½ shot each of pineapple juice, lime juice and egg white.

 

 

Make sure to check out all the other wonderful blogs on the tour too:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 20 Questions Book Tag

I just had to steal this great book tag idea from The Confessions Of A Music And Book Addict as it looked like so much fun!

1. How many books are too many books in a series?

For a beloved series, there are never enough, but when I'm feeling meh about a book it annoys me if it will take too long to get to the finale. I think the longest one I've read is the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong and I enjoyed every page of it 💖

2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?

A great way to keep people reading but I wish they didn't apply to me!

3. Hardback or Paperback?

Paperback always, so much easier to read. But I like a beautiful hardback if I'm buying something I've already read and loved, just to have it on my bookshelf.

4. Favourite Book?

I have so many but there are three in particular that always stick in my mind. Flawed by Cecilia Ahern, Gilded Cage by Vic James and After the Fire by Will Hill. I just can't recommend these enough!!!

5. Least favourite book?

I don't really know... actually I do. A Tale of Two Cities was probably the most boring book I have ever read. I had to force myself to read a couple of pages a day just to get through it. I think that's the last time I will ever force myself to read something I enjoy so little.

6. Love triangles, yes or no?

Please NO!

7. The most recent book you just couldn’t finish?

I have very few of these as I really don't like leaving a book unfinished but I did have to learn eventually (see Q5). Look Up sounded like it would be really interesting as I love astronomy but I just couldn't get through the whole thing.

8. A book you’re currently reading?

Unusually for me I'm actually reading multiple books but my main one right now is Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly.

9. Last book you recommended to someone?

The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman and The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar. Both to my sister on the same day and she still has them so I can't take a photo 😞

10. Oldest book you’ve read?

No idea, probably A Tale of Two Cities but there might have been older books I read when I was younger that I've forgotten.

11. Newest book you’ve read?

Escape From Aurora by Jamie Littler just came out on October 1st!

12. Favourite author?

I CAN'T CHOOSE, DON'T MAKE ME!!!

13. Buying books or borrowing books?

Both! I love books so much I even buy copies of ebooks I've had for free if I really enjoyed them. And borrowing is good too as I can't possibly buy all the books I want. I adore visiting libraries.

14. A book you dislike that everyone else seems to love?

I think there are quite a few though none come to mind right now.

15. Bookmarks or dog-ears?

Bookmarks, please!

16. A book you can always reread?

All the Harry Potter series, though I don't really have much time for re-reads any more.

17. Can you read while listening to music?

Depends on the music and volume. If it's quiet I can, as long as I don't forget my book and just end up singing along.

18. One POV or multiple POVs?

I never really thought about this before but I do like to get more than one person's view of things. It can be a lot more illuminating, but also confusing if there are too many or it's not done really well.

19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

I would love to have time to finish a book in a day but it only ever happens on days off with an extremely short book.

20. Who do you tag?

@ReadtoRamble

@theartsyreader

@lilikmarcus

@_tirilu

@AmysBookishLife

 Middle Grade Marvels Book Club

As you probably know from some of my previous posts, I'm part of the Middle Grade Marvels book club. It's hosted by @HollyRawlins2, @theartsyreader1 and @ReadtoRamble and anyone is welcome to join. It's been going for a few months and while I had already read and reviewed some of the books chosen so far, I thought I'd share the reviews of just some of the newer (to me) books we've been reading. If you're interested, have a look at @GradeMarvels for more details, we'd love to have you!

The Jumbies - Tracey Baptiste

Corinne is very protective of her father and her Caribbean home and she's not afraid of anything. She's always believed her father when he said the Jumbies were just made up to scare children but when the myth comes to life she and her friends are the only ones who can save the island.

This is a very creepy book so take notice of the warning given, you don't want to read this at night! Although, maybe the monsters aren't always who you think they are and maybe sometimes everyone is just trying to survive.

I'm already on the lookout for books 2 and 3 of the trilogy.

Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows - J.M. Bergen

Thomas has been searching for magic ever since his Dad told him it was real, just before he disappeared forever. Most people have laughed at him but when he comes across a mysterious old bookshop he is finally in luck. The owner not only has just what he's been looking for, but he's been waiting for Thomas for a long time.

I liked the sound of the magical bookshop, especially when the sliding bookshelf ladder was mentioned! And the connection between physics and magic was great. It was a bit slow at first, particularly the chapters of the magic book which I found quite tedious and difficult to read. However it got more interesting after that and there were twists I didn't expect.

I have to say that my favourite so far has been Small Spaces, I easily could have read it in one day if I didn't stop myself and try to keep to the schedule. I had to read the sequel too and I'm very happy that there are more books to come!

Small Spaces - Katherine Arden

Ollie is sneaking away for a bit of quiet reading time at her favourite secret spot by the river, dreaming of the adventures in books and wishing she could have some of her own. But when she gets there she finds a woman crying and preparing to throw a book into the water. There's no way Ollie is going to allow that to happen so she grabs the book and escapes with it. Reading the book sparks off an adventure of her own with 2 unexpected new friends. They have to deal with creepy scarecrows, ghosts and the mysterious smiling man. The only warning Ollie keeps hearing is to keep to small spaces. She doesn't really understand it at first but when they get chased she realises the only way to stay safe is find somewhere small their pursuers can't follow.

This book was just so creepy! I actually didn't want to read it at night. Ollie is a great character, super-smart and very caring though she tries not to show it. I just love her cynicism. Even though we only get short sections of the stolen book, the story is written so well and I really enjoyed that story within a story. I almost immediately went on to the second book, Dead Voices and it was gripping as the first.

We're currently in the middle of Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger. I'm really enjoying it and it is giving us plenty to talk about! It's part of an 8 book series (that I know of so far) so I'm sure there will be lots more to find out even after finishing this book.

What do you think of our club? Let me know which middle-grade books you would choose to read and any recommendations you have!

While you're trying to decide which of these books to read next, make yourself a Marvel cocktail. Put the following into a shaker: 1 & 1/2 shots orange rum, 1/3 shot grenadine, 1/3 shot lemon juice. Shake with lots of ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

 The Strangeworlds Travel Agency - L.D. Lapinski 

Flick's family move from a big city into a tiny village "In Little Wyverns, a shed had once fallen down in a night of strong winds. People were still talking about it." While exploring she stumbles into the most run down shop, the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, and here her life and her view of the world changes forever. This is a Travel Agency, but with a huge difference, not only do you travel by suitcase but you can go to completely different worlds! It seems Flick has arrived just in time, Jonathan has been holding up the Society on his own and strange things have been happening for some time. With Flick's help, maybe they can save the Strangeworlds Society.

I really loved the expressive language. The description of going through the suitcase, stepping down and up at the same time, into and out of, I imagine it really captures the feelings they get as they travel. And I could completely feel Flick's wanting and yearning for exploration and for being part of something magical. The characters are wonderful, Flick and I have lots in common, loving numbers and being mathematically minded, while Jonathan has to be the oldest 18 year old I've ever heard of! 

"He made a pot of tea and brought it out on a tray with some cups and an actual milk jug, like he was someone's grandma."

The whole book really is full of magic. Imagine being able to instantly travel to another place, that bouncy world is definitely one that's going on my fictional bucket list. I loved the cover too, it definitely gives a good flavour of what's to come.

After an exciting adventure, make Jonathan a pot of Mexican Tea, it will calm both your nerves much quicker than Earl Grey! In a glass, pour a shot of tequila, 1/2 shot of sugar syrup and top with hot breakfast tea. Stir and garnish with a slice of lime.

 The Beast and the Bethany - Jack Meggitt-Phillips

Imagine if you could live forever, in a huge house as wide as 12 elephants. And you could eat whatever food you wanted and have all the expensive art and anything else you heart desired. All you have to do is feed the beast whatever he wants. Easy enough when you have limitless wealth. Even the Beast's latest request, a child, doesn't actually bother Ebenezer that much. He doesn't particularly like children and anyway, one little child isn't as important as himself, is it?

The Beast is a huge, smelly, slimy thing with two tongues, Ebenezer Tweezer is an evil little man who cares for absolutely no one but himself. But probably the worst monster of all is Bethany. The naughtiest, rudest, meanest of them all! Ebeneezer picks Bethany as the Beast's next meal but unfortunately for him, things don't go smoothly at all. It's hard to say much without being spoilery, but over time Ebenezer and Bethany start an uneasy relationship. Grudgingly, they both find that they don't want to be quite as horrible to each other any more. The problem is how can they both survive the Beast?

This was so much fun to read, with just a touch of the ridiculous in the way of Alice in Wonderland. Apparently you only get 10 worms for a backpack, a flip-flop, a ruler and a half eaten biscuit. Not that you have much choice when the frog market is only open on Wednesdays. The characters are all well thought out, even the side cast who only get a few paragraphs. The illustrations are wonderful, really adding to the story. I really loved my ARC copy too, which was unfortunately delivered with a few bites taken out of it. Luckily I don't think the Beast ate too much of it so I still got the gist of the story. Thanks anyway to Egmont Books and The Write Reads for letting me take part in the blog tour 😂

In case the Beast ever comes knocking on your door, it's best to have something new and tasty to give him. Try making a Bethany & the Beast cocktail. In a shaker with lots of ice, shake up 1.5 shots gin, 1 shot apple juice, 1 shot lime juice and 1/2 shot rosemary syrup. Strain into a glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary. Make it a triple for the Beast and maybe he'll fall asleep before eating you!