Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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“I did not come here only to dance. I came here only to dance with you. It is quite a different thing.”

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

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This book is marketed as Howl’s Moving Castle meets Bridgerton. I suspect anything by a slightly less known author writing in the Regency era is now sold as X meets Bridgerton. Before the Netflix success of Julia Quinn’s novels, I’m guessing it would be X meets Jane Austen. Obviously, just because it’s set in the Regency era, it isn’t necessarily anything at all like Bridgerton, and that’s absolutely fine, and might, in fact, make more people interested in it. I do see the Howl’s Moving […]

A promising start to a fun fantasy series

Daindreth's Assassin by Elisabeth Wheatley

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Amira was once a princess, but after her mother’s clan of sorceresses were branded as traitors and banished, she was removed from the line of succession and now, thanks to a curse that forces her to obey her father’s every command, she works for him as an assassin. Amira’s sister is betrothed to the archduke, the next emperor, who is on his way to finalise the marriage agreement. Despite knowing that what she has to do amounts to high treason, Amira has no choice when […]

A truly international and diverse magical school

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

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CBR15 Bingo: Edibles – Dhonielle Clayton ramped up the concept of magical food to an almost absurd level, many sound down right hard to eat. Things like Jamaican patties that sing reggae when you cut them open and hummingbird cakes that fly around are two that stick out in my memory. A few years ago I discovered Clayton through her YA Belles duology, The Belles and The Everlasting Rose, which I thought were both 4 star reads. The Marvellers came to my attention due to the […]

Revisiting the Shades of Magic world with a captivating new story that also brought back fan favorites

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

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CBR15 Bingo: Sex – V.E. Schwab does not include sex scenes in any of her books.  They tend to be more ‘fade to black’ moments.  However, I wish this book had more than just suggested sexy times! Several years ago when Schwab finished the original “Shades of Magic” trilogy, she left a door open to potentially revisit the series in the future.  Apparently inspiration struck and we now have The Fragile Threads of Power to build upon the first trilogy.  First off let me say that […]

“So this is merely romance,” she frowned disapprovingly. “I was hoping for an epic adventure, or a gothic mystery at the very least.” Ned laughed. “Darling, don’t worry, the story has just begun.”

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

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Official book description, because I finished this book two months ago, and the plot is rather convoluted: Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up. Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is […]

Witchy ways

Witch Poems by Daisy Wallace

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If this book has not at least been challenged at least once, I would be amazed. Witch Poems edited by Daisy Wallace includes some fantastic poems. However, while this is a great collection of poetry about witches and spooky fun (and not so much fun), it can be dated with language and imagery. Trina Schart Hyman had a style that when you saw it, you knew it was them. They had diverse characters before diverseness was prominent in children’s books. Yet, there are some stereotypes […]



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