Some amazing reads I’ve read lately both totally different but brilliant in their own way.
Shadowblack (Spellslinger #2)
by Sebastien de Castell
It’s a few months since Kellen left his people behind. Now aged sixteen, Kellen is an outlaw, relying on his wits to keep him alive in the land of the Seven Sands. He misses home, he misses family and more than anything, he misses Nephenia, the girl he left behind.
Then he meets Seneira, a blindfolded girl who isn’t blind, and who carries a secret that’s all too familiar to Kellen. Kellen and Ferius resolve to help – but the stakes are far higher than they realise. A Shadowblack plague is taking hold – and Kellen can’t help but suspect his own people may even be behind it.
Shadowblack takes you on a self-discovery journey for Kellen. This is the book that you really find out who Kellen is, not hiding behind his family or the so-called powers he’s meant to have. He now finds himself at a crossroads, and in this book he finds out what path he needs to take to finally take hold of his powers and smarts he has to become the man he is. He may not be Argosi, he may not be a Jan’Tep… he might be something far more than that.
So after reading and absolutely loving Spellslinger, I really couldn’t wait to head straight into the second. This series is so fun and escapable that there is something so refreshing and magical that it’s addictive. Plus I have a secret crush for a squirrel cat. 😂 I do feel that the squirrel cat is becoming quite famous because of this series, and it seems to be getting to his head especially with a bath and butter biscuit scene. Hilarious and slightly cringe. Nobody brings this level of humour into a fantasy like Sebastien de Castell.
I feel this series is totally underrated and I love discovering these ones. They are like the hidden gems of the bookish world. This book has balls, guts, magic and tricks. What’s not to love about this series.
Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bookshop Girl
by Chloe Coles
Bennett’s Bookshop has always been a haven for sixteen-year-old Paige Turner. It’s a place where she can escape from her sleepy hometown, hang out with her best friend, Holly, and also earn some money.
But, like so many bookshops, Bennett’s has become a ‘casualty of the high street’ – it’s strapped for cash and going to be torn down. Paige is determined to save it but mobilising a small town like Greysworth is no mean feat.
Time is ticking – but that’s not the only problem Paige has. How is she going to fend off the attractions of beautiful fellow artist, Blaine? And, more importantly, will his anarchist ways make or break her bookshop campaign?
So this book is the ultimate book for any book lover, reader or bookshop fanatic of the quaint variety. I found this book to really pull on my emotional attachment to books and how shops on the high streets are slowly becoming non-existent. Seeing a bookshop that brings such happiness to people to be slowly then away because they care more about profits than people is honestly horrible.
But then there is Paige Turner, a bubbly, passionate human being who wants to stop and shout to heavens that books and bookshops are here to stay. You don’t realise how much a bookshop helps people not just find stories and acts but also people to talk too. A bookshops opens you up to the universe and it’s cruel to shut something like that down. Paige believes and it won’t take stubborn business people or hottie’s like Blaine to stop here.
A cute, passionate read is a book after every book lovers heart. It’s Quirky & Fun! It’s standing up for what you believe in, and BOOKS! It’s just perfect!
Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
