June is heating up and summer feels firmly on the way! This month I read some highly anticipated reads that I was very lucky to receive early ARC copies. I read a variety of books from a cosy witchy read, returned back to the charming town of Dream Harbour on a treasure seeking adventure in Laurie Gilmore’s next romance and ventured to 1704 Venice to bask in the culture and music. Once again, thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for ARCs in exchange for an honest review.
June reads
Rewitched follows witch Belladonna Blackthorn through her toxic job, turning 30 and discovering her magic might be taken away from her if she doesn’t complete trials to show the coven that she is worthy of her magic.
The world building and attention to detail in Rewitched is excellent and really tries to capture the essence of October and that magic. But it did feel that scenes were over described almost like I was reading in slow motion resulting in not much time passing between the initial conflict of Belle at her trial. That being said the author is definitely a skilled writer and conjures up detailed scenes, settings and a diverse and colourful array of characters that immerse the reader into this world. I would say that despite the references to London like the tube or Highgate cemetery, I didn’t get an idea of where Lunar Books was situated in London.
I enjoyed the way the author dealt with sensitive topics such as body image and using her magic to make her fit in and be confident within society. This is done very well and goes in hand with the over arching and clever metaphor for burn out within a job through losing your spark and magic that makes up someone’s essence. The pace was my biggest negative, nothing really happens until 70% in terms of action and conflict. The tasks were repetitive and could have caused more havoc in Belle’s life such as public displays of magic at her work.
The power of love, friendship and self belief is very important and is at the forefront on the book and draws everything together. Belle did come across as a character much younger than thirty and naive to point of slightly annoying, but the author clearly captures her anxiety and lacking self – confidence through her personality that is counter balanced by her mentor, family and friends who bolster and encourage Belle to succeed and find inner strength. This dynamic was well written and provided comfort to Belle and her struggles. Belle is determined not to be defined by her past mistakes and takes control of her magic and her life for her to choose what she does and not be held accountable by others.
The love interest of Rune missed an element of emotion or learning about his character aside from him being old and devoting himself to magic and the coven, he isn’t given much of a personality aside from a brooding hero. Also, the villain wasn’t supported as much by the plot and felt disjointed, I think this would have benefitted from some foreshadowing or something to alert the reader to hidden meanings to create a greater impact and threat.
Overall, one of the best witchy books I’ve read that focuses on world building and the history of the coven with interesting characters. A must read to get into the halloween spirit and a cosy read.
The second instalment takes readers back to the beloved town of Dream Harbour and follows bookseller Hazel and fisherman Noah in this treasure seeking adventure – but what these two don’t know is the treasure they’re seeking doesn’t always come in a glittering gold treasure chest. Hazel is soon to turn 30 and she is stuck, but when a mystery book defacer sprinkles a trail of breadcrumbs she enlists the help of Noah to discover the clues.
This is an unputdownable book that I devoured within days. The pacing and plot is perfect with the right amount of spice – although it may not be everyone’s taste. This book has all the elements that the author got so right in the first book and continued to develop this town of interesting personalities. Both Hazel and Noah grow as characters and help each other to find their way in life. Laurie Gilmore creates enough mystery to hook readers and then swoops them off their feet with a cute romance between Hazel and Noah. Dream Harbour is not short of a vibrant and hilarious cast of characters to help breathe life into the already charming town. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’d love to be a fly on the wall in those book club meetings! I liked the inclusion of Jeanie and Logan from the first book and how they interact with Noah and Hazel. Overall this is a charming, cute and easy to read romance.
Read my review of book one – The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and my full review of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store.
The Instrumentalist is a historical fiction that details the life of Anna Maria della Pietà, an orphan who rose to musical success in Venice set in 1704 and was driven by ambition.
I think the concept and historical setting is very unique and many readers will enjoy this story of an orphan’s journey to musical success that charts Anna Maria’s life from a baby to first picking up the violin to eventual success. She is portrayed as ruthlessly dedicated to her violin and often seen losing the ones around her due to her ambitions. The historical context of Venice and the what life was like for orphans is written in detail and is emphasised through Anna Maria’s friends like Paulina. The author attempts to portray the sexism towards women, especially in the music industry through Anna Maria and her determination to break down barrier that obviously many girls or women in the same position weren’t able to. Considering this is based on a real historical figure, I didn’t feel that they were well presented or their story communicated in a way that celebrated an individual that really made great strides in a male dominated period of time. I think some of the characterisation leans towards fictitious re-imagining rather than an attempt to raise the awareness of this figure.
That being said, I really struggled with the writing style that was often jarring and disjointed that made reading difficult. The characters aren’t written in a way that I could connect with early on and I found Anna Maria unlikeable, which I think is the point. This book would definitely appeal to fans of musical history that captures the context and realities of life at the time.
Final thoughts
As ever June has been an exciting month of books from magic to Venice to a sizzling romance. One common theme this month was turning 30 and the dread of what is next and whether these characters have achieved enough in their 20s. These authors have captured the balance between finding oneself and also feeling not good enough or stuck in a life they’ve worked so hard to create. Usually, these characters need a spark to help reinvigorate their view on life and this is seen with Belle and her magic being used as a metaphor for burn out. She is driven to discover herself again and not be defined by her past or her mistakes, as well as Hazel who needed someone to push her out of her comfort zone into more adventurous shores. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the eclectic mic of rediscovering passion whether that be through music and ambition, inner magic and spark or a hunger for a little risk and adventure.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently writing and editing her debut fantasy novel that she hopes to pitch to literary agents and publishers shortly – it is a mix of Pirates of the Caribbean – meets – The Mummy – meets – Bridgerton. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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