"Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be."
@lovelyowlsbooks
Welcome to my blog! I'm Zulfa, I'm a ownvoices blogger from England and this is where I share my love of books. On here you'll find book reviews, bloposts, giveaways and more. Thanks for visiting my little corner on the internet! [email protected]
I just saw your marked fourth wing as avoid and wondered if you felt comfortable saying why?
Hi,
I'm happy to disclose why. Aside from being subpar writing and plot wise, the author has a neutral stance regarding the inhumane bombardment and gen0c!de of innocent palest!nian civillians. The death toll is mounting and we cannot afford to be neutral in the face of this.
She is also pro military and has used Afghanistan as a backdrop for her bizarre military romance with an MMC that has a white saviour god complex. It's really in poor taste. She is not an author I would want to give any of my money too or show support for.
Gaia (ĪĪ±įæĪ± meaning āearthā) was the goddess of the earth and one of the primordial elemental deities born at the dawn of creation in Greek mythology. She was one of the first beings to emerge from Khaos at the creation of the Universe and was the mother of all Gods, Giants and mortal creatures who sprang from her. Gaia was also the prime opponent of the heavenly gods. First she rebelled against her husband OuranĆ³s (god of the sky), then she assisted Zeus (king of the gods) in overthrowing Kronos (god of time). Finally, she was angry with Zeus for putting her Titan sons into Tartarus, by producing the tribe of Giants and Typheous to try and destroy and dethrone him, but both failed in their attempts.
(Marchesa Spring 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collection)
So excuse the background mess and bad pic and the extreme lateness of this post, but I had a GREAT birthday haul this year (I recommend every single one of them)! Shoutout to my mom, who is responsible for half of this stack and continues to be incredibly awesome š„°
FAVOURITE QUOTE(S):Ā āI want to tell her that she is the kind of story I have been looking for, and I want to be a part of it.ā
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SYNOPSIS
Rosie Thorne is feeling stuckāon her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, sheās stuck in her grief over her motherās death. Her only solace was her late motherās library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they sold it to pay off hospital bills.
On the other hand, Vance Reigns has been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can rememberāwith all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. When a tabloid scandal catches up to him, he's forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never expect to find him: Small Town USA. At least thereās a library in the house. Too bad he doesnāt read.
When Rosie and Vanceās paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: heās a jerk, and she canāt stand him. The feeling is mutual.
But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come offāand they may just find that thereās more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.
REVIEW
Thank you to Quirk Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Iāve been wanting to read this as soon as I got my hands on it but kept telling myself to save it for another time. However,Ā I finally picked it up on a whim because I needed that soft, wholesome re-telling of my favourite fairytale.
Iāve previously read and reviewed Geekerella, and really enjoyed that. I like the idea of fun, nerdy re-imaginings of classic fairytales so, when I heard about Bookish and the Beast, I knew I was going to love it. I still need to read Princess and the Fangirl which I should have read first but either way, Iām looking forward to it.
Whenever I review a book thatās a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, I mention how much I adore that tale, the films and any book inspired by it. Beauty and the Beast has my whole heart - no joke!
This was the perfect read for me - it was the pick-me-up I needed. I was curious how Beauty and the Beast would turn out in contemporary novel surrounding fandoms but I was pleasantly surprised.Ā
I liked the incorporation of classic characters and new ones. There were not-so-subtle nods to the animated film which I appreciated. I had a full Captain America āI understood that referenceā moment every time that happened.
I especially liked this new and annoying version of Gaston a.k.a Garrett Taylor. It was so accurate to how guys act nowadays and I have to say, it was horrifyingly well done. I hated this Gaston just as much as the original.
As for Rosie and Vance, they were so wholesome. I loved that tension between them before their relationship started shifting. It was very reminiscent of Belle and Beast but with a more refreshing and current-world dynamic - I love how it encapsulated the whole fandom, fame and bad boy scandals but not in a cheesy way. It was well done and tasteful; the pacing and romance were spot-on.
But I need to talk about Rosie because I was not expecting to relate to her on such a deep level. The way she talked about her mum and explained the hurt she was feeling was very akin to what Iāve experienced. I honestly felt like this was a character who understood me and went through a process of grief that I havenāt seen before in books, and that definitely resonated with me.Ā
I love how it was approached and how real it was. It wasnāt in your face, it didnāt always consume her but when it did come up, it felt genuine and realistic. It might be because of my personal experience with loss but that was just one of the reasons why I loved Rosie and found her relatable.
The other reason is...her love of villains. I cannot argue with that - we both love a good villain. Itās why she loves Ambrose Sond a.k.a the villain/anti-hero Vance plays. And of course, I love that sheāsĀ is a huge bookworm and feels at home in any library.
Vance on the other hand pushes people away to avoid hurting them and himself. Heās hot-headed and keeps to himself (like the Beast, you all know this.) Thatās until Rosie comes along whoās just as stubborn if not more, sheās determined and passionate and she slowly chips away at his cold demeanor.Ā
I did think the revelation of the ExCelsi Con party happened a bit too soon. I would have liked to see some tension build before Vance figured it out. Maybe if it was a held off a little longer there would have been more angst and momentum, but it didnāt impact how much I enjoyed the book.
I could go on about everything I loved about this book because there were a lot of favourite moments. The whole story and its uniqueness is what stood out. I loved the nods to the film as well as the new additions to the book.
I enjoyed the dynamic between Rosie and Vance, their back and forth and realising they liked each other - it was just a pleasant read. Itās definitely one of the books that's on par with the original Disney film and becomes a comfort read you always reach for.
I highly recommend the Once Upon a Con series and if you havenāt noticed already, I canāt shut up about this book. Go read Geekerella or check out my review for it.
Thatās all for this review - thank you so much for reading and as always any likes, reblogs or Disqus comments are appreciated!Ā
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