Realm Between Pages

A blog dedicated to all the worlds I've explored.

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A Widow's Charm (Book Review)

Cover art for A Widow's Charm by Caitlyn Paxson

I love this book, actually I might be IN love with this book. I never want to be parted from it for as long as my eyes can read the words on the page.

This story easily became one of my favorites, earning a spot on my bookshelf...or at least it will when it finally comes out! Thank you Del Ray and Net Gallery for the eARC, I will treasure it forever.

The story follows a recently widowed woman who makes it her goal to charm the necromancer who has moved in next door to avoid certain troubles. Why you ask? Well, she needs his help to revive her dead husband.

Should be simple, right? Our heroine is witty and determined, with a personality that jumps off the page....but there's a bit of a problem...said necromancer has vowed to never use his powers again. Failing isn't an option, not when so many lives are depending on Lady Croft.

This was one of the funniest stories I've read in awhile. Lady Croft and Lord Elmwood have great chemistry, their banter plays out flawlessly and never once felt forced. I don't know how many times I stupidly grinned at my phone as I watched the two flirt. Onlookers probably thought I received a message from my non-existent partner.

I just love these characters so much...

Lady Croft is a wonderful character, strong-willed and determined to fix everything on her own. Lord Elmwood is a cranky lone-wolf who can be a bit too hard on himself. I just loved both of their personalities, and the way those personalities clashed and complimented one another.

The side characters were interesting, they were written well enough that I have strong feelings about most of them, be it good or bad. I can't wait to read this book again! Honestly, I think this will become one of my comfort books.

Oh, one last thought! If you're a fan of the Emily Wilde series odds are you'll love this too! A Widow's Charm has a similar vibe, magical yet grounded.

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Just Like Mona Lisa Vol. 1 (Book Review)

Book Cover for Just Like Mona Lisa Vol. 1

I heard a lot about this series and finally decided to pick it up. In this world people get to choose their gender once they reach a certain age, kids will either pick to be a boy or a girl. Our main character, Hinase, has never felt drawn to one gender over the other. Because of this they've never gone through the bodily change that comes with picking a gender. They are the only one in their class to remain genderless. However, things start to change when not one but both of their best friends confess to them.

I really like the idea behind this story. It's neat that these characters get to live in a world where they can choose their gender. It's also neat that despite children being genderless in the world, society still tries to push gender on them based off of what their good at or their personality.

I'm still feeling out the characters. I enjoy Hinase but the others get on my nerves for various reasons. I am uncomfortable with how Hinase is being treated by some of the trustworthy people in their lives. And maybe it's only such a big deal to me because I am nonbinary and I project a bit onto Hinase. Either way, I'm going to keep going with this serious as one book is not enough to make a judgment.

I will say, that the art is beautiful. Manga doesn't normally have color in it but I love that inclusion of the blue. It's such a vibrant, beautiful color and I feel like it really adds impact to the scenes it is used in.

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Ghosted in L.A. Complete Collection (Book Review)

Cover Art for Ghosted in L.A. Complete Collection

The cover of this book immediately caught my attention but it was the description that really made me want to read it. The story follows a young woman who followed her boyfriend across the country to university. When she gets there things don't go quite as she expected and she finds herself surrounded by new ghostly friends.

There's a found family vibe to the story which is something I always enjoy. I loved that we got the chance to learn a bit more about the ghost by seeing their past. The story itself was interesting, there was a bit of mystery to it as our MC searched for answers to the oddness behind Rycroft.

While I did enjoy the story, I feel like there are still some parts I have questions about. I had trouble understanding the motive of one of the side characters and I can't say that I liked her very much. The MC got on my nerves sometimes but overall I enjoyed meeting these characters and getting to know them.

I really enjoyed the art! It was so pretty, and I loved the color pallet. The ghost looked really cool, the blue shades were really fitting and made them feel supernatural and transparent.

I never read the series as it was being serialized so I'm glad I got the chance to check it out as one big bundle. I love that it included cover artwork for each of the issues, and character concepts. It's always fun to see that extra stuff!

If you want a fun story where ghost become family then I'd say check this out!

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The Graveyard Club (Book Review)

I want to start by saying I loved R.L. Stine as a kid, so I was excited to get my hands on this eArc. With that little disclaimer out of the way, lets talk about the book.

Spoiler free story description: The story follows a group of outcast teens who seem to have the whole town against them. Throughout the story they run into little bits of trouble and face those problems while following the overall mystery that surrounds the town of Graves End.

The general gist is they live in a small town surrounded by graveyards where weird stuff happens. And nobody in town really likes them.

My thoughts?

I loved the art style! The facial expressions were fantastic, you could really feel the character's emotions. I also loved the way the artist used color, especially the monotone panels. Those looked really cool and added another layer to the storytelling. There were a few different color pallets used but each one was carefully selected to fit the scenes mood. Honestly, I just really loved staring at the art.

Now that I'm done gushing about the art...

The pacing of the story was odd, it felt a bit jumpy which made it hard to follow at times. It also felt a bit messy, like R.L. Stine had a lot he wanted to say but not enough pages to do it justice. Maybe the targeted audience would enjoy it and not mind the jumpy pacing.

The characters were somewhat relatable. I grew up in a small town so I'm very well acquainted with how there is never anything to do. (Although I didn't hang out in a graveyard for fun, lets just get that on record.) That being said, the characters weren't likeable at all. Their personalities left a lot to be desired and it often felt like they were making excuses for their bad behavior.

Personally, characters can make or break a story for me. They are what gets me invested in the world. And this cast just couldn't cut it.

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Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City (Book Review)

Book Cover for Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City

It's officially spooky season! Although I've been in the spooky mood since last month. But now that it's officially spooky season we just have to sit down with a good scary book. And yeah, I know this book is for kids but it is horror at it's finest.

Don't believe me? Just look at that cover.

This dark, chilling adventure follows three fox kits as they face the dangers of the city. It's a sequel book but just as scary (if not more) than the first one. Our main fox is a kit named 0-370 who runs away from the horrors of a fur farm only to find new terrors in the city.

This is a middle grade novel but I still found it enjoyable and frighting. There are dangers out in the world that are beyond our control, and this book plays to those fears. And it's so much worse when you, as the reader, know what dangers these kits are blindly walking in to. You know it is going to get bad and you are powerless to stop it. It's what makes the book so frightening.

I liked reading this at night before bed, which may have been a mistake as I often found myself staying up late just to see if the kits survived their deadly encounters.

The prose is well written, and is filled with suspenseful and heartbreaking moments. Each chapter also comes with eerie illustrations. They tractional, sketchy style is perfect for making things extra spooky. I can still see some of the images when I think back on the book, it sends a shiver down my spine.

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Lunar New Year Love Story (Book Review)

Book Cover for Lunar New Year Love Story

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but as soon as I saw this graphic novel I knew I had to read it. The artwork on the cover is just so stunning! There's just so much detail in the cover, I mean look at the Chinese Lion swirling amongst the stars.

Have you ever watched a lion dance? I've been to couple festivals that had Lion Dancers performing and it's always a pleasure to watch. I never thought about the hard work and dedication that goes into the art but we get to see that dedication as Valentina explores her new passion.

Our main girl Valentina used to be obsessed with Valentine's Day until she learns the truth of her parent's relationship. Discovering that everything she's known is a lie leads Val to swearing off true love, until she has a meet cute with a mysterious Lion Dancer. From that moment Val makes it her mission to prove that her love life is not cursed and doomed to fail.

Now, I'm not normally one for romances but this story immediately captured my attention. I enjoyed following Valentina around as she journeyed through love and discovered new hobbies. With each page I devoured I wanted more, I so badly wanted to see how her story ended but I also didn't want it to end. Does that make sense?

The characters were all so easy to fall in love with, even the side characters. All the characters just felt so relatable, it was easy to understand their motivations.

Now I have to gush about the artwork because just look at that cover. I really fell in love with the way the artist used color: The changes from vibrant to dark, the muted tones. It was all just so captivating! Some of the darker scenes are a little creepy, one of the characters in these scenes will forever haunt my nightmares. I can't wait for you to met him.

The art was really detailed too. I could actually see the lions dancing off the page, it made me want to go and see a lion dance again. Don't even get me started on the full page spreads! I could stare at this art forever.

This graphic novel is easily something I could read over and over again. The story and art are so captivating, I can't imagine myself growing tired of it. I'm looking forward to my next read through and to another lion dance performance.

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The Shadow of The Wind (Book Review)

Book Cover for The Shadow of the Wind

Do you ever accidently stumble across a book and pick it up for the interesting cover? I was browsing for my next read when I stumbled across this book, the cover was so fascinating I just had to check it out from my local library. Before we get to the review, please humor me for a shameless plug...

Use your libraries, ya'll. I cannot tell you how much money I saved on books. You can get digital books too, I don't even know how many books I've checked out through Libby thanks to my library. Now back to the review.

As I was saying, I accidently stumbled across this book and I couldn't be happier that fate put it in my path. The story follows Daniel, a young man who discovered a mysterious book called The Shadow of the Wind, written by a man named Julian Carax. It's a one of a kind book, and might be the only one left in existence written by the mysterious author. This discovery leads Julian through Barcelona's darkest secrets--a quest of murder, madness, and doomed love.

The author weaves a beautiful mystery that entwins the characters within the story. I found myself just as curious as Daniel as I followed along and tried to solve the mystery within the pages. I had a lot of fun trying to piece things together. The twist and surprises hidden within the story kept me on the edge of my seat as I cheered Daniel on.

The characters were great. I found myself afraid for them whenever they seemed to be heading into danger, at times I was so worried it felt like I was the one in danger! That's how easy it was to get lost in this world.

I wish that I could read this book for the first time again.

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A Natural History of Dragons (Book Review)

Book Cover for The Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent

If you knew me outside of this digital space than you'd know I LOVE dragons. I have been dubbed a "Friend of Dragons" one of my closest friends, and I have so many 3D printed dragons laying around my apartment.

The story follows Lady Trent as she travels to a foreign country to research the dragons of that area. Readers get to see how this famous naturalist refused to backdown from perusing her beloved research, despite the trials and sacrifices she faced during her journey.

I think my favorite part of this book was the writing style. It's written like an actual memoir, as if Lady Trent and the dragons she was so passionate about were actually real. I'm a huge fan of this style of writing, as I enjoy how the research vibes make it seem like I'm not holding a work of fiction in my hands.

I was immediately pulled into the story and invested in how Lady Trent, known in this book as Mrs. Camherst, came to be the pioneering force in the study of dragons. It was easy to like Mrs. Camherst, I found her personality to be fun and witty. Her enthusiasm for dragons and the need to be free was extremely relatable. The side characters were easy to love too but they could have been fleshed out a bit more. Although, they each had a point where they able to take the spotlight, if only for a moment.

The world was fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about the different species of dragons that populated the world within the story. Mrs. Camherst had wonderful observations and I enjoyed reading her thoughts/observations on dragon-kind. I devoured this book and I'm so glad there are others in the series I can check out. If you have a fondness for dragons I would highly recommend it.

If you love the academic vibes of the writing style I'd highly recommend Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

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The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (Book Review)

Book Cover for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

I’m always a sucker for a good Studio Ghibli-esque world and that’s exactly what this story brought me. It felt like Spirited Away without the creepy turnip guy that used to scare me as a child. But seriously, Axie Oh did a fantastic job of creating a beautiful world for the reader to explore. I constantly struggle to put this book down and return to the real world with all its bland responsibilities.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

This story follows Mina and her impromptu journey into the spirit world where she has to unravel the mysteries surrounding the sea god. Each new discovery leads to another adventure and it feels like the events pile on quickly. The fast pace makes sense though since Mina is on a bit of a time crunch. Honestly, there are moments where you’ll be dying to know what happens next and “one more chapter” can easily turn into two or three.

These characters are so easy to fall in love with, even the ones who are supposed to be the villain. The side characters don’t get fleshed out much but you still get enough about them to get a solid understanding of their personality. Although, I wish we had more time to learn about these guys.

Do you want to know who my favorite side character is? It’s Namgi. I absolutely love Namgi and my boy did not get enough page time. Can I just appoint myself president of the Namgi fan club?

The story itself is beautiful, filled with twist that I didn’t see coming. Even when I had my suspicions about what was going on I still found myself surprised. And the story holds up well, even on my reread I found myself enjoying it as the mystery unraveled. Things weren’t any less suspenseful and I was just as anxious to get to the reveals I knew were right around the corner.

This story is easily something I could read over and over again. Oh, and did I forget to mention it’s a retelling of a Korean folktale? I love folklore so it’s always fun to see how writers play around with these old stories. The tale this one is inspired by is called The Tale of Shim Cheong. Now, excuse me while I go check out this folktale.