Bibliophile Bindings

I gave this book 4.5/5 stars! In Escaping from Houdini, I absolutely adored the magic and tricks! It was everywhere and was even difficult for the characters to not get swept up in.  The characters from the carnival added a special extra mystery to the murder, especially since they all kept their secrets to themselves. Sleight of hand was something everyone apart of the carnival performs in, and was a part of the murder. I think that made it extra special and interesting. I believe that this made it difficult for me to pick someone I think is the murderer.  Each of the different murder stories are different in their own, special way. Each murdered victim is found in different ways from the last books, and I honestly love it. To me, it shows creativity for the author and shows how each individual murderer has their ow n style, which is the truth.  There is a love triangle. I am not a big fan of them, but I think it works in its own way. It was very rea...

I gave this book 5/5 stars! This mystery is even better than the last! There are so many suspects, each with different possible motives. I was so excited to finish this book because I wanted to find out which of my suspects where the murderer. It will truly take you by surprise.  Throughout the entire book, we see different sides of Thomas and learn more about his secrets he keeps locked away. Maniscalco explores his sides to his personality that I don't think were shown much in the first book. We also walk with Audrey through her state of mind after going through the last murder case. Her emotional and psychological stability is as what we would expect, which I honestly find refreshing. It makes her seem more realistic. The development with these two has been remarkable and I wouldn't rather have it any other way.  The plot is interesting in every way possible. I could not tear my eyes away from the pages. I was completely invested in this book and finding out who t...

I gave this book 5/5 stars! I can't believe I waited so long to start this book! It has everything I love: murder mysteries, romance, forensics...  - SMALL SPOILER IN NEXT PARAGRAPH - The descriptions are everything! They allow you to clearly visualize what is described and basically transport you straight into the book. I wasn't bothered by the descriptions of cutting people open and examining them. Keep in mind that I am not bothered with blood or anything remotely close to that, especially when I am reading it. With that, I do think that people who are sensitive to those things wont mind it either. It also isn't like that all you read in each chapter. I believe I only read it 3-5 times in the entire book, and they weren't going into grand detail.  - SPOILERS ENDED - Lets discuss characters... I am in love with each and every one of them. And I truly do mean that. They were all individually unique, having their own personality characteristics that were ...

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars.  Lady Smoke is a great book, and I would recommend reading it to those who liked Ash Princess because it doesn't change its atmosphere, and it feels very similar to the first book. It doesn't change in any of its formatting, style, etc., unlike other books. It is very much like other middle books where there are times when the book is more interesting than other times, but I found it easy to power through it. I think this was because I knew it would be getting interesting again sooner than later.  There's character development shown throughout in multiple characters, and it definitely adds a special spark to each of them, and the story. It was nice to see them develop more. Slowly, but surely. I found a few phrases that continually kept being used, which kind of bothered me because I would be momentarily pulled back to reality when I realize it was used two times before.  The love triangle continues and I still don't know who ...

I received this book from a giveaway by Kayla Olsen, the author of This Splintered Silence . I gave this book 5/5 stars! In this book, we see many of the same characters that we saw in Legendary, and there are a few new ones. It picks up a couple of months after Legendary. I honestly love the way it began, and Garber doesn't wait to play with reader's emotions. It has the same atmosphere as Legendary, but I think that there is a hint of Caraval spirit in it since we get a look at Scarlett's point of view again. It isn't abundant with magic like Caraval, but it doesn't feel like the magic is little to none like Legendary. It is right dab in the middle and sways towards magic and no magic as the story goes on.  There is a good amount of romance throughout the whole book, especially in the beginning and end, which I enjoyed. I think that the romance was one of the most magical aspects of the book if we don't count Legend's magic and the Fates' magic....

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I gave this book 4/5 stars! I was pleased to see that Legendary picks up exactly where Caraval had left off. I usually don't read the synopsis of books before I read them when they are the next book in a series, trilogy, or duology, so I didn't know where this book would be headed. I was a little skeptical to pick it up because I didn't know where it would leave off or where else the story could go. But after reading the first chapter I was pleased with the route it had taken.  Although it didn't have the same effect on me as Caraval had, I still enjoyed the book and am glad I don't have to wait for the next book to be released. I feel like this book didn't have the same magical appeal as Caraval had, and there was more at stake here. I also found myself needing to push through certain parts that I wasn't as interested in, but there was a good balance between exciting moments and breaks. The romance...

I gave this book 5/5 stars! My complete attention was caught right after reading the first sentence, and I love when authors do this because it makes the story more interesting. It makes it seem as though the boring aspects of a story have been skipped. My brother dislikes books because of all of the descriptions and a beginning that isn't captivating because it starts "too early". I actually think he would enjoy this book since there are so many mysteries and nothing is truly as it seems.  The book wasn't overly descriptive and provided just the right amount for me to see what Garber wanted me to see, but also allowed room for my imagination to take hold, too.  I think that the character development was great, and I am glad to see the characters develop into who they become at the end. By the end of the book, many questions were answered, but there were still a handful left unanswered, and more questions appeared. This was a very enjoyable read and I was ho...

I am on the author's street team and received a pdf ARC. I gave this book 4/5 stars! This book has more politics and friendships, questioning loyalties, and rising stakes that continue to rise each passing minute. What's not to love? I must admit, even though I am supposed to hate Ilara, I love her as the villain! In the first book, I liked her, but not as much as I do now after reading the second book. We see more of her true colors and I couldn't be more pleased with her character.  There has definitely been more character development in each of the characters that we see. I also think that we see more character flaws than before. Evans did a magnificent job having the characters need to push their boundaries and wrestle with their values. I think that it made the story more interesting and brought me to want to continue reading.  I do think that it goes a little slow once Brynna's journey kicks back up. It was difficult for me to pick the book back up ag...