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nicbrouillette · 4 years

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Early thoughts on Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Wow! I devoured this! Never has a book been more catered specifically to me. Fantasy? Check. Enemies to lovers? Check. Gothic mystery including crumbling house and creepy host? Check! Everything about this book, right down to the dedication “For all the girls who feel too much,” was absolutely perfect for me. Allison Saft has constructed a richly emotional and compelling story, filled with suspense and one of the more touching romances I’ve read in some time.

Allison Saft did an amazing job constructing the two main characters. By the end of the story I was in love with Hal and Wren. Their relationship was really beautiful, I loved watching it grow as Wren healed Hal. It felt very natural, and both of them grew tremendously by the end of the novel. I just found their relationship very sweet and it makes my heart sing!

Very rarely in books am I concerned about how it’s going to end. For the most part I realize (and this is definitely dependent on the type of book I’m reading) that it’s going to end with a happy (at least somewhat) ending. This was not the case with Down Comes the Night. I was stressed! I did not know how things were going to turn out! I was hoping for a happy ending, but there were times I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to get it. Saft’s writing was so engaging I was so sucked into the novel that I did now know how it was going to end. I loved it! I wish this would happen more often.

I am eager to see what Allison Saft does next, and I cannot wait to get my greedy little paws on her next book! If this is anything to go by, Allison Saft has a wonderful career ahead of her, and already a very devoted fan.

I received an ARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley!!

#ya #ya fantasy #fantasy #gothic #gothic novel #enemies to lovers #magic #romance #book review #book reactions #book blogger #booklover #book addict #allison saft #down comes the night #omg i love them #booknerd

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nicbrouillette · 4 years

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AHHH just got an e-ARC of Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft!!! ASFSDKSRKHLR!!!!!

Spooky gothic romance here I come!!!

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nicbrouillette · 4 years

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Review: The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eARC.

This book was a lot. Like what on earth did I actually just read?

The Heir Affair picks up where we left off in The Royal We. Nick and Bex are hiding out after the disastrous wedding in a teeny town in Scotland, aptly named Wigtown as both of them are sporting particularly heinous wigs in an effort to remain undetected. Fun fact, Wigtown is a real place and it looks delightful! Anyways, back to the story. The rest of the book revolves around Bex and Nick adjusting to married life and dealing with whatever happened with Freddie in the last book. Freddie and Nick spend much of the book at odds, over again the nonsense that happened with Freddie and Bex in the previous book. That whole thing never made any sense to me, on top of being insanely cringey (if I have to read ‘killer’ one more time I’ll scream), their relationship/feelings never felt like it was actually there, which made the fact that Bex acted like a jealous twit for a good portion of this book really strange.

There was an insane amount of crazy unrealistic batshit crazy dialogue, but that dear reader, is for you to discover on your own. There were certainly parts of the book that I enjoyed, and I can see how others might enjoy it, but I really don’t think it’s for me. Which is a shame as British rom-com chick-lit is like my number 1 guilty pleasure, but oh well. I think the books main problem is that none of the characters make sense, like what is Bex’s deal and how is she constantly making pretty much the same mistakes over and over with only slight variations on the theme. Also the plot was completely bonkers, like the Queen and baseball?? I’m not going to even get into the meat of the bonkers plot as I don’t want to spoil anything, but rest assured it is insane. The dialogue is ridiculous, which is at times definitely the point, but other’s I’m not quite sure.

#the royal we #the heir affair #the royal romance #royal fan fiction #fan fiction #wills and kate #prince william #kate middleton #duchess of cambridge #duke of cambridge #prince harry #the royal family #book review #book #romance

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nicbrouillette · 4 years

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Review: Shielded by Kaylynn Flanders

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. I tried really hard to get into this book, but ultimately I found everything to be rather flat. It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't do anything interesting or new, or present it in a compelling way. I disliked the main character and her name, which might be petty, but it was distracting. I just could not bring myself to buy any of the plot, or care about anything that was happening. The romance was never really developed either. I DNF'd at 89%, which is so close that I might ultimately go back and finish it because why not, but also I could read other things. The writing was also quite simple. Yes, I know this is YA, but there are plenty of well-crafted YA fantasy books out there that aren't quite so infantile. I don’t currently have anything else to say, just because this book was kind of blah, but if I think of anything else I’ll be sure to update. That’s not to say it was an awful book or anything like that, it just wasn’t for me. I’m sure there are plenty of other readers out there that will enjoy it. I would not read any subsequent books in the series.

Shielded by Kaylynn Flanders will be published July 21, 2020.

#ya #ya fantasy #ya lit #arc #fantasy #did not finish

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nicbrouillette · 4 years

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Review: The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.

The Court of Miracles is a re-tellling/alternate universe version of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, and the eponymous musical. The story follows Éponine from childhood up until the ill-fated Paris Uprising of 1832. At the age of 11, Éponine’s sister is sold by their father Thénardier to the Tiger, a ruthless tyrant who runs the Guild of the Flesh. Before being taken away, Éponine’s sister arranges for a friend to take Éponine and help her to become a member of the Guild of Thieves in the Court of Miracles, with the hopes that this will keep her safe from both Thénardier and the Tiger. As Éponine grows into thief and womanhood she develops a strong bond with her foster sister Cosette. Unable to save her older sister, Éponine is obsessed with keeping Cosette safe and out of the Tiger’s grasp. Throughout the story Éponine encounters all of the characters we’ve come to know, love, and hate from the novel and musical, along with the dauphin of France.

Les Misérables is one of my all time favorite musicals, so this was a real treat for me. Overall, I really enjoyed it! I was engrossed right off the bat, though I wish there had been a bit more development of the actual court itself. I would have loved to have learned more about Nina’s upbringing in the Guild of Thieves of her relationship with Tomasis. I felt a little frustrated by the time jumps for this reason.

I loved Cosette and Éponine’s relationship! That was something from Les Mis that I have always really wanted to see explored. I loved that the author featured so many people of color, and that she made Javert a woman. I’m super excited to hear more about Javert and Valjean’s relationship/past. I cannot wait for the second book!

France has been a very trendy setting lately (Bone Crier’s Moon, Blood & Serpent. The Gilded Wolves), so it’s interesting to see it go in a direction other than straight fantasy.

A super quick read, I devoured it within a few hours. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun, and since finishing it I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the characters, especially Enjorlas and Éponine.

The Court of Miracles will be published on June 2nd, 2020. Thank you Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the advance readers copy.

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nicbrouillette · 4 years

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Review: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Disclosure: technically I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook version. I was really invested in the story, but I also still had work to do! Audiobooks are the perfect solution.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin tells the tale of runaway witch, Louise le Blanc, and her marriage of convenience with the witch hunter (chasseur) Reid Diggory. Right now it is intended to be a duology, with the second book Blood & Honey coming out in the autumn.

I really enjoyed it! I struggled a little bit in the beginning during the opening scenes in the brothel. They were mildly confusing, and it felt a bit like being dumped in the middle of something, and that I was missing some key information. I guess I could have done with maybe a bit more of an introduction to everything, I don’t really like feeling disoriented while I read. So that threw me off a bit, but the story quickly righted itself and I was completely absorbed in no time.

So, I have trash tastes. I love the enemies to lovers trope. This book was crack to me in that regards. I ate that shit up. The relationship was a huge draw, and I really felt like the author handled it really well. With this trope it’s so easy to go cringey and Mahurin really managed to keep it cringe-free. In fact the whole book managed to stay pretty cringe-free. I love YA fantasy, but a lot of it can feel super juvenile to me depending on writing style and choices made by the author, but Shelby can write and she also made great choices! So A+ for that! I guess maybe its New Adult? I’m never super clear on the distinction.

The supporting characters are another huge draw. Ansel and Coco are a delight! Love them! I don’t really have strong opinions on Beau, he felt a little under drawn to me and also the audiobook narrator was doing some strange things with his character so that shaped my overall feelings towards that character. But, I am excited to see more development and what happens with Ansel and Coco. And hopefully Beau becomes a more rounded character.

Now for some minor complaints. First, the audiobook. The female narrator was fine. Not the best, not the worst. Just fine. Sure, I maybe would have picked someone else, but ultimately it didn’t make a huge difference. The male narrator though, that is an entirely different matter. A sense of dread hit me every time his chapters started. My throat also sympathetically burnt in response to the Batman rasping/growling voice he chose to use for Reid. It was awful and distracting. He did something similar for Beau and the Archbishop, but thankfully those characters didn’t have that much dialogue, so my ears were given a bit of a break. That poor man’s vocal-chords. What made it even stranger however, was the fact that he used an entirely different voice for Reid’s inner thoughts. It was a choice.

Maybe better choices will be made for the second book. Like not hiring the same voice actor.

The pacing was another thing that I thought suffered a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, I love this book and I had a great time reading it, buuuut the ending seemed a little rushed especially when you consider how much time the book spent doing literally anything else. I don’t really have a solution; I wouldn’t want to lose anything from earlier in the book, and the book clocks in at 528 pages so I don’t know if more would have been necessary (I loooove long books, and would happily always take more, just from a selfish fan point of view and not a critical one).

My other, albeit minor, complaint would be the world building. I loved the whole 17th century France/Not France thing that was going on, but I wanted more! I want to know more about the world, country, citizens, and most importantly the witches. Hopefully, we will get more of this in the second (and possibly third!) book. We know there are dames blanches and dames rouges, so I can only imagine there must be other types of witches out there in this world.

I think it’s an excellent first novel, and I am looking forward to the sequel and whatever else Shelby Mahurin works on in the future!

#ya fantasy #ya #young adult #new adult #romance #ya romance #new adult romance #fantasy #new adult fantasy #serpent and dove #shelby mahurin #book review

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nicbrouillette · 5 years

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Review The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge

I originally wrote this for something else, but it didn’t end up getting published due to space/time constraints. Also I was dealing with the cold from hell.

This Sunday, divine voices rose above the congregation and filled the vaulted arches of the Church of the Incarnation. Though the singers had youthful fresh faces, the sounds they produced were ageless.

Long considered one of the best choirs in the world, the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge consists solely of students pursuing degrees at Cambridge University. Open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, at any given time, the choir has around 30 choral and organ scholars. They wrapped up their 10 concert performance tour of the US this week, right before the school year begins at Cambridge next week.

The students performed chorales ranging from Roman, Anglican, and Russian and Greek orthodox traditions, all of which spanned centuries. The program included 13 hymnals, and two organ intervals. They began the performance with the works of William Byrd, and Henry Purcell, whose work dates back to the Tudor era, which is fitting since Trinity College was founded by Henry VIII in 1546. While the college itself was founded in the 1500s, the choir has existed in some form since the 1300s. However, the choir didn’t exist in its current iteration until the 1980s when the previous director, Richard Marlow, added female voices to the choir.

From there the choir moved on to newer works composed by Arvo Pärt, Cambridge Fellow Ēriks Ešenvalds, and Jaakko Mäntyjärvi amongst others. Richte mich, Gott by Ešenvalds was full of power and drama, easily reminiscent of Wagner and Strauss’ work. At one point, choir director Stephen Layton described Ešenvalds as someone who “uses his music to stare into the abyss.” To wrap up the performance the choir performed two pieces by Herbert Howells, Take him, earth, for cherishing and Nunc Dimittis (St Paul’s Service). Both were composed in the 20th century, Howells composed the first song Take him, earth, for cherishing using words from Prudentius for JFK’s memorial service.

I asked Director Stephen Layton the secret to maintaining the group’s long held standard of excellence. Layton, who has been choir director since succeeding Richard Marlow in 2006, believes that the key is teamwork. “A sense of teamwork is passed on year by year,” he says, “through an osmosis process that’s nurtured and fostered every year and continues to grow.”

Students aren’t expected to be fully formed musicians and singers, when they join the choir Layton looks first and foremost for passion and potential when looking for future choral and organ scholars. They aren’t required to major in music, and many of the scholars focus their studies on History, Classics, and Mathematics, among other subjects. Some go on to have careers in music, like this year’s senior organ scholar, Asher Oliver, who will soon be playing for St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Apart from being a complete joy to listen to, I was charmed by the choir’s enthusiasm and earnestness. It was easy to forget while listening and contemplating the music just how young these musicians are. I was often a little pleasantly surprised when I would look up at them and see just how young they are. After taking their bows, and before exiting the church, Layton stepped aside and the students gave a lighthearted and informal performance of Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing.

I’ve never been a particularly religious or spiritual person, but as I sat in a pew at the Church of the Incarnation and listened to the beautiful voices fill the numinous space, I began to understand a little of what it feels like to be spiritually moved.

#trinity college choir #cambridge #trinity college #choir #music #review #journalism #dallas #classical music #trinity college cambridge #spiritual #young writer

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nicbrouillette · 5 years

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Is this fall?

October is finally here, and although it took a whole week it’s finally starting to feel like autumn. I think this might have been the first day in ages that was under 90 degrees. I’m dying to wear sweaters, but for now even long sleeve shirts feel like a treat.

October is seriously my favorite month. It’s the first month that it actually starts to feel like fall, and it has a distinct smell to it. Maybe not in the southwest where I currently am, but certainly in the northeast. It’s the best smell, and no I am not talking about any sort of pumpkin adjacent or fall spice related smell, I’m not really into that whole weird cloying artificial sweetness that seems to overwhelm certain stores at this time of the year. I’m talking about something else entirely, something natural and fresh. The air gets crisp and cool, you can smell the leaves changing as they begin to fall. That probably sounds insane and made up, but I encourage you to check out upstate New York in the fall sometime, you’ll see what I mean. Go pick some apples, check out Storm King, and take a big ol’ whiff of fall.

For the first day of my official fall, I broke out my Marine Serre reflective moon top (if anyone wants to buy me the matching bike shorts, gloves, stirrup leggings, and/or this insane Dr. Evil-esque dome/ball bag let me know). The look I was going for was space cowboy Juliet looking for her banished Romeo in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, but make it fashion! I threw on some old h&m jeans (similar here), my eytys jet sneakers, some socks I picked up from the Frankie Shop a few years ago in nyc (they say “oops!##@!@” they’re not in stock anymore but here is a cute pink pair from Walk of Shame that say “Sorry”), threw on a western-accented belt I found in my closet while visiting my parents, and a soft camel Vince cashmere sweater because it is positively arctic in the office. Oh, I topped it all off with the pièce de résistance, this cheap padded Tudor-esque headband I found on Amazon. It seems like some pearls might jump ship at any moment, but then again it was $7.99, so you get what you pay for.

So yeah, that’s my vibe for today. It looks like it’s gonna go back up to the 80s and 90s this week, but at least I enjoyed my one fall day.

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