Book Blogger – dinipandareads.

ARC Review: The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman

Published on May 18, 2022May 16, 2022 by dinipandareads1 Comment

Special thanks to Clarion Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: The Ivory Key (The Ivory Key Duology #1)
Publisher: Clarion Books
Publish Date: 04 January 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

_{(3.5 pandas)}

Magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology.

Vira is desperate to get out of her mother’s shadow and establish her legacy as a revered queen of Ashoka. But with the country’s only quarry running out of magic–a precious resource that has kept Ashoka safe from conflict–she can barely protect her citizens from the looming threat of war. And if her enemies discover this, they’ll stop at nothing to seize the last of the magic.

Vira’s only hope is to find a mysterious object of legend: the Ivory Key, rumored to unlock a new source of magic. But in order to infiltrate enemy territory and retrieve it, she must reunite with her siblings, torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken. Each of them has something to gain from finding the Ivory Key–and even more to lose if they fail. Ronak plans to sell it to the highest bidder in exchange for escape from his impending political marriage. Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani needs it to clear his name. And Riya, a runaway who cut all family ties, wants the Key to prove her loyalty to the rebels who want to strip the nobility of its power.

They must work together to survive the treacherous journey. But with each sibling harboring secrets and their own agendas, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family–and their world–for good.

TL;DR: My journey reading this was quite an experience! Although it was a bit of a rough first half, I ended up enjoying this Indian-inspired fantasy and the characters plus the strong focus on family and sibling relationships. We get several POVs but the author does a great job in creating distinct voices for each sibling. The second half was so full of Indian Jones-style mystery adventure and I sped through it so quickly! With the surprising twists and baby-cliffhanger ending, I’m excited to know what happens next and how this duology concludes.

Continue reading →

ARC Review: Starry-Eyed Love by Helena Hunting

Published on May 16, 2022May 16, 2022 by dinipandareads4 Comments

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads: Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House #2)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publish Date: 10 May 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(3.5 pandas)}

Charming, hilarious, and emotional, Starry-Eyed Love is Helena Hunting at her very best!

Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.

As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.

As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.

TL;DR: I genuinely enjoyed this so much more than the first book! Although it was slow at the start and there were communication issues that I wished had been handled better, London and Jackson had great chemistry and I liked how their romance played out. They had sweet moments with just the right amount of cheese to make it cute and I really liked how they supported each other. I also loved the sibling dynamic between the Spark sisters and although I’m not sure if Hunting’s books are 100% for me, I’m looking forward to Harley’s story because she’s my favourite sister so far!

Continue reading →

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

Published on May 15, 2022May 15, 2022 by dinipandareads7 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I spent most of Sunday in bed finishing Starry-Eyed Love by Helena Hunting. This is the second book in her Spark House series and I’m happy to say that I enjoyed it so much more than the first! There were still things that irked me but I liked the romance much more. My review will go up tomorrow! 🙂

What are you currently reading?

Continue reading →

Birthstone Book Covers: May Edition 💚

Published on May 14, 2022May 14, 2022 by dinipandareads7 Comments

Hello friends, I’m back today with another month’s edition for The Birthstone Book Covers series created by one of my favourites, Leslie @Books Are the New Black. This is a series she created at the start of 2022 and was born out of her curiosity about birthstone colours and it’s a fun way to show different book covers/titles corresponding to that month’s birthstone.

Check out my Birthstone Book Cover: April Edition!

So far, I’ve only managed to participate in this monthly meme once but I’ve been excited to share my post this month because it’s my birthday month (and Leslie’s too!) and I do love the shades of my birthstone: Emerald! I’ve tried my best to pick covers from my read and unread shelves that fit the different shades of green and found it surprisingly difficult. I really thought I had more green covers but I was kinda wrong! 😂 But without further ado… Let’s get to it!

Continue reading →

First Lines Friday – 13 May 2022

Published on May 13, 2022 by dinipandareads3 Comments

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“The myths of my people say only a true bride of the Sea God can bring an end to his insatiable wrath. When the otherworldly storms rise from the East Sea, lightning breaking the sky and waters ripping up the shore, a bride is chosen and given to the Sea God.
Or sacrificed, depending on the measure of your faith.”

Do you recognise the book these first lines come from?

Continue reading →

Book Review: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Published on May 12, 2022May 12, 2022 by dinipandareads3 Comments

Goodreads: A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1)
Publisher: Tordotcom
Published: 13 July 2021
Genre: Adult SFF

Panda Rating:

^{(5 pandas)}

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers’ series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

I asked Jess @ Jessticulates to buddy read this with me so I would actually pick this book up. I’m so glad that I finally read my first Becky Chambers book because the hype is real, friends!

TL;DR: It took no more than one chapter for me to realise just how much I would enjoy this book. The characters rapidly grew on me and the story was a soothing read that asked questions that really hit a mark with me. I followed along with parts of the book with the audio, which I would also recommend, and I have a feeling I’ll return to this book often when I’m craving a comforting read.

Continue reading →

#WWWWednesday: 11 May 2022

Published on May 11, 2022May 15, 2022 by dinipandareads19 Comments

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

Post divider: What did you just finish reading?

Since last week I’ve managed to finish eight books. I’m back on that romance kick and I’m loving it! My fave was Everything for You by Chloe Liese though—a sweet, emotional, heartwarming MM romance ft. some soccer. 💜

(ARC) Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley ★★★★½
This had a bit of a slow start but once I got into it I flew through in one sitting! The banter was fantastic and the chemistry was f-i-r-e! Jada and Donovan were well-developed characters and had such a fun/playful connection. The cupcakes also had me salivating! 🧁

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot #1) by Becky Chambers ★★★★★
I did it—I finally read my first Becky Chambers book and wow, I loved it so much?! Dex and Mosscap so quickly won my heart. Their friendship was incredibly heartwarming and sweet and they had me laughing and even tearing up by the end. Fantastic. I want more!

Continue reading →

#TopTenTuesday: All the Bookish Characters

Published on May 10, 2022 by dinipandareads49 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week is actually a freebie and so I decided to do a topic that I don’t think I’ve done before: Bookish Characters (these could be readers, writers, authors, librarians, professors, etc.)

I love reading books about books and stories with bookish characters that are so relatable so this prompt wasn’t too difficult for me to find books for. I think I may have done a similar prompt once or twice before but I can’t remember what books I listed for those. 😅 I’ve read all of these books and most of them are even favourites!

Continue reading →

ARC Review: Everything with You by Chloe Liese

Published on May 9, 2022 by dinipandareads11 Comments

Special thanks to Chloe Liese for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: Everything for You (Bergman Brothers #5)
Publication date: 10 May 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

_{(4.5 pandas)}

Gear up for an all-the-feels, steamy slow-burn in this enemies-to-lovers sports romance about fighting for love when life’s taught you it’s a losing game.

Gavin
We’ve been teammates for two years, but it feels like a lifetime that Oliver Bergman’s been on my last nerve. A demanding captain and veteran player, I’m feared and friendless, while he’s the beloved rising star, all sunshine smiles and upbeat team spirit. To make matters worse, he’s obscenely attractive. In short: he’s genetically designed to get under my skin. Avoiding Oliver has been my survival tactic on and off the field. But when Coach drops the bomb that we’re now co-captains, avoiding him becomes impossible, and keeping the truth from him–let alone my distance–is harder than ever.

Oliver
Life was great until soccer legend Gavin Hayes joined the team and proved he’s nothing like the guy I grew up idolizing. Instead, he’s a giant–albeit gorgeous–grump who lives to rain on my parade. I’ve sworn off pranks since entering the public eye, so rather than settle our differences the Bergman way, I’ve had to settle for killing Gavin with kindness. There’s just one problem: killing him with kindness is killing me. To make matters worse, Coach gives us an ultimatum: put an end to our enmity or say goodbye to being captains. I’m prepared to be miserable while we meet her demands and make nice, but the last thing I expect is to discover an explosive attraction we can’t help but act on, and worse yet, to realize the man hiding beneath Gavin’s gruff exterior is all I’ve ever wanted.

‘EVERYTHING FOR YOU’ IS OUT TOMORROW SO…

GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!!!

Continue reading →

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

Published on May 8, 2022May 8, 2022 by dinipandareads5 Comments

I’ll be spending my Sunday in bed finishing Everything for You by Chloe Liese. If you don’t know this about me, I’m a huge Chloe Liese fan and I adore all of her books, so I was beyond excited to get an ARC of this. Oliver and Gavin are just… Everything. *sobs in happy* 🥹🥹🥹

It’s out next week (10 May) and I can’t wait for you all to read it!

What are you currently reading?

Continue reading →