Author: Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

A lifelong reader of all things YA and books with heartfelt moments that punch you with all the feels. Currently expanding my reading interests to encompass anything that makes me feel deep and resonate with the characters
top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I Love Reading

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Good morning! It’s a cloudy Tuesday here, but I hope you find yourselves with an enjoyable day so far regardless of what the weather is like. I worry sometimes with the busyness that is my new job that I will have less time to read and blog as I get more incorporated into my new role. I’m also trying to adopt a dog into my home which also means less time for other hobbies, but I do enjoy reviving this blog after my hiatus in 2019-2020.

Today’s topic is one that made me think and was a great topic to discuss. I apologize for the length, but I just had so many things to say about some of the best reads I love and why I loved them so much. I have also linked all my reviews for the books I mentioned below in case you do get interested in their stories to see for yourself.

Let me know in the comments below if you love reading for any of these reasons too!

1. Plot

I am happiest when I feel like there is substance to the book I read, which may be why I lean towards more fantasy and sci-if than contemporary or romance when I have first pick of books to read. When it comes to plotting, I appreciate books that clearly have their plots mapped out by their authors, such as little details early on that seem insignificant but turn out to be important.

A good pace or intensity also demonstrates how well thought out a book is and what was important to expand or make more concise to keep readers interested. I love authors who can do this well (of course, with the help of amazing editors!).

The Host and City of Bones are both great examples of amazing plots to me. Both are rather long books, particularly the former, but it doesn’t feel super long when there’s a good plot that really captures you into the story and what is happening to these characters we’re reading about. I’m invested because things are happening that excite or elicit some sort of strong emotion in me, and I just want to see what happens to them.

Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I Love Reading” →
4.5 star, YA

Review: Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

“I wanted this to be real life, not a detour….”

Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once-inseparable siblings.

But when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s finally able to escape her anxious mind—and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is, if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

Ireland has been on the top of my bucket list for ages, and reading this book only made that craving so much harder (thank you, pandemic). But luckily enough, Love & Luck helped me live a wonderful road trip through the Emerald Isle vicariously through its pages. With wonderful tourist sites and a breakdown of so many things this country is known for, I can’t wait to see this all in real life.

But onto the book now! Addie, whom you may remember from Jenna’s previous novel Love & Gelato, was fighting heartbreak. A boy she trusted and liked did something she felt deeply ashamed about back home, and now she was trapped across the ocean in a foreign country for her aunt’s wedding. I mean, I don’t think it particularly sounds like anything bad to complain about, but I guess it’s a heartbreak thing.

Continue reading “Review: Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch” →
3.5 star, YA

Review: Red Tigress by Amelie Wen Zhao

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Blood Heir Trilogy #2

Fans of Children of Blood and Bone will love the sequel to Blood Heir. The second book in an epic fantasy series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to liberate her empire from a dark reign.

Ana Mikhailov is the only surviving member of the royal family of Cyrilia. She has no army, no title, and no allies, and now she must find a way to take back the throne or risk the brutal retribution of the empress. Morganya is determined to establish a new world order on the spilled blood of non-Affinites. Ana is certain that Morganya won’t stop until she kills them all.

Ana’s only chance at navigating the dangerous world of her homeland means partnering with Ramson Quicktongue again. But the cunning crime lord has schemes of his own. For Ana to find an army, they must cross the Whitewaves to the impenetrable stone forts of Bregon. Only, no one can be certain what they will find there.

A dark power has risen. Will revolution bring peace–or will it only paint the streets in more blood.

Sometimes, bravery was not loud, or grand, or brilliant as the blaze of a thousand fires. Sometimes it was quiet. Unremarkable. Unknown. The resilient wend of water through rocks, year after year.

That, my daughter, is when you can choose to be brave.

Red Tigress, the sequel to Blood Heir, definitely does not suffer from middle book syndrome. While initially dealing with the crazy and somewhat tragic aftermath of book 1, our protagonists Ramson and Ana are both dealing with the 180 shift in power to Affinites, those with gifted abilities. However, now it seems this power change has gone too far with non-Affinites being hunted down and treated poorly for even looking at an Affinite wrong. Or if they had done nothing to save Affinites during the previous rule.

However, this book doesn’t focus super heavily on this. I kind of like that it’s setting up for something big – that being fighting Morganya and figuring out how to deal with the kingdom that’s long been divided into Affinites and non-Affinites – but not in a direct way yet. Morganya is up to something, planning something behind people’s backs that has yet to make sense. And hence, Ana and Ramson reunite to track down this mysterious plan before it can come to fruition.

Continue reading “Review: Red Tigress by Amelie Wen Zhao” →