Author: Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

An avid reader whose current interest lies in mysteries and thrillers. Line 'em up! Also personally love fantasies and any stories to do with magic, and a sucker for the occasional (good) romance.
4.5 star, YA

Review: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Six of Crows #2

Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets – a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

This is the second and final book of the Six of Crows duology. Continuing from where we left off in the previous book, we are immediately thrown into the action and unending plots from our main protagonist, Kaz Brekker. Having been betrayed once again, and weakened from the great heist they pulled off in the first novel, does he and his motley crew have enough to recover? This was certainly an exciting journey for me, so much so that I dare say it was more exciting than the first one! Andge and I both agree on the 4.5 rating here.

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Let’s Talk Bookish – What’s One Book Everyone Must Read?

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

AUGUST 20: WHAT IS ONE BOOK EVERYONE MUST READ? (MIKAELA @ MIKAELA READS)

Prompts: There are some books that are just required…or at least you personally think they are! Maybe it’s a book that changed your view on everything, or maybe it’s just the BEST vampire book ever written. What book do you try to get everyone in your life to read, even the non-readers?

Summer is almost ending, and I’m just not ready for it! Today’s topic here on LTB is super subjective, but a good exercise nonetheless in what we each think that others must read. Can’t wait to see what other bloggers have to say about this topic!

I think there probably aren’t any books out there that are an absolute must read for every single person on earth. That being said though, I feel that many books would really benefit the society as a whole if they were read. Raising awareness on social issues, or providing perspective on topics that people are privileged in are often good ways that books can benefit society.

I think it’d be fairly difficult to convince a non-reader to read something that they’re not interested in anyway, so it’d be hard to impress upon them a book to be read out of interest. It may be easier to suggest a book that has social implications, or just an interesting perspective/moral in general to try and tempt them.

Having read books like Punching the Air or Braiding Sweetgrass (review coming soon), I would like to suggest these books to everyone. These books really provided great perspective for me in terms of cultures and societies so different from my own that I had no idea what they were experiencing. It really opened my eyes to my view of the world and I think that everyone should have a chance to listen to these stories and decide for themselves what’s important.

What are books that you all find are important to share? Do you try your best to actually get people to read them? Or just leave them with the suggestion and let them figure it out on their own? Let me know in the comments below!

3 star

Review: Safe in My Arms by Sara Shepard

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

The latest novel from Sara Shepard, author of Reputation and the #1 New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series. When the principal of an elite California preschool is attacked, three moms—who feel like outsiders among the school’s manicured and ultra-wealthy community—must work together to uncover what she’s hiding, figure out who’s trying to frame them, and make sure their own secrets stay hidden.

Andrea, Lauren, and Ronnie all see themselves as good, loving moms who are trying their best, but they each arrive at the Silver Swans preschool Welcome Breakfast with something to hide. Andrea is running away from a past on the East Coast, which she cannot afford for the other parents to discover. Lauren is recovering from a postpartum condition her husband has warned her not to disclose. And Ronnie is hiding herself and her daughter from the one man who could at any moment appear in their lives and ruin everything she holds dear. They already feel like impostors among the school’s community of polished parents. But then notes appear in their children’s backpacks after the first day at school. Notes that indicate that someone knows their deepest, darkest secrets and needs them gone. Does someone not want them in the community? Or is it something more menacing—does someone know everything?

When the principal of the school is the victim of an almost-fatal attack, it quickly becomes clear that the Silver Swans community is not as flawless as the brochures and website would have you believe. The three moms must band together to uncover the school’s many secrets before the other suspicious parents and town police close in and use their outsider status to blame them . . . and before they lose what they have worked so hard for. 

From the author of Pretty Little Liars comes this new thriller, set in a time not unlike our current pandemic. Filled with good themes and effective portrayal of different maternal struggles, this book fell short for me a bit in terms of the actual suspense and plot. Overall I did enjoy it though, and it was quite a quick read.

Safe in My Arms happens over multiple POVs, our three protagonists who are three mothers with young children enrolled at the prestigious Silver Swans pre-school. Each mother has their own secret that they’re harboring, something catastrophic that they don’t want to get out. Yet someone seems to be onto them. What will they do when they are backed into a corner? Are they willing to do anything to keep their secret hidden? A fast-paced suspense, this book takes us through an emotional journey of a mother’s struggles and how far they’re willing to go to protect themselves and their child.

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