ROMANOV | Book Review

I was thrilled to be able to read an advanced copy of Romanov by Nadine Brandes. The moment I heard about it a magical retelling of Anastasia’s story, I was hooked and pre-ordered a copy for myself. For the advanced reading, though I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  🙂

romanov book by nadine brandes

Star Rating: 5

This book is incredibly lovely. The first half of the book with Anastasia (Nastya) and her family coming together during hardship and finding warmth, humor, and love wherever they could, gave me strong Little Women vibes. I was really touched by the bond they shared.

I actually hadn’t realized just how much of this story would be focused on the true history of the Romanov family, and as historical novels aren’t usually my favorite, I might not have picked up the book if I’d known…but I’m so glad I read it. The characters were richly developed and I felt so attached to each of them. Plus Nadine’s writing was so gripping I couldn’t put the book down. In fact, I binge-read this one faster than anything else I’ve picked up this year.

This book definitely gave me ALL THE FEELS and surprised me time and again, even when I thought I knew what was going to happen. I was riveted by the magical element and the fact that it was connected to music, in a way that made me nostalgic for the old Anastasia movie where the music box was so important.

Extra tidbits:
Hogwarts House I’d put the main character in: A mix of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

I’d recommend it for fans of:  Sky In The Deep, To Best The Boys, Diary of Anne Frank, and Little Women.

Also, this book doesn’t delve into any romantic situations beyond kissing. While there is obviously violence and death, it’s not described in a graphic manner, and there’s no strong language, so in my opinion it would be fine for younger YA readers who aren’t ready for more mature YA content.

TO BEST THE BOYS | Book Review

Hello lovelies. I’m going to try to do a better job of sharing reviews for books I read on here instead of just on Instagram and Goodreads/Amazon etc. These will probably be short and sweet most of the time, and I’ll always try to keep them spoiler-free.
To start with, here are my thoughts on To Best The Boys by Mary Weber.

Star Rating: 5
General Thoughts: This is such a lovely girl-power book. I appreciated the fact that Mary praised how strong and capable and intelligent etc. girls are, without tearing down guys in order to do it. Yes, there are some male figures in the book that you hate, but there are also ones who are respectful and kind and compassionate and wonderful, and that meant a lot to me, because I have four girls and I’m all about building up girls and women, but I also have a wonderful husband, and I’m not here for man-hating. There are also two main girls who are both amazing in different ways, and I love that they each get to make the choices that are right for them, and neither is portrayed as any less valid or important. And I loved that we get to see their friendship really shine. I feel like we don’t have enough books that feature positive friendships. By the last half of this book I couldn’t put it down, so I stayed up way too late last night reading, but it was well worth it!
Hogwarts House I’d put the main character in: Gryffindor
I’d recommend it for fans of: Stalking Jack The Ripper,  and I’ve heard others say Caraval,  I’ll update this post after my oldest daughter who loves Caraval  has read To Best The Boys  so she can let me know if she agrees.
Also, this book doesn’t delve into any romantic situations beyond kissing, graphic violence, or strong language so it should be fine for younger YA readers who aren’t ready for more mature content.

Mood Board Mondays…Maybe

Hello lovelies. I made a few aesthetic, or mood, boards for the four Hogwarts houses to share on my Instagram stories, but one of my beautiful friends there suggested I share them here, too. If I come up with other stories or fandoms I want to make these boards for, then I may try to make this a weekly, or at least monthly thing. We’ll see. 🙂

Gryffindor
Slytherin
Ravenclaw
Hufflepuff

And a bonus, because I’ve been sorted into both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and while I  lean more towards Hufflepuff, I honestly relate to parts of both houses…

Ravenpuff

These are all just images I found on Pinterest. I have boards there for each house, where you an find the original images that I put together into these aesthetics (and a ton of other images for each house that I pinned before deciding on the final ones for each collage). I hope you enjoyed these. Have a wonderful week.

-Heather

Rich, Creamy Hot Cocoa!

Happy December! This is the one time of year I diverge from bookish and writerly posts to share the best hot chocolate recipe I’ve ever, ever tried!

Other than using kcup hot cocoa when I’m feeling really lazy, this is pretty much the only stuff I find worth drinking! And if I manage to be organized enough to make little gifts for neighbors and such, this is what I give! Here’s the recipe:

3/4 cup powdered Hershey’s Cocoa

1/2 cup powdered milk

2 cups powdered creamer

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients and mix well!

I usually double or triple the batch, though, because we drink it like crazy. It makes a great gift, too!

When you’re ready to enjoy just add 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup very hot water, stir well an enjoy!

Where I’ve Been…

Hello Lovelies. Sorry I haven’t been posting here. I needed a hiatus from blogging to focus on other writing endeavors, as well as homeschooling my kids and just life in general. I’ve remained active on Instagram, though, so if you would like to connect with me, please find me there. My username is read.write.coffee and I post about books there all the time. I may try to post on here again with some photography tips, bookstagram behind the scenes shots, or something along those lines.  In any case, I hope you’re doing well. Have a wonderful day.