tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23812812304487206892024-03-28T17:12:25.747+01:00Offbeat YA...refreshing books you don't often see reviewedRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.comBlogger591125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-21627124937364903502024-03-26T15:17:00.003+01:002024-03-26T20:03:03.969+01:00Ryan Leslie: "Colossus" (ARC Review)
Title: Colossus [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Ryan Leslie [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Sci-Fi, Multiverse
Year: 2024
Age: 18+ (please note: it's definitely an adult book as a whole, but readable by mature teens - there are a couple of preludes to sex scenes that either happen offscreen or not at all, and the horror factor shouldn't be a huge issue, given the amount of very dark Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-90276691109723406212024-03-18T16:00:00.097+01:002024-03-18T17:44:20.029+01:00Taste the Books: Review Morsels #49 Grace Curtis, Rebecca Rook, Ai Jiang
.post-title large {
display:block !important;
border-bottom:1px solid #7A7F14;
margin-bottom:10px;
padding-bottom:10px;
font-size:24px !important;
font-weight:normal !important;
}
Intro
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-82725360428977593152024-03-10T16:00:00.331+01:002024-03-10T22:39:01.985+01:00Mallory Pearson: "We Ate the Dark" (ARC Review)
Title: We Ate the Dark [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None so far (though according to a Goodreads reviewer, the author has - had? - a duology in mind)
Author: Mallory Pearson [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Afterlife, Multiverse, Mystery
Year: 2024
Age: 16+ (technically an adult book, but it can be read by mature teens. See the WARNING! section though)
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-42650286337909177632024-03-04T16:00:00.301+01:002024-03-04T17:47:58.764+01:00Gwendolyn Kiste: "The Haunting of Velkwood" (ARC Review)
Title: The Haunting of Velkwood [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Gwendolyn Kiste [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural
Year: 2024
Age: 14+ (I shelved it as Adult because of the characters' age in the present, but it can be read by mature teens. There are far more graphic YA books out there)
Stars: 4.5/5
Pros: Original take on the haunted house trope (where the house is a Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-17600298050056790142024-03-01T16:00:00.482+01:002024-03-01T20:08:54.223+01:00Offbeat Offline: February 2024Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!What happened last month to yours truly? A beloved series got a new installment...and my husband finally ventured out of the bed (but don't get too excited - he's only taking a few step inside per day Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-61311799425919652452024-02-27T16:00:00.479+01:002024-02-28T22:43:34.236+01:00Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which Books Are You Looking Forward to Reading This Spring? (March-May)
Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). After Heidi stopped blogging (apparently for good), five of us took over as hosts while providing new questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-71815163434449492022024-02-20T16:00:00.695+01:002024-02-21T18:34:10.432+01:00B.C. Johnson: "Deadgirl: Daybreak" (ARC Review)
Title: Deadgirl: Daybreak [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Deadgirl (4th of 5 books, but there's also a novella about a side character that is chronologically book 2.5 in the series - though best read after book 3 if you want to avoid a spoiler about its ending)
Author: B.C. Johnson [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary
Year: 2024
Age: 14+
StarsRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-27734642212862967152024-02-14T16:00:00.098+01:002024-02-14T16:00:00.126+01:00Taste the Books: Review Morsels #48 Seanan McGuire, Aliya Whiteley, Paul De Filippo
.post-title large {
display:block !important;
border-bottom:1px solid #7A7F14;
margin-bottom:10px;
padding-bottom:10px;
font-size:24px !important;
font-weight:normal !important;
}
Intro
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-2883269091540247712024-02-08T16:00:00.509+01:002024-02-09T22:28:07.407+01:00Scott Alexander Howard: "The Other Valley" (ARC Review)
Title: The Other Valley [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Scott Alexander Howard [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist (with a prominent time-travel angle, but not of the Sci-Fi kind)
Year: 2024
Age: 18+ (there are two versions of the protagonist, teen and adult, and on the whole I would categorise the book as "adult" - also because we spend more time with the Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-62321517135857126632024-02-01T16:00:00.605+01:002024-02-01T20:47:12.385+01:00Offbeat Offline: January 2024Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!What happened last month to yours truly? Confirmation of the house loan disaster, but also good news on the blood count front. My mother in law fell again, but this time with minimal consequences, phew.Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-57374183286921330992024-01-25T16:00:00.024+01:002024-01-30T21:07:58.976+01:00Announcement: Having to Discontinue My Blog NewsletterHello sweeties,just a quick post to inform you (or remind you, since I've already mentioned it in a recent monthly recap) of a change that will affect my email followers: starting next month, I'll be forced to stop sending you email updates when a new post goes live ☹️.Since the Blogger "Follow by Email" gadget was retired in 2021, I've relied on MailerLite in order to send blog Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-20821854681677945912024-01-18T16:00:00.413+01:002024-01-18T16:00:00.125+01:00Krystal Sutherland: "The Invocations" (ARC Review)
Title: The Invocations [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Krystal Sutherland [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural
Year: 2024
Age: 14+ (please note: this is dark YA - you may want to take a look at the WARNING! section)
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Modern, fascinating, empowering and (briefly) trans-inclusive take on witchcraft and women's oppression.
Cons: Needs a good Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-74543266996024341432024-01-11T16:00:00.396+01:002024-01-11T16:00:00.125+01:00Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovic: "You're Breaking My Heart" (ARC Review)
Title: You're Breaking My Heart [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovic [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist, Urban Fantasy/Portal Fantasy, Multiverse
Year: 2024
Age: 12+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Wild, imaginative, at times poetical journey into a teen's grief and sense of guilt. Ode to family and friendship.
Cons: A little confusing at times. Might Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-61380244754551626062024-01-06T15:20:00.001+01:002024-01-06T17:06:47.915+01:00Seanan McGuire: "Mislaid in Parts Half-Known" (ARC Review)
Title: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Wayward Children (9th of ?? books)
Author: Seanan McGuire [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural (technically it would be Portal Fantasy, but since I don't have a Fantasy Room on the blog, I decided to shelf this one as Supernatural - that's the closest I could get)
Year: 2024
Age: 14+
Stars: 5/5
Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-63449208526305791812024-01-01T16:30:00.762+01:002024-01-01T16:49:30.972+01:00Offbeat Offline: December 2023Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!Hello sweeties! and Happy New Year! 🎉What happened last month to yours truly? Appalling house loan news, a shitty birthday (don't ask), Christmas laryngitis (because of course 😬), but also Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-74254029861654223812023-12-22T16:00:00.733+01:002023-12-22T17:26:30.678+01:002023 Wrap-Up: In Which I Bend but Don't Break
Hello my beauties!
Welcome to my last post of the year, where I will wrap my 2023 up. Seriously...I'm copying the following part of this intro from last year's post, because...same? down to the number of Review Morsels installments I posted..."This was a DISASTROUS year, on all counts. Life was a mess; blogging was (consequently) slow and highly irregular. I had to sit it out for a whileRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-87596825843886852052023-12-01T16:30:01.062+01:002023-12-14T16:42:59.344+01:00Offbeat Offline: November 2023 (Plus Announcing a Short Hiatus)Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!What happened last month to yours truly? A major health setback and the worst hair incident ever (now resolved though), plus I did nothing productive...nor did I read. I was constantly angry or tired orRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-53599086448186686892023-11-28T16:00:00.314+01:002024-02-27T16:57:26.506+01:00Tell Me Something Tuesday: Which Books Are You Looking Forward to Reading This Winter? (December-February)
Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). After Heidi stopped blogging (apparently for good), five of us took over as hosts while providing new questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-77423454823735410322023-11-22T16:00:00.174+01:002024-01-18T18:24:19.302+01:00Taste the Books: Review Morsels #47 Seanan McGuire: "InCryptid" Series #9-12
.post-title large {
display:block !important;
border-bottom:1px solid #7A7F14;
margin-bottom:10px;
padding-bottom:10px;
font-size:24px !important;
font-weight:normal !important;
}
Intro
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-65736230834691473072023-11-16T16:00:00.004+01:002023-11-17T18:01:56.011+01:00Kiersten White: "Mister Magic"
Title: Mister Magic [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Kiersten White [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery
Year: 2023
Age: 14+ (I shelved it as Adult because of the characters' age in the present, but it can be read by mature teens. There are far more graphic YA books out there)
Stars: 5/5
Pros: Original and enthralling, with an easy-to-love cast. Makes an Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-18872638264246551002023-11-12T14:27:00.001+01:002023-11-12T14:27:20.831+01:00Krystal Sutherland: "House of Hollow"
Title: House of Hollow [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Krystal Sutherland [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Afterlife, Thriller or Mystery
Year: 2021
Age: 14+ (please note: this is dark YA - you may want to take a look at the WARNING! section)
Stars: 5/5
Pros: Unique twist on a well-known fantasy trope (I'm not mentioning it in order to avoid spoilers). Fascinating Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-84418811528568273102023-11-08T16:00:00.002+01:002023-11-08T16:00:00.141+01:00Taste the Books: Review Morsels #46 Kosoko Jackson, Jay Bonansinga, Adrian Tchaikovsky
.post-title large {
display:block !important;
border-bottom:1px solid #7A7F14;
margin-bottom:10px;
padding-bottom:10px;
font-size:24px !important;
font-weight:normal !important;
}
Intro
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some shorties for aRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-33947344695896778002023-11-04T14:45:00.000+01:002023-11-04T14:45:50.465+01:00Michael Karolewski: "The Prophet's Debt" (ARC Review)
Title: The Prophet's Debt [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Valcara Incorporated (2nd of 6 books)
Author: Michael Karolewski [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife, Urban Fantasy
Year: 2023
Age: 18+
Stars: 3.5/5
Pros: Creative spin on the afterlife. Good blend of fast-paced and introspective. Flawed yet relatable lead.
Cons: More complex and a tad less exciting than Book 1 (probably since the Roberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-90250521367507347402023-11-01T13:50:00.011+01:002023-11-27T22:23:46.724+01:00Offbeat Offline: October 2023Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!What happened last month to yours truly? We got unseasonable heat; I joined Bluesky and had issues with MailerLite; I applied for an internship that wasn't exactly what I (and everybody else who did theRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381281230448720689.post-50723943289735608042023-10-28T16:30:00.590+02:002023-11-04T14:59:00.771+01:00Michael Karolewski: "The Soul Sector"
Title: The Soul Sector [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: Valcara Incorporated (1st of 6 books)
Author: Michael Karolewski [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Afterlife, Urban Fantasy
Year: 2021 (reissued 2023)
Age: 18+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Creative spin on the afterlife. Good blend of fast-paced and introspective. Flawed yet relatable lead with a solid redemption arc.
Cons: Might feel a bit too long if youRoberta R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/18228840429799100354noreply@blogger.com12