So 2022 is here, and I thought I’d like to take a moment and focus on some things I have hopes for in the coming year.
As always, I have my reading goal of 50 books for the year, including graphic novels, manga, and audiobooks.
I am going to also challenge myself to clear out some books on my ever growing TBR (to be read) list.
I am hoping to put some love and attention back into the blog. Updating old posts, and keeping information and links up to date.
I am also going to remind myself to only take these tasks in pieces. Not to get overwhelmed with everything I want to do, but just small and easy tasks.
My biggest one is to get back into being on social media to interact with authors, and readers alike. I started a TikTok account in December, and even if it turns into the dormant social media account like all the others I have, I can at least try to reach new people here.
Well looks like that’s what is going in the works for this new year. Let’s hope this year will be better than the last, and just try and stay positive and keep moving forward!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone from Elisha’s Book Review! Hope all of my readers have a safe and happy holiday! I hope you follow me into the New Year where there will be plenty of books, movies, TV shows, and Mental Health talk.
**This novel contains descriptions of magic, blood, gore, and violence. Rated for 14+**
Tess Matheson only wants three things: time to practice her cello, for her sister to be happy, and for everyone else to leave her alone.
Instead, Tess finds herself working all summer at her boarding school library, shelving books and dealing with the intolerable patrons. The worst of them is Eliot Birch: snide, privileged, and constantly requesting forbidden grimoires. After a bargain with Eliot leads to the discovery of an ancient book in the library’s grimoire collection, the pair accidentally unleash a book-bound demon.
The demon will stop at nothing to stay free, manipulating ink to threaten those Tess loves and dismantling Eliot’s strange magic. Tess is plagued by terrible dreams of the devil and haunting memories of a boy who wears Eliot’s face. All she knows is to stay free, the demon needs her… and he’ll have her, dead or alive.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
When I found this novel at my local library it sounded like an interesting premise. Haunted library, demonic possession, and chaos all around; sounds fun right? Well, I tend to be picky about my Young Adult fiction sometimes. When I read a novel, I am more of a ‘don’t beat around the bush and say what you want to say’ kind of person. This whole ‘oh he has to hate me for my simple mistake’ and ‘she doesn’t want me. She wants boy X,Y, or Z.” When they are both clearly into each other is annoying and aggravating. Maybe that’s just me getting old, or maybe I’m not much of a romantic.
This novel is Ms. Bovalino’s debut novel, and I have a difficult time just completely tearing down this book. It has it’s good qualities and it’s bad qualities. My complaints lay with things I consider to be a major factor in my enjoyment of reading. Those being character dialogue and character development.
Now, I can tell that she put a lot of love and care into Eliot. I clearly understood his motives and his backstory. Tess on the other hand, I never fully understood her motives, even though she kept repeating them at least once a chapter. Maybe Tess and I got off on the wrong foot in the beginning, and I’m blowing this out of proportion.
If you wanted peace, you wouldn’t wear the devil’s face.
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
Tess’s reasons for going to this boarding school revolve around her parents being bad with money and making poor business decisions while the economy is struggling. She is giving up her dreams of going to her dream college just to make sure she can protect her little sister Natalie. I felt that not only keeping Natalie, who’s 13, in the dark about everything is naïve. I think a 13 year old has the capacity to understand that her parents made bad financial decisions. However, her older sister will still be there for her when she needs someone to talk to.
Tess throughout the story is so concerned about paying for this prep school, surely she would qualify for financial aid or scholarships because of her parents’ financial situation. If she discussed that I must’ve missed it because doing so would’ve helped ease the stress a bit.
Now with Eliot, his parents are wealthy enough he could’ve gone to any school he wanted. However, he goes to the one where his dad used to be on the school board, even though he is closer with his mother. He wants to learn more about the magic he shares with his mother, even though he is the reason he and Tess unleash a demon into the world he is still more than willing to help Tess destroy the book and the devil right along with it.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. The premise was promising, but the execution of the characters and their dynamics wasn’t my cup of tea. If you enjoy YA romance with their paranormal activity then I’d say give this book a shot. Just because it isn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean you shouldn’t borrow it from a friend or local library.
This show is a collection of short stories involving these sentient guinea pig cars. I originally thought they were hamsters, but it was later confirmed in an episode that these are part guinea pig part car/vehicle. There is no voice acting so there is no language/culture barrier to worry about.
This is a show that’s perfect for all ages or even the whole family. It’s also a good palate cleanser for someone who needs something unique and cute that’s pure and innocent.
I would recommend Pui Pui Molcar for fans of Shaun the Sheep and Rilakkuma and Kaoru both are adorable shows with little to no dialogue. Bonus if you enjoy the cloth esthetic that occasionally appears in kids shows.
In post-war 1952, the good guys are supposed to have won. But not everything is as it seems when ex-Spitfire pilot Captain Samantha Moxley is dragged into a fight against the shadowy US government agency she used to work for. Now, with former Nazis and otherworldly monsters on her trail, Captain Moxley is forced into protecting her archaeologist sister in a race to retrieve two ancient keys that will unlock the secrets of a long-lost empire – to ensure a civilization-destroying weapon doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. But what will she have to sacrifice to save the world?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
After my initial bad experience I had reading Fury From the Tomb, I was somewhat hesitant to jump into a similar themed novel; ancient artifact(s), adventurous trip around the globe, Indiana Jones-inspired death traps. However Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire is what Fury from the Tomb should have been. So let’s dive into the adventures of Captain Samantha Moxley.
I love the way the author makes the reader feel like this is just one of many crazy adventures for Captain Moxley. I wanted to hear more of her stories or join her on wacky quests around the globe whether it was during her time with a secret organization called The Nine, or after this story where she is trying to stop the Nine from becoming too powerful.
Once the action starts, it rarely stops long enough to grow bored. From Captain Amanda Moxley getting shot down mid-air, to arriving in Egypt on the run from The Nine. Amanda and her entourage are on the run to keep two ancient artifacts out of the bad guys’ hands.
However, as much as I want to rave about this novel I do have one small negative. If you have been reading my reviews for awhile you can probably guess I’m about to talk about the plot twist. I saw this one coming a mile away. I won’t spoil what the plot twist was, but it’s my only complaint about Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire.
Overall, I enjoyed this globe-trotting adventure to save the world from evil. I would highly recommend this novel for lovers of adventures, Egyptology, and are a fan of The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw. I know I’m giving a light spoiler by the title, but trust me. If you want more adventure then check out The Atlantis Code or vice versa.
Elisha's Book Reviews 
You must be logged in to post a comment.