 Author: Shelby Mahurin
Pages: 513 Overall: 4/5 Setting: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot and Themes: 4/5 Cheers Factor: 4/5 Pairing: Red Beer I used to be opposed to this entire concept of drinking something that seemed so backwards, however I have come to learn that they are indeed quite yummy and taste quite good especially if you like Bloody Mary’s. I feel very much like foul mouthed Lou would love a drink like this because it is so unconventional. I also like this twist on a Bloody Mary in reference to Coco and her blood witch heritage. It’s very empathetic with blood rites and that sort of stuff which feels very relevant. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Ingredients ½ Blue Moon Bottle 4 ounces Bloody Mary Mix ½ Lime Juice 2-3 dashes Tabasco Pepper (to taste) Ice Instructions Step one: Pour half of a bottle of Blue Moon into a glass with ice. Step two: Pour in Bloody Mary Mix Step three: Add lime juice, tabasco and pepper Step four: Stir and enjoy “But deep down, I knew better. Lou had broken in that moment. My wild-hearted, foul-mouthed, steel-willed heathen had broken. I had broken her.” Setting A wonderful parisian setting that we get with this book because our characters are french. I really like the renaissance feel that isn’t explicitly explained given we are in a fantasy world. I think future books will develop more on the setting as the story continues to develop. Characters I really love the dichotomy we get with Lou and Reid. Lou is a loud mouthed, raunchy and self confident witch (haha get it). Whereas Reid is a man of the cloth and a devoted religious boy resembling that of an altar boy. The way that the two opposites interact is really great. I also really like the side characters. My first read I didn’t like them as much, but the second time around Coco and Ansel really did add to the story and I’m excited to follow our band of hooligans into future novels. Plots and Themes I mean come on a witch having to marry a witch hunter? That’s enemies to lovers GOLD. So naturally I was obsessed. I also liked the way that there’s this ever present danger of an unknown female presence that is hunting Lou. That adds a sense of a timeline to the story that helps with the pacing and obviously with the events that will take place in the next book. Overall I really liked this book. It was really great and pleasantly reminiscent of a Sarah J Maas novel with the dynamic of our characters which I really appreciated. I’m looking forward to the second installment and any that follow after that. Too Strong : I think it’s a little tough to grasp how all the characters really come together at the end, but it’s a first book so give it some grace. Reasons to Raise a Glass : Lou is really great and reminds me of Aelin, the relationship is really cute, ANSEL IS ADORABLE “Love makes fools of us all, darling” Beweare spoilers ahead. Read on/click read more at your own risk.
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 Author: Emily A. Duncan Pages: 385 Overall: 4/5 Setting: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 3/5 Cheers Factor: 3.5/5 Pairing: Redrum I like this drink firstly because it has a kicker that you don’t expect and that’t the dark rum hence why I names it redrum. I also thought it was cheeky as it’s quite literally a red drink with rum. Also I think Nadya is woefully unprepared and naive for the world she steps into and doesn’t realize the danger she’s in until itr’s too late almost as though she’s looking at everything backwards in a mirror. Ingredients -1 ½ oz dark rum -1 handful of blackberries -¼ lime wedge -mint sprigs -ginger beer -ice "A boy made king of monsters for a kingdom of the damned." Instructions -Combine blackberries and lime wedge and mint in a glass and muddle -Add rum and dry shake to combine (without ice) -Double strain into glass -Top with ginger beer and add ice -Garnish with optional lime wheels -Enjoy responsibly "A future that could not - would not - be stopped. A future that had already been set into motion."  Take a Shot: Nadezhda is a cleric. Or better said a person who is touched by the gods. She has a direct line to them and their powers when they grant them to her. The clerics have been hunted for their abilities by the Tranavians because of the war as well as their hatred of the gods. The Kalyazi need Nadya to fight their war against the heretical Tranavians. However, everything changes when the monastery Nadya is living at is raided by Tranavian soldiers and one among them is different. He is the Crown Prince Serefin Meleski. In fleeing she ends up teaming up with a ragtag band of young people with drastically different motivations and goals. With friendship, love and the safety of two countries at war on the line they will all soon feel the pressure of their individual missions.
"I would not want to be the cause of your pain, even if it may be inevitable." Setting I really like the whole Eastern Europe/Slavic region kind of setting. I think buy and large it’s a very underused setting in fantasy novels to really have something emulate the real world. I get Shadow and Bone vibes from the setting which I really appreciated. "If something happens tomorrow...I want you to know you are the only good thing that has ever happened to me." Characters This is by far a book about the characters. I feel it’s the biggest strength of the book aside from the writing and the writing is really good when the characters are speaking and naturally the characters benefit from this. I think despite other factors I’m severely invested in the characters in a way that I would not have expected given my thoughts around the other factors of this novel. I love the multiple perspectives and I think it’s a unique way to tell the story of the characters meant to be more elusive to tell them more minimally. A very distinct writing choice that works very well for the characters. "The understanding I had in mind was one that kept you safer than this, towy dzimyka." Plots and Themes This for me is the weakest part of the novel. I have to admit that half the time I’m a little lost. I understand broad strokes what is happening and that’s about it. It feels at times a little disjointed and important things are skipped over when the perspectives change. I think this is reminiscent oddly in parts to the Selection, but reduced in a way that feels like The Red Queen series. I love the Selection and actually do quite enjoy The Red Queen, but the stark difference between the two is the lack of continuity and disjointed overall feel of a relationship and complicated royal setting which is why I am throwing this one in line more so with the latter. For the most part the plot is bearable and at times understandable. I'm just not sure the execution is done well enough to do the characters justice. "Some gods require blood." Overall I said it in my characters section, but truly I believe this is one of the few series where I’m Immensely invested in the characters without really knowing what is happening. It’s a true strength of the book and again the writing is impeccable. I would recommend this book strictly because of those things. Reasons to raise a glass- a true dark love interest (like actually irredeemable but not in the way that you actually wouldn’t want the characters to be together IRL), the writing *chefs kiss* Too Strong- The plot is confusing and hard to follow, no urgency, lack of consequences that drive the story Warning! Spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk.  Author: Shelby Mahurin Pages: 536 Overall: 3.8/5 Setting: 4/5 Characters: 3.5/5 Plot and Themes: 3.5/5 Cheers Factor: 3.5/5 Pairing: Healing Elixir In the book Coco, a dames rouges, is constantly having to help out our cast of characters by combining her blood with honey to help heal them of some ailment. While thankfully this cocktail is not that it’s sure to heal something. “There are none so dead as those who will not hear.” Ingredients -2oz tequila -1oz pomegranate juice -1oz lime juice -1/2oz triple sec/cointreau -Ice Instructions -Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice -Strain into a chilled glass over ice -Enjoy responsibly  “A beautiful witch, cloaked in guis of damsel, soon lured the man down the path to hell.”
Take a Shot: After saving Lou from her mother Reid and the rest of the gang are on the run not only from the witches, but also from the Chasseurs. Grappling with the revelation of Lou’s parentage, killing the Archbishop and discovering his own lineage, Reid is well and truly struggling. Considering they have nowhere to go they reach out to Coco’s coven the dames rouges in hopes of making it back to Belterra to maybe get to witness the funeral for the Archbishop as well as gain alliances that may help them in going up against Morganne. “The snake and her bird. The bird and his snake, they take and they break and they ache and they ache.” Setting I was a little bored in the Hollow I won’t lie. I found it intriguing when they joined the circus performers and went along their way and was happy when they returned to Belterra. Overall the setting is not the main part of this book. It’s safe to say that here we get to see a lot of medieval settings which are definitely ones I like hence my high opinion of it, but there really wasn’t much to write home about. “There are few choices in life that can’t be unmade.” Characters Madame Labelle takes the cake for this book. She’s truly such a great character and I like her more than I like the rest of our cast. I also love the introduction of Claude Devereuax. He’s a great character and plays a large part in the end. I have to say I also adore sweet Ansel and think he’s a great character that shows the age range of our characters amongst what exactly is happening in congruence to how people handle certain events. I also really love Beau and think he’s a great little guy. However, my love of these characters does not entirely extend to either Reid or Lou in this installment. After truly loving them in the first novel I figured I would like them just as much in this next one but alas I do not. That’s part of the reason why i have given such a low rating because they are our supposed protagonists and I liked every side character more than them. “When a person brings you more hurt than happiness, you’re allowed to let them go.” Plots and Themes This book could have been 100 pages shorter. I appreciate the grief constant utilized in the story but can’t quite seems to feel overly pulled in by it. It felt overdone throughout the book and became almost an annoying crutch for the plot and I didn’t enjoy that very much. I have to say I really only liked the ending of the book from about the funeral to the end. I thought the action was good and obviously was full of twists and turns and surprise deaths which I did appreciate, but it kind of fell a little dead on it’s entire delivery given the beginning half of the book nearly lost me. “You are a snake. Shed your skin if it no longer suits you.” Overall I liked the book truly but not enough to really sell it too much for me. I think it kind of hit a second book slump that I was anticipating wouldn’t happen. I did enjoy the cliffhanger at the end and will be finishing the series, but can’t say I wasn’t disappointed with this installment. I sadly am not in a rush to finish the series even with the cliffhanger. Reasons to Raise a Glass: SIDE CHARACTERS - like seriously they are really good Too Strong: Reid needed to get over himself, Lou needed to know when to be a little less stubborn “Sometimes it hurts to remember the dead as who they were rather than who we want them to be.” Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk.  Author: Cassandra Clare Pages: 485 Overall: 3.8/5 Setting: 4/5 Characters: 3.5/5 Plot and Themes: 3.5/5 Cheers Factor: 4/5 Pairing: The Plot Said What? This one is strong enough that if you have enough you forget that this book ends the way it does. If you haven’t read it…google exists, but just know I warned you so maybe have two of these first then come back. Ingredients 1.5 oz vodka 2 oz El Guapos Lemon Drop Mixer  Instructions -Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice -Shake well and strain into chilled glass -Enjoy responsibly "The descent into hell is easy."  Take a Shot
Clary Fray is a mundane living a mundane life, but is she? One night when out at a club she witnesses something only she can see which in turn opens her up to a world of Shadow Hunters, Demons, Warlocks and Vampires. Clary quickly finds herself immersed in the world when her mother is kidnapped and rumors are swirling of Valentine’s return and it turns out her mom might be more connected to Valentine than many thought. "I've always needed you more than you needed me." Setting I think it’s very fun to have a fantasy book that’s grounded in real life. They drive cars, have cell phones, take taxis, go to clubs, etc. I think it’s a fun way to be in a fantasy world that makes you feel as though it might actually be real life instead of a fully developed world. I also like that it takes place in New York, it’s cliche but I still enjoy when stories are set there especially fantasy stories. Characters I really like the characters, but their character development is just somewhat lacking in my opinion. I think it’s hard to feel really connected to a character when they don’t feel as well rounded as you want. The hardest part being they are quite close to being stellar characters it’s almost as though they needed some more depth and I would have truly loved them. It’s possible we clearly get that in the remainder of the 6 book series, but you have to hook someone book one by really showcasing your characters for who they are especially given that we aren’t world building as much given so much can be grounded in reality. Plots and Themes It’s a really overdone trope to have the main character thrust into a fantasy world they know nothing about. Take for example Harry Potter where he has no idea he is a wizard then is literally shipped off to Hogwarts only to find himself in the middle of a war? Yeah well same thing here Clary has no idea about the world only to realize there’s an impending war and she’s finding herself at the center of it. I understand the trop and don’t have an issue with it, but it’s been done before and happens a lot. I’m also going to mention that I hate a very specific plot point. I’m not even going to write the word here, but you can google it and it will likely be easy to find. I just don’t really see the point in that kind of addition in a mainstream novel. I don’t really like it even in fan fiction, but I believe it should stay in that genre if it’s going to be in literature even at all and I will avoid it like the plague. "Half of your attention is better than all of anyone else's." Overall I do like this series, but it’s not my favorite from this era. It’s a good enough first book that hooks you into the story and makes you want to read more, but it’s an overall very YA novel series from the 2010’s so take that for what it’s worth. Reasons to Raise a Glass: There’s a movie adaptation with Lily Collins (it does lowkey suck, but I just love her if you couldn’t already tell), nostalgic for 2010’s YA lit Too Strong: YUCKY PLOT POINT (I will never not die on this hill that’s all) Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk. |
Cheers FactorEach book here at Cheers&Chapters is rated based off of certain categories that are genre specific, however every book will get a Cheers Factor. The Cheers Factor is how much we wanted to raise our glass while reading it. So get your glasses ready and cheers! Archives
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