Author: Katharine McGee Pages: 448 Overall: 4.5/5 Setting: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Cheers Factor: 4/5 Pairing: French 75 This is a very regal drink in my opinion that then goes beyond just being champagne or prosecco so it felt fitting for our cast of royals, tangential royals, and friends. Ingredients -1oz gin (I used Breckenridge) -½ oz lemon juice -champagne/prosecco, really whatever your favorite sparkling wine is you can switch it up and do cava too for my Spanish friends (; -dash simple syrup -lemon peel -ice Instructions -Add ice, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to shaker -Shake generously -Strain into champagne flute (you could do a coupé glass but for this mix of a cocktail I think a flute is best to keep as much of the bubbles present as possible) -Top with sparkling wine of choice -Garnish with lemon twist -Enjoy responsibly *fun fact: the glass pictured below recently shattered in my dishwasher so this is my memorial to it Take a Shot: What would happen if George Washington hadn’t been the President of the United States and instead the Washingtons became the royal family of the United States? Well this book explores that as the three siblings of the royal family are the modern American equivalent of royals. Told from four women’s perspectives it’s a great look into the lives of a royal and those who run in the sphere of the family itself.
Setting It’s interesting to think about the White House being a palace, but it was definitely very interesting to see the way that the US could end up having royal estates. I loved all the parties that our characters were able to go to and all of the opulence that does exist for the rich and wealthy as well as political figures currently, but it was fun seeing it in a royalty context. Characters I love the way that we get the four different young women to follow in their stories. We get Sam who has a wild side, Nina who just wants to be herself, Beatrice who feels the pressure of the monarchy and Daphne who is manipulative until the end. Truthfully the range of all these lovely characters is the best part of them and it shows the depth of understanding McGee had for her characters. Plot and Themes I think the plot and themes are truly interesting and I love a good royalty novel, but I think it’s really neat to see it in an American context. I also felt that the story moved very well and wove all four of our main characters together quite well. Conclusion This book is really amazing and is great for fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It’s really well written and the story follows an entertaining format. Reasons to Raise a Glass: STRONG. FEMALE. CHARACTERS., four perspectives, dystopian but not, fun concept Too Strong: not enough communication between characters, not enough of the brother or other characters outside of our 4 Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk!
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Author: Sarah Henning Pages: 368 Overall: 3.5/5 Setting: 3.5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot and Themes: 3/5 Cheers Factor: 3/5 Pairing: Taillefer’s Brew Fair warning this is obviously not poisonous duh, but I felt the name was clever given his proclivity towards experimenting. Ingredients -2oz gin (I used Breckenridge) -¾ oz lime juice -¾ oz simple syrup -Orange bitters -mint sprigs -Ice Instructions -Add mint to shaker and simple syrup and muddle -Add Ice -Combine gin, lime juice and a couple dashes of orange bitters in the shaker with other ingredients -Shake generously -Double strain into glass with fresh ice -Garnish with fresh mint sprig “Love doesn’t know anything about class, nor should it be bound by it.”
Take a Shot: In this gender flip of the Princess Bride, Princess Amarande is in love with the stableboy Luca and her father’s untimely death makes that more problematic than just loving a commoner would be for a princess. In order for Princess Amarande to rule she must first wed because she cannot ascend the throne on her own due to the succession rules not allowing women. Then Luca is kidnapped and is being held to sway Amarande to accept a marriage proposal and she must choose between playing politics to try to save her love or track him down and rescue him herself. “Power and strategic alliance wins out every time.” Setting The Itspi is interesting as well as the Torrent in terms of broad setting however, I don’t feel we ever really got a good description of any of the locales our characters were in. The Hand confused me as well as the place that the pirates brough Luca to stay at in the middle of the Torrent. It was confusing to follow at times. Characters I didn’t love Amarande as our leading lady and at times it was a little too aggressive to hear all the characters reiterate just how sexist their societies are, however I did love the strong female characters. I liked Koldo, Amarande, Ula and even the Dowager Queen. The intertwining of the characters was done really well and the connections of all of their stories which I really did enjoy and it was done well. I also just personally didn’t love that Amarande’s name reminded me so much of Amarantha from Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series that made it hard to like her in general. This is strictly because of name association and has nothing to do with the character, but it’s the same concept as reading a character with the same name as your ex or nemesis. Plot and Themes I have always loved The Princess Bride truthfully and it was nice to see the storyline play out this way. The flow of the storytelling was strong as well. It was a little slow in the beginning, but picked up about halfway into the book. Conclusion Overall, I liked this book and the way that our characters moved through the story. I wasn’t my favorite, but it was quite good and a fun retelling of an old story. Reasons to Raise a Glass: The Princess Bride (this one is self explanatory), political intrigue, female driven plots Too Strong: Villains seemed a bit comical almost like Wile E. Coyote comical and not in a way that was becoming of them, too much reiteration of the women being oppressed by circumstances (this is strictly my opinion that I felt the topic was repeated so often it almost felt like the book thought I wasn’t paying attention and hadn’t picked up on it the first 5 times it was mentioned) “Men do not have a monopoly on strength.” Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk! Author: Stephanie Garber Pages: 451 Overall: 4/5 Setting: 3.5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot and Themes: 4/5 Cheers Factor: 3.5/5 Pairing: Storm on the Horizon This is a Dark and Stormy which truly makes me feel like it describes a lot of the relationships in this book! Ingredients 1/2 oz Simple Syrup 1/2 oz lime juice Ginger Beer (to almost fill glass roughly a can) 2 oz dark rum (I used Bacardi) ice Instructions -Fill a glass with ice -Combine Simple Syrup and lime juice in glass and stir -Add ginger beer leaving enough space for rum -Layer the rum using a stirring spoon to dilute -Garnish with a lime wheel -Enjoy! Take a Shot:
After her sister won Caraval, Tella is left still owing a debt to her unknown friend. However, the terms have changed and her friend now wants Legend’s identity in exchange for originally helping her. It won’t be easy, but now Tella has to play in order to find out who Legend is in exchange for the one thing she wants more than anything. Her mother. "Love turned the world into a garden so beguiling it was easy to forget rose petals were as ephemeral as feelings, eventually they would wilt and die, leaving nothing but thorns." Setting The setting felt a little confusing to me between the city and Elantine’s castle. I liked the temple that Dante and Tella went into, but I feel that for the most part I was pretty confused about where the characters were and what exactly they were doing. The locations also felt very convenient to me. Characters I love Dante. At first I was royally upset that it wasn’t from Scarlett’s perspective because I love Julian and her relationship from the first one, but I’ve started to realize that we needed both sister’s stories in order to get to where we are. Plus meeting Jacks and getting to know Dante better was worth Tella’s perspective. Plots and Themes I liked the plot line between Elantine and Tella and how Jacks fit into that. I liked the addition of a second Caraval and the fact that it’s more intense this go around. I enjoyed the escalation of the real life aspect of the game. I also liked the addition of the storyline regarding the Dragna’s mother. Conclusion Overall, this was a really great book and I really liked it. It’s not my favorite fantasy novel I’ve ever read but it’s not bad and has strong writing and characters. It is a fun game type set up that’s intriguing and fun to read the events play out. Reasons to Raise a Glass: Tall dark and mysterious love interest, quick pacing Too Strong: I was lost in the setting at points, I miss Scarlett Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Do not click read more unless you want spoilers! Author: Leigh Bardugo Pages: 465 Overall: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Cheers Factor: 5/5 Pairing: Old Fashioned This is a Kaz Brekker drink if I’ve ever seen one. It’s serious, hardcore and perfect for a gangster like Kaz to hold in one hand with a weapon in the other. Ingredients
1 ½ oz whiskey 1 teaspoon of simple syrup from raw sugar A few dashes of water 2 dashes Aromatic bitters 1 ice ball Orange peel Instructions -Add simple syrup, dash of water and bitters to glass and combine by stirring -Add ice ball to glass -Rub orange peel on rim of glass -Pour whiskey into glass -Pinch orange peel over drink -Garnish with fresh orange peel -Enjoy “‘That’s what he wants, not what he needs,’ Kaz said. ‘Leverage is all about knowing the difference.’” Take a Shot: There is a mysterious drug circling around that is intensifying Grisha power and then subsequently killing them. Kaz Brekker is hired to break the scientist who created the jurda parem and he compiles a ragtag team of his friends and accomplices in order to get the job done Ocean’s Eleven style. “The life you live, the hat you feel - it’s poison. I can drink it no longer.” Setting I love Ketterdam! It’s super cool and grungy and an intriguing place to be. Bonus points because the book has a map. I also love all of the different locations we get to see. I do love the Ice Court as well; it's a very fun journey our characters take to fun and exciting locations. Characters I love the multiple perspectives from all of our motley crew. It’s really a great way to read an ensemble novel and Bardugo does an amazing job of weaving the different perspectives together. I love how Nina is depicted as being a curvier woman and that is never compromised and it also isn’t demonized as well. The diversity of backgrounds of the characters is also amazing too. We get to see a lot of them grow and become Also shameless plug for Kaz and Wylan. They are my two favorite characters and I love them. Plot and Themes The Ocean’s series with George Clooney and Brad Pitt have been some of my favorite movies for a very long time. Additionally, I love the show Peaky Blinders and this book is a perfect mix of that. The heist aspect of the novel is truly so well written that the action just keeps you guessing all the time. Conclusion This book made me fall in love with the Grishaverse and was truly a turning point in my love of Leigh Bardugo after finishing Shadow and Bone. It’s a great book for lovers of ensemble books with high stakes and great action. Reasons to Raise a Glass: STRONG. FEMALE. CHARACTERS., fast paced, good action, high stakes Too Strong: I wish it wasn’t YA so they could curse (like it would be so good) Click read more for more of my thoughts and spoilers! You have been warned spoilers are after the read more. |
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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