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Book Review *NZ AUTHOR* - Spark Trilogy by Rachael Craw 

Posted by Amy @ onacraftyadventure at 15:42 1 comment: 


DIY Painted Doormat #2 The time taken on one of these mats is approx:
 Posted by Amy @ onacraftyadventure at 13:49 1 comment: 

Sunday, 12 February 2017

DIY Painted Doormat Stay tuned for the back door mat - coming soon!
Posted by Amy @ onacraftyadventure at 23:34 3 comments: 

Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber Ok, guys, this book just blew my socks off. I could not stop reading it and it messed with my head so much that I am tempted to go in for a re-read which is unheard of for me. I fell in love with the magic and fantasy of Caraval and I didn't want it to end! The movie rights have been snatched up for this book and I eagerly await the visual spectacular that will (hopefully) be produced.

Caraval is set in a fantasy world that is two-parts Alice in Wonderland and one part mid-1800's with corsets and sailors and vengeance. With a tiny bit of magic sprinkled in for good measure. Sisters Scarlett and Tella live on an island governed by their abusive father and dream of marrying someone who will take them off the island. To escape her misery, Scarlett has written a letter every year for the last seven years to the Caraval Master Legend to try and get tickets to the magical and mysterious performance where the invitees participate in a sort of twisted treasure hunt. The prize changes each year and the currency of the game is not money but secrets and fears and desires.

Scarlett and Tella's invitations finally arrive but when they get to Caraval, Tella is kidnapped by Legend and Scarlett is left to find her. But it's only a game - or is it? This question is the entire twist factor of the book, you never know what is real, what is just for show, and who to trust. Along the way she meets someone who tests her brain and her heart and she needs his help to rescue Tella. Because who knows what could happen if she isn't found by the end of Caraval.

This book is a really crazy journey and it is well paced. Each chapter revels more and we learn as Scarlett does. She is a great protagonist, who uses her instinct and her head to solve the clues. There is romance that is the best kind of overwhelming, and it is tactfully handled. You will love this character too by the end. It is hard to write more without giving away any spoilers but suffice to say that you won't see it coming. Any of it.

If you loved the films The Prestige and Now You See Me, these kind of scratch the surface of Caraval. A bonus is that the book cover design is beautiful.

I seem to have hit the review jackpot lately where each book is better than the last.Get it, read it, love it.

Posted by Amy @ onacraftyadventure at 21:09 No comments: 


Book Review: The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman by Mindy Majia The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman was also released under the title Everything You Want Me To Be in the US. The author compares herself to Agatha Christie in this regard stating "If she can do it, why can't I?"
I think both titles fit the narrative but to be honest, I wouldn't pick the US title off the shelf on first glance, it seems a bit too Nicholas Sparks. The UK title though, paired with the clearly Midwestern image on the cover screams 'Small Town Mystery', and I am all about those. I love when everybody knows everybody but there are hidden secrets all over the show. But I digress.

The story is about 18 year old Hattie Hoffman who is found murdered in a barn after the opening night of her school play,  of which she is the lead role. Hattie boasts to herself of being able to play the part that anyone wants her to be - the loving daughter, the typical, teenager, the country girl. When all she wants is to run to New York and start a new life. She has a plan. When Hattie meets and falls for a fellow literary lover online who turns out to be her married English teacher, she begins down a treacherous path that sends her life into a tailspin and ends with her death.

The story is told in three perspectives - Hattie, Peter (her English teacher) and Del, the local sheriff. The perspectives give a good overview of the events and each chapter reveals more of the story. As with all good murder-mysteries, there is a good twist at the end and I even said to Dave when I was only a couple of chapters from finishing that I still wasn't sure who her killer was. There are only ever a few options so Mejia did well keeping the secret until then. The story is not overly gory which is nice for a change, and the characters, especially Hattie, show so many emotions and evolve during the story.

I disliked Hattie as a character but it is like watching a trainwreck - you can't look away. Although she is self-assured, stubborn, brazen and above-it-all, she throws in all her cards for the relationship she wants. The rationales that come from Peter and Hattie are both crazy but believable and after an emotional tug of war I almost ended up rooting for them. The way the story makes you question your morals stays with you after the book is finished.

I really enjoyed this book, I pretty much read it in one sitting and stayed up late to finish it - both signs of a great read. Go and grab yourself a copy of this book, you won't regret it.

Thanks to Hachette for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Posted by Amy @ onacraftyadventure at 13:59 2 comments: