• Ko-fi
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Goodreads
  • Pinterest
  • Bloglovin’
  • RSS

Word Revel

Celebrate the love for books

  • Home
  • Book Reviews
    • Fiction
      • Reviews by Title
      • Reviews by Author
      • Reviews by Genre
      • Reviews by Series
      • Reviews by Rating
    • Non-Fiction
      • Reviews by Subject
      • Reviews by Author
    • Graphic Novels
    • Poetry
    • Plays
  • Bookstagram 101
  • Features
    • Thoughts & Confab
    • Photography
    • Products & Services
    • Overview
    • Events
    • Previews
  • About
    • Rating System
  • Contact

October 14, 2021

WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH by Elizabeth Acevedo

October 14, 2021

Book cover & 5-star rating - With the Fire on High by Elizabeth AcevedoWith the Fire on High easily is one of my favourite books that I read this year. Emoni loves to cook and dreams of becoming a chef. That’s all I needed to know in order to borrow the audiobook. With the Fire on High offers so much more than a trope I can’t get enough of, though. It brings to light complicated relationships, the difficulty of balancing responsibilities and ambitions, and a huge dash of heart.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: ambition, american authors, cooking, dating, diverse authors, diverse books, family life, family myth, fathers and daughters, friendship, grandmothers, high school, identity, inter-generations, relationships, teen mothers, travel

February 11, 2018

REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton

February 11, 2018

Book cover & rating - REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn HamiltonThe first 200 pages were not written well. I was bored and felt growing discomfort with the mangled Middle Eastern culture this fantasy book was premised on. At least the next 150 odd pages picked up a little in terms of plot and also storytelling, so I didn’t end up thoroughly hating Rebel of the Sands. Still, this book has so many problems, I’m relieved I didn’t order the sequels before finishing this one first.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: ableist, abuse, alcoholism, assault, beliefs, betrayal, canadian authors, choices, cousins, death, disability, diverse books, domestic violence, ethics, family, gender, ghouls, half-siblings, identity, insurgency, jinn, magic, murder, mythology, on the run, poc characters, relatives, religion, romance, royalty, secrets, self discovery, shapeshifting, siblinghood, truth, violence

December 19, 2017

I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS edited by Ruth Bennett

December 19, 2017

Book cover & rating - I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS edited by Ruth BennettHome means so many different things to different people, and I’ll Be Home For Christmas definitely captured that through the various short stories. Although, anthologies usually leave me with mixed feelings. I’ll Be Home For Christmas was no different. While I adored most short stories and the poem at the beginning, there were a few that I didn’t enjoy, and a couple of which that even left me confused.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: abuse, anthologies, british authors, christmas, culture, diverse books, divorce, family, family problems, friendship, hardship, identity, lgbtq characters, multiculturalism, on love, orphans, poc characters, poverty, realistic fiction, romance, sense-of-belonging, short-stories, winter

November 26, 2017

THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas

November 26, 2017

Book cover & rating - THE HATE U GIVE by Angie ThomasNo contest, The Hate U Give is the best young adult novel that was published in 2017. It’s filled with heart and soul, takes an honest look at racial discrimination, and doesn’t hold back any punches. It’s so honest and raw that it hurts to read and it’s precisely because of that that everyone and anyone, young or old, needs to read The Hate U Give.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: american authors, dating, death, discrimination, diverse authors, diverse books, domestic violence, drug abuse, drugs, dysfunctional families, family, family business, family problems, friendship, funerals, gangs, grief, half-siblings, high school, hope, identity, inequality, justice, media, murder, own-voices, poc characters, poverty, race relations, racism, realistic fiction, relatives, riots, sacrifice, siblinghood, suffering, violence

July 20, 2017

THE SUMMER SEASIDE KITCHEN by Jenny Colgan

July 20, 2017

Book cover & rating - The Summer Seaside Kitchen by Jenny ColganThe atmosphere of The Summer Seaside Kitchen was incredible. Even though Mure isn’t a real island but an amalgam of various islands of the Northern Isles, it completely came to life. I could picture the scenic views, the landmarks and houses so perfectly, I very nearly felt as though I had been transported to Mure myself. The more I read, the more I fell in love with the island. That’s how well Jenny Colgan detailed everything!

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: british writers, family, food and drink, friendship, identity, lgbtq characters, relationships, restaurants, romance, scottish writers, self discovery, siblinghood, work life

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Previous Entries

About

Joséphine. Word reveller. Loves books. Reads books. Talks about books. Photographs books. When she’s not blogging, she can be found on Instagram under @wordrevel.

Search Word Revel

Affiliate Link

The Willoughby Book Club affiliate

Recent Posts

iPhone propped up against an iPad propped up against the back of an armchair. The iPhone is showing an audiobook played on the Libby app, while a graph on the iPad shows daily listening statistics. The photo has a text box overlay with the post title, "Audiobook Reading Tracker 2022: A Google Sheets template to track audiobooks with listening stats."

Audiobook Reading Tracker 2022

January 26, 2022 By Joséphine

Row of five books mentioned in the blog post. They are arranged in read, orange, yellow, purple and blue sequence, and propped up against the backsupport of a sofa. The photo has a text box overlay with the post title, "Book We Meant to Read in 2021, The Happy Place 5."

Books We Meant to Read in 2021

January 22, 2022 By Joséphine

Stack of two books entitled "Truest" and "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" on a wooden desk with a lit candle and coaster on top. A branch of dried eucalyptus is in front of the books, partially covering the spine of "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue". Image is overlaid with a box in which the title and subtitle are stated — Bout of Books 33, the First of 2022: Ready to tackle my TBR pile with a week-long read-a-thon

Bout of Books 33, the First of 2022

January 3, 2022 By Joséphine

Person from chin down to waist holding onto three messy piles of books. Image is overlaid with a box in which the title and subtitle are stated. How to Track Books You Read: Pick the (social) reading tracker that works for you

How to Track Books You Read

December 30, 2021 By Joséphine

Top down view on coffee table with Australian paperback of edition of The Diviners by Libba Bray placed on the left bottom corner. A small wooden board is beside the top right corner of the book. A Nutella chocolate tart, dessert fork and cup of tea are on the wooden board. The photo has a text box overlay with the post title, "Fall Vibes on Book Covers, The Happy Place 5."

Fall Vibes on Book Covers

October 21, 2021 By Joséphine

Book cover & 5-star rating - With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH by Elizabeth Acevedo

October 14, 2021 By Joséphine

Book cover & 4.5-star rating - The Couple by Helly Acton

THE COUPLE by Helly Acton

October 1, 2021 By Joséphine

© 2015–2022 Joséphine / Word Revel · Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis