Review: Playing with fire by L.J. Shen

 Hi there!

 

This week was full of emotions for me. Like a serious emotional roller coaster. I cried, laughed and fell in love (With a book). Even though, I have been reading books since I was very young, but there are only few that created a space for themselves in my heart. So without further ado let me introduce you to the book that shook me to the core and will always be in my heart.

Playing with Fire by L.J. Shen is a master-piece. It is about this complex, yet beautiful love hate relationship between West and Grace. 

Grace experienced a very traumatic event in her life, the scars of which she bears even today, not only emotionally but also physically. These scars are the reason that she wants to be invisible to the world. She works at a food truck to support herself and her grandma. When one day she meets this handsome, popular and every girl's dream boy West St. Claire. Even though, they study at the same university, but this is the first time that West acknowledges her existence. He is obnoxious, rude, and somebody that Grace wants nothing to do with.  He wants a job and the food truck has an opening. 

This is an epic enemies to lovers romance. But most importantly there is an entire journey of healing from trauma, that is central to the story.  L.J. Shen has done a commendable job at very carefully unraveling the insecurities each of these characters have due to these traumas.

Some of my favourite lines from this book are,

We're all categorized. Stereotyped by our flaws and weaknesses. Welcome to life. It's a bitch and then you die.

 

Reality is overrated. Say yes to magic

 

 Playing with fire got me in a true dilemma. On one hand, this book is very difficult to put down and part with. On the other hand, I didn't want to finish this book very quickly.

In addition, I think a very important element of romance is making the reader feel what the characters are really going through. L.J. Shen has written this story so admirably that at no point would you feel disconnected with the main characters and not feel what they are feeling. This connection with the characters makes the reading process a lot more intense and helps the reader get more invested in the book.

I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

I loved every bit of this story.

 

If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. Also, if you would like to recommend some books to me which are similar to the one above, I would be very grateful.

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This book is available on Amazon and is also free on kindle unlimited.

 

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Review: Bane of Ashkarith by Ariel Paiement

 Hey there!!

Hope you are doing well. 

I have a super amazing book recommendation today. It is Bane of Ashkarith (Legends of Alcardia) by Ariel Paiement.

 

Bane of Ashkarith is set in Alcardia. It follows two Searchers (archeologists), Kaidan Tadegan and his wife Zerua. They are asked by the king of Argos
to excavate the Dubarian Hill, to determine whether those who clashed there were gods. While excavating the Dubarian Hill, Kaidan and his wife come across the bones of a woman, with a book in her hand. This mysterious book has something written inside of it in the ancient language of Wyrdhan. The text written inside of this book, if true, would raise questions on their entire belief system. Everything from old world myths to the concept of good and evil will come into question.

To find the truth it is essential for them to find the city of Ashkarith. This sets them off on a dangerous adventure to the land of Ashkarith that is known to be cursed that no one sane dares to enter.

Will Kaidan and Zerua be able to find the truth? What happens if they are true? Would the world accept it?

This is a true page turner and a very well written story. It has some of the most interesting and well-rounded characters. I fell in love with the protagonists of the story - Kaiden and Zerua. They have one of the most beautiful relationships ever.  Without going too much into their love story, Paiement has done a fabulous job at portraying the love and trust these two characters share.  If one loses hope the other is always there to pick the other up. 

The world building in this story is terrific, at some point I forgot that Alcardia was actually imaginary. This story is fast paced and keeps the readers on an edge with multiple plot twists.

Another commendable aspect of this story is that nowhere, through out the book, you would find overwhelming description of the places involved. There is no deviation of the story from the main plot. 

One of the best scene in this story comes when the two protagonists go to the land of Faeridhia. The characters get themselves in a very precarious situation which is super funny but at the same time is a lot scary too.

If you are a fan of stories with curses, archeologist, questioning myths, and history, then this is the book for you.

I loved every aspect of this book, and would highly recommend it to all the fantasy readers out there. 

My rating for this book is 5 out of 5.

Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

 

You can find this book on Amazon India.

This book is also free for all the subscribers of Kindle Unlimited.

 

 

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