TandeWrites

Salt by Hannah Moskowitz [REVIEW]

Posted on February 23, 2021February 16, 2021 by Tegan Anderson

I’ve only read one Hannah Moskowitz book before (Teeth – I love it with my entire heart) but I’m starting to recognise what I think could be the key features of her writing: messy characters and bitter humour, with a side of siblings and sea monsters. I love monster books above all else, especially as I’m going through a lighthousecore phase, and sibling books are a close second.

So, the summary: siblings Indi, Beleza, Oscar, and Zulu, are roaming the Mediterranean on their boat, killing sea monsters, and trying to hunt down the one that is rumoured to have killed their missing parents. Indi yearns for a calmer life and hopes that the treasure hinted at in their parents’ journal will provide his family with a means of escape from their dangerous life before it’s too late.

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Hannah Moskowitz, Review

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz [REVIEW]

Posted on February 16, 2021February 5, 2021 by Tegan Anderson

The following review contains untagged spoilers regarding the ending of the book in the final paragraph and brief mentions of specific scenes throughout the book.

I wish I could explain why this book means so much to be but I can’t. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a month or more since I read the book and it still takes up so much of my headspace. I’m going to tell you about it alongside some of my favourite quotes.

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Ashley Poston, Review

Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston [REVIEW]

Posted on February 9, 2021February 3, 2021 by Tegan Anderson

The following review contains untagged spoilers regarding the entire book. I wish I could be more specific than that. Spoiler tagged version is available on Goodreads.

I was gifted the OwlCrate exclusive hardback edition of this book from a friend and it’s one of the prettiest books I’ve ever owned. The reversible dust jacket is beautiful. (And I think the black cover suits the vibe of the book a lot more than the white.)

This book was wonderful in a very quiet, classic way, yet the worldbuilding was still breath-taking and vivid and whimsical. It opens in a simple and quaint part of the kingdom with Cerys, the gardener’s teenage daughter who has magic literally in her blood that marks her survival from the curse in the woods. She’s best friends with the royal heir and a mischievous and melodramatic fox who quickly became my favourite character. The fox hit all of the character tropes I love and then more, and I think that’s all I can say without giving away too much.

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Erin A. Craig, Review

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig [REVIEW]

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by Tegan Anderson

The following review contains untagged spoilers regarding the ending of the book in the final paragraph and brief mentions of specific scenes throughout the book.

I picked up this book because I was (still am) going through an intense ‘lighthousecore’/Gothic ocean/sea monster phase and I knew I would love it just based off the cover and the description. I didn’t know it was a retelling until I read a handful of reviews so I can’t fully weigh in on the accomplishments of this book as a retelling. I then started to expect a typical YA fairytale retelling – ‘evil’ stepmother and all – and, fortunately, there was nothing typical about this book.

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Reading, Review, Updates

What I Read in 2020

Posted on December 30, 2020December 25, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

I’m still working on a post about my favourite books of 2020, so here I am instead to write a recap of the year! I haven’t done one of these end-of-year posts in a while, but Goodreads has shown me all of my reading statistics for the year, and I am still a number nerd.

Reading wise, this year has been exciting. It’s been my most ambitious reading year to date, I’ve fallen in love with the works of many new authors, and I’ve been making the most of my local library’s app for eBooks. This year has also been pretty tough. My mental health has been at it’s worst and I’ve fallen a bit out of love with writing, the one thing I’ve loved for a huge proportion of my life. And Covid. We won’t forget about that.

But this blog isn’t going to focus on that: it’s going to focus on all the good books I’ve read this year and how I suddenly need to buy a new bookshelf because I’ve filled my third one.

This post might be long. Let’s begin!

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Maggie Stiefvater, Review

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater [REVIEW]

Posted on December 3, 2020December 2, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

This book was once of my most anticipated books of 2019 and it has been a full twelve months since release date, so this review is a bit overdue.

Ronan was always my favourite Raven Boy, so this is the trilogy I’ve been waiting for since I finished reading the original series, even though I wasn’t sure what it could be about as I felt everything between the brothers had already been said.

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Reading, Review, Tags

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag 2020

Posted on July 4, 2020July 1, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

We’re already halfway through the year and I’m slightly behind on my reading challenge, but my TBR pile has also doubled in size. I’ve discovered the joy of Maggie Stiefvater’s audiobooks on Spotify, and some incredible Kindle books for under £1. I’ve also been borrowing eBooks from my local library, and I’m looking forward to a time in the future when it’s safe for me to visit in person. Until then, my TBR will continue to grow and grow and grow.

Today, I’m doing the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag, which is great because I’m currently looking at my reading challenge to remind myself what I’ve read, and I have no memory of reading any of them.

Let’s begin!

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Melinda Salisbury, Review

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury [REVIEW]

Posted on June 27, 2020June 17, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

I got this book because the eBook was 83p on Amazon and it has a pretty cover. I went into it blind, also because the blurb does not tell you anything about the story. It turned out to be my favourite book of the year so far, and in my top favourite books of all time. I read it in one day, and it’s been a week or two now, but I still can’t wrap my head around it, or even get it out of my head.

‘Hold Back the Tide’ is an incredibly intense novel. It’s my first Salisbury book so I have no previous knowledge of her work to compare it to, but if they’re all this high quality, I’m about to become her biggest supporter. She knows how to craft an atmosphere that grips you by the throat from the first sentence and doesn’t let go until the last word. The narrative itself is quite simple but quick and exciting, basically a perfect YA novel for you to sink your teeth into.

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Neil Gaiman, Review

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman [REVIEW]

Posted on June 20, 2020June 15, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

I’m going to start of by saying that everything Neil Gaiman writes is madness and I love it. But with this book… I was so confused. But I loved it. But I wasn’t sure what was happening? I was scared at some points. This isn’t exactly a horror, but I wouldn’t say that it isn’t one either. It’s about magic and monsters and childhood and nightmares and it hurt my heart in an oddly nostalgic way. The first and final chapters show the narrator as an adult, and everything in between is him looking back on an event from his childhood, so it’s hard to decide whether this is a book for children or adults. I saw someone in another review recommend it for people who’ve started forgetting what it was like to be a kid, and I think that’s perfect.

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Hazel Hayes, Review

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes [REVIEW]

Posted on June 13, 2020June 15, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

Hazel Hayes is someone I’ve followed online for years and is someone who I love and support with my entire heart. She’s an experienced and incredibly gifted storyteller. When she announced she was publishing a book, I thought I’d buy it so show some support, probably read a few pages, then move on. But I bought it, read a few pages, then suddenly it was many hours later and I was a chapter from the end with it clutched against my chest and a few tears on my cheeks.

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