February – 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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Rainbow Rowell, Review

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell [REVIEW]

Posted on February 15, 2020February 15, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

I’ve been anticipating this book since I first finished reading ‘Carry On’ years ago, and I’ve been so anxious about reading it since I got a copy that I’ve been trying to delay the inevitable. Then I gave in and read it. This is exactly what I wanted and more from a sequel about the aftermath of being the Chosen One.

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Review

Nineteen by Mackenzie Campbell [ARC REVIEW]

Posted on February 10, 2020February 10, 2020 by Tegan Anderson

I was given an eARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a collection of prose and poetry, titled after the age at which Campbell wrote it, and it’s the first of her collections that I’ve read. Given her age, the writing is done well. However, for me, it lacked the emotion that I rely on when it comes to enjoying poetry. Most of the subject matter didn’t appeal to me: I’m not overly interested in poems centred around love and heartache, but I do like nostalgia and life lessons, and these are the ones that stood out to me in this book.

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C.G. Drews, Reading, Review

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews [Review]

Posted on February 15, 2018March 21, 2019 by Tegan Anderson

I’m going to start off with saying that I’m sad that I don’t have a physical copy of the book to hold and cherish (it looks beautiful, and if you have two copies, the front and back covers make a butterfly), but I did get to read an ARC from NetGalley a few months ahead of the book’s release, in exchange for an honest review. Shoutout to NetGalley.

So, this is the debut novel of C.G. Drews, who has a blog called Paper Fury. If you’ve seen a few of my posts or any of my YouTube videos, you will know that I’m obsessed with her, and I’ve been dying for the chance to read her book. I read this book in one sitting – only a few hours. It’s the most unputdownable book I’ve read this year, full of thrills and feels, and this beautiful musical heart that mine is breaking for.

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Reading

Annoying Questions Bookworms Get Asked

Posted on February 14, 2018October 7, 2018 by Tegan Anderson

Nowadays, reading is an unusual or uncommon hobby for teenagers. In my group of friends, there are three people (including myself) who read for pleasure, and only two who are serious readers (in terms of reading a variety, following specific authors, keeping up to date with releases). Because of the lack of readers, we can get asked a lot of annoying questions.

In an old PaperFury blog, Cait listed some of these questions. Today, I’ve decided that I want to have a go at answering them.

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