Thief Liar Lady

Thief, Liar Lady 

By DL Soria 

Release date: July 11, 2023 

My review: 4 out of 5 stars 

“Happily Ever After” is a total scam, but at least this time the princess is the one controlling the grift—until her true love arrives and threatens to ruin the whole scheme. Intrigue, magic, and wit abound in this Cinderella fairytale reimagining, perfect for fans of Heather Walter and Naomi Novik.
“A dazzlingly magical, thrilling, and inventive take on a beloved classic.”—Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback's a Witch

I’m not who you think I am.

My transformation from a poor, orphaned scullery maid into the enchantingly mysterious lady who snagged the heart of the prince did not happen—as the rumors insisted—in a magical metamorphosis of pumpkins and glass slippers. On the first evening of the ball, I didn’t meekly help my “evil” stepmother and stepsisters primp and preen or watch forlornly out the window as their carriage rolled off toward the palace. I had other preparations to make.

My stepsisters and I had been trained for this—to be the cleverest in the room, to be quick with our hands and quicker with our lies. We were taught how to get everything we wanted in this world, everything men always kept for themselves: power, wealth, and prestige. And with a touchingly tragic past and the help of some highly illegal spells, I would become a princess, secure our fortunes, and we would all live happily ever after.

But there’s always more to the story. With my magic running out, war looming, and a handsome hostage prince—the wrong prince—distracting me from my true purpose with his magnetic charm and forbidden flirtations, I’m in danger of losing control of the delicate balance I’ve created . . . and that could prove fatal.

There’s so much more riding on this than a crown.

While I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

I was captivated by just the description of this book. It was just a twisty story that I loved to follow. I love how the magic isn't just "there" but requires something to make it work. I love that love found Ash, regardless of what she had planned (or what was planned for her).

Things I didn't love about this book included the pace. I felt like it went on and on. Felt like it could have been better if it were just a little more concise.

Overall this book gets four stars from me. A great story and one I would recommend to friends.

June Reading Recap

The total number of books I read (visually) was 13, this includes both the "digital" and "print" books in my graph. Here they are: 

• Skyward Volume 2: Here There Be Dragonflies (4 stars) 
• Giant Days volume 1 (4 stars)
• Surfside Girls: The Secret of Danger Point (4 stars)
• Stray Dogs (4.5 stars)
• They Called us Enemy (4.75 stars)
• Camp Midnight (3.5 stars) 
• Skyward volume 3: Fix the World  (4 stars)
• Camp Midnight volume 2: Camp Midnight vs Camp Daybright (3.5 stars)
• Surfside Girls: The Mystery at the Old Racncho (4 stars)
• The Wishing Game (5 stars)
• The War Girls (3.75 stars)
• Shadecraft #1 (4 stars)
• Cosmoknights #1 (4 stars)

I'm very lucky to be able to listen to audiobooks when I'm working, so I get a lot of books finished that way. I haven't had the chance to review all the books, but the ones I did have a star rating next to them. Here are the books I finished in June:

• Backroads Boss Lady
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January (4 stars)
• The Soul of an Octopus (4 stars)
• Clap When You Land (4 stars)
• Dogtripping 
• The Siren (4 stars)
• What Abigail did that Summer (3.75 stars) 
• The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia
• Columbine (3.5 stars) 
• Imogen, Obviously 
• The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (4 stars)
• Loveless (4 stars)
• Meet me in the Margins(4.5 stars)
• The Underground Railroad (3 stars)
• Solitaire (3 stars) 
• The Doctors Blackwell (3 stars)
• The Stranger Beside Me 
• This might get Awkward 

Papa's Magical Water Jug Clock

Is this jug really magical? 

In Mexican American comedian Jesus Trejo’s debut picture book, little Jesús makes a big, funny mistake as he works alongside his landscaper papá, but father and son find a heartwarming solution.

Little Jesús is excited to spend a Saturday with his landscaper Papá at the “family business.” He loves Papá’s cool truck and all the tools he gets to use. Papá even puts him in charge of the magical water jug, which is also a clock! When it's empty, Papá explains, the workday will be done. It’s a big job, and Jesús wants to do it right. But he just can’t help giving water to an array of thirsty animals—a dog in a sweater, some very old cats, and a flock of peacocks. Before he knows it, the magical water jug is empty —but the workday’s not over yet! Will Jesús be fired?! Or is the jug not really magical after all? This mischievous tale of a very young comedian’s life lesson will warm hearts and have class clowns, practical jokers, and all high-spirited kids nodding in sympathy.

I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own. 

This beautiful picture comes out TODAY! 

This book gets a solid four stars from me. 

I found this to be a fun story. It blends in some Spanish words but isn't too tough for a native English speaker. The drawings are cute and keep you interested in the page. 

It would be super easy to keep a child entertained with your own "find a __ game" during reading time with this book. I love the lessons that Jesus learns from his father during the day he works with him. Beautiful story for any child's bookshelf.

May Reading Recap

 In the month of May, I read 24 books. A total of 2,627 pages and 170.93 hours of listening. 

Here is a breakdown of the "moods" of books I read: 

A breakdown of the fiction vs non-fiction books 

And for audiobooks, here is a breakdown of the length of each listen. 

And lastly, a breakdown of the format of the books I read. 

This is a list of the books I read this month, reviews are all available on my book review blog. 

Physical books read: 

1. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais (4 stars)
2. The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales (3.75 stars) 
3. Good Girls Don't by Mara Wilson (3.75 stars) 
4. Skyward, Vol. 1: My Low G Life by Joe Henderson (4 stars)
5. Junkwraith by Ellinor Richey (3.5 stars) 
6. The Girl and the Glim by India Swift (4 stars) 
7. Thief Liar Lady by DL Soria (not yet reviewed) 

Audio books read: 

1. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (3 stars)
2. Starter Dog by Rona Maynard (3.5 stars)
3. Becoming a Queen by Dan Clay (4 stars) 
4. The Elephants of Thula Thula by Francoise Malby-Anthony (4 stars)
5. In The Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (4.5 stars)
6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (4 stars) 
7. Encore in Death by JD Robb (5 stars) 
8. Beach Read by Emily Henry (4 stars) 
9. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (3.5 stars)
10. The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges (4.5 stars)
11. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (3 stars) 
12. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (4 stars) 
13. I Love You so Mochi by Sarah Kuhn (4 stars)
14. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (4 stars) 
15. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily XR Pan (5 stars) 
16. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (not reviewed yet)
17. Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (not reviewed yet)

This month I did complete the "Mandatory May" challenge. 

I have read a total of 124 books this year which puts just shy of 50% complete for my yearly reading goal of 250 books. 

For my Ultimate book Nerd challenge, I finished the following prompts: 

• Read a book by a female author under a male pseudonym: JD Robb Encore in Death
• Read a book involving art: The Museum of Lost and Found by Leila Sales 
• Read a book from a child's point of view: Junkwraith by Ellinor Richey 

This makes a total of 21 prompts complete, 42% of the goal. 

For the StoryGraph Genre challenge, I read just one book: 

A Children's book you never read as a child: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 

This puts me at 80% of my goal, 2 prompts left to complete. 

That's the recap of my May reading. 

The Astonishing Color of After

The Astonishing Color of After

By: Emily X. R. Pan
Narrated by Stephanie Hsu
Release date: 20 March 2018
Listening length: 11 hours, 52 minutes
My review: five out of 5 stars

"Emily X.R. Pan's brilliantly crafted, harrowing first novel portrays the vast spectrum of love and grief with heart-wrenching beauty and candor. This is a very special book." (John Green, best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down)

A stunning, heartbreaking debut novel about grief, love, and family, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Celeste Ng.

Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

This book was so powerful for me. Most of my life, I've suffered with depression and though it isn't as severe as Leigh's mother's, suicide is something that is a concern. I loved that Leigh imagined her mother had changed into a bird. The fact that the bird was red is something that connected me to the story even more. My mom's favorite color was red and so anytime I see things in that vibrant shade, I am reminded of her. Leigh is just looking for answers. In Taiwan, she gets to meet her maternal grandparents. Due to the language gap, it is hard for her to communicate. 

I loved this story. Its beautiful imagery had me picturing even more in my head when reading. The way that all the little things tied together, just icing on the cake. 

Number The Stars

Number the Stars

By Lois Lowry

Narrated by: Blair Brown

Release date 16 April 2004

Listening length: 2 hours, 45 minutes 

My review: 

Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the war. It's now 1943, and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the Jews of Denmark are "relocated", Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be one of the family. Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's life.

You can tell this book is meant for younger readers. I was left wanting a lot more. 

Most of the WWII books I've been reading follows the family through most of the war. This story is mainly about one incident in the young girls life. Something that forever changed her story. I loved it. It is perfect for the younger audience that doesn't need the real horrors of the war in full detail yet, but needs a glimpse of what the Jews were forced to endure.

I Love You So Mochi

I Love You So Mochi

By: Sarah Kuhn
Narrated by Natalie Naudus
Release date: 28 August 2019
Listening length: 8 hours, 7 minutes
My review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Kasie West, I Love You So Mochi is a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel from accomplished author Sarah Kuhn.

"As sweet and satisfying as actual mochi... a tender love story wrapped up in food, fashion, and family. I gobbled it up." -- Maurene Goo, author of The Way You Make Me Feel Kimi Nakamura loves a good fashion statement.


She's obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi's entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi's estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life. When she arrives in Japan, she's met with a culture both familiar and completely foreign to her. She loses herself in the city's outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival -- and meets Akira, a cute aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. And what begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies. In I Love You So Mochi, author Sarah Kuhn has penned a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel that will make you squee at the cute, cringe at the awkward, and show that sometimes you have to lose yourself in something you love to find your Ultimate self.

This was an adorable "find yourself" kind of story. Kimi seems to have had her life mapped out (for her) for most of her life, but in her senior year, she drops her art class. This begins the journey of finding out what she wants to do with her life. That journey takes her to her family's roots, in Japan. I love that the estranged grandparents are the ones to extend the invitation. When in Japan, she meets a mochi mascot... love is in the air! I loved the vivid descriptions of the areas she was visiting. Just a fun, light read.