Review and My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Heroine's Journey

Heroine’s Journey by Sarah Kuhn

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Evie, Aveda, Bea and associates make for a truly awesome team.  I really adore this series and the way all the relationships have evolved so far.

There's a little bit of a time jump in this one (I don't remember how old Bea was in the last book and Scott and Aveda are already married (something I hope we see a short story of or something someday.))

Bea's character is definitely a lot messier than Evie or Aveda but that's also what I love about her. She makes bad decisions sure but if you really think about it though who wouldn't make some of these choices. She has quite the heroine's journey as the title suggests.

All the relationships are done really well. The familial ones are great especially that sister bond where one second you hate their guts but you would still do anything for them.

Bea's romantic relationship was a lot of fun too and very steamy. Especially a certain shower scene.

The porcelain unicorn scene as depicted on the cover and Pancake the one eyed dog are more awesome additions to this story.

The story is full of surprises and great super heroics. Plus the end of the story hints at an interesting future too. I was thrilled to learn this wasn't the last book in the series and that there will more to look forward to.

P.S. now I really do want to read the books that Bea and Leah described especially the dragon one and the wereporcupine books.

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My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“Do not insult the wereporcupine shifters, you condescending, misogynist, genre-snob garbage can.”

“…nothing says pizzazz like a shit-ton of glitter.”

"Other times, I felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of dysfunctional weirdos who couldn’t figure out their own lives but had no problem telling me how to live mine."

“But let the record show I firmly believe that the most obvious route is not always the correct route.”

“I feel like we’re having a moderately tense silence here. Are we having a moderately tense silence? This is a social cue I should be picking up on, yes?” Without waiting for a response, she rose from the table and flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone,” she said. “Social cue understood.”

“Nate’s the weak link!” I called out after her as she headed for the door. “Total not-so-secret softie.”

“I don’t know exactly what I’m doing. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be. But I do know this. I choose joy. I choose love. I choose hope. And I can be anything I want.”

Review and My Favorite Quotes/Lines - A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares

A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland

5 out of 5 gnomes

First Impression After Reading = What a Weird and Wonderful Book.

Wow, this book was fantastic, it's one of those books I really didn't want to end. The whole tone of the book is just so well done.

Esther and Jonah have some crazy chemistry even though they don't really have the best first meeting.

I adore the whole facing your fears aspect of it all and how fear has had so a drastic effect on everybody in her family. Plus the way she gets over some of these fears is pretty entertaining.

I love the more fantastical parts of the story too. Like questioning whether the curse is real or not and whether her grandfather really knows Death.

Then there's the ending which gives you a real WTF moment of maybe everything was true. Story really makes you think about cherishing what you have.

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My Favorite Quotes/Lines

“The boy was sobbing quietly, so Esther did what you’re supposed to do when a complete stranger is showing too much emotion in your presence—she ignored him completely.”

“Esther generally avoided talking to people if it wasn’t completely necessary; she sometimes avoided people even when it was completely necessary.”

“You sneaky son of a bitch,” she muttered when she opened it.”

“Why is it I always end up wet when you’re around?”

“If something was once true but now wasn’t, was it ever true?”

“What other beautiful things had fear been hiding from her? What else had the curse long kept her from discovering?”

“Depression was a real sneaky asshole.”

“Little did humans understand that Death, too, was surprised by death sometimes.”

“…then I take them to my favorite place, and then I whip out my secret weapon.” “I sincerely hope the secret weapon is not your genitals.”

“All along she thought he thought he was saving her, but she could see it now; they had both, each of them, been saving little bits of each other.”

“Esther was always surprised by how easy Jonah was able to open locked things; she had a feeling he had the same knack with locked people.”

“This—apparently—is my sense of fashion.” “Good Lord.”