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Elisa

Elisa

Joined May 2016

Book reader, book swapper, book buyer, book lover. 📚😍Serial expat ✈️🇮🇹🇺🇸🇩🇰🇨🇭🏠 Bookstagram: @BookishExpat
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Elisa
The Betrayals | Bridget Collins
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I don‘t often do this because international shipping is expensive, but I just had to preorder this gorgeous edition of Bridget Collins‘ next book from @Waterstones!
I loved The Binding so much, and I can‘t wait to read this.

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Elisa
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy | Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman
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Doing a re-read/re-listen of this in preparation for Chain of Gold, and I‘m enjoying is so, so much. I don‘t even usually like novella bind-ups, but this is most definitely the exception 🖤

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Elisa
Half a War | Joe Abercrombie
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Mehso-so

The curse of the third book strikes again, to ruin another amazing trilogy ☹️
80% of it is battle, which is SO tedious.
But the worst thing is that he completely destroyed the cast of characters he took two books to build up. WTH? killed off/twisted the existing characters, introduced underwhelming new ones, and just gave the whole a book an aura of destruction and hopelessness. This book barely belongs with the previous two, it is so different.

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Elisa
Winterwood | Shea Ernshaw
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Panpan

Slow, depressing, overly angsty, and anticlimactic.
Fairly unsubtly trying to be a YA Practical Magic, which rubs me the wrong way.
I mean, one of the very last paragraphs from Nora‘s POV is basically taken out of the ending of Practical Magic in the wording and general mood, just changing the details.
NO. Naughty book. Go stand in the corner and think of all the undeserved hype you are getting.

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Elisa
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Mehso-so

Fairly well developed plot, original and interesting world building, and intriguing characters.

Unfortunately the writing was a tad dry and the book lacked atmosphere, so the world building wasn‘t as vivid and the characters fell a tad flat and distant, despite the creativity that went into crafting each one of them and how they fit within the world and with each other.

Still an interesting storyline and I‘m hopeful for the next book.

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Elisa
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All three of the currently published books in the Stormlight Archive are $2.99 on kindle right now on Amazon US!! #kindledeal #kindledeals #brandonsanderson

Linsy Don‘t think that‘s a bad thing!!! If I didn‘t already have them in my kindle, I would‘ve done the same 4y
Elisa @Linsy it just made sense since I was planning to get more of his books on kindle, but I had been trying not to buy new books because I challenged myself to read all 2019 purchases before the end of the year 🙈 4y
Linsy Oh no, to be thwarted at the last moment! At least they‘re not full price ... ? 4y
Elisa @Linsy oh yeah that‘s why they were irresistible 😊 4y
12 likes4 comments
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Elisa
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Pickpick

This was a pleasant surprise.
TWK felt rushed, and this being even shorter didn‘t seem promising 😬
Instead this ended up being my favorite of the three.

It stretches redemption a bit, but it also answers questions, presents new challenges, shows different perspectives, adds dimension to familiar characters, and it ends the tale in a very satisfying way.

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Elisa
The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern
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Mehso-so

Magical, beautifully written, incredibly original, intriguing.
Unfortunately around 70% in, the story is nearly lost in a jumble of narrative threads, the world getting more and more confusing, to the point where I felt like I just had to let go of any pretense of story progression and just see what the author was throwing at me.

Still worth a read if you enjoy Erin Morgenstern‘s writing, and if you can master a certain degree of patience.

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Elisa
Courting Darkness | Robin LaFevers
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Finally reading this beauty and LOVING it

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Elisa
Once & Future | Cori McCarthy, Amy Rose Capetta
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Bailedbailed

The premise for this sounded so intriguing, but even reading the first 30 pages proved to be a chore. The pacing was uneven and the story was all over the place, starting in the middle of the action and dropping bits of info that should have clarified but there was far too much going on. The Illumicrate edition is especially beautiful and I would have loved to have it on my sci-fi shelf, but sadly this was a hard pass for me.

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Elisa
Sky in the Deep | Adrienne Young
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Mehso-so

I mostly read this because it is the prequel to The Girl the Sea Gave Back, which I‘ve just won in a giveaway. I probably wouldn‘t have gotten through it if it weren‘t for the audiobook: the writing is slow, overly descriptive, tending towards navel gazing. I did like the story, the moral of it, and the characters. Unfortunately the characters, despite pretty good progression, were not well fleshed-out. It wasn‘t bad, but I‘m glad to be moving on.

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Elisa
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Pickpick

So much noise about this book! Half of it hype, the other half criticism.
I was mostly anxious about the fact that though I really like her writing, I‘ve only loved exact half of her books so far. What if I had shelled out extra money for the special edition and it was a letdown?
I kept expecting it to disappoint me.
But it was SO GOOD: compelling characters, intriguing setting and premise, good plot. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(Full review on GR, Bookish Expat)

30 likes1 stack add
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Elisa
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#gettingtoknowyou

❤️ Zurich, Switzerland
🧡 43
💛 hubs, Kindle Deals, charity shops, giveaways
💚 married for 22 years
💙 she/her
💜 it‘s my name 😊
(I‘m BookishExpat everywhere else, because I‘ve been an expat for 25 years and I am indeed bookish 😄)

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Elisa
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Panpan

I can imagine that this might be a fun read if you are really into D&D, because of the type of characters, themes and setting. However without that connection, I found the plot to be watery, and the writing to be kind of cringey, filled with juvenile jokes and seemingly inspired by frat parties or something of the sort. Such a disappointment. This snippet is the only thing I really liked.

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Elisa
Sorcery of Thorns | Margaret Rogerson
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I got my June OwlCrate last week and it was SO lovely!!
I adore the blue and purple palette, the library quotes on the coasters, that gorgeous Strange the Dreamer tote, and look at the purple special edition of Sorcery of Thorns!!!😍😍😍😍 I‘m in love.

hermyknee 😍😍😍 5y
IheartYA So pretty! Jealous 😍 5y
Cailey_Mac I felt the same! The coffee is delicious btw 5y
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Elisa @IheartYA I don‘t get a box every month, but I‘m glad I got this one ☺️ 5y
Elisa @Cailey_Mac it‘s slightly lighter than I‘m used to, but it‘s the perfect roast!!! 💜how did you make yours? I tried the Mika but it‘s ground too coarse for that, so I‘m sticking with the French press 😊 5y
Cailey_Mac @Elisa I just used it in my keurig, as I have a pod and filter for loose coffee and it came out pretty good! I just added a tablespoon of honey after and I think it enhanced the flavor☺️ 5y
32 likes6 comments
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Elisa
Untilted | Autechre
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I braved the heat to go to IKEA and came home, assembled my Billy and added it to my corner and now I officially have a library wall and it was completely worth the heat exhaustion 😅😍😍😍

(Ignore the tiny plant, I‘ll replace it with a taller one next week ☺️)

julesG I like it! Also, I see a lot of books and knickknacks that I have. Does Ikea still have the corner Billy? I'm still sorry I sold mine a few years ago. 5y
Libby1 It looks great! 🌿 The plant and little table are lovely, too. 5y
Megabooks Beautiful!!! 💜 5y
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Chrissyreadit Nice! 5y
Lindy 👏👏👏 5y
BookwormAHN Fantastic 👏🏻 5y
Elisa @julesG probably stuff from IKEA or book boxes? 😁 They no longer have the corner bookshelves, but I quite like the skinny billy slightly angled like that! 5y
Elisa @Libby1 thanks!! I wanted a plant stand but didn‘t find any tall enough that I liked, so I used my “TBR stool” instead. (It used to be home to my monthly TBR stack 😄) 5y
Elisa @Megabooks @Chrissyreadit @lindy @BookwormAHN thanks lovelies! I keep walking by it and stopping for a second and smiling. I knew I‘d be glad to have the books better organized again, but I hadn‘t realized it would make me quite so happy! (edited) 5y
julesG Ikea stuff. 😁 5y
31 likes10 comments
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Elisa
The Raven Boys | Maggie Stiefvater
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Pickpick

I just finished my first reread of this book since I first read it, 3 years ago. Rereading favorites is always mildly terrifying: what if it sucks? What if my memory of it is way better than the actual book?
Luckily, this was fantastic the second time around as well!! Sharp dialogue, good pace, and some of the best characterization I‘ve ever seen in YA. The bond I formed with this characters... it still takes me aback!! 100% recommended.

jerra I‘m about to read this series again after a few years. This gives me hope that I‘ll still love it. 5y
Elisa @jerra I hope you do!! I am really loving my reread 😍😍😍 5y
25 likes2 comments
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Elisa
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Finally getting around to reading and listening to this beauty on audio, and I am enjoying it so much!!

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Elisa
King of Scars | Leigh Bardugo
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Mehso-so

I love the Grishaverse to bits, and I had been sooooo anticipating this.
But it was a bit of a let-down, to be honest. The story kind of dragged on for nearly 400 pages, and the pacing felt off. I never would have imagined I could define a Nikolai book as boring 🙈
The last 100 pages *almost* made up for it: it all happens at once, and so much is revealed. I‘m sort of excited about the next book, but still a little unsatisfied by this one.

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Elisa
Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen
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Pickpick

Just reread this after a number of years, and I can‘t believe how much I loved it. I loved it even more this time around! What a relatable MC, and such fun. It was also the first time I read it on the gorgeous edition I got from my swap buddy last year‘s for the #janeaustenswap!

mabell Lovely photo! And the teacup!! 😍 5y
Elisa Thank you! I picked up a bunch of mismatches teacups and saucers for a baby shower a couple of years ago, and now they reside with my Jane Austen and other historical fiction 😊 5y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Elisa
Dark Days | Kate Ormand
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Panpan

So frustrating.
This sounded like it could be right up to my dystopia-loving alley: intriguing, dark plot summary; artfully ominous cover; female MC; “fight the establishment” vibes.
Instead, I got insta-love, an MC who keeps putting herself in situations where she needs to be rescued AGAIN AND AGAIN, lets herself be pawed by whomever is rescuing her at the time, then magically turns into Buffy Summers before the end. 🤦🏻‍♀️

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Elisa
To Kill a Kingdom | Alexandra Christo
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Pickpick

Just reread this last week and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around!
I don‘t usually go for retellings, but I really really liked this one — so original, and very well-executed multiple POVs.

imyril I‘ve left it far too long to write my review of this (which would have been yay! Squee! More please!) so was wondering whether I would just _have_ to reread it (what a hardship) 🤣 So much fun 5y
Elisa @imyril haha yes, such a hard job, but someone‘s got to do it right? Collect and read and reread fabulous books? Hard-knock life 😁 5y
imyril Terrible. How do we do it 🤣 5y
mabell Oooooo love this photo too!! 5y
Elisa @mabell I knew those summers my daughters spent walking the beach picking up shells would come in handy 😅🐚🐚🐚 5y
31 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Elisa
Cerulean | Amy Ewing
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Bailedbailed

This was SO BAD.
The world-building is truly, absolutely, undoubtedly the worst I‘ve ever come across. Just completely nonsensical, and I kept reading hoping I‘d make sense of it, but NOPE.
I might have kept reading if the characters were relatable, somewhat compelling, but no luck there, either. The dialogue too, feel flat like a pancake.

It was a buddy read, so I stuck with it as long as I could, but after 240 pages, I‘m out.

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Elisa
Lady Midnight | Cassandra Clare
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Pickpick

My new favorite book in the Shadowhunter Chronicles.

Clare‘s writing has evolved since TMI; she does a great job at introducing new characters and weaving their individual stories into a more complex narrative.

Definitely character-driven, with lots of romance; but never fear: fans of the Shadowhunter universe will still get mystery, action, and everything else they love about this world.

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Elisa
Truly Devious: A Mystery | Maureen Johnson
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Stevie is my soul sister.

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Elisa
Broken Things | Lauren Oliver
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21 likes2 stack adds
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Elisa
Skyward | Brandon Sanderson
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This has the potential to become a new favorite insult. #dork

Chrissyreadit My son just downloaded this on audible. I can hear it now.... 5y
Elisa @Chrissyreadit oh I hope he‘s enjoying it! 5y
Chrissyreadit @Elisa I suspect it will be played several times. he‘s recovering from tonsillectomy so drowsing too. 5y
Elisa @Chrissyreadit ah what a fantastic pick to listen to on his recovery! I hope he‘s all better very soon (but also that he managed to finish the book in the mean time 😉) 5y
26 likes4 comments
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Elisa
Skyward | Brandon Sanderson
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When you forget you‘re with strangers and make one of your weird obscure references.
#relatable #nopeneverhappenedtome

21 likes2 stack adds
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Elisa
Defy | Sara B Larson
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Sara B. Larson is killing me. Holy slow burn, Batman 😅

If you liked Shatter Me, check this out.

26 likes1 stack add
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Elisa
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Finally ready to dive back into the Mistborn trilogy!

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Elisa
Damsel | Elana K. Arnold
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I treated myself to this beauty yesterday and so excited to start!!

GypsyKat Ooooo it‘s so pretty!!! 5y
Elisa @GypsyKat the photo doesn‘t even do it justice. This is such a beautiful cover, it looks like the flames and flowers are coming out of the book! It‘s so atmospheric and just made me want to read it even more 😅 5y
22 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Elisa
Beyond a Darkened Shore | Jessica Leake
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Since The Boneless Mercies was such a let-down, I am deeply unsatisfied and find myself craving more Norse-inspired historical fantasy.
So I scoured my TBR shelves and remembered this beauty! Starting now.

27 likes1 stack add
review
Elisa
The Boneless Mercies | April Tucholke
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Panpan

Here‘s my beautiful UK edition... in my swap basket.
I‘m kind of sad that I didn‘t love this. It features strong, independent young women who are also decent people, and we need more of that. But they cannot carry the entire plot.
The pacing is off, with events just flowing undistinctly into one another, till there is no timeline at all.
Lots of telling and too little showing, which waters down the plot and weakens the world building.
Pity.

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Elisa
The Boneless Mercies | April Tucholke
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After a couple of false starts, finally dove into this beauty 😍

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Elisa
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Thank you Kenji, for putting into words — and so eloquently!! — what we were all thinking.

24 likes1 stack add
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Elisa
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Relatable and so apropos in these times, unfortunately.

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Elisa
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My Laini stack!
Just finished Muse, what a good read!! Definitely a Pick 👍🏼

Johanna414 ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
Elisa @Johanna414 💜💜💜 5y
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Elisa
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Starting!!

charl08 Loved this. 5y
Vreyes I‘m almost half way done. Struggling to finish 5y
Elisa @charl08 it‘s a good book! It made me like the first more. 5y
Elisa @fourxblessed having trouble with the story? Maybe step back and take a beat? I took a short break about 250 pages in because it felt like everything was happening so quickly and I needed to take a breather and find my bearings again 😊 5y
28 likes4 comments
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Elisa
The Boneless Mercies | April Genevieve Tucholke
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IT‘S HERE!!!

OMG it‘s even prettier in person 😍😍😍😍

emmaturi Such a lovely cover! 5y
Elisa @emmaturi Right? It‘s so beautiful. I wanted exactly this edition! I‘m going to read this right after I finish the witchy book. (edited) 5y
kimlovesbooks Im just about to start this as well!! 5y
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chlolovesbooks That COVER!!! 5y
Elisa @kimlovesbooks oh enjoy! I want to finish this boring as heck and disappointing witchy book first 🤦🏻‍♀️ 5y
Elisa @chloeeblack I knowww! And it was so cheap! It was like 8 euros something shipped!! 5y
31 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Elisa
Toil & Trouble | Tess Sharpe, Jessica Spotswood
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Love the dedication in this book.

28 likes1 stack add
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Elisa
The Poet X | Elizabeth Acevedo
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Pickpick

Powerful story, strong protagonist, great representation. I had trouble with the medium and had to push myself to finish it, but I‘d still recommend it.

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Elisa
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Just got this lovely through a swap site and decided to add it to my prospective TBR for October.

Robothugs What is the swap site? 🤔 5y
Elisa @Robothugs it‘s a Swiss site, it‘s called Exsila.ch 5y
Robothugs That‘s so cool! I wonder if there‘s US version. 5y
Elisa @Robothugs not for this one, but there‘s quite a few US-based swap sites. When I lived there I used PaperbackSwap a lot, but there are others. If you google it, there‘s a directory somewhere. 5y
Robothugs Thanks! I‘ll check it out! 5y
34 likes5 comments
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Elisa
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Elisa
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Sorceress_Of_Books I really loved this book! What a great deal! Hope you enjoy 5y
Elisa @Sorceress_Of_Books thanks! I might manage to sneak it into my October TBR 😁 5y
Sorceress_Of_Books Can't wait to hear what you think of it! 5y
Elisa @Sorceress_Of_Books I really liked it!! The storyline was so original and I loved the mix of characters, and Sydney‘s story. Also love the friendships and women supporting women — especially when they are being super fierce and ready to set it all on fire mwahaha 5y
18 likes4 comments
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Elisa
Strange Grace | Tessa Gratton
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Panpan

So sad and disappointed with this. I pre-ordered it and had been looking forward to it for month, having read and absolutely loved The Queens of Innis Lear earlier this year.
I was expecting beautiful writing, rich world building, vivid scenes and three-dimensional characters.
I got disjointed narration, vague, mostly one-dimensional characters and a confusing story where the work of keeping everyone and everything straight did NOT pay off ☹️

IheartYA Bummer! It WAS high on my TBR. 🙁 5y
Elisa @IheartYA I wouldn‘t want you to give up on it completely, because you might enjoy it more than I did! Some people did. I just wish I hadn‘t paid full price for a beautiful hardcover that is *not* going on my “keepers” shelf! It‘s frustrating, because the cover is SO beautiful, too 🤦🏻‍♀️ 5y
IheartYA Nope. Nope. Horrible. What a mess!! 5y
Elisa @IheartYA so you read it and were horribly disappointed too?? I kept alternating between sad and mad 🙈 5y
21 likes4 comments
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Elisa
The Immortalists | Chloe Benjamin
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I am absolutely in love with this beautiful ARC of The Immortalists that I received as a gift from the manager of the local English Bookshop!!

Starting it right now, and crossing my fingers that I love it, because I want this beauty on my shelf!

AmyG I so enjoyed it. Hope you do, too. 6y
33 likes1 comment
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Elisa
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Elisa
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I won‘t lie, this was mostly a cover buy. Can you blame me? Look how pretty! The red bits are all metallic and they shine every time they catch the light. 😍

 @emmaturi was with me when I grabbed it and she looked puzzled at my impulse buy but didn‘t try to talk me out of it, for which I‘m grateful because this sounds interesting!! 😊

mdemanatee Her books are always so pretty 6y
emmaturi Glad it was a good choice! 6y
Elisa @mdemanatee this is the first book of hers that I read! I got annoyed at the dissing of GEDs in the first 10 pages but now we are getting right into the family curse and I am so here for it 😁🖤 6y
Elisa @emmaturi yesss thank you for not pointing out when I‘m being irrational about books, you‘re the best bookish friend ever 😁💜💜 6y
emmaturi Oh thank you!! So are you! 6y
37 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Elisa
Two Dark Reigns | Kendare Blake
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Finally I have my most awaited book of the year in my hands, and I kind of want to just lock myself somewhere with liters of earl grey and maybe a couple of slices of pizza and just read it cover to cover!!
But alas, I must carve out what time I can out of real life 😅

EchoLogical So jealous! Enjoy! 6y
Elisa @EchoLogical thank you! I hope you can get your hands on a copy as well! 🖤 6y
EchoLogical @Elisa I'm waiting for my local library to get a copy in. 6y
Elisa @EchoLogical ah, my local library doesn‘t really have a lot of English titles so I have to fend off for myself 😊 6y
33 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Elisa
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Following @ReadingMermaid‘s prompt for #shelfiesunday, here‘s a small peek at mine!

Do you see any favorites?

BookwormAHN I love The Infernal Devices ❤ 6y
Elisa @BookwormAHN yes, I just finished it and it‘s definitely better than TMI IMO 👍🏼 6y
LeviTheTheaterGeek I like tmi the same 4y
31 likes3 comments