Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars) The School of Mirrors starts strong with a haunting setup—young girls unknowingly trained to become mistresses for King Louis XV under the guise of privilege. The first half, focused on Véronique, is atmospheric and emotionally charged. The backdrop of Versailles is vivid, and Stachniak doesn’t flinch from the gritty realities of power and exploitation. But the pacing wears thin. Once the story shifts to Véronique’s daughter, the plot begins to meander. Many chapters felt overly long, with slow-moving scenes that didn’t add much to the story. At times, the book became downright tedious. The emotional arc dulled, and just when a storyline picked up, it would […]
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A Time-Crossed Tale of Duty and Destiny
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ Book One in the Timeless series What if you had to choose between two lives? I’ve always been a sucker for time travel—especially when it’s wrapped in history, heart, and just enough tension to keep you flipping pages past bedtime. Gabrielle Meyer’s When the Day Comes does exactly that. I loved this story so much. The setup is gold: Libby lives two lives—one in 1774 Williamsburg, the other in 1914 New York. On her 21st birthday, she has to choose which life to keep living. I mean… talk about a high-stakes birthday. Both timelines are richly drawn. In colonial Virginia, Libby faces an arranged marriage and the sparks of revolution. In […]
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A Thrilling Dive into Medici History
Steve Berry delivers another high-stakes Cotton Malone thriller, weaving history, conspiracy, and action into a fast-paced story that kept me hooked. This time, Malone is drawn into a centuries-old mystery tied to the powerful Medici family. Berry blends real historical details with thrilling fiction, making the past feel alive and dangerous. I learned so much about ancient Florence while reading this book. The historical background surrounding the Medici was fascinating, and now I want to attend the annual Palio race! Berry’s attention to detail is impressive, though at times, the sheer volume of historical exposition slows the momentum. Malone remains a solid lead—intelligent, resourceful, and always a step ahead of […]
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A Captivating Tale of Identity and Resilience in the Antebellum South
The Kitchen House is a gripping historical novel set in the late 1700s on a Virginia plantation. Lavinia, a young Irish girl who becomes orphaned during her voyage to America, is at the center of the story. The plantation owner takes her in and assigns her care to Belle, a black slave working in the kitchen house, for her care. Lavinia grows up among the slaves, forming deep bonds with her new family, yet she also struggles with her identity and place in the world as she is neither fully accepted by the slaves nor the white family. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of Lavinia and Belle, revealing the […]
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