Gift Catalogue with Reviews
- Vanessa Bettencourt
- 2d
- 12 min read
CATHEDRAL OF THE DROWNED
5 stars
I recommend this series for lovers of eerie, genre mashup reads. It's super surreal, vivid, and creative horror. The character is divided between a jar with half a brain and a body in torture. Master cosmic horror. Also, a deep introspection on self-identity and person. There are so many unique elements that make this trilogy unforgettable, for example, catholics launching cathedrals into space, spider eggs, and bizarre. I totally recommend getting away from the overused tropes. They are novellas, seem short, but the content makes them fulfilling.
Get book 1 & 2 here
Publisher site
THE FOX AND THE DEVIL
5 stars
This is like two books in one and addresses so many themes. Sapphic love interest, murder mystery, possible vampire story (read to uncover this rumor), murder mystery in a second layer, hunting of evil, level three, love-hate relationships. Van Helsing's daughter can't rest until she dedicates her life to catching the woman who murdered her father, only to unveil a world of paranormal eeriness, secrets and family secrets too. At the same time, it's a thriller catching minor murderers. The revelation regarding her mom was the top of the novel, and everything after that because it's revelation after revelation.
This is a 2026 release for March 10th
Get (pre order) book here
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Publisher site
A CURIOUS KIND OF MAGIC
5 stars
This one was so much fun. And sweet
The characters are perfect because they are essential to make each other grow and improve. A con, thief girl who doesn't trust anyone ends up on a quest to save a cursed girl who can't touch anyone without hurting them. Around 65% starts a heist, so this first volume is like 1 + half another. Sets up the worldbuilding, and the characters then set them on a quest. They actually do more for others than for themselves. I love her power to imbue magic into things. Magical.
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THE DEMON AND THE LIGHT
5 stars
Loved this duology. Magical world, amazing winged creatures that shift and appear like Final Fantasy summoning (a game I've been a fan of since Final Fantasy 3).
In that volume, she must navigate the intrigue of the floating world politics and the royal family. It's time to rewrite world laws and change injustices while ending a war. She has experienced the humble life of the people below her status, so in a very Juunni Kokuki amazing way, she will do the right thing. Very vivid, beautiful imagery.
Perfedt for Final Fantasy fans
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THE TEAR COLLECTOR
5 plus, perfect this one.
Loved the inspiration coming from OZ, but it stands on its own with great relationships between siblings, family, acceptance of differences, and diversity. It's a dystopian middle grade in a way that sounds familiar but also very eerie and fresh. I couldn't put it down. Loved the writing style of the authors, the characters' personalities, and actions. Some readers will guess the villain early, but I think the author is constantly pointing and giving hints, so it's not about discovering who, but how the characters react to the truth and grow from the experience. This is a world where missing and feeling sorrow can turn you into a creature. The island is filled with them; some have lost their humanity completely, but that doesn't mean they aren't themselves. From sorrow to hope. Amazing art cover as well.
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THE GRACEVIEW PATIENT
5 plus
For readers of psychiatric/mental institutions/scenery. It is impossible to put down. The moment I got it, I started reading, and it's amazing nonstop horror, constantly doubting what is real or not. Amazing. A woman is desperate to be healed from her condition, so she joins a trial treatment, but the loss of control and despair are so well written with the perfect pacing that it gave me shortness of breath and other hypochondriac symptoms.
It's also relatable because so many of us reach out in despair to medicine for a solution to our problem, and then when we realize we made a mistake, we're too deep in it, we can no longer tell what is true, and there is no path back. When the character tells the nurse she has no family and no contact, I felt fear and thought... oh no... don't tell them that. Don't tell them that if you are gone, no one will look—so unsettling. 5 plus.
If you ever found yourself trapped by medication you can't let go, this will be a relatable one.
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DRAGONBORN
4.5 stars
This book has an amazing cover and an amazing main character. It won my heart when I understood that the dragons can shapeshift into humans. Also, it's fun to recognize famous historical tragedies like Pompeii, which was actually a dragon, ahah. The characters are compelling and Alex's growth in her journey is great.
High-stakes game for ruling.
A good modern dragon story for those who have never read fantasy can start here.
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ZORG
5 stars
Well written. Takes a moment to get to the Zorg itself, but what shows before helps to showcase the history and what the mentality was at that time. The author points out many small curiosities, aka well-researched, and gives much Portuguese history in this volume. Did you know that about 300 years before the Amistad, there was a revolt on a ship called Mesiricordia? There are also quotes from Lawrence of Arabia's brother and more. Sometimes the book is too academic and the reading becomes dense, but it gives good information. How terrible that people were not treated as humans but seen as a product. Like mining ore, human ore. Theme: Slavery History
Goes well with GEMINI (space race)
(in the theme of space but humorous) PACKING FOR MARS (very cool facts book)
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ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM
4.5 Stars
The race to find the missing dream artist turns into a great chess game between two clever characters. The hacker who knows all the tricks to stay off the grid and the prince who is quite dangerous. I love the conspiracy theories that enrich this plot, including that kids are always surrounded by dinosaurs, so we as humans get used to the idea that Jurassic Park is real. They will return. Eheh. These small things make us keep going to see what the next theory the characters face. Having Pierce follow Julia searching makes the duo fun because he has no clue how to find his wife, and Julie is super smart. Mystery with a lot of sci-fi, AI, and futuristic tech elements.
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ANY GIRL BY YOU
4 Stars
Can't have a holiday season without an enemies-to-lovers filled with banter, but turned into a cozy, joyful journey with forced proximity and the enemy of my enemy is my ally. This romantic comedy is a Sapphic story between two completely different characters (in personality). They are both awesome characters in their own way and easy to empathize with. They both have businesses they want to protect. Yay for Christmas small-town stories. Easy to read. For my romance Christmas readers.
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ATLAS OF UNKOWABLE THINGS
4.75 stars
This one starts to make more sense after the 60% mark or more, but it's worth it. The main character is going to a college (no staff, no students) to write about it and discover what happened to the missing girl, but the large plot twist turns this novel into a chosen one, good vs evil fight. I like thrillers with evil paranormal forces that humans can barely survive.
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OUTSIDE
4 Stars
I don't see many middle-grade dystopian novels like this one that combine interesting elements. As a fan of Fallout, I jumped into it without regret. The premise is intriguing, and Holm crafts a world that is both unique and unsettling with the unveiling of what they don't know about the outside. The main character is relatable but also cool, with what made her unique after the transplant.
Bought the audio.
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QUEEN DEMON
4.75 stars
If you liked the previous book and you're used to this author's fantasy mode writing (The Cloud Roads and more) then you know that we'll be dealing with slow build up, sometimes complex, but always rewarding the reader past the 60% mark. I loved the characters of the first book and was happy to follow Ziede, Tahren, and Kai in another quest. It follows the structure of the first one, but with a step up because of the higher stakes and our favorite characters facing evil. forces. I liked the first book because it was the first contact with the plot and world, but I liked this one for the main characters.
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FOR NO MORTAL CREATURE
4 stars
My favorite part of this fast-paced journey of healing trauma and grief is that ghosts can have ghosts too. The afterlife has levels and realms, and this creates a tense, high-stakes quest with a dual timeline. Very interesting romance as well, not the usual tropes. Perfect for fans of Dante and Underworld quests. A bit slow at the start.
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THE NIGHT IS NOT FOR YOU
5 stars
I love a coming-of-age story that starts with the main character as a child and is involved in the main plot. It is a dark story of female revenge with very creative takes and inspirations. Men die in horrible ways, and they probably deserve it. I loved this one the same way I loved Diavola.
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BITTEN
4.25 Stars
As an adult reader of Werewolf fantasy, I liked the book and the characters a lot for their actions, but I am not a romance reader, so I don't care for that part. But I will advise the readers that this YA is mature and, for some readers, even violent. The way I see it is: Do you remember when Bella in Twilight turned into a vampire, and the book ended? I wanted the story after she was turned. In this book, we're thrown into three introductory chapters where there is a violent death, and Vanessa is bitten. She turns. She is a chosen one (we learn that after). Those are the parts I like about the story, her journey. This review doesn't focus on the love triangle romance and the mature scenes. When I pick up a werewolf book, I like the journey. Some reviewers say Vanessa gets bitten and changes personality, but it made more sense to me than Bella's switch, because werewolves have emotions that are harder to control.
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THE SLEEPLESS
4 stars
A journey with creatively interesting characters, one girl deals with two different male personalities in the same body. I liked the origin of their stories, although there is tension and high stakes in accomplishing goals, the plot has a slow pace (for me) but it doesn't upset the story. Gods, evil, sacrifices, threats, promises... the cover is pretty.
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A STEEPING OF BLOOD
4 stars
For vampire and activist fans.
This one doesn't waste time, starts right where the first ended, a level up for the character who still has a complex relationship with her maker. If you loved book 1 you'll appreciate the character's journey in this one and the conclusion. A different take on vampire characters and story with a lot of political intrigue.
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THIEF OF NIGHT
4.5 stars
Can't go wrong with Holly Black.
In this volume, my favorite character is Red. How damaged a character he is and still trying to keep true to his beliefs, although it's not a complete self. His protective relationship with Charloe, and also rebelling against becoming her slave. The action and paranormal creepy scenes are awesome. I preferred this volume to the first.
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EXTRAORDINARY QUESTS FOR AMATEUR WITCHES
5 stars
I love how this author writes Kieran; he is not the best witch and not the most confident person. He is sweet and kind, but there are a lot of expectations regarding his family name. It's his time to do the calling, and he has proposed to do something almost impossible, but it's ok because he would rather lose his magic that accidentally hurt others. The main reason for his quest is to grow and prove to his ex that he is worth repairing the broken relationship, but sometimes quests lead us to another destiny, new love. Sebastian is a fascinating character deserving of a second chance. Quest, action, and adventure in a cozy sweet adventure with expressos, cupcakes, Ramem, magic, and curses.
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WHAT FURY BRINGS
5 stars
I planned to read this book during the weekend and ended up devouring it on Thursday. I had such a great time with the characters. Olerra is determined and strong. The author writes this book as an inversion of behaviors we are accustomed to seeing. The men are to be seen and not heard, and the women dominate. Olerra doesn't want just a male. She wants to kidnap a Brutus Prince. She thinks she is going to take the poet home, but she kidnaps the wrong one. Sano and Olerra are so fun to read. What I love most about this novel is that through Olerra's voice, she teaches Sano all the cruelties they do to women (because Brutus still maintains old ways).
Thank you, author, for making Olerra want to rule with equality and not just step on males as some feminist characters do.
Lots of spice.
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HEKATE THE WITCH
5 stars
Totally recommend this one, amazing in verse retelling of Hekate
Amazing Deluxe (on sale) edition.
This edition is amazing. I thought that being in verse wouldn't create much depth to the story, but the character and journey were presented in an epic way. Congrats to the author for that. An homage to Hekate, origin, journey, lore, and choices, unsung before but told in this book with power, inspiring, and easy-to-read adventure. Hekate and her love for humans were always one of my favorite characters.
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TO CLUTCH A RAZOR
4.5 stars
I like that duology a lot. Both sides are violent, and both sides want to survive. In this book, the monsters are not well defined because they depend on each one's goals. I always love an urban fantasy with supernatural characters in a setting recognizable like home. I do recommend reading the first book. Start with book 1, set in Chicago, lots of relatable places.
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THE SHATTERING PEACE
4.5 stars
(Vol 7 can be read as a standalone)
This is a great standalone that showcases the series and the author's style without a big compromise. It's an episode (usually as this series is), but it's not hard to dive into this mission without knowing very well the previous characters. The focus here is that a lot of people are missing, and the expectation is that they are dead, but the team is still hopeful to understand what happened. The humor makes the dialogue fun as usual, and once the team is gathered, we can't put the book down again. Exciting, great for fans of Murderbot or unlikely heroes as a team on a mission in space. Humans are not the only ones; there are a lot of other types of monsters... I mean aliens. Ahahaa. I do hope there will be more. Not very long, easy to read, and entertaining.
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THE POISONED KING
5 Stars
If you don't know this series, jump into book 2 without any problem. I loved this one more than the first, and I think that if you want to give this book a try, this volume first, because it is less frenetic, less confusing, and easier to follow. (Book 1 is good too, but it has a lot of characters and things to get used to, so it's more challenging, although the end brought tears to my eyes. If you are an avid fantasy reader, used to a lot of characters and action, read in order. ) Each book addresses a different episode, and although the guardian is the same, the rest of the characters are from the same magical world as the first. This time, we go on an adventure to save a father, a king, to solve a murder, and it's guided by revenge and justice. You will love book 2 and will run to read the first, or, like me, you will be looking forward to a new adventure in this world in book 3 (because book 2 ends with a wonderful revelation).
I love that Jack makes me laugh.
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POCKET BEAR
5 stars
Fantastic one. Did you know about pocket bears that soldiers carried during WWI? We didn't. This is one of my auto-reads/ authors, and she never disappoints. With a combination of always relevant and interesting research plus always amazing characters, we know that we are in for an emotional journey. The end was powerful with them together: two unlikely bears.
Thief cat (super awesome) rescues lost toys, and the humans in Second Chances make them adoptable again. There are so many layers that can be explored in the classroom with a multitude of themes from friendship to historical facts and the first teddy bears (stuffed animals). It's not too long, and it's easy to read.
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MAKING HISTORY
4.5 stars
Awesome character, humor, dark, and quite short and easy to read. It doesn't need much to pass the message well. Truth is not History and this unreliable narrator is the perfect character for it. Interesting linguistic focus. Makes it nerdy and fun.
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CHASING EVIL
5 stars
I couldn't resist this one after watching a few Netflix true crime shows, especially because of the paranormal elements. The work of J Edward gives us goosebumps. The horror of the truth behind crimes and the details made this a nonstop read that blew my mind in several moments. Deboired this one. Must be awesome as an audiobook as well, adding it to my wishlist. From crimes years back to warnings that help the inspector remain safe, 9/11, and other crimes, even in international waters.
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