Mini Reviews: Hellfinder, The Library of Shadows

Hi friends! ☀️ I’m here again with two short, mini reviews of some recent reads. One of them was fantastic, the other was good, but not outstanding either, unfortunately. Let’s see which is which, shall we?

As always, I love chatting with you all, so feel free to let me know in comments your thoughts on these books!

There are no spoilers in these reviews.

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you buy something on my recommendation, I will receive a small commission. Purchasing via these links will not cost you any extra and will help me cover the costs of book blogging. You will find more info on my privacy policy and disclaimer pages. Thank you!

Review: Hellfinder, Paula Stokes

Hellfinder by Paula Stokes
on August 30, 2023
Genres: fantasy, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

Winter Break turns deadly when Rory Quinn and her treasure-hunter grandmother travel to Iceland in search of an enchanted artifact. Their mission is to recover a blood-smeared stone that legend says will lead whoever possesses it to the nearest doorway to Hell. The client' s grandson, Einar, took the stone at the request of his favorite heavy metal band. As part of a publicity stunt, the band plans to open the closest doorway, rumored to exist deep inside one of Iceland' s many volcanoes, in just three days. Along with Einar' s twin brother, Gunnar, Rory and Gram will need to navigate glaciers, ice caves, and volcanic tunnels in search of the missing artifact. But can the three of them recover the stone before the band unleashes anything evil into the Icelandic wilderness? As the team grows closer to Einar, Rory is growing closer to Gunnar, too. But she can tell he' s keeping secrets from her. Big ones, that when revealed, will cause her to question almost everything she' s ever believed.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

blood, violence, murder.

The strongest suit of Hellfinder certainly is the setting. Mainly set in Iceland, this book takes us traveling to this majestic, surprising and mysterious country in the middle of winter, where days are shorter, ice, snow and glaciers are thriving and more. The author’s love for the country really shines through this story and I loved exploring these new, incredible places along with these characters.

The main characters’ adventures were lovely to follow and I really enjoyed how real she felt, overall. She’s far from perfect and makes lots of mistakes, but I found her really endearing. The romance was also adorable!

What, unfortunately, lacked in this book, was the action. There’s a lot of action, believe me, but it comes later on in the story and I found it a bit slow to start. I also would have like a bit more time spent on some relationships, especially between Rory and her grandmother, because this had so much potential!

Overall, if you’re looking to escape to Iceland with a fun adventure book, I’d recommend this one. While I found it lacking at times, I still had fun reading it overall, especially its second half.

FINAL RATING : 3 stars!

Buy this book:

Review: The Library of Shadows, Rachel Moore

The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore
Published by HarperTeen on September 5, 2023
Genres: fantasy, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: Harper360UK
Buy on Amazon, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

Funny, moving, and heart-achingly real, this romantic romp and paranormal romcom debut--through a haunted library with trapdoors, ghosts, and memories--is full of great love that triumphs over even death, perfect for fans of Ninth House and Cemetery Boys.
Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn't uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.
Not literally, of course. She doesn't believe in ghosts. Going to her dad's school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.
But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe--probably--definitely--a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.
When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library's secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.
Except following her father's footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren't just myth. And if she isn't careful, she'll be next.

I received this book for free from Harper360UK in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

grief, loss of a parent (in the past), talks about death, arson mentioned, blood.

The Library of Shadows reminded me of the books I used to fall for, ten years ago or more. It has so many wonderful things to offer:

• a haunted, very atmospheric boarding school setting,
• questions about family’s past,
• a mystery (with ghosts, obviously),
• lots and lots of books (it’s not called the library of shadows for nothing!)
• a sort-of forbidden romance with an adorable ghost

I was hooked from the very start, I loved the twists, the turns and the atmosphere of the book, as a whole. The characters were fantastically endearing and I know I’ll read more from this author. Definitely recommending this!

FINAL RATING : 4,5 stars!

Buy this book:

📌 Pin my reviews of Hellfinder & The Library of Shadows on Pinterest!

Did you read Hellfinder and/or The Library of Shadows? Do you want to?

Do you have any similar recommendations for me? Let me know in comments!

Twitter ☂️ Bookstagram ☂️Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’ ☂️ Support the blog