![]() Leaving Ashur at the threshold as he crossed past the barrier, he claimed his birthright and stole the fire that mortals would come to know as magic, hoping it would save Ashur's life. Denied by his father, Ben took matters into his own hands. The gods of their village lived atop the high mountain and Ben attempted to bring Ashur to the threshold beyond which mortals could not pass. They had never revealed themselves to him, nor did he ever ask anything of them until the day that Ashur, his best friend and lover, fell ill. Despite his father, he had no use for the gods. His birthright explained his invincibility in battle, which he fought to keep their village safe. His village loved the gods, but he was living proof of that love. All opinions stated are my own.Ben was born to a mortal mother and a divine father in a village at the base of the Caucasus Mountains, sometime around 3000 B.C. I received an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley/the author. ![]() Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Teashop will be published on August 4, 2020. Still, it was such a delight to read from start to finish! I would definitely recommend checking out Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Teashop when it comes out in August. I really got swept up in the narrative fairly quickly and enjoyed it all, though I did find the ending to be a little rushed for my liking and perhaps a little too movie magical in its near perfect happy ending for all. Lim does well juggling a variety of plot points that weave together Vanessa's personal growth, her relationships with her family, her aunt Evelyn's reasons for settling in Paris, and a budding romance for Vanessa. The story itself is also compelling to read. Her descriptions lend to the feeling that you are experiencing the food right alongside the characters, and I was constantly hungry and craving all the dishes (especially the pastries, my goodness, the pastries) she wrote about. And, as proven in her first novel and cemented by this one, Lim also has a knack for incorporating food incredibly well into her narratives. She invites the reader to feel nostalgic or wistful for it by using an array of details. In her sophomore release, Lim really does an incredible job portraying Paris. I really, really enjoyed Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Teashop! Roselle Lim works her magic yet again as she incorporates food, family and a journey of self-discovery all into one tale. To sum it all up, Paris is Always a Good Idea is great, and I'd recommend checking it out. I particularly loved the juxtaposition of who Chelsea was then and who she is now, as that's always a character journey I appreciate reading about when it's done well. It felt really honest to watch her struggle with grief and anger, and to see her revisit the past and make note of the parts of it that had and hadn't changed. And second, I really liked that this story was primarily about Chelsea coming to terms with her own personal struggles. McKinlay does such a good job giving readers a sense of the places visited in the book, even with the limited amount of page time each gets. First, I really enjoyed being able to travel vicariously through this novel. But there are two things that really stood out to me about this one. I was optimistic going into it, and can happily report that I really liked it! McKinlay's writing is very readable, her characters were likable, the romance was adorable and the story was funny and heartfelt at turns. The premise of Paris is Always a Good Idea makes it sound like exactly the sort of romantic comedy film that I would watch in a heartbeat.
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