Books and Kats
Hello and welcome to Books and Kats! Keep an eye out for my latest book reviews and updates on my life.
Monday, 14 December 2020
Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Book Review: The Sisters of the Winter Wood Sampler by Rena Rossner
The Sisters of the Winter Wood Sampler by Rena Rossner
*Warning – may contain spoilers*
Author: Rena Rossner
Publisher: Orbit
First published: 2018
Edition: Illumicrate Sampler
Pages: 28
Blurb: Every
family has a secret … and every secret tells a story.
In a remote village surrounded by forests on the border of Moldova and Ukraine, sisters Liba and Laya have been raised on the honeyed scent of their Mami’s babka and the low rumble of their Tati’s prayers. But when a troupe of mysterious men arrives, Laya falls under their spell – despite their mother’s warning to be wary of strangers. As dark forces close in on their village, Liba and Laya discover a family secret about a magical heritage they never knew existed. The sisters realise the old fairy tales are true … and could save them all.
History of my copy: I received this sample within an Illumicrate
box.
This is only a review of the sampler, not of the whole book,
which I have not read.
Plot: This sample includes the first 7 chapters of Rena Rossner’s debut novel, The Sisters of the Winter Wood. We meet the main characters, Liba and Laya, in their forest home with their parents, in what seems like an ordinary world. However, it climaxes with Liba discovering that Mami can turn into a swan, and Tati into a bear, along with the assumption that her and Laya can too.
Setting: Although the writing is a bit
cliché in places, it is descriptive. However it feels quite forced, with
embellishments added simply for the sake of it.
Characters: Nothing much stands out
about the characters from this sample, apart from the familiar trope that one
child is exactly like the father, and the other a mirror of the mother which
are, unsurprisingly, polar opposites of each other. Liba feels very young and
childish, and perhaps she is, but I can’t see how they become the main
characters of the book, unless there is a time jump that occurs in the full
story.
To read or not to
read: Not read. I had high hopes for this book from the
blurb. It might not have been set in a location I would typically go for, but I
do like books which are based around fairytales. However, this one fell flat.
The writing style didn’t feel very refined, and the contrast between Liba’s
chapters being text and Laya’s being poem confused me further. This is likely
expanded on in the full story, but the sampler did not leave me itching to buy
the book.
Friday, 30 August 2019
Book Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
Monday, 4 March 2019
Complete Anatomy Colouring Book Part 2

Monday, 25 February 2019
Book Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Friday, 1 February 2019
Illumicrate Number 8 Unboxing (August 2017)
Check Illumicrate out here!
As you can see, the box is full of goodies, including two books!
Silly me forgot to take a photo of the packing list, so here is what was included:
- Copy of Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo with red sprayed edges and a pin badge
- Red Church Tea
- Shakespeare zip bag
- Wisdom journal
- Alethiometer coaster
- Sticky bookmarks
- Extras: Ringer bookmark, After the Fire bookmark, The Bear and the Nightingale bookmark, Moxie badges, Nyxia arc and bookmark
Thanks for reading!
Friday, 26 October 2018
Book Review: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Thursday, 23 August 2018
Dog Walks: Kit Hill
One of the historic buildings included on the walk |
Got a little bit closer for this one... |
Evie enjoys posing |
The shaft |
The shaft up close |
The view from the top is quite breathtaking |
Proper poser... |
Evie is good off the lead and sticks to the path, which is good as it is known for adders and mine shafts...
These little stones guided the way |
Evie had a quick paddle in the quarry |
The only complaint I had was that the route wasn't the easiest to follow, and I certainly deviated from the proper path a few times. A few more guide stones would have been useful!
Friday, 10 August 2018
Dog Walks: Colliford Lake and Dozmary Pool
Colliford Lake boasts some nice beaches |
Evie found herself a nice large stick |
Surprisingly nice sand for a lake! |
Found some wild horses |
They were very relaxed when faced with Evie and I |
The lake certainly offered some beautiful photo opportunities |
Evie loved it! |
Look who found another stick... |
The horses even came down for a drink |
Maybe one day I will pack a bag for us and spend the day walking the entire edge.
Just from the path down you could see why this lake is one of legends |
Although smaller than Colliford, Dozmary is just as breathtaking |
I'm quite jealous of the houses on the edge of the pool! |
At the pool, we found these two dogs that were collar-less and wandering around without an owner... After asking at the nearby houses, I eventually found out that they belonged to the farm up the road.
They were very friendly and Evie adored them!
You can certainly see why Dozmary Pool is a place of legends! There was certainly a mystical feel as I walked around the lake.