Author: Cristina (Girl in the Pages)

Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco | Kingdom of the Wicked #3

Posted January 2, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco | Kingdom of the Wicked #3

Kingdom of the Cursed was one of my top (if not the top) books of 2021, so I definitely had high hopes coming into the final book (I think?) in the series. I even reread KotC to make sure I remembered everything when diving into Kingdom of the Feared, including reading some deep dives on potential theories on Reddit, lol. When my pre-order came in, I promptly retied to my library and read the first half in one sitting, then slowly savored the remaining half over a period of weeks because I did not want it to end. While it […]


2022 Releases I Didn’t Get To That I Most Want to Read

Posted December 28, 2022 in Book Recommendations & Lists, Features / 11 Comments
2022 Releases I Didn’t Get To That I Most Want to Read

Every year there’s inevitably the titles that we as reader’s don’t get to despite our excitement and best intentions. This year I had more books on my yearly TBR shelf than ever, yet read less books than normal. As you can imagine, this has led to a LOT of books from 2022 that I still really want to get to! I’ve rounded up the top ten releases from 2022 that I want to make a priority to read by the end of 2023, and will do a check in post at the end of next year to see how I […]


The STEMinist Novellas by Ali Hazelwood| Review

Posted October 24, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments
The STEMinist Novellas by Ali Hazelwood| Review

I’m always a bit concerned going into a novella if I’m going to really feel connected with the characters due to the limited length. I’m happy to report that in all 3 of Ali Hazelwood’s STEMinist novellas I not only enjoyed the characters and romances, I adored them. Following a trio of best friends, the first novella kicks off with Mara, an environmental engineer who’s forced by circumstance into being roommates with Liam, a lawyer for a big-oil company, pretty much making them instant enemies. Ali Hazelwood is known for her hate-to-love romances and these novellas are no exception. However, […]


Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood | ARC Review

Posted October 17, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood | ARC Review

Ali Hazelwood is the queen of writing hate to love romances, and Love on the Brain is no exception. Following protagonist Bee who is distinguished scientist as she teams up with her grad school arch-nemesis fellow doctor Levi Ward, Love on the Brain combines two of my favorite things when reading: a delicious romance and teaching me something new! Hazelwood’s books always focus on protagonists working in the STEM field, and this novel is no exception. Though I don’t work on the STEM field myself, I love that her works showcase not only females making strides in the STEM world […]


Book of Night by Holly Black | Review

Posted September 19, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments
Book of Night by Holly Black | Review

I’ve had truly a hit or miss experience with Holly Black books. I read the Folk of the Air trilogy because everyoneeee was talking about it for a few years there in the YA community, and while there were some things about it I really enjoyed, I never really connected with the series and felt it to be a little underdeveloped. However, I was intrigued upon hearing that Holly was branching into the adult fiction sphere, especially with an urban fantasy novel (I feel like it’s honestly an underappreciated genre). When my library hold came in I hesitantly started it, […]


The Bodyguard by Katherine Center | ARC Review

Posted July 11, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center | ARC Review

The Bodyguard is a rom-com that subverts a common trope- body guard and client fall in love, except the bodyguard is a woman and the client is a very attractive and somewhat stubborn man. I’ll admit, I was surprised at this change of pace (I clearly didn’t remember the synopsis by the time I sat down to read it!) but it made for a very unique, funny, and quirky read in what feels like a sea of rom-coms these days. Protagonist Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent who’s personal life is crumbling around her and she dives herself into […]


Mini Reviews: The Matzah Ball and God Spare the Girls

Posted July 7, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments
Mini Reviews: The Matzah Ball and God Spare the Girls

This was fun! I don’t think I’ve ever read a Jewish holiday romance before, and it’s a bit Meta because the protagonist is tasked with writing one (even though she’s built a secret career on writing Christmas romance novels and is obsessed with all things Christmas despite being Jewish). I’m always intrigued by books that focus on religion or religious elements (former Religious Studies major here) and it was fascinating reading about Rachel’s struggle with her Jewish identity- from being a dutiful rabbi’s daughter in some elements of her life, but having this closet fascination with Christmas in others. This […]


House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J Maas | Review

Posted June 13, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments
House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J Maas | Review

I went into the second installment of Sarah J Maas’ urban fantasy series with no real expectations- I enjoyed House of Earth and Blood well enough, but it definitely didn’t hold the same space in my heart that the TOG and ACOTAR series did. You can imagine my surprise when House of Sky and Breath caught me so entirely and utterly off guard with its ending. Screaming, crying, throwing up (not really, but still). Literally shrieking from my bedroom, causing my husband to ask what the heck had possibly happened (and I promptly read him the last two pages, as […]


Cozy Mystery Mini Reviews | Four Aunties and a Wedding (ARC) & Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Posted June 6, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments
Cozy Mystery Mini Reviews | Four Aunties and a Wedding (ARC) & Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

There’s something about the books in this series that are so absurd, yet they somehow just work. Picking up shortly after where Dial A for Aunties left off, Four Aunties and a Wedding follows protagonist Meddy at her own wedding this time, where (of course) a massive chain of disasters ensue. You know how they say how doctors make the worst patients? That’s basically what happens in this novel, with, you know, your casual mafia twist. Meddy and her aunties run a wedding planning business, and are now looking for vendors for their own family wedding. Meddy doesn’t get much […]


Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein | ARC Review

Posted May 30, 2022 in Books / 0 Comments
Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein | ARC Review

In a market that’s super saturated with romance novels, Meant to Be Mine had a premise that instantly caught my eye. How does one navigate life, dating, romance, and feelings when you know you won’t meet your predestined match until a certain date? This is a classic fate vs. choice premise, and it made for a thoroughly fascinating story. As stated in the premise, Edie’s beloved grandmother has an (arguably) supernatural knack for matchmaking, and has successfully predicted dozens (if not more) matches via the date they will meet. Edie, who has always greatly admired her grandmother and seeks to […]