NIGHTS IN THE SNOW GARDEN COVER REVEAL!

The poetry collection will be released November 30th 2021. Nights In the Snow Garden is a poetry collection that weaves through a nameless narrator’s tale of heartbreak and messages of encouragement as they sit in a garden of night where flowers bloom even in the coldest of seasons, looking to nature to help heal a wounded heart. Acting as a reference to let yourself flourish in your own time, no matter the weather. Inspired by the aesthetic of flowers, art, literature, and the beauty of changing seasons, we examine broken love, life purpose, and self-appreciation. Let yourself become a garden and watch your soul grow alongside nature. 

Cold Hearted by Serena Valentino

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Cold Hearted

Author: Serena Valentino

Book Series: Villains Book 8

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For…: Young adult readers, retelling, Disney retellings, Cinderella story

Genre: YA Retelling

Publication Date: July 6, 2021

Publisher: Disney Books

Pages: 294

Recommended Age: 13+ (death, emotional domestic abuse, emotional child abuse)

Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of death in this book with parents. A certain parent also contributes to a certain amount of emotional abuse to Lady Tremaine and there is emotional child abuse to Anastasia and Drizella and some to Cinderella.

Synopsis: It’s a familiar tale: A kind and beautiful young girl, reeling from loss. A doting father, frantic to bring a mother’s love back into his daughter’s life. And the selfish, cruel woman who insinuates herself into that family―a woman so unfeeling, so cold hearted, that when her new husband dies, she makes the girl a servant in her own home.

But who is that evil stepmother, that icy lady of the house? How did she become so closed off that, in the face of a child’s grief, she thought only to seek wealth and power for herself and her abhorrent daughters? Before that fateful ball, before the glass slipper and the prince, there was another story―a story of love and grief, of hope and of dreams dashed. It is the story of Lady Tremaine.

Even the coldest of villains are sometimes wives and mothers, women who loved and lost and hoped for something grander for their lives . . . once upon a dream.

Review: I really enjoyed this one! I absolutely love this series and while I’m not the best at reading them in order I do love that you CAN read them out of order. I love how the author made me sympathetic to Lady Tremaine and how well she crafted this revenge story. I also loved the character development and world building. The pacing was also spot on and I finished this one in one sitting!

My only criticism of the book is that I didn’t get that one satisfying death I wanted to see lol.

Verdict: Highly recommend!