Emma MacDonald

“Whispers Most Foul,” by Emma Macdonald

I liked this book. I liked the ghosts and magic system especially because the main character can’t do magic even though her mother is the head of the magic school she attends. I love the type of magic the book has, alchemy and necromancy. I do not get to read a lot of books where magic is focused on alchemy, and I love it. I love the entire boarding school setting, with enemies and friends. This book was very mysterious and had cults which were show more super fun. I adored the side character Fen; he is literally perfect. The entire book was very poetic. The two main girl characters grow and really come into themselves throughout the book. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Ghosts
-Magic, Alchemy, Necromancy
-Boarding School
-F/F
-Cult

Thank you for the ARC, Edelweiss. show less

Beautiful cookbook, but not a book for a cook like me, who dreams of making fancy stuff, but manages to burn water and create food that my cat won't eat, if I were to allow him to eat human food.

Many of the recipes call for ingredients not found easily in my neck of the woods, and I wouldn't buy something I'm a) unsure I'll like b) will only use in one recipe, that I'm not sure I'll like.

That being said, the book is full of beautiful photos and helpful hints on how to can and actually make show more the stuff Emma talks about. She's full of passion and it shows in the tone of the book.

I thought (my fault, not the author's fault, I should have read more carefully) the book was more on canning and preserving and making small batch real foods, which it is, but it's also about making meats, bacon, deli foods, and things like that that I would never dream of making in a million years. In a 2 adult household, it just doesn't make sense to make things like that. show less

3.5 Stars
If you live in a big city or near an area with a great food market, this cookbook is a 4 star book; however, if you live in a more rural area, it's closer to a 3 star one. The book is put together well and the recipes look great, especially the desserts. Some of the ingredients are just too hard for me to find or out of my price range (please note that I do not reside in the UK, where some of the hard to find ingredients would be easily found). That said, the recipes are easy to show more follow and this book is a good choice for food connoisseurs or people who love to entertain.

GoodReads FirstReads Giveaway show less

I requested this book to read & review from netgalley (in exchange for my honest review) because I am a beginner canner - or at least, I consider myself a beginner canner, as this is only my second year. The photos are inspiring & beautiful; the directions are clear, and the recipes well laid out & I would have no problem in following any of them.

The book, however, is a little artsy for me - well, it is in the title after all! I can simple foods, and cook even simpler, so the chutneys, show more sauces, and cordials are wasted on me. I live in a tiny apartment (my garden is elsewhere) so even if I wanted to cure my own meat & fish, I have no space to do so, so that section is all wasted on me.

Unfortunately, there's not really a single recipe in this book that I think I'd ever actually make ;/. show less