Victoria Moschou's Blog

Hello, awesome nerds, and happy Monday everyone!

After a road trip and a dance showcase on the mountains, October is officially coming to an end.

For me, it was a month with many ups and downs, lots of work but also many memorable moments with friends and family.

And since I’ve come to realise that it’s always the people that make our moments memorable and time is too precious to be wasted, I decided to take a break for the next month to refocus and calm down a bit.

I am planning on spending less time on social media and more time on socialising in person with the people that matter to me. Read good books. Go on road trips with my family and friends. Dance a lot. Work on my writing projects again. All in all, collect memories, not things.

I wish to each and everyone of you a magical November (to me, I hope this month is going to be the coolest of 2022 so far, as it’s my birthday month) with as many happy moments as possible.

I will be back soon, with more book reviews, more book and series recommendations, news about BookBrewed and updates on my projects.

Thank you all so very much for being here once again, dearies. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back, amazing people!

Till next time… Toodles!

…set them free.

That’s what people say. I think that, if you love someone, you simply need to tell them. One cannot simply assume that the other person will know if you do not tell them how you feel.

Hello, awesome people, and happy Saturday everyone.

Days before my 30th birthday and I’ve been feeling bluer than ever. And no, it’s not because the third decade of my life is coming to an end. I tend to enjoy new beginnings. It’s because I’ve come to realise that the people who love us, truly love us, never let us second guess. The are always there for us. They fight for us. And, in the end, they prove that what they said is actually true.

Over the past couple of years there were so many ups and downs in my life that I reevaluated so many things. Many people passed by but only few have stayed. I don’t mind. It just makes me feel sad the fact that those who used to say all those big words, in the end, didn’t manage to prove their words with actions.

When you’re like me and you wanna believe the best for everyone, when you give second chances, wanting to believe that people truly deserve them, you end up hurting even more when you realise they didn’t. You end up thinking that it’s better not to have expectations. You just need to appreciate just the little things life has to offer.

And yet… If you don’t expect anything, can you still hope and dream?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. About how easy it is to not let your hopes and dreams affect what you expect from others. It’s a great burden, you know… Expecting something from someone. The pain is twice as big when hopes don’t go hand in hand with reality in the end.

As my birthday approaches, I hope what some people had said to me was true. Apparently it wasn’t. I’m not gonna lie and I’m not gonna hide (even tough I have been hiding my pain on a daily basis). It hurts like hell. Mostly because, over the past couple of years, it made me lose all my hope in love.

But, on the other hand, it made me appreciate my people. Those who have stayed with me during my ups and my downs.

My dear ones, if you read this right now, I truly want you to know that I don’t take your love for granted. I love you twice as much and I feel blessed that you’re in my life.

I know this is not one of my usual posts but I wanted to write this for quite some time now.

I guess some things haven’t changed and I’m already feeling lighter, now that all those emotions have been put onto “paper” (well, in this case keyboard and screen).

To conclude, because you might have lost me somewhere in the translation, my point is that time is precious. You should not let time pass by and you most certainly should not let opportunities and monumental, life-changing chances get lost.

If I have a goal for the next ten years it’s this: I will go big or I will go home.

I will follow my momma’s advice, to not waste opportunities and time. To live my life to the fullest. And those who want to be in my life, those who know how I feel about them, they will be there for me. I know that. Deep down, I do.

Thank you all so very much for being here once again, awesome nerds. It honestly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Have an amazing weekend, dearies. Stay safe and stay positive!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello, awesome nerds, happy Thursday everyone and welcome back to a book-to-movie-adaptation post.

October has been the month with the most movies and shows for me so far. I finished watching the first season of House of the Dragon (which was utterly EPIC), finished the sixth and final season of Chesapeake Shores, watched Luckiest Girl Alive, The School for Good and Evil AND I watched From Scratch; a Netflix mini series which, if you’re feeling kind of don’t, I don’t recommend you watch it. At least until you feel happier again.

From Scratch is loosely based on the book From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home, and if I cried that hard while watching the show, I cannot possibly imagine what could happen if I also read the book.

*TW: Cancer, Loss of loved one*

“A poignant and transporting cross-cultural love story set against the lush backdrop of the Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hour.

It was love at first sight when Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of him marrying a black American woman, an actress no less. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forges on. They build a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopt at birth. Eventually, they reconcile with Saro’s family just as he faces a formidable cancer that will consume all their dreams.

From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family and his origins, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother in law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s incredible romance—an indelible love story that leaps off the pages.

In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. Her story is about loss, but it’s really about love found. Her story is about travel, but it’s really about finding a home. It is about food, but it’s really about chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and needed a powerful reminder that life is…delicious.”

The names of the characters are completely different and it seems as if the book narrates the story in a slightly different way than the Netflix series but, if you have tissues to waste, I highly suggest you give this one a go.

I don’t know if I was already feeling that blue or if the show affected my mood somehow, but despite the fact that it’s a hard topic, dealing with cancer (that piece of sh*% for a disease), From Scratch reminds us all that life is a gift. It’s too precious to be anything but appreciated.

Have you guys read the book? Have you watched the show? If so, which one did you enjoy more?

Let me know all your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below.

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back, wonderful people!

Till next time… Toodles!

“I’m starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds, so the other person can stay whole.” 

~ The Love Hypothesis, by Ali Hazelwood

Hello, awesome nerds, happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Victorious Pages.

Mondays are always hard, especially after an amazing weekend. So, to make you, and me, feel less blue, I’m here to share with y’all my thoughts and feelings about The Love Hypothesis, the book I literally devoured; for the second time!

“As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding… six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.”

Smart, funny and romantic, with that witty, academic touch, The Love Hypothesis is the ultimate in-one-sitting-read. It makes you believe in happy endings again, even when your days are packed with tons of work, half-empty coffee cups and projects that don’t turn up the way you want them to.

With funny and relatable characters you’d either want to be friends with or never be that unlucky to work with (), this book truly deserves all of its hype for being a publishing phenomenon! Olive was so goofy at times she reminded me of myself and Adam was… well, he practically was the kind of guy you’d either hate to love or love to hate.

To me, this was truly the book I needed to reread at this point, as I was feeling kind of blue lately.

So, if you, awesome nerds, want something refreshing, romantic and hilarious to read, and you’re also academic geeks, just like me, then I highly suggest you read this beauty.

The Love Hypothesis will remind you that even science hasn’t fully comprehended love yet. You just gotta feel it!

The Greek, special edition of The Love Hypothesis is currently available on the BookBrewed Apothecary, so feel free to follow that link to get your copy today.

Have you guys read The Love Hypothesis? What did you think of it? Are there any books you literally read in one sitting lately? If so, which ones?

Let me know all your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below.

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back, dearies.

Have an amazing week, awesome people, stay safe and stay positive!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

I hope your week was better than mine and that you’re ready to fully embrace the weekend!

I had tutoring classes this morning and I need to work a bit extra, as something quite unexpected came up.

But that’s not the reason why I’m here today. Continuing with the book-to-movies adaptations theme, today I’m here to share with you my thoughts regarding The Good for Good and Evil, the latest Netflix movie.

So, apparently, The School for Good and Evil is a Middle Grade/YA best-selling series, which follows Sophie and Aggie, two best friends who get transported in this boarding school that trains the heroes and villains of classic fairytales.

The movie was almost 2.5 hours long and, to me, this felt a bit longer than necessary. I had seen the opening twist coming, so everything from this point on was a bit predictable to me, except perhaps the major revelation towards the end of the movie. And that’s actually what saved the movie for me.

In this classic take of ultimate good and ultimate evil, only Aggie was a breath of fresh air, claiming that not everything is black or white, and that we’re all complex, unique human beings.

Of course, I cannot ignore the ICONIC performance of Charlize Theron, who, to me, took the movie to a whole new level!

The finale was also something I hadn’t seen coming, so now I hope that the rest of the books get adapted to movies, as well.

Although I don’t normally read Middle Grade and younger YA books, the movie intrigued me quite a bit to give the first book of the series a try.

“The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?”

I suppose nobody’s too old for yet another fairytale. Don’t you agree?

Do you guys read Middle Grade books? If so, which one did you recently read? Have you read The School for Good and Evil? What did you think of it?

Let me know all your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below.

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted; I never will.

Have an amazing weekend, y’all! Stay safe and stay positive!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello, awesome people, and happy Thursday everyone!

I cannot believe how quickly this week passed once again and the weekend is right around the corner. And if it’s going to be similar to the previous one, I won’t complain in the slightest.

After a long while, I spent the entire weekend doing things for me, not worrying at all about work, toxic people and hectic situations. And, somehow, I have the Luckiest Girl Alive to thank for that.

Luckiest Girl Alive is a best-selling novel, by Jessica Knoll. After watching the Netflix movie, with Mila Kunis, I simply need to read the book ASAP.

“HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE.

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that’s bigger than it first appears.

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?”

The movie hit some very sensitive chords inside me, especially when bullying references were made throughout the movie, and it was another huge wake-up call about how brave some people are, persevering and surviving after such horrific experiences.

I highly, highly suggest you watch the movie, if you haven’t done so already. And if you guys have read the book, please let me know all your thoughts and feelings about it.

Thank you all so very much for being here once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I do not take your presence here for granted. I never will.

Have an amazing day, awesome nerds, stay safe and stay positive.

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello, awesome nerds, happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Victorious Pages.

After what seems like an eternity, I had a weekend completely to myself and boy, how much I enjoyed this! I hope you guys had the chance to relax, too, and recharge your batteries, you spent time with your loved ones and read fascinating books.

So, today I’m here to talk to you about The Ravens, the first book in the YA Paranormal duology, by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige.

“Kappa Rho Nu isn’t your average sorority. Their parties are notorious. Their fundraisers are known for being Westerly College’s most elaborate affairs. But beneath the veil of Greek life and prestige, the sisters of Kappa Rho Nu share a secret: they’re a coven of witches.

For Vivi Deveraux, being one of Kappa Rho Nu’s Ravens means getting a chance to redefine herself. For Scarlett Winters, a bona fide Raven and daughter of a legacy Raven, pledge this year means living up to her mother’s impossible expectations of becoming Kappa Rho Nu’s next president. Scarlett knows she’d be the perfect candidate—that is, if she didn’t have one human-sized skeleton in her closet…. 

When Vivi and Scarlett are paired as big and little for initiation, they find themselves sinking into the sinister world of blood oaths and betrayals.”

Eerie, atmospheric, magical and fresh, The Ravens, by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, is the ULTIMATE Halloween book.

Set in modern-day Savannah, Georgia, it follows the story of Scarlet, a senior KPN witch, and Vivi, a freshman pledge, who, up until yesterday, didn’t know she had magical powers.

When a nightmare from the past comes to haunt all the KPN witches, the sorority must protect its sisters; if need be with each others’ lives.

I loved the dual POV and the complete difference between the two main protagonists. 
The dynamics between the two, as well as the rest of the characters was what hooked me straight from the beginning, making me want to know what would happen next.

Such was the spooky and eerie vibe that, for the first time since… I don’t even know when, I glanced at the next couple of lines in every other page, just so I would make sure I wouldn’t get too scared.

The pacing was my exact cup of tea, as were the twists and revelations.
Another thing that I truly enjoyed in the book was that there was character development throughout the entire novel and each character’s motive was being revealed exactly when it needed to.

It may took me a while to read this amazing novel, but now I cannot wait to read it sequel.

4 witchy stars for one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in the past couple of months!

If you guys are in for a modern, witchy tale, then I highly suggest you pick this one up.

Have you guys read The Ravens? Did you read any witchy books lately? If so, do you have any recommendations for me?

Let me know in the comment section down below.

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back, dearies. Have an amazing week y’all, stay safe and stay positive.

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello, wonderful people, happy Saturday everyone and welcome back to Victorious Pages.

It was a super busy week and so I decided to take the entire weekend off to relax and recharge my batteries.

But, before unplugging for the next couple of days, I couldn’t leave you without the latest BookBrewed sneak peek, for the November CLOAK & DAGGER box.

For those of you who don’t know, BookBrewed is my company, the Greek YA monthly-subscription box. Each month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

We are currently shipping internationally, and since I know that the shipping can be crazy expensive, if you see anything that you like on our website, you can always contact us at info@bookbrewed.com and out team will be more than happy to be of service.

With all that being said, let me share with you one of the most exciting thing about the November box.

I am proud to say that each box will be featuring a fleece wearable item, exclusively designed and made by our team for the November BookBrewed box. The item will be inspired by Ninth House and it will be featuring the design below.

You can also expect items inspired by Truly Devious, A Deadly Education and A Lesson in Vengeance.

The book will be a new release in Greek, packed with magic, dark academia vibes and morally grey characters.

More reveals will be coming in the next couple of weeks, after the shipping of the October boxes is competed.

Make sure you check everything that is available on the Apothecary right now, especially our perfect for the Halloween season, exclusively designed mugs.

What plans do you guys have for the weekend? Are you excited for Halloween?

Let me know all your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below.

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Have a wonderful day, awesome nerds. Stay safe and stay positive!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello, awesome nerds, and happy Thursday everyone!

It has been a crazy busy week so far and my mood hasn’t been the brightest, but I received my first early birthday gift in the mail yesterday, and this definitely cheered me up a bit.

My birthday is on November 2nd and when I saw that OwlCrate released an exclusive edition of The Ballad of Never After, the sequel to Once Upon A Broken Heart, by Stephanie Garber, I simply needed to get my hands on it.

For those of you who don’t know, OwlCrate is a monthly-subscription service, in which every month you receive a box, containing a new release and a bunch of other bookish goodies, focusing on a specific theme. They also release exclusive book editions and I have purchased a few from them.

Although I didn’t manage to get the exclusive edition of Once Upon A Broken Heart, I simply couldn’t miss its sequel.

I mean, come on! Look at it!

The cover is redesigned and I just love the white-purple-golden rose combination!

And if you guys have read Once Upon A Broken Heart but somehow missed The Ballad of Never After, here’s the blurb for you to read:

“ Not every love is meant to be. 

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can…

The fiercely-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Timesbestseller Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak.“

I simply cannot wait to dive in. I love Stephanie Garber’s writing style and books, and I just need something that will brighten my days and mood.

Have you guys read The Ballad of Never After or is it still on your TBR pile? If you read it, did you enjoy it?

Let me know all your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below.

Thank you all so very much for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Love you all to Pluto and back, dearies.

Stay safe and stay positive!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello, awesome nerds, and happy Monday everyone!

I hope you had a lovely weekend and you managed to relax and recharge your batteries. I personally feel like I did since, after a long while, I had absolutely nothing to do on Sunday – except my dance rehearsal.

So, it was one of those typical, cozy, Netflix-and-Chill kind of Sundays, and I cannot complain, not even one bit.

So, here I am today to share with you two shows and a movie I am planning on watching in the coming weeks.

This one looks exactly like my personal cup of… coffee and I’m really excited to start watching it next week. Plus, I found out that the Netflix show is based on a book with the same title. Now I have to check this one out, too, and my TBR will grow even more.

Nothing can go wrong with Tim Burton and this amazing cast. Plus, Wednesday Addams is one of my all-time-favourite fictional characters (and a mood from time to time), so I know the wait while be worth it.

Already available on Netflix, this gem appeared on my home page the past Saturday. But I was getting ready for -yet another- wedding and so I rewatched Wedding Season, because it felt more than appropriate.

However, the trailer fascinated and intrigued me a lot, so I will definitely watch this in the next couple of days. And, I will have to add the book on which the movie is based on my TBR pile; again.

Are you guys excited about any upcoming movies or series? Are you planning on watching or have watched any of those mentioned above? Did you enjoy them?

Let me know all your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below.

Have an amazing week, dearies, stay safe and stay positive.

Till next time… Toodles!