A Curse of Breath and Blood by K.W. Foster

Looking for some new authors to mix into your reading? Girl...same. I am super excited to work with The Nerd Fam to get some fresh arcs to review. Stay tuned, there will be more!

Synopsis:

A queen turned mercenary. A long-lost love. An ancient evil reborn.

With her home kingdom destroyed and her family considered dead, Aelia Springborn makes a living, using her abilities to break minds for anyone with enough coin. Content to live a life in the shadows, her world is turned upside down when her former lover, Caiden Stormweaver, tracks her down at the edge of the world with a proposition she can’t refuse…. help him thwart her former husband, King Gideon, from obtaining the deadly army of the Alder King.

With a chasm of hurt between them, the pair strikes a deal; once their mission is complete, Aelia will wipe his memories of their relationship, releasing them both from their tumultuous past.

Bound by magic and aided by friends, Caiden and Aelia set off on a journey to save the continent from ultimate destruction. However, as their mission progresses, Aelia and Caiden find themselves reigniting the flames of their past.

But in Moriana, breaking a bargain is deadly.

Things become even more complicated when Aelia meets Tharan Greenblade, a charming playboy whom she cannot help but fall for. With the threads of their fates entwining, the trio will be forced into a high-stakes game that will test their loyalties and raise the dead.

Thoughts:

This was a fast moving book, and having just finished the entire Throne of Glass Series, a fast moving and quick read was welcomed. You won't find any lengthy info dumping here, and sometimes it was almost to the book's detriment.  We hit the ground running and there wasn't much explanation of magical systems or world building, and histories. We learned what we could as the story moved along, and I feel like readers might find the magical system either mysterious, or confusing.

Aelia is reunited with her former lover Caiden and she learns he has information to track down her sister who has been missing for five years. Caiden and Aelia work through some of their troubled past so they can work together to find her. Aelia is still a bit of an anomaly to me. She's had an awful history, specifically with men. She falls for them fast, and during her quest to find her sister she meets Tharan, and acknowledges she has feelings for both Tharan and Caiden. 

If you like, fantasy books with some spice, a love triangle, with a side of "who did this to you" I think you'll like this book.

A Curse of Breath and Blood will be available September 17, 2024 and can be purchased at Amazon and Bookshop.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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New Book Releases for July 2024

I hope you're enjoying your summer! Here's a few books that I'm looking forward to this July! Are any of these on your list?

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen 

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Genre: Fantasy/Fantasy Romance

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla’s rewarding career patrolling the strange land of Tanria remains a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank's job a lot safer ... and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals near an enormous footprint—and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon—they are grateful to be back in action.
 
Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as danger closes in and Twyla and Frank's investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might be the person who has lived next door all along...

Dream Walker by Brittany Gossin 

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Genre: Fantasy

In the aftermath of a harrowing nightmare, seventeen-year-old Ella Windsor must face a chilling reality as the wounds from her dreams appear on her body. To add to her terror, she witnesses the intrusion of a nightmarish creature come to life, lurking on her high school campus.

Faced with no choice but to escape the nightmares and search for why she's the only one who can see them, Ella ventures into the mysterious Astral Realm. Alongside Ethan Wessex, a stunningly gorgeous Lieutenant of the Queen's Astral Guard with his own air of mystery, Ella discovers a realm on the brink of war.

Azvameth, the King of Nightmares, harboring secrets of his own, seeks dominion not just over the Astral Realm but every waking world. With the assistance of other dream walkers, including the devastatingly handsome Cole, a Fae Prince, and Rhea, a feisty Elven female, each armed with latent magic, Ella may prove to be the missing piece in destroying Azvameth and saving her precious Mortal and Astral Realms.

In this epic romantasy, Ella grapples with love and betrayal, torn between the mysterious Ethan and the potential true love of Cole, all while embarking on a journey of self-discovery and found family. The nightmares have awakened, but so has she.

The Blackbird Oracle by Deborah Harkness 

Release date: July 16, 2024

Genre: Fantasy Romance/Romantasy

Deborah Harkness first introduced the world to Diana Bishop, an Oxford scholar and witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew de Clermont in A Discovery of Witches. Drawn to each other despite long-standing taboos, these two otherworldly beings found themselves at the center of a battle for a lost, enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Since then, they have fallen in love, traveled to Elizabethan England, dissolved the Covenant between the three species, and awoken the dark powers within Diana’s family line.

Now, Diana and Matthew receive a formal demand from the Congregation: They must test the magic of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Rebecca. Concerned with their safety and desperate to avoid the same fate that led her parents to spellbind her, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family’s future and answers a message from a great-aunt she never knew existed, Gwyneth Proctor, whose invitation simply reads: It’s time you came home, Diana.

On the hallowed ground of Ravenswood, the Proctor family home, and under the tutelage of Gwyneth, a talented witch grounded in higher magic, a new era begins for Diana: a confrontation with her family’s dark past and a reckoning for her own desire for even greater power—if she can let go, finally, of her fear of wielding it.

In this stunning new novel, grand in scope, Deborah Harkness deepens the beloved world of All Souls with powerful new magic and long-hidden secrets, and the path Diana finds at Ravenswood leads to the most consequential moments yet in this cherished series.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan 

Release date: July 30, 2024

Genre: Epic Fantasy/ YA Fantasy Romance

Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies.

Shape-shifter Felicity needs a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, she’s been using her unique ability to evade a fatal prophecy.

When rumors of evil king Mordeus’s resurrection spread through the shadow court, Jasalyn decides to end him once and for all. Felicity agrees to take the form of the princess, allowing Jas to covertly hunt Mordeus—and starting Felicity on the path that could finally take her home.

While Jasalyn teams up with the charming and handsome Kendrick, Felicity sets out to get closer to the Wild Fae king, Misha. Kendrick helps Jasalyn feel something other than anger for the first time in three years, and Misha makes Felicity wish for a world where she’s free to be her true self. Soon, the girls’ missions are at risk right alongside their hearts.

The future of the human and fae realms hangs in the balance as fates intertwine. Between perilous tasks, grim secrets, and forbidden romances, Jasalyn and Felicity find that perhaps their stars are the most cursed of all.

Sanctuary by Ilona Andrews 

Release date: July 30, 2024

Genre: Fantasy

It’s not easy serving Chernobog, the God of Destruction, Darkness and Death…especially during the holidays; and especially when you’re out of eggnog and one of your pesky, freeloading mythic creatures has eaten your last cookie.

Roman would like nothing more than to be left alone, but when a wounded boy stumbles into his yard and begs for sanctuary, Roman takes him in. Now elite mercenaries are camped out on his property, combat mages are dousing the house with fire, and strange priests are unleashing arcane magic. They thought Roman was easy pickings, just a hermit in the woods, but they chose the wrong dark priest to annoy. For while Roman might be patient, he is the Black Volhv, filled with the love of his terrible god. For his adversaries, it's a fight to the death, but for him, it's just another day in the neighborhood.

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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New Book Releases for June 2024

Upcoming Sci-Fi/Fantasy Releases for June  2024

Ya'll Summer is right around the corner and here are a few new books that have caught my eye. I hope to snag these as I'm cozying up by the poolside, or relaxing in my hammock. Which one are you looking forward to the most?

Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee

Release Date: June 4, 2024

Genre: Y/A Sci-Fi

In a society where conformity is valued above all else, a teen girl training to become an Imperial pilot is forced to return to her rebel roots to save her world in this adrenaline-fueled sci-fi adventure—perfect for fans of Iron Widow and Skyward!

Hwa Young was just ten years old when imperial forces destroyed her rebel moon home. Now, six years later, she is a citizen of the very empire that made her an orphan.

Desperate to shake her rebel past, Hwa Young dreams of one day becoming a lancer pilot, an elite group of warriors who fly into battle using the empire’s most advanced tech—giant martial robots. Lancers are powerful, and Hwa Young would do anything to be the strong one for once in her life.

When an attack on their boarding school leaves Hwa Young and her classmates stranded on an imperial space fleet, her dreams quickly become a reality. As it turns out, the fleet is in dire need of pilot candidates, and Hwa Young—along with her brainy best friend Geum, rival Bae, and class clown Seong Su—are quick to volunteer.

But training is nothing like what they expected, and secrets—like the fate of the fleet’s previous lancer squad and hidden truths about the rebellion itself—are stacking up. And when Hwa Young uncovers a conspiracy that puts their entire world at risk, she’s forced to make a choice between her rebel past and an empire she’s no longer sure she can trust.

A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette 

Release Date: June 12, 2024

Genre: Fantasy Romance/Gaslamp Fantasy

They say never bargain with the fae. They also say don’t get drunk on fae wine. Yet romance author Edwina Danforth has managed a blunder with both on her first visit to the infamous faelands. Now she's trapped in a magic-fueled bet she barely remembers with a man she’d be happier to forget. The terms? Whoever can bed the most lovers during their month-long dueling book tour wins a coveted publishing contract.

The win should be easy for Edwina. She’s known for penning scintillating tales of whirlwind romance. There’s just one problem: her imagination vastly exceeds her bedroom experience. But when failure means plummeting her career back into obscurity, losing isn’t an option.

Her handsome fae rival, William Haywood, poses an even greater challenge. Not only are his looks as aggravatingly perfect as his track record behind closed doors, but he has his own reasons for playing to win, and he won’t go down without a fight. Unless, of course, it’s a different kind of going down. In that case, he’s fair game.

Edwina and William clash in a rivalry of romance. But what happens when their objects of desire…turn out to be each other?

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen 

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Genre: YA Fantasy

Mulan meets Iron Widow in this thrilling silkpunk fantasy about a girl who must disguise herself as a boy and enter the famed and dangerous Engineer’s Guild trials to unravel the mystery of her father’s murder.

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune. 

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own. 

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?

Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba  

Release Date: June 25, 2024

Genre: Fantasy/LGBTQ Fantasy

In this fiercely imaginative Filipino-inspired fantasy debut, a bisexual nun hiding a goddess-given gift is unwillingly transformed into a lightning rod for her people's struggle against colonization.

Perfect for fans of lush fantasy full of morally ambiguous characters, including The Poppy War and The Jasmine Throne.

María Lunurin has been living a double life for as long as she can remember. To the world, she is Sister María, dutiful nun and devoted servant of Aynila's Codicían colonizers. But behind closed doors, she is a stormcaller, chosen daughter of the Aynilan goddess Anitun Tabu. In hiding not only from the Codicíans and their witch hunts, but also from the vengeful eye of her slighted goddess, Lunurin does what she can to protect her fellow Aynilans and the small family she has created in the convent: her lover Catalina, and Cat's younger sister Inez.

Lunurin is determined to keep her head down—until one day she makes a devastating discovery, which threatens to tear her family apart. In desperation, she turns for help to Alon Dakila, heir to Aynila's most powerful family, who has been ardently in love with her for years. But this choice sets in motion a chain of events beyond her control, awakening Anitun Tabu's rage and putting everyone Lunurin loves in terrible danger. Torn between the call of Alon’s magic and Catalina’s jealousy, her duty to her family and to her people, Lunurin can no longer keep Anitun Tabu’s fury at bay.

Disclaimer: There are affiliate links in this post, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

 A Clean Fantasy Young Adult Series

A new author and a new series for me, I was initially pulled in by the beautiful cover, and I'm always here for anything fantasy related.

Synopsis:

Tea can raise the dead, but resurrection comes at a price...

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha―one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Thoughts:

I recently finished up Bone Witch, and I have mixed feelings on this book, but I think I'm the problem, and not the book.

First of all, this book is a YA Fantasy Novel, but this is a *young* young adult possibly borders middle grade to me, and I didn't feel like there was any coming of age. Yet? Maybe that comes later in the series.

The book had two timelines but really only in the beginning. We meet an older Tea, an exiled Tea, and the what and why never was resolved. After meeting older Tea, we go back to when she is 15 and she first realizes she is a dark asha. Most of this book is about her finding out who she is, accidentally raising her brother from the dead (as you do), and going to school to be a dark asha, also known as a bone witch.

I'm not one to get caught up in school drama stuff, which is why YA books aren't always my thing. There's a bit of that in here, a bit of mean girl stuff, a bit of girl crush stuff, jealousy, etc. The book seemed to wander until suddenly it was a who dunnit, and then it was over. There are two more books in the series, and I do plan on at least reading the next one.

The Bone Witch was originally released February 1, 2018 and is available at Amazon or Bookshop.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book for my own reading enjoyment.  There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec

"A woman need not be defined by her men. She can stand for herself and make her own way."

Synopsis:

The lives of two women—one desperate only to save her missing sister, the other a witch destined to become queen of Norway—intertwine in this spellbinding, powerful novel of Viking Age history and myth from the acclaimed author of The Witch’s Heart.

Oddny and Gunnhild meet as children in tenth century Norway, and they could not be more different: Oddny hopes for a quiet life, while Gunnhild burns for power and longs to escape her cruel mother. But after a visiting wisewoman makes an ominous prophecy that involves Oddny, her sister Signy, and Gunnhild, the three girls take a blood oath to help one another always.

When Oddny’s farm is destroyed and Signy is kidnapped by Viking raiders, Oddny is set adrift from the life she imagined—but she's determined to save her sister no matter the cost, even as she finds herself irresistibly drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. And in the far north, Gunnhild, who fled her home years ago to learn the ways of a witch, is surprised to find her destiny seems to be linked with that of the formidable King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.

But the bonds—both enchanted and emotional—that hold the two women together are strong, and when they find their way back to each other, these bonds will be tested in ways they never could have foreseen in this deeply moving novel of magic, history, and sworn sisterhood.

Thoughts:

I love a fairytale retelling so it's obvious I will also enjoy an Icelandic/Norse saga reimagining. I've never heard of the saga of Gunnhild, Mother of Kings before reading this book. I've skimmed a bit of it, and can't wait to dig in and learn more. Read this book first if you'd like to enjoy the story, because knowing the saga beforehand may give away a few things.

There's so much to unpack here but one of my biggest takeaways is  the emotional bond between these young women as they navigate challenging world of Vikings society.  Their commitment to each other is continuously challenged as they fight unknown adversaries and are pulled in their own directions in life.

The women portrayed had bold personalities. They were strong and capable of defending themselves, and they didn't rely on the men in their families or relationships. These women supported each other and found strength in their own abilities. The author also includes LGBTQ representation, and I am here for it. 

The pacing of the book in the beginning was a bit slow for me, and I found myself having a tough time feeling this book as it got going. There was a lot of setting the stage for the overall story. I found that it was worth the wait, so grab your tea, comfy blanket and dig in. 

Overall, anyone who loves fantasy, but also Norse/Iclandic Folklore will love this imaginative retelling.

The Weaver and the Witch Queen will be published July 25, 2023 and is available for pre-order on Amazon and Bookshop.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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Dance with a Fae Prince by Elise Kova

Ya'll, I'm so glad I decided May was my mood reading month. I chose most if not every book I read on my own, and not from a TBR.  It was my birthday gift to myself. I'm behind on my reviews so keep checking back to see what made it to my mood reading month of May. Dance with the Fae Prince is book two of the Married to Magic series. Each book in the series is a standalone. I read book one so long ago, way before I started this blog so I didn't write up a thorough review. So now you're getting my thoughts on book two. 

Synopsis:

She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.

Katria swore she'd never fall in love. She's seen what "love" means through the cruelty of her family. So when she's married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she's leaving. Feelings are off the table.

But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.

As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.

Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings - magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne - and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.

The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?

A Dance with the Fae Prince is a complete, *stand-alone novel*, inspired by the tales of Psyche and Eros, as well as Cinderella, with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for romantic fantasy readers who enjoyed of A Court of Silver Flames and An Enchantment of Ravens. A Dance with the Fae Prince features a slow-burn romance, swoon-worthy couple, and steaminess that ranges from simmering to sizzling.

Thoughts:

Fantasy readers...put this on your list as your next comfort read. Inspired by Cinderella, and other fairy tales but with it's very own twist. Ya'll know I'm a huge fan of the fantasy romance genre, and Elise Kova's Dance with a Fae Prince hits all of my favorites.  A little slow burn romance, a little forbidden love even, the down trodden even slightly abuse underdog female lead, who stumbles into a life that she didn't mean to, and manages to grow into a fierce of her own. Yes, please.

The world-building in this book was lovely and creative. The setting was beautifully described, with lush descriptions that allowed me to picture everything in my mind's eye. I was immediately transported into the story which is what I love about fantasy so much.  Take me to this world please.

Katria was the underdog in this story from the start, with her Cinderella-esq start, her mother having passed away, her father remarried the "evil step-mother" and then weirdly disappears.  Katria then "helps" around the house, but then is forced into a marriage so her step mother and step sisters can continue living the lavish lifestyle they can't afford.

Her marriage is weird though, she's not aloud to look at her husband and she has no jobs or duties in her new home. She at first thinks of it as a vacation (I need this vacation please), but then she eventually gets bored.  Reasonable. 

This ends up being the sweetest of slow burns, with a hint of enemies to lovers. I thought the pacing was just right. The steam level is almost zero, with scenes fading to black. There is talk of sex, we know it happens, but the descriptions are minimal.

The twists are predictable, the slow burn is not a stressful one, and the story happily concludes at the end of the novel making it the easy comfort read that it is.  Fantasy readers, grab this book when a heavy book has you emotionally exhausted and you need a book to set you right again. 

Dance with a Fae Prince by Elise Kova was published August 19, 2021 and is available for purchase on Amazon and Bookshop.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book on my own for my own enjoyment and merriment.  This however does not affect my opinions. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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Weyward by Emilia Hart

Happy May! Beltane blessings to those who celebrate. I'm feeling the pull of the seasons for sure, and as much as I love spooky season spring has me wrapped around it's finger right now. The world has become green, and lots of my time lately has been out in my garden and doing a deep house cleaning to shake off the last bits of winter.

Weyward was my last BOTM for now, I'm cleaning house with subscriptions too, canceling them all and see who I miss. My tbr bookstack is very high still...so I'll see where I'm at once I work my way through all my books.

Synopsis:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Thoughts:

This book has a witchy cottage-core vibe with multigenerational feminism and strong indepened women that scare men, and I am absolutely here for it. The first thing I did when I finished this book was handing it right to my seventeen year old daughter to read.

The way this story is weaved together really blew me away. It was so creatively laid out, with some twists that actually surprised me. The character development for each of our leads was so deep and relatable. If you're looking for a cozy read with a satisfying feminist overtone, you'll absolutely love Weyward. 

Weyward was released March 7, 2023 is available on Amazon and Bookshop and if you're lucky..maybe still Book of the Month.

Disclaimer: I purchased this book on my own for my own enjoyment and merriment.  This however does not affect my opinions. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

 

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White as Witching by Katherine Buel

I picked up White as Witching by Katherine Buel on Netgalley, I still browse now and then looking for books that might grab my attention. I didn't realize when I grabbed it that it was a fairytale retelling, and it definitely snagged all the main points of Snow White's Story.

Synopsis:

The Selection is a lie. The five girls chosen each year do not vanish into a life of royal luxury, as most believe. Snow knows this because she knows her aunt Lyric—the Witch-Queen of Cresilea—murderess and usurper.

When the Selection comes to the remote village where Snow has hidden since her father’s murder, she puts herself forward, trusting in her scarred face to hide her identity, and enters the castle she fled seven years ago—a place now haunted by unnatural whispers and eerie shadows.

But more is at stake than Snow’s revenge, or even the fates of five girls, and she must learn all she can about Lyric’s magic—and her own—before it’s too late.

Rich and darkly enchanting, White as Witching takes you into a perilous world of fairy tale where you must break the first rule:

Do not go into the woods at night.

Do not follow the faerie lights.

Do not dance and do not sing—set no foot in the faerie ring.

Thoughts:

As in most fairytale retellings this book contained the structure of Snow White. We had Snow, the hunter, the evil queen and the dwarves. We also had the bonus of Rose Red who is left out of many Snow White retellings. There were some original twists to this retelling, like fairies, and fae..and fae kings.

The world building was gradual, the characters dynamic and I enjoyed watching them grow as they faced the queen. Be ready for the love conquers all feel...it is a fairytale after all. Generally I have to be in the mood for that kind of thing, which kept my goodreads rating from a five to a four.

This book is geared towards a YA audience, with sex being only implied. Triggers being parental death, death, gore and cannibalism.

White as Witching was published October 22, 2022, and is available on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee

 

Synopsis:

Destiny or desire?

Where does your allegiance lie?

I am told my union to the crowned prince will determine the fate of the kingdom, but it isn’t my betrothed who haunts my dreams. It’s the half-breed prince who stands at his side.

He is darkness and sin, and when he whispers promises of wickedness in my ear, I crave a man who I can’t have.

Every thought I have is treasonous. The way my hands ache to touch him deceitful.

Even my dreams make me a traitor to the kingdom I am sworn to protect.

But when the kingdom is attacked, I am forced to make choices I’m not prepared for. Our lies and deception are entangled in the shadows and stars, and as they unravel so shall my fate. Betray a kingdom or betray my heart.

Thoughts:

I was supposed to read a different book when I started this, but it pulled me right in and I inhaled this one in about a day. It's on the shorter side, at only 259 pages so it's a quick fun read.

Adara was born Starblessed, and is supposed to marry Prince Gavriel, and become Queen of the fae. When she comes of age, she is collected and whisked away to a castle. She quickly realizes not everything is as they seem. The prince's half brother, Evren is a darker presence, but one she feels pulled to.

Adara seems to have almost no choice in her life, she is directed by her mother, and prophecy. She seems unhappy to go with the flow, but also helpless to get herself out of this situation. There is a lot of room for character development here, but we don't really see it in this book. Instead we get the fate she doesn't want, and a grumpy alpha male to whisk her away from it.

I'm not usually a big fan of a weaker female lead being lead by a alpha male, but the book moved so quickly I still couldn't set it down. The slow burn is satisfying, the forbidden love aspect brings it to another level..and bonus there's lots of spicey spice.

Overall, an enjoyable, fast paced, spicey, fantasy romance. I'm looking forward to book two.

A Kingdom of Stars is available on Amazon and Bookshop.

Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this book myself for review.  There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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Frost by CN Crawford

 

Synopsis:

On the worst birthday of my life, I come home to find my boyfriend in bed with another woman. Within hours, I’m drunk, homeless, and pledging to stay single forever. And that is when the dangerously sexy Seelie King rolls through town, looking for fae like me.

Every generation, the king holds a competition for Seelie queen. But for reasons he won’t explain, Torin is looking for a charade, not a real marriage. So when I drunkenly sling insults his way, I have his attention.

When Torin offers me fifty million to participate, I think, “What have I got to lose?” The answer turns out to be “my life,” because my competition will literally kill for the crown.

And the more time I spend with the seductive king, the harder it becomes to remember it’s all supposed to be fake. Now, my life—and my heart—are on the line.

Thoughts:

This is the kind of romantasy book that is my all time favorite... we have a broody male fae king with a secret curse he can't tell anyone, and a tough independent female lead with a secret past we don't know much about. Combine this with a "Hunger Games" style contest to win a crown, and it's all win for me.

This book could easily have been read in one sitting. I really felt there was never a dull moment, or wordy explanations that take too long. We start right off with the heart break that is mentioned in the synopsis. Andrew is absolutely hated from the start, and of course while at her most vulnerable she meets Torin.

Because of his secret curse, Torin wants to marry someone he can't love, and he thinks he's found that in Ava. However, this is when the slow burn, forbidden romance slowly evolves...and we never really get much satisfaction in this book. The story leaves off here with a bit of a cliffhanger, and completely unresolved. As much as I usually don't like this in books, it actually worked for me, however I'm really glad book two comes out in less than two weeks.

I hope book two in this series keeps up the great momentum that was developed in book one.

Frost by CN Crawford is available on Amazon. Ambrosia, book two of her Frost and Nectar series releases February 20th. 

To learn more about CN Crawford head over to her website here.

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Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this book myself for review.  There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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