Tome Thursday: Knight's Fire

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to tonight's blog post.

 

I was incredibly lucky to be chosen for an ARC of this book, and, honestly? I really, really hope more people pick it up.

 

It's not just the fact that the writer writes SO GOOD (which, she does, believe me), but it's the story she tells.

 

The stories she's already told.

 

I have to go back and read the previous two books in the series, as, of course, I literally stumbled into it at the end LOL, or middle, really, but that'll come in time.

 

Tonight, we'll be talking about number three in the series.

 

And yes, you can actually read it without needing to have read the first two, which is a rarity these days. Normally, authors will say you can, but by the time you get to it, you realize nope, you have no clue. This one isn't like that.

 

So sharpen those swords, and let's get on with Knight's Fire.

 

Tome Thursday: Wave Song

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back.

 

Tonight, we're taking a brief look at how it all began.

 

See, I tend to do these things in the correct, chronological order to the best of my abilities.

 

Unfortunately, however, I didn't even know there WAS something to read before the main books of the series until the last one of said series was published.

 

I know, I know. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME.

 

Anyway!

 

Since it's really starting to pick up in terms of heat waves here, it's time to head under the sea to cool off a little. And it's time we meet the two individuals who basically started it all, when you look at it that way.

 

The waves are calling, and we'll answer, in Wave Song.

 

Tome Thursday: Call of the Fathoms

 

Hello everyone!

 

We made it.

 

We finally made it to the end of the journey - or is it? You'll see what I mean at the finish line of my review - with this series, and I couldn't be happier.

 

Not because it IS the end, I could read a thousand more books set in this universe if Emma Hamm were the one writing them, but because the conclusion is so incredibly satisfying, AND we FINALLY get to see the big boy himself in action!

 

Listen.

 

When you have more than 19 feet of undine (aka merman aka siren), then you just KNOW it's going to be something good once he gets going, okay?

 

That's exactly what happens in this book.

 

So buckle up, buttercups, because we're diving down deep, deep into the series of Deep Waters, with its concluding novel, Call of the Fathoms!

 

Talkie Tuesday: Atlantis the Lost Empire

 

"... in a single day and night of misfortune, 

the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea."

 

Hello everyone!

 

After taking last week off, we're back with a new round of blog posts for this one, and the first to begin them is a Walt Disney Pictures presentation.

 

I mean, if it's not Disney it's gonna be Bollywood, ya know.

 

I have to admit that I NEVER watched this as a kid. I remember it's initial release, because McDonald's did Happy Meals with toys from this thing in them, and I thought the princess, with her white hair and such, was super cool, but that's about it.

 

Dishonor on my cow, I know.

 

I finally got round to watching it a little bit ago (okay, a WHILE ago, but I had a chance to rewatch it since) and I have to say I'm dutifully impressed by the end results of it all.

 

Plus, I mean, this is about the legend of Atlantis, in Disney version. What's NOT to like with that sort of premise?

 

Buckle up and let's descend leagues under the sea, in Atlantis the Lost Empire.

 

Tome Thursday: A Court of Silver Flames

 

Hello everyone!

 

And that's a wrap.

 

Did it take me literal years?

 

Yes, yes it did.

 

Am I ashamed of that fact?

 

No, I am, in fact, not ashamed. Not at all.

 

Because, while, as you'll see, this is a book I ended up partially liking, it's still got a host of problems and I'm not all that keen on reading it again, although I possibly MIGHT before the next one releases, depending on what mood I'm in.

 

For me, it's all about the main characters. Or character, in this case.

 

Sarah J Maas usually kicks it out of the park for me, but this time it was a hit-and-miss, depending on circumstances.

 

Without further ado, A Court of Silver Flames.

 

Tome Thursday: Rise of the Fae King

 

Hello everyone!

 

Look at us going, making it almost all the way through January already.

 

However, 2025 has been ... a lot, already. And it's difficult to put into words the feelings that come along with such a realization.

 

I think that, if this is just the beginning, we better buckle up, because DAMN the year's going to be BRUTAL.

 

On the other hand, my copy of Onyx Storm is in the mail and on the way to me, so there's at least a spark of hope somewhere down the road.

 

In the meantime, I'm working my way backwards through my read pile, having finished most of these before the Christmas season started, and then I put them on the back burner to keep handy when I needed to write a review.

 

So we're going back to see some cute little dragons this time! They're actually cute, and called fliers, while they're at it. Make sure you don't call them anything else, and hop along through the Veil with me in Rise of the Fae King.

 

Tome Thursday: Echoes of the Tide

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to the world under the sea!

 

Or well, that's what I'm calling it in my head haha.

 

Emma Hamm JUST released the third in her Deep Waters series, this one about a fan-favourite, golden retriever-type hero in the shape of one Maketes, who's the jokester of the group we've been getting to meet as our motley crew.

 

... and when you can get your hands on a copy this early, well, what do you do?

 

You read it of course!

 

Read it, then review it, then go back and read it again, because why the heck not.

 

So I'm not going to keep on yapping any longer, because we have some impatient characters who would very much like to have their story told.

 

Allons-y, then into Echoes of the Tide.

 

Tome Thursday: Gilded Rose

 

Hello everyone!

 

I'm finally back.

 

Well, it's a relative term, as I'm still working to get rid of the rather persistent cough that's currently trying to keep my life absolutely miserable, but I at least don't feel like I need to sleep all the time and do nothing else anymore.

 

That said, it's time to get right down to business.

 

And what better way than with a book that stole my heart just before the seasonal cold did?

 

I swear I occasionally trip and fall face-first into a book collection from an author that I ought to have known long before this, but only discovered now, and end up loving them to bits.

 

Emma Hamm is an author like that, and I'm DEFINITELY reading just about anything and everything of hers I can get my grubby little hands on ASAP.

 

For tonight, though, I'm focusing on just the one book, which is a re-telling, conveniently enough.

 

Let's looks at Gilded Rose.

 

Tome Thursday: Song of the Abyss

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the land of the mermaids.

 

Yep, I said what I said.

 

When you accidentally run into one of the best books you've read this calendar year, you don't just drop it like a hot potato and never look at it again.

 

You probably read it again, and again, and again, which is exactly what I've done with tonight's choice for blog post, honestly.

 

I think I've read this thing about five times since first getting my hands on an e-book copy, and I've since bought it in physical form so that I can skip around pages more easily (yes, you can do it on an e-reader too but, I still find it easier in an actual book, sue me).

 

Since then I've also been reading some other works by Emma Hamm and, let's just put it this way, you'll be seeing them on this blog with the passage of time.

 

But first, let's really return to the deep. Let's check on the guy who was an absolute ass in the first book, but is really just a wounded soldier, and we learn all about that - and more - in Song of the Abyss.

Tome Thursday: Provenance of Power

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to an exciting addition to this blog post!

 

See a while back, I was approached by an Indie author through Facebook, and she asked me if I'd like to join her ARC team for a novel called Her Latent Charm.

 

Now, considering I read anything and everything that I can possibly get my grubby little mitts on, I said yes, of course. That one never has to be under any kind of question.

 

What I wasn't expecting was to truly ENJOY the book so much.

 

Don't get me wrong, I generally speaking always pick books that I know I'll at the very least like, if not outright love, but every now and then you do run into mishaps and end up, er, disappointed.

 

Not so here.

 

So when emails finally went out regarding the second book of the series, I was STOKED. I signed up immediately, and when the thing arrived in my inbox, I jumped.

Which means that, without further ado, we're looking at the sequel tonight: Provenance of Power!

Tome Thursday: Whispers of the Deep

 

Hello everyone!

 

I know some of you might be anticipating - or I hope you're anticipating! - my review of the second season House of the Dragon just graced us with, but I ended up deciding to type that one on Saturday, so that I have PLENTY of time to do it right.

 

For tonight, we're diving in deep.

 

And I mean DEEP, deep.

 

Because we're about to enter a story about mermaids, and what's more, it's a mermaid story that I REALLY love, or ended up loving in any event.

 

I wasn't expecting that, because recently the books I've been randomly picking up have been a bit on the eh side, but this one? Chef's kiss.

 

This one's basically restored my faith in the paranormal romance genre, so I'm now just working my way through another ARC before I grab the second in this series.

 

So put on your rebreathers and your flippers - it's time for Whispers of the Deep.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

 

"Everything you need is inside." 

Hello everyone!

I hope you've had a fantastic Christmas, one where, even if not everything went according to plan, there was at least one relative that got cranky and something broke, you STILL enjoyed yourselves and spent it in the company of your nearest and dearest.

The older we get, the more I think we come to realize it isn't presents, but the people that make the holidays bright.

... which is probably why in this house, we still have presents under the tree and will be waiting to open some of them with my sister once she's well enough to come home after a bout with the plague.

Life, eh?

BUT that aside, it's time for another Christmas movie, the last in this series as we move on to something else next week, so of course I had to go with a classic, even if in a re-telling.

Because Disney released their own version: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

Tome Thursday: The Witch of Faymeria Wood

 

Hello everyone!

 

Tonight I bring you something a little different.

 

You know I enjoy a good retelling, don't you? Of course you do, you've seen me gush about it on here plenty of times, and will probably see me do it again in the very near future, not to mention more.

 

Well, it's a retelling tonight.

 

What's better is it's a REVERSE retelling, aka the roles of the fantasy tale were telling are going to be reversed for our reading pleasure.

 

I picked the book up on a whim on BookSirens - you remember, the online service providing free ARCs so you leave reviews on your preferred site of choice for upcoming authors? Yes, that service.

 

Anyway, I picked it up because it sounded intriguing, and I've always wanted a good representation of Sleeping Beauty. I absolutely got it in this one. Hypathia Rae might be an author worth watching now with this debut novel of hers!

 

The Witch of Faymeria Wood, ladies and gentlemen.

 

Tome Thursday: Iron Flame

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to Basgiath.

 

Oh you all knew I'd be going there, particularly after being LATE as all get-out for Fourth Wing thanks to my laptop issues back in the day.

 

I have no such ones now.

 

And I have a physical copy for the book to boot!

 

Ahem.

 

So let's not chatter too much and waste time while we have it, because there are a bunch of impatient dragons waiting, one of which is probably the biggest, grouchiest, sarcastic Dragon Dad of all time, and who needs to hang with Optimus Prime just so they can compare experiences.

 

I bet that would make for an awesome conversation.

 

But without further ado - ladies and gentlemen: Iron Flame.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The House with a Clock in its Walls

 

"I want to show you what a little weird can do."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And happy Halloween!

 

Now, for those of us who don't really feel native to the holiday, this is the day of the year when ghosts, ghouls and witches come out to play.

 

For the old continent it's mostly a day to celebrate Reformation, but on the new one it's about parties and having fun (it seems to be the same with younger generations here as well but, as someone who saw the ascent of Halloween and watched the thing develop, I can honestly say I feel old LOL).

 

For me, personally, I don't particularly feel any sort of way about Halloween. Possibly because we have Mardi Gras here in February, but also because I don't like dressing up.

 

I do, however, enjoy some of the other media that gets released during this time of year, and I thought I'd throw it back a little for tonight's post.

 

Five years back, to be precise. To a small little movie called The House with a Clock in its Walls.

 

Tome Thursday: Fourth Wing

 

Hello everyone!

 

As you can see, we're back on the blogging grind, which I'm happy with to be honest.

 

I've missed being able to type my thoughts out haha!

 

Tonight we take a look at internet sensation which has taken the book world by storm. Literally and pretty much also figuratively and everything in between.

 

I'll admit that I never would have picked it up ... but a really good friend of mine, one of my best friends even, just kept on and on about how good this was, so I thought to myself, you know what? If so many are saying this is good, then I'll read it too.

 

I haven't regretted it since, and have picked up an actual physical copy of the book.

 

Because this is what I do: I read e-books then decide whether or not I want the actual thing.

 

So without further ado, it's time to put on our flying leathers, pin our hair back, and get ready to kick some serious ass.

 

Basgiath college awaits in Fourth Wing.

 

Talkie Tuesday: The Last Unicorn

 

"You have all the power you need if you dared to look for it."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Well, you probably knew we were going to keep on keeping on with the animated series here on the blog for the last movie review this month.

 

Next week we return to the realm of The Witcher, if I manage to binge over the weekend BUT, that said and done, we have to have a little romp down Man's road for a bit.

 

Yeah, see, I really love these oldies. They make me cry at times, but they're the best.

 

And I remember watching this one when I was super too little to understand much at all, so here I am, re-watching it again and understanding things a heck of a lot more now than I ever did as a little girl.

 

I also want to read the book now, too. Of course all the best stuff is based off books!

 

So without further ado, let's hop right into it.

 

Let's look into the sky where through through the clouds a path is torn, look and see her how she sparkles: it's The Last Unicorn.**

Talkie Tuesday: The Witcher

 

"Changing destiny is a weighty business."

 

Hello everyone!

 

You knew this was coming.

 

If you've been paying attention to my blog, you'll know that, apart from the books - and I swear, at some point I'll either continue and/or finish the series or give up on it completely so it isn't in limbo anymore - I've reviewed everything that Netflix has thrown at us so far.

 

Which of course meant that the third season would ALSO be making its way on here.

 

And as I have no particular desire nor plan to watch from the ending of that onward (despite the fact the political stuff is turning fascinating enough), I suppose we're nearing the beginning of the end with this swan song.

 

So let's buckle up then.

 

The first volume dropped last week, and we have a month before we see the aftermath of all the scheming and manipulations.

 

The Witcher is back in business, baby.

 

Tome Thursday: Tides of Torment

 

Hello everyone!

 

I come bearing gifts.

 

Or at least, a sequel to a book we read a little bit back, and which will conclude with the third part coming in early 2024.

Yep, yep indeed this is a slated trilogy, and I'm here for it, because one of my personal pet peeves is when you think you have it down pat - you've blocked out reading time, you know how and when and why - and then all of a sudden it's not a trilogy but it's ballooned into eight books.

I'm sorry, what now?

I mean OKAY I do get it, sometimes stories happen that way and you don't really see where it's going until you're on book three and you haven't told even half the story yet, but most of the time lately it just feels like expansion for expansion's sake not for plot's sake.

This one will hopefully stay a trilogy, it's definitely sounding like it.

So let's get our goggles and our best Ariel voice, because Tides of Torment are taking us both above and under water!

Tome Thursday: Her Latent Charm

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week, we continue our journey through The Ambience Series, which tells the story of how certain individuals can access a well of power, or a lake of power, called the Ambience, and which allows them to perform some pretty amazing feats on the regular.

 

It can also, like any other magic or power out there, be used for dastardly and evil things, and it's one of those situations where you really just want to keep to the bright side, you know?

 

Dana C. Brentson is an author I would say really bears watching and paying attention to, if her debut full length novel is anything to go by.

 

And what's better, the book's official release date is TODAY!

 

Yep, that's right, you can go ahead and pick up your copy right now if that's what you want, and honestly why wouldn't you?

 

There's action, there's magic, there's mystery, there's love ... it has a little bit of everything.

 

Even the pickiest of readers should enjoy it. So without further ado, let's have a look at Her Latent Charm, shall we?