Tome Thursday: Firebird

 

Hello everyone!

 

So I have a confession to make.

 

I had another book lined up and ready to go for tonight. In all honesty, I generally have my posting schedule for this blog handled WELL in advance, because I tend to read a lot, and when you read a lot, you have a list so you keep track of everything.

 

This means that, when something shoots into it like a comet from the sky, you need to adjust, and FAST.

 

I was going to go for a short and sweet kind of story, but that one now got bumped to next week.

 

Tonight's choice blazed into life over the course of this weekend when I sat down and was like, alright, fair, let's see what this is all about since people are talking about the sequel all over BookTok at this point.

 

Not that I follow a lot of BookTok, but it sometimes bleeds into my Youtube and Bookstagram, of course.

 

Without further ado, it's time to travel to the past, fling some magic into the air, and pretend that we know what we're doing with this shape-shifting thing.

 

That's Juliette Cross' Firebird for you.

 

Tome Thursday: Heart of Faelithia

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to the next installment in our book reviews saga here on the blog.

 

I have some really fantastical books to talk about this month - and for the next few months, actually, because I just looked at my list and I'm pretty much all squared for this little space for the next who knows how many days.

 

Life just happens while you're having fun reading, is all I'll say!

 

But tonight's book is a very lovely choice, and, conveniently, it JUST released out into the world.

 

Happy release, Magdalena Gavlasova! You really outdid yourself with this book.

 

I do know she has at least two more that you can read either concurrently or as prequels before this one, because they happen in the same expanded world, but tonight's choice was my entry into the universe she's crating, and that's what we'll be talking about.

 

So hold onto your butts, grab a comb, and make sure you look presentable, because we're headed into a world where beauty is everything and cheating isn't an option, in Heart of Faelithia!

 

Tome Thursday: Chaos Beckons

 

Hello everyone!

 

Tonight, we're picking something really awesome for our book review of choice.

 

And I say this as someone who's been reading pretty much her entire life, and who generally says a book is awesome without much prompting.

 

But tonight's one REALLY is.

 

It's one of those things you pick up accidentally because you either like the sound of the title, you're intrigued by the blurb, or you're just super bored with whatever else you've been reading thus far and want to branch out into something new. Either way, you pick it up, think to yourself, wow, this thing is MASSIVE at over 600 pages, but then end up getting sucked in so badly you don't know what year it is when you finally emerge again.

 

If you're thinking that last is me ... you're right.

 

So without further ado, let's hop right into it, because we've got a lot of ground to cover between a weird ass religious cult, a magical fantasy world, and the potential of a deity coming to life.

 

Chaos Beckons.

 

Tome Thursday: Forbidden Gift

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the blog and all our bookish adventures.

 

Tonight's reading material of choice belongs to an author I found completely by accident while browsing BookSirens, and liked the initial premise of her series.

 

Turns out, she's written ANOTHER one (that I'm currently slowly chomping my way through) and is working on expanding her ongoing adventures in the mythical land of Teutonic witches.

 

Aka, there may or may not be people among us who can and do wield elemental magic, hopefully staying on the right path and not worshiping a demon lord in their spare time ...

 

I digress.

 

Tonight, we take a look at the second in her series, and just be aware that these aren't full-length books a la Outlander, they've got WAY fewer pages.

 

But they're page-turners just the same.

 

So let's hop right into Forbidden Gift.

 

Tome Thursday: Mystic Passage

 

Hello everyone!

 

Once again, welcome back to the land of Teutonica.

 

I swear I need to get better at this, because I'd read this one towards the tail end of LAST year, and yet here we are, nearing the end of February, but I'd never put the review up on my blog until now.

 

Sigh.

 

There's so much going on all the time though that it's almost impossible to really make a full schedule and stick to it, at least at the moment, because I keep getting ARCs that twist through it all and make me reschedule EVERYTHING.

 

But anyway, we're going back into the magical world C L Carhart invented tonight, and boy oh BOY am I excited to do it.

 

Because, and I kid you not, we finally get to meet our main character. Well, main MALE character in any event, which funnily enough does NOT happen in book one of this series.

 

So strap on your witchy hats and make sure your intentions are good, because I can assure you, even they might not be able to help. Not in Mystic Passage.

 

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: The Land the Gods Forgot

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to another book review.

 

Tonight's choice makes a whole lot of sense if you remember that I'm a big fan of Outlander and Vikings, which is basically what this is a mash-up of.

 

The fact remains that there's been a BIG resurgence of time travel books and books that feature characters just randomly popping through time since Diana Gabaldon's works have been adapted by Starz (and this is ending with the eighth season, so, SOBS GALORE).

 

Which isn't a bad thing, honestly, because there's sooo many places you could time travel to!

 

Now, if only we could find authors that wrote about someone dropping into Ancient Greece or the like.

 

Anyway, without further ado, let's get right into Sarah Beth's book, alright?

 

The ravens are gathering and the battle draws near in The Land the Gods Forgot.

 

Tome Thursday: Beneath the Gods' Tree

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the second book in a row which features living in a desert.

 

It looks like that's a bit of a trend when it comes to recent releases, or upcoming releases I suppose, and I can't say I'm upset about it.

 

There's always things to find more and more interesting the more you read books like this!

 

And tonight's choice is no exception.

 

After meeting an empire that rose after the world was left in shambles, we venture into a totally different fantasy situation today in a world that has nothing to do with our own.

 

It's just sort of ... worse? If that's even possible.

 

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's always more after rock bottom, even if you think there isn't.

 

S. Kaeth's book, Beneath the Gods' Tree, is well worth the read.

 

Tome Thursday: Runt of the Pack

 

Hello everyone!

 

And this week, I welcome you to something slightly different in terms of books, at least for me, since I usually DON'T read these.

 

But when BookSirens suggests something, who am I to disagree with it?

 

Especially as it hasn't steered me wrong yet!

 

Thus far, I think I've thoroughly enjoyed every single book I've picked up, or maybe there were a few that slipped through the cracks of enjoyment, but, overall I'd say the success rate has been pretty high here.

 

So when I grabbed this one, I wasn't overly worried, although I WAS thinking it would maybe be a little bit longer even.

 

No matter.

 

Because the fate of a pack is in our hands. As depicted in Runt of the Pack.

 

Tome Thursday: Shadows of the Dark Realm

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the last "regular" book review until 2024, because as of next week, we begin our Christmas-themed extravaganza which has seen us through many a-holiday season here on this blog, of course.

 

Hey, let a girl live. I LOVE me some Christmas!

 

But I also love picking up new and exciting stories, too.

 

Tonight's choice is one of them, although it still has some ways to go before it can be perfectly polished and on par with the greats like Tolkien and Jordan.

 

Nevertheless, it's good. It drew me in and made me want to figure out where the heck it was going, and how it was going to end, and definitely gave me some twists along the way as I read it.

 

I was also pleasantly surprised to be approached by the author who so graciously sent me an ARC of his book in the first place. Doesn't matter for how long I've been doing this, it still humbles me immensely when people reach out like that. I'm here for it!

 

And so without further ado: Shadows of the Dark Realm, by Tyler Edwards.

 

Tome Thursday: Grim Imperative

 

Hello everyone!

 

I have two weeks of exciting stories for you.

 

Well, alright, I have an exciting story every week - or so I hope - but this time I have a connected story, with a novella for this Thursday and a full novel for the next one.

 

And oh, are they GOOD.

 

See, every once in a while you just have to take the plunge and try reading something you might not have expected to pick up initially, depending on your mood. I've been very much contemporary-books oriented lately aside from the random fantasy ones I picked from BookSirens.

 

So this was a nice surprise!

 

It also didn't come from BookSirens, while we're at it.

 

But before we get into all that, let's make sure we have our sailing legs on, shall we? Because we're about to head out across the seas, and pirates never like someone who's seasick.

 

Especially not in Grim Imperative.

 

Tome Thursday: The Silent Son

 

Hello everyone!

 

Time to dive into Norse lore again tonight.

 

It feels like I've planned this, reading so many books lately that take inspiration or are directly linked to our northern neighbours somehow, but I promise that's not the case.

 

I actually didn't even figure it out until I already had the books and was reading through them.

 

But it's definitely obvious I have a bit of a type, right?

 

All these books happen to be retellings, and this one tonight is no different either.

 

Remember that bit about the world ending, and each religion in the world having its own version?

 

Well, the Norse have one, too.

 

And Alexis L. Menard chose to interpret it her own way in her duology of books under the title The Last Daughter.

 

So come with us while we try to fight it off, in The Silent Son.

 

Intermission: In Defense of Damsels in Distress

 

Hello everyone!

 

Tonight's post is something a little bit different - and I REALLY hope you enjoy it. Because for the first time ever, we have a guest post.

 

That's right!

 

This past Thursday, I put up a review of The Shadow of Theron, written by Kathryn Troy, and she's very graciously agreed to write a short guest post for this little corner of the internet. We chose what we hope is going to be a great topic for discussion, so without further commentary from me, let's jump right in, shall we?

 

Take it away, Kathryn!

 

~*~

 

Tome Thursday: The Shadow of Theron

 

Hello everyone!

 

When I started this blog, what now feels like ages ago, I never would have imagined that I'd someday find myself in a position where I would be talking to AUTHORS and discussing potential guest posts and reading their ARCs and whatnot.

 

It's an incredible honour and privilege, and I honestly don't know what I ever did to deserve it.

 

But here we are, with yet another ARC, and a good one, too!

 

A little bit ago I started chatting with a lovely author, Kathryn Troy, who just released her latest book, the one we're talking about tonight.

 

I was very intrigued by the blurb about it - perfect for fans of Wheel of Time and Sarah J. Maas, it said - and if it's a fantasy book? Chances are, I'm going to read it, because fantasy is how I got my kickstart into this whole reading business.

 

So I did read it.

 

I liked it, too.

 

I bet you're wondering when I'll stop blabbing and get on with it, so here we go: The Shadow of Theron, book one!

 

Tome Thursday: Court of Tricksters

 

Hello everyone!

 

No, despite the title of this blog post, this is not in fact a review of a Sarah J. Maas book, even if it sounds remarkably like it could be.

 

It's definitely all about the title of the book. The author has so much fame attached to her through her A Court of Thorns and Roses series, that it's difficult to really pull our minds away from the topic and cover something else.

 

But we're doing exactly that tonight!

 

See, I randomly ran into an ARC in one of the emails BookSirens sent me that I thought might be a book I'd love.

And I did enjoy it, up to a point.

There were some minor issues with it, but overall I'd say it at the very least hooked me so that I'm intrigued as to what comes next.

I shouldn't prattle anymore and instead just give you the review, right? We're talking Court of Tricksters tonight.

Saturday Snippet: Night of Ash

 

 

No way I'm NOT hyping this one, it releases next month and OHMYGOSH!

 

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: Idriel's Children

 

Hello everyone!

 

I return, and I bring goodies.

 

Pretty much just before my vacation starts - and let me tell you I'm excited for THAT - I've finished reading another one of those books that's just a must-have even though you would think that there's so many floating around that it's just another.

 

But no.

 

It isn't just another.

 

I was super surprised when Hayley Reese Chow reached out to me to review the continuation of her Odriel's Heirs saga, and obviously I said yes. You don't say no when an opportunity like that comes knocking.

 

I do owe the author a small apology though since it took me a bit to get to the sequel, but it's here now, and around all the packing and insanity happening all around, let's have a look at just what makes Idriel's Children such a good book, shall we? It's time to dive into some fantasy mayhem, some low-key kind of dangerous stuff, and say hi to a sarcastic cat.

 

The Inheritance Cycle (Booktober)

 

"Learn to see what you are looking at."

 

I first stumbled over Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle by complete accident - I liked the fact that the first book was blue and had a dragon on it. But then I read it, fell in love with Eragon and Saphira, and ended up impatiently waiting for the conclusion of the saga. Elves, talking cats, and most importantly dragon riders with their dragons may have been invented before, and yes, true, Paolini found inspiration pretty much everywhere in fantasy and science fiction, but that doesn't mean reading the books isn't an absolute joy. So come along for the ride, and join Eragon and Saphira as they set out to destroy a tyrant and return magic to the world!

 

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands. He is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king? Not so very long ago, Eragon — Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider — was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance. The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? 

And if so, at what cost?

(from Goodreads)

 

xx

*image not mine

 

His Dark Materials (Booktober)

The White Queen (Booktober)

The Thorn Birds (Booktober)

The Bourbon Kings (Booktober)

Cop of the Year (Booktober)

Nefertiti (Booktober)

Timeline (Booktober)

The Murder at the Vicarage (Booktober)

Persuasion (Booktober)

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

 

"Further up and further in!"

 

 

 

 

Who among us hasn't at least seen the cover page of this book, or at least for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? This beautiful collection of all seven Lewis' novels brings us the world of Narnia like never before. Journey through Narnian history and see how the world was formed, then take your place next to the High Kings and Queens as they battle adversaries and ensure the magical land under Aslan's protection may live ... forever.

 

 

 

 

 

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a land where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations. 

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

 

"One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." 

 

So because I sort of left you all hanging yesterday for both an actual blog post AND the first Booktober post (it being October 1 and all that), I picked a pretty massive choice for tonight. Because what better way to celebrate the fall season than to go on what has to be the most epic adventure of all? Join Frodo and the Fellowship as they embark on the dangerous trek across Middle-Earth to fight off the evil arising from Mordor. Along the way, meet trolls, Elves, tree shepherds, and meddle in the affairs of wizards at your own peril!

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, to rule over all others. But the One Ring was taken from him. And in the sleepy village of the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task: he must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-Earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose ...

(from the book jacket)

xx

*image not mine