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Fantasy

Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters — Haunted Music, Messed Up Families, & Murder Mysteries!

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This is exactly the kind of book I’d been craving!

I’m currently on a creepy-forest-and-low-key-horror reading kick lately, and I had preordered this ages ago (fun story 😂it took like 4 months to arrive despite preordering) so I was like NOW IS THE TIME. I ended up listening to the audiobook and it was so fantastically narrated. Sometimes heavy Southern accents are hard for me (an Australian) to understand, but this worked out! I absolutely sank into the story and it entirely stole my heart.

It’s so deeply about grief. I think the audiobook narrator enhanced this but…my heart broke several times over. Generational grief, suffering, self-torture, and secrets. It’s about a family whose pain runs layers deep, but their avoidance of it just poisons themselves. I kind of love books about dysfunctional families and their secrets, so this captivated me.

Shady Grove’s family falls apart when her step-father is murdered and her brother, Jesse, is jailed for it. She’s not even over her father’s death and his legacy of playing a magic fiddle that can raise ghosts haunts her. She wants the fiddle back. Even more so now, because she needs it to figure out who really killed her step-father so she can get her brother out of jail. She’s always winced at being seen as “white trailer trash” but her family is such a mess. Reclusive aunt. Dead father. Haunted ex-family home. Magic in their bones. Angry brother. A Shadow Man that haunts her sleep. I loved her absolute determination, but also her softness. She is a vulnerable girl keeping herself together through sheer grit. Music owns her soul — but not always in healthy ways.

THINGS I LOVED

  • The music aspect! The haunted fiddle is amazing and creepy and all-consuming. Althooooough…Shady does start a bluegrass band with her friends and I 💀 cannot deal with country music. I will look passed this. 😪
  • Big friend groups! It actually deals with toxic friendships (I do think Sarah was thoroughly toxic to Shady).
  • Shady is bisexual!! She has a crush on Sarah (who is closed off and cold to her) and ends up also crushing on Cedar (who is a soft but smug cowboy and a real sweetheart).
  • JESSEEEEEE. Okay to be absolutely honest, he’s my favourite character. He doesn’t have a lot of page-time, but he is obviously a huge catalyst to the story and the driving force behind Shady’s actions. His backstory BROKE me when it all comes out. He’s angry and stuffed with survivor’s guilt and he’s absolutely thoroughly alone 🥺I am in pieces for Jesse and this kid really deserves a hug. When he broke down crying near the end just….me too, son. (The way Shady was angry at him…no 😭)
  • It was so emotional and it truly made me FEEL that.
  • Loved that it had creepy magic and superstition but it was still rooted in our world. It’s not so much set IN a forest, but there’s a woods that plays a good part.
  • Also loved little toddler Honey 🥺👌🏻

It’s a highly emotional story with a riveting murder mystery and ghosts with sharp teeth and anguished tears. It’s full of grief, but also healing. I totally loved the characters and I wanted nothing more than for Shady to face her past and find a way to face the future.  

If I could have a fiddle made of Daddy’s bones, I’d play it. I’d learn all the secrets he kept.
Shady Grove inherited her father’s ability to call ghosts from the grave with his fiddle, but she also knows the fiddle’s tunes bring nothing but trouble and darkness.
But when her brother is accused of murder, she can’t let the dead keep their secrets.
In order to clear his name, she’s going to have to make those ghosts sing.
Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Booktopia | Blackwell’s

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black (#3.5) — Illustrated, Whimsical Perfection

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Being back in Holly Black’s Cruel Prince world was absolutely everything I needed right now.

I’ve always said I craved Cardan’s perspective for this series. We get slivers of his backstory, his making, so slowly that we are left gloriously starved for it. So being gifted a novella purely from his perspective? A TREAT. We thank the faerie queen so deeply. 😭

What To Expect…
This is a novella (I always wish novellas were longer 😪) and it’s several stories told by Cardan ranging from when he is small, right up till post-Queen of Nothing timeline. So no, don’t read this before The Cruel Prince trilogy! It’s also illustrated and must admit the art is just gorgeously stunning (done by Rovina Cai). They are just that little bit ethereal and whimsical and smoky and exactly how I pictured both Cardan and Jude. From their faces to their body language.

“Why didn’t you hate everyone?” he asks. “Everyone, all the time.”
“I hated you,” Jude reassures him, bringing her mouth to his.

Do you ever just read something and sigh because it’s so perfect…
This was exactly what I wanted (EXCEPT I NEED MORE) and had those snippets of Cardan in our world (him trying to interact with mortals is hilarious 😂) to some of his childhood backstory. More insight to how he became the feral, toothy beautiful little villain he was so proud to be…until he wasn’t proud. Until it wasn’t enough and he wanted more. It also had all the lines that made me soft-happy-sigh.

And Cardan was just in PEAK CARDAN MODE, so dramatic and very self-satisfied at how beautiful he is 😌 But also glimpses into his lonesome life and jealousy longing for love.

It also is told in a thoroughly whimsical style. It feels like the trilogy’s writing plus a fairy tale all in its own.

“It is a mere nothing. No need for dramatics.”
“I am nothing,” Cardan said, “if not dramatic.”

I throughly loved this…
Whimsical and lovely, full of anger and sharp edges. Just that little bit of indulgent “what happened after” feels that makes my  reader/fan heart so happy and satisfied. I’m so glad it exists. Gorgeous inside and out.

An illustrated addition to the New York Times bestselling Folk of Air trilogy, that started with The Cruel Prince, from award-winning author Holly Black.
An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.
Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone . #1 New York Times bestselling author, Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan. This tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.
This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.

goodreads | publisher | book depository | booktopia

thank you to the publisher for the free copy

[Blog Tour] Interview with David R. Slayton about White Trash Warlock, Writing, Haunted Hospitals, and More!

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I’ve just finished reading a book that is, quite honestly, a piece of perfection.

I had such a good time reading White Trash Warlock! It gave me massive Supernatural TV show feels 😙👌🏻 (I  used to watch that show obsessively). But make it gay with complicated mysteries and brothers warring with betrayal and healing. It’s the kind of book I always wanted, but never found until now, and am super glad it’s a series because I need more of this world of elves and magic, witches and warlocks, barely contained evil and people with surly fronts but hearts of gold.

Adam Lee Binder grew up in a trailer park with everyone thinking him crazy for hearing voices, when really he has the Sight and can see other worlds. His past will break your heart, but the way he rebuilds himself and doesn’t hesitate to save and help, no matter the cost, was everything. Also it’s perfect as an YA-to-adult crossover since Adam is only 20, and there are sassy elves and demons and magic. Super intrigued by Adam’s complicated past with Perak, and his uncanny and accidentally meeting with the young cop, Vic. That feel when you randomly save a life and fall a little bit in love 😌. The high stakes of ancient unearthed demons and worlds cracking apart was just so enthralling too. I whipped through the whole book so fast.

Addictive and fun, White Trash Warlock will break and remake your heart and take you on a dark spiralling adventure.⁣

 

I have an interview with the author below and an intl giveaway on my instagram as part of my stop with MTMC Tours!

THANK YOU TO MTMC TOURS FOR HAVING ME!

Adam Binder has the Sight. It’s a power that runs in his bloodline: the ability to see beyond this world and into another, a realm of magic populated by elves, gnomes, and spirits of every kind. But for much of Adam’s life, that power has been a curse, hindering friendships, worrying his backwoods family, and fueling his abusive father’s rage.
Years after his brother, Bobby, had him committed to a psych ward, Adam is ready to come to grips with who he is, to live his life on his terms, to find love, and maybe even use his magic to do some good. Hoping to track down his missing father, Adam follows a trail of cursed artifacts to Denver, only to discover that an ancient and horrifying spirit has taken possession of Bobby’s wife.
It isn’t long before Adam becomes the spirit’s next target. To survive the confrontation, save his sister-in-law, and learn the truth about his father, Adam will have to risk bargaining with very dangerous beings … including his first love.

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado, with his partner, Brian, and writes the books he always wanted to read. White Trash Warlock is his first novel. In 2015, David founded Trick or Read, an annual initiative to give out books along with candy to children on Halloween as well as uplift lesser-known authors or those from marginalized backgrounds. Find him online at www.DavidRSlayton.com.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Hi David! Thanks so much for stopping by PaperFury to talk about your new book WHITE TRASH WARLOCK! Can you tell us a little about your journey from seed idea to published novel?

I used to live near a hospital that was being demolished and I’d walk through it, explore it, sometimes at night. I imagined a doctor who worked there and the spirits that might be unleashed when they tore the walls down. That’s basically chapter two—Bobby the doctor with the perfect life and perfect wife who realizes that the backwoods superstition he left behind is coming back to haunt him.

Adam was trickier. I was driving late at night in North Carolina and listening to the radio, watching the trees overhang the road and block out the moon. I started mixing that imagery with the feelings the place brought out, the sensations from growing up in Oklahoma and Adam came from that, a bunch of feelings. He’s got a lot of me in him, a lot of my experiences. In many ways he’s the most personal of my characters, the one closest to me in makeup. He was born from driving, so you’ll probably notice he drives a lot.

This is such a fantastic origin story! How did you decide on the title? Did it go through any changes?

You know it’s funny, a couple of people thought the title might be too much, but it is catchy and I knew instantly that it was the right one. The original title was Binder, Adam and Bobby’s last night name, but that’s not very striking. I kept playing with words and phrases until White Trash Warlock came to me. So it’s the second title, but I knew I couldn’t send a book on submission with something like Binder. I also know that titles aren’t set in stone. In traditional publishing the publisher may choose the title. I was prepared for that, but my editors really liked it so I got to keep it. Blackstone have been incredible partners, from marketing to the cover art, and I can’t thank them enough for bringing this book to life.

Oh, that title is so eye-catching for sure (and really perfect). Which part of a novel is easiest for you to write — the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Beginnings are always the easiest for me. They’re more about setting the tone and the feeling of the book, but they’re also the hardest to edit. They have to do a lot of work and carefully balance introduction without dumping too much information on the reader and losing their interest. The last thing I always do when writing a book is to go back and edit or rewrite chapter one.

Honestly same for me too 😂I rewrite my beginning chapters the most. Okay so tell us 3 random facts about Adam!

  1. He is smarter than he thinks he is.
  2. He loves to read and work on cars. Those are the things that calm him and let him focus so his Sight and empathy don’t overwhelm him.
  3. His favorite food is blueberry pancakes, because that’s what his Aunt Sue makes him whenever she can afford it and he’s down.

And lastly! Was any chocolate harmed in the making of this  novel? 👀👌🏻

The casualties were unfortunately high. While coffee is my main writing fuel, I do love chocolate, especially dark with almonds, pretzels or anything with a touch of salt.

We appreciate the chocolates’ sacrifice to bring together such brilliance. 😌 Thanks so much for this inside look at your book, David, it’s been great having you!

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tell me if you’re a Supernatural fan!! and is this on your tbr? (because it should be 👀)

 

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron [Not Your Fluffy Fairytale…!]

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It’s time for Cinderella with a very different twist.

Which I am so here for! Also completely in love with this cover (both editions really) and I just realised that furious women in beautiful ballgowns ready to destroy the patriarchy is actually very very lovely. 😭 I also read this in just one evening and loved being able to be submersed in the world. It reads easily, but with leaves you with themes to deeply mull over.

let’s talk about the story

First off, it wasn’t what I was expecting (not a bad thing!) but I think you should go in knowing what type of story it is! I was expecting just a dark fantasy, but it’s more like a dystopian fantasy. It’s set in a fairytale kingdom style world…but with this dystopian twist. And I so appreciate how unique this was. It also took the perfect, pretty imagery of fairytales and showed us the warped twisted undercurrent of it: here the king is a monster, here the women are items to be owned, here there is no freewill. I’d pitch it as fairytales meets Only Ever Yours and The Jewel.

Women are treated horribly, abused and forced to attend the annual ball to find a “match” (aka a guy will choose them). If they don’t, they’re considered undesirable and go “missing”. There’s also magic. Witches in the woods and a bit of necromancy too. Literally has it ALL.

“What do you think needs to happen in Lille?” I ask.
She stares at me, her brown eyes glinting, a deadly serious look on her face. “I think we need to burn the whole thing to the ground and start over. The entire system, the ideals that have been woven into this society. It all has to go.”

the characters were so perfect!!

Sophia chose to breathe, and I chose to adore her. 😭😭 She truly is an excellent heroine. From muttering her opinion on the idiotic rules of this world under her breath, to questioning everything, to refusing to be crushed — she’s the kind of heroine you can’t stop cheering for. And she is an unapologetically lesbian. Even when her mother says to forget Erin and look for a boy, Sophia is like: “Okay. I have obtained A Gay Boy, is this how we do it.” Bless Sophia 😭😭(and Luke honestly, what a dumbass but I appreciated he tried to help).

Then we have Constance! She’s this vigilante who Sophia stumbles into, and they quickly decide running away isn’t enough: they want to burn the patriarchy down. Constance liked sharp things and had a sharp mouth, and honestly these two together were perfect. It didn’t feel instalovey either, and though the book is face-paced, their relationship felt natural. They found the same spark in each other, the inability to let things go, and they clicked.

Also Constance: *brandishes a knife*
Sophia: 😍✨🌷🥰💛💘🎀

It is bursting at the seams with ballgowns and defiance, of challenging the status quo and asking why again and again and again, until change is made.

It’s definitely a societal critique, and I loved how it unpacked the discrimination women face every day in our reality. It calls out men who say “I’m one of the good ones” but they still stand there and do nothing, and it doesn’t scorn feminine women, but loves on all types of girls. This whole book is a challenge to the world, and we love to see it.

With soft sapphic love and quips and triumph, it really was a fantastic read.

I don’t want to be saved by some knight in shining armour. I’d like to be the one in the armour, and I’d like to be the one doing the saving.

Thanks Bloomsbury AUS for the review copy! Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron cam out Sept 1, 2020.

It’s 200 years since Cinderella found her prince, but the fairytale is over.
Sophia knows the story though, off by heart. Because every girl has to recite it daily, from when she’s tiny until the night she’s sent to the royal ball for choosing. And every girl knows that she has only one chance. For the lives of those not chosen by a man at the ball … are forfeit.
But Sophia doesn’t want to be chosen – she’s in love with her best friend, Erin, and hates the idea of being traded like cattle. And when Sophia’s night at the ball goes horribly wrong, she must run for her life. Alone and terrified, she finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s tomb. And there she meets someone who will show her that she has the power to remake her world …
An electrifying twist on the classic fairytale that will inspire girls to break out of limiting stereotypes and follow their dreams!

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

what are your favourite retellings? 😍have you read this one yet? what did you think?

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger [Lipan Apache Magical Realism of Ghosts, Magic And Murder]

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You know when you read a blurb and think, “Oh this is going to be the best”…and then IT IS!!

I just had that moment. I’m very pleased. Elatsoe is such a brilliant delight of a book, that is both whimsical and lovely, and also has darkness and thoughtful themes to untangle. It has #ownvoices Lipan Apache rep and Ellie is also asexual (the book doesn’t talk about being aromantic but seems likely too!). My little ace heart just leaped for joy at just having casual ace rep on page. The book is full of magic and ghosts and a super sweet (ghost) dog and pistachio ice cream and deep family love and ties and…oh a murder mystery to solve.

It has it ALL.

PS. I did edit the cover into my photo as I read an eARC!

let’s tell a story of magic

I really loved the emphasis on storytelling throughout the pages. The book is packed with love for indigenous traditions, and a lot of Ellie’s life lessons come in the form of stories from her parents. Ellie is also a huge fan of her Six Great Grandma, who had the same power as Ellie: the ability to ask ghosts of animals to return from the afterlife. This magic is super fascinating (and Ellie sort of toes the line between using it safely and not). Ellie’s companion the whole way through is her little ghost dog Kirby, who died of old age but she brought him back so she’d never have to miss him. 🥺💛💛 My heart just got soft and flopped all over the place.

The world is also our world but…not. It’s this slightly alternate reality where there’s magic and vampires and ghosts and all sorts of mythology. Ellie’s still dealing with racism and white men who think they’re better than everyone else. But there’s dark magical secrets and mysteries to unravel. And sometimes Ellie sort of wakens a thousand year old trillobite too. Just everyday things you know!! This is such deft and beautifully crafted magical realism. I loved the world.

what goes down

So the premise is that Ellie’s cousin dies unexpectedly, but the facts about his “car accident” don’t add up, and Ellie knows it’s foul play. She ends up investigating this odd little town where people don’t stop staring at strangers, and when her cousin’s ghost names his murderer in a dream, Ellie will stop at nothing to figure out WHAT happened. The have the culprit, but not the why or how.

It did get creepy in one stage and I was reading at night and was just sort of shivering. The writing is excellent like that. Total fan. Freak me out, little book, I approve.

the  characters are everything!

So Ellie is amazing!! She has such a dry, wry voice and humour, and she’s so sure of herself. She’s confident about being ace and she cracks jokes about it. Her family is her anchor, and she’s definitely a little anxious too.  There’s no romance! Her best friend is Jay who is, look I’m going to say it, a himbo. 😂 He is a tall blonde cheerleader dumbass and he’s just lovely?! The whole way through he is LOVELY. Supportive of Ellie and there to help her look into the mystery of her cousin’s murder. Ellie’s family is amazing (she loves her parents!! talks to her parents!!) and there’s such a motley of side characters who are interesting and strange and dynamic. And Kirby is THE BEST GHOST  DOG I WILL CRY tHIS ALWAYS.

So you know what?! Just read this.

It’s brilliant. The whole world felt fresh and different, catching my attention from the first page with its engaging writing and characters I just want to adore forever. (There are also little illustrations!!) It has heart-aching moments, and also funny humorous parts. The BEST combination.

Thanks Levine Querido Publishing for the eARC! Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger came out in August 25, 2020.

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon | Publisher

would you actually like to talk to ghosts or is that a pass? 👀and is this on your TBR, because it should be!!

 

Woven In Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez [#Ownvoices Bolivian Fantasy With Masked Vigilantes and Fake Queens!]

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This is the kind of fantasy that really enchants you!

It has fake queens, roguish vigilantes, and the absolute cutest magic sloths. It’s true!! There is a sloth made of magic here and for that reason alone you’ll want to read this!

I went in not knowing much about it, so here is my quick highlight reel of what you’re in for:

📖 #ownvoices Bolivian-inspired fantasy
📖 so much rich culture, so much love for details
📖 the absolute most delicious food descriptions you will up and try to gnaw your book pages
📖 the queen’s decoy is supposed to be demure and quiet and she pretty much is an explosion of electrical rage with a sword and she despises frills and can only be calmed if given fried food (relatable)
📖 sour healer boy whom I love
📖 lots of craft appreciation! magical weaving!
📖 trying to avoid marrying an evil king
📖 vigilante named El Lobo all dressed in black and dashing but whose side is he on
📖 unique and amazing magic system!!

“Everything always seems sweeter in the minutes before darkness descends.”

[the story it told]

Ximena has posed as the “fake Condesa” all her life, so when the queen is supposed to be married off to the enemy king to save their people, obviously Ximena goes in the real queen’s place. My favourite part was how Ximena is supposed to pretend to be the demure, sweet and friend-to-all-queen — when really she is such a wiry fireball. She’s like 1000% Gryffindor: impulsive, brash, passionate, prone to looking back at the destruction she caused and being like “oop”.

A lot of the story is set in the evil king’s palace, and it’s about Ximena making unlikely friends, spying for secrets, trying to save her people, and getting accidentally involved in the vigilante’s revolution. Her loyalties split: she’s spying for her people. But she’s also learning her people’s solution to the war maaaay not be as solid as they thought. I don’t typically love plots where it’s mostly palace settings — but I was so hooked here! I think it’s because I loved the characters! The dialogue, chemistry, and feels were all there and so so good. Plus we got delicious plot twists and darker moments to amp up tension.

The book also tackles colonisation and how blatant hate of a whole people group improves nothing. You can’t pretend to be better than the villains if you’re as cruel to them as they are to you.

I toooootally guessed the identity of El Lobo early though. AH. I am smort. 😂

[here for the characters]

We’ve established Ximena is the best: but also a huge reason I loved her is she has so much attitude but is never obnoxious. She has this careful and thoughtful arc — learning that she has to speak for herself, she has to think for herself, after a whole life of being taught what to do and who to pretend to be. (I also loved that the book balanced darkness and desperation with quips and bantery scenes perfectly!!)

I didn’t feel a huge connection to any of Ximena’s people (like Catalina, Sofia, Ana, etc.) but then, we didn’t spend a lot of time with them. However I LOVED all the other minor characters. And there were a lot but I still remembered them?! (My two braincells and I are SHOCKED and proud.) Juan Carols the friendly bubbly guard. Suyana the sharp maid. Rumi, the mouldy healer boy who is so sour but also secretly soft. 🥺 I adored him and shipped him and Ximena straight away. You know a ship is coming when the boy tells the girl to disarm herself and waits with a 😑 expression while she pulls out like…six knives.

[foodie fiction]

No surprise but I really LOVE foodie descriptions and this had so much Bolivian and Latina food, I just ahhh. I was googling things they described and just wanted to try it all. Also Ximena is like “make everything spicy and deep friend” and she is honestly a blessing. Also I want oranges dipped in chocolate?!??

Dressed in his usual black ensemble, he reminds me of the perfect night. The kind of night that makes you want to get lost somewhere. The kind of night that invites adventure and misbehaving.

This was a magical, sweeping story, rich in imagination and culture and heart. It definitely left me hungry for more!

 

Thanks so much to the author for the review copy! The grey edition comes from @FairyLoot! Woven In Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez was published January, 2020.

A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history.
Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight.
When Atoc demands the real Condesa’s hand in marriage, it’s Ximena’s duty to go in her stead. She relishes the chance, as Illustrian spies have reported that Atoc’s no longer carrying his deadly relic. If Ximena can find it, she can return the true aristócrata to their rightful place.
She hunts for the relic, using her weaving ability to hide messages in tapestries for the resistance. But when a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princess, and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, her mission becomes more complicated. There could be a way to overthrow the usurper without starting another war, but only if Ximena turns her back on revenge—and her Condesa.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

tell me what fantasy books you’ve been loving recently? 👀 is this one on your tbr? does reading make YOU hungry? 😂

 

Chain Of Gold by Cassandra Clare [Super Hyped Book Is Here!!] + Giveaway

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There is so much I really admire about the Shadowhunter series.

And Cassandra Clare. 🥺💛 Having such a long-running series that spans centuries, with its own lore and histories and complex backstories — it’s all phenomenal and special. Plus these are fantasy books that actually have diverse rep, with queer and POC characters, which is how all fantasy books should be. Chain of Gold was a very hyped book for me. I mean, of course it was!! I’m so glad I had a chance to read it. Out of all the Shadowhunter books I’ve read so far, I think The Dark Artifices is my heart favourite. But I love just the concept of this world with  its mix of biblical lore, demons and angels and wicked and lovely creatures.

✨Also stop by my Instagram page to enter the INTL giveaway!✨

Things To Look Forward To In This Book

➢ new brand of maliciously wicked demon
➢ Edwardian England setting!
➢ James literally shouting, “I LOVE TEA” so yes we know they’re British.
➢ the utterly stunning concept of girls in ballgowns with swords
➢ delightful amount of accepted and loved queer rep
➢ mysteries unravelling about Tessa’s demon heritage
➢ dark magic
➢ who quickly heroes turn to villains and vice versa

“Though it is entirely bad form to appear unannounced at teatime. There simply won’t be enough cake for everybody. The girls will have cake and the boys nothing. There is no other fair way to do it.”

This new series feels like a love letter to all who really adored Will, Tess and Jem in The Infernal Devices series.

They don’t star here, but this is the series about the next generation, aka, their children! Will and Tessa’s kids are James and Lucie, two of the main characters. Then we have the kids of Gabriel and Gideon Lightwood, and of course more Fairchilds and Carstairs. There are…stacks of characters. 😂 And the Shadowhunter world in London feels oddly at peace, so the kids have grown up picnicking and going to school instead of in a warzone. It’s got a lot of historical-fiction flair too, where the women are proper and scandals are horrific and it’s all about “protect your family name” while most everyone suffers under invisible duties.

[characters]

I always accidentally fall in love with the secondary characters the most in Shadowhunter books! 😂 I did struggle telling all these characters apart, and couldn’t actually tell you which kid belonged to which family. I feel like all the character introductions were done in Ghosts of the Shadow Market, which I read but don’t remember much of? I expected CoG to flesh everyone out and make them dimensional and explosive (like TDA!!) but I hesitantly say I felt the characters stuck to their one descriptor and didn’t expand. Like Lucie was a dramatic novelist (relatable tho), James could step into hell realms, Matthew was a drunk, Alister was a misunderstood villain, Cordelia had a sword, etc. etc. And it was hard when the original TID gang named their kids all after each other…ahhh too man Jameses.

So as much as I wanted to love everyone, I felt James, Lucie, Cordelia, and Matthew weren’t very dynamic. I fell IN LOVE with Anna (the butch lesbian who were suits, seduced women, and was just exceptionally epic) and I wanted more Alister (the stressed secret gay) and I missed that Magnus wasn’t in it more! Jesse Blackthorn intrigued the heck out of me. I want more of him. These side-characters were so vivid, flawed, and troubled. My heart!

[the story it told]

I was super intrigued how this one was about demons attacking Shadowhunters, but specifically. It was all insidious and they uncovered a tricky plot. Maybe the ending felt easy, but I think that’s because there’s way WAY more coming. And I love the darkness behind the intentions.

“They need a muse,” said Anna. “Someone to be inspired by. Someone to know their secrets. Would you like to be a muse?”
“No,” said Cordelia. “I would like to be a hero.”

It’s always a delight to be back in the Shadowhunter world.

I think this one will totally delight fans of TID. The book is full of loving detail, and paints a sweeping and vast world that mixes magic with history. I love seeing series going strong and far. I think, as someone who didn’t really click with TID as much as TMI and TDA, I liked reading this but I’m secretly hanging out for Wicked Powers like nothing else. 😍

 

Thanks so much to Walker Books for the ARC! Chain of Gold (The Last Hours #1) by Cassandra Clare is published March 3rd. 2020.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Walker Books

Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.
James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.

tell me your favourite shadowhunter series and characters!! do you have any long-running series you adore?

 

HavenFall by Sara Holland [Portal Fantasy Is Making a Comeback!]

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This is one of those fun, light fantasies that are so good to devour over a lazy weekend.

I’m noticing a lot of portal fantasy cropping up recently and I’m here for it. This also had such cozy feelings of home and family…plus, you know, monsters and multiverses threatening to catastrophe and magical conspiracy theories. All the good stuff.

things to look forward to in this book

➢ magical inn that’s the intersection of 4 worlds
➢ Maddie is queer! (Maybe bi?) and three other pivotal characters are gay too!
➢ lots of being attached to a building which is <3 <3 relatable
➢ monsters who just want to be left alone 🥺
➢ flamboyant old ladies who wear dramatic clothes and declare they’re writing a book (me in the future)
➢ SECRETS
➢ excellent magic system!!!
➢ Maddie going from “I want to run the family inn business!” to “I am stressed and can’t do math” within 2 days which is, quite frankly, relatable.

Havenfall might be dangerous, but I am equal to it. I’m part of it. I belong here, more than anywhere else.

[the world]

I think the premise of this book is the standout! It’s about this inn called Havenfall, which is where four worlds connect: Byrn, Fiordenkill, Solaria, and earth. Solaria has been blocked off because it’s full of monsters who murder people. But the other three are all buddy-buddies and at certain times of the year the inn is busting with people making trades and alliances and doing multiverse meetings. Maddie’s uncle runs the place, and it’s her dream to inherit it.

So of course, everything goes wrong. 😌 She has a lot of PTSD from her brother being murdered when they were kids. And this fated summer, the feared door of Solaria is cracked open. The book has one of those closed-house murder mysteries feels (like Westing Game) where everyone goes into lockdown while they figure out who the real culprit is. Just add a magical setting and magical people with other customs. Monsters are roaming. The staff keeps being eaten. Who is to blame. 👀

It also really reminded me of A Curse So Dark and Lonely and Every Heart a Doorway and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. So if you’re fond of those, you’ll probably click with this!

It also felt nicely like younger-YA? There’s murder and such, but it was all very off-page and just didn’t feel super dark at all.

[characters]

Maddie narrates and she’s pretty nice! She’s very stressed as a lot of the weight of the inn falls into her lap during this crisis (not her choice!). Her maybe-boyfriend vanishes and there’s a cute mysterious butch lesbian girl (we love Taya) and Maddie’s gay uncles are not in control anymore and ohhhh disaster. And can we talk about The Heiress?! Who literally goes by THE HEIRESS. She’s this enigmatic, flamboyant old lady who wears a cloak and is writing a mysterious book and just…I love her. Whole book about her thank you.

There’s also very little romance, which was refreshing.

I didn’t feel I got to really know the characters though. The book is short, the emphasis is on the plot and magic system. It’s set over a few days, so it’s mainly just rushing from event to event — which I felt was fine for what the book wanted to be. Although I felt Maddie didn’t get much of a personality.

This was a fun, light and lovely fantasy read, the kind you whip through and get engaged in trying to solve the mysteries! It’s crying for a sequel too, and I’m very intrigued to know what’ll happen next now that we’ve been slapped with some truth bombs and cliffhangers!

Thank you Bloomsbury for the review-copy! HavenFall by Sara Holland releases March 3rd, 2020.

Bloomsbury | Goodreads | Book Depository

Maddie loves spending summers at her uncle’s Inn at Havenfall. But the Inn is much more than a Maddie’s safe haven, and life in Havenfall isn’t without its secrets. Beneath the beautiful, sprawling manor in Colorado lie hidden gateways to other worlds, some long-sealed by ancient magic.
When a body is found on the grounds, the volatile peace brokered between these worlds is irrevocably compromised. What’s worse is that Maddie’s friend Brekken stands accused of the murder. With everything she loves at stake, Maddie must confront shocking truths about the dangers lurking beneath Havenfall – and discover who she really is.

do you like portal-fantasies?! (when you jump from our world to another?) would you visit another world if you had a chance? and is this one on your TBR?

 

A Heart So Fierce And Broken (#2) by Brigid Kemmerer [Time To Get Your Heart Hurt!]

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A Heart So Fierce And Broken is here to leave you reeling.

This book wrung me through at least thirty seven emotions. At first, it left me unsure (the storyline wasn’t what I expected and had developments that hurt my heart) but though my initial gut-reaction was frustration…the more I read and slowed down and thought about the story, the more I appreciated what it was doing. The last 200 pages? Perfection.

spoilers apply if you haven’t read book 1; but no spoilers for this book!

📖 Review of A Curse So Dark And Lonely (Book 1)

And underneath it all, so tiny that I almost don’t acknowledge it, a kernel of pride that instead of magic bringing fear and torment, the way Lilith did, or pain and death, the way my sword would, my magic brought healing and trust, and that is not a small thing at all.

[the story]

This is Grey’s story. I didn’t know it wouldn’t feature Harper and Rhen as much! They get a chapter each, but mostly the book is split between Grey and Lia Mara (the spare heir from Syhl Shallow). It follows Grey on the run and Lia Mara warring with her feelings of being unwanted as her ruthless mother grooms her youngest daughter for vicious power and everyone treats Lia Mara like…a royal sack of potatoes. The story has a lot of the good ol’ fantasy things you expect: roadtrips, unlikely allies, trips to prison, a sort of fighting pit, spot of torture, sword practising, a royal ball, people yelling. It’s focused on politics and travel. (I did miss book one’s focus on like…monsters and torture and Harper shouting at people.)

At first I did struggle 😭 But then I also couldn’t put it down. And I keep thinking about it — which is what I love books to do to me.

[the characters]

I’d utterly DIE FOR GREY. He is such a Hufflepuff, so doggedly stupidly loyal, but in this book he’s panicked, stretched to the limit, betrayed and cornered into becoming a leader when he’s always just followed. (ARAGORN VIBES.) He’s realising magic can be good, not just evil. He’s realising brothers can be evil, not just good. He’s broken, then rebuilt. I really really loved his whole arc!

We also meet Tycho (the utterly adorably loyal kid who would also die for Grey; you and me both, Tycho!!) and Iisak (a sort of monster creature who I loved just because he’s a monster creature) and there is a lot more Jake and Noah content too! Jake tries to drown Grey at one point and they bond. It’s really lovely. Bless.

And Lia Mara? At the beginning her chapters were ones I wanted to skip 😂 but by the end I loved her! Introducing new characters mid-way to a series is hard, but I enjoyed her realisation that she was MORE than a sack of potatoes. You go Lia Mara.

[my feels]

Wow, I had many feels. My attention waned at the beginning’s slowness, but by the end I was hooked. Grey and his storyline was captivating, his love and pain so visceral. I was intrigued by the budding magic system. But mostly? I loved how the book dismantled the toxic ideas behind “strength”. It put an arrow through the heart of the idea that women need to be pure viciousness to be “strong” and that men need to be unyielding and cold to be “strong”. It also pointed neon arrows towards the fact that FEAR MAKES PEOPLE MONSTERS. And I’m loving the deft way it handled that.

90% of the characters in this book are motivated by fear. It leaves us with a lot to mull over.

Downside was, because we weren’t in Rhen and Harper’s head…so their plot line felt frustratingly insipid. Rhen makes some unforgivable decisions, but not seeing his POV makes him a flat out villain. However, (1) I think book 3 will explain further, and (2)…I think that’s what the book wanted to do.

Open for SPOILERS
SOME SPOILER THOUGHTS!!

  • The only thing I’m disappointed in is that: HARPER STAYED WITH RHEN. She should’ve left the moment he had Grey whipped, because he turned into a toxic abusive royal, and there was no justifying it.
  • Also, I was disappointed that Harper’s really only action in this book was running up to men and expressing concern. Like, Harper. Punch someone?
  • I GET why Rhen is being cast as a villain, and by the end it makes sense. This is a villain origin story, and we GOT his side in book 1. I think we’re meant to feel betrayed and hurt, furious and wounded by Rhen. We call for villain stories (like The Darkling!) so here we’ve got one. It left me sour and so so betrayed, that I wasn’t loving the book — until I stopped and thought about how well the topic was being handled. Rhen is ruled by fear of magic, and has PTSD, and he’s never never known how to relate to people. He proved that all through book 1 where he couldn’t befriend Harper and he couldn’t be more than Grey’s master. It’s so toxic, and it’s obvious he’ll take this entitled road (dictatorship nearly), alienating people and being corralled by fear to use cruelty to rule. It interests me immensely (when I got over being butt hurt LOLOL). So I hate Rhen, I do. I think we’re supposed to.
  • I wonder if Rhen will get redeemed.
  • But okay also? I freaking HATE Grey’s atittude to Rhen. His loyalty is stupid, because Rhen hasn’t given him a single token of ANYTHING other than “I am master, you are dog” the entire time. Grey’s dedication to oaths was so infuriating (I think that was the point). But Grey?!?! You know what? Oaths are just misspelled oats and they mEAN NOTHING WHEN THEY’RE MORALLY BANKRUPT. Rhen has never never never done a thing for Grey in his life.
  • I mean, u hit my son Tycho and there is no going back.

“Ah, yes, the most dangerous person at the party is always the girl sitting alone with a book.”

Honestly this was an emotional roller coaster, packed full of intrigue and betrayals and heartache. The title fits SO WELL after you’ve read it. I just want Grey to be okay and for someone to find out why Tycho is hurting and make everything better for him forever. Also I need more monsters!!! Hoping for more monsters in book 3!!!

Thanks to Bloomsbury AUS for the review-copy! A Heart So Fierce And Broken (#2) by Brigid Kemmerer releases in January 2020.

Find the heir, win the crown.
The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.
Win the crown, save the kingdom.
Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen–until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

Bloomsbury | Goodreads | Book Depository

have you read this series yet?? what do you think!! do you like when sequels have new POV characters?

 

Nevertell by Katharine Orton [Russian Fairytales, Bitter and Frosty and Beautiful!]

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This was such a fantastically icy magical adventure!

I really loved how it tangled historical fiction and Russian fairytales together — it was full of snow and ice and dubious sorceresses (which I loved because that gave me Narnia throwbacks…I grew up with the audiobooks on repeat!). So I just really enjoyed gobbling up this middle-grade magical fantasy this afternoon. Also that cover? Can we just say entirely gorgeous.😍

[story]

It follows Lina and her best friend Bogdan who are in a Russian concentration camp, planning an escape that goes terribly wrong. They end up having to run from their fellow-escapee companions, who want them dead because there’s not enough food, and the two best friends end up meeting a strange lady in the woods who turns bad men into ghost wolves. She’s fearsome, mysterious, and…jaded. Meet Svetlana: probably a sorceress and probably dangerous. They can’t trust her…or is there more to her story than the tricky magic and anger she presents?

It has some dark undertones, especially with the concentration camp, but it definitely keep things on the lighter side for the kids 😭💛I also appreciated how it discussed the abuse of power, how bad people can say “nice things” but how it’s manipulative and wrong. It’s really good to start talking to kids about that.

The magical part was GORGEOUS. Lina slowly discovers she has powers! We also: (a) meet the cutest ever little spirit, (b) everyone eats a lot of bad bread and frozen onions, (c) there’s a magical cloak and (d) Lina is quick-thinking and Bogdan makes maps and it’s just so terrifically FRIGID AND COLD. The chill fairly seeps off the pages.

Imagining tends to give people inconvenient ideas, and those with power don’t like to be inconvenienced.

[characters]

Oh Lina was amazing! She was a total mix between spicy and determined, but also kind and gentle. Like NO WAY was anyone going to be harmed if Lina was there. Bogdan tagged along loyally and they meet a few epic people along the way too!

Also MAGIC. Magic everywhere. Frosty and intricate and lovely.

A beautiful read! (Although!!! Feed these kids!! I was so hungry on their behalf 🥺)

Thanks Walker Books for the review-copy! It came out November, 2019!

A gorgeous, snowy adventure, set in the wilds of Siberia, full of magic and wonder, for junior readers.
Born in a Soviet prison camp, Lina has never seen the world outside until the night she escapes with her best friend, Bogdan. As the pair journey across a snowy wilderness, they are pursued by a vengeful sorceress and her pack of shadow wolves. The children will need every ounce of courage – and a whisper of magic – if they are to survive…

Goodreads | Book Depository | Walker Books

| WHAT DO YOU THINK? |

tell me your favourite Russian books!! and do you read much middle-grade? is this one on your TBR?