Book Reviews By Di

ARC Review: Delivering Evil for Experts - Annette Marie

2020-10-16T06:00:00.000+02:00

Delivering Evil for Experts by Annette Marie

Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #3
My rating: {★★★★★}

Urban Fantasy
Published October 16th 2020 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: Review copy via Publisher

I promised to avenge my parents.

But their killer is still on the loose, and he's stolen more than my parents' lives. Now, as he draws closer to his mysterious goals, he's poised to destroy what little I have left.

I promised to translate an ancient grimoire.

But it holds the secrets of my family—and the secret history of demon summoning. I fear its answers as much as I need them. Who was the foremother of Demonica…and who am I?

I promised to send my demon home.

But the way he watches me, the way he protects me, the way he touches me⁠—how can I cast him away forever? I swore I would do this for him, but can I? Should I?

But I promised—and I will keep my promises even if they cost me my heart, my soul, and my life.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes were taken from the advanced readers copy and as such may not be accurate or present in the final version**

This was probably my most anticipated read of 2020 AND IT DID NOT DISSAPPOINT. In fact, I think I'll have to dive back in for a reread sooner rather than later so that I can wallow just a little longer and very hopefully delay the inevitable book hangover that the end of this magnificent series is going to bring me.

But I ask you this, daughter of my daughter, honorable scribe, survivor, sorceress: When will it end?
Three millennia after Melitta had asked, I had the answer. It would end with me.

I cannot believe that at the beginning of 'The Guild Codex' journey I was so worried that I wouldn't click with this world. Firstly, I was worried that Urban Fantasy wasn't a go to genre for me (side note, it is now...). I was also worried that I wouldn't be able to love yet another Annette Marie series the way I loved Steel and Stone and Red Winter (spoiler alert, I can!) and when I heard the news about a spin off about the mysterious new Demon contractor on the block, Robin Page I was again nervous but also intrigued to know more about this quiet, timid girl who looked dressed more for a book fair than combat with an unbound demon.

Needless to say, all my worries were knocked out of the park entirely and I found myself head over heels for the new characters, the new relationships and the new plot.

I cannot say how Annette managed this one, but the plots of Spellbound and Demonized merge so seamlessly and yet they really do manage to stand on their own as well. While you can technically read both series completely separately, the enjoyment is just that much more when you read them together, and so I can't actually recommend anything but devouring all the books. More Guild Codex world, more POVs, more knowledge on the workings of the universe and more world building!

Something I love about Annette Marie and definitely about this series in particular is that I couldn't guess where it was going. Robin and Zylas had to follow their full paths and even though I might have been partially dying through some of it, I loved both of their character arcs and I couldn't have asked for a better finale for them. Their characters remained true to themselves, no matter what and even if I might have wished so hard for them to have made different decisions, I couldn't actually imagine them choosing any other way.

This one got pretty intense on the demon dimension world building (which I was totally there for! I couldn't wait to learn more about Zylas' home!) and yet still managed to stick to the original timeline from Damned Souls and a Sangria (which at some stages I was wondering how on Earth they would make it!). I loved the elaboration on the 'weightlifting' scene and I also loved seeing the major battle at the Crow and Hammer from Robin and Zylas' eyes.

The focus of Demonized is the secretive and well guarded mythic class of Demonica, related to demon summoning and contracting. The added insights into the effects that this has had on their world, their politics and even their very natures adds so much depth and complexity to this series.

Most of all though, what I love the most about this series is the characters and their relationships. The way the relationships are constantly challenged, the dynamics constantly shifting the way they might in real life. Seeing how the characters cope with those changes and how they adapt just makes them even more real to me.

“We’d saved each other. Not just on that horrific afternoon when we’d formed our contract, but before that, when I’d given him life-sustaining food and he’d distracted me from my overwhelming grief and loneliness. And after that— every day after that, we’d been protecting each other in our own way.

My only real complaint was that I wished that I could have seen a little more showcasing of the friendship between Robin and Amalia: I'm always there for women supporting women and strong female friendships. Yes, I do realise that there was action stuffed into each and every chapter, and yes, I do realise that these characters were in the most epic finale of all time and yes! I also realise that I probably wouldn't have had enough with even another three hundred pages! But I feel I have to be brutally honest, even about the smallest things.

After so many books and so many crazy adventures with these characters from Spellbound and Demonized, there's a gaping hole in my life now that both of these series have come to their conclusions. Thankfully there is still Warped (with a new book coming in December!) to look forward to, and the announcement about the Unveiled series (starring my favourite Druid!). Even with all the upcoming excitement, Robin and Zylas will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I know that I'll revisit their books time and time again to recapture their magic and to spend some more time with some of my favourite characters of all time.

It's a crazy journey with so many highs and lows. The characters are challenged and tested and tested again. This finale was the epic conclusion that I'd hoped and dreamed about for my favourites and I can only hope you love it as much as I did. It might not end the way you want or expect it to, but it is a an epic, epic finale.

"Among demons, losing meant death. Zylas might not always win, but he never lost. But tonight, we’d either succeed or we’d die. Victory or death."

The Sunday Post: 4 Oct 2020

2020-10-04T06:00:00.001+02:00

Hi! It's been so, so long since I basically did anything bloggish... And so I'm jumping right back in with a Sunday post. I'm linking to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer and I can't wait to see both old and new faces!

Please leave a link to your blog (if you have one) in your comment or make sure your Disqus profile has your address so that I can visit you back!

I try to link all book covers to Goodreads or to my review (if there is one) which is in turn linked to Goodreads.

Welcome (back?) to my book blog! It's been too long since I actually blogged so I have jumped straight back into the fray with a Sunday Post - because what better way to catch up with who is still blogging, what new faces there are and to either catch up or meet new people!

What I read:

So , anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a huge fan of Annette Marie and for the past month I've been rereading all of her books from The Guild Codex Universe. The finales of both The Guild Codex: Spellbound AND The Guild Codex: Demonized series are both out this month so I knew that I had to do a massive reread in order to do them justice.

In the past week the only book I've actually finished was the finale of Spellbound but my review is up and linked to the cover.

What I'm Currently Reading:

In an attempt to claw my way out of the massive book hangover that was my Annette Marie binge read I picked up another of my highly anticipated 2020 releases.

I'm happy to report that I'm loving it so far!

Up Next:

My absolutely MOST highly anticipated book of 2020 has to be the finale of The Guild Codex: Demonized. Robin and Zylas have my heart!

Bookish News:

Possibly the most exciting bookish news I've heard this year!!!!!!!! I'm so excited for yet another series in The Guild Codex universe featuring 'The One and Only Crystal Druid'. He's quite possibly my favourite side character from the Spellbound series and this is DEFINITELY something to be super excited for!

And that's my week! How did yours go? Have you ever read ANYTHING by Annette Marie?

ARC Review: Damned Souls and a Sangria - Annette Marie

2020-10-02T12:40:00.000+02:00

Damned Souls and a Sangria by Annette Marie

Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #7

My rating: {★★★★☆}

Urban Fantasy
Published October 2nd 2020 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc

Source: Review copy via Publisher

Once upon a time, I was your average spunky redhead with the lamest employment history ever, a shaky relationship with my only family member, and no idea what I was doing with my life.

Now, I'm a pseudo mythic with the best bartending job in the world, the most amazing (and hot) best friends I never knew I needed, and a guild of misfit magic-users who've become my extended family.

And I'm about to lose it all.

In my desperation to save Ezra, I stumbled into a web of ruthless deception—and seriously pissed off a sleeping hydra. Now its every murderous head is turned toward me and my guild, and I don't know how to stop it. I'm not sure I can.

I'm not sure anyone can.

But if we don't, we're all doomed—Ezra, Aaron, Kai, and my beloved guild.

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Absolutely epic.... And that's about the best way to describe it I tell you. My brain has been stuck churning for words for days and I'm STILL failing to come up with adequate English...

You'd better buckle up for this one as it's an insane, epic, adventurous, amazing ride.

Let me start with the parts I didn't like.... IT'S THE END OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure what I'm going to do without Spellbound in my life anymore. I've become accustomed to life at the Crow and Hammer and between this and Demonized ending in a week I'm going to be left with a huge hole (and possibly the worst book hangover in history). That's about all I've got for negatives.

I adored seeing the whole gang together in this one with cameos from both Robin and Zylas and Amalia from Demonized AND from Kit and Lienna and co from Warped. I cannot urge you enough to read all the books in this world - firstly, you're going to want all the Guild Codex goodness you can get your hands on and the series do intertwine a lot, so there are spoilers if you read only one of the series and then decide to go back to them later. PLUS it builds the whole universe up so you can see it from different sides and POVs and the enjoyment is really just that much richer.

Throughout this entire series I have loved watching Tori learn and grow. She's still the same feisty, hot-headed bartender we met in Three Mages, and yet she's also learned to (sometimes) look before she leaps and that relying on other people isn't always a bad thing. Her growth as a character, firstly by dragging herself into the world of magic and not letting go; then by slowly attaining her own magic and then losing it all and learning that her own personal strength of character is her best asset; and then by clawing her way back and always, always being there for her friends has endeared her to me as one of my favourite characters. If you had told me that I would love a loud mouthed red headed bartended that struggled to hold down a day job I might have laughed - but that would have been before I first picked up this series.

As with every Annette Marie series, I've come to love and care for ALL of the other characters, not just the main three mages either, but a whole host of others. I was thrilled when a certain druid came back to redeem himself and I'm even more excited than usual about the announcement at the end of this one (ASAGDFGJL - the one about an entirely NEW Guild Codex spinoff with The Crystal Druid front and centre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Thank goodness between this new series and Warped I'm not saying goodbye to the Guild Codex universe for a while yet.

There's always intense action and high stakes; nail biting moments and heart stopping moments; moments that made me well up with emotion and moments that made laugh out loud, and this, the finale did not disappoint. I loved the way this one ended for all my favourites from this series although I must admit that if I wasn't reading ALL OF THE BOOKS, I may have been slightly disappointed in the outcome of a certain X's story, but it is hard to say. Would I be invested if I hadn't read the other sides of the story? (I can't start writing spoilery reviews now after so many non-spoiler reviews so this will stay vague!) But since I am reading everything I can about this world and it's characters, I can't help but feel the utmost contentment with the way this one ended. Not everything has been tied up in a neat little bow (just like real life I guess!), and there's plenty of space for the return of all my favourites in the ongoing spinoffs.

Anyone looking for a fantastic adult Urban Fantasy series shouldn't look any further than The Guild Codex (unless of course you want to try any of Annette's other series, because I recommend absolutely every one of them too!).

Other books in this world (in my recommended reading order):

THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #1)
DARK ARTS AND A DAIQUIRI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #2)
TWO WITCHES AND A WHISKEY (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #3)
DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #4)
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #1)
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #5)
SLAYING MONSTERS FOR THE FEEBLE (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #2)
DRUID VICES AND A VODKA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #6)

HUNTING FIENDS FOR THE ILL EQUIPPED (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #3)

LOST TALISMANS AND A TEQUILA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #7)

DAMNED SOULDS AND A SANGRIA (THE GUILD CODEX #8)

Review: Fable - Adrienne Young

2020-09-01T15:32:00.004+02:00

Fable by Adrienne Young
Series: Fable #1
My rating: {★★★★☆}

YA Fantasy
Published September 1st 2020 by Wednesday Books

Source: Review copy via NetGalley

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men. For seventeen-year-old Fable, the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home she has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one, and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father. But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him, and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue, and adventure.

I'm not sure if it's because Young's books so far have been standalones or if I was totally oblivious? But Fable is the first in a duology, which for some reason I didn't actually realise until I was on the last page of this book!!! So therefore I'm putting it out there for everyone. FIRST IN A DUOLOGY.

ANYWAYS! THIS BOOK. This is the sort of sea-faring, pirate-y, swashbuckling adventure I never knew I wanted!

Fable, the main and titular character was the sort of character that really drew me into a story, and her past, her experiences and her personality both despite her past but also because of it, made her someone I could both root for and admire.

The world building and story telling I found completely immersive; I could FEEL the boat moving under my feet, I could SMELL the salt and I was holding my breath every time there was a tense moment.

I enjoyed all of the characters and wanted to know so much more about everyone - even the supporting cast! Found family is always a soft spot of mine and the crew of the Marigold is definitely found family.

My only gripe with the book was the romance. Unfortunately I've never been a big fan of Young's romances and to be honest the book didn't need romance. Strong friendships and a sense of belonging were all I ever needed to fall for this one. I guess we'll see where the arc goes in the second book?

Anyone looking for a dark and gritty adventure on the high seas should definitely put this one on the TBR.

Review: Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors - Annette Marie & Rob Jacobsen

2020-08-07T12:11:00.002+02:00

Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors by Annette Marie

Series: The Guild Codex: Warped #1
My rating: {★★★★☆}

Urban Fantasy
Published August 7th 2020 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: Review copy via Publisher

My name is Kit Morris, and welcome to my warped life.

Picture the scene: Me, an average guy with psychic powers—not that my abilities are in any way average—just trying to scrape by in a harsh world. So maybe I've conned a few people, but did I really deserve to be thrown in MPD jail alongside magic-wielding serial killers?

According to Agent Lienna Shen, one-hundred-percent yes.

But her hardass attitude and “Arcana prodigy” status aren’t enough to bring down my former best friend, who slipped through the MPD’s fingers and is days away from unleashing untold horrors upon the city. Or he’s going to steal something. I don’t really know.

Whatever he’s up to, that’s why I’m sitting in an interrogation room with Lienna. And that’s why I just offered myself as her temporary new partner for the purposes of thwarting my ex-accomplice.

And that’s how I’m going to escape. I might even help with the case before I cut and run.

It's another 2020 Annette Marie release (yay!) and it's another series in the Guild Codex universe (double yay!) and as per what I have become accustomed to, the world building is amazing and the characters are ones that I can totally root for.

This is the first co-authored entry into the Warped series in the Guild Codex world and I have to admit - I had no idea what to expect. What I didn't expect was for it to flow so smoothly and seamlessly right from the get-go. I assumed that this duo would take some time to get into the swing of things. Silly me.

This one is entirely from a male POV, and I have to admit that I enjoyed Kit. He wasn't immediately my favourite character but he definitely grew on me. He's a morally grey character but at the same time, he's a perfect cinnamon roll and the more I got to know him and his nature the more I rooted for him.

"I'm an overall likeable guy - unless you're a soulless crumpet who loathes pop culture, in which case I'm your worst nightmare"

The other main protagonist is agent Lienna Shen and I resonated with her almost immediately. She's a pretty kickass mythic, specialising in a unique kind of magic but at the same time she didn't seem entirely confident and nor was she arrogant in any way. Her willingness to help Kit, even though his character was a grey one and they were officially on opposing sides, was also endearing and I love loyalty to friends. There's still a lot of her background that is unclear, but I liked the mysteriousness and I look forward to some more reveals. I have a feeling there's a lot more to Lienna than meets the eye.

We have met Kit and Lienna in previous Guild Codex books which definitely piqued my interest in this series, however this series, as with Spellbound and Demonized, can be read as a standalone. In all good conscience though, I can't leave it at that and I have to recommend you read all the books - they're too good to miss!

"Now was not the time for wisdom. Now was the time for charging headfirst into the lair of a dangerous criminal!"

I have loved exploring this large and intricate universe and now not only have we explored Guilds and running on the other side of the law with Tori and Robin, now with Kit we are getting to explore the magical policing system of the MPD. I love the way the universe expands with each series and also being able to see the cameos and easter eggs from the other series.

In short, if you're a fan of The Guild Codex, or even if you've never picked up a previous book before, this is a series that you don't want to miss. It's another one full of the action, snark, wit and adventure I've come to associate with this world.

Review: With the Fire on High - Elizabeth Acevedo

2020-07-22T14:36:00.000+02:00

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: {★★★★☆}

YA Contemporary
Published May 7th 2019 by Quill Tree Books

Source: Borrowed

With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

For someone who generally steers clear of contemporary books, especially the YA variety, I was so surprised at how much I loved this one.

Emoni was an easy character to root for and I loved that this book tackled the part of the story where you might normally see other books ending - the story of a teen pregnancy and the mother decided to keep her baby. With the Fire on High picks up a couple of years after the baby has been born and shows the reality of the decision Emoni made.

She's taking responsibility for her life, and the life of her daughter, all while holding down a part time job and still attending high school and all the general pressures and opportunities that come with that. Her relationship both with her daughter and her Abuela who raised her is not something you might see that often in YA literature.

This is the coming of age story about a young woman who has already held the responsibilities of an adult but with all the dreams and fantasies of a child. This is a story of passion and longing and having an amazing talent for something, but because of life circumstances not necessarily being able to pursue that passion. This is about learning to love all the different parts of yourself - your family, your achievements, your mistakes, your upbringing, your heritage.

It's complicated, it's messy - just like real life. But mostly, it's also full of hope and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who might be interested.

ARC Review: Lost Talismans and a Tequila - Annette Marie

2020-07-10T10:42:00.001+02:00

Lost Talismans and a Tequila by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #7
My rating: {★★★★☆}

Urban Fantasy
Published July 10th 2020 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: Review copy via Publisher

You know that squirmy sensation in your gut when you have no idea what you're doing and you're about to screw everything up?

Yeah, that feeling.

I thought I was a good judge of character, but recent events proved me very wrong. Now, in a brilliant demonstration of my newfound caution, I'm putting all my faith in a demon—a demon who's tried to kill me before. The squirmy feeling is making sense, right?

Unfortunately, I don't have any other options. Ezra's time is almost up, which means I need answers and I need them fast. So it's time to toughen up, pack my gear, and find me one of the most illegal, reviled, and scarce mythics out there: a demon-mage summoner.

And all I have to do is follow a demon's instructions on where to look. How could that go wrong?

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Lost Talismans is the seventh, and penultimate book in The Guild Codex: Spellbound.

WHAT A Ride! It's so hard to believe that we're already so near to the ending of this amazing series. I'm both incredibly excited and horribly depressed. The only fact bringing me joy is that next year I believe there might be a series I've been awaiting extremely, extremely anxiously (Blackfire! Squee!) and no matter what, there will be more Annette Marie goodness including a new, co-authored spin off series to this world (check out The Guild Codex: Warped).

In this epic instalment in which my heart almost failed numerous times, we see Tori and her friends doing what they do best : bringing out the best in each other whilst continually fighting for each other and perhaps getting into a little (or a lot!) of trouble along the way.

“Magic doesn’t make you an invincible superhero."

This series has been long enough that I am more than attached to these characters: I think about them in my everyday life and their histories, struggles and motivations are something that reaches far beyond the words on these pages. These characters are lodged firmly in my heart and that depth of connection can't help but make this one of my favourite series of all time.

I also love that the plot of this and Demonized have been spun so seamlessly and in fact, you can read these series completely independently of each other (although I definitely would never recommend that! Don't miss any of the amazingness of this world!).

This one also finally sold me on the main ship of this series. I have to admit - I had been wondering at the very beginning of this series who it would be and while the last couple of books made it clear, I had just never really bought into the chemistry... Until now. Now I finally get it.

I have absolutely no idea where this is going, and I have no idea how Annette is going to continue to weave these threads so seamlessly between series AND be able to keep them so separate and yet intertwined.... Honestly I have no idea. But I have all the faith. After so many incredible books (I have read every single book she has written and not a single one is rated under four stars!) I have never failed to be awed, thrilled and thoroughly satisfied and this instalment was no exception. Action, adventure, amazing friendships (like #squadgoals of note - Annette writes AMAZING friendships), jaw dropping reveals and stakes that just keep getting higher, this series is not to be missed.

ASGSHAGFAGS!!!! That's it, I've dissolved into a fangirl mess. I can't even word about how good this is any more! So what are you waiting for? Go read this series!

Other books in this world (in my recommended reading order):

THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #1)
DARK ARTS AND A DAIQUIRI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #2)
TWO WITCHES AND A WHISKEY (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #3)
DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #4)
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #1)
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #5)
SLAYING MONSTERS FOR THE FEEBLE (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #2)
DRUID VICES AND A VODKA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #6)

HUNTING FIENDS FOR THE ILL EQUIPPED (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #3)

LOST TALISMANS AND A TEQUILA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #7)

Review: The Lady Alchemist - Samantha Vitale

2020-06-15T15:42:00.002+02:00

The Lady Alchemist by Samantha Vitale
My rating: {★★☆☆☆}

YA Fantasy
Published May 26th 2020 by Month9Books

Source: Borrowed

In a land torn between magic and alchemy, Sepha is an exceptional alchemist, able to bend the rules in ways no one else can. But when a slip of the tongue lands her in prison with a mountain of straw, even she has to admit that she can’t transmute straw into gold.

With the threat of a death sentence hanging over her, she’s forced to make a deal with a conniving magician. Sepha escapes with her life – but at a cost: she has one year to alchemically create a body for the magician, or else her firstborn child will be his.

As Sepha’s deadline approaches, she uncovers a deadly secret. How can she save her country when the body she owes the magician will be used to destroy it?

I read this book with my fellow ApoCalypsos and as always, it was a fun buddy read.

I found it very unfortunate that I couldn't love this book. There were so many elements that should have made this at least a four star for me, and yet the execution failed to 'wow' me. I was frustrated with the protagonists, found the plot to be too predictable and in all honesty struggled to find some connection to draw me in. I never got lost in reading this - I was always able to read too critically without just reading for pure enjoyment.

Firstly, this is a Rumpelstiltskin retelling (which was SUPER exciting for me since I do love retellings and Rumpelstiltskin is definitely a required fairytale retelling). Then there was the fact that ALCHEMY was being included which I also loved - I haven't read that many YA fantasies with alchemy. Unfortunately I needed to know more to flesh out the magic system. While intriguing I felt like alchemy (which was actually explained quite well and had quite strict rules and a good system) and then magic (which absolutely cannot mix with alchemy - except when it does....) was just not executed as well as it could have been and the actual system of magic itself was left very open ended.

Sepha, the main character was the character I felt like the author spent the most time on fleshing out her backstory and history. While I couldn't connect with her on any level, I could sympathise with her toxic upbringing and abusive father.

Ruhen who was clearly the love interest from the outset was a sweet character, but that was as deep as it went for me. He had the obligatory mysterious past and a withheld secret, but again, those cliches just too clumsy and predictable. The romance relied heavily on a ~~poorly executed soulmate bond~~ tether that mystically appeared between the two characters and this made it really difficult for me to find any chemistry and I found I just couldn't board that ship.

Henric was another character who infuriated me because he seemed to vacillate between being an absolute jerk and a poorly hidden "bad guy".

My favourite character was Destry - a strong female determined to forge her own path in her world, no matter how much baggage she had to carry and how many responsibilities were on her shoulders.

I enjoyed the homunculi and the way the author handled how they are made, used and abused. Again though, there were issues - mostly pacing issues and reveals were pretty heavy handed.

I really wanted to love this one unfortunately it all boiled down to execution. I'm not saying that you won't enjoy it, please if it interests you give it a try - there's definitely a lot to enjoy - however without finding my own personal connection I just saw too many flaws.

Review: Catwoman: Soulstealer - Sarah J. Maas

2020-06-09T13:34:00.000+02:00

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
Series: DC Icons #3
My rating: {★★★★☆}

YA Fantasy
Published August 9th 2018 by Penguin

Source: Purchased

The highly anticipated coming-of-age story of kick-ass super hero: CATWOMAN by international bestselling author Sarah J. Maas.

When the Bat's away, the Cat will play. It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing.

In this third DC Icons book--following Leigh Bardugo's Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Marie Lu's Batman: Nightwalker--Selina is playing a desperate game of cat and mouse, forming unexpected friendships and entangling herself with Batwing by night and her devilishly handsome neighbor Luke Fox by day. But with a dangerous threat from the past on her tail, will she be able to pull off the heist that's closest to her heart?

I buddy read this book with my #squad - Amy from A Magical World of Words and Uma from Books.Bags.Burgers. We had a lot of fun with this one and it inspired a lot of deep conversation however I'm still trying not to take it personally that my squad doesn't love SJM like I do!

“There are good people in Gotham. Protect them.”

Anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows that I love SJ Maas, so to say that I was looking forward to Catwoman is an understatement. Thankfully I enjoyed this one a lot and found it a lot of fun - I loved the dynamics and I loved a little hell raising and the same girl power emphasis I've come to love (even expect!) from Maas.

Something that Maas manages to do so well and something that resonates so deeply with me is her genuinely imperfect characters; the ones who have been broken down and hurt so badly in their pasts and yet they are still so full of good, still dreamers, still willing to fight for a better world. They are fierce and loyal and will stop at nothing to protect those that they love.

Selina, while diverting a little from the normal comic book cannon, is just one such character, driven by her love for her sister and being far less of a sassy, witty character than we normally see portraying Catwoman and even for Maas. I really enjoyed the fact that this version of Catwoman was a little more sensitive and had a lot of complex emotions. While others might find it too calm and quiet, I thought that she was a better character for it and that she didn't need the posturing and the swagger when she had her calm confidence and intelligence.

Luke was the other POV character and I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of Luke. I can understand that there was a great rep with him being both a POC and having PTSD but I didn't feel like his character 'popped' enough for me. He just wasn't as well fleshed out as the women in the story.

“Being normal is a trap . . . Don’t let it cage you.”

Some of my favourite scenes came from the addition of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. I loved the fun, the diversity and the banter between the team but what I really appreciated was getting to know Ivy's and Harley's backstories in this version of their story. They were fleshed out well each character was distinct and individual.

Even though this was Selina's story, I also enjoyed that there was a still a mystery and some things were only revealed in the climax. Information is distributed to the reader through flashbacks to her training with the League of Assassin's (scenes that I LOVED!) and sometimes through the actions of Selina herself. I loved that Maas has such confidence in her readers that she doesn't feel the need to force things and that she let's the reader piece together the mystery until the very end.

PLUS! I have to tell you - I counted. Selina/Catwoman herself only purred a total of four times the entire book. So fear no more! Go forth and enjoy this fun, and frankly refreshing take on a well known character.

It's not the END exactly...

2020-06-09T11:45:00.000+02:00

So let's face it, I've been a terrible blogger. I haven't posted or blog hopped properly for months.

It's a sad admission on my part, because I had really hoped that I could continue blogging, even if it was only once every couple of weeks. But alas, life (yes, even life in lockdown!) has been ridiculously busy and I actually cannot hope to keep up.

Now this isn't exactly the end. As most of you know, I've had a #bookstagram (bookish instagram) account for a while and I have managed to post and interact there regularly. I will be continuing my bookish chats and pictures over there. If you have an account, please do visit me and drop me a line to let me know how you are doing. I will make sure to return the favour on Insta as well if you have a public account. If for some reason you DON'T have an account, I can only strongly suggest that you check out the gorgeous aesthetics that is bookstagram!

I'm leaving my blog up and running both for the memories and to have a place to publish my book reviews, but it isn't going to be an interactive blog as it was in the past. But hey, who knows? Maybe one day when I have more time I'll be able to come back to it!

A huge thank-you to everyone who ever visited my blog, took the time to comment here and those who I still chat to beyond the blog. Some of my best online friends are here and I value all of you immensely.

ARC Review: Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped - Annette Marie

2020-04-02T15:31:00.002+02:00

Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #3
My rating: {★★★★★}

Urban Fantasy
Expected publication: April 3rd 2020 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: Review copy via Publisher

I thought I understood power.

My parents taught me that magic attracts equal danger, and everything I've seen since becoming a demon contractor confirms it. I've witnessed how power twists and corrupts--and I've tasted power no human should wield.

I thought I knew greed.

Ambition and avarice drove my family into hiding. My parents died for someone else's greed. I've never hunted anything in my life, but now I'm hunting their killer--with my demon's help.

I thought I'd seen evil.

But with each step closer to my parents' murderer, I'm uncovering a different sort of evil, piece by hidden piece. I've stumbled into an insidious web that silently, secretly ensnares everything it touches. My demon and I came as the hunters...

...but I think we might be the prey.

--
Author's Note: The Guild Codex includes two series, Demonized and Spellbound, which can be read and enjoyed all on their own; however, this book contains spoilers for Demon Magic and a Martini (Spellbound #4). If you were thinking about giving Spellbound a try, I recommend reading it first.

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes are taken from the advanced review copy and as such may not be accurate or present in the final published edition**

Wow... Just wow.

I've given myself a couple of days and I still can't find much coherence to review this one... It's just that good.

Never summon from the Twelfth House. For the trespass of this sacred covenant, the sons of Vh’alyir will destroy you.

Robin and Zylas (zuh-yee-las) have to be one of my favourite pairs of all time, and I'm not talking about shipping them (although I totally do!), I'm talking about a partnership, a friendship, a developing understanding and trust of one another that I just adore watching going from strength to strength. The ongoing theme of captivity/enslavement is explored further in this book and the theme of trust between Robin and Zylas is taken to another level and portrayed to perfection.

In this, the third and sadly penultimate book of this particular series, there is more testing the strength of Robin and Zylas' bond than ever before and while they struggle and are still unsure about where each of them stands, it's great to see them emerge on the other side.

μαίνομαι ὁρῶσα ἐν τούτῳ τῷ δαίμονι τὸ καλόν
Am I mad to see beauty in this demon?

There's a lot of crossover between this, The Guild Codex: Demonized series and The Guild Codex: Spellbound series (with Tori and the Three Mages). I absolutely highly recommend reading both series (since they are both EXCELLENT) however they can also both be read as stand alone series. This book does however contain pretty huge spoilers for the Spellbound series, so if you were thinking of reading both, I'd definitely propose you follow my recommended order of reading which is at the bottom of this review.

Part of the crossover is seeing a lot of The Crow and Hammer that we haven't gotten to see before, as well as some of the members that we haven't particularly focused on in the Spellbound series. There's also some key scenes in both series that are explored from the different POV's and that's been great for me, a fan of this universe, to be able to construct a different angle in my head of so many facets of this world.

We also see familiar favourites from Spellbound like the mysterious Guild Master of The Crow and Hammer, Darius King and in this particular book, Ezra Rowe is a highly supporting cast member and pivotal to the plot. While it was strange to see him without his Spellbound counterparts I very much enjoyed getting to know him more through Robin's POV and seeing him through her eyes. If you're already a fan of Spellbound I can't recommend highly enough that you pick up this series if you haven't already!

Ezra Rowe, the Crow and Hammer mythic I most wanted to avoid, was now helping me find the albino sorcerer. On the plus side, he knew way more about investigating killers than I did. On the downside, he was likely concealing a secret as dangerous as mine.

I was also happy to see a little of Kit and Lienna, characters from the new spinoff Warped which is also releasing this year. To say my interest has been piqued is an understatement! With Spellbound and Demonized both hurtling towards their finales this year I am happy that there will still be some of the Guild Codex world to hold on to.

Hunting Fiends has it all: protagonists you can root for, serious action, interesting and new details to add to the Guild Codex world, female friendships, humour and snark, and some pretty intense and poignant moments to top it all off. With the stakes raised ever higher I cannot wait for the next book, and yet the anticipation is bittersweet as I'm not ready to say goodbye to this series at all. I honestly can't say this enough - READ THIS SERIES!!!!!

Other books in this world (in my recommended reading order):

THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #1)
DARK ARTS AND A DAIQUIRI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #2)
TWO WITCHES AND A WHISKEY (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #3)
DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #4)
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #1)
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #5)
SLAYING MONSTERS FOR THE FEEBLE (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #2)
DRUID VICES AND A VODKA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #6)

Review: Druid Vices and a Vodka - Annette Marie

2020-01-10T16:06:00.000+02:00

Druid Vices and a Vodka by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5

My rating: {★★★★★}

Urban Fantasy
Published January 3rd 2020 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: ARC copy received from the Publisher

I've said it before, but sometimes I'm a bad person. I cheated on my twelfth grade math final, I've run countless yellow lights, and I gossip about how hot my kickass best friends are. (Good thing my job as a guild bartender doesn't require moral perfection.)

But there's bad, and then there's bad. And I'm not sure which applies to a certain dark druid/wanted criminal/reluctant friend of mine. His transgressions include black-magic dealings, kidnapping, and murder, and he's about to add "revenge-fueled killing spree" to his resume—if I don't stop him.

Should I stop him?

He and his nemesis are gearing up to tear each other apart, rogues and vultures are converging with their sights on the spoils, and the guilds that would normally stomp them into the ground are under attack. We're on the brink of an all-out criminal turf war, and my time to decide is almost up.

Who's the real bad guy ... and do I dare stand in his way?

I don't think that Annette appreciates just how hard she is making it to review her books.... Not only am I doing my very best to make my reviews completely spoiler free (NOT THE EASIEST THING TO DO WHEN YOU ARE SIX BOOKS DEEP IN A SERIES!) but I'm also finding myself struggling to find different ways to gush about every book she has ever written.

I mean, how often can I mention the fabulous, amazing and wonderful multi dimensional characters? Or the relationships and friendships that have me hanging off the edge of my seat, gasping, laughing, covering my eyes and holding my breath? How often can I really commend the first class world building that always leaves me with just enough information and yet hungry for more? Do people get tired of me commending the action packed plots that manage to interweave reality, fantasy and magic together with ever increasing tension and raised stakes?

So basically I have to apologize and just let everyone know that if you're still reading my reviews for anything Annette Marie, you just have to continue to live with the fangirling, gushing and excitement because she hasn't disappointed me yet.

In this, the sixth book in the series, I was thrilled to spend a few more moments with Robin from the Demonized series and I am really hoping to see that crossover from the Demonized POV - both to see what happened in between and to just know what the other characters were thinking behind the scenes!

It was also great to see other characters reappear, like my favourite Druid. I'm not going to comment directly on the events of the book but I will say that I really hope that wasn't the last that we see of Zak and Lallakai. I'm interested to know about their story and while one aspect of their plot arc may have been resolved I still feel like there's a lot of threads left hanging and I'd like to see how they impact the rest of the team and their unresolved arcs.

Something I find about myself is that I'm drawn to characters that either remind me of myself, or are relatable in the way that I'd like to BE them, or they embody ideals that I would like to cultivate in myself, and there's so many facets to Tori that draw me to her for all of those reasons. I love her ferocity in jumping headlong into situations to protect her friends and I also love her complete unwillingness to give up. I also love seeing her being allowed to make mistakes (no perfect protagonists here!) and then learn and grow from them.

For anyone else following along with the series, this book is INTENSE. A lot happens; not only plotwise, but there's many, many feels and there's a whole lot of foreboding for the future. I'm equally terrified and excited for the other releases coming out this year and while I absolutely can't wait I'm also grateful for some respite to let all these feelings settle and for my soul to heal (if possible!).

Honestly, I can't recommend this series enough and really hope that anyone even remotely interested gives it a try - there's something here for everyone!

Other books in this world (in my recommended reading order):

THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #1)
DARK ARTS AND A DAIQUIRI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #2)
TWO WITCHES AND A WHISKEY (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #3)
DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #4)
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #1)
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #5)
SLAYING MONSTERS FOR THE FEEBLE (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #2)

Review: Slaying Monsters for the Feeble - Annette Marie

2019-10-31T22:00:00.000+02:00

Slaying Monsters for the Feeble by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #1
My rating: {★★★★★}

Urban Fantasy
Published November 1st 2019 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: Review copy via Publisher

I'm bound to a demon.

For my entire life, I avoided magic at all costs. Now, I'm responsible for a demon who wields magic more powerful than the toughest mage or sorcerer.

Demons are evil.

That's what my textbooks say. That's what I see. He's ruthless, he's temperamental, he's cold. But he protects me without fail. I wonder if he's hiding a heart behind his hostility.

My demon is a monster.

Whether he's heartless or not, my contract with him is illegal and beyond dangerous. Together, we must find a way to return him to his own world before anyone discovers our secret. If that wasn't bad enough, I've come to realize something else:

My demon isn't the only monster I should be worried about.

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

After five of 'The Guild Codex: Spellbound' books and having just finished this, the second book in 'The Guild Codex: Demonised', I think it's safe to say that I'm in for EVERYTHING that happens in this world.

Firstly, a heads up that if you want to read this series, I would 1,000,000% recommend it, however - I also am fully screaming from the rooftops that you read Spellbound as well and 'Slaying Monsters' DOES have some spoilers for Spellbound.... So basically, do yourself a favour and start reading these books in the publication order... I'll assist you with a list at the end in my recommended order of reading.

Now, I know this is only the second book in this spinoff series but I'm close to calling it out as my favourite Annette Marie series to date. As much as I love Emi and Shiro and as much as I rave about Piper and Ash and Lyre and Cleo and as much as I have gotten to know and love my favourite three mages and Tori.... There's just something about Robin and Zylas and Amalia that keeps me thinking about them and just itching to reread their stories. Whilst there's only two books so far, there will be four (eventually!) and the next book should be out in April next year (*sob* not that far, right??)

So what do I love so much about this series that I'm already starting to tout it as the best to date? Gosh, where do I start?

First of all, the main character, Robin, is just the most relateable reluctant heroine I think I've ever read. She's bookish, she's introverted, she struggles with conflict and has confidence issues and she has stayed an arm lengths away from magic her entire life (even though she IS a sorceress). And then suddenly she finds herself landed in a demon contract where the absolutely evil and malevolent and definitely obscure demon binds himself to protect her..... In exchange for baked goods.

Zylas (above-mentioned malevolent protector) is a super complex and fantastically dark character. Anyone who loves an anti hero? This demon is your guy. He's ruthless, deadly and iniquitous and yet this is limned with his careful acceptance and absolute reverence for his contract and the fact that the more we read about Zylas the more I see his 'humanity' shine through.

Robin and Zylas make an incredible pair and I loved watching their relationship grow in this book. Their connection is tried and tested and very nearly broken at times and I am happy to see them both making mistakes but then being able to stand up to them later. They are both so complex and real and their interactions are the same and while this is (hopefully!) a super slow burn start to a ship I've been hoping for since this series was first mentioned, I'm just so delighted to watch a steady foundation being laid to a wonderful friendship (and then hopefully more!).

I've also thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Crow and Hammer and some of it's members through the eyes of another POV and getting to know the world of Demonica more and more. Need I mention the fact that the world building is (as always) completely on point?

The action packed plot, laugh out loud humour and sheer adventure in this one makes it unputdownable, but further to this, the promise of even more to come and the continual upping of the stakes makes me just want to buckle up and enjoy the ride (and take whoever I can convince to come with me too!).

Other books in this world (in my recommended reading order):

THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #1)
DARK ARTS AND A DAIQUIRI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #2)
TWO WITCHES AND A WHISKEY (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #3)
DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #4)
TAMING DEMONS FOR BEGINNERS (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #1)
THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #5)
SLAYING MONSTERS FOR THE FEEBLE (THE GUILD CODEX:DEMONIZED #2)

Review: The Alchemist and an Amaretto - Annette Marie

2019-10-08T10:30:00.003+02:00

The Alchemist and an Amaretto by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5

My rating: {★★★★★}

Urban Fantasy
Expected publication: October 11th 2019 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: ARC copy received from the Publisher

As a guild bartender, I can handle pretty much anything—mages, sorcerers, witches, the occasional demon. But show me anything family-related and I'd rather run for the hills. It doesn't even have to be my family.

So I have no idea why I thought spending the holidays with Aaron's mom and pop was a good idea.

Meeting his famous parents is already terrifying enough, but I've got a bigger problem. Students of his family's renowned mage academy are being attacked on the grounds—and somehow no one has seen a single assailant? Unexplained tracks litter the nearby woods, rumors of forbidden alchemy are circulating the campus…and Ezra has been acting strangely since we arrived.

Something deadly is brewing in the shadow of Sinclair Academy, and the longer we take to uncover it, the more dangerous it becomes. But no matter the risk, we'll protect the students.

And Aaron's parents too, I suppose. If we have to.

** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes were taken from the advanced readers copy and as such may not be accurate or present in the final version**

It's no secret that I am a high-key fangirl for absolutely anything by Annette Marie. It all started with The Red Winter Trilogy and then once I knew how amazing and underrated her books were I pretty much gobbled through everything she had ever written.

And then came news of a new series - The Guild Codex: Spellbound

While I may have had my reservations about this series before I started reading it, Annette Marie has never once disappointed me and we're now five books deep in this one (plus a new spin-off series!) and I'm more addicted than ever.

At the heart of the series is Tori, a fiery redhead who mostly acts before she thinks, struggles with a lack of brain-to-mouth filter and who seems to have a knack for diving into the deep end before considering if she can actually swim. And while those are all characteristics that made me hesitant about this series in the first place, I can now confidently say that Tori is one of my favourite leading ladies. Not only is she all those things but she is also not afraid to own up to her own mistakes, she's not afraid to stand up for what and who she believes in, and she is fiercely loyal to those that she loves.

Then there come my favourite three mages - Aaron, Kai and Ezra, each of whom become increasingly complex and deeply layered with every instalment. Just when I think I have them figured out I learn something new and then my perspective shifts again. They are definitely some of my favourite male friendships in fiction and I love that they have such strong bonds and together with Tori they are also one of my number one 'found family' examples.

One of the (other?) things I love most about Annette Marie's writing and her books is the WORLD BUILDING and in the Guild Codex series it has been done seamlessly. There's always more to learn and more to see (yes, even five books down the line!) and yet it's never overwhelming information - it just flows with the narrative and before you know it you could talk about the world and the people in it for hours on end. In fact, I sometimes do! This place, these characters and the story-lines that Annette has dreamed up have become so real to me that I can't wait to talk (and endlessly fangirl) with those that have also read the series.

In An Alchemist and an Amaretto, not only did we get to spend a lot of time with the three boys and Tori, we also travelled to an entirely new part of the world - that of Aaron's family, and I really enjoyed getting to see some more of life outside of the Crow and Hammer (even though I missed the guild HQ terribly!).

It was interesting to see the competitiveness and the elitism between the various classes of mythics and while this book focused a lot on Aaron and Ezra, I felt that Kai also managed to shine in his own way here and his actions and strength of character endeared him to me even more (if that's even possible).

"This isn't who you are. You're smarter than this. Kinder than this. Better than this."

Where the last book Demon Magic and a Martini, felt a bit like a season finale, this book has certainly changed the gears in the entire series for me. Whilst still keeping a mostly episodic feel to it, there's a lot more building on the previous story lines and I can definitely feel like we're headed toward something seriously epic. With only three books left to go in the series I'm both excited to read more and yet already saddened by the fact that this has to end.

This book made me cry, it made me laugh out loud, cringe, scream internally and root for a romance that has been a long time coming. I picked up this book and it was the epitome of unputdownable: I mean, I hardly ever read a book in one sitting and yet this one there was just no stopping me. I literally COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

"Just be my friend," he whispered, "for as long as you can."

So if you're interested in amazing world building, unforgettable characters, fast paced action interspersed with laugh-out-loud humour then please, do yourself a favour and PICK UP THIS SERIES! And then when you're dying to fangirl with someone, just get in touch with me and we'll gush about it together.

REVIEW: THREE MAGES AND A MARGARITA (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #1)
REVIEW: DARK ARTS AND A DAIQUIRI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #2)
REVIEW: TWO WITCHES AND A WHISKEY (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #3)
REVIEW: DEMON MAGIC AND A MARTINI (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #4)

REVIEW: THE ALCHEMIST AND AN AMARETTO (THE GUILD CODEX:SPELLBOUND #5)

The Wrap Up: September 2019 edition

2019-10-01T10:18:00.000+02:00

Welcome to my monthly wrap-up! I hope that you've had a great month.

Please leave a link to your blog (if you have one) in your comment or make sure your Disqus profile has your address so that I can visit you back!

I try to link all book covers to Goodreads or to my review (if there is one) which is in turn linked to Goodreads.

Happy October everyone! I hope everyone is geared up for the last quarter of the year (I'm totally NOT!) and I hope that everyone had a great September. My September was a surprisingly good reading month for me with nine(yes NINE!) books read although I did read one of them twice (it still counts!). I've managed to successfully Bookstagram most of the month however I didn't really get to many blog posts.. Whoops! We'll see how October goes.

What I read:

I read Taming Demons for Beginners twice this month just because it was so good. Plus I reread Demon Magic and a Martini because I wanted to check up on some stuff after the spin-off came out. The Alchemist and an Amaretto I received at the end of the month and I devoured it in ONE evening. SO GOOD.

What I am currently reading:

Uma and I are finishing off our reread of Vampire Academy and then we'll move on to Bloodlines!

Up Next:

I need to pick up Godsgrave so I can finally get to Darkdawn because I need to know why everyone in the bookish community is in various states of shock, devastation and horror. I'm also planning on rereading The Infernal Devices so that I can finally move on to The Dark Artifices...

New Arrivals:

As I mentioned, I received this at the end of September and devoured it in one evening. That hardly ever happens! Book five of The Guild Codex: Spellbound DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

Reading Progress:

I've actually manage to catch back up in September so I'm back on track to reach my goal of 80 books this year. Hopefully the last quarter goes well for me too! October's TBR is pretty ambitious although I'm really looking forward to Ninth House and The Beautiful.

I've had a fairly good spread of my own TBR plus ARCs so far this year and I've only reread 25% of books. I do love my rereading though so I'm not going to be limiting that. Another great stat for me this year is that I've had TEN new 5 star reads! That's ten really great books that I've read this year so far!

How was your month? Did you hit your reading goals? Did anything noteworthy happen? Have we read any of the same books?

Talk to me in the comments below!

Review: Taming Demons for Beginners - Annette Marie

2019-09-13T12:11:00.001+02:00

Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #1
My rating: {★★★★★}

Urban Fantasy
Published September 13th 2019 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Source: Review copy via Publisher

Rule one: Don't look at the demon.

When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.

Rule two: Don't listen to the demon.

My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.

Rule three: Don't talk to the demon.

All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.

But I did, and now it's too late.

From the author of The Guild Codex: Spellbound comes a new series that will plunge an unprepared young woman into the darkest magic of the mythic world.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Magic has a way of attracting equal or greater mayhem

My initial thoughts upon meeting Robin in The Guild Codex: Spellbound series made me ridiculously intrigued about this petite, glasses wearing, bookish and girly DEMON CONTRACTOR. I know, the juxtaposition is a bit crazy. And let me tell you, Annette Marie made it WORK.

I do have to admit, I was fairly apprehensive about this series for a multitude of reasons.

Can I enjoy a series set in the same world as some of my favourite characters and friendships when it's not centered on them? **spoiler alert** YES I CAN!
Annette Marie's heroines have always been pretty badass women who, if not trained for big things have at least been destined for big things... And yet here we have the aforementioned bookish, girly girl who loves reading, baking and avoiding all things magical. And while of course I was super excited to have such a relateable main character the question kept rolling around my head: Can Annette Marie pull this off? **spoiler alert** YES SHE CAN!
Can I learn anything new about a world that I've already read FIVE books in? How will the world building even work? Won't I be bored? **spoiler alert** There's TONS of new lore, near perfect world building and I definitely was NEVER bored

“Winning,” he growled softly, “and not losing are different things."

When I read the synopsis of this one I didn't expect it to be happening around the same time as the events of Demon Magic and a Martini - I guess I saw Robin as being a far more professional, experienced and savvy demon contractor and didn't realise that she had actually just fallen (been pushed?) into the demon summoning world.

Robin is a really great main character, as are all of Annette's main characters to be honest, but I think Robin is easily her most relateable heroine to date. An unapologetic bookworm with a sweet tooth and a penchant for baking, Robin is the last person you would expect to find in a contract with a 'profoundly immoral and wicked' creature who is the 'definition of evil'.

And speaking of this titular demon... Zylas (Zuh-yee-las). Definition of evil? Maybe not. Mysterious? Absolutely. Definitely dangerous and unpredictable too.... But there's something there.... I undeniably have a soft spot for Annette Marie's demons with a code....

I loved learning more about the almost unmentionable Demonica class and also about the demons themselves. I was fascinated with the structure of their world and their 'class system'. I hope we'll explore this even more in future books.

“The weak can’t afford mercy.” I met his eyes. “I think we can.”

I also loved seeing the emergence of a strong female friendship between Amalia and Robin - these sorts of bonds don't get enough airtime in fantasy worlds in my opinion. It would have been easy to create more conflict here, but I love that it's gone in this direction and I hope that the relationship gets stronger and stronger in the future.

The underlying plot of Robin's parents and her inheritance have me more than intrigued enough to need the next book immediately, but the unusual relationship and idiosyncratic nature of the contract between Robin and Zylas are what really have me hooked on this series already.

I don't know how I can even rave about this series, these books (heck, any Annette Marie book to be honest!) and these characters enough to get you to pick up your first Annette Marie read. They are fast paced, fun, humorous and the characters nestle in to your heart like they were always meant to be there. This world is something special and you won't be sorry you picked this one up.

The Wrap Up : August 2019 Edition

2019-09-07T14:48:00.000+02:00

Welcome to my monthly wrap-up! I hope that you've had a great month.

Please leave a link to your blog (if you have one) in your comment or make sure your Disqus profile has your address so that I can visit you back!

I try to link all book covers to Goodreads or to my review (if there is one) which is in turn linked to Goodreads.

I don't know why, but every time I feel like my life has a semblance of normality something comes along to knock it off course again. The past couple of months has seen a lot less reading and a lot more family involved stuff going on. My step-FIL was/still is in hospital getting his heart valve replaced, MIL is also now in hospital I think just because it's been so hard that she's mentally exhausted and this is now manifesting physically in her body.

It's also been school holidays which means a lot more entertaining of the small one has been going on and amidst camping trips and just yesterday returning from a two week trip to Mauritius unfortunately reading, blogging and bookstagram have taken a serious back seat. GAH!

IN ANY CASE, mostly my reactions on my 'To Blog or Not to Blog' post led me to just take life as it comes and blog when I can. You guys have been amazing at still visiting and letting me be so hugely sporadic with reciprocating. THANK YOU to you all who are still here reading along and visiting me still.

What I read:

With all the travelling and general drama reading was seriously on the down side last month. I only managed to finish out four books. I absolutely loved Aurora Rising! And Uma and I managed to finish up Days of Blood and Starlight. Hopefully Dreams of Gods and Monsters is up soon on our buddy -TBR

What I am currently reading:

I'm currently working on an ARC of Angel Mage and I've picked up Nevernight again after my darling hubby bought me a physical copy because I seriously struggled too hard with the e-book. Numerous footnotes and an ereader ARE NOT FRIENDS!

Up Next:

Uma and I will be continuing our Vampire Academy reread and I am excited to read Sorcery of Thorns which I bought after a bookstagram friend gave it an amazing review.

New Arrivals:

Annette Marie's first book in The Guild Codex: Demonized came through as an ARC while I was in Mauritius and I devoured it! Review up soon and hopefully I'll be able to form coherent sentences... No promises.

Reading Progress:

I fell behind by a couple of books in August but September is going okay for catching back up so far! Generally I'm doing quite well with reading this year and I think I'll be able to hit my goal of 80 books.

How was your month? Did you hit your reading goals? Did anything noteworthy happen? Have we read any of the same books?

Talk to me in the comments below!

Review: Rage - Cora Carmack

2019-09-07T13:16:00.001+02:00

Rage by Cora Carmack
Series: Stormheart #2
My rating: {★★★★☆}

YA Fantasy
Published August 27th 2019 by Tor Teen

Source: Review copy via Edelweiss

Princess or adventurer.

Duty or freedom.

Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.

If Aurora knows anything, it's that choices have consequences. To set things right, she joins a growing revolution on the streets of Pavan.

In disguise as the rebel Roar, she puts her knowledge of the palace to use to aid the rebellion. But the Rage season is at its peak and not a day passes without the skies raining down destruction. Yet these storms are different—they churn with darkness, and attack with a will that’s desperate and violent.

This feels like more than rage.

It feels like war.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

3.5 stars

I read Roar a couple of years ago with my squad, and while I had some issues with it, the fantasy world that Carmack created had managed to captivate me and I was already immediately interested in reading the sequel.

The magic system is unique and engaging with Stormlings and storm magic, elemental magic and storm hearts. In this book, we delve deeper into all the magics and a little less into the adventurous action which is probably the biggest downfall of the book for me.

Second books can always be a little tricky as every series reader and author knows. Not only does the author have a lot more time constraints (who knows how long that first book took to come into being? But we're all WAAAIIITTTTIINNNGGG on that second book so it needs to happen faster!), there's also the part where the world building needs to still happen (without becoming monotonous) and the inevitable moving of all the pieces into place for the next act. In short, there's expectations to be met, there's characters who need to keep growing and not become boring or stale and there's plots that need to intensify in order to keep the audience 'glued to their seats'.

There's also criticism for the first book that ~~needs to be~~ ~~should be~~ might have to be taken into account if possible.

In my opinion, Carmack handled all of the above fairly well, and even though the action took somewhat of a backseat, the resolution of the main romance and the building of the secondary characters was more than satisfying.

Roar/Rora/Aurora had some great character growth in this book and while I enjoyed her passion and dedication to her people in the first book, I definitely enjoyed her as an actual character a whole lot more in this installment. She went from a petulant little girl who couldn't own up to her own mistakes in the first book to someone I might actually come to admire here.

Locke/Kiran had the most improvement on a character to me and while his improvements weren't all about actual character growth (it seemed more like a lot of remodeling after some fairly harsh criticism in book one, my own included) I really appreciated the efforts that Carmack took to make his character more likable. I have no idea if Cora does read our reviews or if an editor took note or if it's a happy coincidence! But I'll take it, whatever it was and say a big THANK-YOU. It's awful not being able to ship the main romance. While the new and improved Kiran went a long way to removing that sour taste from my mouth that was left over from book one, I wasn't completely converted but I truly do appreciate the changes.

The Stormlord, the big bad... We didn't even meet him in book one and yet I was intrigued as to this absolutely cruel and evil character. In Rage we begin to learn more about the character and his motivations and I appreciate that Carmack is taking the time to flesh out her villain and make him multi-faceted.

Cassius Locke, that mysterious and morally very-dark-grey prince and one of the most complex characters since Roar; I am interested to see where his character arc will take him in the third book because *ahem* (view spoiler)

Not only are the major characters built upon, but the supporting cast is also fleshed out even more, especially Jinx and Nova and even Duke and Sly and the Queen herself. We also meet some new and compelling characters like Zephyr and I definitely enjoyed learning more about the 'Original Magics'.

The world building, the diversity and the clear development of both the characters and the writing itself is keeping me hooked on this series. I can't wait to find out more about the next book.

←Roar (Stormheart #1)

Review: These Divided Shores - Sara Raasch

2019-08-17T09:10:00.000+02:00

These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch
Series: Stream Raiders #2
My rating: {★★★☆☆}

YA Fantasy
Expected publication: August 27th 2019 by Balzer + Bray

Source: Review copy via Edelweiss

The thrilling sequel to These Rebel Waves—full of deadly magic, double crosses, and a revolution—from Sara Raasch, the bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series.

As a child, she committed unforgivable acts to free Grace Loray from King Elazar of Argrid. Now Elazar’s plan to retake the island has surpassed Lu’s darkest fears: he’s holding her and his son, Ben, captive in an endlessly shifting prison, forcing them to make a weapon that will guarantee Elazar’s success. Escape is impossible—unless Lu becomes the ruthless soldier she hoped never to be again.

Vex failed to save Lu and Ben—and that torments him as much as his Shaking Sickness. With the disease worsening, Vex throws himself into the rebellion against Argrid. The remaining free armies are allied with the stream raider syndicates—and getting them to cooperate will take a strength Vex thought burned on a pyre six years ago.

Imprisoned, betrayed, and heartbroken, Ben is determined to end his father’s rampage. Watching Elazar sway the minds of Grace Loray as he did those of Argrid, Ben knows he has to play his father’s game of devotion to win this war. But how can a heretic prince defeat the Pious God?

As armies clash and magic rises, Lu, Vex, and Ben will confront their pasts . . . or lose their futures forever.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I read These Rebel Waves about a year ago as an ARC and I was thrilled to also receive These Divided Shores, the second and final book in this duology from Blazer+Bray.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to reread These Rebel Waves before I picked this one up, and I'm afraid that definitely had an adverse impact on my reading experience; there is little to no rehashing about the events from book one and this book picks right back up in the middle of the action where the first left off. I was struggling to remember some of the plot points and characters and sometimes I was even wondering if some of the new characters that were introduced in book two (and there were many) were mentioned in book one (they weren't).

I think the major problem that I faced with this one was the duology format. For me, when it comes to duologies, you really need to consider whether there is enough actual exciting plot to fill two whole books, and when you are looking at about 1000 pages between the two books I'm afraid that especially in this second instalment, there was much that could have been cut out to make this a single standalone.

That's not to say that there isn't a lot of action in the second book - there definitely was, however it just seemed repetitive and almost like a 'draw-by-numbers' where first you need to find this object, then you need to solve this clue, then go to this place and do this action and... You get my point? The characters were doing little to drive the plot but rather just participating, and while I loved the complexities and politically heavy storylines in These Rebel Waves, I found that it became a little too convoluted for me in this one and we spent much of the story recounting similar political/religious discussions.

The crux of this duology and the characters are compelling and the world building and magic system is well thought out. I had enough sentiment from the first book that I still gave this one 3.5 stars and thoroughly enjoyed parts of what I read.

←These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders #1)

The Wrap Up : July 2019 Edition

2019-08-01T10:23:00.000+02:00

Welcome to my monthly wrap-up! I hope that you've had a great month.

Please leave a link to your blog (if you have one) in your comment or make sure your Disqus profile has your address so that I can visit you back!

I try to link all book covers to Goodreads or to my review (if there is one) which is in turn linked to Goodreads.

Well, another month is over and I'm still not sure how we're not in January anymore! I need to resign myself to the fact that time flies and there's nothing I can do about it.

July was a bit of a crazy month for me so I didn't blog too much, even though I only just got back in the saddle, so to speak... But with a few family things going on I didn't have a lot of time to dedicate to much other than getting through our day to day life.

Other than becoming a bit more active on the blog again I also picked up my bookstagram account again and managed to make a couple of posts.

What I read:

I finished off the 'Kate Daniels' series to the detriment of a couple of ARCs I was supposed to get through! However I still do have time to read those before the deadline so I'm glad that an entire series has been knocked off my TBR and I really enjoyed Kate, Curran, Julie and a whole host of the secondary characters. I'll maybe do a series review at some stage on the blog.

What I am currently reading:

I'm currently reading an ARC of The Girl The Sea Gave Back which is actually set in the Sky in the Deep universe and also has characters from that book but is more of a companion novel. I'm not too far into it yet but I'm so excited to keep reading.

I'm also buddy reading the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series with Uma

Up Next:

I can't wait to dive into my ARC of Angel Mage (I love Garth Nix!!!) and I need to read both Aurora Rising (because everyone has raved about it and I loved their work on Illuminae!) and Nevernight so that I can catch up and be ready for Darkdawn!

New Arrivals:

Nothing new in this month

Reading Progress:

Pretty much exactly on target to reach 80 books by the end of the year. June wasn't a great reading month for me so I lost whatever lead I had.

Rereads have only been just over 20% of my reads so far this year which is low for me! I've mainly been hitting books off my own TBR.

How was your month? Did you hit your reading goals? Did anything noteworthy happen? Have we read any of the same books?

Talk to me in the comments below!

Review: Olivia and Snowflake - Julie Sykes

2019-07-11T16:04:00.001+02:00

Olivia and Snowflake by Julie Sykes
Series: Unicorn Academy: Where Magic Happens #6
My rating: {★★★★☆}

Children's Fiction
Published October 4th 2018 by Nosy Crow

Source: Review copy sent by Jonathan Ball Publishers

Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and have amazing adventures together! That’s what happens for the girls at Unicorn Academy on beautiful Unicorn Island.

Olivia is so happy to be at Unicorn Academy. She hopes her sweet unicorn, Snowflake, will discover her magic before graduation day!

Everyone is busy decorating Unicorn Academy for the graduation ball, but it looks like someone is trying to ruin the party. It’s up to Olivia and Snowflake to save the day – and the school!

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I read this book together with my five year old daughter. With only nine chapters this is a perfect chapter book for us to snuggle up with together. There's also lovely illustrations every few pages that help her to stay focused and interested in the story.

Unicorn Academy is a school where each child who goes gets to be paired with their very own unicorn and they all have lessons (and plenty of adventures) together. Each unicorn is born with their own special power and in order to graduate from the Academy the unicorn has to find their magic and bond with their rider.

Before reading this book we had only read one other Unicorn Academy story and while it would be best to read these adventures sequentially from the first book, we still managed to find our feet with the happenings from the other books. This however does seem to be a mini finale where characters from the first six books are graduating and an overall plot arc of some of the mysterious happenings from previous books is uncovered, so I would suggest reading the first six books if you can before moving on to any other books in this series.

In this book we follow Olivia, a girl who is keeping a secret from her friends, and her unicorn Snowflake. The book is both full of magic and adventure and lessons for the readers to learn that trust in friendship goes both ways, as well as being accepted for who you are.

As I mentioned, there is a larger plot arc that comes to a head in this book and with that there are also great lessons about greed and power and how appearances may be deceiving.

These are fairly short books - just over 100 pages each and are great for young readers who are interested in horses/unicorns and magic and adventure and again, they are also great for young listeners who will sit for a chapter book with an older reader.

To Blog or Not to Blog? What to Do When Time is Against You

2019-07-07T11:31:00.001+02:00

Well, I dropped off the face of the Internet AGAIN.

There's always a reason... Like this time it started because I was hardcore avoiding spoilers for the final season of Game of Thrones. I hadn't even begun to watch when the last episode aired because I was still so far behind and rapidly trying to catch up on my rewatch of the entire series... (I finished the series about a week ago and I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT).

Then it morphed into.. Gosh, I've been away so long and have so much to catch up on where do I even start?

Not to mention the fact that LIFE is always entirely hectic, and this year has been the craziest one for me... Moving, setting up a new house, office, loads of international travel and..... Let's just say it's been a LOT.

And let's face it... BLOGGING TAKES TIME.

It's not just coming up with content.

Even though the content is everything that people see and is arguably the most important part of a blog, there's SO much more behind the scenes.

This is a book blog, so in order to blog about books I should probably READ some books, right??? That takes TIME. I should also know a little about what's coming up from authors and publishers... Again, that takes TIME.

Also, the whole reason I started blogging in the first place was to INTERACT with like minded people, and to have a place to talk about some of the things I love the most: my favourite characters, plots, twists and devices! When you love something so much of COURSE you want to talk about it forever, right? So there's visiting other blogs, there's chatting to other bloggers both on their blogs and on yours and there's participation in promotional activities for your favourite books/authors/publishers/book tour company.

So now, with such a crazy LIFE schedule, where can I find time for blogging?

In the past year I've found myself with less and less time for bookish hobbies: Blogging, Bookstagram and even READING.

But the thing is, all the reasons that I started blogging for all still stand. I LOVE chatting to people about books and there is nowhere that I can do that more than right here, on my own blog.

The question I guess I have to ask myself is, can I post once a week and still call myself a book blogger? Will I be happy at one post per week? Is it not too little for people to keep stopping by? How many times will you top by a blog and see no new content and yet keep coming back?

When you first start blogging, most of us come in with a schedule we can't even keep up with - blogging every day or every second day and pushing ourselves to come up with content that's interesting, edgy and that will get some interaction. It's almost impossible to keep going this way (although some crazy wonderful bloggers still manage to post content DAILY). I realised pretty quickly that I don't have the time or the creative energy that's needed to make a new post every couple of days, and not only that, I can't reciprocate as a blogger on that many posts a month.

But I do still want to post a couple of times a week if possible... And I guess once a week will be enough if I can't manage more in any given week.

So here's my action plan to remain a contributing book blogger for the rest of the year:

1. Spend a few minutes every day on blogging

Even a few minutes every day will add up and it won't take away too much from anything else in my life. Am I early for an appointment? Why don't I check out a blog and even if I don't have time to comment at least I will have read the post and in my next spare five minutes I'll be able to leave a comment. Why don't I pull my laptop/tablet/phone out while I'm cooking dinner and work on that new post? Every little bit counts.

2. If I have some extra time/creativity spurts I should blog ahead.

It's amazing how much having a few posts ready to go can help. It relieves the stress that inevitably comes with blogging and even if you use up a couple from your reserve without replacing them, hopefully you'll get a few moments to build that stock back up again.

3. Remember I'm only a blogger because I read

There has to be some sort of magical formula for me for spare time - how much should I allocate to reading and how much should I allocate to blogging? Obviously I need to keep reading in order to keep blogging... Unless I keep going on, and on, and on, and on about previous books that I have read. Don't get me wrong, I could do that (ha ha, can't we all?) but at the same time I might end up sounding monotonous (nobody mention right now just how I often I talk about my favourites like Annette Marie!!!)

4. Focus on the small wins

It's all too easy to feel overwhelmed with the workload and just how much it takes to be a book blogger. I mean, we are pretty incredible creatures when it comes down to it. Not only do we have real lives but we also have a digital life that takes a lot of time, effort and possibly some tears to maintain.

Did you get a few more hits/comments than usual on a recent post? Maybe someone just mentioned how much they loved something you pointed out in a recent review. Someone might have taken the time to leave a super long comment on a post (which is always AMAZING because, as I said, interaction is key for me with blogging). Maybe it's something as simple as the fact that you stuck to a planned schedule for the entire week/month/however long! SMALL WINS.

5. Remember that while there are responsibilities that come with book blogging, it's still just a hobby

Yes, I have ARCs and I have accepted ARCs since I was first able to receive them as a blogger. I must read these ARCs and review them as timeously as possible.

HOWEVER, it's not the end of the world if I don't get to post 2 or 3 or 4 times a week. ONCE WILL BE FINE. Two or more is ideal... But once will work. It will also give me time to do some blog hopping to the blogs that I love and hopefully even keep up with my bookstagram!

Do you have any hints/tips for blogging on a tight schedule? Any amazing time saving skills/apps I should know about? How do YOU manage YOUR blogging time?

Review: Romanov - Nadine Brandes

2019-05-08T10:42:00.002+02:00

Romanov by Nadine Brandes
My rating: {★★★★☆}

YA Historical Fantasy Fiction
Published May 7th 2019 by Thomas Nelson

Source: Review copy sent by Publisher via NetGalley

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn’t frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes used are from an advanced readers copy and may not be present or the same in the published version**

The Romanovs... Anastasia... The Russian Revolution.

Unfortunately I am not well versed on any of these topics. I knew very little about the revolution and the Tsarist autocracy; I have never watched Anastasia and I had never delved in to the conspiracy theories that flew regarding the deaths of the Romanov family. Nadine Brandes ignited an interest I never knew I would have and this turned out to be a very interesting read for me.

It takes more strength and courage to forgive than it does to enact revenge

First and foremost the thing that I loved most about this story was the bonds of family and the Romanovs deep seated loyalty to each other and their patriotism to their country. I also loved that Brandes wrote Tsar Nicholas II as both a man and father to look up to, a pillar of strength and support for all the Romanovs in their time after his abdication. He was not incompetent or weak in this story and both his love for his family and his country were clear. Is it idealised? Yes. Is it going to be 100% true to history? I doubt it, but that's where creative license comes in and Brandes also added an intriguing magic system of Spell Masters and their Spell Ink and I enjoyed the way the story of the mystic Rasputin was woven into the threads of history and fantasy.

Nastya (Anastasia) herself was a great character to follow. Her strength and persistence spoke to me and her mischievous nature coupled with her love for her family carried the story.

I’d not mourn the lost good memories— I would apply them to my heart as a poultice every time it ached. That was what positive moments were for— to help heal the wounds of the future. As long as we chose to remember them.

Alexei was also a wonderful character, full of charisma and spirit and his complete defiance to let his disorder stop him from living a life he wanted to live endeared him to me.

I definitely preferred the first half of the book in which the Romanovs were captives and I got to see their familial bonds and learn about their past from the eyes of the author. It's also the half of the book firmly rooted in history which gave it a soundly plotted course and you begin to learn abut the fantasy elements. The second half seemed to meander a bit and I wanted it to be more goal orientated; to understand what the characters were aiming for. I guess we were all a little lost - Nastya herself wasn't sure of her course.

Unfortunately this is not a story where the protagonist triumphs over all and saves everyone, no matter how much I wanted the magic to prevail and no matter how much I wanted a better payoff for both Nastya and for me. It is a moving, darkly written story; bittersweet and full of heartache; but also full of hope, love and forgiveness and I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it.

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Demon Magic and a Martini - Annette Marie

2019-04-17T18:55:00.000+02:00

Anyone who has hung around me, my blog or my bookstagram for long enough knows that Annette Marie is one of my favourite authors and I tell everyone that they should read one or ALL!) of her books. Her latest series, Thhe Guild Codex, has also become one of my favourite current series and I'm so thrilled to be participating in this Book Blitz today for the newest installment. My ~~fangirling~~ review for the book can be found HERE for anyone interested in more info!

Demon Magic and a Martini
Annette Marie
(The Guild Codex: Spellbound #4)
Published by: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Publication date: April 12th 2019
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

When I first landed a bartending job at the local guild, I didn’t know a thing about magic. These days, I’m practically an expert on the different magical classes, but there’s one nobody ever talks about: Demonica.
Turns out they have a good reason for that. My guild is strictly hellion-free, because who wants to risk life and limb to control the biggest bullies on the mythic playground?
Well, some people do, and now a demon has been loosed in the city. My three best friends are determined to slay it, but even badass combat mages are critically out-magicked. And that’s not all. The monster they’re tracking—it’s not hiding. It’s not fleeing. It’s not leaving a trail of corpses everywhere it goes.
The demon is hunting too. And in a city full of mythics, it’s searching for deadlier prey.
If we can’t unravel the demon’s sinister motivations, more innocent people will die, but finding the answers means digging into dark secrets … and learning truths I never wanted to know.
—
Note: The three mages are definitely sexy, but this series isn’t a reverse harem. It’s 100% fun, sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy.
—
THE GUILD CODEX: SPELLBOUND
Three Mages and a Margarita (#1)
Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (#2)
Two Witches and a Whiskey (#3)
Demon Magic and a Martini (#4)

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Speaking of worry …” Sin’s eyes narrowed. “I heard all about how you went demon hunting with Aaron, Kai, and Ezra. I have to ask … what the hell were any of you thinking?”
“Um, well—”
“You aren’t combat trained, and demons are the fiercest, deadliest opponents out there! Why would Darius even approve it? You’re all idiots.”
I managed a bleak smile. “Thanks, Sin. Appreciate the vote of confidence.”
She sniffed angrily. “You know you aren’t ready for that, and I’d really prefer my friend not get herself killed.”
Couldn’t argue with her there. I’d also prefer not to get killed.
Lifting the tattered book off her lap, she smacked it down on the bar. “We need to look at options.”
“Uh … options for what?”
“Defensive alchemy.” She cast me a flinty stare. “Since you’re all for the dangerous jobs now, you need to be armed with more than a couple of artifacts. I heard you used a smoke screen. What else did you take?”
Bemusedly, I watched her flip the book open. “Just flash-bang potions. What is that thing?”
“My grimoire. All Arcana mythics have one—where we record all the spells or transmutations we’ve learned or invented.” She turned several spotted, liquid-stained pages covered in handwriting and diagrams. “I can make smoke bombs and flash-bangs easily enough, but you need something to stop an opponent. Personally, I don’t like sleep potions. It’s easy to get it on your own skin and then you’re asleep instead of them.”
“Yeah, that’d be bad.”
She skimmed a few more pages. “Enhanced strength is useful, but it doesn’t last long, and unless you’re in excessively good shape, you’ll crash hard
afterward. Let’s see … amnesia, no. Fasting potion, no. Enhanced speed, no.”
“What’s wrong with speed? I’d like to be faster.”
“It’s hopelessly impractical. Your body gets faster, but your reflexes don’t, so it’s difficult to control without training and practice. You’ll spend the potion’s duration tripping over your own feet and running into things.”
“Oh.” Too bad. “What’s a fasting potion?”
“Drink it and you won’t need food, water, or a bathroom for about forty-eight hours. Good for certain situations, but you pay for it afterward.” She perused more recipes. “Enhanced perception, air buffer, true sight, anti-emotionalizer, allure-fume—none of these are useful.”
“Allure-fume?” I repeated. “What’s that?”
She winced. “Uh, it’s a … um … perfume.”
I stared at her pointedly, waiting for an explanation, and her cheeks turned pink.
“A few drops on the skin will make the wearer especially alluring to the opposite sex. Like pheromones.”
“Why do you know a potion like that?”
“I tried it out when I was younger, okay?” she muttered defensively. “Lesson learned. You don’t have to lecture me.”
“What happened?”
“I wore it on a first date with this guy I really liked.” “Did it work?”
“It worked on him, plus every male who got within twenty feet of me. I spent our entire dinner date pushing random men out of our booth. I’ve never been hit on so many times in one evening. Most of the men were twice my age and married.”
Fighting back a snicker, I asked, “Did you go on a second date with your crush?”
“No.” She hung her head over the grimoire. “An early sign that my love life was doomed.”

Author Bio:
Annette Marie is the author of Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, and romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced adventures and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it's not quite that bad) with her husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.

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Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay - J.K. Rowling

2019-04-08T16:21:00.001+02:00

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
Series: Fantastic Beasts The Original Screenplay Series #1

My rating: {★★★★☆}

YA Fantasy Fiction
Published November 18th 2016 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Source: Review copy sent by Publisher

J.K. Rowling's screenwriting debut is captured in this exciting hardcover edition of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay.

When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt's fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.

Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader's bookshelf.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Will there ever be anything that I don't love about the Wizarding World? I certainly hope not!

I watched Fantastic Beasts, the movie, before I read this screenplay and now I'm even more impressed with how well the actors managed to convey everything on the screen. I'm really looking forward to reading and watching Crimes of Grindelwald as well although I haven't quite managed to convince myself which to do first.

Even through this is a script, it's very easy to learn about and become attached to these characters and the fact that this is intertwined with history and characters that we already know and love make this a must for any Harry Potter fan to try.

It's also FUN to see camera angles and focuses and envisage in your head the transitions etc. It's another style of reading, but I think that it pushes the limits of the imagination even further.

Newt is a wonderfully Hufflepuff character who is a refreshing lead and this is not the end to the new angles that JKR has taken in this - there's POC in positions of power, there's a lot of girl power (including Queenie who is a female legilimens but isn't your regular kickass heroine) and it's all organic and has soooo much depth. I love the directions we are going here!

Even if you're one of those people that hasn't read, watched or even heard of Harry Potter (are there still people like that out there?) you could easily enjoy this story. Wizarding World fans will also enjoy the aspects drawn from the already established universe.

This is a really fun and interesting addition to the Harry Potter franchise!