#5OnMyTBR – Duologies I Need To Finish

March 21, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Hello, reader!

Happy Monday to you all! Today is a very special 5 On My TBR. Why? Because it’s the 2 year anniversary of this wonderful, bookish meme! The theme this week is a freebie, so, to celebrate a whole 2 years of 5 On My TBR, I figured I would talk about some duologies that I need to finish. Not to say that there are only five still on my TBR buuuuut we’ll not talk about that 😂

Alright, let’s get to the list!

#1. A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown

This is one of the newer duologies on my TBR and one I’m very eager to continue. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was one of my favorite reads last year! It has a tense plot that is built around a gorgeous world and fantastic characters. Karina and Malik are fascinating to watch as they navigate all the dangers throughout this story. And I need to know whether or not they’re gonna be okay! Also, the covers are just incredible 😍

#2. Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim

Here’s another sequel that I’m eager to read and just keep putting off, heh. I had such a great time reading Spin the Dawn! It’s an engaging read that pulls you into the fantasy world that Elizabeth Lim has created. I loved the quest, the contest, and all the intriguing aspects of the story. So I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to pick this one up! I feel like Unravel the Dusk is going to be just as good as the first one, so I really need to prioritize picking it up.

Mini Reviews: Recent Reads Edition

March 20, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Because of who I am as a person, I am, once again, behind on reviews. I thought I’d take a moment to catch up with another edition of my mini reviews! This time, I’m focusing on three recent reads that I still need to put thought to paper (or keyboard) for since finishing them. These books are an eclectic mix, so there might be a little something for everyone here, haha.

That being said, let’s get to the reviews!

Title: Nothing But Blackened Teeth

Author: Cassandra Khaw

Publisher: Tor Nightfire

Genre: Horror

CW/TW: For a list of content and trigger warnings, please check out BookTriggerWarnings.com

Rating: ★★★

Links:
Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

Well, this was certainly… a book. With words. Lots of five dollar words that seemed a tad bit unnecessary, if I’m honest.

At the heart of this story is a ghostly tale of love and betrayal. Unfortunately, the ghost story is not the focus of this novel. I say “unfortunately” because the ghost/ghost story was the best part about this book! The focus, however, is on a bunch of the most unlikeable characters I’ve come across in awhile. I’m not saying I can’t enjoy a book that has unlikeable characters, but these characters came across as caricatures of their unlikeable traits. They all fell incredibly flat for me which, when the whole book is centered around them, didn’t make for an enjoyable experience.

However, where this book shined was in the atmospheric writing and the beautifully creepy ghostly elements. There are some gruesome scenes in this book that fix themselves in your mind as you’re reading with the way they are written. Definitely check trigger warnings before getting into this one! This author has an incredible talent for building tension and setting the tone of a horror novel. As I mentioned, if we had more of that and less a bunch of horrible people being horrible to each other, I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more.

Book Blogger Hop: Mar 18 – 24

March 19, 2022 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Crazy-For-Books and is currently being hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Question

Do you think listening to an audiobook instead of reading the print version makes it more difficult to write a review?

Submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews.

BBNYA Finalist Blog Tour: Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn

March 18, 2022March 17, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

I’ve got yet another blog tour for you today, this one featuring one of the 10 finalists from last year’s Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA)! I got to read Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn as a 2021 panelist and absolutely fell in love with the book! Finding new favorites is one of the many reasons I love being a BBNYA panelist. This diverse fantasy was fast-paced, spell-binding, and so much fun. But, before I get into my tour stop, let me tell you more about BBNYA.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where Book Bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website www.bbnya.com or twitter @bbnya_official.

The sign-ups will soon be open for the 2022 BBNYA competition, be it for authors to enter their books, or for bloggers wanting to be part of the new panel, so keep your eyes peeled!!

As a note, I received this book to read and review as part of the 2021 BBNYA tours organised by the TWR Tour team. All opinions are my own, unbiased and honest. Now, let’s get into the post!

Book Details

Title: Our Bloody Pearl
Author: D.N. Bryn
Publication date: July 26th, 2018
Genre: Fantasy
Age group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

Synopsis

The ocean is uncontrollable and dangerous. But to the sirens who swim the warm island waters, it’s a home more than worth protecting from the humans and their steam-propelled ships. Between their hypnotic voices and the strength of their powerful tails, sirens have little to fear.

That is, until the ruthless pirate captain, Kian, creates a device to cancel out their songs.

Perle was the first siren captured, and while all since have either been sold or killed, Kian still keeps them prisoner. Though their song is muted and their tail paralyzed, Perle’s hope for escape rekindles as another pirating vessel seizes Kian’s ship. This new captain seems different, with his brilliant smile and his promises that Kian will never again be Perle’s master. But he’s still a human, and a captor in his own way. The compassion he and his rag-tag human family show can’t be sincere… or can it?

Soon it becomes clear that Kian will hunt Perle relentlessly, taking down any siren in her path. As the tides turn, Perle must decide whether to run from Kian forever, or ride the forming wave into battle, hoping their newfound human companions will fight with them.

This adult fantasy novel featuring an nonbinary disabled protagonist is a voyage of laughter and danger where friendships and love abound and sirens are sure to steal—or eat—your heart.

Trigger warnings: mild gore due to carnivorous sirens and sensations of drowning.

Down the TBR Hole #27

March 17, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

Hello, reader!

Today feels like a good day to do another round of Down the TBR Hole! I’m pretty impressed with my restraint this time around, as well. After ending last round with a whooping 732 books on my Goodreads Want to Read shelf, I’m starting this one with 733 books!. The fact that I’ve only added one book to the TBR in the last week or so is shocking 😂

Still, the goal is to make this TBR reflect books I actually want to read, so let’s see if we trim so more of the list this time.

Malice by John Gwynne

I’ve been curious about John Gwynne for awhile now. He seems to be one of those big names in fantasy and I want to check him out! I’ve heard good things about this series and, even though I’m intimidated by the size of these novels, I do want to read them. Eventually.

Verdict: Keep

Everwild by Neal Shusterman

I read the first book in this series awhile ago and remember enjoying it. It follows two children that die and find themselves in limbo. It was an interesting read, so I stuck the sequel on my TBR, fully planning to continue. And, clearly, that never happened. Since reading the first one, my interest in this book and series has dropped. I think it’s time to say goodbye.

Verdict: Remove

Hunger by Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay is another author I’ve been wanting to try for awhile. I own this memoir, I’m eager to read it, but I always seem to let it sit on the TBR. Probably because it’s non-fiction and that’s just not a genre I gravitate towards. But I am going to read this and I’m gonna do it soon!

Verdict: Keep

WWW Wednesday: Mar 16, 2022

March 16, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd7 Comments

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

If you’d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid: I’ve just started this non-fiction about missing and murdered Indigenous women, so I don’t have a true feeling for how I’m liking it. So far, I’m liking the tone of the story. It doesn’t read like a textbook, which is something I’m always worried about when going into a non-fiction book! As predicted, I’m already angry about the injustices that have been highlighted so far. Initial thoughts? I’m going to love this and also want to fight people after reading it.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi: I have read a page of this so I truly have no thoughts yet. I’m picking it up for the various readathons I’m participating in this week/month! It’s been on my TBR for what feels like forever and I’m excited to finally give this heist story a shot!

Blog Tour Spotlight: Under the Bridge by Jack Byrne

March 15, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

Today, I’m bringing you a spotlight for a blog tour run by The Write Reads. It’s for a mystery novel that sounds dark and intense: Under the Bridge by Jack Byrne! Before I tell you more about it, though, I want to thank Dave @ The Write Reads and all the folks behind the scene for allowing me to participate in this tour. Even when I don’t have time to read the books, The Write Reads always introduce me to some incredible sounding reads and I appreciate it.

Now, let’s talk more about this novel!

Book Details

Title: Under the Bridge
Author: Jack Byrne
Publication date: February 18th, 2021
Genre: Mystery
Age group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: Racism, death

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

February 2022 Wrap Up

March 14, 2022 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Hello, reader!

I know, I know. It’s already the middle of March and I’m just now doing my February wrap up. Imma be honest with you… I apparently had a dream that I had already finished this post and it was out on the internet for all to read. Then, I started questioning myself, looked it up, and realized that my subconscious thinks I’m far more on top of things than I actually am. Really, just a snapshot of how my brain has been working this path month. Like a sloth crawling through molasses up in here *taps head*

Anyhoo! Now that I’ve realized my mistake, it’s time to go over all the wonderful books I read last month. It was a pretty incredible reading month, especially considering it’s the shortest month of the year. I read a lot of books for me and a lot of quality books, at that! So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Books Read

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

Book: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was just as much fun as the first book in the series! I loved watching Ebenezer and Bethany bond even more. I also loved watching them learn more about friendship and what it is to be a ‘do-gooder’. I read this for a The Write Reads tour and you can read my full thoughts here.

Book: False Value by Ben Aaronovitch

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: Another gem in the Rivers of London series and this one finally reached the full five stars for me! I think this book really shows how much Peter has grown over the course of this series. I also loved all the tech talk and, of course, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy references! I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.

Book: Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Another novella by Dr. Okorafor that I truly enjoyed! I think I liked Remote Control a smidge more, but this was a great read, as well. I loved how it examines topics like misogyny and how people treat those they see as ‘other’. This was a quick, engaging read and I enjoyed discovering all its layers.

Bookish Scenarios Book Tag

March 13, 2022March 13, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

Having lost an hour of sleep last night because of Daylight Savings Time in the United States (can we just get rid of this please?) and working a full shift today, I am currently running on fumes. This is when I wish past-Kerri had thought ahead and scheduled a post… but alas! I have been burned by her once again 😂

What I’m trying to say is that I’m currently very much in ‘no thoughts, head empty’ mode, but I still want to do a post for today! When that happens, my go-to post type is a good ol’ fashioned book tag. Thankfully, I had two incredible bloggers, Jenny @ Jen Jen Reviews and Ashlee @ Books Are 42, tag me in the Bookish Scenarios Book Tag! Thanks for bailing me out for the day, y’all! If you’re not already following these two, you should definitely give their blogs a peek. They both create wonderful bookish posts that are a lot more coherent than my ramblings today are gonna be. They’re both also genuinely wonderful people ❤❤ This tag was originally created by LindsayHeartsBooks on YouTube.

Alright, let’s get to the post!

The Prompts:

You have to get rid of all your books and you can only keep ONE from each of these genres: Contemporary, fantasy, nonfiction and one other of your choosing. What books do you keeps?

This question is cruel! One of each? ONLY ONE FANTASY?!? Fiiiiine…

Contemporary: I’m not gonna cheat and pick a contemporary fantasy, though I am sorely tempted. Instead, I’m going to pick a book that made me realize I could enjoy a contemporary novel. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was such an incredible read that it not only convinced me to not disregard all contemporaries, it re-sparked my interest in YA novels. It also helps that it introduced me to one of my favorite authors!

Fantasy: This one hurts. I have so many five star fantasies that I would want to keep! If it came down to only being able to keep one, though, I’d have to pick The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. One, because it’s one of the few fantasy standalones on my five star list, haha. And, two, because I adore this book and this author and, of her two novels, this is definitely my favorite. I connected with this one on a deep level and I couldn’t imagine letting it go. It’s also signed!

Non-fiction: This is a bit easier as I honestly haven’t read a ton of non-fiction that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of the few non-fiction novels that I would love to keep on my shelves is Becoming by Michelle Obama. It’s a stunning memoir and by a person I truly admire. Of all the non-fiction I actually own, this would be the one I’d want to hang on to.

Reader’s Choice: I suppose I could sneak another fantasy on, at this point. But I’m gonna defy expectations! Kind of. You see, the book I’m picking could be considered a mystery or a thriller or fantasy. It’s also a new favorite and one that I already want to re-read! I recently read The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd for a blog tour and now I can’t stop thinking about it! It’s a clear sign I should keep it around, right? Right *nod*

You’re at the book store and you can hear a teenager telling their mother they don’t like to read, but their mother insists they pick something. You walk over and recommend a book you think is great for people who aren’t big on reading – what book is it?

I would need to know more about the teen before I could truly answer this question! What are their interests? Are the open to fantasy? Or do they like more realistic stories? Are they okay with romance? If I knew nothing about the teen in question, I would probably lean towards something contemporary as they are usually quick reads. I’d attempt to keep it light-hearted, as well. I think Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon could work! Even if the ending destroyed me 😭