Month: May 2022

Blog Tour: The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

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Hello, reader!

Today, it’s my stop on the book tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours for one of my most anticipated reads of 2022: The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna! After reading (and loving!) The Gilded Ones last year, I could not wait to get my hands on the latest installment in this lush world. Especially after what happened at the end of the first book!

Before I get into my post, however, let me take a moment to thank some people. First, thank you to the wonderful team at TBR & Beyond Tours for allowing me to participate in this tour. I was so excited when I got the email confirmation! Second, thank you to the publisher, via Netgalley, for providing me with a free e-ARC so that I could participate. It is, as always, very much appreciated. Rest assured that all opinions contained in my post are my own.

Also, I want to make sure y’all check out all the other incredible bloggers and bookstagrammers that have stops on this tour! There is a wide variety and, if you would like to follow along with the tour, you can find the schedule HERE.

Alright, now let’s get to my tour stop!

  • Title: The Merciless Ones
  • Author: Namina Forna
  • Series: The Gilded Ones #2
  • Publication date: May 31st, 2022
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Young 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::Indigo::
Amazon::Goodreads

Fans of The Gilded Ones and Children of Blood and Bone will love the second book in an epic fantasy series about a girl who is the key to saving the empire–or its greatest threat.

It’s been six months since Deka has freed the goddesses and discovered who she really is. There are now wars waging across the kingdom. Otereans now think jatu are traitors to the nation. Deka is called a monster.

But the real battle has only just begun and Deka must lead the charge. Deka is tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses. Only as she begins to free them, she begins to see a strange symbol everywhere in places of worship and worn on armor. There’s something unnatural about that symbol; just looking at it makes Deka lose her senses. Even worse, it seems to repel her powers. She can’t command or communicate with the new deathshrieks. In fact, she can’t even understand them when they speak.

Deka knows freeing the goddesses is just the beginning. She can tell whatever dark force out is powerful and there is something sinister out there threatening the kingdom connected to that symbol–something merciless–that her army will need to stop before humanity crumbles. But Deka’s powers are only getting stronger…and her strongest weapon could be herself.

Content Warning: scenes of violence, including some graphic violence and description of sexual assault

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#5OnMyTBR – Title Starts With S

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#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 and Happy Memorial Day to those in the United States. Having served in the military, I always make sure to set aside some time today to think about those who lost their lives serving. It’s also the unofficial beginning of summer, which makes me happy! The warm weather is here to stay and it’s about time.

Ya know what else it’s time for? Another 5 On My TBR post! The theme for this week is to pick a previous theme you missed and I decided to go with an easy one: book titles that start with ‘S’. It was a bit too easy cause it took me awhile to pare this list down to just five. Just know, this is a drop in the bucket of all the books I want to read that have titles that start with the letter ‘S’, haha.

That being said, let me show you what did make the cut!

#1. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

I’ve only read one book by Elizabeth Lim, but I enjoyed her writing so much I’m eager to read more. I’ve heard great things about this fantasy that weaves in East Asian folklore. The premise of a princess who does not speak searching for her brothers that have been magically turned into cranes is definitely intriguing! I’m hoping to pick this one up soon because, the more I hear about it, the more I want to read it.

#2. The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

This is another book I’ve heard nothing but great things about, though it is a much more recent release. It has magic and secrets and thieves and jinn. In short, it sounds absolutely incredible! It has been on my radar for a minute and, now that’s it is out in the world, I’m eager to pick it up! The fact that’s it is currently sitting at a 4.29 Goodreads rating makes me want to give it a read even more.

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Sundays In Bed With… The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

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Sundays in Bed With… is a meme that dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Hello, reader!

It has been a lazy Sunday here and lazy Sundays are perfect for reading. What book have I been spending my day with this lovely Sunday? It’s the sequel to one of my favorite reads of last year and one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! I’ve been eager to read this book, so was very excited to be included in the TBR & Beyond Tours book tour for it.

Now, let me tell you more about this read that has re-captured my imagination!

My Sunday Read Is…

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

I’ve dived right back into the world that Namina Forna has created and it is just as captivating the second time around! It throws us right into the action, with Deka and crew dealing with the consequences of the end of book one, The Gilded Ones. There are strange things happening and I’m captivated by all that is going on! This is just as vivid and cinematic as the first one. I’m not sure how this is going to end but, if what I’ve read so far has been incredible!

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Book Blogger Hop: May 27 – Jun 2

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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

Image by Coffee Addicted Writer

 Do you use the Kindle app on your phone or iPad for reading e-books?

Submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews.

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First Lines Friday #47

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?  If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
  • Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy Friday! I’m about to get ready for another day out with visiting family, but I wanted to sneak in a quick First Lines Friday post. This week, I’m featuring a book I’ve wanted to read for awhile and was recently picked as a book of the month for a Goodreads group I’m in. Perfect excuse to finally pick it up!

Now, here’s hoping the first few lines make me even more excited to give it a go.

The Line(s):

“The Greer mansion sat high on a hill, overlooking the town and the ocean. To get to it from downtown, you had to leave the pretty shops and creaking seaside piers and drive a road that wound upward, toward the cliffs. You passes the heart of Claire Lake, the part of town where the locals lived and the tourists didn’t usually go.”

The Hints:

This is a thriller that was released this year.

The main character is a true crime blogger.

The author has another book about a possibly haunted motel I really want to read.

The Reveal:

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ARC Review: A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton

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Title: A Universe of Wishes

Edited by: Dhonielle Clayton

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Genre: Fantasy Anthology

Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Rating: ★★★★

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

Goodreads Synopsis

From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes a young adult fantasy short story collection featuring some of the best own-voices children’s authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Libba Bray (The Diviners), Victoria Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic), Natalie C. Parker (Seafire), and many more. Edited by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles).

In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.

AUTHORS INCLUDE: Samira Ahmed, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, Victoria Schwab, Tara Sim, Nic Stone, and a to-be-announced debut author/short-story contest winner.

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WWW Wednesday: May 25, 2022

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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:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. 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

  • The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie: I’m continuing on my Poirot reading and, so far, this has been one of the more interesting ones. I’ve only just begun, but I’m loving the mystery in this! I’m also loving that Hastings is back. He may be completely obtuse, but he’s my favorite, haha. The friendship between Poirot and Hastings is one of my favorite things in these books, so I always miss Hastings when he’s not around. Anyways, I’m really enjoying this one so far.
  • The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna: I’ve started in on one of my most anticipated reads of the year and, so far, it’s living up to expectations. Of course, I’m only a few chapters in, but this is just as cinematic and vivid as the first one! I feel like this book is going to contain a bit more action than the first since, ya know, there’s a war going on and I am ready for it. I’m excited to see how this one turns out.
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Top 5 Tuesday: Reading Accessories

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Top 5 Tuesday is a fun, weekly meme that asks you to pick 5 books that fit that week’s theme. It was created by Bionic Bookworm and is currently being hosted by Meeghan Reads. You should check out their wonderful blog for more details and the list of prompts!

Hello, reader!

Happy Top 5 Tuesday! It’s been a lovely day here in New England, which always puts me in a good mood. It definitely puts me into a good reading mood, as well! For this week’s post, I’ll be talking about my favorite reading accessories. I honestly don’t use a lot of reading accessories, but I definitely have five that I enjoy, even if I sometimes forget I have them 😂

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

#1. Bookmarks!

Bookmarks are definitely my all time favorite reading accessories! I used to use whatever was handy to mark my reading progress. And then I realized how beautiful bookmarks could be. I swear the bookmark industry upped their in the past decade because now I collect them simply because they are lovely! The last Illumicrate box I received had a set of bookmarks with character art from The Gilded Wolves that were simply stunning and now I want to use them all the time. This is not to say I still won’t use a random receipt now and then, but bookmarks are my go-to.

#2. Book Sleeves

This is a reading accessory I got into more recently and I fully blame book boxes for this new addiction. I’ve received some absolutely gorgeous book sleeves from both OwlCrate and Illumicrate! They’re also wonderful for someone like me who brings a book with me everywhere but is also very clumsy. Now, if I accidentally drop my book while walking, it’s protected. Honestly, they are a lifesaver. And, again, they’re also just pretty. I love pretty things!

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#5OnMyTBR – Contemporary

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#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!

We’ve arrived at another Monday and it’s time for 5 On My TBR! I will confess, I had to really dig through my TBR for this week’s theme. That’s because we’re talking all about contemporaries, which is one of my least read genres 😅 I have nothing against contemporaries! When I do pick them up, I tend to enjoy them. I’m just a fantasy lover who usually doesn’t gravitate towards contemporaries. That being said, I found five on my TBR that I definitely am eager to read!

Now, let’s jump into the list.

#1. Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala

This YA contemporary focuses on something I’ve always been fascinated with: cosplay! I’ve been wanting to read this one for awhile, now, because it just sounds like a good time. After all, we have a young man entering a competition to try and earn a scholarship and respect and his main rival just has to be his ex-boyfriend. I am here for all the potential drama! I also just love how sparkly this cover is ✨✨

#2. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

From cosplay to racism, this is a contemporary I’m eager to read but for much different reasons. I’ve heard such great things about this book, but I also know that it is probably gonna piss me off 😂 Microaggressions and racism in books is something I have to be in the right mindset to enjoy. I love when a book does an excellent job of calling it out, though, and I’ve heard that this book does just that. I’m eager to give it a go and see what I think.

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Sundays In Bed With… The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

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Sundays in Bed With… is a meme that dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Hello, reader!

It’s been a busy weekend here! We have family visiting and we’ve been out enjoying the lovely weather. Of course, that hasn’t left much time for reading. So now, as we wind down this Sunday, I’m stealing a little me-time to curl up with one of my current reads.

Keep reading to find out more about my Sunday read!

My Sunday Read Is…

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

I’ve been loving this dark academia read the more and more I get into it. There are a lot of characters to follow and some I already deeply dislike, but I’m loving this high stakes story! I’ve found that, at the moment, I’m running into that issue I sometimes have with multiple POV books. I find a few of the POVs way more interesting than the others, so when I get to a chapter from a character I don’t really care about, my reading tends to slow down. Or I catch myself skimming cause I want to get to someone else’s POV, heh. Overall, though, I’m loving the vibe of this book and I’m excited to continue!

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