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
The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling
After completely devouring The Ex Hex, I couldn’t resist picking up the sequel when I came across it on Scribd! So far, this is just as fun and sexy as the first. I’m loving the rivals-to-lovers vibe and Gwen is a certified badass. This book makes me want to live in Graves Glen even more! Also, I have to say I’m really enjoying the narrator for this book.
I have another wonderful tour post for you today hosted by The Write Reads. This time, I get to tell you my thoughts on an upcoming middle grade fantasy that is as sweet as it sounds: The Miraculous Sweetmakers by Natasha Hastings! This magical book took me on a frosty adventure and I loved every minute of it.
Before I get further into my review, though, I have people to thank. First, thank you to Dave @ The Write Reads and all of the crew for giving me a spot on this tour! Second, thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC via Netgalley so that I could participate. It is, as always, appreciated 😊
Now, let’s get to my post!
Title: The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair
Author: Natasha Hastings
Illustrated by: Alex T. Smith
Publication date: November 1st, 2022
Genre: Fantasy
Age group: Middle Grade
Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of child neglect, death of a loved one, grief
An amazing and captivating, curl-up-on-the-sofa debut about a magical frost fair and the lasting power of friendship.
It’s a cold winter during the Great Frost of 1683. Thomasina and Anne are the best of friends, one running her father’s sweet shop and the other the apprentice at the family apothecary – together they sell their goods on the frozen River Thames. When a family tragedy turns Thomasina’s world upside down, she is drawn to a mysterious conjuror and the enchanted frost fair.
But soon the world of Father Winter threatens to claim everything she holds dear. Will they be able to solve the magical mysteries that surround them . . . ?
#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!
It’s time for another 5 On My TBR! Today, we’re talking about one of my favorite settings in books. That’s because the theme is forests. I’m a huge fan of a book that features a creepy woods/forest, so I was pumped to pick out five to feature in this post! Even if I stretched the idea of it a wee bit.
That being said, let’s jump in!
#1. Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood
This is the book where I stretched the whole ‘forest’ theme because this is set in a jungle. It’s still a collection of trees, so I think it counts! This is the newest book from the author of Within These Wicked Walls, which I recently read and loved. It follows a young woman with magic in her blood who leads expeditions through a terrifying jungle. It sounds absolutely incredible and I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC from Netgalley to read! I’m so excited to pick it up.
#2. Midnight in Everwood by Maria Kuzniar
I’m honestly not sure how prominently the snowy forest on the cover of this book is featured, but I wanted to throw this book on the list anyways. Mostly because I’ve been eager to read this for awhile now! It’s a Nutcracker retelling that sounds like it would be a great time. I know I like this author’s writing and I would love to see what she does with this classic tale. Also, the cover is freakin’ gorgeous 😍
Sundays in Bed With… is a meme thatdares 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!
I hope you’re having a relaxing Sunday, wherever you are. I had to work, but now I’m off for a week because my best friend is getting MARRIED! I’m so excited for her and will be spending the week making sure everything goes as swimmingly as it can. And getting prepared to be fancy for a day, haha. For tonight, though, I’m spending the night reading because I’m in the middle of a book that I can already feel is going to be a five star read and I don’t want to stop 😆
So let me quickly tell you more about it so I can get back to reading!
My Sunday Read Is…
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Y’all. THIS BOOK.
I went into this knowing that I’m a fan of R.F. Kuang’s writing. I also knew that she is an author that does not pull punches and that is definitely true of her newest novel. Is it as horrific as The Poppy War? So far, no… but she does not shy away from depicting the horrible affects of racism and colonialism. I’m completely wrapped up in this novel and have a feeling this might be one of my favorite reads of 2022. The academia vibes are spot on, the characters have my whole heart, and I am invested in the plot that is unraveling. If you like dark academia even a little bit, you need to check this one out!
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!
It’s time, once again, for another fabulous blog tour hosted by The Write Reads! This go around, I’m bringing you a review for a young adult fantasy novel that sweep me off my feet: The Legend of Black Jack by A.R. Witham. This story absolutely captivated my imagination and I can’t wait to tell you more about it!
Before I do, though, I’ve got folks to thank! First, I want to thank Dave @ The Write Reads and all of the crew for giving me a spot on this tour! Next, I want to thank the author for providing me with a free e-book so that I could share my thoughts! It is, as always, much appreciated.
Prepare to be whisked away to another realm in this epic fantasy adventure, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman’s characters in Stardust or Patrick Rothfuss’s prose in The Name of the Wind.
Jack Swift remembers everything—even the horrible things he’d like to forget. To keep his guilt-ridden memories from haunting him, and to dodge his abusive foster mom, he buries himself in any book he can find, dreaming of his ultimate escape: becoming a doctor.
But fate has another escape in mind.
At 3:33 am on his fourteenth birthday, Jack is kidnapped by a monstrous rhinoceros and whisked away to another sphere of existence: the land of Keymark. Though this world is filled with pixies, monsters, pirates, elves, warriors, and mythical wonders, it is without healing magic—that magic was stolen by an evil, immortal prince hell-bent on domination. With no understanding of medical science to heal their wounds or illnesses, Jack’s kidnappers ask the impossible of him: use his knowledge to save a life…or be trapped in this bizarre world with no chance of rescue.
Jack doesn’t have secret magic, a great destiny, or any medical experience.
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 seems like a good day for another round of Down the TBR Hole! I’m rather impressed with myself, though. My ‘Want to Read’ shelf has somehow shrank from 696 books down to 692 books. I’m not 100% sure how I managed that, haha. I’m gonna take the win, though!
Now we’re gonna see if I can trim it down even more.
Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee
Not gonna lie, I definitely added this book to my TBR because of the cover. I will admit, though, having read the synopsis, I’m still intrigued! There’s a young girl who somehow returns her friend to life after she dies. There’s a Spider King. And, most importantly, there’s a creepy forest. That’s my favorite!
Verdict: Keep
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
I legitimately have no memory of adding this book to my TBR. On the surface, it doesn’t look like a book that would typically draw my attention. Then I see it’s adult contemporary and I’m really confused as to how it got here 😂 Reading the synopsis does nothing for me, either, so I think we’re just gonna chalk this up to a fluke.
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
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
I started listening to this because I had finished an audiobook and I didn’t have another one downloaded. I’ve been wanting to read a Lucy Foley book for awhile, so this seemed like a sign. So far, I’m enjoying the mystery of it all. It’s dark and twisty, with plenty of secrets to keep me interested. Jess kind of makes me want to throttle her, but that’s neither here nor there 😂
Recently Finished
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Uuuugh, this book was so freakin’ CUTE! I was reading this as part of a buddy read, but after the first section, I just couldn’t get myself to stop. Which is fine since the feeling was very mutual in the buddy read group 😂 This was such a compulsively readable book. When I wasn’t reading it, I wanted to be, and now that it’s over, I want more! Thankfully, this is just the start to a romance series, which means I can dive right back into Graves Glen.
Now that we’re firmly into October, I figured it was time to wrap up my reading from last month. After a particularly epic amount of books that I read in August, my September reading was noticeably less epic. I feel like my poor brain was recovering! It didn’t help that I contracted a head cold that put me into a fog for a good portion of the month. And that was before I contracted Covid 😅 It was a fun month with ups (I turned 40!) and downs (aforementioned head cold…) and it flew by way too fast.
Now, let’s wrap up what I managed to read in my favorite month of the year!
Books Read
Spy x Family Vol 5 by Tatsuya Endo: I started the month continuing my Spy x Family obsession. This volume of the manga was a lot of fun, as always, though Yor’s brother creeps me out 😂 He is way too obsessed with his sister… Still, I loved seeing more of the Forger family and the art, as always, was a delight. This did just remind me that I need to catch up with the anime now that the second season is out! ★★★★
Spy x Family Vol 6 by Tatsuya Endo: This was most definitely my favorite volume of the manga so far! We got to go along with Loid on one of his missions, there were so many cute moments between him and Yor, and Anya was, as ever, adorable. There was something about this volume that made me love the series even more. It was also the last one my library had so I’ve been in withdrawal ever since, haha. ★★★★★
With Fire In Their Blood by Kat Delacorte: I read this book for a tour hosted by The Write Reads. This YA dark fantasy was a wild ride that was incredibly gripping, I loved the strange town of Castello and all the horrifying religious overtones that flow throughout the book were certainly eerie. The atmosphere and tone were expertly done and were probably my favorite part of the story. You can read my full review here. ★★★★
Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine: Y’all. I’ve been a fan of Rachel Caine’s for a long time, ever since I picked up the Great Library series. So, when I picked up the first book in her thriller series, I was expecting to enjoy it. I was not, however, expecting to become so completely ensnared in the story that I wanted to abandon all my other reading goals for the month so I could binge the entire series! This book was so good! It was dark and tense and frightening, with several moments that had me on the edge of my seat. I want to fight the world for Gwen, our main character, and her kids. Rachel Caine has always been good at writing compelling characters and she definitely brought that skill into this book, as well. ★★★★★
Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez: Ahhhhhh, this was so stinkin’ CUTE! I had heard Dini @ Dini Panda Reads talk about how much she enjoyed this graphic novel, which is what originally piqued my interest. Then, I spotted it at my local library and figured, why not? I borrowed it, sat down to read, and immediately became smitten. The art style! The characters! The FOOD! This story about a young college graduate just trying to find his true passion in this life (and maybe another kind of passion…) was so beautifully told and beautifully drawn that I was invested in his story from beginning to end. Add to that all the inclusiveness littered throughout this tale and I was hooked! ★★★★
It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames: Talk about a perfect read for spooky season! Though a bit predictable, this novel was a thrill ride from beginning to end. If you enjoyed the movie The Thing and aren’t easily grossed out, I would definitely suggest giving this one a go! I read it for a TBR & Beyond Tours book tour and I’m so glad that I did. It was intense and messy and I enjoyed my time sunk within its pages. You can read my full review here. ★★★★
#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!
I apologize for my absence the last few days. If you follow me on Twitter, you might know that the dreaded Covid finally got me 😣 I have to say that it hasn’t been terrible… mostly coughing and fevers… but the fatigue has hit especially hard these last few days. Today is the first time I’ve been out of bed for an extended period of time and it feels marvelous! I took a shower, ate food that wasn’t soup, actually booted up the desktop… and I feel human again.
Now that I can stay awake for longer than ten minutes, I figured it was time to give my poor, neglected blog some love! And what better way to do that than with a fun 5 On My TBR post! This week’s theme is books with titles that start with ‘B’ and, oof, was it hard to pick just five. Know that the ones that I picked are ones that I’m very eager to read soon!
That said, let’s get to the list.
#1. Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala
I have had this book on my TBR for what feels like ages. I won a copy of it right before it came out and have been wanting to read it ever since! It’s about a young, gay man who enters a cosplay contest and finds himself partnered with the boy who broke his heart. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun, with a lot of sparkle. I’m hoping to pick it up soon because I’d also love to read, La Sala’s most recent release, The Honeys. Not that I have to read them in order… but I want to.
#2. Beast of Prey by Ayana Gray
This is another book that I’ve wanted to read since before it came out. I absolutely love the new cover! The old cover was beautiful, as well, but this one is just 😍 The book follows two Black teenagers tracking down a monster in a magical jungle. Does that not sound like a thrill a minute?! It’s also the beginning to a series, which might be why I’ve taken so long to pick it up. There are just so many series that I’m reading right now. Still, I can’t wait to add this one to the list.
Kerri McBookNerd 