book reviews

ARC Review: Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

July 18, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

Title: Juniper & Thorn

Author: Ava Reid

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Genre: Gothic Horror/Fantasy

Content/Trigger Warnings: Gore, body horror, child sexual abuse, cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, physical and psychological abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, bulimia, emesis, animal death

Rating: ★★★

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

Goodreads Synopsis

From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.

As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.

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sundays in bed with

Sundays In Bed With… Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

July 17, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

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!

This Sunday has, so far, been the opposite of lazy for me. I had to work and, though it wasn’t terribly busy, I still felt like I was rushing around getting things done. Mostly because I’m the person in charge on my weekends and everyone had questions and issues today 😅 Thankfully, everything was figured out and are good now! I’m home and ready to relax with a book.

That being said, the book I’ll be snuggling up with is the same book I’ve been listening to all day at work. Let’s jump into the post so I can talk more about it!

My Sunday Read Is…

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I started this book… an embarrassingly long time ago. Though I was initially very pulled into the story, but I kept putting it down to read books for blog tours and challenges. No fault of the book, I just overcommitted myself as I usually do 😂 So, when I was looking for my next audiobook to listen to, I found this through my library and immediately borrowed it. The writing and story as as engaging as I remember them being when I first picked it up. I love how deeply this dives into Ojibwe culture and the characters absolutely come alive on the page! I’m not sure how I feel about the romance, but I’m still loving this book.

Goodreads Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

What are you reading this Sunday? Are you enjoying whatever you are reading? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: Jul 15 – 21

July 16, 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 listen to audiobooks? If so, do you prefer listening instead of reading?

Submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday #53

July 15, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

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 First Lines Friday! This has been quite the week and I’m working this weekend, but I’m still happy to be chilling at home on this Friday. As I chill, I’ll be picking up a fairly popular book that was picked as a book of the month for one of my Goodreads groups! I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to feel about this one… I’ve loved previous books from this author, but the synopsis doesn’t have me sold.

Let’s see if the first few lines can make me excited to pick this up!

The Line(s):

“Malibu catches fire.
It is simply what Malibu does from time to time.
Tornadoes take the flatlands of the Midwest. Floods rise in the American South. Hurricanes rage against the Gulf of Mexico.
And California burns.”

The Hints:

This is an historical fiction by a pretty popular author.

The story in the more current timeline takes place all in one day.

And it has characters that you can find in the author’s other books.

The Reveal:

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book tag

Get to Know the Fantasy Reader Book Tag

July 14, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd9 Comments

Hello, reader!

It’s Thursday and that seems a good time to do a book tag. And what better tag for a fantasy lover like myself than the Get to Know the Fantasy Reader Book Tag! This is very much inside my wheelhouse 😆 Thank you to the wonderful Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog for tagging me!

Alright, now let’s get into the tag.

The Rules:

Make sure you give credit to the original creators of this tag – this tag was originally created by Bree Hill.
If you want to, pingback to the post you first saw this tag!
Have fun!

The Prompts:

What is your fantasy origin story? (The first fantasy you read.)

I’m sure there were fantasy novels I read before this, like Dahl, but Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede is the first one that I truly fell into. I devoured the Enchanted Forest series and legit made it my entire personality for a looooong time. I wanted to be Cimorene, I wanted to hanging out with the dragons, I wanted to go on adventures. This book/series is what really made me fall in love with fantasy and I still think about it all the time. It really is time for a re-read!

If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s one trope you’d insist be in the story?

Ooo, that’s a really good question! Hmm… and kind of hard to answer, lol. I think I would want Jordan Ifueko to write my story because she builds such beautiful, lush worlds. She has a way of writing that is so evocative, so immersive, that you can’t help to lose yourself in her stories. She’s also great at writing the ‘found family’ trope, which is the one I would absolutely insist on in my story.

What is a fantasy series you’ve read this year, that you want more people to read?

Okay, there’s only one book in this series, so far, but I still need everyone to read Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega! This was an incredible middle grade fantasy that I absolutely devoured. It has magic, it has an awesome friend group, and it tackles some pretty tough topics that I’m sure a lot of kids will relate to. I loved the writing in this and the world that Ortega created. My favorite part of this story, however, were our three main characters, Seven, Thorn, and Valley. I can’t wait to continue their story.

What is your favorite fantasy subgenre?

That’s another good question! I would have to agree with Becky and say folklore/mythology retellings. Retellings are some of my favorite stories, especially if it tends to focus on the characters that are usually in the background of such tales. I fell in love with Circe by Madeline Miller for that reason! I’ve also enjoyed Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and, recently, The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.

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cover reveal

Cover Reveal: The Children of Chaos by Trudie Skies

July 13, 2022July 13, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

I have a special post for y’all today that I’m really excited to share! Earlier this year, I had the priviledged of being on a blog tour for an incredible gaslamp fantasy that absolutely took my breath away. The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies was one of my first five star reads of the year! It was a compulsively readable, fast-paced whirlwind of a book that I fell in love with completely.

Now, I’m super geeked to help with the cover reveal for the second book in the series, The Children of Chaos! This book picks up right where the last one left off, which is good, because the last book ended with quite the cliffhanger. I’m so eager to get the next book in my greedy, little hands, and, with this cover reveal, I feel one step closer.

But enough of my rambling. It’s time to take a look at the stunning new cover!

Book Title: The Children of Chaos
Book Subtitle: Book Two of The Cruel Gods
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy
Age Range: Adult
Content Warnings: Available on the author’s website: https://www.trudieskies.com/the-cruel-gods-content-warnings/
Release Date: October 13, 2022
Book Cover Artist: James T. Egan of Bookfly Design
Map Artist: Soraya Corcoran

Book Links

Amazon::Goodreads

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top 5 tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Books Set At School

July 12, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd6 Comments

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!

It’s time for another Top 5 Tuesday! This week, we’re focusing on books that are set at school. Going through my reads, I realized that, though I love picking up books that have school settings, I truly enjoyed only a handful 😅 That being said, some of my picks may be a bit of a stretch, but I think they work!

Let’s go ahead and dive in!

#1. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I’m sure almost everyone that follows my blog knows what this book is about. We’re following the story of a hero named Kvothe, as told when he is much older and owns an inn. But this first book in the series focuses on Kvothe’s origins and his time at a magical university. So that counts! I loved this book so much. It’s a thick one, but I was found myself flying through the story. It was completely immersive and just such a good time. I really need to continue on with this series.

#2. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

I had to get this series on this list! The first book in the Great Library series definitely focuses on the main character, Jesse, and his time at the training school of the Great Library of Alexandria. I loved following his schooling/training, but the best part was the relationships he developed while there. And the fact that he was totally supposed to be a plant for his black market, book selling family. This is such a great read!

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down the tbr hole

Down the TBR Hole #34

July 11, 2022 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

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!

I may have recently gone on a book adding spree on Goodreads, so I think it’s time for another round of Down the TBR Hole before my ‘Want to Read’ shelf gets too ridiculous 😂 I don’t know what happened… I was just poking around Goodreads and, the next thing you know, my TBR grew from 712 books to 717 books! Which, to be fair, isn’t terrible, but it’ll definitely get out of hand soon if I don’t trim some older books off. Gotta keep that TBR fresh and, conceivably, manageable.

Ya know… if I read a book a day, every single day, for the next few years. Totally doable.

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

Ha, I don’t even remembering adding this book to my TBR. Seeming as I removed the one other Cassandra Clare book on my ‘Want to Read’ shelf, I see no reason why I should keep this one around. After all, I probably wouldn’t have much idea of what was going on, even if it’s the start of a new series in the same Shadowhunters world.

Verdict: Remove

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye

Okay… on the surface, this book sounds like it could be interesting. A woman running from a shady past in the 1920s and ending up at Oregon hotel that has secrets of its own. But then I realized that the main character is white… in a hotel completely populated by Black people… and I get the feeling there’s gonna be a heavy dose of ‘white savor’ syndrome in this story. No thank you.

Verdict: Remove

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

This science fiction about a creature found after the end of the world has always intrigued me. It seems like it’s going to be a dark tale with intrigue and lots of secrets. That’s the kind of sci-fi that is absolutely my kind of thing! I’ve only read a short story by this author before, but I enjoyed what I read. I’m certainly eager to read a full length novel with his writing. Also, I love this weird cover!

Verdict: Keep

Empress by Karen Miller

I went back and forth on this one. The premise certainly sounds interesting. This book features a woman who escapes slavery and forges her own way in the world. Then I started poking through the reviews and feel a bit more hesitant. I’m not a person who will hate a book just because the main character is unlikeable. The reviews seem to hint, though, that there’s nothing about the MC that makes you want to keep reading the story. But maybe I would like it? I’m intrigued enough to let it stay.

Verdict: Keep

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick

This book gets an instant point for having on of my top-tier tropes: bookish themes! I love a book that is somehow centered around books and this certainly fits the bill. Our main character receives a book of fairytales from her long-thought dead grandma. Inside is a clue that she might not be as dead as previously believed. This sounds completely charming, so I think I’ll keep it!

Verdict: Keep

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sundays in bed with

Sundays In Bed With… The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

July 10, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

The weekend is almost over and it’s a busy one over here. Spent the day hanging out with family yesterday and running errands today. It’s been a busy but fun weekend! Now, I’m planning on spending the evening reading. I’ve recently started Jade City by Fonda Lee and it’s quite the ride already! But the book I’ll be talking about in today’s post is a re-read that I recently picked back up.

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

My Sunday Read Is…

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

My husband and I recently picked up a beautiful illustrated copy of this classic novel. We picked it up specifically because we recently watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies and my 8 year old son was enraptured. So we thought he would love getting more of the world through The Hobbit! Now, it’s our evening read as we’re winding down for the day. We just started it yesterday and he seems to be loving it so far! I’m enjoying revisiting this story with my kiddo.

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book blogger hop