Tag: fantasy

Encanto Book Tag
book tag

Encanto Book Tag

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Hello, reader!

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a book tag, hasn’t it? Let me remedy that real quick and do one that speaks to my Disney-loving soul! The Encanto Book Tag is exactly what it sounds like… a tag focused on the songs of the incredible Disney movie, Encanto. How many times have I seen it? Probably too many. How many times have I cried while watching it? Pretty much every time 😂 It’s a beautiful movie and the songs are absolute perfection, so this was an easy choice when looking for a tag to do today!

Before I jump in, I want to thank Danni @ _ForBooksSake for tagging me! You should definitely check out her blog if you’re a fan of thrillers. Even if you aren’t, Danni’s blog is a great, bookish spot on the internet! This tag was originally created by Passport To Eden.

With that said, let’s get to it!

The Family Madrigal

Name a book that explores multiple family generations

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

This is a book I don’t talk about often, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a contemporary novel about a group of sisters who return home after their parents are arrested. There’s drama, there’s heart-wrenching emotion, and there’s a lot to unpack. It’s all told in such a tender way, though, that you can’t help but love it.

Waiting On A Miracle

What Is A Book You Enjoyed But Took Longer Than Expected To Finish

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I ended up giving this book five stars because it was absolutely incredible. And yet it took me months to read it! Sure, most of those months I wasn’t actively trying to read it. I got distracted by blog tours and review copies. Once I buckled down and devoted my attention to this book, though, I knew it was something special. Definitely worth a read!

Surface Pressure

Name A Character Who Has To Do It All

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

Gwen Proctor is probably one of the more badass characters I’ve read recently! I suppose, in the end, she doesn’t do everything by herself, but for most of the book she is struggling to keep herself and her kids hidden and safe all on her own. It’s freakin’ intense! I think Gwen would relate to this song on a deep, personal level, haha.

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#5OnMyTBR – Borrowed
5 on my tbr

#5OnMyTBR – Borrowed

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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!

I hope everyone has had a great Monday. Mine has been especially busy, which is why I’m just now sitting down to write this post. After rushing around and feeling kind of crabby, I was pumped to find out that the 5 On My TBR prompts had been updated! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done one of these posts and I have to say, I’ve missed them.

Today’s prompt is borrowed books which I honestly don’t have any I can think. Mostly because I avoid borrowing books from friends because I take forever to read them. So I’m going to pick five books that I would love to borrow from my library some time soon!

#1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

This is a book that has been on my TBR for years. It’s also a book by an author that I’ve never read from before. I don’t always do this, but when I think about, I do like to try authors out before I commit to having them on my shelves. So for this book, which definitely intrigues me, but not enough to buy it, I’m definitely going to get it from my local library. Ya know, when I can remember I want it and not get distracted by the shiny, new books right at the front of the building, haha.

#2. Flamefall by Rosaria Munda

This is the second book in the Aurelian Cycle series, which is criminally underrated! I mean… I’ve only read the first book, Fireborne, so I suppose I don’t know if the entire series is underrated. All I know is that the first book was incredible and no one ever seems to talk about it! That being said, I don’t own the first book and I don’t need to be buying an entire series any time soon, so this seems like a good ‘borrow from the library’ choice. Then, if I love this one as much as I love the first, I’ll probably cave and get the whole set 😂

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Down the TBR Hole #40
down the tbr hole

Down the TBR Hole #40

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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!

This week is slowly winding down and I, for one, am ready for the weekend. Mostly because my birthday is on Saturday 🥳 Before I get to celebrate, though, I figured it was time to continue my TBR trimming with another round of Down the TBR Hole! I’ve been good… I’ve only managed to add one book to my TBR since I last did this post! I ended with 702 books on my ‘Want to Read’ shelf last round, so I’m back up to 703 books. I feel like I’m in a holding pattern around the low 700s, haha.

Let’s see if I can get below that number this round, eh?

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Oh I’m definitely keeping this. This is the first book that got me interested in Grady Hendrix because of the unique format. I mean, it’s a horror story set in an IKEA-like store and the book is formatted in an IKEA-like catalogue style! I have to read this. Eventually 😅

Verdict: Keep

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Look. I was quite happy with where the original Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series ended. I thought I was done and I thought it wrapped up well. And then a whole slew of new books were dropped on us! I added this because of how much I enjoyed the first three books. If I’m honest with myself, though, I don’t think I’m that eager to continue.

Verdict: Remove

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WWW Wednesday: Sep 14, 2022
www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Sep 14, 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

  • It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames: Holy $#^!, this book is freaky! And it dumps you right into the frights, too! I’m loving how intense and strange this story is, so far, and I may have stayed up way too late last night because I needed to know what happened next. This is a young adult horror that is set in Antarctica where a group of teens are tasked with helping collect ice samples. Of course, that all goes horribly wrong when a monster finds its way to them. The setting and the monster combine in a way that makes it truly spooky and this author knows how to write a creepy scene. I can’t wait to continue!
  • Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim: I’m finally finishing the Blood of the Stars duology! I read Spin the Dawn forever ago and truly enjoyed it. Now it’s time to complete the series by finishing this one. So far, the writing is just as good as the first book. I’m excited to pick up Maia’s story where it left off and it certainly starts off in an exciting, if dangerous, way! Looking forward to finishing this one up this week.
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August 2022 Wrap Up
wrap up

August 2022 Wrap Up

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Hello, reader!

I’ve managed to get to my reading wrap up for the previous month before it is almost the end of this month! We’re making progress 😂 In my defense, I read a lot of books (for me) last month. I somehow managed to get through 20 books! The task of rounding them all up and talking about them has been daunting, to say the least.

I have to blame the two readathons I participated in last month, the Trope-ical Readathon and the Magical Readathon. They were both a ton of fun and had me tearing through books. I managed to complete my character’s classes for the Magical Readathon, though I did… less great with my Trope-ical TBR 😅 I am but one, slow reader and there was no way I was getting through all those books! Still, I had a blast with both readathons and I can’t wait until the next round for each.

Alright, now let’s jump in so I can talk about all the books I managed to read in August!

Books Read

  • Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood: This was such a thrilling read! It’s an Ethiopian-inspired retelling of Jane Eyre which is one of my favorite classic novels. I was already primed to love this and it did not disappoint! I loved the world, the characters, and their messy, wonderful relationships. It also brought the creepy factor and I loved that! This would be a great read for spooky season. You can read my full review here. ★★★★
  • My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones: Stephen Graham Jones has a way of writing horror that makes it feel like a contemporary. This book was no different and, somehow, it totally works! I enjoyed how this was really a character study of Jade, our main character, who is obsessed with slashers and hates pretty much everything else. It was intriguing following her as she tries to convince people that a slasher has arrived at their small town. Don’t get me wrong, though… there are definitely some pretty horrific things in this book, especially near the end! It all wraps up into a weird, wonderful story that was both spine-tingling and introspective. ★★★★
  • Spy x Family Vol 1 by Tatsuya Endo: And here we see the beginning of my obsession with the Forger family, lol. I read this manga after hearing about it all over the bookish community. It sounded cute and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Immediately after finishing this volume, I binged the first season of the anime and put a hold on all the volumes available at my library 😂 It’s just so sweet! It follows a spy who needs a fake family to complete his latest mission. The people he manages to get into his fake family, however, are 1) an assassin (Yor is the BEST) and 2) a telepath (I ADORE Anya). It’s a lot of fun and I need mooooore. ★★★★
  • These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall: I read this book as part of a book tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. I signed up for the tour because this sounded like a gothic horror that would be right up my alley! I had a great time with this dark, brooding story. The atmosphere was on point and I loved that we got some good rep throughout the story. There’s even a sapphic love story mixed in with all the horror. This book certainly made me interested in reading more of Kate Alice Marshall’s work! You can read my full review here. ★★★★
Continue reading “August 2022 Wrap Up” →
ARC Review: With Fire In Their Blood by Kat Delacorte
book reviews

ARC Review: With Fire In Their Blood by Kat Delacorte

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Title: With Fire In Their Blood

Author: Kat Delacorte

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Fantasy

Age Group: Young Adult

Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicide, parent death, war, fighting, grief, depictions of drug abuse

Rating: ★★★★

Book Links: TBD::Amazon::Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis

With Fire In Their Blood is a simmering supernatural romance set in the crumbling Italian city of Castello, where mafia clans make the rules, dark magic pulses the streets and the sins of the past threaten to consume the present. Perfect for fans of These Violent Delights, The Darkest Minds and V.E. Schwab.

When sixteen-year-old Lilly Deluca arrives in Castello, she isn’t impressed. A secluded town in the Italian mountains is not where she saw her last years of high school playing out.

Divided for generations by a brutal clan-family war, the two halves of Castello are kept from destroying each other by the mysterious General, a leader determined to maintain order and ‘purity’. . . whatever the cost.

Lilly falls in with the rebellious Liza, brooding Nico and sensitive Christian, and sparks begin to fly. But in a city where love can lead to ruin, Lilly isn’t sure she can trust anyone – not even herself.

And then she accidentally breaks Castello’s most important rule: when the General’s men come to test your blood, you’d better not be anything more than human . . .

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ARC Review: Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
book reviews

ARC Review: Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

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Title: Within These Wicked Walls

Author: Lauren Blackwood

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

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

What the heart desires, the house destroys…

Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option. Evil may roam the castle’s halls, but so does a burning desire.

Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.

Continue reading “ARC Review: Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood” →
Down the TBR Hole #39
down the tbr hole

Down the TBR Hole #39

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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!

It’s been a hell of a Monday here in the McBookNerd house. I ended up working a double shift and just now getting a chance to sit and write my post for the day! Yet another reason that I need to work on developing an actual schedule so I won’t have to worry about it, heh. One day… when I finally manage to organize my life outside of work.

Late hour aside, I’m still eager to bring you another round of Down the TBR Hole! I’ve somehow managed to keep my ‘Want to Read’ shelf at the exact same number I left it last round: 703 books. Perhaps one day I’ll get back into the 600s. Although we’re getting to that time of year where I start looking forward to next year’s new releases… so I only see this number going up, haha. Still, at least as I go through each round of this meme, I know that I’m curating my TBR to reflect books I’m actually still interested in reading.

That said, let’s jump in!

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

I’m actually kind of shocked that this book is still on my TBR, to be honest. I’ve wanted to read this since watching (and loving!) the movie version. That was a looong time ago and still it sits on my TBR. I’m such a slacker 😂 In my defense, for awhile after seeing the movie, I had no idea it was based on this graphic novel. All that said, I’m still very much interested in picking this up.

Verdict: Keep

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Come ooooon, it’s a spooky book set near water AND it’s a fairytale retelling. There’s no way I’m kicking this one off my TBR! I’ve heard so many good things about this book and it seems like something that would be right up my alley. It sounds dark and atmospheric and just completely my vibe. I suppose we’ll find out once I finally pick it up, heh. Here’s hoping this dark retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses doesn’t let me down.

Verdict: Keep

Continue reading “Down the TBR Hole #39” →
First Lines Friday #60
first lines friday

First Lines Friday #60

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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!

I can’t tell you how excited I am that it’s Friday! Mostly because I have a three day weekend and, after a week of a ton of overtime, I definitely need it. Today has been so relaxing, with lots of reading and chilling and delicious breakfast sandwiches. Perfect way to kick off a holiday weekend, haha. Now, it’s time for another First Lines Friday post!

The book I’m featuring today is one I’m reading with the Middle Grade Marvels group. I literally just started it today, so I don’t have much of a feel for it yet, but I’m looking forward to continuing! Now, let me share the first lines and see if the pique your interest.

The Line(s):

“Tonight is the darkest night of the year.

It is so dark, you can barely make out the stone cottage sitting in front of you. It is the only building in the valley. A path runs right from the fields to a red front door, framed by the remains of a rose bush. In summer, when the days are long and warm, the roses flourish. But there are no roses now. It is the dead of winter and the dead of night. The door is surrounded by thorns.”

The Hints:

This is a middle grade fantasy that was released in 2020.

It is set during WWII.

It follows a young boy whose imaginary friends come to life!

The Reveal:

Continue reading “First Lines Friday #60” →
Book Review: Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
book reviews

Book Review: Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

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Title: Winterset Hollow

Author: Jonathan Edward Durham

Publisher: Credo House Publishers

Genre: Fantasy Horror

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, violence, torture, animal cruelty, blood, stabbings

Rating: ★★★★★

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

Goodreads Synopsis

Everyone has wanted their favorite book to be real, if only for a moment. Everyone has wished to meet their favorite characters, if only for a day. But be careful in that wish, for even a history laid in ink can be repaid in flesh and blood, and reality is far deadlier than fiction . . . especially on Addington Isle. Winterset Hollow follows a group of friends to the place that inspired their favorite book-a timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival. But after a series of shocking discoveries, they find that much of what the world believes to be fiction is actually fact, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. It’s Barley Day . . . and you’re invited to the hunt.

Winterset Hollow is as thrilling as it is terrifying and as smart as it is surprising. A uniquely original story filled with properly unexpected twists and turns, Winterset Hollow delivers complex, indelible characters and pulse- pounding action as it storms toward an unforgettable climax that will leave you reeling. How do you celebrate Barley Day? You run, friend. You run.

Jonathan Edward Durham was born near Philadelphia in one of many rust-belt communities where he read voraciously throughout his youth. After attending the College of William & Mary, where he received a degree in neuroscience, Jonathan waded into the professional world before deciding he was better suited for more artistic pursuits. He now lives in California where he writes to bring a unique voice to the space between the timeless wonder of his favorite childhood stories and the pop sensibilities of his adolescent literary indulgences.

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