Down the TBR Hole #29

April 12, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 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!

It’s been a bit since I’ve done a Down the TBR Hole round. Time to climb back on that horse! It’s, apparently, also been awhile since I’ve added a book to my TBR because I ended last round with 725 books on my Want to Read shelf and I’ll be starting with the same amount! I would like to say that I’ve exhibited restraint. But I would be lying 😂 I’ve definitely added books, but I’ve also been reading backlist books off my TBR lately. I count that as a win!

Alright, let’s continue the TBR cleanout and get into round 29.

My Sister’s Bones by Nuala Ellwood

This is a psychology thriller featuring a war journalist that is haunted by her experiences. When she moves back home, she’s also haunted by what she suspects might be happening in her neighbor’s house. This sounds like it has potential… but reading the synopsis left me feeling rather ‘meh’. I think this one has to go.

Verdict: Remove

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham

We have another thriller here and this one definitely sounds like it could get my heart racing. Only problem? It involves two pregnant women. Miscarriage is one of my few triggers, so a thriller + pregnant women? Imma pass. Even if it never happens, the anxiety that it might would haunt me throughout the book. No thanks.

Verdict: Remove

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but some of my favorite books in the genre are travel non-fiction. I like to live vicariously through wealthier people who can afford to go to places I dream of visiting 😂 This book is less about a dream location, but it still sounds fascinating. It’s about this man and his crew’s journey sailing the Pacific on a balsa log raft. I’m definitely intrigued!

Verdict: Keep

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5 on my tbr

#5OnMyTBR – Siblings

April 11, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 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!

We’re at the start of another week, which means it is time for another 5 On My TBR! This one seems apropos since yesterday was National Siblings Day. That’s right, the topic for this week is books featuring siblings! It took me a surprisingly long time for me to round up books for this list. I realized I read a lot of books where the main character has no family. Probably because I love the “found family” trope so much. But the ones I did round up are five books I’m eager to read!

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

#1. So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow

I can’t have a list about siblings and not talk about this Little Women retelling! I’m very interested in all the classics remixes that have been coming out recently, but this one is definitely at the top of the list. I really enjoyed Little Women when I read it, so a remix featuring young Black girls seems like something I would love! I’m excited to give it a go and I’m hoping to pick it up soon.

#2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

I remember when it seemed like everyone in the bookish community was reading (and raving about!) this book. That’s the whole reason this book ended up on my TBR, if I’m honest 😅 The hype got me! But this tale of two white-passing Black sisters and how they live their lives does sound fascinating! I got a copy of the book from Book of the Month and I’m eager to read it. I feel like I’ll need to be in a good head-space, though.

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book reviews

ARC Review: Scorpica by G.R. Macallister

April 10, 2022April 10, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Title: Scorpica

Author: G.R. Macallister

Publisher: Saga Press

Genre: Fantasy

Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, death, grief, an on-page sex scene (semi-vague), discussion of miscarriage, animal cruelty/death, alcoholism, violence, gore, child sacrifice, and execution (magical)

Rating: ★★★★

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

Goodreads Synopsis

A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe.

Five hundred years of peace between queendoms shatters when girls inexplicably stop being born. As the Drought of Girls stretches across a generation, it sets off a cascade of political and personal consequences across all five queendoms of the known world, throwing long-standing alliances into disarray as each queendom begins to turn on each other—and new threats to each nation rise from within.

Uniting the stories of women from across the queendoms, this propulsive, gripping epic fantasy follows a warrior queen who must rise from childbirth bed to fight for her life and her throne, a healer in hiding desperate to protect the secret of her daughter’s explosive power, a queen whose desperation to retain control leads her to risk using the darkest magic, a near-immortal sorcerer demigod powerful enough to remake the world for her own ends—and the generation of lastborn girls, the ones born just before the Drought, who must bear the hopes and traditions of their nations if the queendoms are to survive.

My Review

Thank you to the publisher, Wunderkind PR, and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You all know how much I love a good fantasy novel. Fantasy is and will probably always be my go-to genre when I’m thinking of what to read next. I love the scale and scope that can be found inside the pages of a novel that transports you to another world. When I was offered an e-ARC of Scorpica and read the synopsis, I immediately knew I wanted to read this book. And, though it took me longer than I was expected, I savored every minute of it!

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Apr 6, 2022

April 6, 2022April 6, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd6 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

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica: This will be my second read for the Magical Readathon and I’m glad I picked it as my quick read! I am flying through this thriller and having a great time while doing it. Do I sometimes want to shake some of the POV characters? Yes. Very much so. Kate. But the fact that I’m so invested tells me I’m really enjoying myself. I was thrown off by the use of the r-word near the beginning by a pretty terrible person. I get that this person is the type that would throw that slur around… but we couldn’t find something else to demonstrate they’re awful? In 2021? I dunno, I’m probably being overly sensitive. That aside, I’m having a great time with this read!

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top 5 tuesday

Top 5 Tuesday: Anticipated Reads for Apr-Jun 2022

April 5, 2022April 4, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd8 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! A new month means a whole new list of prompts and we’re kicking off April with a good one. That’s because, this week, I’ll be talking about my top five most anticipated books that are coming out between April and June! I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t been keeping up with the new releases in 2022 as much as I did last year. It took me a minute to pick through my Want to Read shelf on Goodreads and find the books for this list. But the five that I did find are definitely at the top of my anticipated list!

That being said, let’s dive into the post.

#1. Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

I can’t start a most anticipated list with anything other than my most anticipated book of 2022! I cannot WAIT to get back into the world that Rebecca Roanhorse created in Black Sun. Especially after that ending. I need to know what happens with Xiala and Serapio, dangit! I’m so hyped for this book and I’ll be reading it as soon as it comes out.

Release Date: April 19, 2022

#2. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Give me all the magical school stories by BIPOC authors pleeeease! This book sounds absolutely incredible. It sounds whimsical and diverse and like it’s going to be a wonderful ride. I haven’t read anything by Dhonielle Clayton as of yet, but I’ve wanted to for a hot minute. When I saw this was coming out, I figured there was no better time than now!

Release Date: May 3, 2022

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wrap up

March 2022 Wrap Up

April 4, 2022April 3, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

We made it through another month of 2022! I feel like March went by super fast which was not at all what I wanted, haha. I feel like I got nothing done because the month just slipped through my fingers! At the same time, I’ve been unusually stressed with nothing added to my daily routine that would explain all the stress. It was a weird month, y’all. Here’s hoping April will be a bit more chill.

In the reading department, I read quite a few books but not nearly the amount I was hoping to achieve. I only read a few books from my Magical Readathon and WomenInMyth-Athon TBRs, but I still had a lot of fun participating in both! I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on myself because I still managed to read nine books. Nine books in one month would have made me from a few years ago die of shock! And the quality of those books what top tier. I had three five star reads last month! I gotta remind myself of these things when I’m being too down on myself for how much I read. After all, it’s quality not quantity that counts.

Anyways, let’s get into all the books I read in the month of March!

Books Read

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

Book: Anne of West Philly by Ivy Noelle Weir/illustrated by Myisha Haynes

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: This was such a cute, fun graphic novel! It’s a retelling of Anne of Green Gables, which I haven’t read. Still, I know a bit about the character of Anne and I think this duo captured her spirit to a T! The art is beautiful, the story was touching, and I had a blast reading it. You can read my full review here.

Book: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Rating: ★★★★

Thoughts: Well, this was quite a thrill to read! From the very beginning, I was invested in Priya and Malini’s stories. They are incredibly well-written and compelling characters that made me want to keep reading. Beyond them, the lush world-building and the intriguing politics had me absolutely captivated. I’m excited for the next book in this series!

Book: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Rating: ★★★★★

Thoughts: This book took me by surprise! I got it in my Book of the Month box and signed up for a blog tour simply because I liked the cover. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the tour, it probably would have languished on my shelves for awhile. I’m so glad it didn’t, though, because it absolutely blew me away! You can read my full review here.

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readathon

Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox TBR

April 3, 2022April 1, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

As some of you may or may not know, I took place in the opening phase of the Magical Readathon last September. During that readathon, players took their characters through the Novice Path to reach the magical academy of Orilium. This was all in preparation of our first classes to come in April. And now the time is finally here! It’s time for the Spring Equinox readathon!

But what is the Magical Readathon? It is the brain child of the marvelous G @ Book Roast, who created the world of Aeldia, where Orilium dwells, and every aspect therein. It’s an incredibly creative readathon where you build a character, choose and guild, and guide your character through classes to achieve their calling. I am notoriously bad at giving all the details in a coherent way, so you should definitely watch G’s announcement video for the scoop:

My Character

Before I get into which calling I choose for the Spring Equinox readathon, let me tell you more about my character!

✨✨✨ Name: Korrin Musgrave ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Guild: The Order of the Crescent Moon ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Conduit: Quarterstaff ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Legacy: Wolf familiar (Venandi) ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Background: Wildling ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Province: Irtheria ✨✨✨
✨✨✨ Heritage: Earthling (earth element) ✨✨✨

If you want to learn more about these various choices, you can check out the Brief History of Aeldia on the Google drive. It’s awesome what G has dreamed up!

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blog tour · book spotlight

Blog Tour Spotlight: The Ventifact Colossus by Dorian Hart

April 1, 2022March 31, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Hello, reader!

It’s time for another lovely blog tour spotlight sponsored by The Write Reads! This time, I’ll be featuring a fantasy novel that sounds like it could be truly epic: The Ventifact Colossus by Dorian Hart! I didn’t get to read this book for the tour (March was a busy month for me!) but this sounds like something I would love. Which means I’ll definitely be picking it up when I have more space in my reading schedule!

Before I tell you more about this novel, I want to thank Dave @ The Write Reads and all the folks behind the scenes for allowing me to participate in this tour. My TBR has, once again, grown because of a The Write Reads tour and I’m not mad about it 😂

Now, let’s get to the post!

Book Details

Title: The Ventifact Colossus
Author: Dorian Hart
Publication date: January 7th, 2016
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

Amazon::Goodreads

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book reviews

ARC Review: Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega

March 31, 2022 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Title: Witchlings

Author: Claribel A. Ortega

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

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

A magical adventure for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Nevermoor, about three witchlings who must work together to do the impossible if they have any hope of earning their full powers.

Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.

And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can’t wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn’t placed in one of the five covens. She’s a Spare!

Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle to seal their coven and cement themselves as sisters, it doesn’t work! They’re stuck as Witchlings—and will never be able to perform powerful magic.

Seven invokes her only option: the impossible task. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they’ll gain their full powers. If they fail… Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever.

But maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all…

With action-packed adventure, a coven of quirky witchlings, Claribel A. Ortega’s signature humor and girl-power vibes, this middle grade Latine witch story is truly a modern classic.

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Mar 30, 2022

March 30, 2022 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

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

Scorpica by G.R. Macallister: I was sent an e-ARC of this book through Netgalley because the publisher sent an email asking if I was interested and, after reading the synopsis, I couldn’t say no! It sounds epic in the best way, with lots of moving parts and intricate world-building. So far, it’s living up to what I was imagining. Of course, I’ve only just started it, so who knows if it’ll keep up, but right now, I’m really loving it! Let’s hope that continues.
Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick: I’m reading this book for a blog tour sponsored by The Write Reads. It’s a middle grade that promises creepy vibes and, so far, it is delivering! I’m having a great time with this story and am fully invested in what happens to these kids. Also, love the fact that there are pigs, though I am a little worried for their well-being…

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