BBNYA 2024 Finalist Tour: Curse of Souls by Niranjan

February 20, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Hello, reader!

Our finalists for 2024’s Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award are on tour and I’m joining in! Today, I’ll be bringing you my thoughts on our 15th place finalist, a true sci-fi/fantasy blend with a good dash of romance called Curse of Souls by Niranjan!

But, before I go on, let me tell you more about this award. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with, typically, 15 finalists (though we had 16 in 2024) and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

And, now, let’s talk about Curse of Souls!

Title: Curse of Souls
Author: Niranjan
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: January 19th, 2024
Length: 158 pages
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Age group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, violence, war, blood

Book Links

Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::StoryGraph::
Goodreads

The fates of two nations hang on the balance on a man’s choice between love and an arcane bond.

Philip has been spearheading a rebellion in his country, with Casey, his lover and partner, at his side. The rebellion has snowballed into a civil war and casualties on both sides are mounting. In a desperate attempt for peace, Philip decides to approach Raylan, the second in command of the other side. He has learned that Raylan is not as stubborn as his mentor and that he may be open to negotiations.

The last thing Philip expects is for a soul mate bond to spring to life between him and Raylan, activating an ancient curse that will kill them both if the bond isn’t consummated. Philip has never loved anyone but Casey, and Raylan is a total stranger who he has no feelings for. Yet, the delicate negotiations between the two nations will fail without him and Raylan. Philip’s life is not his own, after all; it belongs to the people he has pledged his service to.

With more than his life at stake, will Philip be able to let go of the love of his life to bring peace to his people?

Curse of Souls is dystopian futuristic fantasy. If you love fantasy tales with high personal and world changing stakes, and protagonists who struggle to make hard choices, you will enjoy Niranjan’s Curse of Souls about people pushed to the limits of their endurance.

Buy Curse of Souls today for a tale of love, sacrifice and redemption that will leave you breathless.

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: February 19th, 2025

February 19, 2025 kerrimcbooknerd7 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

The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune: Y’all, I went into this book already being a pretty big lover of T.J. Klune’s novels. I mean, that was the entire reason I picked this book as my February Book of the Month pick! I didn’t even know what the book was about before I cracked it open, haha. Well, I picked this up on Monday and I almost finished that day. I probably would have if I didn’t have errands I needed to run and those would have been abandoned if I could have! That’s how much I am loving this book! It’s getting finished today, I can promise you that, and I already know it’s going to be 5 stars. It’s follows a man who goes to a cabin in the woods to pick up the pieces of his recently shattered life and encounters a couple of squatters instead. It doesn’t sound like something that would be both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and yet here we are 😭
Buddy the Knight and the Queen of Sorrow by Peter David: I’m reading this book for a tour hosted by The Write Reads. It’s a cute middle grade tale that I’ve just started, so I can’t really give you my feelings on it just yet. I am having a good time! I do love a story about toys that are alive because that was a particularly favorite fantasy when I was a kid. I’m hoping I end up loving this one!

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: February 12th, 2025

February 12, 2025 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

Reforged by Seth Haddon: I’ve been eyeing this book for awhile. Honestly, ever since I saw the cover, I knew I wanted to read it (total cover read, lol). It’s a royalty/bodyguard romance which is a trope I’m learning I quite enjoy. But this goes beyond just the romance. There’s quite a bit of political intrigue going on in the background, as well. I’m loving it so far! I’m listening to the audiobook and the narrator, Gary Furlong, is knocking it out of the park. This may not been on my mental TBR for the month, but I’m so glad I picked it up!
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson: I’m reading this for the Weirdo Book Club as this is the pick for February. I’ve heard so many great things about this novel and, so far, it has not disappointed! The writing is engaging and quite evocative, painting a vivid picture in my mind of this story. I’m also enjoying the quiet dread that has been peppered throughout the early chapters. This is a short one and sounds like it’s gonna get wild, so it’s interesting to see the foreshadowing slipping in between the main character’s bi-awakening.

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: February 5th, 2025

February 5, 2025 kerrimcbooknerd5 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

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

Unlike my last update involving this book, I’m not longer barely into it and I have thoughts! I think I may be enjoying the second installment in The Shepard King duology and I think I may love it more than I did One Dark Window. I’m only 50 or so pages away from the end and, as long as the conclusion isn’t complete trash, this is going to be a 4.5 star read at the very least. I was almost late coming back from lunch today because I did not want to stop reading!

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book reviews

Book Review: Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco

February 3, 2025March 3, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Title: Court of Wanderers
Author: Rin Chupeco
Publisher: Saga Press
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, body horror, blood, xenophobia, grief, self-harm
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

Remy Pendergast and his royal vampire companions return to face an enemy that is terrifyingly close to home in Rin Chupeco’s queer, bloody Gothic epic fantasy series for fans of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and the adult animated series Castlevania.

Remy Pendergast, the vampire hunter, and his unexpected companions, Lord Zidan Malekh and Lady Xiaodan Song, are on the road through the kingdom of Aluria again after a hard-won first battle against the formidable Night Empress, who threatens to undo a fragile peace between humans and vampires. Xiaodan, severely injured, has lost her powers to vanquish the enemy’s new super breed of vampire, but if the trio can make it to Fata Morgana, the seat of Malehk’s court—dubbed “the Court of Wanderers”—there is hope of nursing her and bringing them back.

En-route to the Third Court, Remy crosses paths with his father, the arrogant, oftentimes cruel Lord of Valenbonne. He also begins to suffer strange dreams of the Night Empress, whom he has long suspected to be Ligaya Pendergast, his own mother. As his family history unfolds during these episodes, which are too realistic to be coincidence, he realizes that she is no ordinary vampire—and that he may end up having to choose between the respective legacies of his parents.

Posing as Malek and Xiaodan’s human familiar, Remy contends with Aluria’s intimidating vampire courts and a series of gruesome murders with their help—and more, as the three navigate their relationship. But those feelings and even their extraordinary collective strength will be put to the test as each of them unleashes new powers in combat at what may be proven to be the ultimate cost.

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 31st, 2025

January 31, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

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
Finally… reveal the book!

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

Hello, reader!

Welcome to another First Lines Friday! I’m happy to gotten through another work week and not have to worry about working the weekend. Two whole days off of work? Whatever shall I do with myself? (Spoiler alert: I’ll be reading 😂) For this week, I’m featuring a sequel that I just picked up and am already loving. If you’ve been paying attention around here, you’ll probably be able to guess what it is without even the first line, haha.

That being said, let’s see if the first lines can pull you into the story.

The Line(s):

“The darkness bled into itself – no beginning, no end. I floated, buoyant on a tide of salt water. Above me, the night sky had blackened – moon and stars masked by heavy, water-laden clouds that never receded.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: January 29th, 2025

January 29, 2025 kerrimcbooknerd1 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

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

I quite literally just picked up this book because I just finished my last physical read! That means I don’t have much to share about my feelings for the sequel to One Dark Window other than I’m happy to be back in this world. There’s something about the winter time that lends itself to a nice, gothic atmosphere and this book certainly has that in spades. I’m hoping to love it as much as I did the first book. Fingers crossed for me!

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book reviews

Book Review: The Grimoire of Grave Fates edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

January 27, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Title: The Grimoire of Grave Fates
Edited by: Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, murder, blood, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, bullying
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

Crack open your spell book and enter the world of the illustrious Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary. There’s been a murder on campus, and it’s up to the students of Galileo to solve it. Follow 18 authors and 18 students as they puzzle out the clues and find the guilty party.

Professor of Magical History Septimius Dropwort has just been murdered, and now everyone at the Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is a suspect.

A prestigious school for young magicians, the Galileo Academy has recently undergone a comprehensive overhaul, reinventing itself as a roaming academy in which students of all cultures and identities are celebrated. In this new Galileo, every pupil is welcome—but there are some who aren’t so happy with the recent changes. That includes everyone’s least favorite professor, Septimius Dropwort, a stodgy old man known for his harsh rules and harsher punishments. But when the professor’s body is discovered on school grounds with a mysterious note clenched in his lifeless hand, the Academy’s students must solve the murder themselves, because everyone’s a suspect.

Told from more than a dozen alternating and diverse perspectives, The Grimoire of Grave Fates follows Galileo’s best and brightest young magicians as they race to discover the truth behind Dropwort’s mysterious death. Each one of them is confident that only they have the skills needed to unravel the web of secrets hidden within Galileo’s halls. But they’re about to discover that even for straight-A students, magic doesn’t always play by the rules. . . .

Contributors include: Cam Montgomery, Darcie Little Badger, Hafsah Faizal, Jessica Lewis, Julian Winters, Karuna Riazi, Kat Cho, Kayla Whaley, Kwame Mbalia, L. L. McKinney, Marieke Nijkamp, Mason Deaver, Natasha Díaz, Preeti Chhibber, Randy Ribay, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Victoria Lee, and Yamile Saied Méndez

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first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 24th, 2025

January 24, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

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
Finally… reveal the book!

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

Hello, reader!

Welcome to another First Lines Friday! For this week’s installment, I didn’t have a specific book in mind. I’m really stuck in Babylonia at the moment and it has taken over the bookish corner of my brain, haha. So we’re gonna be completely random with this one and grab something off my full-to-bursting bookshelf!

Perhaps reading the first line will not only make you want to read it, but me as well.

The Line(s):

“The legend they tell about me goes something like this:

First, you’ll see a streak of silver across the sky, like a comet burning through the fog.

Then, the clock hands will still halfway between this second and the next.

The world will fall silent, and the Reaper will knock three times on your bedroom door.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

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www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: January 22nd, 2024

January 22, 2025 kerrimcbooknerd2 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

Babylonia by Costanza Casati

I’m a slow reader, y’all, so I’m still making my way through this one. The start, though it definitely has exciting parts, is a bit slow, but I think it works with the kind of story that is being told. We’re really focusing in on two people, Semiramis and Ninus, and how they view the world and navigate through it. So far, it’s fascinating and, now that I’m deeper into the novel, it’s starting to get beautifully politically twisty, too. One of my favorite things!

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