Thursday, July 10, 2025

Random Reads #712, July 10th

Random Reads is a monthly meme (that I'm going to do weekly) hosted by I'm Loving Books to read some books that have been on our TBR piles for a long time. Using Random.org, I got 1836 which turned out to be The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss! It's been on my TBR pile since June 25th, 2024, and I added it because I love Marissa Meyer's writing, and it sounded really good! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Third Sentence Thursday #726, July 10th

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!


Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to watch fireworks especially while eating a cookie!
1) Take the book you are currently reading and open it to a random page. Share the third full sentence on that page. (If there isn't a third one – like at the end of a chapter or a blank page – you can share the third sentence of the book or just choose another random page.) Feel free to share more than one sentence, if you feel the need to do so.
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence at Words I Write Crazy (This Blog)
4) Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentences!

"So I ducked into an automated transient service center and used some of the funds on my new hard currency card to pay for a private rest cubicle." -Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells, page 11.

That sounds good! Must reread more now! What are your guy's 3rd lines? Link up below!

Will the Time Come #736, July 10th

Every Thursday I am going to list a book which I really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! Thanks to Jodie from Books for Company for this meme!
Want to Join?
-Pick a book you have been meaning to read
-Do a post telling us about the book    
-Link the post up in the linky  
-Visit the other blogs

Ten teen influencers come to a remote island to star in a reality show, but when one of them winds up dead, they realize that this time, the price of being “cancelled” could be their lives.

A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.

Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars--including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators—it’s about to turn into a nightmare.

When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these nine little influencers find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game…and one of them might be pulling the strings.

With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled—like, literally—before their #1 follower strikes again.

Why the time hasn't come yet...
I don't know, it's a stand alone, and I got an ARC of her other book, so I need to be reminded more that it exists, and I just bought it, so I'm hoping it read it in the near future! But I never do, do I? What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday #739, July 9th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating! 

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova
Expected Publication: July 22nd, 2025
From Goodreads:
A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
Expected Publication: July 22nd, 2025
From Goodreads:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder—now a hit Netflix series—returns with her first novel for adults: a twisty thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder.

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder.

She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
Expected Publication: July 22nd, 2025
From Goodreads:
A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are hungry for something a little more diabolical.

The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.

Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that’s what Alessa Li is told when she’s kidnapped and forcibly enrolled.

But there’s more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa’s class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school’s library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.

Can they band together and survive, or will the faculty eat its fill?

Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston
Expected Publication: July 22nd, 2025
From Goodreads:
A fast-paced and thought-provoking queer sci-fi/fantasy novel from #1 New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston.

Morgan Enni has things to do. A science prodigy in a university full of mage-scientists, she’s notable for having no magical ability, which only increases her ambition and drive to prove herself. Her research has the potential to devastate every aetherworker in the galaxy and shake the crumbled foundations of the Stavenger Empire. It's no wonder she can't find anyone who wants to listen to her, much less fund her expedition.

But Morgan is stubborn, and eventually her work catches the attention of a group of rebels, who hope it might turn the tide in their favour. When they try to recruit the young scientist, they get much more than they bargained for. Morgan Enni has secrets of her own.

Set in the world of Aetherbound, E. K. Johnston continues to entwine Arthurian myth and the history of North Atlantic fisheries in a clever, character-driven space fantasy.

Between These Broken Hearts by Lexi Ryan
Expected Publication: July 22nd, 2025
From Goodreads:
Forbidden romance, mysterious prophecies, and the battle to save the fae realm come to a captivating conclusion in the #1 New York Times bestselling saga begun with Abriella in the These Hollow Vows duology and continued with Jas and Felicity in Beneath These Cursed Stars.

Princess Jasalyn has eleven days to live.

Jasalyn is facing the repercussions of a deadly bargain. Her life, and the future of the shadow court, are forfeit on her birthday unless she can stop the evil fae king Mordeus. She needs to face her greatest fears and find him before she runs out of time, but even after everything, Kendrick won’t let her face this alone.

Shape-shifter Felicity has vanished.

Felicity disappeared from King Misha’s dungeons, and her friends have been searching for her to no avail. But even if she’s found, Felicity will never be able to escape the oracle’s tragic prophecy for her and her family. In her lonely battle with fate, Misha is the last person she can ask to stand by her side, but the first one she’ll need.

Steel & Spellfire by Laura E. Weyouth
Expected Publication: July 22nd, 2025
From Goodreads:
A devastatingly gifted mage with clandestine romantic connections to a Royal Guard joins the court social season in an attempt to undo past wrongs, only to fall under suspicion when a creature with powers shockingly like her own begins slaughtering her fellow debutantes.

Pandora Small has two ruling objectives: first, to keep the prodigious extent of her power secret, in a world where mages are feared and governed by suffocating laws. Second, to find her wealthy and noble-born patron, a shadowy figure bound to Pandora by magic, who stole her childhood and grew her power until she became a weapon rather than a girl. To that end, she’s posing as an Ingenue, a privileged and petted young woman of strictly limited abilities, who is allowed access to the royal court’s social season in order to find a husband and patron to control her magic.

But on Pandora’s arrival at court, Kit Beacon, one of the most promising members of the Royal Guard, inadvertently learns the true scope of her power. Privately sympathetic towards mages and the difficulties they face, Beacon decides to keep Pandora’s secret. But when someone or something with powers terribly like Pandora’s own begins slaughtering her fellow Ingenues, Beacon’s resolve to keep what he knows about her private is put to the test.

Tasked with protecting all the girls in the palace, not just one, Beacon will have to decide whether Pandora is a suspect or an ally, while to win his trust, Pandora will have to let him know more of her still—the worst of who she is and what she’s done. Because only unity between them during the social whirlwind to come will enable Pan to find her patron and Beacon the killer, and ensure they both see justice meted out.

There's some books that I'm really excited to read, I've gotten to read a couple of them and they were so good, and I can't wait for them to be out in the world! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

WWW Wednesday #743, July 9th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme! And thanks now to Taking on a World of Words for reviving it! 

I'm currently reading Oceanborn, and I'm loving it!


I read SeaMonster, and it was a fantastic story!

I'm going to be reading Not Quite Dead Yet, and I can't wait, it sounds really fantastic! 

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Teaser Tuesday #743, July 8th

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Today's teaser comes from Waterfell by Amalie Howard, page 7.

"More than good, a sneaky inner voice whispers. Starting striker on the varsity team as a junior is pretty much unheard of."

I have no idea about sports, so I'll have to take your word for it! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Monday, July 7, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #735, July 7th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!
What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #734
Teaser Tuesday #742
WWW Wednesday #742
WOW #738
Will the Time Come #735
Third Sentence Thursday #725
Random Reads #711
First Lines Friday #738
Book Blogger Hop #40
Monthly ARC's Update 121
The Reward Challenge Update #720
Wheel of TBR #267
How Well I Stuck to It #572
Wrote that Review Update #569

Week 27 Reviews:
The Revenant Games
The Death Mask
The Savior's Champion
The Savior's Sister
Across the Green Grass Fields
Where the Drowned Girls Go
In Mercy, Rain
Skeleton Song
Lost in the Moment and Found
Mislaid in Parts Half-Known
Stillhouse Lake
The Pairing 
Mirage City
Swallowing Darkness
Divine Misdemeanours
A Shiver of Light 
Terrors at the Gate
Isles of the Emberdark
Tenderly, I Am Devoured 
Bitter Spirits

Phase Out Your Seriesathon: 
Update 49

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 
Update 45

Camp SeasonAthon: 

Phase Out Your TBR: 
Update 3

Random:
Margie Fuston Author Page
Sav R. Miller Author Page

OK, so I got  posts in 7 days, What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Through Gates of Garnet and Gold

A fan-favorite character returns in this action-packed instalment of the Hugo Award-winning Wayward Children series.

After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she never believed she'd find her door again, and when she did, she didn't look back. She disappeared from the school to resume her place in the Halls, never intending to return.

Years have passed. A darkness has descended on the Halls, and the living statues who populate them are dying at the hands of the already dead. The Lord and Lady who rule the land are helpless to stop the slaughter, forcing Nancy to leave the Halls again, this time on purpose, as she attempts to seek much-needed help from her former schoolmates.

But who would volunteer to quest in a world where the dead roam freely?

And why are the dead so intent on adding to their number?

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Phase Out Your TBR Update 5

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was The Ruthworth Family Plot which is for the prompt Red 5 and I'll be reading I Don't Know next! 

My Reading Journey:

Isle of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 2
Started On: July 2nd
Finished On: July 2nd, 7:38 PM
Pages Read: 532 

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 3rd
Finished On: July 3rd, 10:31 PM
Pages Read: 304

Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 12
Started On: July 4th
Finished On: July 4th, 3:48 PM
Pages Read: 317

The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 5
Started On: July 5th
Finished On: July 5th, 11:07 PM
Pages Read: 560

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray 
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 6th
Finished On: July 6th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 336

Prompts Left: Yellow 12, Blue 12, Blue Wild (Red 12), Yellow Wild (Green 12), Yellow 6, Yellow 6, Red 6, Green 9, Yellow 9, Blue 9, Green 7, Red 7, Blue 7, Yellow 7, Yellow 5, Yellow 10, Red 11
Books Read: 5
Pages Read: 1732

Magical Readathon: Orilium Update 45

So I read my next book for Magical Readathon: Orilium, and it was The Rushworth Family Plot which was for the prompt 7E Collect Gems, and I'll be reading I Don't Know next! 

My Reading Journey:

Memories of Ash by Intisar Khanani 
Prompt Fulfilled: 1C
Started On: January 22nd
Finished On: January 22nd, 4:28 PM
Pages Read: 355

Hearts that Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou
Prompt Fulfilled: 1B
Started On: January 25th
Finished On: January 25th, 11:31 AM
Pages Read: 336

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter
Prompt Fulfilled: 1D
Started On: January 25th
Finished On: January 25th, 3:45 PM
Pages Read: 544

The Party by Natasha Preston
Prompt Fulfilled: 1C
Started On: January 27th
Finished On: January 27th, 10:53 AM
Pages Read: 352

Return of the Vengeful Queen by C.J. Redwine 
Prompt Fulfilled: 1E
Started On: January 30th
Finished On: January 30th, 11:04 AM
Pages Read: 400

I Am the Dark that Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea
Prompt Fulfilled: 1B
Started On: January 31st
Finished On: January 31st, 2:00 PM
Pages Read: 336

Vilest Things by Chloe Gong
Prompt Fulfilled: 1A
Started On: January 31st
Finished On: January 31st, 6:36 PM
Pages Read: 416

The Half King by Melissa Landers
Prompt Fulfilled: 2A North
Started On: February 8th
Finished On: February 8th, 7:28 PM
Pages Read: 512

Tell Me No Lies by A.V. Geiger
Prompt Fulfilled: 2C South
Started On: February 9th
Finished On: February 9th, 6:48 PM
Pages Read: 330

Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard
Prompt Fulfilled: 2B West
Started On: February 15th
Finished On: February 15th, 9:18 PM
Pages Read: 545

Gabriel's Redemption by Sylvain Reynard 
Prompt Fulfilled: 2B West
Started On: February 16th
Finished On: February 16th, 3:26 PM
Pages Read: 496

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
Prompt Fulfilled: 2E South East
Started On: February 20th
Finished On: February 20th, 6:47 PM
Pages Read: 496

Shutter by Courtney Alameda
Prompt Fulfilled: 2D North East
Started On: February 21st
Finished On: February 21st, 9:15 PM
Pages Read: 384

Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli
Prompt Fulfilled: 2C South 
Started On: February 23rd
Finished On: February 23rd, 10:50 PM
Pages Read: 514

Steel by Carrie Vaughn
Prompt Fulfilled: 3B Bring Sword
Started On: March 2nd
Finished On: March 2nd, 10:32 PM
Pages Read: 309

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher
Prompt Fulfilled: 3C Bring Wand
Started On: March 6th
Finished On: March 6th, 7:13 AM
Pages Read: 147

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
Prompt Fulfilled: 3A Find New Friends
Started On: March 7th
Finished On: March 7th, 11:48 AM
Pages Read: 640

His Mortal Demise by Vanessa Le
Prompt Fulfilled: 3B Enjoy Solitude
Started On: March 10th
Finished On: March 10th, 10:52 AM
Pages Read: 400

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass
Prompt Fulfilled: 3D Inspect Well
Started On: March 14th
Finished On: March 14th, 9:18 PM
Pages Read: 320

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
Prompt Fulfilled: 3C Try New Food
Started On: March 29th
Finished On: March 29th, 1:57 PM
Pages Read: 368

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch
Prompt Fulfilled: 3D Match Sundial
Started On: March 30th
Finished On: March 30th, 10:05 PM
Pages Read: 336

The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Prompt Fulfilled: 4D Wait for Morning
Started On: April 1st
Finished On: April 1st, 10:28 AM
Pages Read: 400

No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally
Prompt Fulfilled: 4D Wait for Morning
Started On: April 4th
Finished On: April 4th, 10:46 AM
Pages Read: 264

The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten
Prompt Fulfilled: 4B Find Winter Cloak
Started On: April 4th
Finished On: April 4th, 8:39 PM
Pages Read: 480

Dead River by Cyn Balog
Prompt Fulfilled: 4C Cross River
Started On: April 9th
Finished On: April 9th, 8:38 PM
Pages Read: 256

The Stolen Bride by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe 
Prompt Fulfilled: 4B Find Winter Cloak
Started On: April 10th
Finished On: April 10th, 2:03 PM
Pages Read: 282

Petals on the River by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Prompt Fulfilled: 4A Cross River
Started On: April 12th
Finished On: April 12th, 3:03 PM
Pages Read: 560

Where the River Takes Me by Julie Lawson 
Prompt Fulfilled: 4C Cross River
Started On: April 30th
Finished On: April 30th, 10:57 PM
Pages Read: 283

Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire 
Prompt Fulfilled: 5A Maze
Started On: May 12th
Finished On: May 12th, 6:39 PM
Pages Read: 368

Dreams and Slumber by Seanan McGuire  
Prompt Fulfilled: 5C Sleep
Started On: May 12th
Finished On: May 12th, 8:10 PM
Pages Read: 116

Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner
Prompt Fulfilled: 5B Practice Summoning Charms & Incantations
Started On: May 26th
Finished On: May 26th, 2:40 PM
Pages Read: 416

The Looking Glass by Janet McNally
Prompt Fulfilled: 5D Sundance
Started On: May 27th
Finished On: May 27th, 10:04 PM
Pages Read: 336

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern
Prompt Fulfilled: 5D Sundance
Started On: May 29th
Finished On: May 29th, 10:51 PM
Pages Read: 351

BZRK by Michael Grant
Prompt Fulfilled: 5B Enter Cave
Started On: May 30th
Finished On: May 30th, 1:04 PM 
Pages Read: 407

Red City by Marie Lu
Prompt Fulfilled: 5B Enter Cave
Started On: May 31st
Finished On: May 31st, 7:38 PM
Pages Read: 432

Voidwalker by S.A. MacLean
Prompt Fulfilled: 6A Find Exit
Started On: June 1st
Finished On: June 1st, 8:18 PM
Pages Read: 592

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire
Prompt Fulfilled: 6D Sketch Sundancer
Started On: June 2nd
Finished On: June 2nd, 7:31 PM
Pages Read: 400

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
Prompt Fulfilled: 6E Fight Water Demons
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 7:27 PM
Pages Read: 416

A Most Puzzling Murder by Bianca Marais
Prompt Fulfilled: 6B Solve Traps
Started On: June 12th
Finished On: June 12th, 6:58 PM
Pages Read: 480

A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton
Prompt Fulfilled: 6D Sketch Sundancer
Started On: June 13th
Finished On: June 13th, 5:03 PM
Pages Read: 480

I Did Something Bad by Pyae Moe Thet War 
Prompt Fulfilled: 6B Solve Traps
Started On: June 27th
Finished On: June 27th, 5:03 PM
Pages Read: 336

That Devil, Ambition by Linsey Miller
Prompt Fulfilled: 6C Meet Really Odd Impling
Started On: June 27th
Finished On: June 27th, 10:43 P M
Pages Read: 416

Isle of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson 
Prompt Fulfilled: 7D Write Notes
Started On: July 2nd
Finished On: July 2nd, 7:38 PM
Pages Read: 532 

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone 
Prompt Fulfilled: 7B Read Whilst on Watch
Started On: July 3rd
Finished On: July 3rd, 10:31 PM
Pages Read: 304

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray 
Prompt Fulfilled: 7E Collect Gems
Started On: July 6th
Finished On: July 6th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 336

Prompts Left: 7F Try Learn Some Impling Magic, 7A Explore Ruins, 7B Read Whilst on Watch, 7D Write Notes
Read: 45
Pages Read: 17292

Wrote that Review Update #569, July 6th

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!
If you want to participate, set a certain amount of reviews to write, and once you make that goal, you can get a reward!

My reviews to reward is writing all of the reviews of the week, and I motivated myself to write my review for The Revenant Games, The Death Mask, The Savior's Champion and The Savior's Sister, Across the Green Grass Fields, Where the Drowned Girls Go, In Mercy, Rain, Skeleton Song, Lost in the Moment and Found, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, Stillhouse Lake, The Pairing, Mirage City, Swallowing Darkness, Divine Misdemeanours, A Shiver of Light, Terrors at the Gate, Isles of the Emberdark, Tenderly, I Am Devoured, Bitter Spirits, so I have 12 of 12 reviews written!

And as always, I want to review this week's reviews!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

How Well I Stuck to It #572, July 6th

So I decided that I should have accountability on sticking to what should be in a week, so I'm doing How Well I Stuck to It every Sunday, because my schedule should be fixed in by now!

Week 28:
Through Gates of Garnet and Gold by Seanan McGuire

NetGalley: 1. Check.

Edelweiss: NA.

New Books: NA.

Just one NetGalley book that I just need to read so desperately! 

Week 27:
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson, Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone

vs.

The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston, The Death Mask by Iris Johansen, The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci, The Savior's Sister by Jenna Moreci, Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire, Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire, In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire, Skeleton Song by Seanan McGuire, Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire, Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine, The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, Mirage City by Lev A.C. Rosen, Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton, Divine Misdemeanours by Laurell K. Hamilton, A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton, Terrors at the Gate by Scarlett St. Clair, Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson, Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone, Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett

I read I wanted, and more, so I'm happy with it, and I can't wait for this coming week! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Wheel of TBR #267, July 6th

I saw Codie's Book Corner doing the Wheel of TBR, and I thought that sounded like a great way to pick what to read from your TBR. So thanks to her! I'll only do 3 spins, because I'm doing this every week, and so it won't make up my total TBR of the week, but it'll be a start!

Rules:
1. For each week of the month, I'll do 3 spins each week to read each week though I do have the rest of the month to read them. Once a prompt is used, I'll randomly choose one from the list, keeping track of how often a colour comes up. If colour comes up 3 or more times in month, I'll do another spin once it comes up 3 times.
2. If I don't read a book that week or at least start it before the end of the month, then for my next week of spins, I have to add a punishment for each book unread. I'll roll for each unread book, and have to apply each and every punishment chosen to the week.
3. Each month I'll get a prompt from my Binge Read Wheel (either specifically picking the prompt, or spinning the wheel) and I have to read at least 9 books, though I can read more!

Of the books from the last week, I read Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett, The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton, and I started The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray.

Binge Read Wheel:
For this month, the wheel picked Stand Alones I read Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone, so I've read 1/9+.

For this month, the wheel picked Author. I read The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci, The Savior's Sister by Jenna Moreci, Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire, Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire, Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire, Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton, Divine Misdemeanours by Laurell K. Hamilton,so I've read 25/9+.

Prompts Used This Week
2+ Authors, The Bookworm Revolution, A-Z Reading Challenge.

2+ Authors-Rose-Girl About Town by Adam Shankman and Laura L. Sullivan-This is written by 2 authors, so 

The Bookworm Revolution-Chartreuse-The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig-This is on my TBR, so that's on the list!

A-Z Reading Challenge-Blue-Oceanborn by Amalie Howard-This is on my A-Z Reading Challenge list, so I'll be reading that! 

Colour Totals:
Red: 0
Orange: 1
Yellow: 0 
Chartreuse: 2
Green: 0
Spring Green: 1
Cyan: 0 
Azure: 0
Blue: 1
Violet: 0
Magenta: 0
Rose: 1

Prompts for Next Week:
Series I Read in 2022 But Not in 2023-Red
Series Continued and Unfinished/Current 2022-Orange
Reading Challenge-Yellow
Hype-Chartreuse
Holly Pick-Green
Poll Pick-Spring Green
2024 Purchase-Cyan
Trope As Last Read-Azure
Book to Read in 2024-Blue
#Currentlyreading-Violet
Book to Read in 2021-Magenta
WTC Book-Rose

So those are some of the books I'm going to try to read this week. What about you guys? Happy reading!

The Reward Challenge Update #720, July 6th

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading. It was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, so thanks to her for starting it!

OK, so I read The Revenant Games which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, The Death Mask which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book, The Savior's Champion which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, The Savior's Sister which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Across the Green Grass Fields which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Where the Drowned Girls Go which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, In Mercy, Rain which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Skeleton Song which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Lost in the Moment and Found which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Stillhouse Lake which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, The Pairing  which counts twice as a SAC 2025 Book, Mirage City which counts 5 times as a Historical Fiction 2025 Book, NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and WoW Book, Swallowing Darkness which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Divine Misdemeanours which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, A Shiver of Light which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Terrors at the Gate which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book, Isles of the Emberdark which counts 3 times as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book, Tenderly, I Am Devoured which counts 3 times as a SAC 2025 Book and a WoW Book, Bitter Spirits which counts 3 times as a Historical Fiction 2025 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book.

So I have 50 counts which translates to $25 this week! I'll use it to buy books!

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Margie Fuston Author Page

The Story: I saw Cruel Illusions around on the book world, and it sounded really good, and I picked it up and loved it, and then loved The Revenant Games, and I can't wait to read more by Margie Fuston! 

Website


The Revenant Games: The Revenant Games and her sitemy review, The Hallow Hunt and and her site, my review.

Phase Out Your TBR Update 4

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was The Mercy Makers which is for the prompt Green 5 and I'll be reading The Ruthworth Family Plot next! 

My Reading Journey:

Isle of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 2
Started On: July 2nd
Finished On: July 2nd, 7:38 PM
Pages Read: 532 

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 3rd
Finished On: July 3rd, 10:31 PM
Pages Read: 304

Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 12
Started On: July 4th
Finished On: July 4th, 3:48 PM
Pages Read: 317

The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 5
Started On: July 5th
Finished On: July 5th, 11:07 PM
Pages Read: 560

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray 
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 6th
Currently On: Page 0 of 336

Prompts Left: Yellow 12, Blue 12, Blue Wild (Red 12), Yellow Wild (Green 12), Yellow 6, Yellow 6, Red 6, Green 9, Yellow 9, Blue 9, Green 7, Red 7, Blue 7, Yellow 7, Yellow 5, Yellow 10, Red 11
Books Read: 4
Pages Read: 1396

Week 27 Review: Bitter Spirits

From Goodreads:
It's the roaring twenties, and San Francisco is a hotbed of illegal boozing, raw lust, and black magic. The fog-covered Bay Area can be an intoxicating scene, particularly when you specialize in spirits…

Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown's illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who's more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he's the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida's supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her.

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise…

My Review:


Author: Jenn Bennett
Series: Roaring Twenties #1
Read: July 4th, 2025 
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a Historical Fiction 2025 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Published: January 7th 2014
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 27 Review: Tenderly, I Am Devoured

From Goodreads:
Perfect for fans of Saltburn, For the Wolf, and House of Hollow, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantasy in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic demon with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family's legacy―and herself―from ruin.

Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience… to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark's isolated coastal hometown.

But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark begins to vanish from the mortal realm. Her only hope is to seek help from Alastair Felimath: the brilliant, arrogant boy who was her first heartbreak, and his alluring older sister, Camille. As the trio delve into the folklore of gods, Lark falls under the spell of the Felimath siblings.

Ensnared by a fervent romance, they perform a bacchanalia with hopes the hedonistic ritual will repair the connection between Lark and her bridegroom. Instead, they draw the ire of something much darker, which seeks to destroy Therion―and Lark as well.

My Review:


Author: Lyndall Clipstone 
Read: July 3rd, 2025 
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: July 1st 2025
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 27 Review: Isles of the Emberdark

From Goodreads:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a legendary standalone novel that navigates the seas and the stars of a far-future Cosmere. Illustrated by Esther Hi’ilani Candari.

All his life, Sixth of the Dusk has been a traditional trapper of Aviar—the supernatural birds his people bond with—on the deadly island of Patji. Then one fateful night he propels his people into a race to modernize before they can be conquered by the Ones Above, invaders from the stars who want to exploit the Aviar.

But it's a race they're into the expanse of the emberdark beyond a mystical portal, Dusk sets off to find his people's salvation with only a canoe, his birds, and all the grit and canniness of a Patji trapper.

Elsewhere in the emberdark is a young dragon chained in human Starling of the starship Dynamic. She and her ragtag crew of exiles are deep in debt and on the brink of losing their freedom. So when she finds an ancient map to a hidden portal between the emberdark and the physical realm, she seizes the chance at a lucrative discovery.

These unlikely allies might just be the solution to each other's crisis. In their search for independence, Dusk and Starling face perilous bargains, poisonous politics, and the destructive echo of a dead god.

Sanderson expands his thrilling novella "Sixth of the Dusk" into a mythic novel of legends, lore, and warring galactic superpowers.

My Review:


Author: Brandon Sanderson 
Series: Secret Projects #5, Cosmere 
Read: July 2nd, 2025 
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Love his writing and this world, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Dragonsteel 
Published: July 1st 2025
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 27 Review: Terror at the Gates

From Goodreads:
The first in an all-new fantasy series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair. In this biting, feminist retelling of Lilith's story, Lilith will rise from the ashes of her former life to destroy the ancient power that stole everything she loves.

She is the beginning and the end.

She is peace and chaos.

She is terror knocking at the gates.

Estranged from her powerful family, Lilith Leviathan finds refuge in Nineveh, a district in the city of Eden devoted to sin. There, she uses her magic to steal for a living, attracting the attention of the five governing families as well as the church, which expects women to remain pious and silent. When Lilith comes into possession of a beautiful blade, she thinks all her worries are over…until her usual buyer dies while inspecting it.

Frantic, Lilith turns to the only man who can help her: Zahariev, head of the Zareth family and ruler of Nineveh. His currency is information, and his power is extortion, though he's always had a soft spot for Lilith. But when the dagger appears, he isn't sure he can protect her from what's to come.

Together, they embark on a mission to discover the true power running their world. As their lives intertwine, Lilith realizes Zahariev is more than just a friend, but their devotion to each other is a threat―to the truth, to the church, and to those who want to tear it all down.

My Review:


Author: Scarlett St. Clair
Series: Blood of Lilith #1
Read: July 1st, 2025 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really fantastic, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Expected Publication: July 8th 2025
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 27 Reviews: Swallowing Darkness, Divine Misdemeanors, A Shiver of Light



From Goodreads:
I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child–twins, fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle, Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my unborn children.

Bearing an heir has placed me halfway to my aunt's throne, that much closer to my reign over the Unseelie Court–and well ahead of her son, my cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my children born and claim my place as queen.

But not all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators from every court in the realm plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who will stand by me.

I am Meredith Nic Essus, and those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price–for I am truly my father's daughter. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything–even if it means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.

You may know me best as Meredith Nic Essus, princess of faerie. Or perhaps as Merry Gentry, Los Angeles private eye. To protect my unborn children, I have turned my back on the crown, choosing exile in the human world with my beloved Frost and Darkness. Yet I cannot abandon my people. Someone is killing the fey, which has left the LAPD baffled and my guardsmen and me deeply disturbed. I thought I'd left the blood and politics behind in my own turbulent realm. But now I realize that evil knows no borders, and that nobody lives forever—even if they're magical.

I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. Legal name Meredith Gentry, because "Princess" looks so pretentious on a driver's license. I was the first faerie princess born on American soil, but I wouldn't be the only one for much longer...

Merry Gentry, ex–private detective, now full-time princess, knew she was descended from fertility goddesses, but when she learned she was about to have triplets, she began to understand what that might mean. Infertility has plagued the high ranks of faerie for centuries. Now nobles of both courts of faerie are coming to court Merry and her men, at their home in exile in the Western Lands of Los Angeles, because they will do anything to have babies of their own.

Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, is a more dangerous problem. He tried to seduce Merry and, failing that, raped her. He's using the human courts to sue for visitation rights, claiming that one of the babies is his. And though Merry knows she was already pregnant when he took her, she can't prove it.

To save herself and her babies from Taranis she will use the most dangerous powers in all of faerie: a god of death, a warrior known as the Darkness, the Killing Frost, and a king of nightmares. They are her lovers, and her dearest loves, and they will face down the might of the high courts of faerie—while trying to keep the war from spreading to innocent humans in Los Angeles, who are in danger of becoming collateral damage.

My first review of Swallowing Darkness, Divine MisdemeanorsA Shiver of Light
My second review of A Shiver of Light
My Review:


Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Series: Merry Gentry #7, 8, 9
Read: April 30th, 30th, 30th, 2017
Second Read: April 12th, 2019
Read: June 30th, 30th, July 1st, 2025
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books!
Publisher: Ballantine Books, Berkley
Published: November 4th 2008, December 8th 2009, June 3rd 2014

Swallowing Darkness:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Divine Misdemeanors:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








A Shiver of Light:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 27 Review: Mirage City

From Goodreads:
Lev AC Rosen delivers a new and captivating 1950s mystery in this dazzling, award-winning series

Private Investigator Evander "Andy" Mills' next case takes him out of his comfort zone in San Francisco—and much to his dismay, back home to Los Angeles. After a secretive queer rights organization called the Mattachine Society enlists Andy to find some missing members, he must dodge not only motorcycle gangs and mysterious forces, but his own mother, too.

Avoiding her proves to be a challenge when the case leads Andy to the psychological clinic she works at. Worlds collide, buried secrets are dug up, and Andy realizes he's going to have to burn it all down this time if he wants to pull off a rescue. With secret societies, drugs, and doctors swirling around him, time is running out for Andy to locate the missing and get them to safety. And for him to make it back to San Francisco in one piece.

My Review:


Author: Lev A.C. Rosen
Series: Evander Mills #4
Read: June 30th, 2025 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love his writing and this series, and it's Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book and WoW Book! 
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Expected Publication: October 7th 2025
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars