Week 29 Review: Savage Lands

From Goodreads:

Almost 20 years after the barrier between Earth and the Otherworld fell in the Fae Wars, Budapest is balancing on the precipice.

A battle for dominance is brewing between the elite fae and the privileged humans in Eastern Europe. The prejudice between the sides is bubbling with hate and violence.

Nineteen-year-old human, Brexley, has grown up in privilege, but not without heartbreak. After being orphaned, she is taken in by General Markos, living in a walled city rife with power grabs and ruthless political games. Then, one night, the course of her life changes, and Brexley is thrown into the most feared prison in the east. Halalhaz, the House of Death - where you go in but don't come out. She must learn to live with the worst of fae and human criminals. The rule of hierarchy puts humans on the bottom, where the only way to survive each day is to make alliances with the fae.

Here, she meets the sexy, vicious legend, Warwick Farkas; a myth among man and fae. He is as brutal, cruel, arrogant, and as lethal as the lore says he is. He rules the prison with unchallenged authority. Brexley can't deny an intense draw to him, one that might cost her life...if The Games - a fight to the death where only one survives - don't take her out first.

Savage Lands is set in the same world as the Darkness, Collector and Lightness Saga series, but can be listened to as a stand-alone.

My Review:


Author: Stacey Marie Brown 
Series: Savage Lands #1
Read: July 15t, 2025 
Source: Audible 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a 2025 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book!
Publisher: Podium Audio
Published: October 20th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 10 Reviews: Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, The Songbird & the Heart of Stone

From Goodreads:

She was commanded to kill him with a single strike to the heart. She didn't expect her own to betray her.

Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea's tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She's tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and kill him.

Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she'd rather forget. Sylina's orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea's tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world, full of heart-wrenching forbidden romance, dark curses, and epic battles – perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and the From Blood and Ash series.

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Dante's Inferno, in an epic fantasy romance of love and treachery between mortals and gods. Features beautiful case art and a detailed map.

In the descent to the underworld, a bride of the sun must choose between the light of her redemption… or a dark love that defies the gods themselves

Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire – her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she's forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.

Yet, Mische's punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him… by killing the very death god she'll help resurrect.

Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Yet, most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness – and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods.

As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in and angry gods are growing restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness.

My Review:
I absolutely loved reading these books! I've really fallen in love with this world, and it was such a great time to read these stories! Slaying the Vampire Conqueror was a one off, I think, part of the series, but not part of a duet, duets making up the main books of the series. 

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, yeah, it was so fantastic! I'm not sure if this takes place on the same continent as Six Scorched Roses, but it also dealt with the White Pantheon, and the events were pretty important, and I'm really excited to see what will come of it! Not to mention their romance, which was so enjoyable!

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone was just amazing to read! We got to know Mische in the first 2 books, the first duet, and I was really looking forward to getting her story. With each book, the stakes are getting bigger, like the first book was a competition to get a boon from Nyasia, and this one, they're going to try and resurrect her dead husband, who was a god. That's a pretty big thing! 

They both have scars, inside and out, from what life has thrown at them, and both of them are confronted with that through the course of this book, her with her faith to her god, him with the lady that he loved. With what happened in this book, and how they healed from that, well, it's complicated by how things ended, and I'm excited to find out what's going to happen next! 

These were both so great to read, and I can't wait for book 4! 

Author: Carissa Broadbent 
Series: Crowns of Nyaxia #2.5, 3, The Shadowborn Duet #1
Read: March 5th, 5th, 2025
Source: Audible, Bought 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this world, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books! 
Publisher: Podium Audio, Bramble
Published: April 27th 2023, November 19th 2024

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 9 Review: Junkyard Roadhouse

From Goodreads:

Shining Smith stands on the brink of achieving her goals, and yet now she could lose everything.

The presidents of four motorcycle clubs are coming to claim blood sacrifice and to ink her with motorcycle club tats. Her new roadhouse and its charter have to meet their approval or the roadhouse has no future, and neither does Shining.

An injured kid shows up at Smith's Junk and Scrap, but collapses before he can speak.

A note arrives containing a warning and a plea for help, addressed by someone who knows Shining's most intimate secrets—her history, her plans, and the names of her friends. The sender claims his daughter has been kidnapped by Shining's enemies. To keep her secrets, he wants Shining to get his daughter back.

In order to rescue the hostage and keep her junkyard, her roadhouse, her people, and the cats alive, Shining Smith will have to suffer, fight, and bargain her way out of danger. All without accidently transitioning anyone—creating an accidental thrall—no matter how much her nanobots want her to.

Lock and load. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

My Review:


Author: Faith Hunter 
Series: Junkyard Cats #4
Read: February 28th, 2025 
Source: Audible 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a 2025 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Audible Studios 
Published: July 2nd 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 9 Reviews: Rule of the Aurora King, Fate of the Sun King, Tale of the Heart Queen

From Goodreads:

"I am not his conquest. I am not his to claim. I am my own castle." Freed from the golden clutches of the Sun King, Lor now finds herself in the hands of Nadir, the Aurora Prince. Convinced she's hiding something, he's willing to do whatever it takes to make her talk. But Lor knows the value of secrets—she's been keeping them her entire life—and she's not letting hers go without a fight.

When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn't sure she can trust him. All she knows is she won't fall for another royal fae's promises again.

With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than avenging her shattered legacy.  

From Goodreads:

The highly anticipated third installment of the steamy Artefacts of Ouranos series journeys deeper into the glittering fae world as Lor puts both her life and her heart on the line in this enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance.

With the Heart Crown now in her possession, Lor must navigate the dangers of being an heir on the run, knowing more than one power-hungry ruler is after her blood. When she returns to Aphelion to unlock her magic and recover her family's legacy, it becomes clearer than ever that all that's gold doesn't sparkle. No stranger to battles, she continues to fight her attraction to the Aurora Prince, understanding this might be the one she finally loses.

As the past mixes with the present, Lor uncovers the truth about the Artefacts and their role in shaping her destiny. Now, her future hangs in the balance, leaving her closer than ever to getting everything she's ever wanted ... or losing it all forever.

From Goodreads:

After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. But when a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders.

As the land continues to rebel, Lor must admit she is the key to saving the continent, whether she likes it or not. To fight for Nadir, she must lie, steal, and do whatever it takes to hunt down the remaining arks. Growing more and more desperate, she worries her actions are turning her into something she doesn't recognize, dooming her to repeat her grandmother's mistakes.

When the Aurora King finally comes for her, Lor ventures into the Underworld's shadowy depths, where, once again, she finds herself at the heart of another deadly test. Only this time, she's competing for everyone's future, not just a crown.

The only thing Lor ever wanted was to be free, but she may soon find she was always destined for a cage.

My Review:
I had such a fantastic time reading these books! I really enjoyed the first book, but I'm glad that I was able to read these books back to back, because a lot happens, and it helped me keep names and details straight, which is always what you want for a reading experience! 

Oh, but the dynamic between Lor and Nadir was just excellent, because he is the son of the guy that tortured her and killed her parents. That he hates his dad, well, that was a good spot in their developing relaitonship. The tension and the slow build, when they finally admit to each other that their mates, yeah, that was worth it! 

With each book, we learned more about the world and its history. Aurora King gave us the story of Lor's grandparents, the one that left Heart without a ruler and caused 50 years without magic. Sun King gave us the story of how the kings and queens of the first age, were given magic and became high fae. All interesting stuff that really added to the depth of the books, and what was going on! 

Reading these books were so fantastic, as the stakes got higher, and all the motivations came out, yeah, power corrupts, and that happened to a lot of the rulers in this world. I'm content with how things were resolved, and it was so fantastic to read, and I'm happy with where we're leaving these characters. 

Loved reading these books and I can't wait to read more by Nisha J. Tuli! 

Author: Nisha J. Tuli
Series: Artefacts of Ouranos #2, 3, 4
Read: February 23rd, 24th, 24th, 2025 
Source: Bought, Audible, Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing and this world, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books, and Rule of the Aurora King and Fate of the Sun King are RR Books, and Tale of the Heart Queen is a End of Series 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Forever, Podium Audio
Published: September 12th 2023, June 4th 2024, November 26th 2024

Rule of the Aurora King:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Fate of the Sun King:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Tale of the Heart Queen:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 6 Reviews: Queen of Roses, Court of Claws, Empress of Fae, Knight of the Goddess

From Goodreads:

A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war...

A cast-off princess…

Born into a life of duty and sacrifice, Morgan Pendragon's destiny has never been her own. Rumored to carry the tainted blood of the fae in her veins, her birthright was stolen from her when she was a mere child. Growing up in the shadow of her brother, the king, she has been promised to the goddesses when she comes of age. So, when her brother commands that she seek out a fae weapon of legendary power, Morgan seizes the chance to break free from the chains of her fate.

A dangerous temptation…

As she travels, Morgan finds herself drawn into a strange group of outcasts led by a dark and enigmatic warrior whose sharp wit and fierce beauty set her heart ablaze. While Morgan struggles to reconcile her desires with her duty, she and her new comrades discover dangers that await them beyond anything in their wildest nightmares.

A slumbering kingdom awoken by blood…

Believed to have vanished generations ago, a fae kingdom dreaded by mortals is ascending once more, bound to reclaim what was lost by violence and bloodshed. As the fae world, with its intricate web of lies and mysteries, is slowly revealed to Morgan, she is led to the terrible realization that the secrets she carries in her blood make her a greater threat than she could ever have imagined.

The first in an action-packed new series brimming with magic, danger, morally gray characters, and spellbinding slow-burn romance, Queen of Roses is perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, and Sarah J. Maas. Intended for mature listeners.

From Goodreads:

Bound to a man she hates more than she ever thought possible...

Everything Morgan Pendragon knows and loves is gone as she wakes in the dangerous court of the Siabra. The man she was falling in love with is dead, and in his place is a man she barely knows. Surrounded by liars and knives in the dark, all Morgan wants to do is run the other way but Kairos Draven is determined to keep her by his side.

As Morgan and Draven's lives become even more irrevocably entwined, little do they know the sins of the past are coming for them both…

From Goodreads:

Divided by Oceans but Eternally Bonded

Morgan Pendragon has another name now: Morgan Le Fay. As her true heritage slowly emerges from the mists of the past, Morgan renounces one possible future as the new ruler of the fierce Siabra fae and the wife of the Prince of Claws and vanishes through a portal–returning to Camelot and the Rose Court where her friends and younger brother lie in mortal peril from Arthur's cruel wiles.

But back in the Court of Claws, Kairos Draven won't allow his beloved to disappear from his life so easily. His bond with Morgan goes beyond blood, love, life, and even time itself and neither one of them can relinquish its power or its pull.

Yet Morgan is no ordinary woman. Not only is she beginning to manifest remarkable abilities, but the powers of the gods themselves run through her veins, bestowing her with an unimaginable power and an unthinkable claim over all of Aercanum and beyond...

A claim which some will stop at nothing to put a halt to.

From Goodreads: 

The fourth and final book in the bestselling Blood of a Fae series…

"I see forever with you by my side. Because long after these scars have faded away to nothing, I'll still be standing beside you. You and I? We're eternal."

Beware the dread curse of Three…

In the aftermath of the war between Pendrath and its neighbors, peace has finally come to Camelot. But for Morgan Le Fay and her friends, the calm is short-lived. A storm grows on the horizon. As a terrible evil that has been waiting hundreds of years begins to sweep through the land, Morgan and Draven must race to the aid of their allies, leaving their youngest and most vulnerable new family member in the care of trusted friends.

The sword, the spear, the grail's mystery…

As the tide of war takes them across kingdoms and into greater peril, Morgan and Draven embark on a quest to destroy the three objects of untold power–the grail, the sword, and the spear. Together, the pair will find answers to questions lost in the mists of time. Answers to questions so terrible, they never even thought to ask.

Blood calls to blood, the dark shall rise,

Forged by the gods under sacred skies.

For the love between these bonded mates is not just an everlasting one forged in blood.

You might even call it divine.

My Review:
Oh, this series was so fantastic to read! I'm not sure how it happened, but I was prompted to read this series because of it's sequel series, but at the same time, I found the first book through an Audible sale, which worked out nicely, to read that first book in audio!

The first book did a pretty good job of setting up this world and these characters, that it's a Camelot retelling gives us some basis to build this story around. That Arthur was a negative figure, right off the bat, it's too bad I really enjoyed this take on the story! 

Morgan's life has been pretty crappy. First her dad kills her mom, then disinherits her and basically sells her off to the church, so his bastard son can become king. Then said brother, almost right before she's actually supposed to go to the church, sends her off on a mission, talking about not sending her to the church. So technically, if she's not doing that, she should be Queen, you know? So that was pretty annoying. But that meant that the rest of the story in the later books happened. 

Her relationship with Draven, which started off pretty antagonistically, and then grew and shrank, as new secrets came to life, yeah, it was really fantastic! I really adored the pair of them, and was rooting for them as events continued to make their lives difficult, and I'm glad for how things worked out int he end!

Loved reading this series and I can't wait to move onto the spin off series! 

Author: Briar Boleyn
Series: Blood of a Fae #1, 2, 3, 4
Read: February 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 2025 
Source: Audible, Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded good, and I've been prompted to read a spin off series, so I had to read these first, and they're 2025 Retelling Reading Challenge Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books, and Knight of the Goddess is a End of Series 2025 Book! 

Publisher: Podium Audio, Starwater Press 
Published: April 15th 2023, June 30th 2023, October 25th 2023, March 31st 2024

Queen of Roses:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Court of Claws:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Empress of Fae: 

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Knight of the Goddess:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 51 Review: The Crimes of Dorian Gray

From Goodreads:

This gripping fictional true crime podcast delves into the story of the enigmatic Dorian Gray, a vigilante who changed the world, rewriting history in the blood of her victims. Her targets were the titans of their era—billionaires, movie stars, politicians. Dorian said they had one thing in common: they had all committed crimes against women. They were rapists, abusers, master manipulators. Dorian left evidence of their heinous offenses with their bodies, and then she vanished without a trace.

To some, Dorian was a feminist icon, a #MeToo crusader who single-handedly rebalanced the scales of sexual power. To others, she was the worst terrorist of the 21st century. But who was the real Dorian Gray? A demon or an avenging angel? Was she even human? How did one woman manage to take down the most powerful men of her generation and win?

These and other burning questions echoed through the internet since Dorian's disappearance, until now. Speranza, a relentless young journalist, is determined to unravel the pure and simple truth on her podcast, The Crimes of Dorian Gray. Unfortunately for Speranza, the truth is seldom pure and never simple.

Written and directed by Arvind Ethan David and produced by Prodigal, The Crimes of Dorian Gray is a radical reinvention of Oscar Wilde's gothic masterpiece, exploring the question he asked 150 years ago: what does it mean for the powerful elite to live without consequences? What does it say about the society that allows them? Executive Produced by Milena Govich, Amanda K. Price, and Lexi Underwood, the show's extraordinary cast includes Lexi Underwood, Lara Pulver, Richard Schiff, and Neil Brown Jr., and an original song by ASCAP winning composer Erran Baron Cohen, performed by Olivier Award winner Lara Pulver.

My Review:


Author: Arvind Ethan David 
Read: December 19th, 2024  
Source: Audible 
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a 2024 Retelling Reading Challenge Book and a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Audible Originals 
Published: April 18th 2024

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 51 Review: Influencer

From Goodreads:

Aaron Fortin is new in town. He drives a brand-new Acura—a gift from his parents for uprooting him in the middle of senior year. Showing up on his first day at the local public school in that nice of a car? He knows he'll never blend in, and he doesn't care to try. The car, the new kid mystique, he can use all that…

Crystal Giordano carpools to the same school in her friend Trevor's beat-up van. In the van along with Crystal and Trevor are Paul, Harmony, and Gayle. Crystal's technically part of their misfit group, but most of the time, she feels like she's the only one who doesn't fit.

When Aaron Fortin sits at their lunch table, Crystal can see he's not who he says he is. But how big of a fraud is Aaron Fortin? Crystal clumsily exposes Aaron and becomes his target, falling victim to his insidious campaign to erase her. Only then does she discover who he truly is—and it's so much worse than she thought.

As her friends begin to follow him one by one, Crystal wonders if she can protect them or if his influence is just too strong.

Please note: This Audible Original contains graphic violence and themes of drug addiction and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.

My Review:


Author: Adam Cesare
Read: December 17th, 2024
Source: Audible 
Reason Why: Love his writing and it sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Audible Originals
Published: November 2nd 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars