Showing posts with label Sarah Beth Durst. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Beth Durst. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday #738, July 2nd

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

Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
The hunt for a stealthy predator takes a damaged J-Psy to the heart of falcon territory in this new Psy-Changeling Trinity novel from New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh...

Justice-Psy Eleri Dias knows the end is near for her, her mind one step away from fatal psychic exposure. In the short time that remains, she is determined to atone for an act of omission that has haunted her for a long, cruel decade. But that decision not only means facing a powerful changeling wing leader, but also putting herself in the path of a serial killer.

Falcon wing leader Adam Garrett is fiercely protective of his family and his clan. After losing his parents as a teenager in a shocking act of malice, Adam has no forgiveness in him for the J-Psy who betrayed him, betrayed them, at the most painful moment of his life. But the evil that stalks his territory will allow him no respite, forcing him once more into contact with the J he has never been able to forget.

Everything that could've been between Eleri and Adam was lost years ago, a shimmering promise crushed. As they work to uncover a monster, the moment of reckoning looms ever closer. Soon, there may be no more time left for either atonement...or love...

The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
The Nightshade Crown is in the hands of a ruthless god. Lore will stop at nothing to defeat him and save the troubled prince and tortured priest ensnared in his wicked plot, in this final installment of this lush, romantic, New York Times bestselling fantasy series from breakout star Hannah Whitten.

Lore has failed. She couldn’t save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn’t save her allies from being scattered across the continent—their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn’t save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn’t save herself.

Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that’s captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount—the source of all the god’s powers—and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land.

But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger… and to a woman who’s always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up.

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
In the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen may be the key to restoring her lost kingdom of Jasad, but it could cost her everything and everyone she loves.

Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe she can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad's greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the group's trust while struggling to keep control of both her magic and her mind.

In the rival kingdom, Arin is caught between his father's desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts he's sworn to uphold. Arin must find Sylvia before his father's army, but his search will call into question the very core of Arin's beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.

War is inevitable and Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she's fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn't just want to survive. She wants to win.
The fugitive queen is ready to come home.

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
Some betrayals cut deeper than blades.

The Blades were never supposed to survive this long. But after the battle in Quu Harbor, escaping is no longer enough. The most dangerous liars in the four realms have one last mission―return to Yusan and finish what they started.

But now a usurper sits on the serpent throne. And he may be more dangerous than the god-king.

With three relics of the Dragon Lord in their possession, the Blades will face the might of the four realms. Enemies will become allies. Allies will become traitors. And the ones they love most? They’ll be the ones to break them.

Grief will carve the Blades into something ruthless and unrecognizable. But only by losing everything can they win this game of kings and crowns.

No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
Murder either bonds you or breaks you.

Rural PI Mel Tillman knows this well. She's seen her fair share of bloody cases and botched cover-ups. But killing with someone? That is a different kind of mess all together, and Mel's got real experience with it.

No one's heard from Toby Dunne since Chloe Harper's sweet sixteen party--because the birthday girl and sixteen-year-old Mel buried him so deep in the backwoods, no one's ever finding him. Mel loses little sleep over it--Toby had been terrorizing them.

What she does lose sleep over is Chloe, the girl with whom she survived that horrible night in the woods. Chloe, the girl she fell in love with. Chloe, the girl who disappeared and hasn't been seen in more than six years.

Tasked with locating Chloe by her family, Mel can't resist the call of a good chase, or finding the one who got away with her heart (and with murder). When Mel finds an armed and vigilant Chloe living off-grid in a highly booby-trapped patch of Canadian wilderness, she realizes that Chloe had been expecting someone other than her ex to come looking for her. The thing that's kept Chloe going for years is that she's kept Mel safe by running. Now, the truth must come out as they run for their lives once again.

Because when they buried Toby Dunne in the backwoods, they buried something else, too. Something Toby took. And the powerful family he stole it from? They'll do anything to get it back.

Fateless by Julie Kagawa 
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
Deep in the forgotten city of the Deathless Kings, an ancient relic of untold power waits—for one bold enough to steal it.

When seventeen-year-old Sparrow joined the Thieves Guild she made a vow of binding loyalty to their cause. So when a mission comes along from The Circle, a group of mysterious, dangerous beings who control the Thieves Guild from the shadows, Sparrow is determined to cement her place in the guild.

What ensues is a death-defying adventure that has Sparrow and her band of thieves venturing into the heart of the forgotten city of the Deathless King. The fate of Sparrow, her companions, and Raithe, the enigmatic yet alluring assassin Sparrow is forced to join forces with during their quest, all hang in the balance as they find themselves battling ancient forces within the tombs and facing the unwavering hold of fate.

Perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Sabaa Tahir, this new fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa will sweep readers into a bold and exciting new world, where a twisted game of destiny has far-reaching consequences.

Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
Love is a dangerous game when your clients are killers…from the bestselling author behind Love Letters to a Serial Killer.

When Lexie's fiancé runs off with her so-called best friend on her birthday, her carefully crafted fairy-tale life shatters. Having survived horrors in her past, she was determined to finally get her happily-ever-after—and she's not giving up yet.

To distract herself, Lexie throws herself into her unusual matchmaking psychopaths (a specialty her clients are blissfully unaware of). But the loneliness is crushing. So when a gorgeous, overprotective new client named Aidan insists they're soulmates, and another intriguing client, Rebecca, seems perfect to fill the best-friend-shaped hole in her life, Lexie can't help but find the attention comforting—despite her own professional boundaries.

Then a human heart appears on Lexie's doorstep. As more threatening packages arrive and her fiancé mysteriously disappears, she must confront a terrifying did she inadvertently match herself with a killer? Between Aidan's claims that her fiancé will never return, Rebecca's growing presence in her life, and her own dark past resurfacing, Lexie's matchmaker instincts are being tested like never before.

Because someone is determined to ensure her story ends with a funeral.


A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power…

Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.


The Bewitching by Silvia Morena-Garcia
Expected Publication: July 15th, 2025
From Goodreads:
Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Oh, some really amazing books coming in the middle of the month, the ones that I've read are so amazing, and I can't wait for these books to be released! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Update 30

Ok, so I read my next book for Clean Sweep ARC Challenge, and it was The Enchanted Greenhouse and I'll be reading My Funny Demon Valentine next! 

My Reading Journey:

Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh
Started On: May 1st 
Finished On: May 1st, 6:19 PM
Pages Read: 432

Soul of Shadow by Emma Noyes
Started On: May 2nd
Finished On: May 2nd, 10:27 AM
Pages Read: 368

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Anrum
Started On: May 2nd
Finished On: May 2nd, 4:03 PM
Pages Read: 384

Queen Demon by Martha Wells
Started On: May 3th
Finished On: May 3rd, 3:38 PM
Pages Read: 400

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire 
Started On: May 4th
Finished On: May 4th, 2:17 PM
Pages Read: 400

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
Started On: May 6th
Finished On: May 6th, 9:04 AM
Pages Read: 176

Enigma by RuNyx
Started On: May 7th
Finished On: May 7th, 11:48 AM
Pages Read: 496

Chase the Dark by Annette Marie
Started On: May 9th
Finished On: May 9th, 10:28 AM
Pages Read: 320

Murder Land by Carlyn Greenwald
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 3:04 PM
Pages Read: 339

You've Awoken Her by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 8:37 PM
Pages Read: 288

They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil
Started On: May 11th
Finished On: May 11th, 2:47 PM
Pages Read: 278

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
Started On: May 12th
Finished On: May 12th, 11:01 AM
Pages Read: 352

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith
Started On: May 13th
Finished On: May 13th, 9:13 AM
Pages Read: 307

A Fated Vow by Amanda Aggie 
Started On: May 14th
Finished On: May 14th, 10:24 AM
Pages Read: 384

The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem 
Started On: May 17th
Finished On: May 17th, 3:47 AM
Pages Read: 692

Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney
Started On: May 18th
Finished On: May 18th, 11:46 PM
Pages Read: 384

House of Night by Celia Aaron
Started On: May 19th
Finished On: May 19th, 10:04 AM
Pages Read: 342

I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent
Started On: May 20th
Finished On: May 20th, 9:48 PM
Pages Read: 368

Blind Date With a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs 
Started On: May 21st
Finished On: May 21st, 1:03 PM
Pages Read: 288

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Started On: May 22nd
Finished On: May 22nd, 11:43 AM 
Pages Read: 432

The Summer War by Naomi Novik
Started On: May 23rd
Finished On: May 23rd, 2:41 PM
Pages Read: 144

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong
Started On: May 24th
Finished On: May 24th, 8:32 PM
Pages Read: 320

The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso
Started On: May 25th
Finished On: May 25th, 2:53 PM
Pages Read: 400

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen
Started On: May 25th
Finished On: May 25th, 7:10 PM
Pages Read: 432

I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix and Andrea Hannah
Started On: May 26th
Finished On: May 26th, 7:28 PM 
Pages Read: 400

Marked by Moonlight by Sophie Jordan
Started On: May 26th
Finished On: May 26th, 10:49 PM
Pages Read: 320

I Think I'm in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre 
Started On: May 27th
Finished On: May 27th, 1:48 PM
Pages Read: 400

Mystery in the Title by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
Started On: May 27th
Finished On: May 27th, 6:02 PM
Pages Read: 400

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

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Started On: May 28th
Finished On: May 28th, 11:28 AM
Pages Read: 384

My Funny Demon Valentine by Aurora Ascher
Started On: May 28th
Currently On: Page 0 of 369

Books Read: 30
Goal: 25 Books
Pages Read: 10966

WWW Wednesday #737, May 28th

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 listening to The Enchanted Greenhouse, and I'm loving it! 


I'm also reading Heir of Light, and it's so good! 

I read Mystery in the Title, and it was another great mystery! 


I'm going to be reading My Funny Demon Valentine, and I can't wait, it sounds really good! 

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Update 29

Ok, so I read my next book for Clean Sweep ARC Challenge, and it was The Looking Glass and I'll be reading The Enchanted Greenhouse next! 

My Reading Journey:

Atonement Sky by Nalini Singh
Started On: May 1st 
Finished On: May 1st, 6:19 PM
Pages Read: 432

Soul of Shadow by Emma Noyes
Started On: May 2nd
Finished On: May 2nd, 10:27 AM
Pages Read: 368

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Anrum
Started On: May 2nd
Finished On: May 2nd, 4:03 PM
Pages Read: 384

Queen Demon by Martha Wells
Started On: May 3th
Finished On: May 3rd, 3:38 PM
Pages Read: 400

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire 
Started On: May 4th
Finished On: May 4th, 2:17 PM
Pages Read: 400

Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
Started On: May 6th
Finished On: May 6th, 9:04 AM
Pages Read: 176

Enigma by RuNyx
Started On: May 7th
Finished On: May 7th, 11:48 AM
Pages Read: 496

Chase the Dark by Annette Marie
Started On: May 9th
Finished On: May 9th, 10:28 AM
Pages Read: 320

Murder Land by Carlyn Greenwald
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 3:04 PM
Pages Read: 339

You've Awoken Her by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 8:37 PM
Pages Read: 288

They Fear Not Men in the Woods by Gretchen McNeil
Started On: May 11th
Finished On: May 11th, 2:47 PM
Pages Read: 278

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
Started On: May 12th
Finished On: May 12th, 11:01 AM
Pages Read: 352

Much Ado About Hating You by Sarah Echavarre Smith
Started On: May 13th
Finished On: May 13th, 9:13 AM
Pages Read: 307

A Fated Vow by Amanda Aggie 
Started On: May 14th
Finished On: May 14th, 10:24 AM
Pages Read: 384

The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem 
Started On: May 17th
Finished On: May 17th, 3:47 AM
Pages Read: 692

Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney
Started On: May 18th
Finished On: May 18th, 11:46 PM
Pages Read: 384

House of Night by Celia Aaron
Started On: May 19th
Finished On: May 19th, 10:04 AM
Pages Read: 342

I Bet You'd Look Good in a Coffin by Katy Brent
Started On: May 20th
Finished On: May 20th, 9:48 PM
Pages Read: 368

Blind Date With a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs 
Started On: May 21st
Finished On: May 21st, 1:03 PM
Pages Read: 288

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
Started On: May 22nd
Finished On: May 22nd, 11:43 AM 
Pages Read: 432

The Summer War by Naomi Novik
Started On: May 23rd
Finished On: May 23rd, 2:41 PM
Pages Read: 144

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong
Started On: May 24th
Finished On: May 24th, 8:32 PM
Pages Read: 320

The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso
Started On: May 25th
Finished On: May 25th, 2:53 PM
Pages Read: 400

The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam by Megan Bannen
Started On: May 25th
Finished On: May 25th, 7:10 PM
Pages Read: 432

I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix and Andrea Hannah
Started On: May 26th
Finished On: May 26th, 7:28 PM 
Pages Read: 400

Marked by Moonlight by Sophie Jordan
Started On: May 26th
Finished On: May 26th, 10:49 PM
Pages Read: 320

I Think I'm in Love with an Alien by Ann Aguirre 
Started On: May 27th
Finished On: May 27th, 1:48 PM
Pages Read: 400

Mystery in the Title by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
Started On: May 27th
Finished On: May 27th, 6:02 PM
Pages Read: 400

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

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
Started On: May 28th
Currently On: Page 0 of 384

Books Read: 29
Goal: 25 Books
Pages Read: 10582

Friday, March 7, 2025

Monthly ARC's Update 109

So I read my next book for Monthly ARC's and it was We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso, The Warbler by Sarah Beth Durst, and When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain from the March list, and All Fired Up by M. K. England from the April list.

Here's the link to this month's post with my journey.

How it Works: 
This is my monthly ARC accountability challenge, to list out the books that I have as ARC's that are being published in the coming month, rounding them up at the start of the month, and seeing how well I did at the end, as well as rounding up the next month's books.    
  

Monday, March 3, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #717, March 3rd

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 #716
Teaser Tuesday #724
WWW Wednesday #724
WOW #720
Will the Time Come #717
Third Sentence Thursday #707
Random Reads #693
First Lines Friday #720
Book Blogger Hop #386
Monthly ARC's Update 108
The Reward Challenge Update #702
Wheel of TBR #249
How Well I Stuck to It #554
Wrote that Review Update #551

Week 9 Reviews:

Phase Out Your Seriesathon: 
Update 16

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 

Polarthon Readathon: 

Random:

OK, so I got 41 posts in 7 days, and I had a good time on my vacation, and I'm still off today, but it always goes by so quickly, and doesn't feel like anything gets done, which isn't great, but yeah, I mainly slept in, which was needed. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Queen of Shadows and Ruin and The Ragpicker King!

Zarya must become the darkness…

Soaring through the sky to the frozen mountains of Andhera, Zarya knows that only she can save her home from annihilation. Ruthless armies hunt her friends and toxic dark magic spreads through the land, consuming all it touches. To fight back, she and Rabin must find dangerous new allies.

In a palace of black marble, Zarya finally meets her father—the mysterious Raja Abishek. She approaches warily. For years she was told to fear this man, that he seeks to steal her power. But Abishek welcomes her with open arms, with gifts and lavish celebrations.

Rabin is sure the king can help them, turning the tide of war and decay. And when the magic binding Zarya's heart to Rabin begins to fail, only Abishek can offer a cure. Zarya dreads the thought of placing their lives in his hands… But can she hesitate, when Rabin might be torn from her forever?

As Zarya makes her choice, ancient magic breaks loose, and her world shatters. In a ruined and long forgotten city, her love for Rabin will be tested to its limits. An army of shadows marches against her, destroying all in its path, and everything Zarya loves will be lost, unless she can face the darkness inside her—and release its devastating power.

An absolutely gripping fantasy romance that's perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and Carissa Broadbent, Queen of Shadows and Ruin is the epic final volume in the Nightfire Quartet.
In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Week 9 Review: The Warbler

From Goodreads:
From the author of The Lies Among Us comes a magical tale about mothers and daughters, choices and consequences, and the real meaning of home when every place feels like a cage.

Ten months. That's the longest Elisa has stayed anyplace, constantly propelled by her fear that if she puts down roots, a family curse will turn her into a tree.

But she's grown tired of flitting from town to town and in and out of relationships. When she discovers a small town in Massachusetts where mysterious forces make it impossible for the residents to leave, she hopes she can change her fate.

As Elisa learns about the town's history, she understands more about the women in her family, who seem doomed to never get what they want. Now she believes she's stuck, too—is that a patch of bark on her arm? But her neighbor's collection of pet birds sings secrets that Elisa can almost understand—secrets she must unravel in order to be truly alive.

My Review:


Author: Sarah Beth Durst 
Read: February 28th, 2025  
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a SAC 2025 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: March 1st 2025
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday #718, February 12th

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

The Warbler by Sarah Beth Durst
Expected Publication: March 1st, 2025
From Goodreads:
From the author of The Lies Among Us comes a magical tale about mothers and daughters, choices and consequences, and the real meaning of home when every place feels like a cage.

Ten months. That’s the longest Elisa has stayed anyplace, constantly propelled by her fear that if she puts down roots, a family curse will turn her into a tree.

But she’s grown tired of flitting from town to town and in and out of relationships. When she discovers a small town in Massachusetts where mysterious forces make it impossible for the residents to leave, she hopes she can change her fate.

As Elisa learns about the town’s history, she understands more about the women in her family, who seem doomed to never get what they want. Now she believes she’s stuck, too—is that a patch of bark on her arm? But her neighbor’s collection of pet birds sings secrets that Elisa can almost understand—secrets she must unravel in order to be truly alive.

Just one book that seems to be coming out on an irregular day, but I can't wait to read it, I love her books! I have an ARC copy of it, so I really need to read it! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Monday, June 17, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #680, June 17th

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 #679
Teaser Tuesday #687
WWW Wednesday #687
WOW #683
Will the Time Come #680
Third Sentence Thursday #670
Random Reads #656
First Lines Friday #683
Book Blogger Hop #349
24 Books to Read in 2024 Update 4
22 Books to Read in 2022 Update 18
Monthly ARC's Update 77
The Reward Challenge Update #665
Wheel of TBR #212
How Well I Stuck to It #517
Wrote that Review Update #514

Week 24 Reviews:
Other Words for Smoke
I Was Born to Bake

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 
Update 32

Clear Your S**t:

Camp SeasonAthon:

Random:

OK, so I got 30 posts in 7 days, and the reading was good, the personal life, not so much. Jax, who is 11 years old, has had one thing or another for the past month. It started with a problem with his anal glands, and he was taken to the vet and got care. A few days after the antibiotics were finished, he started pooping blood, which had me scared because it reminded me of Dobby, and the infection in his bladder that caused him to pee blood, and is why he was put down, since he wasn't getting better, and it had been months and he was suffering, but it still hurt. It took a bit, including 2 vet visits because it didn't clear right away. He was getting better, he had more energy. But he's been coughing, and he's fainted twice now, which is scary. The vet has been monitoring him for a heart murmur, which the internet is saying could cause his symptomes. So he's going to the vet for the 4th time in a month's period, to see what treatment he can have. So I've been worrying over him and trying to spend as much time as possible with him. I'm really hoping that the vet can help him, and that it's all the stress of all that he's been going through, and he'll get better, but I don't know yet. But if we lose him now, it's been less than a year since we lost Dobby, which I'm still dealing with. So that's been my week. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Winter Lost!

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must stop a disaster of world-shattering proportions in this exhilarating entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It's a hard job, and it doesn't leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I'm not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother's issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Week 24 Review: The Spellshop

From Goodreads:
The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman's unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over . . .

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn't had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire's precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city's elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She's hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she's determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.

Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop is a romantic and cosy fantasy.

My Review:
This was a really fantastic read! I loved reading about this librarian who all she really wanted was to protect the books, and the circumstances that came up in her way to keep her from doing that. It was such a delight to read!

The laws about magic, and spellbooks, in this magical world, oh, man, I just wanted to shake those with power, because they didn't care about everyone else, no matter how affected these other people are if they aren't allowed to do small magics like they used to, and you're not sending out magicians to maintain the various magics that keep the island going. Bah! 

Kiela is not a people person, she'd rather have her nose in a book. But when the revolution happened, well, going to the island where she was born, which was small and not well known, seemed like a good place to ride out the upheaval. 

This cast of characters was so great, and watching Kiela find her place there, and all the various schinangans that happened, to keep the books safe, to make a home there, yeah, it was all so much fun to read! I loved how it ended, that was a good place for the future to go from here! 

Love dreading this book and I can't wait to read more by Sarah Beth Durst! 

Author: Sarah Beth Durst 
Read: June 11th, 2024
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it sounded great and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Expected Publication: July 9th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Friday, June 14, 2024

Monthly ARC's Update 77

So I read my next book for Monthly ARC's and it was The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst from the July list. 

Here's the link to this month's post with my journey.

How it Works: 
This is my monthly ARC accountability challenge, to list out the books that I have as ARC's that are being published in the coming month, rounding them up at the start of the month, and seeing how well I did at the end, as well as rounding up the next month's books.    
       

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday #683, June 12th

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

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
Expected Publication: July 9th, 2024
From Goodreads:
Chrysantha Stathos has won.

By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has gathered important secrets, earned her father’s constant care, and become a wealthy duchess—all by age nineteen. Now, she is only one elderly, dying duke away from having all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.

Turns out her little sister somehow snatched the true victory away from her: Alessandra is wedding the Shadow King, the most powerful man in the world. Meanwhile, after the death of Chrysantha’s no-good, lecherous husband, a man claiming to be the duke’s estranged grandson turns up to inherit everything that should be hers.

Chrysantha is enraged. There is no way that she’s going to let some man take everything from her. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive and alluring with mysterious powers… No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Expected Publication: July 9th, 2024
From Goodreads:
The Spellshop is a cottagecore cosy fantasy following a woman's unexpected journey through the low-stakes market of illegal spell-selling and the high-risk business of starting over . . .

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.

Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune, The Spellshop is a romantic and cosy fantasy.

The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
Expected Publication: July 9th, 2024
From Goodreads:
From the acclaimed author of the Chorus of Dragons series, this propulsive new standalone fantasy is Dragonriders of Pern for a modern audience.

Enter a world ruled by dragons…

Anahrod lives only for survival, preferring to thrive in the jungles of the Deep with the titan drake she keeps by her side. When an adventuring party saves her from capture by the local warlord, Sicaryon, she is eager to return to her solitary life, but this is no ordinary rescue. Anahrod's past has caught up with her. And these cunning misfits intend to spirit her away to the cloud cities, where they need her help to steal from a dragon’s hoard.

There’s only one in the cloud cities, dragons rule, and the hoard in question belongs to the current regent, Neveranimas―and she wants Anahrod dead.

Fans of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series and Rebecca Yarros's The Fourth Wing will enjoy this page-turning adventure with conniving dragons, high-stakes intrigue, a daring heist, and a little bit of heat.

The Confidence Games by Tess Amy 
Expected Publication: July 9th, 2024
From Goodreads:
Two female con artists must pull off the ultimate heist in this rollicking caper from a dazzling new voice.

Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow have been inseparable their whole lives. Ever since they reinvented themselves, changing their names and wiping clean their digital footprints, they have made a game of following wherever the next adventure leads and challenging themselves to thefts, street cons, and mind games.

Adhering to only two rules—they will only swindle men, and only ones who deserve it—Emma and Nellie are secure in their reputation as the most trustworthy swindlers on the European black market. Until suddenly, they must play to save their own lives.

Blackmailed into stealing a priceless bracelet from a high-security exhibit, Emma will reexamine everything she believed to be true. This heist takes her far beyond her comfort zone...and she and Nellie will need allies among the glitzy bejeweled gathering in London in order to survive. Will they be able to do the right thing before it’s too late?

These are all great books, that I've all loved to read, and I can't for them all out be out! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Magical Readathon: Orilium Update 32

So I read my next book for Magical Readathon: Orilium, and it was The Spellshop which was for the prompt Care for the Curebloom in the Greenhouse and I'll be reading That Night next! 

My Reading Journey:

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Wits
Started On: January 9th 
Finished On: January 9th, 10:45 AM
Pages Read: 512

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Strength
Started On: January 13th
Finished On: January 13th, 7:31 PM
Pages Read: 693

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Strength
Started On: January 14th
Finished On: January 14th, 8:01 PM
Pages Read: 688

These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Wits
Started On: January 21st
Finished On: January 21st, 2:31 PM
Pages Read: 416

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Turn Left: Manipulate a Boulder to Crash Through a Wall
Started On: February 5th
Finished On: February 5th, 10:20 PM
Pages Read: 816

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Go Towards and Fight an Animated Gargoyle
Started On: February 6th
Finished On: February 6th, 9:34 PM
Pages Read: 848

The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier
Prompt Fulfilled: Turn Right: Embrace the Mist of Solitude Once More
Started On: February 7th
Finished On: February 7th, 2:12 PM
Pages Read: 400

I Only Read Murder by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson
Prompt Fulfilled: Go Towards the Maze
Started On: February 14th
Finished On: February 14th, 1:58 PM
Pages Read: 320

Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin
Prompt Fulfilled: Remove a Complex Lock Enchantment Cast on the Exit Door
Started On: March 1st
Finished On: March 1st, 1:58 PM
Pages Read: 348

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Cut Your Way Through Wild Vines Blocking an Ancient Exit
Started On: March 3rd
Finished On: March 3rd, 9:06 PM
Pages Read: 430

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Cut Your Way Through Wild Vines Blocking an Ancient Exit
Started On: March 4th
Finished On: March 4th, 9:50 PM
Pages Read: 511

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff
Prompt Fulfilled: Cut Your Way Through Wild Vines Blocking an Ancient Exit
Started On: March 23rd
Finished On: March 23rd, 11:44 PM
Pages Read: 756

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Strength
Started On: January 11th 
Finished On: January 11th, 2:52 PM
Pages Read: 432

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Strength
Started On: January 11th 
Finished On: January 11th, 8:21 PM
Pages Read: 624

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Prompt Fulfilled: Rely on Your Wits
Started On: January 22nd 
Finished On: January 22nd, 2:36 PM
Pages Read: 496

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
Prompt Fulfilled: Go Towards and Fight an Animated Gargoyle
Started On: February 4th 
Finished On: February 4th, 6:51 PM
Pages Read: 823

Four-Alarm Homicide by Diane Kelly
Prompt Fulfilled: Go Towards the Maze
Started On: February 17th
Finished On: February 17th, 4:58 PM
Pages Read: 304

Visions of Flesh and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Prompt Fulfilled: Turn Left: Manipulate a Boulder to Crash Through a Wall
Started On: February 17th
Finished On: February 17th, 3:27 PM
Pages Read: 640

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Cut Your Way Through Wild Vines Blocking an Ancient Exit
Started On: March 5th
Finished On: March 5th, 11:02 PM
Pages Read: 528

Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop
Prompt Fulfilled: Cut Your Way Through Wild Vines Blocking an Ancient Exit
Started On: March 6th
Finished On: March 6th, 7:25 PM
Pages Read: 514

The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller
Prompt Fulfilled: Cut Your Way Through Wild Vines Blocking an Ancient Exit
Started On: March 18th
Finished On: March 18th, 10:57 AM
Pages Read: 366

My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Alchemy
Started On: May 4th
Finished On: May 4th, 10:25 PM
Pages Read: 512

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Restoration
Started On: May 5th
Finished On: May 5th, 5:25 PM
Pages Read: 464

Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Lore
Started On: May 6th
Finished On: May 6th, 9:01 PM
Pages Read: 368

One Killer Problem by Justine Pucella Winans
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Lore
Started On: May 7th
Finished On: May 7th, 4:31 PM
Pages Read: 336

The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Alchemy
Started On: May 9th
Finished On: May 9th, 10:00 PM
Pages Read: 665

Lady of Steel and Straw by Erica Ivy Rodgers
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Animal Studies
Started On: May 20th
Finished On: May 20th, 10:24 PM
Pages Read: 432

Girls Like Her by Melanie Sumrow
Prompt Fulfilled: Extra Credit in Restoration
Started On: May 23rd
Finished On: May 23rd, 9:55 PM
Pages Read: 368

A Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzie Lee
Prompt Fulfilled: Read About the First Recorded Companions
Started On: June 1st
Finished On: June 1st, 9:45 PM
Pages Read: 592

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Prompt Fulfilled: Work on Calculating Work Ratios
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 3:36 PM
Pages Read: 417

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Prompt Fulfilled: Work on Calculating Work Ratios
Started On: June 6th
Finished On: June 6th, 9:26 PM
Pages Read: 435

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Prompt Fulfilled: Care for the Curebloom in the Greenhouse
Started On: June 11th
Finished On: June 11th, 11:04 AM
Pages Read: 384

That Night by Cyn Balog
Prompt Fulfilled: Study the Cognition in Postal Birds
Started On: June 
Currently On: Page 0 of 298

Prompts Left: Care for the Curebloom in the Greenhouse, Read About the First Recorded Companions
Read: 32
Pages Read: 15542