Showing posts with label Shana Abe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shana Abe. Show all posts

Monday, August 4, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #739, August 4th

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 #738
Teaser Tuesday #746
WWW Wednesday #746
WOW #742
Will the Time Come #739
Third Sentence Thursday #729
Random Reads #715
First Lines Friday #742
Book Blogger Hop #408
Monthly ARC's September Round Up
The Reward Challenge Update #724
Wheel of TBR #271
How Well I Stuck to It #576
Wrote that Review Update #573

OK, so I got 47 posts in 7 days, It was a rough week. Tuesday I was told that we were probably putting the family dog down soon, since his health was deteriorating. Wednesday, we almost did, but instead tried increasing the dose of his meds. He has a lump on his lungs, and congestive heart failure, and has been having trouble breathing, and is panting after the smallest of movements. The increase helped for a few days, but yesterday he started panting again. So we're probably putting him down Wednesday, since today's a holiday, and they're going to be busy tomorrow. If we can get appointment Wednesday. And it's hard, it's getting close to 2 years since we put Dobby down, so I'm struggling. It's just that we got Dobby and Winky, and Winky passed, Dobby remembered her. And then we adopted Jax a few months later. And when Doby passed, Jax remembered him. But we never got another dog, partially because Jax is reactive. So there's not a dog to remember Jax. There's Holly, but they don't get along very well, so I tried my best to keep them separated when he was with me. It hurts, that breaking of the chain. 

So yeah, this week is going to be even worse, losing the doggie. He seems so alive still, but the way he's breathing, he can't go on like that. I'm going to miss him so much. At least there's some really good books that I need to read that will help. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Accomplice to the Villain and The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk!

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Nicole Maehrer's laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to "Evie" or "Stop that."

Evie Sage didn't mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom's most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised "light paperwork and occasional beheadings," and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire—or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

A magical office comedy with grumpy bosses, snarky frogs, and definitely-not-feelings.
New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk.

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again.

When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the impossible: ascend to true divinity.

Their journey will take them through mortal and immortal realms, alongside both old friends and ruthless enemies. But as the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse and the gods prepare for a war, Asar and Mische must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death. In a game of vengeful gods and ancient betrayals, there are some debts that even love may not be able to repay.

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Week 31 Review: The Sweetest Dark, The Deepest Night, The Fiercest Joy



The Sweetest Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a passionate love story that defies time.

"With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I'd have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I'd ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach."

Lora Jones has always known that she's different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora's been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she's far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England's southern coast. Iverson's eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school's groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she's only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

From Goodreads:
A rich portrait of post-Victorian England, The Deepest Night seamlessly blends thrilling romance with riveting history and adventure—perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Lauren Kate.

It's 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England's southern coast. While she's always felt different from everyone around her, now she finally knows She is a drákon, a rare, enchanted being with astonishing magical abilities.
 
As war hits Britain's shores, and Lora reels from an unimaginable loss, she finds that her powers come with grave and dangerous responsibilities. At the request of Armand Louis, the darkly mysterious boy whose father owns Iverson, Lora will spend her summer at his lavish estate. To help the war effort—and to keep Lora near—Armand turns his home into a military hospital, where Lora will serve as a nurse. For Armand is inescapably drawn to her—bound to her by heart-deep secrets and a supernatural connection that runs thicker than blood.
 
Yet while Lora tries to sort out her own feelings toward Armand, fate offers an unexpected surprise. Lora discovers there is another drákon, a prisoner of war being held in Germany. And that only she, with her newly honed Gifts, will be able to rescue him.
 
With Armand at her side, Lora will cross enemy lines on an incredible mission—one that could bond her to Armand forever, or irrevocably tear them apart.
 
Beautifully written, deeply romantic, and filled with daring adventure and magic, The Deepest Night is a mesmerizing novel of the enduring pull of destiny, and the eternal strength of love.

In the autumn of 1915, Eleanore Jones is on the verge of becoming who she was always meant to be: a drákon of stunning beauty and strength. She has discovered she is not the last dragon in the world, as she'd long thought: not one but two drákon brothers vie for her heart. And just as Lora begins to embrace her destiny, yet another drákon enters her life—another female who, like her, has disguised herself as a student at the prestigious Iverson School for Girls.

It's no coincidence.

Secrets come unraveled; time comes undone. Soon all four of the drákon caught in Iverson's mysterious, enchanted world are going to have to confront a new enemy: an army of dragons, come to steal Lora away—and destroy anyone who attempts to stop them.

My first review of The Sweetest Dark
My Review:


Author: Shana Abe
Series: The Sweetest Dark #1, 2, 3
First Read: December 30th, 2013
Read: July 27th, 27th, 28th, 2025
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Historical Fiction 2025 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Books! And The Fiercest Joy is a End of Series 2025 Book! 
Publisher: Bantam, Five Rabbits, Inc.
Published: April 2nd 2013, August 13th 2013, February 8th 2017

The Sweetest Dark:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








The Deepest Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








The Fiercest Joy:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Phase Out Your TBR Update 15

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was The Deepest Night which is for the prompt Yellow 6 and I'll be reading Our Vicious Descent 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

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 10th
Finished On: July 10th, 11:27 PM
Pages Read: 178

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue Wild (Red 12)
Started On: July 14th
Finished On: July 14th, 7:58 PM
Pages Read: 400

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 16th
Finished On: July 16th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 512

Lord of Ruin by K.M. Enright
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 9
Started On: July 20th
Finished On: July 20th, 8:19 PM
Pages Read: 464

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 7
Started On: July 21st
Finished On: July 21st, 11:04 AM
Pages Read: 400

Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 12
Started On: July 22nd
Finished On: July 22nd, 6:28 PM
Pages Read: 272

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 7
Started On: July 23rd
Finished On: July 23rd, 11:47 AM
Pages Read: 535

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 11
Started On: July 25th
Finished On: July 25th, 4:03 PM
Pages Read: 384

Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 26th
Finished On July 26th, 8:37 PM
Pages Read: 420

The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 27th
Finished On: July 27th, 9:11 PM
Pages Read: 320

Our Vicious Descent by Hayley Dennings
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 9
Started On: July 28th
Currently On: Pages 0 of 512

Prompts Left: Blue 12, Yellow Wild (Green 12), Green 9, Yellow 7, Yellow 5, Yellow 10
Books Read: 15
Pages Read:  5265

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Phase Out Your TBR Update 14

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was Diamonds & Deceit which is for the prompt Yellow 6 and I'll be reading The Deepest Night 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

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 10th
Finished On: July 10th, 11:27 PM
Pages Read: 178

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue Wild (Red 12)
Started On: July 14th
Finished On: July 14th, 7:58 PM
Pages Read: 400

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 16th
Finished On: July 16th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 512

Lord of Ruin by K.M. Enright
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 9
Started On: July 20th
Finished On: July 20th, 8:19 PM
Pages Read: 464

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 7
Started On: July 21st
Finished On: July 21st, 11:04 AM
Pages Read: 400

Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 12
Started On: July 22nd
Finished On: July 22nd, 6:28 PM
Pages Read: 272

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 7
Started On: July 23rd
Finished On: July 23rd, 11:47 AM
Pages Read: 535

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 11
Started On: July 25th
Finished On: July 25th, 4:03 PM
Pages Read: 384

Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 26th
Finished On July 26th, 8:37 PM
Pages Read: 420

The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 27th
Currently On: Pages 0 of 320

Prompts Left: Blue 12, Yellow Wild (Green 12), Green 9, Blue 9, Yellow 7, Yellow 5, Yellow 10
Books Read: 14
Pages Read:  4945

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Shana Abe Author Page

The Story: I got The Sweetest Dark from NetGalley, and yeah, I really enjoyed it a ton! And I can't wait to read more books by Shana Abe!

Website

Series: DrakonThe Sweetest Dark

Drakon: The Smoke Thief and her site, my review, The Dream Thief and her site, my review, Queen of Dragons and her site, my review, The Treasure Keeper and her site, my review, The Time Weaver and her site, my review.

The Sweetest Dark (Spin Off Series of *Drakon*): The Sweetest Dark and her site, my review, my rereadThe Deepest Night and her site, my review, The Fiercest Joy and her site, my review.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Week 1 Review: The Sweetest Dark

From Goodreads:
The Sweetest Dark is filled with thrilling romance, exciting adventure, and ancient magic. Shana Abé brilliantly captures the drama of post-Victorian England, while unfolding a passionate love story that defies time.

"With every fiber of my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson without incident. But I'd have to face the fact that my life was about to unfold in a very, very different way than I'd ever envisioned. Normal would become forever out of reach."

Lora Jones has always known that she's different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora's been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she's far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England's southern coast. Iverson's eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school's groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she's only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.

Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, The Sweetest Dark brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.

My Review:
I utterly adored this book! I know there's an adult series that might be connected, but while I haven't read that, I was quite able to read this book, and that left the mystery to be so much more then it could've been if I'd read the other series!

I loved Lora, she's had a hard time in life, keeping her secrets secret, and yeah, that's almost a full time job, but that's just being smart and keeping herself alive! She was snarky, but that was just another wall that she built up, and when someone got through her walls, she would seem like a pretty different person! But she was really strong, though!

Oh, Jesse and Armand! They were both really important characters, because as the synopsis says, both of them are important to learning about the past, and the one that was important the future? We get 2 guesses. because, well, there's only the 2 of them!

Oh, how I loved that ending! It took everything that the whole book was about, and then condensed the pure essence of it into the ending, just wholly dark, intriguing, and had such wonderful romance, and I really enjoyed it!

Loved this book, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Author: Shana Abe
Series: The Sweetest Dark #1
Read: December 30th, 2013
Source: Tuebl/NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded good, and it's a Historical Fiction 2013 Book and LLFL Book!
Publisher: Bantam
Published: April 2nd 2013
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Friday, January 3, 2014

Last Letter, First Letter Reading Challenge Update 37

OK, so I have done some more reading, and I read City of Lost Souls, The Sweetest Dark.

Yep. Happy reading!

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

What it is:

You pick a book, read it. Then you look at the last letter of the title, for example, "The Adventures of Tom Saywer." Then you take that last letter, and search you TBR piles for a book starting with the last letter, so continuing the example, someone could read "Rotters" next, and then a title that starts with "s."

Rules:
1. Have fun!
2. Read!
3. The last letter of the book you read must be the first letter of the next book you read.
4. Words like "the," "a," "and," and those such don't count as the first letter.
5. If a letter becomes overused, like d, e, l, w, ext, and you run out of books that you really want to read for this challenge, cycle in letters that don't often get used like a, b, i, k, p, ext, and note what you cycle in, where!