Fantasy, Review

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer

by Lauren1 Comment on Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer

 

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Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy and A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.

Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.

And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer’s motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don’t stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.

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I received a copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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graphic novel, Review

Days of Sugar and Spice by Loïc Clément, Illustrated by Anne Montel

by Lauren1 Comment on Days of Sugar and Spice by Loïc Clément, Illustrated by Anne Montel

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Rose is not a happy young woman; she is closed off and angry and she hates her job. But her life changes drastically when she inherits her father’s bakery in a small town in Brittany. Returning to a place that brought her both joy and grief forces her to confront painful memories of her past and find the courage to open her heart to a new, happier life that awaits her if she will just let it. A story about new beginnings, filled with small town charm, delicious pastries and the warmth of home and friends.

I received a copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. It is spoiler-free!

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Discussion, Reading Challenge

Book Riot’s 2020 Read Harder Challenge

by Lauren5 Comments on Book Riot’s 2020 Read Harder Challenge

Hey there!

So recently I’ve only been writing reviews, but I want to get back into more expansive content to keep it interesting. I’ve decided that the first order of business is to find a new reading challenge for 2020. I fully intend on completing a simple “read this many books” challenge on Goodreads, but a friend recently mentioned that the quality of books is just as important, if not more, than the quantity.

After some digging, I discovered Book Riot’s 2020 Read Harder Challenge. Book Riot has been hosting the challenge for a number of years now, and although I am late to the party I am glad that I found it. I love that the challenge includes reading books to promote awareness of social issues and support minority communities. I think it is important to increase my awareness and open-mindedness as a reader and as a person; reading books that I would not pick up otherwise is a great way to diversify my world view and gain perspective.

“We encourage you to push yourself, to take advantage of this challenge as a way to explore topics or formats or genres that you otherwise wouldn’t try. But this isn’t a test. No one is keeping score and there are no points to post. We like books because they allow us to see the world from a new perspective, and sometimes we all need help to even know which perspectives to try out. That’s what this is—a perspective shift—but one for which you’ll only be accountable to yourself.”

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Fantasy, Review

The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

by Lauren5 Comments on The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

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In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. It’s spoiler-free!!

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