ARC Review: STOLEN THREADWITCH BRIDE (Stolen Brides of the Fae #6) by Clare Sager

STOLEN THREADWITCH BRIDE (Stolen Brides of the Fae #6)

by Clare Sager

Date Published: June 11, 2021

From Goodreads:

True names hold power. Fae cannot lie. And the women they steal become their brides. 

When threadwitch Ariadne is taken by a fae lord as part of a centuries-old bargain, she expects to marry him whether she likes it or not. But, desperate to return home, she won’t give in easily. Even if Lysander claims he doesn’t want her hand in marriage but for its skill with needle and the threads of magic, everyone knows the fae are not to be trusted.

Plotting her escape, she sews spells into cloth and tries her hardest to ignore his charms as well as the fae realm’s equally alluring beauty. 

But she soon discovers his world is as dangerous as it is beautiful. With dark creatures in the forest and enemies who wear friendship as a mask, Ariadne must make every stitch perfect if she wants to not only escape but also keep Lysander alive. Which, it turns out, is something she wants far more than she ever expected. 

Cover Reveal: THE BOUND WITCH (The Osseous Chronicles #3) by Ivy Asher

THE BOUND WITCH (The Osseous Chronicles #3)

by Ivy Asher

Release Date: July 28, 2021

About the book:

What do you do when you thought it was all over, only to realize it's all just begun? 

I died. 

I looked into Rogan Kendrick’s eyes, told him I loved him…and then I died. 

So how the hell am I standing naked in the middle of a morgue, doing my best not to freak the fuck out? 

I’m a Bone Witch, or at least I was before Rogan bound us together. Blood magic now flows through my veins too, and I think somehow the man I shouldn’t love, the one who betrayed me, who couldn’t choose me…has saved me. 

If the High Counsel finds out they’ll hunt us, and they won’t be the only ones. A certain bastard demon did promise to see me soon. 

ARC Review: FOR THE WOLF (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten

FOR THE WOLF (Wilderwood #1)

by Hannah Whitten

Release Date: June 1, 2021; Orbit

From Goodreads:

The first daughter is for the Throne.

The second daughter is for the Wolf. 

For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn't the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood. 

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. 

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again. 

ARC Review: UNDER BLACK SKIES (Beneath Black Sails #3) by Clare Sager

UNDER BLACK SKIES (Beneath Black Sails #3)

by Clare Sager

Release Date: May 25, 2021

About the book:

Enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies. Now they’re ‘just friends.’ Sure.

Reunited with her crew, Vice is on the hunt for Drake’s treasure. But there’s a good reason it hasn’t been seen in two hundred years – it’s hidden by fiendish clues and deadly traps. To keep her crew – her family safe, she can’t afford a single misstep. That’s easier said than done with a distraction like Knigh Blackwood around. 

Knigh might not sail for the Navy anymore, but he’s found a new place in the world – home with Vice on the Venatrix. Even as he longs for more than ‘just friends’, he battles with demons from his past and one from his present. To save his family, he needs money. Lots of it. A legendary treasure would be the perfect solution. 

But traps and troublesome feelings aren’t the only dangers they face. When treachery strikes at the heart of pirate-kind, no one is safe: not their home, not Knigh’s family, not even the Pirate Queen herself. 

ARC Review: THESE FEATHERED FLAMES (These Feathered Flames #1) by Alexandra Overy

THESE FEATHERED FLAMES (These Feathered Flames #1)

by Alexandra Overy

Date Published: April 20, 2021; Inkyard Press

From Goodreads:

A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale 

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm. 

But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned. 

As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

ARC Review: AGAINST DARK TIDES (Beneath Black Sails #2) by Clare Sager

AGAINST DARK TIDES (Beneath Black Sails #2)

by Clare Sager

Date Published: September 23, 2020

From Goodreads:

Enemies. Lovers. Enemies once more. Now they must work together to survive.

Notorious pirate Lady Vice has lost everything: ship, crew, and friends. Even her body has betrayed her, leaving her magic weak. To make matters worse, she’s stuck at sea with the man who stabbed her in the back. 

Knigh Blackwood is no longer a captain, no longer a pirate-hunter, no longer … anything. All he has left is the woman he betrayed, and she’d rather cut out his tongue with his own dagger than forgive him. 

There’s just one thing that might make up for what they’ve lost: Drake’s treasure. But they’re not the only ones searching for clues and the elusive X that marks the spot. Between them and the treasure stand a scheming duke, a former lover, and a sea monster thought the stuff of legends – not to mention Vice and Knigh’s complicated feelings for each other. 

ARC Review: BENEATH BLACK SAILS (Beneath Black Sails #1) by Clare Sager

BENEATH BLACK SAILS (Beneath Black Sails #1)

by Clare Sager
Date Published: March 30, 2020; Independently published 

From Goodreads:

Sometimes it takes a pirate to catch a pirate. 

With weather magic on her side, Lady Vice is the bane of the high seas, but she isn’t captain of her own ship. Yet. If she can persuade her captain to give her a command, she’ll be in charge of her own fate. 

To pay off his family’s debts, Knigh Blackwood hunts pirates for the Royal Navy. And he’s damn good at it. When the bounty on Lady Vice increases, he’s determined to make her face justice, even if that means using unorthodox methods. 

Forced to work together, neither can deny their mutual attraction. As they face battles at sea and schemes aboard their ship, they discover hints about a long-lost treasure that could be the answer to both their problems. 

Review: WE FREE THE STARS (Sands of Arawiya #2) by Hafsah Faizal

WE FREE THE STARS (Sands of Arawiya #2)

by Hafsah Faizal

Date Published: January 19, 2021; Farrar, Straus and Giroux

From Goodreads:

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. 

As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made. 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: BLESSED MONSTERS (Something Dark and Holy #3) by Emily A. Duncan

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of Wishful Endings. It highlights books to be released that readers are most excited for. It is based on Jill, from Breaking the Spine's 'Waiting on' Wednesday.

My Can't-Wait Wednesday pick for this week is-

BLESSED MONSTERS (Something Dark and Holy #3)

by Emily A. Duncan
Release Date: April 6, 2021; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:
The startling conclusion to the instant New York Times bestselling Something Dark and Holy trilogy 

The girl, the monster, the prince, the queen. 

They broke the world. 

And some things can never be undone. 

In Emily A. Duncan’s Blessed Monsters, they must unite once more to fight the dark chaos they've unleashed—but is it already too late?

ARC Review: RUTHLESS GODS (Something Dark and Holy #2) by Emily A. Duncan

 RUTHLESS GODS (Something Dark and Holy #2) 
by Emily A. Duncan
Release Date: April 7, 2020; Macmillan

About the book:

The stunning sequel to instant New York Times bestseller, Wicked Saints 

"Ruthless Gods opens the door to a world of fallen gods and eldritch horrors... Gruesome, grotesque, and so, so glorious." - Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows 

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become. 

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. Their paths are being orchestrated by someone…or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer. 

In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless. 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: BONE CRIER'S DAWN (Bone Grace #2) by Kathryn Purdie

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of Wishful Endings. It highlights books to be released that readers are most excited for. It is based on Jill, from Breaking the Spine's 'Waiting on' Wednesday.

My Can't-Wait Wednesday pick for this week is -

BONE CRIER'S DAWN (Bone Grace #2)

by Kathryn Purdie
Release Date: March 30, 2021; Katherine Tegen Books

From Goodreads:
Love is a matter of life and death. 

Bone Criers have been ferrying the dead into the afterlife for centuries, a dangerous duty only possible with the powers they gain from sacrificing their amourés the men destined to love them and die. But Bone Criers Ailesse and Sabine—along with Ailesse’s love, Bastien—are working to chart their own course and rewrite the rules of the afterlife. If they don’t break the soul between Ailesse and her amouré, she could die—just as Bastien’s father did.

Sabine struggles to maintain her authority as matrone of her famille—the role always destined for her sister—even as she fights to control the violent jackal power within her.

Bastien is faced with a new dilemma as the spirits of the Underworld threaten the souls of his friends—and his father. 

Ailesse attempts to resist her mother’s siren song as she’s drawn into her own version of the Underworld. How will she save her friends once she’s cut off from their world?

ARC Review: WHERE DREAMS DESCEND (Kingdom of Cards #1) by Janella Angeles

WHERE DREAMS DESCEND (Kingdom of Cards #1) 
by Janella Angeles
Release Date: August 25, 2020; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:

In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes. 

As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next. 

The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost 

The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told 

The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide 

'Can't-Wait' Wednesday: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY (The Other Side of The Sky #1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

'Can't-Wait' Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of Wishful Endings. It highlights books to be released that readers/bloggers are most excited for. It is based on Jill, from Breaking the Spine's 'Waiting on' Wednesday.

My 'Can't-Wait' Wednesday pick for this week is -

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY (The Other Side of The Sky #1) 
by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Release Date: September 1, 2020; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:

Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.

ARC Review: SERPENT & DOVE (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin

SERPENT & DOVE (Serpent & Dove #1)
by Shelby Mahurin
Release Date: September 3, 2019; HarperTeen

About the book:

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn. 

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned. 

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony. 

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made. 

Blog Tour ft. Story Behind the Cover + Review and Giveaway: BEASTS OF THE FROZEN SUN (Frozen Sun Saga #1) by Jill Criswell

BEASTS OF THE FROZEN SUN (Frozen Sun Saga #1) 
by Jill Criswell
Date Published: August 6, 2019; Blackstone Publishing

From Goodreads:

Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust.

Every child of Glasnith learns the last words of Aillira, the god-gifted mortal whose doomed love affair sparked a war of gods and men, and Lira of clan Stone knows the story better than most. As a descendant of Aillira and god-gifted in her own right, she has the power to read people's souls, to see someone's true essence with only a touch of her hand.

When a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland--one of the fearful marauders from the land of the Frozen Sun--Lira helps the wounded man instead of turning him in. After reading his soul, she realizes Reyker is different than his brethren who attack the coasts of Glasnith. He confides in her that he's been cursed with what his people call battle-madness, forced to fight for the warlord known as the Dragon, a powerful tyrant determined to reignite the ancient war that Aillira started.

Mini Review: WE HUNT THE FLAME (Sands of Arawiya #1) by Hafsah Faizal

WE HUNT THE FLAME (Sands of Arawiya #1) 
by Hafsah Faizal
Date Published: May 14,2019; Farrar, Straus and Giroux

From Goodreads:

People lived because she killed. 

People died because he lived. 

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be. 

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

ARC Review: SORCERY OF THORNS by Margaret Rogerson

SORCERY OF THORNS
by Margaret Rogerson
Release Date: June 4, 2019; Margaret K. McElderry Books

From Goodreads:

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power. 

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them. 

SOUL OF THE SWORD (Shadow of the Fox #2) by Julie Kagawa #CWW #WoW

'Can't-Wait' Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa of Wishful Endings. It highlights books to be released that readers/bloggers are most excited for. It is based on Jill, from Breaking the Spine's 'Waiting on' Wednesday.

My 'Can't-Wait' Wednesday pick for this week is-

SOUL OF THE SWORD (Shadow of the Fox #2) 
by Julie Kagawa
Release Date: June 18, 2019; Inkyard Press

From Goodreads:

One thousand years ago, a wish was made to the Harbinger of Change and a sword of rage and lightning was forged. Kamigoroshi. The Godslayer. It had one task: to seal away the powerful demon Hakaimono. 

Now he has broken free. 

Kitsune shapeshifter Yumeko has one task: to take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple in order to prevent the summoning of the Harbinger of Change, the great Kami Dragon who will grant one wish to whomever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, who for centuries was trapped in a cursed sword, has escaped and possessed the boy she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with the Master of Demons in order to break the curse of the sword and set himself free. To overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness, they need one thing: the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross once again, the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.

WICKED SAINTS (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan #Review #BlogTour

WICKED SAINTS (Something Dark and Holy #1)
by Emily A. Duncan 
Release Date: April 2, 2019; Wednesday Books

About the book:

When Nadya prays to the gods, they listen, and magic flows through her veins. For nearly a century the Kalyazi have been locked in a deadly holy war with Tranavian heretics, and her power is the only thing that is a match for the enemy’s blood magic. But when the Travanian High Prince, and his army invade the monastery she is hiding in, instead of saving her people, Nadya is forced to flee the only home she’s ever known, leaving it in flames behind her, and vengeance in her heart. 

As night falls, she chooses to defy her gods and forge a dangerous alliance with a pair of refugees and their Tranavian blood mage leader, a beautiful, broken boy who deserted his homeland after witnessing his blood cult commit unthinkable monstrosities. The plan? Assassinate the king and stop the war. 

But when they discover a nefarious conspiracy that goes beyond their two countries, everything Nadya believes is thrown into question, including her budding feelings for her new partner. Someone has been harvesting blood mages for a dark purpose, experimenting with combining Tranavian blood magic with the Kalyazi’s divine one. In order to save her people, Nadya must now decide whether to trust the High Prince – her country’s enemy – or the beautiful boy with powers that may ignite something far worse than the war they’re trying to end.

Author Interview ft. Joan He

Hello and welcome! Today I'm sharing with you an exclusive interview from, quite frankly, one of the most amazing debut authors of 2019. . .  Joan He!

Read on to find out what Joan's been up to at the age of 13 (hint: nude models), her favorite character(s) to write in DotC and her advice for all aspiring writers! 

Author links:

Website   Goodreads   Twitter   Instagram

I'm horrible at bios so let's do a fact list instead: 

As a second-generation Chinese American, I was raised on a diet of Chinese cartoons and dramas. Journey to the West was basically my Sponge Bob. 

I'm a recent grad of the University of Pennsylvania, where I majored in Psychology and minored in East Asian Language and Cultures. 

Cats and wombats for life. 

The weirder the story, the better. 

I should really be sponsored by Starbucks.