This is total and utter brain candy and sometimes I need that in my life! The Grishaverse got a fully illustrated book of stories, so why wouldn’t the Folk of the Air? I thought it was slightly fun that Leigh Bardugo was giving Black advice (per the author’s note). At least they worked together and didn’t copy each other haha! Readers, do any other series have books like this that you know of? Anyway, I read the Folk of the Air trilogy as they were coming out but I never read Cardan’s little book of illustrated tales. It’s short, sweet, and I love the artwork even if it’s a bit repetitive by t ..read more

**Note: I included the book info and synopsis at the end, so do scroll down if you want to read that first** I read Courting Darkness back when it first released in 2019, and then despite eagerly waiting for Igniting Darkness the following year I had entirely forgotten the plotlines and intricacies and many of the names when the book finally hit the shelves. One note: Courting Darkness was always marketed as a stand alone duology separate from His Fair Assassin – to me this is TOTAL BLASPHEMY. Not recommended at all. No one I know who only read the duology enjoyed it very much. Trust me, the r ..read more

Thanks so much to Bookish First for letting me get my hands on an early finished copy of this book! I was a pretty big fan of We Hunt the Flame and was intrigued by the synopsis of A Tempest of Tea. They take place in the same universe but on different continents. I don’t believe that any of the characters overlap unless I’m forgetting something, so yes, A Tempest of Tea can be read first but it is not a standalone, as it starts a new duology and ends on a cliffhanger. Let’s take a look at the book and I’ll share my thoughts Bookish Quick Facts Title: A Tempest of Tea Series: Blood and Tea ..read more

I did it, I completed the trilogy finally and now can stop worrying about how it’s all going to end. Did I see the end coming from two books away? Sure. Was it as anticlimactic as many people were saying? Kind of. It can’t be denied that The Conqueror Saga has a weak ending. It’s not a happy, but more of a bittersweet ending. Along the way, was it gloriously dark and bloody and full of as many betrayals as it was corpses? Well… 20000 betrayals is too much for one book but it was close. Also can we just all pause right now and agree that the cover is a sex thing? There are no pomegranates in th ..read more

Intro I know I said after Voice of War that I wasn’t interested in continuing, although I had already purchased the audiobooks and so here we are. Overall, I would say that Stones of Light was a lot more interesting and provided at least a little bit of much-needed background. I still have tons of questions but found this to be a much more rewarding book! Let’s take a quick look at it and I’ll share my thoughts (Note: there are very very light spoilers in this ramble that aren’t really spoilers, but if that will deter you, stop after the synopsis. In summary I said I liked it more than book on ..read more

Intro It has been hard for me to find time to read physical books recently, so I have to apologize to Bookish First for coming in super late with this review. I read and absolutely loved KLB’s first duology, The Keeper of Night, and found this to be a great followup. Between Rati Mehrotra and KLB I am really starting to love these Asian alternate history fantasies. Anyway, let’s look at the book facts and then I’ll share my thoughts Bookish Quick Facts Title: The Scarlet Alchemist Series: The Scarlet Alchemist, #1 Author: Kylie Lee Baker Published: Inkyard Press, October 2023 Length: 432 page ..read more

As we work through the SPSFC3 slush phase, some team members have decided to read books in full as they go if they feel like a potential contender has been found. None of us are posting scores at this time and the team is not announcing advancement of any book yet. We are simply choosing to read and review a book in full. All thoughts are mine alone and not reflective of team decisions. You can see all our official announcements and reviews here at the team hub For my second full read of the slush phase, I tackled Replacement. Let’s take a look at the book and then I’ll share my thoughts. Book ..read more

Hi everyone! Busy week with five shifts incoming and I’m in panic mode getting ready for my bf to finally fly in and visit the states! Yay! I finished my reread of Now I Rise by Kiersten White. I still think it’s a better book than And I Darken, and likely the best book of the trilogy. Most of my thoughts are still the same. I love Lada and all the side characters. I hate Radu, he’s terrible! I caught many amazing details I didn’t get the first time through and am excited to jump into book three, probably in November! To save myself re-writing a very similar review, here is the link to my old ..read more

I normally never reread books. Too many books, too little time, and all that jazz. I also never read the third book of The Conqueror’s Saga despite And I Darken and Now I Rise being two of my favorite all time YA books. There is a lot for adults to love in this series too, enough to make me re read them before finally picking up the final chapter. (P.S. I already reviewed this on the blog and have 0 zip zero NO recollection of doing so, so…I guess this is my reread review) So let’s look at the book and then I’ll share my thoughts! Bookish Quick Facts Title: And I Darken Series: The Conqueror ..read more

I don’t normally read Civil War era historical fiction. The fact is that I read far too many history books and letter collections and just tend to find historical fiction too easy to nitpick. Ehrlich kept actual historical facts pretty vague, which overall made for a pleasant reading experience without any serious errors. I picked up Ellis River, an award winning debut novel, on NetGalley as an advanced listening copy. All it took was a horse on the cover and the knowledge that the author incorporated her love of horses into the story. That of a young girl born on a ranch, in Quaker populated ..read more