Title: Ghostsmith

Series: House of the Dead #2

Author: Nicki Pau Preto

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Year of publication: 2024

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BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Bonesmith – my review

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QUOTE

In this action-packed finale to the House of the Dead Duology, Wren and her friends put everything they know to the test as they battle the living and the undead to save their world.

BLURB

Wren is still reeling from the revelation that the mother she thought was dead is actually the Corpse Queen, a ghostsmith with the terrifying power to control the undead. It was Wren’s own mother who created the iron revenants—an army of near unbeatable undead soldiers. When the iron revenants attack, no one in the Dominions will have the strength to stand in their way.

Now Wren, Leo, and Julian find themselves once more in the Breach, this time on the run from Wren’s father, who is determined to secure more power for himself and the House of Bone. The three are desperate to stop the upcoming war, but working together is easier said than done with Julian still furious about Wren double-crossing him. And to make matters worse, Wren is plagued by powerful new abilities that force her to reassess everything she knows about being a bonesmith.

When Wren’s long-lost twin brother shows up and vows to help her destroy the well of magic that feeds the iron revenants, she must decide if trusting him is worth potentially playing right into their mother’s hands.

After all, the dead might be dangerous, but it’s the living who can betray you.

I absolutely adored Bonesmith and this second book did not disappoint!

Wren, Julian, Leo and now Hawke are on the run and back in the Breach to try and stop the upcoming war. And it leads them into predicaments to say the least!

Julian believes Wren deceived him so they’re on the outs, whilst Leo remains his usual charming, scene-stealing self!!!! As for Hawke… I was surprised by how much I actually liked him!

This is a brutal, unforgiving world filled with darkness, treachery, non-stop action, evil characters and a seriously cool magic system. The atmosphere is intense and gritty, and it kept me completely hooked!

I loved this duology and I would love to see Leo get a book of his own!

⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

Fairyloot Romantasy – January 2026

Mirrored Fate

Perfect for readers that love:
🧚‍♀️ Unseelie Fae
❤️‍🔥 Enemies-to-Lovers
💍 Marriage of Convenience

This book is an absolute stunner!

King of Ravens by Claire Sager

🖤 An exclusive redesigned cover by @carmen.dmdesign with design by @aeadraws
🖤 A reversible dust jacket
🖤 Full colour artwork on the hardcover with foil (front, back & spine) by @dianadworak with design by @aeadraws
🖤 Character artwork on the endpapers by @kotikomori with foil details by @blanca.design (different front and back)
🖤 Digitally sprayed edges on all three edges by @carmen.dmdesign
🖤 Head and tail bands
🖤 Bonus content: Alternative POV and an author letter with a digital signature bound in the book.

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BLURB

He’ll do anything to keep her. She’d do anything to escape.

Rhiannon is dying—of what, she doesn’t know. Kept protected by her family in their remote seaside cottage, she spends her days searching for a cure. Her world is torn apart, however, when a fae King of the Dead invades her home.

Cold and cruel, Drystan offers her a choice: descend to the underworld as his bride or watch her family die. Trapped in a twisted bargain, Rhiannon is thrust into a world of withered gods, scheming courtiers, and ancient magic, but she refuses to be a pawn in a game she never agreed to play. She attempts over and over to run away, until Drystan offers her a new bargain: escape his deadly labyrinth, and he will set her free. Fail, and become his bride.

But in a court where every promise has teeth, Annon must make an impossible choice: return to the home she’s always loved or claim her place in a world where she might finally belong.

Sound like something you’d like? I cant wait to read it!

Here are some new books releasing in March 2026 that I’m most excited for…

In the spirit of decreasing my book buying, I am trying to be responsible and not buy many books. But I want 4 for March which I cant decide if it’s good or not!!

One Small Echo by Jane Washington
Erase Me by Josh Silver
Heir of Twisted Lies by LJ Andrews
Innamorata by Ava Reid

Will you be getting any of these?

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Books for Armchair Travelers

I have no idea what this means but I guess it’s books set in different countries to your own or places you’d like to visit?

I thought I’d also show fictional places that I’d like to visit!

Amarra from What Fury Brings
Unknown – This is Ever After
Thune – Legends and Lattes
Velaris – ACOTAR
Marsyas Island – House in the Cerulean Sea

London 1794 – Damned
Spain – Spanish Love Deception
America – Red, White and Royal Blue
London 1878 – Infernal Devices
Russia (?) – Bear and the Nightingale (but maybe not at the mo!!)

Where would you choose?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

It’s been another fairly normal week here which feels like a win!

I worked, did plenty of Mum’s taxi duties for my son, and a little bit of self-care in the form of a much needed pedicure. A small treat, but it made a big difference, it was so relaxing!

And then there’s the reading… I don’t know what got into me, but I’ve been on a roll! Two audiobooks and a novella in one week. Not bad at all!

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🎧 Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

🎧 The Lies That Summon the Night by Tessonja Odette
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Sea Change by Cassandra Clare
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

See my reviews soon!

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Review – The Lies That Summon the Night by Tessonja Odette
Unboxing – Illumicrate – January 2026
ARC Review – A Sea Change by Cassandra Clare
Calendar – Valentines Day

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Feature – March book releases
Unboxing – Fairyloot Romantasy: January
Book Review – Ghostsmith by Nicki Pau Preto

What have you read lately?

Happy Valentines Day to all you book lovers!

This Valentine’s Day, take a moment to celebrate love in all its forms and spread positivity wherever you go. 💕


Hope you have all your book boyfriends close to hand so you can hug them!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Title: A Sea Change

Series: Shadowhunters

Author: Cassandra Clare

Release Date: 28 April 2026

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BLURB

Most travellers are running from—or searching for—something. But not Shadowhunter Matthew Fairchild and his loyal golden retriever, Oscar Wilde. No. Matthew is searching for himself aboard the Majestic, a grand 19th century ocean liner sailing from Greece to Constantinople.

Matthew wants nothing more than to mourn the death of a friend and peacefully enjoy his travels before reuniting with his friends James Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs at the London Institute of Shadowhunters—a secret society of angel-blooded humans who protect the mundane world from demons and Downworlders. But that’s interrupted when someone is murdered on the ship—and a vampire Downworlder lurks in the darkness.

Together with Sylvain Verlac, a mysterious and captivating Parisian Shadowhunter with a secret grief of his own, Matthew must find the murderer on the Majestic before death strikes again.

Oh Matthew, how I love thee, you poor tortured soul.

He’s been travelling with the lovely Oscar, he’s on his way home, and yet he still feels lost…

‘When I set out at first, it was to find something. And I just can’t say I’m sure I’ve discovered it yet.’

Then there’s a murder. And then there’s Sylvain (what I wouldn’t give to hear him say ‘Mathieu’!), so what’s a Shadowhunter to do but investigate?

It’s been a while since I last read a Shadowhunter book. I’ve reread most of them at least twice, and The Infernal Devices at least five times (Will H forever!). But reading this felt like stepping back into that world—falling in love with it all over again. Steles, the Merry Thieves, parabatai, runes, the Clave, Mundanes, Downworlders… I realized how much this world and these characters mean to me. They don’t just feel familiar. They feel like home.

‘I am always with you.’

⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

January 2026
Theme = Power of Death

Not all have the strength to wield the power of death, but heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Items inspired by Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, Arcana Academy, The Foxglove King and the book of the month.

💛 Petals and Poisons Bowl Set with artwork by @_studio_ao
💛 Arcana Academy Magnet with artwork by @No0nedesigns
💛 Bringer of Spring Bowl Covers, inspired by The Poet Empress, artwork by @AlixFarren
💛 Magic In Mortem Socks inspired by The Foxglove King, artwork by @toothandtoad

💛 FEATURED BOOK 💛

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao

✨ An exclusive redesigned cover (art by @afterblossom_art, design by @chattynora)
✨ Full colour artwork on the hardback  (by @afterblossom_art)
✨ Digitally printed edges on all three sides (by @afterblossom_art)
✨ Endpaper artwork; different front and back (by @gracezhuart)
✨ Bound-in author letter
✨ Digital signature

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BLURB

In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.

Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.

Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.

But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince.

To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death…and love.

Title: The Lies That Summon the Night

Series: Songs for the Sinless #1

Author: Tessonja Odette

Genre: Dark Romantasy

Year of publication: 2026

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BLURB

From the art of liars, the monsters came…

Ever since art gave life to bloodthirsty shadows, creative works have been forbidden and the talented creators sacrificed to the Sinless—the immortal royals who feast on human blood in return for their protection.

Inana’s secret storytelling nearly got her killed once, and she’ll be damned if she’s ever caught again. With a bounty on her head, she keeps to the city’s dark underbelly where she earns a meager living from thrill-seeking patrons desperate to hear her illicit fiction. Until Dominic, a Shadowbane, catches one of her performances. . .

Dominic is a half-Sinless monster hunter as fearsome as his prey. But to complete his hunt, he needs an artist to summon the shadows . . . he needs Inana. Dominic delivers an ultimatum: serve him or he’ll claim her bounty. When survival is all Inana has left, the choice is clear. At least until she can betray him and leave him for dead.

As their tense alliance leads them into the heart of danger, dark secrets unravel—about each other, their world, and the threats they face. But the greatest risk of all is the desire growing between them. There’s something more sinful than lust at play, and it could bring the world to its knees.

This book wasn’t even on my radar until I saw a special edition advertised. I read the blurb and then ordered it! I’m so glad I did because it was so good!!

Inana has a bounty on her head and survives by telling stories in the city.

Dominic the Shadowbane, a hunter, needs her unique skills to complete his work, so he essentially blackmails her into teaming up with him.

Dominic, his shades, Inana, and three others form a crew and set off on a dangerous mission… and that’s when things get really interesting!!!!

~ Sort of vamps
~ Shadow daddy!
~ Banter
~ Secrets
~ Forbidden love
~ Incredible world-building
~ Spice

And the spice……perfectly done. Dominic and his shades are deliciously saucy!!  I loved them!!!

That ending had my jaw on the floor. So many huge reveals!

Now… when is book two coming out?!

⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?