Happy Halloween!

‘When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween.’

‘When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.’

— Unknown

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.

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week? Celebrated Halloween early? 🎃

School was out this week and I booked the week off work too! We did some shopping, carved pumpkins, my son had his booster and he is not happy he has to go to school on Halloween!

I am still mopping up my over reservations on library holds, had the time to read an arc and took part in a readalong!

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What I’ve Read

🎧Beach Read by Emily Henry
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here.

🎧 A Darkness at the Door by Intisar Khanani
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
See my review here.

The Wicked King by Holly Black
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

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You might have missed….

Review – The Hedge Witch by Cari Thomas
Feature – Halloween funnies!
Series Review – City of Ghosts by VE Schwab

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What have you read lately?

Happy Halloween 🎃

If you want a great spooky MG series then this series is for you. Also perfect for Halloween!!

I thought I’d do a series review out of respect for Halloween!!!!

Series: Cassidy Blake

Title: City of Ghosts/Tunnel of Bones/Bridge of Souls

Author: Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts

I loved the Monsters of Verity, I haven’t read a middle grade book before and the blurb grabbed me (and it’s nearly Halloween!)

Ghosts, ghouls and spectres…..and Cassidy ‘A little special. A little strange. Not quite alive but definitely not dead’. And she has a sidekick. A best friend. Jacob. Who isn’t alive.

I can’t tell you how much I loved this read. I flew through it! It was spooky and filled with facts that pulled me in and made me want to look up the actual history, I don’t think a book has ever made me want that! And was that may be a hint of more adventures to come?

Tunnel of Bones

THE INSPECTERS EPISODE TWO

LOCATION: Paris, France

And here we are again with Cassidy Blake, the girl who can cross into The Veil and help the dead move on.

Cassidy and her parents have travelled from Edinburgh to Paris with her trusty ghost best friend, Jacob and of course Grim the cat!

As in the first book I was hooked on the history and this one has a kid ghost! Does it get scarier than that? It does not. I was terrified…but still hooked!

I discovered my love for Jacob in this book. In book 1 I liked him but he really came into his own here and my heart went out to him. I love his friendship with Cassidy.

And……

Oh my giddy ant, that ending!

Bridge of Souls

‘Look and listen.
See and know.
This is what you are.’

Back in the world of Cassidy Blake and this time we are in New Orleans but someone, or something, is hot on the heels of Cass.

‘You cannot win without losing too.’

I know the books in this series are MG reads but I admit I was spooked! But I couldn’t stop reading. It has that same pull as Percy Jackson and Harry Potter!

Mystery, death, ghosts, an emissary and the Society of the Black Cat. This book has it all. And as a side note the Thread and Bone is somewhere I want to visit!

I’m wondering if this this end to the series? I really hope not because I love it!!!

Yes I’ve rolled them out again this year because they never get old 🤣🤣

What are your plans for Halloween?

Decorating your house?
Halloween party?
Going trick or treating?

Title: The Hedge Witch

Series: Threadneedle Novella

Author: Cari Thomas

Rowan is visiting her aunt – Winne the hedge witch – in the Welsh countryside, to get back to nature and hone her skills, as well as taking a break from her annoying sisters and enjoying some peace and quiet. However, Rowan soon comes to realise that hedges are a serious business and this isn’t quite the opportunity to rest and escape she thought it might be.

Not only that, but mysterious events around the town are causing panic in the secret magical community and cowans – non-magical folk – are starting to take notice.

Can Rowan hone her hedge craft, try to make some friends and solve the riddle of the mysterious goings-on, or is magic about to be revealed to the world … or at least Wales?

I absolutely loved Threadneedle and Rowan was one of the highlights for me so I had to grab this extra!

So Rowan has been packed off to a tiny cottage in Wales in the middle of no where for the summer to learn from her Aunt Winifred, a Hedge Witch.

Set in the beautiful countryside of Wales, this is the tale of a teenager who wants some fun, she wants to be liked, she wants to know where she belongs and she wants her first kiss!

I really loved this novella and have to give a special mention to the magic system, Winnie and especially Llew and his mushrooms!

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: Halloween Freebie!

I puzzled over what to do for this topic as I am already posting some spooky/themed books separately so, in the end, I decided to go for a This or That to make it fun! I know it’s not books but you can pretend you’re building characters for your own book!

Let me know in the comments what your choices would be!

👻 Skeleton or Ghost?
🧙‍♀️Decorating house or not?
🧛‍♂️ Vampire or Witch?
🦇Bat or black cat?
🔮 Scary movie or go trick or treating?

My choices would be: ghost, decorating, witch, cat and trick or treating!

Let me know in comments what you would 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.

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a good week?

I had my covid booster and flu jab yesterday and my body just doesn’t like it – I’ve felt so bad all day!

This week I really over reserved on my library audio holds. I reserve them with plenty of time to listen and then the dates keep moving up….so I had to squeeze 3 audiobooks in this week because I can’t quit…..I do listen on double speed so that helps and I do love a challenge!

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What I’ve Read

🎧 Amari and the Great Game by BB Alston
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

🎧 Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

🎧 Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

Strike the Zither by Joan He
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

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New arrivals

Nothing this week – woohoo!

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You might have missed…..

Review – Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Unboxing – Fairyloot adult: September
Spooky review – Threadneedle

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What have you read lately?

Title: Legends and Lattes

Author: Travis Baldree

High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.

A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.

‘A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.’

This was so true, it was a wonderful story!

Viv, a warrior ogre leaves her erm….present employment and goes to Thune where she wants to build her own coffee shop. And this is in a time when hardly no one has heard of coffee!!! She finds a dilapidated building, a few friends and builds her business. But it’s not without troubles and drama!

Viv loves coffee, she is my spirit animal! And the baked goods! Don’t read this whilst your hungry or you’ll eat everything you have in the house! The descriptions made my mouth water!

It had such a cozy, homey, old world feel to this book, the village had a lamplighter! Sort of gave me under the Whispering Door vibes but different if that makes any sense! As the characters all discovered different coffee’s and cakes that are new to them but known to us, it made me so happy!

So nothing to do with the story and not a complaint but I got an earc and all the words with ‘fi’ or ‘fl’  together had been wiped from the book, so fish became sh, fist became st etc! Honestly it was like a game!!! But my fave was obviously meant to say floral perfume but was printed as oral perfume!!! Erm, smells good?!!!!!

Anyway, read this, you won’t regret it!!!

Title: Threadneedle

Series: Language of Magic #1

Author: Cari Thomas

Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.

Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.

Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.

It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care. It’s why she has been protected from the magical world and, in one year’s time, what little magic she has will be bound. She will join her aunt alongside the other Binders who believe magic is a sin not to be used, but denied. Only one more year and she will be free of the curse of magic, her aunt’s teachings and the disappointment of the little she is capable of.

Nothing – and no one – could change her mind before then. Could it?

Anna, who lives with her Aunt after the death of her parents, is basically a downtrodden mouse who is losing herself bit by bit in her Aunts quest to make her a Binder, to suppress the little magic she has.

Anna’s life starts to change after a visit from her mums old friend, Selene, her daughter Effie and her charge, Attis. I won’t say anymore as you won’t experience the story of this book!

Once I got into this I really loved the story, the magic system and all the characters, they were so well written. Rowan was my absolute favourite, she was the light in this story for me.

It was also so compelling. This is a big book and every time I took a break, it was pulling me back! I think it was the magic at work!!!

The beginning was a bit slow I must admit but once I got into it  I was captivated!

The ending was such a twist, I never saw it coming! Can’t wait to see what happens next!!!