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?

The heatwave has returned. And it’s stayed longer. And I am not happy about it! Time to see how much it costs to have air conditioning put into my house!!!!

One bit of good news is we have school shoes! It only took us 10 days and umpteen shops to find a pair deemed ‘suitable’!!!!

Reading wise I read 2 arcs and finished off a couple of audiobooks I had started but didn’t get finished in time for my last update so I did really well!

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What I’ve Read

Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here


The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here


🎧 The Water Witch by Jessica Thorne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here


🎧 The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review soon!

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New arrivals

Still on my buying ban and have been so good which totally isn’t like me!

You might have missed…..

Review – Book of Night by Holly Black
Review – Indecent Demands by Marlee Wray
Feature – New-to-me authors: July
Unboxing – Fairyloot YA unboxing July 22

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What have you read lately?

July Young Adult theme – TRIALS & RETRIBUTION!

Some of us battle storms, facing trial after trial with the hope of achieving peace… others only want retribution. This box is dedicated to characters that are willing to do whatever is needed to achieve their goal!

Items inspired by A Darker Shade of Magic, Dance of Thieves, Gideon The Ninth, Greek mythology and a fandom neutral item.

🖤 Metal Straws with a Greek pattern
🖤 Letter Opener – inspired by Lila from A Darker Shade of Magic designed by @jezhawk
🖤 Print Album with a design by @chattynora
🖤 Pin Banner designed by @blanca.design inspired by Dance of Thieves
🖤 Gideon Socks designed by @forensicsandflowers
🖤 Tarot Cards – Sloane and Dane from Blood Scion, illustrated by @arz28

BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Darkening by Sunya Mara

Exclusive cover ✔️
2 colour stencilled sprayed edges ✔️
Foil on hardcover by @taratjah ✔️
Artwork on endpapers by @taratjah✔️
Signed ✔️

I grabbed this idea from Lucy (with permission!) from Bookworm Blogger! Go check out her blog!

I always hope that I read new-to-me authors every month and getting book box subscriptions and Netgalley books really helps with that so thought it would be nice to look back and see what new authors I’d read this month.

By the end of June I’d read 23 new-to-me authors and now I’ve read 29 so far this year!

Sangu Mandanna
Casey McQuiston
Elise Kova
Rebecca Roanhorse
Harper L Woods
Juno Dawson

Have you read any new to you authors this month?

Title: The Water Witch

Author: Jessica Thorne

Sitting side by side on the clifftop, he turns to her solemnly and says, ‘The water witch is real.’ She rolls her eyes and grins, teasing him. ‘Sure. A psycho mermaid. Got it.’ But now he’s gone forever… will she find the truth beneath the waves?

Brittany, France. Ariadne Walker’s fiancé Simon drowned in the stormy Atlantic Ocean doing what he loved: searching for the lost underwater city of Ys. Local legend says it was destroyed centuries ago when the princess of Ys became a water witch, cursing the name of the man who betrayed her.

Ari never believed these tall tales. And the letter Simon sent before he died finishing their relationship is a devastating secret she’ll take to the grave. But arriving in Brittany, Ari encounters a man emerging from the sea in a rocky cove, saltwater dripping from his dark hair. Rafael swears the legends are true: and his ancestor was cursed by the water witch. Now, his own life is in terrible danger. And the secret to breaking the curse lies hidden in the lost city.

When Ari finds a cryptic map and a golden mask of a woman’s face amongst Simon’s things, she has no choice but to believe Rafael’s plea. Can they follow the trail and save Rafael’s life? Pouring over the map by candlelight, the flickering flames only add to the heat between them… but will Ari’s fragile heart soon be shattered all over again? And will they ever find Ys and break the curse – or will the water witch demand another sacrifice?

This was amazing! I was absolutely hooked!

I listened to the audio and the narrator was fabulous so can totally recommend!

Ari goes back to where her fiance, Simon drowned in France to help her brother come closer to finding the mysterious lost city called Ys and discovers more about a water witch curse, herself and she also meets the enigmatic Rafael.

It was full of local legend, drama, betrayal and a twist I didn’t really see coming! I especially loved the romance between Ari and Rafael even though that wasn’t the centre of this tale.

I look forward to reading more of this author!

Title: Indecent Demands

Series: Dark Knights

Author: Marlee Wray

My stepbrother hates me. I need his help. What he expects in return is unthinkable.

Somewhere in the night there’s a predator called Casanova. He’s transformed a beautiful university campus into his hunting ground. A lone lavender rose marks me as his next victim…unless I’m willing to turn to the most powerful person I know.

Shane Moran is devastatingly gorgeous. And secretly dangerous. Our poisonous past has him bent on revenge, so if I want his protection, I’ll have to submit to his dark demands. And this time, we’ll go too far to ever turn back.

I really enjoyed this read, couldn’t put it down and read in 1 sitting!!!

Shane and Avery have a past and as a result all parties were hurt and estranged. But now they go to the same university so when Avery is contacted by a serial killer she goes to Shane for help. And he has a proposal for her…….

Shane is alpha, protective, has links to the mafia and questionable business practices but he’s actually a good guy. ..and I loved him!!!

‘It means… she’s the one, and she knows it.’

Avery did get on my wick a few times but her character growth was written so well.

This author is a first for me and wont be the last! I think Declan is next and I can’t wait to read it!

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: Hilarious Book Titles

I found this weeks topic quite hard! I mean I wouldn’t say these are hilarious, just fun and/or quirky!

📚 Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
📚 Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
📚 Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
📚J osh and Hazels Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
📚 Literally any book by Lani Lynn Vale!!

What funny titles have you got?

Title: Book of Night

Author: Holly Black

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

‘Charlie Hall, Maker of Mistakes, Patron Saint of Disaster.’

I don’t really know what I was expecting with this story. It was slow going at first, it was odd and it was dark and gloomy. But after the initial 12 chapters it got going and held my interest. I was invested enough to see where all this was going. So I guess my advice would be to keep at it if you felt like me at first!!

I did applaud Charlie for trying to make a better life for her and her sister. Oh and she really has made a hash of her life….not that it’s all her fault!

Vince was actually the only character that I was invested in though (me, invested in a male character? Surely not!) I really felt for him and was really rooting for him and Charlie!

I’m confused whether this is a standalone or a series after that ending but I’d like to read more set in the world!

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?

August is upon us and I cannot wait to see the back of Summer!!! Bring on falling leaves, pumpkins, jumpers and cooler temps!

Back to work for me after a week off and we also had the utter joy of school shoe shopping. Every time it’s a joy to behold (my sarcasm gets stronger every year too!)

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What I’ve Read

Cornucopia by Alek L Cristea
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

Mindwalker by Kate Dylan (arc)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here

🎧 Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review soon!

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New arrivals

I’ve put myself on a book/merch buying ban until November so let’s see how long I last 😅

You might have missed…..

Review – Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Review – Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Review – The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna
Unboxing – Fairyloot Adult: July 2022

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What have you read lately?

Fairyloot Adult – July 2022

Demigods and Doughnuts

The featured book is filled with laugh out loud moments and a romance that will tug on your heartstrings apparently…..

THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY BY MEGAN BANNEN

Exclusive cover
2 coloured stencil sprayed edges
Foil embossing – hardcover
Artwork on the endpapers @eklixio
Signed