I know there’s still a week to go before Halloween but I thought I’d get us in the mood with some Halloween funnies!

But first a question!

Mine would be coffee, books and my son!

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Title: Defy the Night

Series: Defy the Night #1

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

The kingdom of Kandala is on the brink of disaster. Rifts between sectors have only worsened since a sickness began ravaging the land, and within the Royal Palace, the king holds a tenuous peace with a ruthless hand.

King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents’ shocking assassination, leaving the younger Prince Corrick to take on the brutal role of the King’s Justice. The brothers have learned to react mercilessly to any sign of rebellion–it’s the only way to maintain order when the sickness can strike anywhere, and the only known cure, an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, is severely limited.

Out in the Wilds, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade is tired of seeing her neighbors die, their suffering ignored by the unyielding royals. Every night, she and her best friend Wes risk their lives to steal Moonflower petals and distribute the elixir to those who need it most–but it’s still not enough.

As rumors spread that the cure no longer works and sparks of rebellion begin to flare, a particularly cruel act from the King’s Justice makes Tessa desperate enough to try the impossible: sneaking into the palace. But what she finds upon her arrival makes her wonder if it’s even possible to fix Kandala without destroying it first.

Set in a richly imaginative world with striking similarities to our own, Brigid Kemmerer’s captivating new series is about those with power and those without . . . and what happens when someone is brave enough to imagine a new future.

‘Mind your mettle, Tessa.’

What a vile world Tessa lives in, Kandala has a sickness that can only be staved off with moonflower petals so obviously they are a hot commodity and as usual, the rich prosper and the poor suffer. Tessa tries to put this right by stealing the moonflower, making a medicine and distributing to the poor.

But it all goes wrong…..well sort of. Every cloud has a silver lining and all that and in this case it like a sort of very pale silver of linings!

This was a story that hooks you straight in and makes you want more and more and I need that next book to see how this story continues!

Title: Vespertine

Series: Vespertine #1

Author: Margaret Rogerson

The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

Well again this author has done it! I was hooked and held onto this story with everything I had!

Artemisa is a young grey sister and helps cleanse the dead and prepares their bodies until one day her carefully isolated world is shattered and she takes a powerful spirit, a revenant. But is captured by Leander, a Clerisy Confesser.

So now Artemisa has to escape Leander, who has taken her and isn’t really the nicest of chaps!

I don’t want to say much more about the plot apart from that this book had such great secondary characters Charles, Rathie, Jean, Marguerite and a lovely horse called Priestbane.

There is one character who deserves a special mention and that’s the revenant. I loved him and, the same with all weird type things in books, I want one!! His dry, sarcastic sense of humour had me smiling all through this book!

‘If there’s one thing I’ve learned about humans, it’s that your kind loves to gossip. Nuns are no exception, by the way. The ancient and terrible knowledge I harbor about Sister Prunelle’s bunions would make even you beg for mercy.’

The world building was just enough and I loved the hierarchy of the spirits and their Order.

The ending isn’t a cliffhanger at all so I’m wondering where the next book will take us!

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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.

Theme: Online Resources for Book Lovers (what websites, podcasts, apps, etc. do you use that make your reading life better?)

When I was writing this I realised that I keep my book life organised with quite a few different things!

For romance releases…..
Maryse Book Blog – here.
Aestas Book Blog – here.
Facebook

For Fantasy releases……
Novelknight – here.
Book Birds – here.

Of course there’s also…….
Instagram aka Bookstagram
Goodreads newsletters
Author newsletters 

I also use the following apps to keep up with everything…….
Goodreads
Countdown app (put future releases on!)
I keep pics of all the books I’ve preordered in a album on my phone!

What do you use?

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Title: Ember of Night

Series: Ember of Night #1

Author: Molly E Lee

I’ve never been a stranger to the darkness. But when darkness comes knocking and looks that good, who wouldn’t invite him in?

Draven is mysterious, evasive, and hot as sin. The only thing more infuriating than how much he won’t say is how obnoxious he is every time he does open his mouth. But when a group of strangers attacks me and he fights back, causing them to vanish into a cloud of black dust, I know Draven is more than he seems.

He finally shows me there’s a veil separating the world I know from a world of demons living all around us. Turns out, good and evil are just words. Some of the demons don’t fall into either category. And I’m realizing just how easily I fit in among the ancient warlocks, the divine soldiers, and the twisted supernaturals…

There’s so much more to me. To my past. And to what I am truly capable of than I ever thought possible. So when all signs point to me having the ability to unleash Hell on earth? I’ll have to decide if I want to do the world a solid and save it, or give it one hell of a makeover.

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Harley, our heroine, wants to reach 18 and take her sister Ray, who she basically has raised, away from the clutches of their abusive father but meets a dark, beautiful stranger and Harvey’s life changes. Like a lot!

Here we have great supernatural characters, a superb plot that was full of action, the writing was fab and was full of banter as well!

I’ve got to say that Harley is amazing, she is strong, loyal, protective and above all else, she has that survivor instinct. Another massive plus point for me was she loved books!  She also loves her sister above all else…..

‘Because Ray was an angel sent from heaven for me to protect. I’ll become her monster, and the evil of this world will have to go through me first.’

Now Draven, he was dark, delish and made me swoon! The romance made my heart sing!

‘Even an ember of night can be a beacon in the darkness.’

I really enjoyed this book and I guessed 2 of twists early on. I do love it when I’m right!!! Although the last line sort of came out of no where for me and I couldn’t quite get my head around it so want to dive into book 2 so I can see what transpires!

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Here we go again, me wanting (or maybe needing!) more books when really I should be on a book buying ban so that I can pay for Christmas!

Luckily I have paid already for the three below (and I’ve read 2!) so now it’s just a case of finding somewhere to put them as I am out of room on my shelves *gasp*.

I need to do an unhaul and I am also getting my room decorated in January (the curse of not being able to do this myself!) so have made room for 2 more bookshelves, hooray!

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Gilded by Marissa Meyer

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Aurora’s End by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

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Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

What books do you want that are releasing in November? Or are you trying to be good?!!

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Title: A Discovery of Witches

Series: All Souls Trilogy #1

Author: Deborah Harkness

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

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I was really excited to read this after it was recommended to me by so many people!

A witch and a vampire…….

‘What a complicated, delicate business it was going to be to love him.’

I actually thought that wasn’t true, it’s not how I saw it at all. For the 2 of them it wasn’t complicated. They loved each other. It was simple as that. It was glorious….well despite all the trouble that followed them!

But maaaaan they both had crazy families! The Bishop family house is somewhere I’d love to live and Matthew’s Mum, Ysabeau was also someone I loved after initially I thought I wouldn’t!

So they have found their purpose and the journey begins……..

Can’t wait to read book 2!

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.

Theme: Favorite Book Settings

So I’m taking this to mean that this is a time or place in an authors work

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The Infernal Devices – Victorian England

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ACOTAR – Velaris

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Dakkar (totally tongue in cheek!!)

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Harry Potter – Hogwarts

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Skyward – mbot (sort of a setting!)

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House in the Cerulean Sea – Marsyas Island Orphanage

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Under the Whispering Door – the teashop

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Six Crimson Cranes – the palace and festivals (before it all goes wrong!)

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Fairyloot – September 2021

Theme … UPRISING!

Whether you’re a hero risking everything to destroy an evil force, a warrior partaking in a battle of epic proportions or a guardian rising up against someone that is trying to harm your loved ones, fighting back for what you believe in and to save the ones you love is one of the tropes that we enjoy the most in a fantasy book.

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Items inspired by Six Crimson Cranes, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, An Ember in the Ashes and The Prison Healer.

💜 Card Holder designed by @jezhawk and inspired by The Prison Healer

💜 Six Crimson Cranes Socks with detailing by @catarinabookdesigns

💜 Daughter of Smoke and Bone Tapestry with artwork from @sallteas

💜 An Ember in the Ashes Enamel Pin designed by @jezhawk

💜 Tarot cards – designed by @morgana0anagram and feature Caraval characters (Jacks and the Fallen Star)

💜 Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray – yes, 2 BOOKS! Exclusive cover and a digital signature

BOOK OF THE MONTH

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Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

Exclusive cover
Sprayed edges
Foil on case
Reverse dust jacket art by @lizzart_zardonicz
Ribbon bookmark
Signed