Title: Sabriel

Series: The Old Kingdom #1

Author: Garth Nix

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him.

With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen series, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn’t always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether.

I’ve heard so much about this book so when it came up in my library, I decided to go for it!

Sabriel, a Necromancer, receives word that her father, the Abhorsen is missing and enters the Old Kingdom to find him.

A quest in a world full of magic and creatures with a fast paced plot and brilliant magical system!

I absolutely loved Sabriel. She’s totally down to earth, gifted, strong and a totally interesting character!

Who I loved more…Mogget….the pure white not-cat who was servant to the Abhorsen! He was humorous and so like a cat even though he wasn’t!!!

I also liked Touchstone and wanted him and Sabriel to do the old snogeroo but it was like one minute they were companions with the same goal, then a few admiring glances and then, boom. Love. I would have liked to see that fleshed out out a bit more!

But anyway…I am interested enough to read the next book!

October YA theme – SELL YOUR SOUL

What price would you be willing to pay to get what you want most in the world?

Items inspired by Once Upon A Broken Heart, Howl’s Moving Castle and The Raven Boys!

🖤 Canvas Basket inspired by OUaBH designed by @blancadesign
🖤 Cabeswater Socks designed by @no0nedesigns in a tribute to The Raven Boys
🖤 Howl’s Moving Castle Foiled Art Print with art by @gracezhuart
🖤 Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo paperback

BOOK OF THE MONTH

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Exclusive hardcover with foil
Sprayed edges
Reversible dust jacket by @mistilteinn.art

Title: A Restless Truth

Series: The Last Binding #2

Author: Freya Marske

The most interesting things in Maud Blyth’s life have happened to her brother Robin, but she’s ready to join any cause, especially if it involves magical secrets that may threaten the whole of the British Isles. Bound for New York on the R.M.S. Lyric, she’s ready for an adventure.

What she actually finds is a dead body, a disrespectful parrot, and a beautiful stranger in Violet Debenham, who is everything—a magician, an actress, a scandal—Maud has been trained to fear and has learned to desire. Surrounded by the open sea and a ship full of loathsome, aristocratic suspects, they must solve a murder and untangle a conspiracy that began generations before them.

I absolutely loved Marvellous Light so was so happy when I got my hands on this!

Here we have Maud, Robin’s sister, carrying on the cause of the Last Contract and finding the items.

So Maud gets on a ship called Lyric under the guise of an employee of Mrs Navenby when tragedy strikes. Maud then meets Violet Debenham and catches up with Lord Hawthorn, who we’ve met before, to investigate!

‘We’re not in one place or another. We could be going anywhere, in the darkness. The sun could rise tomorrow and we could be in—Alexandria, or Venice, or among the islands of Japan.’

Loved Maud, she is so self depreciating, quite innocent but very eager to learn and to please and she gets the job done!

Violet so self assured, lives her life how she wants to and good on her. Her free living, not caring what anyone thought (and in those times must’ve been hard for a woman), was a breath of fresh air…..and it certainly impressed on Maud!

Loved how the time period was described, loved the descriptions of the clothing, the ship, the tale of how it all started and loved that different material of rings helps with magic. I especially loved Maud and Violet together. ‘I’ve never had to pretend to want you, Maud Blyth.’

There is just one thing I want in the next book. Lord Hawthorn is so intriguing for me. He is so far removed and closed off so I want him to have a hea, it will be so shocking for him that I’d love to see the look on his face and hear the realisation in his brain!

Title: Beach Read

Author: Emily Henry

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

An invite to a book club opens up everything for January with a meeting with an old college nemesis/acquaintance, Gus.

They are both going through stuff as well as writers block. Yes, they are both authors!!!!

This story was utterly captivating! I listened to the audio and gobbled it up in a day!

Just a short one from me but I will say that their chemistry was off the charts and I was rooting for them with every word and sentence!

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: Series I’d Like to Start/Catch up on/Finish

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir
Between Earth and Sky by Rebecca Roanhorse
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Untethered by Kaylynn Flanders
Steelstriker by Marie Lu

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
Winternight book 2 by Katherine Arden
Broken Web by Lori M Lee

Series I haven’t started but own:

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Winners Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

What series would you have picked?

Title: Cursed

Series: Gilded #2

Author: Marissa Meyer

Be still now, and I will tell you a tale.

Adalheid Castle is in chaos.

Following a shocking turn of events, Serilda finds herself ensnared in a deadly game of make-believe with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies. Meanwhile, Serilda is determined to work with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past.

But soon it becomes clear that the Erlking doesn’t only want to use Serilda to bring back his one true love. He also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who have long trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If the Erlking succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.

Can Serilda find a way to use her storytelling gifts for good—once and for all? And can Serilda and Gild break the spells that tether their spirits to the castle before the Endless Moon finds them truly cursed?

I was so happy to get this as I absolutely loved Gilded.

So we’re back in Adalheid with Serilda, Gild, The Erlking and the 5 ghost children and Serilda is to be a bride!

However all Serilda wants is to get herself, Gild and the kids free from their curses but the Erlking is planning something much bigger!!!

The world imagined here was rich, haunting but beautiful, the plot was detailed and interesting and kept me hooked (although maybe a bit too strung out in places) and side characters had their own energy and were written so well but Serilda and Gild………oh how I loved them, they made my heart ache!

But Gild stole the show for me again! I mean….
‘Are you sure that’s me? said Gild, I look like a pompous asshat.’

I couldn’t not mention the Erlking! I actually liked him in parts and I thought we were in for a love triangle first of all!!!

The second half of the book was defo darker (and I’m here for that!) and the ending was explosive and totally emotional!

Overall a great conclusion with drama and tension that had me on the edge of my seat!

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?

It’s been quite a busy week this week:

– Back to work and school (ugh)
– Halloween
– I’m in a reading slump 🥺
– My aunty and uncle had their 70th wedding anniversary party
– Had fireworks for Guy Fawkes at a friends
– We are off to a public fireworks display later!

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What I’ve Read

The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
See my review here.

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New arrivals

Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
Happy Place by Emily Henry (arc)

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You might have missed…..

Review – Strike the Zither by Joan He
Feature – New-to-me authors: October

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What have you read lately?

Happy Firework Night UK!

We are waiting to see what the weather will be like before we decide if we’re going to the public fireworks display tomorrow so tonight we will be having some sparklers in the garden with some hotdogs!

Stay safe!

Don’t know about Firework Night?

From Wikipedia: Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London; and months later, the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure.

Title: The Ones We Burn

Author: Rebecca Mix

Monster. Butcher. Bloodwinn.

Ranka is tired of death. All she wants now is to be left alone, living out her days in Witchik’s wild north with the coven that raised her, attempting to forget the horrors of her past. But when she is named Bloodwinn, the next treaty bride to the human kingdom of Isodal, her coven sends her south with a single directive: kill him. Easy enough, for a blood-witch whose magic compels her to kill.

Except the prince is gentle, kind, and terrified of her. He doesn’t want to marry Ranka; he doesn’t want to be king at all. And it’s his sister—the wickedly smart, infuriatingly beautiful Princess Aramis—who seems to be the real threat.

But when witches start turning up dead, murdered by a mysterious, magical plague, Aramis makes Ranka an offer: help her develop a cure, and in return, she’ll help Ranka learn to contain her deadly magic. As the coup draws nearer and the plague spreads, Ranka is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her power, her past, and who she’s meant to fight for. Soon, she will have to decide between the coven that raised her and the princess who sees beyond the monster they shaped her to be.

But as the bodies pile up, a monster may be exactly what they need.

Firstly apologies if I have spelt names incorrectly. I listened to the audiobook but *think* I have them right!

Ranka, a blood witch whose magic compels her to kill, infiltrates the home of Prince Galen due to being promised in marriage and fully intending not to like him, his sister Aramis or his friends. Her mission is to end them.

But the problem is she does like them and wants to help them in their mission to cure a plague. Ranka begins to question what she’s always been told and battles with herself about what is right.

This was a good fantasy read with a little bit of romance, found family trope and some jaw dropping revelations. My only complaint is that it dragged in places and I found myself becoming a bit disinterested so was a stop and start book for me but the writing was beautiful.

I would say that this book could be classed as older YA but it is quite dark and gory so prepare!