Title: Tragic Bonds

Series: Bonds that Tie #5

Author: J Bree

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Our Bonded Group has been torn apart, and the monsters are now the prey.
But we’re not going to just wait around for our enemy to strike; the blood on his hands is unforgivable, and the god living inside of me wants her revenge paid in blood.

And a thousand souls.

We have been pushed to the limit, tested in ways that have devastating outcomes, and paid the ultimate price. Can we recover from such losses? Is the promise of a world without our enemy worth the sacrifices we’ve made?

Can we prove to everyone, and ourselves, that together our bonds are unbroken?

After the bombshell at the end of the last book, I needed this. Needed! The author must be wicked to leave us like she did!!!!!

In this book we see Oli growing, letting go, trusting and just being her…..

‘For the first time since I was fourteen, I can breathe without the crushing weight of my guilt and the what-ifs.’

‘Recovery is learning how to function around all of the scars and open wounds inside of us.’

It was as full of drama and action that the other books were and I’m not sure why, but I assumed this was the last book in the series! I was thinking yes it will all come together now and they’ll live hea.

But no!!!!

And now we’re left with another bombshell! That Bonded group can’t catch a break!

Title: The Wolf and the Woodsman

Author: Ava Reid

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered.

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother.

As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they’re on, and what they’re willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all.

Evike is taken from her pagan village by the Woodsman who think she is a Seer. There has been a deception however, she has no magic at all.

Along their journey back to the King, trouble brews and Evike, aka wolf girl, finds herself alone with Gaspar, Woodsman and Prince. And they find trouble at every corner!

Things I loved:
~ Enemies to lovers (my fave!),
~ Has a unique storyline,
~ It was quite dark and gory,
~ The drama and treachery,
~ The faith and mythology (the stories that were interspersed were fab).

I guess thats not really the ending I hoped for but it was an enjoyable read and would love to read more by this author.

August theme – Knowledge is Power!

WHAT A BOX! Illumicrate knocked it out the park with this!

Items inspired by The Atlas Six, Bunny, A Lesson in Vengeance , Babel and a fandom neutral item!

💛 Reading Journal designed by @by_madlendesign with artwork by @_saintdri
💛 Knowledge is Carnage Pencil Case inspired by The Atlas Six designed by @JanineLeCour
💛 Dark Academia Stamp Set designed by @moehrenkunstshop
💛 Writing Workshop Pin inspired by Bunny designed by @justelfit
💛 Babel Bookmark Set with artwork from @merwild

💛 FEATURED BOOK 💛

Babel by RF Kuang

Slipcase
Exclusive, redesigned naked hardcover
Digitally printed edges
Bound in author letter
Exclusive bonus content
Signed

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 On My Autumn 2022 To-Read List

Gaaah this is so hard for me because I’m a total mood reader but I also have this compulsion to complete a challenge so I push myself to read books from a list and then I slump. It’s a vicious circle I tell you!

So these are on my tbr but with the caveat that they are tentative reads (my brain prefers this!)

Cursed by Marissa Meyer
A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L Armentrout
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily XR Pan

Midnight in Everwood by MA Kuzniar
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

I know this is less than 10 but my brain cannot handle the pressure!!!!!

What books are on your Autumn reading list?

I couldn’t let this moment pass without posting something. It is an incredibly sad time, an end of an era.

I’m not what you would call a royalist I don’t think but The Royal Family are part of my country, the figurehead, and I’ve been bought up watching them so they are part of me.

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

Her Majesty The Queen

Rest in peace Your Majesty.

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 started the week off with a 3 day migraine and it totally knocked me back so I’ve spent the rest of the week trying to catch up with everything!!!

I’ve also been a bit slumpy but only for reading physical books! Audiobooks have been my saviour!

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What I’ve Read

🎧 Babel by RF Kuang
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here.

🎧 Thorn by Intisar Khanani
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
See my review here.

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New arrivals

Shadowhunters Illustrated – have no idea where this came from as I didn’t order it, there was no invoice or note and it wasn’t on my wishlist!

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You might have missed…..

Review – Mindwalker by Kate Dylan
Unboxing – Fairyloot Adult: August 2022
Review – The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
Unboxing – Afterlight: August 2022

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What have you read lately?

AFTERLIGHT – August 2022

I find myself really looking forward to this quarterly box and this month was sooooo good!

This quarters box included:

The Kiss Body Butter Bar produced by @littleheartgifts and the label was by @no0nedesigns

Experiments of the Heart Book Box with artwork by @forensicsandflowers

BOOK OF THE QUARTER

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Exclusive hardback
Exclusive cover
Sprayed edges
Foil embossing on hardcover
Digital signature

Title: The Sunbearer Trials

Series: The Sunbearer Duology #1

Author: Aidan Thomas

“Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”

As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the evil Obsidian gods at bay. Ten semidioses between the ages of thirteen and eighteen are selected by Sol himself as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all―they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.

Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, goddess of birds, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others. His best friend Niya―daughter of Tierra, the god of earth―is one of the strongest heroes of their generation and is much too likely to be chosen this year. He also can’t help but worry (reluctantly, and under protest) for Aurelio, a powerful Gold semidiós and Teo’s friend-turned-rival who is a shoo-in for the Trials. Teo wouldn’t mind taking Aurelio down a notch or two, but a one-in-ten chance of death is a bit too close for Teo’s taste.

But then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. In fact, he chooses two: Xio, the 13-year-old child of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck, and…Teo. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.

I have a new fave of 2022!!!

Teo is a semidioses (half god, half human) and is selected to compete in the Sunbearer Trials although he is a Jade and not a Gold which shook him to his very core…..at first. You’ll learn that Teo pretty much takes everything in his stride which I loved about him.

With his 2 friends, Xio and Niya they compete in the Trials along with 8 others including twins, Aurelio and Auristela.

Reading this was so much fun, I was hooked! It was sprinkled with humour and I was enamoured with the descriptions of all the places, the hierarchy and their world. Coupled with this was the utter acceptance of everyone and who they were and who they loved. It was beautiful. This book is actually educational too….I had to look up what a cloaca was!!!!!

This book totally stands on its own, it doesn’t need to be compared to anything. I absolutely loved every minute of it especially what I think was LotR shoutout at the end! Now I need book 2!!!!

Fairyloot Adult – August 2022

Arcane History

Apparently a wonderful dark academia book filled with secret society, student revolution, colonial resistance and the importance of language.

Babel by RF Kuang

Exclusive cover with 2 foils
Digital sprayed edges
Design on hardcover with foil details
Artwork on the endpapers @avendellart
Signed