Title: A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking

Author: T Kingfisher

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…

Loved, loved, loved! This author is now one of my firm favourites!

Mona, a wizard, who can work wonders with baked goods, lives with her Aunt and Uncle in a bakery in a place where magical folk are being murdered…..and Mona seems to be next!

With her new sidekick, Spindle, she is on the run and meets a surprising ally to try and beat the bad guys!

I really enjoyed this read, my highlights were:

~ Bob the sourdough starter
~ The baked goods battle!
~ Spindle, ready for anything!

Fabulous!

Title: Nettle

Author: Bex Hogan

A wild misfit in the human world, Nettle is enthralled by the glamour of the faery realm, with its two moons and scarlet stars. She grows close to Conor, a human stolen centuries before, and she also falls under the spell of mysterious Ellion, a Shadow Faery. To try to help her beloved grandmother who is fading in her world, Nettle makes a pact with the faery king. He’ll heal her grandmother in exchange for Nettle completing three tasks. She agrees, not realising that deception lurks in this enchanted place, and that she has been tricked…

In this dangerous fantasy kingdom Nettle discovers, too late, her part in an age-old love story and the price she will pay.

Nettle falls into the Faery world and makes a deal with the King to help her dying Grandmother.

There she meets Conor (human) and Ellion (Shadow Faery) who helps Nettle with her 3 tasks.

But what Nettle finds is so much more!

It was dark, there was treachery at every corner and it read like an old time fairytale – loved it!

‘Wild. Untamed. Feral. Prickly. Strong. Powerful. Beautiful. Mine.’

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: Bookish Brags (or Confessions!)

Mine are confessions…..and I don’t have 10!!! (that’s a confession!!!!)

~ I need to know how many pages are in a book or I cannot read it!

~ I keep a list on Goodreads of my tbr but also have a written list and I must keep both up to date!

~ I read lots of books in Winter and Spring but in Autumn and Summer, my reading really suffers!

~ I never cry at books (well 1, a Tillie Cole book!)

~ I don’t like being asked what my favourite book is….there are many, I can’t choose and it changes on a day to day basis!

~ I have an unhealthy obsession with Will Herondale from the Shadowhunters!

~ I review every book I read!

What are yours?

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.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

Spooky month has begun!

This week was a mixture of things, work, a nice coffee in a coffee shop reading, the worst sicky migraine ever and my Dad had quite a serious operation and had to spend some time in intensive care so have done a couple of hospital visits too! I also had my flu and covid jab yesterday and feel really tired and pathetic today!!!!

Because of all this, I only managed to read a novella, but I have started another book and an audiobook!

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What I’ve Read

Balls of Destiny by Caroline Peckham
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my review soon!

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You might have missed…..

Challenge – Tackle That TBR
Feature – Books from Backlog

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What have you read lately?

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Hosted at Carole’s Random Life

This week’s forgotten book is: Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer

I got this book late in 2022 because I adored book 1, Defy the Night….and didnt read it! I also have book 3, Destroy the Day to read!!!!

To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey…

The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.

But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.

When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.

This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be…

I organised my own reading challenge for 2024, Tackle That TBR!

It’s not too late to join in! Let me know in the comments how many books you’ll go for!

Honestly, it’s a joke that I am posting this update because I only read 2 books off my tbr! Embarrassing!!!!

I’ve read 11 books out of the 20 I said I’d read this year so I really need to get motoring!

Variant Lost by Kaydence Snow

Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm by Ash Bond

Fairyloot YA – September 2024

Mastermind!

From complex schemes to incredible problem solving skills, we love reading about masterminds who help unravel mysteries and conquer challenges. It’s all about the strategy, wit and intrigue! Are you ready for another mind bending adventure?

Items inspired by Throne of Glass, A Tempest of Tea, Babel, and The Dagger and the Flame!

🖤 Replica Pin designed by @brioandbrandish : an Athereum Marker from A Tempest of Tea
🖤 ToG Desk Mat designed by @monolimeart
🖤 Tealight Candle Holder designed by @blancadesign inspired by Babel
🖤 Dagger and the Flame Bowl Cosy designed by @littleforestcat_

🖤 BOOK OF THE MONTH 🖤

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

🗡️ EXCLUSIVE COVER with colourway change
🌆 ARTWORK ON THE REVERSE OF THE DUST JACKET by @gonzalom.art
🖤 CHARACTER ART ON THE ENDPAPERS with foil designed by @gonzalom.art (different front & back)
💀 FOIL ON THE HARDCOVER
⚔️ DIGITALLY SPRAYED EDGE with a solid sprayed top and bottom edge by @micaelaalcainodesign
🔥 BONUS CONTENT: An exclusive bonus chapter and an author letter with a digital signature bound into the book.

Happy October! Have a great month!

“I wish that every day was Saturday and every month was October.”
― Charmaine J. Forde

“In the entire circle of the year there are no days so delightful as those of a fine October.” – Alexander Smith

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.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

A pretty normal week apart from the weather has been awful. It’s been constantly raining which led to some flooding in some parts of the country (thankfully not my city).

My son had his annual bloods appointment this week and it was weird because they couldn’t get any blood out of him, it just wasn’t giving it up! Fortunately after the 4th try on his other arm, it was successful, but oh, so slow!

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What I’ve Read

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas (reread)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 Nettle by Bex Hogan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my reviews soon!

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You might have missed…..

Review – Wisteria by Adalyn Grace                   
Unboxing – Fairyloot Romantasy                                             Challenge  – Audiobook Challenge Update   Feature – Stacking the Shelves 

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What have you read lately?