Title: The Marvellers

Series: Marvellerverse #1

Author: Dhonielle Clayton

Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, where Marvellers from all around the world come together to practice their cultural arts like brewing Indian spice elixirs, practicing Caribbean steel drum hypnosis, and bartering with fussy Irish faeries. Ella knows some people mistrust her Conjuror magic, often deemed “bad and unnatural,” but she’s eager to make a good impression—and, hopefully, some friends.

But Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy, and not all of the Marvellers are welcoming. Still, she connects with fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, who is never found without a magical creature or two. Just as Ella begins to find her way at the A.T.I., a notorious criminal escapes from prison, supposedly with Conjurors’ help. Worse, her favorite teacher Masterji Thakur never returns from a research trip, and only Ella seems concerned about his disappearance.

As tensions grow in the Marvellian world, Ella finds herself the target of vicious rumors and growing suspicions. With the help of her new friends, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her beloved mentor Masterji Thakur . . . before she loses her place at the A.T.I. forever.

Ella Durand is the first conjurer to attend the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors and lets just say that not everyone is pleased she is there and, of course, there’s a mystery to solve!

Along with her 2 best friends, Brigit and Jason, Ella has to navigate finding her place in their world, coupled with all the prejudices thrown at her and trying to investigate a few mysteries!

This was a really fun book! I absolutely loved Ella, she was so driven, optimistic and never gave up. I also adored Feste and those naughty pixies!

I’ve got so many questions, my most pressing is what Ella’s animal companion will be!

The ending was sort of open ended so I really hope there is more to come!  After reading this book I’ve decided I’d love to be a Marveller or a Conjurer!

‘What’s done in the dark doesn’t stay there for very long.’

Title: Saint

Series: The World of the Narrows 0.5

Author: Adrienne Young

As a boy, Elias learned the hard way what happens when you don’t heed the old tales.

Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.

Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias’ faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.

He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint.

Saint and Isolade…..

I absolutely loved this. Going back in time, how it all began. Where Fable came from. 

Their first meeting gave me shivers!
‘Those narrowed blue eyes had left a feeling like fire everywhere they’d landed and I could still feel it now, the ghost of it alive on my skin.’

Loved seeing Saint and Clove’s friendship,
Loved Saint and Isolade,
Their connection,
A true love story 
It was perfect.

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.

For January I am veering off the prescribed list as I already did the subjects for Blogmas!

So for today…..

Topic: Books I could reread forever

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Thorn by Intisar Khanani
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
The Extraordinaires by TJ Klune
With Everything I Am by Kristen Ashley
Rock Chicks by Kristen Ashley
Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley

What would you have picked?

Title: The Stolen Heir

Series: Elfhame #4

Author: Holly Black

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.
 
Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
 
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years. 
 
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

‘Maybe you will come back and tell me how the Prince of Sunlight liked the Queen of Night.’

I absolutely adored Cardan and Jude’s books so, I admit, I was worried that I wouldn’t love this as much……but I did!! But maybe in a different way!

In the original trilogy I loved the bully side of it, that they were openly cruel from the get go hiding nothing but here we have 2 people who are meant to be monsters, inherently evil…..and maybe they are but they hide it well.

This book is the start of something beautiful, I can feel it in my ordinary human bones!

Suren, I mean that girl has suffered. In every year of her life so far she has suffered so greatly that I can’t believe she is still sane. I love her. After all she has been through all she wants is to be loved. I could cry. I want to hug her but those teeth make me nervous!

Oak….now I like Oak but at the moment I don’t love him. Maybe that will change with the next book. He is just so Folk. I mean with the role models he had round him growing up, I can’t say I’m surprised!

Together though they actually made my heart sing. Oak was right in that they’d be formidable together.

The quotes were plentiful and I highlighted so many!

‘We are no longer children, playing games and hiding beneath his bed, but I feel as though this is a different kind of game, one where I do not understand the rules.’

In conclusion, this book was full of what you would expect from the Folk and from Holly Black. Schemes, lies, treachery, plans, shocks and I want more! I know this is a duology so I’ll be looking out for news of book 2 and after that explosive ending, I need it now!!!!

But I also want some questions answered in book 2. ….is Taryn now with the Ghost? Will we get an Oak pov? 

Title: Loathe to Love You

Series: The STEMinist Novellas 1-3

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Under One Roof
An environmental engineer discovers that scientists should never cohabitate when she finds herself stuck with the roommate from hell—a detestable big-oil lawyer who won’t leave the thermostat alone.

Stuck with You
A civil engineer and her nemesis take their rivalry—and love—to the next level when they get stuck in a New York elevator.

Below Zero
A NASA aerospace engineer’s frozen heart melts as she lies injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station and the only person willing to undertake the dangerous rescue mission is her longtime rival.

3 novellas,
Just what I wanted, needed even!
Spicy, adorable, addictive, fabulous,
Loved every minute of them!

Under One Roof
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
100% loved it.
Adored it.
Want to read it again and again!

Mara and Liam find themselves living together, and lets just say it’s not love at first sight…..or is it?!

Mara has the right outlook on life: ‘See, that’s the thing I hate the most about adulting: at some point, one has to start doing it.’

Her and Liam’s secret pining for each other was  a joy to behold! ‘Maybe that’s what he majored in at Dartmouth: Snow Shovelling. Nicely complemented by a minor in Muscles.’

Stuck With You
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It all starts with a croissant!

And what it leads to is hot with a capital H!

Erik Nowak, Scandinavian, viking-like god and Sadie Grantham, both engineers, both totally into each other…..with drama!

Below Zero
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hannah and Ian Floyd, Mara’s cousin or something!!!

Commitment-phobe Hannah is at NASA and so is Ian…..they hit it off….until they don’t…..but then he’s her knight in shining (snow) armour when she needs someone most!

That extended epilogue, loved it x 100!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you health and happiness in the New Year ahead. And, of course loads of fab books!

Fairyloot Adult – December 2022

Faerie Lore

A professor who journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship and love.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries

Exclusive cover colourway
Stenciled edge
Foiled hardcover by @chattynora
Endpaper art by @kudriaken
Signed

I decided to try Storygraph this year in tandem with Goodreads and really enjoyed it.

Instead of sharing my Goodreads stats I’m going to share Storygraph stats!

I had a brilliant reading year! I’ve read more books this year than I have in years and I don’t really know why!

~ I smashed my reading goal of 150 by reading 174 books!

~ I sprinkled round those stars and read a lot of pages!

~ New to me for stats this year (because of Storygraph) was genre and format:

I wasn’t surprised at the number of pages picture but I was shocked that I read more ebooks than print! I would’ve said it would be a 50/50 split!

But look at this! I really need to up my non-fiction game!

I think for 2023 I will carry on using both Storygraph and Goodreads as I can’t seem to let Goodreads go and I love the stats on Storygraph. It’s no bother doing 2 each time I read a book, literally takes seconds!

I pull these out every year because I love them and it sums this period up really!

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!!!