Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday #507

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE BY JAY KRISTOFF

Goodreads Description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Nevernight Chronicle, Jay Kristoff, comes Empire of the Vampire, the first illustrated volume of an astonishing new dark fantasy saga.

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hand sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

Hardcover, 752 pages
Expected publication: September 14th 2021 by St. Martin's Press
Pre-Order: Book Depository and Amazon #ad

Oh, how badly I want this book, ahh :D I am such a huge fan of Jay and his books. <3 (Okay, still have not read Darkdawn, and I might never do so, ha. Still angry, haha. But still own all the copies, of course. <3) But I do love all his other books :D And I am positive that I will love Empire of the Vampire so very much. Sigh. I already have four copies ordered. Oops. And more to order. Oh. But gosh. I very badly want all of the ARCs too. Sobs. Especially that gorgeous red UK one. <3 Sigh. Biggest wish, I think. Sharing the US cover for this post today, as I think that is the hardcover I will be reading when it's time for that :)
What are you waiting for on this dark Wednesday?

Saturday, June 26, 2021

In My Mailbox #503

Another week gone by. Gosh. Time is moving so fast. Still waiting for real summer heat. Hmph. Hopefully soon. I haven't been doing so well this past week, as I keep having these awful headaches pretty much daily. Even worse after I got my medicine this Thursday. Sigh. It sucks. And I do not know why it keeps hurting. Hoping it will pass soon. Hmph. Because of this pain, I haven't been able to read yet, or do any catching up. Hoping to get to do more shortly. I did get some aaamazing mail this week, though, so I am beyond happy about that :D Eee. This week I'm waiting on The Hollow Heart. <3 And eee. I shared the cover for Extasia :D Love. I hope you are all still doing well and staying safe. <3 I'm doing the best I can.


The Prison Healer + Lore + For the Wolf + Curse of the Phoenix + How to Save a Queendom + The Rise of Flynn Rider. EEE! Thank you GodOfWax for trading all of these ARCs with me :D I am so happy about them all. <3 Sigh. Excited to read them all too. Thank you Becky for helping me get them to Norway :)
The Other Side of the Sky. Thank you so much Eileen for trading this ARC with me :D Happy to own it.
Rule of Wolves pre-order. YAY! Thank you so very much Becky for helping me get this amazing swag :D
Funko Loungefly. Ahh! My very first Loungefly backpack :D And it is stunning. Sigh. I love it very much. Tangled is my favorite Disney movie. <3 Also a Stitch purse, which is fully adorable. Love it all so much.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Cover Reveal: Extasia by Claire Legrand

EEE! I am SO excited about sharing this cover today :D Gosh. I am the biggest fan of Claire Legrand and all of her books. And today I'm sharing the cover for her newest one: Extasia. It will be out early next year, and I simply cannot wait. I think this cover looks aaaamazing. I love the red and dark. I love the girl. I love the letter type used. Sigh. This book will be perfection. Links and who designed this cover are all below the cover :) I hope you all love this cover too. I think it is gorgeous. And I cannot wait to read this one. I know I will love it, just like I have loved all books by Claire :) Extasia seems like it will be fully dark and delicious and I could not be happier. It comes out on February 22nd 2022 from Katherine Tegen Books :)

My name is unimportant.

All you must know is that today I become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark me and place the red hood on my head. They will give me my true name, and with my sisters I will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain—an evil which has already killed nine of our village’s men.

I will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow me. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls I saw kissing in the elm grove.

Today I become a saint of Haven. I will rid my family of my mother’s shame at last and save my people from destruction. I am not afraid.

Are you?

Extasia. Claire Legrand. The Book Depository. Amazon. HarperCollins.
Art by Diego Fernandez. Design by Joel Tippie.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday #506

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

THE HOLLOW HEART (The Midnight Lie #2)
BY MARIE RUTKOSKI


Goodreads Description:

Intrigue, romance, and magic abound in the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s Forgotten Gods duology.

At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.

In the Herrani court, rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea, of magic unleashed on the world, and of a cruel, black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind, so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies.

Sid doesn’t know that this queen is Nirrim, who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her. Can Sid save Nirrim from herself? Does Nirrim even want to be saved? As blood is shed and war begins, Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want…for the gods have their own plans.

Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: September 14th 2021 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Pre-Order here and here #ad

I cannot wait to read this book, eee :D Although, confession, I downloaded it via NetGalley ages ago. Oops. I peeked. <3 But I need to re-read The Midnight Lie first, and I'm not ready yet, haha. Hoping to re-read it very soon, though :) As I cannot wait to read this final book. <3 May end up hurting me more. Ack.
What are you waiting for on this hollow Wednesday?

Saturday, June 19, 2021

In My Mailbox #502

Another week gone by. I'm doing okay :) I had some bad headaches after my second corona vaccine, but it's better now, thankfully. Waiting for more summer weather. Hopefully soon :D One book read this week. Hoping to read another shortly; I have some awesome ones to read that I'm excited about. A little bit of mail this week too, all gorgeous. A couple of new posts. I shared my review of Strange Creatures :) This week I'm waiting on Crime and Carpetbags. <3 I saw Luca on Disney+ yesterday, and it was so so very perfect. Loved it lots. I'm behind on everything, but getting there someday. Hope you are doing okay. <3

The Wolf and the Woodsman. Won this pre-order from Rin. <3 Thank you :D So excited for this one, eee.
For the Wolf. Now gotten the US edition too :D I very, very much want to love this one. <3 Reading soon.
Ratchet & Clank. A new game I bought for my Playstation 5 :D Eee. But oops. I need to play it too, haha.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday #505

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

CRIME AND CARPETBAGS (Wishes and Wellingtons #2)
BY JULIE BERRY


Goodreads Description:

Now that Maeve Merritt has surrendered Mermeros, the djinni she found in a sardine can, she expects her life will be dull as dirt. Mermeros, however, has other plans. Maeve's friend Tommy, the former orphan, has been adopted by Mermeros's newest owner. When Tommy's father tries to use one of his wishes, he and Mermeros go missing--and without a guardian, Tommy will be forced back to the orphanage. Maeve, Tommy, and their best friend Alice embark on an adventure full of magic and danger to rescue Tommy's father and the djinni they've grown to love.

Hardcover, 350 pages
Expected publication: October 5th 2021
by Sourcebooks Young Readers
Pre-Order here and here #ad

Okay, confession. I did not like book one all that much. But I did enjoy it :D And when I saw this second book on NetGalley, I couldn't stop myself from requesting it. Oops. So now I have this eARC to read, haha :) And I do feel hopeful that I will like it. <3 Fingers crossed. It do look so very gorgeous. Sigh :)
What are you waiting for on this magical Wednesday?

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Review: Strange Creatures by Phoebe North

I don't even know where to begin with this book. I requested it along with several other ARCs from the publisher, yet I had not really read anything about it. Just thought it looked cute. Then this was the only book I got. And I saw how huge it was. And contemporary. So I got scared that I would not like this at all.

But I was wrong. Because this book was pretty amazing most of the time. Heartbreaking and evil a lot of the time too. And a few things I did not like at all. I'm giving it three stars. It was a four, until certain things at the ending that I did not like at all. But oh. I'm glad that I was wrong about this book. As I ended up liking it.

I will begin by saying that the writing was pretty much perfect. Which has so much to say for me when it comes to reading. I had no trouble connecting to this story and these characters. I liked getting to know them. Contemporary books are not always my thing. I don't like the whole school thing and people living in our world. Which was very much the case with this story. School, which I did not like. References to popular books, which I still did not like, haha. But I did not mind all of this too much. Though it's just not for me. But what was for me was the characters and getting to know them. The book begins with Annie and her point of view. I thought for a time it would be only her view of the story. But that was not the case. I liked the others, but not as much.

This book tells the story of Annie and her brother, Jamie. He is one year older than her. And they have been close ever since she was born. Always being together, always having fun. They made up their own world, called Gumlea. It was a world they had in the forest not far from their house. Annie could never really tell if it was truly real or not. Annie and Jamie spent so much time together as children. But then it stopped, when he became a teenager. When he got new friends and didn't spend time with Annie more.

This book is told in a weird way, to be honest. It is a book told about Annie growing up. It begins when she is very small. And continues that way for a long time, her slowly getting older. We get to see so much of her up to age fourteen, when Jamie disappears. He is just suddenly gone. And no one can find him or know what happened to him. Their whole family went into such grief, which was hard to read about. But written well too, I think. I did not really like their parents. They were not nice and treated their kids badly.

But I did like Annie. At least for a long time, until near the end of the book. Sigh. Getting to know her and Jamie was so interesting to read about. I hated reading about how they fell away from each other. How they started not talking to each other. It was so rude. They both had issues and problems, but we only learned about Annie at first. This was very much a character book. A little fantasy, which was so great to read about. Wish there had been more. It is a book about Annie growing up and changing into an adult.

We also get a point of view from Vidya. When she starts dating Annie. And how all that goes down. I thought that their romance was sweet. Despite being fully rushed and them not really having that much in common. Except for the missing Jamie, whom Vidya had been together with for over a year before he disappeared. And now she's with Annie. It was a little weird, but I'm glad that time had passed before it happened. I just wish Annie had treated her better. I did like Vidya's parents, though. Vidya was loving.

There is very much to say about this book. And my review is all kinds of long, but I just could not stop writing. And yet I still have not said all that I want to. There was so much that I could connect to in this book. I could connect to being different, like Annie and Jamie. And so much else too. I could not connect to being gay, or her troubles with that, but it was so good to read about. There is religion in this book too. Not for me, but written well. The characters were all different and I liked that a lot. Thought it was great.

Strange Creatures was such a difficult book for me. It was strange and lovely and heartbreaking. I grew to truly care for the characters. I wanted to know more about Jamie most of all. I liked the writing so much. I wanted to know more about their fantasy world, about their stories together. It was a little too much family drama for me, too much school drama too. The time was moving so slow most of the time, which was fully annoying, yet I liked just reading about their lives even so. But yeah. It was slow and boring at times.

And I did have a few issues with this book too. I did not really like Vidya, and it broke my heart how she was kind of being used by both siblings at different times. She deserved better, despite me not liking her fully. I did not like who Annie was near the ending of the book. I did not like how she treated one person, how she did not talk to this person, did not care, did not help. For so many years even. What. I am not forgiving that. And it hurt. I wish it has not been written that way. So yeah. Not really a fan of the ending.

I will not say what happens near the end. Just that it was a shocking thing. And it lasted for years, so many years went by. It was the most heartbreaking thing, getting to read about a third point of view in this book. It was only for a little while, but it was what broke me most and what I also liked most about this book. But when things should have been better after, they only got worse and worse and worse. And I could not stand that. Not at all. Wish the ending had been different. So, so much. Still. It was not all bad.

Big thank you to the publisher, Harper360YA, for sending me this gorgeous ARC to read and review. I am glad that I gave it a chance. It was not really a book for me, and yet I still liked it a whole lot. It did break me, though. As I had not realized how very dark it would be at times too. So yeah. Be prepared for that before reading. It is dark and there should be trigger warnings. I don't know if the finished copy has those. But despite the darkness, it was a book of small hopes too. And I would recommend that you all read it.


Saturday, June 12, 2021

In My Mailbox #501

I got my final Pfizer corona vaccine yesterday :D Eee. I'm glad to be done with that, haha. Feeling a little out of it, but nothing bad yet. So hoping not to get any of those weird side effects from the second shot. Fingers crossed. I also got some gorgeous mail this week. <3 Yay. And had a few doctor visits too, which I'm hoping will help my health. Fingers crossed for that too. And I actually started a new book today :D What even! I thought I might not like it. But I have read a little today, and I'm actually liking it a lot so far. So happy about that. I hope it will stay that way. Also. Huh. I think it was this past week that I watched Sweet Tooth on Netflix. I loved it so very much. And am currently re-watching it with my mom already, haha :) But gosh. Only eight episodes. And worst cliffhanger. I need a season two right away. Rude. Also spent a lot of time outside, as we have had some lovely heat. <3 Now rain for daaays and a little colder. Hmph. Hoping summer will return soon. Only one new blog post. This week I'm waiting on Witchshadow :) My current read is pretty long, but I'm hoping it won't take me too long to read it. I have so many books to read after, and hoping I will actually manage to start them too very fast. Fingers crossed. Hope you are all doing okay and staying safe, as always. <3 I'm so happy to have gotten both vaccine shots at last :)


Curse of the Phoenix. I'm so excited to read this gorgeous book as soon as possible :D I will love it so.
For the Wolf. So very excited about reading this book soonish too :D I'm hoping to love it so very much.
Monstrous Beauty. Omg. I finally own this special ARC. <3 Ahh. Thank you so, so much Beth. <3 Hugs.
The World Between Blinks swag. Eee! Thank you Amie and Ryan :D Love this pre-order swag so much.
Pop Figures. Another Steve Irwin. Sniffs. Love Figaro. <3 And some of the new princesses are here :D
Animal Crossing. EEE! I am SO excited that I bought this from Amazon Japan :D A little expensive, but worth it too. It's gorgeous. All the music on CDs from New Horizons. Stunning artwork too. I love it lots.

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday #504

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

WITCHSHADOW (The Witchlands #4) BY SUSAN DENNARD

Goodreads Description:

Susan Dennard's New York Times bestselling, young adult epic fantasy Witchlands series continues with Witchshadow, the story of the Threadwitch Iseult.

War has come to the Witchlands . . . and nothing will be the same again.

Iseult has found her heartsister Safi at last, but their reunion is brief. For Iseult to stay alive, she must flee Cartorra while Safi remains. And though Iseult has plans to save her friend, they will require her to summon magic more dangerous than anything she has ever faced before.

Meanwhile, the Bloodwitch Aeduan is beset by forces he cannot understand. And Vivia—rightful queen of Nubrevna—finds herself without a crown or home.

As villains from legend reawaken across the Witchlands, only the mythical Cahr Awen can stop the gathering war. Iseult could embrace this power and heal the land, but first she must choose on which side of the shadows her destiny will lie.

Hardcover, 464 pages
Expected publication: June 22nd 2021 by Tor Teen
Pre-Order here and here #ad

Another confession: I have not started reading this series yet. And yet I own all of the books. What even. I even have this one pre-ordered. Oops. I feel certain that I will enjoy these books. Yet I have not started reading them yet. Ahh. Really hoping to get to that soon, haha :D I do think it sounds pretty amazing. <3
What are you waiting for on this dangerous Wednesday?

Saturday, June 5, 2021

In My Mailbox #500

This week have gone by super fast. Gosh. I managed to read a book early this week, eee. I am so happy with that. <3 It was perfection. Sigh. Hoping to read more in a few days :) And then we had summer days for a few short days, ahh. It was warm and sunny and so perfect. Was outside for hours for days. It was the best. I have a lovely tan, haha :) Hope we get more summer days here. Fingers crossed. Yesterday I looked for a new Animal Crossing New Horizons villager, and finally got one of those I have been looking for: Marina. <3 She is adorable. So happy. A little bit of mail this week :) All gorgeous. I shared my review for Skyborn: Sparrow Rising. <3 This week I'm waiting on The Excalibur Curse :) Hope you're all okay. <3

Undying. Eee! Thank you for trading this precious ARC with me Jordan. <3 So happy to own this lovely.
The Ones We're Meant to Find. UK/AUS edition has finally arrived :D It looks gorgeous. But damaged.
Pop figures. Eee. These two from Raya and the Last Dragon are beyond adorable. I had to buy them :D

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday #503

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

THE EXCALIBUR CURSE (Camelot Rising #3) 
BY KIERSTEN WHITE


Goodreads Description:

The gripping conclusion to the acclaimed Arthurian fantasy trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White finds Guinevere questioning everything—friends and enemies, good and evil, and, most of all, herself.

While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere—it’s what’s been buried inside her.

Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred—and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war.

Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. To defeat a rising evil. To remake a kingdom. To undo the mistakes of the past...even if it means destroying herself.

Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen—but what does it mean to be just a girl?

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: December 7th 2021 by Delacorte Press
Pre-Order here and here #ad

I know, I know. I have yet to read book one in this trilogy. Hahaha. Oh. But I am still waiting on this one :D I'm running out of books I'm waiting on. Oops. But I am excited about this third book; so I can finally read book one and two, ha :D Also, the covers are gorgeous. Also, I am very worried about the romance. Sigh.
What are you waiting for on this cursed Wednesday?