Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"The creature assesses me for a silent moment. When he speaks, his tone takes on a curious quality. 'Yes, we are similar, aren't we? You are fearless. Dangerous.'" p 5

TITLE: A Taste of Poison
AUTHOR: Tessonja Odette
PUBLISHER: Crystal Moon Press
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top 10 Bookish Discoveries I Made in 2025 aka Top 10 New to Me Authors I Discovered

*in no particular order

10. RORY POWER--Not a new new author, but I finally picked up one of her books last year and I LOVED this one! Definitely plan to go back and pick up another if it's a twisty thriller like this one!
9. C.J. BURRIGHT--a debut author but oh wow, this book was AWE-SOME!
8. ROMINA GARBER--I had one of her older books on my TBR from a book box, but it was her vampire book that released last year that I picked up first because VAMPIRES!

7. JORDAN STEPHANIE GRAY--a debut author but I had started following her on Instagram fairly early last year or maybe late 2024...can't remember but as soon as I heard about this book I HAD TO HAVE IT! It was AMAZING!
6. K.A. LINDE--this one my sister mentioned to me, although I can't remember if she read it or just had it on her list and I sort of spontaneously bought it one day!
5. BRIAR BOLEYN--another recommendation from my sister, I believe. Binged the first two books and was like whoa!

4. DANI FRANCIS--another debut but when I basically heard it was dystopian for adults a la Divergent, I was in!
3. BRITNEY S. LEWIS--another non-debut but I love me a good werewolf book!
2. MEGAN LALLY--another non-debut that I finally read last year and after I read this one I immediately bought her second one! Very edgy and chilling, especially this first one!

1. DEVNEY PERRY--yet another non-debut author but an ARC of this one showed up at my door one day, like a week before its release and it sounded intriguing so I started it and it was amazing!! I think I had to run out and buy the finished copy with those sprayed edges before I was even halfway through it because I was already getting the vibe that it would be a favorite...it was!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters (4 stars)

Roots of Darkness by Demi Winters (4.5 stars)

Currently Reading:

A Taste of Poison by Tessonja Odette

What I Plan to Read Next:

A Dream So Wicked by Tessonja Odette

Other Posts of Interest:

2026 Challenge
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #232
Books from the Backlog #171
Book Blogger Hop #395
Stacking the Shelves--The Bookish Merch Edition

Stacking the Shelves--The Bookish Merch Edition

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

Another week in the books. This was another quiet, no nothing week. Work was blissfully quieter. Perhaps a little busier as we had more calls to be on and such, but it was definitely better than the previous two weeks! This weekend we were also treated to a snowstorm. As I write this on Saturday night it hasn't quite hit us just yet, it will be more overnight. So by the time you read this we will be in the midst of it! It was pretty much snowy lightly all day Saturday, so we stayed home. I tried to do some reading but was having trouble focusing since I wasn't in a quieter environment, but that's okay. I didn't get too much this week either. Actually, it was starting out as a more bookish merch haul when a preorder showed up early and a shop order arrived! I was tracking a good portion of my haul during the snow yesterday and was worried it wouldn't come at all and then there's the panic of how will it be handled and whatnot, but luckily everything arrived safely and I got them off the porch before the boxes got too wet as the snow was a wet snow!

Here's what I got this week:

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout--SIGNED! One series of hers that I still love collecting! I've taken a step back from collecting so many of her FBAA series...although yes, I did just preorder her latest Apollycon edition as it was the first book and was SO pretty! But that might be it for me with this series and collecting! Lol. Definitely going to have to reassess my collection once I get myself situated somewhere so I can see what all that I have!
The Lovers by Kristin Cast--I STILL need to read the first book and am wondering what I am getting myself into with this cover change! I LOVED the original covers but these new ones have me thinking it might not quite be the series I thought it was originally. But I think I will still like it, but yes, still a fan of the old covers!

Then I started buying more of the items from Michael's Next Chapter collection! Sadly my stores STILL do not have much of it out and what little they had that first day is gone and online items never even came into stock every time I checked! So yeah, it's been upsetting because now it's on sale and the shelves are STILL empty! But here's what I managed to snag:

First up, I decided to upgrade my bookmark collection box! Previously it was in a random book shaped box I bought at Home Goods eons ago! This was of the same quality material and such and was a little bigger so I upgraded! Lol.

Then I found the bookish rubber ducks! They had these mini ones and big ones and lately I've been collecting the little sized ones when I find a cute one in a store somewhere or a claw machine--those are really fun to play! Especially if you find the ones that say "winner every time!" A few times I manage to get more than 1 duck in those! Lol. One time it was even a book with a book!

Then I bought one of the bookish pillows! I decided to go with the navy one as I thought that color would look best on a couch! I loved the other ones too and can totally see myself buying a second when the sale gets a little higher if they still have them! Lol.
Then I bought the Fantasy Reader shelf sign! Because out of all the ones they had this one rang the most true! Plus it was purple so it was perfect! Lol.

And then I got my doll from the latest shop drop at Pages of the Night! This one wasn't bookish but holiday themed and I LOVED it from the moment I saw the preview picture because I LOVE gingerbreads at Christmastime. So this doll was perfect and she's gorgeous!

And that was it for me this week! What all did you get?

Review--Roots of Darkness by Demi Winters

 

Join Hekla and the remnants of the Bloodaxe Crew as they battle the evil, poisonous mist threatening the citizens of Istré - and perhaps all of Íseldur - in Roots of Darkness by Demi Winters, an epic romantasy novella following the events of Kingdom of Claw .

Traveling the Road of Bones was only the start of Hekla's troubles.

The Bloodaxe Crew have arrived at the village of Istré - beleaguered and missing three of their members. They might be down in numbers, but Hekla "Rib Smasher" is determined they'll complete their job all the defeat the monstrous, sentient mist, and keep the citizens of Istré safe. What she didn't expect is for Istré's bullheaded chieftain to block her every move.

Exasperated, Hekla throws caution to the wind for a single passion-filled night. But to her horror, the mysterious, red-cloaked warrior to whom she's spilled her deepest secrets is the Bloodaxe Crew's new temporary leader and ally - Eyvind Hakonsson.

Hekla must now learn to play by Eyvind's rules while guarding her heart. But when it becomes clear that his plans align with the chieftain's, Hekla takes matters into her own hands.

Nothing will stop her from keeping the innocent people of Istré safe - not even the man who haunts her thoughts.

Roots of Darkness is a romantic companion novella to the Ashen series from BookTok sensation Demi Winters.

So I breezed through Demi Winters' The Ashen series to date and I decided I wanted to read Roots of Darkness because I was deeply missing Hekla and the rest of the gang! This novella takes place a week before the end of Kingdom of Claw...which time is so hard to comprehend in any series sometimes. Because a matter of days can go by if someone gets knocked unconscious or it can takes weeks to travel and all the while we read maybe 5-10 pages of this time! So basically this book takes place in the tail end events of book 2 from what I gather!

Hekla, Gunnar, and Sigrun are finishing the mission that the Bloodaxe Crew set out to do before Silla came into their lives. They are headed to the village of Istre to help them deal with a deadly mist that has been attacking their people. People have gone missing and Hekla is determined to solve the case and rid the town of their problem. Except she's dealing with problems of her own. Rey told her an old friend of his would meet her there to help her out since he was traveling with Silla. Gunnar and Sigrun have been slightly out of sorts since Ilias' death.

Hekla has a bit of a one night stand with another hunter while in Istre and when she goes to meet up with Rey's friend the next day, naturally, it turns out to be her one night stand. Eyvind is a man who challenges and infuriates her all at once. Hekla has always had to work harder to prove herself in her line of work that is dominated by males. Eyvind is working to prove himself in his own way as well, so the two naturally butt heads. Hekla has it slightly harder though as the town's leader refuses to cooperate with her and he favors Eyvind more.

So naturally, Hekla does some rule breaking in order to figure out what is going on in this town and what exactly this mist is and as you might have guessed it, chaos ensues.

This novella was definitely interesting and enjoyable. I missed seeing the Bloodaxe Crew in the second book, so this little side adventure of theirs more than made up for it. I kept wondering throughout Kingdom of Claw what the crew was up to during all this time and now we get the answer! There were definitely some shocking twists and puzzles that I did not see coming happen and I am anxious to see how this will play out in the next book! Really hoping there's a reunion of the whole crew, but we'll have to wait and see for that. I still need to go read the blurb now that I am caught up! Lol.

I was also pretty surprised that Winters included a little recap in this one since it was a novella, but appreciated nonetheless! Recaps are a blessing and I ADORE any author who includes one in their long running series! Especially one with this much detail! But really, love a recap regardless!

As it tends to be with novellas, one likely does not "have" to read this one before they dive into the next book. This is usually considered "bonus" material I feel like. Yes, you'll know the full details when this story's plot points get mentioned, but still, this was a fun and enjoyable read! There's a talking animal friend that really livened things up! I was chuckling when this guy popped up on the page!

Hekla and Eyvind's relationship was definitely more of a physical sort. I mean Hekla anticipated just a fun night with a random stranger, only to find out that he's going to be her "coworker" for this job of hers. It's a laughable situation to be sure and of course comes with its own hijinks and troubles ahead!

Needless to say this book really gets you amped up for the third book! I may have to dive into that one sooner rather than later after this too! If you're a fan of The Ashen series, I highly recommend giving this novella a try! It's a fast and delightful read that's sure to keep you entertained for a few hours!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #395

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's question is: Which book pairs perfectly with a certain snack in your opinion? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

MY ANSWER: Oh yeesh. I'm never good at this kind of pairing! Food doesn't always play a big role in my kind of reads. For me, a good snack is one I can eat one-handed and isn't super messy. Pretzels or animal crackers are good go-to snacks for me for any kind of read! Lol.

Review--Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters

 

Return to the Kingdom of Íseldur, where enemies become lovers and dark secrets hide around each corner, the second novel in the Ashen series.

In the aftermath of a harrowing journey, Silla Nordvig’s dreams of a simple life have been shattered. Beaten, betrayed, and reeling from the revelation of her true name, she flees Kopa with Reynir Galtung, ruthless leader of the Bloodaxe Crew. But when they're forced into hiding together, Silla soon discovers that Rey has been keeping secrets of his own.

Stuck in a shield-home with the murderous man she thought she knew, Silla forms a new master the magic flowing through her veins to save her sister. But before she can do that, Silla must face her most formidable opponent yet—her own inner demons.

Saga Volsik has nothing to lose. They’ve murdered her family. Stolen her throne. And now they expect her to marry their son, but not if she can dismantle Queen Signe’s plans first. The only problem? The handsome Zagadkian dignitary who knows far too many of her secrets.

Silla and Saga will need to find the strength to step into their destiny and stop chaos from sweeping across the land. Meanwhile, dark threads continue to weave themselves through Íseldur as magic long thought dead begins to wake.

Diving into Demi Winters' Kingdom of Claw was relatively easy since I had just finished The Road of Bones. This is definitely one of those highly detailed fantasy reads where you are immersed in a very creative world, rich with cultural, mythology, magic...where it doesn't hurt to take a few notes! Lol.

Our points of view this time are Silla, Rey, Saga, and the occasional Jonas. Largely I felt like this was Saga's book as we get to finally know this sister of Silla's who we only just learned about towards the end of the first book. Saga was raised by the Queen and King who murdered her parents, and who she thought was her younger sister. Saga also has galdur; she can read people's thoughts they are actively thinking. She managed to keep this a secret because her powers came in later than usual. She's doing everything she can to thwart Signe's plans to harm Silla.

Meanwhile Silla and Rey return to his hometown where Silla is to learn how to wield her own galdur. There she and Rey begin to grow closer and learn more about one another, such as the secret Rey was harboring the entire first book.

Naturally, we again have a bit of a slower pace going on. But we are definitely building into something more. Granted, I feel like some things could have been tightened in some areas, but I can see why things were kept...mostly. There's a lot of character development and growth going on in these moments, so it does add to the story...it just takes time.

I was intrigued the most by Jonas' point of view chapters. Mainly, because I wanted to know what that man was thinking! And naturally, his anger is being driven by grief and while I can sympathize to a point, I feel like he's going about things the wrong way. I was still peeved with Jonas for what he did in the first book. What I sort of detest most is being built up to really like a character one book and then to have that ripped away by the next. It's not that I am berating the author on this, it's just a personal thing. To have trust broken so quickly aggravates me, I don't know if it would've been worse if it happened later down the line in the series or not because then the hit would really burn, but I digress.

Saga proved to be an intriguing character! I loved her chapters as I loved her interactions with a Zagadkian dignitary, Rurik, who is visiting the king and queen to negotiate deals for supplies for their peoples on both ends. There is definitely some kind of tension brewing between these two and I love Rurik's easygoing nature. Saga has lived a difficult life being raised by the people who murdered her family, that she was kept alive was confounding and I might have missed the reasoning behind this, but ultimately chocked it up to Signe's plans.

There was romance developing between Silla and Rey. Which I saw this coming in the first book when we got Rey's point of view. But I did enjoy that the relationship still took time to build. It didn't feel as "why not" like Silla and Jonas' getting together did. I mean, theirs was sort of formed out of boredom. Sill and Rey grow intimately closer in this one and we get more on Rey's background too. 

Some shocking surprises came in at the end of this one that will really shake things up for the next book. Sadly, we did not get to see the Bloodaxe crew but I am planning on diving into the novella next that will give us insight to their adventures during all this chaos! I'm hoping there's a reunion in the third book, but time will tell on that one.

All in all, Kingdom of Claw was yet another immersive fantasy read set in The Ashen series. This is not a series for the faint of heart. It's heavy, but enjoyable if you get over a few of the speedbumps. If you love a thoroughly developed fantasy read, this is a series I would urge you to check out!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Books from the Backlog #171

 

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. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

In the latest mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Give Up the Ghost, it will take a beacon of ghostly intervention to guide contractor Mel Turner to the truth...
 
Dangerous tides ahead...
 
When her friend Alicia hires Turner Construction to renovate a historic lighthouse in the San Francisco Bay, Mel Turner can’t wait to get her hands dirty. Alicia plans to transform the island property into a welcoming inn, and while Mel has never attempted a project so ambitious—or so tall—before, she’s definitely up for the challenge.
 
But trouble soon arises when Alicia’s abusive ex-husband shows up to threaten both her and Mel, and later turns up dead at the base of the lighthouse stairs. With no other suspects in sight, things start looking choppy for Alicia. Now, if Mel wants to clear her friend’s name, she’ll need the help of the lighthouse’s resident ghosts to shine a light on the real culprit...

I added Juliet Blackwell's A Ghostly Light to my TBR pile in July of 2017! I am so greatly behind in this series but I have it all ready to go for when I can get back to it! This was a fun one, mysteries, ghosts, seriously what more could you ask for?

Can't Wait Wednesday #232

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She just also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father's murder, she's been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider. . . . Until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she'll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about. Not when the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv's father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, and fast. All while trying to ace her classes, not fall for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

I still need to finish my first series by Golden but I am still excited for this one because it sounds awesome!

TITLE: Half City
AUTHOR: Kate Golden
PUBLISHER: Ace
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2026

Heartbroken and grappling with unwanted powers, Revna must work with the person she swore to forget if she's to lead her people and unravel the secrets behind her new magic in this page-turning conclusion to the Blood & Souls duology.

Revna knew ruling would be difficult, but she never anticipated ruling with a newfound Lurae. The godtouched fear her, the godforsaken don't trust her, and her best friend doesn't know the truth she's been hiding. When the war-ending treaty is signed, Revna will reveal her secrets and finally put the Hellbringer behind her.

Except the Kryllian Queen refuses to sign the treaty when she discovers how volatile Revna's bloodsinging is. Desperate for any alliance, Revna begrudgingly agrees to the Queen's if Revna can learn to control her magic in three weeks, negotiations will resume. But there's a catch - the queen's general will be the one training her.

Revna will work with the Hellbringer once more, but she won't make it easy. But when the general reveals that the dead are unable to pass on, they realize there's more at stake than their tangled relationship. Ancient, powerful secrets tie the realm - and Revna and the Hellbringer - together, and their only hope of lasting peace is to unweave them.

I still need to read the first book but since I learned it is a confirmed duology, I'm glad I waited! Lol.

TITLE: Gods Beneath the Ice
AUTHOR: Alexandra Kennington
PUBLISHER: Ace
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2026

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"Saga, you loaf-eater, stop ogling his chin. She blinked, gaze darting to his eyes. Worse. They were green emeralds, framed with dark lashed and thick brows, pulled into a look of concern." p 39

TITLE: Kingdom of Claw
AUTHOR: Demi Winters
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
GENRE: Fantasy 
RELEASE DATE: February 21, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top 5 Goals for 2026

*in no particular order

**always terrible with trying to pick these every year. Lol

5. TRY NOT TO BUY MULTIPILE COPIES OF BOOKS--I mean besides Stephanie Garber's of course! I sometimes have a bad habit of doing that. My problem is when I preorder one special edition but then have to buy the standard to attend a signing!
4. TRY TO GET CAUGHT UP WITH SOME AUTHORS BACKLIST--I say maybe because I am SO behind with some authors, and ones like JLA have 600+ tomes I need to read! Kelley Armstrong I just have dozens upon dozens at a nice 400 cap on average, maybe more 350+
3. READ MORE FROM MY TBR PILE--I say this every year, although I did pretty good last year...but then I went and added more!
2. READ 50 BOOKS--I managed 80 last year...not sure I'll top that if I am going to try to read more of those 600+ ones!
1. BUY A HOME--still working on this one from the last three years. Hopefully this can be my year! It's insanely hard to do on one income.

2026 Challenge

 

So random though! I had been trying to figure out what challenges I wanted to sign up for this year and then I decided...I wouldn't sign up for any.

Largely because I always feel pressured. I know, I know. I set my goal myself. No one has to tell me it needs to be this. I usually lowball it anyway so that I don't have to feel so pressured or stressed, but then I STILL feel pressured to keep at it. Like with my discussion challenge I went for somewhere down the middle with 20 posts originally and then I just let myself keep going. But then as I did that I REALLY wanted to hit that 41 to be at the top of the tier!

I mean it truly is silly. I don't need to keep going. I can do 1 a month. It's no big deal. So why do I put this pressure on myself when this blog is and always has been just for fun. The extra non-review posts are purely for fun so there doesn't need to be any goals for me to climb to. But yet, when I set out to do a little challenge, I want to do my best! I want to do better than my best!

And there's where the stress came in. Again, totally silly because I am literally doing it to myself. I set low goals specifically so I am not stressing myself out, but then I see that I did a few posts those first few months and I was like I HAVE TO POST EVERY MONTH! I HAVE TO HAVE MORE THAN 1 POST A MONTH! Then I struggled. I had burn out. I couldn't think of anything to discuss! I had a month where I only read 1 TBR book.

And since the blogosphere keeps getting quieter every year, I'm like why am I doing this to myself each year? It DOES NOT need to be like this!

So instead of setting any particular goals (other than my Goodreads one) I decided I would just "record" my journey in the usual tab where I would put challenges! I'll note what I read each month and whether it was a TBR book, a new release, or a possible review book as I did just read one two weeks ago and I still have another waiting for me on that kindle I keep forgetting I have. Lol.

I might still throw in a discussion post every once in awhile if something sparks a thought. But yeah. This year I decided I wanted a stress free reading environment other than trying to complete my Goodreads as I will likely try to at least one up last year's total as Goodreads did those stupid extra stars for you when you hit certain goals, like reading every month. Ugh, why did they have to go and do that? And I keep putting in the back of my head I need to get caught up on JLA's books which are now in the 600+ club. Definitely can't one up myself there with my reading speed! Lol. I might have to ignore those extra checks from Goodreads and just focus on those 50 books!

So that's my "goals" for this year for my blog. Just low key happy reading time and seeing my progress with maybe some discussion posts here but with no commitment goal in mind!

Are you taking part in any challenges this year? Normally I just did the discussion post challenge, a TBR and maybe a new release one but this year I am going for 100% stress free...maybe 99% with Goodreads involved. I'm already "on track" with my goal instead of being ahead. So the pressure is on!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall (ARC)--Review to come at a later date

Currently Reading:

Kingdom of Claw by Demi Winters

What I Plan to Read Next:

Roots of Darkness by Demi Winters

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #231
Books from the Backlog #171
Book Blogger Hop #395
Stacking the Shelves