Book Blogger Hop #424

 

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

This week's question is: Is there a book you keep coming back to, reading it more than once? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)   

MY ANSWER: I guess not really? I have too many books on my TBR pile that I want to read for the first time than to go back and re-read old favorites. Of course, I would love to! And if you know me, if there is a new Stephanie Garber book, I will find myself re-reading her previous books ahead of the next one's release. So there's not so much one book I keep coming back to and reading it again, it's whatever Stephanie has written that I keep coming back to as I like to re-read her previous books before diving into the next installment!

Review--The Killing Rules by Bree Despain

 

Seventeen-year-old Harper Westbrook isn’t afraid of monsters…she is one.

For the past three years, she’s been one of the Blood Bound―girls and women cursed with a bloodlust only satisfied by killing terrible men. Once every three months, she trades in her pom-poms for a lethal throwing axe. Her life is led by a strict set of rules to keep her dark secret as hidden as the bodies she buries.

And her number one rule? Stay away from Grayson Jones.

The boy she was totally falling for until the night her curse manifested, everything went horribly wrong, and she killed his father. It was self-defense. Or at least that’s what she keeps telling herself.

Grayson is an investigative reporter for their school paper, and he’ll stop at nothing to find the truth behind his father’s gruesome death.

As he follows new clues down darker and darker paths―to an unbelievable world of mythical beasts and the men who hunt them―Grayson doesn’t realize he’s on a collision course with Harper’s biggest secrets. Now, she must stop him before he exposes her family to the Hunters, even if it means risking her life and heart.

Because who could ever love a monster like her?

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Bree Despain is back with a brand new supernatural thriller, The Killing Rules and it was most exciting ride indeed! I've been a fan of Bree's books since the early days and I was psyched to hear she was releasing a new novel! This is a standalone supernatural thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Harper is cursed, she's a monster of some type. There really was never a name for it, other than Blood Bound, but her grandmother says its in their bloodline for she had it and Harper's mother had it too before she died. Once every three months Harper is overtaken by the need to kill. She becomes beast like and the cravings become overpowering, so she and her grandmother do meticulous research to find some bad guy who needs to die, such as murderers, sexual offenders, or any other man who has committed a heinous offense and has gotten away from it. She only targets men as I guess that's in some way part of the curse? It was never really mentioned why Harper might have killed a woman who would've committed such nefarious and dark crimes, but some kind of justice is still justice I suppose.

Harper's grandmother was somehow cured by this curse and she has been holding out on hope for years that she could find some way to end her own curse as it can cause quite the problem in her social life more than you would think. But lately, her "curse" has been acting up and not in the usual way. She harbors a terrible secret regarding her former friend, Grayson's father's terrible death as well.

Then we have Grayson Jones, who for the past few years has been researching his father's death and trying to find answers. But the deeper he digs, the more secrets he uncovers and everything he thought he knew is about to be challenged.

Naturally, Grayson and Harper have some chemistry and a history too! You can probably guess what happened through the blurb but there's always more to learn about every situation same as this! We get both Grayson and Harper's point of views in this one which gives us a broader perspective of what's happening with this mystery.

This was a fairly fast paced read! I was eating up the pages and trying to sneak in as much reading time as possible to see where things would go with this one. As Harper tries to subtly thwart Grayson's attempts to research a recent murder that happened in town. There's a lot of tension to this one! You kept wondering if Grayson would figure out Harper's secrets, or one of her many secrets. But Harper also learns that there are quite a few secrets in her family history as well that will change everything!

This book was just awesome! It has been too long since I read a book from Bree Despain and I truly hope there is more to come from her! This reads as a standalone, but I've said that before about many a book and we end up getting some other stories out of it. But essentially this book ends with a sense of finality with the potential for more, which is honestly the best way to end a series! 

If you're looking for a book filled with some vigilante justice with a supernatural twist, then The Killing Rules is the read for you! It's a fun and fast paced novel with murder, mystery, and twists galore! The story is heartfelt and exciting as well! An all around GREAT read!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Books from the Backlog #198

 

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!

153 years in the future, Earth doesn’t look much like it used to.

Holly Danger’s current assignment, gleaned from a set of foggy instructions and a handful of coin stuffed into a slot, is pick up a street kid who’s about to terminate himself by jumping off a cliff. And, as a rule, she doesn’t turn down currency. Her job as a salvager keeps her fed and clothed above the norm, which isn’t saying much.

The norm in this city is a scrape-by existence in a post-apocalyptic world, where the rain never stops, food is always scarce, and the elite have deserted the ranks in search of something better. Picking up this urchin won’t take much time, even if he’s located outside city limits. Her craft is fast, her weapons deadly, and her tech has been optimized as well as it can be for a climate clogged with iron dust.

But things take a big turn when she decides to become the boy’s guardian instead of hand him over. Outskirts have descended on the city, and their plans don’t include playing nice. When her crew is backed against a graphene wall, it’s a good thing her Gem is primed and ready to go. It’s almost as deadly as she is…

I added Amanda Carlson's Danger's Halo to my TBR pile in March of 2018, so a few months after its release...or I forgot to add it when I got in September! Who's knows which at this point as I STILL forget to add books to my Goodreads list! Lol. I loved Amanda's Jessica McClain series so when she wrote this as a self-publish venture, I decided to give it a try...and there it sits on my kindle somewhere! One day I hope to at least read this first book to see if I like it as well as her paranormal series. 

Can't Wait Wednesday #261

 

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.

The gripping conclusion to the action-packed, ruthless, and romantic fantasy duology that began with HEIR, from the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author Sabaa Tahir.

A crumbling empire.
An ancient evil.
A lost homeland.
A lie that could destroy the world.

In the crumbling Martial Empire, crown prince Quil Aquilla and his Aunt Helene are losing a battle against the vicious Kegari horde. Quil’s armies dwindle, his faith falters, and the woman he loves vanished months ago, leaving him broken-hearted. Torn between his duty to his people and his desire to discover Sirsha’s fate, Quil embarks on a dangerous quest for aid—from the most treacherous of allies.

Sirsha Westering finds herself tethered to Div, an ancient evil unleashed by a terrible tragedy. Div delights in tormenting Sirsha, hungering for her magical heart. Even as Sirsha fights for control of her own fate, she is desperate to shield Quil from Div’s destructive power. But Div won’t release Sirsha without a fight. To earn her freedom, Sirsha must uncover Div’s past—and face horrors in her own.

Cero bet-Dafra, former right hand of the Kegari leader Aiz, now finds himself pitted against her. As Aiz slips further into violence and delusion, Cero must discover if his people have any hope of a future or if they’re condemned to an unending cycle of violence. His journey will force him to confront hidden truths, ancient secrets and a lie that could destroy the world.

In Empire, #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir returns to the expansive world of fury and vengeance of Heir, weaving a story of legacy and rebellion, of loyalty and freedom, and of what it means to confront the monsters that lurk within us all.

I held off reading Heir because it's Sabaa and a duology and I feel like my sanity and heart know better by now to pick up a book of hers when there wasn't a date in sight for the second one! Lol. So hopefully I'll be able to binge this duology someday soon!

TITLE: Empire
AUTHOR: Sabaa Tahir
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: September 22, 2026

The scorching third volume in a new series set in the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment.

James Anderson needs a new plan. He’s ready to make real moves to destroy the looming threats against their world, but no one is taking him seriously. James is tired of being underestimated by his own family. He wants five uninterrupted minutes alone with Rosabelle. He wants to kill Sebastian.

And he’s done waiting for permission.

Rosabelle Wolff needs to stick to the plan. Which means she needs to stay away from James and the dangerous feelings he brings out in her. When she’s near him she loses control, and she’ll need absolute control if she has any hope of convincing Sebastian—and through him, Klaus—that she’s still carrying out the original plan to destroy the rebel regime.

In the meantime, Warner needs to stay out of her business.

Aaron Warner Anderson is trying not to kill Rosabelle. They might be reluctant allies, but that doesn’t mean they get along. Every day is a new kind of hell for Warner. He’s worried about his wife; he’s worried about his world. He can’t decide what to do about James until he understands Rosabelle’s true motives—and when he’s finally delivered the answers he needs, the stakes prove astronomical. All roads lead to heartbreak and destruction, no matter what choice he makes.

Gut-wrenching discoveries, blistering romance, non-stop explosive action, and a world determined to control their thoughts and actions:

When the eyes of the world are upon you, who do you hope is watching?

Somehow I've not started this series of Mafi's even though I enjoyed the first two rounds of Shatter Me books! Definitely can't wait to dive into this one at some point too!

TITLE: Escape Me
AUTHOR: Tahereh Mafi
PUBLISHER: Storytide
GENRE: YA Dystopian
RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2026

The #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING Once Upon a Broken Heart series continues… Return to the Magnificent North and the BREATHTAKING LOVE STORY that has captivated readers all over the world!

Jacks and Evangeline Fox have finally found their happily ever after.

Everything here in the Hollow is wonderful and perfect.

Nothing is going to go wrong.

No one is keeping a secret . . . except for maybe one.

But don’t worry, it’s not going to rewrite reality or alter history or change the ending of Jacks and Evangeline’s story.

Definitely not.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorite characters and twenty full-page illustrations by Lotusbubble, the newest installment in the Once Upon a Broken Heart universe will immerse readers once again in this beloved, #1 New York Times bestselling series. Because every story has the potential for infinite endings.

The PENULTIMATE! THE NUMBER ONE BOOK I've been looking forward to ALL YEAR LONG!! THIS is what 2026 has been building up to people! Lol! I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS ONE!! 

TITLE: The Mirror of Infinite Endings
AUTHOR: Stephanie Garber
ILLUSTRATOR: Lotusbubble
PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: September 22, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday

 

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 Ten Books I was Reading on this Day Over the Last 10 Years

*in descending order

10. BITTEN by Jordan Stephanie Gray--2025
9. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD GNOMES by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne--2024
8. THE KING WILL KILL YOU by Sarah Henning--2023

7. THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY by Megan Bannen--2022
6. THE BURIED by Melissa Gray--2021
5. THE BRIGHT AND BURNING SEA by Chloe Neill--2020

4. THE BEAUTIFUL by Renee Ahdieh--2019
3. HIDDEN PIECES by Paula Stokes--2018
2. MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD by Charlaine Harris--2017

1. GLITTER by Aprilynne Pike--2016

Review--The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten

 

The Nightshade Crown is in the hands of a ruthless god. Lore will stop at nothing to defeat him and save the troubled prince and tortured priest ensnared in his wicked plot, in this final installment of this lush, romantic, New York Times bestselling fantasy series from breakout star Hannah Whitten.

Lore has failed. She couldn’t save King Bastian from the rotten god speaking voices in his mind. She couldn’t save her allies from being scattered across the continent—their own lesser gods whispering to them in their dreams. She couldn’t save her beautiful, corrupt city from the dark power beneath the catacombs. And she couldn’t save herself.

Banished to the Burnt Isles, Lore must use every skill she earned on the streets of Dellaire to survive the prison colony and figure out a way to defeat the power that’s captured everything and everyone she holds dear. When a surprise ally joins her on the Burnt Isles she realizes the way forward may lie on the island itself. Somehow, her friends must help her collect the far-scattered pieces of the broken Fount—the source of all the god’s powers—and bring them back together on the Burnt Isles, returning all magic to its source and destroying, once and for all, the gods corrupting the land.

But as Lore gets closer to her goal, her magic grows stronger… and to a woman who’s always had to fight for survival, that kind of power may be hard to give up.

I finally finished Hannah Whitten's The Nightshade God bringing an end to The Nightshade Crown trilogy. This was by far a more complex fantasy series that I was expecting. I am not sure how to describe it specifically, but something to do with this world building made it harder for me to immerse myself into said world. It was just hard to visualize things and understand what was happening and why.

Things are in chaos, I remembered that much from the last book's ending. Apollius has taken over Bastian's body and is in full control and thus rules Bastian's kingdom. Lore battles with her own goddess inhabiting her body, Nyaxra, while being trapped in prison and trying to find a way to escape to reunite with her two lovers. Meanwhile, Gabe who also has a god trapped in his head is trying to find a way to rescue Lore. 

Both Lore and Gabe are trying to find the missing pieces of the Fount to put them where they belong and restore the Fount to its former glory. Naturally, Apollius is trying to prevent such things in his takeover the world montage. But he is not having as easy of a time as he anticipated for Bastian fights relentlessly to gain back control of his body. Needless to say that the world is in danger and it needs saving.

This one was really hard to get into for some reason, but then again, I recall struggling with the whole series. I am not sure why. I love a good fantasy that builds up its own religion system with gods and magic and the like. But for whatever reason the execution of this particular system, did not mesh with me and the world-building kind of fell apart. I feel like I was always trying to figure out what was what and remember certain terms. I am not sure if a glossary would've helped me or not.

With the three lovers separated, there was not much time for romance. We did get the occasional romantic interlude here and there but it was not on the original plane of existence, so can we say it was a romantic interlude? I guess in the long run it was, as it's where their bodily spirits go when they are resting or meditating. As I said, this whole world and magic system was just hard for me to comprehend and I am usually one of those "just roll with it" readers. But this made rolling extremely hard!

What kept me engaged the most were the characters though. I enjoyed Lore, Gabe, and Bastien, and Alie as well. They were all fighting for the same cause and that did make things enjoyable. While this series was not a favorite of mine by the author, it hasn't turned me against any future reads. I may be more hesitant with her fantasies, but I still enjoyed this one to a certain point. But it did make for a very difficult read for me.

Overall Rating 2/5 stars

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.

The Last Two Weeks I Read:

The Shattered Mirror by Dana Evyn (4 stars)

Currently Reading:

The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten

What I Plan to Read Next:

The Killing Rules by Bree Despain

Other Posts of Interest:

July Wrap-up
Top Ten Tuesday
Can't Wait Wednesday #260
Books from the Backlog #197
Book Blogger Hop #423

Stacking the Shelves--Super Magnificent Two Week Haul of Awesomeness!

Stacking the Shelves--Super Magnificent Two Week Haul of Awesomeness!

 

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.

Wow. It's been two weeks since my last update as I was exhausted after The Forbidden Love event when I came home Sunday morning. I spent my day unpacking and unloading and putting things away and doing laundry...the usual! Lol. It was a fun event! Chaotic in some areas, but good! I sadly didn't make the self-publishing panel. It was the last panel of the day and I had spent a good 90 minutes beforehand waiting in line for a new friend! Lol. I wanted to help someone I was talking with at one point in the day get her books signed for one of the feature authors. I had met Rachel Gillig last year, so all my books were already signed, but she was worried she wouldn't make it through the general line to see her, as I had a VIP ticket. It likely wouldn't have been an issue in the end as VIPs were not given first access, it was just a one by one sort of line exchange. A lot of us in that line thought it should have been 2 VIPs to every 1 "regular" as the VIP ticket cost a good chunk more than the level below it. My friend and I splurged thinking this would help us when it came to these particular lines, but we were wrong. I was also dismayed to learn that the "swag" bag we received had some decent premium items in it. Premium items that I had preordered separately from their "gift shop." I mean, I get they are trying to make more money, but I feel like since I bought a VIP ticket, letting me know what "big" items I'd get in my bad would've been nice. I would've saved myself a good chunk of money. And this was before I learned that the VIPs were not really getting a VIP line treatment. When the lines got chaotic, I ended up listening to the volunteers about where we needed to go and kind of got screwed by being at the back of the line while others, did not listen and they got to be in front of the line with no repercussions for not listening to said volunteers about where we needed to go to line up. The event people did make a post about making some mistakes when it came to the featured authors lines, which was nice in a sense. There was also a lot of discrepancy about what these rules regarding when you could line up for the authors. Because one time length was printed in the program, they posted another time length on Instagram, then the time varied by volunteer at the actual event. So you can imagine some of the frustration we had. I'm all for rules and following them, but there needs to be an agreement on what the rule is! Lol.

The week prior to the event was just more of the same usual. Then this week things were back to reality. I did attend one book event with Taylor J. Larue. That was pretty fun! I enjoyed hearing a debut author speak about all the bookish things! Work is steadily picking up little by little as we get closer to open enrollment for health insurance picking and whatnot. By September and October we might be pretty slammed, so this steadily picking up is nice! Summer here continues to be hot and brutal and awful. I just hope every single person who complains about winter is sitting outside and enjoying this crap. Lol. I stay indoors unless I have 2-3 fans and maybe my cooling towel with me. 

So the books you see here are from two weeks! But then again...I bought 7 of them at the Forbidden Love event! Lol. I kept telling myself to rein it in but then I bought another one. It's hard to say no to books being sold by the authors in front of you, so yeah...I went a little overboard and then I had preorders come in and then I attended two events in the two weeks from this haul. So yeah...it's a big one!

Here's what I got these last two weeks:

Prince of Swords by Elise Kova--SIGNED!
Spellcast by Sophie Jordan
The Seance Garden by Juliet Blackwell
Cursed by the Dawn by Logan Karlie
Gingerbread Bones by Lindsay Lovise
Cursed by a Siren's Kiss by Riley Hunt & L.S. Embers--SIGNED by Riley!
Our Immortal Hears by Lara Buckheit--SIGNED!
Heart of a Forest by Sylvia Lockard--SIGNED!
Thorn of a Curse by Sylvia Lockard--SIGNED!
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis--SIGNED B&N edition!
Gravebriar by Casey L. Bond--SIGNED!
Solis Falling by T.A. Reilly--SIGNED!
Steelborn by Taylor J. Larue--SIGNED Allurial Edition!
The Lion & The Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent
The Killing Rules by Bree Despain

Then for review from the publisher I received:

The Killing Rules by Bree Despain (ARC)

THANK YOU Mayhem Books!

Then some of the merch I bought and/or received at The Forbidden Love Event:

Caraval necklace created by Artistic Mayhem

a heart frame with a painting inside that is a broken heart with pink and blue coloring and white stars and the name "jacks" on the inside!

Created by Goodnight Rose Studio!

Then I got these two tarot cards from Nerdstrom Designs!

One is Morpheus from Tourist Season that I got for knowing a secret code word!
The other is a white apple that says Jacks for OUABH! 

I actually also bought myself a sweatshirt too, but then after buying sooo many books, I asked my mom if she wanted to buy it off me to save for my birthday or Christmas as I am notoriously hard to shop for! Lol.

 

Then I received my preorder gift for The Shadow Reaper:

Character cards and vellum overlay!

THANK YOU Knopf Books for Young Readers!

Then I got this bookmark at the Taylor J. Larue event:

Then I had preordered this Funko Pop some months ago because I LOOOOOVE Scooby Doo! This was a cute iconic moment from the first episode so I had to get it! Lol.

And that was my super magnificent two week haul of awesomeness!