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.

"Hope always has a purpose. It's a life preserver in miles-deep water, a shelter from violent storms." p 155

TITLE: The First Lost Boy
AUTHOR: Casey L. Bond
PUBLISHER: Self
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2025

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 That Live in My Head Rent Free (submitted by Emma @damppebbles.com)

*in no particular order

10. BITTEN by Kelley Armstrong--one of the founding "mothers" of my book collection! This was a series I remember feeling hesitant with at first but fast became a favorite!
9. HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost--same can be said of this one! Especially since it was shelved in romance I thought the romance would overtake the story, but it so didn't!
8. POISON STUDY by Maria V. Snyder--lol, again another that was shelved in romance but was definitely more fantasy with a side romance! Fast became a favorite and Maria fast became a good author friend!

7. OLD MAGIC by Marianne Curley--my first Aussie author book and time-traveling one and you know the "ordinary girl but with magical powers (that she knew she had!)" book! LOVE this one SO much!
6. SHADOWLAND by Jenny Carroll/Meg Cabot--my first ghost book and AHH how I LOVE this series! 
5. BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause--one of the first werewolf books I read and still my absolute FAVORITE! Don't judge this one by its movie because that movie was crap as a book adaptation, but okayish as a teen werewolf movie! Lol.

4. DEMON IN MY VIEW by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes--we all have first loves...and this one is mine!
3. ALCHEMY OF SECRETS by Stephanie Garber--obviously...and for the rest of the picks! Lol. Since we're at book 1 with this one, I have yet to really place it in my scale of love for Stephanie's series, so we'll talk again next year! Lol.
2. ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART by Stephanie Garber--this one was definitely awesome! Love it! But I feel like you can't really love it and enjoy it as much without the knowledge from its predecessor. So...

1. CARAVAL by Stephanie Garber--clearly you all knew this would be #1! This series was so fantabulous for me! It brought me magic, it brought danger, romance, a kind of L.J. Smith Forbidden Game vibe but with a twist! I mean Julian (Smith's Julian) was kind of like Jacks in some ways! Lol. 

Review--The First Lost Boy by Casey L. Bond

 

Stars see everything and forget nothing. And sometimes they meddle far too much.

Ava has no idea who she is or how she got on the unfamiliar island Peter Pan keeps insisting is her home, the place she’s safest. But there are shadows in his cunning eyes and something within her screams out a warning that he can’t be trusted.

When Belle learns that her sister is alive, she leaps at the chance to work with Hook, his crew, and their siren ally to free Ava from Pan’s grasp. She thought that with their help, she’d have time to save Ava before her secret was discovered…

She was wrong.

When the sinister truth slithers its way between the tentative truces formed, some friendships and alliances buckle while others break. But if everyone doesn’t work together to accomplish the seemingly impossible, and fast, all those trapped in Neverland’s gravity will be lost to an insidious darkness forever.

Can Hook and Ava find one another and manage an escape? Or will they be consumed by the malicious shadow and forget one another forever?

The First Lost Boy is the final book in Casey L. Bond's The Shadows of Neverland duology and it was quite the tale! This book went in a direction I never saw coming! It was strange and discombobulating at times, but the mystery and danger of Neverland and an evil Peter Pan was still clear and the secrets that were revealed were startling!

We pick up where we left off for the most part, but we are treated to new points of view. We get Hudson, Belle, Devin--Ava's friend in the real world, and of course, Ava's point of view. It's largely told from Ava's perspective with the occasional one from Hudson. But things are definitely a little harder to comprehend in this since Ava has seemingly lost her memories. She finds herself spending her days with Peter and his Lost ones. But strange things keep happening and Peter's mood swings are something to be feared as well.

Meanwhile, we see Hudson and Belle trying to find a way to rescue Ava and get her as far from Peter as possible, but nothing is done on Neverland that Peter isn't aware of. He's a force to be reckoned with that even his Lost boys fear him at the best of times.

But then we get an eye-opener. This was such a shocking reveal that I didn't see it coming and yet it makes a sort of sense to the story in some ways. But I'll admit, things still got confusing. There were suddenly these changes in the points of view mid-scene and it was hard to note the actual change. You just suddenly realized someone else was talking and then before you knew it, you were back to the first voice. There was a reason behind it and I knew it at the time and the reader knows it too, but yet, the transition was not an easy one to notice. I felt like it just seamlessly fit into the current perspective that it was very confusing when you could notice the change in tone and not grasp what was happening.

Sadly, with Ava taken by Pan and having her memories erased, this meant little time for romance with Hudson. Hudson is meanwhile fighting tooth and nail to do whatever he can to get her back and then of course we have the larger problem at hand that was revealed about midway through.

Needless to say, this is not your ordinary Peter Pan story! This is Peter Pan turned on its head, upside down, and flipped backwards. It's recognizable in some sense as the traditional fairy tale but it's definitely got a flare of its own too. Which is ideal when it comes to fairy tale retellings in my opinion.

The pacing to this one was pretty decent. I felt like there were some confusing times again with certain aspects. I can't really delve into them without spoilers, but let's just say I was thrown off with some confusing times a bit more than I was in the first book. The story was still intriguing and we are given some answers to the lingering questions presented in the first book as well.

All in all, the story was pretty good! I was kept entertained and delighted with Peter Pan lore. Although Tiger Lily and her tribe were absent entirely. At one point, I think in the first book, an offhand comment was made in regards to the native tribes but it was just a straight up one and done line that had no merits, I felt. But it does make you wonder why she was excluded. Neverland was seemingly uninhabited other than by Peter and his Lost ones and the mermaids and crocs who ruled the water, and the Neverbirds. Can't forget those beasts of terror. 

This is not your mother's Neverland nor is it your Neverland of childhood! This was a very different and more dangerous Neverland and yet the two still have a lot in common. This was an exemplary retelling of a beloved fairy tale! The increased danger and added romance made it worthwhile!

Overall Rating 4/5 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.

Last Week I Read:

The Last Lost Girl by Casey L. Bond (4 stars)

Currently Reading:

The First Lost Boy by Casey L. Bond

What I Plan to (Hopefully) Read Next:

The Mirror in the Mountain by Dana Evyn

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #257
Books from the Backlog #194
Book Blogger Hop #420
Stacking the Shelves: The Happy & Sad Report

Stacking the Shelves--The Happy & Sad Report

 

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.

Well, I write this in sort of a down mood...even though nothing has been confirmed, I just have a bad feeling. The week was the usual, a little mundane but we are ramping into our busy season at work so things will be hectic for awhile. But anyway, Friday I went to view another house, another condo. It was PERFECT! Absolutely perfect for me! It was small, but still sizeable. It had a basement, a garage...it basically had the 4 items that made my MUST HAVES! Bonus: BUILT IN BOOKSHELVES!! Granted, it was only two but still a HUGE PLUS! It was in a good area, close to my parents so they could still help me if I needed it. Not much further for my sister and her family for when they visit my parents, lol. Really, I was closer! The price was at my high end, but I figure, I could swing it. It's freaking perfect! I put in my offer that day but the owner has 48 hours to review before accepting...but then last evening I was informed they were out of town, so they've been given an extra 24 hours. There's a lot of interest in this condo. And I could only offer list price as it was already almost too expensive for me. So I'm worried. Very, very worried. I just know someone is going to offer more and I can't match that. I told myself Friday not to get too excited...but I did. I was already dreaming of setups and layouts. When my realtor told me the owner was getting an extra day, I just had this immediate gut feeling that I was already out. Which put me in a very bad spiral last night. Let's just say cookie dough was involved. Lol. So yeah, I'll be spiraling again all day today and pretty much all day tomorrow until I get the news. I was trying to be positive and optimistic but after my realtor texted me the update, I was just hit with this gut feeling...I was already outbid. But if anyone cares to throw some good vibes and good luck, crossed fingers, spare 4-leaf clovers my way, I'd appreciate it!

To further add to my feelings of impending doom, my missing book is still missing. A replacement was ordered but that's going to take another week to get to me...on the very same route the missing book went, so yeah.

Here's what I got this week:

Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber--The Bookish Box edition! Sadly, I am not subscribed to this book box, but people are always reselling and I managed to snag a good one! Less than the cost TBB sells them for in their shop AND it was still sealed!! It's positively beautiful!! And what's bonkers is that I got this one BEFORE my replacement of last week's book and it shipped AFTER that one did!

Then the slap in the face was this week I received my preorder gift for Habits of the Sea...the very book that went missing and is being reshipped on the same doomed flight path.

These are short little journal entries from the FMC and they give you a place to put them in the book to read them. So whenever that book comes and I get a chance to read it, this will be a fun activity! Eventually...someday! 

THANK YOU Simon & Schuster!

And then prior to my going to look at this dream house of mine, I saw this Vera Bradley tote on sale online and even though I already have the "other" Belle and books pattern...I couldn't resist this deal!

I mean...if it wasn't a light purple (that's insanely hard to see on this screen I feel like) I could've talked myself out of it...but it was purple and it was Belle...reading a book! A purple book!

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

Book Blogger Hop #420

 

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

This week's question is: Do you read one book at a time, or juggle a few at once? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

MY ANSWER: I'm now a one-book at a time kind of girl! Way back in the day, I thought I could juggle more than one...and sometimes I had to for school. In school I was reading anywhere from 3-4 books for classes and one for my sanity! Yes, I had to throw my own in book in to read to keep myself sane. I might not have paid as good attention to those other 2-3 books when I was reading, but hey, I made it through! Lol! But these days, my memory is scattered. I wouldn't want to crosswires with one book's plot with another's characters and what not. So I strictly read one at a time and am totally and completely happy with this method!

Review--The Last Lost Girl by Casey L. Bond

 

Welcome to Neverland. Where shadows consume and magic is frighteningly real.

Ava is struggling to provide for herself and her sister, who slips further into insanity with each passing day. Raving about Neverland. Obsessed with a Second Star that Ava can’t see in the black, velvety sky. Until the night Belle succumbs to the terrifying shadows plaguing her and sweeps Ava away to a land that is only supposed to exist in storybooks.

Neverland is real. And so is Peter Pan.

He's grown from boy to man, wielding a terrible power he uses to rule the island. When he senses Ava’s presence and sends his Lost Boys to collect her, a dashing captain with a silver hook for a hand comes to her defense. He offers her protection aboard his ship, and the help of his crew to find Belle before Peter and his Lost Boys do. But what he asks for in return might be more than she or her sister can possibly pay.

Belle once stole something invaluable from Peter Pan, something Hook and his crew need if they’re ever to escape the cursed island’s thrall. And despite their undeniable attraction, Hook will do anything to claim it before Pan can.

I've always loved the story of Peter Pan, both in its magical side and its dark side. The Last Lost Girl by Casey L. Bond definitely falls on the darker stream of things but it's not quite what I would call horror, but it's not Disneified either! This is a new adult tale featuring older characters but still set in the magical and dangerous world known as Neverland!

Ava and her found sister, Belle, have been living on their own for years taking care of each other. In recent days, Belle's mental health has not been at its best and one night during one of her "episodes" she and Ava are transported to another land, you guessed it, Neverland! Like all other retellings, this isn't your typical Neverland either, things are different, darker, more dangerous.

What tends to baffle me about these retellings is when Peter is not a boy. He is far from childlike in this tale. And in a sense, I understand why he has to be older, it's just disorienting when you read about the boy who didn't want to grow up, actually does grow up for some reason or another! I feel like the explanation behind his and the Lost Boys growing older wasn't really explained well. It was sort of an offhand comment that it is what it is. So naturally, I just rolled with it.

Upon landing in Neverland, Ava is found by a Lost Boy and then "rescued" by Hook in a grisly way. She is then taken with him to treat a wound and we have our forced proximity trope happening straight away. Hook is about Ava's age, naturally, and as we already know, good looking too! Lol. I don't mean for these things to come off as negative either! I know very much what I am reading and expect the characters to fit into those roles and that means a good lookin Hook. I mean after Once Upon a Time, I expect all Hooks to be hot, so there's that too!

Hook needs Ava's help in trying to find Tinkerbell who has something that he and his men desperately need. He believes that Ava is the only one who can help him get close to Tinkerbell without there being other issues popping up, and he has to find her before Peter does, because Peter wants Tinkerbell for the same reason too.

This book holds all the magic and darkness one expects from Neverland and I positively loved it! I've read dozens of Peter Pan retellings over the years, some where Peter is still our hero and other times, not so much! They have all been different and unique and The Last Lost Girl is no different in that sense! This book was incredible and I loved the unique take on the Peter Pan story.

In this universe, the Peter Pan story does in fact exist and plays a role in the mix as well, which I found interesting. Sometimes you get a retelling where the source material does not exist. So that we have it here is very intriguing indeed and I like how Bond wove it into the story.

Romance, yup, there's that too! Lol. Naturally, we can see that things will start brewing between Ava and Hook, but I will tell you now that it is no spice. There's heat between them, but I feel like it was mostly closed-door. We get some kissing and tension, but when the "deed" happens, it was very much behind a closed door. So if you're looking for high spicy moments, you won't find them here.

The ending was a doozie! I suspected some kind of cliffhanger since this is a duology but this one was a whopper! So glad I can dive into the next one asap because a wait after that ending would have been disastrous! Lol. With the fate of many characters hanging in the balance, you can bet I will be diving into The First Lost Boy asap!

If you're looking for that Peter Pan retelling that puts a different spin on the classic tale and has a darker edge to it with just a little bit of romance, then you should definitely check this series out! This was such a fun take on a beloved tale that I can't wait for the next installment and likely more of Bond's books as well!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Books from the Backlog #194

 

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!

From bestselling author Marianne Curley comes the highly anticipated return to the Guardians of Time Series…

The battle is over. The war is won. The prophecy complete.

But life can’t just pick up where it left off for Ethan. Struggling to cope with the death of his soul-mate, at odds with his friends in the Guard, he finds himself adrift, jumping at shadows and sensing someone who can’t possibly be there.

Blaming herself for Lathenia’s death, Jesilla swears to avenge her mother and fulfil her vision for world domination. But she hadn’t planned to fall in love. And that leaves her with an unbearable choice – should she follow her heart or the parental strings of a Goddess, short on praise but high on expectation, who continues to pull on her from the grave?

As the Guard and the Order battle through the past and into an impossible future, darkness lurks around every corner. The fight for the world’s survival will rest with just one.

Is it friend or foe that stands in The Shadow?

It saddens me that I still need to read Marianne Curley's The Shadow! I added this to my TBR pile in March of 2018...although Goodreads says it was in April of of 2018 from one source, another says April 2019! So I possibly added it early as I sometimes did...? This was a loooong waited addition--that was a surprise to get--to a series I looooved as a teen! I obviously needed a re-read of the original books before I could dive into this one! I did re-read these wayyyy back in the day, maybe not as much as her first book, Old Magic, but I re-read them at least once or twice! But yes, this is one I am aching to read but just haven't gotten worked into my reading queue as of yet. Hopefully someday soon!

Can't Wait Wednesday #257

 

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.

In a world where love is forbidden, one girl must fight for her heart and freedom through deadly trials in the first book of a new dystopian romantasy duology from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Elle.

Welcome to The Heart Trials.
The prize is love.
The cost is everything.

In Ethyria the highborn may love; the lowborn may only feel what the Benevolent allows.

Saltblood lowborn Axira Merreri survives the decaying districts by keeping her heart locked tight, couriering goods by day — and smuggling the ruler’s euphoric Heartfillers to the highborn by night. Until a drop goes wrong and her execution looms.

When she strikes a dangerous bargain to steal something from the Tournament of Hearts, a ruthless dating competition for highborn citizenship, she enters. Not for love. For freedom. But as the twisted allure of the competition turns deadly, an unexpected connection cracks her defenses, forcing her to confront a truth she In a regime built on engineered happiness, the most dangerous weapon she has is her heart.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. Elle delivers a breathless series opener that is bold, bone-chilling, and wholly original. For fans of the cutthroat competition of The Hunger Games, Love Island, and Powerless, this dystopian romantasy explores what happens when the heart becomes the empire’s sharpest blade.

I still need to finish Elle's previous trilogy but this new series of course sounds amazing!

TITLE: The Heart Trials
AUTHOR: J. Elle
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2026

DELUXE EDITION - featuring gorgeous stenciled edges - In The Wolf Queen's Curse, the much anticipated sequel to Witch of the Wolves, Cordelia and Bishop must seek alliances with other packs and confront their Alphas in order to restore their beloved Trevelyan, no matter the cost.

The previously quiet life of Cordelia Levine, half-werewolf, all witch, has been turned upside down. Both of her parents are now dead, and her grandmother’s vicious attack on Trevelyan, her pack’s home, has left the Albion Pack fleeing and severely reduced in number.

As they recover and strategize a path forward, Cordelia is navigating her role in the pack as well as her feelings for her new husband, the Alpha. But even as their love grows stronger, the fate of the pack lies in their hands, and they must focus on finding a way to survive.

The pack decides that the only way to defeat the cabal and forge a path back home is to rekindle old alliances. The journey proves complicated, however, as each Alpha they encounter has an agenda of his own. But Cordelia and Bishop will stop at nothing to protect their pack – and reclaim their rightful home.

OOOMG! I LOVED the first book of this series and am eager for this one!! #IYKYK

TITLE: The Wolf Queen's Curse
AUTHOR: Kaylee Archer
PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Griffin
GENRE: Historical Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2026

Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth.

Aisling Cathedral is in ruins. Rodrick Myndacious, Bartholomew, and Maude Bauer are rumored to be dead—and the king has taken Sybil Delling as his bride. To show off their union and solidify his power over Traum, Benji proposes a series of tournaments throughout the hamlets. Captive and drugged, Sybil remains determined to vanquished him as she once did the Omens, even if she destroys the kingdom’s faith—and herself—in the process.

But then a mysterious knave rises to the top of the lists, a man with no name and no memory who may just be Sybil’s ticket to undoing Benji’s power. For in a land where stories repeat themselves, where a king can prove as cruel as a god, the only way to truly destroy the Stonewater Kingdom’s faith is to save it.

I STILL need to read the first book, but since this was another duology (I think at least!), I decided I would wait and binge like I did with her first one!

TITLE: The Knave and The Moon
AUTHOR: Rachel Gillig
PUBLISHER: Orbit
GENRE: Gothic Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 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.

"My lips parted as I decide to try to reason with the pirate on his behalf when a hot wash of blood sprays across my face, chest, stomach, and legs as Hook rips the silver crook through and across Wraith's throat." p 68

TITLE: The Last Lost Girl
AUTHOR: Casey L. Bond
PUBLISHER: Self
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 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 Ten Books in My TBR Pile from New-to-Me Authors

*in no particular order

10. THE SECRET ATTIC by Chelsea Conradt--one of my fave authors who may or not be retired, but may also be working on something recommended this one not too long ago! I read the blurb and was immediately hooked!
9. THE BOOK WITCH by Meg Shaffer--honestly, with that title, it was hard not to get hooked!
8. THE ASTRAL LIBRARY by Kate Quinn--I had been eyeing this one for awhile because of said title and cover as well! Then when B&N had a hardcover sale, I picked it up!

7. WE BECOME DARKNESS by Grace Morrow--a vampire read I couldn't pass up!
6. DEATHBRINGER by Sonia Tagliareni--this one also sounded good so I spontaneously preordered two B&N sales ago! Lol.
5. NOBODY'S QUEST by Alyssa Day--another fave author spoke highly of this one and it sounded good, so I added it to my pile!

4. THISTLEMARSH by Moorea Corrigan--another one I randomly picked up at the B&N hardcover sale! It sounded so good and I can't believed I missed hearing about it earlier in the year!
3. A CURSED SON by Day Leitao--another one I was intrigued about so I splurged on the pretty copies!
2. DIREBOUND by Sable Sorensen--have seen loads of good things on this one and I am super excited to read it...once I can find time for a 600+ page tome!

1. BLACK RIVER by Ruby Jean Cottle--stumbled on this one on my own again and it sounded SO good! Really need to find time to read it asap!