Books from the Backlog #102

 

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!

 

Bad girls burn hot…

Red is the color of Kia Alcott's hair.
It's her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble.
And it's the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.

When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It's an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.

But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn't stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…

 

I added Red by Alyxandra Harvey to my TBR pile in 2016. I want to say it was a Christmas gift that I forgot to add in those last days of December! Lol. I can't remember where I learned of this one, possibly another blogger but it sounded interesting enough so I added it to my wishlist and I feel like I received it as a gift! And there it has sat on my TBR pile since at least January of 2016, so not quite a decade yet! Lol. I do still want to read it some day as it still sounds rather intriguing!

 

 

 
 

Can't Wait Wednesday

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.

 

From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance

After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.

Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn't know is that he's the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.

 

Super excited for a new Mary E. Pearson fantasy!! Loved her previous ones and cannot wait for this one! The cover is sooo pretty too! 

 

TITLE: The Courting of Bristol Keats
AUTHOR: Mary E. Pearson
PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books
GENRE: YA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: November 12, 2024

 

 

 

 
 

 

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.

So obviously this isn't my current read but I suspect by now I'm between reads and to make it easier on my psyche I give you the teaser I originally picked when I didn't think I'd finish this book so quickly! Lol.

"<The large, colorful beaks,> she explains, <are there to distract you from the eyes. If you look into a toucan's eyes you will know the heart of evil, and what's more, you will know they'd like to eat you.>" p 175

TITLE: Scourged
AUTHOR: Kevin Hearne
PUBLISHER: Del Rey
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2018

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 on My Fall 2024 To-Read List

*in no particular order
**tentative to change, obviously, lol.

10. WHERE HE CAN'T FIND YOU by Darcy Coates--this sounds creepy good and while I'd love to read it for this year's spooky season, I'll be lucky to get it read in "fall."
9. DEMONS OF GOOD AND EVIL by Kim Harrison--I hate that I am behind n her books! I used to always be caught up. One book behind isn't terrible, but the next one is coming out soon (and technically I still have another standalone one of hers to read too!)
8. THESE DEATHLESS SHORES by P.H. Low--I picked this one up not too long ago and it just sounds fantastic and I want to read it as soon as I can!

7. THE CHAMPIONS by Kara Thomas--love her thrillers, so excited for this return to Sunnybrook!
6. OF SONG AND SCEPTER by Liesel West--another newish addition that is yelling at me to read it! I plan to after I get through a few more event books!
5. THE HOUSE THAT HORROR BUILT by Christina Henry--another one I wish I could be reading for spooky season, but alas, I am in event mode!

4. COLD HEARTED by Serena Valentino--I am always behind in this series through no intentional purposes! Lol. Hoping to read at least one of these this year at least!
3. FOXGLOVE by Adalyn Grace--another series I fell behind in without meaning too!
2. THE TEMPTATION OF MAGIC by Megan Scott--a recent acquisition that sounds super amazing and I hope to maybe read it this fall as well!

1. SPECTACULAR by Stephanie Garber--to the shock of no one! Lol.

Let's Discuss: Event Mode Reading

 

So I find myself in what I call "event mode" reading! Wherein events are coming up and I am finally reading certain books from authors I may have had sitting in the TBR pile for too long and it's just a wonderful thing in my opinion!

Event Mode Reading

I have sooo many TBR books in my "pile." All are books I want to read and still want to read, even if they have been sitting for a few too many years. I can only read so fast and I still haven't found the secret to giving up sleep entirely and being a healthy and functional human being! The nights where I get like 5 or 6 hours of sleep because I can't get my brain to shutdown are dreadful the next morning! Lol. So yes, TBR books can pile up over the years and get seemingly "ignored" for sometime.

But then magical things happen...like book tours or other events! When I get into my "event mode" reading I dive back into the TBR pile and try to find all the books that need reading and then determine if I can read them all before the event (which I plan this as soon as I determine I am going which is pretty much when the authors post said tour and I acquire my ticket if needed to be official!

So awhile back Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne announced a mini tour of theirs and it was still awhile until tickets were sold but as soon as I got that bought, I dove into my TBR pile for their books. I actually might have been working through other needed books when the tour was announced, hence the reason why I just didn't start then and there.

Unfortunately, I've come to the conclusion that it's just not possible for me to read ALL the books needed beforehand, there were just too many series I didn't get around to finishing and starting and then there were standalones involved and it's a nightmare! Lol. I did finish up one series though so I feel like I did my best! 

The reason why I find myself needing to skip the next standalone or two is because there's ANOTHER event I am trying to prep for that's coming up the week after this event and I thought I ought to read the first book of that trilogy at least! Because as you might have noticed I am going for the Caraval re-read after all. At least for the moment! Lol.

But yes, my event mode planning usually has me trying to read books in advance if I feel like I can swing it. There are times I know I can't but I'll try to read at least 1 book to get somewhat up to date, because I know my reading speed and every once in awhile these events spring up with only a few weeks' notice so sometimes I don't have enough time to shift my reading queue.

What about you? Do you get into "event mode" reading when you know you plan to attend an author event?

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:

Staked by Kevin Hearne (4 stars)
Scourged by Kevin Hearne (4 stars)
A Spark Within the Forge by Sabaa Tahir (5 stars)

Currently Reading:

A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden

What I Might Read Next:

 

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday
Books from the Backlog #101
Book Blogger Hop #324
Stacking the Shelves

Graphic Novel Review--A Spark Within the Forge by Sabaa Tahir, Nicole Andelfinger, & Sonia Liao

 

Before they were torn asunder, Laia lived happily and quietly with her Nan, Pop, and brother Darin within the Scholar district of Martial-ruled Serra. Although Laia is afraid to venture outside her home due to the heavy Martial presence, Darin loves to explore all parts of their home city… even those that are forbidden.

A chance encounter with famed swordsmith Spiro Teluman, who sees in Darin a talent for forging weapons, leads him down a path that pulls him away from his family but towards hope for his people. Meanwhile, Laia is forced to take her brother’s place accompanying Pop to combat a dangerous illness spreading quickly through Serra. When Laia discovers a surprising cure, will she brave exposure and the heavily-patrolled streets so she can save the city and someone she loves?

I decided to go for a quick read and chose Sabaa Tahir's A Spark Within the Forge! I had almost forgotten about the prequel series Sabaa wrote for her An Ember in the Ashes quartet! It's been so long since I read the original series I can't quite remember all the details, so bits of the prequel story are starting to get a bit lost for me, but I still enjoyed it anyway. I remember vague details about things, but I am enjoying it all the same!

Sonia Liao's illustrations in this one were stunning! I always love the different styles graphic novels take on! I am not a seasoned graphic novel reader but I've read a handful and the different styles in art always delight me! I love the choice of colors too and noting the different tones based on the scenes and what's happening!

Nicole Andelfinger helped to adapt the story and I must confess, I am deeply curious about what a story adapter does! I mean I get the general concept of it all, but yes, this role fascinates me as a reader!

Onto the actual story, this time around we are with Laia and her brother, Darin before the events of the series at large take place! I remember the first graphic novel focused on Elias, Helene, and Tavi. So jumping over to Laia's past was an interesting take. We get bits of both Lai and Darin in this one and kind of seeing how they got onto their starting paths of the main series. It was definitely intriguing!

Darin has been shirking his healing duties lately, taking more to sketching and basically staying out past the citywide curfew and dodging the Martials all the while. Whereas Laia has to take on some of Darin's healer duties and helping her grandfather tend to the sick.

Laia has an intense fear of the Martials and it kind of keeps her from living life. Her best friend is sad that Laia won't take a risk and come out past curfew to party with her and their other friends. Then Darin is questioning his life choices and what he actually wants to do with his life as we know things in their world are not well. There's a great dissent among the Martials, the unnamed Commandant, and the citizens who are subject to their whims.

All in all, I found this to be a great read! It's a fast one too as I just finished my last book and read this one in a handful of minutes! I forget how quick graphic novels go but yet I enjoyed it all the same! I did see on Goodreads that this was supposed to be a prequel trilogy and I am starting to think it's going to remain unfinished as there were two years between the first two books and here we are two years later with nothing on this unnamed third. So here I am again, falling in love with an amazing series that got canceled. This happened with the Vampire Academy graphic novels too but that one ended with Shadow's Kiss and we all remember (possibly, maybe) how that one ended! It's a tragedy all the same with this one as well as now I will always wonder...what was meant to happen next? It would probably have ended with sadness as well since the quartet had yet to begin and all the chaos that Laia and her soon-to-be friends would endure had yet to begin.

A Spark Within the Forge was still a fun and delightful read! There's always something magical about reading a graphic novel that's based off a book series I've read! Yes, sometimes we're lucky and get movies or TV series of our favorite shows, but then we sometimes we get graphic novels and that's a whole other kind of magic entirely!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Stacking the Shelves

 

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.

Survived another week! Work is definitely picking up into its crazy season. It's pretty manageable with my team though. We work well together in covering the load, so it's not super stressful! The week was pretty mundane for the most part. Until Thursday of course! Then I went to an author signing and met Jenna Levine and it was another fun, if late night! I always have fun at the events but man coming home and trying to just go to bed afterwards to wake up early the next day is HARD! Lol. I've never been someone who can just go to sleep, it takes me ages! So when I get into the first two weeks of October, expect a very sleepy and not 100% coherent Jessica. I may mistype something or not articulate myself correctly. Apologies in advance, but I still have 1 week of comprehension until then! Lol. The biggest surprise of the week was when my B&N preorders showed up only 1 day late! I mean, I'd still rather get them on the day I get that email when they tell me "tomorrow is the day!" But 24 hours after THE DAY is better than 96 or so, which is what it was last time.

Here's what I got this week:

Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson--the book that should've arrived last week but didn't due to a mail carrier who didn't want to get out of the car...and they normally do as they keep driving up our driveway to drop off our packages, i.e. my books.
A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden--I had the first book on my TBR pile but then I just learned Kate is coming to St. Louis in October so I thought I'd pick this one up now as I intend to read the first book at least before the event!
Seasons of Flesh and Flame by A.G.Howard
The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning
My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine--SIGNED!

And that was it for me this week! Not too shabby of a week all things considered and I am hoping my next order from Amazon comes in on time as I need the books within for a signing the following week! It's going to be a crazy couple of hauls these next few weeks and I am all for it! Lol. 

What did you get this week?

Review--Scourged by Kevin Hearne

 

Kevin Hearne creates the ultimate Atticus O’Sullivan adventure in the grand finale of the New York Times bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles: an epic battle royale against the Norse gods of Asgard.

Unchained from fate, the Norse gods Loki and Hel are ready to unleash Ragnarok, a.k.a. the Apocalypse, upon the earth. They’ve made allies on the darker side of many pantheons, and there’s a globe-spanning battle brewing that ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan will be hard-pressed to survive, much less win.

Granuaile MacTiernan must join immortals Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen in a fight against the Yama Kings in Taiwan, but she discovers that the stakes are much higher than she thought.

Meanwhile, Archdruid Owen Kennedy must put out both literal and metaphorical fires from Bavaria to Peru to keep the world safe for his apprentices and the future of Druidry.

And Atticus recruits the aid of a tyromancer, an Indian witch, and a trickster god in hopes that they’ll give him just enough leverage to both save Gaia and see another sunrise. There is a hound named Oberon who deserves a snack, after all.

I have finally finished Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid Chronicles, an epic urban fantasy series that was one wild ride from start to finish. Scourged is the final book and even though I skipped a few novellas over the years, I felt like I got a good sense of what happened in between books, and I even have one novella I still need to read since it's in hardback format, but I don't think it will detract from the story by reading it in reverse! Lol. I will say the ending of the series did leave me a little sad in some sense. Like most series when they end, you never really want them to go, but at the same time you know it's for the best.

This is it. The final showdown. The battle that we know has been brewing between Atticus and Loki and Hel is about to begin, but yet things are still pretty chaotic in the world and our last three Druids on earth are once again separated. But it would seem this is more by design than anything else. While Atticus is gearing up for the big battle to come and allying with some powerful deities to take down Loki, Granuaile and Owen are elsewhere fighting their own fights.

Granuaile is working with Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen to defeat other powerful deities known as the Yama Kings. The Yama Kings are bent on destruction and naturally, Granuaile is trying to stop them and keep the world a little bit safer. Along the way, she continues her Druid training in creating new headspaces and learning Polish this time around. I feel like Granuaile has come quite far in this series and even in these last three books that I've read since I read the first half of the series years ago! Lol.

Owen, being fresh to the series and literally popping to life just when I came back to it, is another delightful character. He comes off as a cranky old grump, being that is pretty old even if he was in a magical sleep the last century or so. He continues to learn more about the modern world and modern vernacular, which in itself is pretty funny. He's still welcome among the wolves and that's where he remains as he's about to train a set of children how to become Druids, so soon, they won't be a dying breed anymore. 

But with Ragnarok on the rise, Owen finds himself set with a new task and that's trying to get Fand to work with the powerful Brighid to be on Team Atticus in the battle against Loki.We're basically watching chaos ensue all over the world where our Druids are at all before Ragnarok takes place!

I was once again a bit sad that the Druids were separated again and the meaning behind this becomes a bit clear and I can't help but wonder if I missed signs of this in the early books I read years ago. Granted, Owen wasn't around in those, so maybe the signs weren't as clear. It's tough to say since I waited so long to finish this series. But I guess it just upset me and I do see the reasoning for it. I missed the romance that was brewing between Granuaile and Atticus. I feel like in these last three books especially it was lacking. But I know it was never a central focus point of the story, there just might have been moments here and there and I feel like those have been missing in this last set.

The ending was truly one I never saw coming! I mean, yes the Ragnarok part was expected but all the end results from that battle were truly a mess of surprises and shocks! It was just...wow, shocking! Lol. I don't want to get into spoilers even though I am sooo late to the game of finishing this fantastic series. It's hard to break old habits that's for sure! Needless to say this may not have been the ending I expected but it was definitely a fitting one for the series. At some point I intend to read Kevin's newer trilogy that takes place in the same world, but I have yet to look at the book to see the "who" is we're dealing with this time around, so I will be curious to see where Kevin takes the expansion of this world!

Scourged was definitely a "triumphant" conclusion to The Iron Druid Chronicles! It was filled with action and a good amount of humor via Oberon and a new character that glommed onto Owen who I just loved! The animals in this world truly are the best and are absolutely hilarious! They brought much needed levity to some of the more dire moments throughout its course! Scourged may have closed the book on Atticus' tale but I suspect the next trilogy will be just as entertaining and magical! This is a true gem in the urban fantasy genre!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #324

 

 

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

 

 

 

This week's question is: September is a busy month for literary events and book awards. Are there any award-winning books or authors you're eager to read, or any forthcoming book events you intend to go to or cover on your blog? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) 

MY ANSWER: Well I am writing this post in advance and I know I had an event schedule for last Saturday and just this past Thursday! So hopefully those went well! Lol.

My next event is in a few weeks where I will be meeting Sabaa Tahir! I believe she won an award for her Contemporary YA book, but as you know I don't read that genre, so I can't really recall if I am remembering correctly. I feel like she did win something for it though! I am excited to see her again for her newest book series!

I might also have another event, but again, writing this early and tickets have not gone on sale yet, but I saw the author post about it. So I am eagerly awaiting for that announcement which is scheduled to be in the same week as Sabaa's event! So it will be a nice start to October that's for sure!

Books from the Backlog #101

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 meme is hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

 

Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance.

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them.

But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why?

Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?

 

I added The Leveller by Julia Durango to my TBR in January of 2016! I thought it sounded like an intriguing Dystopian novel and I feel like it still is! It sounds fun. I'm sure I read a few good reviews on this and that's why I added it to my pile. Otherwise, I can't really remember much else about adding this to my stacks! Lol.

 

 

 
 
 

Review--Staked by Kevin Hearne

 

When a druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he's bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers - led by power-mad Theophilus - have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It's time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn't mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ill-tempered archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll turns out when you stiff a troll, it's not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki's mark and elude his powers of divination - a quest that will bring her face to face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won't come without a In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.

 

Kevin Hearne's Staked is book to set us up for the grand finale of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a series I am only just now finishing because, you know how it goes! Lol. This was yet another action packed installment filled with magic, vampires, battles, and of course, sausage! 

Atticus is done with the vampires. It's time to take them out. After one betrayal too many, he is ready to take as many as he can out of the picture permanently until he reaches Theophilus, the leader of the vampires. Meanwhile, Granuaile is working to remove her mark that Loki put on her and try to find a magical horse that Loki is supposedly looking for as well. Then we have Owen who is set to teach a new group of children, children whose parents are werewolves, the way of the druids.

This book was a bit chaotic what with everything that was going on. We were moving from druid to druid as they were dealing with one major issue after another and it all leads up to a battle of epic proportions! I suspected as such, but the journey to get to that was just as thrilling. From ghosts to witches, this book pulls no punches. I positively love how this series draws on so much mythology from across the world. It's been an amazing melting pot of cultural experiences.

I did feel a little forlorn that once again our main cast of characters was separated throughout the journey. I mean, yes, it's good to be independent, but I just wanted more of these three druids together kicking arse and saving the world, and having a few laughs along the way. We still get all that of course, but it's in parts I feel like and the trio does eventually come together for the world saving parts, but you know how it is when characters spend more pages apart than together. It just leaves you feeling a little morose is all.

The ending was definitely worthwhile! Things have drastically changed for Atticus and Granuaile, along with their hounds. It's hard to say what their final adventure will involve other than the grand showdown with Loki, but I intend to find out as soon as I get the next free moment! This is definitely a series worth checking out if you are a fan of classic urban fantasy and are looking for exposure to mythologies around the world! It's a fun and engaging series that always manages to put a smile on my face and I cannot wait for this grand finale!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars