June wrap up part 2

I’m not sure why this has been such a full on reading month but I have smashed my yearly reading target. The part one of my wrap up can be found HERE. I actually completed my tbr which is astounding as it’s not something I do often. I’ve already talked about all the Tate James I’ve read this month as well, so I won’t repeat those, but if you missed it, you can find those HERE. I even managed to shove a fantasy or two into my schedule. They were rereads and I loved them more the second time around.

I don’t normally put star ratings on my blog, but because I’m not actually talking about any of the books, I figured this would be an easy way to give you an idea on what I thought of them.

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

I enjoyed Trail of lightning and when I saw all the hype around Black Sun I purposely stayed away from reviews to avoid spoiling it for myself. I went in blind so to speak.

BEST DESCISION EVER

What an absolute delight. Reading Black Sun is an absolute experience. It has popped straight to the list of books I wish I could read again for the very first time.

The characters, the lore, the way the multiple pov’s weave in around each other. Each and every aspect of Black Sun is a masterclass on how to do epic fantasy.

Synopsis –

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

Favourite Fantasy Covers

A cover is an incredibly important part of a book. When browsing in a book store that is what grabs your attention. I’m a total cover whore and a gorgeous cover can make me buy the book without even reading what its about, so this month I wanted to show some of my absolute favourite fantasy covers a whole heap of love. These are all books I’ve read. I’m going to do a separate post for covers that make me want to buy some new books without looking at the synopsis.

City of Kings by Rob J Hayes and Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J Hayes – Cover Art by Felix Ortiz and Cover Design by STK Kreations

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston – Cover Art by Brittany Jackson Cover Design by Matt Jones.

The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar – Cover Art by Karl James Mountford

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse  and  Touch of Iron by Timandra Whitecastle

The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher and Fighting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins

I have tried to find the cover artists and designers, but couldn’t find a few. If you happen to know who they are or I’ve made a mistake, please let me know because I would love to link them.

Which of these covers is your favourite? Do you have an all time favourite cover as well?

Fantasy May Giveaway

To celebrate my love of fantasy and the awesome books I’ve read so far this year, I’m running a giveaway over on Twitter. 

It’s super easy to enter, just head over to my pinned post on Twitter, follow, like, share, tag a friend and tell me which of the four books below you would like to win.

The Giveaway will be running until the 30th of May and I’ll be selecting a winner on the 31st. Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you. 

These are some of my favourite reads over the last six month. They also happen to have some of the most amazing cover art, so they will look fantastic on your shelves. 

Welcome to Blackwood by Khaiah Thomson

A chance encounter at the hairdresser brought this book to my attention and I’m very glad it happened. So thank you to my hairdresser for fitting me in and introducing me to the author in the basin next to me.

Welcome to Blackwood is Khaiah Thomson’s debut novel and she has smashed it out of the park with an engaging, well written story.

It is set in the lush, secretive town of Blackwood. The descriptions are fantastic and I want to live there. Not even for all the supernatural shenanigans, but for the absolutely beautiful setting. It has the forest, beach and small town vibes. It sounds like heaven.

Throwback Thursday

Every Thursday I’m going to focus on a book that I’ve read and enjoyed, but for whatever reason I haven’t written a review for it. I would say I only review a third or so of what I read, so I’m glad I’ve finally organised a place to rave about the books I missed and maybe twist someone’s arm into finding their next favourite book..

Black Witch Magic by Mila Nicks

Synopsis – Librarian by day, cursed witch by night:
Selene Blackstone spends her days camped out in library corners with her nose glued to books. In a town like Brimrock, where she’s an outcast, she prefers her book friends to her real-life enemies. They’re a lot less judgmental. The rest of town believes she descends from a family of witches—including her evil witch grandma, Luna. In this case, the truth is stranger than fiction. She is a witch, and she’s cursed for all of eternity. Good thing her to-be-read list is pretty long…
Prickly Paranormal Investigator Aiden O’Hare speaks two languages: sarcasm and more sarcasm. He travels the country—and sometimes even the world—investigating strange phenomena with his best friend, Eddie. Their investigations bring them to a cozy New England town called Brimrock, home to fabled evil witch Luna Blackstone. Armed with his dry wit, his bibliophilic love for books, and far too much free time, he’s determined to find out just what happened to Luna…
When Aiden meets Selene, he decides he must get to know her. When Selene learns Aiden is in town investigating her grandma, she knows she must stop him. He’s out to expose the truth. She’s out to keep it a secret. Neither expects to fall under each other’s spell, but sometimes love is supernatural.

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Black Witch Magic is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I’m not even sure why I didn’t get a proper review for it out when I read it in October. It was the perfect Christmas read. The characters were adorable, the romance was sweet and fun. But it wasn’t light and fluffy, the mystery throughout kept me on my toes, it was really dark in places and the way Selene is treated by the community is downright horrible.

One of my favourite things about the book is that Selene and Aiden’s relationship is so awkward in places. Like the second hand embarrassment was huge in places. And they get past hard spots with conversation. That is refreshing, I hate when things could be fixed with a conversation but it never happens. It felt a lot more real than many insta love scenarios, even with all the magic thrown in.

Magic – Mystery – Romance – Libraries – Revenge

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Book info and clicky bits

Author: Mila Nicks  /  Released: 30th October 2020

Goodreads  –  Amazon

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About the author – Mila Nicks is an emerging romance author on a mission to pen heartfelt love stories featuring women of color. From the time she was a small girl with crayons and an overactive imagination, she’s had a passion for storytelling. In addition to receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, she is presently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing. She has also served her country in the United States Air Force. When she isn’t penning diverse love stories, you can find this imaginative writer traveling across the globe, sampling new cuisines, or spending quality time with her spunky pet Chihuahua, Zayden.

Girl on Fire by Gemma Amor

I first came across Girl on Fire when someone was talking about the author on Twitter. I can’t remember who, but if it was you, thank you. The cover stole my attention and the synopsis made sure I pre-ordered it. 

What an absolute ride. It starts as it intends to finish; brutal, powerful and jarring. Girl on Fire gripped me tight and pulled me along. I had no choice, I had to keep turning the pages. It is intense and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Ruby stood, fire flowing from her like water, her face set and stony, her head cocked to one side. I realised that she was not new to killing, she had done it before, and would do it again. I knew what I was looking at: anger, fresh and unfettered, and I knew there was an endless well of it inside of her, I just knew.”

Ruby is an intense character. She is pure rage and considering her experiences you can see why. Raped by her Daddy, believed by no one, what is left for her to do but escape. Only she crashes her car and is burnt up in the inferno. When the flames die down she is reborn, ready to take out the trash.

I can’t emphasize enough just how perfect the writing style is for this book. The sentences bring Ruby, her pain and her anger, to life. They pack a punch, they have purpose and deliver the story in style.

I’m actually not sure how to review this one, it’s such a powerful, emotional read. I want to do it justice, do Ruby justice. Ruby isn’t a character you will love, she is a broken monster, but I empathise with her and how she got to the point where her only option is to set fire to the world. And that’s exactly what she does, she harnesses her anger, her rage, her hate and she lets loose on the world that failed her.

Gemma Amor is an author that isn’t afraid to take the story where it needs to go, and I will be hunting down her books and diving into the stories within.

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Goodreads  –  Amazon

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The Cat Ninja and a Cabal of Shadows by Erik DeLeo

One of the many wonderful things about NetGalley is that you come across books that would otherwise never have crossed your radar. Over the last year I have discovered that I have a love for fantastical, magical, middle grade, adventure stories.

The Cat Ninja and a Cabal of Shadows by Erik DeLeo is my latest read and guys it was just as much fun as the title suggests.

The Quiet At The End Of The World by Lauren James

I think I should warn you all now, this is going to be mostly fan-girling, shouting and to many of these !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lauren James!!! What a magnificent author. Truly talented. I fucking love her!!!! I love her brand of Sci-Fi. She has such a distinct way of writing female characters, science, and diversity, that I think I could pick her books just by reading a couple of chapters. There are so many good things in this book that I might just going to make dot points.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

This was a book I hadn’t really heard of until I joined Twitter and came across Scalzi’s account, his shenanigans and his cats. I then had the luck of finding the boxset in an op shop. It then sat on my shelves for over two years before I finally got the kick up the butt I needed when I joined Sci Fi Month.
A new life mission is to read all of his books.