The Empire’s Ruin

Title: The Empire’s Ruin
Series: Ashes of the Unhewn Throne #1
Author: Brian Staveley
Publishing Date: 06.07.2021

Brian Staveley, author of The Emperor’s Blades, gives readers the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy based in the world of his popular series the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, The Empire’s Ruin.

The Annurian Empire is disintegrating. The advantages it used for millennia have fallen to ruin. The ranks of the Kettral have been decimated from within, and the kenta gates, granting instantaneous travel across the vast lands of the empire, can no longer be used.

In order to save the empire, one of the surviving Kettral must voyage beyond the edge of the known world through a land that warps and poisons all living things to find the nesting ground of the giant war hawks. Meanwhile, a monk turned con-artist may hold the secret to the kenta gates.

But time is running out. Deep within the southern reaches of the empire and ancient god-like race has begun to stir.

What they discover will change them and the Annurian Empire forever. If they can survive.

First of all, before reading The Empire’s ruin by Brian Staveley, you should read the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series. Unfortunately I haven’t read the series but after seeing how amazing Staveley’s world is of course I will read every book he wrote and will write in the future! Also look at this stunning cover! It won my heart before reading the synopsis.

We have 3 POVs: Gwenna, Ruc and Akiil. My favourite is Gwenna because she is such interesting character. A bad ass who knows what she wants and how to achieve it. But all 3 characters have incredible journeys full with mysteries, magic, secrets and twisted situations.

The author knows what he is doing because I couldn’t put the book down. It has 800 pages and never felt like a boring story and he never lost my attention. He knows how to keep you captivated! His books should be on your wishlist for sure, especially if you love epic fantasy books with great adventures and amazing characters.

Thank you so much @blackcrow_pr for the opportunity to read The Empire’s ruin and giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eat Your Heart Out

Title: Eat Your Heart Out
Author: Kelly deVos
Publishing Date: 29.06.2021

Content warnings: Fatphobia (challenged), gore and blood.

Shaun of the Dead meets Dumplin’ in this bitingly funny YA thriller about a kickass group of teens battling a ravenous group of zombies.

In the next few hours, one of three things will happen.

1–We’ll be rescued (unlikely)

2–We’ll freeze to death (maybe)

3–We’ll be eaten by thin and athletic zombies (odds: excellent)

Vivian Ellenshaw is fat, but she knows she doesn’t need to lose weight, so she’s none too happy to find herself forced into a weight-loss camp’s van with her ex-best friend, Allie, a meathead jock who can barely drive, and the camp owner’s snobby son. And when they arrive at Camp Featherlite at the start of the worst blizzard in the history of Flagstaff, Arizona, it’s clear that something isn’t right.

Vee barely has a chance to meet the other members of her pod, all who seem as unhappy to be at Featherlite as she does, when a camper goes missing down by the lake. Then she spots something horrifying outside in the snow. Something…that isn’t human. Plus, the camp’s supposed “miracle cure” for obesity just seems fishy, and Vee and her fellow campers know they don’t need to be cured. Of anything.

Even worse, it’s not long before Camp Featherlite’s luxurious bungalows are totally overrun with zombies. What starts out as a mission to unravel the camp’s secrets turns into a desperate fight for survival–and not all of the Featherlite campers will make it out alive.

A satirical blend of horror, body positivity, and humor, Kelly deVos’s witty, biting novel proves that everyone deserves to feel validated, and taking down the evil enterprise determined to dehumanize you is a good place to start.

For more information about the book go on: Goodreads|Amazon|B&N|Book Depository|Indigo|IndieBound.

I’ve seen every teen slasher movie ever made. I am not sitting here waiting for whatever’s out there to pick us off one by one.

I am not really a zombie fan, but Eat Your Heart Out is an amazing horror story with zombie where most of the main characters are fat. The cover with its colors is definitely a win! It made me wanna read it and it gave me high expectations.

Also I am not a fan of multiple POVs and in this story are six narrators. But it wasn’t a disadvantage because I had the chance to know and understand every character. For me it was an easy fun reading with interesting characters and dark secrets.

Thank you TBR and Beyond and Kelly deVos for the opportunity to read Eat Your Heart Out in exchange for an honest review.

It’s hard to be one kind of person when your parents want you to be another.

Kelly deVos is from Gilbert, Arizona, where she lives with her high school sweetheart husband, amazing teen daughter and superhero dog, Cocoa. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. When not reading or writing, Kelly can typically be found with a mocha in hand, bingeing the latest TV shows and adding to her ever-growing sticker collection.

Kelly is represented by Chloe Seager of the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency in London. Her work on body positivity has been featured in the New York Times as well as on Vulture, Salon, Bustle and SheKnows. Her debut novel, Fat Girl on a Plane was named one of the “50 Best Summer Reads of All Time” by Reader’s Digest magazine. Her second book, Day Zero, is available now from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins.

You can find more about the author on: Website|Twitter|Instagram|Goodreads.

I am dead.

And then a voice.

The voice of God.

“You aren’t supposed to be out here.”

Not only is this not what I imagined God would have to say to me, it is also a human voice.

One winner will receive a finished copy of Eat Your Heart Out. The giveaway starts on June 28th till July 5th. Good luck!

“Do you believe in magic?”

“I believe people make their own magic.”

Personalities are like onions and in order to get to know people you have to peel back the layers. To see what’s underneath. But what do you get when you peel back the layers of an onion? More onion. It’s not like the first layer is onion and the second is chocolate cake. What if people aren’t that complicated?

Angelbound

Title: Angelbound
Series: Angelbound Origins #1
Author: Christina Bauer
Publishing Date: 12.11.2013

Eighteen-year-old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She’s not your every day quasi-demon, part-demon and part-human, girl.

For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter Heaven or Hell, they go up against her, and she hasn’t lost a battle yet. But as she starts her senior year at Purgatory High, the arena fights aren’t enough to keep her spirits up anymore. When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, she knows that things are changing and it’s not looking good for the quasi-demons.

Myla starts to question everything, and doesn’t like the answers she finds.

What happened seventeen years ago that turned the quasi-demons into slave labor? Why was her mom always so sad? And why won’t anyone tell her who her father is? Things heat up when Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax, a super sexy part-human and part-angel demon hunter. But what’s a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a demon hunter? It’s a good thing that Myla’s not afraid of breaking a few rules. With a love worth fighting for, Myla’s going to shake up Purgatory.

If you want a story with angels, demons, quasi-demons and thrax and a badass female character, then Angelbound is your book! I can’t believe I haven’t heard about this book till now because it captivated me from the first pages.

I love the main character, Myla. She is so sassy, she can kill with her words and her fighting skills. She has an awesome tail which helps her to fight in the arena. The world building is so interesting. The author created not one, not two, but five realms, all having their secrets and mysteries.

All in all, I loved reading Angelbound and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the next books. I received a copy of Angelbound in exchange for an honest review.

Here’s an overview of the Angelbound Origins Series

http://monsterhousebooks.com/books/angelbound-series

Here is the video trailer of the book (38 seconds)

Exclusive Rafflecopter

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A Gathering Midnight

Title: A Gathering Midnight
Series: Midnight’s Twins Trilogy #2
Author: Holly Race
Publishing Date: 10.06.2021

In a city that sleeps, the darkness is gathering…

For Londoner Fern King, Annwn is her second home – the dream mirror of London, the city she loves. An astonishing world, a world where Dreamers walk in their slumber, their dreams playing out all around them. And Fern, along with her twin brother Ollie, is now a Knight, a trusted guardian and protector of those Dreamers – and every night is spent in Annwn, fulfilling that previously only-imagined destiny to guard those who sleep.

But Annwn, this dark and golden city, is a fragile place. There are those who seek to control and to ruin it – mistrust and secrets are rife, and as the delicate symbiotic balance between Annwn and our own world begins to topple, rips begin to appear between the fabric of the worlds. And Fern and Ollie will have to do all in their power to protect this place that has become so precious to them…

I was waiting for this book for so long! I loved The Midnight twins so I knew I will love A Gathering Midnight too. And I was right! I devoured this amazing book. Unfortunately I had to stop reading a few times because I have a baby and a husband. But I went back to my book quickly.

I already fell in love with the characters and the world building from the first book, but in this book I found more about all of them and now i am nervous to find what will be in book 3. Both Holly Race’s books gave me so many feelings from laughting to crying (and a husband who looked very weird at me), my heart was up and down and I couldn’t read any faster. And now that I finished the book I am angry that I have to wait again!

Thank you KaleidoscopicTours and Holyl Race for the opportunity to go back to Annwn by giving me a copy of A Gathering Midnight in exchange for an honest review.

The Darkness within Ourselves

Title: The Darkness within Ourselves
Author: Jessica Huntley
Publishing Date: 02.04.2021

Amber and her four best friends are about to reach their teenage years when the unthinkable happens; one of her friends, Kieran, is killed in a freak accident.

Twenty years later, Amber no longer speaks to her friends and is still haunted by that day in the form of severe psychological issues, including sleep paralysis, insomnia and hallucinations of a terrifying entity she calls The Creature.


But it isn’t just in her head; it is real.


Unbeknown to Amber, her former friends have also been suffering from their own psychological nightmares, each trapped and twisted into people they no longer recognise.


Then a piece of evidence is found from that day and Amber and her former friends are forced to relive the events leading up to Kieran’s death, learning truths along the way that they would rather not know about themselves.


Can they work together to rid themselves of their demons and find out what really happened to Kieran all those years ago?

First of all, I love the cover! It’s one of those covers that makes you curious about the story. I was expecting some dark secrets with twisted and mysterious situations. I wasn’t really disappointed. The story started with a big event: the death of Kieran. He and his friends played an innocent game but with a tragic ending. And from that day, nothing was the same for the other 4 friends. They started to suffer mental illness and unfortunately they don’t have a solution for it.

The plot is pretty interesting. The characters and their mental problems are well described, at the beginning you don’t know if it’s in their minds or is everything real. The only problem is the writing style. But for a debut novel, The Darkness within ourselves is a captivating thriller. Thank you Lovebookstours for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica is a full time mum and lives in Edinburgh. She loves keeping fit, reading and writing and taking her dog on long walks. She grew up in Wales and wrote many books when she was a child and has dreamed of becoming a published author all her life. Previous careers include Intelligence Analyst in the Army, Personal Trainer and Process Expert.

Shackles of the Storm

Title: Shackles of the Storm
Series:  of Seiran #1
Author: D & L. Kardenal
Publishing Date: 13.06.2021

Kahlaran hasn’t had a djinn in decades. At least none that they know of.

Zaira has so far successfully avoided being found out as a wind spirit, steering clear of trouble and living the life of an ordinary human. Her luck finally runs out when she meets one of her own kind: a water djinn somehow hell-bent on evicting her for a murder she didn’t commit. Without her past djinn powers and the whole city against her, the odds of a happy ending are quite slim.
Luckily, she’s not alone. Forming a hasty alliance with fellow scapegoat and hot-headed mercenary Ezair, the pair has to navigate through the slums and shady brothels of the city, fighting guards, ghouls, magicians, and occasionally each other. But can they really overcome an enemy capable of peeking through every puddle, cup, and teardrop?

Zaira is a parfumer’s assistant and also his adopted daughter. But what nobody knows she is also a wind djinn. Everything is fine till she makes a new enemy: a water djinn who wants to make her life miserable. All she wants is to run away, but Ezair, a mercenary, wants to help her to clear her name. There are a lots of adventures, ups and downs between them, secrets revealed, sarcasm and funny moments.

Both characters are easily to fall in love. Their relationships is interesting and I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book. The story reminds me of City of Brass which I loved and I know i need more djinn books in my life so I am glad I chose to read Shackles of the Storm. It was an easy read full with adventures. Thank you @lovebookstours for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

418: I Am a Teapot

Title: 418: I am a Teapot
Author: Edgar Scott
Publishing Date: 23.03.2021

418: I Am a Teapot is a near-future dystopian science fiction novel that explores a world where people by choice, birth, or punishment, relinquish the rights to their physical body. Their brains exist in a constantly-connected virtual interface where they enjoy a fantasy world of endless indulgences. However, while their minds have fun, their bodies are controlled by implants doing the filthiest and most dangerous jobs known to humanity.

Stripped of their identities, these dredges of society are simply called staff and they are disposable. But what happens when a staff becomes cognizant of its situation and tries to break free?

When staff number 418’s physical body is broken, he must come to terms with reality before a kangaroo court determines his fate. Will an unlikely friendship save 418 from permanent retirement?

I had the opportunity to read this interesting book and I regret nothing! To be honest, the title was the one that made me curious and I didn’t expect to be so caught up in the story. 418 – I am a tea pot is a dystopian science fiction book about a world where technology is a big part of us. Our minds are focused on the online lives while our bodies do the physical activities. We don’t enjoy the little things anymore. Why to watch your feet while your walking when you can see a movie, play a game while the body does the boring and normal stuff. You can be in Tokyo, Vegas or wherever you want with your mind while you sit in your bed. But can you call this a life or a lie?

I think this story should be taken as a wake up call because it sounds more real than we think. We are at the point where we rely on Internet too much. We don’t know how to enjoy our lives without phones or laptops. We fall in love on Internet, we talk on Internet, we see the world on Internet. What are our lives without Internet? We should take a break from everything to breath and to watch the world around us with children’s eyes. With the same curiosity as them. And maybe then we will really enjoy our lives.

I am so glad I had the chance to read this book. It’s not for everybody, but definitely you can learn something from it.

You can buy the book from here.

Edgar Scott is an economist-turned computer scientist. For over 20 years, Edgar served as a Senior Database Administrator and Development Operations Team Manager in financial, crypto-currency, and medical industries, as well as with start-ups. His experience has taught him that people’s limited beliefs often keep them prisoners in a life they don’t want to live. This theme resonates in his forthcoming dystopian novel, 418. Born in Houston, he grew up in Canada, and Scott now resides in South Florida with his wife where he explores the real cost of technology on humanity in the future. More information on the author: https://edgarscottwrites.com/

Gold Spun

Title: Gold Spun
Author: Brandie June
Publishing Date: 08.06.2021

Kill ours and we strike back. We do not forget.

Content Warnings: One mild scene of cutting for blood magic.

If Nor can’t spin gold, she can always spin lies.

When seventeen-year-old Nor rescues a captured faerie in the woods, he gifts her with a magical golden thread she can use to summon him for a favor. Instead, Nor uses it for a con—to convince villagers to buy straw that can be transformed into gold. Her trick works a little too well, attracting the suspicion of Prince Casper, who hates nobody more than a liar. Intent on punishing Nor, he demands that she spin a room of straw into gold and as her reward, he will marry her. Should she refuse or fail, the consequences will be dire.

You can find more about the book on: Goodreads|Amazon|B&N|Book Depository|Indiebound.

Bot aren’t the most dangerous creatures the beautiful ones?

It’s first time when I am reading a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. I love the original story so I was curious what will be the changes in this new version.

The first part of the book was pretty interesting. Nor sounded like a tough girl, smart, funny, with a big heart. She did everything for her brothers to survive without their parents. Also I liked that the author incorporated fairies in this version and I think she could have done the story a bit darker.

The second part of the book was a bit boring. After the main event (the spinning gold) everything else was not interesting as the first part. All I wanted was to finish the book faster. Hopefully the next book will be better because I wanna know how Nor and Casper’s relation will develop.

Thank you TBR and Beyond and Brandie June for my e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Are you trying to become a hero?”

” Oh trust me,” I said with a laugh,”I am no one’s hero.”

Brandie June loves storytelling in all sorts of formats, whether she is marketing animated movies or writing fantasy novels. Most of her early life she was on stage or at least as close to the front row as she could get. Initially an actor, she got her B.A. in Theatre from UCLA and branched out into costume design and playwriting, eventually getting her M.B.A. Her first stand-alone play, a dark comedy about Oscar Wilde, premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival to a sold-out run and won the Encore Producers Award. As a writer, she is especially passionate about fantasy and mythology, has published several pieces in anthology, and is a recent finalist with The Writers of the Future Award. Her debut novel, Gold Spun, is a fresh retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale through the miller daughter’s POV. Except now the miller’s daughter is a con artist and Rumpelstiltskin is a mysterious faerie with a dark secret.

You can find more about the author on: Website|Twitter|Instagram|Goodreads|Facebook.

The lady in the mirror might be the type who would live in a folktale and marry a prince. But where was I?

Witches of Barcelona

Title: Witches of Barcelona
Series: Blood Web Chronicles #2
Author: Caedis Knight
Publishing Date: 31.03.2021

Saskia de la Cruz is a Verity Witch and investigative reporter for The Blood Web Chronicle, the biggest news outlet on the paranormal Blood Web.

After escaping murderous Vampires in snowy Moscow, Saskia can’t imagine a more difficult or more dangerous mission. That is until her editor sends her to Barcelona to investigate a high profile disappearance at the Mage Association, which just happens to be run by her evil mother Solina.

Saskia’s plan is to spend as little time in Barcelona as possible, until she meets three junior members of the MA who know more than they let on – including information on Saskia’s missing sister, Mikayla. Among her new leads is Catalan bruixa Luisa, who has a hold over Saskia stronger than any magic.

It doesn’t take long until Saskia finds herself under the glittering spell of MA high society, where morals are few and magic is law. Can Saskia escape the clutches of a world that’s always been dangerous for her, before it turns deadly?

I was waiting for Witches of Barcelona for so long! I loved the Sirens of LA and Vampires of Moscow. So again my expectations were really high. And I wasn’t disappointed! After the first chapter, I fought with the urge to finish the book faster, but also I wanted to read it slow so I could taste every word.

I love Saskia, the main character. She is such a bad ass witch who says everything she thinks. She doesn’t care if anyone judges her, she will keep walking doing wherever she wants. I need her confidence!

The two authors did such an amazing job with this series. I can wait for the next book! If you haven’t read the first books, then I don’t know what are you waiting for! Because this series has everything: paranormal creatures, dark secrets, sensuality, lgbtq+, +18 moments, family drama, twists and I can keep going. Now go and read it!

I received an ecopy from the authors in exchange for an honest review

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses

Title: Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses
Author: Kristen O’Neal
Publishing Date: 27.04.2021

Teen Wolf meets Emergency Contact in this sharply observed, hilarious, and heartwarming debut young adult novel about friendship and the hairy side of chronic illness.

Priya worked hard to pursue her premed dreams at Stanford, but a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease during her sophomore year sends her back to her loving but overbearing family in New Jersey—and leaves her wondering if she’ll ever be able to return to the way things were. Thankfully she has her online pen pal, Brigid, and the rest of the members of “oof ouch my bones,” a virtual support group that meets on Discord to crack jokes and vent about their own chronic illnesses.

When Brigid suddenly goes offline, Priya does something out of character: she steals the family car and drives to Pennsylvania to check on Brigid. Priya isn’t sure what to expect, but it isn’t the horrifying creature that’s shut in the basement. With Brigid nowhere to be found, Priya begins to puzzle together an impossible but obvious truth: the creature might be a werewolf—and the werewolf might be Brigid. As Brigid’s unique condition worsens, their friendship will be deepened and challenged in unexpected ways, forcing them to reckon with their own ideas of what it means to be normal.

First of all, I didn’t expect to be a fantasy book. I don’t know why i understood that Priya just though Brigid was a werewolf. But apparently this book is really about Lycanthropy. And I think this makes it funnier.

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses was an easy and fun read. The characters are interesting, I love their idea with the group where they help each other to never give up. But, in the end, I felt like something was missing, like it could be a better story.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.