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.

Night Swimming

Title: Night Swimming
Author: Doreen Finn
Publishing Date: 03.07.2019

It is summer 1976 and a heatwave is gripping Ireland. Nine-year-old Megan lives in a redbrick house in Dublin with her mother, a beautiful and lonely artist, and her grandmother; her father’s whereabouts are a mystery that she often thinks about.

When an American family moves in downstairs and Megan’s mother begins a tentative affair with the father, everything that Megan is sure of starts to unravel. From her friendship with the boy next door to the strange food that the new family cooks, from her relationship with the impossibly sophisticated Beth to the possibilities opened up by the temptation of swimming at night, it is a summer that will impact Megan in ways she could never predict.

Night swimming is not a book that I usually read. I picked it because I wanted to try something new. The plot sounded really interesting and I didn’t know what to expect. And after reading it I can say I am glad I had the chance to read this amazing book.

Doreen Finn’s writing style is captivating. I need to read more books by her! Her characters are easily to fall in love. The story has twists, secrets, sweet desires and also it can gives you so many feelings.

Night swimming is a book that should be read in a summer night with a glass of wine. Thank you Bibliophile Tours for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Setsuko and the Song of the Sea

Setsuko loves the sea. She swims its shallows. She dives its depths. But she worries that her friends have chosen to abandon her way of life. Then she meets a whale who also fears he is the last of his kind. In return for giving him hope, he gifts her a song which she uses to remind people of the beauty of the ocean. Setsuko took the song and made it her own. They played together from the first crisp light of morning until the setting of the evening sun. Everyone who heard Setsuko’s song was filled with the wonder of the sea. They remembered the beauty and mystery of the ocean. A story of an unlikely friendship, Setsuko and her friend the whale have one thing in common ― their love of the sea. Much like the revered ama-san, ― women who have been diving off the coast of the Shima peninsula in Japan for over 2,000 years ― Setsuko is a strong girl who is on the path to becoming one of these real-life mermaids. 10% of the net profits from each book will be donated to the Marine Conservation Society, the UK charity working for seas full of life. Visit www.mcs.org.uk to find out more.

Links

Publisher Shop – https://bit.ly/3cfj7mp

Waterstones – https://bit.ly/2YgEDz2

Foyles – https://bit.ly/3ooqzxS

Amazon – https://amzn.to/3a63xHb

Goodreads – https://bit.ly/3iNZ0gw

Judgment Day

Title: Judgment Day
Series: Seekers #2
Author: Josie Jaffrey
Publishing Date: 06.05.2021

Vampires don’t get happily ever afters.

Jack Valentine finally has her shit together. She has a great job, great friends (well, one at least) and a girlfriend whom she loves, even if she can’t work up the courage to tell her that yet. Unfortunately, she also has an archnemesis who’s about to punish her crimes in the worst possible way: by making her spend time with him.

Which she could cope with, maybe, if she didn’t have problems at work as well. When the body of a human judge is found in a locked library, there’s no denying that she was murdered by one of the Silver – by a vampire – and the evidence points worryingly close to home. If that wasn’t bad enough, some of Jack’s least favourite people are opening a new blood bar in Oxford with questionable motives. For Jack and her team, it’s becoming increasingly hard to separate allies from enemies.

With conspiracies on every side, the simmering tensions in Silver society are about to come to a head. As usual, Jack intends to be right in the middle of it. She does like it when things get messy.

Judgement Day is the second book in Josie Jaffrey’s Seekers series, an urban fantasy series set in Oxford, England.

LINKS

Pre-order:

https://books2read.com/u/3yeVAZ

Website:

http://www.josiejaffrey.com/judgement-day

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56763577-judgement-day

These feathered flames

Title: These feathered flames
Author: Alexandra Overy
Publishing Date: 20.04.2021

A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale

When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.

But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.

As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

To find more about the book check out on: Goodreads|Amazon|B&N|Book Depository|Indigo|IndieBound.

It transformed her from ethereal into something powerful. Monstrous.

It is so hard to find an ugly cover! I found just books with stunning covers. These feathered flames has a perfect cover, it really caught my eyes with this red. And I prayed for the story to be the same as the cover. And guess what! I wasn’t disappointed.

From the beginning, the story wrapped its claws around me and it didn’t let me go until I finished it! Both main characters, Asya and Izaveta, are very interesting. They are brave, they don’t give up when the situation is too hard. Their both jobs, one being a Queen and the other one being a Firebird, are full with obstacles. They are doing some mistakes, but they try to get up every time they fall.

I like that this is not a romance book. It has some slow-burn romance but it’s not the main thing. The book is more about magic and what you have to pay for it.

All in all, These feathered flames was a captivating book and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it. Thank you TBR and Beyond for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

They do not see the necessity – the kindness – in this duty. To them, you will never be more than a monster that lurks in the night.

Alexandra grew up in London and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her undergraduate degree in history at UCLA. She then went on to compete her MFA in screenwriting also at UCLA, and stuck around for the weather and great ice cream. She loves writing in all formats, from novels to screenplays to graphic novels, always centring on fierce women and morally grey characters, often with a bit of magic and murder. When she’s not writing, she can be found baking, fangirling over her favourite books, or cuddling her kittens.

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

Information was the most powerful weapon in the court, and when facing her mother, Izaveta needed to be well armed.

Whispers are enough to bring down a queendom.

Clairvoyants: The Fourth Kinetic – Cover Reveal

Title: Clairvoyants: The Fourth Kinetic
Author: Brady Moore

There are four breeds of Clairvoyants: Kinetics who can move objects with their minds, Prophets who have involuntary visions of the future, Readers who can explore the deepest thoughts of others in an instant and Aural who can transfer their consciousness to control the bodies of others.

17-year-old Rion Grean is a Kinetic, but he has no idea there are others like him. His protective mother kept them on the move, even refusing to tell him about the father he never knew. When an accident separates them, he finds himself on the run from a covert, militaristic force that sees his kind as wasps that have strayed into the homes of normal humanity. Suddenly engulfed within the different factions of the Clairvoyants, the boy who has never been good at making friends must determine who to follow.

Whisper Down the Lane

Title: Whisper Down the Lane
Author: Clay McLeod Chapman
Publishing Date: 06.04.2021

Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse pounding, true-crime-based horror novel.

Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does . . .

Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table . . . and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.

Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.

I am a big fan of horror movies/books so when I heard about Whisper Down the Lane and that is the Satanic Panic from 1980’s of course I wanted to read it. Even the cover gave me creepy vibes. I don’t know why but I always thought children are creepier than adults in horror stories.

There are two POVs: Sean, a five years boy who lives in 1980’s, and Richard, a teacher who lives in the present. I was a bit sceptical about Sean as a narrator, I thought would be too childish for me, but it wasn’t. I enjoyed both narrators.

Unfortunately the ending didn’t feel right. It looked too rush. But the story was interesting, not really horror, it was more like a thriller. It captivates your attention from the first pages.

I received a copy of Whisper Down the Lane from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sistersong

Title: Sistersong
Author: Lucy Holland
Publishing Date: 01.04.2021

In the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, King Cador’s children inherit a fragmented land abandoned by the Romans.

Riva, scarred in a terrible fire, fears she will never heal.
Keyne battles to be seen as the king’s son, when born a daughter.
And Sinne, the spoiled youngest girl, yearns for romance.

All three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold – a last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. But change comes on the day ash falls from the sky, bringing Myrddhin, meddler and magician, and Tristan, a warrior whose secrets will tear the siblings apart. Riva, Keyne and Sinne must take fate into their own hands, or risk being tangled in a story they could never have imagined; one of treachery, love and ultimately, murder. It’s a story that will shape the destiny of Britain.

I can resume my review in one word: Astonishing! This book was like a cold breeze in a hot day. It gave me so many feelings. Sistersong is an eye-opening story. Especially Keyne’s life. It helps understanding ourselves and the others.

Sistersong is a retelling of The Twa Sisters. It was first time when I heard about this ballad so out of curiosity I checked it and it’s pretty interesting and dark. Same is the book. It capture you in its nets and the only escape is to find the ending of the story.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to read Sistersong. I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The doors of Eden

Title: The doors of Eden
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publishing Date: 01.04.2021

Lee’s best friend went missing on Bodmin Moor, four years ago. She and Mal were chasing rumours of monsters when they found something all too real. Now Mal is back, but where has she been, and who is she working for?

When government physicist Kay Amal Khan is attacked, the security services investigate. This leads MI5’s Julian Sabreur deep into terrifying new territory, where he clashes with mysterious agents of an unknown power ­who may or may not be human. And Julian’s only clue is some grainy footage ­– showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.

Khan’s extradimensional research was purely theoretical, until she found cracks between our world and countless others. Parallel Earths where monsters live. These cracks are getting wider every day, so who knows what might creep through? Or what will happen when those walls finally come crashing down…

I heard so many good things about Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books that I wanted so bad to read one of his works. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read The doors of Eden because I fell in love with this book from the beginning. I love how the author combined science with feelings. It’s not just Sci-fi, it has mysteries, friendship, monsters, spooky moments and twists.

The doors of Eden is a hard book, but if you give it a change you’ll not regret it. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s book is breathtaking, it keeps you thirsty for the unknown till the end. It has everything you want from a Sci-fi book.

I received a copy of The doors of Eden in exchange for an honest review.