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Into The Forest: The Tales of Baba Yaga

Title: Into the Forest: The Tales of Baba Yaga
Author: Lindy Ryan
Publishing Date: 08.11.2022

A collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by the Baba Yaga. Featuring Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, with an introduction by Christina Henry.

Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds’ legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the Baba Yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the Baba Baga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch– and these are her tales.

Edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today’s leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the Baba Yaga, and go Into the Forest.

OMG! I love when authors gather around and make an amazing book. Especially when the stories are horror. Perfect for Halloween (or any time of the year), Into the Forest is an interesting book with short stories about Baba Yaga. Every story is different and captivating and I like how there aren’t two same stories. In one story she is young, in the other old, in one she is the hero and the other the villain. I love these points of view, how every author sees Baba Yaga different.

If you haven’t read Into the Forest then what are you waiting for? Thank you Black Crow for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

Here is the interview with Alexandrea Weis:

1. Your take on Baba Yaga looks at the idea of retribution, what did you want people to feel when reading this story?
Baba Yaga is considered to have associations with forest wildlife and is either a protector or villain, depending on the folklore read. I wanted people to see Baba Yaga as someone fed up with the atrocities against animals. It was something I could relate to as a wildlife rehabber who has cared for creatures injured because of humanity’s disregard. Baba Yaga’s fury reflects how I feel when trying to save an injured squirrel, skunk, deer, or possum. The story warns those who are cruel and unjust against the innocents in the woods. One day Baba Yaga or a mad wildlife rehabber will find you and exact their revenge, so beware.

2. You get a feeling of a type of New Orleans culture, and you’ve previously described it as a ‘state of mind’ but can you tell us about your connection to the city?
I was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. I grew up helping my father on motion picture sets. That gave me access to homes in the city that are historically famous across the world and also very haunted. Ghosts, jazz, Cajun food, and Hurricanes (the drinks and the storms) left a lasting impression, and I’m constantly trying to recreate the essence of my city in my writing. The easygoing, quirky, bohemian, and effervescent state of mind that permeates our little bastion several feet below sea level makes its way into my characters and books every chance I get.

3. The story feels very cinematic, is that an intentional part of your writing process?
Working in the motion picture business taught me how important it is to set the scene. Every element helps immerse the reader, and describing a house, swamp, or the vibrancy of the sky matters. Once you have a world, then you have a place to bring your character’s emotions and motivations to life.

4. Do you find it different when crafting a short story over a longer novel?
Not really. A story is a story; the only difference is that you have to plot succinctly with a short story. Carefully crafting how you get your point across is a priority.

5. What do you think makes a good short story?
Creating a character’s voice quickly and drawing the reader in as soon as possible is vital. I also think you need a story that lends itself to a quick telling. Trying to cram in too much detail or plot points can frustrate a reader.

6. If you could explore the world of any fairy or folklore tale which would it be?
My mother was from Northern Ireland, and I grew up listening to the folklore of the area where she lived. The Pooka, Banshees, Macha, leprechauns, fairy mounds, The Hawthorn Tree, the Legend of the Bloody Hand of Ulster. The list goes on.

7. What book recommends do you have for the spooky season?
I would have to recommend Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and any of the works by Edgar Allen Poe.

Into the Forest, out 8th Nov 22 is edited by Lindy Ryan and with a foreword by Christina Henry, features twenty-three new and exclusive stories inspired by the Baba Yaga—the witch of Slavic folklore—written by some of today’s leading women-in-horror and is published by Black Spot Books.

Flight 171

Title: Flight 171
Author: Christine Parker
Publishing Date: 04.10.2022

Devon Marsh is haunted by secrets. Like the identity of the person who killed her twin sister, Emily, in a hit and run accident last Halloween, which Devon has vowed to uncover. Like the things Devon said to Emily just before she died.

But she’s determined to start fresh when she boards a four-hour flight along with her classmates for their senior class ski trip. Devon never could have guessed those secrets would surface in the most terrifying way when a supernatural creature hijacks their flight and gives the students a deadly ultimatum:

Choose one among them to sacrifice before the end of the flight. Or the plane will crash.

As the clock ticks down, the creature slowly unearths the passengers’ deepest, darkest secrets—and reveals that one of the teens on the plane is responsible for Emily’s death. The students must agree on a sacrifice, or there won’t be any survivors. But can Devon find a way to stop the creature, or will she give in to her anger and let revenge take control?

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

I am to blame for my sister’s death as much as the person who hit her. The only way to make up for that is to sacrifice who I was for a version of myself that keeps Emily alive.

What is better than a horror book read in October? Nothing! This is why I chose to read Flight 171. Also because I am a big fan of horror books & movies, especially when it’s about ghosts and possessions. (the only kinds of stories that I love)

I loved reading Flight 171. From the beginning it gives you spooky vibes and I liked that it started with a creepy moment. The description of the old lady gave me goosebumps. Definitely a perfect book for Halloween and everyone who is a fan of horror. The plot was interesting and catching, it made me hungry for more. I liked the author’s writing style and I can’t wait to read something else by her.

Thank you TBR and Beyond and Amy Christine Parker for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The fact that you don’t want to lead makes you a good choice. You’re not interested in a power grab.

AMY CHRISTINE PARKER is the author of the critically acclaimed duology, GATED and ASTRAY as well as the standalone thriller, SMASH & GRAB. GATED was a nominee for both the Sequoyah Book Award and the South Caroline Junior Book Award and was a YALSA Quick Pick for reluctant readers. Amy’s latest novel–her first horror/thriller mashup, FLIGHT 171, releases in October 2022. She writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and two very mischievous cats. Visit her at amychristineparker.com and follow her on Twitter @amychristinepar.

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

Curse Undone

Title: Curse Undone
Series: Gold Spun #2
Author: Brandie June
Publishing Date: 08.06.2022

“I guess spreading rumors is a popular pastime no matter the court. ”

Two crowns. Two kingdoms. One chance to rule.

Nor and King Casper are captured by the fay army and forced to face the indomitable Faerie Queen, Marasina. At her command, Casper is thrown into a mysterious prison while an even sinister fate is in store for Nor―a deadly fay poison that reveals Nor’s true nature. She’s not only half-fay. She is Queen Marasina’s heir.Revealed to be like the very creatures she despises, Nor must not only find a way to free Casper but also navigate a court that is as deadly as it is beautiful. Her allies are few, and though Pel claims to want friendship, Nor finds she cannot forgive his betrayal. As tensions mount and war looms between the kingdoms, Nor must choose a side, before it’s too late.

In this epic conclusion to the Gold Spun duology, Nor discovers that a glamour and a curse may be two sides of the same coin.

You can find more about the book on: Goodread|Amazon|B&N| Book Depository|Indigo|IndieBound.

I loved reading Gold Spun last year (you can check my review) and taking part at the blog tour, so when I saw that I can do it again this year for the second book I couldn’t click it faster. To be fair I didn’t know what to expect for the Curse Undone. Maybe some hidden secrets coming out, some tragedies, twists, but definitely not what really happened in the book.

Apparently Nor is half fay. Who thought about that? Not me for sure. And after all this, she is not just a ordinary fay, she is the Queen Marasina’s heir. I don’t wanna post any spoilers, to tell what’s happening next, but I can say that there are a lots of ups and downs, dark secrets, fights, traitors and of course some teasing.

All in all you really need to read this duology, put it on your wishlist as soon as possible. Thank you TBR and Beyond and Brandie June for the opportunity to read both books in exchange for an honest review.

“Are you honestly going to tell me you poisoned me to help me?”

Elrik tsked. “Come now. It’s not as though you died.”

“And if I had died?”

He frowned slightly, as though the idea of my death was a minor inconvenience to him. “Then you would not have been very useful at all.”

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: Webside|Twitter|Instagram|Goodreads|Facebook.

“This can be your true home, Nor. You are your true self now. And I won’t leave you.”

A Taste of Gold and Iron

Title: A Taste of Gold and Iron
Author:
Publishing Date: 30.08.2022

The Goblin Emperor meets “Magnificent Century” in Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron, where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire.

Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court—the body-father of the queen’s new child—in an altercation which results in his humiliation.

To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin.

Oh my! A taste of Gold and Iron was such an amazing book with a gorgeous cover. It has two things that I love: fantasy story and Queer characters. I haven’t read too many B/B book, I am more with F/F, but I will try more after this one.

If you love a good slow burn romance then this is your book! The dynamic between these two main characters killed me. I wanted to scream also I couldn’t stop reading. I devoured all the pages but I am still hungry for more!

Thank you so much @blackcrow_pr for this opportunity to read A Taste of Gold and Iron. The story was really interesting, I loved the world building and the author’s writing style. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Younglings: Fire & Magic

Title: Fire & Magic
Series: The Younglings
Author: Helena M. Craggs
Publishing Date: 06.06.2022

Protecting innocents in the mortal world is not a job to be taken lightly, and life for the Keepers is spiralling back to Crazyville. The Supernatural Council has their back, but it’s chaos out there.

Stranded spirits, rogue vampires and demons are bad enough, and now merciless witch hunters are stalking Millie.

Eve’s angelic blood is like a siren call—one a tenacious vampire tracker cannot ignore.

Are things for the Keepers about to turn messy?

It’s hard to know who’s the good guy and who’s the enemy.

Monsters don’t always have claws or fangs, and they’re not always in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.

Can the Keepers protect their own?

I can’t believe I had the opportunity to read book 2 of The Younglings – Fire & Magic. I enjoyed the first book so I couldn’t wait to find out more about Quinn and Eve and which supernatural creatures will be in this book.

Quinn is a half-demon and Eve is half-angel and they wish that their lives were normal. But unfortunately they are far from what should be normal. In this book, they continue their love story, but now is more mature. Also they have a lots of adventures, evils to fight, people to save.

I am so glad I had the chance to read Fire & Magic. I love the author’s writing style, how she combines humour with suspense. Can’t wait to read the next book. Thank you @lovebookstours and @craggshm for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mara Turing: Rise of the Hackers & Evil Reborn

Mara Turing receives a mysterious message right before leaving for her summer vacations: “I need your help.” This cry for help comes from her uncle, a member of the famous group of hackers known as the “Dirtee Loopers”. He had disappeared without a trace five years ago, leaving a blank space in Mara’s life, which had a great impact on her childhood. Mara and her friends embark on an adventure to find her uncle, Arnold Turing, that leads them to learn how to program in a garage in Queens (New York), see the world through more critical eyes and face the evil duo: Hermes, an extremely advanced artificial intelligence, and Falko McKinnon, the most dangerous hacker in the world.

Oh wow! I never thought I would love a book for kids, especially about hacking, programming and artificial intelligence. I am not a fan of IT, but Mara Turing’s books are really interesting and I am so glad I chose to read them. And now I can’t wait for book 3!

In the first book, Rise of the hackers, Mara and her friends try to save her uncle who gone missing five years ago. The searching continues as well in the second book, Evil Reborn, but also the problems are getting bigger. There are a lots of dangerous adventures that keep your heart beating faster. Also you can learn so many informations about technology especially that the author helps with the explications.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to read these two books. Unfortunately my baby is too small to understand the stories, but I will definitely keep them for later. Thank you Javi Padilla for my books in exchange for an honest review.

Javi Padilla is a writer from Spain. You can read more about him and his motivations here:

https://www.prfire.co.uk/press_releases/mara-turing-arrives-in-the-uk-british-readers-set-to-be-thrilled-by-the-book-series-that-changed-the-minds-of-40-000-kids

The Last Great American Tragedy

As dictated in Plato’s Symposium, Zeus separated humans out of fear, damning them to a life of searching, leaving them with a glimmer of hope, a memory, a longing for their original other half.

Cordelia, an esteemed author, meets her other half under the most unusual circumstances. Grieving her mother’s death, she moves to the sleepy little city of Asheville to end her life. After a near successful drowning attempt, Doctor Locke saves her, thus starting a love affair that rivals the gods.



Both broken and troubled, the two hearts dance around each other in a shifting battle of willpower. But as Cordelia starts exhibiting the telltale signs of a body fading away, will the good doctor be able to keep her soul attached to this mortal coil, or will she force him to walk his life alone, never to be complete?

Buy Links:

https://amzn.to/3LgEfI4

The protector

Title: The protector
Series: Night Realms Series
Author: K. R. Bowman
Publishing Date: 01.02.2022

When Sloane finds herself in the normal world, she must find her way back to the Night Realm. The Nightlins destroyed Kingston, and their power continues to rise. Callum is left reeling from Sloane’s disappearance. His powers have evolved, except he sometimes catches his bed on fire.

The quest begins anew, when Sloane makes it back to the realm, to find her grandfather’s sword that hopefully vanquishes the creatures. Callum and Sloane find themselves in the Nightlin Mountain fighting for their lives with the darkness quickly closing in. Sloane might be the key to its demise if she can conquer her fears and hold onto the flickering light within.

Follow Sloane and Callum as they travel into the depths of the darkness to save their friends and end the Nightlin’s reign of terror.

I was so lucky to receive Book 2 of Night Realms that when I got it I already started reading it! I loved the first book and I couldn’t wait to find out more about Sloane and the Realm. Especially that the ending of book 1 killed me!

The book 2 was even better than first one. It has more actions, adventures, love, dark power, mysteries, friendship, but also screaming moments. (most of the screams were from me). Also I like that now Collum is one of the POVs because I really wanted to find out what he was thinking when he was quiet, calculating, making plans.

All in all, The protector is an amazing book that deserves to be read! Thank you @lovebookstours and @krbowmanauthor for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Coming back

Title: Coming back
Author: Jessi Zabarsky
Publishing Date: 18.01.2022

Two will balance each other and hold each other up.

A beautiful graphic novel fantasy romance that follows two young women who have to go on their own separate adventures to discover the truth about themselves and about each other.

Preet is magic.

Valissa is not.

Everyone in their village has magic in their bones, and Preet is the strongest of them all. Without any power of her own, how can Valissa ever be worthy of Preet’s love? When their home is attacked, Valissa has a chance to prove herself, but that means leaving Preet behind. On her own for the first time Preet breaks the village’s most sacred laws, and is rejected from the only home she’s ever known and sent into a new world.

Divided by different paths, insecurities, and distance, will Valissa and Preet be able to find their way back to each other?

A beautiful story of two young women who are so focused on proving they’re meant to be together that they end up hurting each other in the process. This gorgeous graphic novel is an LGTBQ+ romance about young love and how it can grow into something strong no matter what obstacles get in the way.

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

I don’t think I ever read such a cute graphic story. It had everything: family, love, protection, courage, magic. Even the drawings and the colors have a flow that makes you fall in love with the story. They gave me a cozy vibe, so the book caught me really fast.

Also I loved the plot, the characters and their stories and how they say Go and come back to us (it made me more emotional because I was thinking about my boy and how I will say this to him). I think Coming back should be read by everybody!

Thank you TBR and Beyond and Jessi Zabarsky for the opportunity to read this amazing story.

Preet thinks I’m so capable. I can lift anything, move anything, fix anything. I convinced her I could do this so easily. But I’m just myself. Only she sees me as more than that.

Jessi Zabarsky lives in Chicago with her cat and forty three plants. She was raised in the woods and will one day return there. Her first graphic novel, Witchlight, was published by Random House Graphic in 2020. You can find her online at @jessizabarsky.

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

We’re strongest when we can learn from each other, as our ancestors did.

We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This

Title: We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This
Author: Donna Y. Ferris
Publishing Date: 01.01.2022

What if the path to inner peace leads to outright disaster? 

Donna has it all – a generous husband, two healthy kids, a Jersey shore home – but believes something is missing. When she signs up for yoga teacher training, her carefully cultivated life begins to crumble. Her husband is having an affair. Dangerous childhood secrets resurface. Her mother dies suddenly. And she doesn’t even like yoga . . . yet. 

As Donna reels and heals, she discovers love, rescues dogs, and confronts yet another crisis of faith

when her new fiancé falls ill. 

A devastating but funny, life-affirming love story, We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This is for anyone who has ever dared to fight for what matters – and believes it’s never too late to find love or enlightenment.

But not necessarily in that order.

Donna Y. Ferris lives in West Chester, PA with her husband and dogs – and spends as much time as possible with her two Musketeers in Pittsburgh (the home of her beloved Steelers). We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This – A Memoir of Missed Connections is her first book. Donna continues to work in corporate America and has contributed over thirty articles to Elephant Journal. She also teaches yoga weekly, workshops quarterly, and leads Spring / Fall retreats in Duck, NC. Donna can be reached via email (donnayferris@minichangeyoga.com) or on Facebook and Instagram (@downdogdiva) and Twitter (@minidva).

Here is the link if you wanna purchase the book.