Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

My Review for To Bleed a Crystal Bloom by Sarah A. Parker, read by Chelsea Stephens and Troy Duran

March 31, 2026  , , ,  No comments

 


"The sky is a velvet blanket littered with stars that wink at me for the first time in a week."

To Bleed a Crystal Bloom was the March read for #thatbonkersbookclub and… I was disappointed. 😕 It’s a Rapunzel retelling, which I honestly found a little strange and quite dark. 🕯️ Our protagonist has been locked in a tower since she was two, but now has this odd fascination with the man who put her there, as well as a weird creature living in the sea. 🌊

I just found the story boring. 😴 Nothing grabbed me, nothing made me want to keep reading—but I did, because I kept hoping it would get better. It didn’t… at least not for me. 🤷‍♀️ When we discussed it, the majority of us felt the same way, and at least two of us got the ick from the relationships, 😖 never mind the nauseating references to other things I never want to think about ever again. 🤢

A lot of it felt random and unexplained, and maybe that comes in the next book—but I won’t be sticking around to find out. 🚫 Sorry, Sarah, you didn’t hook me with this first instalment, and I won’t be coming back for more.

I do have a pretty copy of When the Moon Hatched on my shelf (and the next one on preorder 👀). I’ve heard that one’s much better, so I am looking forward to it ✨—but yeah… no more Crystal Bloom for me ❌📚

About the Book

"What a pretty flower to keep locked in a big, rocky tower."

Nineteen years ago, I was plucked from the heart of a bloody massacre that spared nobody else.

Small. Fragile. An enigma.

Now ward to a powerful High Master who knows too much and says too little, I lead a simple life, never straying from the confines of an imaginary line I've drawn around the castle grounds.

Stay within. Never leave.

Out there, the monsters lurk. Inside, I'm safe...though at a cost far greater than the blood I drip into a goblet daily. Toxic, unreciprocated love for a man who's utterly unavailable.

My savior. My protector.

My almost executioner.

I can't help but be enamored with the arcane man who holds the power to pull my roots from the ground. When voracious beasts spill across the land and threaten to fray the fabric of my tailored existence, the petals of reality will peel back to reveal an ugly truth. But in a castle puddled with secrets, none are greater than the one I've kept from myself.

No tower is tall enough to protect me from the horror that tore my life to shreds.

To Bleed a Crystal Bloom is a dark Rapunzel reimagining full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst.

About Sarah - by Sarah

Originally from New Zealand, I've been living in Australia for the past ten years! My husband and I have three children together, so when I'm not writing we're out and about having family adventures.

I love sushi, peppermint tea, and plants—our house is basically a jungle. My other great love is anything snow related. We try to get away as often as we can on family snowboarding trips, and our dream is to one day have a house somewhere it snows through the winter months!

There's just something about the snow that feels magical. 

I get back to New Zealand as much as I can to spend time with my family, so that's always a treat. Aside from that we live a pretty quiet life here on the Gold Coast.



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Monday, March 30, 2026

My Review for Fairytale by Stephen King, read by Seth Numrich

March 30, 2026  , , ,  No comments



“I think all worlds are magic. We just get used to it.” ✨🌍

#thatbonkersbookclub chose Fairy Tale as the read for The Chiller Shelf for March (it may even have been my suggestion—I can’t remember! 🤔📚). Either way, it’s definitely my favourite of the three Stephen King novels I’ve read so far. 🙌 In my mind, it leans far more toward fantasy than horror, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. 🐉✨

I both read and listened to this one, but definitely leaned more towards the audiobook. 🎧📖

The first half of the book follows a normal kid who’s had a pretty tough childhood 💔 and has had to grow up fast. He then takes it one step further by agreeing to look after an older man who needs extra care after an accident. 🏡🩹

The second half is where the fantasy world kicks in—and wow, does it kick in. 😳⚡ We go from a normal world with a normal kid to a portal into another world where everything is very much not normal. 🌌🚪✨

Slight spoiler (but necessary!): Radar is one of the main characters—she’s a dog 🐶💛—and she doesn’t die. 🙌✨ Nothing bad happens to her, and she lives happily ever after. 🥹🌈 Honestly, that’s the most important thing in this book! If you’re an animal lover, you’re safe to fall in love with her—I promise. 🐾💛

If you’ve never read a Stephen King novel and you’re not sure how you’ll feel about his writing (that was me three books ago 😅), this is a great place to start. 👍📖 It’s long, yes, and there’s one section in the middle that could have been shorter, but it’s far from a scary read 😌 I really hope he writes more fantasy—he’s clearly good at it! ✍️✨📚

About the Book

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.

A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.


About Stephen

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world's most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.

Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.


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Thursday, March 19, 2026

My Review for Shaedes of War by Jenny Grimes

March 19, 2026  , , , ,  No comments



“You turned a dark magic spell into a field full of flowers?” 🌸✨

Shaedes of War is the fourth book in the series and such a fun read! It starts a little slow, but the intensity really builds as you go. 🔥 The trials gave me Hunger Games meets Triwizard Tournament vibes, and I loved them—especially the last one. 👀💥

Edmyn and Markis bring such a great contrast to the purity of the Shaedes, and their love for their mates is intense .❤️‍🔥 And wow… the spice in this one 🌶️🔥 let’s just say… toe-curling and mind-spinning. 😮‍💨

Oh—and Collin.🥹 You will fall in love with him. Such a sweet kid who just wants to protect the realm and become fae… but will they let him? 👀✨

As with the other books, I loved discovering the different Shaedes and their powers. Honestly, I’d take a bit of each… plus a dragon 🐉 (her name would be Cora. 💁‍♀️)

Thank you so much to Jenny Grimes for including me on her ARC team. 💖📚

About the Book

With everything to gain and even more to lose, will their love survive?

An ancient prophecy threatens everything Opal and the others believe about the future of the Seam, while new adversaries sow fresh hate in a court susceptible to unrest. To prevent bloodshed and a war built on terror, Dru sacrifices herself as the prize in a set of harrowing marriage trials, jeopardizing her chance to find happiness in the arms of a certain handsome dark lord.

When the pressure is on, the battle lines are drawn, and new faces at court bring more questions than answers, Opal and her friends won’t stop fighting for what is right—even if the result is a terminally broken heart.

The stakes are at their highest and so is the heat between characters who are living each day as if it is their last. Join the Shaedes on this final epic adventure full of spice, magic, longing—and hope. True colors will shine, and all truths will eventually be brought into the light.


About Jenny

Jenny Grimes writes fantasy romance novels that focus on the blurred lines between worlds, the darkness you’ll find in all of them, and the love that resides there too. She creates her characters and spins her stories from her home in the human realm, where she raises her three little book dragons with her husband, and spends a healthy amount of time reading, travelling, and creating art.


















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Sunday, March 15, 2026

My Review for The First Witch-Mage by Isabel Campbell, read by Bridget Bordeaux

March 15, 2026  , , ,  No comments



"Books clomped off her desk and arranged themselves on a nearby shelf." ✨📚

This was my March listen for another one of @hook.me.a.book challenges. This time it's the #LetsEarItAudiobookChallenge 🎧.

I wanted to enjoy this one, I really did. It sounded so good when I chose it on Libro FM, and maybe I made the mistake of listening rather than reading, but I think I missed a lot of it because I was doing other things! Whatever it was, it didn't grab my attention. Although I did finish it, I won't be reading (or listening to) the next one.

Read the book description — sounds good, right? Especially if, like me, you love a witchy read 🧙‍♀️. Plus so many people loved it and it has such great reviews, although to be fair there are some not-so-great ones too. Maybe it's like Marmite — you either love it or hate it! Maybe I'll come back to it one day. If enough people tell me they enjoyed this one, then I might just give it another go.

Although this one didn’t quite work for me, I think readers who enjoy slower-paced, magical fantasy stories may still find a lot to love here.

Thank you to Tantor Media and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review The First Witch-Mage by Isabel Campbell.

About the Book

Those who cross a Blackwood soon learn that they won't like the results.

Theadora Kathryn Blackwood's life is just the way she wants it. Thea focuses on what she wants to do, what she wants to study, and the local COVEN hierarchy leaves her the hell alone.

It took years for her to accomplish that much freedom, and now she is about to graduate college, the local coven leader has given her what she wants most.

The opportunity to be freed from the shackles of Coven Politics for the rest of her life.

The catch is that she must join the Arcane Investigations Division as an Arcane Consultant for three years.

If Thea is still employed at the end of the set time, the Coven will absolve her of all ties and responsibility to them. The downside is that NOLA AID has lost two witches in the last four years. No one expects an untrained witch without the Coven's support to survive.

Even if she is a Blackwood.

About Isabel by Isabel 

I started writing and publishing with LMBPN® Publishing in 2023 thanks to my friend, Renée Jagger.

I was born in York and grew up in England. I lived with my maternal aunt and uncle while I was in uni (that’s college to my American readers!). Being with them for more than an odd week here and there in the summer made me connect deeply with my Scottish side, and I realized that Scotland was the home of my heart.

I miss wandering the Yorkshire Moors, but the Highlands more than make up for not getting back to York as much as I should! Currently, I live in a wee Borders town with my dog Emma. I write to the music of the seagulls since I live right on the harbour in a homely flat by the sea. I quite love my town. It’s peaceful and hectic by turns.

Dogs are a part of life here. Walking around the town, you see them with their people everywhere you go. The pubs and restaurants have dog-friendly spaces in this part of the world. It makes sharing my life with my four-footed companion so much easier. Everyone in town knows Emma. We walk to the greengrocer, the butcher (he always saves her a meaty bone!), the bakery, and our lovely local coffee house. Rain or shine (mostly rain), we get outside for a little while almost every day, usually ending with a walk along the beach where I can watch Emma chasing crabs and birds. There’s a very nice shop on the prom, so popping out to buy milk and butter isn’t a hardship when I get to take a moment to listen to the waves crashing on the rocks. 

It’s largely an uneventful life (unless Renée is here), but it suits me. I regularly go for drives through the countryside, which is beautiful in any season, though in very different ways. If I need more than the beautiful winding roads and fields full of sheep, I drive north for an hour to Edinburgh or south for a bit more than an hour to Newcastle, then scurry home with my car boot full of shopping bags and tasty treats.

You can learn more about me and my adventures by reading the author notes at the end of each book. I hope you enjoy them!



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Monday, March 9, 2026

My Review for Wisteria by Adalyn Grace, read by Kristin Atherton

March 09, 2026  , , ,  No comments


“I am not trying to take you from the life that you know. All I'm trying to do is show you a world that you deserve to see". 

#thatbonkersbookclub chose Wisteria for February’s “Sequel Shelf” 📚 It’s the third and final full-length novel in the Belladonna series, which is a series I’ve really loved! ✨

Wisteria focuses on Blythe and Fate and their forced relationship — one that slowly evolves with understanding and time spent together. Blythe has never been my favourite character in the series by any stretch, but she did grow on me in Wisteria. I know lots of people loved her, but for me she was always a bit… meh! 🤷‍♀️

Fate (aka Aris) was well grumpy 😤 Quite frankly, he needed a good kick up the a**e to stop him treating Blythe the way he did. I mean, come on — did he really need to be that harsh?!

This is a difficult review to write without including spoilers, but my favourite thing had to be the front door that leads anywhere you want it to 🚪✨ Just imagine how useful that would be!

There’s still the novella Holly left to read and, although I don’t usually read novellas, I’ll definitely finish the series by picking it up 📖

One last stop in this unique world… and I’m not quite ready to leave it yet. 🌙

About the Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace delivers a sensational conclusion to the deathly and decadent Belladonna trilogy, with dramatic twists and a seductive new romance that will set listeners' hearts ablaze.

Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.


About Adalyn

Adalyn Grace is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, IndieBound, and International bestselling author of the Belladonna series and the All the Stars and Teeth duology.

Prior to becoming an author, Adalyn spent four years working in live theatre and studied storytelling as an intern on Nickelodeon Animation’s popular series The Legend of Korra. 

Local to San Diego, Adalyn spends her non-writing days by watching too much anime, and by playing video games with her two dorky dogs.




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Thursday, February 19, 2026

My Review for The Invisible Life of Addie LeRue by V.E. Schwab

February 19, 2026  , ,  No comments


“Do you know how to live three hundred years?” she says. And when he asks how, she smiles. “The same way you live one. A second at a time.”

I’d heard so many amazing things about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, yet I’d never read it. So when I spotted a special edition on the Zon, it jumped into my basket as if by magic ✨ The physical edition is gorgeous — sprayed edges, glossy illustrations inside — and the story is completely my kind of thing. I loved it ❤️ I could have happily carried on reading about all the years we missed in Addie’s past.

I chose to read this now because my cousin was reading it for her real-life book club, and I thought it would be lovely if we could chat about it too 📖 I’m not sure she liked it as much as I did, though!

The writing is beautiful, and the story is full of emotion and tragedy 💔 I found myself wondering how I would cope if no one remembered me and I were living forever — the places I could go, the things I could see, and of course, having the time to read every book I’ve ever wanted to read 📚✨

This book will stay with me for a long, long time and will be one I return to again and again 💫 I haven’t read anything else by this author before, but I’ll definitely be dipping into her back catalogue.

About the Book

When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there's always a price – the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone.

Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day.

Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Alone in the world, Addie has no choice but to confront him, to understand him, maybe to beat him.

Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in Manhattan, Addie meets someone who remembers her. Suddenly thrust back into a real, normal life, Addie realises she can’t escape her fate forever.

About Victoria

V. E .Schwab was born in California, raised in Tennessee, and currently splits her time between Denver, Colorado and Edinburgh, Scotland. She got her undergraduate degree in book design at Washington University in St. Louis, and her masters in depictions of monstrosity in medieval art at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to writing books and hosting a podcast called No Write Way, she spends her time on tour, or plagued by the knowledge of how short life is, in terms of the number of books she’ll be able to read, and obsessively saving tiktok videos for recipes she’ll probably never make. She also likes to run, and cycle, and swim—though not all at once. 

V.E. is the author of more than 25 books, spanning MG, YA, and Adult, though she’s never been keen on labeling stories for a certain audience. Plenty of young readers like Vicious, and plenty of older ones like Cassidy Blake, and she believes the best story is the one that finds you when you need it. 

Her greatest goal as an author is to make you doubt your reality. Not by convincing you that magic is real, but by planting a seed of doubt that it’s not.



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Tuesday, February 3, 2026

My Review for All This & More by Peng Shepherd, read by Helen Laser

February 03, 2026  , , , ,  No comments



"LIFE is many things - good, bad, steady, unexpected - but we can all agree that each one is UNIQUE."

I didn’t really know what I was getting into with All This & More 🤔. It’s a concept I’ve only ever experienced as a child, through the Choose Your Own Adventure stories 📚. Peng takes that idea to a whole different level, delivering it in a far more complex and lengthy way.

I’m not sure how much my experience was affected by listening rather than reading 🎧, but whenever a choice came up, I almost always selected the option that said continue listening. It was simply easier, especially as I was usually doing other things at the same time 🏃‍♀️🧹. The only exception was right at the end, when I chose to listen to all three endings 👀.

The book blends fantasy, sci-fi, and time travel 🚀✨, which—for the purposes of this story—is explained through quantum physics 🔬. That’s something I don’t understand and probably never will 😂! I’m also not sure whether we’re meant to like Marsh, the female protagonist. To me, she came across as selfish, jumping backward and forward through time countless times ⏳ in an attempt to make every single aspect of her life perfect. That said, the TV show she was starring in gave her that opportunity, so I suppose it’s no surprise that she took full advantage of it 🎬.

Despite a very confusing start 😵‍💫, I did end up enjoying the story 👍. I chose the first ending—which I won’t reveal here, as I don’t want to spoil it if you decide to read it yourself 🤐.

Thank you to Libro.fm and William Morrow for the opportunity to listen to and review All This & More 🙏✨

About the Book

From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she’s ever made… and how far she’ll go to find her elusive “happily ever after.”

But there’s a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate.

One woman. Endless options. Every choice has consequences.

Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she’s missed her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure—and is desperate for a do-over.

She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their pasts and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time.

But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More’spromises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.…

Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?


About Peng

Peng Shepherd is the nationally bestselling, award-winning author of All This and More, The Cartographers, and The Book of M.

Her novels have been acclaimed as a “Best Book of the Year” by the Washington Post, a “Best Book of the Summer” by the Today Show and NPR, and featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, The Atlantic, and on Good Morning America, as well as a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. Her work also has been translated into more than ten languages, and optioned for TV and film.

A graduate of New York University’s MFA program, Peng is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where she rode horses and trained in classical ballet, and has lived in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mexico City, and New York. When not writing, she can be found planning her next trip or haunting local bookstores.



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Sunday, January 25, 2026

My Review for The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

January 25, 2026  , , ,  No comments


“A home isn't always the house we live in. It's also the people we choose to surround ourselves with.”

If I could give The House in the Cerulean Sea a thousand stars, I absolutely would! And honestly—who says I can’t? A thousand stars it is! ⭐️✨

I adored everything about this book: the descriptive writing 📖, the unbelievably imaginative characters 🧠💫, the storyline, the setting 🌊🏝️, the artwork on the cover 🎨, the cosy feel of home 🏡 and—most importantly—the fact that there’s more to read!

The only thing I didn’t adore was how fricking long it took me to actually read it 😅. This book has been sitting on my shelf for at least two years! Finally, thanks to the amazing #thatbonkersbookclub (previously known as #thatindiebookclub), I’ve taken it off the shelf and absolutely devoured it 📚💙.

I haven’t felt this way about a book since I first read Harry Potter almost thirty years ago, but The House in the Cerulean Sea has completely captured my heart 💖. It’s all about belonging and family, and about people accepting others for who they are—no matter how different they may be 🌈. I really enjoyed Linus as a character: a completely unassuming kind of guy who tries to live by the rules, but very quickly, after arriving on the island, those rules go out the window and Arthur’s rules take precedence.

There were so many funny moments throughout the book—I laughed out loud more than once 😂—and I also found myself clutching my heart during the parts where the children 😈🧝‍♂️🐙🐉 were made to feel so unwelcome and different. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! I clearly need to do some research 🔍 because I have absolutely no idea how many there are!

About the Book

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

About T.J.

TJ Klune is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award–winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, the Green Creek Series for adults, the Extraordinaries Series for teens, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.




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Thursday, December 11, 2025

My Review by Witchcraft and Fury by T.T. Greenshaw

December 11, 2025  , , ,  No comments


"She felt a surge of affection for all of them; to think that, just six months before, they had been at each other's throats, and now they shared friendships that she considered unbreakable."

I'm finally getting around to writing my review for Witchcraft and Fury by T.T. Greenshaw. I really enjoyed this one, and although it has a slightly slow start while the world-building settles in 🏗️, the pace soon picks up and I raced through the second half ⚡️.

Solar, our seventeen-year-old protagonist, is a witch-in-training who’s sassy, bold, and full of confidence ✨. Nothing and no one is going to stand in the way of her training or her dream of becoming the witch she’s always imagined—even if it once felt impossible. I loved Solar's adventures; the friends she made along the way became like family 💛, and by the end, they all had each other's backs. “All for one” and all that! 🧙‍♀️

Full of magic, potions, weird creatures 🧪🦑, and even a flying carpet 🪄, Witchcraft and Fury feels like the start of something wonderful for this series.

Thank you to Love Book Tours and T.T. Greenshaw for the opportunity to read and review Witchcraft and Fury.

About the Book

Solar Carpenter is the first girl to study magic in a hundred years. And maybe the last.

For over a century, only high-born men have wielded magic in Ashwood. The nobility’s youngest sons are taught by the kingdom’s wizards in roving magic encampments. Witchcraft is forbidden, and the women who practise it persecuted.

Yet change is coming.

Solar Carpenter, a girl providing for her family any way she can, is plucked from her life of menial work and petty theft to study at an elite encampment. Under the guidance of one of Ashwood’s greatest wizards, she will learn in the field as a witch-in-training, using her powers to protect the kingdom.

Or die trying.

But what if something other than destiny lies behind her rise to magical prominence? Is Solar merely a pawn in an intricate game of thrones and power? Or the greatest force for change in a hundred years?

About Theo

Theo grew up in Cheshire, England, with twin passions for fantasy novels and history. He followed the latter to study Ancient History and Archaeology at university, researching civilisations from Ancient Mesopotamia to Medieval England. He now works as a customer experience consultant, but satisfies his interest in the ancient world through consuming endless history podcasts.


His love for the written word has led him to write Chronicles of the Divided Isle, found the Leeds Fantasy Book Club, and learn foreign languages, including Mandarin. When not writing, Theo can be found playing the saxophone in various jazz bands, dreaming up new stories on hikes, or touring the nation’s cafes.  








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Sunday, December 7, 2025

My Review for Foxglove by Adalyn Grace

December 07, 2025  , , ,  No comments


“When everything went to hell, at least she could always count on scones.”

I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy Foxglove more than Belladonna, but I did! Why did I wait so long to read this series?! 🤦‍♀️ We created a “sequel shelf” at #thatindiebookclub, and thank goodness we did. This one has been sitting there ever since we read Belladonna last year — such a good idea, because otherwise I know I’d never have picked it back up!

I also seem to be on a bit of a run reading about the undead 😁. First this one, and now I’m listening to Good Spirits. Apparently I’m leaning into a theme! I ended up switching between reading and listening to Foxglove because once I’d started, I didn’t want to take a break — but unfortunately real life insisted I get on with things 😅.

I still struggle with the whole “human getting it on with Death” situation 😂. Signa continues her very weird relationship with Death, but this time Fate throws himself into the mix — and what an arrogant twonk he is! (Google it if you’re not British 😆.) Without giving anything away, I thought Byron was a bit of an ass for most of the book 🙄, though fine… maybe he redeemed himself at the end.

I loved the dual points of view, switching between Signa and Blythe, and in this one Blythe definitely makes her mark in more ways than one ✨. More powers appear, more mysteries unfold, and that massive twist at the end will have you popping out to buy the next book immediately 📚💨.

About the Book

A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He's hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago...and now he's determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.

Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate's past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate's unexpected games—all with their destinies hanging in the balance.

Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to Signa and Death's story is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.


About Adalyn

Adalyn Grace is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, IndieBound, and International bestselling author of the Belladonna series and the All the Stars and Teeth duology.

Prior to becoming an author, Adalyn spent four years working in live theatre and studied storytelling as an intern on Nickelodeon Animation’s popular series The Legend of Korra. 

Local to San Diego, Adalyn spends her non-writing days by watching too much anime, and by playing video games with her two dorky dogs.



















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Monday, December 1, 2025

My Review for Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, read by Lauren Fortgang and Michael David Axtell

December 01, 2025  , , ,  No comments


“Even alligators have parents, Dawes. That doesn't stop them from biting”

Ninth House 📚 was the book of choice for November's read for #thatindiebookclub. I didn’t really know what “Dark Academia” 🏛️ was all about when the theme for that month was revealed, and that’s exactly what I love about these book club reads—they push you to try things you might not have picked up otherwise! ✨

I decided to listen to the audiobook 🎧 for this one, and I really liked it. It was slow to start as we’re dropped into Alex’s Yale world—a world she was recruited into rather than earned through school achievements, all because she can see ghosts! 👻 The story is told across two timelines: Spring 🌸 and Winter ❄️. I’m still not entirely sure when Alex arrived at Yale and which timeline features Darlington training her versus after he disappears. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter—I don’t feel the need to understand every single detail to enjoy a story, and I absolutely did. 😄

I loved Alex’s ability to adapt to any situation. She fits in surprisingly well with both ghosts 👻 and humans 🧑‍🤝‍🧑, and she sets out to help solve everyone’s mysteries 🕵️‍♀️. I mean, who wouldn’t want to befriend a dead bridegroom 💀💍, right?!

It’s dark—very dark in places 🌑. Definitely read the trigger warnings ⚠️ before diving in, as it’s not suitable for everyone. Luckily, few things trigger me, and I was happy to lose myself in the secret societies 🏰 and mysterious goings-on 🔮 for a few days!

I’ll definitely pick up the sequel at some point 📖—I’m keen to read more about Daniel Arlington! 😉

About the Book

Galaxy "Alex" Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age 20, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless "tombs" are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.

About Leigh

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Familiar, Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.






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