Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

We went past praying to deities and started to build them instead...

The shadow of Godolia's tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolia overlords.

Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside. When one of her missions goes awry and she finds herself in a Godolia prison, Eris meets Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot. At first, Eris sees Sona as her mortal enemy, but Sona has a secret: She has intentionally infiltrated the Windup program to destroy Godolia from within.

As the clock ticks down to their deadliest mission yet, a direct attack to end Godolia's reign once and for all, Eris and Sona grow closer--as comrades, friends, and perhaps something more...

Why I'm Waiting: Because it sounds so good! 

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Wynd seems like a regular boy in the fantastical world of Esseriel, except he’s got a magical secret. Now he’s set off on a journey with his best friend and the boy of his dreams to discover the magic in the world around him and, most importantly, within himself.

YOU CAN’T FIND YOUR HOME UNTIL YOU FIND YOURSELF.

Wynd lives a quiet life in Pipetown -- working at the local tavern, out of sight in the secret rooms beneath the floorboards, often stealing away to catch glimpses of the son of the castle’s groundskeeper as he works.
 
But Wynd also has a secret… magical blood betrayed by his pointed ears, forbidden within the city limits. His shaggy hair has obscured them for most of his life, but now that Wynd is a teenager they are growing too unwieldy to hide.
 
Joined by his best friend Oakley and Thorn, the groundskeeper’s son, Wynd’s strange dreams and an encounter with the city guard send him on the most dangerous adventure he could imagine, where Wynd will discover the magic in the world around him and, most importantly, the magic within himself. 

HAPPY READING!!

Bout of Books 31

Happy Monday! Today is the first day of Bout of Books 31, and I have the day off! So of course I'm going to try to spend most of the day reading. This week I don't have a set of TBR, but I do have a small stack of books I'd like to dive into. There is also a book on my NetGalley shelf that I need to finish before Friday. So that might take up most of my reading time!

At this point, I don't know how many Bouts I've participated in, but I really enjoy this readathon. Bout is super low stress and fits easily into my schedule. Which considering I don't have a normal 9 to 5 job is a plus for me. This readathon is also a really good excuse to unplug and step away from streaming and Instagram. Basically, I stick to a more rigorous schedule when it comes to watching TV and how much time I spend on my phone. Something I don't do outside of Bout.

It's not to let to join if you want to slide Bout into your week! Just click the image above to sign up, or you can hang out with me in my Bout thread here on Bookish Whispers. The link to that thread is on the sidebar under Bout of Books 21 (or you can click here)!

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

Seventeen-year-old Zuretta had resigned herself to a quiet life in Utah. But when her younger sister, Ruby, travels to Chicago during the World’s Fair and disappears, Zuretta leaves home to find her. She has a little bit of money, a faith in the famous Pinkerton detectives, and a burning hope she’ll find her sister soon.

But Chicago is more dangerous and chaotic than she imagined. Even with the help of a dashing stranger and a friendly hotel maid, Zuretta doesn’t know where to start. Until she learns of her sister’s last place of employment…a mysterious hotel known as The Castle.

Zuretta takes a job there hoping to learn more about her sister’s final days. And before long she realizes the hotel isn’t what it seems. Women disappear at an alarming rate, she hears crying from the walls, and terrifying whispers follow her at night. In the end, she finds herself up against one of the most infamous mass murderers in American history—and his custom-built deathtrap.

HAPPY READING!!

The Night Library - Review

Author: Jessica Levai

Genre: Novella

Format: Paperback

Pages: 160

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago I saw this book on the newsletter I get from Shelf Awareness, and there wasn't anything about it. Not even the usual little review. However, the cover and the title caught my eye. So while I was waiting on my bus I jumped onto my library's site and did a bit of research on it. Luck would have that my library location had a copy so after I worked I went and snagged up that copy. One hundred percent picked this up because of the cover and only a sort of idea of what it was about.

What I didn't realize was this book was written in long verse. What I knew was it was about vampires and was sort of like an opera. All pluses in my world. Because I've never read a book set to read like an opera. But, I'm glad I took a chance at this book.

This is the beautiful love story of a girl who falls in love with a vampire, but it cannot be because she is the heir to a Hunter clan. It's a classic kind of love that was doomed from the start, but you just can look away because a part of you hopes that just maybe this time the story will end differently. Even though we all know that it won't.

The part about this book that I like the most is in the end what stops the Graf and Kunigunde apart wasn't some overly dramatic plot or a war between the Hunters and the Vampires. It's a duty, and it's such a well-played moment in the book. It was perfect. It's not tragic just sad in a way that breaks your heart. A love that almost was. Because they could usually turn their nose up at their duty and be together, but they both understand the consequences of those choices. 

I was a little worried that the long verse would trip me up because it's not something I read often, or honestly see a lot in genres that call to me. But, I actually really liked the choice of long verse for the story. It not only added to the beauty of the story that was being told, but it served as a way to slow down my reading of the book itself. Normally I fly through novellas because the story moves so fast. And, while the plot does move very quickly here, having the long verse meant I was hyper-focused on every aspect of the story. Also, the time and effort it took the author to manage to not only tell a story in a long verse but one that hooks you right from the start. 

Mostly because I adored Kunigunde. She keeps a level-ish head for someone so young, and watching her fall in love and then realize why she couldn't have that love was the most beautiful ride I've been on in a while. I really could go on and on, I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad it found its way into my inbox.

The only small complaint I had was toward the end when multiple characters were interacting I had a hard time keeping up with who was talking. Which might have been a personal problem. Because after re-reading a couple of pages I got a feel for how the dialog was bouncing and jived with what was happening.

But, yeah if vampires are your thing, and you want a quick and beautiful read. Definitely give this one a check. I really enjoyed it. I also think this the most I've used the beautiful when referencing a book. So there's that!

HAPPY READING!!

Delicates - Review

Author: Brenna Thummler

Genre: Middle Grade 

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Delicates takes place a year after the first book in the series Sheets, and this installment deals with some heavier themes than the first volume. In Delicates bullying takes place and suicidal thoughts are mentioned. I'm going to start with how those themes were addressed first. So trigger a warning to all who need it. 

While the two main themes in this volume are heavy and hard to talk about, I feel like Brenna Thummler approached both in an age-appropriate way. The bullying in Delicates is sadly something you see in any Middle School. Only I felt like Delicates took it a step farther because it was also about the kids who blindly follow the bullies. The ones who say, 'but it wasn't my idea', and even their actions can negatively affect people. But, it's also about seeing that maybe your a part of the problem and fixing it. Our main character realizes this about herself and goes about making amends to the people, and ghosts, that she hurt. I really like that forgiveness was a part of this book because it is a Middle Grade target book. While most older readers know not everyone can change, it's a nice theme to see in a book targeted at younger readers. Hope is never a terrible thing.

Dealing with the theme of suicide in a book no matter for what age range is always hard. Even more so with a book targeted as Middle-Grade. Personally, I feel like Breena Thummler approached the topic as gracefully as possible while making Eliza as reliable as possible to readers of a lot of ages. Eliza is going through a lot this year: repeating the eighth grade, being different, being into ghosts. All of these are reasons the popular crowd use to her bully her. I found I really liked Eliza's POV for as sad as they were, they were beautiful in a way. I also liked the way that Thummler used Wendell to try to explain to Marjorie about the fact that Eliza was suicidal, opening the door to the fact that Eliza wasn't alone in what she felt. I think the subject was handled in a way that most Middle-Grade readers would understand, and in a way that would allow them to ask questions.

As for the book as a whole, I adored the thing. It does have a happy ending, which is how I like my Middle-Grade books, and it's an ending that I felt fit the story as a whole. I love that Marjorie shared her secret about Wendell with Eliza and her brother. I thought it was a great continuation of the first book. I would also love to get another installment, mostly because I adore Wendell, and now the friendship between Wendell and Eliza.

The artwork is still great. I love how Brenna Thummler uses color throughout each panel as the story progresses. The palette changes as the season change, but no panel is ever too dark though, and there are always so many little details. I always feel like there is something I miss on every page. 

A beautiful second installment and I hope there will be a third!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they are books that have yet to be released but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

When a child goes missing in Edinburgh's darkest streets, young Ropa investigates. She'll need to call on Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. But as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?

When ghosts talk, she will listen...

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. Now she speaks to Edinburgh's dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl's gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone's bewitching children--leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It's on Ropa's patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

She'll dice with death (not part of her life plan...), discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic. She'll also experience dark times. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets, and Ropa's gonna hunt them all down.

Why I'm Waiting: I mean you had me at ghosttalker, everything else is just a bonus!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris.

The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were arrested by French police, interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo. They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany. The group formed along the way, meeting at different points, in prison, in transit, and at Ravensbrück. By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig, they were a close-knit group of friends. During the final days of the war, forced onto a death march, the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape.

Drawing on incredible research, this powerful, heart-stopping narrative from Gwen Strauss is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.

HAPPY READING!!

May Spotlight

In the ancient city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—only he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy.

But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sunday

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon!

The King of the Land of Fritillary has incurred the wrath of his ex-bestie, the evil wizard Farland Phelps. Farland curses the King's firstborn to die if touched by sunlight, and just like that, Julianna must spend her life in the depths of a castle dungeon (emptied of prisoners and redecorated in the latest fashion, of course). A young woman of infinite resourcefulness, all she needs is a serving spoon, a loose rock in the wall, and eight years of digging, and Julianna is free to explore the city—just not while the sun is out!

HAPPY READING!!

April Wrap-Up

I fought the urge to lead this page with It's Gonna Be May Gif. It was a hard fought battle, but I figure everyone has seen enough of those. But, if someone could tell me what happened to April. Because I feel like the month slipped through my fingers. This was also not a reading month. I tried. I finished Gideon which was so good, and read my Netgalley books for the month. Even the two kids books were adorable. My attention span just hasn't been able to focus on books. 

The fact I hyper-extended my elbow didn't help. My second Covid vaccine has also left me tired, and my body isn't use to being back at work full time. Don't get me wrong I'm happy to be back at work five days a week, but after three months of home living, my body doesn't know what I've done to it. 

It wasn't a bad reading month, I did read and what I read I liked. Hoping I can pull myself out of this reading funk for May. There are so many good books sitting on my current TBR.

Books Read: 4 
BINGO Books: 1

Pages Read: 995

Currently Reading: Whisper Down the Lane

Bout of Books 31 is coming up! From May 10 - May 16 it's a week to unplug and get some reading done. Which is the kick in pants I need to pull away from the Netflix and Discovery+. But, if you want to join, click here!

I didn't purchase any books this month, but I did receive a few! Thanks to Quirk Books and Penguin Teen for both books they sent me, I'm excited to read both! I also got some great books in my Nightworms Package and my last My Thrill Club Box. The latter was shocking because the last Thrill Club box was kind of a dud. All of them are shown below!

HAPPY READING!!