Mini Review: Tales From the Front by Elise Kova

Tales From the Front by Elise Kova
(Air Awakens 2.5)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

This little bonus is a freebie which you can get by signing up for the author's mailing list. You can't actually buy it anywhere.

It contains 12 short stories, or rather scenes, told from different perspectives. It is recommended to read it between books 2 and 3 in the series. 

If you haven't started this series then check out Air Awakens, followed by Fire Falling.

As the author explains in the beginning, this little freebie is to make up for the literal cliffhanger ending in book 2. It kind of overlaps the end of book 2 with the beginning of book 3. It doesn’t really reveal too much though, and it is written from multiple different points of view, instead of Vhalla’s. I liked that we got to see these little insights into some of the other characters, like Baldair and Fritz, as well as meeting some new characters too.

Book Blitz: Fireborne by McKenzie Hunter

Fireborne
by McKenzie Hunter
(Raven Cursed #1)
Publication date: November 1st 2019
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

My magic isn’t just a curse – it’s an addiction. I crave it the way some people crave chocolate. But, chocolate doesn’t kill – my magic does.
I’m Raven Cursed. When I borrow magic from someone, they die. That’s always been the case—until I met my client, the devilishly handsome and enigmatic Mephisto. He has his own brand of unique magic and a mysterious past he’s determined to keep to himself.
He knows that I’m the one to call anytime a curse goes wrong, a magical object is lost, or a rogue
supernatural needs apprehending. So he offers a trade. He’ll give me his magic, and in return, I accept a job from him.
It seems like a simple deal until all hell breaks loose. We have to team up to stop a god from unleashing destruction upon the city. It leaves me to wonder: can I battle a god with the devil at my back?

Goodreads / Amazon

Scroll down to read an excerpt and enter the giveaway!

Fire Falling by Elise Kova

Fire Falling by Elise Kova
(Air Awakens #2)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Soldier… Sorcerer… Savior… Who is Vhalla Yarl?

Vhalla Yarl marches to war as property of the Solaris Empire. The Emperor counts on her to bring victory, the Senate counts on her death, and the only thing Vhalla can count on is the fight of her life. As she grapples with the ghosts of her past, new challenges in the present threaten to shatter the remnants of her fragile sanity. Will she maintain her humanity? Or will she truly become the Empire’s monster?

Check out my review for book 1: Air Awakens.

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Book Depository | Available in KU

     I have to say I am loving this series. It captures my attention so well, and I'm really enjoying it. If you like historical fantasy with a good focus on the magic and especially the characters then you should definitely give this one a go! The character development is just really good, and the world-building is fantastic as well. The relationships develop so beautifully as well, between all the characters.

     Did you think they were going to war in this book? Think again! They have to get there first. Most of this book is the journey to the Northern front, which normally I might find really boring. But I was not bored for a second in this book! There is so much emotion! How does she do that? She so easily shows us into the mind of a young girl broken by the world, confused by her feelings, figuring out her place in the world, and getting to know her own power.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
(Winternight Trilogy #1)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Then she must have a husband," said Dunya simply. "The sooner the better. Frost-demons have no interest in mortal girls wed to mortal men. In the stories, the bird-prince and the wicked sorcerer - they only come for the wild maiden"

I adored this book! There are so many things about it that I loved. It’s so different from the books I’ve been reading lately. I don’t know where to start.

The Russian folklore - all the little fairy folk who live in the house and the Winter King - I love this! I never knew anything about Russian folktales before and now I’m really keen to go and read some actual Russian fairy tales to see what this is based on. I don’t know how accurate they are, but it’s a fantasy novel so who cares? The author can write whatever she wants. It did remind me quite a bit of books by Juliet Marillier and Naomi Novik, but the story is very unique.

The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith

The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith
(The Vine Witch #2)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads blurb: Abandoned as a child in turn-of-the-century Paris, Yvette Lenoir has longed to uncover the secrets of her magical heritage and tap her suppressed powers. But what brave and resourceful Yvette has done to survive the streets has made her a fugitive. With a price on her head, she clings to a memento from her past—what she believes to be a grimoire inherited from the mother she never knew. To unlock the secrets of her past, Yvette trusts in one woman to help solve the arcane riddles among its charmed pages.

Elena Boureanu is the vine witch of Château Renard, noted for its renowned wines. Even as she struggles with her own bloodline—and its poisonous threat to her future—Elena can’t ignore a friend on the run. Joined by a cunning thief, the proprietor of an enchanted-curio shop, and a bewitching black cat, Elena and Yvette are determined to decode Yvette’s mysterious keepsake. But what restless magic will be unleashed? And what are Yvette and Elena willing to risk to become the witches they were destined to be?

Thankyou to Netgalley and 47North for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read my review for book 1 in the series: The Vine Witch here.

As soon as I heard about the sequel to The Vine Witch I was so excited and I couldn't wait to read it! I was not disappointed, I loved The Glamourist just as much as book 1, and now I'm even more excited for book 3, The Conjurer. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this magical romp through turn-of-the-century Paris. The beautiful writing style and the stunningly well-crafted world that Smith has created is absolutely mesmerising. I was hooked from the very start. 

TTT: The Last Books I Abandoned

Looks like it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by That Artsy Reader Girl. If you're participating this week let me know in the comments, I would love to hear what you picked for this weeks TTT !

The Last Books I Abandoned

I really don't DNF many books at all, so I'm scraping the barrel here, going back some years even, to find books that I didn't finish. I guess maybe I'm a bit OCD about finishing books, which is not always a good thing. I gave up on these books for various reasons, often because something bad happens, like the bad guy is too psychotically evil, or somebody gets killed unnecessarily, or because the book just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. 

Here they are:

April Wrap-Up/May TBR

IT'S UPDATE TIME

I'm only a few days late with this, right?

So, during April I had a go at the OWLs Magical Readathon, (an amazing HP themed readathon organised by the lovely Book Roast, and you can find out about it here.)

I actually managed to finish the readathon, yay! I wasn't sure if I would make it. To be fair, I finished a few days late, but then I started about a week late, so I'm counting it! I read a total of 5 books for this challenge, and I managed to complete the requirements for the Magizoologist profession, as well as the Dragon Taming Seminar (which was totally by accident, I didn't expect there to be dragons featuring in that extra book I picked up just for fun).

April Book Reviews: (covers link to my review)

Reviews to Come:

MAY TBR:

TTT: Things I'd Have At My Bookish Party

Looks like it's time for another Top Ten Tuesday: Brought to you by That Artsy Reader Girl. If you're participating this week let me know in the comments, I would love to hear what you picked for this weeks theme!

Things I Would Have At My Bookish Party

I love this theme! This is something that I would totally love to do but would never actually do, so thanks Jana for thinking of this!

My first thought for any party is the food, duh, so I will be making cupcakes using recipes from the Cake in a Cup bakery, featured in the book Cupcakes, Trinket and Other Deadly Magic. If you haven't read this book, you definitely should! Recipes by the author here.

“That’s a Vixen in a Cup. Chocolate gingerbread cake with a salted caramel icing.”

Next is drinks. I'll have literary inspired cocktails from my book Tequila Mockingbird.

Air Awakens by Elise Kova

Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Air Awakens #1
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A library apprentice, a sorcerer prince, and an unbreakable magic bond...

The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war.

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all—the Crown Prince Aldrik—she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she’s known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she’s always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla’s indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.

Amazon US | Amazon AU | Book Depository | Available in KU

A library, an injured prince and a sorcerer, this book had me hooked from the first chapter. I actually couldn’t put it down, why did I wait so long to read this? The writing flows so well, I really struggled with putting this one down when I had to go to work. I love the sword and sorcery setting, and the magic system and everything. I think this might become one of my new favourite series.

"Too curious for her own good, the master had always scolded. Magic was dangerous."

I love the main character Vhalla, she is a library apprentice at the palace, and while I do get Sorcery of Thorns vibes from her character, the rest of the story is totally different. She is intelligent, and very well read, although is a bit lacking in real world experience. When she finds out she is actually a sorcerer, she does not take it well, and kind of goes into denial about the whole thing.

"Are you going to be the sorcerer who could have saved lives but chose instead to be no one?"

Sparkle Witch by Helen Harper

Sparkle Witch by Helen Harper
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic #3.5
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Snow. Santa. Snuggles... Stress.

You would think December would be Ivy's ideal time of year. After all, festivities abound and witches everywhere are encouraged to put their feet up and relax. That's not quite the case when she has various Order members attempting to finagle her into Christmas activities and a special artifact from the top of the Christmas tree goes missing. Either someone is attempting to sabotage Winter or something very strange is afoot indeed.

This is a short holiday novella.

This will be a short review, because it is a very short book. I'll admit, I was hoping for more, because I really loved the original trilogy (reviews to come soon). The series starts with Slouch Witch. This was just a bit of fun, short and sweet. It was a bit cheesy too - I guess I should have read it at Christmas time, but I figured Ivy Wilde is good any time.

"There will be mistletoe. There will be snuggles. There will not be evil witches causing curse-filled mishaps and interrupting our holiday."