Author: baltimorebibliophile

Title: The Brightest Star in Paris

Author: Diana Biller

Publisher: St Martin’s Press

Publication date: October 12th, 2021

400 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

In Diana Biller’s The Brightest Star in Paris, love is waiting; you only have to let it in.

Amelie St. James, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet and the people’s saint, has spent seven years pretending. In the devastating aftermath of the Siege of Paris, she made a decision to protect her sister: she became the bland, sweet, pious “St. Amie” the ballet needed to restore its scandalous reputation. But when her first love reappears, and the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her, all her hard-fought safety is threatened.

Dr. Benedict Moore has never forgotten the girl who helped him embrace life again after he almost lost his. Now, he’s back in Paris after twelve years for a conference. His goals are to recruit promising new scientists, and, maybe, to see Amelie again. When he discovers she’s in trouble, he’s desperate to help her—after all, he owes her.

When she finally agrees to let him help, they disguise their time together with a fake courtship. But reigniting old feelings is dangerous, especially when their lives are an ocean apart. Will they be able to make it out with their hearts intact?

Review

The Brightest Star In Paris is a historical romance set in Paris {obvi} a decade after the Franco Prussian War. Our MC is a prima ballerina forced into a pious caricature of a proper lady in order to be the city’s hope for the future. Amelie just wants to make enough money to secure her & her sister’s future after being orphaned. But when Amelie starts seeing ghosts and her long lost love returns, who knows what will happen.

Highlights include : second chance love, a ghost story, and dual timeline stories. The dual timeline made sense and definitely added to the overall story. I LOVED the ghost aspect of the story, the idea of mediums and spirits in this time period (and how it is just generally accepted in the book) was fascinating – along with the actual ghosts depicted in the story. It was perfect for an October release. There is also two POV’s in this romance, which we love to see.

I really loved being immersed in this book & reading Amelie’s story. It was so atmospheric & easy to read – it just sucked me in and didn’t let go. I appreciated the journey Amelie went on for character growth and how much effort she put into changing her life by the end. There were a lot of themes in this book, tackling prostitution, drug use, death, murder, sexual harassment, and more. There are heavier moments, so beware of that.

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Gilded Cage (The Prison Healer #2)

Author: Lynette Noni

Publisher: Clarion Books

Publication date: October 16th, 2021

448 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Kiva trades one cage for another when she leaves behind a deadly prison for a deceptive palace in this dark and dangerous sequel to The Prison Healer, which Sarah J. Maas called “a must-read.”

Kiva Meridan is a survivor.

She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people responsible for ruining their lives. But now that she has escaped Zalindov, her mission has become more complicated than ever.

As Kiva settles into her new life in the capital, she discovers she wasn’t the only one who suffered while she was in Zalindov—her siblings and their beliefs have changed too. Soon it’s not just her enemies she’s keeping secrets from, but her own family as well.

Outside the city walls, tensions are brewing from the rebels, along with whispers of a growing threat from the northern kingdoms. Kiva’s allegiances are more important than ever, but she’s beginning to question where they truly lie. To survive this time, she’ll have to navigate a complicated web of lies before both sides of the battle turn against her and she loses everything.

Review

I absolutely loved The Prison Healer so I knew I desperately wanted The Gilded Cage as an ARC to read it ASAP and it did NOT disappoint.

I love everything about this series. The characters, the plot, the magic system. There were so many new elements introduced in this book because the setting is very different from The Prison Healer. New characters like Kiva and Jaren’s families, more about the rebel plot, and much more about the magic system. I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book and I never wanted to put it down.

If you read the first book, you may also understand when I say the ending hurt my heart but I also expected it to so I somehow survived. Reading this series is not for the faint of heart, Lynette Noni takes you on a wild ride you simultaneously want to draw out for maximum enjoyment and finish as quickly as possible.

There is a smidge of middle book syndrome in the middle. Noni does a good job of keeping the plot moving quickly throughout, but it’s hard to ignore that it is a middle book in a trilogy so a lot is set up for the final book. Besides that, I have zero negative or even neutral comments to make – everything about this book was amazing and this series continues to amaze and surprise me.

I cannot wait for The Blood Traitor. I highly, highly recommend this series for SJM and YA fantasy fans.

Thank you to Clarion Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Vespertine (Vespertine #1)

Author: Margaret Rogerson

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication date: October 5th, 2021

pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first. 

Review

I absolutely loved Sorcery of Thorns when it came out, so I knew I wanted to read Vespertine. And I’m so glad I did – and if you forced me to pick a favorite I would definitely say Vespertine.

The world is so unique in this book, where spirits form from dead humans and are sorted in different orders or strength, and based on how the humans died. The spirits can possess humans and be confined to reliquaries where their powers can be used and controlled by humans who are trained to. When Artemisia’s convent is attacked, she desperately opens a revenant’s reliquary, one of the strongest & most dangerous spirits, and is possessed by the revenant. With the revenant’s help, Artemisia must save the country from the forbidden Old Magic.

Starting with what I loved – the world and writing are very atmospheric, it’s super dark and twisty which is great timing for spooky season. There is nothing inherently scary about the plotline, but there is a lot of violence and triggers – so definitely check those out. The author has them listed on Goodreads. Next up, the characters. I loved Artemisia – she’s not the typical, cookie cutter YA fantasy heroine, she is super moody, blunt, with an RBF that even scares spirits. The revenant has it’s own voice, and it was MY FAVORITE. The sassy/snarky banter between the two was unmatched.

If there is anything to say about downsides to this title, I would say it isn’t the best with explaining the world or the spirit system. You catch on over the course of the book, but there isn’t a comprehensive introduction in the beginning, or info-dumping as some call it, which will either be a pro or con for people. But truly, I loved this book and was so excited to see it will be a duology. But, it definitely reads as a stand alone.

Thank you to Turn the Pages Tours and Margaret K. McElderry Books for inviting me to take place in the blog tour for this title. A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Author Bio:

Margaret Rogerson is the author of theNew York Times bestsellers An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns. She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Miami University. When not reading or writing she enjoys sketching, gaming, making pudding, and watching more documentaries than is socially acceptable (according to some). She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, beside a garden full of hummingbirds and roses. Visit her at MargaretRogerson.com.

Links

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Purchase Links

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Giveaway

Up for grabs on the book blog tour is two (2) copies of VESPERTINE by Margaret Rogerson, one a physical finished copy and one a digital copy. Open USA only.

Giveaway starts: Monday, September 27, 2021

Giveaway ends: Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. CDT

Enter here!

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Wings of Shadow (Crown of Feathers #3)

Author: Nicki Pau Preto

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication date: July 13th, 2021

704 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

In the heart-stopping finale to the Crown of Feathers trilogy, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake calls “absolutely unforgettable,” Veronyka must face her most devastating enemy yet: her own sister.

I had a sister, once…

Veronyka is no longer an orphaned stable boy or a nameless Phoenix Rider apprentice: she is the daughter of Pheronia Ashfire, the last queen of the Golden Empire…and the niece of Avalkyra Ashfire, the resurrected rebel queen who tore the empire apart.

We shone brightly, burned fiercely.

Now that the secret is out, everyone at the Eyrie treats Veronyka differently, and with Tristan still a hostage of the scheming Lord Rolan—and Sev with him as a spy—Veronyka feels very much alone. Except for her beloved phoenix, Xephyra, of course, and her new friend, Kade, who has his own reasons for wanting to save Tristan.

Was it always going to come down to this? Sister against sister? Darkness against light?

Veronyka is determined to do whatever it takes to get Tristan back, even if that means revealing her identity to the world and inheriting a throne she’s not sure she wants. But when she discovers that Avalkyra has bonded with a strix—a legendary creature of darkness that feeds off the life force of others—Veronyka realizes she has more to deal with than an encroaching war with the empire. Val is willing to destroy everything to get her revenge on a world that rejected her, and if Veronyka wants to bring peace to the empire and Pyra alike, she must face down her sister once and for all.

The world began with Ashfire queens…perhaps they will also be its destruction.

Review

I have been anxiously awaiting this trilogy finale and it did not disappoint. NOT AT ALL.

Without giving away any spoilers, I will flail about this book. Each and every characters got a fitting ending that made sense within the story line and the previous two books. The final battle was thrilling, engaging, and captivating. Were there parts of this book that felt like it took awhile? Yes. That’s what’s going to happen in 600+ page fantasy novels, THERE’S A LOT TO GET DONE FOLKS. So it happened, I persevered, and we lived through it.

THE SHIPS. THE PHOENIXES. THE MAGIC. I am obsessed with this world that Nicki Pau Preto created and could see myself living in it and just leaving earth behind (as long as I can be a Phoenix Rider, ya know?).

Huge plus to this one – the epilogue! Everything gets fully wrapped up, I wasn’t left wanting more, each person got their chance to talk. It was exactly how I like my epilogues. I don’t like to end books having to assume or guess what happens afterwards. I want to know.

So really, YA Fantasy fans needs to read this series. Start with Crown of Feathers and meet the Ashfires.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Luminous

Author: Mara Rutherford

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Publication date: October 5th, 2021

384 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.

Review

Luminous is a dark YA fantasy about a country where witches are hunted by the King’s top warlock Lord Darius to either be used or killed. Liora has been hiding her magical powers from her small village since her powers kicked in, and she isn’t even sure what her powers are. Witchcraft in this world takes many forms and is very unique, like one witch can bring her woven tapestries and items to life. When Lord Darius tries to take the weaving too far, Liora is left to clean up the mess after she is discovered.

This book was really suited to the structure of a standalone. There was no plot rushing but no slow moments either, everything gets tied up well at the end without is seeming forced or too quick of a resolution. There’s a large cast of characters and a main romance. Lord Darius reminds me a lot of the Darkling from Shadow and Bone, but better in my opinion because he was more fleshed out and relatable.

The main romance is friends to lovers, which isn’t my favorite romance trope but it worked in this story and I was rooting for them throughout. But like I mentioned earlier, there is a darker element to this book with violence so be aware of that before diving in. But overall a very solid fantasy book that I definitely recommend.

Thank you to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Bone Charmer (The Bone Charmer #1)

Author: Breeana Shields

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Publication date: May 21st, 2019

400 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

In Saskia’s world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. Each village has a designated seer who performs readings for the townsfolk, and in Midwood, the Bone Charmer is Saskia’s mother.

On the day of her kenning—a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds—Saskia’s worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram—a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of violence.

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones. Broken bones are always bad luck, but this particular set of bones have been infused with extra magic, and so the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both.

Review

The Bone Charmer was my August 12 Reads from 12 Friends book that I didn’t get to during August… oh well! I have now read it and it was so good!

I love that it is told in alternating timelines, it’s somewhat similar to a choose your own adventure novel where you can see what happens based on two different versions of the story, but it’s not an interactive book. The flips between timelines weren’t confusing, it was easy to follow what was happening in each timeline and it was woven in such a way that the reader could put together what was happening when the MC couldn’t because she only knew half the information in each timeline. The magic system is also super interesting with the bones being the magical items and having the ability to use bones to see the past, present, or future.

There is romance in this book, which I LOVED. But, it also made me sad at the end – but I’m hoping for a better resolution in The Bone Thief! I would say some downsides to this book is the villains, I didn’t feel like I truly understood the motivations of the lesser villain and didn’t know enough of the main villains back story. I would have liked more development there. But, very much a satisfying read.

I’m planning to read the sequel this month for spooky season so if you were interested in this review keep checking back for my review of the sequel!

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Once More Upon a Time

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Publication date: October 5th, 2021

176 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Once upon a dream, there was a prince named Ambrose
and a princess named Imelda who loved each other…
But alas, no more.
“What a witch takes, a witch does not give back!”
their friends and family warn.
They resign themselves to this loveless fate…
A year and a day pass.
And then their story truly begins…

Embark on a perilous journey with Imelda and Ambrose as they brave magical landscapes and enchanted creatures on their quest to reclaim their heart’s desire…But first they must remember what that is… 

Review

A fairy tale novella about one of the 12 Dancing Sister’s, Imelda, and her marriage to Ambrose when it was cursed by a witch. This was a cover request for me, and I’ve loved a lot of Roshani Chokshi’s other works so I figured I would give this a go. It’s a pretty quick read, and I know there’s an audiobook version out as well if that’s more your medium for reading.

I wasn’t overly thrilled by this book, there was a lot packed into this book but it’s still pretty short so there can’t be too much explained. There is a lot of magical happenings that aren’t explained, but that’s the way of fairytales right? Imelda and Ambrose go on a big adventure and end up learning lessons along the way.

Would I pick this back up again in the future? No – I likely wouldn’t. Did I enjoy my time reading it? Yes – I would say it’s a palate cleanser book with the bits of romance, adventure, magic, and fantasy combined. There are also two POVs which I always appreciate when there is a romance included in a book. But if you’re looking for world-building, a well explained magic system, and a full plot? Not the book for you.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Happy spooky season! I have a lot of great, spooky, magical, witchy, dark reads on tap for this month (along with the pre-requisite ARCS of course), that I’m so excited about! I haven’t leaned this hard into spooky season before but it’s giving me serotonin just thinking about it and frankly there’s a deficit of that in my life.

The reads I have planned are a mix of backlog thriller BOTM books that I have, YA dark fantasy that I’ve taken out of the library, and some books that involves witches that probably aren’t considered dark. I had a very loose definition of spooky as I curated this TBR and all that matters is that I consider them to be spooky!

As I mentioned yesterday, I am working on reading more audiobooks so there are some of those that I’m planning as well, but they aren’t particularly spooky. It’s just which holds come through when, which I can’t really control! So, all that being said, see below for my October TBR for spooky season.

PHYSICAL

1. The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1), Rin Chupeco
2. Small Favors, Erin A. Craig
3. The River Has Teeth, Erica Waters
4. The Bone Thief (The Bone Charmer #2), Breeana Shields
5. The Last Legacy, Adrienne Young
6. Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2), Shelby Mahurin
7. The Last Time I Lied, Riley Sager
8. The Night Swim, Megan Goldin
9. Pretty Little Wife, Darby Kane
10. The Last Flight, Julie Clark
11. Horrid, Katrina Leno
12. The Bronzed Beasts (The Gilded Wolves #3), Roshani Chokshi
13. Empire of the Vampire (Empire of the Vampire #1), Jay Kristoff
14. The Corpse Queen, Heather Herrman
15. Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas

EBOOKS

1. The Royal We (Royal We #1), Heather Cocks
2. The Nature of Witches, Rachel Griffin

ARCS

1. The Brightest Star in Paris, Diana Biller
2. Within These Wicked Walls, Lauren Blackwood
3. Well Matched (Well Met #3), Jen DeLuca
4. Donut Fall in Love, Jackie Lau
5. You Can Go Your Own Way, Eric Smith
6. I Hate You More, Lucy Gilmore
7. Year of the Reaper, Makiia Lucier
8. You’ve Reached Sam, Dustin Thao
9. Never Fall for Your Fiancee, Virginia Heath
10. The Lucky Escape, Laura Jane Williams
11. Mother of All (Women’s War #3), Jenna Glass

AUDIO

1. Dial A For Aunties (Aunties #1), Jesse Q. Sutanto
2. Big Girl Panties, Stephanie Evanovich

What are you reading in October?

Happy reading, folks!

How are we in October already?? Unsure, but today is my birthday!! I have this post scheduled in advance because I’m going to Chicago for the weekend! I’m so looking forward to time off work and enjoying a long weekend. So, at this exact point in time I’m likely asleep still BUT I’m ready to talk about my September Wrap Up!

I took a lot of trips this month so I had a lot of time to read, so it’s a large wrap up this month! Even with this, did I read my whole TBR? NOPE. But, I added some mood reads in so I can’t be too upset about it. The books I didn’t read this month aren’t going anywhere right? There’s always next month!

I also started really trying to read audiobooks again this month. I struggle with auditory processing so I’ve always shied away from them, but I’m determined to strengthen that ability so I started with some romance and found it was easier to comprehend than high fantasy, which I’ve tried in the past. So I’m really hoping to continue audiobooks in coming months.

So see below for what I read this month, and my ratings!

PHYSICAL

1. Warmaidens (Gravemaidens #2), Kelly Coon – 4/5 stars
2. Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1), Shelby Mahurin – 4/5 stars
3. The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood – 4.5/5 stars
4. The Bone Charmer (The Bone Charmer #1), Breeana Shields – 4/5 stars
5. The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3), Helen Hoang – 5/5 stars
6. The Dark Tide, Alicia Jasinska – 3/5 stars
7. The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1), Helen Hoang – 5/5 stars (REREAD)
8. Vespertine (Vespertine #1), Margaret Rogerson – 5/5 stars

ARCS

1. Will They, Won’t They?, Portia MacIntosh – 3/5 stars
2. Witch Please (Fix-It Witches #1), Ann Aguirre – 4.5/5 stars
3. A Spot of Trouble, Teri Wilson – 3/5 stars
4. Her Perfect Life, Hank Phillippi Ryan – 4/5 stars
5. Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1), Xiran Jay Zhao – 5/5 stars
6. Eight Perfect Hours, Lia Louis – 4/5 stars
7. Luminous, Mara Rutherford – 4/5 stars
8. Once More Upon a Time, Roshani Chokshi – 3/5 stars
9. The Gilded Cage (The Prison Healer #2), Lynette Noni – 5/5 stars
10. Bright Ruined Things, Samantha Cohoe – 3/5 stars

AUDIO

1. The Boy Toy, Nicola Marsh – 3/5 stars
2. Majesty (American Royals #2), Katharine McGee – 4/5 stars
3. How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk in the Air #3.5), Holly Black – 3/5 stars
4. Lost in the Never Woods, Aiden Thomas – 3/5 stars

EBOOKS

1. Isn’t it Bromantic (Bromance Book Club #4), Lyssy Kay Adams – 5/5 stars
2. Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elites #3), Rina Kent – 4/5 stars
3. Black Knight (Royal Elites #4), Rina Kent – 3.5/5 stars
4. The Wrong Game, Kandi Steiner – 3.5/5 stars
5. Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1), Katee Robert – 5/5 stars
6. Vicious Prince (Royal Elites #5), Rina Kent – 4/5 stars

Did we read any of the same books?

Happy reading, folks!

I might stop doing haul posts – unless anyone really likes to read haul posts? I don’t know, I’ve been doing a great job of not buying nearly as many books as I used to so I feel like my hauls are underwhelming these days! Leave a comment below if you feel strongly either way! 🙂

Anyway, I hauled 5 books this month, with two of them being gifted by publishers. I can’t believe September is just about over, but it was a great reading month for me so be sure to check out my Wrap Up post tomorrow to see all that I read!

SUBSCRIPTION BOXES

I cancelled my Owlcrate subscription, so I now only get BOTM. I’m hoping to get another one started soon, but I can’t decide which one so I’m just waiting it out for now.

1. The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood
2. Portrait of a Scotsman (A League of Extraordinary Women #3), Evie Dunmore

BARNES & NOBLE

I’m fully obsessed with Adrienne Young so you know I pre-ordered her newest in the Fable world. Planning to read in October!

1. The Last Legacy, Adrienne Young

PUBLISHERS

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Simon Teen for these gifted copies! I am a part of the blog tour for Vespertine with Turn the Page Tours, so check back to my page on 10/8 for my tour date!

1. The Widow of Rose House, Diana Biller
2. Vespertine, Margaret Rogerson

Happy reading, folks!