Thank you to Netgalley and Feiwel and Friends for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:
1) Woo the Shadow King. 2) Marry him. 3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.
But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?
– Goodreads
Tricia hinted at this novel back in 2019 when Words & Whimsy had the pleasure of chatting with her. I knew then and there I needed it. I was so excited to get this ARC. I was even more excited when I read the first line:
“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”
Omg, guys. That first line, for me, ranks up there with the first line for Nevernight. I was instantly pulled in and wanted to put everything on hold to read this book, Work, sleep, cleaning. I didn’t want any of it. I just had to know about Alessandra’s journey. I read every moment I could. In the elevator, walking to my office, while on hold making appointments. I could not put this novel down.
Alessandra’s goal in simple. Make the king fall in love with her, like so many men have done. Marry the king. Kill the king and take the country as her own. Simple, right? It was, at first. Until these nasty things called feelings got involved.
I loved seeing how Alessandra and Kallias’ story and relationship progressed. I love an enemies to lovers story and this delivered! There were even sexy bits! There was also a tiny bit of a love triange.
Alessandra is not a character you root for. Quite honestly, she’s pretty evil. But you are shown enough vulnerability and kindness to make you fall for her. She even comments on her kindness and how it is out of character. She really reminds me of my dnd character which is part of the reason I think I love her so much. She firmly believes she is the best, smartest person in the room and no one can make her think differently. She’ll also kill you without a second thought.
“I try for a humble tone, but since I’ve no idea what that sounds like, I’m not so sure I manage it.”
Kallias is not so nice, himself. He sees women paraded in front of him day in and day out so he can choose one he likes to marry and have an heir. The only girl he is interested in is the one who will pay him no mind. Make fun of him, even! Who does that to a king?
Their relationship progressed in the best way. First Kallias sees her only as a friend, a confidant. But slowly he sees how cunning and ruthless Alessandra is. He then realizes she is meant to be his queen and he will do anything to have her.
There were small issues throughout the book that Kallias and Alessandra solved together. The ending was so surprising to me! I didn’t see the twist coming and I loved it!
I am so glad I was fortunate enough to be able to read an ARC of this book. I loved it so much. If you want in on the fun you can preorder here:
I am so excited to be included in the blog tour for The Unwilling by Kelly Braffet! I’ve been wanting to try more high fantasy lately, and this sounds like the perfect book! There’s arranged marriages, secret powers, growing up as something you aren’t. It sounds like it has everything! Here’s a little info about the book and author with an excerpt below!
For fans of S.A. Chakraborty’s City of Brass, Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicles, and George RR Martin’s The Game of Thrones, this high concept medieval/high fantasy by Kelly Braffet is a deeply immersive and penetrating tale of magic, faith and pride.
The Unwilling is the story of a young woman, born an orphan with a secret gift, who grows up trapped, thinking of herself as an afterthought, but who discovers that she does not have to be given power: she can take it. An epic tale of greed and ambition, cruelty and love, the novel is about bowing to traditions and burning them down.
For reasons that nobody knows or seems willing to discuss, Judah the Foundling was raised as siblings along with Gavin, the heir of Highfall, in the great house beyond the wall, the seat of power at the center of Lord Elban’s great empire. There is a mysterious–one might say unnatural connection–between the two, and it is both the key to Judah’s survival until this point, and now her possible undoing.
As Gavin prepares for his long-arranged marriage to Eleanor of Tiernan, and his brilliant but sickly younger brother Theron tries to avoid becoming commander of the army, Judah is left to realize that she has no actual power or position within the castle, in fact, no hope at all of ever traveling beyond the wall. Lord Elban–a man as powerful as he is cruel- has other plans for her, for all of them. She is a pawn to him and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Meanwhile, outside the wall, in the starving, desperate city, a Magus, a healer with a secret power unlike anything Highfall has seen in years is newly arrived from the provinces. He, too, has plans for the empire, and at the heart of those plans lies Judah. The girl who started off with no name and no history will be forced to discover there’s more to her story than she ever imagined.
– Mira
Kelly Braffet is the author of the novels Save Yourself, Last Seen Leaving and Josie & Jack. Her writing has been published in The Fairy Tale Review, Post Road, and several anthologies. She attended Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. She currently lives in upstate New York with her husband, the author Owen King. A lifelong reader of speculative fiction, the idea for The Unwilling originally came to her in college; twenty years later, it’s her first fantasy novel. Visit her at kellybraffet.com.
Prologue
On the third day of the convocation, two of the Slonimi scouts killed a calf, and the herbalist’s boy wept because he’d watched the calf being born and grown to love it. His mother stroked his hair and promised he would forget by the time the feast came, the following night. He told her he would never forget. She said, “Just wait.”
He spent all of the next day playing with the children from the other caravan; three days before, they’d all been strangers, but Slonimi children were used to making friends quickly. The group the boy and his mother traveled with had come across the desert to the south, and they found the cool air of the rocky plain a relief from the heat. The others had come from the grassy plains farther west, and were used to milder weather. While the adults traded news and maps and equipment, the children ran wild. Only one boy, from the other caravan, didn’t run or play: a pale boy, with fine features, who followed by habit a few feet behind one of the older women from the other caravan. “Derie’s apprentice,” the other children told him, and shrugged, as if there was nothing more to say. The older woman was the other group’s best Worker, with dark hair going to grizzle and gimlet eyes. Every time she appeared the herbalist suddenly remembered an herb her son needed to help her prepare, or something in their wagon that needed cleaning. The boy was observant, and clever, and it didn’t take him long to figure out that his mother was trying to keep him away from the older woman: she, who had always demanded he face everything head-on, who had no patience for what she called squeamishness and megrims.
After a hard day of play over the rocks and dry, grayish grass, the boy was starving. A cold wind blew down over the rocky plain from the never-melting snow that topped the high peaks of the Barriers to the east; the bonfire was warm. The meat smelled good. The boy had not forgotten the calf but when his mother brought him meat and roasted potatoes and soft pan bread on a plate, he did not think of him. Gerta—the head driver of the boy’s caravan—had spent the last three days with the other head driver, poring over bloodline records to figure out who between their two groups might be well matched for breeding, and as soon as everybody had a plate of food in front of them they announced the results. The adults and older teenagers seemed to find this all fascinating. The herbalist’s boy was nine years old and he didn’t understand the fuss. He knew how it went: the matched pairs would travel together until a child was on the way, and then most likely never see each other again. Sometimes they liked each other, sometimes they didn’t. That, his mother had told him, was what brandy was for.
The Slonimi caravans kept to well-defined territories, and any time two caravans met there was feasting and trading and music and matching, but this was no ordinary meeting, and both sides knew it. After everyone had eaten their fill, a few bottles were passed. Someone had a set of pipes and someone else had a sitar, but after a song or two, nobody wanted any more music. Gerta—who was older than the other driver—stood up. She was tall and strong, with ropy, muscular limbs. “Well,” she said, “let’s see them.”
In the back, the herbalist slid an arm around her son. He squirmed under the attention but bore it.
From opposite sides of the fire, a young man and a young woman were produced. The young man, Tobin, had been traveling with Gerta’s people for years. He was smart but not unkind, but the herbalist’s son thought him aloof. With good reason, maybe; Tobin’s power was so strong that being near him made the hair on the back of the boy’s neck stand up. Unlike all the other Workers—who were always champing at the bit to get a chance to show off—Tobin was secretive about his skills. He shared a wagon with Tash, Gerta’s best Worker, even though the two men didn’t seem particularly friendly with each other. More than once the boy had glimpsed their lantern burning late into the night, long after the main fire was embers.
The young woman had come across the plains with the others. The boy had seen her a few times; she was small, round, and pleasant-enough looking. She didn’t strike the boy as particularly remarkable. But when she came forward, the other caravan’s best Worker—the woman named Derie—came with her. Tash stood up when Tobin did, and when they all stood in front of Gerta, the caravan driver looked from one of them to the other. “Tash and Derie,” she said, “you’re sure?”
“Already decided, and by smarter heads than yours,” the gimlet-eyed woman snapped.
Tash, who wasn’t much of a talker, merely said, “Sure.”
Gerta looked back at the couple. For couple they were; the boy could see the strings tied round each wrist, to show they’d already been matched. “Hard to believe,” she said. “But I know it’s true. I can feel it down my spine. Quite a legacy you two carry; five generations’ worth, ever since mad old Martin bound up the power in the world. Five generations of working and planning and plotting and hoping; that’s the legacy you two carry.” The corner of her mouth twitched slightly. “No pressure.”
A faint ripple of mirth ran through the listeners around the fire. “Nothing to joke about, Gerta,” Derie said, lofty and hard, and Gerta nodded.
“I know it. They just seem so damn young, that’s all.” The driver sighed and shook her head. “Well, it’s a momentous occasion. We’ve come here to see the two of you off, and we send with you the hopes of all the Slonimi, all the Workers of all of our lines, back to the great John Slonim himself, whose plan this was. His blood runs in both of you. It’s strong and good and when we put it up against what’s left of Martin’s, we’re bound to prevail, and the world will be free.”
“What’ll we do with ourselves then, Gert?” someone called out from the darkness, and this time the laughter was a full burst, loud and relieved.
Gerta smiled. “Teach the rest of humanity how to use the power, that’s what we’ll do. Except you, Fausto. You can clean up after the horses.”
More laughter. Gerta let it run out, and then turned to the girl.
“Maia,” she said, serious once more. “I know Derie’s been drilling this into you since you were knee-high, but once you’re carrying, the clock is ticking. Got to be inside, at the end.”
“I know,” Maia said.
Gerta scanned the crowd. “Caterina? Cat, where are you?”
Next to the boy, the herbalist cleared her throat. “Here, Gerta.”
Gerta found her, nodded, and turned back to Maia. “Our Cat’s the best healer the Slonimi have. Go see her before you set out. If you’ve caught already, she’ll know. If you haven’t, she’ll know how to help.”
“It’s only been three days,” Tobin said, sounding slighted.
“Nothing against you, Tobe,” Gerta said. “Nature does what it will. Sometimes it takes a while.”
“Not this time,” Maia said calmly.
A murmur ran through the crowd. Derie sat up bolt-straight, her lips pressed together. “You think so?” Gerta said, matching Maia’s tone—although nobody was calm, even the boy could feel the sudden excited tension around the bonfire.
“I know so,” Maia said, laying a hand on her stomach. “I can feel her.”
The tension exploded in a mighty cheer. Instantly, Tobin wiped the sulk off his face and replaced it with pride. The boy leaned into his mother and whispered, under the roar, “Isn’t it too soon to tell?”
“For most women, far too soon, by a good ten days. For Maia?” Caterina sounded as if she were talking to herself, as much as to her son. The boy felt her arm tighten around him. “If she says there’s a baby, there’s a baby.”
After that the adults got drunk. Maia and Tobin slipped away early. Caterina knew a scout from the other group, a man named Sadao, and watching the two of them dancing together, the boy decided to make himself scarce. Tash would have an empty bunk, now that Tobin was gone, and he never brought women home. He’d probably share. If not, there would be a bed somewhere. There always was.
In the morning, the boy found Caterina by the fire, only slightly bleary, and brewing a kettle of strong-smelling tea. Her best hangover cure, she told her son. He took out his notebook and asked what was in it. Ginger, she told him, and willowbark, and a few other things; he wrote them all down carefully. Labeled the page. Caterina’s Hangover Cure.
Then he looked up to find the old woman from the bonfire, Derie, listening with shrewd, narrow eyes. Behind her hovered her apprentice, the pale boy, who this morning had a bruised cheek. “Charles, go fetch my satchel,” she said to him, and he scurried away. To Caterina, Derie said, “Your boy’s conscientious.”
“He learns quickly,” Caterina said, and maybe she just hadn’t had enough hangover tea yet, but the boy thought she sounded wary.
“And fair skinned,” Derie said. “Who’s his father?”
“Jasper Arasgain.”
Derie nodded. “Travels with Afia’s caravan, doesn’t he? Solid man.”
Caterina shrugged. The boy had only met his father a few times. He knew Caterina found Jasper boring.
“Healer’s a good trade. Everywhere needs healers.” Derie paused. “A healer could find his way in anywhere, I’d say. And with that skin—”
The boy noticed Gerta nearby, listening. Her own skin was black as obsidian. “Say what you’re thinking, Derie,” the driver said.
“Highfall,” the old woman said, and immediately, Caterina said, “No.”
“It’d be a great honor for him, Cat,” Gerta said. The boy thought he detected a hint of reluctance in Gerta’s voice.
“Has he done his first Work yet?” Derie said.
Caterina’s lips pressed together. “Not yet.”
Charles, the bruised boy, reappeared with Derie’s satchel.
“We’ll soon change that,” the old woman said, taking the satchel without a word and rooting through until she found a small leather case. Inside was a small knife, silver-colored but without the sheen of real silver.
The boy noticed his own heartbeat, hard hollow thuds in his chest. He glanced at his mother. She looked unhappy, her brow furrowed. But she said nothing.
“Come here, boy,” Derie said.
He sneaked another look at his mother, who still said nothing, and went to stand next to the woman. “Give me your arm,” she said, and he did. She held his wrist with a hand that was both soft and hard at the same time. Her eyes were the most terrifying thing he’d ever seen.
“It’s polite to ask permission before you do this,” she told him. “Not always possible, but polite. I need to see what’s in you, so if you say no, I’ll probably still cut you, but—do I have your permission?”
Behind Derie, Gerta nodded. The bruised boy watched curiously.
“Yes,” the boy said.
“Good,” Derie said. She made a quick, confident cut in the ball of her thumb, made an identical cut in his small hand, quickly drew their two sigils on her skin in the blood, and pressed the cuts together.
The world unfolded. But unfolded was too neat a word, too tidy. This was like when he’d gone wading in the western sea and been knocked off his feet, snatched underwater, tossed in a maelstrom of sand and sun and green water and foam—but this time it wasn’t merely sand and sun and water and foam that swirled around him, it was everything. All of existence, all that had ever been, all that would ever be. His mother was there, bright and hot as the bonfire the night before—not her face or her voice but the Caterina of her, her very essence rendered into flame and warmth.
But most of what he felt was Derie. Derie, immense and powerful and fierce: Derie, reaching into him, unfolding him as surely as she’d unfolded the world. And this was neat and tidy, methodical, almost cold. She unpacked him like a trunk, explored him like a new village. She sought out his secret corners and dark places. When he felt her approval, he thrilled. When he felt her contempt, he trembled. And everywhere she went she left a trace of herself behind like a scent, like the chalk marks the Slonimi sometimes left for each other. Her sigil was hard-edged, multi-cornered. It was everywhere. There was no part of him where it wasn’t.
Then it was over, and he was kneeling by the campfire, throwing up. Caterina was next to him, making soothing noises as she wrapped a cloth around his hand. He leaned against her, weak and grateful.
“It’s all right, my love,” she whispered in his ear, and the nervousness was gone. Now she sounded proud, and sad, and as if she might be crying. “You did well.”
He closed his eyes and saw, on the inside of his eyelids, the woman’s hard, angular sigil, burning like a horse brand.
“Don’t coddle him,” Derie said, and her voice reached through him, back into the places inside him where she’d left her mark. Caterina’s arm dropped away. He forced himself to open his eyes and stand up. His entire body hurt. Derie was watching him, calculating but—yes—pleased. “Well, boy,” she said. “You’ll never be anyone’s best Worker, but you’re malleable, and you’ve got the right look. There’s enough power in you to be of use, once you’re taught to use it. You want to learn?”
“Yes,” he said, without hesitating.
“Good,” she said. “Then you’re my apprentice now, as much as your mother’s. You’ll still learn herbs from your mother, so we’ll join our wagon to your group. But don’t expect the kisses and cuddles from me you get from her. For me, you’ll work hard and you’ll learn hard and maybe someday you’ll be worthy of the knowledge I’ll pass on to you. Say, Yes, Derie.”
“Yes, Derie,” he said.
“You’ve got a lot to learn,” she said. “Go with Charles. He’ll show you where you sleep.”
He hesitated, looked at his mother, because it hadn’t occurred to him that he would be leaving her. Suddenly, swiftly, Derie kicked hard at his leg. He yelped and jumped out of the way. Behind her he saw Charles—he of the bruised face—wince, unsurprised but not unsympathetic.
“Don’t ever make me ask you anything twice,” she said.
It is FINALLY February! I don’t know about you guys, but January seemed to drag on FOREVER! Especially this last week. But it’s a new month, and I’m going to try to hit it hard with my reading!
Below I’ll show you the 15 books I have on my TBR and the criteria I’m using them for! Book Battle stars anew today, and I’m hoping to lead my team to victory! Come join in the competitive reading fun here!
So, eleven of my books are ARCs. I’d love to put a dent in my ARC pile! The club reads are sequels – we can read any books in the series! I received a lovely finished copy of Blood Countess so I’m excited to check that one out as well!
What’s on your TBR this month? Have any thoughts on mine? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy Thursday guys! This year I started using a couple reading tracker spreadsheets to track my books read. I also started using a Book Blogging spreadsheet. It has a tab dedicated to book hauls. I made a point to log every book I bought, and whew. I did not realize what a habit I had!
So in January alone, I bought 27 books for a total of $134.74. I did not realize I spent that much! And those are just books for ME! We also bought our DM the Critical Role graphic novel and I bought my kid some books.
I mostly bought ebooks. I only bought two physical and 6 audios. So lets jump in to what I bought!
So for ebooks – three were preorders, and I got preorder incentives for Don’t Read the Comments and The Shadows Between Us! Thirteen were on sale for $2.99 or less. I bought 5 full price. I’ve also already read three of the ones I bought – Center of the Universe, Don’t Read the Comments, and The Wives.
Three of these I got with audible credits and the other three I got from the past daily deals sale! I’ve already finished Chase Darkness With Me and Evil has a name. I’m currently listening to Human Errors. I have found this month that I really love non-fic audios – especially true crime!
These two I bought last weekend at Books-A-Million. I don’t really read physicals, but I want to get back into them! I have already read Language of Thorns, but I’ve been wanting my own copy! The artwork on the sides of the stories is amazing. I got Grave Mercy because I’ve been into female assassins lately and I’m always looking for inspo for my dnd character!
Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? What are your January hauls looking like? Let me know in the comments below!
Hello again, everyone! I’m here for the Cast in Wisdom Blog Tour stop! I’ve been very fortunate to participate in Harlequin’s Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Thriller blog tours and I have so much fun every time!
Today I’m sharing with you a little bit about Cast in Wisdom by Michelle Sagara as well as an excerpt!
“In the aftermath of the events in the High Halls, there are loose ends. One of those loose ends is the fieflord, Candallar. In an attempt to understand his involvement—with the Barrani, with the High Court, and with the much hated Arcanum—Kaylin has been sent to the fiefs.
She has mixed feelings about this. There’s nothing mixed about her feelings when she discovers a very unusual building in the border zone between two fiefs, and far more questions are raised than are answered. Her attempt to get answers leads her back to the Imperial Palace and its resident Dragon librarian, the Arkon.
Things that were lost in the dim past were not, perhaps, destroyed or obliterated—and what remains appears to be in the hands of a fieflord and his allies—allies who would like to destroy Kaylin’s friends, the Emperor, and possibly the Barrani High Court itself. This is bad.
What’s worse: The librarian who hates to leave his library has a very strong interest in the things that might, just might, have been preserved, and—he is leaving his library to do in person research, no matter what Kaylin, the Hawks, or the Emperor think.
He is not the only one. Other people are gathering in the border zone; people who believe knowledge is power. But power is also power, and it might be too late for the Empire’s most dedicated Historian—and Kaylin and her friends, who’ve been tasked with his safety.”
Michelle Sagara is an author, bookseller, and lover of literature based in Toronto. She writes fantasy novels and lives with her husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs. Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
“You are such a coward,” Bellusdeo said when they’d reached the relative safety of the street. The roads in and around Helen were sparsely populated at the busiest of times, which this wasn’t. They would soon join roads that were crowded at the slowest of times, but Kaylin was dressed for the office. The Hawk emblazoned on her tabard encouraged people to make space.
Had Bellusdeo hit the streets in her Draconic form, she’d have cleared far more of it—but some of that space would be created by panic, and panic could cause both accidents and the type of traffic congestion that caused the Swords to investigate. Also, it was illegal.
“It’s not cowardice,” Kaylin replied, scanning the windows of the buildings above ground level.
“What would you call it?”
“Wisdom.”
“Oh, please.”
“There’s no point in arguing with them now. Sedarias thinks it’ll be months before this ridiculous command performance occurs. We have months to attempt to talk her out of—”
“Out of expressing any appreciation or gratitude?”
Ugh. “You know they’re grateful. This isn’t about gratitude. It’s about rubbing that gratitude in the faces of the Barrani who attempted to brand you a—an army. An attacking army.”
“I believe the term you want is Flight.” Bellusdeo’s eyes were orange.
Hope squawked at the Dragon. Kaylin didn’t understand what he was saying. Bellusdeo did, but her eyes didn’t get any lighter.
“You know as well as I do,” Kaylin said, emboldened by Hope’s entry into the discussion, “that this is not the time to visit the High Halls. I’m not sure the Emperor has ever been a guest there.”
“We visited the Halls—more or less—when they came under attack, and the Barrani needed our help.”
“From the outside. No one invited the Dragon Court in.”
The chorus of Barrani voices that sometimes offered entirely unasked for opinions on the inside of her head maintained their silence for half a beat. The first person to break that silence was the fieflord. His words were tinged with amusement.
You cannot expect that the cohort would suddenly cease to cause any difficulty, surely?
I’m almost certain that the cohort understands why inviting a Dragon—any Dragon—to attend the High Halls would be a disaster.
For the Dragons?
For everyone.
I believe some of the more conservative High Lords might be surprisingly supportive of such an invitation.
Of course they would. It would be their best shot at killing Bellusdeo. If Bellusdeo died, there would be no new Dragons. No hatchlings.
There’s no way the Emperor would give her permission to attend.
Nightshade concurred. In his position, I would not. But I would be prepared, should I refuse to grant that permission, for all-out war. My brother has grown inordinately fond of her; living with you has made him reckless.
He’s not—
He has known Bellusdeo for even less time than you. He is willing to trust her in a fashion no one older would. And do not cite the Consort, please.
Kaylin hadn’t intended to. The Consort seems to like her.
Kaylin, the Consort “likes” me. But she does not trust me.
She does.
“Stop making that face, or it will freeze that way.” Kaylin reddened.
I understand that you are attempting to avoid the Emperor’s ire. I consider this wise on your part. It is not, however, the ire of the Emperor that will be your most significant problem; he will do nothing to harm Bellusdeo.
I know that.
It is the ire of the High Lords. Sedarias is, I believe, genuinely grateful for Bellusdeo’s intervention. She does wish to honor her. But gratitude can be expressed privately—and in most cases, it is. Only rulers feel obliged to make that expression public because the public expression elevates those to whom one feels gratitude. It makes clear to witnesses that the aid tendered—in whatever fashion—is important and significant. The Emperor has codified such significance in public ceremonies and public titles, has he not?
Kaylin shrugged.
For Sedarias, however, genuine gratitude is not an impediment to political displays. She can be genuinely grateful and simultaneously,extremely political. She wishes to highlight Bellusdeo’s aid and import to Mellarionne. Why do you think this is?
Kaylin thought about this. After a long pause, she said, She wants to thumb her nose at the rest of the High Lords, many of whom weren’t helpful at all?
Nightshade’s silence was one of encouragement.
Bellusdeo’s a Dragon. So…her presence means that even Dragons—with whom you’ve had a war or two—
Three.
Fine, a war or three, were more helpful, or at least more of a genuine ally, than any of the Barrani.
Yes. I believe that is some part of Sedarias’s intent. That’s not going to help Mellarionne any.
Perhaps, perhaps not. She will do so as An’Mellarionne. It would be considered a very bold move—but there are those who would assume that Sedarias is confident in her own power, and they would hesitate to challenge her.
“If you are speaking about me,” Bellusdeo said, her voice almost a whisper of sound, “I must insist that you include me.”
Hope squawked.
“Well, yes, that could cause some difficulty,” the Dragon replied. “But I dislike Kaylin’s worry. She is mortal.” Squawk. “The marks of the Chosen don’t matter. She’s mortal. I may be a displaced person in these lands; I may no longer have a home or lands of my own. But I am a Dragon.”
“I’m not exactly worried about you,” Kaylin said. When one golden brow rose in response, she added, “Not about you specifically. But—there’s no way for Dragon and High Halls to combine that isn’t political. Explosively political. On your own, you can survive more than any of the rest of the cohort—or me. But you won’t be on your own. The cohort won’t abandon you.”
It was the Dragon’s turn to snort.
Kaylin reconsidered her words and chose better ones. “Most of the cohort wouldn’t abandon you. Annarion wouldn’t. Mandoran wouldn’t. I don’t believe Allaron would either, from what I’ve seen. And you know what the cohort is like. The minute one of them enters combat to save you, they’re all going to rush in. It doesn’t matter if they’re there for your sake or their friends’; they’ll be there. But this is political, and anything political is far above my pay grade.”
“You don’t seem to find this insulting.”
“I consider it one of the biggest advantages of my rank. Which is the lowest rank I could be given and still be called a Hawk.”
“One of? What’s another one?”
“I’m not in command. I don’t need to make decisions that might cost the lives of other Hawks. No matter what happens in an action, large or small, I won’t have their deaths on my hands.”
“But you don’t like being a private.”
“Well, I could be a corporal, and it would still be mostly true. And the pay is higher.”
“It’s not much higher,” a familiar voice said. It was Mandoran’s. Of course it was. Kaylin didn’t miss a step.
“I don’t suggest you try to enter the Halls of Law looking like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like thin air.”
“Oh. That.” Mandoran caused other people some consternation as he materialized to the side of Kaylin that Bellusdeo wasn’t occupying. To be fair, most of the street didn’t notice; people always had their own problems and their own schedules. “I was going to follow Teela into the office, but Teela’s not heading there directly.”
“So you followed us?”
“Not most of the way, no. I decided to head straight here to wait, but I caught up because you’re doing the Hawk-walk.” He glanced at Bellusdeo. “For what it’s worth, I think insisting on your presence on the inside of the High Halls is suicidal.”
“Oh?” The Dragon’s voice was cool. “For who?”
Mandoran grinned. “Mostly Kaylin.”
Kaylin watched as flecks of gold appeared in Bellusdeo’s eyes. Mandoran had, once again, managed to set Bellusdeo at ease. Kaylin wondered if that was why he’d chosen to speak when he had. He never treated the Dragon with respect; had the Emperor been present for most of their spats, she wasn’t certain Mandoran wouldn’t be a pile of bleeding ash. Well, ash, because ash didn’t bleed, but still.
“You left the rest of the cohort behind?” Kaylin asked.
“We had a vote, and Helen decided it was safest to send me.”
“She was the tie-breaker?”
“Ah, no. She didn’t consider the first choice viable. But— we can all see what I see anyway, so unless there’s an attack, having more than one person here is superfluous. If Teela had been coming directly to the office, someone would have followed Teela.”
“Not you?” Bellusdeo asked.
“I had to live with Tain for a few years. Compressed into a few weeks, I might add. He’s stuffy and remarkably straightforward. Also, he hates fun.”
“He hates mess,” Kaylin said, as they approached the stairs that led into the Halls of Law.
“Define mess. No, wait, don’t. The problem with Tain—at least for me—is that Teela might actually kill us if we’re indirectly responsible for his death. He’s not like the rest of us; we can’t speak to him without shouting, and even if we can, he doesn’t listen half the time. So…it’s a lot less safe to tail Tain.”
“I imagine it’s safer to tail Tain than it is to tail Kaylin if you’re worried about Teela’s reaction,” Bellusdeo said, frowning slightly.
On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she’d become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn’t. And then she died. Now she’s stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge–as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past. Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly’s afterlife has been miserable. But this year, everything is about to change…
– Goodreads
This was the perfect holiday read. I was so glad it won the discussion poll over at Book Battle! I was a little hesitant at first. I’ve never read an A Christmas Carol retelling, and I wasn’t sure how it would work. Cynthia Hand did an amazing job of keeping the spirit and key elements in the original story and mixing them with a little fantasy! Honestly, this is something I will probably reread every holiday season.
So we start with Holly. She isn’t a good person. But what does that matter? The three ghosts visit her on Christmas Eve. She thinks it’s a crazy dream or a prank. The next day, she’s dead. Now 5 years have passed and she works for Project Scrooge. They are the ones who pick the hero each year. The ghosts come to them and try to get them to change for the better. This year the Hero is young – like Holly’s age. He’s cute. Is he really that bad?
Holly develops feelings for Ethan, which is totally against all the rules. She just can’t help it. She has to be near him. But falling for Ethan also opens up wounds of her own. Will she be able to keep changing for the better?
I read this book in just over a day. It was so enthralling and fun. I loved the forbidden romance. I also loved how Holly kept growing and changing. I don’t want to give away the ending – it was good! But I just wanted something… different. But I see why Cynthia ended it that way!
If you haven’t read The Afterlife of Holly Chase, you need to put it on your TBR for this holiday season! It’s already on mine again.
This is the book series that reignited by love of reading. It also got me into YA – which is now my favorite genre!
I am SO HYPE for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes releasing on May 19, 2020. So I’ll probably read this series in April/May to then be able to read Ballad!
I started this series years ago. I think I got through book 4? But today by friend Jordan made a post in Words & Whimsy about how she finished and loved it. So now it’s back on top of the TBR!
Plus, I loved ACOTAR (because who didn’t?!) so I feel like I’ll like her other words too! I loved the first few books of ToG I read.
I unexpectedly got an ARC of book 2, Kingsbane, last year. And I won’t lie, that book it thiccccc. Like, it’s intimidating! But these books sound like something I love, so they are a priority this year! I already have Furyborn on Kindle, so no need to wait!
Plus, book 3 – Lightbringer – is expected to release October 13, 2020!
I love Marie Lu. I loved the Warcross series. That spoke to me as a female gamer. I loved Legend. I remember after a bad 3 day stretch on the floor nursing, I stayed in bed day 4 and devoured Legend. I didn’t get up to eat or anything.
Why have I waited so long to read The Young Elites?! I love Marie and everything she’s done, so I know this is a no brainer.
Have you read these series? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to discuss!
Hey guys! Here’s my TBR for January! I have two books off my TBR list, a libby book, some arcs and other ebooks to read!
I said I was going to try to read 15 books a month, so here is what I plan on reading! 11 are for Book Battle criteria, and four will count as freebies – if I read them before the 26th! That’s when Battle ends.
Book Battle Reads
Freebies
So far, I am only 43% into Grey. It’s one of my TBR books and my libby hold came in, so I wasn’t thinking it would be my first book of the year. So far I’m not loving it. Grey makes me aggravated with this thoughts. But I feel like I’m too far in to DNF. So a more thorough review to come when I finally finish it.
I have a blog tour coming up for Cub on Jan 6. Be sure to come back and check it out!
Halfway to the Grave was recommended to me by my friend and fellow Book Battle and Words & Whimsy modmin, Jordan. I’m excited to read it! She always gives the best recs.
My ARCs for this month are: The Weight of a Soul, Every Other Weekend, Cub, Second Star, Lost Boy, Don’t Read the Comments, The Weight of the Stars, Center of the Universe, You Too?, A Beginning at the End and Say Something.
Here are the Goodreads links to the books I plan on reading this month!
I cannot believe it is the last day of the year! What?! This year has flown by. I’m noticing the years are going faster since I joined book battle and since having Mylzs!
Here I am going to tell you my top reads of 2019. There were some great ones!
Ninth House was my top read of the year! Yes, Leigh is my most favorite, but man this book was good. It was dark, it was creepy, there was romance. Let me tell ya, I’m ready to go to Hell! In book 2, that is.
So Verity was my first CoHo book and honestly, I’m not sure I want to read her others! I know this wasn’t her normal genre, but it was SO.GOOD. I was thinking about the ending for weeks after.
Girl power seemed to be a theme with me this year. I think because I have found some amazing friends in Words & Whimsy! This was another powerful tale of what happens when girls stick together.
Last but certainly not least, is Over the Top. I love JVN. He’s a self care QUEEN. I loved learning from him and learning about him. Still hoping he’ll be my bff one day.
Well guys, there’s my top 5! What were your top 5 reads this year? Did you like any of these? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to discuss!
Ok, I was super excited to do the first installment of this series. I got done, felt so accomplished, and just wanted to keep going! I feel like this is going to be a great way for me to clear out all this stuff I have clogging up my list so it can be functional!
Also, I know it isn’t Sunday. I had this post all done and ready to go, but my kid got tubes in his ear today (Thursday) and I just don’t have it in me to do another post. I’m tired, he’s tired. We’re just ready for bed. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite posts though, so you may see a lot more of them. Let’s dive right in!
Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: I’ve heard alot about Sherrilyn Kenyon. I was kind of immediately turned off by the fact the MC was 14. I feel like I’m just too old for that. The friends trying to kill him sounds great, then it just kind of goes downhill for me.
Keep or Delete: Delete
Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: Crime novel. Features an FBI agent. Count me in!
Keep or Delete: Keep
Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: Paranormal romance. Boy and girl come together to fight off darkness. Feels very meh.
Keep or Delete: Delete
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: My mom is a huge Sophie fan, and we don’t really like the same books. Right off the bat I’m having reservations. After reading synopsis/reviews, doesn’t seem like my cup of tea.
Keep or Delete: Delete.
Sunny Chandler’s Return by Sandra Brown
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: I must have added this one because of my mom too. Okay, but this sounds kind of good, and steamy. So why not?
Keep or Delete: Keep
Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: Ok, another Sandra Brown. Completely different from the one above. This sounds like a crime/stalker novel so I’m all in.
Keep or Delete: Keep.
44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: Reading the synopsis was just Eh. This was another I added because of my mom, but I think I’ll pass.
Keep or Delete: Delete
Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: This seems interesting. Married woman sees the one who got away and starts questioning everything.
Keep or Delete: Keep
Sandra Brown Compliation
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: The only one that strikes by fancy is the last book, Send No Flowers. So I’ll probably delete this, but add that one. So it’s a draw.
Keep or Delete: Draw.
Visions in White by Nora Roberts
Date Added: June 26, 2015
Thoughts: I wasn’t too into the idea of four parts of a wedding planning company finding love. Just seems, I don’t know. Eh?
Keep or Delete: Delete.
Conclusion
My TBR today started at 1981. I kept 4 books, deleted 5, and had a draw on one – deleted the compilation but added one of the 3 back. So That brings my TBR to 1978.
I wasn’t expecting to keep any of these books, really. Except the crime one. I was surprised at how good the Sandra Brown and Emily Giffin books sounded. Hopefully they will live up to their synopsis!
Can’t wait for another edition of this with you guys!
Mithah Reads 