Court of Lies and Deceit - Outplaying the Unseelie King - Isera style!

 Does your heart thrum with magical villainy and the ruthlessness of protecting your own, do you find yourself caving in to the powerful and reveling in new found magical abilities, does a dark flashback - gutting and emotional, always get your heart thumps going, does outplaying a powerful foe who loves games but never plays, sing to your sense of justice, then come on in and let the games begin.....

This book is the third in the series by Marion Blackwood and follows right after the previous one's cliffhanger, with Selena broken and suffering, Draven reaches out to the Unseelie Court's ruler, Orion to save her. Accompanied by Lyra, Galen, Isera and Alistair, they find their way barred as they weren't paying attention to the bargains they made. Orion's court is trapped in its borders and to pacify the restlessness in the kingdom, he hosts games with players - with an ultimate boon being bestowed, and he wants this team to play.

The story rushes forward with the speed of a juggernaut with twists and turns - hope, glory and Isera - in shining bold neon highlight!!! Jacosta, is well cast, as their trainer and the games themselves are an adrenaline rush - with strategy, entertainment and bloodlust - think gladiator x hungergames x dragonshifters

I LOVE how Selena accepts her gifts and comes to terms with her connection with Draven, while also accepting the truth that her powers make her uniquely qualified for a ruthlessness that the upcoming battles will bring forth!

My soulstealing thank yous to Scarlett Press, Netgalley for allowing my shameless bingeing of the ARC! Looking forward to the next rollercoaster this saga will strap me to!

#Netgalley #ScarlettPress #CourtofLiesandDeceit #GladiatorxHungerGames # Augustreleases

Halloween Town - Charming tale of friends to lovers in a quirky town

 Prepare to be bewitched! by crisp clean country air, flashy Halloween decor, the town skeptics versus the believers, nosy ghosts, found family who just don't quit, a uniquely propositioned mayor and her teenage sidekick and a most cozy love story of friends to lovers.

Welcome back to H-Town, this story picks up from Summerween, and follows the tale of Thom and Poppy, two young, giddy children who were best friends as kids and now come back to their security blanket - Solstice Deep, in their hour of need. Together, they sift through their memories, identifying what each meant to the other and realize they are no longer in the same bubble, while also managing their spritual beliefs - add in one farting dog, two best friends, a teenager with psychic abilities, and a meddlesome godmother of a mayor and a town teeming with Halloween celebrations that bring the community together, you have a cozy read that is MADE for autumn and pumpkin spice!

My witchy thank yous to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to indulge with the ARC! this one is best savored with freshly brewed coffee, twizzled with a cinnamon stick!

#Augustreleases #witchyreads #halloweentown

Alchemy of Souls - dystopian society with a magical imbalance

 Room of Requirements based mystery set in dark academia vibes, with a feisty found family trope looped in for fair measure..

Adriana Mather brews a potent magic in this magical setting, in a dystopian society where magic and its practice is rigorously controlled and the elite are able to wield all four magics while the laborers struggle to get their one magical class assignment. It all depends on their performance in the Academy's entrance exam. but deep in the hallways of magic something incongruent occurs when the star pupil and lowly laborer are assigned each other's faces instead of the magical class they truly belong to, and especially when they produce the mystical archive key. Issued a two week reprieve from the Chancellor, Grayson and Eloise stumble their way through the typical and atypical teenage mores of societal adaptation, fake dating and living high stakes, lie-based and life and death variety of excitement, with the undercurrent of fatal attraction.

Eloise and Gray traipse through the hallways of the academy, fending off spies, testing their magical synchronicity and finding their own selves and acceptance to the way things work and what they are willing to sacrifice to achieve their goals. Add in a nefarious and tyrannical uncle, a sister who sings all the time, backstories with sorrow at their heart and finally, a poetic reveal on how magic operates...

My absolutely favorite was Maggie - utterly and bewitchingly wonderful!!! More than Eloise herself, I fell in love with the brash, brutal and frankly scary Maggie!! 

My alchemical thank yous to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing the ARC! best read with spicy pumpkin chai under a warm and cozy blanket with a tart, of course!

#Augustreleases #alchemyofsouls #darkacademia #dystopianfix #rebellion

Fields of Asphodel - Moving retelling on trust, bonds and family

 Ravishing and lyrical ode to the trending Greek myths focusing on the lesser known deities! If you loved Circe but wanted a more youthful countenance with some quests thrown in, then this is the marvelous coming of age story for the youthful flower goddess who claims back everything she thought she had lost at birth, with agonizingly thoughtful quotes and remonstrations.

Callie Rowland bears spotlight on Thanatos, the gentle god of Death and Asphodel or Del, the Flower Goddess and child of Persephone and Hades. Del, raised by her maternal grandmother, Demeter, has spent her life knowing a curse was placed upon her at birth - to never love a God from the Underworld, by her mother Persephone. Under the ministrations of Hecate (Cate) and Demeter (Yaya), she has learnt potion making and tending of her Isle, where she reigns supreme and no one can question her absolute control. Wary of her parents, she remains a third wheel in their family, attending only feasts and plotting with Demeter on how to disenchant Persephone and bring her back into the light.

Things go awry when she is informed of her betrothal to Thanatos, her father's loyal lieutenant, erstwhile God of Gentle Death, beloved teacher to her triplet siblings, and more a member of her family. Her rage and frustration lead her to kidnap Thanatos to her Isle, and what follows is a beautiful tale of trust, betrayal, loss and understanding. 

Drawing on themes of family, cycles of vengeance, seasons of resentment and blossoming of trust and companionship, the story unfolds leisurely, like a walk along a sandy shore, collecting shells in an infinite world of possibilities. There is definitely some sizzle involved, but the tale itself was like the timeless compositions that make Greek retellings romanticized!

My heartfelt thank yous (Styx swear) to 47North and Netgalley for providing me with the arc!

#greekretelling #comingofage #calliemrowland #fieldsofasphodel #augustreleases

Immortal Game - Deadly fae chess competition where the winner takes all

 Atmospheric, intense and all consuming!!! For anyone who thought a chess match could be anything else - dare you to read this and be unmoved!

Allison Saft brings to fore the pressure, the preparation and, finally, the nerves to be held in a simple game of chess, where lives, loves and lost ones are at stake. The book is absolutely CRUSHING, whether you know chess or not, you will get sucked into the vortex of plays, counter plays and psychological warfare and a brash of power plays that hits you anew - and harder than any battle scenes with the faes. The strategic, tactical and psychotic plays employed by these players of the immortal game just bring the competition to unhinged levels!

In the background are bargains with the fae, littered with loss and found family tropes, united by their supreme levels of confidence in ruling the 64 squares and finding joy in the play. Daniil was my ultimate favorite - he brought back memories of Artemis Fowl with his obscene intelligence, attitude and wealth! Ciara and Shae are caught in a web of causal loss, obsessing over each other's moves and their slow burn is beautifully wrought from the sheer joy of chess!

Shae - unsure, yet determined, Shae finds humility, acceptance and finally joy in just being and playing the game, one that has haunted her life, since her sister was taken six years ago. Her growth and her quirky interactions with the prickly players was absolutely delightful! Her equation with Eideen and her real life, the snubs from her mother (who I adore for her willful acrimony) and the way they find each other is also a lyrical closure to this marvelously thrilling tale

My checkered thank yous to St Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to revel in the arc!

#ImmortalGame #StMartinsPress #Netgalley #slowburn #faecompetition #dastardly

A Court of Venus - Novel magical system and burning love

 If your mind races with new magical systems, and your inner scientist loves a mélange of astrology and magical abilities that wax and wane, if your heart chases for political intrigue, belied by an aging king and a cutthroat court waiting to take over, if prophecy and death light your fires and a sizzling undercurrent of past and present lovescapes frame your mood boards, then look no further!

Bel Banta builds an absolutely epic opener with a nest of vipers in the Court, where Biance Mortlake aka mouse, goes back to unravel the mystery of prince Hal, her best friend since childhood. Her powers come from the moon magic and include transformation and the ability to guide or remove emotions - her nemesis is the current Lord Chancellor - Roland, whose Venus magic allows him to read emotions and manipulate lust. 

While the larger arc spins about Hal's murder and its mystery, the trouble brewing with an aging and cruel king and his power plays and the general ambience at the royal chambers are fraught with danger and an undercurrent of coups. Roland and Bianca are coerced to join forces to ensure Alvion does not fall - with a magician tourney ongoing, they battle loyalties, emotions and ultimately face off their worst fears about themselves to rise above the tide.

The growth of Bianca from the fearful mouse to the moon blessed siren was nothin short of EPIC! Samantha Hydeson lends her tones to bring out the various magics and planetary systems at play. Her emoting of the scenes between Roland, Hal and Bianca were gutting and rivetting all at once! The audio production leaves nothing to be desired and lends support to a fascinating tale, which I cannot wait to hear more of...

My Venus infused thank yous to Macmillian audio and Netgalley for providing me with the ALC!

I would be remiss if I didn't call out the absolute cracker of the ending! It was unexpected, exhilarating and the perfect cliffhanger to jump to the next book in the series!

#Septemberreads #Thecourtofvenus #macmillianaudio #romantasy

Tradwife - hynpnotic, static and disturbing

 Hypnotic, disturbing and wildly addictive....

I know what you did last summer X Stepford wives

Michelle Brandon crafts a unique thriller, which focuses more on the traditional wife concept and the expectations to live upto in a small town where everybody knows everybody and being seen is being judged. With a picturesque, all knowing neighborhood, we meet the main group, who each harbor secrets and leverage that information. More than the thriller, the montage of bread, sandals next to the body and the chapter on the body itself were more riveting, in my opinion.

The tale is choppy and cuts in and out - like static affecting the storyline, it added to the psychotic overhang and i enjoyed it the same way... If you are interested in a proper mystery - this may not satisfy that itch but if you, like me, enjoy a book for what it offers, then this is an unapologetic look into modern day organic momhood, its demands, pitfalls and impact on all the tradwives, especially when facing a modern world and when their role is cancelled.

My sourdough thank yous to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the arc! this book is best enjoyed with homemade jam, or a clean mocktail...

#augustreads #avonharpervoyager #tradwife #thriller