Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.
This week’s topic is:
Freebie Friday!
Prompts: It’s the fifth Friday of the month, so this week is a freebie! Use this week to revisit an old LTB topic, or write about something you’re interested in! You can check out a bunch of topics on our blogs (Dini’s & Aria’s) and Rukky’s blog for more ideas!
Spring may have come and gone around the world but before we dip into the true blue summer months, I thought I’d squeeze in one last seasonal tag with the Spring Cleaning Book Tag!Caro @Bookchshirecat tagged me to do this earlier in the month but I also didn’t realise that I’d already done it back in 2021 and 2023 but these answers can change yearly, so let’s get to it.
So many series could fit this prompt but I’ve been seeing the books in this series everywhere recently due to the release of the second book. It’s making me want to pick it up asap cos it sounds so good!
Cleaning/organizing the closet: The best way to organize books
Considering that my books are currently in piles all over the place, I don’t think I can really say there’s any “best” way to organize books! 😂 For the books that are on my actual shelf, they’re currently semi-organized by audience, genre (to an extent), height, and read/unread. I plan to do a clean up of my shelves eventually but I don’t know whether I will keep this method of organizing or shake it up with chaos.
Getting rid of unnecessary things: Books/series you no longer need
There are several books that fit this prompt and they’re all books I’ve recently(ish) read and did not love, and so we can make room for other books in their place!
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee, Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte, Sweet & Bigger Magic by Adrienne Tooley, Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee, The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
This was one of my more recent 2025 reads but it has become an instant light-hearted cosy favourite. If you love graphic novels or if you want to give them a try, if you love fantasy, sweet romance, found family, and furries, then 100% give this a try!
Clean out the kitchen cupboards: Your favourite food-themed read
This was a really fun and unique cosy murder mystery featuring magical deadly pies. Not all of them were deadly though, but all of them—especially the deadly ones—sounded fantastic! 🤤
Dust the shelves: What’s the fifth book on your bookshelf?
I still haven’t read the first Vuong book on my shelf but after reading the interview he did with NYT that had me crying at work (literally), I knew that this was a book I didn’t want to miss!
Wishing for the end: A 2025 release you’re really excited about
There are several releases I’m excited about but seeing as this book has been postponed for several years now, I really hope that 2025 will be the year we get it in our hands! I need more Nevermoor and Mog, please. 💜
Long but satisfying: The longest book series you’ve read
Unfortunately, this still hasn’t changed and the answer is still Maas’ ToG series. Not that I’ve actually finished it though because I still have the last book to read however, Ilona Andrews has a few long series that I’ve started and need to finish so maybe one day, this answer will change!
That’s it for the Spring Cleaning Book Tag! Not tagging anyone this time but feel free to link back to my post if you do it so I can check out your answers too! Would we have anything in common here?
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde!
A princess longing to be free…
On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.
A bastard aching to belong…
Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.
Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart…
Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.
Three shocking betrayals. Two star-crossed lovers. One unforgettable journey.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Blackmail, infidelity (recounted), death of parents, violence, blood, description of injuries, description of injury from fire, kidnapping, fade to black sex scene, stalking
Okay, I will admit that I’m impressed. Pushing aside the fact that it took me 5 years to finally get past the first chapter (all other attempts didn’t take and this time it took me 3 days to pass it), I ended up devouring the rest of the book in a day. Admittedly, I skimmed some of the longer overly descriptive scenes that didn’t seem to add anything other than splendour to the story. That said, this turned out to be more than I expected! Let’s get straight into what did and don’t work for me and what was in between:
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.
I think I’ll spend the rest of my Sunday trying to finish The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith. I’m just over halfway through now (56%) and I’m still really enjoying it. When my brain let’s it, it’s providing a great distraction from reality, and as you’ll read below, I really need that right now.
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.
This week’s topic is:
Literary Palette Cleanser
Prompts: Do you ever feel like you need a reading reset? Maybe you’ve been reading dense literary fiction, or in a reading slump. Are there certain books you read to help reset? Do you ever take a break from reading? Do you find yourself needing those literary palate cleansers at certain times of year?
Masquerade Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd. Pub Date: 2 July 2024 Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
📖SYNOPSIS
HER RISE TO POWER, PAID IN BLOOD
Òdòdó’s home city of Timbuktu has been conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Under their new oppressive ruler, conditions for Òdòdó and the other women in her ostracised blacksmith guild grow even worse.
Then Òdòdó is abducted and whisked across the Sahara to the capital city of Ṣàngótẹ̀, where she is shocked to discover that her kidnapper – the apparent vagrant who had visited her guild just days prior – is none other than the warrior king himself, and he has chosen her to be his wife.
Òdòdó soars to the very heights of society, and into a world of battle and politics. As tensions with rival states grow, revealing elaborate schemes and hidden enemies, Òdòdó must defy the cruel king she has been forced to wed and reforge the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor, or risk losing everything—including her life.
Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Misogyny, kidnapping, torture, murder, forced killing of parent (on-page), poisoning of an individual to cause infertility, suicide (on-page), blood, extreme violence and war themes
TL;DR: Masquerade is a great debut by Sangoyomi and I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I will say that while this is categorised as historical fantasy, there is very little in the way of fantasy about it. Nevertheless, it was a compelling story about a woman’s rise to power and the lengths she would go to pull herself out of a life of poverty and subjugation. Òdòdó is a fantastic morally grey main character who has a very compelling arc that made it surprisingly easy to root for her, despite making decisions that place her very solidly in the unlikeable camp. I found myself somewhat shocked at the lengths she would go to, but also admired her dogged determination to not be bested by people she knew weren’t better than her. Her arc was so unique and made this story unputdownable. I chose to go the immersive reading route for this (audio + ebook) and I enjoyed how the narrator brought Òdòdó’s story to life. I’d recommend this to readers who love a good historical novel, especially one that’s not Western-centric, and a story about an underdog who comes out on top because there’s nothing quite so satisfying as seeing horrible people get their comeuppance! 🤭
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
dinipandareads 