#FirstLinesFriday: 1 November 2024

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“In the middle of a collection of cornfields, in the middle of the country, in the middle of nowhere, a weathered wooden post marked the intersection of two roads.”

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✨ Creatures of the Night Book Tag ✨

Hello, friends! 🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 🎃 What better time than now to post the Creatures of the Night Book Tag? I was recently tagged by Caro @Bookcheshirecat (go visit/follow her if you haven’t done so already!) and I wasn’t sure that I would have enough read books to fill all of these prompts but surprise—I do! 😂 You might notice that there’s a bit of a theme going with most of these books (it’s romance, what did you expect?)! Without any further waffling on, let’s get to it.

This tag was originally created by Kat from Katytastic over on Booktube.

🦇 Vampire🦇

Interview with the Vampire

I read this ages ago and fell in love with Rice’s writing. I meant to continue the series but never got around to it after leaving my copy of the second book on a plane, lol.

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even “settle down” for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia’s struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.

Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires–a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne’s most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.

🐺 Werewolf 🐺

Witches Get Stitches

Even though the name says witches, the love interest in this book is a werewolf! This was one of my favourites in the Stay A Spell series and I would highly recommend checking it out! 😍

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

Violet Savoie has a plan. A dream, rather. To open her own tattoo shop, which caters to supernaturals in need of permanent charms. As a powerful Seer, she has the potent magic to cast every kind of spell. Except the kind to give werewolves control over their beastly side. And her business partner Nico needs help in the worst kind of way.

Nico Cruz has a secret. A motive, rather. To subtly stalk and seduce Violet until she finally recognizes they are fated to be together. Ever since their heated encounter in Austin on New Year’s Eve two years earlier, he’s been dying to get his hands—and his tongue—back on her body. He knows a woman like Violet can’t be courted in the usual way. Luckily, Nico has no scruples about misbehaving to get what he wants.

But when his former pack roams into town, and an old friend is far too interested in Violet, his focus shifts to the threat venturing into his territory. Nico may come across as the quiet, broody one, but the intruders are about to regret stepping foot in New Orleans. And when Violet goes missing, no charm or spell can keep Nico’s wolf at bay.

🧟 Zombie 🧟

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Aah, one of my favourite paranormal romances of all time. No joke, I adore this book and want to live in this world (where I guarantee I’d die in the first 5 mins) but I’m obsessed with these characters (HART!!! 🥺) and I’d so love to spend time with them. 💜

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

Set in a world full of magic and demigods, donuts and small-town drama, this enchantingly quirky, utterly unique fantasy is perfect for readers of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Invisible Library.

👻 Ghost 👻

Under the Whispering Door

Klune has a knack for writing cosy fantasies that feel like a warm hug but can also casually and simultaneously emotionally destroy you. 🤭

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

Welcome to Charon’s Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

🪄 Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster 🪄

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

This is a wonderfully cosy witchy feel-good read. It’s got found family, a spot of hate-to-love moments, meddling old hens, precious young witches. All things I love! ❤️

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

She found magic in the most unlikely of places.

Mika Moon follows three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn’t mind it . . . mostly.

But when an unexpected invitation arrives to teach three young witches at the mysterious Nowhere House, Mika jumps at the chance for a different life. As she comes to care for its quirky inhabitants – and Jamie, the handsome but prickly librarian – finally belonging somewhere feels like a real possibility. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world – is it worth risking everything to protect the found family Mika didn’t know she was looking for? A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a new family – and a new love – changes the course of her life.

🧚🏻‍♀️ Fairy/Fae 🧚🏻‍♀️

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

I fell completely in love with this series and the characters in this second book. I can’t wait for more adventures with this crew! 😍

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby.

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers.

She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.

😈 Demon 😈

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

The first in a delightful paranormal rom-com series. Lemming’s humour gets me every time. This whole series is fun, sexy, and cheekily good!

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

All I wanted to do was live my life in peace. Maybe get a cat, expand my spice farm. Really anything that doesn’t involve going on a quest where an orc might rip my face off. But they say the Goddess has favourites. If so, I’m clearly not one of them.

After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all he wanted to do was kill an evil witch enslaving his people.

I mean, I get it, don’t get me wrong. But he’s dragging me along for the ride, and I’m kind of peeved about it. On the bright side, he keeps burning off his shirt.

👽 Alien 👽

Choosing Theo

I legit can’t remember what this was about or what I enjoyed about it but I gave it 4.5 stars on Goodreads so maybe it’s due for a re-read. I wasn’t sure if I had alien books to share but here you go! 😂

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

Being kidnapped by aliens is only the start of Jade’s problems. Thankfully, her rescuers, an alien race known as the Clecanians, are willing to protect her, but she has to stay on their planet for one year and respect the rules of their culture–including choosing a husband. Jade refuses at first but decides to play along until she can find a way back to Earth.

Theo, a scarred mercenary who prefers a life of solitude, is stunned when Jade selects him as her husband. After years of being passed over, he never imagined he would be chosen and neither did anyone else. Only one explanation makes sense…the curvy enticing female must be a spy, and Theo’s determined to break her cover using any means necessary.

As Jade and Theo are forced to spend time together, their chemistry becomes undeniable. But neither can afford to bring love into the equation, especially since Jade seems determined to go home. After all, she can’t possibly stay here, right?

✨ Superpowered Human ✨

Vicious

Schwab is one of my all-time favourites and so is this book. The complexity of the relationships, the superpowers, the emotions… I grew surprisingly attached to these characters. I loved this and them!

📖 ABOUT THE BOOK

A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

I’m tagging:

Becky | Leslie | Tasya | Chris | You!

That’s it for the Creatures of the Night Book Tag! If you’re not tagged but want to do it, feel free to link back as I’d love more recs! 😍

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

Book Review: The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli

The Crimson Moth (The Crimson Moth #1)
Publisher: Magpie
Pub Date: 20 February 2024
Genre: New Adult Romance Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Enemies-to-lovers doesn’t get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli’s latest romantic fantasy.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Persecution for witchcraft, mass murder of witches recounted, slavery/captivity recounted, abuse (sexual, physical, mental) recounted, rape recounted, drug addiction, alcoholism, gun violence, torture, imprisonment.

TL;DR: The Crimson Moth was exactly what I wanted it to be and what I needed at the time of reading. If you’re searching for a new adult romance fantasy that will absorb you with its storytelling, keep you immersed with its cast, and grab you by your feelings with the enemies-to-lovers mutual pining and angst, then this is an excellent book to check out! With the slow-building tension and turns of events that lead to an action-packed and heart-twisting ending, I’m fully seated and ready to see where Ciccarelli takes us next. I just need it now! 🤣

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [254]

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’ve found myself in a suddenly very fickle reading mood. I haven’t continued my buddy read since putting it aside last week, and I haven’t continued the romance fantasy I started either. I’ve picked up multiple books too including titles I started months ago and am so close to finishing. I’ve already finished some titles this weekend and others I’m wondering whether I’m really in the mood for. Not sure what’s going on in my tired brain but my mood has left me with this ongoing pile:

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#FirstLinesFriday: 25 October 2024

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen.
I mean, pretty much nobody has. Logan Caldwell claims he ding-dong-ditched the place last summer break, but he’s an even bigger liar than me. The truth is you can’t really see the house from the road. Just the iron teeth of the front gate and the long red lick of the drive, maybe a glimpse of limestone walls crosshatched by honeysuckle and greenbriers.”

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The All Hallows Book Tag

We’re back with another Tag Thursday post and today I’m answering a tag that I was just tagged in earlier this week. I think this might be the fastest I’ve answered a tag but there’s no better time to do The All Hallows Book Tag! Thanks to Ashlee @Books Are 42 for tagging me and if you haven’t already, go check out and support her blog!

This tag was originally created by QuirinusReads (Twitter/Instagram).

Even though I’m a total wimp and don’t touch traditionally spooky genres—whether it be books, movies or anything else—I’m still hoping that I’ll have answers for all these prompts! Let’s kick it off with the This or That portion:

Now it’s on to the questions:

What are your favourite spooky season genres?

While I might not be a spooky book girlie, I enjoy my share of books set during the spooky season, especially if it’s a paranormal romance! I love a romance with a witchy twist or with other paranormal creatures, monster romance… You get the gist! Other than that, I’ve enjoyed reading mysteries in the spooky season and have even stepped further outside my comfort zone to read a spooky horror/paranormal. I ended up enjoying them too despite worrying someone would snatch me feet-first the whole time! 😂

Which titles do you recommend for Halloween reading?

There are so many but here are a few off the top of my head that I’ve loved or enjoyed a lot. Most are, unsurprisingly, paranormal romances! 😉

What are your most anticipated reads this month?

Even though October is almost halfway over I’m still feeling overly optimistic and have these books on my possibility pile to fit the mood of the spooky season. To be fair, I’ll probably consider the end of November the end of my “spooky season”! 😂

Have you had a paranormal experience or spooky coincidence?

I don’t know if this is common knowledge but (Southeast) Asians are a superstitious lot and the paranormal is a big part of our society. That feels like a sweeping generalisation, right? But many Southeast Asian countries I know and have been to generally have a healthy fear of and respect for the paranormal. I admit that I’ve had my share of paranormal experiences growing up and after the worst of them, was even taken to a Cambodian Buddhist monastery to be bathed in holy water (a circle of monks literally dumped many buckets of holy water over my head, lol). That’s a story for another time but I guess whether I believe it or not—although it’s admittedly hard to say I don’t believe it with the things I’ve experienced—what I can say is that I have respect for spirits and the spiritual world and all those who believe in it. 😅

What are your spooky season film and TV favourites?

As I’ve already mentioned, the spooky stuff just isn’t my jam and even if I get a sniff that something is spooky, I tend to immediately turn away from it. If I have to think about it though, there are two movies that I enjoy immensely and that fit the spooky season vibe: Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas (but I also watch this during the holiday season at least twice every year, lol)! Tim Burton gets me. 😆

How do you celebrate Halloween?

I actually don’t celebrate Halloween anymore only because, as a solitary homebody, I don’t do much of anything these days, lol. 😆 I introduced seasonally themed jewellery into my daily-wear collection last year and bought an adorable pumpkin spice latte pumpkin-shaped mug set and a set of a ghost wearing a purple flower crown. It’s too cute and I’ve been eagerly anticipating getting to wear them again ever since the season ended last year!

That’s it for The All Hallows Book Tag! I won’t be tagging anyone today but I’d love to see your answers if you decide to do this one!

Blog signature that reads: Let's Chat! xoxo, Dini

#TopTenTuesday: Changed Reading Habits

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time (submitted by Lydia @ https://lydiaschoch.com)

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