I'm Dini (she/her) and I'm a thirty-something book lover based in Indonesia. I mostly read romance and SFF though I love to dabble in other genres but tend to stay away from horror and ghosty things because I'm The Ultimate Chicken™️. I'm always happy to meet other book lovers so feel free to chat with me!
Well, I don’t know about you but to me, January simultaneously felt like it would never end and like it passed way too quickly for my liking. This was the month I started my “new” job, returned to work 4 of 5 days in the office, and felt a ridiculous level of stress and pressure that I haven’t felt in quite some time. It has been both good and bad and although it’s gotten slightly better and I’m slowly finding my feet, it’s been a lot to adjust to!
With my first chunky new paycheck I decided to indulge in new tech and invested in my first ever tablet—the 5th Gen iPad Air and of course, I got it in the colour purple! 💜 I think 2023 is fast becoming the year I take my favourite colour and make it into my whole aesthetic and I’m not mad about it at all.
disclaimer: i’m absolutely losing my mind at work so i’m sorry if this post is a little dramatic 😂
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:
Hey, friends! Today I’m back with another reading challenge post and this time it’s for the Choose Your Own Adventure: Year in Aeldia Magical Readathon 2023 Challenge. I find it hard to keep up with all the different challenges so despite following and being subscribed to the Magical Readathon on Twitter and YouTube, I still somehow missed this announcement.
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 curled up reading in bed with or which book you wish you had time to read today!
I’ll be wrapping up my Sunday in bed still reading Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken. This is a buddy read and it was honestly a bit of a slow start. The world-building is kind of clunky and awkward but I’m at 18% now and it’s slowly starting to pick up! I’m excited to keep reading.
📖SYNOPSIS
#1 New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Bracken cements her status as one of the top fantasy authors writing today in this stunning series opener inspired by Arthurian legend and fueled by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!
Tamsin Lark didn’t ask to be a Hollower. As a mortal with no magical talent, she was never meant to break into ancient crypts, or compete with sorceresses and Cunningfolk for the treasures inside. But after her thieving foster father disappeared without so much as a goodbye, it was the only way to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.
Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian vanished with a powerful ring from Arthurian legend. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.
As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother….
Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Delacorte Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1) Publisher: Delacorte Press Publication Date: 24 January 2023 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Rep: Middle Eastern, Arabian, Lebanese
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
📖SYNOPSIS
The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.
In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.
Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation’s coveted spice – a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.
But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation’s magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city’s location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.
Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes – and in her own heart – but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?
In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Colonialism, slave labour, brutality/cruelty, gladiator/ring fighting, prison labour, death, public hangings, sexual assault/attempted r*pe (not to main character), bullying
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR:Spice Road is a book that I’m glad I was patient with because, despite a bit of a rough start, it really pulled through for me in the end! The world-building was descriptive and vivid, the atmosphere was tense, and the story unfolded at a fast pace. I loved the development of our main character, Imani, the most though. What had the potential to ruin a great read with an unsympathetic main character, was saved by realistic gradual growth and it made the second half of this book so much more enjoyable to read! There were a few twists and turns at the end that only served to increase the intensity of the story and now that I’m invested, I can’t wait to get my hands on book two to see what happens next! 😍
Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly featurefor 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
Twelve years ago, Jules Savoie ended her relationship with the vampire overlord of New Orleans, Ruben Dubois. For good reasons. A woman in power must often make sacrifices to protect others. She knows the truth of it down to her aching heart.
When Ruben watches his best friend Devraj get married, a stinging realization hits him hard…he’s done waiting. They say time heals all wounds. In this case, it merely sharpened the pain and made one fact crystal clear. Jules Savoie is his soulmate, and nothing would keep him from her. Not anymore.
Forced to work side by side to fight for the werewolf cause, they campaign together at covens from New Orleans to London. The reignited spark burns hotter than ever before. But when a power-hungry vampire sets his predatory sights on Jules, will their love be strong enough against black magic? Or will he lose her again? And this time, maybe…for good.
⚠️CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
Violence, on-page sex (including orgy scenes, MCs do not participate), drugging, kidnapping, torture, assault, sexist behaviour
*This review was first posted to Goodreads in December 2022*
TL;DR:You know how I said that Always Practice Safe Hex was my favourite book in this series? Well, I lied, cos it’s just been ousted by Resting Witch Face (sorry Gareth and Livvy, you’ll always be faves though)! Ruben and Jules are E V E R Y T H I N G!!! These two were so incredibly precious and sweet and beyond deserving of their HEA—what a journey they went through to get to where they are in this book. I loved their story so much!
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:
This week’s topic is New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022 (If you didn’t read books by 10 new authors, share new-to-you authors whose books you added to your TBR in 2022. Get creative, if needed!).
dinipandareads 