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:
Hi friends, I’m back for another blog tour today! I’m excited to share my thoughts as part of the blog tour hosted by Toppling Stacks Tours for Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones.
Thanks to Feiwel & Friends for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!
Arcana: The Lost Heirs
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: 24 June 2025
Genre: New Adult Graphic Novel
Rating:
(4 pandas)
Debut author/illustrator Sam Prentice-Jones explores fighting against your destiny and reconciling the actions of your ancestors in Arcana: The Lost Heirs, a tarot-inspired fantasy graphic novel for young adults.
James, Daphne, Koko, and Sonny have all grown up surrounded by magic in the Arcana, an organization of witches that protects the magical world, run by the mysterious and secretive Majors. Eli Jones, however, didn’t even know other witches existed… until he stumbled into James. As James introduces Eli to the world of the Arcana, he finds the family he never had, and a blossoming romance with James.
The five new friends soon realize that sinister things are afoot and everything may not be what it seems at the Arcana. When the group delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the deaths of their parents and the Major’s rise to power, they discover that they’re at the center of a curse – one they’ve just unwittingly set into motion. As the friends search for answers, they’ll have to confront the cursed legacy that links them in hopes of freeing their futures.
Death of parent, generational trauma
Arcana: The Lost Heirs is a great start to a new graphic novel series! It’s witchy, mysterious, and had a great found-family vibe going on. The art style and colour palette matched the story perfectly and I loved how different colours were used for varying characters but also emotions, moods, and events! It set the scenes apart quite well and helped to project a strong atmosphere for the story.
Read More » 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:
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:
Well, if you’re a follower, you may have gleaned from some of my more recent posts that the month ended heartbreakingly with a big loss. Other than that, May was quite uneventful although it seemed to pass in a relative blink. I had a birthday and I treated myself to many things, such as new bags and books. I also went shopping to cheer myself up at the end of the month because I am that retail therapy girl (it partly worked). 🐼 Is it too soon to wish that this year was already over? Or that I could sleep for a million years because I feel completely exhausted and as if I will never stop being tired, lol.
Sorry this recap is a bit of a downer.
Read More » 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:
Special thanks to the author for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Raven and the Dove (The Raven and the Dove #1)
Pub Date: 9 March 2020
Genre: YA Romance Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(4 pandas)
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.
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:
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Masquerade
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd.
Pub Date: 2 July 2024
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy
Panda Rating:
(4 pandas)
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.
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! 🤭
Read More » 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:
Hi friends, I’m back for another blog tour today! I’m excited to share my thoughts as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours for Blades of Furry by Deya Muniz & Emily Erdos.
Thanks to Little, Brown Ink for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!
Blades of Furry, Vol. 1
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Publication Date: 13 May 2025
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel
Rating:
(5 pandas)
Enter the high stakes world of battle skating in this rivals-to-lovers romance based on the spectacularly popular webcomic.
Emile is an up-and-coming rookie in battle skating, a sport that combines the grace of figure skating with the high impact sparring of martial arts. Just as he is gearing up to fight in his next duel at the championships, there’s a change in the lineup! To his horror, he’ll have to face off against reigning champion Radu, the best battle skater in the world (and Emile’s longtime skating idol). There’s no way he can win!
During a pivotal moment in their match, however, Emile discovers Radu’s most closely guarded secret…and it’s a bloody one. This could destroy Radu’s career for good, but when feelings start to develop between them both on and off the rink, will this rivalry turn into something more…?
Based on the WEBTOON hit comic with over forty million views and half a million subscribers, this irresistible story full of heart-pounding romance, breathtaking skate battles, and secrets both good and bad is now available in a gorgeous print edition that includes never-before-seen content!
TL;DR: Inject this into my veins because I want to live and breathe this 24/7. Holy granola, I don’t have the words for how much I enjoyed this and I’m so glad it came on my radar. Not to exaggerate or anything, but if I could give it a million stars I would. It might even be one of my favourite reads of the year and I know that sounds wild but honestly, I had the best time reading it. I laughed, cried, squee-d and even raged in frustration. Not only did it make me feel all the things but it left me feeling so full of happy, and I can’t remember the last time a book left me feeling this satisfied. 🥹 I came to love these characters and got so invested in their arcs that I may have gone to finish what’s available of the Webtoon series because I’m not going to put myself through the torture of waiting any longer than I have to. Sorry, not sorry! 🤭 Needless to say, this has easily slotted itself into my favourite graphic novels/webcomics of all time and I would urge you to check it out asap. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, even if you don’t consider yourself to be a furry (cos neither was I)! 😉
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