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, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a tour (not since September 2025!), so I’m excited to be back with a blog tour review today! I’m here to share my thoughts (and a few favourite quotes) as part of the blog tour hosted by Toppling Stacks Tours for The Wicked Sea by Jordan Stephanie Gray.
Thanks to Requited 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!
The Wicked Sea (The Wicked Sea #1)
Publisher: Requited
Publication Date: 7 April 2026
Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Rep: LGBTQIA+, Pansexual
Rating:
(3.5 pandas)
In this dark and sultry romantasy a mermaid battles hatredโand lustโfor the wretched warlock who saved her life.
Mermaid Zephyra of the Syl dreams of freedom. On the run from a dangerous captor and years of abuse, sheโs shed her tail, grown legs, and hidden herself on land in the merrow-loathing kingdom of Mortia, left to steal and barter on the dirty streets. But her freedom is short-lived when sheโs caught and sentenced to death by the brutal warlock, Arion Stone.
Arion is as beautiful as he is cold and deadly, only interested in punishing the merrow he views as evil. He has grown as strong as any warlock might, but at great personal costโฆwhich can only be remedied by the heart of the God of Death, lost to a fabled kingdom beneath the oceanโs treacherous depths.
So Arion offers Zephyra a deal she canโt refuse; help him find the mystical heart, and heโll spare her life. With no other options, Zephyra agrees, entangling their souls and forbidden desires in a magical bargain until death do they part. But Zephyraโs past is catching up to her, and the enemy she fled seeks vengeance. If Zephyra and Arion canโt learn to fight togetherโand trust each otherโthere are worse things awaiting them than just death.
Of course, in the wicked sea, everyone has secrets, and no one should be trusted.
For fans of: Enemies-to-lovers, Magic Sensual Bonds, Winged Romantic Lead, Forced Proximity
Imprisonment, graphic descriptions of torture, gore, dismemberment, blood, violence, death, and murder
TL;DR: The Wicked Sea is a fun fantasy romance featuring killer mermaids and warlocks, a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance, and a thrilling race against time across this world, trailed by powerful and deadly enemies. Donโt let this (beautiful) pastel cover fool youโthis story gets dark and very gory, and covers fairly tough topics, so I would recommend checking content/trigger warnings beforehand. While there were elements I wish had been done better to deliver a stronger story, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! If youโre a fan of Quicksilver and Phantasma, chances are youโll like this too.
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:
A Tempest of Ravens (The Noble Exiles #1)
Publisher: Bard Songs Publishing
Pub Date: 24 October 2025
Genre: Historical Fantasy Romance
Panda Rating:
(3.5 pandas)
Outlander meets One Dark Window in this sweeping and visceral historical romantasy.
SCOTLAND 1651. THE KINGDOM IS ABLAZE WITH WAR AND WITCHES’ PYRES.
Maeve MacDonnell has spent years being haunted by croaking ravens, terrifying visions, and uncanny abilities she canโt explain. She’d give anything to be free of themโor to finally control them.
After the superstitious local villagers force her out of town, an alluring stranger named Eamon comes to her aid. As their connection deepens, he encourages her to embrace her abilities. And as her power grows, so does their undeniable chemistry.
When they’re ambushed by the invading English armyโwho are hell-bent on conquering Scotland and turning every witch to ashโMaeve and Eamon flee to the last Scottish-held castle.
Thrust into a brutal web of deceit, and besieged by enemies on all sides, Maeve must rely on her chaotic magic to survive. It could be the key to saving the kingdom and everyone she lovesโbut only if she can harness it in time.
Inspired by real events and perfect for fans of Rachel Gillig and Diana Gabaldon, this atmospheric historical romantasy is the first book in the Noble Exiles series.
On-page violence, sexual assault (non-consensual kissing & touching), attempted kidnapping, torture, war themes, blood, PTSD, emotional abuse, misogyny, bigotry
TL;DR:ย Lately, Iโve been struggling to find a read that piques and keeps my interest past the first few pages, so I was very excited when I started A Tempest of Ravens and it did just that. While there were enjoyable moments as the story progressedโparticularly the historical context and atmosphereโthe uneven pacing, repetitiveness, and a lack of connection to the characters, left me wanting more. I really thought I would love this more than I did, however, I still think itโs a solid debut and Iโm curious to see where Maeveโs story goes next. If youโre more into historical fiction with a little bit of witchcraft and magic thrown into the mix, and a mild romantic subplot, you might enjoy this one!
Read More » 
Graveyard Shift
Publisher: Wildfire
Pub Date: 24 September 2024
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Panda Rating:
(4 pandas)
The bestselling author of international BookTok sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story of a group of misfits who meet in the local cemetery each night to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.
Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.
One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?
Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realise he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks — and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.
Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M.L. Rio’s inimitable style.
Read More »โWhat must it feel like, she wondered, for the first time and much too late, to be so desperate for rest that youโd let a doctor[โฆ]drop her experimental poison in your eyes?โ
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:
Happy Thursday, friends! I totally forgot that this tag existed until I saw Jodie @ Witty and Sarcastic Book Club post it the other day so of course, I have to jump back on it. I’ve done this for the past three years and have enjoyed recapping my firsts of the year. While I usually do these ‘firsts’ based on books published in that year, I think I’ve only read one 2026 release so far, so I’m not going to do that this time! On that note, let’s dive right in…
This tag was created by Tanya Patrice @Girlxoxo.
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:
A Study in Drowning (A Study in Drowning #1)
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: 19 September 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy/Dark Academia
Panda Rating:
(4.25 pandas)
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, sheโs had no choice. Her tattered copy of AngharadโEmrys Myrddinโs epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys himโis the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddinโs family announces a contest to redesign the late authorโs estate, Effy feels certain itโs her destiny.
But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Hรฉloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddinโs legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against themโand the truth may bring them both to ruin.
From the Trigger Warning Database:
Ableism & internalised ableism, sexual harassment & sexual assault mentioned, alcohol consumption & abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, panic attacks & nightmares, amputation (protagonist is missing her finger), death of a parent mentioned, torture recounted, car accident recounted, drowning & attempted drowning, flood recounted, animal death mentioned
*Context: A secondary character is kissed without consent and has plans to kidnap and hold her captive.
I might’ve gotten a bit carried away with my thoughts on this bookโsorry for the essayโbut I guess you can say I loved it. ๐คญ Also, I buddy read this with Chris @ Biblio Nerd Reflections and it was an awesome pick as there’s plenty to discuss and rage about, lol!
TL;DR:ย A Study in Drowning was an interesting blend of dark academia, fae lore, and gothic romance. It was stunningly atmospheric and I felt every single drenched moment in Hiraeth down to my bones. Experiencing the story through Effyโs POV was also perfect because it added to the dreamlike and otherworldly quality of the story, where youโre unsure about whatโs real and whatโs not. This explores some dark themes, including how misogyny runs rampant in the academic world, and at times it was heavy to read. That said, I was loathe to put it down every time I had to adult, and overall, I thought this was a compelling and satisfying read!
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:
dinipandareads 