BBNYA Blog Tour Spotlight: Perception Check by Astrid Knight

Happy Sunday, friends! As part of the BBNYA blog tour hosted by The Write Reads, I’m very excited to spotlight the BBNYA 2023 winner Perception Check by Astrid Knight. I’ve had this on my radar since last year and I can’t wait to read it when my schedule clears up! 😊

Special thanks to the tour organisers for having me on tour!

About the Book Blogger’s of the Year Award (BBNYA)

The BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website or Twitter. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Perception Check (The Mages of Velmyra Saga #1)
Publication Date
: 24 May 2022
Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Her favorite tabletop roleplaying game is real, and her kidnapped childhood best friend is trapped in a far off land. Will she be able to save her? Let’s roll initiative!

Violet Spence wants nothing more than to have a normal life. After witnessing her childhood best friend get abducted by monsters, that’s easier said than done. At twenty-three years old, Violet cannot seem to move past that fateful night ten years ago. Her only solace is Mages of Velmyra, a tabletop roleplaying game filled with goblins, fairies, and all-powerful magicians. But of course, that’s all fantasy.

Or, so she thought. As it turns out, the land of Velmyra is very real and the home of the monsters that took her best friend.

With the help of her friends (and the creator of the game itself), Violet must navigate the once-fictional creatures and powerful mages of Velmyra to retrieve a set of ancient relics—all in the hopes that the journey will lead her back to her friend. But for Violet, fighting monsters and magic workers doesn’t seem nearly as terrifying as confronting her own demons. And she’ll soon realize fighting the battle within herself can be just as tough as those fought against demigods.

Perception Check is the magical first installment of the Mages of Velmyra Saga, great for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, Critical Role, and The Magicians. With endearing and hilarious characters, an exploration of mental health and trauma, LGBTQ+ representation, gut-wrenching twists, and a whirlwind of an ending, you will never want to leave the world of Velmyra.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Perception Check deals with the topics of mental health (specifically depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidality) with mentions of childhood sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and animal violence.

📚 BUY A COPY
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ARC Review: Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee

Special thanks to Montlake for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nine Tailed (Realm of the Four Kingdoms #1)
Publisher:
Montlake
Pub Date: 1 August 2024
Genre: Adult Romance Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(3 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

An enemy on her tails, an innocent at her side, and a dangerous power within her that could destroy them all. Jayci Lee melds Korean folklore with modern Americana in this fiery new series.

In a race to stop an ancient evil from destroying the worlds as they know them, Sunny comes to a startling, heartbreaking if she chooses love—everything will burn.

Sunny Cho aspires to be the dullest, least interesting person in any given room, which can be challenging for a nine-tailed fox spirit. So she drifts from city to city—staying clear of any and all attachment—and keeps her fox buried deep inside her. It is better this way. She would rather live as half of herself than risk losing control of her terrible powers.

Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, is a brilliant and distractingly hot PI. When he tracks her down and asks her to help him find his brother’s murderer, Sunny knows her uneventful life is about to be turned upside down.

Traversing the mortal realm and the world of gods, Sunny and Ethan discover their quest is much more dire than mere vengeance, and their friendship might be…more. An ancient evil is stirring, and Sunny is faced with an impossible save the worlds from annihilation or claim the love fated by the heavens.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Blood, violent deaths of family members (recounted), murder, gore, on-page sex

TL;DR: I love romance and fantasy, but until now, I don’t think I’ve read a book inspired by Asian mythology that isn’t in the YA category. So, I was very excited about getting my hands on a copy of Nine Tailed, and while there were elements I enjoyed a lot, I admit that not all of it worked for me. The world-building inspired by Korean mythology was fantastical and I also loved that the author’s enthusiasm for the mythology and characters came through in the writing. I also think the romance and interplay between the MCs will be favoured by those who love Maas and JLA’s romance fantasies and this will be most enjoyed by those who loved their books.

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Book Review: A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick

A Rival Most Vial (Side Quest Row #1)
Publisher: RK Ashwick Books
Pub Date: 25 January 2023
Genre: Adult Cosy Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Two potion shops, one heated rivalry… until hate bubbles over into something else.

Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best, and only, potions in the city—until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance.

Within weeks, they’re locked in a war of price tags and products—Ambrose’s expertise against Eli’s effortless charm. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off, and right as their rivalry reaches a boiling point…

The mayor commissions them to brew a potion together.

The task is as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble…they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Child abandonment and neglect (recounted), work injuries caused by explosion, blood

TL;DR: A Rival Most Vial was a sweet, heartwarming and delightful cosy fantasy! I loved everything about this from the rivals-to-lovers romance and the found family community to the potion-making and slice-of-life vibes. This is the perfect read for those looking for a low-stakes magical story about finding your path, recognising what family means, and embracing success on your own terms. Plus, it provides a wonderful escape from reality. The setting is a fun magical world and I can’t wait to read more about the shopkeepers of Rosemond Street in future books!

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Blog Tour Review: Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma. Thanks to the TBR team for having me on tour and to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Immortal Dark (Immortal Dark Trilogy #1)
Publisher
: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 3 September 2024
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: Black

Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy, where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister.

It began long before my time, but something has always hunted our family.

Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad.

To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away. It doesn’t matter that Susenyos’s wickedness speaks to Kidan’s own violent nature and tempts her to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill Susenyos at all costs.

When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. There she discovers a centuries-old threat—and June could be at the center of it. To save her sister, Kidan must bring Uxlay to its knees and either break free from the horrors of her own actions or embrace the dark entanglements of love—and the blood it requires.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Parental abuse, blood drinking, death, gore, murder, sexual content, adult language, suicide ideation, and violence, kidnapping

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: Immortal Dark was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases and I’m thrilled to say that Tigest Girma did not let me down. She slayed with this stunning debut! While I’m not a dark academia girlie, I loved exploring the vast history of Uxlay University and the complex relationship between dranaics (vampires) and actis (humans). The writing is lush, the world-building richly detailed, and the characters delightfully wicked, complicated and so very morally grey. Despite the pacing being on the slower side, it allowed me to completely immerse myself in the gothic setting and by the time the action kicked off in the latter half, I was fully invested and wowzer, I did not see some of those surprises coming! Girma leaves readers with a double whammy that has me aching to get my hands on the next book immediately. I feel like this is going to be a hit!

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Blog Tour Review: Are You Nobody Too? by Tina Cane

Hi friends, as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours I’m excited to share my thoughts on Are You Nobody Too? by Tina Cane. Thanks to the TBR team for having me on tour and to Make Me A World (Random House Children’s) for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Are You Nobody Too?
Publisher
: Make Me A World
Publication Date: 27 August 2024
Genre: Contemporary Middle Grade
Rep: Chinese, Asian, Adoption

Rating:

(3 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

After years of discomfort as the only Chinese student at her private middle school, Emily transfers to Chinatown’s I.S. 23 for 8th Grade and ends up feeling more disconnected than ever. In this coming-of-age novel-in-verse, will Emily be able to find her way or will she lose herself completely?After a year of distance-learning, Emily Sofer finds her world turned upside she has to leave the only school she’s ever known to attend a public school in Chinatown. For the first time, Emily isn’t the only Chinese student around…but looking like everyone else doesn’t mean that understanding them will be easy–especially with an intimidating group of cool girls Emily calls The Five.When Emily discovers that her adoptive parents have been keeping a secret, she feels even more uncertain about who she is. A chance discovery of Emily Dickinson’s poetry helps her finally feel seen… but can the words of a writer from 200 years ago help her open up again, and find common ground with the Five?

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Racism, bullying, pandemic, microaggressions, mentions of miscarriage (in the past)

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: This was a unique middle-grade contemporary told in verse. The author had a unique way of expressing the main character’s experiences during and after the pandemic. It touches upon evergreen themes such as coming-of-age, identity and belonging. Emily was an interesting main character—she’s very much a teenager—and I think many young readers whether they’re middle schoolers or just starting high school.

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BBNYA Blog Tour Review: A Rose Among Thorns by Ash Fitzsimmons

Happy Saturday, friends! I’m very excited to share my review for A Rose Among Thorns by Ash Fitzsimmons as part of the BBNYA blog tour hosted by The Write Reads.

Special thanks to the tour organisers for having me on tour and to the author for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

About the Book Blogger’s of the Year Award (BBNYA)

The BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website or Twitter. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

A Rose Among Thorns (Hall of Thorns #1)
Publication Date
: 19 April 2022
Genre: Adult Cosy Fantasy Mystery

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Rose Thorn should never be left unsupervised around plants. Potted things tend to die around her as if on principle. But when her great-aunt calls and asks Rose to watch her garden nursery for a few days, Rose can hardly say no. After all, Aunt Lily is the closest thing Rose has to a grandmother — and the only family she has left — so Rose doesn’t mind driving out to her tiny mountain town to look after the place.

Aunt Lily never mentioned anything about an inspection, however.

Rose is taken aback when an agent from an organization she’s never heard of arrives and panics to find Aunt Lily missing. As it turns out, Aunt Lily hasn’t been entirely straight with Rose. She’s not visiting a sick friend — she’s in danger and on the run. She keeps a hidden greenhouse on the property in which she grows highly regulated magical plants. And she’s an elf…as was Rose’s grandfather.

Though stunned to witness magic at work and shocked that no one ever divulged the family secret, Rose refuses to abandon the nursery until her great-aunt is safely home. But as she and the agent, now awkward housemates, try to keep up their cover story and find the missing grower, they realize that whatever led to Aunt Lily’s disappearance might not be the only magical crime in progress.

And while Rose has no green thumb, another talent of hers may be budding…

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Kidnapping, captivity, death of parents (recounted), bullying (recounted), gun violence, imprisonment, compulsion (magical)

📚 BUY A COPY

TL;DR: A Rose Among Thorns is a great beginning to a cosy fantasy mystery series. The characters were entertaining, the banter was pretty cheesy but so fun, and the fantasy elements were rather light, making it perfect for those who want to read more fantasy but don’t want to get bogged down by expansive world-building. It has great appeal for a wider audience and I can see why it got second place in the BBNYA competition! 😍 I enjoyed this much more than the start led me to expect and I’m keen to continue with the series!

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Book Review: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1)
Publisher: Solaris
Pub Date: 14 October 2022
Genre: Adult Fantasy

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

⚠️ CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS

Slavery mentioned, abandonment, child abuse & neglect, emotional & physical abuse. suicide, alcoholism, alcohol consumption & abuse, drug use, blood depiction, physical injury, beheading, graphic dismemberment, forced blinding, scarring, grief & loss depiction, death of a parent, death of a child, mass murder, poisoning, kidnapping, physical assault, imprisonment, cults, animal death

TL;DR: Holy grandfather crow! This was amazing and I’m kicking myself for putting it off for so long. I don’t even know where to begin because everyone else seems to have already said it best but I will say that I 100% get the hype. Black Sun is a testament to Roanhorse’s brilliance as a writer. She has a great ability to create culturally rich, diverse and spellbinding epic fantasy worlds, and compelling well-rounded characters. It was so easy to immerse myself in the setting and by the end, I was fully invested in our character’s arcs. I can’t wait to see what happens next! 😍

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Book Review: Heartless by Elsie Silver

Heartless (Chestnut Springs #2)
Pub Date: 14 October 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4.5 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Working as a nanny for the world’s grumpiest single dad should have been simple. Except I can’t keep my eyes off him. And he can’t keep his hands off of me.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than I am and barely looks my way. Until I get him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then all bets are off—and so are our clothes.

He’s gruff, a little rough around the edges. But broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl’s kryptonite. So who am I to resist?

But it’s in our quiet moments together that he softens. It’s when he takes care of me that I realize his hardened exterior is just a façade. It’s when I watch him go all sweet with his little boy that I really fall for him.

Someone convinced him once that his best wasn’t good enough. But I’ve never felt more cherished than I do in his arms.

My contract may say this arrangement is only for two months.

But my heart says this is forever.

TL;DR: I can honestly say that I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. I wasn’t a big fan of Cade in book one—as let’s just say his actions and words didn’t inspire much attraction—but this book flipped that script and boy howdy, did I love it! 😍 Their chemistry was great, the banter had me giggling, the romance was sexy and sweet, and a wonderful family dynamic shines through in this book. My favourite in the series thus far!

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Book Review: Flawless by Elsie Silver

Flawless (Chestnut Springs #1)
Pub Date: 24 June 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The rules were simple… Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble. But now I’m stuck with her… And there’s only one bed… Oh well, rules are made — to be broken… aren’t they?

I’m the face of professional bull riding — the golden boy.
Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face.
Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”

But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter — especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running.

A mouth I just can’t stop thinking about…

Because Summer isn’t just another conquest.
She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run—she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t.

She says this means nothing—but I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross.
That my reputation can’t take any more hits — and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I’m going to steal it anyway.

TL;DR: I can see why this is such a popular romance. I enjoyed their hate-to-love dynamic and how they got to know each other. Despite moments in the end when both characters irritated me with their decisions and drama, Summer and Rhett complemented each other well. This was a lot steamier than I expected but overall, a fun small-town cowboy romance!

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ARC Mini Review: A Night at the Tropicana by Chanel Cleeton

Special thanks to Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Night at the Tropicana
Publisher:
Amazon Original Stories
Pub Date: 20 September 2022
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

Cuba in the 1930s is the backdrop for a vibrant short story about the rhythms of the heart and the twists of fate that echo through time by the New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana.

Havana, 1939: It’s opening night at the famed Tropicana nightclub. Cuban American college student Natalie Trainer, on vacation from Miami, is watching from the sidelines—as usual. Then comes an invitation to dance from a handsome stranger named Antonio. Normally cautious and reserved, Natalie somehow finds herself saying yes. A tiny thrill of rebellion, of taking a chance, and Natalie’s in heaven. Will her first step into this unfamiliar realm set a new course for her life, or only tonight?

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