Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish Had Less Pages

Hey everybody! Happy Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Books I Wish Had More/Less [Insert Your Concept Here] In Them (for example: more/less romance, more/less world building, less info dumping, more/fewer pages, more character development, fewer characters, fewer descriptions, more suspense, etc.).

The variation that I ended up going with Books I Wish Had Less Pages. Also, to a lesser degree, but books with less descriptions and stuff too, because super long SFF books in particular have this problem (for me). I could only think of eight books this time, though, so that’s how long my list is.

A Game of Thrones: Real talk, I actually finished this one. But I didn’t finish its sequel, A Clash of Kings, because I was still burned out with how bloated this book was for me, particularly regarding descriptions. And then the series just continues to be too big and long for me, so I ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it.

The Way of Kings: This is another book I was recommended because it (like GOT) was apparently one of the greatest fantasy books, and fantasy series, ever. And… it was too slow for me. It also has way too many pages – over 1000 and it’s only book one!

House of Earth and Blood: This is actually one I’m almost positive I’ll read. Eventually. It’s just so long. I’m finding it a bit intimidating. But there’s something about Maas’ writing style, I’m always able to power through it for some reason.

The Eye of the World: They say never say never, but I’m pretty sure I’m never gonna read any of the Wheel of Time. It’s just waayyy too long.

The Shadow of What Was Lost: This was yet another book that I DNF-ed because I 1) Got bored, and 2) The length intimidated me.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: I’m actually kind of interested in this one still. But it’s 860 pages, and I’ve heard it’s a bit bloated and boring.

The Blade Itself: I’ve actually almost picked this one up a couple times – I do have a degree of interest in reading it. But I’ve been burned by fantasy books roughly the same length – 550 pages or so – so I’m, once again, nervous about committing to it.

A Court of Wings and Ruin: I didn’t completely hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. I did finish it though. I think this is where the ACOTAR series started to get overwritten and excessive, however, which is why I added it to this list.

Bewitching Book Covers: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

Happy Friday everybody! Here we are again with a familiar post, but It’s slightly different than it was before. And before that. ‘Cause this post has had a few… evolutions, you could say.

I’ve decided to drop all pretenses – I’m clearly not gonna stick to a day of the week. This post is just gonna happen on whatever day of the week it happens on. So I’ve renamed it for the final time – Bewitching Book Covers!

For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This week, the book cover I’m gushing about is Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao.

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao

SERIES: Song of the Last Kingdom #2

LENGTH: 348 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

RELEASE DATE: 2 January 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic sequel to the book Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, is a fast-paced, riveting YA fantasy inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.

The Demon Gods have risen. Skies’ End has fallen to the colonizers. And Lan and Zen have chosen sides.

But they will not fight together.

Though Lan inherited the power of the Silver Dragon, she understands the path she must take. She believes the Demon Gods to be the cause of war, conflict, and turmoil, and that the future of the Last Kingdom depends on their being eliminated forever. Worse, she knows that if the Elantians manage to bind one of the legendary beings, their army will be unstoppable. To save her kingdom and her people, Lan will need to find the only mythical weapon capable of destroying the Demon Gods: the Godslayer.

Zen is sure that the only way to free the Last Kingdom is to use the power of the Demon Gods. When he bound the Black Tortoise, he paid the ultimate price: to inherit its strength, he will forfeit his body, his mind, and his soul. Yet one Demon God is not enough against the might of the colonizers. In the ruins of the northern Mansorian lands slumbers a magical army of demonic practitioners capable of facing off against the Elantians—but Zen must find the Seal to awaken them to fight by his side.

At the center of both Lan’s and Zen’s journeys is one city: Shaklahira, a former stronghold of the Imperial Court that vanished without a trace when the Elantians invaded. Its location is a mystery, and both are sure that it holds the answers they need, but the past it hides might be more dangerous than anything they’ve faced yet.

The battle for the Last Kingdom rages on. But to win the war, Lan will have to decide: Can she face the boy she loves again? And when she does, can she kill him to free her people?

Book Cover Rating: 🪶🪶🪶🪶🪶 • 5 gorgeous plumes

Like its predecessor, Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White has an simply breathtaking cover. It’s absolutely beautiful honestly, and is one of my favorite new book covers from this year.

First off, I adore the colors. The way the shades of pink pair with the red and the orange is so pretty. I also like how the bits of blue, green and yellow complement the rest of the artwork. This novel’s cover also both contrasts and complements the cover of Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night because of this. I also like how this cover art depicts another one of the four great Demon Gods that are important to this series – this one depicts the phoenix, much like how book one is focused on the dragon.

I also loved the Chinese characters in the bottom left corner of the cover. They just add so much to the artwork just by being there – which is something even I can tell, as someone who can’t read it. The font used for the title and author for these books is awesome, and also complements the cover art very well. I just love this book cover!

So yeah, that’s another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White or Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night? What did you think of it/them?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #7

Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been some time since I’ve last done this post. Sorry. June completely screwed up my productivity and reading time and stuff. But I’m back with another Tasteful Tuesday!

For anyone unfamiliar, Tasteful Tuesdays (formerly Majestic Mondays – so it’s not new, I just switched days, haha) (might switch back, who knows) are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This time I’m (once again) screaming over another new release. The book is The Night Ends With Fire by K.X. Song!

The Night Ends With Fire by K.X. Song

LENGTH: 432 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Hodderscape

RELEASE DATE: 2 July 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin’s relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

Book Cover Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 • 5 burning fires

I’m not gonna mince words: this book cover is absolutely gorgeous. It’s one of the prettiest covers that I’ve seen all year. Not to mention the sprayed edges. Ack – so beautiful!

I love the painted art style. You know, the one that’s sometimes used for telling stories, particularly used in certain movies and videogames to tell a legend or show a flashback. I just adore the way it looks. Not to mention how you can see the brush strokes and the way that the colors blend. I can’t stop gushing about this cover!

The way the fire is simultaneously a phoenix is also absolutely beautiful. And the way that (presumably) Meilin is rather small compared to said phoenix, but still stands out and is still the ficus of the cover art is also awesome.

And I just love, love, love the sprayed edges. Like, I always love sprayed edges. But the ones here are particularly pretty. I really like the colors and detail used – it all just helps the book as a whole stand out even more. The entirety of the outside of The Night Ends With Fire is just a masterpiece.

So yeah, that’s another Tasteful Tuesday. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read The Night Ends With Fire? What did you think of it?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #6

It’s been a few weeks since the last time I did this post, huh? Yeah… Sorry?

For anyone unfamiliar, Tasteful Tuesdays (formerly Majestic Mondays – so it’s not new, I just switched days, haha) are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This time I’m gonna gush over the cover of another beautiful new release, one that’s coming out next month. It’s Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

SERIES: Fall of the Dragon #1

LENGTH: 480 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Viking Books for Young Readers

RELEASE DATE: 18 June 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Mulan meets Iron Widow in this thrilling silkpunk fantasy about a girl who must disguise herself as a boy and enter the famed and dangerous Engineer’s Guild trials to unravel the mystery of her father’s murder.

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune.

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own.

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?

Book Cover Rating: 🐉🐉🐉🐉 • 4 / 5 dragons

I’ve been loving the covers of Asian inspired fantasies lately, and this one is no exception. I love all of the colors used here and how they complement and contrast with one another. It’s such a pretty cover.

I love the ocean on the bottom third of the book cover and how the waves are drawn. I also love the jade colored sky above it – it helps the title of the book pop. The green color of this part of the cover is also a really nice shade. The golden dragon that peeks out from the top is also beautifully drawn.

The fish skyboats are also cool looking. They really evoke silkpunk vibes before you even open the book up. I also really like the art style used in general. The title also pops with its font and color, as white isn’t actually used as much on the cover otherwise.

So yeah, that’s another Tasteful Tuesday. What do you think about this cover art? Are you looking forward to Of Jade and Dragons release?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #5

Happy Tuesday again, everyone! I’m starting to get into a bit of a system with this post, huh?

This time I’m admiring the cover art of a book that’s coming out later this month. It’s Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff.

Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff

SERIES: The Calder Academy #1

LENGTH: 496 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Entangled: Teen

RELEASE DATE: 7 May 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The scariest school on earth…
Is about to experience real fear…

Most schools are about being the best. This school? It’s about being the worst. Calder Academy is where the rogue paranormals go. The ones who break the rules or lose control. And when that happens for vamps, werewolves, witches, and dark fae? It gets pretty freaking scary.

I should know. Because I’m trapped here.

Look, every seventeen-year-old girl thinks their mom is a tyrant. But mine just happens to run Calder Academy, which paints a giant target on my back. The way I make it through these dark halls is by steering clear of the things―and kids―who go bump in the night.

Especially Jude Abernathy-Lee.

But when a freak storm hits our isolated island, I’m stuck without a backup plan. The power is gone. The lights are out. And our worst nightmares are suddenly real―and out for blood.
Now the only way to survive is to align myself with one evil to avoid the other.

And the only thing worse than the idea of getting close to Jude? Secretly loving every minute of it.

Book Cover Rating: 🍭🍭🍭• 3 1/2 eaten sweets

Though I’ve never read a Tracy Wolff novel, I am familiar with her work – I’ve seen some book vlogs on her Crave series. And they had pretty good covers, that I thought were kind of reminiscent of the Twilight Saga. And Sweet Nightmare is her newest series, and it also has a pretty good cover.

First off, it’s blue. So it’s a given that it’ll catch my eye. I like the swirly leaf-like background as well. It contrasts well with the other stuff on the cover. I also like how the pattern fades around the edges.

The serpent is a bright, eye-catching gold, especially with how it wraps around the sword, which has a silver nose and red hilt. They both stand out really well. I also like the bold, display font used for the title. Making it white was also the right choice – I’m not sure if the title would’ve stood out had it been another color.

I unfortunately don’t really have anything else to say about the book cover art. It caught my attention and I like it well enough, but it isn’t one of my favorite covers that I’ve seen. Still a great cover though!

So yeah, that’s another Tasteful Tuesday. What do you think about this cover art? Are you looking forward to Sweet Nothing‘s release? Have you read any of the author’s other works, like the Crave series? What did you think of it if you have?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #4

Happy Tuesday everybody! I’m back – sooner than you’d been expecting with my record, I’m sure! – with another Tasteful Tuesday!

This time I’m admiring the cover art of a book that was pretty recently released. It’s Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli!

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

SERIES: The Crimson Moth #1

LENGTH: 416 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Wednesday Books

RELEASE DATE: 20 February 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

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 Heartless Hunter is the thrilling start to The Crimson Moth duology, a romantic fantasy series where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch… is falling in love.

Book Cover Rating: 🦋🦋🦋🦋 • 4 butterflies

I’m just going to go right out and say it: this book cover is absolutely gorgeous. Like, I love it. The background, the way the title is displayed on the cover and even the moth in the center.

Despite the fact that I don’t think Heartless Hunter is my cup of tea, I can always admit when a novel has a beautiful cover. (Heck, even for books I’ve read and not enjoyed – I’m looking at you Lightlark Saga – I can give credit to gorgeous cover art.) Who knows if I’ll ever give this one a shot; regardless, the cover’s great.

First off, I’m a total sucker for blue on book cover art. I find it to be lovely. This one is especially pretty, because of all of the different colors incorporated with the shade of blue used as a backdrop for this cover. I love how, even though this aspect of the book cover is primarily this color, you can see beautiful red sparkled emerging up from the bottom of the cover, and some yellow-gold sparkles falling down from the top.

Secondly, I really like the way that the moth looks. It looks a bit like a creature of nature, but it mostly appears as something like a charm or jewelry, which I much prefer – I’m not a fan of bugs! I also love how it incorporates the colors in the background in such a way that they still stand out as the moth, despite essentially being the same colors. It all really pops.

Lastly, I love the font used for the title. It’s bold and because of this, stands out starkly against the colorful backdrop; but there’s also an elegance to the shape of the letters that pretties up the text. I also like how the color and text used for the author’s name near the bottom and the little enticing blurb near the top is the same, the blurb is just a smaller font. It really helps tie the whole cover together – not to mention the color chosen for the words is a pretty light blue. Which, of course, I love.

So yeah, that’s another Tasteful Tuesday. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read Heartless Hunter or any of the author’s other works? What did you think of it?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you enjoyed this one as well, and that you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #3

Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been a bit since I’ve last done this post, but I’m happy to finally be doing it again.

For anyone unfamiliar, Tasteful Tuesdays are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.

This week I’m gonna be looking at a cover of a new release. It’s Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew.

Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

SERIES: 341 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Horror, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press

RELEASE DATE: 2 April 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A seductively twisted romance about loyalty, fate, the lengths we go to hide the darkest parts of ourselves… and the people who love those parts most of all.

Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she’s just inherited — to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement — Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family’s property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can’t really live, either. Not while he’s bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There’s only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

He needs to kill Wyatt.

With Wyatt’s parents gone, the spells protecting the property have begun to unravel, and dark, ancient forces gather in the nearby forest. The only way for Wyatt to repair the wards is to work with Peter — the one person who knows how to harness her volatile magic. But how can she trust a boy who’s sworn an oath to destroy her? When the past turns up to haunt them in the most unexpected way, they are forced to rely on one another to survive, or else tear each other apart.

Book Covers Rating: 🌱🌱🌱 • 3 1/2 vines

So, the thing that most attracted me to this book was its cover. It’s just so good. Now let’s get into what I think makes it so gorgeous.

First off, I love the green background. Green is one of my favorite colors, and I just adore the shade used as the backdrop. I also love the entwined hands wrapped in vines. I normally like nature on book covers, and this one is no exception. The vines seem to imply that the two characters are bound together in some way, though not necessarily in a good way. Because vines by their nature can be very intrusive.

I also like the font used for the title. It’s pretty and a bit whimsical, but it’s also in all caps, which makes it seem harsher. It’s also great how the font for both the title of the book and the author’s name are in white. It really makes them stand out all the more on the cover.

All in all, I think that this is some pretty solid cover art. It’s quite eye-catching, and I think it’s gonna get a bunch of people to pick it up and check it out. It certainly caught my eye.

So yeah, here’s another Tasteful Tuesday. Have you read Your Blood, My Bones or any of the author’s other work? What did you think of it? What do you think about the cover art?

Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone who reads my posts. I hope that you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #2

So, I didn’t mean for there to be such a break after restarting this post. I knew I’d be doing a different post for Halloween, cuz Halloween – but I really did intend to do this post last week. But I had the absolute worst heartburn during my free time last Tuesday, so I was unfortunately unable to. Curse you heartburn!

Anyway…

For anyone unfamiliar, Tasteful Tuesdays are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty the point of this post.

This week I’ll be admiring a little book called Weyward, written by Emilia Hart.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

LENGTH: 329 pages

GENRES: Magical Realism, Historical, Literary, Fiction

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Press

RELEASE DATE: 7 March 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives—and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Book Cover Rating: 🍃🍃🍃 • 3 leaves in the wind

First off, I love how colorful and filled with nature the cover is. It’s such a beautiful image. I also really like all of the different wildlife depicted here (except the beetles, ew). The art just feels so full of life.

I adore the crow (or is it a raven?) that’s front and center. It’s so cute how it holds the little leaf in its beak! Crows and ravens are just cool in general, and they always seem to be magical in literature and legends.

I also just really like the font that the title is in. I don’t know why – I think it’s a pretty basic one, though I can’t identify it – it just works so well with the cover image.

So yeah, here’s another Tasteful Tuesday. Have you read Weyward? What did you think of it? What do you think about the cover art?

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Tasteful Tuesday #1

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Majestic Monday. And since I’ve decided to bring back Weekly Wrap-Ups… well frankly, I just can’t do a double post day. Sorry, but I’ve tried before and it just doesn’t work. So, I’ve decided to move the post to a different day. And thus Tasteful Tuesdays was born!

For anyone unfamiliar, Majestic Mondays – or Tasteful Tuesdays now, I guess – are when I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it.

This week, the book that I’m admiring is one from my TBR that I’m moderately excited about. It’s also a new release: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

LENGTH: 400 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor

RELEASE DATE: 3 October 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Step into Starling House – if you dare…

No one in Eden remembers when Starling House was built. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the house – and its last lonely heir – go to rot.

Starling House is uncanny and ugly and fully of secrets, just like its heir. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but it might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden.

It feels dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

But Opal isn’t the only one interested in the house, or the horrors and wonders that lie beneath it. If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it. She’ll have to dig up her family’s ugly history and let herself dream of a better future. She’ll have to go down, down into Underland, and claw her way back to the light.

This is a sweeping gothic fairytale from Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award-shortlisted Alix E. Harrow.

Cover Rating: 🪶🪶🪶🪶 • 4 starling feathers

The book cover for Starling House is absolutely gorgeous. First off, I love the colors, so much. The purples and greens and blues and yellows on the black background are so pretty. It’s also an awesome contrast. I like contrast.

I love all the starlings on the cover, too. I’m not sure how much the actual bird is related to the book, but I love their inclusion, as well as how the shadows make them appear similar to crows. It makes it all seem a bit sinister.

The bright yellow keys and flowers are also beautiful. I adore how much they all stand out on a cover primarily made up of darker, and cooler, colors. They’re all very eye-catching, which makes me think they’re quite important. My favorite thing about the cover art is definitely the birds, though.

What do you like about the cover? Have you or do you plan on reading Starling House? What did you think of it if you have?

Thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope you have a majestic and tasteful day/night!

See ya ~Mar