Bewitching Book Covers: A Mastery of Monsters

Geez, it’s been forever since I’ve done one of these. Over two months, huh? It’s also been a little bit since I’ve posted in general. I definitely didn’t intend for either of those things to happen, but, oh well. Anyway, let’s get into showing off a Bewitching Book Cover.

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 that I’m highlighting is A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury. This is a pretty recent release that’s been on my radar for a couple of months.

A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury

SERIES: A Mastery of Monsters #1

LENGTH: 592 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry

RELEASE DATE: 29 July 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother – even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.

When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.

The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.

Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne… and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.

Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.

Book Cover Rating: 🪶🪶🪶🪶 • 4 feathers from a monstrous bird

A Mastery of Monsters has one of the simpler book covers of those that I’ve reviewed previously, but I still enjoy it. It isn’t as simple as other covers I’ve highlighted in this post, either. There’s a lot I like about it either way.

I really like how the background is primarily green. Green is one of my favorite colors, so I’m definitely biased on that front, but I also think it complements the rest of the book cover really well. The title font is also really cool looking, and I love the shade of gold chosen for it. Green and gold also normally go together really well too, and the same is true here.

The bird is centered really nicely, and it being pinned with a pair of knives is also interesting. My favorite thing about this part of the cover art, though, is probably the monstrous bird-like shadow behind the bird. I really like the stuff it’s implying, and it just makes the cover look more awesome.

So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read A Mastery of Monsters? If you have, what did you think of it?

Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 7/25

Happy Friday everyone! It’s been a couple of weeks!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

📚 Take a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it 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
📙 Finally… reveal the book!

Here’s the first line:

One hundred and thirty years after the Pall tore deadly rifts through the Tranquil Empire, it is still prudent to avoid walking abroad at night.

Any ideas on the book? If not, here’s another hint or two…

Still don’t know? Here are some lovely pictures of books to admire while you consider it more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott!!

(Didja guess it?)

The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott

SERIES: The Witch Roads #1

LENGTH: 448 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 10 June 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Status is hereditary, class is bestowed, trust must be earned.

When an arrogant prince (and his equally arrogant entourage) gets stuck in Orledder Halt as part of brutal political intrigue, competent and sunny deputy courier Elen—once a child slave meant to shield noblemen from the poisonous Pall—is assigned to guide him through the hills to reach his destination.

When she warns him not to enter the haunted Spires, the prince doesn’t heed her advice, and the man who emerges from the towers isn’t the same man who entered.

The journey that follows is fraught with danger. Can a group taught to ignore and despise the lower classes survive with a mere deputy courier as their guide?

The Witch Roads is the latest epic novel by fan favorite, Kate Elliott.

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 7/14 – 7/20

So… yeah… this is late. I don’t have an excuse. It was just a bit of a rough start to the week for me, I guess. At least I can say it’s not Thursday this time? (I hate that I can say that.)

Though last week wasn’t great in the reading books department, it was pretty good for the blog posting department. I finally did more than two posts in a week in July 2025! Yay! Four would’ve been better, but, oh well.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!

Wednesday 7/16: Can’t-Wait Wednesday

Last Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday again. One more week and it’ll be a streak!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Mastery of Monsters

Thursday 7/17: June Reading 2025

On Thursday, I posted my Monthly Reading Wrap-Up for June 2025. It was posted later than I’d have liked, but with all the stuff at the beginning of this month, I’m not surprised or too disappointed it took this long. For those who don’t know, monthly wrap-ups are when I go over the books I read over the past month, as well as my stats over on The StoryGraph.

Monthly Wrap-Up: June Reading 2025

Sunday 7/20: Birthstone Book Covers

This past Saturday, I participated in Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.

Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was July, and its birthstones is ruby. So the color of the month was red.

Birthstone Book Covers: July 2025

Books I Read Last Week

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, my blog activity was pretty decent part week, and I’m happy with it. Regarding books and reading them though… yeah that could’ve been better. I dunno what it is about the summer months – I just have more trouble than normal getting into books and stuff.

This week I’m just planning on some of the usual stuff. Like, I’ll participate in or do some of the usual suspects. You know. I also want to try and finish a book and maybe do a review of it before the end of the week. Hopefully.

Last week was cleaning week, so we cleaned the house and stuff. Other than that, it’s pretty much just the same old kind of thing going on. Just watching what we’re eating and taking care of ourselves.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 7/7 – 7/13

Ugh. Last week was just kind of… ugh. And not just with the blog, but reading as well. Not to mention stuff outside the blog. My productivity in general just kind of tanked during the second half of the week.

As always, I’m hoping to do better this week. We’ll see what happens, though. So far it isn’t the greatest start, what with me posting the Weekly Wrap-Up two days late, but things always have a chance of improving.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!

Wednesday 7/9: Can’t-Wait Wednesday

Last Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday for the first time in a couple of weeks. And I think it’s gonna be the start of a new streak – there’s a bunch of new books I’m interested in coming out in the next few weeks!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Enchanted Greenhouse

Friday 7/11: First Line Friday

On Friday, I participated in First Line Fridays for the first time in a while – four weeks to be exact! Hopefully there won’t be such a gap again, at least in the next few weeks.

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words. It’s where you guess what book the post is highlighting based on the book’s first words.

First Line Friday: 7/11

Books I Read Last Week

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, last week was not the best. But I’m hoping to be better this week, even if it hasn’t really started off the greatest. Hopefully it gets better.

This week I am definitely, absolutely, unquestionably doing my monthly wrap-up for my reading in June 2025. It’s over halfway through the month, a frankly ridiculously late point in time to be doing it – it’s later than last month and I don’t even have vacation as an excuse! I’m also gonna do at least two other posts. I’m thinking I’ll probably participate in another Can’t-Wait Wednesday because there’re a couple more new novels releasing this month that I’m excited for, as well as participate in my favorite monthly post regarding birthstones and book covers. Who knows though.

I’m also gonna start reading a new book. Again, not fully decided what it’s going to be, but I will be starting something. I know myself, and I understand that reading novels during the summer is difficult for me for whatever reason, but this is getting ludicrous – I’ve only read a novella so far this season!

Concerning stuff outside of books and blogging… yeah, nothing’s really going on. More than usual, at least. My spouse and I are still watching what we’re eating, and we’re still doing more home cooking, but nothing else is really new.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 7/11

Wow. An actual month has gone by where I didn’t participate in First Line Fridays. Mannnn.

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here’s the first line:

The morning light sloped across the meadows, breathing pale green into the interlaced branches of the woods beyond, picking out shy pink and white blossoms here and there among the new leaves.

Know the book yet? If you don’t, here’s another couple of hints…

Still have no idea? Here are a few lovely photos of books to look at while you think about it a bit longer…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold!!

(Didja guess it?)

Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold

SERIES: Penric and Desdemona #1

LENGTH: 129 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc.

RELEASE DATE: 6 July 2015

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

On his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is The Bastard, “master of all disasters out of season”, and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric. From that moment on, Penric’s life is irreversibly changed, and his life is in danger from those who envy or fear him.Set in the fantasy world of the author’s acclaimed novels THE CURSE OF CHALION, PALADIN OF SOULS and THE HALLOWED HUNT, this novella has the depth of characterization and emotional complexity that distinguishes all Bujold’s work.

Set in the fantasy world of the author’s acclaimed novels THE CURSE OF CHALION, PALADIN OF SOULS and THE HALLOWED HUNT, this novella has the depth of characterization and emotional complexity that distinguishes all Bujold’s work.

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re currently the most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 6/30 – 7/6

Yeah, I know I’m a day late again with the Weekly Wrap-Up. But this time it actually wasn’t my fault! I actually managed my time and stuff properly yesterday, and was raring to go with this! It was the art program I use to make graphics and images – it was misbehaving and wasn’t saving any changes to anything you made and needed some fixing. But it’s all good now, which is why I’m posting this!

Last week, in comparison to yesterday, I didn’t really manage my time and stuff as well. I only really read like a part of a book – and a novella at that! – and I only managed to get two posts out. Suffice to say, I’m annoyed with myself. And I want to do better this week.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!

Thursday 7/3: The Most Interesting Looking New Books of July 2025

Last Thursday, I posted a list of the books that I’m looking forward to this month. Or, at least the ones that I think look the most interesting. It was the Most Interesting Looking New Books of July 2025. As always, it’s basically only fantasy and science fiction, as those are the two genres I primarily read. This time I had four books on my list.

The Most Interesting Looking New Books of July 2025

Friday 7/4: 4th of July – Independence Day

Friday was the 4th of July 🎆🎇🎆🎇 otherwise known as Independence Day 🇺🇸🎊🇺🇸🎊 for America. It was a lot of fun, part of my family always has a 4th of July party, and there was great food and great company. We unfortunately don’t really do fireworks anymore, because of the area the people hosting the party live, as well as the time of day that the party is at, but it was still a good time.

Afterwards, my spouse and I just kind of went home and chilled, and that was really nice. We also ended up watching a fireworks show streamed through YouTube on our TV, with fireworks sounding off in the background from the streets around our house to complement it. Anyway, it was a great day.

Sunday 7/6: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps Review

On Sunday, I did another book review, this time for a novella I recently read. It was Bow to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe. It was a fun little book with lots of The Legend of Zelda references, and I definitely recommend it to fans of the video game series. It was also an entertaining little fantasy book without the Zelda stuff and I gave it ★★★★✯.

How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps Review

Books I Read Last Week

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, last week wasn’t the most productive with either blog activity or reading books, but it could’ve been worse. It definitely also could have been better, but, yeah. I’m hoping to improve during this coming week.

This week I’m absolutely going to post my monthly reading wrap-up for June 2025. I’m also probably going to do a couple of the other weekly posts I usually do, and hopefully I’ll get another book review out as well. I’m also hoping to start a new book, too, though I’m not sure which one yet.

Nothing else really happened last week aside from the holiday, but I’m still doing my usual stuff like watching what I’m eating and more home cooking. My spouse and I did finish with our rewatch of Avatar: The Last Airbender though, and are figuring out stuff to watch next. We’ll definitely continue making our way through Frazier, which is something we’ve been doing on and off for the last couple of months, and I’m looking forward to that.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 6/23 – 6/29

Ugh, last week was kinda rough. Not to mention what I said last week – ‘It’s not like I’m posting this [Weekly Wrap-Up] on Wednesday.’ Famous last words, lol.

My time management was just out the window last week, which is why the blog activity is kind of sparse. I was also struggling a lot getting into the headspace to start a new book, especially because it’s been a while since I’ve read a novel (I managed to get through a novella, though). So yeah, I’m gonna preemptively mention that my reading in June was not the best.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!

Wednesday 6/25: Can’t-Wait Wednesday

Last Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday for the first time again. Two weeks in a row!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Den of Liars

Sunday 6/29: The Replacement Review

On Sunday, I decided to do another Retrospective Book Review for the first time in about six months – the last time was Winterspell. It was once again a book I really enjoyed, but one that I – of course – read before I started this blog, otherwise there’d have been a review of it already, lol.

The book was The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, a dark fantasy YA novel with horror elements. I really enjoyed it when I first read it, and going back through it years later, I still liked it just as much. I originally gave it ★★★★✯, and I’m still keeping to that rating today.

The Replacement Review

Books I Read Last Week

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, last week kind of sucked regarding blog posting. As did my reading. I’m really hoping that this week will be better, even though I’ve already gotten a late start. We’ll see – fingers crossed!

For the posts I want to do this week… Well, it’s a tad late, but I’m definitely gonna do my Most Interesting Looking New Books of July 2025. Of course I also want to do another couple posts aside from this one, and I want one of them to be a book review. The other… I dunno. We’ll see what I end up posting this week together, after it’s over.

As for books and reading… I dunno. Well, technically I have an idea, ’cause I know what’s on my To Be Read stuff, but I’m not quite sure I know what I’m going to read next out of the TBR. Or I might spontaneously decide to read a new book that came out in June. I’m honestly not sure what I’m gonna pick right now.

In regards to stuff I did outside of blogging and books last week, last week was my big house cleaning week of the month. It was a week later than usual, because time didn’t really work out for it the week before, as well as on a different day of the week than it usually is, which might have messed up my time management for other things. But it needed to be done, so I’m not as irritated about it as I could’ve been, even though I’m a little annoyed.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Den of Liars

Here we are again. Another Wednesday, another new book to get excited over.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

Den of Liars by Jessica C. Olson! 🎲🃏

Den of Liars by Jessica C. Olson

SERIES: Den of Liars Duology #1

LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends

RELEASE DATE: 1 July 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A young thief attempting a daring casino heist during a high-stakes tournament is torn between two warring brothers in Den of Liars.

Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that follow, she and the Thief form a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief’s mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers’ shared history, and the lies she tells herself.

Are you interested in Den of Liars? What other books have come out lately that you’ve enjoyed or are looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 6/16 – 6/22

I’m a little bit late this week, but I’m not that late. It’s not like I’m doing this on Wednesday or even Thursday or something. Let’s do this.

Like last week, I didn’t really get any reading done, which I’m annoyed about, but it is what it is. I did do a decent amount of posting on the blog though, which I am happy about.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!

Tuesday 6/17: May Reading 2025

Last Tuesday, I posted my Monthly Reading Wrap-Up for May 2025. It was posted later than I’d have liked, but with all the stuff at the beginning of this month, I’m not surprised or too disappointed it took this long. For those who don’t know, monthly wrap-ups are when I go over the books I read over the past month, as well as my stats over on The StoryGraph.

Monthly Wrap-Up: May Reading 2025

Wednesday 6/18: Can’t-Wait Wednesday

On Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday for the first time in a couple of weeks. The new books coming out that I’m intrigued by are amping up again.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Far Better Thing

Saturday 6/21: Birthstone Book Covers

This past Saturday, I participated in Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.

Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was June, and its birthstones are alexandrite, moonstone and pearl. So the color of the month was really varied – from teal to white to rainbow or iridescent.

Birthstone Book Covers: June 2025

Books I Read Last Week

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, last week wasn’t quite what I hoped it would be, but that’s just how things happened. I want to do better this week, so we’ll see how that ends up going.

Regarding my blog activity for this coming week, I want to participate in a couple of the usual weekly posts, but also maybe do a Bewitching Book Covers. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done that one. I’d also like to do another book review, so here’s hoping I finish another book in the next few days.

For books, I’m pretty sure that I’m gonna read A Spell for Change by Nicole Jarvis next. Then, I want to read a new release from June 2025. We’ll see what happens though. The whimsy with which my immediate TBR changes is ridiculous sometimes.

As for life outside books and blogging, not much has changed. I’m still watching what I eat. Other than that, my spouse and I have been rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender together. We’ve both seen it and loved it before – them around five times and me once or twice. But it’s been a long time since we last saw it for both of us, and we’ve never watched it together, so we thought it would be fun. And it has been. We’re almost halfway through the series now.

Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Far Better Thing

Here we are again. Another Wednesday, another new book to get excited over.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.

This week’s book is:

A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry! 🗝️🪄

(So, like, this actually came out yesterday, but I was busy this week and I’m not interested in any other books coming out in June. So yeah.)

A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry

LENGTH: 416 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 17 June 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

I feared this was the best of times; I hoped it could not get any worse.

The faeries stole Sydney Carton as a child, and made him a mortal servant of the Faery Realm. Now, he has a rare opportunity for revenge against the fae and Charles Darnay, the changeling left in his stead.

It will take magic and cunning—cold iron and Realm silver – to hide his intentions from humans and fae and bring his plans to fruition.

Shuttling between London and Paris during the Reign of Terror, generations of violence-begetting-violence lead him to a heartbreaking choice in the shadow of the guillotine.

Are you interested in A Far Better Thing? What other books have come out lately that you’ve enjoyed or are looking forward to?

As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar