First Line Friday: 8/22

Geez, what is going on with my scheduled posts?! I guess I just keep forgetting to change something, lol.

Anyway, it’s time for another First Line Friday! It’s been like four weeks. Ugh. Whoops? But hey! New graphic!

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 are the first lines:

They told her not to be afraid. That it wouldn’t hurt.

Who’d believe that propaganda bullshit? Of course it was going to hurt. She hid her protests, bitter like ice behind every forced smile

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

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

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Voidwalker by S.A. MacLean!!

(Didja guess it?)

Voidwalker by S.A. MacLean

SERIES: Beasts of the Void #1

LENGTH: 592 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 19 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Fionamara is a smuggler. Antal is the reason her people fear the dark.

Fi ferries contraband between worlds, stockpiling funds and stolen magic to keep her village self-sufficient – free from the blood sacrifices humans have paid to Antal’s immortal species for centuries.

Only legends whispered through the pine forests recall a time when things were different, before one world shattered into many, and the flesh-devouring beasts crept from the cracks between realities, with their sable antlers and slender tails, lethal claws and gleaming fangs. Now, mortal lives are food to pacify their carnivorous overlords, exchanged for feudal protection, and the precious silver energy that fuels everything from transport to weaponry.

When Fi gets planted with a stash of smuggled energy, a long-lost flame recruits her for a reckless heist that escalates into a terrorist bombing – and a coup against the reigning immortals, with Fi’s home caught in the crossfire.

She’s always known the dangers of her trade – and of the power she’s wielded since childhood, allowing her to see the secret doors between dimensions, to walk the Void itself. But nothing could have prepared her for crossing paths with Antal. For the deal she’ll have to make with him, a forced partnership to reclaim his city that begins as a desperate bid for survival, only to grow into something far more dangerous.

A revolution.

And a temptation – for how sweet the monster’s fangs might feel.

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

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Katabasis

Happy Wednesday everybody! Here we go again!

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:

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang!

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

LENGTH: 540 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins

RELEASE DATE: 26 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Dante’s Inferno meets Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi in this all-new dark academia fantasy from R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and Yellowface, in which two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul—perhaps at the cost of their own.

Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek:

The story of a hero’s descent to the underworld

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality: her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world.

That is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams….

Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the very same conclusion.

With nothing but the tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them, enough chalk to draw the Pentagrams necessary for their spells, and the burning desire to make all the academic trauma mean anything, they set off across Hell to save a man they don’t even like.

But Hell is not like the storybooks say, Magick isn’t always the answer, and there’s something in Alice and Peter’s past that could forge them into the perfect allies…or lead to their doom.

Are you looking forward to Katabasis? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

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

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Hemlock and Silver

Happy Wednesday(-ish)! Ugh, for some reason this didn’t quite post properly, and then I immediately went to bed early because I was tired. Oh well, fixed it! Here’s hoping this turns into another streak for this post!

This week’s book is:

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher! 🍎🌿

This is a reimagining of Snow White, and it definitely looks interesting! I’m also just naturally attracted to fairytale retellings, so it’s inevitable that this would make it to this post, as well as on my list of anticipated books for August 2025.

This is one of T. Kingfisher’s longer books, and it looks like it might be the first of hers that I’ll read. I’ve read a few of her novellas though, and they were great, so I’m hoping I’ll like her longer novels, too.

Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

LENGTH: 368 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 19 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Hemlock & Silver, a dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue, and treason of the most magical kind

Healer Anja knows little of politics but much of poisons. When she is summoned to treat the mysterious illness afflicting the king’s daughter, she finds herself against the clock, desperate to track down the source of the poison killing Princess Snow. But the chance discovery of a strange alternate world inside a magic mirror leads Anja to darker discoveries, including what really happened to Snow’s dead sister, Rose, and why their mother seemingly went mad and cut out her heart.

Aided by a taciturn bodyguard, a narcissistic cat, and a late Renaissance understanding of the scientific method, Anja must navigate the mysteries of the mirror world before the dark queen that dwells within rises to threaten them all.

Are you looking forward to Hemlock & Silver? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

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

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Girls of Dark Divine

Happy Wednesday everyone! The new books just don’t stop coming! Also, look – new graphic for the featured image!

This week’s book is:

Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods!

Yeah, I know this technically came out yesterday, but I was a little off my game last week in terms of blog activity. And this book does look interesting.

Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods

LENGTH: 400 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Delacorte

RELEASE DATE: 5 August 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A group of hauntingly beautiful girls have been bound together by a cruel curse—and one of them will go to any lengths to save them from their violent dance. A breathtakingly gorgeous gothic fantasy about love and control that will never let you go. This spellbinding debut is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber!

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls on stage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn became the show’s star, it was her dream to become one of the ballerinas… until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A curse has bound the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally consumes her.

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows with a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

Are you looking forward to Girls of Dark Divine? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

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

See ya ~Mar

Weekly Wrap-Up: 7/21 – 8/3

So yeah. I skimped out last week with the weekly wrap-up. I honestly don’t know why really; I was feeling really burnt out on pretty much everything though, so that was probably it. But I’m doing it this week, and hopefully I’ll keep it up more consistently – as in every week like I should be.

My blog posting for the last two weeks was… okay. It could have been better, but I’m not gonna moan about it. It is what it is. I am rather disappointed with my reading however, and not just for the past two weeks either.

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

Wednesday 7/23: Can’t-Wait Wednesday

On Wednesday July 23rd, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday again. It’s officially 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: Aurora (Volume #1)

Friday 7/25: First Line Friday

On Friday July 25th, I participated in First Line Fridays for the first time in a couple weeks. I’m glad I’m doing it a bit more often again – so far.

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: 7/25

Saturday 8/2: Bewitching Book Covers

Last Saturday, I posted another Bewitching Book Covers for the first time in two months. Wow, and I thought last time’s gap with this post was big.

Anyway, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly known as Majestic Mondays and Tasteful Tuesdays), is when I gush over a book cover that I like as well as analyze it (sometimes). I also typically give the book covers funny rating systems – not the usual blank out of five stars kind of thing.

Bewitching Book Covers: A Mastery of Monsters

Sunday 8/3: Aurora (Volume #1) Review

This past Sunday, I finally did another book review. It was the first time in like a month. Ugh, what am I doing?!

Anyway, it was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, the first volume of the fantasy webcomic Aurora by Red of Overly Sarcastic Productions. I’ve thought it was fantastic for awhile, and this physical release only made me continue to love it just as much, if not more. I gave it ★★★★★.

Aurora: Volume #1 Review

Books I Read in the Last Two Weeks

💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁

So yeah, the past two weeks have been a little meh in terms of everything for me. I kind of took a week off, so I’m hoping that will help with my productivity and motivation. We’ll see though.

I’m not completely decided on the posts I’m gonna do this week, except for my Most Interesting Looking New Books of August 2025. I also am not fully committed to a specific book (or books) that I’m gonna read this week, but I’m thinking it has a good chance of being the next arc of One Piece. I’m hoping to get in a couple of the novels that I’ve had for a few months but haven’t gotten around to reading yet this month as well, though, as well.

Nothing has really changed outside of the reading and blogging part of my life. We’re still trying to watch what we eat and trying to be more productive.

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

See ya ~Mar

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:

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

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Aurora (Volume #1)

Hello and Happy Wednesday everybody! There’s a lot of books coming out lately that I’ve been interested in! Two weeks in a row!

This week’s book is:

Aurora: Volume #1 by Red!

This is a fantastic webcomic by Red of Overly Sarcastic Productions from YouTube, and it’s finally getting an official release in print! I’ve actually been following the webcomic for a few years, and it’s amazing and I love it. I’m so excited for this – Aurora’s first physical version is definitely one of my most anticipated releases of the year!

Aurora: Volume #1 by Red

COMIC: Aurora

LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Andrews McMeel Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 29 July 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Fans of the hit webcomic Aurora, will delight in the first series installment in print, which follows a found family of heroes on a journey to save a god from an immortal witch.

The shining city of Vash in the world of Aurora is protected by a great and powerful god of the same name, but even Vash’s incarnation cannot withstand the Collector, an immortal sorceress bent on unmaking the world. Vash’s city is destroyed and his soul abducted, leaving only ruins and the wounded, empty body of his incarnation. When newborn soul Kendal awakens in the body, he is driven to rescue the imprisoned Vash. Now Kendal must grapple with living as a mortal and defeating a force powerful enough to sunder the gods.

Kendal is aided by the friends he makes along the way: Alinua, a volatile elven hermit terrified of her uncontrollable life magic; Erin, the prideful Elemental Magus, master of all six elements, who is burdened with a world-shattering curse; and Falst, a surly beastman trying to find his way in a world that hates him. Together, they will journey through magic and mystery, explore perilous environments, and confront ancient forces. Stars dance beyond the shimmering curtains of Aurora; it is time to draw those curtains back…

With exclusive author commentary and bonus story content, Aurora (Volume 1) has plenty for both fans and new readers to enjoy.

Have you heard of the Aurora webcomic? Are you looking forward to its physical release? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

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

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: A Mastery of Monsters

Hello and Happy Wednesday everybody! There’s a lot of books coming out lately that I’ve been interested in! Two weeks in a row!

This week’s book is:

A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury! 🪶📚

This is one of the books coming out in 2025 that I’m pretty interested in. It has a great title and a great cover, and the book description is also pretty intriguing.

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:

Are you looking forward to the release of A Mastery of Monsters? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?

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

See ya ~Mar

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Enchanted Greenhouse

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

This week’s book is:

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst!

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Bramble

RELEASE DATE: 15 July 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

Are you interested in The Enchanted Greenhouse? 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