Book Review | The Winter of the Witch (The Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden

Title: The Winter of the Witch
Author: Katherine Arden
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Publication Date: January 8th, 2019
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a complimentary earc to review! All opinions are my own.

“Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.” (Goodreads)

The Winter of the Witch was one of my most anticipated reads for 2019 and it did not disappoint. We are swept back into this magical world right where The Girl in the Tower left off. Vasya is trying to make peace with what happened to Moscow the night before while trying to keep her family safe as an angry mob wants her tried for witchcraft. Katherine Arden’s writing is once again captivating and brings to life this world and the characters we have grown to love.

We find ourselves back at recognizable places such as Moscow and the forest but we also are drawn into new magical worlds that feel like a dream. Her world building is breathtaking and imaginative as always.

New and familiar characters come back for this epic conclusion. Vasya is still growing in the beginning and by the end she is finding her purpose which is satisfying to see. She is always full of real human emotions as Katherine has a way of making each character come to life. I even grew to like Medved, the bear, and I didn’t think that was possible. Many of the characters are met with tough decisions they must make and sometimes those decisions lead to fateful consequences.

This book gave me so many emotions and tears were shed multiple times as well as a few laughs here and there. Although I am sad to see this wonderful world end, The Winter of the Witch is a great ending to a beloved series.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Radar (6/1/21)

Hello Bookworms!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018.

Today’s prompt is a freebie so I am going with Books On My Radar. The books listed are ones that have been recently added to my tbr and I can’t wait to learn more about! Maybe you will find some books to add to your tbr too, haha.

1.) She Who Rides the Storm by Caitlin Sangster

In this atmospheric YA fantasy that is Wicked Saints meets There Will Come a Darkness, four teens are drawn into a high-stakes heist in the perilous tomb of an ancient shapeshifter king.

Long ago, shapeshifting monsters ruled the Commonwealth using blasphemous magic that fed on the souls of their subjects. Now, hundreds of years later, a new tomb has been uncovered, and despite the legends that disturbing a shapeshifter’s final resting place will wake them once again, the Warlord is determined to dig it up.

But it isn’t just the Warlord who means to brave the traps and pitfalls guarding the crypt.

A healer obsessed with tracking down the man who murdered her twin brother.

A runaway member of the Warlord’s Devoted order, haunted by his sister’s ghost.

A snotty archaeologist bent on finding the cure to his magical wasting disease.

A girl desperate to escape the cloistered life she didn’t choose.

All four are out to steal the same cursed sword rumored to be at the very bottom of the tomb. But of course, some treasures should never see the light of day, and some secrets are best left buried…” (Goodreads)

2.) Luminous by Mara Rutherford

From the author of Crown of Coral and Pearl comes an immersive new fantasy about a witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.” (Goodreads)

3.) Sway With Me by Syed M. Masood

She’s All That goes desi in this hilarious, affecting, and sweetly romantic comedy by the author of More Than Just a Pretty Face.

Arsalan has learned everything he knows from Nana, his 100-year-old great-grandfather. This includes the fact that when Nana dies, Arsalan will be completely alone in the world, except for his estranged and abusive father. So he turns to Beenish, the step-daughter of a prominent matchmaker, to find him a future life partner. Beenish’s request in return? That Arsalan help her ruin her older sister’s wedding with a spectacular dance she’s been forbidden to perform.

Despite knowing as little about dancing as he does about girls, Arsalan wades into Beenish’s chaotic world to discover friends and family he never expected. And though Arsalan’s old-school manners and Beenish’s take-no-prisoners attitude clash every minute, they find themselves getting closer and closer—literally. All that’s left to realize is that the thing they both really want is each other, if only they can get in step.

At turns laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, and sincerely heartfelt, Sway With Me is a coming-of-age story for anyone trying to find their place in the world.” (Goodreads)

4.) The Last Words We Said by Leah Scheier

“Nine months ago, Danny disappeared and everything changed for his friends. Rae’s pouring herself into rage-baking. Deenie’s deepening her commitment to Orthodox Judaism. And Ellie—Danny’s best friend and girlfriend—is the only one who doesn’t believe he’s dead.

Because she still sees him.

Moving back and forth between past and present, the story of Ellie and Danny unspools, from their serendipitous meeting to Danny and Ellie falling for each other. In the past, they were the perfect couple—until it all went wrong. In the present, Ellie’s looking for answers. Her friends are worried about her mental health, but Ellie’s certain that the tragedy that’s rocked their modern Orthodox community isn’t as simple as they all believe. She’s determined to uncover the truth about what happened to the love of her life. But to do that, she’ll have to be more honest with herself.” (Goodreads)

5.) A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

“When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive tht long. In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.” (Goodreads)

6.) The Suite Spot by Trish Doller

“Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do.

On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move.

What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.

The big hearted companion to Float Plan, Trish Doller’s The Suite Spot is about taking a chance on a new life and a new love.” (Goodreads)

7.) Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes

A snarky seventeen-year-old must team up with an enigmatic criminal to cure herself of dangerous forbidden magic in the first book of a new fantasy duology from Morgan Rhodes, the New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series.

Josslyn Drake knows only three things about magic: it’s rare, illegal, and always deadly. So when she’s caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala and infected by a dangerous piece of magic—one that allows her to step into the memories of an infamously evil warlock—she finds herself living her worst nightmare. Joss needs the magic removed before it corrupts her soul and kills her. But in Ironport, the cost of doing magic is death, and seeking help might mean scheduling her own execution. There’s nobody she can trust.

Nobody, that is, except wanted criminal Jericho Nox, who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself. And though she’s not thrilled to be working with a thief, especially one as infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) as Jericho, Joss is desperate enough to accept.

But Jericho is nothing like Joss expects. The closer she grows with Jericho and the more she sees of the world outside her pampered life in the city, the more Joss begins to question the beliefs she’s always taken for granted—beliefs about right and wrong, about power and magic, and even about herself.

In an empire built on lies, the truth may be her greatest weapon.” (Goodreads)

8.) Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

A lush, feminist re-imagining on what happened to Wendy after Neverland, for fans of Circe and The Mere Wife.

For those that lived there, Neverland was a children’s paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests – all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old.

But Wendy Darling grew up. She left Neverland and became a woman, a mother, a patient, and a survivor. Because Neverland isn’t as perfect as she remembers. There’s darkness at the heart of the island, and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys…” (Goodreads)

9.) Song of the Forever Rains by E.J. Mellows

From the award-winning author of the Dreamland series comes a new dark romantic fantasy about a young woman finding hope in her powers of destruction.

The Thief Kingdom is a place hidden within the world of Aadlior. Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.

Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.

Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?” (Goodreads)

10.) The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley

An African tightrope walker who can’t die gets embroiled in a secret society’s deadly gladiatorial tournament in this thrilling historical fantasy set in an alternate 1880s London, perfect for fans of The Last Magician and The Gilded Wolves.

As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is used to being strange. She is certainly a strange sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret that even “strange” doesn’t capture…​

She cannot die.

Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. But that mission gets more complicated when she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam seems to know much more about her than he lets on, and he shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives…and who doesn’t.

To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a macabre competition made up of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion, and in return he promises her the one thing she wants most: the truth about who she really is.

If Iris wants to learn about her shadowy past, she has no choice but to fight. But the further she gets in the grisly tournament, the more she begins to remember—and the more she wonders if the truth is something best left forgotten.” (Goodreads)

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Would you add any of these to your tbr? What’s a book that is on your radar?

Let me know in the comments below!

Find me on Instagram / Goodreads

-Joanna TheGeekishBrunette (1)

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2020

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Hello, Lovely Bookworms!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018.

I have looked into this years reads but I honestly can’t remember. Guess it’s time to go back and look at what I am excited for.

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1.) This Vicious Cure

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2.) Rogue Princess

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3.) Heart of Flames

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4.) Empress of Flames

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5.) Bone Crier’s Moon

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6.) Greythorne

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7.) The Silence of Bones

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8.) Aurora Burning

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9.) Forest of Souls

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10.) Where Dreams Descend

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11.) Seasons of the Storm

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These are all books  I am so excited for!

Are any of these on your list?
-Joanna TheGeekishBrunette (1)

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases of the Second Half of 2019

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Hello, Lovelies!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018.

We all have those books were excitedly waiting for! Today I am going to be sharing the ones I am most excited for that come out in the last half of 2019 because well, this year is basically halfway over with already. Isn’t that crazy!

These are in no particular order:

1.) Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

2.) The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

3.) The Widow of Pale Harbor by Hester Fox

4.) Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian

5.) Stormrise by Jillian Boehme

6.) Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

7.) Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

8.) Midnight Beauties by Megan Shepherd

9.) The Sky Weaver by Kristen Ciccarelli

10.) Bid My Soul Farewell by Beth Revis

 

Are any of these on your list? Let me know!

Four Dead Queens (Sneak Peek): NetGalley Review

34213319.jpgTitle: Four Dead Queens
Author: Astrid Scholte
Publication Date: February 26th, 2019

Sneak Peek provided by publisher through NetGalley

->Click for Synopsis<-

I am so glad that NetGalley had a sneak peek of this because I have been dying to here more about this book and make up my mind whether or not to preorder. The sneak peek had a few chapters and within those chapters you are thrown into the plot of murder and backstabbers! Honestly, this got me pumped for the release and I just can’t wait to read the whole thing!

Monthly Wrap-Up | January 2019

Hello, fellow book lovers!

January was a crazy month for reading! It was my best month ever when it came to how many books I actually finished but not great for how many were 5 star reads. I doubt I will ever read 29 books plus 11 mangas in a month again but when there’s a will, there’s a way!

5 stars:
Escaping from Houdini
Vampire Kisses (reread)
A Torch Against the Night
The Poppy War
Sky in the Deep
Legendary
A Reaper at the Gates
The Last Namsara
The Winner’s Curse
A Clash of Kings

4 stars:
Roar
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Give the Dark My Love
Caraval
Six of Crows
The Devouring Gray (eARC)
The Governess of Penwythe Hall (eARC)

3 stars:
Deathless
Ruin and Rising
The Wicked King
Shadow of the Fox
Fire & Heist
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Sense & Sensibility
The Witch’s Kind (eARC)

2 stars:
Shatter Me
Dance of Thieves
Spin the Dawn (2.5) (eARC)

1 star:
Never-Contented Things (eARC)

Mangas:
The Demon Prince of Momochi House Vol. 4
Yona of the Dawn Vol. 15
Stepping on Roses Vol. 1-9

My favorite book for the month was The Poppy War. I am not usually drawn to adult fantasy but with such great reviews I decided to give it a go and it didn’t disappoint! The worst read was Never-Contented Things.

Overall, I would say I did pretty good. I wanted more 5 stars but hopefully February will be better! I will have reviews coming for all listed if there isn’t a review yet for the title.

Have you read any on this list? What was your favorite read of January?

Most Anticipated Reads of 2019

Hello fellow book lovers!

Today’s post is all about my most anticipated reads of 2019. I figured I might as well go ahead and write this all down somewhere to keep track and what better place than on my blog to also share with you!

If any of these are on your list leave a comment below telling me which ones!

1.) The Girl King by Mimi Yu (January 8th, 2019)
2.) Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard (February 12th, 2019)
3.) Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse (April 30th, 2019)
4.) Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman (May 7th, 2019)
5.) Deviate by Jay Kristoff (May 28th, 2019)
6.) Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (September 3rd, 2019)

There are other books coming out in 2019 that I will for sure read but these are the ones I am most excited about! And by excited I mean I need them in my life right now because I must know what happens since the last book ended on a cliffhanger! Darn books, always pulling me in!

Have any book suggestions for me for 2019? Comment below and let me know!