Mini Mention Monday: Mini Review

Mini Mention Monday

This is a new bookish meme I have created which involves a tiny review, callback to a favourite series or a mention of what you are looking forward too on your TBR! This is a chance to highlight things that are mini and not quite big enough to usually get their own post/video especially our favourite novellas/short stories.

This week’s Mini Mention Monday is… A Fellowship of Games and Fables!

This is the third book in the Adrenshire series (the fourth is coming out this November!) and it was just as adorable a cosy fantasy as the others.

Jez the fennex is a character that we meet in the other books and I wasn’t quite sure I would have the emotional connection to her that I did with the last two heroines but I absolutely did!

I really enjoyed the exploration of how Jez and her family had grown so distant from familiaral expectations but also how she grew to be able to look back on her past with more than shame and guilt.

This centres around the Yule Games (making this a great Christmas/wintertime read!) and the romance between Taeyna and Jez is just adorable!

February 10, 2025 0

Mini Mention Monday: Mini Review

Mini Mention Monday

This weeks Mini Mention is….A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons!

Just so adorable!

I loved Doli from the last book and peeling back the happy always glowing mask that she wore in the first book and allowing the reader to see that she was dealing with her own insecurities underneath was so nice to read.

Saxon her gargoyle was just so adorable – who doesn’t need a librarian book boyfriend who has shelves full of dragon books???

And there were dragons! An adorable little baby dragon that ensnared my heart from page one and I was 1000% in for the ride!

Also! At the end the author includes several recipes to make the delicious cakes and food eaten by the characters so if you find yourself starving reading a fantasy diet of cakes and buttercream just flip to the back!

February 10, 2025 0

Mini Mention Monday: Mini Review

Mini Mention Monday

This weeks mini mention is… the Fellowship of Bakers and Magic by J Penner

The essence of the cosy fantasy genre! Warmth just beams through this cosy tale set in a fantasy world full of different races of magical people – humans, elves, fennexes, dwarves, orcs and a few more obscure ones too!

Following Arleta a human who had been struggling against the prejudices the market overseer Mr Figlet to sell her baked goods at even half of their worth was really enjoyable, she was full of spirit and yet vulnerable at the same time!

The plot is centred around a great British bake off competition and lots of delectably described sweet treat!

So grab a few sweets and a warm drink and settle down for the good vibes and a heartwarming romance!

February 10, 2025 0

Sasha vs the Whole Wide World (and dragons) by Rachel Taylor Thompson

Thanks to Net Galley for this e-ARC read and all opinions are my own!
Pub Date: Apr 01 2025
Publisher: Rachel Taylor Thompson
Genre: Alternate Reality, Heist, Urban Fantasy
Age Category: YA

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that originated at Breaking the Spine but has now linked up with Waiting for Wednesday at Wishful Endings. It is always a fun chance to display books that are going to be joining our bookshelves very soon in 2025!

13+

This was so good!

I went into this expecting a fun frolic and it didn’t just deliver it gave me everything I wanted and DRAGONS. I know it was in the title, but I had expected a few dragons, not a glorious world full of different varieties. We have seadragons, truedragons, even beedragons!

Sasha was driven character from the beginning, and we are swept into her delightfully morally askew world as she witnesses a seadragon die and steals it’s Semis. The Semis is something huge in her world – the last time it happened there was a huge man hunt and several deaths but as far as Sasha is concerned there was also millions.

Throughout Sasha had a really fun narrative voice to read, rampant with ‘Clemisms’, sayings her (just a little crooked) family have raised her on which support all of her decisions in the beginning. It was really lovely to see her motives change and grow over the course. At the beginning of each chapter she keeps track of her finances (such a lovely way of reminding about her motives and how money is such a huge thing because of the lack of it in her life) but it also reminds us of the ticking clock behind her – the whole country is out for her, the whole world’s governments are looking for her and the Semis and she only has a few grand with which to avoid them with. oh and that’s all that’s left of her collage money too!

Plot – 5/5 – it was fast but we also got all the details that my little worldbuilding heart needs so just perfect!

Romance – 4.5/5 – Soft Romance – I just love a good dreamscape scene, when both lower their boundaries and just talk without the pressures of the real world and this had several glorious examples of how well this can be done! Ari was adorable too – and how sweet he was with the dogs! (did I mention that there are three dogs named after the Bronte sisters along for the heist???)

Characters – 4/5 – I loved Sasha, she was such a good character and I love that Rachel Thompson didn’t make her family too likeable (they had flaws but still came out to support Sasha in their own non law abiding way)

World – 5/5 – DRAGONS! I have mentioned the dragons but they were glorious so I will mention it again! The rest of the world was really well defined too – Sasha crosses huge swathes of land but every place she goes to has its own feel even through she never goes to any huge landmarks.

Content Warnings: some sexual harassment to the mc, but she gets out of the situation quickly so only 1/5. Threat.

Such a fun read and 100% worth it this needs to go on your TBR for 2025!

Happy Reading!

Lottie

February 7, 2025 0

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

This weeks prompt was –

2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To (will you be prioritizing these this year?)

1 – Reckless by Lauren Roberts – I will absolutely be prioritising this read 100% (I only got it at Christmas but it is already being pushed higher and higher on my TBR and I’m definitely going to have a read of that so I can have a complete trilogy read through when Fearless comes out!

2 – Powerful by Lauren Roberts – yes another one of Lauren Roberts’s books! I haven’t bought this one yet but when I do it is going straight to the top of my TBR (even if the ending is going to devastate me – why do the supporting characters always have to die??)

3 – A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizel – vampires, illegal underworlds and heists! As soon as I saw the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it.

4 – Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Hawthorne – this came out last year but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet! I always love a second series in the same world with old and new characters so I am definitely going to give this one a try!

5 – Burning Crowns by Catherine Doyle – I cannot believe I haven’t read this one yet! It sounds like just the fantasy read that I look for and it most certainly is a priority to read in 2025.

6 – Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber – it is on my bookshelf and I am looking forward to reading it! I have so many books on my TBR right now that it is slightly lower than some others (so it might be a few months before I read it!) but it is definitely in my top fifty books I 100% want to read in 2025.

7 – Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine – this sounds like just the murder/thriller I’d enjoy. I love murders that are being looked back on from the future (it was one of my favourite things about a good girls guide to murder) it just gives so much space for finding out the secrets of the past and how they lead to the formation of the present.

8 – Chaos and Flame and Blood and Fury by Tessa Gratton – the second book came out and I cant wait to read the first – its all the kind of things I love in my fantasy, houses, competiting fractions, long lost inheritance.

9 – The Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan – historical details and a heist including Michelangelo in one of the most beautiful cities in the world? how could I not put this on my catchup list?

10 – Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli – romantasy, witches and a world that sounds just like my kind of thing? I cant believe that this one has gone through 2024 without me reading it!

Extra – Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard! This came out in February and I couldnt read it instantly because i hadnt read the others! Red Queen had me completely head over heels with her writing style and I’m still partly in a book hangover from the ending! I am going to read this book 10000% in 2025.

Happy Reading!

Lottie

February 4, 2025 0

Waiting on Wednesday: Heir of Storms

Thanks to Puffin and Net Gallery for this e-ARC
Pub: **5 Jun 2025**
Age Category: YA
Genre: fantasy, elemental magic

Heir of Storms by Lauryn Murray

14+

This book just felt like a nostalgic fantasy read in the beginning but it evolved into so much more really altering a few genre expectations in a way I loved. The world is very reminiscent of a traditional fantasy world with a five elemental system but we also got lots of little worldbuilding details about the kingdoms interaction with the Otherlands. I really liked the way we were rapidly drawn into the action with centuries of tradition behind it that is driving all the characters. I honestly would love to have another book that covered previous trials of the Council because this idea of competing for crowns and the Heirs being from the same families just ups the tension and excitement of the trials.

Blaze already being such a notorious figure in the world having created a huge empire wide storm at her birth was a nice change from people just learning about their power (we do get good power development tho which I always like).

It was a really good book and I cant wait for the sequel!

World – 5/5 – I loved the world, it was quite a traditional world and magic system but the way it was presented was amazing and I really enjoyed that.

Plot – 4/5 – we had the trials, we had Blaze’s growth and power and we had all the other subplots that wove together very nicely. I enjoyed it and it moves quickly so there is always something new on the next page.

Romance – 3.5/5 – Suggestive Romance – it is a romantasy but I feel like the romance hadn’t quite stabilised or developed yet for me to truly decide if I like the love interest so this rating will likely go up after reading the sequel. In some places I thought the romance went a little darker than I usually like – the love interest did lean a little bit more towards violence – but it isn’t enough to raise the rating or add a B. There was a twist on the usual romance trope triangle which I loved but wont give any more spoilers on!

Characters – 4/5 – we had all the good elements in the characters, I really liked Flint, his confidence in his own abilities highlighted just how society really supports and uplifts people born with the expected power but people like Blaze who are given a power that isn’t supposed to exist are feared.

Things to be aware of: Fantasy violence (I would say quite low, maybe 2/5), slavery that is just excepted by everyone in the world as the norm. There are a few spots where the romantasy comes through stronger and we have a few kissing scenes if you mind that.

January 30, 2025 1

Waiting on Wednesday: Meet Me at Midnight

Thanks to Net Gallery and Scholastic UK for this e-ARC read!

Pub Date – **Apr 10 2025**
Age Category – YA
Genre: **Romance**

Meet Me at Midnight by Brianna Bourne

13+

Beautiful – just beautiful.

I went into this expecting a fluffy dreamscape full of romance and while I got all of that I wanted I also got an amazing look into the dangers of erasing memory and also how difficult it is to truly see where your relationships went wrong. This book carried me through on a wave of constant enjoyment and it is definitely one I am going to be featuring for my April book club read.

The main character Aria is a joy to read, it is rare I have ever had such similar hobbies and likes as a character and I loved watching her growth throughout the book. Her struggles with her twin Cady who has swept her through life, making every decision for her naiive dreamer perspective of the word. However, her sister has gone into a coma and in this wake Aria has to unravel not only her feelings surrounding Cady but the boy who keeps turning up in her dreams and just may be more real than should be possible.

It had a slowly growing dystopian feel while keeping a really relevant feel – it felt like 2025 and whenever its set. It was a more subtle dystopian feel than most dystopian YA because it isn’t a full blown situationship after an collapse of society but it focuses on an invention that I can imagine a few hundred years later in a proper dystopian adventure and I really loved that.

World – 5/5 stars – it felt really realistic and warm (the best way I can describe it), the world, the dreamscapes and the entire world felt ethereal in places and then really acute at others.

Plot – 4/5 – I really enjoyed it, I cant say much more for spoilers but it was so good.

Characters – 10000/5 – they felt so nuanced especially Aria and Strat and their relationship (both previous and current) with each other. The supporting characters didn’t have as much detail but I felt that that was on purpose, the focus was Aria slowly removing the naive lense she had viewed the world through and acknowledging reality – both the good and bad bits.

Romance – 4/5 – Sweet Romance – I did like the romance, it had the feel of second chance while also maintaining the air of mystery of will their relationship survive the plot!

Things to be aware of: scientific mental manipulation

January 29, 2025 1

Faye and the City in the Sea, Nicole Bailey

13+

This book continues on from the battle at the end of the first book. usually, fantasy chosen ones just blaze around, killing people with any real remorse, guilt or horror. Faye, on the other hand, has PTSD and withdraws from the camp life. she is still part of the protectors, but the sights of any weapons freaks her out and yet she knows that she will be expected to lead the war as the most powerful being in the Ether. Telanes is the only one who she will let near her when she gets scared and their friendship (and maybe a little more) is cemented. Daron and Alec’s romance develops and the is a hint of a love triangle between Telanes, Faye and Marious (a merman prince) but as in the previous book, romance isnt used as the driving force and that makes far better than most YA. It is slower paced than the first book but that is needed as we explore more of the characters emotions. Most second books are worse than the first, but this is better!

World – 5/5 stars. just so gorgeous in general and i loved seeing the underwater world!

Characters – 5/5 stars – I just love them so much especially the minor characters and Telanes. Telanes might have to take a spot on my favourite love interests of all time list he is just so sweet.

Romance – 4/5 – Sweet Romance– love this so much, Daron and Alec are the sweetest (the only actual romance in this) and like i said above Telanes is just so perfect for Faye and I really hope that they become more than friends!

Plot – 4/5 – like the previous book, the plot is mostly driven by the characters and I enjoyed this on both my first and reread (and possibly third read i’ve lost count).

Things to be aware of: PTSD surrounding blood and battle but nothing too graphic. Some fantasy violence but not much 2/5.

January 26, 2025 0

Faye and the Ether, Nicole Bailey

13+B

Amazing read! It only takes a few things to change the normal genre of YA, and this book does it perfectly. I have read this a few months ago and reread it since. The story starts normally. Faye finds out that she is from another world. Handsome guy called Daron takes her there and shows her around. but what makes this book standout is that Faye herself doesn’t have a romantic relationship that dominates the book. In most YA, Daron would be her love interest, but in this other love stories surrounding the heroine provided the romance. That changed the entire book, the reader wasnt fretting or getting annoyed about who she was going to get with and so you were fully submerged in the story. Daron and his love interests romance is perfectly done, and it is nice to see gay representation in YA fantasy. I adored Daron’s relationship – and it made so much more sense as they had known each other for years and had had time to develop feelings and know each other.

Characters – 4.5/5 – Adore the main cast, Daron and Aaron are an amazing couple, and Daron is very sweet towards Faye as well. Faye is an excellent main character and not an insta-warrior which supports the story very well.

World – 5/5 – A fantasy world based of mythology? Yess!!!

Romance – 5/5 – Swoony A – Alex and Daron do have one scene where they sleep together, but less than a paragraph and very very euphemistic – I honestly would say that some Sweet make out scenes have more details but I still give it the Swoony A because they do technically sleep together on page.

Plot – 4 stars – it was a good plot, but the main focus was on Faye and the adjustment between two worlds and how she was leaving everything behind back home.

Trigger warnings/things to be aware of: Faye’s mother is brainwashed into not noticing that her daughter is missing for months on end. Centaur culture is very close to mythology’s wild representations and there are mentions of their ‘reputations’ which could be a suggestion at SA. Their culture also has a ‘mating circle’ that is never seen on page but mentioned in passing. Because of these, i have bumped up a 12+B rating into a 13+ but it isnt a violent 13+. There are two f-cks in case you mind the profanity but it isnt excessive. Alex and Daron do have one scene where they sleep together but is not described in any real detail and I wouldnt classify it as even 0.5/5 for spice as it is very very vanilla but that also bumps it up to a B.

January 26, 2025 0

Graceling, Kristen Cashore

14+

Okay so first I LOVE the covers. ‘dont judge a book by its cover’ may be apt but i certainly do judge the cover if it doesnt fit the book. Both the first and second versions of the covers really fit the essence of this story and I love how they are both on opposite style sides. I first read it with the cover with her standing against a gray background which really captures the characters internal separation from the people around her but the latest cover is more of a traditional fantasy vibe with just a few simple elements tied together that really scream the book.

I have just reread this book for the third time and to my delight the plot still holds up. I dont know quite how to describe the plot. The book is split up into three different sections, The Lady Killer, The Twisted King and The Shifting World and they all have their own plots and storylines within the overarching story which keeps it from dragging and becoming boring.

Katsa is a truely strong heroine and I enjoyed how Cashore showed us that she still has her limits, (especially emotionally and psychologically) but despite that she does choose to do the right thing. I almost feel like there could have been a book before this about how Katsa slowly realised just how much the king was using her but this story launches us right in at the perfect point as the seven kingdoms change forever. I found it a quick paced read, especially in the later two sections which improved massively. In the beginning I felt it lagged a little but gave us some interesting world-building details.

The world premise is a fantasy/historical feel with the fantasy Graces. People (seemingly at random but i am hoping we learn more in the next book!) are Graced with supernatural abilities, some relitavely innocent like being able to hold your breath for a very long time and some very dangerous like strength, perfect aim, heightened senses and in Katsa’s case a Killing Grace. Gracelings are easily picked out because they have different coloured eyes, like Katsa’s blue and green, and Po’s silver and gold. I also enjoyed seeing how Katsa’s relationship with her power changed as she used it further and further out of her uncle’s control and it struck a very delicate balance; having an assassin/kings executioner as the main character means the reader expects them to already have a lot of training and have a firm grasp on their power but Cashore also balanced that with Katsa’s power being stretched in other ways.

World – 4.5/5 – Love the concept of the Gracelings, we get a good look at different kingdoms and different types of people in it.

Characters – 4/5 – I do love Katsa’s strength and resilience, and Po is a very sweet cinnamon roll of a love interest even through he can hold his own. Bitterblue is a character we have only just started to explore (and one of the books on my TBR is titled Bitterblue so I can guess we’ll be seeing more of her!) but the rest of the supporting characters felt a little flat. I enthusiastically loathed King Leck but I did wish we learnt a bit more about his backstory as the main antagonist.

Romance – 4/5 – Swoony Romance A – I enjoyed it again! Their romance is somehow deeply entangled in the story and yet barely a subplot. They do sleep together on page, but it is barely anything and I honestly think it could have been removed or you could skip it (its only about half a paragraph) and it isnt graphic at all. It does push up the rating a little but I would say you could read it a little earlier if you dont mind/skip that.

Plot – I have gushed about it up there so I’ll just say 4.5/5 stars!

Things to be aware of: There is a bit of violence – it is quite a high tension novel and several people do die. There are a few sexual innuendos and threats as well as mentions of SA. Power being exploited and a very potent form of propaganda/metal control is explored (i am trying really hard not to give a spoiler here) but all of that only makes it up to about a 3/5 of violence. Two very vanilla sexual scenes that border on fade to black (click on the orange link to see what I mean by Sexy Romance).

January 26, 2025 3