Monthly Wrap Ups

March Wrap Up!

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Today I’m bringing you my March Wrap Up.

I set myself a longer TBR for this month because I have been doing so well the past couple of months finishing the TBRs I set so I thought I would add a few more. So, as I am writing this I have just over a week left of March and two books left to read which SHOULD be possible but we shall see on that count.

From my TBR:

  • Powerful by Lauren Roberts – I did read this one, I originally wasn’t going to read this because I wasn’t sure about the character in Powerless but I decided it might have an impact on the rest of the series so I read it this month.
  • Murder In First Class by Helena Dixon – I read this one
  • The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by C M Waggoner – I read this book but I really disliked it.
  • The Last Word Is Death by Faith Martin – I read this – and it is a new favourite series.
  • The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead by Antony Johnston – I did read this
  • A Court Of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas – I have not read this yet but I am hoping I will have by the end of the month
  • Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco – I have started this novel but I haven’t finished it yet but again I hope to by the end of March

Outside of my TBR I also read Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood.

What did you all read in March?

Book Reviews

Book Review: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Happy Friday bookish people! Here we are, this is the big one isn’t it. I have been seeing everyone’s reviews and theories of this book since it came out at the end of January and finally I will share my opinion too, although I will be keeping it as spoiler free as I can.

Let me know in the comments what you thought of Onyx Storm!

Blurb/Synopsis:

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.

My review:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This is the book we were all waiting for and in my opinion it was absolutely worth the hype, and the wait. First thing to say is the length was much better, still on the chunky side it didn’t feel like it was too long in the same way that Iron Flame did which was great. I loved the developing relationships in this book, as heartbreaking as some of them are and when I say heartbreaking I mean that ending ripped my heart out. How I am going to wait for book four I don’t know, I feel like I am still stuck in that world in my head even though I have read around ten books since I finished Onyx Storm. Violet has progressed in this series and I enjoyed seeing more of her background in this book thought I still think she has some growing to do in terms of decision making but also her character flaw is caring for too many people so I can see why she is the way she is. I liked where we ended up with the romance at the end of this book, and I felt it took a backseat in this one to the action and the plot and I did like that as it was a change to the first two books. I found the first 200 ish pages a little slow to get through, not that I didn’t enjoy them because I did but I don’t usually read series’ back to back so it was draining me a little but that took nothing away from my enjoyment of the story. All I can say is bring on book four because I cannot wait to see where this story goes next!

Book Reviews

Book Review: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today and that you’re ready to jump into a book review as today I am bringing you my review of Iron Flame by rebecca Yarros.

Blurb/Synopsis:

“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.” —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

My Review:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This is the second book in the series so I will do my best to not spoil anything from this or the first book, Fourth Wing, in this review.
The first thing I will say is I gave this book five stars because of the way it made me feel. I loved being back with these characters and in this world, with the dragons. Honestly, I love the world so much I had dreams about being part of it and I bought clothing to dress as Violet when I go to Comic Con in London in July. Leather trousers, ME, in leather trousers. If you know me you would think pigs would fly before I’d wear something like that. So, that is why it was a five star. It made me feel at home. Now, technically, I would not rate it a five star. It was definitely longer than it needed to be by about 200 pages I would say, as much as I loved getting to explore places outside of Basgiath and getting more information on the politics and state of the world, the relationships between places and all the plot points expertly woven into the novel, it was too long, it felt long. I enjoyed that there were some parts that weren’t all action and let us have some downtime almost with the characters that was a nice change of pace and not something you get a lot in fantasy books, especially the second in a series. Also, it did feel a bit rushed in terms of plot like maybe the author wasn’t fully sure where she was going with it but let me say, the plot twists! They were good. They were so good I went straight into Onyx Storm. Review coming Friday…

Book Reviews

Book Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day.

Okay, so it is time. If you’ve seen any of my blogs since the beginning of 2025 you’ll have seen that I finally read the Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros. I know I’m later to it than most people and I will explain. When this book first came out I thought it sounded okay but the idea of a war college kind of put me off, then there was all the hype around it so I swore I wouldn’t read it, it wasn’t for me blah blah blah. Then the more I saw about it I realised I actually did want to read it. Then Iron Flame came out so quickly afterwards and I put it off. Then finally, the paperbacks of the first two went on sale so I bought them and I wanted to make sure I read them before Onyx Storm came out so I could get the hardback of that. I ended up reading Fourth Wing a week before Onyx Storm came out.. and of course, I loved it. So, here is my review – and if you are wondering it will be as spoiler free as I can make it and my review of Iron Flame is coming on monday, and Onyx Storm review next friday so watch out for those if you are interested!

Let me know in the comments what you thought of Fourth Wing!

Blurb/Synopsis:

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders…

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die

My Review:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I want to start by saying, yes finally to some representation of chronic pain. I hardly ever see that in a book and never have I seen it done this well, you can see Violet struggles with it but it doesn’t stop her, other characters making allowances – it’s just great. Now onto the actual substance of the book. It has dragons, it has deadly trials. It has a friendship group I’d sell my soul to be with. What else can I say?
Violet is the character you are in the perspective of. I like Violet, I think sometimes her thoughts and actions are a bit messy and perhaps a bit young for her age? But also I can give her grace because she’s a warrior and she was meant to be a scribe so suddenly having to train in a different quadrant with all its secrets will have upended her life and I can understand that would make a person a bit messy. In this first book my favourite character was a tie between Rhiannon, one of Violet’s friends, and Xaden the wingleader. (Actually I’m lying – it’s the dragons but I can’t choose between them so I’m keeping them as a seperate level of character). I loved the uniqueness of the magic system, not the actual magic abilities themselves they were some tried and true favourites so were great but the way characters accessed their magic and the limits it gave them I found very intriguing. This first novel didn’t feel like it was there just to set up the world and the characters, there was so much action I sat there and read the whole book in a day. I instantly moved onto the second book Iron Flame, review coming Monday.

Uncategorized

March Book Releases

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are doing well today.

Today I am bringing you a list of some of the amazing book releases happening in March, note: some of these books will already be out by the time this list goes up but I will have the dates listed next to each book. Also note that the dates I give are the UK dates of publication.

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid – 4th March

By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.

When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother, she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.

As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.

And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love.

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare – 4th March

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – 18th March

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

To Steal From Thieves by M K Lobb – 25th March

In this high-stakes heist novel, an alchemologist and a con man team up to steal a rare necklace—but complicated feelings of attraction and deception threaten to destroy everything and everyone they love—for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Judy I. Lin.

Within the dazzling halls of London’s Crystal Palace, the event of the season has arrived: The Great Exhibition. An opportunity for the greatest minds of the century to come together under one roof in an unprecedented display of art and invention. And for two unlikely partners in crime, it’s about to become the score of a lifetime.

Charming conman Kane Durante works alone—or on occasion with his best friend, Fletcher. But when his boss, the infamous Kingpin of London’s magical dark market, gives him the impossible task of stealing a priceless artifact from the Great Exhibition, he knows it’s a job he can’t pull off alone. Enter Zaria Mendoza, daughter of one of London’s greatest alchemologists. Ever since her father’s death, Zaria’s been struggling to keep her underground business afloat, and impatient clients are becoming violent. When the infuriatingly handsome Kane offers her the promise of enough money to get out of debt and leave London entirely, she knows she can’t walk away from this dangerous partnership.

But robbing one of the most public, heavily-guarded buildings in London isn’t going to be easy, especially when love and betrayal threaten to ruin everything they’ve worked so hard for.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent – 25th March

She was commanded to kill him with a single strike to the heart. She didn’t expect her own to betray her.

Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and kill him.

Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she’d rather forget. Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world, full of heart-wrenching forbidden romance, dark curses, and epic battles – perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and the From Blood and Ash series.

How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin – 27th March

Kristen Perrin is back with the second novel in her Castle Knoll series. Annie Adams is caught in a new web of murder that spans decades, returning us to the idyllic English village that holds layers of secrets.

Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane crosses her path and shares a cryptic message. When Peony Lane is found dead only hours later inside the locked Gravesdown Estate, Annie quickly realizes that someone is out to make her look guilty while silencing Peony at the same time. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of Castle Knoll in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before the new life she’s just begun to build comes crashing down around her.

1967: A year has passed since her friend Emily disappeared, and teenage Frances Adams finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can’t hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that claimed the lives of Ford’s family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident—hints of cover-ups, lies, and betrayals abound. The question is, just how far does the blackness creep through the heart of Castle Knoll? When Frances uncovers secrets kept by both Ford and Archie, she starts to wonder: What exactly has she gotten herself into?

The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin – 27th March

In the thrilling conclusion of the duology set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin, a vampire and the woman who tried to kill him prove that true love can conquer anything, even Death. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Mass.

Célie’s life is over. She took her final breath trying to save the people she loves—including the powerful and enigmatic vampire king, Michal, who refused to let her go. When Célie wakes, she cannot walk in the sun; she can hear her friends’ heartbeats and she craves their blood. Michal has cursed her to the eternal existence of a vampire.

But Célie isn’t the only dead roaming the earth. Her sister, Filippa, has returned as a shadow of her former self, and other revenants are rising from their graves intent on revenge. The fragile balance between life and death has broken, awakening an even darker force—and he is coming for Célie, ready to claim her as his Bride. With the fate of their world at stake, Célie and Michal must set aside their searing attraction to mend the veil and right the balance, once and for all.

The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara – 27th March

A prince born into violence, seeking peace.

Prince Ashoka is the youngest son of the tyrannical Emperor Adil Maurya. Considered an outcast by his father for his rejection of the emperor’s brutal onslaught against the witches of the empire, Ashoka longs for change. When the sudden and unexpected death of his father leaves the monarchy in disarray, Ashoka is sent to govern a tumultuous region annexed by Emperor Adil that is terrorized by nature spirits—a task many see as doomed to fail. Suspected by a disdainful governor and evaded by distrustful witches, Ashoka must question his rigid ideals and fight against becoming the one person he despises the most—his father.

A witch shackled by pacifism, seeking revenge.

Shakti is a a witch bound by a pacifist code. After witnessing the murder of her aunt and village at the hands of the emperor, Shakti hurtles down a path of revenge, casting a curse with unexpected consequences. Posing as a maidservant in the famed palace of the Mauryas and armed with newfound powers beyond her imagination, Shakti attempts to dismantle the monarchy from within by having the royal progeny ruin themselves and turn their father’s legacy into nothing but ash.

In a world where nature spirits roam the land, and witches are hunted to extinction, Ashoka and Shakti will be forced to grapple with the consequences of to take it for themselves or risk losing it completely.

Monthly TBRs

March TBR!

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all having a great start to the month of March.

It is time for me to share my TBR for the month and I have given myself some book choices this month because I am travelling with a friend to London for a weekend and I need some good books for travelling in the car. Onto the TBR!

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

This is the fifth book in the ACOTAR series and it will bring me up to date with the series until the next book comes out and also it will tick off some of my 50 books to read this year list.

Powerful by Lauren Roberts

This is the novella that goes alongside the first book in the series, powerless, following one of the side characters and I am looking forward to reading it then reading Reckless in April before the final book comes out that month but I have to say I didn’t love the character this one follows so we shall see what I think of it.

Murder in First Class by Helena Dixon

The next book in the Miss Kitty Underhay mystery series, I am reading one of these every month so soon I will have finished the series which is heartbreaking but also quite satisfying.

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco

This is the second book in the princes of sin series, the spin off series from Kingdom of the Wicked, these books are SO good. I can’t explain anything about this series as its a spin off of the other and it would spoil things but all I can say is everyone should read these books. I will read anything Kerri Maniscalco writes.

The Village Library Demon Hunting Society by

I have no idea what this book is about really but it said something about a mystery and it has the word library on the cover so I am intrigued to read this book.

The Last Word is Death by Faith Martin

After reading the first in the series, Murder by Candlelight, in February and devouring it in a night I am excited to jump straight into the next one in the series.

The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead by Antony Johnston

This is the third book in the Dog Sitter Detective, a modern cosy mystery series that I like, I am looking forward to reading this but I am hesitant because there is a side character who keeps appearing and I don’t really like him so I will see how I feel after this book.

What are you excited to read in March?

Monthly Wrap Ups

February Wrap Up!

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day and a good start to the month of March. February is over and that means it is time to talk about all the books I read in February.

From my TBR:

  • Murder At The Wedding by Helena Dixon – I did read this. It is the seventh? I think, book in the series following Miss Kitty Underhay and her murder mystery adventures. It is a series set in the 1930s and it is a cosy mystery series. It’s so bingeable, fast paced and action packed.
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas – I did read this. Okay, so I loved it because it’s Feyre and Rhysand and everyone but as far as a book goes I don’t think it had enough to fully pull me in. I enjoyed it but I am glad it was only a short novella and I am excited to read the final book A Court of Silver Flames while waiting for the next book to be written and published.
  • The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis – I did read this. This is the second book in the Bronte mystery series. The three bronte sisters are the main characters and they trek all over the moors solving murder mysteries happening in their home town of Haworth. I love the almost gothic feel of these novels, they are dark and atmospheric and I can’t stop reading them. There’s two more in the series so far and I need to go out and buy them immediately.
  • The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee – I am currently reading this and planning on finishing it today, the day I am writing this which is the 20th February. It is the first in a series about a princess who is hiding her identity after escaping her cruel Father and she ends up in the rebellion. So far it is good, I find the writing a bit young even though the topics talked about make it firmly adult so I’d say I like it but currently it is not a new favourite.
  • Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros – I did read this. It is the second book in the Fourth Wing series.
  • Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – I read this too. The third and most up to date book in the Fourth Wing series. I will be posting my full reviews of Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm this month so keep an eye out for that!

So, from my TBR I read all 6 books (yay for me!) and then outside of my TBR I read: Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin which I ended up LOVING, surprisingly. I also read The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter and This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullins and the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

Altogether that means I read 10 books in February which I am very happy with. How was your reading in February? What was your favourite read?

Book Reviews

Book Review: Way of the Argosi by Sebastien De Castell

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. Today I am bringing you my book review for Way of the Argosi by Sebastien De Castell.

Have any of you read this series? Or the Spellslinger series? Let me know what you thought of it if you have. The Spellslinger series is one of my all time favourite series’.

Blurb/Synopsis:

A MERCILESS BAND OF MAGES MURDERED HER PARENTS, MASSACRED HER TRIBE AND BRANDED HER WITH MYSTICAL SIGILS THAT LEFT HER A REVILED OUTCAST. THEY SHOULD’VE KILLED HER INSTEAD.

Stealing, swindling, and gambling with her own life just to survive, Ferius will risk anything to avenge herself on the zealous young mage who haunts her
every waking hour.

But then she meets the incomparable Durral Brown, a wandering philosopher gifted in the arts of violence who instead overcomes his opponents with shrewdness and compassion. Does this charismatic and infuriating man hold the key to defeating her enemies, or will he lead her down a path that will destroy
her very soul?

Through this outstanding tale of swashbuckling action, magical intrigue, and dazzling wit, follow Ferius along the Way of the Argosi and enter a world of magic and mystery unlike any other.

My Review:

This book is a prequel novel to the Spellslinger series, following Ferrius Parfax when she was younger and what events made her the way she is. Usually I am not the biggest fan of a prequel but this one I loved.
To begin with I didn’t like young Ferrius, she was a bit silly and fueled by her anger, rightfully so in the circumstances. But I enjoyed getting to follow her on her journey to being a different person and all the people she met along the way.
One thing I really loved about this book was seeing the parallels between Ferrius and her relationship with Durell compared to Kellen and his relationship to Ferrius in the Spellslinger books. It was like a mirror image and it’s those kind of touches that made this book brilliant.

Book Reviews

Book Review: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you a book review today for one of the oldest books on my TBR. Honestly, it has been on my shelf for years and I finally read it. The book is An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Every enchantment has a price.

With a flick of her paintbrush, Isobel creates stunning portraits for a dangerous set of clients: the fair folk. These immortal creatures cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and they trade valuable enchantments for Isobel’s paintings. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life.

Furious, Rook spirits Isobel away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously amiss in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending upon each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, perhaps even love . . . a forbidden emotion that would violate the fair folks’ ruthless laws, rendering both their lives forfeit. What force could Isobel’s paintings conjure that is powerful enough to defy the ancient malice of the fairy courts?

Isobel and Rook journey along a knife-edge in a lush world where beauty masks corruption and the cost of survival might be more frightening than death itself.

My Review:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

An Enchantment of Ravens is a beautiful story following our main female character Isobel, a painter of the fair folk, who accidentally paints an emotion on the face of the Autumn Prince, Rook.

I enjoyed the way the world formed within this book, with seperate courts for spring, summer, autumn winter. I also particularly liked the character of Isobel. In the beginning she does not trust the fair folk and this does continue throughout the book which I liked, she had strong principles which was good to see. I have to see this is a short book and I felt like there were parts that could have been developed better, like Isobel’s sisters and her backstory is never gone into even though it is a standalone book and those things are what her character was created by. I also thought it was a bit insta love for my taste, I enjoyed it overall I just thought it could have been built up to better.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Book Tags

The Book Boyfriends Book Tag

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. Seeing as it is Valentine’s Day today, what else could I bring you except a post celebrating some of my favourite book boyfriends. I have to say, it was hard to choose. I made a list of them all and then picked the best ones for the questions and it was a long list.

I found this Tag on Got Meghan’s Blog if you want to check out how they answered the tag.

  1. The Most Romantic Boyfriend: LORD PHILLIP STANTON from The Lady in the Tower by Marie Louise Jenson. Phillip is a bit of a rogue for most of the book but by far out of my fave book boyfriends he would be the most romantic. He is a Lord in the Tudor period brought up on chivalry and how he should treat a lady.
  2. A Dark and Moody Bad Boy With A Good Side: KAI from Powerless by Lauren Roberts. He is the epitome of dark and moody especially for the first half of the book but deep down he’s a softie, he just doesn’t want everyone to know that.
  3. Paranormal Boyfriend: WRATH from Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. I wasn’t sure who to put to start with then I remembered, he’s a prince of hell so a demon of sorts. Which I am saying counts, okay.
  4. Boy You’d Be Friends With Benefits With: JULIAN SANTOS from Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Now, I wouldn’t be friends with benefits at all but for the purpose of this tag it would be Julian. I love him and he had to make it onto this list somewhere, so I put him here because he dresses like a cross between a circus performer and a pirate.
  5. Your Soul Mate: THOMAS CRESSWELL from Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri maniscalco. You can’t convince me otherwise. He is my favourite book boyfriend by a mile.
  6. Boyfriend You’d Venture Anywhere with: NATHANIAL HAWTHORNE from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. He’s magic, it would make life interesting.
  7. Boyfriend You Want to be Stranded on a Desert Island With: KELLEN ARGOSI from Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell. He literally spends most of the series trekking across a desert trying to survive so he must have picked up some skills from all of that which could help us.
  8. Most Badass Boyfriend: RHYSAND from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. I don’t think I need to explain this one, if you’ve read the series then I am sure you will understand.

That’s my answers! Who are some of your favourite book boyfriends?