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Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.
An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.
What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.
Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?
A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
I’d been curious about the author because of another one of their books, and one of my friends convinced me to read this one as a buddy read.
The Quotes
“It’s much easier to tell yourself you’re a good person than it is to actually be one.”
“The question isn’t: How do I stop feeling this way? That’s stupid. I can’t. The question is: What can I do with this feeling?”
“So many parents will try to kill everything brilliant about a girl in the name of giving her a good life, a safe life, a chance at happiness.”
“Because good people can turn desperate when the horrors are upon them—especially people whose culture of plenty has left them with no systems to cope with scarcity or cataclysm. Good people will turn monstrous when it’s down to their survival or someone else’s.”
My Thoughts
This story was so brutal and hard hitting. It’s not what I expected because I thought there would be more magic study, more learning, advancements of the craft, more feminism and women breaking into the Magistry as Highmage, but instead, it’s a whole riot and revolution that happens so quickly, and with so much destruction! I’m not sure yet what I think about the direction the story went with all this destruction, but the storytelling itself is great. All that teaching through dialogue is not an easy thing to do without boring the reader, but I found it interesting and now I’m a little sad that this is a standalone and there’s not more to the story.
The thing that stands out most to me is definitely the denial of truth when it interferes with your comfort and way of life. We all do that to an extent, I think, but when it goes so deep and is rooted so deeply in evil, it’s just easier to not think about it and justify all the evil doing. Most evil doers don’t see themselves as evil, so it’s also interesting to see that characterized with some of the characters and how they see themselves. There is so much to think about with this story, honestly. I think I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books With Occupations in the Title
Apparently, I have a lot of books with occupations in the title on my TBR list. I had a hard time narrowing it down to ten but these are the ones higher up on my TBR, so hopefully I’ll actually read some of them soon!
Top Ten Books With Occupations in the Title
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie – This has been on my TBR the longest and I don’t even remember why I was interested in it at the time, but it’s relatively short, so I’m curious to get it read and crossed off my list.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan – I’m actually interested in many of Amy Tan’s books, but this is the only one that had an occupation on the title. I’ll make my way through her portfolio eventually!
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed – This one calls to me. I love fantasy and horror and it gives me dark fairytale vibes. For some reason, I’m reminded about the Grimm Brother’s fairytales, the dark ones, not the Disney ones, and I hope I’ll get something like that here.
Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth – The TV series charmed me although I only watched the first couple of seasons. I just googled it and I’m surprised to learn it’s apparently still ongoing and on its 14th season now! I’m sure it has deviated a lot from the book already, but I’ve lost interest in the show anyway, and I’m curious to read the book itself.
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller – I really need to get to this one soon. It calls to the adventurous, swash-buckling feminist in me, and I just want to immerse myself in adventure. It’s the first of a series though, and I’m trying to finish series I’ve already started before starting more.
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart – I have a fascination with plants and what they can do and the author has another book called Wicked Plants that’s on my TBR too! This book is about plants that go into alcoholic beverages and I don’t drink, so I’m not as excited about this one compared to Wicked Plants, which is about dangerous and poisonous plants. Perhaps I should clarify that I don’t do poison either! 😂
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett – Who doesn’t like Terry Pratchett and the Discworld books? Unfortunately, I haven’t read many of them because I have this thing about series. I find it hard to read them out of order (unless I didn’t know they were a part of a series) even if they’re not sequentially related. One day I’ll either read them all, or I’ll break the series-in-order rule!
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi – I found this book in a Little Free Library and brought it home because it caught my attention. I’m not sure when I’ll get to this one; it sounds a little heavy and I think I need to be in the right frame of mind for it.
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich – I’ve read The Sentence by the author and loved it, and I have The Mighty Red higher up on the TBR. I intend to read this one after, because I really like the author’s writing style so far and I hope to read more from her.
The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman – I read The Main Dish and The Making of a Chef by the author and loved them, and of course immediately added this book to my TBR as well. I just love the way he talks about food and cooking. I want more!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction to share our monthly wrap-up posts that summarizes our month in books, our favorite books of the month, what we did on our blogs, and anything noteworthy we want to share.
August 2025 Wrap Up
I spent the first half of August mood reading, and the second half reading from the TBR, so I satisfied both sides of the reader inside me! I realized that it’s important to leave room for mood reading, and it’s okay to let go of some of the books I previously committed to if I’m not feeling it.
My August 2025 TBR Intentions
Six out of eight ain’t bad! I’ve lost interest in the last Children of Time book, unfortunately. I’m not sure if I’ll ever come back to it. I am still very interested in reading The Power of Myth, but every time I pick it up I end up putting it down after a few passages because I want to savor and contemplate everything. I want to study every last bit of it! I might end up having to make up a study schedule for it or something!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My favorite books in August were obviously The Hunger Games trilogy. They are my all-time favorites and always get better the more I reread them. Dragons of Autumn Twilight is also a reread and from one of my favorite series, and The Long Walk is another reread from a favorite author.
So in the interest of fairness, I should talk about the new reads that I loved this month; most notably A Man Called Ove and Blood Over Bright Haven. These two were amazing and they make me so happy that the authors have other books that have gotten great reviews as well. I’m so looking forward to reading more from them!
September 2025 TBR Intentions
My aim is to finish the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman this month, hopefully. I do have a couple of September BOTMs and a few other books that have September deadlines I should focus on though. I also hope to finish S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst if possible, but I’m perfectly happy to take it slow so we’ll see how it goes.
Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Dragons of Summer Flame by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher
Falling by T.J. Newman
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
How was your month in August? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful September with lots of great books!
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
School Starts This Week!
I had my orientation last week and I’m excited and anxious as hell. Honestly, I wish I was too cool for school, but I’m feeling very, very uncool right now! 😂
In some ways, I feel like I’m ready and overprepared, in other ways, I feel so unprepared it’s not even funny. Also, I’m fully aware that I’m being really annoying now with all the school talk and how excited I am, but give it a few weeks and I’ll probably start complaining about school then! Hopefully not though!
Yeah, I don’t have much to share other than about going back to school. It’s my whole personality right now! Thank goodness I do have some books to talk about too!
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – This is a reread. I resisted reading this for a long time because I just didn’t feel a need for more books in the THG world, but a friend talked it up and I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up liking it. Reading it the second time now, I’m seeing more of the details I missed before and I love it even more now!
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa – I don’t usually like “slice of life” novels, but this was my online bookclub’s BOTM, and it was relatively short, so I decided to give it a chance. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t bad and I liked it well enough.
Books I’m reading:
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst – I haven’t touched it since the week before! I haven’t had time to immerse myself but I don’t want to leave it too long, otherwise I’ll have to start over.
Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – The second book in the Dragonlance Chronicles I’m working through. I’m about 45% in.
I will try to get some reading in for S. I’m also hoping to finish Dragons of Winter Night early in the week so I can start Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Non-Bookish Freebie
Taking the opportunity with today’s topic to post pictures of my cats! We lost Loki (the white-ish one) a few months ago, but he’s not forgotten and he’s still a very important part of the three MeowsCateers. Some of the pictures aren’t the best quality but I hope their cuteness comes through!
The Three MeowsCateers
Basking on the windowsill
Staring into your soul
Dozing cats
Nom-noms
Cuddle pile
Do you have any pets? Share stories about them in the comments! I’d love to hear them!
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
School On My Mind
I’m ramping up preparations for school. We have an online “orientation” course that I’ve been working through these last few days that I haven’t finished yet. I’ve been organizing my notebooks and getting my textbooks, and kind of going overboard with colored highlighters and tabs – I am well aware I’m being a little extra but I love the idea of aesthetic notes! I’m pretty sure when the time comes for taking notes, all aesthetics will go out the window though!
I also had a wonderful Saturday spent with a friend who used to go to the school I’m going to. She offered to take me on a tour of her favorite spots on campus, which was really fun, and then we went for lunch after, which was really fun too! I think I’m ready for school…? 😅
The Books
Books I read last week:
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang – I am shooketh by this book! I didn’t expect it to be so hard-hitting but yeah, it’s incredible and gave me so much to think about. Now I’m even more excited to read The Sword of Kaigen.
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – I just finished this today. I actually just read this last year and was supposed to read the rest of the series as well, but never got to them, so I’m rereading this to refresh my memory before getting to the next books.
Books I’m reading:
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst – I had never heard of this book until my bookclub started reading it, but it’s essentially a book within a book; the book in question is basically a “prop” of sorts, it’s a fake book that exists for this story. It’s got annotations on the margins made to look like two characters communicating with each other, there are papers, articles, letters, and more stuffed within the pages of the fake book. I’ve just finished the intro and not yet even gotten to the first chapter yet. I’m anticipating that this will take me longer to finish than a regular book!
It’s the last week I have to read the books with an August deadline; two BOTMs with two bookclubs – Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. I could possibly do the first because it’s shorter but I don’t think I’ll be able to finish The Power of Myth since it requires more focus. We shall see.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books with a High Page Count
I did a previous TTT topic with Chonky Books, but I’ve read a few more chonkers since then and thought I’d add them here. Not all of them are the most chonky books in the world, some are only about 600+ pages, and where there are series, I featured the first book in the series even though the later books are chonkier. I’ll state them in the descriptions though.
I’m a huge fan of chonkers because you get more time with the story and characters, and you get to live in that world a little longer. What chonkers have you read and loved?
Top Ten More Chonkers
11/22/63 by Stephen King – 849 pages. It’s like I can’t do a TTT without having at least one SK book on the list. But to be fair, it actually did come in at 10th place when I went through my most recent chonkers read (that wasn’t already featured or part of a series)! It’s time travel, historical fiction, and such an adventure!
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – 671 pages. This one felt like a fever dream. I enjoyed the reading experience but I didn’t connect to the characters and I don’t think it’s one that will stay with me. There’s a lot of philosophizing and justification, which makes sense for the topic, but I couldn’t agree with the characters’ points.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – 771 pages. I loved this one. It had David Copperfield/Demon Copperhead vibes, and I love how immersive it is. It’s a coming-of-age story and we see the protagonist as a young child up to adulthood. His best friend is also one of the most interesting and exasperating characters I’ve read!
Super Powereds by Drew Hayes – 814 pages. This one was such a pleasant surprise and it has become one of my favorite series! A group of super powered young adults going to a super powered school; it’s so smart and action-packed, and there’s also such a strong found family element to the story. How could I resist? There are four books and the first one is 814 pages, the next three are 822 pages, 1104 pages, and a whopping 1981 pages, respectively!
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – 1007 pages. I’ve finished up to Book 3, and the next two books are on my immediate TBR. I’m enjoying it so far but I need to read them faster because I’m forgetting details the longer I’m taking to read them. Books 2 and 3 are 1088 pages and 1248 pages, respectively.
The Terror by Dan Simmons – 835 pages. This one was so good! It has a slow start but the tension just kept building and building. It’s based on the real-life expedition that failed, but there are some fantastical elements in this story.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 608 pages. I’ve read this and the second book with 597 pages. There is a third book but I haven’t read it yet. It’s about humans colonizing other planets, and somehow creating intelligent life in other species through some kind of nanovirus. It’s very interesting to see the evolution of these species throughout thousands and thousands of years, and I love how much more evolved they become than even humans!
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville – 710 pages. This one lives in my mind rent-free. I love the world-building, the different alien species we see living together, and I love how the pursuit of science and art is presented here. It is also extremely gut-wrenching and devastating, and I’m still not over it.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo – 1463 pages. I loved the experience of reading this one as well, even the parts where the author goes on long tangents on things that are not necessarily directly related to the story! I don’t like the characters as people, but I think they are really interesting as characters and I love that they stayed true to the title of their story!
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – 964 pages. This book has been on my TBR for ages and now that I’ve finally read it I can say that Tolstoy is a genius and I am enthralled by his writing! To be clear, I hate Anna Karenina as a character, and I got so tired of her by the time I was halfway through the story, and I also didn’t much like the other characters so there was nothing to keep me invested. But somehow, Tolstoy did! He is a master at character study and like them or not, the characters and their thought processes and behaviors kept me interested! I’m looking forward to reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Low Battery
I was not as productive last week as the week before, I must have used up all my superhuman capabilities the week before. I did get in a couple of runs, and one of them was even for 8km! Which is probably what exhausted me for the rest of the week. I also didn’t get very much sleep these last couple of days, so the energy is low.
I continued with decluttering and organizing my workspace but I didn’t get as much done as I wanted and I am now seeing just how much clutter I’ve accumulated. I have a hard time throwing stuff out because I always feel like I might need them someday, but I have to learn to do this if I don’t want to be featured in one of those hoarders documentaries one day. Universe, give me strength!
On my watchlist: We just finished watching All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix and it’s really good. I haven’t read the book yet, so I don’t know how it compares, but I love the casting with Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo, and the other actors were amazing too! I can see why the book is popular if the movie is already affecting me like this. I do have the physical book on my shelf and it’s been staring accusingly at me for a while now, so maybe I should read it soon!
I also forced my husband to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters with me! I don’t care that it’s girly and cheesy and cute, it’s also really good! The music is so catchy! I’ve been hearing “Golden” all over social media and had no idea that it came from this show, but once I realized, I was like, I must watch the show! And maybe my husband and I are not its target audience, but I loved it! My husband maybe liked it. But I loved it!
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin – It’s been on my TBR for a while so I’m glad I finally read it! Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as the author’s other books, but it was still really good.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins – Once I started the first book, it was hard to stop, so I just breezed through them all. It still never fails to get me in the feels. There were so many incredible scenes in the books that just hit me and I cry like a baby.
Books I’m reading:
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang – From the author of The Sword of Kaigen, which I haven’t read but have heard a lot about! I’ve only just started but I’m sure I’ll want to read The Sword of Kaigen after.
I’m feeling a little rebellious this week and don’t feel like reading my “assigned” books (that I listed for my August TBR). We’ll see where my mood takes me this week!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.
All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families—and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left—literature.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
I loved Madeline Martin’s other books and also books about books. I also somehow gravitate towards books about WW2 and this has been on my TBR for a while.
The Quotes
“Good books were like amazing sunsets or awe-inspiring landscapes, better enjoyed with someone else. There was no greater experience in the world than sharing the love of a book, discussing its finer points, and reliving the story all over again.”
“It whispered to her in the silence, a promise only a book can make to a reader, to offer a journey unique to them, tailored”
“There was power in literature. Brilliant and undeniable. Books inspired free thought and empathy, an overall understanding and acceptance of everyone.”
“We cannot let the atrocities and persecution of the Jews slip between the cracks of history. We cannot allow education to be stifled or cultures to be erased or books to be banned. Nor can we let the memory of those brave men and women who fought for freedom and what is right disappear in the turning pages of time.”
The Narrator(s)
Saskia Maarleveld. I have listened to another book narrated by her and didn’t have a problem with it, but I feel like possibly because of the writing in this book, there was a strong inclination towards susurration that made it difficult for me to hear the story very well. It wasn’t bad during dialogue, it bothered me mostly in the narrative parts.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed the story, and I love how books and stories play such a big part in keeping spirits up during times of war. I love that Zofia and Janina were part of an anti-Hitler book club, and the way they connected with others through the book club and book discussions. I’ve read many books set in WW2 throughout my life, but they’ve been hitting a lot harder in recent times, and I believe more than ever that reading is one of the most important things for developing empathy.
Martin is very good at writing about friendships and connections, and I love the bond between Zofia and Janina. I love how they looked out for each other and found ways to keep in contact even when it was dangerous for them. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Martin’s other books, but it’s more so because I didn’t enjoy the audiobook experience. Hopefully, if I reread this in the future, I may change my mind when I read it on print or in some other form.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
It’s love at first haunting in a seaside town that raises everyone’s spirits from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.
Small Florida coastal towns often find themselves scrambling for the tourism dollars that the Orlando theme parks leave behind. And within the town limits of Boneyard Key, the residents decided long ago to lean into its ghostliness. Nick Royer, owner of the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop, embraces the ghost tourism that keeps the local economy afloat, as well as his spectral roommate. At least he doesn’t have to run air-conditioning.
Cassie Rutherford possibly overreacted to all her friends getting married and having kids by leaving Orlando and buying a flipped historic cottage in Boneyard Key. Though there’s something unusual with her new home (her laptop won’t charge in any outlets, and the poetry magnets on her fridge definitely didn’t read “WRONG” and “MY HOUSE” when she put them up), she’s charmed by the colorful history surrounding her. And she’s catching a certain vibe from the grumpy coffee shop owner whenever he slips her a free slice of banana bread along with her coffee order.
As Nick takes her on a ghost tour, sharing town gossip that tourists don’t get to hear, and they spend nights side-by-side looking into the former owners of her haunted cottage, their connection solidifies into something very real and enticing. But Cassie’s worried she’s in too deep with this whole (haunted) home ownership thing… and Nick’s afraid to get too close in case Cassie gets scared away for good.
For the Reading Challenge(s): N/A
The Reason
Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life featured this book in her Top Ten Tuesday Beachy Reads post a couple of weeks ago and I was intrigued! I’ve been craving more romance and I love haunted house stories. Thanks for the rec, Erin!
The Narrator(s)
Jeannie Sheneman. Wonderful narration, I was fully immersed.
My Thoughts
It was so much fun! I finished it within 24 hours because it was just so easy to read and I couldn’t put it down. The romance itself is sweet, maybe a little cheesy, but honestly, the ghost story was so good! Most of the time when I read romances with side ghost stories, I don’t expect a good story because I see it only as a plot point, but in this case, I got really invested in the ghost story.
I love that it’s also a found family story, and finding a place of belonging among people who care about you and accept you for you. It scratches a lot of itches for me, and I love it more than I expected I would. It makes me so happy to see that there’s going to be another book in the series featuring a secondary character in this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on that when it comes out!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
