Month: February 2022

We Cry for Blood by Devin Madson

Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub

Ambition and schemes have left the Kisian Empire in ashes. Empress Miko Ts’ai will have to move fast if she hopes to secure a foothold in its ruins. However, the line between enemies and allies may not be as clear-cut as it first appeared.

After failing to win back his Swords, former Captain Rah e’Torin finds shelter among the Levanti deserters. But his presence in the camp threatens to fracture the group, putting him on a collision course with their enigmatic leader.

Assassin Cassandra Marius knows Leo Villius’s secret—one that could thwart his ambitions to conquer Kisia. But her time in Empress Hana’s body is running out and each attempt they make to exploit Leo’s weakness may be playing into his plans.

And, as Leo’s control over the Levanti emperor grows, Dishiva e’Jaroven is caught in his web. She’ll have to decide how many of her people are worth sacrificing…

View original post 393 more words

Books with Relationships for People who Don’t Love Love

Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m not a big fan of most romances in books. I don’t read the romance genre anyway, but even in other genres, romance isn’t my thing. Every now and again I’ll read a book with a loving relationship that doesn’t make me want to roll my eyes or giggle like a little kid (yes, I really am that immature). By loving relationship, I’m thinking more than just the romantic kind. It could be a loving family dynamic, or even a relationship with good friends. Anyway, on a day when love is in the air (or something like that), here are a few books with love in them that I…LOVE.

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his…

View original post 1,204 more words

Book Review from a Middle-School Reader

I recently had my oldest write a book review for The Call of the Wild by Jack London. It made me laugh so hard that I am sharing it here with all of you (with his permission). All the spelling and language have been kept the way he wrote it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The Call of the Wild by Jack London is a book. It has interesting bits, slightly violent bits, and some bits that I skimmed over.

All jokes aside, The Call of the Wild is one of those books, you know the type, the so-called “classics” that everyone is required to read at least once, and therefore very few people actually read for fun. But to be honest, I actually enjoyed this one! Although, I think the version I was reading was the easy mode version.

Anyways, C.O.T.W., as I apparently like to call it seeing as I just typed it that way, is a book with a theme of, well, the WILD (dun dun dunnn)! Basically, the entire book is about a dog named Buck who, at the start of the story, is your average owned-by-a-wealthy-and-dignified-judge type of a dog. But he is kidnapped (or is it dognapped?) and shipped off to new owners in the far, far north.

He is quickly put to work as a sled dog, but it isn’t all running around pulling things, no. Not only does he develop a deep hatred for Spitz, a rival sled-dog and all-around jerk, but he also has to deal with fights, changing owners, and food shortages.

Eventually he ends up under the ownership of a man named John Thornton, who he develops a great deal of affection for. But while under his care, Buck meets and befriends a timber wolf, who leads him to wonder about his ancestors’ wild nature, and his own wild side.

The last straw comes when John Thornton is killed by the Yeehats, a local tribe of Native Americans. This event causes Buck to fly into a rage, kill several Yeehats, and then abandon humanity altogether to join the wolves as the leader of the pack.

So, there you go! I really enjoyed reading it (especially since I got the easy version). If I had to pick a favorite character, well, there was a dog in the book named Dave, and he pretty much just sat around and didn’t participate in anything when he wasn’t pulling the sled, and I thought that was funny. He also seemed really calm compared to the other dogs, and while Buck and Spitz were fighting like mad, he was just sitting there like, “Yeah, whatever”. So that’s why he was my favorite character.

As for my favorite part, I liked the part where John was betting that Buck could pull a 1,000-pound sled, and everyone else thought he couldn’t, but Buck managed to do it anyway. I liked that part because it was really exciting not knowing if Buck could do it or not and then all of a sudden- BAM! He’s totally doing it! It was kind of like watching a really, really close race and not knowing who wins. I enjoyed it.

Cover Reveal- The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless

Today I’m excited to be able to share the fantastic cover of The Children of Gods and Fighting and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless. This book will be released internationally on the first of September.

Described as a mix between actual history and Irish mythology, this looks like it’s going to be amazing! Would you like to know more? Here’s the blurb:

“They think they’ve killed the last of us…

981 AD. The Viking King of Dublin is dead. His young widow, Gormflaith, has ambitions for her son – and herself – but Ireland is a dangerous place and kings tend not to stay kings for long. Gormflaith also has a secret. She is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can do fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world – like the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to kill Fomorians.

Fódla is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the gift of healing. Her kind dwell hidden in a fortress, forbidden to live amongst the mortals. Fódla agrees to help her kin by going to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who aims to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war – a war she is desperate to stop. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise…”

Wow! Are you ready to see the cover? Here it is:

To purchase:

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Gods-Fighting-Gael-Song/dp/1803282622/

Amazon US- https://www.amazon.com/Children-Gods-Fighting-Gael-Song-ebook/dp/B09M7MBXZG

Waterstones – https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-children-of-gods-and-fighting-men/shauna-lawless/9781803282626

Author site: https://shaunalawless.com/books/

About the author:

Shauna Lawless is an avid reader of Irish mythology and folklore. As an Irish woman, she loves that Irish mythology has inspired so many stories over the years, however, she wanted to explore the history and mythology of Ireland in a more authentic way. She lives in Northern Ireland with her family. Follow Shauna on twitter @shaunaLwrites – or on her blog and website at www.shaunalawless.com

The Living Waters (The Weirdwater Confulence #1) by Dan Fitzgerald

When two painted-faced nobles take a guided raft trip on a muddy river, they expect to rough it for a few weeks before returning to their life of sheltered ease, but when mysterious swirls start appearing in the water even their seasoned guides get rattled.


The mystery of the swirls lures them on to seek the mythical wetlands known as the Living Waters. They discover a world beyond their imagining, but stranger still are the worlds they find inside their own minds as they are drawn deep into the troubles of this hidden place. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Living Waters is available for purchase now.

I was a little unsure about what I would experience with The Living Waters. It is described as sword-free fantasy, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Author Dan Fitzgerald defines sword-free fantasy in a fascinating article (found here) and points out that one great thing about fantasy is that it can be “a safe reading space, where peril may be real but wonder predominates”, which is part of what makes The Living Waters so unique.

The book focuses on a trip on a river. Temi and Sylan are two nobles who are there to go on a “roughabout”, which is sort of a pilgrimage that those from their society usually go on prior to marriage. Temi and Sylan are part of a caste system that values extremely pale skin, to the point that they all wear hats and paint to protect their skin from the light of the sun. I found this fascinating because, like most societal expectations, it could be inconvenient. The captain of their ship, Leo, and their protector, Gilea, don’t have these concerns.

Temi and Sylan both have their reasons for going, although I found Sylan’s desire to learn more about the natural world around him to be the more interesting of the two. I loved his curiosity and his appreciation of what he saw, and the book of descriptions about some of the things he sees was such a wonderful way to naturally introduce the reader to a world filled with wonder and beauty.

While there aren’t any sword fights or instances of derring-do, the book was nonetheless fascinating. The relationships were the main focus, although there were still dangers and mysteries to solve, and the way the characters developed both individually and in relation to each other was realistic and engrossing.

The Living Waters was beautiful. It also felt intensely personal, as though the author was showing a little of who he is in his descriptions and his obvious appreciation of nature. The descriptions were amazing, as was the pacing of the book. I felt like I was floating down the river myself. The relationships, the mysterious swirls in the water, and the loveliness of the setting all combined to make The Living Waters a serene and calming read.

Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips- The Write Reads Ultimate Tour

Lemony Snicket meets Roald Dahl in this riotously funny, deliciously macabre, and highly illustrated sequel to The Beast and the Bethany in which Bethany and Ebenezer try to turn over a new leaf, only to have someone—or something—thwart them at every turn.

Once upon a very badly behaved time, 511-year-old Ebenezer kept a beast in his attic. He would feed the beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the beast would vomit him up expensive presents. But then the Bethany arrived.

Now notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, is determined that she and Ebenezer are going to de-beast their lives and Do Good. But Bethany finds that being a former prankster makes it hard to get taken on for voluntary work. And Ebenezer secretly misses the beast’s vomity gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway.

Then there’s Claudette, who’s not been feeling herself recently. Has she eaten something that has disagreed with her?
Genre: MG Fantasy
Length: 288 Pages
Publishing: 30th September 2021
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Beast-2-Bethany/dp/1534478922
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58410828-revenge-of-the-beast

Thank you to Aladdin publishing and The Write Reads on Tour for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast will be available for purchase on March 22nd.

Delightfully wicked, The Beast and the Bethany: Revenge of the Beast had me roaring with laughter (as opposed to the Beast, who was possibly simply roaring for the fun of it), and happily devouring every word.

My favorite duo of not-quite-good-guys is back in this sequel to The Beast and the Bethany, and everything seems to be hunky dory. Or is it? Okay, so neither Bethany nor Ebenezer have any idea how to be do-gooders, there’s a fancy shirt that seems to have a mind of its own, and Claudette the bird is acting oddly…but those are all normal everyday difficulties that people deal with all the time. Right?

The author is back in fine form with this fantastic book, continuing the hijinks that follow Bethany and Ebenezer, while at the same time sneaking in themes of friendship and making good choices (it’s done so slyly that I promise your children won’t notice, parents). At the same time, it is incredibly entertaining. I found myself laughing aloud at parts.

New characters are introduced, and the reader is treated to a more complete look at old ones. While our three main characters are all wonderful, Ebenezer continues to be my favorite. In Revenge of the Beast, a little more is shown about his past and how the Beast came to be involved in his life. Ebenezer struggles with his newfound less-selfish outlook and watching him grow and develop as he deals with change is a joy.

As with book one, Revenge of the Beast would best be enjoyed by older children (and adults!), although it would be a fun read-aloud for younger kids who like a slightly macabre twist to their books. Think Roald Dahl and you’ve got the general idea.

Plan to run away from the Beast, but toward your favorite bookstore to pick this book up! Better yet, go ahead and pre-order it: I guarantee you’ll love it.

About the Author:

Jack Meggitt-Phillips is an author, scriptwriter, and playwright whose work has been performed at The Roundhouse and featured on Radio 4. He is scriptwriter and presenter of The History of Advertising podcast. In his mind, Jack is an enormously talented ballroom dancer, however his enthusiasm far surpasses his actual talent. Jack lives in north London where he spends most of his time drinking peculiar teas and reading P.G. Wodehouse novels.

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Felicity Morrow is back at the Dalloway School. Perched in the Catskill Mountains, the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she’s returned to finish high school. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds. 
 
Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s past. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind now, but it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget. 
 
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and she has already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called method writer. She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity to help her research the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource. 
 
And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway—and herself. (Taken from Amazon)

Start with a mystery, throw in a dash of the spooky, and add a bit of romance and you’ve got the premise for A Lesson in Vengeance, a fast and entertaining read. This book is available for purchase now.

The book is told from the point of view of Felicity Morrow, a girl just returning to school after witnessing a horrific accident that resulted in a death the year before. Only Felicity knows something that other people don’t: her girlfriend was murdered, and Felicity knows who did it.

While the premise in and of itself isn’t anything new, the execution is very different. Felicity struggles with both feelings of guilt and embarrassment over her mental illness diagnosis. I could relate a little to the second thing. No one should feel embarrassed about having a mental illness, but I did for many years because of the stigma that comes along with it. Author Victoria Lee has a Ph.D. in psychology, which she put to interesting use here. Felicity was a fascinating character, partly because of her struggles, although I really didn’t like her.

In fact, I didn’t like any of the characters. That didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book at all; if anything, it made me more curious about what secrets each of them was hiding and who they really were underneath their shiny exteriors. There are four other characters that Felicity interacts with, each of them a roommate in her dorm, a dorm that is steeped in legends of murder and witchcraft. Felicity is drawn to these legends and to the supposed magic that comes with them. What role magic plays in this story is a discovery I’ll leave to the reader, so as to avoid spoilers.

While A Lesson in Vengeance was good, there were some things about it that I didn’t love. The pacing felt choppy, with more time spent on developing the plot than seemed necessary, and not enough time spent on the climax. I would have loved for the ending to be stretched out a little more, and it left me feeling a little unsatisfied. I also wonder if the very end of the book was a late addition because it really didn’t fit the tone of the story. Then again, I’m the sort of person who likes endings to be a little less…. finished, so maybe I’m not the best judge here.

A Lesson in Vengeance was a fun read, and would be great paired with a cozy blanket, a stormy night, and a favorite warm drink.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May


On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface. 

Neither real magic nor faux magic interests Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one. 

Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor. 

Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of witchcraft. And when Annie witnesses a confrontation between Bea and Emmeline at one of the island’s extravagant parties, she is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where the boundaries of wickedness are tested, and the cost of illicit magic might be death. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to Redhook publishing for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Wild and Wicked Things will be available for purchase on March 29th.

Addictive and haunting, Wild and Wicked Things was also a bit problematic. The book initially drew me in with beautiful prose, dripping with magic and secrets. However, the pacing caused me to pause and I found my attention wandering at parts.

I was immediately interested in the book’s setting, which has a wild and carefree overtone with more somber themes lurking just underneath the surface. I’ve read that it takes inspiration from The Great Gatsby, and the juxtaposition of the darker aspects of the storyline with the glitter that’s seen on the surface felt very reminiscent of Gatsby to me. That being said, Wild and Wicked Things is very much its own unique book.

There was quite a bit of content that I struggled to read. The fault is mine: the author has kindly provided a content warning list for the book (here) which I was unaware of when I picked it up. That being said, I feel that the author did not add any of it merely for shock value; rather, it was all part of the story she envisioned and it did further the plot.

I loved the lush feel of the book, and the glitz of it all. I was fascinated by the mysteries lurking beneath the surface. Ultimately, though, the bits that didn’t work for me- the characters that weren’t quite as fully-rounded as I was hoping and the pacing issues- lessened my enjoyment a little. That being said, I am sure that there are many who will find themselves lost in a beautiful world and will appreciate the slower pacing. Give it a go!

Continuing On: Lesser-known sequels to popular books

Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub

Sometimes a book is so popular, and functions so well as a standalone, that I don’t realize there’s a sequel. This happened last year when I discovered that Richard Adams had revisited the world of Watership Down. Maybe I’m the only person who doesn’t always check for sequels, but here’s a list of sequels to popular books that may have been skipped over. Let’s give these books some attention!

Tales From Watership Down by Richard Adams: 

Image result for tales from watership downI’m one of those weirdos who actually really likes Watership Down. Yes, it’s odd, and the themes are harsh and rather upsetting, but I would argue that it’s an important book (even though the characters are adorable little rabbits). I have to be honest: I was disappointed by Tales From Watership Down. It felt like an unnecessary tack-on, which might be why it’s never talked about.

 Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott: 

View original post 388 more words

#FebruarySheWrote Goes Indie

This month marks the first of what I hope will be an annual event called February She Wrote! Conceived of and spearheaded by the fantastic Literature&Lofi (subscribe to his youtube channel, folks), this focuses on fantastic books written by females.

There are so many wonderful female fantasy and science fiction authors, but for today I’m narrowing my gaze a little bit and listing great female authors that fall under the indie category. Check them out now or, if you’re like me and your to be read pile is taller than you are, plan on picking them up either in July (right in time for Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week!) or during Indie August.

Female Indie Authors to Check Out:

*Anca Antoci- the Chimera series

*Angela Boord- Fortune’s Fool

*Claire Buss- The Gaia Effect; The Roshaven series

*Sarah Chorn- Seraphina’s Lament; Of Honey and Wildfires

*Josie Jaffrey- May Day; The Guilded King

*Krystle Matar- Legacy of the Brightwash

*L.L. MacRae- The Iron Crown

*Virginia McClain- Chronicles of Gensokai

*Val Neil- Dark Apprentice

*Quenby Olson- The Half-Killed; Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons)

*Kerstin Espinosa Rosero- Burn Red Skies

*Rachel Emma Shaw- Last Memoria; Scars of Cereba

*M.L. Spencer- Dragon Mage

*L.A. Wasielewski- The Alchemist trilogy

*Lyra Wolf- The Nine Worlds Rising series